Set #70427 Welcome to the Hidden Side: LEGO Hidden Side was a theme that lasted for a year and half and then faded into obscurity. Oh wait, that hasn’t happened yet. LEGO Hidden Side is a Theme with a lot of creativity behind the sets, which is unfortunate as this theme is pretty strong. This is a set for Lady E, but she’s not included as a Minifigure. A bit unfortunate that, but the set is still pretty fun for this price range.

Packaging

The artwork on the front shows Jack running from the Ghost Minifigures with the set in the front and Lady E hovering in the sky shrieking in terror. The back shows off the set and the phone app functionality, which looks fine. Many have claimed the packaging is why this Theme has sold so poorly, I don’t think that’s the only reason, the lack of ghosts from the game in actual sets may be another reason to blame poor sales. But let’s discuss the manual.

Unlike other sets the manual for this set in this price range is actually rather large. Instead of the smaller rectangular design you get a massive square, but the functionality is still the same. You can follow along with the build effortlessly and you can see all of the sets from the range up to this point of release in the back.

Parts

This set is loaded with Hidden Side style elements, green teeth, black tree branches and some light blue plates. You also have the printed spectral eye 1x1 round, but the largest draw in my opinion is the inclusion of light blue, or teal to be more accurate, large plant elements. If you can get these direct from LEGO, pick them up, this colour is unique to this theme and adds a nice spooky atmosphere to any build. Great set for parts.

Minifigures

Axel Chops: Here we have a haunting lumberjack ghost, complete with small axe, funny new head element with a furry hat design typical of lumberjacks during the colder months and a very nice torso print with suspenders and a checkered vest. This torso features a few effects elements to symbolize the ghostly look of the character and match with the unique lower torso piece, so it’s yet another version of a monstrous lumberjack torso that can be used. (Collectible Minifigures Series 14 having had that excellent werewolf lumberjack.)

Jack: In the Hidden Side, ghosts are real, and people are ghosts. Jack has a horrible blueish shade over him while trapped there and his new Minifigure here captures that look excellently. All of the same detailing found on regular torsos for Jack is here, including the dog whistle print hanging on his pants, but it’s all colored in a ghostly glow. Sad to say his phone accessory printed tile hasn’t changed, despite everything else changing, a pity. It might have been nice to have a ‘ghost’ phone. He has nervous/determined expressions on his dual-sided head also.

Scrimper: The only thing different about these two ghosts are their names. Each of them includes the exact same upper torso with torn and shredded costume print, the same ghostly tail and the same head. So don’t ask me which one is Scrimper and which one is Waylon, though I suspect the app might help you if they have write-ups in there.

Waylon: The only thing different about these two ghosts are their names. Each of them includes the exact same upper torso with torn and shredded costume print, the same ghostly tail and the same head. So don’t ask me which one is Scrimper and which one is Waylon, though I suspect the app might help you if they have write-ups in there.

Lady E: The ghost associated with this set is not a Minifigure, but as always I include their discussion here. In the app you will probably encounter her here, or so I’ve been told. This menacing looking specter is photographed on the box and she looks terrifying. I truly wish we’d been able to get these characters as Physical Minifigures. But much like Lord Vortec it is not to be.

The build

Bag #1: Jack and Axel Chops appear here to begin building the base of the horror tree with subway entrance. This is a relatively simple build, easy to follow along with and complete. Note, stickers are placed on a few tiles during this build, be careful to apply them correctly and get help if needed.

Bag #2: This second build section completes the horrifying look of the monster tree, and who should help you out, but Scrimper and Waylon. Two twin ghosts ready to help terrify and haunt. This build is also relatively quick, since all of the stickers were used up in the previous build this model has none. Overall a very satisfying build.

The completed model

This menacing monstrous tree/portal/subway entrance is a dark and sinister looking model. Permanently transformed by the powers of the Hidden Side into a frightening beastial looking tree with claws and haunting eyes and sharp teeth, this gateway between Newbury and the Hidden Side features a lot of impressive design work and an excellent atmospheric look. It also has a play feature that allows you to launch spiders and bats at any Minifigures.

The color wheel is included here as a little side build for the functions of the app, which I don’t have so can’t really speak of, and the claws can be posed up or down to your preference. The eyes can be hidden by the eyebrows on the tree’s face, while a skeleton torso can fold down to cover up the gaping mouth, but the teeth are never truly covered up so this partial transformation isn’t much to keep it a secret.

Overall opinion

This set is a wonderful addition to The Hidden Side theme, I loved building it, I loved purchasing it and when I got it back in January it was on my must have lists and it still is. The play features are great, I’m certain the interactivity with the app is adequate enough and the Minifigures are perfect as we now have some ghostly characters to haunt alongside with the possessed people figures from the previous wave. Highly Recommended.

Happy Halloween fellow readers! After reviewing the series 16 cute little devil, I think it’s time to review something at least remotely scary and this set is perfect for that. I bought this set just in time for Halloween, and boy there wasn’t a better time to get this spooky little set.

