Tag: 2022 Gaming Haul

The Mega Sized Boba Fett Bust: Round Two of the Same Good Idea

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Boba Fett bust brick build
Boba Fett Mega Figure body, MOC-85873. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

Bought on the exact same day as the Darth Vader and Stormtrooper busts, this is MOC-85873 — a 1,611-piece oversized body designed to hold the official LEGO Boba Fett Helmet (75277) on top, from the same designer and product family as the other two.

The Review

Having now built all three of these back to back, the pattern is clear and it’s a good one: the body designs are simple enough to assemble in an evening but chunky enough to look substantial once the genuine LEGO helmet is seated on top. Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor plating translates well into the blockier proportions of a mega-figure build, arguably better than Vader’s smoother armor does, since the segmented plates hide the clone-brick seams more naturally.

It’s the same trade-off as the rest of this product line — PDF instructions, no printed manual, and clone bricks instead of genuine LEGO parts for the body — but the actual assembly experience was smoother this time, likely just from having done two of these already. As a set of three lined up on a shelf, they’re a genuinely striking little display.

What I Liked

  • Segmented Mandalorian armor plating hides clone-brick seams better than smoother designs
  • Straightforward, evening-length build
  • Looks great displayed alongside the matching Vader and Stormtrooper busts

What I Didn’t

  • Same PDF-only instructions and clone-brick compromises as the rest of this line
  • Requires the separate official LEGO helmet purchase to look right

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

Consistent with its siblings — a smart budget way to turn an official helmet into a full display bust, and the best-looking of the three armor designs so far.

Where to Buy

  • Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-85873 Boba Fett Mega Figure”

The Mega Sized Stormtrooper Bust: Completing the Trio

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Stormtrooper bust brick build
Stormtrooper Mega Figure body, MOC-87398. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

The last of the three same-day mega-figure busts, MOC-87398 is a 1,581-piece body built to hold an official-scale LEGO Stormtrooper helmet on top, rounding out a matching set with the Darth Vader and Boba Fett busts from the same order.

The Review

Of the three, this is the simplest design — the Stormtrooper’s smooth white armor doesn’t give the build much surface detail to work with, so it leans more on overall silhouette and proportion than on fine plating like the Boba Fett bust managed. It still reads correctly from a normal viewing distance, and at 1,581 pieces it was the quickest of the three to put together.

Lined up together, the three busts make a genuinely fun little display — three of the most recognizable Star Wars helmets, all at the same oversized scale, for a fraction of what a licensed set of busts that size would cost from LEGO directly (if LEGO even made one, which they don’t). The compromises are the same as the other two: PDF instructions, clone bricks, and a helmet you have to source separately.

What I Liked

  • Quickest and simplest build of the three mega-figure busts
  • Completes a genuinely striking matched trio on the shelf
  • Good value relative to what a licensed set this size would cost

What I Didn’t

  • Smooth armor gives the design less to work with than the other two busts
  • Same clone-brick and PDF-instruction compromises as the rest of the line

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

The simplest and least distinctive of the three busts on its own, but a satisfying way to complete the set.

Where to Buy

  • Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-87398 Storm Trooper Mega Figure”

The Mega Sized Darth Vader Bust: A Bootleg Build That Makes the Real Helmet Look Small

Toy Review · Purchased March 4, 2022 · $150.00 CAD via Lightake.com

Mega Sized Darth Vader bust brick build
Darth Vader Mega Figure body, MOC-88104. Photo: LesDIY

The Setup

This is the first of three “mega figure” busts I picked up from Lightake in the same month, all sold under different storefront names for the same underlying fan design. This one, MOC-88104, is an 1,888-piece oversized torso and shoulders built specifically to hold LEGO’s own official Darth Vader Helmet (75304) on top, turning a small collectible helmet into a full mega-scale display bust.

The Review

The concept is clever — rather than trying to design and sell an unofficial helmet too, this build is engineered around slotting the genuine LEGO helmet set on top, so the one piece of the display that actually matters for likeness is real LEGO. The body itself is a competent, chunky piece of design that reads well from a few feet away, and at 1,888 clone-brick pieces it’s a genuinely substantial build, closer to a weekend project than an afternoon one.

Up close, the compromises of a bootleg kit show: color matching between the clone bricks and the genuine LEGO helmet isn’t perfect, and like most of these third-party big-brick sellers, it ships with a PDF manual rather than a printed one. But as a display centerpiece next to the two other Star Wars busts, it does exactly what it’s designed to do — makes a small official helmet set look like a genuine collector’s statue.

