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Set Review: 71202 Level Pack: The Simpsons
 Saturday, March 5th, 2016 at 3:13pm by Andrew, BZPower News ManagerToday we're taking a look at another LEGO Dimensions Level Pack, 71202 The Simpsons, which includes both LEGO elements and new gameplay for the title. We've taken a look at both aspects and are ready to share our thoughts with you all. Is it as tasty and alluring as a box of fresh donuts (mmmm, donuts), or are you better off staying as far away from it as a leaky nuclear power plant? Read on to find out! Presentation
The Dimensions Level Packs still have a very unique packaging, with its concave hexagon outline and a tab on the front that likes to get bent. The top shows off Homer and a non-LEGO rendered version of the Simpsons house. The bottom indicates what you actually get in the set - Homer's Car and Taunt-o-Vision mini-models and Homer himself with a can of Buzz Cola. There's some more Simpsons references in the background, with the Kwik E Mart and Krusty Burger making appearances. The back shows that the two mini-models each have two alternate models, making for six in total. Each one has its own powers and capabilities in the game and must be unlocked through gameplay. Below we see another ad for the game and some legalese, along with the three main Dimensions characters: Gandalf, Wyldstyle, and Batman. Building
With only 98 pieces, there's not much building to this set. What's more, there's no instructions for the models included in the box - you have to either play the game or go online to figure out how to build them. Thankfully, the small number of pieces means that building and rebuilding the models isn't too time consuming. Set Design
There's not a lot of pieces here, but many of them are unique or uncommon:
In general, there's a good amount of Light Purple (pink) and Medium Lavender in this set, making it one of the best ways to get these colors outside of Friends and Disney Princess.
The Homer Simpson minifig here is the same one that appeared in the Simpsons Collectible Minifigs and is available in the Kwik E Mart. His legs are unprinted and the torso is very simple, with the yellow in the collar making it easy to to reuse with traditional minifigs. I'm not a fan of the custom Simpsons heads, but it's certainly accurate, making this a pretty good representation of Homer.
The first model we have is Homer's Car, a miniature recreation of the iconic vehicle seen in minifig scale in the Simpsons House. For the small size, I think it captures it quite well. I like the antenna and the Dark Orange jumper plates used to simulate the interior upholstery. They even do a reasonable job with the wheel wells.
Next up we have the Taunt-o-Vision, which is pretty close to minifig scale, if it's not already. I like the printed tiles for the screen and remote, especially the latter, which has a lot of opportunities for re-use. I like the antenna and dials too, which definitely make it authentic.
The Homercraft is a hovercraft. With Homer's Car's colors. I like that Homer can actually stand on it and look like he's driving, which can't be said for any of the other models. I also like the technique of using the angle plates to mount the 1x4 tiles upside down for the skis. I'm not a big fan of the wheels as propellors or using the extra pieces to beef up the stand.
The Blast Cam looks like a camera you'd see on a movie or television set, complete with a big lens, a viewfinder, and controls. And of course a tape, because The Simpsons only uses 35mm film. I like the model, but not as much as the TV. It makes good use of all the parts with no leftovers.
Where the Homercraft can sail above the waves, the SubmaHomer is ready to dive below them. It's a bit blocky, but definitely looks like a cartoony submarine, complete with a little periscope and observation capsule. I'm still not keen on the tires as propellors, but I like how they're set up better here. It's a cute little model, but not as nice as the car in my opinion.
Finally, there's The MechaHomer, which is my least favorite model of the six. Quite a few parts are used in a base to go on top of the base, which looks a little silly. The arms are asymmetric in a way I'm not a fan of. I do like the cassette as the eyes and the round plates for the legs though. I'm also interested to see how he plays in the game. Playability
There aren't really any play features in this set. The Simpson's Car can roll across the ground, but that's about it. In fact, there's not even a spot for Homer to sit in it! I suppose he could sit in front of the TV and watch Itchy & Scratchy, so at least there's some roleplay potential here. But this was designed to be used with the game, so let's check that out. All three parts of the set can be used anywhere in LEGO Dimensions, but of course the reason you're paying more here than the Fun or Team Packs is because you get a new level. The Simpsons level sees you take control of Homer running around Springfield trying to get to the local chili cook-off. It introduces you to his abilities as well as those of the car and TV, which add some new things to the gameplay. I especially like how the Taunt-o-Vision basically acts as a big bomb, and if you don't get your characters away fast enough they'll blow up too. Compared to the Back to the Future level, I felt like this one was a bit simpler and not as fun, but the first part might just be related to more practice with the game mechanics and the latter because I'm not a huge Simpsons fan. Once the level is done, you unlock an open-world version of Springfield with mini-quests to complete and all sorts of havoc to wreck. Overall, if you're a fan of Dimensions, I think the level pack gives you a good amount of content that's fun (but by no means required). Final Thoughts
For $30, this would be hard to recommend, but you can pick it up for $20 from Amazon and others. I think $10 for the models and figure and $10 for the level and in-game content is a pretty good deal, especially if you're a Simpsons fan. If you're looking to expand upon your Dimensions collection and enjoy the long-running comedy show, it's definitely worth picking up. Even if you're not, there's some good pieces in there to add to your collection. Thank you all for reading and watching our review - hopefully you found it enjoyable! Let us know what you thought in the Talkback and ask any questions you might have as well. Of course, you should keep checking back on BZPower for more set reviews and LEGO news!
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