Spoiler-Free review of 75245 Advent Calendar, for anyone interested in buying it but not wanting to open it until December.

Note: this review doesn't consider what's printed on the box (about half of the contents) but it does list numbers of figures/vehicles etc. If your threshold of spoileriness is higher than mine, read on at your own risk. Also, the listing for this set on Brickset shows all the builds, so well done if you've come this far with your eyes closed.

The set contains:

Seven minifigures, including two named characters. Printing is superb, and all figures come with appropriate weapons/accessories.

There is one minifig scale built-up weapon. It's got some rarer pieces but isn't amazing. At least there is only one, and no 'weapon packs'.

Four brick-built creatures/droids, including the Christmas themed character and the Santa themed character. These are superb and one is going to be very suitable for adding to a certain UCS set.

Three tiny diorama scenes. One is great, one is OK and one is well built but not particularly characterful. Still, it might look nice next to previous years' scenes. Even if you don't like it, it shows what you can build that scale without tonnes of expensive pieces.

Nine ships/vehicles of various scales. All are good to excellent. One is a little fragile but still a lovely build of a quirky ship. One took me a second to work out what it was supposed to be until I realised the instructions showed the back of it. Turned around it's a lovely model!

Almost all the models and figures are great, and most have not appeared in Advent Calendars before. The ones that are repeated are good for army-building. There is a great part selection including some very useful and rare pieces, with the usual array of spare small pieces. Everything in the set stands alone and there are no classic pairs or conflicts. Every era and most movies are represented, except for (SORT OF SPOILER ALERT) the two non-trilogy movies. There is nothing special from any TV shows or other media.

Overall a very good advent calendar, especially on sale.

This set has become my favourite for 2017. (Ninjago City is technically a better set but cost 18 times as much.) The Piranha craft is the star and is brilliantly put together. The minifigures are great and the rickshaw looks cool, although it scales too big. It's great for the Ninjago Movie theme and also reminds me of something Grue or Megamind would build.

Main build: the Piranha

The piranha is based on some large pieces of Lego: boat hulls. You could probably come up with a pleasing design which used more pieces but the hulls make for a solid looking craft (Mech? Bot?) that fits nicely into the Shark Army design scheme. The guts of the model are small plates and hinges, with technic parts for the legs, periscope and weapon stubs. The larger head part is attached to the base with click hinges, allowing it to open up wide enough for the Shark Army driver to sit inside. Matched yellow cylinders and round tiles make up two canisters at the rear which might be fuel tanks or power pods. The main parts are Sand Blue, with a mix of other colours including greys, black and yellow.

The piranha stands on long feet, built upside down with yellow plates and tiles. There's a good amount of sideways articulation to keep this beastie standing. Armaments comprise two kinds of missile plus great gnashy teeth made from modified plates in white. The eyes of the piranha are trans clear 4 X 4 domes on round 'ring' plates. Unusual pieces include yellow 1 X 1 round plates with holes, a 1 x 2 black slope printed in green as a control panel in Ninjago language, and the boat hull pieces which are in a colour exclusive to this set.

The Rickshaw

The second part of the build is the rickshaw which is cleverly put together. It looks lovely but it is too big for minifigures. Two car bonnets (hoods) make the canopy and a variety of plates and hinges fold together for the body. The lanterns, made from black 'palm tree' pieces and trans yellow cylinders are a nice Ninjago-esque detail.

Stickers

The stickers aren't mandatory but add a bit of Asian inspired detail to the rickshaw and quasi military detailing for the mecha-fish. Applying them was simple but small kids might need help with the stickers that completely cover their pieces.

Minifigures

The four figures are a nice selection for a set this small. Kai has some nice red detail printed on his black legs. The rickshaw driver has a harried expression - probably from hauling that giant vehicle around N. City. Lady Iron Dragon has great printing but is let down by her face being painted yellow on black, looking a little faded, and the Shark Army soldier wears a dark orange knitted cap and eye-patch ("How does [he] even see these?" "He turns." "Sounds exhausting.")

Summary

Overall it's a great set with a hilarious fishbot and good set of figures. The only minuses are the rickshaw is too big and the yellow print on a black minifigure head looks a touch faded. Still my favourite set for the year.

Updated review of this book, with my thoughts on the book, the build and suggested substitutes for some expensive parts. The book is still for sale (October 2019) at the Arvo Brothers' website www.arvobrothers.com for 26 Euros (about US $30).

The book is excellent. It's a hardback, clearly printed and beautifully illustrated. More than the instructions for the Arvo Brothers' version of the bike from Akira, it's a story of their decisions and challenges during the design and build. The book is written in good English although a couple of sentences aren't very clear (but 100% better than my Spanish.)

The story starts with the brothers' thoughts on the bike itself, how the movie artists developed it, and how accurate (or not) the various toys and models of the bike are. The build follows, broken into three sections as they construct the front, body and rear in order. In each section they build the workings and chassis, before the outer shell goes on. The build (and parts list) make two versions of the front wheel and forks, so you can choose to build either or both.