What I Liked

  • Clever design that lets the genuine LEGO helmet do the heavy lifting on likeness
  • Substantial, satisfying build at 1,888 pieces
  • Turns a small helmet set into a genuine display centerpiece
  • Reads well as a display piece from normal viewing distance

What I Didn’t

  • Color matching between clone bricks and the genuine helmet isn’t perfect up close
  • PDF-only instructions, no printed manual
  • Requires buying the official LEGO helmet separately to complete the look

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

A smart, budget way to turn a small official helmet into a genuine mega-scale display piece, with the usual bootleg-kit caveats.

Where to Buy

  • Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “MOC-88104 Darth Vader Mega Figure”

The Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama: A Wall-Mounted Slice of A New Hope

Toy Review · Purchased February 10, 2022 · $120.00 CAD via Lego Store

LEGO Star Wars Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama 75339
Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama, 75339. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

Set 75339 is part of LEGO’s Star Wars Diorama Collection — wall-mountable, adult-collector display pieces built to capture a single iconic scene rather than a full ship or vehicle. This one recreates the trash compactor from A New Hope, at 802 pieces, complete with Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and the dianoga lurking in the murky water.

The Review

What makes this diorama line work is restraint — rather than trying to build an entire ship, it isolates one claustrophobic, grimy moment and nails the details that sell it: the textured “walls” closing in, the murky trash-and-water surface, the dianoga’s single eye peeking out. Building it is a satisfying, moderate-length session, and the six included minifigures (with genuinely good facial expressions) make it feel like a proper scene rather than just a backdrop.

It’s a wall-hanger, not a shelf piece, which is either a selling point or a limitation depending on how much wall space you’re willing to dedicate to a single Star Wars moment. For anyone who’s been collecting the wider Diorama Collection, it’s an easy addition; on its own, it’s a fun, focused build that’s more about capturing a mood than showing off scale.

What I Liked

  • Captures the claustrophobic mood of the scene very effectively at a small scale
  • Six included minifigures with strong facial printing
  • Satisfying, focused build without an overwhelming piece count
  • Fits neatly alongside the rest of LEGO’s Diorama Collection

What I Didn’t

  • Wall-mount format takes up permanent wall real estate rather than a shelf
  • A niche pick if you’re not already into the Diorama Collection line

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A small, well-executed slice of one of the most memorable scenes in A New Hope — easy to recommend to anyone already collecting the Diorama line.

Where to Buy

The Shark IQ Robot: Set-and-Forget Vacuuming With a Few Asterisks

Hardware Review · Purchased March 1, 2022 · $363.04 CAD via Amazon.ca

Shark IQ Robot vacuum with self-empty base
Shark IQ Robot RV1001AEC. Photo: Walmart

The Setup

The RV1001AEC is Shark’s answer to the self-emptying robot vacuum trend, pairing camera-based home mapping and app/Alexa control with a base station that holds roughly 30 cleaning cycles’ worth of debris before it needs to be manually emptied. It’s positioned as a budget-friendlier alternative to the self-emptying Roomba lineup.

The Review

The self-empty base genuinely delivers on the promise — going a month between manually dealing with the bin is a real quality-of-life upgrade over a standard robot vacuum, and Room Select in the app lets me point it at a specific room without babysitting the whole run. The self-cleaning brushroll also cuts down on the least fun part of robot vacuum ownership: untangling hair and debris from the brush by hand.

The compromises show up around the edges. It uses physical boundary strips instead of app-based no-go zones, which is a step behind competitors at this price, and it occasionally drops debris on its way back to the dock rather than depositing everything cleanly. Larger debris can also clog the bin opening and stop the auto-empty from completing properly. None of it is a dealbreaker, but it’s clearly a budget-tier take on the self-emptying concept rather than a class leader.

What I Liked

  • Self-empty base genuinely stretches a month between manual bin dumps
  • Room Select lets you target specific rooms from the app
  • Self-cleaning brushroll cuts down on hands-on maintenance
  • Meaningfully cheaper than rival self-emptying robots like the Roomba i7+

What I Didn’t

  • Relies on physical boundary strips instead of digital no-go zones
  • Occasionally drops debris on the way back to the dock
  • Larger debris can clog the bin and interrupt auto-emptying
  • Cleaning performance is noticeably weaker on low-pile carpet

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

A solid, budget-conscious entry into self-emptying robot vacuums — not a class leader, but a real step up from a standard robot vacuum for the price.

