Number: 71016
Theme: The Simpsons
Release Date: May 1, 2015 (VIP Early Access April 15)
Piece Count: 2,179
Minifig Count: 6
Age Rating: 12+
Cost: $199.99 USD / $229.99 CAD / £169.99 GBP / €199,99 EUR / 1699,00 DKK
Just in time for the VIP-only early access to the second offering in the Simpsons line, TnB is proud to bring you our (barely) sneak-preview review of 71016 "Kwik-E-Mart"! Thanks to The LEGO Group and the team over at LEGO Community Engagement & Events for making this possible!
Let's start with what LEGO has to say about this set:
Visit The Kwik-E-Mart—Springfield’s favorite convenience store!
Welcome to The Kwik-E-Mart—your one-stop shop for convenience foods at inconvenient prices! This highly detailed and iconic LEGO® version of The Simpsons™ store is packed with more rich, colorful details than a Mr. Burns birthday cake has candles! Walk under the huge Kwik-E-Mart sign and join Homer, Marge and Bart as they browse the aisles filled with beauty products, diapers, dog food, pastries, fruits, vegetables and more—including Krusty-O’s and Chef Lonelyheart’s Soup for One. Then head over to the refrigerated cases where you’ll find Buzz Cola, chocolate milk, various other drinks and snacks… and frozen Jasper! There’s also a Buzz Cola soda fountain, juice dispensers, coffee machine, arcade games, ATM and stacks of Powersauce boxes. At the counter, Apu is ready to tempt you with a variety of printed magazines, comic books, cards, tofu hot dogs, freshly expired donuts and his ever-popular hallucination-inducing Squishees. At the back, there’s a storage closet complete with rat and an exit. On the roof you’ll discover Apu’s secret vegetable garden, while outside this amazing model features bright-yellow walls, 2 phone booths, a stack of purple crates, and a dumpster area with ‘El Barto’ graffiti, opening door and an iconic blue dumpster that also opens. You can also remove the roof and open out the rear walls for easy access. This set also includes Snake (a.k.a. Jailbird), who loves nothing more than stealing cars and robbing the Kwik-E-Mart—but this time Chief Wiggum is hot on his tail in his police car. Capture this bandit and return peace to the town of Springfield and the amazing Kwik-E-Mart. This fantastic set includes 6 minifigures with assorted accessory elements: Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Marge Simpson, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief Wiggum and Snake (a.k.a. Jailbird).
Packaging
The box is just shy of square, a little wider than it is tall. The depth is only about two inches or so. The front features a somewhat isometric view of the building and all characters included with a small call-out box displaying the hinge-open feature and interior details.
The back of the box features a larger version of the image in the call-out box on the front, displaying the densely packed interior including details such as the infamous Squishee machine, and racks of overpriced foodstuffs. More call-outs here show zoomed-in or rotated views of the details, including Apu's check-out counter, the magazine racks, videogame cabinets, etc.
The top of the box displays a number of interior builds including the coffee machine, Squishee Machine, and Buzz Cola dispenser.
The bottom of the box states that the components were manufactured in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China and the Czech Republic, though which ones were manufactured where I won't speculate on.
Parts, Instructions, and Stickers
The parts are split up between 17 bags total - 16 of which are numbered and one, containing six 8x16 plates in Sand Blue, is not. There are also two loose 8x16 plates in Medium Stone Gray and three 6x28 train car plates in Dark Stone Gray. The numbered bags are marked 1-8.
There is one 249 page instruction booklet and two sticker sheets, one printed on clear and one printed on white.
The instruction booklet marks out what portion of the build each numbered set of bags will construct.
Build: Part 1
Part 1, comprised of one bag, includes the pieces to construct Chief Wiggam's patrol car as well as the Chief himself and his perp, Snake. Notable pieces include the two windscreens, the two 2x3 doors in white, the two different brackets and the four wheels/tires. Chief Wiggum is the same mold and over-all design as the version in the first Simpsons Collectible Minifigure series, however this incarnation features pink donut frosting on his mouth and shirt. Snake bears an all-new head.
I don't have any mid-build pics, but the finished result is very well designed, quite reminiscent of the patrol car from the show, if not entirely accurate. Still, it's cartoony enough to fit the bill.
There are stickers for the license plates and doors as well as three "911" stickers around the back.
The car is designed to allow two people to sit side-by-side in the front and Snake can fit alone in the back.
Build: Part 2
Part 2 is comprised of two bags and four of the six 8x16 Sand Blue plates as well as two 4x6 Sand Blue plates. There are also 11 3x4 "CMF" plates in Medium Stone Gray and a slew of printed pieces.
The basic footprint of the main, non-hinged section, starts to take shape right away, comprised of the Sand Blue plates as the interior floor and Medium Stone Gray plates as sidewalk. The only gripe I have is the lack of support under the 8x16 plates, lengthwise. They are supported and held together by 2x plates, which can lead to a bit of bending when pushing things onto the floor.
The next thing you build is the left wall and the interior of the refrigerator section, with many colorful items.
The third section of the fridge contains "Frostilicus" (A.K.A. "frozen Jasper") from an episode ("Lisa the Simpson") where the man attempted to cryogenically freeze himself in the ice cream section of the Kwik-E-Mart freezer.
"Moon Pies! What a time to be alive..."
I have to register my disappointment that this is not a minifigure, It would have been such a great addition, but the sticker on the half-cylinder does a decent job of conveying the idea.
Next, the check-out counter is constructed, complete with magazine/newspaper racks.
At the end of Part 2, the building is only beginning to take shape.
Build: Part 3
Part 3 is also comprised of two bags, containing the parts to build the front facade, most of the beverage dispensers and the two arcade games. Notable pieces include all the trans-blue panels and doors, the four tall Earth Blue panels, the two "Santa's Sack" pieces now in black as garbage bags, as well as the pieces that make up Apu himself. Apu appeared in the first Simpsons CMF series, but this one features a different torso print.
The phone booths feature some intricate construction.
The two arcade games, "Bonestorm" and "Great White Hunter" are very colorful, as well as are the Buzz Cola dispenser, juice fountain and Squishee machine.
At the end of Part 3, the three walls are just about complete, and some external features like the garbage corral, bike rack and phone booth are added.
As you can see, the majority of the pieces in this step are added to the right side of the building (when looking at it from outside) including the right wall and all the machines along it.
The garbage corral also includes a well-designed dumpster, complete with trash bags.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon!