ritzcrackerman

Eurobricks Citizen
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Everything posted by ritzcrackerman

  1. Hit and miss for me. I've noticed it has been very poor with the CMF series for the Knight's helmets and the racing-style helmets - as in, turn the minifig upside-down, and the helmet falls off. The Knight's helmets as well don't have as good a clutch for the feather pieces in the top hole. But I've also noticed that in other production sets as well. The blonde and dk red grey ponytail hair seems to have less clutch power as well. I wonder if it's variations in plastic quality, or if even older duplicate molds and tooling (that should be replaced) have been relocated to the China production facilities for use. Bummer. Especially for $4 figs! Really? I thought I read somewhere sometime back that LEGO customer service weren't honoring replacement parts for the CMF line. Or am I just making stuff up? At any rate, that's awesome they did that.
  2. ritzcrackerman

    New Option for Dual Motor PF Locomotives

    Sorry to bump this topic - but wanted to share my own success story. I did your revised method, but still found it a little tight to get everything back together, so I did still remove that tab of plastic as per your original instructions. I will totally be doing this again. I've got all the power I need in a full-sized tender with two motors to power my 8-wide engine and cars. Great alternative to getting the reverser and the whole bit.
  3. ritzcrackerman

    Lucky LEGO Train Finds

    I'm actually really glad you posted this! I did not realize an alternate part existed. I was pulling my hair out over how much a MOC I'm designing was going to cost...
  4. ritzcrackerman

    (MOC) ESCO-Simpleton 0-4-0 RF Steamer

    Curious, is this based on a real locomotive? Where does the ESCO name come from?
  5. ritzcrackerman

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    TLG posted today on Facebook a "big announcement" in 4 days - will that be the 2015 modular I wonder...? It's almost a red herring, as the brick-built "4" counter looks suspiciously like the Fantastic Four logo. :)
  6. ritzcrackerman

    What to do when an Era ends?

    This has been an interesting topic to follow. I agree that - with shared technologies across multiple product lines (Technic, Train, Mindstorms, etc.) that Power Functions is here to stay. Even with Bluetooth and other short-range wireless technologies - IR is tried and tested (think how long it's been in television remote controls). I would like to see: 1) Smaller battery boxes 2) Higher performance/higher torque train motors 3) Expansion of PF motors - Small, micro, etc. For those that complain about the constraints of the PF system - isn't that what LEGO is all about? Creative solutions for the constraints of a system. That's inherent in the actual bricks. Stands to reason it would be extend to the motorization functions as well. LOL.
  7. ritzcrackerman

    Lego Cargo Train

    Good review. I saw this on static display at my local LEGO store. I don't know - I just can't pull the trigger on it. Although, for a starter set, I would imagine it's perfect for little ones and has some fun playability. The design just seems so uninspired. :( Sad, because I want to like it. And the price point ($199 USD) is obscene. I wish the train products would support year-over-year add-ons - for instance, you hook a kid on a set, and then amp up the accessories and for subsequent years. This just ends up being rinse-repeat, same old same old. But then they stick some rare stuff in there (long horn cows, unique blue windscreen) to get adult collectors excited and buy it anyways.
  8. ritzcrackerman

    MOC: Modular Shell Gas Station

    The tight fit is actually very realistic. I've seen a number of gas stations (in the USA) that are like this; corner lot, barely any room to move around. In fact, I just saw one in a historic small town in Oregon, called Mt. Baker while driving through a few months ago. We stopped to fuel up at a Shell station, and it looked just like this! Hardly any room to drive through at all.
  9. ritzcrackerman

    Arctic Base Camp 60036 disappointing

    Yes. 2014 has been especially bad. It's getting more difficult to muster up enthusiasm for uninspired themes. I'm finding myself being far more selective these days.
  10. ritzcrackerman

    REVIEW: 10245 Santa's Workshop

    Disappointed in the minifigures, but then again, that's par for course for the Winter Village series in general. And City in general. Thank goodness for CMF characters to populate my Winter Village... Other than that, this will be a definite buy on October 1st. I'm excited to see the giveaway complementary set next to it as well.
  11. ritzcrackerman

    train wheel Q

    This is interesting - the catalog item names are different (9V vs. RC?) - but what is the differences in the parts? Are these notched to allow Technic pins through?
  12. ritzcrackerman

    Minifig Cars dimensions... my black dog...

