LEGO Star Wars General Grievous

LEGO Star Wars General Grievous 75112

I was worried when I first saw the New York Toy Fair reveal of LEGO’s buildable Star Wars figures. The overall appearance was too rigid for something that was supposed to be modeled after a person. Things started looking up once they showed the Jango Fett and Vader. It fits to have a non-humanoid character for a product rooted literally rooted in blocks. Then LEGO revealed General Grievous and… eureka!

General Grievous is, in my opinion, one of the highlights of the prequel entries to the Star Wars Saga. Say what you will about the prequels, you can’t deny that Obi-Wan’s light saber battle with the asthmatic General was great. Not to mention, a character that actually is a robot is a perfect fit for this type of building component. General Grievous easily bumped to the top of my priority list for all these reasons – even ahead of Lord Vader.

I immediately noticed a few great qualities. Firstly, the key characteristic pieces did not have to be applied by the builder with decals. No one wants an evil robot general with lazy eyes – this almost certainly would have been the case if I had to apply those decals!

Note – his eyes are NOT lazy. Thanks for that, LEGO.

Next, I was blown away by how enormous this set really is! The build itself is very similar to the recently retired LEGO Ideas Exo Suit 21109. Each leg is like a mini-build contributing to a menacing final product. During the initial build it’s hard to grasp the full size of the set until the legs are mostly complete. When it comes time to place the legs onto the main body, you start to see the full scale of what you’re creating. Here’s the one I built along with an awestruck Comic Book Guy Minifigure for size comparison:

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LEGO could have priced this set in the $49.99 range but kept it at a very reasonable $34.99. It is absolutely worth every penny! The end product is true to the character, incredibly poseable for long term display, and worthy of being shown right along with my other favorite Star Wars collectibles.

My rating of LEGO Star Wars General Grievous 75112 is 10 out of 10. If my rating scale went higher than 10, the General would still be at the top!

10 out of 10

October 16, 2015
Categories: LEGO, Reviews . Tags: . Author: The Belligerent Barnes . Comments: 1 Comment

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE – Movie & Graphic Novel Review

“Never judge a book by its movie.” That rule is usually a good one to follow. I personally try to read the source material prior to seeing its screen adaptation. In recent years, however, the surge in comic book adaptations have increased the quality of the material. Now movies originating from books can easily have every bit of potential that their source material has.

Kingsman didn’t pop up on my radar until the buzz started after its theatrical release. I’d never heard of the book so I went against my normal policy and started with watching the film. Thanks to the rarity of a date night with my wife (damn kids), I didn’t get to see it until it hit Redbox and man did I ever regret the wait!

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Movies are so serious these days! This one was a breath of fresh air because it was a hell of a lot of fun. The action was top notch with appropriate humor supported by great casting. Samuel L. Jackson is better than ever with genuine ‘laugh out loud’ moments coming from his ridiculous lisping character. Director Matthew Vaughn showed yet again that any movie with his name attached is in good hands. I wish I’d managed to see this in the theaters.

My rating of Kingsman: The Secret Service (movie) is 8 out of 10.

8 out of 10

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons

This is one of the few times I can say that I liked the movie more than the book… the movie expanded on certain areas that were somewhat glossed over in the book. There was a lot of buildup to the finale without much time spent on the conclusion. I did enjoy the dialogue between bad guys; its casual/pop culture-related theme added some depth that was easy to relate to. Example – the henchmen telling the villain that his nicknames for them are insensitive. My favorite part was the opening with Mark Hamill… I won’t say anything past that because it’s worth reading.

I went into the book with an expectation set by the film. Overall, the book came first but finished last. My rating of KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons is 6 out of 10.

6 out of 10

Give it a read if you happen across it or don’t have many other things in your to-read pile. Otherwise, skip it in favor of the movie.

October 15, 2015
Categories: Film Review, Marvel Comics, Reviews . Tags: , . Author: The Belligerent Barnes . Comments: 1 Comment

LEGO The Joker Bumper Car

LEGO The Joker Bumper Car (30303)

LEGO polybag sets are often hit or miss. Usually at $3.99 a piece, they are at the same price point as standalone LEGO Minifigures so they can often be a great value. Sometimes they are uninteresting themes (Ninjago) or you get a fairly generic minifigure with some ordinary pieces. Other times you buy it exclusively for the figure and see the 40-something pieces as a bonus. Regardless, when the theme is right, polybags are a must own.

The Joker Bumper Car (30303) is the best of both worlds. It includes a spectacular minifigure with a display-worthy build. Minifigures like this particular Joker could easily go for $10 on its own in the secondary market. His sculpted hair is different from the hat-wearing Joker Steamroller minifig and the pie is unlike any other piece in my vast array of bricks. The bumper car itself is both fun and easy. When I picked mine up I also grabbed one for each of my kids. Even my daughter (at age 5) had little difficulty putting everything in place.

I was quite pleased with the end result! It only takes up the equivalent of two-ish regular minifigures so it can be displayed along with other figures without eating up too much shelf space. Many LEGO polybag sets have the minifigure sitting alongside the build rather than as an integral part – I’m very happy this wasn’t the case here. Joker sits snugly inside making for a compact build that will remain intact on my ongoing display.

My review of LEGO The Joker Bumper Car (30303) is a perfect 10 out of 10.

10 out of 10

This set is finally showing up in Target Stores after almost a year of rumors over its placement. If you see it, don’t wait! Grab one for yourself because they’ll be sold out in no time at all.

October 12, 2015
Categories: LEGO, Reviews . . Author: The Belligerent Barnes . Comments: Leave a comment

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