For the figures we have Rodney Rathbone, a Zombie driver and Lord Vampyre.

Rathbone has a really cool robotic leg and a nice torso print and a fun hat too. Great Minifigure.

The Zombie driver is also a great looking figure. Great torso and leg printing.

Lord vampire is great too, unfortunately no cape here. does have a great torso, head and hair however.

Putting the set together was Pretty enjoyable with some nice techniques.

There's some fun parts here. A motorcycle chassis, a coffin, some wheels, bones and teeth.

For the models we have a motorcycle and the hearse itself.

The motorcycle is very small and simple, but i think it looks good.

The hearse is a very unique model. don't actually think we've gotten any other lego hearses apart from this one. It has some exhausts, a engine with some bones and on front with one of those moonstone things. there's a glow in dark sticker, Good space to fit figures inside actually.

But the big feature is lord vampire flying out of his coffin. you simply take the top of the coffin off, put his sword onto a clip and by simply turning something, He goes flying! Great play feature! Probably the main reason there's no cape for lord vampire.

So this works great as a play set with lord vampire flying out of his coffin.

Also works as a great display piece because of it's unique look.

The PPP is alright, great play value makes up for it i think

So overall, Yeah! this is a pretty cool set! Not much wrong here

This is an excellent set. The hearse looks very good. I think it is very much in a Rat Fink/ souped up old car style. I think it fits with the Rat Fink style because of the smaller front wheels and large back wheels, big exhaust pipes on the side, huge engine that goes above where a hood would be, and general slant of the hearse with the front end much lower than the back. I think even the sticker with the flaming vampire(?) on the roof fits with a Rat Fink style. If you Google Rat Fink images I think you will see what I mean. It also has a souped up old car style with the low windshield, which many of those cars have.

The figures are all very good. You get a monster fighter with a robotic leg and a bowler hat. He has a nice fencing sword and motorcycle. his motorcycle is dark red with grey accents painted on the side. I don't remember seeing any motorcycles that have another color painted on them before. The motorcycle also has a spot for a gun and dynamite on the back.

flames shooting out over a gun and dynamite? Maybe that's why he is missing a leg.

The vampire and zombie driver also both look good.

There are levers on the side of the hearse that when you pull forward, bring a coffin up through the roof. The coffin looks very nice and has printing on the top. The mechanism works okay but it can be hard to get the roof up or see the figure unless you remove the coffin lid beforehand. I like that the hearse is wide enough to have two figures be able to sit side by side. I like the small touches like the fangs on the front and back of the vehicle and the bones on both sides of the engine. I don't think there has ever been a LEGO hearse before, even though it would be needed in any real town/city, which makes it very useful to have. The price is $35 for 314 pieces, making it a little expensive. Overall, it is a great set.

Of all of the Monster Fighters sets, this was one of the ones I was most anticipating and it has entirely lived up to my high expectations. Not only are the three Minifigures incredible, but the actual vehicle is also superb for play or display due to its unique hot rod style appearance. There are some fun features too which only increase the desirability of this model resulting in a set which is perfect for any age group.

Box/Instructions

The box artwork is excellent, featuring the Vampyre Hearse making its way along a precarious road at the edge of a sheer cliff with Dr. Rodney Rathbone in pursuit on a motorcycle. While the Zombie Driver hangs his head out of the window in order to see where he is going, his master Lord Vampyre prepares to fend off the approaching Monster Fighter with his sword. Dr. Rodney Rathbone has tossed some dynamite at the fleeing vehicle as it crushes a rickety old fence running along the edge of the dangerous cliff side track. An eerie green mist surrounds the hearse and the full moon is visible, with bats clustering together to form the background for the Monster Fighters logo in the dark skies above the action. As with all of the boxes from this theme, the Monsters included are displayed at the bottom of the cover with their respective Moonstones.

The back of the box shows another shot of Lord Vampyre's Hearse and the Monster Fighters' motorbike, and also demonstrates some of the features of the set in smaller images around the edge of the central large picture. The glow in the dark parts are also shown next to a picture of the Monster Fighters going head to head with the marauding Monsters and at the top of the back cover is a small three frame comic strip which shows Lord Vampyre adding this red Moonstone to his sun-eclipsing machine.

The instructions were perfect with no mistakes that I could find and my set had no missing pieces as one would expect.

