Review: 43112 Robo HipHop Car
Posted by Huw,
I think it's fair to say that Vidiyo has not been well-received by AFOLs, and if the deep discounts on the sets released just weeks ago are anything to go by, they are not selling well, either.
Before we confine the theme to the scrap heap to join other failed augmented reality efforts like Hidden Side we will continue to take a brief look at a few of the sets to see if there's anything of interest for the discerning LEGO fan, including 43112 Robo HipHop Car, one of the cheapest stages.
I sent a couple of the stages to someone with kids so that they could be reviewed with the help of children of the target age. Sadly, he has fallen seriously ill, so that will have to wait. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery and that his kids have managed to have fun with them.
Using the set with the app
The app has been updated to recognise the stages, and they can be 'scanned' by pointing your phone's camera at them to load them into it. However, I will have to leave what happens when you've done so for you to discover for yourself because, try as I might, I just could not to work out how to use it, and I did not have the patience to persevere. No doubt an 8-year-old would have no problems at all, though...
So, this review will provide just a brief overview of the physical aspects of the set.
Minifigs
The highlights of Vidiyo sets are the extravagant and highly detailed minifigs but while the two included in this set are certainly that, they are not as appealing or attractive as many of the others primarily on account of their dull colours.
They are named Sing-Bot and Bass-Bot, so I think we can assume they are robots. Their metallic heads are a bit of a giveaway, too :-)
Sing-Bot has warm gold hair, a colour which is being increasingly used for hairpieces nowadays. Bass-Bot's combined visor/hairpiece is a re-coloured version of that adorned by the HipHop robot earlier in the year.
Bass-Bot has a white hoodie piece round his neck which looks slightly odd given his shirt and jacket do not match.
14 BeatBits are included in the set of which the two below are unique.
The stage in this case is actually a car, albeit a totally impractical and illegal one to actually drive around in. The head at the back and speaker/light things on the side can be rotated, a feature that is common to all the stages So, you can choose to perform in front of a yellow/gold robot head and yellow speakers/lights or turn them round for a different blue/silver look.
The obverse of the head is also robotic. I like how the hub cap introduced in 75893 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and 1970 Dodge Charger R/T has been re-purposed as a speaker in this, and other Vidiyo sets.
When the bots have finished performing they can relax in the Jacuzzi at the back of the vehicle. On the other hand, that doesn't sound like a particularly good idea...
Verdict
I'm afraid this set doesn't do a lot for me. The minifigs are relatively unappealing, the colour scheme of the car is drab and not particularly attractive and, frankly, its design is ridiculous. It is therefore neither a good display model nor a source of useful parts and really the only reason to consider buying it is if you're aiming for a complete set of Vidiyo figures. However, I am sure kids will find more to like about it than I do!
I was expecting to have to complain about the price, too, but actually £24.99 / $29.99 is on a par with other c.400-piece sets with 2 minifigs released this year. Of course, you won't need to pay that for it because it, and the other stages, are already reduced by at least 25% at Amazon.co.uk and Smyths Toys.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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56 comments on this article
Good grief! A table scraps design that looks an awful mess...
Yeah, this isn't nearly as strong as the other stages. The car needs to look more over-the-top, but instead it's not a good attempt at combining everyday with wacky. Definitely missed the mark here. But I will say I like the color scheme, and at least one of the robot heads looks great.
Yeah, it's on my wanted list for the minifigs and it's likely Amazon will take at least 33% off.
The rest of the set will be de-pimped. Or even completetly rebuilt. The advantage of brick toys =)
Looks like the Time Cruisers traveled to 2021
I bought a couple of Vidiyo sets at Amazon recently, but only because they were 60+% off, which made for at least nice parts packs with detailed figures.
Other than some interesting figures and those printed tiles the theme for me has no redeeming features whatsoever.
Hidden Side at least gave us some really good builds (that most people probably never got to even know, thanks to the idiotic box art fail).
It has Optimus Prime's face on it!
I like the design of the big robot head. Both faces have a nice anime anesthetic. Also, I'm tempted to get this just for Sing-Bot. It's just possible that I have a thing for robot girls...
Those Vidyo robot figures will fit surprisingly well with Nexo Knights, which had a female robot reporter in the series but never in the sets.
The Time Cruiser doesn't seem so awkward now.
Still waiting for the Vidiyo discounts to start over here...; )
I also thought the alternate-face was Optimus Prime.
I feel like the robot-themed Vidiyo figures were the weakest. I never bothered buying the DJ robot from the first series of six, and I'm really not interested in buying this one, either.
Having said that, the minifigs are still the most interesting part of the Vidiyo experience. There have been some highlights (the Party Llama springs unbidden to mind), this set just wasn't one of them.