The build has a lot of very interesting techniques. Stacking of plates and slopes. SNOT and inversions. Places where pieces are put together but don't connect, until the next stages surround them. Hinges and technic pieces that turn just enough to make the right shape. Possibly the most extreme technique is stretching large Lego tyres over medium size wheels to give a curved profile. Take your time with this, it's hard to do but very effective. My tip: soften the tyres in hot water first (kitchen tap, not boiling! I also used a paper towel to wick away the water so it wasn't trapped in the tyre).

The Arvo brothers admit that their bike build is not 100% accurate to the movie design (which is not consistent throughout the movie) or any single toy replica. The brothers explain their design choices pretty well. They are as interested in the 'workings' of the bike as much as the outside shape, and that has translated into the Lego build. They also acknowledge that lots of the pieces are very hard to find and/or expensive.

However, if you are buying this book you are probably capable of making your own substitutions. Will you still build the bike in the 'original' red? Will you add different details? What will you add, change or leave off? Will you buy entire MISB sets just to get those parts?

The book also comes with a sheet of two sets of die cut stickers, accurate to the movie bike. You could ignore those, or make up your own. Purists who are building with alternate Lego bricks/colours might want to look at various Lego stickers to decorate their own interpretation. I found most of the stickers went on without any issues (although some cover multiple parts). However, the 'Canon' sticker seems to be too large. I recommend trimming the red border off.

As a book and a design story, Kaneda's Bike is very good quality and a great read. Even if you never build the bike, this book is a great addition to a Lego library. As a set of instructions for a model there are some personal choices by the Arvo brothers which experienced Lego fans might question - but the brothers explain themselves well. It's up to the reader to take on the challenge of finding the parts and building their own.

The two versions of the front portion of the bike are a movie version and a 'naked' version, because the Arvo Brothers like the structures and machinery there. So, when you are collecting parts for the bike you only need four X-Pod upper dishes, not six. Check the instructions as well as the parts list, before you head to your favourite resales site.

My suggestions for part substitutions, particularly when the original parts are stupidly expensive:

- for the red 5 wide Scala dishes, use dark bluish grey with a matching 'boat stud' inside. (I am not kidding about this. Price check as of September 2018: dark bluish grey on Bricklink is between US 23c and $1.11 while red is between US $28.00 to $111.00. Around 100 times the price!)

- ten of the 1 x 1 brick with one stud on the side and four 2 x 2 round plates are invisible when the bike is complete, so they can be any colour. These aren't rare pieces, but when you are building this set, you will want to save some money for other parts.

- for the red 2 x 2 x 2 turntable bricks, use black, or build a similar piece from bricks, plates, brackets and/or technic pieces. On some toy versions of the bike, these details are a dull silver colour, so any grey or silver shade will do.

- for the black 1 x 3 x 6 curved windscreens, use red, light bluish grey or trans-black. These parts are mostly hidden by the seat and rear wheel structure. Alternatively, find the Ninjago set 70504 Garmatron, which has two. It's not too expensive for a second hand set and will be a good source of parts for other projects.

- the dark bluish grey 10 x 10 dishes inside the front wheel are hidden by the X-Pod covers, so you can use any colour. Trans-clear and light bluish gray are inexpensive. Remember you only need four if you are only building one version of the front wheel.

- the rear tyre (part 32296) was only available in one Technic Ferrari set (8674) and is very expensive. Consider using one of the variants with printing on the sidewalls, perhaps buying it as an assembly with the wheel as this can sometimes be cheaper than just the tyre. Either 32296pb01 from set 8458 or 32296pb02 from set 8461 should be a fraction of the cost of the blank version. The sidewall writing will be hidden from view by the wheel covers.

- the X-Pod caps are critical to the build and red ones have been very expensive since this book was published. If you find the original X-Pod set (4349 Wild Pod) at a bargain price for a 'complete set', make sure the seller is including the pod pieces, not just the polybag from the inside! The pod pieces are available in several other colours, if you want to build the bike in a colour other than red. But, remember that some of the pieces in the body will not be available in the same range of colours as the pod lids. One solution is to build the bike in two major colours. For instance: main body in white, with some details and the wheel covers in lime green or orange

- the 2 x 2 trans clear plate and tile that make up the headlight can each be replaced by pairs of 1 x 2 pieces. These parts are well hidden by the windscreens of the movie version of the bike and the difference will not be obvious.

- if you are building in a colour other than red, consider that the 1 x 6 x 3 windscreen (part 64453) on the rear wheel mount is only available in limited colours (not white, for instance). I brick built a similar arrangement from plates and brackets. A bit more complicated but it looks OK.

Finally, the bike is mostly solid once built. The wheels do not turn so it's definitely a display model, not a toy. However, the middle section is weaker than the rest. If you are moving the bike, you should remove the front section and hold the main body carefully around the middle to ensure the side fairings don't come off or the bike doesn't break apart there. If you are storing or moving the built bike I recommend separating the front section from the main body.

