Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year~!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year~! May there be more interesting brick releases (original or bootleg/knock-off) next year~!

And also apologies for the lack of reviews. I ran out of space in my room and I plan to sell those "not-so-interesting" sets to free up space.

Drive safe and enjoy your holiday~!

LEPIN 05033 UCS Millennium Falcon Review

I'm guessing this is the review everyone have been waiting for - LEPIN 05033 UCS Millennium Falcon! This is the knock-off version of the LEGO 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon which was released back in 2007. It's the second largest set ever produced by LEGO with over 5000 bricks. Yes, over 5000 bricks. Good luck.

So, what are the differences between the original and knock-off UCS Millennium Falcon? I don't have the original version but from the number of bricks stated on the box, LEPIN seems to have more pieces than Lego; 187 extra pieces to be exact. I am not going to go through both manuals just to compare side by side on the extra pieces. Just focus on assembling, guys/girls - don't bother on the extra pieces.

What is the number #1 rule when assembling a LEPIN set? Bingo! Sorting. Unlike LEGO, LEPIN does not pack the bricks properly; the bricks are packed by categories; 2 x 10 plates will be in one bag, 4 x 6 plates will be in another bag, etc. If you look at the picture below, I have actually sorted it category - not as in LEGO sorting but sorting them by types so it's easier to find the bricks during assembling. Yes, I fully utilized by 8 ft x 2 ft and 4 ft x 2 ft tables for that. That leads to rule number #2. Space! Yes, you need space. Assembling this set will take you at least 12 hours if you decide to gung-ho but if you are the type is slow and steady, it will take at least a week. Yes, these bricks will occupy your space for at least a week. Get permission from your parents/spouse before assembling. Oh, if you have small children at home, don't let them come near the sorted bricks. One misplaced brick will lead you straight to the doors to Hell. Two or more misplaced bricks means you are in Hell.

Before you start, I have an important thing to show. Because LEPIN was rushing the release of this set (probably due to LEGO's lawsuit), some of the given parts are actually wrong and some parts don't fit in nicely. I had to do side by side comparison with the original LEGO manual to determine which are the parts. Refer to my description below.

LEPIN manual pg 40

This is the landing gear that will be supporting the UCS Millennium Falcon. The black shaft and the connector can be very loose. This is very important as the base on the landing gear will drop off when you move the UCS Millennium Falcon around. You don't want the Falcon to crash and break into pieces due to gravitational stress on the loose landing gear. So, what's the solution? For the connector, get a small mallet/hammer and hammer it lightly to the round plate until it fits nicely and tight. For the shaft to the connector, I'll suggest using glue. I used those el cheapo glue gun with sticks for my case. 

Next would be the hinge brick. If you look at the picture below, LEPIN actually provided the 2 x 2 version instead of 1 x 2. Take note of that.

LEPIN manual pg 79

I pasted the original Lego manual instructions to the pg 79 of the LEPIN manual instructions. If you noticed, the LEPIN's version did not connect right to the bottom (circled in red). Ignore LEPIN's instructions and follow LEGO's.

LEPIN manual pg 87, 89, 92 and 93

For my case, my set came with the wrong set of parts. Instead of getting the 2 x 2 with 2 pin holes, I got the one with 1 pin hole which is wrong (refer to my crossed out picture). I had to "cut" the 2 x 2 with 1 pin hole a bit so that the connector would fit nicely. 

LEPIN manual pg 105 and 130

The parts LEPIN provided was correct but the color wasn't! It shows grey in the manual but in the packaging, they only provided black. No workaround for this at the moment unless you want to spray it grey. 

LEPIN manual pg 147 and 149

Okay, let's start assembling! Woo hoo!

I think it took my nearly 40 hours to complete this but man, the process was fun! As you can see, it's a huge ass set. Weighing nearly 10 kg, and 83 cm (length) 60 cm (width) and 25 cm (height), this set is a monster! Now for the review. I'll rate this set 8/10. This time the mini figures looks...I would say better than the previous sets. What I hated was, the wrong parts that was provided. The black shaft made my Falcon looked ugly so minus points there. Apart from that, I'll give thumbs up to LEPIN for producing such a marvelous set.

Now, for the pictures! No videos though. Warning, picture heavy! Don't browse with 56 Kbps dial-up!

My next project would most likely be the LEPIN 05035 Death Star. Stay tune for the next review! Thanks for reading.

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail zu_yong@hotmail.com with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

LEPIN 15012 Ferris Wheel Review

It's been a while since I wrote my last review. Sorry about that, readers. Been busy lately with work and well...a bit of gaming but I'll talk about that later.

