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Previously... The Architect's Ascension: Part VII “Ilazio! Traitor!” Arama said in disbelief, reproach in her voice. She screamed as the guards dragged her and Luca, the former Rego, who showed no emotion towards his surroundings, lost in deep thought, further into the depths of the remote Varlyrian castello. Panic surged through her. “What are you going to do with us?” He could throw her from the top of the tallest peak in the west. They could both die with their bodies left in pieces at the base of the rocks. Ilazio didn’t answer. Luca stared at Arama in shock. For the first time he heard her speak to Ilazio as though she knew him, like she had an understanding with him. What had she done? “What do you mean ‘traitor?’” he said coolly. Was she even on his side? Tears welled into Arama’s eyes, and for the first time a burst of fury passed over her. She shook her arms and jerked herself out of the hands of the guards until at last her wrists were red with the chaffing of the hard rivets and she fell upon her face on the hard stone flags. She turned her face up and looked at Ilazio Moccenigo piteously. Arama cringing behind Luca. “You promised Luca and me amnesty,” she said and her voice broke. “What did it all mean to you then? Nothing?” Her lip trembled. “Che?” Luca looked at her curiously. “I did,” the new Rego replied calmly. “You and Luca are safe from the popolazione, who would have torn both of you into pieces, and they are safe from your deception.” “My deception?” Arama cried, turning herself over and pushing herself up with her hands. “Moccenigo, what about peace?” “Oh, there will be pace now.” Arama looked so hurt, Ilazio felt sorry for her again now. But he didn’t show it. He just slowly pushed open the heavy metal door overlooking the neighboring towers. Arama looking out over the desert wasteland. There from the tallest stone tower, hung from an over jutting beam of wood, sagged a rope, upon which swung a noble looking guard, with the epaulets of the Captain of the Rego’s Old Guard. It was Aluysio De Cioto. The pale blue sky behind him stretched out far over the desert, and a cold wind whipped through the stony chamber. Aluysio De Cioto, hanging between the desert and the sky. “What about no bloodshed,” Arama asked, terrified and trembling, kneeling in front of Ilazio, Luca’s hand keeping her up. Her eyelids quivered with tears for her brother. “There are other ways to kill,” Ilazio smiled and he looked at her with cold, hard eyes. “As far as I can see,” he said, “this is only fair.” Arama knew it was. She had used the same tactics when she had betrayed Råiden and Brabantio for Luca. She had begged her brother to swear allegiance to Ilazio, to support the new Rego—but he had refused. She looked at Ilazio Moccenigo mutely. Did she see remorse in the repentful man’s eyes, or just cold calculation, the same he had used to cut her down on the rooftops? She felt something pressed over her eyes. “Arrivederci, Luca di Carlo e Arama di Athena De Cioto,” Ilazio said in a calm voice. She felt a rope wrapped about her neck and then she heard the tramp of the guard filing towards the wall. “Pronto!” Arama cringed and a low cry of fear escaped her. She only knew one thing: she wasn’t ready to die! Ilazio put his hand on her shoulder and lifted her up to her feet. She leaned sickly against the wall as her blindfold fell from her eyes. “Take them below, and keep them there,” Ilazio said with a smile, “safe.” Arama opened her eyes with a bitter, painful feeling of relief and regret. She was breathing hard. Luca put his hand into her hair, and she twisted her head to look at Ilazio one last time. “Addio, Arama,” Ilazio said. And with that, the pair were dragged beyond the sight of Ilazio Moccenigo, deep within the vaults of the old desert castle of the west. Luca and Arama were thrown into the same cell, deep beneath the surface of the sand. The architect of their ruin had traded them blow for blow. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Back in Illaryian, in the unfinished Palazzo Vincenzo, as the newly crowned Rego of Varlyrio, I wandered the halls that mio padre had prowled at night when he first discovered the secrets that had led me here, secrets now known across all of Varlyrio. The Chiaro boy had brought me my crown in good time, once it had been removed from Luca di Carlo’s brow, and I had personally conveyed the late Rego and Arama De Cioto far out into the west, together with several other dangerous traditori politici. It had been necessary to lock the pair up in the strongest, deepest castle in the realm, far away across the mountains in the wastelands, for even there, they could still cause caos if given the chance, and I was afraid that wouldn't take much. The rest of the traditori would never trouble Varlyrio again… that was certain. I gave a slight smile as I looked off into the sunset towards La Tigre di Illaryian. Although there still remained mia famiglia to restore, that could wait; for my vendetta had succeeded. I was satisfied! It was the same feeling I had received after my first commission, aided by my wise and shrewd father, that I won against the dastardly Edmondo Ziccardi, albeit narrowly and through un piccolo legal knothole. Even though those responsible for la morte di mio papà were still alive, I felt better this way! Perhaps it would do them good. Maybe, I had a thing or due to learn from mio nipote, Aurelia. I could never completely abstain from shedding blood, but rule with giustizia e il mio ingegno; my blade would only shine bright red when it was required to maintain the peace of the realm, and perhaps to construct a better Varlyrio. I laughed. No Rego could do that, even Sana Argenta herself hadn’t been able to quell the storms that bashed our guild… but one could hope. