Photo by Anton Olsen

I may never understand why LEGO didn’t make it into the first two Toy Story movies, but they will definitely have a part in the 3rd one. What appears to be a geeky match made in heaven, LEGO Set 7595 merges three awesome toys into one great product.

There are no real surprises in Army Men on Patrol. About $15, 90 pieces, a slim pamphlet of build instructions and a lot of green LEGO. The instructions are very simple with no alternatives.

The Jeep is well constructed and durable. We “drove” it into the baseboards a few times before pieces started falling off. The army men, however, have a few problems. The plastic base will fall off after two or three “steps” in the standard little green army gate. Some of the accessories like the mine sweeper and rifle are awkward to pose.

WIRED: LEGO has recreated this iconic toy in a way that remains true to all the brands involved. The army men are visually appealing and retain the simple design of the injection molded plastic men we had as kids. The Jeep is durable, fun to build and well designed.

TIRED: Like some of LEGO’s newer sets, there are a few durability issues. The men easily lose their base, hats, and accessories with gentle play.

Recon tells me that the enemy is setting up an ambush north of our position. I’d better cut this short and get the drop on them before they get dug in. Anyone have some air support I can call on?

Promotional image via Lego

There are six sets in this release of Lego Toy Story suitable for ages 6-12 and 7-14. Firstly we have “Woody and Buzz to the Rescue”, recreating the chase on the RC car at the end of the first movie. Woody and Buzz minifigs are included and the car has a pull back motor.

The premium set of the range seems to be “Woody’s Round-up”. Containing 502 pieces, it recreates the scene of the titular TV show and includes Bullseye, Woody, Jessie and Stinky Pete minifigs.

The Buzz versus Zurg battle is given the Lego treatment in the “Buzz’s Star Command Spaceship” set, a fairly chunky looking spaceship that comes with Buzz and Emperor Zurg minifigs.

Stepping away from the minifig scale, two sets are offered which allow construction of larger models of both Buzz and Zurg. These sets are known as “Construct-a-Buzz” and “Construct-a-Zurg” respectively. Both of these sets come with an Alien minifig.

Finally we have “Army Men on Patrol”. The minifig Army Men come equipped with a jeep, stretcher and their equipment. I predict a healthy aftermarket for these figures on eBay - imagine an army of minifig Army Men taking on an army of minfig Stormtroopers, or Knights or Pirates. . . Why are Lego minifig Army Men better than regular Army Men? You shouldn’t even have to ask. . . .