In my quest for fairness and accuracy, I'm posting the text of my next review here in the forums for 24 hours (give or take) for feedback. Please review the draft below and let me know if you have comments, suggestions, or complaints. I will consider any and all feedback, but I'm not asking the forum to write the review. I will post the full review on my site at noon (EST) tomorrow (Friday 9/10).

My apologies for not including the pictures, but if the full content were included anyone could grab the review and post it as their own.

After living on my site for a few days, I may seek to post on Eurobricks again. Thanks in advance!

(Begin draft)

The Mime from Series 2 of the LEGO Collectible Minifigures has introduced a beret in the pantheon of official minifigure accessories. Did you know, however, that berets have been available for quite some time through custom house BrickForge? The objective of this review is to compare the LEGO and BrickForge versions of the beret to allow fans to choose the right product for themselves.

LEGO Beret - 360 View (Picture)

We turn first to the LEGO version of the beret which comes with The Mime from set 8684, Series 2 Collectible Minifigures. As with many pieces the hat is molded in ABS and has an asymmetrical design. As pictured here, there is a broader portion around the brim which tapers as you move (facing) from right to left. The design is such that if the tapered end were turned to the front it might also resemble a flat or ivy cap popularized recently by the Kangol brand and the actor Samuel L Jackson. The broader rim does leave some room for the addition of decals or painted highlights. The gripping or clutching power of this piece is quite firm as it utilizes ABS and a full tube inside the cap.

This item is only available in black with no indication of further use in other sets. The Mime is an uncommon figure in the series meaning that there are only four available on average per case of 60 figures.

BrickForge Beret - 360 View (Picture)

Looking at the BrickForge option, we have a more rounded design with a deeper profile when sitting on the minifigure's head. As shown, this piece has a broad, high portion around the brim which tapers as you move (facing) from right to left. The tapered end differs from the LEGO design in that it is more rounded and falls against the head in a more 'natural' form. The BF beret has a broader, taller brim allowing more room for decals or painted details. The BrickForge piece does not grip as tightly to the minifigure head when compared to the LEGO beret.

BrickForge as a wide assortment of berets available in their store. This design is currently offered in black, blue, dark green, medium blue, orange, pink, red, tan , white, and yellow.

Although the the art of 'mime' is all well and good, we have asked our chief of security, Sgt. Fury, to step in model these two pieces with a more military style of minifigure (see below).

(Picture)

In summary, the new LEGO beret provides purists with a new headgear with tight, secure connections; however, supplies and color choices are quite limited.

The BrickForge option provides a rounded design with a high profile for custom touches, available in a wide color palate. Although clutching power is less than the TLG part, it was not a significant issue.

Additional Stats - BrickForge Beret
Custom House:BrickForge
Website:www.brickforge.com
Location:United States
International Shipping:Yes (details)
Colors Available:Black, Blue, Dark Green, Medium Blue, Orange, Pink, Red, Tan , White, and Yellow
Retail Price:$1.50 USD


Additional Stats - LEGO Beret
Availability:Worldwide but in limited quantities
Colors Available:Black
Retail Price:With Series 2 Collectible Minifigure, $1.99 USD (MSRP)/ Average BrickLink price (figure) ~$4.00 USD* / Average BrickLink price (beret only) $1.90 USD*

*BrickLink prices as of 9/9/2010

Love it!

To add a bit of perspective I might point out that different LEGO pieces have different clutching powers as well. For example, the BF Beret has the same amount of clutch power as the Clone Trooper helmet. Not to mention there are variances in both accessory and minifig head. If you get just the right match up of fig-to-accessory you can come up with a very tight fit or a very loose one. (reference weapon clutch power) I'm sure the readers also might want to be assured that the Beret simply doesn't 'fall off'.

-A

Nice review, though keep in mind you can post with pictures. No one would "steal" a review, and even if they did, you could always point to this post to show you had posted it here, first. I'd actually recommend posting with pictures, since, while they don't MAKE the review, they can certainly add OR detract depending on the quality of the images.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular - just me being paranoid. It does take quite some time to pull these together though. I have had problems with a competing site sniping materials from my blog.

I'll consider posting the pics in the next draft...

Just out of curiosity, is there some pressure sensor used to measure 'clutch'. I'm guessing this would be a modified instrument as 'LEGO clutch sensors' can't be bought right off the shelf.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. I've incorporated some changes based on your thoughts.

The review is set to go out today at 12:01 PM EST on my blog (link in signature). After a few days I'll likely repost on Eurobricks.

Additional feedback is always welcome.

I hope to be sharing my draft of the comparative Spartan ( not ) accessory review very soon.

Thanks!

Nice! This is very well written and a good read. It would be nice to see pictures but I can always go to your site to see that. Not to mini-mod but I would recommend not triple, or even double, posting in the future. If you need to add something to your previous post you can always edit it. And if you want people to see it by making an unread post simply delete the first one, put that same content in a new post, and add the new stuff. So once again nice job.

I think replying to others' feedback with a separate post is entirely appropriate.

-A

Forum etiquette be damned!

Beret review now up on Eurobricks Minifig Customization forum.