The Gimme LEGO Awards 2012

Contrary to what some seem to think, I don't generally plan my blog postings far in advance - we're not on some carefully crafted journey here, it's more a case of me writing about whatever I fancy from week to week. Hopefully this helps to explain why I've been so lax in providing updates on my City layout, and why the AT-AT is taking so long to finish; while I start out with the best of intentions, it's easy to get distracted....

One posting which was always going to happen was this one, though - the Gimme LEGO Awards 2012. I enjoyed last year's trawl through the 2011 sets far too much not to repeat it with the 2012 sets, particularly as it"s been another vintage year to be a LEGO fan. OK, so maybe the line-up has arguably not been quite as stellar in 2012 as it was in 2011, but we've still been spoiled with a huge number of outstanding sets, and here's my own personal pick of the best of them.


1 . Best Theme

Last years winner : Alien Conquest 

2012 winner : Monster Fighters

If you'd told me when the first Monster Fighters publicity shots emerged that I'd be picking this theme as my favourite of 2012 then I'd have thought you had taken leave of your senses, to be honest. Right up until the moment that I first saw Set 9468 Vampyre Castle (below) in a display case at the London Westfield LEGO Brand Store I had absolutely no intention of buying even one of the sets. And then I saw them, and they immediately captured my imagination, got under my skin, and won me over. 

Set 9466 Crazy Scientist and his Monster (picture below, and reviewed by me here) is a typical example of the theme and illustrates nicely why Monster Fighters is so good - it has goofy B-movie charm, it's an interesting build, it has tons of play features and it features  loads of interesting and varied parts. And just to top it all, LEGO then went and brought out what was effectively a spectacular Monster Fighters modular building - Set 10228 Haunted House - thus assuring the theme's place in my annual affections right there and then.

I have to say I love pretty much all of the Monster Fighters sets, with the possible exception of the truly bizarre Set 9467 Ghost Train which is too peculiar even for me. We won't be seeing any more Monster Fighters sets in 2013 - like last year's Theme of the Year it's a 'one and done' - so farewell, thanks and and long may you be fondly remembered.....

Honourable mention : Lord of the Rings - LEGO could easily have got away with a "by the numbers" LotR cash-in, but the sets came out great - much better than I expected.

Honourable mention #2 : Dino - seemingly unloved by everybody except me, this theme was a solid and entertaining reboot of the dinosaur genre which LEGO seems to revisit every so often. The magnificant dinosaurs themselves were the stars of the show, and why nobody but me was seemingly drooling over these chunks of plastic perfection God only knows - what's wrong with you all ?!


2. Most Disappointing Theme

Last year's winner : Star Wars

2012 winner : Cars

Lordy, talk about a fall from grace. Having grabbed my "Better Than Expected" award last year, the Cars theme completely fizzled out in 2012. They might as well not have bothered at all, frankly. Mostly small, unimaginative sets with barely a half-decent one amongst them (I'll at least give Set 9486 Oil Rig Escape some credit for rising above the mediocrity) the words "half hearted" have seldom been more appropriate. In fact, given the lack of Cars-related activity this year on TV and at the cinema it was a mystery why they persisted with Cars sets in 2012 at all. Completely pointless.

(Dis)honourable mention : Racers. So where are they, these Racers sets ? In years gone by we've been blessed with such splendid offerings as Set 8461 Williams F1 Team Racer and Set 8653 Enzo Ferrari 1 : 10. And then in 2012 we get four decidedly mediocre monster trucks and a few poly bags which thus far haven't been available outside of the Phillippines and Italy. Rubbish. Did people stop liking fast cars, or did LEGO just drop the ball on this one ? You decide....


3. The "Medieval Market Village" award for Best Non-Licensed Set

Last year's winner : Set 7066 Earth Defense HQ

2012 winner : Set 10228 Haunted House

Despite there being a fair few worthy candidates this year, this was for me one of the easiest winners to pick. What a bolt from the blue, though - who could have guessed that LEGO would chance their arm on such a big, expensive showpiece set for a brand new non-licensed theme ? I certainly couldn't see that coming. What a great set, though - over 2,000 pieces, and a design highly reminiscent of the revered range of Modular buildings. 

