Lego Studio Go Cart - Four Wheelin' Fury!
Written: Sep 13 '02 (Updated Mar 23 '06)
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Pros: Nice design, impressive figure, easy to build.
Cons: A little on the expensive side for the number of elements you receive.
The Bottom Line: A nice small set that isn't completely essential, but fun to have!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Stunt Go Cart 1363 |
The Lego Studio series seems a little lop sided at times, on one side you have the massive high ticket sets that floor you upon your first viewing and on the other side the extremely small sets that seem rather useless. You have to step back and look at all the sets within the series and make our own judgment call ? either you want to invest in it or not. When the Studio line first came out it seemed as though it would be a complete flop due to the extremely high price of the Lego Studios Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set [1349] which initially retailed at $199.99 and has since dropped to $149.99. I am a Lego fanatic but even I had to stop and think about that hefty suggested retail price.
The Studio series can effectively be dissected into three groupings; the behind the scenes sets [which includes this one], the stage props [Car Stunt Studio and Explosion Studio] and the newest installment - the movie sets [Werewolf Ambush, Vampire Crypt and Mad Monster Lab]. Each of the three legs of the series have their own perks and downfalls but ultimately it comes down to personal choice and preference when judging the series.
Studio Go Cart
One of the nicest things about the go cart is the wheels. Normally you get rather basic looking wheels that have a white rim and black rubber tires with thick treads. These wheels are slick and have no tread to them and have black rims ? it really does give the vehicle a much nicer look. Comprised of only 17 pieces it is easy to build and fairly sturdy. This is a basic vehicle and outside of redesigning it from scratch, there really isn?t much that you can do it accentuate it since it is small and streamlined. There?s only room for one Lego figure in the seat area so if you plan on rescuing a damsel in distress, you might want to use a different vehicle.
Overall the vehicle is nice, but not extremely impressive. Most of the vehicles in the Lego series give you the ability to add pieces to the design or at least one or two alternative construction options - this one doesn't. Unless you sit there and invest a good bit of time into playing around with the provided pieces you won?t be able to build anything that is in the least bit functional.
Stunt Driver
This unnamed figure is one of the unsung heroes of the Studio series. He punches the clock and does all the dirty work but receives none of the glory. The stenciled leather jacket design is a nice change from the other figures in the series that mainly wear boring uniforms. The small yellow accents on the jacket work well with the dark zipper down the chest and belt around the waist. The hands are dark gray, which is a little distracting from the stenciling so feel free to swap them out with black hands from other Lego figures.
His face is nicely detailed with some facial gruff, a sneer and fire engine red hair. If this head peg isn?t one that appeals to you it can easily be swapped for another one you find more to your liking. The helmet and visor are a nice touch but the yellow visor doesn't go with the overall flow of the figure so I used a clear one instead.
Instructions
The fold out pamphlet of instructions is clear, to the point and will walk you through the steps of construction with little or no errors. The illustrations are nicely done and are on the higher end for the series. As usual, there are a few panels of comics that deal with the ongoing adventures of the people in Studio land. Be sure to check out the back part of the instruction booklet for the details on how to build a 'special' plane from following Lego sets ? 1360 [Director's Copter], 1361 [Camera Car], 1362 [Air Boat] and 1363 [this set].
Things To Know
This set was also made available in a bagged set commonly featured on hangtags in toy stores. The set numbers, piece count, instructions and visuals are exactly the same for both sets. A majority of the sets that were available as both a boxed and bagged set featured different set numbers to distinguish the sets for collectors are well as for Lego inventory purposes. Regardless of which method of packing you chose at the time - both sets are identical. I wasn't lucky enough to catch these when they were released in the 'poly bag' format - it would have been a great way to save some space in my overflowing closet of sets.
If you plan on giving this set to a child as a gift, you might want to pick up a few other small sets in the series for them to play with. My suggestions? The Director's Copter [1360] $2.99, Temple of Gloom [1355] $6.99 or Camera Car [1361] $2.99. All of these sets are in the Studio series and will match perfectly to scale with each other. Another option is to pick up a bulk pack of bricks and with prices ranging from $8.99 - $19.99 - there will be more than enough pieces to keep a child entertained for hours!
The Bottom Line
My only reason for purchasing this was to have a complete series in the Studio line. Unless you are a die-hard collector or like the different styles of Lego vehicles I can say with utmost certainty that you can live without this set. The wheels are definitely one of the perks of the set but other than that - all the other elements can easily be taken from other sets or ordered from online brick vendors or brick brokers.
What it all comes down to is how attractive the set is to you. For a child this would be almost useless since once you build the vehicle there really isn't much else to do with it other than crash it and rebuild it. As an adult I picked it up purely from a collectors standpoint and didn't go overboard and pick up multiple sets like I normally do. For the suggested retail price of $2.99 you get some nice pieces, but certainly not enough to create anything special. Be sure to check the clearance aisle and sale sections for these sets since they are being rotated out of the open stock to make room for new sets within the series.
The Stats
Set Name: Stunt Go Cart
Family Set: Studio
Lego Set: 1363
Number of Pieces: 24
Age Recommendation: 6 - 16
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 10 minutes
Cost: $ 2.99
As always, thanks for the read!
^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$): $2.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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