Jack Stone’s Recon Flyer: It’s A Love / Hate Relationship
Written: Aug 11 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Nice addition to the Jack Stone series, pilot figure and gear.
Cons: Not the best design, skimpy instructions, poor selection of elements.
The Bottom Line: Not one of the best sets from the series but you do get a pilot figure. I’d suggest investing a few more dollars for a larger set.
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Jack Stone Red Recon Flyer |
The second wave of the Jack Stone Lego series are finally starting to hit the shelves! With some of the smaller sets being placed on clearance, it was only a matter of time before the newer ones made their debut. While some of these new sets are a bit odd looking, they are a more than welcome addition to the series that broadened the gap between the Duplo and Lego sets. For those of you who have never seen any of the sets from the Jack Stone line – they utilize the same small Lego elements only the figures are larger, have more detail and are easier to handle. To me, this is great for the kids that have reached the end of the Duplo series but still need a gateway to being fully adjusted to the small and sometimes complex world of Lego’s.
The Flyer
You know, it really is rare that I come across a Lego set that I openly admit I dislike. When I first saw the box on the shelf I was elated that Lego finally started to ship out the new sets – that soon disappeared when I took a long hard look at the picture on the box [after I paid for it]. The design of the plane is extremely poor. There’s only one set of wheels so if you add anything to the plane chances are it will tip forward or backwards since there is nothing under the plane to keep it stable.
The wings of the plane are equally unattractive. Instead of having some depth to them, they are basic flat sculpted pieces – meaning that they aren’t regular base plate issue pieces, but have shaped ends. The tail fin is one solid piece, which is nice visually but leaves you with a very limited number of pieces that you can add to the rear section. The propeller is acceptable but I would have rather seen a more modern looking set of side engines or even a nicer looking propeller.
Overall the plane gets two thumbs down from me for it’s lack of stability, poor design concept and cheap pieces. Think long and hard before you pick up this set, you can do much better within the Jack Stone series for the same price range. Add a few dollars to the suggested retail price of this set and you can land a very cool copter or police rover. See my suggested at the end of the review.
Pilot
The nameless Lego figure included with this set is pretty basic within the Jack Stone series. He looks a little older than the rest of the characters and features a stenciled mustache on the face peg, removable aviators helmet [this might take a little force to remove], a nicely stenciled torso and minimal detail on the legs. Both legs have movement at the hips and open feet pegs so he can be firmly planted on a Lego base plate if so desired. Don’t get too excited about the aviators helmet, the goggles you see resting on the top portion of the helmet are stenciled. Since the Jack Stone figures are larger than regular Lego figures, the goggles from these characters are not able to be adapted to this set.
Instructions
Talk about skimping! Blink and you might just miss the instructions on how to build this plane. I know the Jack Stone series is not know for it’s detailed instructions however, trying to cram the assembly of the ship into one small illustration is completely unnecessary. There is also a small one and a half page comic of the Jack Stone adventures that features the Red Recon Flyer in action. Granted, there isn’t much to the overall construction of the plane but the entire Jack Stone series is geared towards getting the younger kids interested in the sets. In order to do this effectively they really need to think about the target audience when planning the instructions.
An Interesting Surprise!
Unless I missed it in other Jack Stone sets, on the back of the instruction sheet there was a small invitation to take a survey on Lego’s. This is done by an independent marketing firm and is totally anonymous except for your email address. The survey takes about five minutes and asks basic questions about the set you purchases, value for the dollar, level of enthusiasm and other assorted questions. There are some prizes up for grabs but it doesn’t mention when the drawing will be held. The survey is available until February 15, 2003 so be sure to look on the back of your booklets for the survey internet address.
Recommendations
Since I am an addict, I feel the need to get at least one of each set from series that I start to collect. If I were not in this situation and had to make this purchase again, chances are I’d pass on it. For the same price you can pick up the Turbo Chopper [4613] or for a few dollars more the Police Copter [4604]. These sets have a greater replay value, more unique pieces and are just more fun to build and play with.
The Bottom Line
I highly recommend the entire Jack Stone series for kids that have shown an interest in the Duplo line or smaller Lego sets. There are some small piece in this set so please make sure your child is aware of the choking dangers and to never try to separate bricks with their teeth. Besides the possibility to swallow a brick or chip a tooth, it damages the brick. Make sure older kids check the floor for small pieces and that they too are aware of the possibility of smaller kids picking up the pieces and giving them a taste test.
I have to say that overall, this set is a bust. I can’t recommend this to anyone unless you have a majority of the Jack Stone sets or you are an avid collector. This wasn’t very fun to build and unless you have tons of stock pieces laying around from other sets, chances are you won’t be able to build anything remotely interesting from the provided pieces. There is only one illustration [in the comic section] that shows an alternative building plan. Most Lego sets give you at least two or three alternatives – so this was yet another downfall of the set.
Sorry Lego, this set just sucks.
The Stats
Set Name: Red Recon Flyer
Family Set: Jack Stone
Lego Set: 4615
Number of Pieces: 21
Age Recommendation: 4 and up
Packaging: Boxed
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 10 minutes
Cost: $3.99
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): $3.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.