The site hasn’t been the most active lately… 2023 has been a sledgehammer to the face of a few of us and it’s hard to get the time to keep up with everything. I can’t speak for everyone here, but the annual tradition of us opening all the calendars and being shocked at the iffy builds is something that we look forward to.
We’re doing it a bit different this year, or more specifically, Nick just couldn’t find all that much joy in just doing the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. So he’s decided to do more than that one and compare them all a bit. Ace is going to do his normal review of it as well, and Eric will be covering Harry Potter yet again, for whatever the wizarding version of Groundhog Day is. And double the Star Wars!
We’re also bringing back our “random advent” calendar tradition, because it was fun last year. So tune in to see we go through and talk about. Maybe I’ll even bring in a special guest expert to talk about the one that I picked up…
Star Wars: 5 Hits / 5 Misses
City: 6 Hits / 4 Misses
Harry Potter: 7 Hits / 3 Misses
Marvel: 4 Hits / 6 Misses
Star Wars: 5 Hits / 5 Misses
Star Wars Day 11 – Ace
I think this is a blue AAT. And if it is, it fails. It’s just not AAT enough. And if it isn’t, it still fails for looking like an AAT. I’m not sure how it could be improved upon but that’s really not my job. Someone actually designed this. I do like how it feels a bit chonky even at this scale but after yesterday’s banger of a model, today feels like a bit of a let down.
I literally gasped when I opened today’s Lindt advent day. This here is a “Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle Moon”. The first four words are the exact same words in used to describe their truffle balls. Except this one is in moon form. Will we have the same experience as the truffle ball except more? And moonier?
No moon details to be found. But the Lindt name is there.
I had no idea there was an air gap. But that’s okay, you couldn’t even tell once you started eating. And yes, this was exactly what I was hoping it was going to be. Silky smooth ganache melting in your mouth with a milk chocolate shell. It was like having two truffle balls at the same time. I’d buy a jar of these if they had such a thing.
Harry Potter Day 11 – Eric
We’ve gotten the terrible Christmas tree out of the way. Onto greener pastures:
Okay, I spoke too soon. This is nothing. I mean…it’s something. It’s an owl and a mailbox. But it’s not a good something. I’m unimpressed.
I’m also unimpressed by today’s tea. Another matcha: GINSENG MATCHA GREEN. For some reason, it’s not hitting as strongly as Day 9’s matcha. Just sort of…nothing.
3/5.
Rough day.
City Day 11 – Nick
This is both the most and least holiday thing ever. I mean, it feels like this is being made at me in a way… the hair color is off (and there’s too much of it), the stomach isn’t nearly big enough, and there is a lack of facial hair…
But when I opened this, I had a hoodie and jeans on, wearing a novelty T-shirt, and there were two pairs of headphones and three game controllers within five feet of me. Though my PS5 controller (which this would most closely match, kind of) is white. The one connected to my PC, anyway. The one connected to my PS5, which is mostly just an expensive dust collector in my living room, is… I think also white. I don’t remember, I haven’t powered it on in probably a year.
This figure is how I’ve spent many a Christmas, and how my kids will likely spend theirs as well. I know I’m breaking my “not really holiday” rule, but hey, the world is doomed anyway, because the game industry is absolute * bleep * and kids want virtual currency and subscriptions instead of new games. We’ve lost the war, unfortunately, and the worst people control the game industry.
This figure is cool though, and I think I need to turn this into my personal minifig now.
Marvel Day 11 – Nick
Okay, you know, I bagged on the City calendar yesterday for its fireplace… but this feels like a whole different beast. It’s actually a cohesive build that doesn’t feel slapped together. It’s satisfying and enclosed. The addition of Mjolnir is just icing as well that ties together the Marvel aspect and gives a little Holiday hearth and home feel.
Though… are they suddenly deciding they want to tie things together? What’s with the handles on the side of this. It doesn’t even really show that on the package in any real way that there’s an over-arching build… wait, did the gift wrapping thing have those?
Huh, sure did. Didn’t notice it at the time, because they do so little to make it feel like these days are connected.
Bonus Star Wars Day 11 – Nick
The Star Wars Calendar has just been knocking it out of the park with the micro builds, going for the Clone Wars-era AAT, complete with Dark Blue. The proportions are a bit off, but honestly not sure there are parts that’d work out without making it too big.
Pokemon Day 11 – Nick & Family
We had been getting two days of Pokemon before going to the cardboard, but only got one before we’re right back to it. This is at least a bit more holiday, but has the same issue of being small. This feels almost like one of those cutouts that we parents use to torture our kids and get pictures of them rolling their eyes with a cutout of a famous character (or, alternatively, people on Tiktok abuse in an effort to go viral).
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