Let me preface this review by saying that I know SpongeBob is a more kid-based theme than most, and that vehicles appeal to kids. However, I can only imagine the design team's conversation:

"--So, how can we make this Krusty Krab set an improvement over the last one?

--Well, we could always give it a better interior...

--Or add a fish as a customer, and maybe put some windows in this time...

--Hey, guys, how about this: we make the restaurant smaller, replace one of the employees with an all-too-common character who only occasionally visits the Krusty Krab, compress the interior even further, move the once shell-mounted sign to the top of the restaurant, and add a bizarre vehicle that only appears in the movie.

--Yeah, that sounds good."

Now, with that out of the way, I must say that I think this is a neat little set.

Here is a shot of all the pieces, including the sticker sheet:

And a picture of the completed building (sorry that there are no in-build shots, but they wouldn't have been all that interesting):

The minifigures:

That is one other thing that bothered me--Mr. Krabs' hands. I mean, I understand if LEGO doesn't want to make a new claw piece just for this minifig, but at least they could have made his hands red. As it is, it looks more like a preliminary, not quite finished fig. I replaced the hands after I took these pictures, and they do look much better in red.

The grill and cash register:

The safe:

The patty wagon, which is well-designed, but still a bit of a bummer to get this instead of more detail in the restaurant.

"SpongeBob! Where's Squidward--he's supposed to be manning the cash register!"

"Sorry, Mr. Krabs--he said something about not being able to fit, so he went home early. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to flip this patty with my bare hands."

"Mr. Krabs, can I have a chair?"

"Sorry, Patrick, we're fresh out. Part o' the new budget cuts. It's what took away me windows and spatulers."

Again, I do think this is a neat little set, but I wouldn't recommend getting it if you already have the first Krusty Krab (which came out during my Dark Ages, so I never got a chance to pick it up).

Edited February 2, 200916 yr by Mariko

Nice review. I like your sense of humour!

This really is the cut-down poor cousin of the original release. In that one we had a 16x32 tan baseplate, dumpster, shell sign, trans-green seagrass, burger-flipper, safe... never mind the seats, the new version doesn't even have an interior floor! It really does look cheap in comparison. And the new SpongeBob print is creepy!

It really does feel like the end of the line for these sets.

Nice review. I like your sense of humour!

This really is the cut-down poor cousin of the original release. In that one we had a 16x32 tan baseplate, dumpster, shell sign, trans-green seagrass, burger-flipper, safe... never mind the seats, the new version doesn't even have an interior floor! It really does look cheap in comparison. And the new SpongeBob print is creepy!

It really does feel like the end of the line for these sets.

I completely agree, this sets is not really good at all The last one was HEAPS better This one is just really poor and very dissapointing

Thanks for the review you stopped me making a mistake I also like your humor btw

Mariko, that is a lovely review. Thanks for sharing with us. I was never into Spongebob theme or its cartoon. It's unusual to see such a creepy spongebob. Is he supposed to be a cheeky little clone?

Nice review, by the way, your review happened to be in our index.

Thanks for this nice review

First I was unsure, if I should buy this set. Bur now, your review make me revise my decision.

So a really great set I think. With lovely figures.

Thanks for sharing.

Greetings 'Bricks'

Thanks for the review. I'm glad I bought the first one, it is 100x better than this (and less <insert that tiresome argument>)

Thanks, guys--glad you enjoyed the review

For some reason, I thought that the original Krusty Krab was a $30 set, so I thought this wasn't too bad for being ten dollars cheaper. When I found out, however, that the price was the same, I became a bit more disappointed. Well, at least LEGO stayed true to the spirit of the penny-pinching Mr. Krabs. And the set does look nice from the outside.

The interesting thing is that the other set, Good Neighbors in Bikini Bottom (which I did not purchase), did just the opposite--it actually made SpongeBob's house look more like it did in the show, both inside and outside. Plus, it has a nice new Squidward.

darthperson, while I agree that the first one was better, I'm not sure how you see this one as "<insert that tiresome argument>." The pieces are all really useful, and there aren't many larger pieces at all. The building technique is decent--much less <insert that tiresome argument> than, say, the boating school of a few years ago.

The minifigures:

Ooooh. Just think of all the twisted MOC possibilities Spongebob's face gives with that grin.

Thanks for the review, Mariko. I was considering getting this set, and probably still will, but I won't be expecting as much as I did originally.

That's one SpongeBob Set I haven't bought yet. Of course the construction of the Krusty Krab is minimalist, but that doesn't take away from the playability of the model. All three faces are new: each of the characters have goofy expressions on their faces. The Patty Wagon looks cool. I might have to get it when I get paid next month. If you already have the first one, just get this one as a parts pack, or for the vehicle, since 3825 didn't come with a vehicle.

SPATULERS!!! this set is not good (the only 2 words that can describe this set)

Thanks for review and sharing Mariko

I really miss the old one version to complete my sponge bob collections

I think not too bad, and will be great addition to make my son happier

Good looking set... but really... those faces kind of scare me!

I'm not much into Sponge Bob but this does look like a cheapification to me.

It could be a bit tricky to compare prices, though - how does 30 dollars 3 years ago compare to now? If sets have gone up in price in the meantime, this is a relatively cheaper set than the old one.

I have the old one, but seeing this great review, i just ordered the new one!

Ooooh. Just think of all the twisted MOC possibilities Spongebob's face gives with that grin.

Indeed

I'm not into the Spongebob theme or its cartoon...

But I think it has good parts in Brown en Tan...

Maybe I buy it for this reason.

Thx for sharing.