Le Yi (not to be confused with Leji) is a new brand for me and though I didn't plan on trying it, I got this one for Christmas, so why not :) Also, the Journey to the West stories is not really my cup of tea (though I have some characters from it in my collection), but in this case this character reminded me of my childhood hero - Guyver - too much :D
The Six-Eared Macaque is a spiritual primate on par with Sun Wukong in terms of their powers and abilities. The Macaque first appears in disguise as Sun Wukong and when he fights with him, neither of them is able to overcome his opponent. No one is able to identify who the real Sun Wukong is until they show up before the Buddha, who tells them about the spiritual primates. The Macaque attempts to flee when he realizes his identity is revealed, but the Buddha traps him under a giant alms bowl, and only then Sun Wukong is able to defeat him.
Relaxed building took 5 hours and 40 minutes.
Brick quality: reminds me of DK brand. Perfect clutch power, looks nice, but there are some scratches here and there, finishing not always perfect, some are not perfectly clean. Technic pieces fit nicely. It's like a mix of Sluban quality with DK-like finishing. Overall, there is nothing to really complain about. Note that there are some pieces (mostly decorations, also head) that are not really Lego-like. They are more from the model-building field, however, they are nicely adapted and can even be used in other builds. Be careful wit the head - once assembled, it's almost impossible to take apart. Also note that the real colours (of the purple parts) are not quite the same as on the pictures in instructions or promo, not that vibrant. The real reason for this - they actually glow in the dark!!
Design: first things first - the obvious. Le Yi has inflated pieces count on purpose. There are huge amount of small pieces in this set, though to be honest I cannot always say they are replaceable by bigger pieces. This results in a quite compact build and quite tedious building, which is of a more than average difficulty. Nevertheless, I cannot say I didn't like it, I prefer some challenge. Other than that - this model is not for playing, this is not a toy for a kid. While torso and legs are solid, arms are a bit fragile, especially if you try to make it do some posing and hold this absolutely MASSIVE staff. There are some limiters for stability, so those can fall off, also belt decoration. Nothing I wouldn't expect, the design is not bad and I accept those sacrifices that were made for cooler final look.
Stickers/prints: there are only 12 stickers, quality is Lego-like, colours are nicely matched. Only head parts are printed.
Instructions: there are huge amount of steps on the page, only 20 pages for 1208 pieces :))) The book looks cheap, but quality is good enough. Despite many steps on the page (which I actually like), the manual is extremely easy to follow, colours are accurate, there are tips on the scale, metallic and transparent pieces, I didn't make a single mistake (well, I did one, but not because of the instructions).
Overall, great set, and I welcome Le Yi to my collection :)
The Six-Eared Macaque is a spiritual primate on par with Sun Wukong in terms of their powers and abilities. The Macaque first appears in disguise as Sun Wukong and when he fights with him, neither of them is able to overcome his opponent. No one is able to identify who the real Sun Wukong is until they show up before the Buddha, who tells them about the spiritual primates. The Macaque attempts to flee when he realizes his identity is revealed, but the Buddha traps him under a giant alms bowl, and only then Sun Wukong is able to defeat him.
Relaxed building took 5 hours and 40 minutes.
Brick quality: reminds me of DK brand. Perfect clutch power, looks nice, but there are some scratches here and there, finishing not always perfect, some are not perfectly clean. Technic pieces fit nicely. It's like a mix of Sluban quality with DK-like finishing. Overall, there is nothing to really complain about. Note that there are some pieces (mostly decorations, also head) that are not really Lego-like. They are more from the model-building field, however, they are nicely adapted and can even be used in other builds. Be careful wit the head - once assembled, it's almost impossible to take apart. Also note that the real colours (of the purple parts) are not quite the same as on the pictures in instructions or promo, not that vibrant. The real reason for this - they actually glow in the dark!!
Design: first things first - the obvious. Le Yi has inflated pieces count on purpose. There are huge amount of small pieces in this set, though to be honest I cannot always say they are replaceable by bigger pieces. This results in a quite compact build and quite tedious building, which is of a more than average difficulty. Nevertheless, I cannot say I didn't like it, I prefer some challenge. Other than that - this model is not for playing, this is not a toy for a kid. While torso and legs are solid, arms are a bit fragile, especially if you try to make it do some posing and hold this absolutely MASSIVE staff. There are some limiters for stability, so those can fall off, also belt decoration. Nothing I wouldn't expect, the design is not bad and I accept those sacrifices that were made for cooler final look.
Stickers/prints: there are only 12 stickers, quality is Lego-like, colours are nicely matched. Only head parts are printed.
Instructions: there are huge amount of steps on the page, only 20 pages for 1208 pieces :))) The book looks cheap, but quality is good enough. Despite many steps on the page (which I actually like), the manual is extremely easy to follow, colours are accurate, there are tips on the scale, metallic and transparent pieces, I didn't make a single mistake (well, I did one, but not because of the instructions).
Overall, great set, and I welcome Le Yi to my collection :)