The Werewolf of Legoland - The Werewolf Ambush
Written: Jan 06 '03 (Updated Mar 23 '06)
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Pros: Brand new werewolf figure, nice selection of elements, great price.
Cons: Not enough leaves for the tree, no accessories for the figures.
The Bottom Line: The Werewolf Ambush is a set that's sure to scare your socks off!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Studios: Werewolf Ambush |
When I got the Lego catalog that featured the new Studio sets I was thrilled to see the much talked about Vampires Crypt finally available on the U.S. market and didn’t really take notice of the Werewolf Ambush set. That all changed when I hit the website to stock up on pieces for my ongoing castle project and saw the featured text on the set. Far be it from me to pass up on something spooky or creepy – and that’s what this set is all about! As much as I love the concept of a werewolf set, there are so obvious flaws in the scale and design areas that should have been addressed before the set was released. I won’t go so far as to say that this set sucks but I was a little let down after I opened it, built it and saw the final product.
The Studio line of sets from Lego has a tremendous amount of possibilities however they are lacking in one simple area – consistency. They start off with a general theme and then branch off into the Spiderman series, the dinosaur adventures and now a scary monsters installment. If they would release at least seven to eight sets per individual theme I think the series, as a whole, would have a lot more credibility. As it stands now, they put out a few sets then move on to another theme. Not a great way to get kids into the series or keep them interested. Even so, this little bit of variety doesn’t really bother me too much – but the die hard collectors of the various series always seem to note the inconsistency of the series as one of their biggest pet peeves.
The Wolfmobile
I don’t know whether to love this little buggy or completely hate it. Aesthetically it is boring and rather drab since the main color is brown. The big chunky wheels are a nice touch but that hardly makes up for the tacky green accents on the front of the vehicle. This looks like something that should have been in the Adventurers series rather then in the Studio line. The vehicle can seat two figures in the front and with a little bit of work you can fit another in the back section. My advice is to play around with the design once you have built it to make it a little sturdier. When you look at the scale of the car verses the tree – you can see the obvious design flaw. Changing the wheels to a smaller size helps with the scale but doesn’t really remedy the ugliness of the car. It is easily built and you always have the option to add additional elements to it when you are done. If you have spare small flat base pates from other sets you might want to reinforce the bottom of the vehicle to keep it from falling apart – something that seems to happen a lot when it is loved around.
The Figures
Werewolf
So far this is the only set that features the wolf head piece. It’s unclear as to whether this element will be added to other sets but as it stands, this is a real hot item. The amount of detail to the piece is well above average and I’d go so far as to call it stunning but there is one fatal flaw to it. Since it is all one color it loses a little bit of the dramatic detail when you see it from a distance. Sure, you know it’s a werewolf but the crevices and recessed eyes are almost non visible if you get more than a few feet away from it. One of the nicest things about this figure is that it starts off as a mild mannered guy [complete with black baseball hat] and can then be transformed into the werewolf. I’m not all that crazy about the reversible torso, the first side is good but when you rotate it for use with the werewolf it looks tacky. Who ever heard of a werewolf that was into plaid vests? Fuzzy ones at that!
Male Figure
Unsure exactly why the designers left the need to include another generic figure in the series I’m getting more than a little frustrated with the junk figures that seem to be polluting the Lego line.. He has a nice bit of stenciled detail on the torso but nothing that warrants having him appear again in the series. The one redeeming quality is the reversible head – one side has a smirk and the other features him scared to death. The first sets that came off the line had him in a white doctors uniform while some of the sets have him in a brown outfit. It’s unclear why there was a change in the design or it was possibly an error on the assembly line. The set that I purchased has him in the light brown outfit – something that almost guaranteed that he’d get broken up for stock use rather than used in a scene.
Damsel In Distress
This figure is great! It comes with a reversible face that features one side with a smile and the other with a scared expression. These types of heads really add a lot of replay value to the figures since you have a lot of freedom with how they are presented in the scene. I’m not sure what’s up with the funky orange hair [tied back in a cute pony tail] but it does give the set a much needed color boost. One thing that this set really lacks is accessories for the figures – how hard would it have been to add a backpack or something for the figures to carry? Even though there aren’t any accessories provided you can always use your spare parts from other sets if you wish.
The female figure has a nicely detailed torso that features a white blouse with a red overlapping jumper. The white arms help to carry over the white blouse and give her a little bit of a elegant look. When you look at the female figure you’ll probably notice that she bares a great resemblance to Radia and Cam [minus the stenciled headset] from the Alpha Team series. This is mainly due to the fact that Lego designers have one generic female figure for all their sets. The only thing that sets this character apart from the other females is the fact that she comes with a reversible head.
The Creepy Tree
Made up of assorted arch elements, the tree in this set has a lot of different uses and building possibilities. There are two small eye bricks that are to be used to give the tree a dark and creepy feel to it but if you want you can simply reverse the pieces so the eyes are inverted. There aren’t nearly enough leaves to make it look like a tree so if you have any spare tree elements I really suggest that you add some to it. Be sure to check out the back of the package and the last pages of the instruction booklet to see a few different ways that the tree can be built – or how the different bricks can be used to make other objects. I never thought that I would say a tree was the best part of a Lego set – but when compared to the rest of the sets components – it wins hands down.
Side Note
This set is also available as park of a bundle package known as the Scary Monster Madness Kit. It retails for about $75.00 and includes the following sets: Scary Laboratory [1382] $49.99, Vampires Crypt [1381] $19.99, Curse of The Pharaoh [1383] $3.99 and this set, Werewolf Ambush 1380]. It’s marketed to feature this set as a free bonus and when you ad up the prices of the other sets it comes out to about $75.00 so you do indeed get the Werewolf Ambush free. If you plan on buying these sets in the near future you might want to consider purchasing this bundled set and saving a few dollars. It might seem like a huge chunk of change but you will end up saving about $10.00.
The Bottom Line
As a whole the instructions are good but not great. I am all for giving kids room to use their imagination but for those just getting into build with Lego elements – they need a little more structure. The biggest gripe here is the tree. Would it have been so hard to have something with a few more leaves on it – or at least make it somewhat resemble a tree? The Lego designers usually have great plans for the different backdrops and features but they missed this one by a mile. Being the Lego junkie that I am, I had to pick up at least one of these sets just so that the series would be complete. When the price falls I plan on taking advantage of the clearance prices to collect a few more werewolves and the cool arched pieces used for the tree – the rest will be used for stock or traded for pieces that I really want. The boys had a great time playing around with this set and couldn’t understand why I disliked it so much. You would think that someone who loves Halloween and all things creepy would have went head over heels about this set – sadly – it falls just a little short of what I expect from a Lego product.
The Stats
Set Name: Werewolf Ambush
Family Set: Lego Studio
Lego Set: 1380
Number of Pieces: 110
Age Recommendation: 7 - 12
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 10 – 15 minutes
Cost: $ 9.99
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2006 Freak369
Other Lego Studio related reviews ...
Temple Escape
Stunt Man Catapult
Camera Man
Stunt Go Cart
Director's Copter
Air Boat
Green Goblin Set
Werewolf Ambush
Vampire's Crypt
Pirate Scene
Curse of The Pharaoh
Mini Copter
Pirate Treasure Surprise
Dino Head Attack
Scary Laboratory
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $9.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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