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Let me start with a little confession: while I've stumbled upon bits and pieces of the Doctor Who series in the past, I never really watched a full episode until last summer, when a friend of mine managed to convince me. I started with season one of the 2005 reboot, and was not really thrilled with it. But I kept going, and things got a bit more engaging. Then, after the long drawn 10th Doctor-Rose affair found its conclusion, and Tennant said his final 'I don't want to go.', I found my Doctor. I know Whovians are forever debating about who the best Doctor is, and I do not want to start a debate here. I just love the fact TLG included Matt Smith's 11th Doctor in this set, instead of making it a Capaldi solo one. Smith's incarnation is the most captivating of the reboot, in my opinion, and watching him go around as the Doctor is like watching a fireworks' show, waiting for that moment when the big shot will be fired. Does the new 21304 Ideas Doctor Who set keep up with these expectation? Let's find out. Geronimo! Set Info Theme: LEGO IDEAS Set name: Doctor Who Set Number: 21304 Price: US $ 59.99, GB £ 49.99, EUR € 59,99 Pieces: 623 Figures: 4 + 2 brick built Daleks Year of release: 2015 Links: Peeron, Bricklink and Brickset. Disclaimer - As it is based on a product based on an ongoing TV series, this review will contain references and possible spoilers. I would advise you to get your bearings on Doctor Who (at least since the 2005 reboot) before reading it. I'll include links to external sources (wikia articles, images and even few YouTube videos) to help non-Whovians, but don't blame me for not using spoiler tags. The Box The box, as usual with LEGO IDEAS sets, is more compact than those of other themed sets of similar parts/price range. Its size is 26.3 x 19 x 7.3 cm, and the cardboard is sturdier than that used for common LEGO boxes, meaning it's meant to be a collection item in itself, instead of just a container for the parts and instructions. Front The front shows a picture of the complete set, with the console and open TARDIS connected and under attack by a pair of Daleks, while the 12th Doctor and Clara run around in circles trying to find a strategy, or perhaps to understand why there are Daleks inside the control room, or even where the walls have gone at all... Meanwhile, a Weeping Angel and the 11th Doctor serenely watch the scene from a small window-like panel in the middle of the right side. A draw of a flying TARDIS, the LEGO, BBC and Doctor Who logos complete the upper part of the composition, while the age and set number info are in the lower left corner. On the right, a LEGO IDEAS logo also informs us that this is the 11th (coincidence? Rule 8: Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, then always ignore a coincidence.) set in this line. The background is composed of dark blue hexagons with lighter blue lines and areas of yellow-orange to lighten it and give more visibility to the mainly grey/blue hues of the build. Back The back includes two 'play feature' panels, one which is very reminiscent of the last shots of Time of the Doctor, with Clara and the newly regenerated 12th Doctor in the control room, and the other showing the moves you need to perform to open the TARDIS walls and connect it to the console area, while Capaldi sternly waits to be able to step inside the control room. At the bottom, you can see the four minifigs and a side view of the brick-built DalekTM. Each character is identified by his/her/its name and a 'REGENERATION' notice explains that there is no mistake, but the blur indicates the transition between 11th and 12th Doctors; whether the fez also regenerated into a sonic screwdriver is unclear and will probably be the cause of everlasting debate for future generations. Finally, a blue panel on the left, including info in six languages about the LEGO IDEAS programme, and the LEGO, BBC and Doctor Who logos fill the rest of the space. Sides The top of the box shows a 1:1 size shot of the 12th Doctor, flanked by a menacing Weeping Angel about to attack the 11th and Clara, while Matt Smith is probably taunting it. LEGO logo and set number are on the left. If you look carefully, you'll also notice a strange crack on the upper left. I'm not really sure if it's just an accidental feature due to un-careful handling, or if someone is trying to enter this universe via this scar in space and time. The bottom side is covered in the usual LEGO legal warnings and copyright statements, plus the dedicated BCC ones this time around. Contents Inside Upon opening the box, we find six un-numbered bags, and the instructions manual. Following the IDEAS tradition (with few notable exceptions), the set does not make use of stickers. Recoloured parts This set makes large use of re-coloured parts, or as others could say, is has been a perfect excuse for TLG