FBTB

Category: LEGO Minecraft

  • A Year of Polybags 132/260: 30394 The Skeleton Defense Review

    A Year of Polybags 132/260: 30394 The Skeleton Defense Review

    Even though I’m not big into Minecraft, I can still spot a stinker when I see one. Today’s set, 30394 The Skeleton Defense, is one such stinker.

    You get Alex with a pickaxe and a Skeleton Archer.

    The “defense” part of the build is like the worst defense ever. First of all, it’s only waist high. Secondly, there’s a giant opening presumably to swing the pickaxe through. But archers by nature are ranged attacks so why would the archer get close enough for Alex to attack through the opening? Third of all, there’s lame flick fire missile that can only shoot in one direction so unless the Skeleton Archer is standing directly in its path, it’s worthless.

    I guess because the Skeleton Archer is by itself and presumably beyond melee range to mount an offense, to keep it all together you’d have to place the Archer on the studs directly in front of the opening. Only then would the Alex have the opportunity to strike. Maybe Skeleton Archer AI is just that dumb to have it walk right up to you within melee range, who knows.

    Such a dumb set. What a waste.

    Does It Suck or Does It Rock?

     

    This set sucks! There is no reason why anyone would want this set. Neither Alex nor the Skeleton are unique. This could possibly fit on the side of some of the other Minecraft sets as an add on, but why bother? You could easily build the same thing with scrap parts from your parts bin or whatever. Getting two figs is great but you’re better off saving the five bucks this would have cost you to put it towards a larger more satisfying set.

    You Can Win This And Every Other Polybag I Review This Year

    I’ll be raffling every polybag I review this year in one big lot, all 260 sets (with the possibility of more). Each set will be individually stored in a ziploc baggie complete with the extra pieces, instructions, and the actual polybag bag it came in. The cost of a raffle ticket is just $1 USD and you can enter as many times as you want. Send a PayPal payment to paypal@fbtb.net for $1 USD for every ticket you want to purchase. DO NOT send one payment for multiple entries i.e. do not send one $5 USD payment for five tickets; five $1 USD payments must be made insteavd. Raffle is open to everyone in the world except where raffles are illegal. Be sure to put “POLYBAG RAFFLE” in the notes section of the payment in order to be entered successfully. Winner will be drawn sometime early January 2023 and contacted at the PayPal email address the payment was sent from to arrange for delivery. For a running list of all the sets that you can win, check this Google spreadsheet.

  • A Year of Polybags 97/260: 30432 The Turtle Beach Review

    A Year of Polybags 97/260: 30432 The Turtle Beach Review

    I’m not a Minecraft guy. I might have mentioned this already. The entire theme is pretty meaningless to me. My kids play it, but they’ve never really been into the sets either. So I’m about as neutral towards the theme as I can be. And coming from a place of neutrality, I can recognize a good polybag when I see one and this is a good one.

    Fairly simple I’d say. There’s what appears to be a small dock, an archway of some kind, and sand and water are represented.

    According to Bricklink, the minifigure is Alex. I guess there’s a story in Minecraft and he/she/they is a main character? Okay, sure. Not sure what Alex is holding. A leek?

    The beach scene is pretty simple. Not sure what the pile of 1×1 white plates are supposed to be. A mushroom? A turtle egg maybe? It is called Turtle Beach afterall so a turtle egg might not be too much of a stretch of the imagination.

    The real star of the show is the turtle. Minecraft animals have a very distinctive design. There is no mistaking a Minecraft animal with any other style. And the turtle is no exception.

    The shell is completely square taking a 3×3 footprint. Its topped off by a dark green 1×1 plate. The head is blocky and very Minecraft-y. There are three different shades of green in this turtle, plus a bit of tan. The only thing missing is a tail but that’s okay.

    I always say that polybags either represent a mini version of a larger set, or be a slice of life from the theme it’s attached to. Looking at the Minecraft sets at LEGO.com (<== affiliate link), 30432 The Turtle Beach can fit into any number of them, making it a near-perfect execution of a polybag set.

