Author: BrankotheFather

The Might of 42233 Mighty Machines series 1 (Review)

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , , , ,
An assortment of yellow LEGO® Technic models, including construction vehicles and machinery, with the text asking if one should collect the LEGO® Technic 43322 Mighty Machines.

LEGO® Technic has been dominated a bit by model cars of late (more on this in a review coming soon). In an apparent acknowledgment of the more construction-vehicle-heavy origins of Technic, the LEGO group gifted us an entire box of Mighty Machines: a new series of small Technic sets in the style of collectible minifigs.

Display box of LEGO Technic Mighty Machines sets, featuring various construction vehicles in yellow, designed for ages 7 and up, with game card included.

What’s that I hear you say? Collectable? Small Technic? Yes, indeed, small, collectable and Technic. The series is labelled ‘Series 1’, hinting at another possible future range. Based on my experience with this set I would loudly applaud this! Bigger is not always better, and in this case it seems smaller is much much better.

Folded LEGO Technic instruction manual displaying various construction machine models and assembly steps.

Series one consists of 8 different tiny construction vehicles with play cards retailing for
AU$6.99/£4.49/US$4.99/€4.99. Each vehicle comes in a blind box, so you can either try your luck or scan the QR code at the bottom of the box with an appropriate app (see reference values in the appendix) to find out what is inside. A full box contains 2 of each, for a total of 16.

The top-level summary is: YES! Oh YES! Each of these little builds is delightful and tickles an itch of a bit of building and a neat little mechanism in a bite-sized package. After spending long hours on the assembly of large complicated LEGO sets it is a delight to get so much play in such a simple way.

Join me as I go over each of the little units and take a guess at what the ‘gaming cards’ may signifiy.

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This set is not the koala you’re looking for, but… (31388 Creator 3in1 Family of Koalas review)

BrankotheFather Creator, Lego, Review , , , , , , , , ,

LEGO generously gifted us the LEGO 31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas, and I’ll make it clear right from the top. This is a botanicals set. The name on the box is largely misleading and has derived me of some of the pleasure this box could offer. What’s in a name, eh?

It makes sense that this largest member of ‘Creator 3-in-1 Continents’ representing Australia puts the emphasis on the animals, but it does so in name more than in bricks. Speaking of animals, the continent of Australia (Oceania) is represented by two very iconic characters from Down-Under, the koala and kangaroo and is joined by a less specifically down-under creature, the sea turtle. The sea turtle has risen to fame in Finding Nemo riding the East Australian Current (EAC) so I cannot argue there is a strong association with Australia, but I would have preferred to see an Australian bird like a like a Kookaburra or a Bin-chicken instead. We’ve had several turtles in the past, so why do we need one again?

The answer to this lies not in the turtles. But, as it turns out, in the rocks beneath them. Join me as I try to answer some of the questions that were raised by ‘31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas’ with 1536 pieces, retailing for AU$199.99/£99.99/US$129.99/€119.99‘

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LEGO® Technic 42238 Ducati Desmo450 MX Factory (motorcycle) – Review

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , ,
LEGO Technic model of a Ducati Desmo450 MX motorcycle, showcasing detailed construction and design.

“I didn’t know Ducati made offroad motorbikes, it’s kinda cute!” said my son, an avid rider, when I showed him the latest Technic Motorcycle 42238 Ducati Desmo450 MX Factory (457 pieces, AU$89.99/£44.99/US$49.99/€49.99). His response is not entirely surprising given that Ducati is most well known for their powerful (and loud) roadbikes. This particular model is a version of Ducati’s first motocross bike (not quite the same as ‘offroad’).

A detailed model of a Ducati motocross bike in red and black, featuring number '222' on its body and a sturdy stand.

This set was provided by LEGO as part of the latest wave of Technic sets and it stands out as only having two wheels. LEGO fairly consistently has some motorcycle in the repertoire but bikes aren’t nearly as common as cars.

Let’s go through this relatively small set quickly and have a look what it offers for Technic lovers of bikes

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LEGO Creator 31386 Wild Animals Majestic Lion (Africa)

BrankotheFather Creator, Lego, Review , , , , ,

Cue the Lion King : “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba / Sithi uhhmm ingonyama”, because there is indeed a lion! The mid-sized episode of ‘Contintents : Creator 3-in-1 animals‘ brings us a Lion. A Majestic Lion, apparently, and four of them at that!