to start producing more parts in (mainly) Dark Blue. Therefore, we have 8 Dark Blue Tile 2 x 2 Corner, 6 Dark Blue Tile, Round 1 x 1, 2 Dark Blue Plate 6 x 6, 4 Dark Tan Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Clip Horizontal on End, 4 Dark Tan Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle on End - Closed Ends, 24 Dark Blue Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front, 14 Dark Blue Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front, 4 Dark Blue Plate 3 x 3, 4 Dark Blue Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Studs on 1 Side, 4 Dark Tan Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Studs on 2 Sides, 4 Dark Blue Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Swivel Top / Base Complete Assembly, 2 Dark Tan Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Hole, 5 Dark Blue Tile 1 x 3 and 5 Black Plate, Round 1 x 1 with Open Stud. New pieces New pieces are equally as interesting. They include the two Dark Blue Tile 1 x 3 with decoration which form the POLICE BOX sign (4 of each), the Dark Blue Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front with the St. JOHN AMBULANCE logo, the White Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front with the Police Phone instructions, the 8 White Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front with the windows pattern, the White Glass for Window 1 x 4 x 6 with TARDIS door interior pattern, 2 Dark Tan Dish 2 x 2 Inverted (Radar) with Dalek top dish designs, the Light Bluish Gray Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Gallifreyan symbols, the 2 Dark Bluish Gray Road Sign Clip-On 2 x 2 Square Open O Clip with Gallifreyan symbols, the 2 Pearl Gold Sonic Screwdriver, the Dark Bluish Gray Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Open Stud, the Trans-Clear Minifig, Neck Bracket with 2 Back Studs and the 3 Trans-Clear Tile, Round 1 x 1 with Pin. All printed parts are exceptionally good in quality and detail, and faithful to the source material. The only part which is slightly different from the original is the sonic screwdriver, not sporting the black on the handle and the chrome/metallic gray on the head. That is excusable, though, as the black part would be right where the minifig hand grasps the accessory, and a black paint there would be easily removed through use; moreover, it would probably be too difficult to have both the green and chrome/metallic paints on the head, and the printing process could turn the part into a mess all too easily. All in all, the part is readily recognisable, and works well as is. Rare pieces The set also includes a few rare parts, such as 10 Dark Blue Plate 2 x 2 Corner, a Dark Bluish Grey Minifig, Utensil Zip Line Handle, 3 Dark Bluish Gray Arm Skeleton, Bent with Clips at 90 degrees (Vertical Grip), 2 Light Bluish Gray Technic, Disk 3 x 3, 2 Trans-Light Blue Technic Wedge Belt Wheel (Pulley), 4 Light Bluish Gray Wedge 2 x 2 (Slope 45 Corner) and 4 Dark Blue Plate 1 x 3. Extras The extras include the usual assortment of small round plates, generic parts and tiles, cheese slopes and Technic bits. Of special interest is the second copy of the sonic screwdriver, which will allow both Doctors to carry theirs. Manual Front The front cover of the instructions manual has the same basic picture and composition as the front of the box. In addition to that, a link to the LEGO IDEAS website is provided, along with a note in 8 languages informing us that the same booklet is available in each respective language on the site. On the inside cover, we find a short text which gives us context and info about both the Doctor and the BBC TV show. The first page is dedicated to the 12th Doctor and Clara inside the TARDIS control room. This, along with providing a stylish start to the manual, gives us an idea of the material the set is based on. The main difference between the pic and the actual LEGO set is the orange colour of the tubes in the column you can spot right behind the Doctor. This difference seems to be related to the fact that the TARDIS control room scheme used in the set is that of the 7th season of the show, with Matt Smith's 11th Doctor's blue accents, while the photo is from the 8th season and sports Capaldi's orange. Here's a random page. As usual, pieces call-outs and step numbers help us during the build. The background is very similar to that behind the picture on the box and manual fronts, but with a more yellow-ish/tan hue. The manual, following the IDEAS sets' tradition, includes tons of info and details on both the source material and set design process. I limited the parts shown here to the above mentioned first pages and this, which is one of the last, giving us an insight on Andrew Clark, who submitted the original project on the LEGO IDEAS site, and his experience designing and finalising the set with LEGO designers. The very last pages are dedicated to the usual LEGO commercial ads, and since a LEGO Dimensions Doctor Who Level Pack is about to hit the market, what better product to show on this manual? Minifigures Following the order in which the minifigures are shown on the back of the box, we start with the 11th Doctor. 