The level of detail is just spectacular. Outside there are boarded up windows, distressed brickwork and shutters hanging off their hinges, all complemented by a perfect sand green and light bley colour scheme, while inside the rooms are decorated to modern Modular standards, full of lovely little touches. Someone has clearly expended love and attention on the details to give us fans something to truly savour, and it's certainly hit the spot as far as I'm concerned.

From a business perspective it's hard to see LEGO shifting huge numbers of these, so if you're wavering then I'd urge you to take the plunge - the more they sell, the more likely we'll be to get more bold products like this from LEGO in the future. It's an absolute cracker and wins the gong at a canter.

Honourable mention : Set 10223 Kingdoms Joust (below). We've had a few jousting sets in the past, but really nothing on the scale of this beauty (pictured below). First revealed at STEAM 2011 prior to going on sale right at the beginning of 2012, I thought that this set sadly missed a trick by appearing at retail just as the rest of the Kindgoms theme, notably Set 7946 Kings Castle, was disappearing from the shelves. An attractive design borrowing from both the Kingdoms Castle and revered Medieval Market Village, loads of lovely little details and a ton of minifigures and horses make this one a winner and definitely worth picking up.

4. Best Licensed Set

Last year's winner : Set 10217 Diagon Alley

2012 winner : Set 79003 An Unexpected Gathering

Last year this award literally chose itself. The winning set was IMHO so far ahead of all the other contenders that there was really only one winner. This year was a different story, however - nothing stood out anything like as much. Also, I had a couple of issues to contend with. Firstly, I wasn't even sure if I should consider the Hobbit sets at all - they only appeared in December, and I initially assumed that they were actually 2013 sets which naughty retailers were releasing early. Their appearance in LEGO brand stores and on LEGO S@H finally convinced me that I should include them, however. I also had to contend with my almost irrational love of Set 6862 Superman and Power Armor Lex (see below). In the end, however, I just couldn't ignore the charms of Set 79003 An Unexpected Gathering, the standout Hobbit release, and a genuinely worthy winner. It grabbed me from the first publicity shots, and it really is beautifully conceived and designed, utilising a host of interesting building techniques. And of course it looks lovely when completed, nailing the tricky "organic" look and  managing to capture the essence of the subject matter. If that wasn't enough, it also comes with a generous sprinkling of six key minifigures, and to top it all it's very reasonably priced for a licensed set. Bravo !

(Very) Honourable mention : Set 6862 Superman vs. Power Armor Lex (below). I love, love, love this set - a truly underrated gem IMHO. I bought this one almost as soon as it was released, and indeed at RRP despite my intention not to pay full price for anything in 2012 if at all possible. It just....works, I guess. I absolutely love Lex's mech - the overall look, the neat ways you can pose it, the colour scheme, and the fantastic primary weapon which even contains a lump of Kryptonite. And then there's the thrill of finally owning a Superman minifigure after all these years of wishing that one existed, not to mention the presence of Wonder Woman which made my wife extremely happy. A superb set at a very nice price, then. I was a whisker away from awarding this set my "Best Licensed Set" gong, and while I suspect there might have been howls of protest from many, I really wouldn't have cared.

Honourable mention 2 : Set 10225 R2-D2 (below). Agonisingly close, but not quite there... I was thrilled when this set was announced, and it was another one which I ran out and bought as soon as I could. It's an interesting set to build, looks great when it's finished, and, well, it's Artoo, isn't it, so what more is there to say ?! I guess this set suffered from unrealistic expectations however. While it's undoubtedly a loving homage, the completed model was perhaps just a little small and skinny to be perfect, and it's crying out for some Power Functions to make Artoo move, rotate his head and beep-a-beep-beep. I fully accept that this would have doubled the price, but for subject material as revered and iconic as this I just wish that LEGO had properly pushed the boat out. If LEGO had addressed my wish list above then this set would have been my set of the year, bar none. As it is, it's a worthy effort and well worth owning, but I do continue to wonder what could have been....

