Latest Reviews: CaDA Kitty's Grocery, COBI Citroen Pallas, CaDA CV2, FD35 RX-7, Lambo LP700, Underground Station....
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To start with, the packaging is really nice, and the instructions were clear and precise. Parts are good quality, and the count was 100% there. No missing or damaged pieces to replace.
There are some really nice, and unique parts, and I particularly like the green roof tiles which add a lot to the look.
It comes with a simple, but easy to use lighting kit, and plenty of lovely stickers that add a lot of great details to the build, seemingly without adding a lot to the cost.
The design is really appealing, with nice architectural style, and lots of interesting mechanical/moving features to construct and enjoy.
Full marks to the Designer of Kitty's Grocery for creating such a nice, complete building, with a lovely look and feel. It has a great atmosphere, and creates a peaceful and relaxing little space to escape into.
Building the kit was a lot of fun, and very relaxing, over several evenings. The many moving, opening features were fun to build, and I picked up some new building techniques as I went. It's one of the best kits I've had the pleasure of making.
Overall, I was very pleased with the design, quality, and value of the kit, and am definitely interested in building a couple more of the CaDA "Buildings" series.
The only modifications I made was to make the lollipop street sign a bit more secure, as mine tended to fall out. Simple little fix. Otherwise, I stuck to the Designers instructions, as the design is so good. S.D.
CaDA Kitty's Grocery with LED lighting C66015 – Brick Army Canada
COBI #24348, 2265 pieces
Citroën DS 21 Pallas
An iconic car from the past that still looks like it’s from the future, Cobi impresses with this unique kit. Everything reflects a very high quality. The engineering is very solid, and merits “built like a tank”. The details are extremely well done, and have all three pedals! The dash and engine compartment are nicely detailed, and it even comes with a full-size spare. Pad-printed pieces instead of stickers are superior in every way. Instructions were easy to follow, and no missing pieces, even a few extras for the stash. The dark blue with white roof is very elegant.
If you enjoy building the Lego Icons series, you will be blown away by this kit. I give it 11/10 Stars as it exceeded my expectations. B.G.
Citroen DS 21 Pallas 1968 #24348 – Brick Army Canada
Citroen 2CV CaDA C610026 No RC
This is a nice kit for those who enjoy quirky vehicles. CaDA always impresses with their packaging and brick quality, though I did find some pieces with minor defects. Interesting build as you start with a rolling chassis and build much like the real car would have been built. However, adding pieces to a rolling chassis is not always easy and the soft rubber tires can cause flex which can pop off certain pieces. Nicely detailed with opening doors, trunk and hood. The included camera and suitcase work well with this iconic car for a touch of artistic flair. I’ll give it 8/10 with points off for the defects and the too soft tires. B.G.
CaDA bricks Citroen 2CV with RC option 1:12 C61026 – Brick Army Canada
Initial D Mazda RX-7 FD35 CaDA C61023 No RC
I’ve never read any Initial D Manga so I will leave any critiques of accuracy to someone else. I was surprised to find you can build two different versions, and the pieces are bagged separately so lots of spare parts! Packaging is some of the best I’ve seen. I found a few pieces with defects but not severe enough to request replacements. I did have a few build issues. The top front bumper angle is created with thin hinges and one broke. Not willing to wait for a replacement I used CA glue to repair it, and it seems to be holding. There is a fragility issue with the front fenders, I resorted to glueing a few pieces just so I could pick up the kit. You add the tires very early which can be a pain when adding pieces. I used spare blocks to build a stand to take the weight off the suspension. Didn’t like the stand, but spare parts are always welcome. The shocks are too weak for the vehicle and there is some squat to the rear. I built a very small stand to level it out while on display. 7/10. I’d give 6/10 for the defects and build issues, but all those spare parts are worth a point. B.G.
