rodiziorobs

Good to know! I was going to make a trip up to Murray this weekend, but maybe I'll wait a week so I can pick up a GOTG sets. In the meantime, I'll have to convince my wife to let me spend more than anticipated...

Just saw the movie again (but actually took the kids this time ), and thought it was cool to see that the wing-expanding function makes an appearance.

Fantastic review! I honestly don't expect to get this set-partly because to me CS is just another theme, but mostly because my Lego budget is already strained with so many other must-have sets this year! But even though I don't plan to buy it, I kept reading because this is such a well-written review; not only thorough and organized, but well worded and thought out. If you hadn't already earned the set in the speed contest, you would have for sure earned it now. Thank you, I look forward to future reviews!

Congratulations winners, and well done to all entrants, there were so many great builds! This pushed me to actually build a project I had been contemplating for a long time, so I hope everyone had fun too. Thanks to Bob de Quatre and everyone who participated.

I'm guessing about 20 pcs/reindeer,x5=100, plus another 40-50 on the sleigh, same for the conveyor, so about 250 pcs for everything except the workshop, which I am going to estimate at 350-400 max. All together, that should put the set in the $60-70 range (US). If that's the case, I'll probably pick one up, but any more than that and I'm out-I'll scavenge eBay for parts or something. Speaking of parts,I actually think the brick-built reindeer are quite charming, plus I wouldn't reuse a reindeer mold anywhere (not nearly like those dark brown antler pieces). And the elephant trunk on the sled practically makes the set a must-buy. I think it is a sword-the hilt doesn't quite look guitar-like enough. It would also make sense, given the princess wand also in the back. Guitar would be so much cooler, though.

Last year (as a graduation present to myself) my wife let me splurge on a bunch of Lego, which came out to just shy of 10,000 pieces. I estimate that it was about equal to a third of my collection before that, so I'm probably between 35k-40k. So really, only about 1B pieces short of where I should be.

As excited as I am for the Agent Carter show (loved the one-shot), I think it might be better done as a miniseries. My reason here is that AoS has been unwilling to tackle story arcs that take more than one episode--sure, there have been things that have built from previous episodes, and threads dropped here and there to be picked up later on, but almost without exception, each story has been made to fit nicely into a 45 minute window. It has left the stories without much emotional weight or actual stakes, and also stunted character development IMO. Obviously, there have been a few exceptions where an element has played out across more than one show, but the biggest one of these-the consequences of TWS-happened outside the show. It has been good for the series, but AoS since then hasn't been much more than a reaction to it. It would be nice if the producers behind Carter could produce a longer story arc with bigger stakes and some smaller payoffs per episode, but with the bigger goal always prominent over three or five or even more episodes. I just don't see ABC committing to that kind of storytelling in a regular show format, especially given the rather ho-hum synopsis they have released with the announcement. Maybe, though, since they won't have to worry about Carter having to exist within the continuity of the MCU (rather, it would be a history of it), that won't be an issue. However, it also means that there won't be a movie to come along and jolt the series if it starts lagging behind, like TWS did for AoS. Despite my negative outlook, I am really hoping this show can be a huge success. But I've been wrong before (like with AoS).

...likely the announcement of winners will follow not too long afterward.

I had wanted to attend (I live down the street in Happy Valley), but work and other stuff made for too busy a weekend. Better luck next time.

I used to detest stickers (especially STAMPs, thank heaven those days are over), but I admit I have recently really come around to them. I don't apply them to models (preferring to save them for possible MOCs later). I guess, come to think of it, I have become a fan of stickers. However, I only like the stickers with the transparent background. I was surprised to see that TLG still makes stickers with a colored background to 'match' the color of brick it is supposed to be applied to--they are terrible. The background color never quite matches, and the sticker itself is more paper-like (as opposed to the plastic-y transparent ones), so they get scratched more easily, and leave behind that awful residue when you pull them off. In that case, I would rather have no design at all. Transparent stickers: great! Printing: less versatile, but I have no problem with it. Colored paper stickers: no, thank you.

Exactly. While I can't say I prefer stickers (they do eventually wear out, more quickly than printing), I do appreciate their versatility.

I see a difference between the MCU and what DC seems to be doing: only two Marvel films so far have had the same director (Jon Favreau for IM & IM2), plus Joss Whedon who will be back for AoU. Since the success of the Avengers, Marvel has also had Whedon do a little more behind-the-scenes work on the rest of the MCU, but even then I think that the variety of directors has led to each film being fairly different in tone from the others. On the other hand, DC pretty much made Nolan their go-to guy, still keeping him on as producer. Now that they are trying to also create a continuous universe, they have made Zach Snyder their only director for MoS and the two already announced sequels. So while we can't necessarily know what the DCU will bring based only off of MoS, we can get a pretty good idea, as Snyder is the only director signed for any DCU film, with no apparent change on the horizon. Hopefully the change at WB leadership brings good things as far as caring about DC characters, because admittedly their past appreciation for them was only as big as their wallet. Also hopefully, they change up their writing team to more than David Goyer; while he does all right, from what I have seen and read, most of what was wrong with MoS can be traced back to him.