    Get It At Target!

    I should note that today’s polybag as well as the ones for the next 3 days are available at Target right now. The review was not sponsored by Target (<== another affiliate link), but if you’re a LEGO Minecraft fan, you should pick up a couple of these. One can’t have too many turtles.

    Does It Suck or Does It Rock?

     

    This set rocks! A great slice-of-life polybag from Minecraft. It comes with a minifigure and a turtle. It’s nice!

    Sponsorship

    There’s no sponsor this week, and with sponsorships lasting a whole week, you can get plenty of exposure for mere pennies. Pennies I say! Want to sponsor a review? Send me a message to admin@fbtb.net or hit me up on discord of the polybag set you have that you want me to review. If selected, in exchange for the set you’ll get a mention right here in the review post and a link to your website or social media account or just about anything else.. Nearly free advertising, so what’s stopping you?

    You Can Win This And Every Other Polybag I Review This Year

    I’ll be raffling every polybag I review this year in one big lot, all 260 sets (with the possibility of more). Each set will be individually stored in a ziploc baggie complete with the extra pieces, instructions, and the actual polybag bag it came in. The cost of a raffle ticket is just $1 USD and you can enter as many times as you want. Send a PayPal payment to paypal@fbtb.net for $1 USD for every ticket you want to purchase. DO NOT send one payment for multiple entries i.e. do not send one $5 USD payment for five tickets; five $1 USD payments must be made instead. Raffle is open to everyone in the world except where raffles are illegal. Be sure to put “POLYBAG RAFFLE” in the notes section of the payment in order to be entered successfully. Winner will be drawn sometime early January 2023 and contacted at the PayPal email address the payment was sent from to arrange for delivery. For a running list of all the sets that you can win, check this Google spreadsheet.

  • A Year of Polybags 19/260: LEGO Minecraft 30331 The Nether Duel Review

    A Year of Polybags 19/260: LEGO Minecraft 30331 The Nether Duel Review

    This is another one of those rare polybags where you get two minifigs. 30331 The Nether Duel gives you Steve, the mainstay of Minecraft, and a Wither Skeleton. There’s also a torch attached to a Warped Nylium block. There’s also a glowstone block read to be mined. I may not have the in-depth knowledge of Minecraft to have a commentary on the realism of this set, but I do know a good value polybag when I see one and this one definitely scores pretty highly on the FBTB scale.

    As previously mentioned it’s got two minifigs to play out any heated conflict you can think of. Steve is equipped with an enchanted bow. Steve is Steve and isn’t special in any way. He’s the same Steve you would find in the other 20 sets he’s been in.

    The Wither Skelly’s got its default stone sword. When doing my research on this set, I was surprised to discover that this particular version of the Wither Skeleton, one with Bent Arms, is exclusive to this polybag. The other version with Straight Arms was found a little more easily appearing in four sets.

    The small environment piece you build is pretty basic featuring some orange elements for lava and dark red elements for netherrack blocks. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t replay a certain “I’ve got the high ground” scene with this set.

    The aforementioned glowstone block is attached by a single stud designed to break away easily to recreate that mining action. It’s a neat little gimmick which just adds to the charm of this set.

    One thing to note about the dark red elements in this set is that they are two different shades. Not sure if you can tell in the photo, but the 2×2 and 2×8 bricks are a slightly lighter shade than the other dark red elements. It’s a known issue with this particular color and it seems that it’s still happening.

     

    Does It Suck or Does It Rock?

    This set rocks! As I was writing this review my two boys came over and started playing with the set. If the two of them can get some entertainment value out of this single polybag, I say it’s done its job. Plus the Bent Arms version of the Wither Skeleton is unique so it’s got that going for it which is nice. 30331 The Nether Duel gets a thumbs up.

