Set Number: 79101
Theme: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Year: 2012
Pieces: 198
Minifigures: 3
MSRP: $29.99 (CDN) $24.99 (USD)
Description from Shop@Home:
Chase after Shredder and get the map back!
Kick up the turtle-powered action to take on Shredder! When Shredder speeds by on his Dragon Bike with dual flame exhausts and real rubber tires, Donatello spots a map to the Turtles' lair in his claws! Crank up Donatello's motorized skateboard to stop him before he finds the secret lair. Battle the Foot Soldier with Donatello's bo staff and chase the metal-faced menace through the city streets to get that map back!
• Includes 3 minifigures: Shredder, Donatello and a Foot Soldier
• Features dual flame exhaust, rubber-treaded tires and a sewer map
• Vehicles include Donatello's motorized skateboard
• Includes 4 weapons: bo staff, sword and dual flick missiles
• Chase after Shredder on Donatello's motorized skateboard!
• Take the sewer map from Shredder before he finds the Turtles' lair!
• Measures over 5" (12cm) high, 7" (18cm) wide and 3" (8cm) long
• Skateboard measures over 1" (3cm) high, 3" (7cm) long and 1" (4cm) wide
link: http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Shredder-s-Dragon-Bike-79101
I remember first hearing about the Ninja Turtles comic book as a question on a tv gameshow and thought it was a joke. But a joke it was not, and after seeing the original late 80's early 90's tv show, I kind of developed a soft spot for the "Heroes in a halfshell". So, when I heard that LEGO was coming out with sets based on the show, I was happy. When I heard it was based on the new 2012 version of the tv show, I was less happy. After seeing the pictures of the sets, I was on the fence about whether or not to get them. However, my local Toys R Us had a couple copies of this set on the damaged table the other day for $10, so I grabbed them. How do the Turtles do in LEGO form?
First up, the front of the box. Mine was covered with a giant red "final sale" ticket, so here's a picture of the box from Brickset. You can see that in this set, Shredder is driving one big stinking motorcycle and Donatello is chasing him on a motorized skateboard. Why is he chasing Shredder? The map that leads to the Turtles lair of course. Also included is a foot soldier.
http://www.1000steine.com/brickset/Addi ... 1_alt1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The back of the box (sorry about the flash) shows some of the play features and a cartoon of the set at the bottom
Inside the box, we have 3 unnumbered bags, a HUGE tire, a sticker sheet, and the instruction manual.
The stickers. They are for the flags on Shredder's bike. I will not be applying them in this review. (I mostly don't put stickers on during builds.)
The cover of the instruction book (pretty much the same as the box)
A random page from the instructions. I personally prefer it when LEGO puts the parts needed at the top of the page, as it prevents me from missing things as I build. I'm sure it also helps younger builders.
The parts. I didn't motice any parts that I hadn't seen before, and there is a lot of techniq pieces.
The mini figures. The real reason for getting this set honestly. You get Shredder (the only set he comes in), a foot soldier and Donatello. (I was glad to get Don, he and I share a name after all.) Shredder looks pretty much how I remembered him, complete with the same claw gizmos that we first saw in the Prince of Persia sets, and on everyone's favourite Canadian superhero, Wolverine. His torso design is great, as are the shoudler pads. The foot soldier comes in pretty much every set, but he has nice torso design and head. Donatello has a bit of an annoyed look on his face in this set, but he looks awesome. Exactly the way I hoped a TMNT would look in LEGO form, and he comes with his staff. Great looking figures.
And from the back.
Here is Shredder wihout helmet. Looks kind of deformed. He has no printing on the back of his torso. And Don without his shell (point of fact, turtles can not take off their shells) to show you his back printing. The figures are totally awesome.
On to the build. First up we have Donatello's skateboard I haven't seen this version of the show, but I guess that in this version, the turtles build a lot of their contraptions, vehicles etc from spare parts. From this side, you can see the one headlight, and the steering mechanism.
And from this angle, you can see where Don can attach his weapon while driving. A nice little build, pretty straightforward. My son put this entire set together for me (he's just under 5) and he had no trouble with this part of the build.
Shredder's bike. This thing is big and ugly, and I really don't know what to think about it. Having not seen the show, I don't know how accurate it is, but from a LEGO stand point, it is a very interesting build. Here is the body of the bike early in construction.
The bike is over half finished at this point, the wheels are on. One thing to watch out for is pushing the connections for the wheels too tight, if you do, the wheels won't turn freely. But if you get them on correctly, the wheels work pretty well.
And the complete bike (minus stickers). Its big, gawdy and pretentious, but that's what Shredder is all about right? As a practical motorcycle goes, its terrible, but in this case, it works. A very interesting build to boot, so I can forgive how over the top it really is.
Spare parts. I don't think my son missed any steps, but he's been known to do that so some of these might be part of the bike. Unlikely, but possible.
And the entire set.
Final thoughts. I wasn't planning on getting this set. I really only was interested in getting the turtles, and Donatello is available in at least one other set. The price per piece in Canada especically is quite high, and Shredder was not on my priority list for minifigure aquisition. However, as a playset goes, it is not bad. The skateboard and bike are both useable, and my son and I spent a good hour chasing each other around the room with them. The minifigures are outstanding, but unless you REALLY want Shredder, I would say save your money and get Donatello in the other set he comes in (Baxter Robot Rampage) or wait for a sale (or damaged box
).Ratings:
Minifigures 5/5
Parts 3/5
Play Value 4/5
Price 3/5 (Canadian pricing) 4/5 (American)
Overall score 3.5/5