I really liked the continent themed sets in this wave of Creator 3-in-1 animals, but this feels like a bit of a cop-out. Let’s do three African animals, like a lion. ‘Oh the secondary build can then be… another lion!’. But wait, ‘as a third build we could include 2 lions!’. Truth be told, it’s on the box, you get lions, and if you buy a set of three you can make a whole family. But does this set actually provide the same value as other 3-in-1 builds, or are the four lions too similar to keep us entertained?

LEGO gifted us this ‘Creator 31386 Wild Animals Majestic Lion‘ of 839 pieces retailing for AU$109.99,£59.99, $69.99, €64.99 to find out what’s lion about, so why don’t you join us and read on as we explore what this set has to offer.

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31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf (North America)

BrankotheFather Creator, Lego, Review , , , , , ,
A Lego model of a grey wolf standing on a base with autumn-coloured foliage, labelled '31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf (North America)'.
LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set featuring models of a wolf, bird, and tree, with images of each model displayed on the packaging.

This year’s Creator 3-in-1 animals have a stronger theme than previous years. Where previously the three animals in a box were mostly related by their colour (e.g. Panda, Penguin and Orca) this year an effort seems to have been made to also bring together animals from a region. Lego generously gifted us one of each of these sets to review, the North American, African and Australian sets.

First off, we will have a look at the North American group of animals under the banner of 31393 Forest Animals: Grey Wolf. This set contains instructions to build three alternative animals that I would associate with North America: a falcon, a raccoon, and a wolf. If it wasn’t for the raccoon this would also fit for Northern Europe, but this particular type of fur-tail is native only to North America.

The set contains 657 pieces and retails for AU$89.99/£44.99/US$49.99/49.99 and is available now. This set provides decent value for money, as is quite common for creator sets, and it embodies what made LEGO famous originally: the ability to build different things from the same bricks.

Follow me to explore the three models in this set and see if you agree this is indeed a North American set, and discover which of these animals would be your favourite.

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72537 Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird (review)

BrankotheFather K-Pop Demon Hunters, Lego, Review , , , ,

When LEGO teased K-Pop demon hunters a little while ago with a blue paw and a flower pot two thoughts went through my head. What about that movie converts well to LEGO sets? And, ooh… the sidekicks, now that would be cool! Cue 72537 Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird, a set with the two main sidekicks containing 825 pieces retailing for AU$119.99/£59.99/US$69.99/€69.99. LEGO generously gifted this set for us to review.

LEGO lends itself well to vehicles and buildings (for example, see One Piece sets) but K-Pop Demon Hunters is entirely character driven with very few memorable ‘things’. When I heard about the theme, I expected something like former Legendary Lego Designer Marcos Bessa’s ideas submission or some other large-scale character builds, which did not appeal to me at all (sorry Marcos, I do love your work).

Three cartoon-style action figures standing on a colourful platform, featuring distinctive hairstyles and outfits. The figures hold various accessories and are posed dynamically against a vibrant blue background.
This is what I expected to see when LEGO Announced a KPop Demon Hunters theme

Lucky for me, there has been a trend of LEGO to release sculptures of side-kicks from various animations (and even ‘heroes’ themselves… Shrek anyone?), so it seems natural that the stars (for me) of K-Pop Demon Hunters would get the brick-treatment: the ‘tiger’ Derpy, and the ‘bird’ Sussie.

A large, animated-looking blue cat made of building blocks, featuring bright orange eyes and sharp teeth. The cat is sitting beside a small black character holding a stick, with a pot of pink flowers in the foreground.

Derpy is a supernatural tiger that is… well… a bit derpy, which is probably why I relate to this character’s personality more than to the 5 antagonists (demons with supernatural pop-star allure) and the protagonists (pop stars with a side hustle of demon-slaying and protecting the world). Derpy is friendly but has an issue with wandering focus which is expressed by his eyes wandering in individual directions, making him even more adorable to me.

Sussie, is a bit of a suspicious character (hence the name) with way more eyes than seems comfortable.

Keep reading to find out if this first step into the world of K-Pop Demon Hunters is worthwhile, and if you are new to this world, you may feel inspired to see more of this unusual duo.

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LEGO® ICONS 11376 Model T Ford: A Classic Car, Over a Century in the Making

BrankotheFather Lego
LEGO ICONS 11376 Model T Ford set, showcasing a detailed model of a classic car with a black body, yellow front, and white wheels, displayed against a dark background.

