It seems as though I’m forever buying and reviewing LEGO magazines. There are several to choose from and they’re all released around the same time each month. Thankfully I decided to subscribe to the new LEGO Explorer edition as they had a great deal, which is still on at the moment (at the time this article was originally published) and can be found here if you’re interested and based in the UK!
As you may know I love a good LEGO magazine, who doesn’t, but for many older (AFOLs) LEGO fans it’s all about the freebie. Foil bags are great and include Minifigures and Mini-builds, but you can’t beat a free Polybag. There’s just something about Polybags that every LEGO Fan loves, perhaps it’s the fact you know it’s something quite substantial inside or that you get more bits for your buck, they’re great!
This new LEGO Explorer edition, so far, has had a polybag attached to every issue, and thanks to the European Market being two or three months ahead of us, issue wise, we know that it’ll continue and what to expect here in the UK.
Last month (issue 1) it focused on Marvellous Machines and included a mini buildable Robot. This months theme is Deep Sea Adventure, and to coinside with the ocean we are gifted a rather cool buildable Octopus!
The Magazine:
I’ll be honest and say that this line of LEGO magazine is my favourite as the topics and information included is great for learning and teaching Children. Dare I sat it… you actually learn something for a change!
My little LEGO helper (5 Year old Son) is massively into the whole underwater life subject so this issue was top of his want list, the added LEGO Octopus polybag helped seal the deal too.
The centrefold features details and images of different types of Sharks and what distinguishes them. Of course the main focus is on the brick-built Shark from LEGO Creator 3in1 31088. If you haven’t got that particular set yet I highly recommend it, it’s a great build and the Shark is amazing!
As well as the usual puzzles, it wouldn’t be a Children’s magazine if there weren’t, we get a great ‘Sail Maker‘ activity which, coming from an AFOL, is actually quite a fun and unique idea. The canvas is blank so choose your design wisely, cut out the sails and place them in your LEGO ship!
It’s always nice to see educational elements scattered throughout, a word game here, a memory game there. There are a handful of mini puzzles that require a basic grasp of Mathematics, in the form of addition. You’ll need to pop your numbers head on to help out the expert diver, who needs to photograph a deep sea creature!
The Polybag:
As I mentioned earlier in the review it is great to get soemthing different and the Polybags we get free with these issues are just that.
Don’t get me wrong I love the foil bags that feature Minifigures and alike, but every once in a while something bigger and more pieces is nice.
The brick-built Robot in last months issue was great and included some unique pieces, we see a few odd parts included with this Octopus, one being the cylinder with 4 clips (official name: LEGO Technic Pin Connector Round with 4 Clips 15646 / 90202). It’s so efficient and truly is the best part for that particular job of holding all eight legs!
Once the legs have been assembled you then proceed to fix it to the neck part, which then finally sits the head, all using pretty simple and straightforward techniques.
The way LEGO have designed the head and eyes in particular is very smart, they’ve utilised the Technic Pin, that holds it all together, really well giving it that blank, almost creepy, look.
Each leg can be bent and positioned in many different ways and look best if alternating like in the above photo. I made a very simple display stand for it in order to take a few natural poses. After all they do float & swim in deep sea areas!
Conclusion:
For my quick rundown of this issue please see the attached review summary and rating below.
Do you subscribe or would like to? Click here to see the amazing 3 for £5 deal!
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Until the next Magazine Review, take care and thank you for stopping by!
LEGO Explorer Magazine Issue 2
Overall the Magazine and mini-build is great fun and perfect for younger fans who are interested in ocean life and LEGO. At only £3.99 it definitely is a bargain as most LEGO polybags sell for that, if not more, in stores. Making the Magazine essentially free. The build is simple and straightforward and well worth adding to your collection. Perhaps elaborate on it and build it an under water home!
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