5. The "Phantom Menace" Award for Most Disappointing Set

Last year's winner : Set 7877 Naboo Starfighter

2012 winner : Set 21012 Sydney Opera House

The Architecture theme has been something of a mixed bag since its appearance in 2008. Nobody doubts the aesthetic merits of the glossy black boxes or plush information brochures, but the models themselves have been decidedly inconsistent, ranging from excellent to frankly shocking. And as frankly shocking goes, I think you really have to go some to out-do Set 21012 Sydney Opera House. Honestly, just look at it - ghastly. It's a miserable dog's dinner of a design, and all the glossy black boxes and plush information brochures on earth won't save this one from my derision. Just awful.

(Dis)honourable mention : Set 40026 Statue of Liberty - reviewed by me here, this mercifully small poly bag set was utterly dire. The only saving grace was that it was only available from a couple of retail outlets in New York City, so relatively few people were exposed to it's awfulness. Unlucky them, I say.


6. Best Minifigure

Last year's winner : Jack Sparrow with Tricorne

2012 winner : Queen Amidala

Like last year this was a real bastard to judge due to the high standards of LEGO minifigure design that we continue to be blessed with. Licensed themes such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Super Heroes have pumped out literally scores of excellent minifigures, and there have also been some outstanding minifigures emerging from within the ranks of the Collectible Minifigures and non-licensed themes such as Ninjago and Monster Fighters.

In the end, despite the stiff competition, the gong just had to go to the stunning Star Wars Queen Amidala figure which is unique to Set 9499 Gungan Sub. Fanboys have been crying out for a new Amidala minifigure for a decade now, and finally LEGO delivered, and how ! The figure is exquisitely detailed and beautiful, so much so that you can almost forgive LEGO for it's inclusion in a random set in which it has no business appearing....

Honourable mention : Lady Liberty, Swamp Creature, Friends. Lady Liberty, from the sixth series of Collectable Minifigures, is beautifully realised and I think my favourite of all the Collectable Minifigures to date, while the intricately detailed Swamp Creature, from the Monster Fighters set of the same name, is maybe the best of all the Monster Fighters figures. And as for the Friends Minidolls, well, let's just say that they won me over, which is quite a feat given how sceptical I was at first.

        

Honourable mention #2 : Dino. OK, so they're not exactly minifigures as such, but the beauty of hosting your own awards is that you can make up the rules as you go along.... If I was a millionaire then I'd buy up hundreds of Dino sets so I could assemble huge herds of these wonderful dinosaurs and have them roam around my house. Bloody awesome, they are. All that's missing is a stegosaurus and a diplodocus and I'd be in heaven.

7. The "Better than Expected" Award

Last year's winner : Cars

2012 winner : Lord of the Rings

OK, so once the excitement of last year's Lord of the Rings (LotR) announcement had died down, hands up if you were secretly a bit worried that the sets might actually turn out to be, you know, a bit crap....dumbed down for a younger audience, too simplistic, lazy, whatever.

Wrong, wrong, wrong - what a pleasant surprise ! All the first wave of sets have something to commend them, and a couple of them including Set 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep (above) are actually pretty impressive. Even the smallest of them, Set 9469 Gandalf Arrives (below), is a cracker - perfectly formed and utterly charming. The minifigures are great, the new horses are great, and overall I think LEGO have done the theme justice. 

Also of note, the second wave of LotR sets, which consists of sets inspired by The Hobbit, has recently appeared on the shelves, and gratifyingly, they seem to be maintaining the level of quality established by the first wave of sets, with Set 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (below) the highlight as previously discussed.

Honourable mention : Friends. Having stuck the boot in here somewhat when I first saw images of the sets, particularly the minidolls, I had to eat some serious humble pie here when I laid my hands on a few sets and realised that the minidolls were actually delicate and quite beautiful, and the sets (or at least some of them) were quite neat....

Honourable mention #2 : Ninjago. More cohesive, interesting designs this year and a big improvement on the 2011 sets I reckon. I'm almost disappointed that the theme will be bowing out after its last hurrah in 2013, although on balance I'm glad LEGO are wrapping up the theme while it's at the top of its game rather than flogging it to death and then some - Star Wars, I'm looking at you....