11th Doctor This peculiar incarnation of the Doctor displays one of the most recognisable looks in the entire series, with his distinctive bow tie, and the iconic (since seasons 7, mainly) waistcoat. For this set, designers decided to use his brown coat from season 7 (though it could have been a bit darker), which is one of the main attires for the 11th Doctor, even if not the one he used in the episode Time of the Doctor the set is supposedly based on. All in all, I really like this version of Matt Smith's character, and I've even come to like the red stripped shirt, which I did not particularly appreciate in the first images. The head has a double expression: the stern but satisfied look the Doctor sports when dealing with important matters, and the smiling face he uses when happy/joking, or, sometimes, when taunting his enemies right in the middle of a crisis. I know some lamented a lack of precision in the hair piece choice for this minifigure. I must say I quite like this part for him (it is the one I used to use for my custom version up 'till now). What I'd personally change is the hue of brown: the set uses a Reddish Brown, while I prefer, as more accurate, a Dark Reddish Brown. 12th Doctor The post-regeneration 12th Doctor wears the purple coat mostly used by Smith in the end of season 7, and only worn by Capaldi in the final moments of Time of the Doctor and in the first episode of season 8. As you can notice, the bow tie is gone just before the regeneration (check ), and so is the smile. The 12th Doctor is a sterner man then his previous incarnation, and his smiles are quite seldom, and mainly meant to scare his enemies. Also because of this, the head only has one print. Since the 12th Doctor is dubbed 'eyebrows', LEGO designers marked the characteristic feature making for an unmistakable resemblance.The hair piece is a new mould, and looks very good on this figure. It is sculpted with lots of details, especially on the back. Since, as already mentioned, a LEGO Dimension pack including another version of the 12th Doctor is about to be available, I managed to get hold of that too, to be able to show you a comparison between the two figs. The Dimensions one sports the usual (as of season 8) attire of Capaldi's doctor, dark blue with crimson red highlights. I can honestly say that I like both versions and I would be hard-pressed to choose one as the best of the two. Head and hair pieces are the same for both figures. Clara Clara Oswald, being the companion who followed the Doctor in his transition between the 11th and 12th incarnations, was the natural choice for this set. Her minifigure is indeed spot-on. I like both the torso and leg pieces, with distinctive, yet generic enough designs to be used for other themes, too. I may be a bit out of date with minifigures' printing styles, but I'm sure this is the first minifigure I own with the back of the legs printed like the front and sides, which I largely appreciate. Just like the 11th Doctor, Clara's had has a dual face print: a serene look, and a more perplexed one (who wouldn't be perplexed after dealing with Matt Smith's Doctor for a bit?). The hair piece is a common one, but still a good choice for the character. Weeping Angel Warning: this picture could turn into an actual Weeping Angel, which could either break your neck, or send you back in time to an era without LEGO, and then feed on our AFOL's despair. That said, the Weeping Angel figure is quite a surprise. Not for its design, which works very well, but because Weeping Angels play a very minor role in Time of the Doctor, and in most of the Clara era. To be perfectly honest, I would have expected a Cyberman to be in this set in its place. To the figure itself, now. As you can see, the detail of the vest is really good, and very reminiscent of that used for the Statue of Liberty CMF. The back of the torso has a print which is normally covered by the Chima wings, which are attached with the new neck bracket. The head has two faces: the calm, statue-like one, and the aggressive, maniacal one, which is very fitting for one of the most frightful and relentless enemies in the Doctor Who universe. The choice of the hair piece seems very good, too. Build Getting started The build starts with the control room, and, specifically, with its base. As you can see, this portion makes quite extensive use of Trans-Light Blue parts; too bad the rest of the build will cover them and make it almost impossible to spot them. Step on it Just a few more steps, and we have the control room floor, entrance platform and stairs in place. The supports surrounding the platform will