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Model of New Jersey Transit's 2020 New Flyer XD60 articulated bus. The model has roughly 5200 pieces. Features drive, steering, independently controlled doors, and custom stickers matching the real-life NJT XD60. Functions/features: Drive Steering Remotely controlled doors Custom stickers Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-100374/JLiu15/new-flyer-xd60-articulated-bus/#details In early 2020, the first New Flyer XD60 articulated buses began hitting the streets of New Jersey. The 3rd generation of New Jersey Transit's articulated buses, these buses replaced the aging Neoplan articulated buses that NJ Transit operated since 2004. A total of 110 buses, these buses are a common sight in the Newark area, as well as in Hudson County on routes to New York City. They are commonly used on routes 1, 13, 25, 39, and 70 in the Newark area, and routes 123, 125, 126, 128, 154, 156, 158, and 159 to NYC. The buses are assigned to four garages, with buses 20801-20828 at Hilton, 20829-20848 at Big Tree, 20849-20891 at Fairview and 20892-20910 at Meadowlands at the time of writing. The idea to model NJ Transit's New Flyer XD60 started when the buses were still under delivery in 2020. Work on the model started with the Stud.io model in December 2020, and the physical model in January 2021. The plan was for a 1:20 scale model using 49.5x20 tires. The functions are drive with a PF XL Motor, steering with a PF Servo Motor, and remotely controlled doors with 1 PF Medium Motor each. I initially thought of including a kneeling mechanism, but seeing as the bus kneels on its front axle, the mechanism was difficult to re-create in LEGO due to there being 3 axles, so I abandoned the idea. The seating layout on my model is identical to that of the real bus - thanks to photos posted in a NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to accurately model the interior with all 59 seats. I wanted to make a bike rack for the model as well, but seeing as the bike rack on the real NJT XD60 has plenty of complex curves that would be very difficult to replicate while keeping it robust at this scale, I decided against it. In fact, on real NJT XD60s that have the bike rack removed (which is most of them), you can still see the holes in the bumper where it is attached. The bumper on my model has connectors where you can theoretically attach a bike rack, so I guess this is accurate. The model is built with a Technic chassis/frame and a System finish. I initially wanted to make it all Technic with some System details, but seeing as System gives a cleaner and more detailed finish, I decided to go with all System for the bodywork. In fact, this is my first model to have a System finish - all my previous MOCs were at least 80% Technic. The Technic chassis has a frame sitting above it to support the roof, as well as the motors for the door opening mechanisms. The doors are opened with mini linear actuators (1 in the front door, 2 in the rear door). The mechanism for the rear door is located in the upper frame, but because the front panel on the front door curves inward a little, as well as space taken up by the front destination sign, I had to place the mechanism for the front door in the floor, with the motor transferring drive to it via a vertical axle. I initially expected the bellows to be difficult to make and take plenty of trial and error, but after just a few tries I was able to come up with a well-working setup. The bellows are supported by a central section that keep the front/rear halves of the bellows symmetrical at all times, and rubber bands help the bellows maintain their shape, In fact, no matter how I touch the bellows, they will always fold smoothly. It added no extra friction to the model turning, and overall I consider this part to be a huge success. Prior to building this model I did not have many white System pieces, so thanks to Stud.io I was able to design the model digitally and be satisfied with everything before I ordered any pieces. Thanks to the NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to get an image of the roof of the bus to accurately model the roof. The hardest part to model was the front roofline curve - the complex shaping is quite difficult to model with LEGO pieces. However, my final design turned out pretty well, and looks pretty much seamless. Because I'm using System pieces for the body, I had concerns of structural integrity as this is something I'm not able to accurately test on Stud.io, but after building it on my physical model it actually turned out to be very robust. Once the building process was finished, I created custom stickers based on the real NJT New Flyer XD60's details. In fact, most of the stickers were made from photos of the real bus's decals. The stickers are printed on clear glossy sticker paper, except for the destination sign stickers as the details on a clear sticker paper barely show up on a black surface. I initially wanted to replicate bus 20801, the first bus of the series, but that bus was later retrofitted with a grille in the rear so I decided to model bus 20818 with route 39 in the destination sign, as the real 20818 is a Hilton garage bus that operates route 39. I acquired a gray paper backdrop for the photos and video as taking photos on a white backdrop would not allow me to clear the background in GIMP due to this being a white model. I'm really satisfied with how the photos turned out, and there's no editing necessary so I expect the gray backdrop to become the norm for MOC photos from now on. I recently got a GoPro as well, and thanks to its small size, I was able to put it through the rear door to film the model driving from the interior, making you feel like a LEGO passenger on a LEGO bus. Overall, this has been by far my largest project to date. While it's not the most advanced, as it only has 4 motors, it has nearly 5200 pieces and is a revolutionary MOC for me as this is my first model with a System finish. The model took about a year to finish, much longer than any of my previous MOCs. I had lots of fun working on this project, the looks are accurate, and the functions all work smoothly. Given how well this model turned out and being a busfan myself, I definitely see myself making more bus MOCs in the future. Video: Photos:

