Tag: LEGO Book Review

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Side

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Side | Book Review

Dorling Kindersley has sent me a review copy of their latest book LEGO Star Wars : The Dark Side (Uncover The Secrets Of The Sith).

The book is the latest in DK’s large hardcover titles with free exclusive minifigures, this time an exclusive Emperor Palpatine figure (a character who is hard to find in sets), and it is similar in size to books like the LEGO Yoda Chronicles and LEGO Star Wars Visual Guide.

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Side

LEGO Star Wars The Dark SideThe book is described as a guide to all the elements of the Dark Side, including characters, ships, weapons, accessories of the Dark Side from all six movies and also including The Clone Wars, The Yoda Chronicles and beyond – essentially everywhere there is a LEGO set featuring members of the Sith, then this book has it covered.

Lighter Side Of The Dark Side

But it’s not just a guidebook. The Dark Side has quite the sense of humour too, incorporating funny speech balloons into photos that recreate famous moments from the Star Wars universe with LEGO minifigures.

It also has some truly funny articles like a scandalous report revealing that Darth Vader is none other than podracing champion Anakin Skywalker and includes interviews with a few of Darth Vader’s old friends/foes including C3PO, Wald and Sebulba.

Other articles include ‘excerpts’ from Vader’s diary as well as guide to Galactic Domination, Emperor Palpatine style.

His lordship’s take on Tatooine?

“Ugh, Tatooine. Darth Vader tells me such horror stories about that desert planet. Too much sand for me – it’s itchy and annoying and gets everywhere. Note to sandtroopers: pack plenty of water and dewback food.
Mission: Avoid At All Costs”

So you can see it’s not a dry index of elements but gives fans of LEGO Star Wars a truly humorous approach to the dark side of the force. It’s pretty cool really and a great read for kids, however those seeking a definitive resource on the villains of the LEGO Star Wars universe would do well to look elsewhere (perhaps to the LEGO Star Wars Visual Guide – Expanded Edition).

At just under 100 pages, and an exclusive free figure (of a hard to find character) it is great value and deserves a place on any LEGO fan’s bookshelf. Thanks again to DK for the review copy.

LEGO The Dark Side

Journey to the dark side of a galaxy far, far away and meet the LEGO® Star Wars minifigure members of the ruthless Imperial Army in LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side!

Witness Darth Vader battling Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, meet the Sith and all of Darth Vader’s minifigure subjects, and explore the Death Star and all of the Sith starships. Turn the pages to find facts and information about your favorite LEGO Star Wars minifigures and vehicles from the dark side in action-packed situations and discover everything there is to know about the legendary Darth Vader.

With new and exciting photography and an evil exclusive minifigure, LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side will have you questioning on which side your allegiances lie.

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Side Image Gallery

LEGO Amazing Vehicles Book Review

LEGO Amazing Vehicles – Build-It Book Review

LEGO Amazing Vehicles Book ReviewNo Starch Press were kind enough to send me a copy of their latest LEGO construction book, The LEGO Build-It Book Amazing Vehicles.

So naturally once it arrived in my house the book immediately disappeared for 2 weeks and finally surfaced after my son had thoroughly “read” and “re-read” each and every minute detail on each and every page.

As far as reviews go I’d say that this book passed with flying colours.

The LEGO Build-It Book Amazing Vehicles

Essentially the book consists of 10 detailed instructions for various vehicles that can be built with the set 5867, LEGO Creator Super Speedster which comes with 278 pieces.

It is wonderful that the book only requires the pieces from one set to complete all the models. The downside to this approach is that this particular set was released in 2010 and so is now quite hard to find – hard or “expensive”.

However every cloud has a silver lining.

As with most Creator sets, the parts included are fairly generic. There are very few parts that are rare or expensive to acquire individually. There are a full list of parts required in the front of the Amazing Vehicles book or you can find them itemised at Brickset. So if you don’t have the 5867 set, then head over to Bricklink and pick up the pieces you don’t have.

Models and Instructions

The  models themselves are beautifully designed – the perfect balance of practical functionality and design ingenuity. The instructions are clear and easy to follow.

LEGO Amazing Vehicles Book Image 1

Every now and then a cartoon-character guide informs readers about the specific construction techniques used. This allows keen designers to get an inside look into the creative decisions made by authors, Nathanaël Kuipers and Mattia Zamboni who made sure the models stand up to use.

Overall the book is a winner and if you can combine it with the afore-mentioned Creator set then it is the perfect combination for kids and big kids) who want to make the most of their LEGO building collection.

The Brick Link Review: Highly Recommended

LEGO Amazing Vehicles – Build-It Book Details

  • Paperback: 136 pages
  • Publisher: No Starch Press (July 19, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 159327503X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1593275037
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
  • Purchase Price: $19.95
  • Available From: Amazon or No Starch Press (includes ebook with book)

LEGO Amazing Vehicles Book Image 2BUILD 10 COOL MODELS!

With just one collection of LEGO® bricks, you can build any of these 10 models—from the simple Go-Kart to the intricate Rescue Truck.

Handy tips and advanced building techniques will inspire you to create your own amazing models for even more fun!

  • Off-Roader
  • Go-Kart
  • Muscle Car
  • Stroller
  • Multi-Purpose Truck
  • Historic Racer
  • Classic Car
  • Wheel Loader
  • Street Rod
  • Rescue Truck

LEGO Amazing Vehicles – Build-It Book Images