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Name: "Light & Sound" Halloween Mini Blocks
Distributor: Dr. Star
Model: 611B-614B
Pcs: 337/349/325/339
Like I said last year, Halloween is a time to embrace the goofier side of horror. To make up fantastical stories and exaggerate symbols and traditions passed down for thousands of years. Despite what fundamentalist Christians and other extremist fear-mongering groups want to believe, it's traditionally be a time to EXPEL evil, by bribing evil spirits, hiding behind scary masks, or simply gathering together to party so the damned can't pick you off one-by-one. So by celebrating Halloween, we're getting rid of the evil that's surrounded our lives, not welcoming it!
Heck, if you want a holiday to demonize, then what about the ancient traditions of Christmas, most of whose traditions have been taken from pagan beliefs, such as bringing nature spirits into the house through greenery and receiving gifts from the Roman god Saturn? The celebration of Christmas has even been banned by Christian groups throughout history for being too "pagan and unbiblical!" ...Just saying that if you want a holiday to demonize, please note that the holiday most religious defend is the one where people have historically WORSHIPED these spirits Halloween is meant to drive out! ...But I digress.
So go ahead and do your trick-or-treating or your partying or your TPing of other people's houses* or whatever you do to celebrate the holiday. Me, I'm sticking with my annual tradition of keeping the lights off in my house as to not attract any trick or treaters and giving you a look at something Halloweeny.
*ZC-Infinity and The Brick Miser do not promote the TPing of someone's house. We are not responsible for any illegal acts perpetrated on Halloween by drunk and/or stupid people. Drink responsibly and drive safely. And don't wear black when crossing a street. Even if your costume's theme is "Invisible Pedestrian."
...Yeah, I wish...
Last year, we took at look at the Scooby-Doo Plug n Play game. ...And that's the only Plug n Play game I can find that fits the Halloween or horror themes in any way.
I guess there are the Haunted House games on the Atari Flashback, but I'm not exactly into featuring snippets from Plug n Play compilations as full reviews. I'll feature them when we actually talk about the Flashback. ...Whenever that might be.
I have been dying to feature the 3DO on this blog, and there are several horror-themed games for that console. ...But I think we need a more in-depth look at the console as a whole before I dive into its library.
So I guess this year, we'll just skip the games and take a look at a Halloween-themed brick set.
Unlike Christmas-themed sets, brick sets focused around Halloween and the horror genre are much more in abundance. Why? Because horror is a year-round thing. EVERY day's a good day to be scared! So you'll find no shortage of official and unofficial horror-themed brick sets from a good number of first- and third-party manufacturers.
Like these Block Tech Poundland-exclusive Fright Nite sets that I would KILL to have! ...But the UK is slightly out of my range and not many people sell stuff they get for around a buck on eBay, so that's not likely to happen...
Lego themselves are no stranger to horror-themed sets, whether it's their Monster Fighters sets, their Scooby-Doo licensed models, their "Classics" section of the Lego Studios line, the list goes on.
And let's not forget their seasonal releases of exclusive Halloween sets. If any Legomaniacs need some Halloween-themed sets to decorate their porch and windowsills with, Lego has you covered for anything.
But this year, we're not going to be looking at anything "official." Instead, let's return to our pharmaceutical friends at Dr Star with their Halloween-themed "Light & Sound" nanoblocks.
You may remember that around Christmas last year, I featured their Christmas-themed Light & Sound nanoblocks. The designs were colorful, well-detailed, and surprisingly had some poseability, but it was the 10-minute barrage of Christmas music each base could emit that really sealed their "Must Have" factor. And today, we'll look at their Halloween variant.
The numbering even continues from their Christmas sets to their Halloween models, something I didn't notice before I decided to feature these. ...Good thing I chose to feature the Christmas figures first, or this might have been a bit awkward...
The box art has basically the same format as their Christmas sets, just with a few changes in text placement and Halloween imagery and colors instead of Christmas.