Where to Buy

Horizon Forbidden West: A Bigger, Better-Written Sequel That Still Won’t Let Me Climb Freely

Game Review · Purchased February 20, 2022 · $335.99 CAD via Amazon.ca

Horizon Forbidden West key art
Horizon Forbidden West. Photo: PlayStation Store

The Setup

Six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy pushes further west into a post-apocalyptic America to track down a mysterious blight threatening what’s left of the ecosystem, navigating a whole new set of tribal politics along the way. The sequel arrived as one of the bigger PS5 showcase titles of early 2022, and it’s a significant step up in scope from the original.

The Review

The core loop of stealth takedowns and precision ranged combat against the game’s robotic creatures is still the star of the show, and it’s meaningfully expanded here — the Pullcaster grappling tool and Shield-Wing glider both open up traversal in ways the original never had, and the sheer variety of weapons and elemental weaknesses to exploit keeps big machine fights feeling fresh well into the back half of the story. The writing is a real step up too; Aloy and the surrounding cast get far more room to breathe than in Zero Dawn, and the story has some genuine, well-earned turns.

The frustrating holdover is climbing: despite all the new traversal tools, you’re still restricted to pre-marked handholds rather than anything resembling freeform movement, which stands out more now that the rest of the traversal kit feels so much more open. Melee combat is also still the weak link — functional, but clearly the least-polished part of the moment-to-moment gameplay. Visually and technically, though, this is one of the best-looking, most content-dense PS5 games of its era, and the machine fights alone make the $60+ price tag an easy justify.

What I Liked

  • Machine combat is as good as ever and meaningfully expanded with new tools
  • Pullcaster and Shield-Wing genuinely improve traversal variety
  • Much stronger characterization and story writing than Zero Dawn
  • Massive amount of content — side quests, collectibles, exploration

What I Didn’t

  • Climbing is still limited to pre-set handholds, not freeform
  • Melee combat remains the weakest part of the combat kit
  • Some new systems (base building, arena) feel unnecessary

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

A genuinely huge step up from Zero Dawn in almost every category that matters, and easily one of the best PS5 exclusives of the year.

Where to Buy

Paper Mario: The Origami King, A Great Adventure Wearing an RPG’s Clothes

Game Review · Purchased January 25, 2022 · $50.85 CAD via Amazon.ca

Paper Mario: The Origami King key art
Paper Mario: The Origami King. Photo: Nintendo

The Setup

Peach’s Castle has been wrapped in giant paper streamers by the origami villain King Olly, who’s folded most of the Mushroom Kingdom’s inhabitants into paper along with it. Mario and new companion Olivia set out to remove the streamers one region at a time, in the latest entry to swing the Paper Mario series away from traditional RPG mechanics and toward pure adventure-game structure.

The Review

The headline mechanic is the ring-based battle system: enemies are arranged on a rotating circular battlefield, and before you can attack you have to rotate and slide segments of the ring to line everyone up in a row or a 2×2 block. It’s a clever spatial puzzle wrapped around combat, and for the first several hours it’s genuinely fun to solve. The writing carries just as much weight — Olivia is a fantastic companion, the jokes land consistently, and the papercraft art direction gives every region its own distinct, charming look, especially in the boss fights, which are the clear highlight of the whole game.

Where it stumbles is the thing longtime Paper Mario fans actually wanted: there’s no experience points, no leveling, and nothing meaningful gained from fighting regular enemies at all, which makes the ring puzzles start to feel like a toll booth rather than a reward the longer the game goes on. A weapon-durability system on top of that adds friction without adding much fun. It’s a genuinely funny, gorgeous adventure game that happens to have Mario’s face on it — just don’t go in expecting an RPG.

What I Liked

  • Olivia is one of the best companion characters in a Mario game, full stop
  • Consistently funny, well-written dialogue throughout
  • Boss battles are creative, varied, and genuinely challenging puzzles
  • Papercraft art direction gives every region real personality

What I Didn’t

  • No experience points or character growth from regular combat
  • Ring puzzles feel tedious by the back half of the game
  • Weapon durability adds friction without adding fun
  • Puzzle difficulty swings unevenly between trivial and frustrating

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Judge it as the charming adventure game it actually is, not the RPG its name promises, and this is one of the funniest, best-written Mario games around.