10283 is a listed set on this site. I saw a similar mention of the same set on Instagram recently. The info has also come from stonewars.de The given information is: 10283 Space Set? US$199.99? July 2021? The recent expert-style sets (Creator Expert/Ideas/18+) have been: 2010: 10213 Shuttle Adventure (Creator Expert) 2011: 10231 Shuttle Expedition (Creator Expert (Rerelease of 10213) 2014: 21104 Curiosity Rover (IDEAS) 2017: 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (IDEAS) 2017: 21312 Women of NASA (IDEAS) 2019: 21321 International Space Station (IDEAS) 2019: 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander (Creator Expert) 2020: 92176 NASA Apollo Saturn V (IDEAS) (Rerelease of 21309) So... 2021: 10283 ????????????????? (Creator Expert / 18 Plus) Discuss below.

Finally we get first video and images of 2015 Lego Technic flagship, Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245. Let's discuss about this excellent model .... Video: Some pictures: So, ... now it's confirmed, ... we get double rear wheels, front suspension, new pneumatic, tipper bed with LA's, ... and other new parts ....

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So you think you'd like to dive into the world of the Brick Seas, however there is so much to read and so many rules that you are not even sure where to start! Fear not, it's actually quite easy to get started and the community here is really friendly and will help you along each step of the way! Never be afraid to ask questions in the introduction thread or any of the faction threads (linked below). For now let's look at exactly what you need to do to sign up and get started in one post! Step One: Choosing a Faction The first step is also one of the most important - choosing the faction that your character will pledge allegiance to. While you are never limited to only building scenes within your faction's territory (in fact many challenges may require you to build in other factions), faction choice will impact your role in BoBS. There are many things to consider, what style suits your current Lego collection, what interests you, which part of the game you wish to focus on etc. etc. Even the number of currently active players in each faction may influence your choice. The most important thing however, is to choose a faction that you are going to enjoy and be motivated to build for! There are four playable factions in the game, let's have a brief look at each one to assist in your choice. Corrington Primary Lego Influence: Imperial Guard (Red Coats) Primary real world influences: Great Britain, Renaissance Sweden and enlightenment era Denmark-Norway The Basics: Science and the enlightenment are main national characteristics for Corrington, and their main source of income is from their strong merchant fleet. A strong navy is required to protect their maritime mercantile interests and this tends to be their military focus. Corlander's strive to bring order and structure to the world. Typical Quote: "That flower is beautiful. We must conserve it and bring it to the national museum." If you see your sigfig crawling through the jungle to find a beautiful flower - join Corrington. Read more: Corrington thread Eslandola Primary Lego Influence: Imperial Armada Primary real world influences: Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. Also some of the merchant republics such as Venice, Milan and Lübeck. The Basics: Trade and profit are the main national characteristics for Eslandola. Although nominally ruled by a King, a trio of very powerful trade companies are the power brokers and have recently established a republic in the colonies. Their main source of income is through vast property holdings and they have developed a strong army and navy to protect and aggressively expand their interests. Typical Quote: "Enough profit for the day? Don't make me laugh!" If you see your sigfig crawling through the jungle to find a shiny city of gold - join Eslandola. Read more: Eslandola thread Oleon Primary Lego Influence: Imperial Soldiers (Bluecoats) Primary real world influences: Pre-revolutionary France and Imperial Austria The Basics: The main national characteristics of Oleon are deeply rooted in their strict adherence to the religion known as 'The Faith' which together with the strong aristocracy form strong bases of political power. A great love for art and culture as well as ancient artefacts is also a national characteristic together with their famous wine making skills. Like Corrington they have developed a strong merchant fleet and navy. Although historically Oleon and Corrington have been bitter rivals, relations have been improving of late. Typical Quote: "May Zeus and Poseidon guide your journey." If you see your sigfig crawling through the jungle to find a mystical artefact - join Oleon. Read more: Oleon thread Sea Rats Primary Lego Influence: Pirates Primary real world influences: Real world Pirates and free settlements such as Nassau. The Basics: The Sea Rats are basically anyone in the new world who owe no allegiance to any of the old world empires. These men and women go their own way. Some are fierce pirate lords, making a living terrorising the Brick Seas, others are peaceful merchants who refuse to bend the knee to any King, and some settle down at a romantic place in the colonies. The Sea Rats are a loose confederation with no central authority, whose binding characteristic would probably be the fierce defence of their freedom to live life completely on their own terms. Typical Quote: "What? You've never heard the tales of the reckless Benjamin Morgan? Benjamin, brave and bold? Dread Pirate Captain Morgan, on his legendary ship, the Queen Annetta's Revenge? Morgan the Moray?" If you see your sigfig crawling through the jungle... because it has an utter disregard for the rules - join the Sea Rats. Read more: Sea Rats thread Once you have chosen a faction, you are ready to move to step 2 and start building! (Next post)

With the year end only a couple of months away, it is time to look towards 2022 for some of the new sets that will be launching once spring rolls around. According to a multiple sources, the next vehicle to get the LEGO Creator Expert treatment will be none other than the quintessential scooter brand, The Vespa! From what we gather, it would not be a current model but the classic one without the side mirrors. It is rumored to be given a mint green paint job and will come with brick built accessories like helmets, flower, a newspaper tile and a bag. It is pegged to be €99.99 but the piece count has not been confirmed yet. The launch date is slated for February which means we should see some official images at the turn of the new year. (Source: https://www.brickfinder.net/2021/11/05/lego-creator-expert-vespa-10298-first-details/?fbclid=IwAR0j5MEHXPzITPLsWYBg1RBdUXUZpL6rnZTH2m5iou9diEgYMhM_54XNrbw)

Boarding of the Tantive IV Boarding of the Tantive IV, Above Tatooine 0BBY by Nicholas Goodman, on Flickr Boarding of the Tantive IV, Above Tatooine 0BBY by Nicholas Goodman, on Flickr

