LEGO Monster Fighters The Crazy Scientist and His Monster (9466)

The Lego "Monster Fighters" theme launched in May 2012 with a number of spooky sets revolving the theme of a group of heroes trying to stop the evil Lord Vampyre from bringing about eternal night. Utilizing some popular monster archetypes like a vampire, mad scientist, werewolf, sea creature, zombies, and a mummy, the Monster Fighters sets have a very golden age of Hollywood monster movies vibe to them. Pitting the classic monsters against a group of heavily armed heroic humans, many of whom feature steampunk sensibilities, really builds a strong Lego theme. Today I'm looking at "The Crazy Scientist & his Monster", a laboratory playset straight out of Frankenstein.

The Facts: -
# of Pieces: 422 parts, 2 instruction manuals
Minifigures included: The Monster, The Crazy Scientist, Dr. Rodney Rathebone, Major Quinton Steele

Positives:

*I like all of the figures, but here I'm pointing out the unique Monster and Crazy Scientist, both of whom seem to so far be unique to this set and differ from the blind bagged minifigure versions of the characters. The Monster has a great expression on his face and the scientist has great hair.

*The small blue car is a fantastic build and an excellent Lego vehicle. It is a very classic looking automobile but is loaded with "retro hi-tech" elements: flame spewing boosters on the side, a radar dish, and lots of firing missiles. The car can hold 3 passengers: One in the driver's seat, one on top, and one in the passenger's seat which slides out to become a gunner's chair.

*The main feature of the lab is an operating table (for the monster to lay on) which can be cranked into position. It is also attached to a small tower which utilizes a Lego light brick to "zap" the monster with electricity, bringing him to life. The whole setup is really detailed, works like a charm, and is extremely aestehtically pleasing with some nice stickers, plastic electrical effects, and lots of translucent pieces.

*The lab section has some neat little objects on display which give it character. There's a skull in a tank, a microscope, some potions, a frog, and a glow in the dark rat and spider.

*The jail cell door opens easily, has a wall which can be removed to aid the Monster Fighters in escaping, and has a cannon on top which can launch little clear green projectiles. No idea what they are supposed to be, but it is a neat little jail.

Negatives:

*Maybe this happens with all Lego sets, but 2 of minifigure in this set are duplicates of figures found in other sets. If you only have this set, that's no problem, but at this point I'm realizing that I'm starting to amass quite a few duplicates. Even some minor differences or changes in facial expression would have been nice.

*The mechanism which causes the light brick to function really only allows for the light brick to flicker, not to be turned on and off. With some finangling, you can get the light on, but I really would have liked a little switch or something to keep the light on when I wanted it left on.

Overall: With 4 figures, lots of accessories, a laboratory, and a vehicle, "Tthe Crazy Scientist and His Monster" is a very fine set in the Monster Fighters theme. It is a neat standalone piece, but looks even better when you set it alongside your Vampyre Castle, as the colors and style are a perfect match. I'm really interested to see how Lego expands on this theme, as it seems to be quite popular with a wide age range of Lego fans.

While this set is fun to build and nice enough, playability is poor to terrible. Two of these sets were given to an 8 and 12 year old and the results were an easy build but a set that has a very weak structural design. This thing flies apart in just a few minutes and the design, which is less modular than many other lego toys, means it's harder to repair.
This is a set for the shelf only and believe me; these kids own a lot of lego stuff that they play with and this is a disappointment. The Spongebob house has a design that is also for the shelf only. The build out on this is pretty small for the money. Seems more like a 30 dollar toy. I'd skip it.
** from two hardcore lego fans and a dad who only wants happy kids!

Capt RB

The Monster Fighter Legos are the coolest sets ever created for little kids with a passion for good vs evil. This is my son's favorite line, even surpassing his interest in the Harry Potter sets -- and that's saying something! Every MF set is truly a winner and this is no exception. Thanks Lego!