Rufus

They said it couldn't be done ... Actually, They said nothing of the sort, but if I had approached Them about reviewing a Basic Brick set, that is just the kind of thing They would have said... <Ahem> To my knowledge, a review of a Basic Brick set hasn't been done before here on Eurobricks, and I wanted to see whether this sort of thing would have any appeal to the usual AFOL audience. For myself, having seen the Basic Bricks range at the LEGO store on numerous occasions, and being aware that my Basic brick collection comprised mostly of tan and bley, I had felt the urge to splurge on one of these sets growing on me for some time. And why not plump for the largest one? Let's see if my decision proved wise. Review: 6177 Basic Bricks Deluxe Official Shop@Home Picture Set Information Name: Basic Bricks Deluxe Number: 6177 Theme: Bricks & More Release Year: 2008 Parts: 650 Figures: 0 Price: UK £20.99 | US $29.99 | EUR 19.99 - 27.90 | DKK 199.95 | CA $34.99 | AU $49.99 Links ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron ... Shop@Home The Box There's something really appealing about this box front, in a visceral, intangible way... perhaps it is the bright, exciting selection of colours, sorted painstakingly into piles of their respective colours; or maybe it is the promise of such a vast number of bricks. As we are so used to box covers depicting the set inside, I'm not surprised that a couple of suggested builds are included on the front; as we shall see, this theme continues apace as we look around the box. The back of the box features the largest and most complicated of the suggested builds: a house, man and car: The smaller house on the right is clearly meant to be further away, explaining its miniature size in relation to the larger yellow one, and the box designer and/or photographer has done a great job in making this seem realistic, with the aid of a shadowy road-and-town background. In case the box is displayed on the shelf this way round, a pile of bricks is evident to remind casual browsers that this is in fact a box of bricks rather than a set. You can also see that the box opens with thumb tabs; I'm sure buyers of this one won't be too concerned about box-destruction in opening it. On the left side is a pirate display: Pegleg Pete and his parrot with what is meant to be a Jolly Roger flag, with a red ship in the distance: Again, kudos to the box designer for the forced perspective of the ship. It's interesting that this side of the box is meant to be orientated vertically... ... whereas the right side warrants the box to be flat on its back: This gives a variety of options for display (not that your average shelf-stacker is going to care too much). This side features a horsey display with showjumper and stile. On the underside, the usual Small Parts Warning is translated into numerous languages, along with the parts providence in English (for those who are interested, parts are made in DENMARK, HUNGARY and the CZECH REPUBLIC). The Polar Expedition figure, with his Parkas and Penguins, from the front of the box is joined by a colleague with more penguins. I completely failed to notice the yellow seaplane in the top right-hand corner until I wrote this . Lastly, the top of the box features the usual set inventory: As this set is all about the parts, we'll look at this in more detail next. The Parts Opening the box, out fall six polybags and nothing else: no instructions, stickers, fliers or WinGagneGewinne kids lurk within. Aside from a general brick-size tendency, I could determine no particular order or reasoning behind the polybag packing. As there is no instruction to the contrary, I guess you're meant to pour all the bricks together onto the shag-pile carpet . Of course, I didn't do this: instead I diligently sorted all the parts by colour and size. This proved a lot more time-consuming that I thought. Here are the parts sorted by colour: Reds & Oranges Red has the largest selection of the nine featured colours, and might be useful if you're revamping old Classic Town sets; on the other hand, orange is a newer colour and I certainly don't have much in my collection, so I'm happy to see it quite well represented, even if I didn't have a clear idea how I would use it when I bought this. Yellows & Whites There are large numbers of both yellow and white parts, and I suspect these may be the most useful... White in particular will be very handy for Star Wars fans, particularly if you're making a Hoth scene; the yellow will be extremely useful for me when I finally get round to restoring my old 375 Yellow Castle. It doesn't show up clearly in the picture, but there is considerable colour variance within the yellow selection, even in bricks of the same shape: The 2x2 on the right has a duller, flatter yellow than the one on the left, which gives it a slightly 'dirty' look. I had encountered a similar problem previously in the 6745 Propeller Power CREATOR set, and I understand it's fairly widespread amongst yellow parts. Greens Green bricks are more that welcome, and I suspect will be useful for landscapers: The selection is similar for green and lime green, although for some reason there are more 1x2s in green and more 1x1s in lime. I would love to see dark green and sand green represented here, but alas... Browns and Blacks Probably the most generally useful colours, these are sadly under-represented: Again, slightly more 1x2s are found in the black group, but the selection is otherwise identical. Blues There are as many blue parts as yellow: the second largest groups in the whole selection; not surprising as these are the primary colours of LEGO. I have less use for these. Again, they may be handy for restoring Classic Space sets; or perhaps they will find a use for Studs-Not-On-Top water displays, but