8. Most Welcome LEGO-Related Announcement

Last year's winner : LEGO Lord of the Rings sets on the way

2012 Winner : Watford LEGO Brand Store

OK, OK - apologies for being so tediously parochial, but what do you expect me to say when LEGO announces it's going to open a new LEGO Brand Store just a few miles from my house ? I mean, how would YOU feel ?! Living on the outskirts of London, I already considered myself pretty lucky having three of the UK's eight LEGO Brand Stores within a hour's travelling distance and a couple more within two hours drive, but the new Watford store is really the icing on the cake. As I write, the store opened less than 2 weeks ago and I'm preparing for my first visit this coming weekend - can't wait !


9. Gimme LEGO Reader's Choice Award

Last year's winner : Set 10217 Diagon Alley

2012 Winner : You Decide !

Can you believe that a few miserable curmudgeons actually chided me for going all populist and including a vote last year ? Grumpy sods - you know you you are.... Enough people actually voted to encourage me do it again, however, so here it is !

The 2011 Winner - Set 10217 Diagon Alley

You'll have seen a poll on the right side of the page - another 12 sets this year, some licensed and some unlicensed, which I consider to be some of the highlights of 2012. Cast your votes - one person, one vote - and at midnight on 31st December the poll will close and we'll have our winner.... I've also included a "None of the above" option - choose this if you feel strongly about a set that isn't listed, and drop me an e-mail via the contact button on the top right of the screen or leave a comment below to let me know your unlisted choice; if enough people go for a specific, unlisted set then that set will, of course, be the winner.

Before I go, I'd just like to thank you all for reading, and wish you all a wonderful Christmas - have good one !

*EDIT* I can't see the poll on my iPad or smartphone - thanks Blogger - so if you're in the same boat you'll probably need to click "view web version" at the bottom of the page in order to see the nominations and vote. Sorry about that....

Monsters, Inc.

Against all expectations I was really taken with LEGO's Monster Fighters theme following my first contact with the sets, and having initially tested the water with a couple of the smaller ones including Set 9461 Swamp Creature it was only a matter of time before I felt the need to add to my collection.

Truth be told, it was quite hard to know which set to get next. Having pored over the set images I was spoiled for choice - all of the sets have an endearingly goofy B-movie charm to them, and really I would have been happy to build any of them. In the end it was Set 9466 The Crazy Scientist & His Monster that got the nod - there's so much cool stuff going on on the front of the box (picture above - click to enlarge) that I just couldn't resist it.While the front of the box drew me in, it's only when you look at the back of the box (picture below) that you really appreciate how many play features and neat touches the designer has crammed into the set; we'll get to those later.

The contents of the box are thankfully accessed by cutting a couple of seals rather than by the use of messy and destructive thumb tabs. The box contains four bags of pieces; the bags are numbered from one to four, and each of them contains at least one smaller sealed bag of parts. There are also two instruction booklets (below) the first of which details construction of the minifigures and the Monster Fighters' car, and the second which covers construction of the structures and furnishings. Finally, there's a gratifyingly small sticker sheet containing just two stickers.

Instruction booklet 1 is pretty short at only 27 pages; other than a collage of all the Monster Fighter sets on the back cover it's all building instructions. Booklet 2 is considerably heftier, weighing in at over 60 pages; it's bulked up considerably by a variety of advertising copy as well as additional content including a summary of the set's play features and a 2-page inventory of parts. As previously stated, the sticker sheet is teeny and can be seen below.

The set contains some interesting parts, a small selection of which you can see below. The medium blue 4 x 4 wedge and arch are unique to this set, and other parts such as the green Moonstone, medium blue 65 degree slope and dark brown tranquilizer gun only appear in two sets including this one. Other parts of note include the wonderful vial containing green liquid, the red light brick, and a few glow in the dark parts such as a rat and spider which aren't widely available in this colour.