Hey guys, here is a long-anticipated project of mine that I'm finally starting. It is a model of NJ Transit's 2020 New Flyer XD60 articulated bus. My model will be fully motorized, with remote-controlled drive, steering, and opening doors. It'll be either controlled by the PF IR system or by SBrick. The model will be propelled by a PF XL motor, which is already in place. The power source is a PF 8878 battery sitting in the very rear of the chassis. So far I have the rear portion of the chassis built - just missing most of the seats. I've already been building the model digitally on Stud.io for about a month, mostly working on the chassis, so this part should be done relatively soon. However, this is not taking into consideration any potential issues that may arise as I build the chassis in real life. I also have prototypes for the doors' and bellows' mechanisms ready (not pictured), and they seem to work pretty well. So overall, it'll just be a matter of putting these mechanisms together into a coherent chassis. Aesthetics wise, my model will mostly be about the outside appearance, which means I'll focus much more on the bodywork than the interior details-wise. However, the seating layout will still be identical to the original bus, with a total of 59 seats. This is definitely a project I'm really looking forward to. It'll be the first time I model a particular real-life vehicle. I'm a huge fan of NJ Transit's buses and buses in general, and these artics IMO are some of the best buses they've ordered in recent years. And because I'm doing a digital build while simultaneously building in real life, I plan on publishing instructions for this MOC when it's finished. Photo:

Every couple years I come back to see what’s going on these days in the world of Lego, something that I’ve noticed is the lack of decent sets these days. for an example, 2005(6) and 2008 saw two big sets being the Turbo Tank and MTT and Sand Crawler, these many years later were re-released as these tiny compact sets that cost just as much. In fact, it’s not with just larger sets, it’s with the medium sized sets as well like the AAT for example. Maybe I’m just cynical? It feels like back in the 2000s there were some really special things that Lego produced, such as the glow up lightsabers, and I feel bad for the group of kids growing up on this line of productions. There’s something about Lego Star Wars that has gotten worse, maybe it’s the overly compact scale downs of sets, however, it’s just very rare these days that even while looking through videos, do I see anything that compares to the days over a decade ago.

Now that we have a better pictures of 42039 Le Mans car, it is time to share some thoughts. ... do I see a rare 19L white flex axle in the front going to the cabin? I definitely prefer the first version of the car. The nose was so much nicer ... There seems to be yellow shocks in the front right wheel, so it seems to have a suspension. There is also HOG steering, open-able rear end, some existing parts in new colours, and that's about it ...

Hello, just watched the designer video on the 10277 crocodile train. For a very short time you can see a drawing of another locomotive on a white board. I was thinking if this could be a teaser or just a mere coincidence. I have a screenshot from the video. The number on the loco is "1876" and looks to be more American in style. If people think it is possibly a teaser anyone know what train it could be? For anyone wondering this is about 3:05 minutes into the video. Wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this? Screenshot: Thanks, -RailCo

Historical Build 1519 Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes arrives on the mainland of the New World. After disembarking his ship he, along with a small group of soldiers, row upriver through the mangrove swamps of Eastern Mexico in search of the famed Aztec Empire. PART 1 of a Continuing series. Heading Up River by Nicholas Goodman, on Flickr

Hello! I need support, and was told that this was a good place to show my stuff. I have built a Norfolk Southern ES44AC No. 5678 I will post the link below. Former LINK I would love to hear your thoughts. Let me know!

75059 Sandcrawler™ Ages 14+ 3,296 Pieces US $299.99 - CA $349.99 - DE 299.99€ - UK £249.99 - DK 2,799.00 DKK *Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing. Collect a true icon of the classic Star Wars™ universe – the mighty Sandcrawler™! Recreate unforgettable scenes from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope with this amazing LEGO® incarnation of the Jawas’ desert-going vehicle, the Sandcrawler™. Turn the knob at the rear and steer the Sandcrawler into position, lower the front ramp and offload the droids using the 2 working cranes. Luke Skywalker™ and his Uncle, Owen Lars, are sure to be impressed with the selection on offer: there’s R2-D2, an R1-series Droid, an R2 unit, R5-D4™, a Treadwell Droid™, Gonk Droid™ and even C-3PO™. When the sale is complete, lift the side panels and top to reveal more great features inside, like the engine, storage bay, cockpit and more. There’s even a speeder bike for when the Jawas need to venture outside. Includes 7 minifigures: Luke Skywalker™, Uncle Owen, C-3PO™ and 4 Jawas™, plus R2-D2™, R2 unit, an R1-series Droid™, Gonk Droid™, R5-D4™ and a Treadwell Droid™. Travel the dunes with the LEGO® Star Wars™ Sandcrawler™ with working cranes, detailed interior, 7 minifigures, 5 droids and lots more! Includes 7 minifigures: Luke Skywalker™, Uncle Owen, C-3PO™ and 4 Jawas™, plus R2-D2™, R2 unit, an R1-series Droid™, Gonk Droid™, R5-D4™ and a Treadwell Droid™ Features 8 tracks with steering function, lowering front ramp, opening side flaps, removable top, working cranes, speeder bike, opening hatch for easy access to the boxes, attachable handles for lifting boxes, and a detailed interior including engine bay, storage bay and cockpit Also includes stock for old droids and droid parts Weapons include a lightsaber for Luke Skywalker™ Sell droids to Luke and his Uncle Keep your droids well maintained Pretend to suck R2-D2™ up into the Sandcrawler™ – just like in the movie! Own your own iconic vehicle from the classic Star Wars™ universe Relive classic moments from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Measures over 9” (24cm) high, 18” (48cm) long and 6” (16cm) wide Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning May 2014 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone: US Contact Center 1-800-453-4652 CA (English) Contact Center 1-800-453-4652 CA (French) Contact Center 1-877-518-5346 European Contact Center 00-800-5346-1111 LEGO, the LEGO logo and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2014 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved. STAR WARS™ and all characters, names and related indicia are © 2014 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Designer Video: *all pics link to high rez. From TLG regarding packaging: The decision has been made to change the packaging for future “LEGO® exclusive” Star Wars™ sets to include the UCS seal and de-link from the core Star Wars packaging. In addition to the packaging change an update has been made to the building instructions. The building instructions will have additional pages detailing the model’s connection to the movie and its development process. Much as the Creator Expert badge differentiates the larger models from the core assortment the goal of this change is to better communicate to builders that these sets represent our biggest building challenge in the LEGO® Star Wars™ theme.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!!! Now it is the Year of the Pig, wish all of you a happy and healthy new year. It is a custom for the Chinese people to greet visitors with candies. IMG_4495 by skcheung730, 於 Flickr IMG_4502 by skcheung730, 於 Flickr IMG_4501 by skcheung730, 於 Flickr IMG_4493 by skcheung730, 於 Flickr

