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Review: #8658 Big Bling Wheelie


RobExplorien
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RobExplorien

LEGO Racers Tiny Turbos #8658 Big Bling Wheelie
Review by RobExplorien
 

I started my reviews with Racers sets from the Tiny Turbos theme, and now they're back. This time, the #8658 Big Bling Wheelie is up for review, sold in the iconic plastic garage boxes for these type of sets. The set was released back in 2005 (the garage box itself dates back to 2004), and the retail price for my local store was either €3,99 or €4,99, I'm not sure about that anymore, $3,99 in the US and Â£2,99 in the UK (according to Brickipedia). Taking a look at the boxart, the name of the vehicle fits with the design of it. The advised ages are 6 and up, The LEGO Group scores points for having that correct. The boxart depicts the Big Bling Wheelie in action; racing with high speed and smoke coming off the back wheels.

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Then we have the back of the box. Nothing special here, other than the bar code, warnings in a ton of languages, copyrights and a link to the LEGO website. I do have to point out something on the side of this box, which we will get to at the image after this one.

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To already point out an error in the brick scale. The wheel included in this set is a Big Wheel(ie), and I don't think they took this into account while working on the box art. The scale is more like 1:2, than 1:1. The garage function of the box this set is sold in is shown as well. I did have some trouble fitting the Big Bling Wheelie in there though, but I’ll get back on that later.

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The other side of the box shows you all four racers from this Tiny Turbos series. I will also review the #8655 RX-Sprinter one day. At the same side, it shows how you can combine the sets from this series and make a bigger vehicle (instructions for these vehicles are included).

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Now that we had a detailed look at the box, it’s time for the contents:

  • 32 pieces
  • instructions
  • sticker sheet with four stickers (not pictured)

I bet that you’re probably not surprised that this set makes use of a sticker sheet. The Tiny Turbos sets are notorious for the use of stickers. But I’m not here to rant about this once again. I’m surprised that I sticked them correctly back then, and not crooked, but I guess I had asked my dad to stick them onto the bricks.

And then there is this red plate. I don’t know why they picked this one piece with this colour for this set. It mind as well had been a purple or yellow coloured plate, because this piece is not visible when the Big Bling Wheelie is completely constructed.

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Single sheet instructions, like always with these sets, and it is carefully folded (definitely noticeable when compared to folded instructions in LEGO-copied sets). The front page shows you how to build the Big Bling Wheelie in 9 steps, with the stickers added in the final step.

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The other side shows you how to build a model with this set and set #8655 combined. It is a large off-road vehicle, being a mixture of the black and red elements. The instructions show the last part of the 11-step build. Also, lego.com offers a service too. Is it for when you encounter an error in the set, like missing bricks?

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This set does not require pictures of the build, I guess, so we’ll skip right to the finished model.

Personally, this is one of my favorite Tiny Turbos sets. I like the compact and sturdy design and the chrome rims, which contrasts the overall black colour of the vehicle along with the large air-scoop engines on the rear of the vehicle. The stickers add the cool details to this vehicle, but I’m not quite sure what the ‘S’ is meant to mean. It reminds me of the cash symbol (‘$’), the vehicle really looks like it is not affordable for the middle class minifigures.

I added a few baseplates and some trees to have the Big Bling Wheelie feel at home, on the asphalt. Ofcourse these parts are not included in the original set.

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The rear gives us a better look at the engines. Does it look good? I’m not too sure about that.

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And after a long day of racing, the Big Bling Wheelie has to rest its engines and tires. It is a bit of a trouble to get it in the garage, due to the air-scoop engines sticking out on the rear. When it's parked, close the ‘garage door’ and you can take it with you anywhere you want, without disassembling the set.

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So the back of the instruction sheet shows a how-to-build for the ‘combined-set’ model. In order to make this model, you need (bricks from) the #8655 RX-Sprinter set as well. Below is an image of what you end up with after the first six steps. The chassis is generally finished (consisting of lots of stacked up plates) and both type of wheels are to be used for this model.

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What you end up with, is this large (for its kind) off-road vehicle, measuring at about 11cm/4.5inch. A mixture of red and black elements and more chrome rims. The air-scoop engines are still in the rear, and we now have a spoiler advertising for LEGO Racers, so there you have one of the sources of my income, advertising. Four spare parts left, a fair amount, taking that the designers hadn't had an easy task to make a good looking vehicle with just the bricks of these two sets and using as much bricks as possible for this model.

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Now to take a look at its buttocks, eh, I mean rear. It becomes clear that the RX-Sprinter parts are dominant on this side. Mount the spoiler on the Big Bling Wheelie side, and you could consider the rear as the new front of the vehicle.

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Thus we get to the end of this review, and to summarize this set review:

  • The box/garage is common for these Tiny Turbos sets, providing easy storage for the Big Bling Wheelie (without the necessity of disassembling the vehicle) and providing easy storage due to the relatively small box size as well.
  • I don’t have much to say about the instructions. Well explained and nicely folded.
  • When you buy a Tiny Turbos set, expect decals to be included. Though printings might as well had been an option for The LEGO Group, the stickers are fine for me and add the necessary details to give the Big Bling Wheelie that snazzy look.
  • The vehicle itself really appeals to me, as I said earlier in this review. The extra-large rims do justice to the Bling in the name, and the overall black colour sort off intimidates the other racers.
  • Combine this set with the #8655 RX-Sprinter to make a large off-road vehicle, or add roadplates and perhaps some scenery to make a racetrack for the Big Bling Wheelie to compete on with other Tiny Turbos sets.

 

Rating


Design: 9
Quality: 8
Fun: 7
Price: 8
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  • 5 weeks later...
twoeasythree

Nice review! I've the other three cars in the set, missing this one. Nice to see how the car really is. As for the red 2x6 plate, I think they had to use red in the combined vehicle's build. I also like how this vehicle doesn't have it's stickers covering more than one piece, makes it easier to combine two cars :3

(A bit off-topic)Also, if you have the F6 Truck, the first thing you will notice that it doesn't fit. You'll have to put it sideways.

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