Number: 70809
Theme: THE LEGO® MOVIE™
Release Date: December 29, 2013
Piece Count: 738
Minifig Count: 7 (including brick-built Biznis Kitty)
Age Rating: 8-14
Cost: US $69.99 - CA $89.99 - UK £59.99 - EUR €69,99 - DK 649,00 DKK
Next up in our series of reviews of the LEGO Movie theme is Lord Business' Evil Lair. Featuring 7 figures in all, including the quite rare Vitruvius figure and alternate deco "Biznis Kitty" version of Unikitty as well as Lord Business himself, this set is quite a stand-out in terms of characters. But... does the set itself prove its worth, or is it all minifgures and no substance?
Plot to control the world in Lord Business’ Evil Lair!
Bwahahahaha! Welcome to Lord Business’ Evil Lair! Record his broadcasts in the TV studio and plot how to control the world from the office. Lever open the large door and unleash the Kragle. Trap the Master Builders in the think tank to extract their creativity. Dodge the trapdoor to avoid being sent spiraling into infinity then pull the plug on the battery and shut down the think tank before Lord Business carries out his evil plan! Includes 6 minifigures with assorted accessories: Emmet, Vitruvius, Ma Cop, Pa Cop, Lord Business and wrestler/Master Builder, El Macho Wrestler, and Biznis Kitty figure.
- Includes 6 minifigures with assorted accessories: Emmet, Vitruvius, Ma Cop, Pa Cop, Lord Business and wrestler/Master Builder, El Macho Wrestler, and Biznis Kitty figure
- Features office, think tank, Kragle, glue holder, TV studio with camera, sofa and Where Are My Pants sign, giant glue tube, rail-activated infinity drop window, battery, battery switch and translucent elements
- Accessories include big boy’s pants, tie cape, Piece of Resistance and a wig to transform Lord Business into President Business!
- Activate the mighty Kragle!
- Attach Emmett to the battery and send him spinning into infinity
- Record broadcasts in the TV studio
- Plan how to control the world from Lord Business’s office
- Trap Master Builders in the think tank
- Switch off the battery to shut down the think tank and stop the tower exploding
- Watch The LEGO® Movie to see all your favorite characters in action
- Office measures over 9” (25cm) high, 13” (35cm) wide and 5” (15cm) deep
- Lord Business stands over 6” (16cm) tall
Parts and Stickers
The pieces come in 5 numbered bags as well as one rigged tube and one spare rigged tube not contained in any bag. A small sticker sheet (for the size of the set) featuring the Kragle label, a boardroom chart, the "Where are My Pants?" sign, and two stickers for the brick-built battery. A plastic bag contains the capes for both Lord Business as well as Vitruvius.
Instructions
There are two instruction booklets, each displaying the same picture and LEGO Movie theme branding as the box. The first booklet contains the instructions for the first three bags, and the second booklet finishes the remaining two bags.
Bag 1
The parts from bag 1 are used to build an evil boardroom and evil boardroom table as well as Emmet and Lord Business himself. Unique or notable parts include Lord Business' ridiculously oversized headpiece, necktie-shaped cape, shoulderpads and boot extenders. Both Lord Business and Emmet feature alternate face prints on their heads. Not rare or unique by any means, but notable none-the-less is the inclusion of two sets of Dark Stone Gray minifigure legs, so you don't have to remove the boot extenders in order to transform Lord Business into President Business.
Unique or notable parts:
The boot extenders are quite interesting with a clip-tab type of connector as opposed to a standard LEGO stud.
Boot extender:
The clip-tab clicks into place just inside the first tube hole in the back of the legs to keep the piece securely fastened.
Boot extenders connected to legs:
Evil Boardroom Table:
Evil Boardroom Table construction:
Lord Business:
Lord Business close-up, normal face:
There is really no explanation of what this face means in the movie, and if I recall correctly only shows up in the opening scene. It's cool-looking, though.
