JAKI SAW Billy Television Review – A Killer Display with Clever Engineering

JAKI SAW Billy Television Building Set

Anyone who follows my interests will know that my real passion in brick building is recreating scenes from films. I've built more than 70 movie-inspired LEGO MOCs over the years, so when a company like JAKI starts producing officially licensed models based on films such as SAW, they're naturally going to get my attention.

I recently reviewed their SAW Pig Mask, which I thoroughly enjoyed, although I acknowledged that its appeal was probably quite limited outside fans of the franchise or people like myself who collect movie-inspired builds.

The Billy Television is a much more ambitious proposition.

Rather than simply producing a static display piece, JAKI has incorporated lighting, sound, mechanical movement and an assortment of cogs and gears into a model with a surprisingly small footprint.

I was particularly interested to see how they would manage to fit everything together, and whether all those features would genuinely add something to the finished model.

Building Experience

What impressed me most about the Billy Television was just how intuitive the building experience was. Given everything JAKI has managed to incorporate into this model, I had expected something a little more complicated. Instead, the build had a really nice, natural flow, with each stage feeling like a logical progression from the last.

The construction is cleverly organised, with relatively few bricks required to complete each individual section. There's quite a lot of complexity hidden within the finished model, but that never really translates into a complicated building experience.

Each stage felt natural, with the different elements coming together in a way that made sense. The only point where I felt that flow was interrupted slightly was when installing the top of the television. It wasn't quite as intuitive as the rest of the build, but this was a relatively minor moment and certainly didn't detract from what was otherwise a very smooth experience.

There were a few occasions where a little additional pressure was required to get pieces into position, but nothing that caused any real frustration.

I particularly enjoyed seeing how the various mechanisms gradually came together. I'm not generally someone who gets excited about mechanical functions, but there's something satisfying about discovering how everything has been incorporated into the design.

Overall, this was a well-considered and enjoyable building experience, without any unnecessary complications.

7.5/10

Brick Quality

The brick quality was perfectly fine throughout, with good clutch power and everything fitting together securely.

As mentioned in the building experience, there were a few occasions where additional pressure was required, but nothing that caused any significant problems or made me question the quality of the bricks themselves.

One thing that did surprise me was the sheer number of spare pieces included. There was an incredible excess of bricks left over at the end of the build, considerably more than I would ordinarily expect from a model of this size.

It's certainly preferable to finding pieces missing, but the quantity was rather unusual!

Otherwise, I had no particular concerns about the quality of the bricks, and they performed well throughout construction.

7.5/10

Instructions

I really enjoyed JAKI's instructions for this model. They were clear, sensible and well organised, with each stage following naturally from the previous one.

Given the amount of functionality incorporated into the television, I think they've done a particularly good job of making the construction easy to follow.

The instructions provided an appropriate amount of detail without unnecessarily complicating things. Even when assembling the mechanical elements, everything was explained clearly enough that I never felt I was struggling to understand what came next.

My only real criticism, if you can call it that, was the colour representation in the instruction booklet.

There were occasions when the colours printed on the page didn't quite match the bricks themselves. I spent a surprising amount of time searching for dark reds and browns, only to realise that the pieces I needed weren't quite the colours I had been expecting.

It's a relatively minor issue, but one that occasionally interrupted an otherwise very enjoyable building experience.

Overall, I thought the instructions were excellent, particularly considering how much JAKI has managed to incorporate into this relatively compact model.

8/10

Exterior Design

I think JAKI has done a beautiful job with the exterior design of this model.

I love the television itself, but what really makes the design work is Billy seemingly exploding out of the screen. It gives the whole thing a wonderful sense of depth and makes what could easily have been a fairly static display piece feel dynamic and exciting.

There's a real sense of movement to the design, even when none of the mechanical functions are operating. Billy's positioning, combined with the television surrounding him, creates something that's immediately recognisable to anyone familiar with the SAW franchise.

The television itself is a lovely design, and I particularly appreciate how the controls have been incorporated into the model rather than simply being decorative features.

The lighting adds another dimension, particularly in a darker room, and really helps bring the whole thing to life.

It's exactly the sort of unusual, slightly disturbing display piece that I enjoy, and I think JAKI has managed to capture the character and atmosphere of the franchise beautifully.

9/10

Lighting, Sound & Mechanical Features

This is probably my favourite aspect of the entire model, and the part where I think JAKI deserves the most credit.

There's an extraordinary amount going on inside this little television. What I find particularly impressive is how they've managed to compress so much functionality into such a small footprint without compromising the appearance of the finished model.

Billy's eyes are illuminated by two piercing red LEDs, while additional red lighting illuminates the interior of the television. It's a wonderfully sinister effect, especially in a darkened room.

The lighting is activated by turning one of the television's knobs, which I absolutely love. It's a small detail, but using the television's actual controls to operate the features makes far more sense than hiding switches around the model.

The second knob operates the mechanical movement. Turning it extends and retracts the arm and hand holding the minifigure through a series of interconnected cogs. You do need to position the cogs correctly during construction, but once everything is aligned, the mechanism works very well.

