Play Well
Portugal has received over time, several messages from followers asking how to
put lighting on LEGO sets, if it was preferable to buy ready-made kits, or if
it would be better for a “DIY” (Do it Yourself) option.
Well, this
was something, that in my case, I was completely in the dark. Adding lights to
LEGO sets was always an option that I found quite interesting, namely for modular buildings or
the LEGO Winter Village sets. However, I was always very averse to changing
sets, much less cutting parts like some kits of this kind suggested, and I was
an absolut zero when it came to electronics, so for me it was out of the
question to try something DIY.
However,
the opportunity arose to try one of these products, courtesy of Lightailing.com, who were kind enough to send me one of these kits, so that I
could try and review it.
The set
chosen was the huge 71040 - Disney Castle, set from 2016 and one of the largest
in LEGO, with 4080 pieces. If I wanted to experiment it, then let’s start with
one of the biggest LEGO set, which would allow us to show the full potential of
these lights.
Shipping
was very fast, and in about a week it arrived in Portugal
The box
(pretty resistant by the way, with a harder cardboard) was enclosed in an
envelope. Perhaps because of this, and due to the reduced size, it did not stop
at customs. Inside there were 8 small bags, numbered and wrapped in bubble
wrap, as well as two instruction books, a small pamphlet with precautions to
take, and a business card.
The first
thing that surprised me was the instruction books. Quite long, with lots of
photographs, and therefore perfect for demonstrating how to install this light
kit. Not only it shows the necessary
steps and where to fit the lights, it also shows the best areas to
"dismantle" the castle, in case we install the kit with the set already
assembled.
The
brochure with some indications during the installation:
- Handle
the wires carefully and avoid pulling them
- The
battery box can carry batteries or be connected to a power bank
- When
hiding the wires, (if placed between bricks) the wires must be placed between
studs to try to avoid excessive pressure on them.
The 8 bags
with components, 5 with light kits, 1 with USB adapter( to hold the 5 kits),
one with the USB battery box and the other with a small tool that opens the
same box.
Castle
assembled, let's start the first instruction book:
Another
thing that surprised me, is that the elements where the leds are glued, are original LEGO parts.
Something that is important to do is test each set of lights before starting the installation. If any light doesn't work, just contact Lightailing and they'll sort it out.
Example of
how the great hall of the castle is lit, with 6 plates placed in the
"ceiling"
Here it is necessary to replace some of the original parts of the set, namely the 1 x 1 round brick of the lanterns, and the 2 x 2 round plates of the wall. However, the wires are quite well hidden as you can see from the images. And here's what was advised earlier, the jumpers are going to be placed on top of the wires, and these should be between the plate studs, to avoid as much pressure as possible.
Effect after
installing the first set of lights.
So let's get started with installing the second bag kit.
This bag
features the only modified parts. As you can see in the photo, there is a 1 x 1
tile glued to a 1 x 8 tile, where the LEDs that will light the 1st floor of the
castle from inside are glued (where Brave’s bow and arrow are). These lights
are quite colorful and vivid (disco type - see the next video), and in my
opinion are a little excessive for the final result. But I kept them during
installation and video recording with all kits installed.
This is
possibly the most difficult step to install, placing the plates inside the four
towers in order to hide the wires. It's possible to do it with the model
completely built, but it takes a little extra patience (and some small hands
that don't shake too much)
One more LEGO
element changed, in this case the 1 x 2 Hinge plate at the top of this tower.
The third
bag illuminates the interior of some of the castle's rooms.
 |
Another
very delicate step, with some attention needed so as not to put the
connectors on reverse.
Finally,
the easiest set to install, with "floodlights" that will illuminate
the entire castle on the outside. These pieces are also glued together and the
LEDs have alternate colors - they change color from every 4 or 5 seconds
USB
adapter, so you can turn on all the six light sets at the same time.
The only
parts that were exchanged... were these
Verdict:
I was very
surprised and pleased with the final result. I was quite afraid of not being
able to assemble this kit (I'm really clumsy with these things), so I can say
with certainty that if I can do it, everyone can. The LEDs are quite powerful
and illuminate more than I expected. Its assembly was quite quick, in about an
hour and a half it was completed.
Although not necessary, I advise that this light kit is assembled at the same time as the official LEGO set is being assembled. Although the instructions are quite clear and very effective in showing you the best place to disassemble the necessary parts, the most difficult factor to implement is actually placing the parts in such a way as to hide the wires. Many of these are hidden behind or even inside walls (literally), and it takes some precision and patience to do this.
Another issue that I now understand better is the price factor. I've always found these sets somewhat expensive for their content, but after reviewing this one, the use of original parts, the quality of the instructions (which sometimes manage to be better and more noticeable than some LEGO's sets), and especially the work of placing/gluing the leds and calculating the length of wire between each led/element, in order to avoid leaving as little visible wire as possible, is a lot of work and I think that in this particular case, Lightailing.com did a great job.
It's almost Christmas and many of us like to build little dioramas with LEGO Winter Village sets. For those who like to put some lights on these displays, Lightailing offers solutions for all these sets, or even for other seasonal sets related to Christmas, such as the Christmas Wreath, the Christmas Tree that was given away a few years ago, or even the Creator set with a Chalet in the snow. You can see all the solutions on Lightailing.com website, for this type of set or even for other themes, such as Creator Expert, Technic, Ideas, Star Wars or even Speed Champions.
Some sets
(such as Disney's Castle), may have two or three solutions with different
prices, where the difference lies in the amount of lights, or in the
possibility of having a remote control that allows you to control the lights.
For this
review, the kit used was this one. There are also several promotional codes
that you can use to get discounts on purchased kits. For the Black Friday, discounts can go until 50%, and afterthat, you can also use code
Here is the
video I recorded after installing all the segments, and the official video of
this kit that appears on the Lightailing.com page.
Comentários
Enviar um comentário