Sounds like arm-removal technique is pretty standard, since I also extend the arm out and then apply pressure the other way. After cracking a hand-hole once, I started removing hands first. Soon, however, I realized I didn't need to-just make sure when you're removing the arm to press on the arm itself, not the hand; that way you won't weaken the hands by removing them unnecessarily.

I was assuming that these were subtheme suggestions within the Pirate theme, i.e. Pirates are a given, so we are just deciding what else should be included.

Cat A: #10 - 1 pt #14 - 2 pts #15 - 1 pt Cat B: #1 - 1 pt #2 - 1 pt #6 - 1 pt #10 - 1 pt Thanks Bob De Quatre for organizing this contest! and CopMike for providing the add-on Benny minifigs! It has been fun to see all the great entries, good luck to all! edited to show the correct categories

I voted the lost city-as described, it may not be perfect, but I think it would lead to the greatest set variety, fun story (half a map: brilliant!), and most play features.

My thoughts exactly, plus a generic Dark Elf for army building. But if I had to pick only one, it would be Winter Soldier.

Bem feito--nicely done! The scale and precision of your mosaic are very impressive!

Same here--when I was a kid, I was always running out of pieces, so I loved burps and castle wall pieces to make things bigger. Problem was that I didn't have many of those either! I also remember coveting my friend's molded baseplates. Once I came out of my dark ages, I immediately bought up some lots of both burps and walls on ebay and bricklink (never did pick up a molded plate), which let me make the biggest bad guy castle of my childhood dreams. But then I started participating in the online community (EB in particular) and was blown away by the quality of builds, and realized that bigger, while impressive, wasn't always better. Now, my technique has come a long way since then, but even though I don't have to rely on those bigger molds as much, however, I still like them. I think they can be really useful if integrated well, and actually just finished up a MOC where they were pretty instrumental in finishing it. So even though I don't need them like I used to, I still like to use them when I can.

Thank you all! I have tried building steampunk in the past, but it never quite turned out so I am really pleased with how this came together.

Looks like I still made the deadline! Rock Wranglers Rock Wranglers by rodiziorobs, on Flickr High above the desert plains below, Mr. Hezekiah Arrup checks his instruments in preparation for another day of work. Aided by his assistant, Sam Weskill, Mr. Arrup is one of the few brave pioneers who have popularly become known as “Rock Wranglers,” men who risk their lives in the pursuit of energy harvested from the skies—in the form of the rare and energy-rich triflutamine gas, that is. What is triflutamine gas, you say? It is an extremely rare, lighter-than-air substance which is generally found in rich deposits contained within floating rocks. Why, Mr. Arrup’s very base of operations is built upon one of these rocks. Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr The process is simple but perilous: when the two scout a viable sample for extraction, they fire a cannon with a winch and grappling hook at it, then reel it in closer until they can use the pick to open a hole just large enough to insert a tap and draw out the triflutamine. If the rock they wish to extract is not within range, Mr. Arrup sets out in his airship, the AeroCrow, and tows their home rock a little closer. Mssrs. Arrup and Weskill have everything they need to keep them for several months--of particular note (besides Mr. Arrup's precious weather instruments) is a triflutamine-powered vapor condenser, which collects water vapor from the air, purifying it and trapping it in a cistern for the adventurers’ use. This along with the small kitchen and sleeping quarters comprises Mssrs. Arrup and Weskill’s lofty lodgings, which they call home sweet home. Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr Rock Wranglers! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr "Perhaps we should invest in a steam-powered drill, such as in this catalogue?" The MOC measures about 56 studs long by 22 wide; however, it fits easily inside a 48x48 space when placed diagonally. See more photos on my Flickr page: rodiziorobs

The City dump truck 4434 has some stickers like that one. I think it was in last year's, so you might be able to pick up on clearance, but it might not be the best (cheapest) way to get what you need.

Agreed on this. You can also often find someone unloading multiples of the same set (without figs) for a bargain. And then, you can go back to Bricklink and by a bunch of generic figs for army building at a very cheap price--depending on what you're after, as low as $2 per fig, with headgear and an occasional weapon. Even if you are after specific or licensed figs, it can often be cheaper to get them piecemeal in the aftermarket, once you have built up a large collection of bricks. Best of luck!

Great job, and good luck! And all though it's a small detail, I just love the brilliant tread marks in the snow.

This is absolutely stunning.