The movement in Billy's mouth is another lovely piece of engineering. JAKI has incorporated a cleverly positioned button connected to a sound brick, together with Technic elements and rubber components, to create movement in the mouth.

I have a great deal of appreciation for this sort of design work. Not because it's necessarily complicated to build, but because somebody has clearly put considerable thought into how to make all these different elements fit and function together.

I'm not normally a huge fan of mechanical features. In plenty of previous reviews, I've questioned whether they were necessary at all. Here, however, I think they're absolutely justified.

The combination of sound, movement and lighting really suits the subject matter. Billy is a character that benefits from being brought to life, and JAKI has managed to do that without turning the model into something unnecessarily complicated.

For me, this is the real achievement of the set. Not simply that all these features have been included, but that they've been incorporated so neatly into such a small space.

8.5/10

Display Appeal

For me, the Billy Television is predominantly a Halloween decoration, and a rather good one at that.

The combination of the sinister red lighting, Billy emerging from the television and the mechanical features makes it a particularly effective seasonal display piece.

I can certainly see myself bringing this out every Halloween. It's unusual, instantly recognisable to fans of the franchise and has enough going on to make it a real talking point.

That said, I don't think it needs to be confined to Halloween.

It wouldn't look remotely out of place in a LEGO room, particularly one with a collection of movie-inspired builds. There's enough detail and character in the design for it to stand on its own, even without activating the lighting or movement.

As someone who collects and builds a considerable number of film-related models, I appreciate pieces like this. They're a little different from the usual offerings, and JAKI has created something that works both as a celebration of the SAW franchise and as an attractive display model in its own right.

Its appeal will naturally be strongest among horror fans, but I think the quality of the design and engineering give it something extra.

9/10

Value for Money

As someone whose main interest in brick building is recreating scenes from films, I'm always going to have an appreciation for companies willing to explore unusual film licences.

The SAW franchise is a perfect example, and I think JAKI has produced something rather special here.

At $99.99, I think the Billy Television represents reasonable value for money, particularly if you're a fan of the franchise.

It's a substantial model, with a surprising amount of engineering incorporated into the design. We have lighting, sound, movement and a genuinely attractive finished display piece, all based around a recognisable piece of horror cinema.

There was also an extraordinary number of spare pieces left over at the end of the build. I'm still not entirely sure why quite so many were included, but there certainly wasn't a shortage of bricks!

What makes the price particularly appealing to me is that this isn't simply another model destined to sit on a shelf. It also works wonderfully as a Halloween decoration, and I can see myself bringing it out year after year.

Of course, the appeal of something like this will depend on your interest in the franchise. If you're not a fan of SAW or movie-inspired building sets, you might find it difficult to justify the price.

But for someone like myself, who enjoys both, there's plenty here to appreciate.

9/10

Overall Verdict

I absolutely love what JAKI has done with the Billy Television.

The design is beautiful, the building experience is enjoyable and the finished model has a tremendous amount of character. Billy seemingly exploding out of the screen gives the whole thing a sense of depth and movement that I wasn't necessarily expecting.

But what really wins me over is the engineering.

The amount of functionality JAKI has compressed into such a small footprint is remarkable. Lighting, sound, moving mechanisms, cogs and gears, all working together inside a model that still manages to look fantastic on display.

And perhaps more importantly, none of it feels unnecessary.

That's quite a compliment coming from me, because mechanical features aren't normally something I particularly care about. In this case, I genuinely enjoyed them.

There are some minor issues. Colour representation in the instructions could be better, installing the top of the television wasn't quite as intuitive as the rest of the build, and the price is something you'll probably need to justify through your appreciation of the franchise.

But none of those things would stop me recommending it to someone who enjoys horror films or unusual movie-inspired brick builds.

I also think JAKI has absolutely nailed this particular IP. Having now built both the Pig Mask and Billy Television, I really appreciate the direction they've taken with the SAW licence. These aren't obvious subjects for building sets, and that's precisely why I find them so appealing.

There are already more than enough conventional buildings and vehicles available in the brick-building world. I love seeing companies explore something different, particularly when it comes to cinema.

For me, the Billy Television will predominantly be a Halloween decoration, although it certainly wouldn't look out of place among my other movie MOCs throughout the year. I can see myself bringing it out every October, switching on those piercing red eyes and enjoying it all over again.

I'd genuinely love to see what else JAKI can do with this licence, and I'd be very happy to build more of their movie-inspired models.

It's an excellent addition to my collection and one I'm very pleased to have.

Overall Score: 8/10

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Review Disclosure

JAKI kindly supplied this set for review. As always, the opinions expressed are entirely my own and reflect my personal experience of building and displaying the model. Supplying a set does not guarantee a positive review or influence the scores I award.

You can find the JAKI SAW Billy Television here: JAKI SAW Billy Television

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. If you enjoy movie-inspired brick builds, custom LEGO MOCs and reviews of some of the more unusual sets available, you can find more of my work through my social media channels and blogs.

JustaPeeler

https://linktr.ee/Justapeeler