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    Set Review: 70818 Double-Decker Couch
    ReviewFriday, December 26th, 2014 at 12:16am by Jason, BZPower Reporter

    LEGO Movie sets return in 2015, and we're jumping straight in with a review of 70818 Double-Decker Couch by BZPower Reporter Xccj. This set features popular characters and models from the movie, but just what makes them special? Watch the video review or read on to find out!

    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

    The first thing that jumps out at me from the box are is how many characters there are. There are FIVE of them, and they're all major characters too. You also have little things like the Double-Decker Couch and Emmet's Car in view, just to show there are some buildable aspects to the set. The top of the box lines up all five characters (along with their names) and the back shows off some of the features. Of interest is the scene depicting Sad Uni-Kitty in the submarine, and the glow in the dark capabilities of Ghost Vitruvius. With that said, this set does hint at some of the spoilers from the movie, so if for some odd reason you haven't seen it yet, proceed with caution.

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

    Image of Car Build 1 Image of Car Build 2 Image of Car Build 3
    Image of Couch Build 1 Image of Couch Build 2 Image of Couch Build 3 Image of Couch Build 4

    There's not much to say about the build. The Double-Decker Couch and Car are relatively easy, although there's some nice SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques used on the couch. The rest are figs.

    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 All Pieces Image of Cool Pieces

    You get 197 pieces, and that's a good value for a $15 USD set. The new pieces here seem to be the printed waffle tile and the Radio tile, in addition to the various minifigure parts. You also get a healthy amount of medium blue tiles and clips that are used in the Double-Decker Couch.

    Image of All Figs

    You get five fantastic minifigures, and really that's what this set is all about. Two of them are come from expensive sets, and two others are unique to this set, and they all have unique faces. I have a feeling that this was designed as a way to get a bunch of popular characters all at once in an affordable set, and they sure went all out here.

    Image of Emmet Happy Image of Emmet Back Image of Emmet Sad

    First we have Emmet, who despite being the Special is actually one of the more boring figs here. That's probably because he came in a ton of other sets, so he's common. (And I guess that's fitting since he was the lead character.) His torso, legs, and unique hair piece are all the same. I do believe his facial expressions (one happy, one sad) are unique, but they are also fairly generic. He also comes with a red hard hat, which unfortunately isn't the style with hair like the one that came with his collectible minifigure version. Still, it's a classic LEGO Movie character to have, and so far this appears to be the only set he's in for 2015.

    Image of Benny Smile Image of Benny Back Image of Benny SPACESHIP Happy

    Next is Benny the Spaceman. Benny was previously only available in the two most expensive sets, 70810: MetalBeard's Sea Cow and 70816 Benny's Spaceship Spaceship SPACESHIP! It's a very welcomed sight to see him in an affordable set, especially when he was undeniably one of the more popular characters from the movie. He has the same faded torso, broken helmet, and blue air tank from his other versions. He has two facial expressions; emotionally happy and SPACESHIP happy. It's great to have another chance to pick him up.

    Image of Prez Business Happy Image of Prez Business Back Image of Prez Business Curious Image of Prez Business vs Lord Business

    We now move onto President Business, also known as Lord Business. His only set appearance was in 70809: Lord Business' Evil Lair, but he also was in the collectible minifigure series, so there were a few ways to get ahold of him. His business torso and square-ish hair piece are all the same from his previous versions, but he does come with two new expressions, happy smiles and quizzically confused. Judging by these expressions, I would say that this is the President Business from the end of the movie, where he made amends with all the characters and everything.

    Image of Vitruvius Front Image of Vitruvius Back Image of Vitruvius Assessories Image of Vitruvius Past Present Future Image of Vitruvius and Ghosts

    Entirely unique to this set is Ghost Vitruvius. Vitruvius appeared in a couple of the more expensive sets, 70809: Lord Business' Evil Lair and 70810: MetalBeard's Sea Cow, as well as in The LEGO Movie Everything Is Awesome Edition, but this is the first time we've seen him as a ghost. I honestly wasn't expecting to see this fig come to pass, but it's certainly a desirable character, even if his appearance does tease Vitruvius's eventual fate in the movie. The Ghost mold is similar to the one used in castle sets of the 90s, and not the newer style that came with the recent Monster Fighter's theme. However, the orange headband is molded onto the piece, making it unique. He also comes with his staff and textured blue cape, which is nice. When you take off the ghost mold, you see that the head and torso are unprinted, but the 1x2x2 brick has robes printed on it to resemble the printed slope in his previous versions. All in all, a very detailed character. (To note, there is no string included that you could use to make him hover, like in the movie. You're going to have to provide that yourself.)