CaDA Initial D 1:12 Mazda RX-7 FD3S with RC option C61023 – Brick Army Canada
Lamborghini LP700 CaDA C63004 No RC
CaDA continues to impress with their kits, and this is no exception. Great box, bricks and instructions, though you must be focused, or you can miss minor details. The kit is well engineered yet offers some technical challenges while building. I had to alter some of the instructions to make a few assemblies work properly, but I find that enjoyable. Everything works as it should and no defects were found. It looks very nice on display with my other kits, and the bright yellow makes it stand out in the crowd. I’m giving it 10/10 as this kit meets all my expectations. Recommended! B.G.
CaDA Lamborghini LP700 Sports Car with RC option 1:10 C63004 – Brick Army Canada
19Apr2024
CaDA London Underground Station with LED lighting
The online images and description for the London Underground Station suggest that this might be a novel kit to build. I was not disappointed. The kit includes a number of challenges during construction, many novel and unexpected features, and a well integrated and effective lighting system. And late in the construction, the pleasure of another creative design feature. The rather simple, but quite effective construction for the base of the “second floor” for the station makes it
quite easy to remove it for access to observe the many special features of the ground level. The designer for this “Underground Station” deserves particular mention for his creativity and innovative design features. Material for this kit is well organized and the packaging impressive with its “embossed” imagery. I.D.
CaDA London Underground Station with LED lighting C66008 – Brick Army Canada
11Apr2024
FORMULA RACE CAR ASSEMBLY 5/5
What a pleasurable overall experience assembling this racing car kit. Overall, the variety of components are precisely designed, the instruction guide exceptionally organized and well illustrated, and the resulting construct quite solid. Many excellent details in the “gearing” and wheel assembly that added to the overall satisfaction for the model construction. My first experience building a kit from this supplier was entirely positive. And even the quality for the packaging was an unexpected experience. I.D.
CaDA Formula E Race Car 1:8 with RC option C64004 – Brick Army Canada
14Mar2024
FRANZ OR FRIEDRICH? 5/5
I just finished building this BF-109. I like how the landing gear has room to retract into the wing, and how surprisingly stable it is despite the lack of a wheel cover found on the newer models; I also like how the flat tiles are placed to make the wing area more stable. Another build I can cross off my list. R.P.
Messerschmitt BF 109 F-2 #5715 (discontinued)
27Feb2024
SAMURAI OF THE AIR. 5/5
One of the best sets Cobi has ever made. The colours contrast each other well, everything fits perfectly, and the big surprise for me was that the zero's tail number leads to the plane of one of the most famous Japanese pilots in WWII - Saburo Sakai. R.P
Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen #5729 – Brick Army Canada
25Jan2024
NICE BUT… 5/5
This is a nice set but, like the reviewer before me, be careful assembling the wings. The struts are thin and could easily snap. Otherwise, it was a fun build. Love the printed pieces and Canadian Ace William Barker that is included. Now waiting for the arrival of the German Fokker Tri-wing. D.N
Sopwith F.1 Camel #2987 – Brick Army Canada
1Oct2023 BUILD WITH SMALL PIECES 5/5
A build with many small pieces & a nice reproduction of General Wladyslaw Anders of the 2nd Polish Corps that fought in Italy and took Monte Cassino in 1944. R.P
Sherman IC Firefly Hybrid #2276 – Brick Army Canada
1Oct2023 FUN BUILD AND TRIBUTE 5/5
A fun & easy build with pieces fitting together nicely and a nice representation of General Stanislaw Maczek. A fine tribute to a general & his men who, in the 1st Polish Armoured Division fought alongside the Canadians through Normandy, the Netherlands (liberating Breda with no civilian & little structural damage), and finishing their war in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. R.P.
Cromwell Mk.IV #2269 – Brick Army Canada
30Sept2023 NICE TANK, GOOD SCALE. 5/5
Nice looking tank & all the pieces fit together nicely. Find the 1:35 scale to be a nice size for fitting onto a crowded shelf. R.P.
Sherman IC Firefly Hybrid #2276 – Brick Army Canada
26Sept2023 LARGE PLANE BUT LOVE IT, 5/5
Quite a large plane when it is finished being built - barely fits on my shelf; but love the colour scheme & all the pieces fit nicely although I would recommend tweezers to fit the rocket launchers fittings if you have trouble clipping them in. Love how cobi is adding details to the undersides of their planes now. R.P.