Parts

There are numerous superb parts included in this set, not least of which are the twelve dark red tooth pieces which form curtains for the hearse. This is a rare colour to see these pieces in and to get twelve of them in one set is extraordinary. We also get several plates of varying sizes and colours which are useful for you own creations and many black slopes, including the large shallow sloped piece which forms the canopy over the driver's seat. Several gold studs are included as well as six white bones and lots of teeth. The dark red motorcycle component is quite an uncommon piece and it looks very nice indeed, as does the red Moonstone in this set. Finally, and best of all in my opinion, we get the coffin for Lord Vampyre, made up of two pieces, the casket and the lid, both are exquisite and although we have seen these parts for some years prior to this one, the designs on the lid are exquisite and the black colour is suitably sinister for the Lord of the entire realm of Monsters to reside in.

Minifigures

There are three Minifigures included in this set, the first of which is the leader of the Monster Fighters, Dr. Rodney Rathbone. He wears a light bluish grey Darby style hat, similar to that worn by the Riddler in the Super Heroes theme. This one is left unprinted but looks superb nevertheless. His head too is excellent, featuring some black facial hair, a smirk, and a few tiny wrinkles around his eyes. The head is printed on just the one side. His torso is also highly detailed, he wears a plain white shirt and a dark red tie. Worn over this is a grey and white striped waistcoat with several pockets. A golden pocket watch is kept in one of these pockets with the watch chain threaded through a button hole like a traditional English gentleman of the nineteenth century. His arms are white to match his shirt and his hands are yellow.

The legs are the best section of this Minifigure in my view as they are totally unique. His left leg is a standard sand green Minifigure leg, but his right is a metallic silver mechanical limb to replace the one which was obviously lost in battle at some point in this character's life. The piece for this mechanised leg is brand new with some moulded detailing, unfortunately it doe not allow him to sit on a standard Lego chair, but does not hinder him when he is on his motorcycle at all. He carries two weapons in to battle with him, a simple dark grey revolver, and a lovely épée which was first seen in the Collectable Minifigures line. Both weapons are most suited to this stately Minifigure.

The first of the two villains is Lord Vampyre's servant, the Zombie Driver. He is not exclusive to this set as he also appears in set 9465, The Zombies, the two figures are entirely identical. He wears a black peaked cap on his Zombie head, which is highly detailed and looks amazing. He has soulless white eyes, yellowing teeth bared in anger (one is even missing) and several scars dispersed around his face. For the Zombie army builders out there this head will be very useful and allow you a bit of variation among your undead hordes!

This Minifigure wears a tattered dark blue chauffeur's uniform with tarnished gold buttons. There are many tears in the fabric which leave areas of his grey skin visible and there is some scuffing on the uniform as well. On the back is some more damage consisting of another tear and a bit more scuffing, as well as some creases. Both arms are dark blue but his left hand is grey, while his right hand is brown making him a little more interesting visually. There is also some printing on his hips and legs. His hips have a continuation of the torso design on them, and his legs have a few holes in the trousers which he is wearing. He comes with no accessories, presumably as he has his hands full driving Lord Vampyre around in his luxurious hearse.

Speaking of which, I will now move on to the evil leader of the Monsters, the scheming Lord Vampyre. This is without a doubt, my favourite Minifigure of the set, due to both the detail all over him, and the excellence of the character in the theme. His hair piece is the one first seen in the Star Wars series on Count Dooku, on this occasion it is black which has featured on a couple of figures in the Collectable Minifigures theme. His head is a fantastic glow in the dark piece which is printed on both sides. On one side he has red eyes with black eyebrows and an open mouth with his fangs bared to bite. On the other he has a slightly calmer expression with his mouth closed, but otherwise the printing is identical. The glow in the dark works extremely well and makes the figure look very sinister in the darkness of the realm of Monsters. Unlike the figure in set 9468, Vampyre Castle, he does not wear a cape to allow him to fit more easily in to his coffin.

His torso is printed with a suit jacket which has many pockets, long lapels, and some gold buttons on it. A pocket watch similar to that of Dr. Rodney Rathbone is slotted in to one of the pockets with a chain linking it to a button hole in the red waistcoat he wears underneath the jacket. Beneath that is an elaborately decorated white shirt with a red cravat. The back is printed with a vent and two gold buttons. His arms are entirely black and his hands are white as his chalky skin is visible. His hips are printed with some more of this jacket, as are the very top of his legs. Lord Vampyre carries one accessory, a large dark grey sword which has been seen in the Collectable Minifigures theme, this is an excellent weapon for him which matches his dark personality perfectly.

