Lego Island Racer - Dastardly Dr. Kingston Strikes Again!
Written: Jul 18 '02 (Updated Aug 04 '03)
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Pros: A cool set, fun to build, fully functional vehicle. Awesome figure.
Cons: Can be extremely hard to find. Series no longer in production.
The Bottom Line: This is a great set with a ton of possibilities, check out your local discount stores for these little gems.
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO - Island Racer |
Personally I loved the Adventurers series from Lego. It had cool little dinosaurs, tons of unique pieces, jungle themes and a whole new cast of characters. Overall the series was a hit but it was soon phased out for larger ticketed products from other series. When it was at its peak it has 32 sets total, about half of which were priced at $8.99 or less. From the Lego standpoint they weren’t really making much money off them so they opted to get rid of a lot of the smaller sets and incorporated them into larger – higher priced compilations.
The Basics
From the now extinct Adventurers series, the Island Racer is a cool little set that offers you a ton of excellent pieces and elements. Easy to build and fun to play with, this has enough pieces to allow for multiple design changes as well as creating the “mega vehicle” by combining this with other smaller sets in the series. This was one of the least favorite set amongst Lego collectors since it didn’t really fit in with the rest of the series. This is one of the main reasons it’s being sought after these days – not many people purchased it when it was readily available and now they are scrambling for it to complete the series.
The Racer
Resembling a car from yesteryear, this cool buggy features a very impressive front grill, clear pod headlights and room for one. Dr. Kingston takes great pride in his vehicle and won’t be the slightest bit hesitant of telling you back away from it. The four tires are generic and common, found in a ton of other sets – but they are sturdy and easy to construct. Some older sets that were released with the yellow packaging instead of the brown featured preassembled wheels however they were still able to be taken apart and used for other projects. The red body is a nice contrast to the gray hood and grill and the black wheels really give it a nice presentation.
There are a few different designs that can be made from the pieces of the vehicle. There are a few examples on the box as well as in the back portion of the instruction booklet. Until recently you could access a special section for the Adventurers series at the Lego website however it’s been removed to make room for the newer sets and series. When you follow the instructions for construction of the vehicle the finished product is about 3 1/2 inches in length, 2 1/2 inches wide and a tad more than two inches in height. The scale of this works perfectly with the rest of the vehicles in the series as well as the jungle themed sets.
Dastardly Dr. Kingston
It’s pretty rare that you come across a mini figure that has a distinct personality and clearly stands apart from the rest of the pack. Such is the prestige of being Dr. Kingston – standing tall in the face of those that boldly step forward to challenge him and keeping his cool in even the most frightening circumstances. Through the different comics that are featured in the backs of certain instruction booklets you learn all about the dastardly doctor and some of his plans. When he isn’t trying to steal baby dinosaurs he’s planning something with less than honorable intentions.
Dr. Kingston is constructed in five easy steps show in one of the panels of the instruction sheet. These step-by-step illustrations are a nice touch and are most helpful for kids just getting into building Lego sets. His helmet and goggles are removable and can be interchanged with any other Lego gear from this series or any other that features Lego people. The very cool epilates give him a regal feel – almost as much as his monocle. The stenciled torso shows a double-pocketed shirt, brown shoulder patch and black waist belt. But the best part of this figure has to be the expression – the scowl – on his face. It’s rare to find figure heads that have expression and this one is great.
The Instructions
The instructions for this set are on a fold out sheet and have nine easy to follow panels for construction. There is also a few photos of the other creations you can make when you combine the other sets in the Adventurers series. Since there are only nine steps illustrated you might have to do a little playing around to get the pieces positioned in the correct spot but if you do make a mistake it’s not that hard to backtrack and correct it. With a few additional pieces from other sets you can easily raise the seat or frame a little so it will be able to get over obstacles in the road. In any event, there are more than enough pieces within the set to allow at least three to four different vehicles to be created.
Overall Rating
Out of a possible 10, this set gets a very solid 7. If it is used as part of an Adventurers theme or setting it will work out great if built according to the instructions or alternative designs. If this is the only set a child will have to play with, the fun will last about ten minutes. Since there is only one figure included with the set it’s hard to create any type of interactive scene – but with a few other smaller sets you can easily have a few hours of fun. As with all Lego sets, there are small pieces that could present a choking hazard so older kids should be told to keep track of the pieces.
The Bottom Line
This would be a great set to use for the Adventurers series but because of its unique presence it can be adapted to the Studio series or Jungle sets without much modification. As per all the Lego sets, the pieces are all interchangeable with other Lego sets so even if the set is a complete wipe out the pieces can be used for stock or adapted into other sets.
Make sure you keep the box since there are alternative designs on the back and sides. You’ll have to figure these plans out for yourself because the instruction provided are only for the main vehicle. You can also check out the Lego website for some cool looking designs and options.
The Stats
Set Name: Island Racer
Family Set: Adventurers / Dinosaur Island
Lego Set: 5920
Number of Pieces: 49
Age Recommendation: 6 - 12
Ease Of Assembly: Simple
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.00 [sent to me as a gift]
As always … thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Lego Adventurers sets …
River Raft
Johnny Thunder & Baby Dino
Jungle Surprise
Sinister Sam
Research Glider
Johnny Thunder
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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