And so to the build. Diving into the first instruction booklet, the first job is to assemble the set's four minifigures. The Monster (pictured below) appears to be a representation of Frankenstein's monster; I did wonder whether the lack of an actual reference to Frankenstein was possibly a copyright issue or just a conscious effort on the part of LEGO to distance themselves somewhat from existing works. Whatever the reason, he's pretty well realised. His large head is formed by way of an additional hairpiece-type element placed on the top of a standard minifigure head. There's a good level of detail on his head and torso, for instance a couple of safety pins printed on his head and metallic surgical clips printed on his chest to indicate where he's been opened up and resealed. The olive green colouration of his 'skin' is suitably ghastly, and all that's really missing are a couple of printed bolts on his neck. There's some back-printing on his torso, but he doesn't have a reversible head, meaning you don't have a choice of expression and are stuck with a grimace. The Monster minifigure is exclusive to this set, and rather good I think....

There are some clear similarities between the Monster and the Series 4 Collectible Minifigure (CMF) monster, released in 2011, but also some obvious differences in skin colour and the head and torso prints. You can compare and contrast the two figures below; the newer Monster Fighters version is on the left.

The second bad guy - the titular Crazy Scientist - can be seen below. Unlike the Monster he has a reversible head, which allows him to switch between red and clear filters on his goggles. I love his lab jacket, featuring a printed tool belt containing test tubes, scissors and pliers which wraps around the back of his torso.

While unique to this set, he's very similar to the Crazy Scientist Collectible Minifigure from Series 4, right down to his rubbery bley hair. The torso and facial prints are however different, and the CMF version doesn't have back printing on his torso. You can see a comparison of the Monster Fighters version (left) and Series 4 Collectible Minifigure (right) below.

Moving on to the Monster Fighters themselves, first up is Doctor Rodney Rathbone. His robotic right leg strikes a markedly discordant note against his neatly coiffured facial hair, natty bowler hat and immaculately turned-out torso complete with waistcoat, tie and fob watch. He doesn't have a reversible head, but his torso is nicely backprinted. Dr. Rathbone appears in three sets including this one.

Major Quinton Steele is the other Monster Hunter in this set. He's modelled on the cliched quintessential English pith hat-wearing adventurer, but with a twist - he appears to possess some kind of high tech monocle that even the Borg would be proud of.... This minifigure appears in this and one other set.

Once the minifigures have been safely assembled, attention shifts to the brick-built elements of the set. First up is the car, which can be seen below. The design of the vehicle is seemingly based on the iconic Citroen 2CV, but it's like no 2CV you've ever seen, bristling with armaments and other modifications including three flick-fire missles, an outrigger for Rodney Rathbone to fire from, rocket boosters at the back and a satellite dish on the roof. It's far from clear who's supposed to be at the wheel, however, seeing as both Rathbone and Steele appear to be too wrapped up handling the weaponry to attend to driving duties.... The car's neatly designed, with a rather fetching medium blue scheme. It would have have benefitted from doors, however, and it's a shame that a few bits of the bodywork are light or dark bley rather than medium blue. This is partly, but not entirely, down to limitations in the medium blue parts palette.

The laboratory is next up for construction, starting with the machine which breathes life into the Monster. This is made up of a tower which houses the diabolical reanimation device, and a rickety, uncomfortable-looking bed for the Monster to lie on while he's being zapped. The reanimation device contains a red LED light brick which, when activated, causes the transparent neon green dish and light saber blade attached to the front to glow red as you can hopefully see in the picture below (click to enlarge). An irritating thing about LEGO light bricks is that you have to keep the button held down in order for the light to stay lit. This set offers a neat solution to this, however - an elegant mechanism which allows the light to be switched on and remain lit. This is accomplished by turning a gear on the back of the tower which rotates a knob wheel adjacent to the light brick and holds the button down - simple but effective, and extremely welcome. Just remember to turn it off again when you're done or you'll be replacing the battery before you know it. The bed moves backwards and forwards by way of a reddish brown capstan so that you can manouevre the Monster into the perfect position for maximum reanimation beam exposure....