One noticeable difference between them is that instead of their spiel about how these bricks can provide all the education and exercise you'll need, they instead specify that their "Mini Blocks" are indeed "The world's smallest building blocks." ...Well, that's completely subjective. If we're talking about things that clump together to create different things, then wouldn't molecules technically be the "smallest building blocks?" Or atoms? Or neutrons? Or quarks? Or whatever quarks are made of?
Though they do still have their bit of Engrish promotion on the bottom left. Good, the box was starting to feel naked for a second.
Instead of a Christmas tree, we have some generic clip art of a silhouetted cemetery with jack-o-lanterns and bats and "Happy Halloween." It's not as nice or detailed, but it does help set the mood.
EDIT: I have just now realized that the box art for each set actually has its own unique clip art and color for the icons and banner stripe. The vampire is red with a foreboding castle and a large bat, the witch is purple with an old tree and black cat on a gravestone, and the zombie-like guy is blue with a dark forest. I especially love the splotch of blood on the vampire's "Happy Halloween", especially with the tie-in to what his model features, since it's just not a thing you'd expect with more friendly-looking Halloween toys! ...But yeah, I'm embarrassed that I didn't catch this the first time, so they were a lot more creative than I gave them credit for.
What I'm impressed with is that they performed some minor editing to the musical notes floating next to the model and replaced two with a blue ghost and a pumpkin. That's a pretty subtle-yet-creative change to emphasize the more horror-themed sounds instead of the cheery soundtrack the last line had. It's these little things that makes analyzing packaging so fun.
But for a more pointless change, they darkened the bulb for the "Light" function. Why? Because they could.
The back's also not as good as the Christmas sets, as we just get the range of models lined up in a row with no filters or other pictures to make it flashier. At the very least, they could have put a night sky in the background with a yellow moon to spookify it up a bit...
But they do let you know that instead of the Christmas music they paired The Flash with last time, now it's The Flash theme b/w Horror Music. Oh, is that why the latest season is getting some of the highest reviews of the series? ...I'm asking, because I don't actually watch the show...
But here's a comic cover featuring The Flash as a zombie! ...Not as epic as him as Santa, but it sets the atmosphere at least.
And, as last time, we have the "0-3" warning
Yet a whopping 14+ age recommendation on the other side of the bottom of the box!
Anyone between those ages will find themselves surrounded by zombies, only to discover what they just backed into isn't that much better...
As usual, since these nanoblocks take an excruciatingly long time to put together, I preassembled these before I started writing, so here's the fright gang now! Four little monster models with their own dioramas and SPOOOOOKY set pieces. Just with a casual glance, I'd say these are just as well detailed as the Christmas ones last time. ...But does that also apply to their audio?
Now seeing as how the last set had a whopping TWENTY songs it cycled through, I'm guessing we're going to be hearing some Toccata & Fugue, some Funeral March, some Monster Mash, a bit of Thriller, maybe even Swan Lake if they want to include the theme from the original Dracula. There's just as many Halloween songs as Christmas, so the possibilities here are endless! Let's let Igor flip the switch and listen to whatever they stuffed these electronic brick models with this time!
...Well, the light show is as impressive as last time, but the audio... Is slightly lacking, to put it mildly...
Just as another reminder, the last set had TWENTY songs in a 10 minute period, ranging from Angels We Have Heard on High to We Wish You a Merry Christmas. How many do these have?
Yep. There are ZERO songs from these certain models! Instead, we get a very loud and warbly electronic wail-like noise emanating from the speakers... I know you can't hear it through the text, but if you watch the video, it only lasts 10 seconds, it's VERY loud and annoying, and it's the same noise from each of the sound boxes. ...Can you say DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE NTH DEGREE?!
This is like making a video game with a lot of different areas and customization opportunities
Then releasing a completely linear and bug-ridden sequel that quashes everything the previous tried to accomplish!
So really, I should just stop right here. This is what everyone's been waiting for, the main appeal of these sets, and it's a complete and utter disappointment! ...But I guess we need to actually LOOK at the sets now. ...Alright, I guess we can drag ourselves from the depths of this downer and see how the models hold up. Can't be much more of a disaster, can it?
