SilentMode

I think it's a combination of the curves made by the large eyebrows and beard, and the small mouth (that gets covered up by the beard accessory).

I don't see why not, if anything it helps to have different perspectives and reviewing styles.

Four of today's Sun promo sets (30055 Vulture Droid), have been lazy today and will send the remaining coupons for the rest.

I will give this thing a go.

Two 2011 City Advent Calendars at half price (GBP 7.99) from Morleys, a small department store.

That's more like it for an update. I'm starting to get goosebumps!

Yet another +1 for charlieboy!

I may give this one a go, as I've already got an idea of what I want to do. Fourth duck, here we come!

I managed to get two of these, mostly for the Metallic Gold bricks, and they were GBP 3.99 a the time as well. These were definitely the first to disappear! Anyhow, great review.

Yet again there are people out there with chainsaws, and I'm the one getting called out. I guess I'm an easier target. Anyway, nowhere did I blame scalpers/resellers for people being unable to get this set - if anything I was just verbally shaking my first - nor am I completely against the idea of them making a small profit. If there was a shortfall of Holiday sets, or some roundabout way of accumulating them from the promotion, then indeed that's Lego's responsibility... especially when there's a minimum spend to be made.

Thanks for the feedback thus far. At the moment I'm not sure about joining the academy, but I'll think about it. As we speak there's someone on feeBay charging GBP 125.99 (+ postage) for this set, and they've sold 17 already - absolutely disgusting.

Owned. Actually I completely forgot about the S7 Bride. I've only opened one of the sets so I don't know if it's a common problem, and I don't remember having that issue with other sets. My middle name is unlucky, however. Anyhow thanks for the feedback on this review.

Hello, just me - and I'm back with a review of probably my most anticipated set of the year. I'm serious: I've spent the last few weeks waiting for "Brick Friday" to come, and on that morning I waited outside of the Lego store at 8.30am to make sure I got one. It turned out that the store opened at 10am, with a mad crowd of around... five people to contend with. Getting these sets proved to be a bit of a nightmare, but I managed to obtain three: one for this review, a spare (which is being given to Pinky) and one going in the SilentMode vault. No scalping/reselling in my yard, and shame on those who are. If you've missed it, see my overview of the first Holiday set. Holiday Set 2 of 2 Set 3300002 Release year: 2011 # of parts: 117 # of minifigs: 1 RRP: GBP 7.49* Links: Brickset Bricklink * These sets were given away with Lego store purchases worth GBP 50/USD 99 on the 19th and 25th-27th November 2011, although they were being added at a "discount" of GBP -7.49. The box Here's the back of the box, which is the same size as Set 1. From here on in you'll notice there's absolutely no mention of the first set anywhere. One of the sides of the box shows a Santa figure for scale. One has to wonder why the pictures on the box are renders rather than photos of real parts - and very disturbingly, some people still couldn't/can't tell the difference between computer graphics and photos. (One person on Bricklink was asking about the "new goblet piece" shown on the front.) The other sides of the box don't have much to look at. The parts Yesterday I opened the box up, being careful not to stare too hard at the parts inside. Like many other AFOLs I'm sure, there was one part in this set that I was really looking forward to seeing up close and personal... you know which one I'm talking about! Much like Set 1, we have two bags of parts (one with the larger parts, one with small parts), an 8x8 Light Bluish Grey plate on its own, and the instruction book. I didn't take a picture of the contents of the instructions, but it's very similar to the one in Set 1 - except there's no mention of Set 1 inside it. Take a look at these sexy Dark Red bricks. (Altogether now: LOOK AT IT!) I'm guessing they're in exactly the same quantity as in Set 1, given that they're used to build the walls. We also have a Dark Green quarter-circle brick as well, which previously has only existed in a Pirates of the Caribbean set (the Fountain of Youth). Stars of the show Any set that