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Akano

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  1. Akano

    Schrödinger's Cat

    By Akano,

    With the end of break comes the beginning of a new semester.
     
    At least, that happened last week. Today commences week two of my spring semester of my junior year (though I'm a senior by credits—thank you, Advanced Placement!). The week before that was our college's choir tour, my first since I just joined last semester. Holy mukau. I can't even begin to describe how awesome that experience was. I look forward to next year's tour.
     
    This semester I'm taking a lovely range of physics courses for my major. By a lovely range, I mean that I'm only taking two: Atomic Physics and Quantum Mechanics. Yay Quantum! Yesterday I spent three hours proving the simple statement that Force=Force (or, more accurately, that d<p>/dt=<-∂V/∂x>) via Quantum Mechanics laws. Fun times.
     
    Oh, and you may be wondering why I've titled this entry "Schrödinger's Cat." It turns out the cover of my quantum mechanics book has the dear kitty on its front and back covers.
     
    That's all for now. Hopefully I'll get up a new comic before the week is over. >>;
     

  2. Akano

    Science Journals

    By Akano,

    So, in an earlier blog entry I talked about a journal article one of our professors presented at our department's journal club discussing neutrons in a purely gravitational potential well. Well, I decided to read it and am going to present it to the math and science grad students on Friday because I think it's pretty dang awesome.
     
    Related: Airy functions are weird. And cool. Perhaps I'll discuss them later...
     
    Also, tomorrow spring is here! (If it weren't for ponies, I would not say that with so much excitement.)
     
    `
  3. Akano
    While days 2-4 were relatively uneventful (mostly collaborating days, doing research) my last three days in Edinburgh were pretty cool.
     
    Day 5: I climbed Arthur's Seat for a second time; it was sunny, so the view was even better than on Sunday when my advisor and I climbed it together. I also got proof That I made it to the summit. 8D
     
    Day 6: I went to Edinburgh Castle and walked around the former residence of the Scottish royal family. There were a few museums that were mainly dedicated to the history of Scottish military. I also saw the Scottish crown jewels, but was not allowed to take photos (and didn't realize I wasn't allowed until a lady yelled at me for taking out my phone).
     
    Day 7: I journeyed to Pencaitland, which is about 12 miles outside of Edinburgh, for a tour of the Glenkinchie distillery. However, I was late for my booked tour, as the bus didn't take me the whole way to the distillery, and it was a 2 mile walk to the distillery from the bus stop. I literally was walking, in the middle of Scottish farmland, following signs that I hoped were telling me the truth and leading me in the right direction. I eventually got there, however, unharmed but late. The lady at the front desk was very accommodating, though, and fit me into the next tour. It was quite lovely, and we got to see all the steps of brewing whiskey followed by a tasting session. After tasting, I picked up a bottle for my dad and a smaller bottle for me (if they sold 50 cl bottles, they would have been the same size, but, alas, they only had them in 20 and 70 cl sizes). I tried to get on the distillery's shuttle back to Edinburgh, but unfortunately I had asked to join it after it had left; they told me not to worry, though, as there was a local barman who would come and pick me up with two other women who also took the bus and take us to his pub, which was a few seconds' walk from the bus stop. The three of us had a drink at his pub (his only request in exchange for picking us up, which was completely fair in my opinion) and we got to talking. The one lady was around my age and still in college, while the older woman was her aunt and was retired. We got to talking about math and science, since the aunt had studied nutrition science for her job and enjoyed talking about science. We also discussed beer, the tour, and previous and future travels we were planning to take. All in all, it was a lovely afternoon, and we sat together on the bus back to Edinburgh and talked some more. Once we were back in the city, we said our goodbyes and were very glad to have met each other.
     
    Then, this morning, I boarded my flight back to the states, and now I am quite tired, as it is (as I'm typing this) around 1:30 a.m. back in Edinburgh, and my body wants to be very well asleep. I am happy to say, though, that it was a fruitful trip, both for research and fun, as now my code that I've been working on for nearly a year finally works and has reproduced the results of the paper we modeled it off of! Now, we get to push it into new parameter space to aid us in our spectroscopic analysis.
     
    Well, that's all for now. I'm going to go eat some cookies with my friends.
     

  4. Akano
    I have posted before about the genius of physicist David J. Griffiths. I thought I'd post a few quotes by him to share why I think he's awesome.
     
    "…You can always tell the particles apart, in principle—just paint one of them red and the other one blue, or stamp identification numbers on them, or hire private detectives to follow them around."
     
    "...And, of course, if you’re in a really bad mood you can create a state for which neither position nor momentum is well defined..."
     
    "It is traditional to write the Bohr radius with a subscript: a0. But this is cumbersome and unnecessary, so I prefer to leave the subscript off."
     
    "If you think this is starting to sound like a mystical numerology, I don’t blame you. We will not be using Clebsch-Gordan tables much in the rest of the book, but I wanted you to know where they fit into the scheme of things, in case you encounter them later on. In a mathematical sense this is all applied group theory—what we are talking about is the decomposition of the direct product of two irreducible representations of the rotation group into a direct sum of irreducible representation (you can quote that, to impress your friends)."
     
    "I’m not at all sure what I’m supposed to say today. Maybe you’re expecting a grand philosophy of education. But I learned very early as a parent that almost any philosophy of childrearing is worse than no philosophy at all, and I am inclined to think the same applies to teaching."
     
