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LEGO VIDIYO BeatBoxes Review

by Thita (admin) on April 28, 2021

As you may remember from our previous discussions, the new LEGO VIDIYO theme is all about combining physical LEGO elements with augmented reality to make music videos. You download the free app, choose from the app’s music library, scan your Bandmate and BeatBits (printed 2×2 tiles) from the LEGO VIDIYO sets, and you can record your own music videos. Some people say that this is LEGO’s attempt to capture the TikTok generation, and they are probably right.

There are six LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets – each with a highly detailed minifig with an accessory, 16 printed 2×2 tiles called BeatBits, and a partially built/partially special moulded storage/carry case. In addition, there is also a series of 16 collectible LEGO VIDIYO Bandmates in blind boxes (meaning, you can’t tell which character is inside the box), with an accessory and 3 BeatBits. See the LEGO VIDIYO section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO VIDIYO is an interesting theme for sure. The minifigs are some of the most detailed, crazy, and creative characters we have ever seen, and the 2×2 printed tiles are a dream-come-true for many LEGO builders and collectors. On the other hand, the storage cases seem pretty useless, the app is limited, clunky, resource hungry, and only works on select high-end phones, and the price of the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets are excessively high.

Still, I have been very curious about these sets, so I finally got three of the BeatBoxes. As the price of these sets is so high ($19.99 per set), I picked the ones with three of my favorite minifigs in the series; the #42102 LEGO VIDIYO Candy Mermaid BeatBox, the #43104 LEGO Alien DJ BeatBox, and the #43107 LEGO HipHop Robot BeatBox. Below, we will discuss each of them.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – THE PACKAGING

The packaging of the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets is a fairly large and sturdy cardboard cube – 4.5 inches on all sides. I find the artwork on the boxes very attractive; a combination nice colors, clear pictures of the content, and photos of happy kids. The boxes may look a bit chaotic at first glance, but if you carefully look at each side, the images effectively demonstrate the LEGO VIDIYO experience. Both the size of the box and artwork indicate that I will be getting a LEGO set worth $20. In fact, although I normally recycle LEGO packaging, I’m kind of inclined to keep these just because how attractive they are.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – THE INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions page is a single large folded piece of paper, printed on both sides. You are instructed to first assemble the minifig, then the stand, then download the app, then scan the BeatBits tiles with the app. The other side of the instructions page demonstrates how to assemble the storage/carry case. There are also a couple of alternate builds for the cover of the storage/carry case, in case you want to switch up the design.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – THE CONTENT

The actual LEGO pieces are divided into two clear baggies, and there is also an included orange brick-separator in each set (this helps remove the 2×2 BeatBits tiles from the stand, and the small tiles and plates from the cover of the storage/carry case).

The total piece-count is around 70-75 for each set, depending on which BeatBox set you get. This includes the minifig parts, minifig accessories, 16 BeatBits tiles, the small pieces to decorate the cover of the storage/carry case, the three specialized pieces for the stand, as well as the specialized storage section, the clear cover, and the carry handle of the storage/carry case. After assembling everything is the point where I started to doubt the value of these sets…

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – STORAGE/CARRY CASES

I’m usually a fan of cute and sturdy storage/carry cases that sometimes come with LEGO sets. They make great little gifts, and I also reuse the cases for storing special pieces, or for sorting pieces while I’m building. I’m an enthusiastic collector of the LEGO Friends Cubes, and also like the LEGO Disney Storybook Adventure sets with the plastic buildable book covers. And I have a bunch of round LEGO Pods from various themes.

While I like useful little storage/sorting cases, I do believe that they should not come at the expense of the rest of the set. In other words, the included storage/carry case should be a minor accessory and not the majority of a set, and it should not drive up the price of the set by more than a couple of dollars. Cases are usually made of specialized pieces that can only serve their intended purpose and are not very useful as building elements. Thus, when they are too prominent in a set, LEGO fans look at them more critically and consider them useless accessories instead of appreciated add-ons.

And unfortunately, this is the case with the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBoxes. The cases are too large, using up too many specialized elements, and they are not very useful for anything else besides their intended purpose.

The large clear plastic portion of the storage/carry case is a specialized piece with no studs to connect to anything else. It comes with two specialized adaptor clips so the specialized handle strap can be attached. The only “normal” LEGO pieces in this assembly are the round dishes and other small pieces attached to the dishes. When viewing separately, the clear plastic container portion of the storage/carry case makes a decent little basket with handle, but I don’t see much use for this. Certainly not something I would have paid extra for.