The remaining structures are what appear to be a holding cell plus a work bench and a storage unit (below - click to enlarge). The cell door opens at the front, but there's also a panel at the back that can be released if the occupant chooses to make a quick getaway. The roof of the cell is adorned with a ballista, presumably to defend the laboratory against aggressive oddballs driving Citroen 2CV's, plus a variety of animal species, of which two are of the glow-in-the-dark variety. The workbench comes complete with a glow-in-the-dark skull in a bell jar and various tools including a neat-looking little microscope.

The various sections of the laboratory bolt together by way of hinge bricks; triangular (cut corner) plates at the base of the various structures prevent much movement of the different sections relative to each other, although if you'd prefer to open the laboratory out more you can remove or replace the plates and choose your own arrangement

You can see how all the various elements of the set come together below; presumably the idea is that the Monster Fighters mount a full frontal assault on the laboratory and lay waste to the place. Let's just hope that the Monster gets a shift on and reanimates sharpish or the baddies are done for....

Overall, this is a cracking set - highly recommended. It's an interesting and extremely varied build, the components of the scene are well designed and come together nicely, and there are a ton of play features worked into the models, with the mechanism for activating the light brick and keeping it switched on a particular favourite. My 4-year old loved the set as well - seeing it assembled on my desk it was almost impossible to tear him away - so its appeal is clearly not restricted to AFOLs of a certain vintage....

Monster Fighters Set 9466 The Crazy Scientist & His Monster contains 430 pieces and retails at £39.99 in the UK and $49.99 in the U.S.. Even at RRP I'd be recommending it, but at time of writing the set is 17% off RRP at Amazon.co.uk making it even more of an essential purchase. Folks in the U.S. can pick up the set here.

What's that coming over the hill....?

I've not made any secret of my increasingly "scattergun" approach to collecting LEGO; it was Star Wars that drew me back in after my lengthy Dark Ages, but my quest for Star Wars sets quickly expanded to encompass Indiana Jones, LEGO Exclusives (particularly the modular buildings) and Harry Potter, and before long I seemed to be taking a punt on pretty much anything and everything....

One theme which I've so far steadfastly resisted has been Time Cruisers, however. This theme, which consisted of a total of just 9 sets, had a brief run in 1996 and 1997 before sinking with barely a trace, and the sets look completely bizarre. Take for instance Set 6492 Hypno Cruiser (picture below - click to enlarge) which was also available in the U.S. as Set 1853. I mean, just look at it - a schoolboy and a professor driving a multi-wheeled vehicle which is propelled by a combination of what look like dragon wings, jet engines, a helicopter rotor and a dragster engine. In space. Pursued by a monkey. Someone must have been having a laugh.

Set 6492 Hypno Cruiser : Bizarre...

You need more proof ? Ok, then - check out Set 6495 Time Tunnelator. Honestly, it almost defies description, but I guess I can try... Kind of like a genetic fusion of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, an antique aeroplane and a dragon. With wooden beer barrels on the side. I have to be honest, these Time Cruisers sets hurt my brain and while I generally don't shirk a challenge, I've not yet dared to dip my toe into this theme.

When I saw the first images of the new Monster Fighters theme, I have to confess that my first thought was "Time Cruisers". Consider for instance Set 9464 The Vampyre Hearse (picture below - click to enlarge). Maybe it was the dragster engine that brought to mind the Time Cruisers sets, but the whole concept of a dragster hearse, its engine secured to the bodywork by bones, seems entirely bizarre. Or is it just me ?

The Vampyre Hearse isn't an isolated case, either. Take Set 9467 The Ghost Train (picture below). I could just about get my head round the plane from the set being piloted by a Vampyre Hunter in a Van Helsing-type scenario, but just check that train out ! From the cow-catcher and Boo-esque diabolical grinning face on the front to the bones and the dragon wings, it's utterly baffling....

Anyway, I finally got my first sight of the Monster Fighters sets "in the flesh" at the London Westfield LEGO store a couple of weeks back. The store had the full range of sets on the shelves, and at least one set built and on display. After spending a few minutes debating the wisdom of dipping my toe into yet another new LEGO theme, I eventually decided to get my wallet out and take a closer look at one of the sets.

