Category: Lego Reviews

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 Friends Character Encyclopedia Review

Lego Friends Character Encyclopedia ReviewDK was kind enough to send me a review copy of the LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia for review.

This volume is the latest addition to the LEGO Character Encyclopedia series which includes Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, Ninjago Character Encyclopedia and Harry Potter Characters Of the Magical World.

Each of these volumes is a small hardcover, slightly smaller than the big DK Lego books but still larger than a paperback novel. Each volume also comes with a mini figure, often exclusive to the book.

In the case of the LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia the free mini figure is Naya and she comes with a small bag and phone. Naya has appeared in the set Heartlake Juice Bar, but of course this exclusive figure is slightly unique. She still sports a purple skirt and white shirt but on close observation the pattern on the shirt and the colour of her shoes are different.

In truth the figure is not terribly exciting and if you already have the Juice Bar set, the slight variation in her outfit is not a reason to buy the book. But rest assured the content of the Encyclopedia more than makes up for the figure’s shortcomings.

LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia Review

The book comes with 170 pages of photos and content about the Lego Friends series, up to the releases of early 2014. Chapter sections include the Characters, Animals, Hobbies, Locations and Vehicles of Heartlake City, the home of the friends.

It is a thick book and each unique element warrants its own page which includes captioned photos, anecdotes about the characters/sets and little facts that will add to fans’ understanding of the Friends’ interests and skills. A handy index in the back of the book makes the content easy to navigate.

My daughter picked the book up and was engrossed for at least an hour. I would recommend the book as a resource for fans, no matter the age. Younger children can flip through the book for the images and hopefully use it as a stepping stone to reading while older fans will revel in the details.

Thanks to DK for the review copy.

LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia

Take a trip to Heartlake City and join in on the fun with the LEGO® Friends in the new LEGO® Friends Character Encyclopedia from DK.

Meet Mia, Stephanie, Andrea, Olivia, and Emma-and all the LEGO Friends characters! Find out about their pets, hobbies, vehicles, and favorite places to just hang out. Learn about their likes and dislikes, their cool outfits, and even discover their top secrets!

Featuring tons of images and fascinating facts about the popular LEGO Friends sets and mini-dolls, LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia also comes with a mini-doll in a new and exclusive outfit and two cool accessories!

LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia Images