    "Personally, I never bring notes to a lecture unless I am egregiously ill-prepared, for they break a very delicate and important bond of trust with the listener: If B really follows from A, how come he has to refer to his notes?"
     
    "There are a thousand ways to get a problem wrong—not all of them bad—and many ways to get a problem right—not all of them good."
     
    "Above all, I think studying science—and especially physics—is a tremendously liberating experience. I don’t happen to know how a carburetor works; I’m not even sure what a carburetor does; let me be frank: I don’t know what a carburetor looks like. But I do know that the behavior of carburetors is perfectly rational; somebody understands them, and if I really wanted to I’m sure I could understand them too. For I have confidence, grounded in the study of physics, that the world is rationally intelligible, and this, to me, is the most important—and most profoundly liberating—idea in human experience. The universe is comprehensible..."
     
    "A colleague of mine in Chemistry likes to boast that ‘‘anyone can teach; the important thing is to attract good researchers.’’ I think it’s exactly the reverse: competent research physicists are a dime a dozen, but good teachers are few and far between. Please don’t misunderstand: I’ve got nothing against research—I do a certain amount of it myself, and I think it goes hand in hand with good teaching. But I regard myself as a professional teacher, and an amateur researcher, whereas most physicists are professional researchers but amateur teachers, and it shows. In my opinion by far the most effective thing we can do to improve the quality of physics instruction—much more important than modifications in teaching technique—is to hire, honor, and promote good teachers."
     
    There are many more wonderful quotes, but I don't remember them/don't have the sources on me. Perhaps I'll add to this in another blog entry.
     

  5. Akano
    Today I went to my local LEGO Store to plunder some Series 8 Minifigures. I reviewed the 8 Series 8 minifigs (clever, ain't I?) over here, so check it out for pics and entertaining descriptions. I posted a teaser below:
     
     
    Also, while at the LEGO Store, I noticed some new sets. Remember the recent beach set that contained the Hula Girl, Surfer, and Surfer Girl from the Series Minifigures? Well, two new similar sets are now in the LEGO store, and I snapped a quick pic of them.
     

    Click for larger image.


     
    I sent this into news, so maybe you'll see an article about it.
     
    UPDATE: Apparently, LEGO has these on its Shop@Home site. They are the Halloween Accessory Set and the Rock Band Minifigure Accessory Set.
     
    ALSO ZOMBIE MINIFIG AAAHHH!!!
     

  7. Akano
    As promised, I'm going to kick off my set reviews of LEGO System circa mid-late 1990s with a review of the Time Cruisers Rocket Racer (no, not the LEGO Racers Rocket Racer). Credit to BZP for the review format.
     
    (My apologies if you notice the yellow tint to the shadows; my digital camera decided to be rather yellow when taking these pictures, and using GIMP to re-balance the white left those yellow shadows as an artifact.)
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     



     
    We see our protagonist, Timmy, riding in the eponymous racer through a rather dark, stormy backdrop. Pretty awesome. We can tell right off the bat that this isn't a very large set (seeing as the price was only $4.50 when it came out).
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



     
    Not very challenging at all. The build took only a couple of minutes and was fairly straightforward, seeing as there were only 15 steps. All 55 pieces are included in the above photo, and it's not surprising that they don't take very long to assemble.
     
    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.
     



     
    Nothing too sophisticated here. The body is based on a bracket piece that saw use in the Xtreme Team windsurfer/buggy set. The propellers are pretty cool in their functionality (yes, they do spin). A simple buggy/car set with a few modifications.
     
    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?
     

    All aircraft report!


     
    The propellers are the coolest part of this set. They are connected by an axle to a smooth base that sits on the back tires, as seen in the above photo. The tires, made of rubber, grip the smooth base of the propellers on one side, and as the tires spin, the propellers spin. Now, on my set, this works well for the (Timmy's) right-hand propeller, but not the left. I think this may be because the bricks on top are not completely aligned over the hole for the left propeller, and thus the axle grips the pieces. I'm not sure though. It's still a cool bit of functionality that I'm impressed they thought to incorporate on such a small set. You really don't see that much on newer small sets.
     
    Beyond this, though, the set is mainly for you to roll on the table and go "Vroom! Vroom!"
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     
    Since the original price was $4.50, it's not a bad set for that price. I got mine for $4.00 with the other Time Cruisers sets, so it wasn't a heavy additional monetary burden for my wallet. If you see this set floating around for a low price, pick it up; you get a Timmy minifigure and a few cool MOC pieces/a cool race buggy.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Timmy minifigure
    Cheap set (BrickLink has one for $1.00)
    Neat functionality despite being small
    Decent variety of pieces

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    Not incredibly exciting, but it is a small set

    I honestly think that this set isn't bad at all for what it is. Back in the day, this would've made any 90's kid happy if he/she found it in their stocking on Christmas day. If you want to get some Time Cruisers sets, add this one to your cart. It's cheap, cute, and fun in its own way.
     
    Thanks for sticking around for my review. Next time we'll head into the realm of the villainous Time Twisters.
     