I did, however, purchase the Candy Castle stage (which I keep mentally repeating as, "Candy Castle Siege", making it sound much more interesting) today, and for whatever that's worth, the minifigs are much more interesting.
I'd need at least a 60% discount to consider getting this, and only as a silly addon to the city I'm planning.
No one likes Vidiyo? Who possibly could've foreseen this?
@sipuss said:
"I'd need at least a 60% discount to consider getting this, and only as a silly addon to the city I'm planning."
Eventually, you'll get it, and as life imitates art, silly is a must!
Back when these were revealed someone pointed out the three little stands look like sunny-side-up eggs and that image has been burned into my brain ever since, it's just all I can think of now with this set. Would grab it if I didn't already have an abundance of vehicles, but if I see it at a discount I may jump on it for the 'figs.
Also, best of wishes to your mate - hope they get well soon!
I don't hate it but I would never consider getting it.
Can the headlights rotate? It looks like there's a turntable under them.
I think the set would have been better recieved if the colours were at least a bit more consistent. The white line on the sides of the front is really distracting, for example.
Another thing, despite the frequent discounts from Amazon I would still take the regular price into account. Not everyone gets a discount, and if you want to buy it in toy shops you rarely get any (at least here in the Netherlands).
In this case it isn't that bad, but with some sets the prices are clearly a good 10-20 euro or more higher than they need to be simply because lego can price them that way.
@Binnekamp said:
"Can the headlights rotate? It looks like there's a turntable under them."
Yes they do. I had forgotten about that. There are 1x2 half-circle bricks behind the round yellow 1x1s though, so it looks odd when they are rotated.
@Huw said:
" @Binnekamp said:
"Can the headlights rotate? It looks like there's a turntable under them."
Yes they do. I had forgotten about that. There are 1x2 half-circle bricks behind the round yellow 1x1s though, so it looks odd when they are rotated.
"
Reminds me of the colour-turn-functions from HS
Strange only one robot can sit in the car behind the turntable, but I guess it's more DJ booth than for cruising. The price per piece seems to be more competitive than the larger pirate ship 43114, which I guess they are expecting to be more popular.
Every time I see a Vidiyo minfig I can't help think that Lego thought it would jump on the Masked Singer bang wagon by producing minfig versions of the various costumes.
The guitar print is the only thing that is nice about this set.
Yeah, it's not the greatest set on Earth and doesn't live up to what VIDIYO could be or what I think it should be.
Just finished my own review. Here it is just in case anyone is interested:
https://myleniumsbrickcorner.wordpress.com/2021/06/28/pimp-my-ride-lego-vidiyo-robo-hiphop-car-43112/
Guitar is nice. Car looks like something they'd show up on stage with, like how Halford drives a bike onstage during Priest concerts.
Sing-Bot and Bass-Bass? I would have expected DJ Bot and MC Bot
I feel some Cyberpunk 2077 vides here...
I've been waiting for some of the Vidyo sets to go on sale to try them out, but here in the US I haven't even been able to find the first wave on sale anywhere yet.
I would be inclined to buy some of them if we had any discounts on the sets. But until then I will continue to not buy them and forget they existed until I happen across some discounted sets and then will re-evaluate my interest levels.
@darthnorman said:
"It has Optimus Prime's face on it!"
Yup. Must have been a hell of a pile up
@lost_scotsman said:
" @darthnorman said:
"It has Optimus Prime's face on it!"
Yup. Must have been a hell of a pile up"
Prime deserved better.
Well, the car-part of the... car looks good, but then, we've already seen a couple of really good Caddie-likes around.
I seriously underestimated how criminally smug those faces would be. So smug, way too smug! Tone it down a bit, this is Borderlands-villain-smug!
I just don’t get why they chose robots for hiphop. I mean EDM, sure, but hip hop? Nah. They should have made a big sneaker and maybe sneakerboxfigures for hip hop. That would have been cool!
@jkb said:
" @Huw said:
" @Binnekamp said:
"Can the headlights rotate? It looks like there's a turntable under them."
Yes they do. I had forgotten about that. There are 1x2 half-circle bricks behind the round yellow 1x1s though, so it looks odd when they are rotated.
"
Reminds me of the colour-turn-functions from HS"
Yep, that's exactly what it is. Currently the software used needs really stark colour contrasts to reliable tell when the users switches function, which then changes the on-screen action. It works pretty well on the Vidiyo app in a reasonably well-lit room.
I agree with Huw that the blue side of headlights looks weird on the model, and all it does in the app is change the bright shine from the headlights from yellow to blue.