it's not surprising that blue is heavily featured in a set which is geared towards kids. The Entire Inventory I've made a handy reference table to allow you to compare the parts selection for each colour. It's worth clicking on the table to bring up the full-size one, which doesn't suffer resizing degradation but unfortunately is too large to display in the post: Before I'm called out on this, please note that the official LEGO colour names are Bright Red, Bright Blue, Dark Green, Bright Yellowish Green, Reddish Brown, Bright Orange, Bright Yellow, White and Black respectively. One of the disappointments I encountered when I looked at the parts selection in detail was the number of 2-wide bricks in the bunch. I thought I'd have less use for these; they are great as filler for larger MOCs and landscapes, but for detailed adult builds, a preponderance of 1-wide bricks would I think be much more useful, particularly if you're building walls, or even if restoring older sets. However, they do have a specific use for which they are vital, as we shall see. Another disappointment for parts-hunters is the lack of plates. You can get Basic Brick sets which contain a few plates here and there, usually with doors, windows, roof pieces and wheels thrown in (see this one, for example), but there isn't a brick box available with a decent selection of plates. Suggested Builds Next I thought it would be fun to have a look at what the box suggests you can build with this collection of bricks. We'll start with the models on the front of the box: Polar Figures An Antarctic Explorer talks to a couple of penguins, his voice muffled by the faux-fur of his parka. A nice, three-minute build, but recognisable despite the few blocky parts used. It's interesting that his legs are separate stacks of bricks, so you can even simulate walking by moving one leg forward and the other backward a stud. It's great to see the brighter colours used effectively - the lime of the jacket contrasts nicely to the orange 'gloves'. Helicopter This red-and-orange blob is clearly a helicopter: This one took me a little longer than the last, as there is no clear reference on the box picture as to what is going on underneath, and I was at this point trying to conserve pieces to see if I could build all the models at once. I soon gave up on that! Interestingly, this little build features as the cover model for the whole 'Individual Bricks' section of the Shop@Home site, in the UK at least: Given the inherent difficulty of producing realism with bricks alone at this scale, this isn't a bad design, really, and I like the use of the white pieces to give the appearance of a cockpit bubble. Pirate Parts Arrrr, me hearties! From the left side of the box, we now build Pegleg Pete (my name for him) and his parrot standing next to a Jolly Roger flagpole, with his ship in the background. The flagpole doesn't really do it for me: the skull is barely recognisable, and the tattered edges of the flag look a little lame. It took me a while to figure out how to build the ship; without the forced perspective of the box shot, it looks more like a toy boat than a pirate galleon, but hey. Most disturbing is the parrot, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Herbert's dog from Family Guy, albeit after an accident in a paint factory . (Thanks to Pandora for pointing out the resemblance). Gymkhana Diorama Next I've built the Horsey scene from the right-hand side. This is my favourite of all the suggested builds: A surprisingly detailed horse and rider prepare to jump the stile, which itself uses an interesting cheat to make the poles; meanwhile an ugly goblin child disowns herself and proffers her torn garment-shred to a disinterested nag. Figuring out how to build both horses with the limited number of brown parts available was quite a challenge, and the result is a pleasingly attractive and imaginative scene. Street Scene Finally, we come to the largest and most complicated build, as pictured on the box rear. Here, a CubeDude-like man stands proudly betwixt his two-dimensional house frontage and his ineffective car, flanked by a number of what might be green-trousered minions with varying degrees of sunburn, but which are more likely to be flowers. Again, there was a bit of a puzzle in figuring out how to build the house, and for such a basic, blocky design - clearly aimed at younger kids - you need to employ some more advanced alternating-brick-offset techniques to construct the walls without them falling apart. Even thought the result resembles a four-year-old's school painting, actually building the scene was surprisingly enjoyable. Clearly, the models suggested by the box pictures are meant to appeal to the (much) younger audience, and as such are of course rather simplistic; nevertheless, I'm sure parents too will enjoy the puzzle of helping to recreate them. I, however, wanted to see what an AFOL would make of this selection of parts, so I let my creative juices flow for the next section ... What I Made The very first thought I had when looking at the lovely piles of greens, oranges, yellows and browns was what a great organic selection it was. As you will see in what follows, this was to dominate the results of my MOCing endeavours. Every model which follows was built only with the parts from this set. Fr00t Basket Well this was quite obvious, really: what to do with the orange bits? Make an orange! The rest kinda followed. We have an orange, an apple, cherries, grapes, a banana and an unspecified leaf. The black-and-white object at the front is meant to be a knife; as I was to discover, artificial objects are harder to represent at this scale. Also difficult to render are spheres, which really require plates in order to get a smoother roundness. I also ran out of orange bricks, so