  8. Akano
    I hope everyone had an enjoyable, reflective Memorial Day today. Since I couldn't come up with a comic, I decided to work on another retro set review. This time, we switch gears back to the Time Cruisers with the 6493 Flying Time Vessel!
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     



     
    I just love the backgrounds for Time Cruisers and Time Twisters. They're so trippy and cartoony yet so dark and spooky. The castle and pirate ship in the background add a nice touch to the scenery and really help reinforce the idea that this theme was about visiting various periods in history. We also see Dr. Cyber and Timmy showing off various helmets and artifacts they've received throughout their travels, and the monkey, Ingo, is sporting a flintlock pistol. Isn't it dangerous to give firearms to a monkey?
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



     
    This set contains 234 pieces, and while there are large pieces like the bow and the stern, it still took me at least an hour to build, but the inner workings of the gears and axles for the functionality in this set were fun to construct. Because of this, the construction isn't straightforward, but it isn't incredibly difficult either; it just takes some time.
     
    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.
     

     



     
    The vessel is, obviously, built on the bow and stern pieces that come in the set. Interestingly, these pieces seem to be unique to this set! The Pirate sets from the late 80s/early 90s had bow and stern pieces, yes, but they were not of the same dimensions as those that appear here. I find that kind of odd, but cool. Also, this set is quite large and takes up a lot of space, partially because of the mast and partially because of the wings. The rudder/propeller system doesn't help either, since there's a large peg on which the small propeller sits.
     
    This set comes with three figures: Dr. Cyber, Timmy, and Ingo the monkey, which is one short of the entire Time Cruisers cast.
     

    I, the hard working Ingo, do not approve of my new simian form!


     
    It also comes with several accessories, including a pirate hat and bandana, various helmets from other LEGO themes, a flintlock pistol, two crossbows, a magic wand, and a chainsaw. Because those things always go together.
     

    Cower before my miscellany!


     
    Needless to say, this set has a lot of good parts to plunder.
     
    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?
     

    There's a Titanic reference here somewhere…


     
    Like the other Time Cruisers/Twisters sets, this set does not disappoint on functionality. The wheels are connected by bars to the underside of the wings to make them flap up and down and are also connected internally to the axle that drives the rear propeller. The cockpit also opens up via hinge revealing a treasure chest and the control panel to the ship (which, interestingly enough, no one is operating in any photos of the set. Perhaps it's on autopilot?).
     
    However, it's the look of the ship that really hooks me in. It's a pirate ship with wings and a periscope that is fueled by the spinning of a propeller hooked onto the stern. And also has wheels. That's just awesome! It's a vehicle that can practically go anywhere — swamp, mountain, ocean, canyon, and other locales that aren't in Majora's Mask. Bottom line: this set tickles the imagination and gives a lot of good opportunity to create your own Time Cruisers adventure, and that's why it's probably my favorite set of from the line.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     

    Hold onto your helmets; time travel can be rough.


     
    I love this set. It's a creative concept for a creative theme, and I wish they had done more sets like this. Not that the other Time Cruisers sets were bad, but they didn't quite stand out to me as much as this one. This vehicle can go on any journey anywhere, anywhen, giving the player nearly infinite possibilities as to where to send these characters, and that's pretty cool. Also, it has a plethora of cool pieces.
     
    On BrickLink, you can find lots with this set at around $20 in Europe and around $30 in the US, which is not bad at all considering the original MSRP was $44 in 1996. If you have the cash, definitely consider this one, as it's a classic.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Functionality (again)!
    Great pieces
    Looks awesome
    Not terribly expensive

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    There aren't more like it in this theme.

    If you were to get only one Time Cruisers set, I'd say get this one. It's a very imaginative set for an imaginative theme.
     
    Now, I only have two more sets to do from the Time Cruisers/Twisters themes, so soon I will be moving on to some other LEGO theme from the 90s. Does anyone have any suggestions/a particular theme they would like to see? I could do Fright Knights, UFO, Adventurers (hecks yes), Insectoids, and others that I have with me but can't think of off the top of my head. Suggest away!
     

  9. Akano
    Greetings, all! It's time for another retro set review. This time, the villainous Time Twisters and their smallest set, the Time Tunnelator!
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     



     
    We see here one of the sibling antagonists, Tony Twister (whose face bears a striking resemblance to Black Bart of the Wild West theme), flying through a stormy backdrop with a jagged mountain to the left, a forest or something of the like near the bottom of the picture, and what looks like a portal to a city in the back-right.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



     
    There are 80 pieces in this set, and all are pictured above. This build is pretty straightforward and doesn't take more than ten minutes. Still, there are more pieces than the Rocket Racer, so it's slightly more involved, but not by much.
     
    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.
     



     
    The set foundation is a blue wing piece, and everything kinda sprouts from there. It's interesting that, despite the fact that the set isn't really "filled in," it doesn't look very skeletal or lacking, and I think the plastic wings help that. As far as interesting pieces go, there are two trumpet pieces, two bats, and a few trans-neon orange pieces. I like the use of the black dragon wing as a rudder; it adds to the bat/evil look that this theme has going for it.
     
    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?
     



     
    Oh, the functionality. In this set, when the wheels move, not only does the propeller spin, but the wings also flap up and down. The mechanism for the propeller is a rubber band belt that goes from the wheel axle to the propeller, while the flapping wings occur due to the cranks connected to the outside of the wheels; as they spin, the wings flap.
     
    This kind of functionality will be seen again in future reviews of Time Cruisers and Twisters, and this is one of the reasons why I find this theme so cool; they have cool looking vehicles that do more than just roll on the table.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     

    Oblivion is at hand!


