Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Review of the JMBricklayer 50001 Vintage Model A Deluxe Coupe Building Block Set

 


Hey brick fans!  

I'm here to review the latest exclusive building set from JMBricklayer!  It's an exquisite reproduction of a 1931 Ford Model A and it can be built both as a coupe and as a roadster.   


About the Model A Vintage Car

The Model A was a very popular car that was produced by the Ford Motor company between 1927 and 1931, selling almost 5 million units.  1931 was the final model year before Ford phased out the Model A and subsequently introduced the model B.  For vintage car lovers, you can find more information about the Ford Model A here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_(1927%E2%80%931931)

This  JMBricklayer Model A is very similar to one found that was featured for sale in the St. Louis Car Museum.  https://www.stlouiscarmuseum.com/vehicles/407/1931-ford-model-a-deluxe-coupe.  JMBricklayer made it even more special in this green and dark green livery.  The light green rims are particularly striking!


About JMBricklayer


Thanks to JMBricklayer for providing the set for today's review!  They are a leading provider of high quality, Lego compatible building block sets where you can choose from a variety of themes such as Vehicles, Ships, Trains, Military, Sci-fi and much more.  

Latest update from JMBricklayer (limited time offer)!

Use the discount codes below for Model A 50001:
① For US customers:
20% off, no limit, valid for 9.20-9.27
MODELA20
Copy the Code to Buy on US Amazon JMBricklayer Amazon store

② For worldwide customers:
15% off, no limit, permanently valid for all non-discounted items: 
JMBVIP15%
Copy Code to Buy on jmbricklayer.com

See other offers below!

About the Set




The set name and number is the Vintage Car Model A Deluxe Coupe 50001 featuring 1297 pieces.  Some of the special features of this model include turnable front wheels, removable roof, opening engine compartment, real rubber tires, and opening doors and rear rumble seat/trunk.  And of course we can't forget about the lighting.  This kit has headlights, sidelights, taillights and even interior lighting that makes it look more amazing.  We will look at these feature sin more detail later in this review.   Ok, can't wait to build and review the Model A!

Unboxing the contents


As with all JMBricklayer building block sets, it comes in a very sturdy box that showcases the model very nicely.


Inside the box, we find the handy instruction manual, two bags containing the special light kit, several parts bags that are numbered 1, 2 and 3.   We will look at the bag contents later.



One of the lighting kit bags contains the battery pack which uses 3 AA batteries, not included.

The other bag contains the lighting components which include a multi-port board, a USB plug, and several led lights with wires attached.


Don't worry, if this is your first time building a set with a lighting kit, because the JMBricklayer manual shows you detailed easy to follow instructions on how to attach all the lighting components and integrate them into the car.


Building the Model A


There are three major steps involved to build the Classic Model A, and you would use the parts bags that are numbered accordingly to build that step.


Step 1

For step 1, we will build the frame and undercarriage for the car.

There are a total of 8 bags of parts used in step 1.  

However, there is a bag that contains all of the wheel assemblies and I think this should be labelled for use in step 3, because it's too early to put the wheels on in step 1.

One of the cool features about the set is the steerable front wheels.  Here you can see the beginnings of the turning mechanism.  There are gears that will be later attached to the steering wheel so that when you turn the steering wheel, the front wheels will also turn in the same direction!

Here's a look at the undercarriage construction.

And here is step 1 completed.   The build quality and clutch for the bricks is excellent.  Now we can move on to the body assembly in step 2.

Step 2

For step 2, we will be assembling the engine compartment, the front grill and headlights, the sidelights, the interior and the trunk!


There are 13 numbered bags for this step.

I think Step 2 will be the most comprehensive section in this build, just by looking at all of the parts.

Now we can use the special lighting kit and put the headlights on the car.  The silver parts used on the grill are shiny but not quite chrome.

It's a good idea to test the components before installing them because you want to make sure all of the lighting components are working properly.   Here you can see that I've attached the headlights to the front grill and then attached the wires to the board.  I've also attached the USB plug to the board and that plugs into the battery box, which is powered by 3 AA batteries which you will need to provide yourself.