First up, we have ol' Jack Pumpkin Head here, all dressed up with nowhere to go. And with his top hat and cane, this pump be stylin'!
And yes, as with the Christmas models, this also features articulation. ...Though unlike the Christmas models, where 3 out of 4 had moveable joints, this is the exception rather than the rule, being the only Halloween model that features joints. Guess he's the only model that needs to do a little soft-shoeing every so often.
In all seriousness, I REALLY like this design. It incorporates a traditional icon of Halloween with a suave, sophisticated attitude, like he knows he has to scare some people, but he's going to look fabulous doing it! He's the kind of charming guy who'd present you with a dark deal, but he'd be so charming during negotiation, you'd be glad to sign over your immortal soul for candy corn. He's pure evil, but by god, we love him!
The rest of the stuff is basic. We have this brown cross grave marker* sticking out of the ground
*At least I assume it's a grave marker. Maybe he's actually looking to crucify somebody?
And then what I assume are bats. Big, red, amorphous bats on sticks. ...These are lollipops, aren't they? Ol' Jack's offering enormous bat-shaped suckers to suckers in exchange for their souls, isn't he? Well, Jack, if that's what you're doing, then I just have one question for you!
...Are they watermelon-flavored?
Next, we have Drac here. ...A very pale, ginger Drac.
Maybe this is actually what became of David Bowie? He continues to dance that magic dance in the hereafter! ...He just needs the blood of the living to keep it going.
But yeesh, guy. You'd better get those blood-red eyes looked at. That can't be healthy. Maybe you should stop working the graveyard shift?
And, like I mentioned, he features no articulation, his outstretched arms just a construct. ...And by the yellowed glue holding him together, you can probably tell I've had these for a while.
I am really impressed with how they modeled his cape. How they managed to work in these grooves and folds and make it look long and flowing. It would have been much easier to make it a stiff and flat black surface, so that extra mile is appreciated. Now Drac(or Bowie) can look majestic and mysterious even while wearing Justice League Superman's cape.
What his yard is decorated with is a little more interesting than Jack's. First, we have this bat, which actually looks like a bat. It's black, it has these smaller bricks on the bottoms of each wing to make the wings look rounder, and the support holding it is white instead of gray, which surprisingly makes it look less like a lolli. ...I dunno, maybe it's bat-on-a-stick, which Drac's just left sitting around since he's on a purely liquid diet.
He's also surrounded by these little white crucifixes. ...And I mean SURROUNDED! There's one in front of him, one off to the left, and one right next to him. Nothing behind him, but I guess we can assume that the space outside of the boundaries of the base doesn't actually exist in the confines of his world. So somebody actually managed to trap Drac in a ring of crosses, from which there is likely no escape! ...Unless he can turn into a bat and fly out of there. I don't know what the range of the cross' holy power is.
There's even a cross on top of this coffin right next to him. ...But you know what? I'm thinking it's not just sitting there. In my mind, there was another vampire inside that coffin about to emerge, and whoever planted the crosses around the area actually managed to STAKE the vampire inside with an extra-long one! What you're seeing is a coffin lid smashed open by a holy cross that now contains nothing but a big pile of ash & dust. Noice.
But my absolute favorite part of this little diorama is this. ...Yes, there's actually a puddle of blood at Drac's feet! So either whoever enclosed Drac in a ring of crosses didn't get far enough away after finishing his work, or he actually sacrificed somebody else to distract Drac while he trapped him. Or both. This is just so not an element to include for the young kid demographic these are supposedly aimed at. I love it!
Next up, we have ol' Witchiepoo out for a midnight flight.
No, seriously. With her large nose and chin and lighter skin than most other witch depictions, she does look a bit like Witchiepoo from H.R. Pufnstuf. ...Am I too young to be making that comparison?
There's even a little wart on her nose. That's disgustingly adorable.
The rest of her garb is the basic, traditional witch getup. She wears a black, pointy hat with red trim that's seen better days, and a dark purple dress, as opposed to a black one.
