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Funny to think that Lego was planning on using Chima to replace Ninjago, and now Ninjago lives while Chima dies... The irony of it all! I don't know how I would have reacted to this set as a kid, I probably would not have cared much for it since it lacks the iconic styles of Star Wars, Harry Potter, or even Bionicle. However, as a kid I did get that giant Exo-Force robot spider-thingy which seems to be equal with this set on terms of unganliness and strangeness...

Oh I had many ideas of Mata Nui as a kid. I imagined him as a Toa who was a demi-god that God(yes, that God) had given control over the Bionicles (I also thought that the player character in MNOG was a human, so as a 7 year old kid I drew a goofy comic of a 7 year old saving Ga-Koro while God kept trying to prod Mata Nui awake...). Once I realized Bionicle had no connection to reality, I soon accepted Mata Nui was either a Titan or a god/spirit. So yeah the whole Big Robot/Michael Dorn/Exiled Toa in a Mask was very far from what I had imagined.

That's no moon, its a train station! Absolutely enormous and beautiful.

Nice seeing that the new Reddish Brown color looks like rust in these pictures

The designs definitely look like Mahri more than Toa Nuva. I stopped buying Bionicle back in 2007, and didn't buy a new set until this year. It helps that the Toa look like reboots of their original forms this year.

I have just started a LDD build of my hometown steam engine, the Tooele Valley Railway #11 a 2-8-0. Some historical information on the prototype, the locomotive was built in 1910 for the Buffalo & Suesquhanna Railroad as #169 at the ALCO Brooks works in Dunkirk, New York. The B&S canceled the order before the engine was complete, and Brooks finished the engine and its 9 other sisters for stock. In 1912 #169 and sister engine #170 were sold to the Tooele Valley Railway were they became #11 and #12 respectfully. #12 was scrapped at the start of dieselization. #11 operated until May 1963 (50 years ago), becoming the last steam engine in freight service in Utah. The Tooele Valley Railway itself closed in the early 1980's long before I was born . #11 is currently preserved in Tooele Utah at the Tooele Valley Railroad Museum (and for those of you wondering Tooele is pronounced "Too-will-u." The pioneers were bad at spelling...). The Prototype: These are my reference pictures of the actual engine which I have taken at the museum: The WIP: I decided to start the LDD file of with building the frame of the locomotive. I used the design of the Emerald Night and the Constitution Train Chase as a point of reference, since I intend to follow a similar build style. From there I used the rear axle design of the Emerald Night as a design basis for my pilot. I have decided to link the front coupler/cowcatcher assembly to the stationary frame. The frame will connect to the tender similar to how the Constitution Train Chase does. I have also built the face-plate, which will connect to the finished boiler similar to the Emerald Night. The final boiler design will be based of the Emerald Night's with modifications to model the walkways using SNOT on the side of the engine. I want the engine to be a brick or two higher than the Night, and around 8 to 7 1/2 studs wide. Here is my current build: Build Challenges: I would like to design so it can use Power Functions for motors and lights, however I do not want to use the setup the Emerald Night uses. Should I jam the motorization in the tender or the engine itself? Any advice on the best motor functions? The staircase leading from the walkway to the pilot sort of floats in midair. I was thinking neckbraces could be used here, however I am not sure of the stability. I don't know if making the pilot beam stationary like in the real engine will affect the locomotives ability to turn on Lego track. I am not sure how to make the pistons and valve gear in a way which looks right but does not affect the mobility of the locomotive. So any advice Eurobricks can give me would be appreciated. While I do not have the money to Bricklink the finished locomotive anytime soon, I want to design a model which could be easily transferred into real bricks. I will probably also post the LDD file online once I am done, to help other AFOL's make similar models. Lastly for laughs, here is a photo of my first attempt at this type of engine during my late Rainbow Warriors stage, and yes those are Bionicle spinners:

The story set up was great. The crash was one of those things so horrifying that I couldn't look away... Question? We're there any scratched pieces of figs after this, or did the ABS hold out well?

