liquidcross

I just built the 42054, and wondered about that stiff steering. Now I can potentially fix it! I'm just not looking forward to ripping the thing apart. ;)

Check your local Borders stores, people. Mine had a nearly full box of Series 1 figs near the register, and everyone was ignoring them. (Which made it easy for me to rifle through them with my cheat sheet, and get the ones I wanted!)

Great review, CopMike, as always! Definitely looking forward to this, as I missed the previous models. The minifigs are just the icing on the cake! Of course, I'll have to build a stand so I can display it "in flight"...

Amazing review! I had never had this one growing up (it came out when I was 10), but after reading your thorough review...I'd sure as hell like to add one to my collection now!

Maybe I wasn't posting enough at FBTB to notice, but what were their "draconian" posting policies and mods? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm honestly curious, as you're not the first person I've heard grumbling about it.

If it's a joke, it's a cruel one. FBTB was an invaluable resource to me when I got back into LEGO and Star Wars two years ago.

I was able to install it into a Windows XP VM last night with no problems. Though, I couldn't sign in yet, as the beta's only playable on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, I believe. :) Still, the 3D ran fairly smoothly on the sign-in screen!

Just got my code; going to try installing it into my Windows XP VM tonight. (I use a Mac, so I run Windows via VMware Fusion.)

Read it and weep! :D http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/lego-sta...iple-platforms/

Please, PLEASE let that guy on the left be the quintessential Disco Honky. :D

Great review! This was one of my first sets as a kid, and still ranks as one of my all-time favorites; I rebuilt it a few years back, after the various pieces being in storage for around two decades. ;)

I loved building vehicles (especially service fleet trucks, like police, fire, construction, etc) when I was a kid, and I recently got back into them about a year ago.

INDEXED LEGO's new City subtheme for 2009 is the Farm, and if you've got fields to plow or heavy equipment to move, then you'll need a tractor. Good thing TLC made one, eh? I nabbed one of these yesterday, so let's get on with the review! Set Info Set Name: 7634 Tractor Theme: City Subtheme: Farm Released: 2009 Pieces: 78 Price: USD $12.99? (it was $14.99 at TRU ), GBP ?, EUR ? Minifigs: 1 Box Front If you're under the age of three, then don't eat the pieces. Box Back "Designed for easy building and instant play." Well, yeah; isn't that the point of LEGO? Manual Complete with DSS. (At least there's only three tiny ones.) Random Page Parts (Bagged) Two bags: one big, one small. Parts (Unbagged) Ahh, there's nothing quite like the sight of a fresh pile of bricks, waiting to be built with! Spare Parts Not many. The Minifig Here's our farmer. The face and cap are rather standard, but check out those stereotypical green overalls and red flannel shirt! All he needs is a piece of wheat grass to stick between his teeth, and an empty beer can to spit tobacco juice into. Seriously, though; the minifig is simple, but absolutely perfect for this set. Building in Progress The chassis starts to take shape. Final Model Now, our farmer can get to work! As you can see, the final model looks pretty damned good. There's few specialized pieces, and there's no mistaking that this is a heavy-duty farm tractor. There's a good amount of detail, too, right down to the rear bucket. The farmer can toss his shovel back there, or you can use it to spread seeds, soil, or whatever else your farm may need. The massive tires are sure to keep a good grip, even in muddy fields. (Hopefully our farmer can send out one of his fellow farmhands in his place if it's rainy!) I should point out that some minor disassembly is needed to place the minifig in the driver's seat; you need to remove the cab roof and glass in order to sit him down! (Quite a few recent vehicles have this quirk, sadly.) Alternate Views Here's the tractor with the bucket lowered. You can also see the trailer hitch; perfect for attaching your MOCs! You don't want to play chicken with this. The right side, showing off the exhaust pipe. Last Words Pros: Finally, a powerful tractor set to proper minifig scale! The model's nice and solid, with great detail. The bucket in the back is a nice touch, too. Cons: The price. I had to pay extra because I bought the set at TRU, but even if the official MSRP ends being as low as $9.99, you're still only getting 78 pieces. Overall: Price nonwithstanding, this tractor is still a great set. Other tractors we've seen have been rather weak, mainly because they were too small and wimpy-looking. This is a big red beast, and a fine addition to any budding farmer's collection. (Pun intended!) Links Toys R Us Brickset

Just got this; my local Target had 'em for $10.99. Only bought one, but I'm sure I'll get many more in the future!

