Mega Bloks TMNT Tub
| Mega Bloks has had the license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle construction block sets for about two years now. And if there is one thing you can say for them, it's that they haven't tried to flood the market with product. In fact, in all that time, I have only found six sets of TMNT construction blocks, the latest two of which are only now begining to creep out onto store shelves. So needless to say, I was quite surprised to find another set listed on Amazon.com about which I knew nothing. The TMNT Tub isn't even listed on Mega Bloks' website. So a quick click of the "add to cart" button and a few days later the mystery product arrived on my desk. |
Packaging - 3/10This is the TMNT Tub so take a guess what it is packaged in... yep, a tub. The green, lower portion of the tub shows the three figures included as well as the sewer slider and an assortment of misc. building block pieces. A large number three hundred in the center under the TMNT logo is the only real indication of what you're actually buying. You are at least able to see the figures themselves as they are packaged in a clear plastic bubble that is atttached to the outside of the lid. It would have been really nice if Mega Bloks had included a list or, better yet a photo of the contents somewhere on the package. As it is, you don't really know what you're going to get beyond the fact that there should be 300 of them in there.
Sculpting (figures) - 3/10The set comes with three figures: Donatello, Raphael and a Foot Soldier. These are the exact same figures that we have already seen with the past sets. They are nice blok figure versions of the characters but they don't offer anything new or very interesting. There is a set of instructions provided with a suggestion of what could be built. The suggestion is a set of about 4 small structures which can be used a rudimentery base. But it should be noted that the "instructions" for builing it are not really instructions at all, just a series of photos of the completed project from various angles.
Paint 3/10The figures have the usual adequate paint applications. There are also three "brick" wall sections which have the bricks painted red. As for the color selection of the bricks provided, it is predominately green which I'm sure will surprise no one. Most of the remaining pieces are various shades of gray.
Articulation - 4/10As I said, these are the same figures as previous sets so naturally they have the same seven points of articulation: neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips. But that isn't bad for such a small figure.
Accessories (variety of parts)- 7/10This is one place I do have to give the set credit, it has just about every part that has been included with any of the other TMNT Mega Blok sets. So the Tub has value if only for a source of replacement parts for kids who may be less than diligent about putting their toys away. And the blance of parts is pretty good too. You don't wind up with far too many of any odd ball pieces and get plenty of the most popular ones. (The highest piece count I had in my set was 34 of the 2x4 rectangular green bricks.) The one disappointment with this set for me is the selection of figures included. This would have been the perfect opportunity to give us an army of Foot Soldiers, or at least a handful of them. But instead we wind up with more reused Turtle figures. The biggest accessory is the tub itself which can be used for storing all of your pieces when not in use. But it's of maginal value in that respect since it provides no means of actually sorting any pieces or even a platform to build on as many Lego brand cases offer. Neither does it offer any significant protection from spills since the top doesn't offer a means of being closed securely. Its only real distinction is the indentation in the top where the figures are packaged in shipping. And once the set is opened and the figures removed, it just becomes an oddity. Basically, a $4 plastic tub from Target or Wal-mart would work just as well.
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Value - 2/10 (6/10 for a kid)For most "collectors," this set is going to hold very little interest unless you are a completeist and feel the need to buy everything that is out there for the line. For a child that will actually play with it as intended, it could be fun. And at a price of $20 for 300 building blocks, it's pretty cheap too.
Happy Hunting:The only place I have seen the TMNT Tub is at Amazon.com. I have heard several people state that they have seen it at Toys R Us stores as well which makes sense since the two are partnered together.
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