brickzone

No snow here yet but it is COLD with today a second hard frost (up to roof tops) on top of yesterdays mostly still frozen hard frost as well. Almost looks like a dusting of snow! Still a chance of some snow here, but we often don't get any all winter. The Atlantic with it's northern drift being the prevailing weather source usually just brings rain even in the winter, and even when snow comes from the east, can keep the west warm enough to make it just rain. It usually gets cold like at present when there are clear skies at night. It's quite extraordinary to think we are similar latitude to Hudson bay or Moscow though, our weather is so different! It's been great having cold weather though as we get SUNSHINE, probably more than we actually got during the summer :) It's good to get a break from the near-constant rain we had (very bad winter floods this year). It was beautiful weather for Christmas shopping in the city centre yesterday even if one did have to wrap up well, take care on the roads, and walk carefully on the drive or any less travelled footpaths.

Milan: Second-hand, and I figured it could be opened (plus my Dad is a mechanical expert so he'd understand the innards) but I wanted to avoid that if it was some kind of ordinary issue there is a simple fix for. Thanks for the links!

Actually I hadn't heard it was definite - if so it's sad news Agents is a fun theme.

OK, I'll keep it basic given this is online - but I'm in my 20s and finishing a PhD. Hoping to be employed in the new year - optimistic enough despite the circumstances! Started AFOL career in Dec 2005 thanks to well-stocked German department stores with magical Lego displays when I visited for Christmas markets and shopping. Have a number of siblings, and pretty much my whole family are now into Lego as a result of my influence! Even my nephews are into Duplo (and interested in everyone elses Lego :) Apart from Lego, I like reading - I'm quite into fantasy. Strangly despite reading voraciously once I start, I can find it difficult to pick up a new book or start into one. I do play some computer games (PC) too, again, often RPG type (although currently addicted once more to Civilization IV). I don't watch much current TV, but enjoy watching older TV series and films on DVD. I prefer watching with other people though - not much of a one for solitary viewing. Yes it's nerdy but I like Sci-Fi, although mainly older stuff like Star Trek The Next Generation, Babylon 5, etc. I also like comedy, detective, drama, documentary and a certain amount of classical drama type viewing. Think traditional BBC or ITV programming line-up - minus soaps and plus the American sci-fi (although of course BBC did import ST:TNG in the 1990s). I like playing cards or board games with friends/family. Not much into the traditional Irish pastime of drinking - but with good friends an evening in a pleasant pub can be nice. I'm quite a fan of people eating together though - probably comes from family meal-times! I love visiting new places and travelling, but even going to places here in Ireland is great - it doesn't have to be abroad! Priorities for the new year assuming I have income: get driving, and catch up on Lego purchasing (within reason - given the current circumstances I'll be wanting to save even if I have plenty of money).

Thanks for reviewing this set. I have it myself (I foolishly bought it early for €62.50, but the shop only a month or two later was selling them for €50 - still I got a voucher of €20 for reaching €120 spent in that shop). I find the alternate models pretty poor, they use a limited quantity of the parts, and to be honest I think it shows as the constructions are a big small/lacking. I love the parts in this set, but even the main model, I would definitely put as "average". Average means not even the median quality (i.e. what most sets are close to) but a bit better even than that (as the cool exclusives pull up the average and Lego currently have few pathetic sets). I think it's thus a bit of a stretch to describe this set as anything other than average. I can't get enough tan bricks :) Also while red roof bricks are perhaps less versatile than black, I didn't really have any, so it was a good set to rectify that. The plates are also great to have, and I stole the white ones already for the Winter village MOC (as regards white Lego, it is one colour I really love in the recent sets, whatever about translucency issues for other colours or them differing in shade from ones just a couple years ago or even still present in today's sets - I think I will have to separate my older white as I do not like to use it as much).

Very nicely done! Meticulous detail under the body of the loco, and how did you get the stickers to work on the grille bricks? I'd love to do a version of an Irish class 201 locomotive, which is an unusual variant of the Class 66, being much the same loco but designed for hybrid use (passenger as well as freight). The most obvious difference is quite different-looking cab ends. I can appreciate the need to have floating wheels in the middle of each group - anytime I've tried to model 201 class I've decided the ordinary Lego bogie wheels mounted in threes on bogies look pathetic for the model. Are the groups of wheels mounted on bogies?

Lidl (German discount supermarket) have some clone Lego in last weeks special deals here in Ireland - "Ministeck" (presumably German clone, or possibly Asian clone for German market). €3.50 for digger, police heli, fire heli, etc. Also mixed bricks. I didn't buy one even to sample as from the box pictures it looked poor quality (poorer than Megablocks), and to be honest, you don't get much more than €3.50 would get you in real Lego. A better deal than you get from the local Eurostore though (like the UK's "£1 shop") - they have an even poorer clone that is just about the size of the smallest Lego city sets, for €4. This is pretty crazy given that the same money gets you the smallest Lego sets (small fire jeep, etc.) However, much of the target audience probably don't have the opportunity to get to the out-of-town shopping outlets where Lego is sold (city centre lost its last proper toy store, a Smyth's Toys outlet, about 2 years ago). Lidl did have actual Lego Basic bricks a year or two ago in their special offers (although it was pretty much just normal retail price).