The connection board will be installed into the trunk later.

The Model A used a  4 cylinder engine as it's powerplant and that is faithfully reproduced in the set.

We will need to attach the sidelights and before we do, we should test that they work as well.

Ditto for the rear taillights.

Here is the engine housing.

And here we are building the interior of the vehicle.  As you can see from the picture, the headlight and sidelight wires all feed into the interior under the floor and under the seat to the rear of the car.

As mentioned earlier, the lighting board will be hidden inside the trunk behind the seat.  We do another final lighting test before embedding the board.

I love that the doors and the rear trunk/rumble seat can be opened and closed.  

With step 2 completed, we can now move to step 3 to complete the Model A!


Step 3

The final assembly of the Model A will consist of the final touches such as mounting all the wheels, bumpers, front and rear fenders and the roof, which can be removed.

There are 5 bags for step 3 and don't forget that the wheels are from a bag in step 1.

The parts for step 3 include many shiny silver pieces that will be used for the bumpers.  I like that the window glass is thoughtfully packaged separately so as not to be scratched.

Here's a look at the wheel assemblies which we found in the step 1 parts bags.

With all of the final pieces attached, the Vintage Model A looks spectacular!

Here is the back side of the car

Here is the opening hood for the engine, you can open it from either side.

The front wheels can be steered from side to side.


A very beautiful coupe!

But I cannot lie, I much prefer the Model A as a roadster!


Do you prefer the JMBricklayer Vintage car Model A as a coupe or a roadster?   In either case, the car displays beautifully and is a nice collector's item for classic car collectors!   

Where to get the Model A Deluxe Coupe?


It's now available from either the JMBricklayer website:  https://www.jmbricklayer.com/product/model-a-50001/?wpam_id=33.   

Note – Spend $69.99 or more and receive a lovely complimentary gift. Offer available on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.


Also available on Amazon: https://amz.run/50001 (15% off code for social media: MODELA15) to get a further discount from the price of $69.94.

For US Amazon, the website link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7HNG3MB, the coupon code VIPLEGS15 for US Amazon applies only to the non-discounted Model A 50001 and is valid for one month, offering a 15% discount.  

In addition, as for the online store, the website link https://www.jmbricklayer.com/product/model-a-50001/, the coupon code VIPLEGS15 applies to all non-discounted products and offers a 15% discount. The code is valid for one year.

Don't forget to check out my other JMBricklayer set reviews on my other blog:  bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com

Hope you have enjoyed this review!   Bye for now!

Monday, September 16, 2024

Lego Compatible Sembo 107105 Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Truck Review

 


Hey brick fans, 

If you're a fan of sci-fi epics and love the intricacy of Sembo building block sets, then you're in for a treat with this one! Inspired by the Chinese sci-fi action movie Wandering Earth 2, the Lego-style Lunar Truck is a killer set that captures all the action and adventure of the movie. From its futuristic design to the impressive attention to detail, this truck feels like it rolled straight out of a lunar landscape and onto your building table.

In this review, we'll dive into all the details, from the build experience to the hits and misses about the Lego compatible Moon Base Truck building block set.


About the movie

Wandering Earth 2 is a prequel to the 2019 Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth. The movie is set in a future where the sun is dying, and humanity faces the imminent collapse of Earth's environment. In response, the global governments come together to execute an ambitious project: moving the entire planet to a new star system using massive engines built across the world.  

Here is more info about the movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth_2.  It is free to watch on BiliBili: https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/4787546990056960.


The Lunar Moon Base Truck is featured in this movie promo picture.  The truck looks really unique with the truck body mounted on top of what appears to be a  six wheeled skateboard.  I guess it's meant to isolate the occupants from the rough terrain of the lunar soil.

From this movie screen grab of the truck, you can get an idea of the scale with the astronaut next to it.

In 2023, Sembo made two large scale vehicles for the Wandering Earth franchise: the 1182 piece Mobile Base 107104, the 1339 piece Lunar Truck 107105, and 4 smaller building kits 107106 thru 107109.  They have also made several Sci-fi building sets for the first Wandering Earth movie as well.