    Image of Uni-Kitty Sad Image of Uni-Kitty Confused Image of Uni-Kitty Back Image of Uni-Kitty Standing vs Sitting

    And finally, what LEGO Movie set would be complete without another iteration of Uni-Kitty. This Uni-Kitty is unique for her design, which has her sitting down with her tail curled up, compared to her other standing variations. Her tail position is achieve with the use of a pink SNOT brick and works quite well. Also to make things even more awesome, this Uni-Kitty comes with two heads, which thus allows you to change her expression. One has watery eyes from when she got really sad, and the other has her looking confused. Better yet, the 1x3 pink plate also has eyebrow printings to go with the facial expressions, which is another awesome level of detail. It's a bit tricky to quickly switch the faces because you have to remove the ears, horn, and white plate on the bottom, but it's a great way to expand your Uni-Kitty collection.

    Image of Car Front Image of Car Back Image of Car Top Image of Car with Emmet

    The first build here is Emmet's Car. This design isn't exactly new; it was mostly used in 3177: Small Car from 2010, and was used again in a ToysRUs Promotion for The LEGO Movie last summer. There are a few design changes from the 2010 version, like the curved slope on the front and 1x1 clear tiles on the side mirrors, which were pieces that didn't exist back then. The main new feature here is the little Radio tile included on the dashboard, which Emmet uses to listen to "Everything is Awesome" on his commute. It's a nice touch to an otherwise clone build.

    Image of Couch Front Image of Couch Back

    Finally, the real star of this set is the Double-Decker Couch. Some of you may think it's the dumbest thing you've ever heard, but it's a remarkable intriguing design. It uses clips for some nice SNOT techniques, as well as a technic frame to hold up the second level. There are four armrests complete with cup holders, and four 1x2 studs where you can attach characters to sit down. Granted, I do believe the design is an exact replica of the version that came in 70810: MetalBeard's Sea Cow, but that can be excused because that set was terribly expensive. The Double-Decker Couch was one of the most prominent models in the movie, and now you can get it for $15 instead of $250. That's a steal!

    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 Whole Set Image of Comfort Kitty Image of Dangle Legs Image of Death of Vitruvius

    There's really no action features here. I guess the car has the standard ones; moveable wheels, opening doors, and an easily detachable roof for you to get Emmet inside, as well as a small storage space in the back for his helmet.

    The real benefit of this set is to get the five characters, and that allows for great role playing, and allows for you to recreate your favorite scenes from the movie. Additionally, the Double-Decker Couch makes for a great display piece, and you can place four characters on it and have the fifth gripping the side bars. (Well, it's not perfect. Benny's air tanks hit the back of the couch, making it hard for him to sit down on it, and Uni-Kitty and Vitruvius are too tall for the bottom level.) This does contradict a complaint Lord Business made in the movie; he said on the bottom level you would have to be looking through hanging legs. But minifigures can't dangle their legs over the edge, so his view from the bottom is unblocked! Now he can chill out on the couch and enjoy a waffle or sausage with his new pals.

    Image of Glowing Vitruvius

    One last feature that needs to be touched on is Ghost Vitruvius's glow in the dark capabilities. Like the ghost pieces in the past, Vitruvius's glows in the dark, which is always a nice perk.

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

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • Has figs that were previously only available in expensive sets
    • Ghost Vitruvius and sitting Uni-Kitty are exclusive to this set
    • Cheaper way to get the Double-Decker Couch
    • Brings together iconic characters and models from the movie!
    • And is affordable at $15

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • Few or no updates to the design of the car or couch
    • Emmet's helmet isn't the mold with hair
    • They didn't release this one last year

    This set is clearly aimed to supplying a demand after the enormous popularity of The LEGO Movie. I'm sure plenty of kids saw it and wanted the popular characters like Benny and Uni-Kitty, but their parents weren't willing to shell out the big bucks to get the really expensive sets. But now they can get all these great characters and the Double-Decker Couch in one affordable set, so I think this one will be very popular, even for a movie that was released the previous year. Dedicated collectors will be disappointed that the models are basically repeats, but there are still enough unique characters here to make it worthwhile. For the LEGO Movie fan on a budget, I fully recommend this set!

    Thanks again for watching / reading this review. Please like and subscribe to our Youtube channel and keep an eye out for future LEGO set reviews. And stay tuned to BZPower for more LEGO and Bionicle news!

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