January 2012 Notable Toys — Construction

Defend the LEGO Star Wars Hoth Echo Base (7879) from the evil Imperial forces. Imperial forces have discovered the Rebel base hidden on the ice planet of Hoth and are preparing to crush the Rebel Alliance. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia and protocol droid R—3PO get ready to fend off the attack as 2 snowtroopers approach. Luke Skywalker is in the bacta tank being treated by medical droid 2—1B. The LEGO Star Wars Hoth Echo Base (7879) includes: Tauntaun stable with locking gate, tauntaun, rotating radar dishes, falling icicle trap, working cargo crane, and medical bay with bacta tank; Han Solo, injured Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, 2—1B, protocol droid R—3PO, Chewbacca and 2 snowtroopers; flick missile gun turrets; repeating blaster and blaster rifle weapons; Measures over 21" wide and 5" tall; Imperial speeder bike measures over 5" long; Contains 773 pieces.

Stop the prisoners from escaping the police station through the pipe drain. They won't get far on foot. Use the police car to chase them down and transport them back to prison in the police van. Help keep LEGO City safe with this feature-packed set. The LEGO City Police Station (7498) features: Set Contains 783 Pieces; Includes 4 police officers, 2 robbers, a police dog and lots of accessories; Modular building make building easy; Includes police car, prisoner transport van, and bicycle; Station features 2 jail cells, command center with computers, helicopter landing pad on the roof, garage for two vehicles.
— As of 11/07/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 11 reviews on ToysRUs.com. Pros: Lots of accessories; fun to build; very detailed. Cons: Expensive; took one reviewer two days to assemble completely.
— As of 11/07/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 15 reviews on Amazon.com.
— Paul Sahagian, owner of Learning Express in Needham, Mass., told TDmonthly in a December 2014 interview that this Frozen Coloring book is one of the best-selling books at their store.

Blast through the droid ambush with LEGO Star Wars Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter! With quad flick missiles and the reliable R8-B7 astromech droid to navigate and repair damage, Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter will be more than a match for the tactical droid TX-20 on his Separatist speeder.
— As of 10/18/2011 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 14 reviews on Google Product Search. Pros: Mini Figures are great; lots of details and extras included. Cons: Many similar sets have been made.

Fly the LEGO Ninjago Lightning Dragon Battle (2521) to rescue Sensei Wu. Frakjaw and Kruncha have captured Sensei Wu and stole the nunchucks of lightning with their helicopter. Help Jay and the fearsome Lightning Dragon to rescue him and retrieve the golden weapon before they escape into the Underworld.! Beware of the helicopter's snapping jaws and flick missiles.
— As of 10/18/2011 this product had 4 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on ToysRUs.com. Pros: Dragon is durable; mini figures are great. Cons: Helicopter is not very durable.

Battle for control of the four Spinjitzu weapons has begun. Sensei Wu, Kai, Zane and Nya need help to keep Lord Garmadon and his evil skeleton army from taking the ultimate Spinjitzu weapon – the Dragon Sword of Fire. As the temple splits into two, the fearsome Fire Dragon emerges to protect the sword by spitting fire at Lord Garmadon. Set also includes Samukai and Kruncha figures, all four golden weapons and 14 other weapons. 1174 pieces. Launch date: Summer 2011.
— As of 10/14/2011 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars from 3 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Helps build fine motor skills and logic skills; challenging. Cons: Finished structure not very durable.
— As of 10/14/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on ToysRUs.com. Pros: Very detailed; lots of moving parts.

Take home this LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean The Black Pearl (4184). After 13 years, Davy Jones has come to take Jack Sparrow back to the Flying Dutchman. As his tentacled adversary boards the Black Pearl with his brackish crew, Maccus and Bootstrap Bill, Jack and his friends Will and Joshamee are in no mood to surrender just yet. The LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean The Black Pearl (4184) includes: Jack Sparrow MiniFigure; Will Turner MiniFigure; Joshamee Gibbs MiniFigure; Davy Jones MiniFigure; Maccus and Bootstrap Bill MiniFigures. Contains 804 pieces. Launch date: October 2011.

Kids can transform, configure, and manipulate Block Builders for endless building and perpetual design. Fold and unfold the six distinctively hinged blocks to create skyscrapers, modern art sculptures, geometric marvels - just about anything imaginable. Includes 50 puzzle challenge cards. Block Builders puzzle challenge cards range from beginner to expert. Look at the design on the front of the card and recreate the shape using the indicated number of blocks. The solution is provided in an exploded view on the opposite side of the card.

The LEGO MiniFigure Series 5 adds 16 all-new, special MiniFigures to the growing LEGO MiniFigure Collection. Each MiniFigure comes in a sealed, mystery bag. Each character has its own special accessories, display plate and collector's leaflet. Inspired by movies, sports, history and just everyday life. This collection includes: Fitness Instructor, Snowboarder Guy, Lizard Man, Lumberjack, Gladiator, Small Clown, Egyptian Queen, Evil Dwarf, Boxer, Ice Fisherman, Zoo Keeper, Graduate, Royal Guard, Cave Woman, Detective.
— As of 10/10/2011 this product had 4.9 out of 5 stars from 9 reviews on ToysRUs.com.
— Robert Lightburn from Cville's Hobbies, Games and Toys in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly in an October 2011 survey that LEGO items sell well with the tween crowd.

Includes 24 blue and turquoise magnetic rods & 20 chromed steel spheres. Magnetic rods combined with non-magnetic spheres transform into thousands of geometric forms.
Awards: Dr. Toy 100 Best Products For Kids

Coloraturo, a new block set created by award winning toy designer Karen Hewitt, will delight and captivate the imagination of children and artists of all ages. This smart toy functions both as a designer art piece and a high quality children’s building toy providing endless experiences with color in both two and three dimensions. The color, form and sheer beauty of Coloraturo will attract young children as well as architects, designers and playful adults. "Displaying 36 unique, vibrant colors, this piece stands out from ordinary block sets, yet will still be a timeless toy for generations of children. This toy will provide endless building opportunities, yet looks beautiful enough to display anywhere in the house," Karen Hewitt, president/designer of Learning Materials Workshop, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012; 2011 Dr. Toy 10 Best Creative Products Award; 2011 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products Award.
— Why it won: Beautifully designed, kids can enjoy hours of pattern play, color sorting, and building. Meanwhile, parents won't mind having these colorful, geometric blocks left lying around.