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2018 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets review

There are a number of very interesting LEGO Creator sets that were released at the beginning of the month and are definitely worth discussing. First of all, all of these sets are 3-in-1 models, meaning that LEGO provides instructions to rebuild the set in at least three different ways (even more with the modular sets). LEGO Creator includes some of the best sets LEGO has to offer that is not tied to a popular IP. This allows LEGO designers to give us their best and most interesting ideas without the confinement of an IP. The prices on these sets are also very reasonable because there are no licensing fees involved. So let’s take a look at the 2018 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets. 🙂

#31071 LEGO CREATOR DRONE EXPLORER: This is one of the smallest 3-in-1 LEGO Creator sets for the year, but it comes with some great features. The main model is a drone/helicopter thingy, that actually fits a minifig (which is something pretty rare for small LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets). The secondary model is a swamp boat that can also accommodate a minifigure, and the third model is a smaller-than-minifig-scale propeller plane. The orange, white and black color-scheme works perfectly for all three models, the building techniques are solid, and there is lots of playability! 109 pieces. Price: $9.99 – BUY HERE

#31072 LEGO CREATOR EXTREME ENGINES: This is the second small LEGO Creator release for January of this year, with three alternate models. Again, great color scheme, great little vehicles, and all three of them can accommodate a minifig. The main model is a race car, which can be rebuilt into a hot rod, or a speedboat. While these models may not be as unique as the drone mentioned above, they are great little vehicles, and I think the shaping is really nice on all of them. 109 pieces. Price: $9.99 – BUY HERE

#31073 LEGO CREATOR MYTHICAL CREATURES: Mythical creatures and various creepy crawlies are a staple in the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 line, and we have seen many previous versions of them. Here, we get a fire-breathing dragon with a dark-red and yellow color-scheme, large fangs, green eyes, pointed claws, and posable legs, head, tail and wings. The alternate models are a giant spider, and an axe-bearing troll with lots of sharp claws and teeth. 223 pieces. Price: $14.99 – BUY HERE

#31074 LEGO CREATOR ROCKET RALLY CAR: Here, you get three chunky, minifig-size, rocket-powered vehicles with an eye-popping color-scheme. The main model is a rocket rally car, which can be rebuilt into a jet truck or a quad bike. I don’t know what adults think of the color-scheme and oversized components, but most kids love cars like this! 241 pieces. Price: $19.99 – BUY HERE

#31075 LEGO CREATOR OUTBACK ADVENTURES: One of the most impressive features of this set is how different the three alternate models are (although I would agree with JANG in the video-review below that the main model is the best). Also, this is the first set in the new wave that comes with a minifigure. The main model is an 8-stud-wide classic off-roader with impressive and rugged features, including a hood-mounted spare wheel (that also operates the winch – very clever!), cab with roll cage, bull bar, wide rims with chunky tires, plus a buildable tree trunk, and a very cute and fully articulated brick-built dog. The secondary model is a wilderness campsite, which kind of looks like a Minecraft terrain – a pretty interesting idea. The third alternate model is a winch helicopter, which reminds me of some of the transforming vehicles from The LEGO Movie. Make sure you check out the video-review below, as particularly the main model has some very nice features. 225 pieces. Price: $19.99 – BUY HERE

#31076 LEGO CREATOR DAREDEVIL STUNT PLANE: This set is so classic both in design and color-scheme! The three models are a daredevil stunt plane, a rocket car, and a rocket boat, and there is also a minifigure included. While the shapes and colors are classic, the parts-usage and building techniques are quite modern. I think older LEGO fans are going to really appreciate this set even more so than kids, because of the references to classic LEGO sets. 200 pieces. Price: $19.99 – BUY HERE

#31079 LEGO CREATOR SUNSHINE SURFER VAN: This set includes two minifigures, and one of the most talked about 2018 LEGO Creator vehicles; the surfer van. The van is obviously modeled after the VW camper, and features a yellow, white and blue color-scheme. It also includes a host of realistic details, like a roof rack for storing the included surfboard, foldaway sun lounger and chair, parasol, table and barbecue. You can remove the roof and side section for access to the detailed interior, complete with fold-down bed, TV and kitchenette. Nice! The alternate models are a very good looking beach buggy and an acceptable lifeguard tower. 379 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE

#31080 LEGO CREATOR MODULAR WINTER VACATION: This set is based on the new modular design that LEGO introduced in the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 line last year. Basically this means that each of the three alternate models come with smaller modules (usually window, door, and wall sections) that could easily be swapped out and rearranged. This makes the sets far more than just three alternate models. The main build here is a cozy ski cabin with a rooftop ski slope, slalom flags, balcony with open fire, outdoor picnic bench and a shop with a detailed interior, cash register and a serving hatch from where customers can purchase ski equipment and drinks. The second alternate model is a bobsleigh track with bobsleigh and camera, and the third alternate model is an outhouse in the woods with a Yeti that is built similarly as the LEGO Mixels characters. Check the video-review below, as there are a lot of nice features to all three alternate models! Also, two minifigures are included. 374 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE

#31081 LEGO CREATOR MODULAR SKATE HOUSE: What a fun set! The main model is a modular skate house. It features a detailed interior with radio, TV and sofa, plus a large outdoor skateboard ramp, monkey bars, climbing wall and a basketball hoop. You can also take a ride on a scooter or try your hand at some graffiti art. The alternate models are a games arcade with machines and a corner café, and a skate park complete with an exciting skateboard track, Just like in the previous set, all three models are made up of interchangeable modules that can be swapped out. This system works particularly well for this set! Also included are two minifigs. 422 pieces. Price: $39.99 – BUY HERE

From the nine new sets my personal favorites are the two smallest ones (Drone Explorer and Extreme Engines), the Sunshine Surfer Van, and the Modular Skate House. But I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets offer great versatility, building experience, and fun. You can find all the new sets under the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What about you? How do you like the new LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets? Do you have a favorite? Are you planning to get any of them? Feel free to share your thoughts and own review in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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LEGO steampunk city – Paris 1889

Steampunk is such an interesting and unique subgenre of science fiction, inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk imagines a world where steam power remains in mainstream usage, along with retro-futuristic technologies, and Victorian era lifestyle and fashion. While steampunk-inspired LEGO creations are not as common as models based on other forms of sci-fi, when talented LEGO fans do decide to build them, they are almost always extremely impressive. 🙂

LEGO’s color-palette and parts-selection are perfect for building steampunk-style creations. In the world of steampunk, shades of brown are often used, along with rich but muted colors, highlighted with antique-gold and brass. And there is also an abundant usage of gears, pipes, and other greebly bits, to represent advanced steam-powered technology. Artificial limbs and other mechanical body enhancements are common, and are worn along with British Victorian or American Wild West style clothing – all of this is available in LEGO as well.

In fact, LEGO themselves released several steampunk-inspired sets, including the #70807 LEGO MetalBeard’s Duel and the #70810 LEGO MetalBeard’s Sea Cow from The LEGO Movie collection, the majority of the LEGO Ninjago Skybound sets from 2016, the LEGO Monster Fighters sets from 2012, some of the sets from the LEGO Nexo Knights theme, and LEGO Master Builder Academy had an entire level dedicated to steampunk.

I regularly search for steampunk-style builds from LEGO fans, because they are quite fascinating. The combination of rich colors and advanced technology looks really good in LEGO (instead of yet another gray ship – something that has been plaguing Star Wars and other more commonly used sci-fi styles). We have featured a number of steampunk creations here in the past (see links at the end of this post), and today I wanted to show you an entire steampunk city that is built by LEGO fans Castor Troy and domino39 (all pictures shared in this post are by them).

This LEGO steampunk city is titled Paris 1889. It depicts France in an alternate past, where everything is based on a scientific approach, including engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. While traditional religions have been abolished, the new “gods” are Newton, Tesla, Edison, Jules Verne and the like. However, parallel to the scientific advancements there is also great suffering; continual wars against vampires, rampant drug abuse, and an ever-growing gap between social and economic classes. Here, I’m sharing a few pictures from the overall layout so you get a sense of the size and scope of the project, and you can see larger and more detailed pictures at the flickr galleries of Castor Troy and domino39.

If you have never built any steampunk creations, but would like to give it a try, I recommend starting with this Wikipedia page to familiarize yourself with the style. For the main colors choose browns, grays and gold or copper, and for accent colors dark-blue, dark-green, dark-red, and dark-orange work well. Remember that all steampunk vehicles supposed to be powered by steam, so check out pictures of steam-powered machinery. They always have interesting gears, gauges, and piping. For minifigs use top hats, mechanically enhanced body parts, goggles, and timepieces. You can find plenty of pictures of steampunk-inspired fashion online, and there are good choices for minifig parts in official LEGO sets to make them.

So what do you think? How do you like this LEGO steampunk version of Paris? Did you ever build anything in steampunk style? Are there any other LEGO steampunk creations that you really like? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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