The Build

The Ghost Portal (Haunted Tree): The only build of this set is a subway exit with a back haunted tree overgrown all around it that I believe functions as the portal to cross between the human realm and the hidden side. So your minifigures can walk through the tunnel to enter the Hidden Side, where they will be greeted with spiders and bats falling down on them...as well as a 1 by 4 tile with a sticker that says “Newbury Park” and a stickered 2 by 2 circular tile that says “City Subway” that are both above the tunnel. Above those signs, is the mouth of the monster tree where you can find some teeth pieces in yellowish green and the mouth itself contains 2 of the black modern spider pieces and 1 black bat inside it, there’s also a play feature where you push the back of the mouth, which causes the platform to tilt forward and those critters will come falling down, which isn't the most exciting play feature out there, but it's fine for what it is. As for the rest of the monster face, it has a black skeleton torso piece in between the eyes which was a very interesting use of that piece, the eyes are yellowish green 1 by 1 printed circular tiles which only other appears in 30463: Chef Enzo's Haunted Hotdog Stand, and the eyebrows are black claws that you could adjust to make slightly different expressions. There are 3 branches with medium azure leaves pieces to accompany them, and the right branch specifically has a very nice black sea grass piece hanging off the leaves. To the right of the subway exit, there’s a monster hand with some claws that could be lifted to reveal a yellow tile which interacts with the app, and a lamppost, and I like how they used a transparent green minifig head piece to show the light coming out of it. To the left of the subway exit, it has the same hand build as the one on the right, now instead of a lamppost, there’s a very out of place color wheel that interacts with the app, but luckily, you could easily remove it with this specific set if you don’t care about the app, and that’s something you can’t say with most of the other Hidden Side sets. Overall, it's not the best or most compelling build that this theme offers, but it's certainly an enjoyable spooky build with some great pieces to be found and a color scheme of black and medium azure that works very well together.

The Minifigs

Jack Davids: Now that Jack has entered the Hidden Side, he’s temporarily a ghost, and that’s the reason he’s looking all (literally) blue. His legs has a dark azure belt and a dog bone key chain for the printed detail. The jacket printed on the torso is light aqua this time around, with 2 laces and pockets and dark azure stripes that are also printed on the back, it’s a great color variation of the torso we’re used to for this character. Instead of yellow, his head is in bright light blue with a raised eyebrow expression and a nervous one as the alternate face, both of these face prints are REALLY expressive and I like them a lot. The hood/hat combo piece has light aqua for the hood portion of the piece and dark azure for the hat portion, and like the legs and torso, it’s a great variation from the existing colors they’re in. Finally, his accessory is a 1 by 2 phone tile print with a ghost on it, which is a very common print in the theme. Overall, this is a fantastic exclusive variant for Jack and I’m happy to own it.

Axel Chops: This red ghost is one of the 3 included in this set, and this one is a lumberjack, which was an interesting design for a ghost. His lower ghost body piece is in clear with some red marbled in to the piece and it’s a really nice design. His torso has a red plaid flannel shirt with suspenders and that design was also printed on the back, and I think this print could be useful outside this setting, which is nice. His head is in trans-red with a ghost face printed on it, which does look a bit creepy. Axel has a tan ear flap hat with red on it as well, it’s not a new coloring for the piece since it has previously appeared in other sets, but it’s definitely a great piece to get here. Finally, his accessory is a black axe. Overall, this a great figure with useful pieces and it’s nice to finally get the ghosts themselves instead of possessed Newbury citizens.

Scrimper: One of the 2 yellow ghosts included in the set is Scrimper, and he certainly looks pretty happy to haunt people. His lower ghost body piece is in clear with bright light orange marbled in. The torso has a bright light orange torn and ripped shirt design that’s also printed on the back, and it’s a pretty appropriate print for a ghost that looks as wild as him. Finally, the head is in trans-yellow with a creepy smiling ghost face printed on it. Overall, this another great ghost for this set and I’m very happy with how he came out.

Waylon: Waylon is very similar to Scrimper since the torso and lower body ghost piece is identical to the ones found with Scrimper, however there’s still one piece that’s different to the other yellow ghost that makes them different to each other. That one difference is with the face print where it’s screaming/mad and I really like how Lego put the effort to differentiate the 2 nearly identical ghosts. Overall, I wish this figure was a blue ghost instead of another yellow one since the game has 3 main colors for the ghosts: red, blue and yellow, and it’s a bit odd that they omitted a blue ghost, but it’s still a great figure nonetheless.

Value For Money

20 bucks...it's definitely a reasonable price for what's included. 4 exclusive minifigures and a surprisingly larger than expected model come together for a price of 20 bucks, that definitely feels right for this set and I have no complaints there.

Overall Opinion

This set may not be for everyone, but it does have some nice aspects to it: it has good value, a solid build, fantastic figures, and even serves as a pretty impressive parts pack. This set would also be a nice choice as a starter/introductory set for the Hidden Side line that gives you a good taste of the theme without a hefty price, and if you're already a fan of the theme, then you'd definitely like this set. I’d give this set an 8/10 overall and I'd recommend it.

Box/Instructions

The box is relatively small, which I prefer considering the number of parts in the set. The booklet is equally compact and multiple bags of parts leaves the build well-organised.

Parts

The parts are not quite a many as they seem, and most of the parts have been in black before, but the plates on the bottom and the Limb Elements, both in the light blue, were a very nice surprise; and they contrast extremely well with the dark items in the set.

The Minifigures

Four minifigures are included in the set, Jack, who is mostly blue, in his standard hoodie and cap design. The blue overtone of the minfigure makes one thing that he is slightly frozen, which also fits with the theme obviously. A red ghost figure, which is a lumberjack I believe (considering his hat), is a great addition, the transparent red face with oozing facial features presents a relatively scary minifigure. The same applies to the orange ghost figures, of which two are included, with no headgear or accessories.

Building the Set

The build is quite quick, which was expected considering the number of parts, but still enjoyable.

The Final model

The set is stable, right from the beginning and continues to build from that strong base structure. The bats and spiders are not really located in the best places, but that can easily be remedied by just placing them somewhere other than the recommended spot.

Overall opinion

As a fan of the Monster fighters series and all things slightly creepy created by Lego, this was a must-buy for me and will be for most other fans.