Nifeliz Off-Road Pickup J40 Land Cruiser MOC Technique Building Blocks and Engineering Toy, Adult Collectible Model Cars Kits to Build, 1:12 Scale Truck Model (2101 Pieces)

My original review was 4-star, but this really does deserve 5 stars. Maybe that's because I did a Lego kit after this and found similar problems in that kit.This is a very nice project, but may frustrate anyone who isn't into tinkering or modifying – that mentality is very valuable for this kit. I have owned two of these vehicles in my life, and they carry great memories, so I simply had to build this kit. More details:Part quality: ExcellentThe parts are indistinguishable from Lego parts – excellent quality overall. And the 4 fold-up cardboard containers came in *very* handy (and can be used for future projects). I had no missing parts whatsoever, and a handful of extras. There are also parts for a motorized version... contact the very responsive customer support for motor recommendations. If you don't go that route, you'll have even more parts left over, which is always nice.Instruction manual: MehThe instruction booklet is printed very well on good paper stock, and resembles Lego booklets. The printing leaves much to be desired, however – all in all, too dark (Lego does this too). Black and grey look identical, but you soon realize that black parts are outlined in white, and the grey parts just look like a silhouette of the part. Some pieces are easily mistaken because of this, but over time you start to adjust. I needed my magnifying glasses (they have a strong light on them) to see details in the instructions (mainly to tell whether a black or grey part had an o hole or an + hole). The instructions also skip some steps, which you sometimes see only in the finished view. I found myself having to disassemble several times to add something that wasn't specifically mentioned in the instructions. After completion, I had to modify the design in places and create a custom part to add rigidity. If you don't have this kind of mindset, the kit may frustrate you.Parts availability: Excellent company responsivenessI thought I was missing a critical part, so I looked into getting it shipped to me (supposedly for free). Right on the inside cover of the instruction booklet, there's a note and an email address to get the missing parts shipped (again, for free). There is no link on their site, so the e-mail address is your only route here. Fortunately, I took another close look at the extra-dark instructions and found that the "part" was actually constructed of smaller parts, which was not pointed out (see the next section). Since then, I have used the contact email and received a prompt response... that's an awesome indicator of a company who cares. And a shout out to Cici!Difficulty: Very AdvancedThe design is pretty awesome, but requires a lot of finagling and even some ingenuity to get things right. I ended up having to modify the design a bit, and even made my own piece for a structure that wasn't very solid. A quick example is the hood: If you follow the instructions fully, the hood won't even come close to closing, and really doesn't look proper. I ended up removing parts (notably, two of the engine hoses and mysterious large black structure attached to the underside of the hood, which doesn't exist in the actual vehicle (again, I've owned two real FJ-40s). I also removed some pieces on the front edge of the hood in order to make it sit more realistically.Design: AwesomeThere are so many very cool parts to this kit that it's hard to name them all. A functional transmission with two differentials, so it's truly 4-wheel drive. I must have made a mistake because the wheels turn in opposite directions, but I'm not planning to play with the final build other than maybe open the doors (the springs for the latches were missing, but they still work). As others have mentioned, the steering is hit or miss (mostly miss). Mine grudgingly turns in one direction but not the other – I'm already thinking of solutions, but it's really not a big deal. The winch is also stubborn. But these are really minor issues, and the overall design is truly delightful... just be prepared for modifications here and there, which for me is the highest level of fun. I would have loved to see the hood latches represented, but that would likely be too bulky at this scale.Final build: Very niceI don't think this is a kit you'll play with after building – when finished, it has a fragility and a bit of "softness" to the structure. Nothing too bad for moving around, etc, but if your goal is to play with it a bit (other than opening doors and folding up the rear seats) it will likely prove too fragile.Final verdict: Very nice, very worthy, and a great purchaseI originally gave this 4 stars because of the directions, which are a key part of something so complex (2101 pieces). Then I built a Lego race yacht, and the experience was *worse* than this kit, despite having less than half the pieces and nowhere near the complexity. So this gets 5 stars, and I kind of miss the experience already. I may buy another one and try to motorize it (note: I bought their L002 Off-Road kit because it's almost 4000 pieces and I am obviously a masochist). Seriously, though, this company is absolutely great.The cost is very reasonable, and probably less than half what Lego would charge for such a kit. The final build delights me (mainly because I owned the exact same model and color in real life). It was a challenge with the modifications, but I enjoy that kind of thing.Final note:I am doing Lego-style projects to help my chronic insomnia (a truly crippling condition when I'm in the "insomnia phase" (it comes and goes every few weeks and lasts a couple of weeks... over and over). These projects truly help occupy and tire out my brain, which is important for good sleep – I'm retired, and the lack of day-to-day stimulus allows my brain to think of all sorts of anxiety-inducing thoughts. I've found that exercise (walking, pickleball, lifting weights) and mental challenges (puzzles and projects) replace the anxiety with a sense of accomplishment – they fill my brain with non-anxious thoughts and just plain tire it out. If you're in the same boat, I recommend these non-medical self-treatments (for the cost of a doctor's visit which has never helped, you can buy a Lego kit or a large puzzle or something else that will truly work).All the best to you! If you're considering this purchase, I wouldn't hesitate – it's overall a delight, the quality is top-tier, and the company is responsive. Truly excellent design at play, save for the hood (I'll figure out something there, and wish they had found a way to implement the characteristic hood latches).