What I really like is how they managed to catch her in mid-flight, with her dress and hair blowing back, her arms positioned around the front of the broom, and her legs leaning forward. It legitimately looks like she's flying at top speed through the night sky.
I just hope she laid off the apple cider, otherwise, she'll meet the same fate as those crashed witches we mistake for Halloween decorations. Don't drink and broom, kids.
Her broom, by the way, is one of the more simple yet creative designs I've seen. It would have been easy to just put some straight rows of yellow or tan bricks on the end to simulate broom straw, but instead, they used these stair-like bricks to make them really just out. What you get is something that legitimately looks like a broom. ...And is stupefyingly easy to detach, as you can see...
Her accessories aren't as exciting as Drac's, but there is still some clear creativity. First, we have this section of fence that has clearly broken off from some larger portion surrounding a cemetary that's most likely decayed away over the years. ...Or maybe instantly with some black horror movie magic, who knows?
I quite like how they designed the tombstones. It's the typical gray, arched design you see in most graveyards, but for a bit of flair, they added these black archways(or is that moss) over the stones and crowned them with those little crosses. Again, it's these little things to look for.
And yes, this base was especially tricky to keep on the electronics, so I superglued it on. ...Hoping that doesn't come back to bite me in the face if one of the components needs to be changed...
Finally, we have the zombie of the group. ...And this is especially special, since this isn't the typical Western zombie most of us are accustomed to, but instead a "Jiangshi", or "hopping vampire", which is the more traditional Chinese zombie-like creature. ...A little strange that they'd go with the more Western designs for the other 3 models, then suddenly decide to use a more local folklorish creature that most Westerners wouldn't recognize. Still, a little surprise and variety is appreciated.
According to Chinese legend, a Jiangshi is a reanimated corpse caught in eternal rigor mortis, therefore, it has to hop with its arms outstretched in order to get anywhere, hence the name "hopping vampire." That's why the pose is so awkward, with the arms fully stretched out and the legs behind and locked together. ...And speaking as an ignorant American, I'm sorry, but that sort of reduces the scariness factor. Could you imagine a monster chasing you that moves like one of those stop-motion flying broomstick videos on YouTube?
Admittedly, I've never seen any media that features a Jiangshi, so maybe they're a lot scarier than I'm thinking, but it sounds to me like all you'd need is a puddle of water or some oil slick to keep them from being a threat. At least zombies can shamble towards you with whatever limbs they have available. If this thing's sole method of movement is hopping, just knock 'em down and tell them to enjoy their new occupation as a flat plank...
Anyway, the rest of the design is pretty standard for a Jiangshi. Blue, decaying skin, burial robes, and a hat commonly worn by mandarins from the Qing Dynasty. I guess even Asian vampires keep with the vampiric theme of being mostly blueblooded, aristocratic nobles like Dracula. ...But in also keeping with the zombie theme, I think they'd be a bit more incoherent and less smooth than Bela Lugosi.
In front of him are what I assume to be incense sticks, either used by someone to resurrect this Jiangshi... Or the smell of decaying flesh is a bit too much for even the undead and he needs a break from his rotten meat smell. Can't say I blame him.
And behind him is a more Chinese-like wooden grave marker, again with a large blood puddle staining the ground in front of it! ...Now from the little I know of Jiangshi, I read that Jiangshi don't consume blood or flesh, but instead drain the mystical life force, or "qi", of a living being, effectively shriveling them like a raisin, so they wouldn't perform the violence to spill blood. Now seeing as how I just learned about these things and they're mythological creatures with about as many retellings as the Western vampire and zombie, your interpretation may vary. Still, the blood puddle seems more out of place here than Drac's place.
But my favorite element is this bony hand reaching out of the ground! Just look at how massive it is! Apparently, it's the skeleton of King Kong with how massive it is compared to the figure next to it! Though again, they use those stair-like pieces to give the fingers more of an angle. It's pretty nice for what it is. ...Especially if you imagine that it's just reaching up to wave "Hi" at all passersby. ...I mean, it's a bony hand reaching out of the ground too far up to dig out the rest of its bones. Not much else it could do...