Hello there, I go by the name Sytema and I come from the Netherlands. As a kid I loved Lego immensely! I think I stopped playing with Lego when I was about 16-17, not quite sure. I'm now 23 and the though of Lego came back to mind. I am currently sorting out the boxes of Lego that were dusted over, which takes longer then expected..! Anyway, I mostly played and collected Lego Star Wars. And I still have a strong bond with that. I always made my own custom capes and things for figures and I even made some tiny stop-motion video's! How do you guys take on custom Lego figures here? They are in a way, kind of, a MOC aswell aren't they? As a hobby, besides Lego (now.) I do some scale modelling and trying some sculpting. I though I could bring some of that creativity into Lego! I can't wait to browse these forums so I'm cutting it off here! ;) ~Sytema

REVIEW: New LEGO Store - Leicester Square, London RLUG Preview Event 16/11/16 There's a new store in London Town, which is the company's 14th brand retail store in the UK, and the 37th in the world. It is now the largest LEGO store in the world, occupying 914 square meters over two storeys. This is the UK's flagship LEGO store and joins two existing stores in London. The LEGO Group hosted an RLUG event to allow fans a sneak preview of the surprises they had planned for this new store. Peppermint_M and I went along representing Eurobricks. The two existing stores are located in shopping centres to the East and West of this massive city, and they're nice enough stores, but there's nothing specific to draw you to them, obviously aside from the LEGO! This brand-spanking new store is slap-bag in the middle of Central London, situated as it is on the Western side of Leicester Square. It is undeniably prime real-estate, being so close the major cinemas which host the London Premieres of Hollywood (and British) films, and it is in the heart of tourist attractions, being on the short walk from Covent Garden through Leicester Square to Piccadilly Circus. When we visited, it was the day before the Grand Opening, and the store is all wrapped up like a ginormous LEGO set. There's just a slit in the covering (guarded by security) through which to gain access. As we arrived, people were already gathering, and it was clear that the massive covering over the store was drawing a lot of attention from passers-by. As I mention, the store is right on Leicester Square itself, in fact taking up a corner of the square. This is looking over Leicester Square; the greenspace is taken up with a festive pop-up, and the building on the far side is one of the major cinemas to regularly host Hollywood film premieres. But enough about the outside, anyone can see that. What's it like inside? Well, we just had to show our tickets and hand over our NDA and slip through the gap in the covering... To a round of applause. Absolutely every single person who came through the doors got a round of applause, which is possibly the least British thing to do! This did rather have a tendency to flummox people, who were somewhat bewildered at their applause. It was, however, the beginning of a continued effort from all at TLG to make us all feel welcome and comfortable. Once our bewilderment passed, the next emotion was probably awe, as this store is a sight to behold. Before we could strike out and explore, we were warmly welcomed by one of our favourite Danes. And told to behave. Anyone who remembers KimT from the Star Wars forum will know exactly what I'm talking about. We were also welcomed by Glenn Abell, the Vice President of D2C (Direct to Consumer) EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), with whom we also had chance to briefly chat. He was a lovely gentleman to talk to, and he spoke openly about the various work the team had put in in order to ready the store for opening. Something that really resonated with Peppermint_M and myself in our brief interview with him was how he spoke of collaboration. To him, the achievement of opening such a large and exciting store was truly built upon the foundation of collaboration; ideas and suggestions came from all quarters which were gradually refined, improved and implemented. Back to our impressions, and at first it was quite difficult to really see much of the store itself, as there were so many people present. There were over a hundred guests, with the LEGO company team, the store staff and, as we were soon to find out, a bevvy of waiters and waitresses handing out cakes, scones and other sweet treats. There is so much in the store that truly identifies it as London, and there are so many lovely details. Here on the ground floor there is a London Underground Tube themed area, with London Underground signage, including overhead countdown displays, brick built Tube station signs, a brick built London Underground map (which you'll see in a moment) and... Is that a life-sized LEGO model of a London Underground Tube carriage?? Yes. Yes it is. Complete with Shakespeare, a Coldstream Guard a footballer (soccer player) and of course, the Queen. Oh my. There is even a seat for you to sit on, and an ideal photo opportunity. The store staff, who are incredibly friendly, will happily offer to take your picture any time you stray too near this magnificent structure. The Tube carriage was built in partnership with Transport for London (TfL) and the model stands at 2 metres high and 5 metres long! It is composed of 637,902 LEGO bricks, weighs 2126Kgs and took 3399 hours to build. It's also pretty much spot on. Understandably, sections are partitioned with colourless perspex, but you can still see the detail and the characters. It really is quite something. There's also humour! It's great to be able to walk right up to the front of this incredibly built train and peer inside and spot - oh look! There's Robin Hood! Another well known Tube commuter! Next to the Tube train is the brick-built Tube map I mentioned. It is really focusing on the most central part of London, but it has all the stations labelled for the areas it shows. Including, much to my (and probably a few other people's) amusement: Mornington Crescent station. It's beautifully done, and has details of the sights to be seen around the numerous stops, and also features lights behind some of the Tube lines, which move along as though they are trains. This was made from 16,500 LEGO bricks and took 90 hours to build. I doubt they just made it up as they went along, though, and like everything the design will have taken a significant amount of time. A considerably more cheery (and considerably less lackadaisical) Tube driver (with the LEGO Trains logo! ) than the driver of