the underside of the orange has a new strain of blue and white fungus Building the apple using both shades of green, and red, was fun; I couldn't quite get the shape of the banana right which again could do with plates to round off the shape a little more. Dragon Moving on from still life to life that you'd rather was still if you encountered it, here we have a dragon-creature sitting on his precious pile of gold and gems: I'm quite pleased with the shape of the body, but you can tell from the red head and the flecks of blue in the tail that I started to run short of green bricks. I also forgot to give him wings - maybe they're just folded invisibly down the sides of his body. He also detaches easily from his treasure: His head, which is a little blocky, is attached via two 2x4 bricks clamped at an angle - above and below - a third 2x4 brick on the body. It swivels a little; to make him look straight ahead you have to disassemble this connection. It's the best I can do with basic bricks alone. Maxi-Rufus At this point, I tried to make a car, or at least one that looked like a car. I failed - there aren't enough bricks of any one colour to make a uniform body at a scale at which the wheels look round. Instead, I stuck with the organic theme, and out came a maxifig version of my Fabuland Avatar, Rufus Rabbit: I've tried to recreate the Fabuland body shape as best as possible, but his head looks more like a feral rabbit than the cute Fabu-bunny that is Rufus: He is, at least, holding a baguette . This time, I attached the head at an angle using Pythagoras: This results in a nice angle but maxi-Rufus's head has a nasty tendency to fall off. LEGO Logo Trying to think outside the box, I considered making a mosaic, but these are generally best done with similar shades rather than contrasting colours. Instead, here's an attempt at something which should be familiar to us all: The limitations of the part count really started to show here. There are insufficient 1-wide black pieces to outline the letters, so I had to resort to brown; moreover, there isn't enough red to form a nice square shape. Otherwise, it's probably the best I could achieve. Though there's something wrong with that 'L' which I can't quite put my finger on. Perfecting the Parrot I felt kinda sorry for Pegleg Pete's rather pathetic parrot, and with the bright tropical colour palette on offer here, I wondered if I could do any better. Here's the result, perched on a pint: I'm rather proud of this She was built from the head down; I couldn't get the curve of the beak any better without slopes and curves, but once the head was done the rest seemed to flow easily. It is in this sort of 'sculpture' that the 2-wide bricks really come into their own - the contours of the body would be almost impossible to make with 1-wide bricks alone, and now I'm thoroughly pleased with their inclusion in this set. The colour palette is perfect for this; I've tried to render the layers of different colours of the parrot's feathers so there is as smooth a transition as possible: I started to run out of pieces towards the tail, which is a little fragile. Inside, the sculpture is mostly hollow, but I've put some of the less-needed white parts to use in strengthening the structure. Conclusion Glancing at the pictures above, you'd be right that this is a set aimed at younger kids - nothing complicated, just some fun to be had building whatever they might imagine, whilst hopefully teaching them artistic and technical skills which may be valuable in later life. For the adult, there is the enjoyable aspect of puzzling out the construction of the box models, but this will necessarily be short-lived; what I have tried to demonstrate is that there is a lot more fun to be had in using the bricks as inspiration. In case you're thinking I've gone overboard with showcasing my own MOCs here, there is a point. Before now, I had never really tried to build a sculpture, certainly not with basic bricks alone, and had I not bought this set it is likely I never would have. However, faced with the question of what might make this set desirable to an AFOL, and finding the parts selection a little lacking, I was forced to try my hand at something fresh (for me), and I'm delighted with the results. This is back-to-the-roots LEGO at its very best. Start with a pile of bricks, and build whatever you want out of it. To any AFOL who likes to MOC, or is thinking about it, I'd recommend trying it. Parts: 6/10 I bought this as a parts pack, and yet I must admit it doesn't really fulfill this objective. There are too many 2-wide blocks for this to be generally useful for the usual AFOL MOCs, in colours that are too bright for use in most realistic scenes. Plus, in this regard it really suffers for the lack of plates. I don't think, in retrospect, that this is its purpose at all; however... Inspiration: 10/10 There is something wonderfully refreshing about just sticking a load of blocks together in new and imaginative ways, and a real sense of achievement in bringing these lumps of plastic to life. This was the big surprise for me with this set. Price: 9/10 Short of a bulk order from TLG, I doubt there is a cheaper way for the average person to buy new bricks. However, it is unlikely that these are all bricks you require, so you'll be left with a load of stuff you don't need. In terms of the fun time you can have building with these bricks, though, it's excellent value for money. Overall, a very surprising 83%! There is beauty in simplicity. For something different, buy this - just not as a parts pack. Thanks for reading! This review was something of an experiment, so I'd be grateful to know what you think. Rufus See all the pictures on my flickr If you want to learn how to make stellar reviews, join the Reviewers Academy!

