Available on Amazon, eBay.
Price: $25 - $35
Sluban #: M38-B0108
Pieces: 209
Overall Rating:
(Small issues with stickers, instructions, weak mini-figure.)
So this plane turned out to be a lot larger than I expected it would be- it's only got 209 pieces so it is a relatively quick build. I was left with a plane larger than the Lego City Coast Guard Prop Plane (#60015), both pictured below for size comparison.
Understand this model retails for roughly the USD equivalent of $14.50 in China. A comparable Lego set (not that they make one) would easily be $40 to $50 or more for a set of this physical size. It is a "cheaper" brick and you can tell. On some larger pieces the "pips" are not fully formed. It didn't stop any pieces from fitting together but it is obvious the quality control isn't anywhere close to what you would be used to from Lego or even Mega Bloks. That said, if you consider Lego to be a perfect 10 on a 10 point scale, these bricks were an easy 7. Everything worked, everything fit together, and there were no missing pieces.
The only real problem I ran into was one step in the instructions. Step 7 I believe. Like with Lego instructions the bricks you actively place on that step are in full color while the existing bricks are kind of greyed out. There was one brick that was greyed out that should have been in full color because you had to place it in that step. A relatively minor issue- caused a bit of confusion- but not all that bad.
There could be improvements... The wheels/tires leave a lot to be desired. There is no rubber, the tires are hard plastic just like the other bricks. The axles that hold them in place are a bit too small for the hole- while they don't fall off but they allow too much play which gives the wheels a very loose feel.
The overall build was decent. There were a few places I felt they were a bit stingy on the bricks, leaving empty spaces where I personally would have filled in with bricks for more strength- not that the final model needs additional strength- it has a very solid feel- but there is a lot of empty space below the shell.
The mini figure is a little different than your typical Lego- it is not an exact duplicate. The legs and arms move much more easily than Lego. Actually one arm fell off as soon as I moved it but I pushed it back in and it was fine. The helmet is of similar design but again, not exact.
The yellow/black "joystick" brick was the biggest difference from its Lego Equivalent brick. The Lego version the base and stick are shipped pre-assembled as one piece. In this model they are separate pieces and it's a ball and socket rather than the Lego that rotates only in one plane. The Lego version is a lot sturdier. (Lego calls the piece a mini-antenna.)
There was a small sticker issue. There is "Warning" sticker with an arrow. One on each side of the plane. I suspect it is supposed to be warning people not to get close to an engine or not to step on something, but whatever it is they printed two identical stickers, one for each side of the plane. The problem is that means one arrow points forward and one points backwards- they should have printed a separate sticker with the arrow reversed in one, this way the arrow can point the same direction on each side of the plane.
Overall I enjoyed the build and the final result. The money saved was well worth the extra annoyances. I am confident enough I will try one of their larger models in the future. I will proudly display it next to my other Lego models.
Price: $25 - $35
Sluban #: M38-B0108
Pieces: 209
Overall Rating:
(Small issues with stickers, instructions, weak mini-figure.)
So this plane turned out to be a lot larger than I expected it would be- it's only got 209 pieces so it is a relatively quick build. I was left with a plane larger than the Lego City Coast Guard Prop Plane (#60015), both pictured below for size comparison.
Understand this model retails for roughly the USD equivalent of $14.50 in China. A comparable Lego set (not that they make one) would easily be $40 to $50 or more for a set of this physical size. It is a "cheaper" brick and you can tell. On some larger pieces the "pips" are not fully formed. It didn't stop any pieces from fitting together but it is obvious the quality control isn't anywhere close to what you would be used to from Lego or even Mega Bloks. That said, if you consider Lego to be a perfect 10 on a 10 point scale, these bricks were an easy 7. Everything worked, everything fit together, and there were no missing pieces.
The only real problem I ran into was one step in the instructions. Step 7 I believe. Like with Lego instructions the bricks you actively place on that step are in full color while the existing bricks are kind of greyed out. There was one brick that was greyed out that should have been in full color because you had to place it in that step. A relatively minor issue- caused a bit of confusion- but not all that bad.
There could be improvements... The wheels/tires leave a lot to be desired. There is no rubber, the tires are hard plastic just like the other bricks. The axles that hold them in place are a bit too small for the hole- while they don't fall off but they allow too much play which gives the wheels a very loose feel.
The overall build was decent. There were a few places I felt they were a bit stingy on the bricks, leaving empty spaces where I personally would have filled in with bricks for more strength- not that the final model needs additional strength- it has a very solid feel- but there is a lot of empty space below the shell.
The mini figure is a little different than your typical Lego- it is not an exact duplicate. The legs and arms move much more easily than Lego. Actually one arm fell off as soon as I moved it but I pushed it back in and it was fine. The helmet is of similar design but again, not exact.
The yellow/black "joystick" brick was the biggest difference from its Lego Equivalent brick. The Lego version the base and stick are shipped pre-assembled as one piece. In this model they are separate pieces and it's a ball and socket rather than the Lego that rotates only in one plane. The Lego version is a lot sturdier. (Lego calls the piece a mini-antenna.)
There was a small sticker issue. There is "Warning" sticker with an arrow. One on each side of the plane. I suspect it is supposed to be warning people not to get close to an engine or not to step on something, but whatever it is they printed two identical stickers, one for each side of the plane. The problem is that means one arrow points forward and one points backwards- they should have printed a separate sticker with the arrow reversed in one, this way the arrow can point the same direction on each side of the plane.
Overall I enjoyed the build and the final result. The money saved was well worth the extra annoyances. I am confident enough I will try one of their larger models in the future. I will proudly display it next to my other Lego models.