Set 9461 The Swamp Creature is the entry-level Monster Fighters set, and you can see the box above. Given the subject matter of the theme, the artwork is suitably dark and moonlit, with a spooky font spelling out the name of the theme. Opening the box reveals a small, folded instruction booklet and two sealed bags of pieces. There are no stickers in this set.

You can see a few of the more interesting pieces from the set in the picture above (click to enlarge). No parts are unique to the set, although the trans-neon green Moonstone, also known as "Rock Stepped with Swamp Pattern" (or just "ice lolly" as far as I'm concerned) can only be found in one other set. Dark green sea grass has been around since 2009 but this is only the fifth set it's ever appeared in; this is also the case for the sand green modified 1 x 2 plate with clip on top which I also highlighted in my recent review of the Ninjago Fangpyre Mech set. You get a smattering of flat silver pieces including five 1 x 2 tiles with grille which have only previously appeared in 3 other sets. I've yet to grow tired of the grooved 2 x 2 round bricks, although you unfortunately only get one of them in this set, in light bluish grey.

The front of the instruction booklet (above) is pretty much identical to the box art, apart from the absence of a close-up of the swamp creature. The booklet is 27 pages long, which seems a lot given how small the set is; each stage of the build gets a parts call-out, and there's an inventory of parts and a couple of pages of advertising for the LEGO club and a LEGO survey at the end. Love 'em or hate 'em, flick-fire missiles are here to stay, even in sets as small as this; don't fire them at anyone's head, kids, or it'll end in tears, apparently....

And so to the build; first up as ever are the minifigures, of which there are two - the Swamp Creature, who is exclusive to this set, and Frank Rock, who appears in two sets including this one.

With his scaly printed torso and legs, webbed head and red-tinged fish eyes the Swamp Creature (below) is every bit the corny matinee monster of my youth and I think he looks great ! He also features extensive back printing and a webbed fin on the back of his head.

Below you can see what's underneath that goofy rubbery head-piece - big, staring eyes and sharp teeth ! He definitely looks more scary this way. Given that his face is largely covered by the head-piece, there's no back-printed alternative expression, just a few more scales.

Monster Fighter Frank Rock (below) is notable for his Elvis-style quiff, cheesy grin and cool shades, although if you prefer your heroes to be pensive and considered rather than cocky and brash then you can reverse his head in order to get a different look. The printing on the torso and legs is classic LEGO Adventurers fare, and it's nice and detailed. His legs are olive green, which is an interesting new addition to the LEGO colour palette this year.

Frank's preferred mode of transport is an Everglades-style airboat (below - click to enlarge), albeit one which is loaded out with considerably more weaponry then you'd likely see on any airboat in the Florida Keys... As well as a pair of flick-fire missiles, the craft also features a couple of front-mounted clips to hold Frank's revolvers.

The set is completed by a small section of suitably swamp-like scenery, which includes the neon green ice lolly Moonstone. LEGO has built the Monster Fighters backstory around the search for a number of different coloured Moonstones, each of which is hidden in a different location. I'm assuming that the fish is destined to be eaten by the Swamp Creature; not sure if the frog is on the menu too or just passing by.

I suspect that most will buy this set for the minifigures alone, but the airboat and scenery elements do add some modest play value, not to mention making the set a little more interesting for folks like me for whom minifigures aren't the be-all and end-all.

In conclusion, it's a neat little set, and a veritable bargain at £4.99 / $6.99 when you consider that you get two minifigures, one of them unique to the set, and a handful of parts for your money. I particularly love the kitsch Swamp Creature minifig... The downside is that it's whetted my appetite for the theme as a whole, which means more expense; I can also blame the display model of Set 9468 Vampyre Castle at the Westfield store for that - it looked amazing and is a must-buy set for me.

Outside of the LEGO Brand Stores, most retailers haven't yet started selling the Monster Fighters sets at time of writing, although some third party merchants are selling them on Amazon in the U.S. and Europe at inflated prices. No hurry - they'll be along soon enough at or below RRP, but if you really can't wait I'm sure you can find some old Time Cruisers sets on eBay to fill the time...

Set 9468 Vampyre Castle