OVERALL RATING

One of the best sets of early 2019! Colorful, creative, and filled with fun features!

BUILDING EXPERIENCE

The build of this set is remarkably interesting throughout. The back section is reinforced with Technic to ensure that the set's large interior doesn't compromise its stability, and the top canopy uses hinged 1x2x2/3 bows, cheese slopes, and 4x4 quarter circle bricks to create a continuous domed surface along the top. Interesting part layering and SNOT techniques are used to create the curved stripe patterns along each side, and a variety of hinged sections are used to allow the set to fully open for play.

PARTS

Color-wise, this set has the highest quantity so far of the new-for-2019 color Vibrant Coral, with 116 parts in that color. Add in the set's other great colors like Bright Bluish Green, Medium Blue, and Bright Reddish Violet creates an amazing tetradic color scheme.

In terms of new molds, the most interesting ones are the new "gear plates" in both 2x2 and 6x6 sizes. These provide a great way to transfer motion in System builds and are key to this set's incredible light brick function. It also features the first reuse and recolor of the UCS Slave I canopy as well as a recolor of the smaller 6x10x4 canopy (both in Trans. Bright Bluish Violet).

PLAYABILITY

A combination of the new gear plates, a light brick, and the bottom from an Elves dragon egg are used to create one of the most interesting and dynamic light features I've seen in a set since the Temple of Airjitzu's shadow puppet theater. Pushing in the largest rear thruster and spinning it causes the light brick to activate and the dragon egg to rotate, refracting the light into a bunch of tiny sparkles that are cast across the lower interior as the largest gear plate rotates to allow figures like Disco Unikitty to move and groove. Pretty much the entire rear opens up to reveal not just the dance floor but also a DJ stand, Karaoke stage, and two racks of fold-out speakers. The bus also has small fold-out wings for flight and a set of small wheels for land travel.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Not only does the set have a fantastic selection of parts, but its high part count gives it one of the most favorable price-per-piece ratios of the Lego Movie 2 theme's first wave. All four characters (Disco Unikitty, the brick-built Zebe, and the mini-doll characters Tempo and Melody) are exclusive to this set. All in all a great value for money.