remain empty 'till the very last steps of this portion of the build. How to build an hexagon The central column is treated as a separate part for most of its build. The lower portion, made of mainly Technic parts, will allow us to build the hexagonal console, which is no easy task with the current LEGO palette of pieces. You can see through the Trans-Light Blue cylinders that the column is strengthened by the use of two Technic axle parts. Keen observers will also notice that those pieces are of two different colours, one black and one gray. Whether this is meant to represent the internal mechanisms of the TARDIS, or it is a simple strategy for kids to better tell the two apart is not clear to me. Few round plates and two radar dishes complete the top of the column with a really simplified version of the Time Rotors. Almost there With the console in place and all the controls ready to be used, we are almost at the last steps of this section. Watch where you go! The railings, external control panels and movable monitors, the control room is now complete. As-sem-ble! Next up are the two Daleks, which are not considered as part of the minifigures, due to their brick built nature. The build is pretty easy, and modular. Many fans will be able to build their army, with different colours. The only exclusive part is the printed dish, of course. Ex-ter-mi-nate! Once build, the Dalek is ready to do his job, which is to ex-ter-mi-nate all non-Dalek life forms in the universe. As one would easily assume, they are not the best species you could encounter in your time and space travels. These specific Daleks, given their colour, seem to be based in design on the Time War variant, as deduced from the Dalek Colour Schemes and Hierarchy map. You looked shorter on TV Though the original Dalek design marked them as circa 163 cm tall, these LEGO Dalek, probably on steroids, are taller than a minifigure, meaning they are somewhere around 2 meters in (LEGO scale) height. Laying foundations And now we get to the other star of the set, the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) herself, or, as the 11th Doctor calls her, Sexy! Of course, we start from the base, which is an unusual 7x7 studs. This size is reached by the use of a 6x6 plate, two 1x6 and a 1x1 additional plates, and kept together by the overlying layer of tiles and smaller plates. Through the door, or maybe not One of the most peculiar features of this set is the fact that the parts composing the exterior door of the TARDIS are those opposed to the part of the build that actually opens up to reveal the interior. As counterintuitive as that may be, the explanation is quite simple (as we'll see more clearly in as short while): the back of the 'door' must be completely visible in the assembled-with-the-control-room stage, so it needs to be a whole wall. Fans may still mod their TARDIS so that the front doors are on the split side, but the inner face door is opposed to them. It's just a matter of personal preference. Almost a cabinet The rest of the walls are built very easily, as the window parts must just be stuck one upon the other in a repetitive manner. Four walls and a roof By adding the POLICE BOX signs and the roof, we complete the build and are almost ready to start to investigate the play features. I'll just spend a few words on the signs themselves by saying that though the gap between the two parts looks a bit awkward, it is better looking in real life than you could expect from pictures. This thing is huge! Due to the fact that it includes a raised platform that must match up with the console room, and the strange height/width LEGO ratio, the closed TARDIS is huge when compared to a minifigure, way bigger than its real-life counterpart. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful build and a great model to display. Finished set All together Once we assemble the control room and the open TARDIS, we get the full set, complete with its minifigures and brick-built Daleks. The set has a satisfying size, which gives it importance, and the parts connect with harmony, both in size and colour scheme. Inside the TARDIS As mentioned, the inside of the TARDIS includes a raised platform which connects with the one at the back of the control room. This can also be used to place and store your favourite Doctor, or Clara (the winged Weeping Angel and the Daleks do not fit in) when travelling through the time and space continuum. Ready... Connect! The two parts connect via a combination of Technic axle (on the control room side) and brick (inside the blue box). This link will keep the two in place during play, but will not bear excessive roughness. While the TARDIS is pretty swooshable, the rest of the build isn't, and should not be used as an extended space-ship mid flight. Bonus Images How LEGO Weeping Angels earned their name Is this Trenzalore already? Trenzalore How I met