JMBricklayer Mechanical Parrot: So Life-like And Mechanical At The Same Time [Review]

Can’t get enough of cyborg creatures from JMBricklayer? Well, me too — especially when it is a parrot! When I first laid eyes on the JMBricklayer Mechanical Parrot (70154), I knew I had to jump on it when the opportunity arose. The opportunity did arise, and so here I am reviewing yet another wonderful set from JMBricklayer.

However, this one takes a slightly different direction from the Mechanical Chameleon and the Mechanical Octopus. It is more along the lines of the Mechanical T-rex, and that’s the beauty of this set.

Before we dive into it, here are the basics of the set:

Brand: JMBricklayer
Product Name: Mechanical Parrot
Product Number: 70154
Number of Pieces: 688+
Dimensions: about 255 cm tall x 55 cm wide x 165 mm deep
Recommended Age: 14+

The Set

As before, the set combines brick elements with Technic-style elements and some special molded parts. It has no printed pieces and there are no stickers to deal with, which is super cool. I cannot remember the last time I did not have to deal with stickers. The build involves a modest 139 steps.

The Package

Included is a 32-page instruction booklet, a brick separator, and two bags labeled 1 and 0. Each bag contains a few smaller bags. The Mechanical Parrot may be a small set, but it does come with a cool light-up feature.

The Contents

Technically it has only one bag marked ‘1’. Everything needed for the build can be found in Bag 1, Meanwhile Bag 0 is where you will find numerous extra elements just in case certain elements are missing or you lose them. It is a thoughtful approach, but some green warriors may take it as a waste of resources. 

The Instructions

JMBricklayer mostly treats the instruction booklet with importance; however, this time, this set is just too simple to include any. But you do get the requisite intro on how to use the instructions behind the cover page. Given that it is not a complex set and it has only 688 pieces, it has no sub-sections. As before, only the current steps are colored, with the previous steps slightly greyed out.

The Build Time

It took me 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. It should have been faster. I made a couple of mistakes along the way that required me to roll back and double-check the build. Also, I had one major drama. More on that in a bit.

The Overview

The build process couldn’t be more logical. It is simple, but you do have to clearly identify the pieces before putting each part together. I was complacent and had to roll back to check if I wrongly used a part that was needed at a later stage. The set came with a missing element, but JMBricklayer’s response was swift, and I got the replacement parts in less than a week.

The Design

If you really want the truth, I am digging this set more than any other set at this point—including my LEGO sets. Somehow, 70154 felt incredibly life-like. I am, of course, talking about the ‘organic’ side. But it is worth mentioning that the mechanical side is very seamless. It is made up of a mixed bag of parts, but yet it still feels super cohesive. Like what you’d expect of a cyborg bird when the skin and feathers were removed. There are some articulations too.

Both the wings and the tail have some level of posability. The exposed wing has an additional articulation for the specially molded part. The feather on the head also offers some adjustability and the feet joints are movable too. The brick-built parrot (was it a macaw?) comes with a brick-built stand, which it pegs onto via two pins. It is very sturdy. It is not going anywhere once plugged in.

The Challenge

Not much of a build challenge. It is as smooth as anyone could hope for. It is pure enjoyment putting this together if you ask me.

The Thoughts

I have replaced the Astronaut Panda with this as my favorite brick-built animal. It is not hard to see why. It is sleek, enjoyable to build, and very importantly, it looks like an actual parrot.

The Verdict

Pros:

– A very solid and cohesive design  

– Some level of articulation

Cons:

– The stand could use a larger base to prevent it from being easily knocked over.

– The “feather” on the head could be flipped to not reveal the hollows of the elements

If you are down, you can purchase the JMBrickLayer Mechanical Parrot from the JMBrickLayer store on Amazon US for just US$24.99. If you use the coupon code JMBMIK15 you can score 15% off the original price of Mechanical Parrot. The code has a validity of one month.

You can also pick up the JMBricklayer Mechanical Parrot (70154) and other JMBricklayer sets from JMBricklayer.com and use the coupon code VIPMIKE15 for 15% off all non-discounted products.

Disclaimer: This set was provided by JMBrickLayer for review, but this has not influenced our opinion of the product.

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All images by Mike for Mikeshouts.com.