the train stands nearby to greet you and amiably pose for photos with you. He only has one pose, though, and he's not very chatty. Next to the Tube section is a rather large Build a Minifigure 'Tower', complete with four different talking LEGO Minifigures: Lester (who we'll meet later, but you can see him everywhere), a Royal Guard (Coldstream Guard), Bobby the Policeman (geddit?) and Sherlock Holmes. The company have wisely allowed a huge amount of space around this area. Indeed, this was something that was most noticeable (and commented on by KimT) that there really is a sense of space in this store. I doubt there will be that sense again, as I imagine it will be packed out every moment it's open, but at least there is space to start off with. So one of the exciting products available here is the new London Skyline Architecture set. It will be on general release from January 2017, but for now, if you want one then this is where you need to be. If you want more details about this exciting new set, then checkout Bob De Quatre's rather spiffy review. Just finish reading this first. Not only is the set here, but also the designer! Here is Rok Žgalin Kobe himself signing sets for those of us who purchased one. He was a very nice chap, although he seemed overwhelmed by the attention he was receiving. Attention well-deserved, in my opinion. Well known LEGO designer Jamie Berard was also here, designer of the iconic 10253: CREATOR Big Ben set (amongst so many other things). There were plenty of those sets here, despite it showing as 'Hard to Find' on Shop@Home, so another reason to make a trip here, maybe? There are a few other things here to talk about. Firstly, there's the Passport booth. Glenn Abell told us that he was pleased to bring a fun idea that had worked so well in the United States over to this store in the UK. It really is a fun concept - everyone gets their own passport, and you can add your own picture, customising it with LEGO stickers. Then, as you move around the store, there are store employees who have different stamps (three in total), so as you visit each section you get a stamp. I know my kids go crazy over stickers and stamps, so I can see why this has been such a success across the pond, and I'm sure it will continue to be so here. Now the other thing to mention is the wall behind the passport booth. Here's another picture: The attention to detail with this store is wonderful. There are bits of the masonry "chipped away" to reveal what's supposed to look like LEGO bricks. It's just another really cool detail, but there are some waaaay cooler things yet to see... Before we head up the stairs, just the other side of the lift (elevator) we can meet Lester, the store's mascot. Lester evokes a traditional British aesthetic; with his Union Flag waistcoat, Savile Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella, he looks every bit the City Gent. He has his own podium, in a special corner, complete with papparazzi background. He stands at 1.2 metres tall (on top of his 30cm high plinth) and comprises 24,500 LEGO bricks. Glenn Abell mentioned that this is the first time a store has had a mascot. He was never really meant to be much, just a figure for the store, but an energy and focus developed around him, so much so that he now also has his own minifig. An incredibly rare and hard-to-come-by minifig, but it's never been done before. I got the sense that Lester has become the heart and spirit of the store; another member of the team, if you will. The nice thing about this little area is that it's great for having your picture taken, and of course there is an ever-obliging store team member ready to offer to help if you're nearby. Those of us who attended this event were given two scratch cards. One had a rare opportunity to win a Mosaic from the new Mosaic Maker (more later) or 40139: Gingerbread House. The other had a rare opportunity to win a Lester minifig or a 30472: CREATOR Parrot polybag. I went away with a 40139: Gingerbread House and a Lester minifigure, and I'm pretty happy about that! As you can see, he's a limited edition, but nowhere near all of them were given out at the event. Now the store is open, the scratch cards are still being given away after a large purchase, and they have the exact same chance of winning. So the opportunity to obtain a Lester is still there, but once the 275 of them are gone, they're gone... Just next to Lester, and coming back round to the entrance, we have this cheeky chappie. Apparently a High Court Judge with a side-line in pie-throwing. He's another magnificent build, but what he's peering round the edge of is truly spectacular... It's difficult to get the whole model in, because it's huuge! It's a 1:15 scale model of Big Ben (the Elizabeth Tower; Big Ben really being the bell) and it stands at 6.5 metres high, reaching right up to the second floor. The level of detail is incredible; it's built out of 344,020 LEGO bricks, weighs 1,035 Kgs and took six builders 2,735 hours to complete. It is truly stunning, and it even features a working, backlit clock - it chimes every hour with a replica sound of the real Big Ben bell. It, like other areas of the store, has a corresponding Tube stop, namely Westminster, appropriately. Even from the second floor it's difficult to encapsulate the magnitude of this build, and you can see more brick-built London figures at the base. From this vantage you can also see the beautiful London Underground store entrance archway. Built in the style of real London Underground signage with "cast iron" street lamps, it stands at 4.2 metres high (so you won't bump your head when you pass under it) and is composed of 81,100 LEGO bricks. it does provide a magical entrance to the store, and marks a great beginning to a very London-themed experience. The raised lettering of the signage is just lovely, and like all the other models is very slickly designed and built. Behind the sign you can also see the familiar coils of a store regular... Here he is! Brickley! And he's been given a British makeover too. Just like Lester, every bit the British City Gent, Brickley now sports an umbrella, a monocle and of course a bowler hat. He's actually three separate builds; his tail is somewhere over Lester. All-in, he's 250,785 LEGO bricks. Brickley guards the corner next to the Tube carriage, so now we should head on up those stairs. But you don't get very far, because as soon as you look up the stairs (to see where you're going) your eyes are assaulted in the most pleasant way. All around the stairwell is a magnificent, enormous, 3D LEGO mosaic of the London skyline. It is so vibrant and detailed, and because