includes tiles in white and grey, as well as SNOT bricks, is okay with me. But we also have a shiny new transparent cup, and a brand new head for Father Christmas/Santa Claus (previous incarnations tended to use a basic head). I like the fact the head has its own white beard, although I can't remember where I've seen it before. ... Okay, I know I've left an important part out of the previous photo; I wanted to save it until last. Here we go! Tile, Round 1 x 1 I finally have them in my possession, and they look gorgeous. I know a lot of people have gotten themselves excited about this Holiday set, solely because this piece was included, and so have I. But I think we're missing a very big point: this was one of the most requested new parts on Eurobricks (in this and this thread), and that's what makes its fruition significant, whether or not it was a direct influence on Lego. I only hope that these tiles are made widely available: I'd especially like to see them in opaque colours, such as white, tan, medium blue, black and green, since they're commonly showing up in transparent colours in the newer sets. IMO the real credit should go to Brickforge, who put out their own version of this round tile a while ago. Their version is only available in transparent colours, however. Here's a side-by-side comparison of Lego's and Brickforge's counterparts: the Brickforge version is in transparent green. While both tiles fit onto this brick, the Lego version was easier to apply and remove. In fact, the Brickforge version was very tight on most stud connections, sometimes not being able to attach at all. But before we criticise Brickforge, I can attest to the difficulty in designing and producing custom parts. But back to the set. The minifigure The assembled Father Christmas/Santa Claus figure in all its glory. While he looks more impressive than his Advent Calendar counterparts with the new head, I find myself joining the queue of people wondering why Lego hasn't produced a dedicated hat for him. For one, they've already produced several new moulds for the Collectible Minifigures series, some even one-offs like the S5 Graduate's mortarboard hat; for another, they could have possibly used a Red version of the S4 Gnome's hat. Also, where's his sack?! Building the model The first round tile goes in! The second round tile goes in! And we're done, all that's left is to add Father Christmas/Santa Claus to the scene. WHAT?! "Gimme that cookie, you selfish punk!" "No, it's my cookie!" "Oh you think you bad, huh? Take 'yo cookie, take yo' drink - matter of fact, have some of this table!" "NO TOYS FOR YOU!" The leftovers Just what I was hoping for: a leftover 1x1 round tile to play with! As is customary, we have spares of the other small elements - sadly no Green 1x1 plate. The verdict Without a doubt, Set 2 is superior to Set 1 both in terms of the final model and the parts used in it. It stands to good reason that it is, because it was the more difficult set to get hold of. Although the promotion lasted for just three days, amazingly some people weren't able to get hold of them - probably losing out to the scalpers and resellers with deeper pockets. Anyway, this set isn't quite perfect, and we have to overlook the inclusion of those 1x1 round tiles. For one, the fire in the fireplace was very weak (it's literally a transparent orange cheese slope on top of a stud); as we can hardly see it when the model's complete, we might as well have has an Orange one, or pehaps even Trans Neon Orange round plates as hot coals. The grille in front of the fireplace seemed to be not much more than a use for one of those round tiles, as it doesn't sit perfectly in the middle of the fireplace, although you could argue I'm nitpicking. Usually a turntable piece would be used to create those 45 degree angles. But definitely, this was a set worth getting as a Christmas display and for the parts, especially those tiles (if you're not lucky enough to be in the US right now). For those who weren't able to get this set, I really do feel for you guys; let's just hope you don't end up paying through the nose for one from one of these scalpers/resellers. As with Set 1, since there's no definitive price, I won't give this set a score - but while I'd prefer to have both, I personally would purchase this set over Set 1 given the choice. "He's climibin' in yo' window, he's snatchin' yo' people up..."

