Construction Bricks Decool No. 2112 Hummel M1097A2 Cargo/Troop Carrier

If you want to own some Lego type military hardware / vehicles and you do not want to pay through your nose buying boutique sets, Lego type construction kits of China brands are the current option. I stop short of calling these Lego "bootleg" although each brick's design are undeniably 100% Lego design, the finished product is something not found in the current Lego inventory. However, it seem like a complete copy of Batisbrick's M1097A2.
In this entry, Decool's (what a name for a brand..) Hummel "Pick-up" is reviewed. The set contains 170pcs of bricks. This is the first Decool set I've build and lets find out how well it scores.

Should have also include a top down view but these 4 views should give a pretty good overall look.

LIKENESS
SCORE : 3.5/5
The look and feel of a Humvee are acquired no doubt about it. Comparing the actual M1097A2 picture will notice some of the achievable details are not there most notably the L & R Bedside hump for the road wheels are not featured when a simple 2 x 3 brick should do the job. Tailgate is also not featured. These are the more prominent features that can be easily included.
Front engine bonnet panel are detail rich but the model's construction is quite basic. Somewhat a missed opportunity there to give more details.
Nevertheless, added details also means a compromising on scale. This out-of-box model look simple, basic, and it works well. And it is recognizable at instant it is a Humvee.

CLUTCHING of Bricks
SCORE : 4/5
I've read that Decool is one of the better Lego clone brand out there. I'm eagle to find out in this building section.
When the first clutch of bricks were attempted, it didn't feel like a smoothing fit but rather a snap fit. Not sure if I go at it in the wrong angle or not but the subsequent few clutching also felt similar ie snap fitting. But gradually, I think I get the "hang" of it and all went smoothly.
The bricks are secured firmly - but not tightly - with the holding strength pretty evenly throughout. Now this is way better than Kazi.
A good and enjoyable build with no painful fingers after that. Could be due to the low brick counts but I reckon with the clutching consistency, the brick count will not affect the fun factor in building it.

COLOR CONSISTENCY
SCORE : 4.5/5
Sand yellow (aka Tan) is a tricky color and seem like every manufacturer has their own unique shade. Decool's has a subtle shade that are closer to Lego's and are slightly lighter than Kazi's. So far is my favorite tan shade of the lot.
Decool is living up to the claim of being one of the better Lego clones as this model achieved almost 99% consistency in the shade except for two 1 x 1 brick that lend the shade from Kazi's Tan. Still I can't help but felt a little disappointed that a full consistency isn't achieved. Perhaps it will be more prevailing in larger sets with higher brick counts.
Nevertheless, the M1097A2 does well here.

SIZE / SCALE
SCORE : 4/5
This is the hardest department to get a perfect score but this vehicle looks like it is about there. You can build it to scale vs the minifigure but in that way, the figure can't be sat inside. As is, both figures can take up the left (driver) and right (passenger) seat within the Humvee, albeit snugly. So it is a fine balance that I think Decool (ok, Bratisbrick's credit) has achieved.

MINIFIGURES
SCORE : 4.5/5
No surprises there as the Minifigures are exactly the same as Lego's which I much prefer over say KreOns and the downright ugly Cobi's version. Here I will breakdown into few categories :

PRINT : 4.5/5
The tactical vests are printed on instead as a physical accessory. While both print and physical has their charm, I'd currently prefer print on as it gives more details and color instead of a singular Tan piece accessory that although achieved a realistic effect but lack the realistic color. One can argue of applying paint if must but if no secondary effort will be made, print is preferred.
The print on these figures are very very well done true to Decool's reputation. The lines are crisps and there is no bleeding of paint. I'm most impressed.

JOINTS : 4/5
All joints are firm, not tight. Almost, if not same as an original Lego minifig's firmness. However, the hands on the Caucasian guy slips off the wrist when I try to unclutch the weapon. Never happen to a Lego minifig so it brought me back to reality. Still a very good quality minifigure that can be had here.

ACCESSORIES : 4/5
Each figure comes with a primary weapon and a pistol. The sculpting of the accessories are very very impressive. Helmet and weapons are very well done.

Top picture shows an M4 variant and the other one ... looks like a SCAR. It is a 5/5 for the M4 although the picture doesn't give justice to the details. Can't make much about the SCAR but still a weapon this small, the amount of details are mind boggling.
But I felt a belt holster should be included for these figures to holster the pistol. That is the only nit picking if I must.

OVERALL
SCORE : 4.5/5
It is a set that should be own if you are a Lego military MOC enthusiast. It is not widely available here in Singapore but collectors has brought these in from China and can be found in local online selling portal. Definitely recommended.

Finally, the spares after the final instruction. The fact that there are 3 pcs of 1x6 Tile baffles me as usually, spares are small parts ie 1x1 Plate or Round Plate etc. Well, I could use more long tile parts anyway.