While I have known about the Popcorn Cart polybag for a while, it was only in early April that I actually saw it for the first time in Canada at Walmart. Needless to say, I was thrilled. Having seen pictures of it on the internet prior to actually getting it myself, it looked like the perfect little set for filling out the Palace Cinema, or even just to put in a LEGO® fairground. I snatched it up pretty quick, and now I’ll share my thoughts on it with you! If you are ever curious about how my scores are generated in this review, you can check out my rating system by clicking here.
SET SUMMARY
NAME: Popcorn Cart
SET #: 30364
THEME: City
COST: $4.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 43
MINIFIGURES: 1
RELEASE DATE: Spring 2019
SUMMARY REVIEW: 87%
VALUE: 61% (Great cost-per-brick, but really expensive build time.)
BUILD: 100% (There isn’t anything that I don’t like about it.)
MINIFIGURES: 97% (Decent Minifig, good accessories, great brick:fig.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 90% (Awesome city prop, maybe not as great for play.)
VALUE: 61%
The Popcorn Cart polybag set me back $4.99 in Canada. With 43 pieces in the kit, you are looking at a cost-per-brick of $0.12, which is actually pretty good. My current average (based on my last two years or so of purchases) is $0.14. So, I would rate the Popcorn Cart at 90% in terms of brick value. Looking at build time, I had this whole thing assembled in five minutes. That means that each minute of build time cost me a dollar. That is much less impressive, and earns a score of 32%. Averaging these values gives the Popcorn Cart an overall value rating of 61%.
BUILD: 100%
I’m just going to go ahead an say that there is nothing that I don’t like about the Popcorn Cart build. It is a really cute set that a Minifigure can actually push around town. There is a lever built in as well that flips the popcorn around inside the cart. The large windows on the cart open (you can push them open through an opening in the top), so a Minifigure can realistically access the popcorn inside. Despite being a short build, this is a nice one, and I give the full 100%.
MINIFIGURES: 97%
There is one Minifigure included in the Popcorn Cart polybag. He is a pretty average looking Joe, and doesn’t come with any new parts. He does not have any leg printing, or a double-sided face, but he does have front and back printing on his shirt. Based on design alone, I would give him 10/15 (67%). However, he comes with a really neat printed brick that serves as his popcorn container. It says “pop” on it, and sports red and white stripes. It might be worth buying more than one of these polybags just to get a few of those. The popcorn itself is more commonly seen as ice cream in other LEGO® sets, and you get three of those. Four accessories brings the design score up to 14/15 (93%). Additionally, you get an excellent brick-to-Minifigure ratio in this kit that earns a full 100%. Averaging the ratio and design scores gives an overall Minifigure rating of 97%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 90%
As an adult fan of LEGO®, I love this little set. It will be a great addition to my city, providing a fun, realistic detail to one of my scenes. Would I have loved this as a kid? Maybe not at much as I love it now. It would have been an easy build even at a young age, and probably would have taken me a little longer to assemble. I don’t know how much play value I would have gotten out of it. It probably would have made its way as a prop into some street scene involving mayhem and destruction… So, I would rate this as great for display (5/5), maybe not as much for play (4/5). Overall, I’ll give it 9/10 (90%).
OVERALL: 87%
The Popcorn Cart is a really fun little set from an AFOL’s perspective. I question a little how much play value it has, but it will look great in my city. You get a nice enough Minifig in the kit, and I love the printed brick serving as a popcorn bucket. The set has a great brick value too, but suffers a little in terms of the build time that you get for the price. Overall, I would say it is a worthwhile purchase, and I recommend it.
Have you managed to get your hands on the Popcorn Cart polybag? Feel free to leave your thoughts on it in the comments below. Also, if you like the content at True North Bricks, I would love it if you followed me here on WordPress (click the “follow” option at the bottom of the page), Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter for regular updates.
Until next time,
-Tom