Alexandrina

If it helps, the problems will likely be the same as people on the other side of the camera at the low end. The actual work itself pays just fine; the difficulty early on is in getting consistent work. I work in the production side of it, still entry level, and the daily rate is easily livable on even in London. The catch comes when you finish a job and can't get another for months! I would definitely not recommend moving to London if you're not already based there, unless you get into a drama school or you have some other reason to move (as in: don't just go to London speculatively because there are more acting gigs there) until you have at least a few pieces in your showreel. There are more acting jobs, but there are also more actors who want them. I don't know exactly where you're based, but if you can get yourself in a position where you can easily travel to Cardiff, Bristol or Salisbury for a week's work, you're in a great spot to start out - there's less major production in Cardiff and Bristol but there's plenty going, and Salisbury is home to one of the best film universities in the UK - they are always on the lookout for actors there, and from experience I know that students there tend to reuse their favourite actors for all three years of their course. (And also get into the industry; it never hurts to have working relationships with people who are in a position to give you a job.) The big jobs are usually London-based, but they'll usually at least cover your accommodation fees. But yeah. Certainly don't get pound signs in your eyes the first time you get paid for the work and blow it all on Lego like I did.

I've seen rumours but afaik the source is the Mirror, who are generally spot-on with animation news as one of their correspondents has a source within the Restoration Team, but are hit and miss at best with regular news. Honestly, I'm really worried about the new era. Most of my casual watcher friends stopped watching during the Matt Smith era (a few stuck around into early Capaldi) and most of my hardcore fan friends stopped watching during the Chibnall disasterclass (I did myself, but it was and remains specifically a Chibnall boycott; I never stopped watching older stuff and was always going to return when a new showrunner was in charge). I'm not sure how many of those people are going to return, but there seem to be mixed messages about whether they're targeting older fans (by bringing back a beloved Doctor, and apparently having the events of a series fifteen years ago be important to understanding the special) or going for a clean slate (by trying to call it "Season 1" again, which is never going to stick). This - and the concept of having Tennant be the Doctor again - makes me worried that Russell T Davies has stepped in again to save a show he loves (a bit like JNT, but with the 'loving the show' part) and is making decisions to claw back eyeballs rather than because he has genuine ideas. We've seen this before. When the show was floundering under JNT and Eric Saward, the BBC almost cancelled it. Look at the first Sylvester McCoy season, where comedy and 'big name' guest stars (Ken Dodd, for example) took priority over compelling storytelling. And compare that to the last Sylvester McCoy season, where good storytelling was clearly the foremost priority. The final season is universally better received than the first McCoy; it was that first season, chasing eyeballs with some terrible stories, that dealt the final fatal blow to the show before. Cynically, I wonder if bringing back Paul McGann for a run is another attempt to get eyeballs, because they're chasing numbers over quality.

If that's the case, though, then surely the angle of the slope would be the offending element - it's the only slope at that particular angle. They could have easily made a slightly retooled version (it's two degrees out from part 30249, which was introduced just a year later) - it wouldn't be the first time an out-of-system part was replaced with a more system-friendly part.

Yeah, I think people assume he was left out because Redbeard was in the original Eldorado Fortress. But I don't believe there's any evidence Redbeard was ever to be included in the new one (and Governor Broadside didn't make it in either, so it's clear they weren't trying to replicate the original figs like for like)

If you're serious about wanting to act, your best bet is to get yourself on Mandy and possibly Spotlight (can't remember if they accept unrepresented actors or not) and do as many open auditions/student films as you possibly can to build up a showreel. Maybe look into SA organisations as well, if nothing else being an SA for a few days would get you on-set experience and the chance to nab some craftie hot chocolate. Eventually you'd want to be getting an agent, but I don't know the process there. Drama school is a plus of course (especially if you can get into RADA or Italia Conti or something) but definitely not a necessity. (Oh, and prepare for a long time not being able to afford much Lego; actors trying to break into the industry are often not flush with cash to begin with!)

I don't know if Lego have specifically commented on the matter, but it seems to me that the reason Redbeard isn't in Eldorado is because - let's face it - the target audience for a big nostalgia-based Imperials set is pretty much identical to the target audience for a big nostalgia-based pirate ship set, so the assumption is that most of the people buying Eldorado already have a Redbeard. And you can't have two Redbeards running about. (I mean, you can - imagination and all - but having two Redbeards kicking about your MOC feels a bit farce to me.) The question is why they included a second Anne Anchor, albeit slightly different. IMO the best course of action would have been to have an entirely new pirate, or else ditch that figure entirely and give us a Camilla Broadside or something.

I ended up voting for Barracuda Bay over Eldorado even though I adore both sets; in the end it was the minifigures that tipped my hand. Specifically, Barracuda Bay has 'civilian' female minifigures (I know they're both pirates, but they're not in a uniform and thus the torsos can be used for civilian characters) whereas Eldorado's figures - while more numerous - are almost all soldiers. It's black docks over brown for me, but that's just because my exposure to old exposed timber is pretty universally black timber. (Admittedly, in house beams rather than docks and jetties!)

Honestly you make pretty solid points for most of these, even if my love for the pieces makes me want to disagree. Still feel we got robbed of 6044 though. Even if it was used less frequently than it had been by the end, it's a part which we didn't and still don't really have any direct analogues for. I believe it's the only slope there's ever been with studs on the sloped part, which makes it very useful for angled connections (I use them all the time for quick and easy triangular roofs).

