LEGO43102 VIDIYO Candy Mermaid BeatBox

In the interest of science (or rather in the case that my Daughter wanted multiple Mermaid figures), I bought two Mermaid BeatBoxes and aside from the dedicated specific 2 printed tiles for each figure the other printed tiles included were random in both identical minifigure BeatBoxes (I'll add photos showing both separate lots of 16 tiles from the two sets purchased). So to collect all 104 printed tiles available you may need to purchase multiple sets or perhaps swap with friends.The Candy Mermaid BeatBox has 71 pieces along with a couple of spare smaller parts and the figure is really nicely detailed. Candy Mermaid comes with her 2 specific special tiles that you can only get with her and another 14 random printed tiles (so the ones you receive may be different to the ones shown in the product photo other than the two specific to her). There is also a brick separator included.The case is easy to build and has a handy carry strap along with a back plate that your child can decorate and inside the booklet there are three building ideas. The rear part has holders for the tiles and the front clear part has an area for the figure to stand with her pink striped guitar.The idea is to download the app and make music videos but as we haven't got a compatible device at the moment my Daughter has just enjoyed playing with the figures and changing the box designs.A fun series even without the AR aspect but of course this does add more to the play value and what Lego had intended the sets to be used for.I think its work pointing out that to get the most out of this set you need a reasonably up to date device that supports the AR software needed. Lego has a dedicated webpage where you can check if your device is compatible or not at LEGO.build/DeviceCheck-BV so it is definitely worth checking there if you wish to use the AR functionality.I suspect because of the AR side of things and some children maybe not having a compatible device that this may make this kind of hit and miss and sadly we don't have a compatible device at home at the moment (planning on an upgrade shortly). However it's worth pointing out too that these sets will appeal to lots of children and AFOL's too for both the pretty cool looking figures, fun storage boxes, coloured dots and also the printed tiles.Despite us not being able to use the AR functionality I have now purchased another 4 of these BeatBoxes (I plan to buy the single smaller sets too) as my Daughter has decided she loves the little 'houses' and the figures themselves and I have therefore managed to quietly squirrel away the printed tiles for my printed tile collection. There will of course be adult minifigure collectors interested in these too.

I started with downloading the free app; downloading wasn’t immediate but did not last long.What I found beneficial at once was that the free Bandmate lets you test the application before buying any Vidiyo sets – you can bring your first Bandmate to life to be sure you know how it works! CoolThe second what I liked was the explanations of the “Lego etiquette” – which is just good manners – directed to kids, with simple self-explanatory pictures explaining what not to do when filming etc. (hopefully some adults will see it, too). Next, we chose our band name, then a virtual figure, and started placing it on the virtual “stage”, namely our living room (the table? sofa? carpet?).The app sees the environment exactly as it is so we decided to go rather for an empty hallway. The first mistake: do not click on the green (or other) dots, click in the right lower corner to start the play ;-) Next, we chose music. I liked the choice – perhaps not a very wide one yet, but all the newest hits!When the figure started “singing”, we tried all the free 6 Beatbits adding “actions” to the video, then, after the video stopped recording, I took my daughter's photo with the figure – fun!Now, we are opening our boxes and recording new videos.What I think about the Lego Vidyo is that it continues the creativity tradition that Lego is famous for, only in a different way, combining play in the real world with virtual reality effects. You look at your old living room (boring!) and start thinking about how to make it more “staged”, more attractive for the whole filming. We made a curtain using a bedsheet, and are planning on building some decorations like in a home theatre to make the “stage” more realistic!Second, although 16 Beatbits will become redundant when more boxes arrive over time, the “trading” has already started, my daughter is already agreeing to swap some of them with her friends.Third, recording videos needs some mastery – which Beatbit to use, when and for how long. It is creative and it needs some planning skills, or at least it helps to develop them. Our kids grow awaiting immediate gratification, so going through stages to see the final result, then improving outputs to achieve something to be proud of, is great.Fourth, although emojis as comments for posted videos seem to be not quite like “commenting”, but I appreciate it. All content goes through Lego, so I do not expect my child to find a nasty surprise either in comments (not that she could read it easily yet) or in the videos.And last, but not least – this is a fantastic play for bonding. The application, at least at the beginning, needed assistance (for my daughter; perhaps your kids are more tech-savvy), and perhaps in the future, she will do it all by herself. But this was a “team effort” to go through and to play it in the first place. We tried it together, we build the virtual and real "stages" together, we danced together, and we laughed together. One may be disappointed that kids may become quickly “demotivated” to use it, but from my point of view, we had some quality time together. Next time, when friends come over, I’ll be involved, too, as all they need is only 1 smartphone to dance with their band and get on the screen!And what I also found somewhere on the Internet was that if you can download the application on your smart device, it means it will work.

First of all I have not downloaded the Vidiyo App and I am actually not likely to. I know that is what they are designed for but I will admit I got these more for the Minifigures than for any interest in making music videos through the App. This does make the set seem expensive, however, if you are going to be using the Vidiyo App then you have to factor in the actual licensing costs to Universal and their Artists that make the App possible by uploading their back catalogue on there.Beyond that the set is actually pretty fun.The box itself is simple to build and even comes with a little storage box for those additional beatbit tiles. The lid for this storage compartment is decoratable and each instruction leaflet gives you three options for a design. Alternatively you could make your own from the pieces included (you do get a few spares) or raid your stash and do something truely unique. The box clips together firmly and the handle feels strongly attached. You could deifnitely use the box to transport your beatbits and minifigure around with no problems.The minifigure itself is nicely detailed and has a front and back print to the torso. The accessories reflect the figure's Vidiyo role and you can easily store the figure with accessories in place in the Beat Box.The 16 included beatbit tiles are well printed and come in a variety of colours so you can change them out based on the image on the front or their colour. Alternatively you can use them for what they are meant for - special actions within the App. Personally I think they will be a great resource for MOcs, particularly wall art or for using as book covers or vinyl album covers.Number Of Pieces: 71Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.25Build Time: 10 Minutes