The back portion of the storage/carry case is much more interesting and fits the LEGO building system better. It includes an 8×8 stud storage container with rounded corners, standard connection tubes at the bottom, and standard studs on top. Inside, there are slots to store 2×2 tiles and a center compartment for storing other pieces. A matching 8×8 plate with rounded corners serves as the lid for the storage container that could be left plain or decorated with LEGO tiles and other small elements. This is probably the most LEGO system compatible storage case I have seen. It’s useful, reusable, attractive, and customizable. And I wouldn’t mind paying a few dollars more for something like this in a LEGO set. Unfortunately, the entire storage case is about half the price of this $20 set, and with half of it being pretty useless, it is just too expensive.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – THE STAGE & BEATBITS

Three other semi-specialized pieces in this set are the minifig-stand with two side-wings. To me, this looks like a small stage, or an elaborate minifig stand. The stand itself is an L-shaped piece with standard connection tubes under the horizontal part, studs behind the vertical part, and hinge connections at the two sides. The two wings are 4×6 plates with hinge connections. Although these parts are somewhat specialized, I still consider them useful elements that could serve many purposes.

As we discussed earlier the BeatBits are 2×2 printed tiles, and you get 16 of them in the BeatBox sets and three in the BrickMates sets. I believe two of them are unique to the set they come in, and the rest are random. So, you could potentially end up with several repeats amongst the sets.

The designs of the BeatBits tiles are fun and colorful. They would work great as album covers in a record store, or decorations in an arcade. They are one of the most attractive features of these sets besides the minifigs. According to the BrickLink database, there are 105 different BeatBits designs you can collect amongst the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets and BandMates. I got 40 different designs in the three sets from the possible 48, so I feel I was lucky.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – THE MINIFIGS

As I only got three of the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets, I only got three minifigs from the LEGO VIDIYO minifig lineup. But all of them are absolutely outstanding and over the top. I got the Candy Mermaid because of her gorgeous hairpiece and pink guitar. Her torso is also reusable for other purposes, and the tail is decorated as well, although I’m not sure how I would use it.

The Alien DJ is one of my favorite LEGO aliens ever. His torso is printed front and back, his arms are printed on the sides, and his legs are dual-moulded and printed front and sides. The head/helmet is one single dual-moulded and printed piece and it looks amazing. His accessory is a printed 2×2 round tile that looks like a vinyl record.

The HipHop robot is another amazing minifig with torso printed front and back, printed arms, legs printed on the front, robot head, dual-moulded and printed robot headgear, and a couple of robot arms attached to a contraption on his back to hold a microphone.

If you’re looking for amazing, wacky, fantastical, and futuristic characters to populate your LEGO cities and towns, check out the LEGO VIDIYO collection. They are over the top gorgeous and I’m certain you will be very happy with them.

LEGO VIDIYO BEATBOX SETS – SUMMARY

My overall impression of the LEGO VIDIYO sets is that the minifigs and the tiles are definitely worth collecting. I even like the small stage/display-stand, and the back portion of the storage/carry cases, as they can be reused for other purposes. However, these are only secondary add-ons that could have been left out to keep the prices reasonable. The rest of the storage/carry case (clear box, handle, etc.) are pretty useless. And even though I like the packaging, I feel that it’s too large for what you get and only drives up the price further. The actual valuable portion of the LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets are worth $10, maybe $12 dollars the most. The $20 LEGO is asking for is way too much.

If you’re really attached to the minifigs and tiles that come in the six LEGO VIDIYO BeatBox sets, I would suggest to wait until the sets are around 50% off, or just purchase the minifigs and parts separately on BrickLink. The LEGO VIDIYO BandMates sets are priced much more reasonably at $4.99 each, however because they are blind boxes and you won’t know what you get, it may be best to purchase them separately as well. If you want to check out the full selection, visit the LEGO VIDIYO section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the LEGO VIDIYO sets? Do you have any of them already? Feel free to share your thoughts and own reviews in the comment section below!

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LEGO BrickHeadz Minions Sets Review

by Thita (admin) on April 27, 2021

in Other LEGO Sets & Themes

(Written by William)

Last year, when LEGO announced that we were going to get buildable Minions I just assumed we were getting LEGO Minions in the style of LEGO BrickHeadz. When that didn’t happen, and instead we got the #75551 LEGO Brick-Built Minions and Their Lair with much larger brick-built characters, I was rather sad. It was also a bit irritating that you needed to buy two copies of the set just so you could build all three of the models. I understand it was in order to keep the price down, but it only raised the price for those of us who wanted more.

Fast forward to this year, and I have some good news and some bad news. With the new #40420 LEGO BrickHeadz Minions Stuart, Gru & Otto set and the #40421 LEGO BrickHeadz Minions Bob, Belle Bottom & Kevin set we still have to buy two sets to get the three main Minions. That’s the bad news. The good news is that each set comes with three characters in LEGO BrickHeadz style. This means, that we are getting three extra characters besides the most iconic ones.

Keep in mind that the Minions: The Rise of Gru (also known as Minions 2) movie these sets are based on won’t be released until next year. And there is one character featured here we don’t know anything about. Funnily, the character happens to be my favorite. So, let’s take a closer look at both sets.