Honestly, Bessie is probably the only thing other than the TARDIS that you could realistically do as a set without tying it to a specific story. It's not really a show which has many iconic vehicles.

Yeah sadly I don't think they'll be returning any time soon, but I also don't think they'd have left the parts range if Lego hadn't been trying to contract. They might not fit in with a lot of 2020s-era sets, but they certainly fit well with the Castle sets of the early 2000s.

I think if ever Lego did explore a Doctor Who theme, their best approach would be to make sets not based on any specific episodes, but rather pitting the Doctor and company against an assortment of monsters. You could have, for example, a wave of six sets: - Bessie - a great idea for a set, as it's not really episode specific. Naturally including the Third Doctor, Jo Grant and the Delgado Master. - Cyberman Attack - featuring some Cybermen, a mini-build, and perhaps the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria (the team from the greatest Cybermen adventure) - UNIT Truck - featuring the Brigadier, a generic UNIT soldier, an Auton and the Twelfth Doctor - Trouble in Space - featuring the Seventh Doctor, Ace, a Space Captain and a Vervoid - Dalek Battle - featuring the Fourth Doctor, the Fifth Doctor, Sarah-Jane, Tegan and several Daleks - The TARDIS - as it was under Tennant, featuring the Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack and the Simm Master The second wave could then 'clean up', featuring the remaining Doctors in various scenarios against Sontarans, Zygons, Weeping Angels, etc. and leaving Collectible Minifigures for other cool characters/unique variants. For example: The Tenth Doctor with his 3D glasses (got to get Tennant in a CMF) Missy A Mondas Cyberman Davros Mickey Smith A Clockwork Robot Rory as a Centurion River Song Sutekh A Haemovore Governess Clara The Kandyman And depending on the popularity of the theme, once you've covered the bases you can then fill in the gaps with repeats of popular monsters/less well-known but still cool monsters. For instance, how cool would a Sandminer playset with some Voc robots be? Really unique aesthetic for a Lego set. Equally, a wave with a couple of Gallifrey-based sets could make use of the new mould needed for the ornate wear.

The loss of the cypress tree came at the same time as the loss of several other unique/really cool pieces, in a period where Lego were trying to save money by dropping any mould they didn't have immediate use for. See also: the octagonal brick suite (6037 etc), the incredibly useful 6044, and 6072 corner turrets. All disappeared in the last years of the 90s (the cypress tree living on briefly with a service pack in 2001). I think a lot of the parts we lost in that period were victims of the time/circumstances, and would probably still be around today if they'd only endured until 2003. Especially in a world with PAB, I feel like Lego should make the old style trees (all four of them) available for online purchase at least - for those people who would prefer them over complex brick-built trees. I'm genuinely surprised it didn't already exist in green. Seems like an obvious colour.

If they give me a cypress tree service pack I can buy too many copies of I'll be a satisfied girl! Anything to stop me hording copies of Pretty Playland like I'm a Belville Smaug because they're the best value way of getting the cypress.

It's almost embarrassing how much I missed Bricklink. Not even buying stuff, just browsing the catalogue. It's like going to an old friend's house for the first time in years.

Oh, this is going to be a useful piece for sure. We really are being spoilt for choice with foliage/plant options in the last few years. Now bring back the cypress tree.

Until the hook punctures the ball and deflates it.

Interesting, it does indeed look as though the dog is exactly the same and the little black mark is marbling.

Honestly I have no idea, I just assumed MAB was talking from experience.

Have you got a picture of the other side of the 75935 one? The bottom one has a little black flash on his tail and I can't see from the photo whether the top one does too.

I wonder if we'll get any sets to go with the game? Sure they won't be conventional Pirates or Castle or whatever sets, but it might be a good opportunity to get new minifigures for the themes. The pirate in the promo looks like he has a new torso to me (correct me if I'm wrong) but he'd fit in a serious Pirates MOC.

This set literally includes a magic wizard and his magic workshop. Of course it's fantasy.

I don't know, it's a lovely looking set but beyond the surface level similarities (house with lots of glass walls and a pool in the front garden) I don't think it's really Poolside Paradise reimagined so much as its own thing that happens to have some details in common. Not to say I won't be getting it (for those garage doors if nothing else) but what made Paradisa distinct was its colour scheme as much as anything; the Friends set has a very different colour scheme. It seems more "vibrant seaside city" than "dreamy vapourwave".

That said, leaving the key in your car is terrible security practice and your own fault - but still doesn't excuse the person stealing it. Most websites nowadays notify you if there's been an unusual log-in/sometimes don't allow you to change your email address without entering your password (thus preventing email addresses being changed without the hacker knowing the user's email credentials too). If Bricklink aren't doing this then perhaps they should.

Fair enough lol! I'm surprised there are so many different hairpieces that exist in green, since it's not a common hair colour irl and I can't think of many sets that had green hair in.

This would pretty solidly undermine Lego's own aim in gender equality (unless you extend this to all male minifigures having a female alternate face). Right now the message to young girls when they play with Lego is that they are just as represented as boys. If you start putting male heads in sets as alternates, the message becomes "boys are the default, which is why we've had to throw them a bone on top of their 50% of the representation. You girls are the afterthought". Not a very nice message. Honestly, I really don't understand why people get up in arms every time a "historical" set dares to include women. Why does it bother people so much?