Lord Business close-up, alternate face:
Here is the build as it stands at the end of bag 1:
Bag 2
Bag 2 builds upon the base from bag 1, adding a second level on top of the boardroom. Here we get an interpretation of Lord Business' "Think Tank", though it's only two "pods" to represent thousands.
Unique or rare parts include the pieces used to build Unikitty as well as the printed pieces of "El Macho", a 2x2 round 'donut' tile and a pair of rigged tubes.
Bag 2 unique or rare parts:
One of the most interesting aspects of this set is the official sanctioning of a formerly "illegal" technique: Trapping!
Trapping instructions:
Trapping in action:
Bag 2 includes the figures Master Builder El Macho and Biznis Kitty:
At the end of bag 2, the second floor above the evil boardroom, featuring two Think Tank pods, is complete:
Bag 3
Bag 3 builds one part of THE KRAGLE! which is used to keep all the pieces that just won't stay put in their place. Additionally, this bag contains Ma Cop and Pa Cop, Good Cop/Bad Cop's parents. There is a particularly intricate piece of engineering to open the doors when pushing the Kragle forward.
Unique or rare pieces in this bag include the "Track rod" piece, the new "A-frame" plate and the 2x4 "Foot Plate" in clear, originally seen in the Toy Story sets in green.
Bag 3 unique pieces:
The final build from bag 3, THE KRAGLE:
THE KRAGLE is built to open the doors when you push on a technic armature based on the "track rod" piece.
Doors closed:
Doors open:
Bag 4
Bag 4 contains the pieces to build the second floor above THE KRAGLE and the window to the "infinity drop". There is another action feature here that activates a hinged floor when a sliding lever is pulled forward. The single minifigure from this bag is Vitruvius. Speaking of which, he is completely comprised of unique or rare pieces, including the bottom of his staff (not pictured).
Vitruvius has a unique double-printed head, beard, hair, torso, printed slope, unprinted moonstone, and sparkly cape. This figure, and thus the pieces he is comprised of, is only available in this set and the recently released "Metal Beard's Sea Cow".
Unique/rare pieces:
Other than those pieces, this bag contains those that are used to build the second floor of THE KRAGLE. The action feature will allow you to flip a minifigure of your choice out the window into the "infinity drop".
Bag 4 finished:
Bag 5
Bag 5 contains pieces to finish off the set with some ancillary bits and pieces including the holder of the tube of Kragle that feeds THE KRAGLE, a battery that can be affixed to Emmet's back, and the set for "Where Are My Pants?" which includes a couch, studio lights, a TV camera and a studio truss. These final touches polishes off the set.
The finished set:
Biznis Kitty in the evil boardroom:
Emmet and the infinity drop:
THE KRAGLE:
The Think Tank:
All the minfigures/brick-built figures:
Ratings? All I'm asking for is total perfection.
Design: 6/10
Naturally, this set is a distillation and condensation of a much larger set of scenery backdrops. While the design does its best to give an impression of the various aspects of Lord Business' lair, it falls far short of conveying the monumental size of the 'real' thing.
Build: 8/10
Aside from pretty standard techniques in constructing buildings, there are some intricate details and technically advanced action feature engineering as well as some studs-not-on-top areas.
Minifigures: 10/10
While Emmet is found in half the sets released in wave 1, the rest are either extremely rare or exclusive to this set.
Playability: 9/10
There is a lot of play value here, with the action features of the "infinity drop" window and self-opening doors enclosing the Kragle as well as the "Where Are My Pants?" studio and Think Tank pods.
Parts: 6/10
Other than the minifigures, there are not many unique or rare pieces in the main build.
Price: 7/10
The price ratio is below the highly sought-after $0.10/piece, and it has a lot of minifigures for the money.
Authenticity: 7/10
While some of the scenery has been successfully transposed, it's still a far cry from "what could have been". It's a fair representation of the subject matter, but not a direct translation as is the case with many of the other sets in the line.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