your Dalek Finally! Final Comments Overall, this IDEAS set is very faithful to its source material and pretty rich in both details and minifigs (counting the brick-built Daleks in this category for once). The colour scheme, though guided by the original one, is well done and harmonic. Moreover, you get two models, which can combine into a bigger one or be used separately, for both play and display purposes, and also offer great potential for mod-ers and moc-ers. Design & Colour scheme – 10/10 (Very accurate to the source material and rich of well-finished details.) Minifigs – 10/10 (Though most Whovians will lament the lack of one Doctor or Companion or the other, the choices made for this set are very good, and the design and detail of the figures are great.) Parts – 9/10 (Great variety of useful parts, a reasonable amount of new pieces, and quite a few cool printed ones (no stickers!).) Playability – 10/10 (As a Doctor Who set, the only limit to playability is one's imagination, and both Andrew Clark and the LEGO designers did their best to add nice play features to the set. The one I find most entertaining is the 'regeneration feature' shown on the back of the box, though!) Build – 8/10 (Nothing too complex, but some efficient solutions are used, along with quite a bit of SNOT-ing for the TARDIS and the hexagonal console.) Price – 10/10 (For a set linked to a license, this one is extremely well priced, as you get 600+ parts for 60 €.) Overall: 9.5/10 Excellent As always, questions, comments, and pic requests welcome! If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=20631

Hi all, My second MOC on Eurobricks. I designed and completed this build whilst working on my larger galleon MOC. I enjoyed collecting and building the LEGO Exo-Force line with my sons, though both they and I really wanted a more Western themed range, something more along the lines of FASA and the Battletech universe. The inspiration for this build should be obvious. It was not designed to be an exact replica, rather a build that pays homage to the source, whilst still presenting as unique LEGO model. The piece count is 520. The cockpit removes easily, attached by Technic pins. I have realized the build in olive and dark green. I would prefer to see the dark green replaced with dark tan, giving the model a more militant and 'earthy' feel, as shown in this LDD render. Not all of the parts required are available in dark tan. I submitted it as a LEGO idea model - because I would like to see TLG start a similar themed mech line and because it would be nice to get the required parts in dark tan LDD file: Battle Mech.lxf

Hello everyone, I am very pleased to have a chance to work on this set review and to give my take on this very exciting new iconic LEGO set that will definitely thrilled many of us out there. First of all, I will like to thank Eurobricks and TLG for giving me this opportunity for me to review the beloved 21108 Ghostbusters set. Of course, without the success of the past LEGO CUUSOO platform and now currently known as the LEGO IDEAS, Brent Waller has achieved the 10,000 votes on 14 August 2013 and his project had went through the panel review, ultimately achieved the actual LEGO Design and Production status. And, this is where it has lead to. Name: 21108 Ghostbusters Theme: LEGO CUUSOO / IDEAS / #006 Year: 2014 Pieces: 507 Minifigs: 4 minifigures Price: USD $49.99, GBP N.A, EURO N.A, SGD N.A Resources: Brickset, BrickLink An original box image of the 21108 Ghostbusters Back view of the original box image of the 21108 Ghostbusters Different side view of the original box image (1) Different side view of the original box image (2) Different side view of the original box image (3) #006 LEGO IDEAS Before we expand and touch onto the actual set review, let's take a moment to re-look the past successful LEGO CUUSOO Products and it has created many new exciting products. I had never bought CUUSOO Products before, except the recent 21103 The DeLorean Time Machine which is awesome treat for me since I love the Back To The Future movies very much. Without knowing it, we are actually at the 6th product launch of this cycle where there is a migration of branding platform from LEGO CUUSOO to LEGO IDEAS. To mark the first official LEGO IDEAS product and the sixth LEGO CUUSOO product, the 21108 Ghostbusters is the selected product to mark the current transformation as indicated in the box art. What is LEGO IDEAS? So, what is this LEGO IDEAS all about? LEGO IDEAS is pretty similar like the past LEGO CUUSOO concept. To show and establish an unified brand of LEGO Product lines, LEGO IDEAS is introduced as a full pledged theme to drive the LEGO CUUSOO concept especially since LEGO CUUSOO is no longer under beta testing or a test bed to carry out new potential LEGO trials in selected market and global market by gathering votes and undergo LEGO review panel. The whole idea proved to be successful in the LEGO and non-LEGO community with this simple formula and approach. Build an idea, share that idea of yours, gather support to reach 10,000 votes to qualify for the LEGO review panel. And, if it is successful, it will be produced as an official new LEGO Product under the LEGO IDEAS Theme. It's that simple, so if you have the aspiration, then read this link to find out the working mechanism. Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Ghostbusters - 1 June 2014 In conjunction, with the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Ghostbusters, TLG has decided to launch this LEGO IDEAS set on the 1st June 2014 to commemorate this celebration. Through Brent Waller's model, TLG designers' Marcos Bessa (Senior LEGO Model Designer) and Adam Corbally (LEGO Graphic Designer) took the lead to design this project and transform it into an actual LEGO qualified product. Marcos took care of the iconic Ecto-1 vehicle, while Adam took care of the design of the Ghostbusters' minifigures. I will have to admit that both have done a terrific job to bring this set to us. Of course, without Brent Waller's determination and perseverance, this can never be made possible and a reality. This image is similar to those LEGO Architecture Experience The content of the sealed box Within the sealed box, it comes with 6 mint packages and an instruction manual to build up the set. After the building is completed, these are the remaining spare parts inclusive of the orange brick separator. The very nicely designed instruction manual The instruction manual has a smooth finishing and it is very nice to touch and hold. It contain many interesting facts and information, such as the origin of Ghostbusters, Ecto-1 film development, nice Ghostbusters quotes from the characters and a word from the Model Designers which I enjoyed reading the most. My only complaint for this instruction manual. It is very brittle and the pages are easily torn off from the book spine, especially when I left it wide open on both ends and flipped the page after next during the building process, the pages just got off. Anyway, please be very careful with the instruction manual if you are intending to buy just only one set. A sneak peek onto the instruction manual The instruction manual highlights that each of the unique torso is specifically for individual characters. Don't mix them up wrongly and take your time to look at the torsos carefully. The official characters' names Let the fun building begin It is pretty fun and challenging to open all of the sealed packages and pour it into one building pool. Even though it increase the building time, it can be very fun to search for the elements for each step that you will encounter. Personally, the total piece count for this set is good for people who prefer to build through this approach. Exclusive printed parts This set contain zero stickers and the above parts are printed bricks and tiles. It is always a wonderful treat when we are able to see nil stickers and able to enjoy the printed parts as it is. You get a total of 2 license plates for the front and back, 4 proton packs, 4 Ghostbusters' logos and a computer terminal. Please note that the computer terminal is not an exclusive printed part. It has been existed for a few years. Presenting the Ghostbusters minifigures Have a close look on the official minifigures' naming. May I present to you from left to right, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore. These Ghostbusters are now in official LEGO minifigures' sizing and khaki brown outfit. The minifigures' appearance are remarkable and impressive. It has nailed the details very well and it is very pleased to see that lots of attention is actually given to these minifigures. You will find more exciting details in the next few sections. Back view of the unique minifigures with their names printed I did not expect to see that their names to be spelt out at the back of their torso or uniform. In this way, if you aren't sure of their initials such as E.S or R.S, then flip to the back to find the right person for it. Different unique dual facials What's best, all of them received a different set of unique dual facials which shows their 'exciting' side of their work. This is just totally brilliant. I could see these minifigures' heads to be found useful in minifigures' customisation. A closer view of the proton packs The brick built proton packs are very nicely done out and the printed part attached at the back is indeed welcoming. You can see the construction of the brick built proton packs through this image. The usage of the elastic whip is also useful to augment the aesthetics of the proton packs. Not forget to mention that the ghost trap for the Ghostbusters is also part of their weapons assortment and the ghost trap is very vital to their ghostbusters operations. Bouncing into action Aren't