     
    While this is a small set, the functionality is a reason I would recommend getting this set over the Rocket Racer; the friction-driven propellers in that set aren't as reliable as the cranks and gears of this set, so this set will satisfy you more if you're a fan of functionality (like me).
     
    This set also looks cooler than the Rocket Racer and has a more diverse range of pieces in its inventory, like the bats, barrels, and bugles. Tony Twister is also a good minifigure in that he gives you a set of epaulettes in yellow and a police hat (which is odd seeing as he's a bad guy, but I digress). Given the choice between the two, I'd buy this set. It was originally listed as $10.00, but can be found now for about half of that, making this set a pretty good deal.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Functionality!!!
    Cheap (~$5.00 on BrickLink)
    Looks cool despite being small
    Has good pieces to plunder

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    Small

    If you're thinking of collecting the Time Twisters sets, this isn't a bad one to start with, so I highly recommend it.
     

  10. Akano
    Welcome to another installment of 90s LEGO set reviews! This entry's review is of the 6496 Whirling Time Warper of the Time Twisters theme!
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     

    Image courtesy of Peeron


     
    The box features a shot of the titular Time Warper flying through a dark backdrop with what looks like a portal to a city in the sky and a dark forest near the bottom. Behind some mountains, a moon or other celestial object appears to be setting. There's a flying ghost and bat along with other objects flying around the vehicle. I have to say, I really like the backdrops for the Time Twisters sets. The give a good dark edge to the appearance.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



     
    This set contains 147 pieces, of which 142 are shown here. This set is missing two TrRed magic wands, one black airplane rudder piece, and two chrome daggers (this is what happens when you own a set for a long time and leave it apart for a while). You'll notice that this has significantly more pieces than the Time Tunnelator, and for an originally $22 set, it better have more pieces. The build time for this set was around twenty minutes or so, which isn't too bad.
     



     
    There are two figs to obtain in this set: Professor Millennium, Tony Twister's brother and fellow Time Twister, and the Ghost. Note that this ghost, which has a smiling face, is different than the one coming with the upcoming Monster Hunters sets, which features a more spooky moaning face. Also, you may notice that the ghost's arms are not quite as white as they should be. Being an old piece, it got a little too much sun over the years, and the body is faded.
     

    The legs were replaced, so you can see the difference.

    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.
     



     
    The set foundation is a white bathtub piece which premiered in Belville theme. This piece has only ever been released in three sets: this set (1997), 5895 Family House (1996), and 5837 Flora's Bubbling Bath (2002). I'm guessing that the rarity of this piece is why BrickLink has this set at relatively higher prices compared to its original MSRP than those of other Time Twisters sets.
     

    Curse your exclusiveness!


     
    You also get some cool minifig accessories, such as the bugles, coins, magic wands (not shown), a chrome crystal, and a bunch of 1 × 1 clear round pieces.
     

    Note: these bugles are not edible, nor are the coins chocolate.


     
    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?
     



     
    Again, pretty cool functionality. In this set, like the Time Tunnelator, the rear wheels drive the moving parts of the set. The propeller is connected by a rubber band to the wheel axle to make it spin, and the propeller is connected to the "power drum" on top to spin the container and swirly disk around.
     



     
    The skulls on the side also bob up and down exactly out of phase with one another due to the wheels having a peg that moves the side "arms" (for lack of a better word) up and down. Thus, you get a spinning propeller, rotating container of stuff, and bobbing skulls that make this vehicle come to life. I would rate the functionality of this set higher than that of the Time Tunnelator, since it simply does more stuff.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     

    Note: The dome piece is old/scratched up, hence the not-so-clearness.


     
    Again, fans of functionality will like this set. It comes with two minifigures, both of which are different from the Time Tunnelator, and it comes with that unique bathtub piece, so anyone wanting to do a vignette of a bathroom would love that. This model is also more filled-in than the Tunnelator, so this set may be preferred simply from an aesthetic point of view.
     
    What about Price? Well, as stated earlier, the MSRP was $22 in 1997. Sets available on BrickLink that are in the US are all above that price, with the lowest at $25, while most of the lots in Europe are < $20. So, if you're willing to spend a little extra on shipping, you can get a good deal.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Functionality! (again)
    Cool looking vehicle
    Has good pieces to plunder

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    Price may be high.

    If you can find a good deal on this one, pick it up. It's a good set with quite a bit to offer.
     

  13. Akano
    In continuing my trend of reviewing 90s LEGO System sets, I'm turning my criticism to one of the most beloved, nostalgic LEGO sets arguably of all of LEGO's existence.
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     




     
    Ah, the desert. Something about it inspires adventure. Perhaps it's the survival aspect of it. Anyway, the box pulls off the desert background very nicely, and the action of a bunch of cavalry men attempting to catch bandits gives off the Wild West feel. Also, the back of the box has alternate models, which LEGO doesn't do anymore and is something that I personally miss a lot from the newer sets. The large set also has the flap on top which opens to reveal the interior of the box. The plastic/cardboard sheet inside was used to preview minifigs and/or exclusive/unique pieces, but seeing as mine was used, this is not the case here.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     




     
    This set is rather ridiculous with the space its pieces take up, so I couldn't organize them completely. There are 668 pieces total, which makes for a mild build. I think I built it up within an hour, since the build isn't terribly difficult. Also, I couldn't help but hear Gerudo Valley in my head as I was building. I can't imagine why.
     


