Daily Fail: 4 Wheel Skateboard (Xin Qi Le)

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Today we enter the strange realm of "Didn't I just read about this?" bootlegs. Yes, back on February 27th I presented a set called 4 Wheel Skateboard.

Today, I also present to you:

Prepare yourself for disappointment.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or, in this case, the Zephyr Knight 4 Wheel Skateboard or the Xin Qi Le 4 Wheel Stakeboard? If we go by stock numbers the Xin Qi Le arrived first with a label of 1003 vs. Zephyr's 1004. If we go by quality....well, the both fail. But I think today's offering fails just a littel bit more.

Like the other Xin Qi Le bootlegs, this version of 4 Wheel Stakeboard arrived in a blister pack. If you sqint and look close you can make out the sets we've already taken a look at like 1 Police Patrol, Warrior and Intelligence Toy Glider. You might also be able to spot the last carded XQL bootleg - Mini Racing Car. I'll be reviewing that set tomorrow. This is a generic blister that is the same for all of the XQL impulse sets reviewed so far.

Inisde the blister is a second box. The blister card really doesn't add anything to this bootleg - the invididual packaging is where all the fun, such as it is, lives.

The similarities to the Zephyr Knight version are readily apparent - the main difference being that the XQL set only shows a single mini-figure in the set. It's also worth pointing out that while the background is a photo of the licensed LEGO set, the mini-figure and "stunt bricks" are all drawings. Easier than posing toys for a photo, I guess.

The back of the package places the 4 Wheel Skateboard n the "Combinatorial Series." Note the amazing variations - you can have the figure skate near the other bricks, on the other bricks, or go hog-wild and have the mini-figure jump over the bricks. (Also note the orphaned figure from the Zephyr sets skating forlornley by herself in the background.)

The sides of the box feature enlargements of the "Combinatorial" product drawings. Gotta love how dorky they managed to make the mini-figure appear.

Speaking of dorky-looking minifigures, here's the figure that comes with the set. It's all LEGO-knockoff parts this time around - from the single-color Racer head reprint to the single-color Viking torso design. (A different Viking toso showed up in the Intelligence Toy Glider set - someone at XQL must have stolen a LEGO Viking set just as they were pritating the Combinatorial line.)

The full set contained 20 parts plus a sticker sheet - one more part (and sticker) than the box art promised. The grey plate bears the imprint of "YIHE" on each stud. Also notice the classy trans-neon-yellow flame. It's shown as trans-green on the box art. What the heck is that supposed to be, anyway? A flare? A fountain of urine?

And for those wondering, no, I didn't skip the instruction sheet - for a change the bootleggers didn't include one! I was on my own to figure out how to assemble the mini figure and accessories. Thank goodness for the box art, or I might have gotten completely lost and built something like this:

I think my "Robotic Flame Sniffing Sled" is a better "Combinatorial" than the ones shown, though. Doesn't it look menacing?

Senior ElStupido seems to think so! Run, Senior! Run!!!

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As always, many thanks to Joe from The Undiscovered Playthings for sending me this set to review.