    x2 here. I just kind of "gave up" on the scale disconnects. It's doubly hard considering the minifigures also have bizarre proportions. You may look in the Train forum for Tony Sava's "ultimate scale guide" - I think he settled on 8-wide for trains, 7-wide for buses, 5-wide for cars, etc. If you work with primarily MOCs (and have lots of bricks!) then it's probably the best "scale" guide I've ever seen. But for most people who incorporate System sets + MOCs, it may not work too well. However, I will say that I, without prejudice, discard all and any 4-wide passenger cars and stick with 5-wide or 6-wide. I think they are proportioned horribly, and the ghastly fenders and oversized wheels don't make them any easier on the eyes. I'm OK with 6-wide passenger cars, 6-7 wide buses, and 6, 7, and 8 wide trains.
  13. ritzcrackerman

    Odd sighting at Meijers today

    Interesting. I saw (and promptly bought) a train station 60050 from Fred Meyer (a Kroger-owned chain in the Pacific Northwest) just two weeks ago. It's the first time I had ever seen a train set of any kind there (and they periodically have 20% + 10% stackable coupons). Nice find!
  14. ritzcrackerman

    LEGO inside tour set 2014

    Have you or anyone else posted instructions for this model? I can't find them anywhere online.
  15. ritzcrackerman

    10245 Santa's Workshop: Press Release

    I would love to have seen a "Countdown clock" - e.g., Number of Days until Christmas print. I agree with you. It's the simplest MOD ever - but the little attention to detail would have helped prop up the value of the set in my eyes as well (see my previous posting on that).
  16. ritzcrackerman

    The Lunacy of Lego Investors

    Yes. Also yes. Previous commenters have mentioned people taking out 401Ks, storing stacks of LEGO in storage sheds, etc. etc. I've seen the opposite from my vantage point - there is a mini chain of B&M re-sellers where I live, and they post on Facebook regularly of gluts of collections they're taking in for resale. The ROI is just not going to be as high for anything purchased in the last 3-4 years - unless you got the perfect combination of scarcity and desirability. I've bought some duplicate sets myself, but I am selling as fast as I can. I think the ceiling has been hit for most speculative pricing and I'm not going to see any further increase.
  17. ritzcrackerman

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    Now I'm all anxious. I hope they don't delay releasing the next modular on account of there already being so many available for purchase...
  18. ritzcrackerman

    MOC Garden Railroad

    A little train and garden railroad like that would be right at home in a Winter Village! It would be fun to see it "winterized." Great job!
  19. ritzcrackerman

    10245 Santa's Workshop: Press Release

    In Marcos I trust - I am glad to hear he's already been elevated to Senior LEGO designer, as his work has been top-notch thus far. This set (unfortunately) kind of makes me feel like the suits at LEGO got too involved with costing/budgeting. It recycles far too many elements/designs with only a few little gems to make you feel like you're getting something new/unique - but a couple of design choices make you feel like LEGO cheaped out: 1) All the elves' torsos have been repeated ad nauseum in other sets 2) He we got a new skirt print for Mrs. Claus, but a re-hash of the torso 3) Clock face re-use is nice for the parts resellers, but it is way too large for the size of the building 4) Why did they use yellow 1x1 modified clips for the holiday lights...? Should have been white, or maybe green 5) Happy to see the re-use of cookies (the candy spiral from the holiday carousel; the other cookies from Friends) but a missed opportunity for some new prints 6) No light brick (again, cost-cutting) 7) Probably all stickers for the North Pole/Santa's Workshop sign Then again, in exchange, we only get a couple of things that are unique: 1) Red Santa Claus bag 2) Printed reindeer eyes/2x2 slopes 3) Pearl gold elements Every set is a balance of "What can the designer do with what they have available?" and "What will LEGO permit as new molds/prints/colors, etc."? My biggest complaint is there is not enough "new" to get me super-excited about this set, and there are too many re-hashes.
  20. ritzcrackerman

    3677: Red Cargo Train

    I really like this set. It was an odd one, though - here one minute, gone the next.
  21. ritzcrackerman

    Has anyone built a stripclub MOC

    Does anyone make any aftermarket torsos/legs that woudl be appropriate?
  22. ritzcrackerman

    Super Heroes 2014 Rumors & Discussion

    I think you nailed it here - this is a great-looking set - but for me, UCS includes at least a few more minifigures... at the very least, Alfred and Lucius Fox. That would have made this a no-brainer. As it is - it's a very nice, very expensive model for display. :)
  23. Finished building it last night, love it.
  24. ritzcrackerman

    Has anyone built a stripclub MOC

    I'm currently working on one. Don't know if it will get approved, but hopefully I'll get to unveil it at BrickCon in Seattle this fall. It's a LEGO version of a Portland (OR, USA) landmark, so it at least has the historical factor going for it.