O viscious hell-hound that is called Rover, feel the wrath of my mighty staff! For this round, I too shall attack from the Front Row. Alexis, may I suggest you attack from the back. Battle Order: Boomingham Eric Atramor Hybros Rufindel Alexis

Happy Birthday def! It sounds like you got to build stuff, anyway, even if it weren't all LEGO We'll be sure to have a drink on your behalf tonight!

We were hoping, Alexis, that you would use your special Ranger skills to communicate, rather than conventional means, in order to avoid waking him

It is none of your business why he is taking a break, and you'd be wise to remember that.

Brickdoctor, Lego Pinocchio is taking a break while we sort out some technical issues. Hopefully he will be back before long. Besides, he's only been gone twelve hours, which is normal for any member. Don't you think you should give him a chance?

Possibly, but then we won't be able to get past. I have a very strong inkling we're going to have to fight the dog one way or another, but it is worth Alexis trying to talk to it first.

They'll probably be far more effective than the average Stormtrooper! Thanks for the laugh, AC!

Wow, that's really nice! A little fragile perhaps, but it really looks the part, and so nicely presented on the base I'm not sure why one of the bullets has a minifig-hand tip, though!

I see we have too options. We kill the dog straight away, or Alexis tries to talk to it. The latter will probably wake it up anyway; however, I expect we'll have to battle the dog either way, so I guess there is no harm in trying Alexis's skills first.

Ok, shall we give B-A-T a try? Atramor or Hybros, make us proud! Just be careful, in case it's booby-trapped

I agree, BAT is more likely. Let's just wait a little for the others' opinions (quietly voiced, of course )

Mkay, well it was a thought. I suppose we should indeed concentrate on getting through the door, then. We should think carefully before trying any old combination - the lock may be booby-trapped if the wrong combination is entered. So far, Eric's suggestion of B-A-T is the best; does anyone have any other ideas? A further thought: Another possibility is T-E-N - the chalk markings on the board on the right of the door add up to ten, I think. I'll take a closer look at that board, too...

BEFORE we try to pick the lock and go inside, how about we have a good look around the outside first? I would like to see what is written on the blackboard to the left of the door, and would suggest we have a look inside the barrels on the waterfront, the bucket, and the chest. Whilst being very careful for traps and triggers.

'Atramor, your Roguely ways are wise, we must remain quiet,' Rufindel whispered. He now addressed Lorcan, quietly. 'Sir, I assume the Shadeaux are likely to have booby-trapped their warehouse? Have any of your men suffered as a result?'

After some thought, Rufindel reenters the marketplace, and stoops down to speak to Gnomeo. 'A bedroll, if you please, dear Gnomeo,' he whispers, and hands over the requisite 5 gold. He then retreats, stowing his bedroll and his remaining 7 gold.

Good Portia, one of your finest Tonics please! Preferably with some gin on the side Rufindel has 27 gold, parts with 15 for the Tonic, and therefore is left with 12.

Aha, the team is assembled! Are we ready, my comrades? All packed? Do you need anything from the Marketplace? More chicken feed, perhaps? We'll need secrecy on this quest. I hope McCaffery will keep her squawks to a minimum, Atramor! Here's our party inventory: Atramor: Venom, Potion, Shovel Boomingham: Potion Alexis: Smoke bomb, Potion, Venom Eric: Potion, Bottle of Mead, Bedroll Rufindel: 2 Potions, Remedy, 2 Bones, Pickaxe, Tonic, Bedroll Hybros: Potion, Venom, Shovel Anything else we need? I might just buy myself a Tonic.... And I have. And now, a bedroll.

Haha! I had intended to do a very similar thing with my second Emerald. I like what you've done; though I really wish those curved slopes came in dark red.

I'm sorry, what makes you the expert? Please refrain from this kind of tone.

One area where cheeses have been revolutionary is in car/vehicle headlights. The now-standard SNOT front to most CITY vehicles wouldn't be the same without our trans-cheesy friends. I love them for that reason, and also for use in greebling and landscaping, but I do share Cloney-O's sense of overwhelm-ment (is that a word?) with the quantity of these blighters we get these days. I'm just not sure I'd like to be without them I disagree, to an extent. Lining up lots of cheeses in a row in painstaking work; using 1x2 cheeses would eliminate this problem. Take, for example, last years' Sonic Boom CREATOR set: lots of red cheeses in a row, pain in the behind to place evenly. The soon-to-come Cool Cruiser is a better example: it uses both 1x1 and 1x2 yellow cheeses; I'd have thought building the doors with 1x2s would be much less of a headache (but I expect they need the 1x1s for alternative models.)

I just had to preserve this in case you edit the original ... which I see you have

Right, moving.... Merged.

Very nice! I love the technique you've used for the rounded front end, and I'm impressed with the general shape for such a small model, and that it'll seat four What are the 'hooks' used for the front bumper?