Alien Conquest! Earth Defense HQ

I finished building my Alien Conquest! Earth Defense HQ yesterday afternoon/evening. I’d done the first little things the other day, all in Book 1, the mini-figures, the Alien Saucer, Interceptor Shuttle [I love this plane, the Jet-Copter Encounter isn’t as wonderful now, blink, blink 🙂 ] and the mini-rescue vehicle, trailer/stretcher plus Prisoner Pod. That was enough for one session. I was going to do the rest the next day, but never got to it.

I started building the main part of the set later in the day than I’d intended to do so. It took me a few hours, with the boys in and out of the room checking on my progress, hanging out watching, pestering me, what-have-you. I had Star Trek (2009) on too. 🙂

This build was  different, I made it on my bed, not a table. Easier but harder, if that makes any sense at all. The Front and Back sections of the vehicle HQ are well put together. The piece feels awesome when built.

The launcher that goes on top of the back of the vehicle was, only one way to say it: tedious to make. Juggling pieces into that configuration took some manipulation, not too hard, one of those “harder than most of the LEGO things” sort of thing. Once constructed it created an immediate need to get the fighter and put it on. Sweet. (Sure, it doesn’t “really” launch, it holds the plane and gets it in a ready-to-fly position. Imagination goes from there. Don’t need Hot Wheels launching, it’s a LEGO airplane!)

The Flick Fire Missiles were the last part. I was feeling ready to quit, but trodded on. In short order I had the wonderful last addition to the top of the HQ.

Every set I’ve built, the Flick Fire Missiles have improved. How the missiles flick is the key, plus how nice the weapon looks.

Once my eldest saw how the HQ Flick Fire Missile was constructed he was off to his stash to build something better for his Star Wars stuff. It’s simple, and VERY Effective. (He also switched his allegiance from the Jet-Copter Encounter to this HQ set. Of course, it’s totally, nearly overwhelmingly, so much better. The vehicles are large and have such nice drive-ability. It’s impressive to look at. (Some reviewers poo poo this set, overprice, could build it for $50, etc. –there are some new pieces, but overall the fullness of it is, I doubt most anyone could, special circumstances not withstanding.

I was putting all my stuff in my office, and my 10 year old came down and was holding the saucer, flying it around the room, so I said “Fly over here” indicating the table where I had the HQ truck parked. He did, and I shot one of the FF Missile towers at the saucer. Blam! It was awesome! Those 4 missles impacted so quickly, efficiently bringing the saucer down. (IRL they hit and blasted off of it in every direction, instantaneous!)

So my Alien Conquest! 2011 LEGO collection is complete (minus one bonus pack that we haven’t figured out, have the JetPack one though.)

I’m hoping for more in 2012. For now I’m going to keep looking at LEGO Blacktron sets (I love this, never had any, never paid attention to it before, I don’t know why) and try to get some. There are some Space Police pieces I like too.

Another end I’m pursuing is a train. I want to get the Emerald Night, and enough track and power and such to make a Christmas setup around a tree. The currently offered Winter Village Bakery would be an added bonus.

I’m very interested in some of the other LEGO Creator models. I dream a lot, and lately I dream about LEGO things more than anything else. I mean really dreaming. Nighttime, R.E.M. (not the band, the sort of sleep that dreams are realized from.)