Set Review - Minecraft II: The Village 21105

First off, I realize that this blog deals mostly with polybags.  I'm about to blow that one out of the water.  Second, I didn't even know what Minecraft was until I saw the project on Cuusoo.  Third, this will be a little different review.  With that, lets dive in.

In all honestly, I ordered two copies of this brand new set because of the awesome piece selection.  1x1 tiles in Dark Green AND Dark Tan?  Double w00t!  I intended to part out and sell a lot of it.  After receiving the set and giving it further inspection, I'm almost inclined to just keep it all for myself.  The value is incredible too.  You get 466 pieces plus 23 25 extras including the ubiquitous Brick and Axle Separator.  But the other 22 24 extras are duplicates of all the 1x1 pieces including printed parts.  That's no chump change.  The printed parts are all 1x1 plates and a 1x1 tile.  All pricey when they have Minecraft branded on them.  But when bundled with a bunch of other parts, that's a base value of $0.07 per part (before any applicable taxes).

In Minecraft II: The Village those extras are zombie eyes, zombie mouth, villager eyes, villager mouth, and pig face.  Given that these creatures are built mostly out of 1x1 plates and tiles (and that those are the common extras) you could easily get double the characters with only 1 or 2 additions from your own stash.  That's awesomesauce in a bucket right there.  The pig is built out of a new pig face printed tile and a 1x1 brick with two side studs.  Easy enough to find in your collection except that you don't have an extra in bright pink, trust me.  With one stud, maybe but not a second tail stud.  So you'll be reduced to creating a second hybrid pig with a pink face and a grey, tan, black, or white body.  Or no tail.  Good enough, variety is alright, saright?

The printed pieces in Minecraft I alone account for at least $16-$18 of aftermarket value.  You get 5 total there including the extras.  In Minecraft II you get 10 total printed pieces including the extras.  This could almost pay for the set if you want all the little bits to build for yourself.  Apparently I'm talking mostly to micro builders here.  As Steve's mouth was used as drawer pulls in an awesome desk MOC, the printed villager face pieces could certainly be used in some sort of microbuild skyscraper.  Or some fine minifig furniture details.  The zombie has some cool micro print as well if you could build something relevant in green and/or lime.

If you hadn't figured it out already, I would have no intention of actually BUILDING the set for myself.  I mean, I love inception as much as the next guy loves inception as much as the next guy loves inception but my main intent here is to get some pieces for myself, especially if letting go of a few can cover the cost of the set.  Good economics, right?  So for micro builders and others who have a good use for lots of 1x1 and 1x2 bits and bobs, I would HIGHLY recommend this set.

And just so that I can't be accused of showing favoritism, Minecraft I and Minecraft III have their merits as well.  Minecraft I is heavy on the green, brown and tan.  Minecraft II has lots of dark tan and dark green going for it as well as some round 1x1 plates in green.  Minecraft III relies on black and dark red for its majority but also introduces some small elements in bright light orange.  All three sets include a solid two and a half handfuls of dark and light grey pieces.

For a Minecraft fan, you might as well pick it up, right?  For micro builders and others needing tiny bits, this set is a great value.  For speculators, of course you're going to screw with the market by using multiple channels to get dozens of sets and jack the price to twice on the grey market.  TLG had your number by flooding the market and raising the purchase limit on their website.  While Minecraft II and III are a limit of 2 at the moment, I have to think that TLG will soon raise that to five. </rant> </review>

But at least while they're available, you should get them:

Minecraft	Minecraft: The Village	Minecraft: The Nether