Alexandrina

Instructions are normally available as a PDF direct from Lego's website (at least for sets going back to the 1990s, though I can't say how complete their old database is). However, 10295 does not appear to be available there yet. Looking at the set though, it's still in early access - I'm not sure when it goes on general release, but it's possible that the instructions aren't available online until then.

That might well explain it. The seller I bought from is UK based, and I can't vouch for the path the parts took before they came into my possession so it's entirely possible there was a model shop connection somewhere down the line.

I'm 100% resigned to never getting anything from my wishlist - but what are wishes for? The Wild Karrde, complete with Talon Karrde, Dankin, Aves, Mara Jade A Sibling Duel set featuring Jaina and Jacen Solo as they were at the end of Legacy of the Force A Crystal Star set in the style of Cloud City, with the Solo twins and a proctor in one section, Leia doing her thing in one section, Han, Luke, Chewie and Waru in another section The Tosche Station, with Luke, Desert Biggs, Camie and the others

I think that's the one. Cheers!

This is my experience to a tee. The Star Wars sets on the shelf when I first got into Star Wars were the 2006 and early 2007 waves (and I think the latter-day 2005 sets, but I never got any at the time so I'm not sure). I got the 2006 X-Wing before it was discontinued, and I've never bought another because I've not had the need to. On the other hand, I never got the 2006 A-Wing - I didn't get an A-Wing until the recent one with Lieutenant Connix in, so if they never did remakes my shelf would be missing an A-Wing!

This is actually a great point which is easy to lose sight of in discussions coloured by our AFOL wants and desires. Most kids aren't going to be getting all the big sets, if any at all. I know when I was younger the most I could expect from family was a £50 set at Christmas, and if I saved all my pocket money for a full year I could maybe afford a £100 set myself. I wouldn't have said I grew up poor either - there'll be many who get far less than I did. Not only do kids want to play with their Hogwarts, they want to be able to get it, and for families on a budget the only sets so far in the modern Harry Potter that are Hogwarts-specific are Hagrid's Hut, the Quidditch Match and the Room of Requirement. If modular rooms means cheaper sets that kids can actually get, that's something I'm in favour of. (Of course, there will also still be the expensive sets too, but no AFOL is going to spend three figures for the Girls' Bathroom, for example, so why not make it a cheapun?)

I'm in the process of sorting through a big joblot I acquired last month, and while I'm getting good at narrowing down mysterious parts, some are still eluding me. For instance, this torso: It's a genuine Legoland Torso with the Lego logo on the stud, but I don't know of any way to identify whether a sticker is genuine Lego or not. This particular sticker does not belong on the black Legoland Torso according to Bricklink's inventory, nor is it on the sticker sheets for any set the torso appears in, and a Bricklink search for "torso sticker" yields some similar results but none quite the same. I'm curious to know whether the sticker is a genuine one from some set - obviously I'd like to avoid going through the entire Bricklink database and checking the sticker sheets for every set which ever included minifigure torsos if possible so hopefully somebody here will recognise it.

Wow, that immediately screams "royalty". The floor's a triumph, the curtains/four-poster bed are delightful, but what I love most is the walls. What is that pattern? Is it a print from Lego themselves or a custom job? Either way this is certainly a bower fit for a queen.

Even if the designs were 100% on par with the designs of the original wave's sets, remakes wouldn't be some indefensible thing. There'll always be people who didn't get the set last time it was out (case in point: my first Harry Potter set was the 2002 Dobby's Release when it was new, and I've had sets from every run of the theme, yet I've never yet got myself a Hogwarts Express. There'll be others who've never had a Great Hall, or a Quidditch set, or something, and for them a remake is a lifesaver!)

That's wonderful news! Unusable Lego is a painful thing indeed, so at least you can still use the torso

Because it's never the wrong season (and also because I'm too lazy to tab into iTunes and change it up) I'm listening to the Crimbo classic "Fairytale of New York"

Useful advice for life in general, and all creative pursuits. I'm the same with my films and my writing: looking back at my work from years ago I cringe, and wonder how I ever came to be proud of it. But that's just evidence of all the ways I've got better at what I do. I'm of the view that the moment you stop wanting your old work to be better is the moment you stagnate.

Aww They look like such sweet dogs! So proud of themselves! Yours isn't the first really well-done dog MOC I've seen recently, and I hope it's not the last either. I'm here for it! Love the wall too, especially the creeping ivy.

If you remove the legs, can you get some metal tweezers or something inside the torso and exert pressure on the arm at the joint to try and push it out? Either that or think about buying a replacement torso... It'll be useful if you ever need war-wounded for a MOC though.

Fingers crossed everyone will be too broke on buying those so there's plenty of medium nougat 2x2s and 2x4s for me!

Like an unexpected Great Big Dobby's Sock?

That's exactly what saved me money re. the Expecto Patronum set!

They definitely should. The worry is whether or not they will.

Does he need to help them escape? He's the butcher - can't he just not kill them if he doesn't want to kill them? Let them slip their own chains Nelly the Elephant style.

It's probably not going to bode well for the future of the theme if Lego find themselves needing to cut the scale of production on yet-to-be-released sets because they're anticipating poor sales. And even if we the AFOLs know it's due to the anniversary sets not being up to scratch, there's a chance the Lego suits might not be willing to risk another year's investment on a theme which might have run its course when they could instead go for something new and fresh.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but I'm impressed with the way you've incorporated the vintage Shell brick - it's not often you see the old printed and embossed bricks getting their day in the sun in MOCs. I've also never seen the use of cleavers as wing mirrors before, and it looks fantastic.

I'd argue it's a modicum above zero. If the mould has been destroyed, obviously it's not likely to come back - especially in a one-off set rather than a full theme. But the mould was created at some point. There was a time in the 80s or 90s where Lego went from not having a ghost mould available to having a ghost mould available, so there's a chance they could make a new one, even if it's not 100% identical to the one we had before!

#legoleaks is normally the one

Or a future Hogwarts expansion of the Cloisters. Could have Harry, Cedric, Ernie, Malfoy, Moody and a ferret

Nice one! A bold choice to make the tower sit at a jaunty angle compared to the base, but certainly an effective one. It makes the MOC pop! The red leaves are a nice touch, too - it makes the whole build feel autumnal, and dovetails nicely with the yellow of the knights.