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    Discuss This Story
    Set Review: 70848 Systar Party Crew
    ReviewTuesday, August 11th, 2020 at 2:30am by Jason, BZPower Reporter

    Do you remember a time when "Everything Was Awesome"? BZPower Reporter Xccj remembers. He also remembers a set review that he's been putting off for half a year: 70848 Systar Party Crew from The LEGO Movie 2. Although this set was released a year ago, it's still on store shelves, so let's jump into a quick review to look at the good, the bad, and the awesome.

    First off, a big thanks to LEGO for generously donating this set to us for a review. Yes, they may have donated it back in December 2019, back when we were so young and naive and hopeful for the future. Still, better late than never, right. Right?

    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

    Image of Box Front Image of Box Back Image of Contents

    The purple box of the LEGO Movie II sets really does stand out, and this one shows three of the secondary characters partying it up. The back features an alternate look at the characters and... well, there's not exactly a lot of action features to show off, are there? Still, Benny, Unikitty, and Metalbeard were very popular characters from the first LEGO Movie, and although their roles were very much reduced in the second movie, it's still nice to see them appear in a set, especially an affordable one. The set is $19.99 USD with 196 pieces.

    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

    Here's a stream of consciousness of the build...

    Set Design
    Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

    Image of Pieces 1 Image of Pieces 2

    There are a lot of purple and gold pieces in this set. Some of the gold elements are even a darker, chrome-ish shade of gold, used in the instrument build. And also two metallic silver dishes are included, even though the set only uses one! Another interesting "piece" is the fluffy scarf for Unikitty. Nothing else exactly jumps out as super exclusive, but it's still not a bad haul.

    Image of Figs 1 Image of Figs 2 Image of Figs 3

    You get three characters in this set, and the only true minifigure is Benny. Benny got an upgrade, with a new sparkling torso design, dual molded legs, and new star glasses. I mean, this Benny is reason enough to grab the set; who wouldn't want him in their collection? Unikitty also reappears as Disco Kitty, fairly similar to her appearance in the Party Bus set. But she has two face prints, plus that scarf cloth thing, so she still makes a good addition to the set.

    Image of Figs 4

    There are actually a couple of mini builds here. There's a drink stand; The LEGO Movie 2 sets were obsessed with these drinks? Were they smoothies? Sports drinks? Cola? Probably not alcohol. There's a speaker design... which is extremely basic. And then there's the disco floor with some nice colored tiles, which I at least appreciate the inclusion of to add to my collection. Nothing really impressive, but a meager attempt to add some play value to a small set.

    Image of Metalbeard Front Image of Metalbeard Back Image of Metalbeard Play

    The majority of the build goes into Metalbeard. This variation might be one of his smallest; it's certainly much smaller than his premier set from the first movie, although it might be comparable to the version that came with the Sea Cow ship. (I wouldn't know since I didn't get that ship.) Either way, this Metalbeard has tossed aside his rustic pirate look to become a flashier one-man band of gold and purple. He's got a very well designed trombone hand, an attached drum, a gramophone, and a cymbal, as well as a piano keyboard on his torso and leg! He's a one man band, although how he plays all those instruments at once is questionable. (It's even worse if you consider other people trying to play those instruments on him. I can see Benny playing a tune on his leg, but the torso piano is a bit more awkward.) And yet even then he's still a pirate, complete with the hat and peg leg, even if the latter does have a sparkling jewel attached.

    Playability
    The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

    Image of All 1 Image of All 2 Image of All 3

    As hinted at earlier, there's no real action features here, so most of what you have is role play value. But there's a lot of that to do with three popular characters from the movie, and you can use them to recreate some of your favorite scenes, such as when they dance to a song that has the uncanny ability to get stuck in your head. Metalbeard also has a fair amount of articulation on his arms and legs, although the range of motion is somewhat limited by his bulky build. (Seriously, this is probably the closest we're going to get to CCBS from now on, even though he primarily uses Mixel joints.) Anyway, this trio certainly has the music within them, so it's time to party on!

    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • Benny! (And the other two.)
    • Lots of good purple and gold elements
    • I really do like the trombone design, elegant in its simplicity
    • Affordable

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • Mini builds are forgettable
    • Metalbeard range of motion is a bit limited
    • Painful reminder that Everything is Not Awesome despite what we thought a year ago

    This is a fun set, and a great way to get new designs for Benny, Unikitty, and Metalbeard, the latter who has a decent build and some fun instruments. A great set to celebrate The LEGO Movie 2 and its fun story and characters.

    And thus this late review reaches its conclusion. Keep an eye on the BZPower front page for maybe even some more LEGO reviews, perhaps of even current sets that are not a year old! Crazy concept, right?

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