    Sponsorship

    There’s no sponsor this week, and with sponsorships lasting a whole week, you can get plenty of exposure for mere pennies. Pennies I say! Want to sponsor a review? Send a pic to admin@fbtb.net or hit me up on discord of the polybag set you have that you want me to review. If selected, in exchange for the set you’ll get a mention right here in the review post and a link to your website or social media account. Nearly free advertising, so what’s stopping you?

    You Can Win This And Every Other Polybag I Review This Year

    I’ll be raffling every polybag I review this year in one big lot, all 260 sets (with the possibility of more). Each set will be individually stored in a ziploc baggie complete with the extra pieces, instructions, and the actual polybag bag it came in. The cost of a raffle ticket is just $1 USD and you can enter as many times as you want. Send a PayPal payment to paypal@fbtb.net for $1 USD for every ticket you want to purchase. DO NOT send one payment for multiple entries i.e. do not send one $5 USD payment for five tickets; five $1 USD payments must be made instead. Raffle is open to everyone in the world except where raffles are illegal. Be sure to put “POLYBAG RAFFLE” in the notes section of the payment in order to be entered successfully. Winner will be drawn sometime early January 2023 and contacted at the PayPal email address the payment was sent from to arrange for delivery. For a running list of all the sets that you can win, check this Google spreadsheet.

  • Amazon Offers $10 Off $50 On Select LEGO Sets

    Amazon Offers $10 Off $50 On Select LEGO Sets

    Amazon is taking $10 off a purchase of $50 or more on select LEGO sets. With those items already well below MSRP, you’ll be saving a bunch of money. Here’s an example:

    • LEGO Classic Green Baseplate is half off at $4.99. Add 3 of those to your cart.
    • Overwatch 75974 Bastion is 36% off at $31.99. Add one of those to your cart.
    • Minecraft 21162 The Taiga Adventure is 20% off at $7.99. Add that to your cart, bringing your cart total to $54.95.
    • The $10 off is automatically applied at checkout, bringing the price down to $44.95 before any taxes.

    Obviously, you’ll want to try and stay as close to $50 as possible to maximize the savings. There’s no limit to the number of times you can use the virtual coupon either so placing multiple orders can really net you some savings. Again, this is a complete list of the LEGO sets that qualify for the coupon.

    If you buy something after clicking through the links in this post, FBTB may earn a small commission. As always, we appreciate your support, especially in these trying times. Thank you.

  • Final Impressions Of Last Week’s Social Media Event

    Final Impressions Of Last Week’s Social Media Event

    Now that the frenzy is over and life is getting back to normal, I’ve had some time to think about last week’s social media event. In a nutshell, it was a STARK contrast to this year’s Toy Fair in February, like night and day difference.

    LEGO had their hands tied at Toy Fair by their licensing partners and they requested that certain products not be shown at the show to any parties other than potential buyers. Not much LEGO can do. It resulted in a showing that was disappointing to put it mildly. LEGO heard the feedback and to make up for it, put together a last minute show in New York at an art gallery. As you saw from our coverage, there were a lot of sets on display across multiple themes. It may not have been everything, but a good sampling from each theme made the trip worth it.

    The difference wasn’t just in the product offerings, but in the atmosphere and presentation. There were appetizers, beer and wine, and other refreshments available for all the guests. The patio area was decorated with some large scale models. There were some fun photo booth areas which, ironically enough, I failed to take photos of except one:

    Our time slot was scheduled from 3pm to 4:30pm but there no strict enforcement of the time as there was at Toy Fair. I think I left closer to 5:30. It was much more relaxed and a fun experience.

    Overall, I can’t really say anything bad about social media event other than the last minute nature of it all but it’s fine. Like I said, night and day difference and if having two shows is the plan going forward, then sign me up. I’d only change two things: book my flight sooner, and take my time with the photos. I think I rushed the picture taking when I should have just relaxed and taken my time. Toy Fair trained me to shoot, shoot, shoot.

    Again, I enjoyed this show WAY more.

    LEGO Fall 2018 Preview

    For our complete coverage, I’ve gathered all of our articles here. Enjoy!

