As I write, news is just emerging that the Lego Group have decided to abandon the DOTS range. Launched in March 2020, it seems like another 'Three years and you're done' sort of theme. It's difficult to tell what the driver behind the decision might be - with relatively simple pieces across the theme, it was unlikely to have been the mostly costly to develop. No apps, like Vidiyo, no elaborate worlds to create like some more story-driven themes. Maybe it didn't sell that well. Or maybe it was only ever intended to be a short-term thing.
These 'specialised' themes do seem to come and go, whereas the more 'back to basics' sort of ideas just continue, keeping the company going (1) and, presumably, allowing the Lego Group to experiment with the more outlandish themes in the hope that one of them proves to be a profit-generating unit shifter like Ninjago. One of the stalwarts of the Lego portfolio is the Creator 3-in-1 series. Ranging from just a few pounds to the pinnacle of the current range, the £114.99, 31109 Pirate Ship, there is something for everyone. Buildings, ships, cars, animals and much more besides, these sets are great parts packs, and come with - as the name suggests - three different builds to spark the imagination of even the least creative builder.
That'll be me then.
Thanks to my Brickset Secret Santa, I received a parcel of delightfully rattly things at Christmas, and one of them was 31111 Creator 3-in-1 Cyber Drone. And this morning I got building...
The Lego Creator, 3-in-1 Cyber Drone retails for an extremely reasonable £8.99 and comes with 113 pieces, including a Cyber Drone Robot minifigure. He (she? it?) comes with silver legs and torso, featuring the classic Space logo, plus some greebling back and front, white arms and blue hands. The head is a very cool trans-blue with a single face print and some electronic circuitry printed on the back. Difficult to tell whether he's a 'goodie' a 'baddie' or just a robot. It (let's stick with 'it' for the sake of simplicity) doesn't have the friendliest looking face, but with no trace of a Cyberdine Systems logo, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming it doesn't intend to overthrow its human creators and enslave them with its plastic fists. (2)
The set comes with a mix of parts that are mostly in the black, bluish-grey and orange colour palette, with a few white and trans-blue elements thrown in too. There's also a windscreen element (3) which will come in useful for those who like to MOC small planes / spacecraft etc.
Each of the three builds comes with its own instruction manual, so let's kick off with the main build, the Cyber Drone.
Manual for main build - the Cyber Drone
This is a neat little aircraft that takes about 15 mins to build and uses almost all of the parts in the box. It's a compact, futuristic-looking plane that's eminently swooshable and fairly robust - no loose parts that can get knocked off if you get a little enthusiastic with it. Understandably, for a model of this size, there's not much in the way of features or functions: the two engines can be rotated, in the manner of a vertical take off and landing sort of craft, like the renowned Hawker Harrier jump jet, and the windscreen tips forward to allow you to place the pilot inside. And that's about it.
Second up is, according to the Lego website, a "super-fast hoverbike".
It's a hoverbike - you get to decide how fast it is.
This used maybe two-thirds of the available pieces and I have to say the finished article, which took about ten minutes to make, looks pretty cool. It reminded me of a cross between a racing kart and the ships that feature in the Wipeout video game series. Again, no features to speak off - you can adjust the angles of the rear fins, but that's about it - but it doesn't detract from the fun. For an alternative build, good job, Lego designer, George Gilliatt!
Lastly, in a change from things that fly, we have a mech.
The Cyber-Mech. For when you need to stomp!
This comes across like a playful (and more colourful) version of the power loader that Ripley used to fight off the queen in Aliens. Standing around four inches tall, the legs spin (but don't move - you can't make it walk), while both arms are articulated with ball joints, The left arm has a hand of sorts while the right arm is, I would imagine, some sort of laser drill. Again, this model uses about 70 of the 113 parts and takes about ten minutes to construct.
I really liked this set. The fact that it was a present rather than a purchase was undoubtedly a bonus, but that aside, it's still a great little pack. All three designs could easily be modded, or enlarged with the addition of your own parts and kids (of all ages) will enjoy putting it together.
So if you're looking for a reward for good behaviour on a Saturday morning trip to the supermarket - or even if you want something for the children - this is a wallet friendly set that has a cool minifigure, plenty of play value and will be a good addition to the parts collection (4) when you've tired of zooming it around the room.
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1. Keep it down at the back, Bionicle fans!
2. Let's hope, anyway.
3. 6244793, Cockpit 2x5x2 w/shaft, fact fans!
4. Or of course you could deconstruct it, put all the parts into a ziploc bag and put it carefully back in its box, like any sane person.
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