More than 100 years ago when cars were an uncommon sight on roads, decades before Ole Kirk Kristiansen started making wooden toys, and long before the name LEGO was chosen, Henry Ford caused ripples in history with this car; the 11376 Model T Ford. This set comes with 1060 pieces for AU$ 199.99 / € 129.99 / US$ 129.99 / £ 119.99 and will be available from the 1st of March 2026 (113 years after the car that inspired it was first produced).

A model of a vintage car made from construction blocks, featuring a black body with white and black wheels, a brown front section, and a roof.

To say this is a ‘classic’ doesn’t quite do it justice. Many more (newer) cars would be considered classics, but this is a little different. Henry Ford decided he wanted to build a motor car for anyone, so that every family could own a car and “enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.” Up until that point cars were an expensive excess only for the wealthy. To achieve this dream, Ford used assembly line manufacturing, effectively kicking off the era of mass-production.

A group of children and a young adult stand together in a garden, posing next to a structure made of wooden toy trains and other wooden constructions set on a wooden table and ladder.
LEGO’s first product line is presented in 1932 (photo courtesy of LEGO.com)

It may feel like LEGO has been around forever (or certainly for as long most of us have been alive), but when LEGO was founded this particular car was already part of history. Notice in the photo above, showing he first production line with a car (on the right ladder) surprisingly similar to this car. Was that a model T?

Join me as I explore some history of classic cars with LEGO, and dive into this particular model, generously gifted by LEGO. All opinions are our own.

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42218 John Deere 1670H Wheeled Harvester, or pretzel deliverer

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , ,
A LEGO model of a John Deere 1670H wheeled harvester with a mechanical arm picking up a pretzel from a plate.

In our review of 71513Nightmare Scorpion Digger we briefly explored how a smaller portion of Technic sets are for something other than cars. Here we can celebrate such a not-a-car set, with 42218 John Deere 1670H Wheeled Harvester, a small set with 117 pieces for AU$14.99/£8.99/US$9.99/€9.99

A toy tractor model made from building blocks, featuring a green body, yellow wheels, and a mechanical arm with a brown attachment.
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LEGO DREAMZZz 71514 Dino Jet, as in Dino-Soar [review]

BrankotheFather DREAMZZz, Lego, Review , , , , , , , ,
LEGO set 71514 Dino Jet featuring a large dinosaur model with orange and gray colors alongside a flying craft, set against a white background.

Dinosaurs are cool. Dinosaurs keep appearing in LEGO sets from time to time for that exact reason. Over time 305 sets have appeared with an association to the word ‘Dino’, of which 102 for Jurassic world! The most popular dinos in LEGO are raptors (74) and T-rexes (85) and various other theropods (two-legged dinosaurs, ancestors of birds).

Far less common are sauropods such as brachiosaurus, for which only 23 sets can be found and Stegosaurus for which we can only see 16 sets! Introducing 71514 Dino Jet, offering you both a stegosaurus and a sauropod in a two-in-one package! With 1007 pieces this set is the second smallest(!) set in the January 2026 Dreamzzz range and retails for AU$149.99/£89.99/US$99.99/€99.99.

A colorful LEGO dinosaur model with a mechanical design, featuring a long neck, a dinosaur-like head with sharp teeth, and a segmented body in orange and gray colors. The model stands upright with its arms and legs positioned to give a dynamic appearance.

LEGO generously gifted this set so we could share our own opinion on it with you. It is cool. It is dinosaur.

Read on if you would like some more details…

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Is that you Eris? 71512 Crocodile Submarine review

BrankotheFather DREAMZZz, Lego, Review , , , , , ,
A LEGO set featuring a crocodile submarine with a large head and bright colors, accompanied by a purple character wielding a bow and black creatures with pink claws.

Branko continues his reviews of the latest LEGO Dreamzzz Sets, and finds the ‘B’ on this one strangely familiar. In many different ways!

When LEGO gifted this set for review my eye was immediately drawn to the alternate build on the back of the box; the eagle. There is quite a lot to see in this set before we get to that point, so join me while I share my opinion on this set, and highlight several references and associations this set conjures.

A vibrant LEGO set featuring a blue and yellow eagle-themed robot with intricate details and an additional smaller black and purple figure, surrounded by several small spider-like creatures.

For example, is Logan the dreamworld manifestation of Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon? Does this mean Dreamzzz may become a licensed series after all, or does it still qualify as a story theme (read my essay on that here)? How does Eris the eagle tie into all of this?

This set was gifted by LEGO but all opinions are our own. 71512 Crocodile Submarine comes in with 1107pieces as the second largest and the second cheapest set in the Dreamzzz 2026 line for AU$109.99/£59.99/$69.99/€69.99

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