it's 3D it really comes to life. The perspective is wonderfully done and the designers have tackled the fact it continues around a corner incredibly well. There are 265,557 LEGO bricks in this mosaic, and there's a good vantage point out of the way of traffic on the second floor from which to admire it. If you've ever travelled on London Underground (particularly Bank station) you may be familiar with the 'Mind the Gap' recorded announcements. It has become somewhat of a meme, and having a nod to this brick built into the floor by the lift (elevator) access on the upper floor will likely raise a smile to those familiar with it. The lift itself is even designed to look like a Tube carriage. Now possibly one of the most exciting NEW features in this store is the Mosaic Maker. I understand that just installing this machine on the upper floor was one of the biggest challenges of the whole store design and execution. It's a brand new experience - it works like a photo booth initially, but having captured your image it converts it into a mosaic. In under ten minutes the machine produces printed instructions, and the bricks required, for you to create your own mosaic of yourself! Leicester Square is the first store in the world to provide this unique experience, but I doubt it will be the last. Tucked away in another corner is yet another British icon brought to life in LEGO bricks. 20,700 LEGO bricks to be precise, and all these touches keep reminding you (in case you should ever forget) that you are in the very heart of London. There's bags of space on the upper floor, just as there is on the ground floor. Here there's also a 'U' shape of 'Master Builder Playtables' - essentially an opportunity for children to get their hands on bricks and build according to their inspiration. Additionally this area will play host to Certified LEGO Master Builders, who are to scheduled to visit to inspire children's creativity and share their tips and tricks. I suspect they may well be just as popular with AFOLs as with children. If there weren't so much space in this store then you'd be tripping over the brick-built British icons. Or falling into, in the case of this life-sized telephone box. Sadly the real thing is quite rare out on the streets of the UK these days, but there still are some around - quite a few are used as libraries. No, really, they are. This is a wonderful model, that you can walk (or fall) into and I swear I heard it ringing. The details are just great including the decoration on the roof interior, the crown, lettering and the relief work on the sides. The whole thing stands at 2.6 metres tall and was built using 220,470 LEGO bricks. Not every model in the store has to be a British cultural icon, and one of the arguably most successful themes for LEGO is represented too. I'm really pleased it's not another Stormtrooper, as I'm getting rather used to seeing those wherever there's a large amount of LEGO for sale. Don't get me wrong, I like a Stormie, but having R2D2 is way cooler, and he lights up too. I think R2 will be right at home in Leicester Square. LEGO are really tapping into the tourist aspect of London with this store. I think that's been pretty evident so far, but the grouping of so many Brit-centric sets with a sign advising that they offer a Hotel Delivery Service really drives the point home. It's probably also useful to know this if any of you are planning to visit the store (and you should!) The wall murals just keep on with the theme, and a Routemaster bus will tug at the heartstrings of any Londoner whilst the big red bus is well-known all over the world. "There's a chicken on that bus." says Pep. "Uh huh. London." I reply. There is so much new technology plugged into this store; here you can see the giant tablet. TLG call it the "Digital Endless Isle" and the store employees are really keen to give you a tutorial in how to use it, but you really don't need one. If you have the technological savvy to be reading this article in the first place, you'll be fine. It's just a giant touch screen and you just touch what you want and you can find out about available sets and call up all the information you can usually find on Shop@Home. There's also a "Request Assistance" button which, when pressed, sends a message to the smart watches of store staff who will come and help you. I would, however, be amazed if someone hadn't already approached you to try to help you anyway, before you get to that point. Now is a great time to talk about the staff at the store. Every single person was incredibly friendly and enthusiastic; really warm and welcoming and so smiley. Talking to them, every one was so happy and excited to be working there (one young woman told me she cried when she got the job!), and spoke highly of how they are encouraged to grow and be welcoming rather than follow a script. I think a large part of the great experience at this store will be down to the staff, and in this area TLG have nailed it, because the staff were absolutely great and it sounds like the company nurtures this. Conclusion LEGO have gone all out with this store. It's their largest store to date, and the Flagship store in the UK, and they really have made it a destination store. It's just as exciting for someone who lives in London as it is for a tourist visiting from any part of the world, and they've absolutely gone to town with jam-packing LEGO brick built British cultural icons into the very large space. There's such innovation here, with the very first Mosaic Maker and the Digital Endless Aisle, plus there's also a LEGO Minifigure Scanner (which we didn't see, because the store was covered) which is an interactive experience outside the store where people can (apparently) find out which LEGO Minifigure they are. Add to that the truly incredible decorative and interactive models (five tonnes in total; over 1.7 million LEGO bricks) in a fabulous location in the heart of the most touristy part of London, with fun activities like the Passport system and Master Builder Playtables alongside a ginormous variety and abundance of actual LEGO sets. We had a fabulous experience there, and I must thank TLG for hosting a sneak preview for fans, and for inviting us. Clearly a huge amount of effort was put into creating the store, and also hosting the event, and it really paid off. So overall, is it worth visiting the Largest LEGO Store In The World, in one of the most exciting, diverse, vibrant, iconic, historic and beautiful tourist destination cities in the world? Well, only you can decide for yourself, but I'm certain I'll be back. Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your comments.