The two RC Train sets are always kept fully stocked* at Smyth's Toys here in Ireland, and they also had the straights/curves and crossover points set. I'd really like to get the Goods train despite being less than enthusiastic about the RC battery box - but I prefer to spend the €100+ amounts on Lego exclusives (this year I also had to skip Trolls Mountain Fortress and the Indy Temple of Doom set). I did buy my RC track for holiday/hobby trains at Smyth's. Not exactly related to System trains, but at least here in Ireland, Duplo trains seem to sell well, probably led by Thomas the Tank Engine. Art & Hobby restock Duplo trains pretty frequently*. So presumably kids are interested in trains in a general sense. *Smyth's operates warehouse style toy stores, and they tend to keep the shelves full - so it is only extremely fast sellers you maybe sometimes see depleted stock (often restocked if you go back the next day). *Art & Hobby are a chain of small mall/highstreet retail outlets, and the Lego is periodically restocked and presumably moved/distributed between stores. Stocks of Lego/Duplo get quite depleted most months at my local outlet, so you can tell preferences fairly well by what stays for months while other sets disappear in days.

LED lights are also easier to arrange - regular Christmas lights have filament bulbs, which break very easily just with handling (hence why often one or two gone when you unpack them), especially when they've been on (still warm). The LED lights are usually brighter too. For tree lighting I prefer ordinary bulbs as they have a warm diffuse glow from each bulb - whereas LEDs provide pinpricks of light.

A very nice creation and lovely personal gift. It reminds me of some friends of mine who had Lego atop their wedding cake.

So many memories of broken clips on flags - rather traumatic as a kid too with limited Lego! So I'd have to say on balance the new ones are superior. However, they only really work for a direct comparison with the large old flags. The small flags are still used for new Lego (or were still for the new Pirates - admittedly MMP and others use that other one-sided flag/sign which is sturdier but inferior).

Then buy them, take home and carefully test the packaging (if possible) to see what is inside, and return any unwanted ones.

CDC: Not necessarily - these are prelim (possibly different ones from before) and the pig in the impulse for example is clearly a mock-up. The basic top used for the car impulse may be a subst if the new top wasn't ready at the time of the photo.

Nice use of the wheel arches - but I have to agree, that third arm is rather disturbing. It's like some kind of claw instead of a foot!

This is a nice cute MOC that really looks the part. Not quite sure that the scale of the large doors quite matches the rest of the model, but the overall effect is still good. Is that dark red roof or just the lighting? I think white and tan looks quite well for these kind of buildings - it's more subdued than the old Pirates white and yellow, but I liked the effect of it on the new Soldier's Fort in the new Pirates. I would use green headlamp bricks to do "arms" of the cactus and support the vertical parts, rather than the 1x4 plate in your model. Cute interior - although I think using brown plates (to do pews/boards) is superior to brown chairs.

Yay, wintertime! I've switched to my winter avatar. Decorations and tree up this weekend too. Next stop, tomorrow's grand opening of something spectacular (yes, the Pirates Advent Calendar).

That's really screwy if that's true. Even worse than I thought as a sales tactic.

Well it seems like Lego have hit on a good "business" idea, but does anyone else not see this as a bit of a horrible evil way to try and take as much money as possible off people? Preying on consumers rather than properly straightforward good offerings for them to buy? The whole chance thing and deliberate rarity just seems like an attempt to prey on people's collecting instincts and love of minifigs. As for existing non-Lego operations like this (trading card etc.) these have been derided for years as immoral and basically trying to steal kids money. I don't know why anyone would want to compare a Lego operation to such things, although it looks like it is a fairly good match for what they are trying to do.

Nice article. No Thanksgiving here, but we did get the tree put up today. Holiday Train can now merrily pass around the tree (well, for a short while until the AA batteries run out). Re: Christmas - my city had a "Winterfest" weekend before last. I don't know if it was retribution, but in true Springfield fashion, with such a silly sounding city event - the city's "eco-tree" (a hideous steel witch's hat that's allegedly a Christmas Tree made from recycled metal) was lowered into the river, and due to recent floods, the fast moving water broke it loose from its moorings just as it was due to be the centrepiece for the switching on of the city Christmas lights. It was washed down the river and crashed into one of the city's major bridges, where it got stuck and pulled into one of the spans. Cue over a day of amateur attempts first to "right" the tree, then to pull it away, and finally setting up cranes to pick off dismantled sections of it. As I say, only in Simpsons have I usually seen such absurdity.

I'll admit I use the piece count as a secondary indicator if a set looks particularly small/large for the price, just as an added check as to how good/poor value the set is. However, it isn't a failsafe indicator of value, and as such, it probably makes sense for Lego not to include it if they don't have to.

No Relation: just to make sure that people know that I am not an anthropomorphic personification of Hinckley's website

Just a heads up for Irish members that Argos have reductions on 45 Lego items. However, this isn't anything spectacular, just bringing their prices down from high to average. Nevertheless it may be handy for people in shopping malls, etc. to go to Argos now. I still recommend supporting Smyth's Toys instead who've had these cheaper prices all along, and are in fact cheaper still in some cases. Also they have a larger range (almost everything at some stores). This Argos "Sale" seems just be a price-matching attempt. Still, good to see at least one UK high-street chain winding down their fleecing of Irish customers - I guess they'll have no customers left if they don't bring prices down (due to people shopping in Northern Ireland/UK) but I fear we'll see some pulling out of the Irish market now that they can't continue to make obscene profits.

I do wonder about the legality of those special deals - as some of them appear (in Argos particularly) as "half price" from the very first day of release. I was under the impression the product has to be on sale at the "full" price for a period of time beforehand to be allowed to advertise in this manner - i.e. this is to specifically stop such practices as "fake" discounts.

Very distinctive creation, quite convincing. Looks the part in that wonderful street scene. I like the touches of metallic silver, even just the simplicity of the cones for bells. The statue is also a nice touch. The other buildings in your scene look interesting. Very well done.

Here is my raffle entry, from the Winter Village I worked on with my Mum and brother (the church is an old MOC of mine, Norman Church, adapted to have snow). People leaving church.