    Great Hall and Whomping Willow sets attached at the hip.

    Best theme? I’m going to have to give my hat tip to Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. Hogwarts looks awesome and the modular approach makes expanding the castle easier to manage than before. Plus, it’ll be a lot more affordable for people who missed out the first go around. LEGO gets a piece of that aftermarket pie, we get new sets and new figs. Win win for everybody.

  • Preview of LEGO Minecraft Fall Assortment

    Preview of LEGO Minecraft Fall Assortment

    At a social media gathering event today, LEGO revealed some sets coming out in the fall assortment for LEGO Minecraft. Only one set was there, 21147 The Bedrock Adventures, but I didn’t take any pictures. Here are the official assets for all three sets scheduled for an August release:

    21145 The Skull Arena

    198 pieces | Age 7+
    19.99 (USD) 24.99 (CAD)
    Available in August

    21146 The Skeleton Attack

    457 pieces | Age 8+
    39.99 (USD) 49.99 (CAD)
    Available in August

    21147 The Bedrock Adventures

    644 pieces | Age 8+
    89.99 (USD) 99.99 (CAD)
    Available in August

  • Summer Wave Now Available

    Summer Wave Now Available

    It’s June and you know what that means? Time for summer wave to drain your wallet. It’s a Star Wars-heavy release with two of my highly anticipated sets, 75178 Jakku Quadjumper and 75532 Scout Trooper Speeder Bike. There’s a smattering of The LEGO Batman Movie that fleshes out the rest of the Rogues Gallery members. The other items included in today’s release include the flagship set for Minecraft, 21137 The Mountain Cave, is now available for purchase for just $249.99. And the highly-anticipated Saturn V rocket set from LEGO Ideas is also available now for general purchase for just $119.99. And finally, LEGO Super Heroes has a small showing with two sets based on the upcoming Spider-Man Homecoming film. Take a look below and see if any of those items whet your appetitie.

    Oh, and even though this one’s been out for awhile, it bears mentioning that 76075 Wonder Woman Warrior Battle is now available. Go see the excellent movie, and then pick up this excellent set. Excellent from the looks of it, I mean, I don’t know, it’s not like I went out and bought it or anything, or even built it…. I’m just saying…

    And one final note: spend $35 or more and not only will you get free shipping, you’ll also score the above pictured 5004932 LEGO Travel Companion set.

    LEGO Star Wars

    LEGO Minecraft

    LEGO Ideas

    THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

    LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

  • Amazon Discounts MInecraft’s 21124 The End Portal by 44%

    Amazon Discounts MInecraft’s 21124 The End Portal by 44%

    Amazon is offering the Minecraft set 21124 The End Portal for a low, low price of just $33.59. That’s a whopping 44% discount off of its MSRP of $59.99. The End Portal comes with 449 pieces which includes a Steve minifigure, two Ender men, and a cave spider. If you’re a Prime member, you will get free two-day shipping, otherwise you’ll need to get your order above $49 to get free standard shipping.

  • Amazon Discounts LEGO Minecraft Sets Up To 30%

    Amazon Discounts LEGO Minecraft Sets Up To 30%

    I’ll cut to the chase: the big set pictured above, 21117 The Ender Dragon is the one on sale for 30% off making the final price $48.99 before any tax, down from MSRP of $69.99. 21114 The Farm is also 30% off at $20.99 down from $29.99. And things trickle down from there. The majority of the other sets in the theme are seeing a notable discount anywhere from 15-21% off:

    I don’t know but I have this feeling that Minecraft sets are constantly on sale and maybe I just haven’t noticed until now. Still, those 30% discounts don’t come around very often regardless of theme.

  • Toy Fair Report 2016: LEGO Minecraft

    Toy Fair Report 2016: LEGO Minecraft

    Next up is Minecraft, because it is still a thing… for some reason. These sets have been a total pass for me, but I believe my son will want a couple from this wave.

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