Robots, hiphop, a decent PPP, a car that looks like a transformer mated with a carnival float...
Where's the love, people? ;)
I honestly love this set, but not as it is XD. The minifigs are amazing(especially the female bot). I planned to change the car into a limousine or hearse. But mid freebuilding I turned it into a madmax style car: building a speaker wall in the back and attaching the robot minifig with that stud on the back of his headgear, thus hanging in front of the speakers whilst rocking his guitar
I'm having the Blues Brothers Bluesmobile vibe here, possibly this is the set up they were hoping for in the movie but the budget didn't stretch that far.
Singbot’s hair is probably the only good part. Nonetheless, I do appreciate that LEGO is making some building sets for the theme.
If nothing else, it reminds me how much I enjoyed Mad Max Fury Road...
@yellowcastle said:
"If nothing else, it reminds me how much I enjoyed Mad Max Fury Road..."
Yo same, I'm not really getting Mad Max vibes from this set but I gotta say I loved that movie, it's a shame that LEGO won't make sets off of it because of the R-rating. Junkrat and Roadhog from the Overwatch theme are probably the closest we're gonna get to Nux and Immortan Joe figures. This set looks like a deal for $30 but the build doesn't really interest me and nor do the figures, for the most part. I love Sing-Bot's hair, though, I wanted a LEGO piece of that hairstyle for a while now, although that wasn't enough for me to get the Raya or other Vidiyo sets with similar hairpieces. I'm glad that they're doing sets that can stand on their own without needing the app, though, that was what made Hidden Side so appealing to me honestly.
At least Hidden Side had good sets.
I've been very critical of vidiyo in the past but I have to say I like the minifigs in this set. and the car is kinda cool, if a little messy in some places.
I love that little jacuzzi at the back.
Gives me serious 1010 vibes from No Straight Roads - though I think the aesthetic comes off far too clunky/gauche when it should be more streamlined.
With a 400pc part count, this set could have easily had its features scaled down and stowable like those on the Hidden Side bus. I see what they were going for but it just doesn't hit the mark.
I definitely like the spirit behind Vidiyo, I just wish they'd sacrifice the clumsy app-enabled features or streamline the elements so they don't stick out like giant gawdy sore thumbs - fully realize the theme of a universe built entirely around music and expression (see: No Straight Roads).
Maybe scale the elements down to special AR tiles that summons the big effects in-app instead of having them dominate the set - or have them be separate builds that can be removed and rearranged as a bonus play feature?
I don't want to see this theme thrown out with the bathwater. I know other people don't like it, but they often seem to paint a picture that *no one* likes Vidiyo. (See: humbug)
Frankly the theme feels poisoned by poor execution and a laughable MSRP for the first wave. I do hope we get a third wave and I do hope it learns from wave 1 and 2's shortcomings. It likely will not realize its full potential as a toy or a theme.
KLF/Daft Punk collaboration
Car needs to be emerging from a cloud of dry ice
Not sure why US Amazon is not discounting Vidyo yet, but I hope they do soon. I keep seeing these at full price at a LOT of places. Too many in fact.
@Huw I hope your friend isn’t in too dire of a condition. Hope he/she recovers soon.
From the official pics, especially the minifig close-up, I really thought the guy with the white hair had yellow skin... I got a bit of a neo-ice planet vibe from the (in that train-of-thought) oldschool-looking suggestion of facial hair. I'm pretty bummed that he's actually pearl gold...
Not my favorite of the stages, I really like the Boombox stage. I wish we had discounts here in US, not even Walmart has any Vidiyo discounted, so must be selling well enough here.
Sadly, I am not seeing these hit discount at US outlets.
Even the Beatboxes still retail for $20.
Was Hidden Side considered a failure? That makes me sad. I liked quite a few of those sets.
@AustinPowers said:
"...
Hidden Side at least gave us some really good builds (that most people probably never got to even know, thanks to the idiotic box art fail). "
Exactly!!! I was going to write that!
I'm sad we never got to see 3rd wave
Insectoids? Anyone else think the design on the male minifigs is a bit reminiscent of the Insectoids minifigures?
I have not seen these discounted anywhere in person or online!
Every time I scroll past this review, some part of my brain keeps asking me why they’re releasing a set of an electric skillet with fried eggs.
I keep seeing eggs. I would make this a vehicle for Egghead and make the robots his minions. I do have the Egghead mech already...
Yes Yes Yes... to all the fried egg comments. First thing I thought of was: "Are they making a "car" with 3 fried eggs on it? Oh and I just noticed the fried egg wheels too. Yikes!
I have not yet seen ANY of the Vidiyo sets on sale…Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc…:(