    These pieces and the 1×2 and 1×4 log pieces are extremely prominent, in case you couldn't tell.


     
    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.
     
    There are four 16×32 baseplates in this set (no, I'm not kidding), so the build is split up into four parts. First, let's look at the entrance. the entrance:
     


     

    A fort? That's easy! Feel free to follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions. I make building FUN!!


     
    The entrance is pretty...entrancey. The watchtowers are cool, even though (as seen from the back) they have no ladders to lead up to them, so one must wonder how a guard could get up there to look out from there. The doors are barricaded from the inside with a bar made from a 1×10 plate and two 1×2 hinge pieces, as are the other doors on this set. It's pretty cool how they designed that (it is a fort, after all).
     
    Now, the walls:
     




     
    The first wall is rather nondescript. Just a guard wall with a ladder leading up to the top.
     




     
    The second wall has a little more going on. There's a side entrance and a rock wall made with, which I recently found out is called, a Big Ugly Rock Piece (BURP). The cactus at the bottom of the wall hides a cache of coins. This wall also has an actual tower on it to place a sentry in, which is cool. We also have a flag like the one at the entrance adorning the tower.
     
    The final part of the set is headquarters:
     




     
    This is my favorite part of the set, as it actually has something going on other than being a wall. The headquarters reminds me of the Hydeout in the Borscht Bowl Club from the first case of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. It has its secrets, like the hiding place in the chimney behind the fireplace.
     


    I don't know what you're talking about; I'm not hiding anything.


     
    Or the spinning table that sends the bandit or cavalry member to the prison/floor below.
     


    You have a full house? I only have a two pair: a pair of ones, and another pair of ones.


     
     
     
    Here, you can see the Colonel and Dewey Cheatum (no, I did not make that name up) playing at the aforementioned table. Rotate the table counter-clockwise, and Dewey ends up doing time for the vast number of card-based crimes he's committed.
     


    Not pictured: The incarceration of whoever came up with the name "Dewey Cheatum."


     
    The room is accessed by its minifig regulars by a set of stairs that can also be found in the LEGO Studios Vampire Crypt, along with others.
     




     
    Now that we've covered the set itself, let's go over the minifigures:
     




     
    There are two factions. Let's first go over the bandits.
     




     
    From left to right, we have Black Bart, Flatfoot Thompson, and (*sigh*) Dewey Cheatum. Of all the figs, I think Dewey's is the coolest. His playing cards style vest and top hat clash a lot with his nasty gold-toothed scowl. It's as though class and hillbilly merged. Flatfoot Tom has a great western villain face, and Black Bart always struck me as the muscle of the gang.
     




     
    The cavalry contains three soldiers, two lieutenants, and the colonel (whose face somewhat resembles that of the LEGO Chess king). Since this set is the headquarters of the cavalry, it contains the largest number of their figures, which is definitely a plus for this set.
     


    I may have shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot this guy.


     
    This set does not contain the sheriff (but Sheriff's Lock-Up does, and I hope to find a good one soon...), but it does contain his deputy. He has a white hat and hair and a sweet cowboy vest. Not much else to say about him; however, he looks to me like he's always chill about everything, even if a gunfight were to start.
     
    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?
     




     
    Other than the doors opening and closing and the table trap that leads to the prison, there isn't really that much functionality with this set, which disappoints me a little bit. However, this set is a great setting for a western adventure, so while there isn't much to do with the set, there is a lot that someone could come up with at the set.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     


    Who shot first, Dewey or the Colonel?


     
    This set, being a very nostalgic set, is quite pricey. If you can find this set for less than $100 and you want this set, grab it. I understand why it's so loved, but I personally wouldn't place it as more important than, say, Pharaoh's Forbidden Ruins or Night Lord's Castle.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?
    Big
    Many minifigs
    Classic theme

    Cons
    What's not to like?
    Price
    Not much functionality

    I hope you enjoyed this one. For the gallery, go here when it becomes public.
     

  14. Akano
    I've felt rather unproductive recently on BZP, so I decided to do another set review. This time, we look at the new Monster Fighters theme's largest set (for now), Vampyre Castle!
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     

    The trunk dented the upper left corner of the box. Sad face.


     
    The titular castle sits here in front of a sinister, spooky background with bats trailing from the moon and a ghostly green glow emanating from the castle, its inhabitants, and the moon. The back of the box shows the secrets and interior of the castle, allowing the potential buyer to see all the features of the set.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     

     



     
    This monstrous set (HA! Pun) has seven bags of pieces. For 949 pieces to the set, it's not too surprising that there are so many bags, but still, I think this is the largest set I've built to date (and probably the most expensive one I've ever bought). All the pieces from the seven bags are shown above, and I can tell you that it took a great chunk of time to build. Expect to set aside 2-3 hours to build this (or more, if you're not a seasoned System-building veteran. I took a bit longer, but I was taking pictures as I went. Also, I did take a couple breaks here and there to spend some time with friends ).
     



     
    Although it is a long build, it's really cool to watch as the whole thing comes together, which is one of my favorite experiences in building a LEGO set. While time consuming, I didn't find the build too difficult, but that may be due to having past experience with System sets.
     