And there you have the Halloween versions of the bright doctor's Light & Sound line. Still incredibly disappointed that there's no Halloween music with these things(especially after it PROMISED music), but as models, they're not too bad.
A lot more entertaining than other things that bear the Halloween name...
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Quality: Standard nanoblock quality, with the pieces small and sort of "cheapy" feeling, but they hold together as long as you don't push on them too firmly. There were a few broken and melted bricks that I had to use to put these together, but I was able to cover most of them up. The sound and light equipment worked fine, though some of the plates didn't fit very well on the electronic base and had to be superglued down. Not terrible quality, but not Grade A either.
Design: As with the Christmas designs, they've taken mostly traditional symbols of Halloween and replicated them in nanoblock form. ...However, in this case, I feel like they did take steps to make them stand out more than the Christmas figures. The vampire and witch are the most generic models, but I do like how they designed Drac's cape for a much more flowing look than the standard flat slab you'd expect from clothing built from building bricks and how the straw in the witch's broom has some dimension to it. The zombie stand-in resembling a Jiangshi really kept this set from overusing stale Halloween tropes and it looks like a monster that belongs with this group, despite being from a completely different culture from the rest. But my absolute favorite design is the Jack O' Lantern in a tux with a top hat and cane, along with articulated arms he can use to wave the cane around. The environment for each model is a little bland in most cases, but I was able to recognize what everything was and I'm impressed with how they managed to tell a story with Drac's diorama(or at least they let my imagination run wild.) Overall, I think they did a better job at making most of these models stand out than the previous Christmas ones.
Creativity: Well, I guess I still have to give it points for including light and sound with the models, even if it's nowhere near as impressive as the madness the Christmas ones gave us... In this case, I feel like the models were more creative than the "music." The witch and vampire are your standard horror staples, but the addition of a Jiangshi really sets this line apart and introduces another monster that can be inducted into the traditional horror monster lineup(as ridiculous as its mannerisms sound...) And, of course, giving a pumpkin a tuxedo complete with top hat and cane is just such a charming, creative idea, something that can be horrifying, but can be suave and sophisticated at the same time, sort of like a tap-dancing vampire. So while the wailing sound is disappointing compared to its predecessors, it almost makes up for it by giving us more appealing models. ...Almost.
Readability: Same as last time. Multiple layers in each step, but spaced out enough that they don't become overly confusing, especially when all crammed onto one sheet. The designs are easy enough to comprehend, so just take it one step at a time and you'll follow along just fine.
Packaging: Almost the same as last time, but a little more bland. Switching out the Christmas tree with a graveyard and pumpkins was a nice touch, but unlike the Christmas boxes, that's about as far as they go. They needed some more designs on the box, some black cats or full moons or something else that could be tucked into a corner to give it an ominous Halloween feel. It's made even more uncreative by the fact they don't have any sort of filter like the Christmas boxes and the models on the back all being in a straight line. Still, it does recover a few points for switching out some of the musical notes with ghosts and pumpkins.
EDIT: After noticing the differing images on the front of the boxes, I have to bump the score up a little higher than 3/5. If for nothing else than the blood stain on the front of Drac's box. It's terrifying. I love it!
Compatibility: Again, being nanoblocks, they're only compatible with other nanoblocks, not the Lego-type bricks I use as this category's standard. But again, I can give it a point for including a base that produces sound effects.
Overall:
Unlike the Christmas nanoblocks, where it was a given that they were an essential addition to any Christmas decorations, these are your standard Halloween-themed toys. You can use them as Halloween decorations if you'd like, and they are pretty creative and sturdy, but since the only sound they make is a very annoying electronic wail, I don't recommend turning them on and keeping them on the porch as part of your decorating. Unless you're TRYING to keep trick-or-treaters away. ...As well as any pets you or the neighbors may have... Still, if you're looking for some cute Halloween things you can put together as a hobby and then store in your windowsill or living room shelves, these are ok for around this time of year.
So have a happy Halloween, get sick on candy and/or booze, and watch out for hopping zombie vampires. ...Unless you have a can of WD-40 on hand.