Ilyushin IL-02 Shturmovik Poland #5744 – Brick Army Canada
7Aug2023 NICE PLANE BUT OVERPRICED... 4/5
This is another great cobi aircraft but brickarmy Canada just keeps increasing the price. It was 54.99 last christmas for a plane then it was 56.99 and then 57.99 and now these planes are 59.99 . That is a 5 dollar increase in just 8 month peroid. A.C.
Bell P-39D Airacobra US #5746 – Brick Army Canada
20Apr2023 BEAUTIFUL PLANE 5/5
Received it today, and it is one of the best sets I ordered. The red, green, and white provide a beautiful contrast with each other, while the absence of any little black studs & stylus to put them in in makes it one of the easier sets to build. R.P.
P-47 Thunderbolt #5737 – Brick Army Canada
5Mar2023 VERY NICE GRUMMAN 4/5
It is a very sturdy plane with, very nice printing. Side comment some of my pieces where a bit scratched but, I am not sure if that was a one time thing caused by this set's specific treatment of if that is common with these kind of sets. There is also no seat for the pilo, In addition to this there was seemingly a burn mark on the name plate. I loved how the wings had dilateral or whatever its called. One of the better cobi planes i have built but that is just two. I hope to build more in the future. I this was not specific enough you should watch brick meet's build and review video on this. He is a great content creator. G.T.
F4F Wildcat #5731 – Brick Army Canada
28Feb2023 A BIT UNDERWHELMING. 3/5
The tank model is decent enough, but the rocket launcher part is unstable and loose. The extra cost is not worth it. Buy the standard M4A3 or the Tiger II instead. B.
M4A3 Sherman + T34 Calliope Executive Edition #2569 – Brick Army Canada
24Jan2023 WELL DONE COBI. 5/5
A version similar to the French version, except a different paint scheme & figure. R.P.
Renault FT "Victory Tank 1920" Poland #2992 – Brick Army Canada
24Jan2023 WELL DONE COBI. 5/5
As usual, all the pieces fit together nicely, and are detailed. Cobi has done well bringing a relatively unknown French general & tank to life. R.P.
Renault FT #2991 – Brick Army Canada
31Dec2022 UNKNOWN FRENCH FIGHTER 5/5
My favourite French fighter & the most modern at the outbreak of World War II. Love the usual details and the potential research into the history of the chosen squadron markings; also love how the landing gear folds neatly into the wings of the plane. R.P.
Dewoitine D.520C1 COBI #5720 – Brick Army Canada
31Dec2022 THE RED BARON 5/5
It's the Red Baron; what else is there to say? R.P.
Fokker DR.1 "Red Baron" #2986 – Brick Army Canada
31Dec2022 WAR TO END ALL WARS SOLDIERS 5/5
Love the entire set in general showing the main soldiers in the Western front, although surprised that the german soldiers helmet came with the spike needing to be attached to the helmet; could easily be lost if one is not careful. R.P.
Soldiers of the Great War #2051 discontinued
31Dec2022 BOUGHT IT FOR THE KEPI 5/5
Bought the set for the foreign legionairre (the one with the kepi cap). As usual, well-made with a bunch of accessories & a tribute to the ordinary French soldier not the butt of WWII surrender jokes. R.P.
French Armed Forces COBI #2037 – Brick Army Canada
9Dec2022 SVENSKA SAAB POWER 5/5
My favourite jet of all time due to its STOL ability, turnaround time, and financial benefit this set is very detailed and fun to build. Bit disappointing it has interchangable gear parts but it comes with a stand, so i can leave it gear up. :) R.P.
Saab JAS 39 Gripen E #5820 Swedish – Brick Army Canada
9Dec2022 DASSAULT POWER 5/5
One of my favourite jets ever produced, this set comes with its own stand and retractable landing gear. I love the detailed look of the jet when it is finished, although a little disappointed not all the weapons can be put all at once. R.P.
Rafale C COBI #5802 – Brick Army Canada