    To be honest, the only annoyance for me was the stickers. While they do allow for LEGO to not have to print their designs on the pieces themselves (which honestly probably saves them some money), I am quite particular when applying stickers, and it's annoying when I mess up the first time. The stickers do glow in the dark though, along with many other pieces, so that adds a bit to the cool factor if you like glow-in-the-dark.
     
    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.
     
    Let's start with our heroes and their car:
     



     
    The car is a pretty slick ride. For those of you who like sand green, this is your car. I'm quite the fan of the early 20th century vibe the technology in these sets gives off, and considering that Jack and Rodney's prosthetic limbs are steam-powered, the steampunk vibe is good, too. The car is a one-seater and can accommodate either Jack or Rodney, since the right leg sits on a 2×1 grate, so there are no studs to prevent Rodney from driving it. The most notable feature of the car is the net launcher, which sits in the back, and has a sort of piston that, when pushed, makes the net fly out.
     

    It's like Spiderman's web power, only with a machine and the ability to catch bat people.


     



     
    The heroes included in this set are Jack McHammer and the leader of the Monster Fighters, Dr. Rodney Rathbone. Rodney sports a very dapper vest (with pocket watch) and bowler hat, a steampunk leg, a rapier, and a revolver. Jack has a steampunk arm, a green flannel shirt with a leather vest, a knit cap, and Mjolnir.
     

    I wouldn't doubt it if he took it right out of Thor's hand.


     
    Now, let's dive into the castle and its villainous vampire owners.
     



     
    The castle is centered on the main tower where the Moon-Eclipse-Whatchamajig stands.
     



     
    As you can see in the picture, a hinge with pin pieces is what connects the parts of the castle to each other. The main tower, though, only has connections on one side. The castle is sort of connected in a sideways U or S shape, where the main area is the top branch, the bend is the drawing room/spiky death pit tower, the middle is the gate, and the final bend/line is the prison tower. Only the main/drawing room connection is hinged, though, which allows the castle to have its layout.
     



     
    The inside of the main tower has five rooms; the attic/organ room, the solar eclipse machine room (which is more like a clock tower chamber than a room, like where Basil of Baker Street and Ratigan duel), the drawing room, the bedroom/potions room, and the coffin in the basement. My personal favorite is the potion/bedroom, as the bed is really neat and the potion room contains some cool pieces. I like how in the basement the curtains around the coffin are portrayed by bricks rather than fabric; I think that if they used fabric it wouldn't have the same feel.
     



     
    Also, the moonstone device is really neat to behold. It has a cool mechanism for revealing the moon wheel thing behind the moonstones; the moonstones are all on 90° axle joints all connected by Y-shaped axle holders. When the moon wheel is pushed out, the axles that the moonstones aren't connected to end up between two large cart wheels behind the moon disk, and so when the disk is retracted, the moonstones return to covering the disk, which is pretty cool.
     



     
    The secondary turret is cool due to the cute little map/drawing room that looks comfy-cozy until the floor falls out from under you and you land in a spiky pit of doom. However, if you survive and manage to climb into the attic, you get some treasure! I'm guessing this is the guest room of the castle.
     



     
    The next portion is the gate, which features creepy old school cast iron doors and, if that doesn't prevent you from entering, a secondary gate which has fangs as the blocking mechanism.
     

    Enter if you dare!


     
    You know, to attract the neighbors.
     



     
    The final portion of the set is the prison, where a poor, unfortunate soul has been wasting away for a while, since he's only a skeleton now.
     

    Poor guy, I just want to give him a hug.


     
    However, if either of your heroes get trapped here, you can always bust them out with the nifty lever on the outside wall of the prison.
     

    Behold, my finger's debut on BZP! Greet him with kindness, please.


     
    And now, Lord Vampyre and his wife (does she have a name?).
     



     
    As you can probably tell, LEGO seems to be enjoying making minifigures with printing on the back and front of their bodies, and it seems to be quite prevalent in this theme (as with the latest series minifigures). They also have flip faces, another trend becoming more popular (which debuted in the Studios sets that were released a decade ago. I feel so old...).
     



     
    Also, note that we get another appearance of the Series 4 Mad Scientist's flask in this set, so the piece is becoming more and more widespread. We also get a translucent green wine goblet, several gems, a toad, a mushroom, and six of the seven the moonstones (zombie moonstone not included).
     

    Note: these probably won't evolve your Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Munna, Nidorino, Nidorina, or Skitty.


     
    And last, but certainly not least, the Manbats!
     

    Not to be confused with Batman.


     
    These minifigures are definitely a first for LEGO with their arms that actually spread outward. However, they don't actually move inward/outward, so the poseability of their arms is quite limited without looking rather goofy. They have ears similar to the Elf and Werewolf Series Minifigures, but are a lot bigger and more...batlike.
     
    Also, to give you a sense of how massively huge this set is, I compared its size to the largest Fright Knights set released, Night Lord's Castle, which is the tallest castle set to date that LEGO has released.
     

    I sense a war between Vampyre and Bat Lord brewing.


     
    It's pretty incredible how far LEGO has come as far as detailed sets go, since you can really see the difference between the present day and the early 90s. But notice that Night Lord's Castle just barely keeps its title; in fact, the only reason it's taller than the Vampyre Castle is due to Willa's telescope at the top. Also note that Night Lord's Castle contains only 598 pieces in comparison to the Vampyre Castle's 949; a lot of those additional pieces go into the detail.
     
