Review: 30705 Minecraft Lush Cave Fight Polybag

I found this in the Lego section at Barnes & Noble as opposed to the checkout aisle where they're usually kept.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.13 Price per Piece.  

Instructions.

Minifig.

Same figures as the Skeleton Defense polybag, just one weapon change.

Parts.  Plates, Bricks, Large Jumpers, Angular Leaves, Bar Plate, Jumper,

Brick w/Studs on Side, Round Plates, Round Plates w/Flower Edge,

Stadium Tiles, Round Tiles, Inkwells, Travis Brick, and Clip Bar Holder.

Build.  Station and 1 Hit piece of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Above.  (-10)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +5 (B+).  Ugh, that parts count.  One, ONE, more piece would have shaved a penny off the PpP.  Four more pieces would have brought it down by two cents.  I still feel like the Turtle Beach polybag was the high point for Minecraft polybags in recent years.

Review: Gundam Converge RGC-80 GM Cannon [Red Head] {Immortal 4th Platoon} (302)

After a week of Zeon Gundam Converge reviews I feel the need to tilt things back the other way.  According to Gundanium Gateway, these were released in November of 2024.

Box.  I paid $11.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head could be Defense or Spotting, The backpack

could be Defense or Movement.  The shield could be Defense.  The gun

could  be Melee, Direct Fire, or Spotting.  The cannon could be Direct Fire, 

Artillery, or Spotting.  The arms could be removed for White Die damage.

Assembled.

I managed to get the antenna in correctly this time.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:

Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  About the size of a Classic.  (+5)

How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Two.  (0)

Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: 0 (B). This has the same advantages as Wednesday's review along with being a recolored design which allows you to field two duplicate GC figures on the table at the same time.

Review: Gundam Converge RGC-80 GM Cannon (301)

After a week of Zeon Gundam Converge reviews I feel the need to tilt things back the other way.  According to Gundanium Gateway, these were released in November of 2024.

Box.  I paid $11.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head could be Defense or Spotting, The backpack

could be Defense or Movement.  The shield could be Defense.  The gun

could  be Melee, Direct Fire, or Spotting.  The cannon could be Direct Fire, 

Artillery, or Spotting.  The arms could be removed for White Die damage.

Assembled.  I know I put the antenna in upside-down

but they didn't look like they would fit any other way.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:

Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  About the size of a Classic.  (+5)

How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Five.  (+5)

Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: +5 (B+). It might be one of the more generic looking models but you can kit it up as a Soldier right out of the package -- along with multiple other Archetypes -- and if you find it for cheaper than I did the score will definitely improve.

Review: Gundam Converge MVF-X08 Eclipse Gundam (300)

After a week of Zeon Gundam Converge reviews I feel the need to tilt things back the other way.  According to Gundanium Gateway, these were released in November of 2024.  This release also features the 300th figure of this product line.

Box.  I paid $11.99 at Newbury Comics for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The vanes could be Spotting, but I wouldn't want to remove

them. The head could be Defense or Spotting.  The rifles could be Direct Fire,

Artillery, or Spotting.  The arms could be removed for White Die damage.  The

extra hands have openings to hold the rifles as the regular ones are solid.

Assembled.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:

Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  About the size of a Classic.  (+5)

How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Three.  (0)

Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: 0 (B). I had hopes for this one but it just feels kinda bland.

Battle Report: Airfield Ambush 7

This is our second game for 2025 that we put together at the last minute.  This was a Skirmish.

Phungkyjams (5 Frames & 19 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 49 points.  (Gundam Converge)
   Purple Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Blue Hammer -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   White Anvil -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Green Stalker -- 2Ra+d8/1G/2W + SSR.
   Orange Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

Sweet T (5 Frames & 20 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 42 points. (C6)
   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W. 

   Yellow Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W + SSR.

   Purple Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Orange Moving Wall -- 2B/2G+d8/2W + SSR.

   Green Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W

Me (6 Frames & 24 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (8 assets) = 24 points.  (PDBOG)

   Blue Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Tan Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Red Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Brown Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W.

   Purple Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Orange Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.

Events of Round 1 (DDC @ 11): Phungkyjams' Purple frame hits my Orange frame for 1.  My Orange frame skitters

North and captures Sweet T's Nas X station, then hits Phungkyjams' Blue frame for 2, and the Ammo Dump it was hiding behind for 1 -- destroying the Ammo Dump.  Sweet T's Red frame moves South and punches my Tan frame for 1.  Sweet T's Purple frame moves North and hits my Orange frame for 2, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Green frame moves West, next to one of the swing-wing fighters, and hits my Blue frame for 3.  My Blue frame skitters Southeast and hits Phungkyjams' Blue frame for 1 with a SSR.

Phungkyjams: 49 points.

Sweet T: 36 Points.

Me: 27 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 7): Phungkyjams' Purple frame hits my Tan frame for 1.  My Tan frame skitters East towards Phungkyjams' White frame.  Phungkyjams' White frame hits my Tan frame for 1.  My Purple frame takes a step North and hits Phungkyjams' White frame for 1.  Sweet T's Yellow frame moves Northwest and hits my Purple frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Orange frame moves West, out from under the wing of the Cargo Plane, then hits my Purple frame for 2.  Sweet T's Orange frame hits my Red frame for 4, with a SSR, which then moves South towards the shrubbery.  Sweet T's Yellow frame hits my Brown frame for 2.  My Brown frame leaps South and cuts Phungkyjams' Green frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Green frame moves South to capture Sweet T's Grey station, then hits my Brown frame for 1.  My Blue frame kicks Sweet T's Red frame for 2 then runs East down the runway.

Phungkyjams: 56 points.

Sweet T: 30 points.

Me: 27 Points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): My Tan frame kicks Phungkyjams' White frame for 1, Station Dance, and my frame captures his station.  Phungkyjams' White frame hits my Tan frame for 3, Station Dance, and he recaptures his station.  Sweet T's Yellow frame steps West and recaptures his Nas X station.  My Blue frame angles Southeast and kicks Phungkyjams' Blue frame for 1, Station Dance.  Sweet T's Purple frame hits my Red frame for 1, and the shrubbery in front of the Red frame -- destroying the shrubbery.  My Orange frame moves West behind Sweet T's Yellow frame and kicks it for 1.  My Brown frame kicks Phungkyjams' Green frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Purple frame hits my Purple frame for 2.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Phungkyjams: 56 points.

Sweet T: 36 points.

Me: 24 points.

Here are several during and aftermath pictures.

Round 1.

Round 2.

Round 2.

Round 2.

Round 2.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Round 3.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Skirmish.
• We didn't use the Neutral Station rule.
• Frame counts are taken from this post.
• Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Sunflowers

In my review of the Field Flowers polybag I wrote "I see sunflowers in my future."  The build I'll be sharing with you in this post is what I meant.

This starts with a Bevel Gear that has a 1x1 Five Petal Round Plate and an Angled Bar w/Stud attached to it.  Attach that to two 2L Smooth Axle Connectors joined by a 2L Axle.  This is 1 Hit and 15 feet tall in 6P scale.  The flower is 10 feet across.

I added two 1x2 Panels and two 1x4 Lattice Fences to the base to make it into a Station.  If you want to build a storyline around them for your game, here's a couple of ideas.  You could be fighting over plants on a world covered in concrete and steel.  Maybe they're the source of a new biological compound that all the pharma megacorps want.  Finally, giant sunflower seeds could possibly be the next big thing in snack food for competing agribusinesses.  

Second Size Comparison.

Size Comparison.

I hope this gives people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  I personally added them into my Asian Antenna Farm to bring a little color to the setting.  Flickr page.