I have the Sembo 107007 Troop Carrier and the Sembo 107006 Cargo truck which I reviewed here.
Ok let's check this set out.

The Set Contents


The 1339 piece building block set comes with a detailed instruction manual, 5 numbered bags, a bag containing several sticker sheets, a light kit and two smaller bags of minifigures.

Sembo's instructions are clearly marked and easy to follow.

Each of the 5 numbered bags contain several smaller bags of parts which we will see later below.

The Moon Base Truck set comes with three sticker sheets.  These stickers are transfer style stickers which are very thin and if you are not careful, the stickers are easy to tear.  

Once these stickers are stuck onto a surface, they cannot be removed.  With my shaky hands, I can't always place the stickers straight, so you might notice that some of the stickers I applied might be crooked.

Each sticker sheet has an extra sticker for the Sembo and Wandering Earth movie.  If you have some spare 2x2 tiles, you can put the stickers on them.

The light kit


A small battery box with two blue led lights are included with the set, which get installed in step 5.

The minifigures


The set comes with 5 minifigures who are characters in the movie.  Each minifigure comes with it's own instruction sheet and they are not referenced in the main instructions at all.  I wonder if Sembo sells the Lunar Truck in some countries without the figures to avoid being confiscated.

The five figures all have unique faces and come with both hair pieces and spacesuit helmets with yellow visors.

The bodies are very detailed front and back.  Even the arms are printed.
It's time to build the Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Base Truck!

Step 1


Step 1 builds the chassis of the moon base truck.  I call it a skateboard, as I imagine the platform to house Electric batteries inside.

Bag #1 consists of 5 smaller bags.

There are 4 bicycle tires in a separate package.

Here's all the parts to build the chassis.  An orange brick separator is also provided.

This set contains some unique parts you won't find in a regular Lego set.  Check out those grill parts, they look pretty cool.

This step is fairly straightforward and nothing too tricky to build here.  Let's move on to step 2.

Step 2

We'll complete the construction of the skateboard chassis and start on the lunar truck body in step 2.

Five more bags of parts with a molded front window housing.

Parts dump for step 2.

The front windscreen has several window inserts on the top, bottom, and side.



Suspension bits added to the chassis.  The bicycle tires are wrapped around the two cylinders of the front and rear axles for decorative purposes.

Step 3


This step will add some interior detail to the cab as well as tile the back section of the moon truck.

There are 6 bags of parts for this step.

All of the interior pieces are printed, not stickers, yay!

The rest of the parts to be used in step 3.

A very cool instrument cluster and screen.

The ball steering wheel doesn't clutch to the pin at all, so it falls off whenever I move the truck around.  I wonder if I can use something else to attach it?   Looks like a medical kit is attached to the wall, next to the driver's seat.

A couple of extra seats on the opposite side of the cab.  The floor of the cab is completely smooth, so I might have to replace some of the tile pieces with studded ones so I can place some minifigures. in a standing position.

I placed one of the minifigures in the driver's seat.

Step 4


Looks like this step focuses on the central pillar/pedestal in addition to finishing off the truck bed.

Five bags of parts in step 4.


Here's the rest of the cab built up.  The roof will come on later.

We also finish the truck bed by adding the low walls.  Looks to be seating for six but there's no studs to attach the minifigures to.  I would love to turn this area into a fully enclosed lab in future.


There are two sliding panels on the back of the cab which we will look at in greater detail in the next step. Here we are doing a test fit of the body to the pedestal.  I find that the body kind of wobbles and it's not as stable as I like.

Step 5


There are 6 parts bags in this final step.  

The wheels and rubber tires and uniquely molded storage boxes can be found as well as the light kit.  Definitely have not seen these wheels before.  I think Sembo did a great job replicating the wheels from the movie version.

The parts dump for step 5.

At this point, the truck is ready to be attached to the chassis and the battery box and lighting have been installed.   But I'm not really liking the how it's designed so this is something we will address later.

I finished assembly of the roof panel and it goes right into the opening.