they look lively? You can see some good angles from the side view of the minifigure holding the proton pack and also the back view of the proton pack without the handle attached. The building process of the minifigures display stand The building of the minifigures display stand take place with the signature yellow and black to form the base of the stand. The Ghostbusters minifigures display stand With a few bricks, jumpers and tiles added all in, the lovely Ghostbusters minifigures display stand is now completed. It definitely make a fine display piece to house the Ghostbusters minifigures at a single location. It is great that the designer has given some thoughts to do up this simple and yet effective display stand. Presenting the Ghostbusters minifigures with the display stand Fully equipped and ready for actions With everything on, this fully assembled minifigures image is an eye candy! I will love to have this placed on my office desk. Back view of the fully assembled proton packs on these lovely minifigures The building process of Ecto-1 The above 2 images show the basic illustration of the building process of the Ecto-1 which has certainly involved lots of advanced building techniques to form the basis of the car. When I was attending the Eurobricks Event 2014 in Billund, Marcos Bessa was sharing with us on the design process of this Ecto-1. His main challenge is to attempt to maintain the outer facade of the original model by Brent Waller, keeping the structure tight and firm by reinforcing the sides, to achieve the realistic look of a 1959 Cadillac professional chassis, similar to an ambulance/hearse combination and ultimately achieving the LEGO qualified product. It is no easy feat to be able to keep many factors in mind. As the targeted building age group is 10+, it means builders at the above the age of 10 should be able to handle advanced building techniques unlike the much younger builders. Great pity that I didn't take a photo with him earlier, but it is definitely great to hear him share his insightful thoughts. The completed built of the highly sophisticated roof-top with some hi-tech gadgets I really never understood why the Ecto-1's roof-top siren looks ever so complicated. It looks as if it is being stuffed with some hi-tech gadgets to track or monitor. But, in actual fact, it is just a special siren that emit a very special sound when it is on the move. I tried to find some references but to no avail. Any Ghostbusters enthusiasts could help to decipher the special meaning of the Ecto-1's vehicular roof-top? Side view of the highly sophisticated roof-top with some hi-tech gadgets The finished built of the Ecto-1 Just simply brilliant! From the top to the sides till the edges, the Ecto-1 is coated with very smooth and sleek finishing. At one glance, you are able to identify and associate the built white vehicle is the iconic Ghostbusters' Ecto-1. The details are just plain amazing and it made me loss for words. The whole structure is firm and sturdy and I have positive building experience from the start to the end. Lots of amazing details ranging from the wheels, the back of the vehicle and the vehicular front. Side view of Ecto-1 You can take a look at the top side view of Ecto-1 and also in this image Front view of Ecto-1 Bottom view of Ecto-1 Back view of Ecto-1 Taking the top of the vehicle away A closer look at the interior of the vehicle You are able to see the vehicular interior contain 3 main areas. The front is the driver seat. Even though the steering wheel is placed in the middle, with some modifications and adjustments, you should be able to be place 2 minifigures at the front without the proton packs. The middle section with the computer terminal could only allow me to place 1 minifigure and I can place the last one in there, if I remove the computer terminal. The rear will be the easy storage and retrieval area of the proton packs. It is not possible to place all 4 proton packs at the rear compartment. What are they doing within the vehicle? This is the optimum arrangement without any additional modification on my part. I wonder if you guys can fit the same way as I do? Special guest in town I am very pleased to share this very exclusive coverage of a special interview with our Eurobricks Member, WetWired or also better known as Brent Waller of this original creator of the Ghostbusters. The featured exclusive and very special 'Mr Rebrick' LEGO Minifigure is used as an intended minifigure for the interviewee. How do you feel now when your design is now part of the official LEGO product line? It feels great, it's literally a childhood dream come true, I used to fantasize as a kid about becoming a LEGO designer, and although I didn't design the final product it's as close as I'll likely ever get. Not only that but as a huge fan of Ghostbusters it's a great honour to contribute to the legacy of the franchise