Ever since I bought and built my block-based Legend of Zelda figurines and the Master Sword in its pedestal, I've spent a lot of time looking out for alternative sets to those from the Danish block-building giants. LEGO is incredible, but it's often incredibly expensive with some sets being really hard to come by. What's more, they don't tend to focus on every day objects from our past, but rather focus on specific sets and franchises.
The MAX collection from Zuru Toys is different; from flowers to pizza, sushi to cameras, they turn everyday objects into fun collectibles, especially when their Retro Collection is concerned.
If it isn't insanely obvious already from our name or the content on our site, we're all about Retro, which is why this set caught my eye. While there are 6 designs in the collection including a red telephone, a camera, and a boombox, I've chosen to go with three items that have been pivotal to the world of home computing over the years.
Are MAX building brick sets as good as the real deal? Do they provide a real challenge? Let's find out, shall we?
Checking Out The Max Retro Collection From Zuru Toys
Even though the iconic red LEGO bucket will always be a staple of my childhood, there's something exciting about holding a sphere full of coloured bricks. I guess it's all the years that I spent opening up Kinder Surprise toys when I was a kid and putting them together on the kitchen table, back when they had actual pieces and the world wasn't so worried about us swallowing them.
In terms of the packaging, I can't fault Zuru Toys with these sets. Everything's packaged inside a hard shell that opens in the middle, with pieces in three individual packets inside. You'll also get an instruction booklet which is super easy to follow too, with step-by-step instructions on how to put your new figurine together.
If I'm going to make a slight criticism (and let's face it, it's my job to do that), it would have been nice to have the pieces in specific bags like the Sillbird Master Sword set did, with numbered bags corresponding to specific sections of the instruction booklet. Having said that, however, I am thinking about that from the point of view of a newbie to the brick-building scene. I'm a 90s kid who spent their entire childhood rummaging around in a plastic bucket looking for specific pieces, after all!
Arcade Cabinet
- Number Of Bricks: 162
- Dimensions: 110 mm x 64 mm x 55 mm
- Build Time: 30-40 minutes
- Available From: Amazon
While 'Alien Invasion' might bear a vague likeness to a certain game featuring invaders from space, there's no mistaking the iconic look of the arcade cabinet in this first figurine. Standing at 110 cm, or around two-thirds of the height of a Game Boy DMG if you want to measure it in Retro Gamer's terms, it's a fun and quirky collectible based on the golden age of arcade games.
I'm always amazed how these things come together during the building process; one minute I'm making a piece that doesn't seem to have any correlation to anything, and then the next it's slotting in place and everything makes sense! The arcade cabinet had some really fun moments in it that you can see while checking out the video below, especially putting the screen together and placing the little sticker decals on the sides!
This set wasn't too hard to put together; with only 162 pieces it's the smallest design out of the three that I've built today. I think it's the most visually impressive, however, though that's hardly surprising considering my line of work. Plus, I really like the attention to detail with the coin slots and the plug outlet port on the back. While a little fiddly, this won't prove too much of a challenge to builders of any age.
Retro TV
- Number Of Bricks: 221
- Dimensions: 62 mm x 85 mm x 51 mm
- Build Time: 45 - 60 minutes
- Available From: Amazon
The TV was an interesting unit to build, and while not as intricate as the Apple Macintosh below, was still fun to put together. There was a lot of layering going on here, and I did think that the instructions were designed in a way to leave you going 'oh riiiight' as opposed to just putting it together using an easier method. Still, that's all part of the fun, right?
I can just imagine hooking up an old NES or Atari to this thing; it's a proper 80s retro television with the wooden panel exterior and legs that free standing models would have had back in the day. It even has you building the bulky back that would be impossible to put into any corner.
The TV is certainly the sturdiest of all the sets, and while the side panels are only held on by three notches, they sit snugly to the side of the unit. It even comes with a TV Aerial for you to imagine messing around with to tune into the latest episode of MASH or The Persuaders.
Apple Macintosh
- Number Of Bricks: 221
- Dimensions: 90 mm x 65 mm x 71 mm
- Build Time: 45 - 60 minutes
- Available From: Amazon
How cool is this little Apple Macintosh computer? Complete with a keyboard and mouse (that had the fiddliest bits of string of all time that I needed to use for the cords), it's a great likeness of Apple's famous machine and one that I really enjoyed putting together.
This one had me scratching my head on occasion in places as I put it together, not least because of the sheer number of beige pieces on my table. Building the screen was fun too, another 'ah right that's where that goes' moment.
It's mad because even though the set is new, I'm looking over at it on my display cabinet and the plastic looks like it's decades old. It definitely looks like it's found its forever home in this office, and while it's only 90mm high, it's still easily visible even from across the room.
It took me about 45 minutes to build this one, with a further 15 minutes messing around with the black string. This is why I don't sew...
Final Thoughts
For less than £8 per set and some epic figurines to display afterwards, I'm absolutely loving this retro collection. All of the pieces were in each set with no missing either, and the instructions were incredibly clear and simple to follow. I had a lot of fun just sitting and listening to an audiobook while putting these together.
Can they live up to the real thing, however? Are they as good as LEGO sets?
The answer is going to change depending on whether you're a purist or not. MAX building brick sets are affordable alternatives perfect for those who might have a lot of presents to buy or who simply don't want to spend £300 on a LEGO set. They're fun, easy to build, and make great ornaments. They're not toys per say, but they could be added into additional sets and do attach to other LEGO pieces, so perhaps they could also be used to bulk out those old red buckets that I mentioned at the beginning of this article.
If you're a die-hard LEGO fan who likes building rockets and telescopes, then this isn't going to prove much of a challenge. If you have the money to buy real LEGO sets, then you probably won't delve into the world of MAX bricks either, unless you specifically want a retro TV or a pice of pizza in your games room or next to your computer monitor. For my part, I think it was £22 well spent and I will definitely be getting the other 3 figurines in the collection to complete the set!