Time to apply some of the stickers!  There is a giant sticker that goes over each of the door panels and you only have one chance to get it right.  Luckily, I didn't screw it up.  I left off any stickers that had to be placed over several bricks.  Both of the door panels slide, but I would have preferred that one of the panels was stationary.  Since there's no airlock, you'd definitely need to keep your spacesuit on inside the cab whenever the door is opened.

And here is the finished Lunar Truck.  There are a few extra steps to install little attachments to the front and side of the truck, as well as the antenna dish.  There are stickers for the antenna dish that I didn't apply.



These are supposed to be some of the nuclear bombs which are set off in the movie to blow up the moon.

Here are the last three accessories that are included in the Wandering Earth 2 set.  A small container with lid, a laptop computer and a small robot dog called Benben who is also featured in the movie.  There is no mention of him in the instruction guide nor how to put him together, but Sembo obviously provided the parts and stickers to build it as an easter egg.  I only found out about the robot dog from a Chinese review of the Lunar Truck.

This is a picture I found on the Internet. At first I assembled the robot dog as per the picture above but when I went back and watched the movie, I think that the pictured legs above are upside down?

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the build of the Wandering Earth Lunar Truck because I think it looks really unique and there's a lot of play features such as the minifigures, the missile boxes, and the other included accessories.  The cabin is easy to access by lifting off the roof and opening the rear sliding doors.  The rear bed has plenty of room to carry soldiers or supplies.   The blue lighting adds a really special effect although I kind of wish they had included lighting for the cabin interior as well. and the headlights too.

Here are some things that needed improvement.


1.  The Stickers

First off the stickers. I hated the stickers because once they are applied, they cannot be removed without tearing them, so it takes a lot of time and steady hands to apply them.  I only used them where it was needed such as the sliding doors and the rear solar panels.  I think Sembo should use the normal stickers and not these transfer type stickers.  Or better yet, use printed parts instead of stickers.


2.  The Axles

During the final assembly of attempting to attach the truck body to the chassis, I had difficulty slotting in the pedestal into the base.  When I tried to apply downward force to the truck, the middle wheels and axles popped off.  Maybe I should have removed the wheels first?   At any rate, I discovered that the middle and rear axles needed extra bracing.

I fixed the issue by installing 2x6 plates from my brick stash on the middle and rear axles, top and bottom to strengthen the axles.  In the picture above, I've just put them on the middle axle.

3.  The Light Battery Box placement

As shown in the instructions, the battery box for the LED lights sits behind the rear solar panels.  To activate the lights, one needs to remove the solar panels and access the small switch on the side of the battery box.  You'll need tweezers or something because I could fit my finger in to use the switch.

Here's the original location of the battery box.

I decided to rotate the battery box 90 degrees so that the switch is facing the rear making it easily accessible.  Since there is free space under the truck bed, I felt it would be better to have the battery box mounted underneath.   Due to a lack of studs on the battery box, I had to design and build a housing for the battery box.  The picture above was my first attempt.


I ended up making a secondary pedestal for the truck bed as shown above.  The battery box is housed inside the pedestal.  I ended up killing two birds with one stone, because not only have I addressed the battery box access, I have also eliminated the body wobble by making the truck bed solidly attached to the chassis.

Now turning the lights on and off is easy peasy.

Other changes I made

In the original design, those cool grill pieces were placed on the chassis where you couldn't really fully appreciate them.  I think they look way better on the front of the truck now.

And even on the roof.




The Sembo Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Truck.



Here's how the Wandering Earth 2 Moon Truck displayed with the Wandering Earth Cargo Truck.  Which one do you prefer?  Let me know in the comments!

Summary


Here's a quick recap of the set details.

Brand: Sembo

Set Name and Number: Wandering Earth 2 Moon Base Truck 107105

Piece count: 1339 pieces

Minifigures: 5

Printed parts: Yes

Stickers: Yes

Lighting: Yes

Lego Compatible: Yes

Retails for around $70 CDN.


Where to get it:  You can get this and other cool and unique building block sets from Afobrick.com   
Use my code itsnotlego to get an extra 5% off your entire purchase.   



Thanks for visiting, see you next time bye!