Greetings fellow block heads and firstly many thanks to you all for contributing to what is without doubt the friendliest forum I've ever lurked on. As somebody who has tended to exclusively surf on football forums (soccer for those in the states) with their overt and constant tribalism this place has been an absolute breath of fresh air and a real pleasure to read.

 

I've been in the background for the last year and am one of those posters some of you have referenced on here in frustration, you know, the non-posting members who you fear snaffle all your hot tips without giving back. Why? Well, I originally joined this place simply in order to learn more about older themes and building techniques so I could help out my kids and nieces with their building passion. I never expected to get so interested in the bricks myself!

 

You'll be delighted to learn I'm not here as a budding investor and won't be stepping on your toes in that area. Yes I have a number of unopened sets boxed up in the spare room but that's because I've gotten tired of Lego retiring sets before I get around to buying them so my policy these days is "buy it if you like it and build it when you can". (though of course if any of these rocket in value before I have the chance to build them.....) (... then I'll still build them!).

 

Personally I'm a huge fan of the large creator expert sets, it astounds me how clever these are and what an absolute pleasure they are to build. Simultaneously challenging and relaxing (being  a near middle age adult perhaps I shouldn't be admitting to the challenging part!). There's not much more I enjoy in an evening then putting a game on the TV and settling in for a building session. The Fairground Mixer is a particular favourite, I've had that one on display for the last half year and it still brings a smile to my face.

 

I've become a regular visitor to the daily deals thread (huge thanks to the frequent contributors in those) as despite scanning Hot Deals UK for a couple of years I always seemed to miss the best ones on there. Dropping in on the daily threads I know why! You guys are seriously on the ball here and have helped me pick up several nice deals (don't panic, never more than a single copy of a set!) so again, many thanks to you all for your postings in this area.

 

I've decided to finally post on the one hand to repeatedly thank all of youse and on the other to selfishly ask for some advice. My family and I are huge fans of all sets with action features such as exploding walls, trapdoors, falling blocks etc. The kids just love combining these sets into enormous adventures and though we have a decent collection of sets I'm struggling to find a good list of these across multiple themes. To give a few specific examples we've already gotten copies of and love the following sets:

 

Indiana Jones - Temple of the Crystal Skull, 7627; Temple Escape, 7623; The Lost Tomb, 7621

Prince of Persia - Quest Against Time, 7572

Monster Fighters - Vampyre Castle, 9468

Lone Ranger (seriously!) - Silver Mine Shootout, 79110

Pharaoh's Quest - Scorpion Pyramid, 7327

Marvel - Attack on Avengers Tower, 76038; Jokerland, 76035

Disney Princess - far too many to mention!

 

I'm aware there's a number of superhero sets out there that fit the bill and we do have various others in this theme but I was wondering is there a thread on this forum that vaguely covers this area? Some kind of "Best Action Feature Sets" or similar (both retired and current)? I've explored many of the nooks and crannies on here but am yet to encounter such a catch-all thread. Failing that are there any knowledgeable posters on here with some free time and thoughts to share? I'd greatly appreciate any input.

 

I wasn't sure where to put this question and given I've learnt the protocol on here is to start a thread when you join I figured I might as well go for two birds with the one stone (albeit a year or so late!).

 

I've never been the most loquacious with online communication (I spend all day at work on computers and try to avoid them in my free time) but given the vast amount I've absorbed from this forum I definitely owe something in return and will endeavor to contribute going forward. I'm not sure I'll be able to add much outside of enthusiasm and exuberance for all things Lego but I'll do my best!

 

Many thanks for your time and I look forward to hot brick discussion going forward.

 

Cheers,

Jack.

Hello and welcome. It's always good to have more people join the conversation.

The type of set with action features is what is typically called a "play set". There's a bunch of sets that fit this description, though I haven't seen them being put in a seperate category that often. It's very common in most sets targeted at kids aged 8-12. Somewhat less common in the 16+ sets.

Some current examples I can think of are:

• 76057: Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle (various)
• 75098: Assault on Hoth (exploding shield generator)
• 70594: The Lighthouse Siege (trap door, various)
• 75171: Battle on Scarif (exploding floor)

Another type of set that has these features almost always are the Police sets like the HQ and bank robbery sets.

Welcome to the posting part of the forum, Jack.  Thank you for a top notch first post as well.  I would recommend many of the Lord of the Ring/Hobbit sets. They filled with cool features like that.  

Welcome to the forums. One set that immediately came to my mind that should fit your criteria is 6864 Batmobile & the Two-Face Chase. It has a bank with exploding windows that Two-Face robs on a weekly basis.

Great first post. I look forward to reading more of them in the future. Good luck, and have fun with your search.

Glad to have you posting. At first glance I thought no way in hell am I reading his first post, I'm glad I did

Some of the Larger Adventurers sets were lots of fun.

 

 

great post and great question.  jurrasic world indominus rex breakout has some decent action features and the master of trap doors is master chen from ninjago:)  enter the serpent is a fun little set as well and the new sonic radar 70595 has some awesome features and holds up well.  ninjago rules!

Mine craft sets have a lot of play features. they're also built with a modular technique so that you can move things around as you create. And they come standard with some alternate builds.

I really enjoyed the Jungle Treehouse. As I recall, it has a waterfall elevator, a lava pit trap door, and the tree house can be relocated. A lot to that set.

Welcome. Your mention of vampyre castle reminded me of the crazy scientist set. Great theme.

15 hours ago, ValidName said:

Monster Fighters - Vampyre Castle, 9468

 

welcome to the site and Monster Fighters is still among my fav all-time themes.

Well he asked a question and boy did you answer

One set with underrated play features is the 10188 Death Star. Especially if you're actually a Star Wars Fan

A working elevator for Han & Luke in Stormtrooper gear to escort Chewie

Collapsing throne room gantry as Vader slashes at Luke in ROTJ

Crushing walls in the trash compactor.

The Turbo Laser cannons near the roof move in perfect sync just like they did tracking Xwings in the film

The Tie Fighter deployer, Luke & Leia swinging over the chasm, the Main Laser goes up and down and another one fires a missile, etc.

It's a fun set if you enjoy the trilogy.

Cheers and welcome!

 

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 5:06 AM, ValidName said:

I'm aware there's a number of superhero sets out there that fit the bill and we do have various others in this theme but I was wondering is there a thread on this forum that vaguely covers this area? Some kind of "Best Action Feature Sets" or similar (both retired and current)? I've explored many of the nooks and crannies on here but am yet to encounter such a catch-all thread. Failing that are there any knowledgeable posters on here with some free time and thoughts to share? I'd greatly appreciate any input.

Strange to think of all the different topics here, there has not been anything about which sets are fun to play with (for us, our children, or together); lots of "fun to build" or "good challenge" conversations though. I will try to whip something up. In the meantime welcome to the site, ValidName.