Alright, I'll be writing a review for the set, LEPIN 15012 Ferris Wheel, which is the bootleg version of the LEGO 10247 Ferris Wheel which was released back in 2015. The original set consists of 2,464 pieces while the LEPIN version consists of 2,518 pieces. I'm not sure what was added and/or removed because I don't have the original to perform a comparison.

Let's start unpacking. If you look at the picture below, you will notice I have divided the smaller bricks into containers to make my searching a bit easier. I advise you to do the same if you want to finish assembling faster.

Since everything is in place, let's start assembling! (Warning! Picture heavy!)

And it's completed! Took me 3 days to complete due to work so I had to take 1 day break from assembling.

But I wasn't satisfied. I have a Ferris Wheel but the wheel only turns if you turn the lever on the side manually. Boring. So, I decided to play God and added a couple of add-ons to make it more...how to you say it...marvelous.

So, what did I add? Notice those dangling thin wires around the Ferris Wheel? Those are the LEDs which I purchased from www.liteupblock.com. It costs about 210 ringgit Malaysia (USD 50) for the lightings but it's worth every penny spent on it.

I also added a LEGO Technic 8293 Power Functions Motor Set to turn the Ferris Wheel for me. The motor set costs about 160 ringgit Malaysia (USD 40).

Yes, the amount I spent on the add-ons already exceeded the price of the LEPIN Ferris Wheel. But why spend so much? Because it makes the assembling process more...FUN! Instead of a boring Ferris Wheel, now I have a Ferris Wheel with lights and runs on motor. Refer to the Youtube video below.

Now, for the review. As usual, LEPIN's mini figures quality has not improved one bit since day one. Bricks quality are good, no missing pieces and the amazing thing is...the mechanical features for the Ferris Wheel works! From the gears to the shaft...it works. I was afraid they don't work properly and I'll waste the money I spent on the LEGO Technic Motor Set. I would recommend you to get this set only if you have enough space. The fully assembled set is about 60 CM tall, 50 CM wide and 40 CM deep. Yes, it's huge so plan your space wisely.

You will be wondering what I'll be assembling next. The truth is...I am not sure myself! I have too many sets lying in my bedroom; from modulars to Star Wnrs to Avengers to Creators. I was planning to assemble the Super Star Destroyer or the Death Star but I think I'll start with something smaller; probably Wall-E, Mini Cooper, VW Camper Van or the Ferrari. I'll decide by Friday.

Thanks for reading~!

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail zu_yong@hotmail.com with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

LEPIN TECHNICS 20001 Porsche 911 GTR3 RS Review

Apologies again for the long break from writing reviews. I'm still not well yet from my bad cough and the recent haze doesn't help much with the recovery.

The number of "unassembled" toys in my room has been increasing lately due to the break i.e. Green Grocer, Brick Bank, Cafe Corner, Ferris Wheel, Super Star Destroyer, HeliCarrier, Wall-E and many more. But I decided to build this baby - LEPIN TECHNICS 20001 Porsche 911 GTR3 RS, thanks to my 2 days annual leave clearance.

The LEPIN TECHNICS 20001 Porsche 911 GTR3 RS is the bootleg version of the LEGO 42056 Porsche 911 GTR3 RS. This set is based on the Porsche 911 GTR3 RS below.

Without further delay, I'll jump straight into the assembling process. Pictures below. (Warning! Picture heavy!)

And voila! It's done! Took me more than 2 days to complete. Now, let's review this set!

This set is insanely difficult to assemble and with LEPIN's bricks packaging, it doesn't help much. If you don't have patience, I suggest you don't get this set...seriously. 

Let's start with the bricks quality. Some of the bricks are rough and requires force to attach them. I suffered some minor blisters on my fingers because of that. The bricks fits in perfectly and there are no missing bricks. The tyres are okay, just that the rubber sometimes doesn't fit in the sports rim perfectly. The brick colors aren't as glossy as displayed on the box but that's expected. You are paying like...40% of the original price but still get the same assembling joy.

The mechanical parts works like how it should; from the gear box (reverse, neutral, drive) to the steering wheel to the drive shaft. 

I give it an overall rating of 9/10. It would have gotten a perfect score if the paint job was better and if the bricks were less "painful". 

What about the size? It's huge! It's freaking bigger than the UCS Tumbler! Refer to picture below.

More pictures below.

Thanks for reading and to all Malaysians, Selamat Hari Merdeka~!

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail zu_yong@hotmail.com with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.