Where to Buy

The Three Broomsticks: A MOC That Reminds You Vonado Isn’t Just Star Wars and Horizon

Toy Review · Purchased January 3, 2022 · $100.00 CAD via Vonado

The Three Broomsticks Hogsmeade Winter Village MOC brick set
The Three Broomsticks, MOC-58042. Photo: MOC Brick Store

The Setup

This one is a good reminder that Vonado’s catalog isn’t just Horizon machines and oversized Star Wars ships. MOC-58042, “The Three Broomsticks – Hogsmeade Winter Village,” is a fan-designed brick recreation of the cozy inn from the Harry Potter films, sold as a roughly 1,176-piece clone-brick kit rather than anything LEGO themselves have ever released. LEGO’s own Harry Potter lineup has never given the Three Broomsticks a standalone set — the closest official version is a tiny microbuild tucked inside 76388 Hogsmeade Village Visit — so this is the only way to get a dedicated model of the place at any real scale.

The Review

As with every Vonado build, the instructions come as a PDF and the bricks are generic clone parts rather than genuine LEGO elements, which means a slightly different clutch power and color consistency than an official set. Where this one earns its keep is the design itself: the snow-dusted roofline, warm window glow, and half-timbered Tudor-style walls capture the Hogsmeade wintertime mood better than I expected from a fan MOC, and at 1,176 pieces it’s a manageable weekend build rather than the multi-day commitments some of my bigger Vonado purchases have been.

It’s designed to sit alongside official Harry Potter sets on a shelf, and it mostly succeeds — the proportions read correctly next to genuine LEGO Hogsmeade builds, even if a close-up comparison gives away the clone bricks. For a hundred dollars, filling a real gap in official LEGO’s Harry Potter catalog is a fair trade for a few cosmetic compromises.

What I Liked

  • Fills a real gap — LEGO has never made an official standalone Three Broomsticks set
  • Snowy Hogsmeade details and window lighting effect look genuinely charming
  • A reasonable weekend-sized build at 1,176 pieces
  • Displays convincingly next to official Harry Potter sets

What I Didn’t

  • Clone bricks have a slightly different feel and color match than genuine LEGO parts
  • PDF-only instructions, no printed manual
  • Close-up scrutiny gives away that it isn’t an official set

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

Not every Vonado purchase needs to be a 7,000-piece Horizon machine to be worth it. This is a smaller, charming way to plug a genuine hole in LEGO’s own Harry Potter lineup.

Where to Buy

  • Vonado product page (if still listed) — otherwise search “MOC-58042 Three Broomsticks” on reseller sites like MOC Brick Store

Dying Light Anniversary Edition: Catching Up on Harran Before Never Sleeping Again

Game Review · Purchased January 6, 2022 · $55.98 CAD via Amazon.ca

Dying Light key art
Dying Light Anniversary Edition. Photo: Steam

The Setup

With Dying Light 2 on the horizon for early 2022, picking up the Anniversary Edition of the original felt like mandatory homework. It bundles the base game with every expansion, most notably The Following, plus the 4-player co-op and the asymmetric “Be the Zombie” mode, all in one physical package.

The Review

The parkour is what sells this game. Free-running across Harran’s rooftops feels tight and purposeful in a way that makes traversal genuinely fun rather than a means to an end, and it’s woven directly into the melee combat — you’re just as likely to escape a fight by vaulting over a wall as you are to win it outright. The real hook, though, is the day/night cycle: daytime is a fairly standard open-world loot-and-clear game, but at night the fast, aggressive Volatiles turn the exact same map into a stealth-horror gauntlet where being spotted means running for your life back to a safe zone.

The story and cast are forgettable, and the game wears its Far Cry/Assassin’s Creed open-world DNA on its sleeve without doing much to disguise it. But the parkour-horror hybrid was a genuinely novel pitch back in 2015, and playing through the whole thing plus The Following right before the sequel made for a good refresher on why the format worked in the first place.

What I Liked

  • Parkour traversal is tightly integrated with combat and still feels great
  • Night sequences with the Volatiles create real, sustained tension
  • The Following expansion and Be the Zombie mode add a lot of value to one package
  • Skill-tree progression gives the moment-to-moment loop a satisfying sense of growth

What I Didn’t

  • Generic, forgettable story and characters
  • Mid-game pacing sags into grinding
  • Open-world structure borrows heavily and obviously from other franchises

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A genuinely clever traversal-horror hybrid that still holds up, and good pre-sequel homework with all the expansion content included.

Where to Buy