    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?
     

    Have at you!


     
    There are definitely a lot of possibilities with this set. It has several rooms which make good vignettes/settings for spooky interactions between your heroes and villains, and the appearance is right out of Halloweentown (of Nightmare Before Christmas). Along with the prison wall lever, the prisoner can be moved up and down with an axle and the moonstone device can be engaged with a similar sort of piston that the car's net launcher has. Also, the trapdoor to the spiky pit makes for some good fun.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     

    Let me play you the song of my people.


     
    This set is pretty darn cool. It gives off a great spooky aura and is perfect for anyone who is a fan of Halloween, castles, and/or the Monster Fighters theme. It supplies us with a good cast of minifigs and is definitely one of the best sets released this year. If you can afford the $99.99 price tag, pick this up; you'll be glad you did.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Hugely gigantic castle
    Cool minifigures
    Cool car
    Awesomely spooky
    Some neat pieces to grab

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    The price tag

    I hope you all enjoyed my take on this set. If there are any pictures you want me to take or any aspect of the review/set you want my to clarify, just ask.
     

  15. Akano
    Today, we take a journey to Middle Earth and take a look at the LEGO reimagining of the Mines of Moria.
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     



     
    I really like the LEGO LOTR logo with the one ring on Sauron's finger in the upper right corner along with the map of Middle Earth in the background. The back highlights various parts of the set. I do like their cave-like choice of background for the front picture.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



     
    This set comes with four bags of pieces which build the well & Balin's tomb, the wooden doors, the center of the wall, and the outsides of the wall. The build took me about 2-3 hours or so (not counting distractions). I must admit that at times I jumped the gun with some of the smaller pieces and thought I had run out of pieces, meaning that I was frantically searching my pile of pieces for I piece I simply misplaced during the build, so follow instructions carefully.
     



     
    Again, this set does come with stickers (grr!) for some of the detail, such as the dwarves' record and Balin's tomb.
     
    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.
     

    I totally forgot the cave troll in this pic, sorry.


     
    The set consists of three main parts: the wall, the door, and the tomb and well.
     



     
    The door has some pretty good detail, but some of that is provided by stickers with the wood plank patterns. They also included the axe that locks the doors shut for about 10 seconds from the movie, and this axe has a metallic copper blade, which I thought was cool. I also like the use of spyglass pieces as torches. Looking from the back, the wall on the right has a lever that makes it fall.
     



     
    I like the detail of the cave troll; however, he has absolutely awful balance while holding his hammer, so the number of poses he can have while wielding it are limited. He has a tendency of falling forward, since his mold is rather forward-heavy, even when not wielding the hammer. If you have studs beneath his feet, then he should be fine, but he's rather unstable just standing on a table.
     



     
    The wall consists of bookshelves with some of the oldest books stickers can convey. There is also some of the dwarves' treasure underneath the floor in its own little nook. For some reason the treasure chest moves in and out.
     



     
    The sides of the wall have towers that can be toppled using levers underneath them. The box shows one of these landing on the troll.
     



     
    These are my favorite parts of this set. I don't know if it's the fact that they're small and simple or if it's because these are the parts most focused on in the movie, but I love the well and the tomb. The tomb actually opens to reveal Balin's skeletal remains.
     

    Shouldn't Balin's skeleton be dwarf-sized?


     
    My only qualm with the well would be that the skeleton does not have any armor/helmet on it unlike the movie. Otherwise, I love this part of the set.
     
    Now, onto the minifigures:
     



     
    The heroes are very true to their movie selves save probably for Pippin; I don't really see Billy Boyd when I look at him; in fact, Pippin's face isn't too different from Shire Frodo's face. My favorite is probably Gimli,since the detail in his face, beard, and helmet are amazing. Boromir's appearance is probably second in terms of movie accuracy.
     



     
    the goblins are pretty creepy looking, and while I'd say their faces are pretty good, they seem to have too much hair (but maybe I'm remembering the movie wrong). I do like the shield that the one carries, as it's very jagged and looks goblin-made.
     

     



     
    All the characters have back printing on their torsos, which is more impressive on some than others. They also all have flip faces, which is amusing for Gimli, since all that changes when his beard is on is that his eyebrows go from neutral to angry. Also, they tried to make Legolas look intimidating, which just never happens in the movies.
     



     
    The hair/helmets of the characters all seem to be new molds to match the movies. I particularly like Gimli's helmet, which again has a lot of detail put into it (including printing).
     



     
    As far as interesting pieces go, there are quite a few jewels in this set. You also get a set of weapons that came originally in the Heroica games which I found interesting. They're mainly there to litter the ground of the tomb, probably to serve as the weapons of the dwarves who once populated the halls. You also get a bone and a rum bottle that originated the Pirates of the Carribean sets.
     
    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?
     

    For the Shire!


     
    This set has quite a bit of play to get out of it, since you can basically reenact the battle in the tomb with it. It's also makes for good scenery for any type of underground adventure you'd like your characters to embark on, so there's a good deal of potential. Any Lord of the Rings fan, of course, will just want to spend hours having our heroes take out that cave troll.
     
    Final Thoughts
    Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
     



     
    For any fan of the movies this set is a good pick, since it is, I think, one of the more accurate depictions of one of the movie scenes. All the minifigures in this set, save for the skeletons and Gimli, are exclusives, so it's a must-have for those who want, well, at least half of the Fellowship.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?