Yeah it sure takes a lot of work to collect a lot of bricks. For example I got my first Lego sets around 2001 when I was 7 years old, it has taken me 14 years to build a large collection (most of which were gifts from my parents). Even then, I don't have a lot of spare bricks since I don't disassemble a lot of sets. Plus with gifts from family members, I confess a few Megablocks have slipped into my parts bin. I would like more Lego bricks, but my current budget doesn't allow for crazy insane purchases from Bricklink or Pick A Brick. As for the painting, it is a bit of a touchy subject in Lego fandom. I personally haven't painted any bricks...yet. One of my other hobbies is HO scale trains though, were I giddly slap a ton of paint onto any boxcar I can get a hold of. In this sense the Lego fan community can be a bit strange, seeing all other branches of scale modeling depend on customizing, repainting, weathering, and kitbashing. With that said, the Lego fans who get really really good at painting, customizing, and parts bashing have earned a lot of respect in the fan community: for example Brotherhood Workshop on YouTube uses a few custom parts from time to time: and they are considered one of the best Lego based animated channels on YouTube. So in short, if painting bricks is your thing, then do it. If you have a few clone brand bricks and not a lot of official Lego, use them. Do what works for you, this is a creative medium after all!

The use of the curved fence as a radar looks good, and the chocolate box looks really professional with that black point.

Actually an Earth GAL... She ain't no soft girl isn't she?

Although I normally prefer purist builds, you have incorporated the clone bricks excellently! Awesome MOC. Although I normally prefer purist builds, you have incorporated the clone bricks excellently! Awesome MOC.

LOL. Great model, even with Kragle!

As of September 2015: The original Hogwarts Express (Mostly Disassembled) The Emerald Night (Intact) The Maersk Train (Intact) The Horizon Express W/power functions(Intact) The Constitution Train Chase (Intact) 60052 Cargo Train (Intact-Rolling stock and Buildings divided between my college dorm and my parent's house) Plus I have a small MOC based on the Edward Thomas from the Talyllyn Railway in Wales (but the MOC was done in red bricks as tribute to Peter Sam from the Railway Series). This MOC is my longest lasting-not disassembled MOC, I cannot recall how much time I have had it built now!

This is awesome!

Yeah I just counted the wheels, that is an FEF allright.

I vote No to armed Lego City cops. It is a nice break from more violent themes. And if I do want something more dark... I have enough Star Wars guns to arm my Lego Police Force of 4 outstanding cops! Yeah I have only four Lego cops... I have more Galidor sets then I have cops !? But I wouldn't mind Lego guns in a City set if it was something like "Skeet Shooting Range Adventure." That is gun use in a non-violent way.

Big Boy locomotive? British Deltic? BNSF Green Goat Switcher? There are my guesses..

I love the Night: but I admit the boiler makes it look like a Big Boy boiler on the wheels of 2-8-0 from the early 1900's... A lot of great designs in the Night (the curved slope pieces were awesome!), but the final scale is just... Wrong. Would be better pretending it is an USA Southern Railway 4-6-2 just based on size than the British LNER 4-6-2 it is shaped as. But anyway back to the new Lego trains... Although AFOL's are only 5% of the Lego market, a good train should attract AFOLs, Railfans, Parents and Kids. I think the Lego Transcontinental Railroad Golden Spike model currently on Lego Ideas is a great example of this appeal: I have met Railfans at a convention in Evanston Wyoming showing their support for this model, and most of them are not AFOLs either!

This is funny, I can easily imagine Coca-Cola lasting into a space faring society, kinda scary when I think of it...

Okay, confession: back in the day I liked Galidor. I was an 8 year old kid, and I built up a small collection. Now, nearly 13 years later I don't really use the Galidor stuff, since I agree with most AFOLs that Galidor was just... Bad. However with these new Star Wars battlefigures, I see some new human head molds, and cannot help but notice the similarities with Nick and Allegra in Galidor. I couldn't help but wonder if I could use the heads from Star Wars and Galidor to build true humanized CCBS figs. Am I crazy, or has anybody else thought of this?

Nice. It looks like you have incorporated the shops from the newest station set into a classier build.

Well I have a few Galidor to System adapters: the trick from there would be System to CCBS.

Awesome house. Although I will admit I though the name was a Bionicle refrence at first...

I have my modulars in a closet at my parent's house (My dorm doesn't have space!). I have four modulars ( Cafe Corner, Grand Emporium, Town Hall, and the Chinese Cinema) plus the Haunted House (an honorary modular). They are set up as a street scene on a shelf, with cars driving inbetween. Sometimes I put my superhero minifigs on the roofs fighting bad guys.

I'm not even Catholic: but I am totally digging this MOC. Pure awesome, instantly recognizable.