The build

The build is surprisingly enjoyable for only a medium sized set. It took me about half an hour and is split in to numbered bags for an easier build, making it easier and more fun for younger builders, but a little too easy for older Lego fans perhaps. It is fairly simple like many of these Monster Fighters sets but has a few moments which help to keep it interesting. The mechanism for flinging the coffin is nicely made using a few Technic elements and some SNOT is used when making the dark red curtains around the window to view the casket. So there you have it, not a bad build phase, but far from revolutionary.

The completed model

The model looks absolutely spectacular when construction is completed. A small motorcycle is included for Dr. Rodney Rathbone to ride in his pursuit of Lord Vampyre and the Moonstone. It is mostly dark red with some grey highlights, there are two afterburners with flames coming from each of them, and a place to hold the dynamite included. One of the hero's weapons can be stored here as well.

The real highlight however is Lord Vampyre's hearse. The sleek appearance of this heavily stylised vehicle is excellent and it looks extremely imposing. Not only is this model fantastic for display, but there is plenty of playability as well, making this a great set all round. Starting from the front of the vehicle, we see an engine grille with some teeth surrounding it with two red headlights. behind that is a large engine which protrudes from the bonnet, and a place to store the red Moonstone included. On either side of the engine are three bones which form the engine cylinders. The engine just about entirely obscures the view of the driver, but it looks great so I am not too worried about the lack of practicality.

Two lamps flank the windscreen which is made up of two translucent parts. The roof of the cab is one large piece and a large sticker is included to place here. The design looks superb featuring a flaming image of the face of Lord Vampyre, and as if it was not good enough already, the entire decal is glow in the dark! Inside there are seats for two people, one with a steering wheel. Two large exhausts run along the outside of the vehicle here and beyond that are the two pearl grey pieces which launch the coffin from inside the vehicle. A large window allows one to see the coffin inside and there are several tooth pieces forming curtains which look very regal indeed. The back of the hearse is open to allow the casket to placed inside or removed with ease. The main feature of the set is the exploding coffin which is performed by pushing one of the pearl grey levers forward which moves the casket up and opens the top of the vehicle to launch Lord Vampyre at his enemies. The lid of the coffin is printed nicely with scroll work and a large symbol which shows a Lego bat within a white circle.

Part of what gives this model its unique and fantastic appearance is the way in which the rear wheels are larger than the front ones, which makes the back of the model higher than the front, which looks marvellous in my opinion and certainly makes it look sleek.

Summary

This is probably the set I would give the highest recommendation in relation to the price. If you are buying on a budget, this is the one set from the Monster Fighters theme is the one to purchase, the Minifigures are all outstanding, the motorcycle is great, and the hearse is absolutely peerless, one of the best road vehicles I have ever seen from Lego. With no flaws to be found in my opinion, this set earns itself my highest accolade, a perfect score of...

Overall - 10/10

I had pretty much ignored the pre-release promotional info for Monster Fighters, focussing instead on Lord of the Rings. I went to the Lego Store today to see LOTR, and was very quickly impressed with the Monster Fighters sets.

I bought the Vampyre Hearse instead of a LOTR set and assembled it immediately after getting home. The build is quite good for this size set. There is a wide variety of part types, but enough "normal" plates and bricks that the finished model is solid and sturdy. The construction is largely one piece on top of another, with a little bit of SNOT for detail and Technic for the casket "ejector".

The finished model simply looks cool, plus it's a little bigger than I was guessing from the box photos. It drives well, and the wheels are close enough together that it turns fairly easily (a problem with some LEGO vehicles). The motorcycle isn't much different from those in other sets, but the addition of the flames on the side is a nice touch. The vampyre and zombie mini figures are an appropriate combination of fun & scary. I don't quite understand why the monster fighter guy is carrying a fencing sword, unless it's supposed to be a stake for the vampyre, but that's really no big deal.

Overall, a very pleasant surprise. I enjoyed building it, and it should be fun for my kids and me to play with. My overall rating is a 4 primarily because it is a little more than $.10/piece ... but still worth getting at RRP, definitely so at any discount.