Naughty Spud - Farm Time Fun!
Written: Sep 06 '02
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Pros: Inexpensive, Spud figure, colorful bricks, easy for little hands to use.
Cons: Not much fun as a solo set.
The Bottom Line: When they say Spud's a scarecrow they really do mean he's a scarecrow!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Bob The Builder Naughty Spud 3281 |
Bob The Builder is a demi-god to my nephew. Once a week I have to endure his hyperactive ramblings about what Bob did to save the day or how Spud tried to hit everyone with apples. It is only because of my nephew that I started watching the television show – I needed to get on his level and see what this whole “Bob Craze” was all about. Week after week he would fill me in on the goings on of Bob, Wendy, Pilchard, Spud, Lofty and the rest of the gang. It was only after I sent him a small Bob The Builder Duplo set that he started hounding me - almost non-stop – he wanted them all and he wanted them now.
Being the good aunt that I am, I set out to track down all the sets that I could. In order to ship them abroad and not go broke in the process it was necessary to open the sets and repack them to save space and get rid of the unnecessary cardboard and Lego advertising booklets. This gave me the chance to test out these sets first hand – that’s right – toy reviews from someone who not only bought the toy but played with them too [imagine that].
Naughty Spud
This is part of a series of small Bob The Builder play sets [those containing less than 15 pieces] that Lego is slowly but surely releasing. All totaled there are supposed to be seven sets however only three of them have been released in the United States so far. This set is great for smaller kids since there are literally no pieces that can be swallowed – however – the small play mat that is included with this set might get chewed to bits by the smaller crowd.
The Spud figure is about the same size as the Bob The Builder figure featured in other sets. He is stenciled with a nice amount of detail including a red and green scarf, light purple shirt and blue legs. The black belt around the waist gives a little extra zip to the figure as well. When I first opened the box I was taken back a bit by the face – I don’t know how this character doesn’t scare children. He looks more suited for The Nightmare Before Christmas than a childs play set. His round head and wide-open eyes aren’t the most attractive features of this figure but for some reason the kids love him – or at least my nephew does.
Spud’s nose is a rather strange thing; instead of being made of a hard plastic this is soft. Smaller kids might want to chew on it so please keep an eye on it because I am sure that after about five minutes of hard work they would be able to gnaw it off with no problem.
The plain bricks included with this set are as follows: 2x2 green, 2x4 green and a 1x2 base piece. The green blocks are standard Duplo bricks however the 1x2 base piece is almost twice as thick as the standard bricks and serves as the base for the ‘tree’. There are two green 1x2 bricks that have stenciled apples on them, these can be used to build the tree or on the grounds as ‘dropped apples’. This was a very cute touch by the Lego and Duplo team and allows a child to have a little more freedom when playing with the set. The brightly colored bird shown on the yellow brick can also be added to the tree or left on the cardboard play mat. The mat itself is sturdy, but once again, if left in the hands of a hungry or curious child – this will get destroyed easily.
The red ladder that Spud is using to pick the apples is my only real concern with this set [outside of Spuds nose that is]. It is sturdy but I can easily see a small child getting hurt if someone steps on it and cracks it. The crack might not be visible but if you have kids you know they have the ability to sniff out trouble pat least mine do]. All it would take is a small crack in the ladder and childs skin could easily get pinched between the plastic pieces.
Please check the pieces in this set for any signs of wear, this includes the stenciled pieces. The stenciling is extremely durable however if chewed upon or played with roughly, eventually the pain will start to chip, peel or come apart from the brick. The suggested age range for this is two years of age and older. Every child is different so please don’t let the numbers on a box dictate what you purchase for your child.
The Bottom Line
This set is all about fun, exploring and learning and if my nephew is any indication of how much kids love this show and the characters, I have the feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of Bob and his friends. I only wish that these types of sets were around when my boys were young enough to enjoy them as well as the television show. They showed a little interest in some of the large Bob The Builder sets I purchased for my nephew but the smaller ones were immediately dismisses as “childish”.
If this set sounds interesting and you want to look for it at your local toy store it should be located in the Lego or Duplo section. Even though the name of the set is Naughty Spud there is a large photo of Bob on the front of the box with Spud and the tree being in the top portion. I must have walked past these boxes several times at Wal-Mart – more than likely thinking that they were all the same set.
This would make a great gift for fans of the television show. I haven’t had much one on one experience with kids who are into the show but the mobs of little people at the toy store and Wal-Mart seem to drool as soon as they see the boxes on the shelves. Great for boys and girls? I would assume so providing that they are into the show or the characters.
Two thumbs up for Spud! Two thumbs up for Bob The Builder!
The Stats
Set Name: Naughty Spud
Family Set: Bob The Builder
Lego Set: 3281
Number of Pieces: 9 [plus play mat]
Age Recommendation: 2 and up
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $ $3.99
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $3.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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