I recently purchased a Tower Bridge 10214 from shop.lego.com and I received a brand new box design? Never seen this before!

Three years ago, I bought a large amount of the exclusively new "Kashyyyk battle pack" sets. Agreed by everyone, the primary reason for these sets were the highly detailed Scout trooper, whilst lurking in the background, remained the non-cannon Kashyyyk clone trooper. Although, the value for the ordinary troop barely suffices over £5, there was a rather stranger peculiar misprint, which was briefly spotted 2 days prior construction. This misprint, annoyingly encouraged me to discard the misprint, however with conversations with Lego, a replacement was offered. Fortunately, I still have this misprinted helmet piece, where the front facing detail is reversed, meaning that the front helmet is plain, olive green, whilst the detailing is behind. Anyone have any clue, on the value behind this misprint? Please find the image attached below. Kind regards, http://imgur.com/a/rCEsW

Greetings everyone. I've been a lurker on EB for a while. Just set up an account today, hoping to get more involved. I'm a member of TexLUG here in central Texas. It's a good group with very regular meetings and very talented people. I've been collecting since I was a kid and while I never got rid of anything, I did have a dark age where I didn't buy much. I started with Futuron and some Classic Space and the latest set I bought was the Tron Ideas set. I'm currently designing an absolute mess of Microfighters. I'm pretty addicted to the process and I'm hoping to get more actually built soon. I've also designed the Texas State Capitol which will be displayed (hopefully) in the summer of 2019. We're in the parts ordering process now. It's coming in at about 62k of brick, so I'm worried about time, but I think we'll be okay. That's all. Hiya!

Hello there, I got back to Lego after many years when I built the Saturn V last year. After that, a colleage ask me the far-reaching question, if you could buy bricks separatly. After googling I found Bricklink, LDD and the likes, and by now I've got several shelfs full of models, and start running into problems to make more room. I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi series, so I got a lot of StarTrek models, several from BSG and Babylon 5, some (unofficial) StarWars models, as well as some individual items from films and series (Dune, 2001, Interstellar etc.). I started building models from unofficial instructions, continued with reverse engineering models from pictures, and by now I'm designing my own models from scratch. I still wish to learn how to improve the stability of bigger models tho, it's a little bit disappointing when parts of the model that look so stable in LDD just break off in real life ;) If there is any interest, I can post some pictures of the models. Best regards, Christian

Hi :) My name is Mathieu and I'm arround 20 years old. I really like legos, had a lot when I was young, I'm in a pause (student, not a lot of money, other interests) but I'm planning to buy legos and play with legos again when I will have a work :) When I was young I made some brickfilms. I really liked lego creator and I had the lego Mindstorms which were fantastic! I'm curently in Erasmus in Denmark, living near Legoland and the Lego House (already visited, the lego house is soooo great!!!, and containes exclusive lego sets such as the Lego Architecture house 21037, if you know other exclusive let me know) Have a great day :D Mathieu

Hi everyone! It's been 6 years since I last visited this amazing Lego site and after resetting my forgotten password, I am now back for the second time round! My name is Aaron and I last posted here in 2008. Back then I really rediscovered my lost childhood love of Lego, and I fell back in love with the shiny little plastic bricks hard! Unfortunately, after a good few months of posting on here and building various unfinished projects, I slowly started to lose interest and once those magical little bricks were tidied away, they have stayed there ever since. I am now living in my own flat with my (ever so understanding) girlfriend, but my countless boxes of Lego are still stored at my parents house (though not for long I'm sure ). Recently I found myself itching to have another go at it. I have just purchased a few bargain sealed Lego City sets from the last few years and should be building them within the next few days (around the daily work grind ). Fun builds with lots of pieces, such as the 4439 Police Heavy-Lift Helicopter for £20.00 and I've just picked up the 4436 Police Patrol Car for only £5.00. Looking at the latest sets, It's amazing how intricate the designs are now, with so many new parts and building techniques implemented. I did find it quite difficult to go through with it and spend my hard earned money, on what most people think as children's small plastic building blocks. But I like to think that by having such a massive interest in Lego as a child, it helped me become who I am today in adult life. I am a very hands on person who is always interested in how things are made and how they work. I do moan a little at how expensive Lego is these days, but I am surprised at how the quality of current Lego products is still so high! I would much rather them keep their quality high, than cut corners or cheapen the bricks. So I understand that for this reason, the prices have to increase with today's economical climate. I am in need for an enjoyable hobby, one where I can really stretch my now dwindling adult imagination. Maybe a hobby that lets you just escape this harsh world you slowly discover as you get older. I have now chosen to buy some Lego, to rediscover some of that enjoyment and imagination I had as a kid. I also hope to interact with other Adult Fans of Lego on these forums, it's been a while since I participated in any social forums online but I know how much fun they can be and especially this one. So I hope to have a good old chat with you lovely people, Lego is an amazing system indeed and it's nice that we can all share our enjoyment of it with others here at the Eurobricks forums. Thank you

Hello Eurobrickers! :) Youri here from The Netherlands, just signed up to this awesome forum. uild my whole life with LEGO and the last months is more serious and working on some MOCs instead of just building for fun :) I'm also preparing and planning an e-commerce business with (custom) LEGO sets and parts so I have a 'legit reason' to have the bricks all day long in my hands! If possible I'll share my first MOC in the upcoming days when I've finished the last parts and find a moment for good photos. Questions? I'd love to answer them! Happy brickings. Youri