Note: the official Brickset review of the book is here:
https://brickset.com/article/10055/book-review-kaneda-s-bike

My build in red:
https://flic.kr/p/2c6Nbjz

and in orange and white:
https://flic.kr/p/NkxHXv

This is a brilliant little set because it adds a mother and baby for little ones to play with. If your child has a tub of general Duplo (like ours do) this lets them build a house or park, and then roleplay the parents and babies who play there. (we also have truck driver and zookeeper figures, so we have daddy and grandparent figures when we want them).

Box/Instructions

The set comes in a plastic wrapper, with a folded sheet 'mini catalogue'. The packaging shows alternative builds, even for a tiny set like this. Something you don't see on regular kids' Lego sets!

Parts

Nice part selection to add to a Duplo collection. The stroller and milk bottle add to the play, the chairs are very nice and can be used by 'adult' and 'child' Duplo figures. The set has a small variety of bricks to make a tree and flowers. There is also a milk bottle which can be gripped by a Duplo figure, as can the handlebar of the stroller. My child likes to have the mother hold the stroller with one hand, the bottle in her other hand, the baby in the stroller, and a Duplo child figure holding the stroller as well - just like when we take the baby and the big kid out for a walk in real life. This shows how kids want to roleplay what they know, with their toys.

Minifigures

The mother figure is a standard Duplo figure, with blue legs ('mom jeans') and a printed sweater. The baby is moulded in two shades of yellow; it is smaller than other Duplo figures and is not poseable, nor can the hands grip anything. The baby can sit inside the stroller without connecting, or it can connect by 'standing' on its two feet. It can also connect to standard Duplo bricks, so it will be stable sitting on a chair or any two studs on a brick. The baby's face is decorated with a dummy. The stroller is a bit wider than the spaces between Duplo studs, so it won't slide naturally along a Duplo baseplate like a train on tracks, but that doesn't detract from the set. The stroller has a single stud inside it, but the interior is smaller than a square 2 x 2 Duplo brick, so it is hard to build something unusual out of it. Flower pieces and smaller round pieces (like the milk bottle or a 2 x 2 cylinder) will fit inside, though.

The build

Even though there are only a handful of bricks in this set, there are alternative builds! The chairs can be set on a flat plate, with a flower and a tree (made of curved green bricks on a brown square brick), or the flat plate can go on a square brick to make a simple table. Not exactly advanced techniques but perfect inspiration for three-year-olds for their own furniture ideas.

The completed model

No surprises: mother, baby, stroller and furniture. There's not a lot in the package, but it's a great set to help turn a Duplo building into a home for a family.

Overall opinion

Brilliant. Buy this so your little Lego fan can play families with Duplo.

The much sought after poly bagged set, starring USAF officer and superhero LTCOL James Rhodes as the Iron Patriot. As seen in Marvel Comics, but probably better known from the movie Iron Man 3, this is the War Machine armour* painted in patriotic colours. Enough blurb, here's the review: (* I'm Australian. Feel free to imagine I have used American spelling throughout.)

The polybag came with pre-orders of the Lego Marvel Superheroes game. In Australia this was done by pre-ordering through EB Games. That means it isn't exactly value for money, unless you really wanted the game as well. In Australia it was $50 at full price for the PC version.

The set contains the Iron Patriot on a brick-built baseplate with a 'robot' arm and a shoulder mounted weapon. The parts are loose in the main packaging, except for the two pieces of the helmet which are in a small plastic bag. The instructions are folded small, as with most polybags.

The minifigure is dark blue with an Iron Man style helmet, and a separate face mask in matt silver. The printing is 90% the same as the War Machine which comes in 76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle. The main difference (apart from being moulded in a different colour!) is the RWB colouring and the white star on the chest. The head is also the same as War Machine, moulded in brown, with 'hmm, I'm concerned' and 'aww now I'm angry' faces. On his back are a 1 x 1 bracket and a 1 x 1 plate with a ring, which holds the minigun (a black light sabre handle on a y-shaped robot hand). Unlike most of the other Iron Man style figures, this one does not come with trans plates or bricks to represent 'repulsors'.

The baseplate is a yellow 2 x 4 plate, with a black 1 x 2 clip and 1 x 2 grill tile and two trans-red 1 x 1 round tiles. There are two yellow 1 x 2 plates with handles and a black droid arm to hold the weapon.

The set includes spares of several of the small parts including the red tile, the robot arm, the sabre handle and bracket.

If you can't decide whether to keep the packaging intact or to build the figure (people are selling them for around $30-40 as I write this in November 2013), do what I did: make a hole just big enough to get the pieces out. I left the instructions inside because the picture and parts make it clear how to assemble the set.

Good points:
- one of the coolest minifigures ever released.
- very nice detailed printing
- neat little base and robot arm, with plenty of extra bits

Bad points:
- if you don't want to open it but you want to build it you are going to have to find a spare one
- (very minor complaint) doesn't have 1 x 1 trans red round plates or bricks for 'repulsors', but they are very easy to find if you really need them.