As a Lego fan for me was hard to make the decission to buy my first NifeliZ set, in Amazon always the coolest Nifeliz models showed up when I was looking for Legos, they (NifeliZ) sets looks really cool but who knows about the quality of this brand?, then 2 days ago I said to myself dude that blue Toyota is waiting for you, just order and have the experience by itself, well guys I can’t be more happy with that decission, such a good set, this stuff about the storage box was created by a Genius, created for somebody who really knows about build sets, thank you, since this week NifeliZ got a new fan…

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Only two parts missing during the build. Not bad. About same missing rate as Lego. Fun build.

All pieces came in the box as expected and I didn't have problems with the instructions or the order

TLDR: Challenging build, some questionable design decisions, ok quality...would probably buy againWhat I liked:- The finished product looked great and similar to a regular Lego Technic set of this size.- The instructions were easy enough to follow if not quite as detailed as a Lego set.- Some of the wear pieces were made of metal or carbon fiber (driveshaft and knuckles connecting it).- Molded "Toyota" piece across the front is a nice touch.- The quality isn't quite as good as Lego, but I would say it's 95% as good. I didn't encounter any build problems due to poor quality. Occasionally, there were scratches or discolorations (mostly visible on the white roof).Questionable design:- The steering wheel turns the front tires by use of a rubber band's friction on two pieces instead of gearing like you'd have in a regular Lego set. Additionally, the steering is connected by a bar with two loops on the ends. The ball pieces the loops connect to are at 90 degrees from each other making it difficult to connect and questionable whether or not it wouldn't pop off during use.- Occasionally, you'll use build techniques that I'm sure are not "legal" in terms of "official" Lego building techniques. I noticed this on the hood in particular (step 285 and 292) where connecting the pieces forces you the bend the pieces slightly to fit. Also some deep square holes will fit into the small round black technic pieces like holding the rear corners of the roof onto the roof.- The suspension leaves something to be desired. Mine seems to be riding high in the front like a "Carolina squat." Plus, the front wheels need an alignment.- Some steps are simply missing from the manual. For example between steps 130 and 131 there are orange pins that connect the suspension to the frame near the front of the truck. They are not pushed in on step 130, but then are on 131 with no direction to push them in.- Some of the gearing build requires you to hold a small gear while pushing a cross beam into place through the gear. Took me 5 minutes to finally get it in and required me to use tweezers to hold it in place.- The stability of the build is no where near what you'd see in a Lego set. I've built high end Lego sets where 3 or 4 steps are just strengthening the frame. This one the entire roof is held on by 4x1 cross pieces. The hood is 2x1 cross pieces.- The gearing is very tight.- Very few additional pieces. Traditionally, Lego sends a couple extra small pieces just in case one goes missing along the way. Most of the steps used every single piece with no margin for error. Also, the set included extra pieces for alternative SKUs of the same vehicle (motorized version, different back seat design), so I ended up with a bag full of extra larger parts anyway.What I didn't like:- The application of stickers. First, the regular stickers are too large for the pieces so you either have to trim the sticker or fold it over the corners. Second, the metal stickers are flimsy and you really only get one good shot at applying it. I found it is easiest to apply the sticker while still on the plastic sheet and then peel the sheet away from the block. The rear metal sticker covers multiple bricks so disassembly of that section means the sticker wouldn't survive.- I was missing a single piece. Technically, it wasn't a plastic one, but it was the rubber band required to steer the vehicle. I sent an e-mail to the e-mail address in the manual, so hopefully I hear back.Conclusion:Overall, it was a fun and challenging build. I'm disappointed I was missing a piece, but it wasn't one that kept me from completing the rest of the set in the meantime. This is the first time I built a non-Lego "Lego set," and most of the criticisms I've read are true. If I got a good deal on another Nifeliz set, I would give it another try.