Just a question that's been buzzing around my head for a while. Star Wars fans in general seem to hate Star Trek with a passion, and love to bash the franchise while deflecting any criticism, even constructive, of their beloved saga. However, I've never met a Star Trek fan who hates Star Wars, especially in light of the new film. There's plenty of fans who like Trek more than Wars, to be sure, but rarely out-and-out hate like I've experienced from the other side. I can't figure out any logical reason as to why this conundrum exists. Anyone have thoughts on the subject? I've posted this on a few other boards, and gotten some interesting responses.

I need at least three of these!

Anyone heard about this? http://legokidsfest.com/ Just saw an ad for it in my local paper. Is this the first time they've done something like this? And more importantly, is this event AFOL-friendly? Any fellow forum members going to attend?

The Octan tanker looks great; I must add it to my fleet, since right now, all I have are municipal vehicles (fire engines, cop cars, trashmen, et cetera).

Loving the snowtrooper battle pack, but to be honest, I like the old droid tri-fighter better.

This has my vote. PLEASE give us a US release!

Cue up the Imperial March! Set Info Set Name: 4492 Star Destroyer Theme: Star Wars Subtheme: Mini Building Set Released: 2004 Pieces: 87 Price: USD $6.99 / GBP £6.99 Minifigs: n/a (Sorry, I don't have a box to shoot.) Manual Random Page Final Model Here's the workhorse of the Imperial fleet, in all its Mini-sized glory! It's ready to chase down your tiny lil' Rebel ships, and disintegrate them. Last Words Pros: Awesome detail, and captures the ship's distinctive wedge design quite well. Cons: The dark gray pieces stand out a bit, and they really shouldn't. Uniform gray or white would've been better, but that would've made the set look a bit boring to the average joe. Overall: The original Star Destroyer set was massive, and the UCS one's even bigger! Don't want to break the bank? Settle for this tiny model that looks great on your desk. Links Peeron Brickset BrickLink

Over the past few days, I've noticed that threads don't display like they used to anymore. Normally, a thread would have all of its replies follow it in proper order. Now, instead of the actual replies, there's a clickable list in their place. I have to click each link individually to read the replies! That's extremely annoying, especially for large threads, or for searching for specific text on a page. (Before you ask, I should mention that I've made NO changes to my profile, board settings, etc.) Any way to put things back the way they were?

Thanks guys! What a weird turn of events...

I for one would love it. But I don't see it happening for two reasons: 1) Mega Bloks has that license. (It may have expired by now, but I'm unsure.) 2) I don't think LucasFilm would be too pleased. (In fact, I've heard rumors that LEGO's contract with LucasFilm prevents them from licensing other big scifi properties, especially Trek!)

Time for another quickie! Set Info Set Name: Mini MTT Theme: Star Wars Subtheme: Mini Building Set Released: 2003 Pieces: 99 Price: USD $6.99 / GBP £6.99 Minifigs: n/a (Sorry, I don't have a box to shoot.) Manual Random Page Final Model Since Mini sets go together so quickly, here's a few shots of the final model. Nice use of antennae/control sticks for the forward guns, and a working hatch in the back for loading. Last Words Pros: Larger than most Mini sets, and it's a great representation of the Trade Federation's troop carrier. Cons: Even though it's a Mini set, there's not a whole lot of detail. The working hatch in the back is a nice touch, though. Overall: If you can't afford either of the two fullsize MTT sets that LEGO has released, then this Mini version is the perfect alternative. Just use a bunch of 1x1 circular plates as battle droids? :) Links Peeron Brickset BrickLink