RYAN'S VINTAGE GI JOE & TOY BRICKS BLOG

        We thought we would throw a little Lego "Brickheadz" Beauty And The Beast review at you today. Fitting, seeing as how the live action motion picture makes it's United States debut tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day, 3-17-2017! To say the least, we are very excited for the new movie, and yeah, maybe the green beer too! We have been fans of Belle and the Beast since childhood. With that being said...onto our review!

        Released Spring 2017, Lego's Brickheadz are just what the doctor ordered. They are a perfect way to collect and display your favorite movie, TV, game, and comic book characters. Standing just over 3" tall without the baseplate and comprised of 139 pieces, Belle (set 41595) #11, is small enough to display tabletop at home or in the office. She includes all of Belle's iconic features, which include, her original beautiful yellow ball gown, her flowing long brown hair with ribbon, earrings, and of course the iconic fairy tale rose, which she holds in her right hand. She stands on her baseplate which includes a number "1," indicating series number, and the original Brickheadz logo. Great looking piece!

        Released at the same time as Belle, the Beast (set 41596) #12, is comprised of 116 pieces. His most noticeable features include his iconic blue evening waistcoat, mane, horns, and tail. The detailed pieces reflect his most noticeable features in extraordinarily bright, recognizable colors. He also stands just over 3" tall without the baseplate. He looks just splendid standing beside his love, Belle. A true classic, if you're a Disney fan.

        Both Brickheadz retail in the United States for $9.99. A small drop in the bucket for what you get in return; a constant throwback to the great memories of the classic childhood animated fairy tale! We recommend picking these two up at your local Lego store or online at shop.lego.com. They are sure to please and will possibly grow in value as time progresses! Until our next Lego review, over and out!

~Ryan's Vintage GI JOE & Toy Bricks

On April 1, 2017 (March 17, 2017 for VIP Member Early Access Only) Lego is releasing set 71042 "The Silent Mary" Pirate Ship from Disney's long running Pirates Of The Caribbean film series. The set is said to include 2,200+ pieces and 8 Minifigures. It will exclusively only be sold through shop.lego.com or at the Lego Store for $199.99 USD. Check it out! 

Minifigures: (Left to right)

1. Captain Jack Sparrow 
2. Henry
3. Carina 
4. Captain Armando Salazar 
5. Officer Magda
6. Silent Mary Masthead
7. Lieutenant Lesaro 
8. Officer Santos 

~Ryan's Vintage GI JOE & Toy Bricks 

Are you just getting into the vintage 12 inch GI JOE collecting hobby? Are you wondering which accessories go to which set? If so, then we would recommend "The New Official Identification Guide To GI JOE 1964-1978," by James DeSimone. In our opinion, this is the best reference guide in the hobby. The featured picture is of our personal copy of the book. As you can see, it's quite worn. It still gets a lot of use from us! The book does a great job at highlighting each specific Hasbro GI JOE set, the specific accessories in those sets, and what year the set was introduced. It's mainly pictures, which in our opinion, is the best way to identify anything GI JOE. You can find an inexpensive copy of the book online by doing a simple name search. Well spent money if you're a vintage Joe collector. 

~Ryan's Vintage GI JOE & Toy Bricks

www.ryansvintagegijoeandtoybricks.com 

          Today we are submitting our review of the Lego Disney Castle, set 71040, released in September 2016. This particular set is from our personal collection, and to date, is one of our favorites. 

          We are going to start by saying that this is truly a "magical" set and captures The Walt Disney Castle beautifully. It comes very close to making you believe it's the real deal (if you were mouse size). There are 4,064 Lego pieces included and 5 Minifigures. The figures that come with this set are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Tinkerbell. On May 1, 2016, Lego released The Disney Character Minifigure Series. Daisy Duck and Donald Duck are repeats from that series. However, Mickey and Minnie are exclusives to this set, as they are dressed in evening wear for their first appearance at the Castle. Tinker Bell is also an exclusive Minifigure to this set, she is highly sought after, and rightfully so; considering the beauty and magic she possesses.

          This massive set took us about a total of 12 hours (constructing on and off, over a 3 day period) to build, and we enjoyed every minute of it. The details on the inside and outside of the Castle are gorgeous and couldn't have been designed any better, in our opinion. We love how each of the rooms on the inside of the Castle have a different Disney movie theme. Lego even added a working "firework popper" in one of the tower windows to give the Castle a real deal feel.

          We love the design and content included in the actual instruction book itself. It's quite thick, but we dig that the entire instructions for building are condensed into one book instead of strung out into several different numbered manuals (as Lego is infamous for doing). At the beginning of the instruction book there is an explanation as to which Disney Movies are being showcased inside each of the themed rooms, as well as a short history of the actual Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. So if you're a fan of Disney (which you probably are, if you are considering buying this set), then you'll thoroughly enjoy flipping through the pages of this book.

           As far as the actual pieces themselves are concerned, we came across an array of what looks to be exclusive "bricks" to this set. Out of our many years of building, we have never laid eyes on some of these pieces. Which makes sense, because we are sure Lego had to design exclusive bricks to be able to capture the beauty found inside the Castle. In addition, there are more actual Lego "printed" pieces included in this set than in a typical normal one. We were happy with this because it dramatically reduced the number of actual stickers we had to apply, and we love that (stickers can be pesky if you're a "stickler" at getting them placed perfectly straight). Although fewer stickers were required, there was still quite a few to be placed, mainly the big "stone" stickers that go on the outside of the Castle. Tedious to do, but not overwhelming. 

            There is so many things about this Castle that make it unique. Lego really outdid themselves with this set! We may be partially biased because of our love for Disney, but we don't think so. The Castle is currently displayed in our climate controlled collectible room (because...only the best for this Castle). It is an amazing display piece, and it never gets old to look at. If for the briefest of moments, it brings you back to your childhood and the memories spent with family at the park (at least for us it does). This set is a must have for any Disney/Lego fan. From the easy to follow instructions to the detailed Castle peak, the build is seamless. The Lego Castle carries a $349.99 price tag. A bit steep, yes, but worth every penny in our opinion.  

            Kudos to Lego! The designers did an outstanding job on this very nostalgic piece. We have a feeling that this set will be highly sought after for years to come. 

~Ryan's Vintage GI JOE & Toy Bricks