BRICKHEADZ MINIONS STUART, GRU & OTTO

This set comes with two numbered bags. You first build Gru from the instructions. He is what we would call a full-sized normal LEGO BrickHeadz character. The second bag contains the parts for two smaller Minions. You also get two instruction booklets, each corresponding with the numbered bags. So if you want to divide the building process, it is rather easy to split the Minions from the main character.

Gru has finally made his appearance in LEGO BrickHeadz form! Setting him apart from most other BrickHeadz is his pointed nose. Being a distinct characteristic of Gru, it would have been criminal to leave it off. He also has a nice printed 1×4 tile to show off the bottom of his shirt. The brick-built scarf is especially clever using plates with rails and a bit of off-centering to cover up a little more space around the neck and have a three dimensional appearance.

Next up in build order is Otto. This is a little odd considering his numbering on the box places him after Stuart. He holds a printed round tile which might relate to something significant in the upcoming movie. Another interesting fact about Otto is that he’s built different than most small BrickHeadz characters I’ve assembled.

Normal LEGO BrickHeadz are 4×4 studs, while the smaller ones are usually 3×3 studs. Otto is a bit bigger than the average Minion. So even though he has the characteristic short height, his body is 4 studs wide and 4 studs long. The pocket outline on his torso is a printed tile. I also really love the printing on his eyes.

All the LEGO BrickHeadz Minions have printed 2×2 round tiles for their eyes, which gives them a highly expressive appearance. An interesting feature is that the printing is a combination of standard BrickHeadz eyes (with square highlights), combined with the oversized goggle look of Minions’ eyes. These printed tiles are placed on standard 2×2 round plates to give the goggles depth as well.

Finally, we move on to Stuart. He is the most standard looking Minion, except maybe for his single eye. But in terms of height and shape for a small BrickHeadz character, he is rather average. Just like Otto, he has a pocket printed on the front, and the big 2×2 round eye tile, and unlike Otto, he has a printed hair tile. The printing only features a few lines, but it is one of the only BrickHeadz I can think of that has printed hair. Most just have brick-built hair.

BRICKHEADZ MINIONS BELLE BOTTOM, KEVIN & BOB

Just like in the other set, this one is also divided into two bags with two sets of instructions. The first bag and book features the new character, Belle Bottom. Honestly, this was one of my all time favorite BrickHeadz to build. All we know is that she is the main antagonist of the upcoming movie. The other bag and instructions features Kevin and Bob.

Belle Bottom is just amazing. From her fantastic fur coat to her exquisitely crafted afro, this character was a blast to build. The hair alone is such a densely packed construction that it gives the model real weight and heft. It is also something worth studying for those who enjoy making more spherical shapes with LEGO bricks. As BrickHeadz characters are so studded and blocky, it’s hard to include refined details, but this one drips with attitude.

She has a printed chain pattern on a 1×2 brick on front, which I think is going to prove useful in other builds as well. But that is merely an accent to the bright magenta and flared collar. I sort of get that intangible quality and personality that came from people like the late musician Prince. Wearing a style most wouldn’t dare to try and making it their own. Needless to say, this character already intrigues me.

Next we move on to the two Minions. Kevin is first, and he is taller than the other Minions in the two sets. He comes with his crazy tuft of hair that sticks up. His printed pieces include striped sleeves, eyes, and orange tile at the front. Kevin also carries a pair of nunchuks.

Lastly we get Bob! He’s my personal favorite Minion, and is the most simple to build. His main feature is his short height. His printing is similar to Kevin’s, but he doesn’t carry any accessories.

LEGO BRICKHEADZ MINIONS – FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, these two sets are what I was hoping for last year. I’m a big LEGO BrickHeadz fan and I definitely needed some Minions in my collection. However, since Minions are smaller, it makes sense to have them come in multiple packs. In the video below, I will talk a bit more about both sets.

Comparing the two sets, the first one with Gru does feel a bit more subdued to the one with Belle Bottom. However, Gru is a much more recognized and established character so it sort of evens out. As mentioned before, Belle Bottom is a completely new character, but she is easily the most interesting to build in my opinion. In fact, it seemed as though she had a higher piece-count than most LEGO BrickHeadz characters we get.

As for the Minions themselves, I can imagine some people finding them a little too blocky. Especially since a major characteristic of the Minions is that they are round and curvy. However, those who are into BrickHeadz know that the blocky nature is part of the aesthetic. I personally was expecting to be bothered by it but found I wasn’t. I think the oversized round eyes give me that bulbous expectation so I don’t need the rest of the body to be round or cylindrical.

Beyond the printed elements, there’s nothing really unique in these sets. Though given the popularity of Minions, I could see the first run of these sets to sell out, even though the corresponding movie isn’t available yet. Minions have become a staple in our culture and we can find them on everything from T-Shirts to birthday decorations all year long. If you want to check out the new sets (along with the older releases), visit the LEGO Minions section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? Do you collect LEGO BrickHeadz? And how do you like the LEGO BrickHeadz Minions characters? Are you planning to get them? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!