    Great detail
    Very true to the film
    The minifigures
    Cool pieces

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    The price tag
    Cave troll is a bit unbalanced

    I hope all the LOTR fans who are reading enjoy this review. For the gallery, go here when it becomes public.
     

  16. Akano
    I've decided to post this review here, as I'm not sure this fulfills the requirements to actually post this in the LEGO Sets forum.
     
    Presentation
    From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
     

    ]

    It's a polybag. The front features the set's picture and a picture letting you know that the eagle character you get is Ewar. The back is full of legalese, as per usual, and has a cutout option for a free child ticket to LEGOLAND.
     
    Building
    Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
     



    At only 33 pieces, this set does not take long to 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.
     



    I would first like to point out that this set came with about 10 extra trans-light-blue round tile pieces, which I thought was ridiculous, but I'm not complaining. The vessel is pretty simple in design, but still rather cool in my opinion. It's like someone combined a snowmobile and a jet ski...and made it fly. The really cool thing about this set, though, is Ewar.
     



    First off, Ewar is an anthropomorphic eagle, which ranks up there in awesomeness with anthropomorphic echidnas. He also has a really simple but clever wing-mount that reminds me of the armor of the old Hydronaut figures. This also allows his wings (and those of the other wingèd Chima races) to be poseable, unlike the winged mummy figures from Pharaoh's Quest. I like Ewar's flip face as well; one side has goggles and the other is just his bare face, which has nice detail on it. The design on his torso reminds me a lot of ancient Egypt, and his helmet (head piece?) is really cool as well.
     
    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?
     

    Woohoo! Cowabunga, dude!


    While it is a small set and, thus, is kinda limited on playability by itself, I'm sure that it makes a nice addition to any larger set if you're building some kind of Chima army or need a new high-tech hover vehicle for your utopian LEGO world. Ewar himself is a cool minifig that also allows for some fun play time.
     

    Hey, Einstein, I'm on your side!


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



    Alas, jetski-snowmobile, you are the only one who listens to me.


    This set was originally released as a free promotional with a $75 set order from LEGO S@H. It's now on BrickLink for about $5 USD. I don't know if I would personally spend that much money just to get him, but I'm glad I was able to get him through LEGO's promotional. If you're a fan of Chima, go for it.
     
    Pros
    What's to like?
    Ewar is cool
    Lots of extra pieces
    Jetski-snowmobile
    Cons
    What's not to like?
    Small
    It's a cute little set. If you want to see the gallery, go here when public.
     

  18. Akano

    Sick Again...

    By Akano,

    I swear, this is ridiculous. Yesterday, I felt great, now I'm sitting at home wrapped in a blanket dealing with sore muscles, sore throat, and a headache.
     
    And I'm really tired.
     
    Ooh, but listening to Glenn Beck heals it a bit. ^^
     

  19. Akano

    Sick...

    By Akano,

    I hate being sick. Even though I'm home today, I really wish I could be at school. Well. Alive.
     
    I'm stuck with this really annoying cough and a fever. The cough I've had for days. Like, since Saturday. The fever I just got yesterday. It really stinks. I want to be back.
     
    I'm somewhat wondering if this is bacterial. Like maybe strep. That would stink.
     
    What's worse is that I went to bed last night thinking that I'd be better today. Nope. Had a fever this morning. Took my temperature and it was at 101°F.
     
    And I have a Calculus test tomorrow. Really would've liked to be in class to review for that…
     
    Hopefully the "MOO" Obsesser will be back to his old, well self. Sorry for the dreary blog entry.
     
    And, I think this is a record. I updated within 3 days. Woot.
     

  20. Akano

    Sleep

    By Akano,

    http://youtu.be/bxjWNJU8rNE

    When I was in college I had the privilege of performing many beautiful pieces in both choir and band. While I got to sing Eric Whitacre's "Hope, Faith, Life, Love" and play trumpet in his instrumental piece "October," I never did get to sing this beautiful piece.
     
    I absolutely love his suspensions and cluster chords. They give it a real ethereal quality, and it's beautiful.
     

  22. Akano

    Snow Days

    By Akano,

    So, today was the second day this week where classes have been cancelled for snow/winter weather. Today the cancellation occurred due to power outages and falling frozen tree branches.
     
    So, I'm now at home doing work since there's actually power here. So that's been fun.
     
    Outside looks especially pretty, though.
     

  25. Akano

    So, Bzp's Back...!

    By Akano,

    Welcome back, everyone!
     
    As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't yet put life back into my comics topic (and by that, I mean re-posting said topic with new comics). I am, however, currently working on a new comic for the rebirth of Akano's Comics, so stay tuned for that.
     
    Also, super-happy-fun news, I have recently acquired Night Lord's Castle from the classic Fright Knights theme of LEGO System, and I have to say, it is quite the awesome set. Basil's pad is something to envy, I must say.
     
    As for life, I am currently in my first semester of graduate school and recently went through the privilege (read: trauma) of taking a graduate-level quantum mechanics in-class exam. That was four questions long. And was only given 80 minutes. It was great.
     
    Thus, if my schedule for making comics remains the way it was before (i.e. unpredictable) I hope you understand why, because it's not necessarily that I'm forgetting about this place or you. Heart-promise.
     

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