by being responsible for the merger of 2 of my favourite things, LEGO and Ghostbusters. Why did you choose to make a Ghostbusters CUUSOO entry? I never had figures or anything like that as a kid, so whatever I was into I recreated with LEGO, the main 3 things being Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters. LEGO had already officially released sets for the first 2 so I thought I'd take a stab at Ghostbusters for my local LUG, Brisbricks. I initially created the Ghostbusters and Ecto-1 to display at their annual expo. It wasn't until a friend suggested I post it to CUUSOO that I even though about it. At the time my Batmobile Tumbler was doing reasonably well for votes but everything else I had posted was languishing so I didn't even consider it before that. Did you do something special for promoting your CUUSOO entry and making it reach 10.000 votes? There's so many things I could suggest, I've been thinking about doing a blog or video or something with tips on how to achieve 10000 votes, there's some many things. There's no magic rule to be honest though but there's a lot of small things you can do to help your project. I've found videos on YouTube showing off your project help immensely, they reach people who would otherwise not see or hear about your project, that's one of the big things you can do. On the other end of the spectrum, making sure your thumbnail image of your project is interesting and attracts people to click your project is a huge help, the biggest part of that is making sure when viewed as a small thumbnail, your picture isn't cropped or cutting off important text or parts of your creation. Care to share your new CUUSOO projects? I only just posted my follow up to Ghostbusters, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, I have a few ideas for future projects but I've also been trying to promote some of my non-licensed projects on CUUSOO as well, in particular my Modular Costume Store and ALA-N: Astronautical Lunar Android 9. They're both projects I uploaded when I first discovered CUUSOO that I'm still proud of, being unattached to a license though they're far more difficult to generate interest in. My hats off to Peter Reid and his Exosuit being the only project thus far that has reached 10000 votes and passed review, that's a huge achievement without a license or real world object behind it. What other potential LEGO Themes will you like to see as actual LEGO products? I'd love to see some classic space reborn stuff, I've dabbled in that area for MOCs myself. But in terms of licenses, there's not much left anymore, TLG are covering all their bases pretty well themselves with stuff like Batman, TMNT, Simpsons and niche products like Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. The inception of my own Batmobile Tumbler project came from my disappointment with LEGOs own official Tumbler at the time which was simplified and aimed for a younger audience, so I'd love to see a UCS Tumbler. I've got no idea why my own didn't pass review after reaching 10000 votes but my hope is that that they've got their own one in development, if it was complete with a Heath Ledger Joker Minifig and I'd be buy it in a heartbeat. Comparisons pictures with the original model and actual model Credits to Brent Waller for the usage of the original comparison pictures. Permission is given for these pictures to be used in this review. So, after viewing the comparison, there are some distinct differences, such as the side rear of the vehicles, overall length of the vehicles, lack of chrome parts, design of the bonnets, etc. Although I never had a chance to see Brent's actual model, I personally felt that the finished product is pretty impressive and up to mark. Shall we nab that ghost? Let's catch all of them! Superb outstanding set ever To conclude, I have nothing much to add for now. Alright, I have one small feedback though, and it is the exclusion of Slimer. I really wish somehow or another, that Slimer can be included to make this set more complete. However, I guess the focus is more on the Ghostbusters theme as on its own. With a price tag of USD$49.90, there are plentiful of treats to acquire this set with no regrets. This set will definitely be popular among the LEGO Community and also to fans of Ghostbusters movies. It is certainly a great way to celebrate the 30th Anniversary with LEGO bricks. Summary review Playability: 9/10 (Fun minifigures and high playability with the Ecto-1.) Design: 9/10 (Very detailed minifigures and superb design of Ecto-1.) Price: 9/10 (Reasonably priced for all of the amazing parts and details included.) Overall: 9/10 (Get this set as soon as you can without hesitation.) I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours? I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are strongly welcomed. Pictures can be found in My Flickr and My Brickshelf (When moderated)