I decided to pick this set up because of another AFOL (Reece) shared some photos of the build and it simply looked too “cute” to resist. This little 52 piece set is an original design from Constructibles and costs 9.99 USD (before shipping). Not exactly cheap, and something that you could actually brick link for less if you had the parts list and patience - but there's always a price to pay for instant gratification. The Snoopy build looks excellent from a far, but true fans will find that we’re missing something after the build.
Box (Rating : 1/5)
The bricks came in a transparent ziplock bag with instructions printed on both sides of an A4 piece of paper. Compared to a regular Lego polybag or boxed set, this doesn’t really hold up. As I’m not a box and packaging person, it really doesn’t matter. It makes sense to keep it this way to avoid additional postage for shipping. So, in that manner, I give it a thumbs up. Less paper, less wastage. The low rating given is specifically with a baseline and reference to Lego printed polybags and boxes.
Parts (Rating : 2/5)
A whole lotta white elements that is. As with any Lego build, its always this amazing feat of random looking squares and shapes that magically transforms into a solid looking object. Nothing spectacular to look out for except to watch that black round element to not roll off the table. That’s the ball element that’s used for his infamous nose.
The Build & Instructions (Rating : 3/5)
It really is quite straightforward, but you do need to pay attention to how it all sticks together. The instruction sequence doesn’t convey the build steps as good as Lego does, and I did have to stare at one particular step where a piece of 1x2 tile seemed to be hanging mid-air and not attached to any piece. Only by looking at the subsequent step did i realise how it all fits together. We may take our Lego build manuals and steps for granted, but in actual fact, the order of the build and how its depicted is extremely important to have a good build experience. In fact, this is where we all make the mistake of thinking that Lego is all bricks where the real value and actual Intellectual Property and time investment spent are in the instruction and sequences. Hence I always secretly assume to understand why Lego never releases high resolutions of their instructions on the web as PDF files.
My set did seem to have a problem with the neckpiece where the element to represent the red collar being loose. Lifting Snoopy by the head while tightening and building other parts could leave him headless. This could be a factor of my bricks not having sufficient clutch power or simply design wise - take your pick. (Deja Vu - Wall-E) The nosepiece is also weak in clutch power and you do have to be careful picking it up.
With these two major weakness, the Snoopy should be only for display purposes and not in the hands of your young ones to play a scene.
The completed model (Rating : 4/5)
I give the completed model a high score but not perfect for two reasons. The final build looks like an extruded 2D model of Snoopy as opposed to a 3D model. I’m willing to forgive this because Snoopy exists in a 2D world, and this quite captures the outline from that standpoint. The hands and legs of Snoopy just doesn’t quite cut it from what Snoopy really looks like, but the infamous head and ears captures the essence and is identifiable immediately. But once you start to stare down and look at the hands/legs, you wonder if it could be built better somehow. Credit’s given to the model for the overall look and elements used to fuse the build together.
Overall (Rating 3/5)
The essential essence of Snoopy is captured if viewed from the right angles and well at this size and it does look good from afar. True fans will realise that Snoopy does not (or rarely wears a red collar). The red that you see Snoopy with is actually a scarf when he’s out for winter and pretending to be a pilot with his brown goggles. What’s also missing is his tail! The back view is basically looks almost like an unfinished build. Perhaps someone out there can tweak this little guy to give it a good finishing and I believe a nice MOC of Woodstock which I’ve seen out in the community out there will add value to the overall scene. Perhaps one day Lego will release a Snoopy out there to delight all fans, but this is as good as it gets for those of us that have a lack of MOC skills and yet need something ready made off the shelves.
Note: The golden bricks and transparent yellow is from the recent 853345 Set: Holiday Bauble with Gold Bricks. The letters used to spell Snoopy is from the 850425 Set: Desk Business Card Holder.
I have no affiliation with Constructibles, but if you’re interested, here’s the link to purchase.
http://shop.constructibles.net/lego-snoopy-mini-build-parts-instructions-kit-genuine-new-lego-pieces/
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