Set Review: Emmet's Car
Saturday, June 28th, 2014 at 9:05am by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
Back in April, Toys 'R' Us had a promotion where you could build and take home a model of Emmet's car from The LEGO Movie. BZPower Member BlueFire was kind enough to get an extra copy for us to review. Read on to check out this little set and see if it's something you should add to your collection! We've also got a polybag giveaway if you watch our video review!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
As given to us, the presentation of the set is a bit bland. I'm sure it was more exciting to build it piece by piece at Toy's 'R' Us though. The plastic bag is very plain and has a warning about it being a choking hazard.
The set comes with two pages of instructions, one for the main model and one for the alternate. One interesting thing to note is the little callouts on the top that show what pieces you won't be using for each set. Other than that they're nothing special and don't even have a fancy image of the final set.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
At only forty pieces, this set goes together in a blink. There's a little bit of SNOT building on the front grill and bumper as well as the rear view mirrors, but otherwise it's very much a studs-up affair. The same goes for the alternate model - you're not going to be challenged here. Honestly the most difficult part was taking the models apart, as there are several spots where same-sized plates are stacked on top of each other. Hooray for brick separators!
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.
Being a small promotional set, the likelihood of getting any unique or interesting pieces is very low, and such is the case here. It's a lot of basic black, white, and light-bley. There are four trans-clear 1x1 round tiles, so that's pretty nice. But you're not going to be getting this set for the pieces.
From what I remember from the short scene the car is featured in, this set captures it really well. It's a small and simple subcompact, and looks like something that would roll off the Octan Corporation assembly lines for the citizens of Bricksburg to drive.
The alternate model is quite a bit weaker. It definitely looks like a flying car. I like the use of the cheese slopes and modified plates to create a 'tail' for the vehicle. I'm not a big fan of the nose though, especially when viewed from the side. It looks a bit too long and the underside is a bit unseemly. Still though, it looks like something that Emmet might build after becoming a Master Builder and not being happy with his existing method of transportation.
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?
The car is pretty small, so there's not a lot of room for features. The top easily comes off so you can fit in Emmet (not included), and the doors swing open, although that's more for effect. Once your car has a driver, you can drive it around to your heart's content!
The flying car has the same opening and closing doors as the normal one, but since it has an open top it's easy to get Emmet in and out. It's pretty swooshable and isn't going to fall apart on you, but that's about it as far as play features go.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Looks like it does in the movie
- Sturdy and well-built
- Instructions for two models
Cons
What's not to like?
- No Emmet minifig included
- Awkward nose design on the flying car
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All-in-all, this is a nice little model. It's not going to blow your mind, but you can pop one of your spare Emmet figs in and drive it around on your desk when you're bored. It captures what you see in the movie and would be great for anyone making a diorama. The alternate flying car model is rather weak though and you can probably skip it. If you can get your hands on the set or the pieces to build it - do it!
Thanks again to BlueFire for making this review happen - I hope you all enjoyed it. Make sure you watch the video to see how you can win a free 30280 The Piece of Resistance polybag! As always, questions and comments can go in the Talkback. Stay tuned to BZPower for more set reviews and LEGO news!
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