SilentMode here. What follows is probably my most difficult review to date: not only am I in a bit of a sour mood, but I also have to put aside my personal opinions on marriage (which means most of my material has to be thrown out!), given that many AFOLs on here and elsewhere have significant others. Anyhow, here it is. Minifigure Wedding Favour Set Set 853340 Release year: 2011 # of pieces: 24 # of minifigs: 2 RRP: GBP 6.99 / USD 7.99 Links: Brickset BrickLink I picked up this set during the Brick Friday promotion at Westfield London's Lego store (the one in Shepherds Bush); I had noticed it at the last minute and thought it would be great for a review. I have two of these sets: the one you see above and one going in the vault. Going by some of the prices I've seen for this set, it looks like it was previously an exclusive (it was first found in Legoland California at USD 9.99 according to Brickset) - but currently on feeBay it's listed at upwards of GBP 10. Although I've managed to set up a multi-million pound photographic studio to help take better pictures, white balancing still hates me. The box The box itself surprisingly has very few details on it. If it weren't for the picture on the front, one could easily miss it on the shelves. Here's the back of the box, containing only text. One of the long sides of the box has a minifigure for scale purposes... ...and reveals the set contains components made in China. The other long side has the barcode (with the price of the set), along with more multilingual legalese text. Both the short sides are plain, except for the Lego logo. The contents As you can see from this picture I had some difficulty opening the box. You'll notice it's made of slightly thicker card than usual - around half the thickness of larger boxes - and there are none of those opening tabs at the back. This is what you get inside the set: one bag containing all the Lego elements, a larger bag containing a floral arch and veil, a non-Lego card-like base and a little pamphlet. The pamphlet says: "for table decoration only". (Who else is looking at this and thinking, "yeah, right"?) This is the base that holds the Lego display, with an adhesive pad made by 3M. I'm not crazy enough to actually use it. The large circular veil with little dots is headwear for the bride. The arch is made from a similar foamy material to the base. Most importantly, all the Lego elements come stuffed into this little bag - fortunately none of them were damaged. Almost forgot: we also get this instruction pamphlet. Exactly the same picture as on the box is shown here. The parts Excluding the minifigures and their headwear, this is pretty much all you get in the set. With a set this small it's probably not worth picking out the "stars of the show". But let's be honest, you're thinking the same thing I am: the real reason someone would want to get this set is... (for our CSI fans: the dress.) I'm pretty sure the torso uses the same bridal dress design showcased at AFOLcon earlier this year, as part of the large Westminster Abbey model built to celebrate some royal wedding that took place around that time. Unfortunately the only pictures I have of that display were from the side. Of particular note above is that the printed slope is only one brick high, as opposed to the usual two brick high slope often used for female skirts. The minifigures As with most weddings, the majority of attention is given to the bride in this set. First of all, the front of the box hints that the bride has not just one, but three hairpieces to choose from: blonde, brown and brunette. They are all the same braided style, with a hole on top for the tiara (on the left). My initial thought was that they might as well have gone the whole nine yards, by including tan, redhead and black variants of the hairpiece. I think, for the purposes of this set, that three hairpieces is more than enough, however. Here's the bride in its initial assembly with the brown hairpiece. Usually the 2x2x2 slopes make female figures look Amazon-like compared to the men, but with the 2x2x1 slope she looks a little short - almost like a bridesmaid. You'll also notice, quite disappointingly, that the design doesn't line up on the two parts. Here's the same figure with in blonde... ... brunette... .. and Gail Porter varieties. (Gail was included to show that the female head is one-sided.) Then I realised, when constructing the set, that the white plates and cheese slopes would be used to give the bride some added height. (They could have used a 1x2 cheese slope, but two slopes would add to the miniscule part count.) As for the large veil, it is attached to the bride's hairpiece using the tiara threaded through this very tiny hole: And the result looks like this: Not bad at all, huh? Compare the stunning appearance of the bride to this sorry excuse for a groom: Yes indeed: this guy is basically the S1 Magician, without his moustache or his magic wand. His head is also single-sided, and the only accessory he gets is his top hat (which I'm not sure grooms even wear), and perhaps the empty transparent goblet he's pictured with on the box. (By the way: he may look like he's smiling, but inside he's crying.) The build Very unusual about these instructions is that there's no advertising whatsoever for other sets. I guess it's because, apart from possibly being an exclusive set, there isn't really anything else related. Possibly the Grand Emporium could be advertised, but there's not enough room. Here are the bride and groom positioned on the white 4x8 plate. The bride is now holding a bouquet of flowers, ready to toss into a ferocious crowd. The 4x8 plate slots into the base as such, and is meant to be held in place by peeling off the adhesive backing beforehand. I haven't done so because I want that plate! For some reason I keep thinking it's The Sun logo printed on that base, instead of Lego. The arch also has adhesive pads, located behind those white tabs. These fold outwards to provide a surface to attach the arch to the base. The display would look something like this with the arch attached, thus completing the build. Voila, a table decoration fit for an AFOL wedding - just don't expect to see the bride figure ever again! The leftovers There really aren't any leftovers, apart from the two spare hairpieces for the bride and any unused flower parts. Actually, looking at the flowers makes me wish that Lego would bring them back in yellow and blue like they used to have, and perhaps some other colours. The verdict Let's be honest: the only reason to buy this set is for the bride's torso, and perhaps the bride's printed slope. Even then there's the very visible issue (in the above photos) of the two parts having their designs not line up, which is very disappointing considering it looks perfect on the box. The veil puts icing on the cake. By far the biggest letdown of the set is with the groom. Although it might be a popular sentiment to ignore him, I think they should have given him a dedicated tuxedo torso - like they gave the bride a new design - instead of recycling the S1 Magician's outfit. They could also have given him a hairpiece for when he's not wearing his top hat, even if it's a generic one. Leaving aside the non-Lego parts, which may or may not disappear eventually, the real question when thinking of buying this set is: how much would you be willing to pay for that bridal dress? Design: 8/10 I think a very good job was done designing the bride, and although I don't mind the use of non-Lego elements in this case, more could certainly have been done with the groom. Build: 9/10 A very very simple build, given the small number of parts; attaching the veil through the tiara, as well as using the adhesive pads, might pose a challenge. Parts: 6/10 Again the set's let down by the lazy choices made for the groom, and in a small way the use of a non-Lego part for the arch. The bride's hairpiece is very uncommon, with the blonde (Bright Light Yellow) variant being exclusive to this set. I've also taken a point for the misprinted slope piece. Playability: 3/10 There's not much you can do with this set on its own, as it's meant to be a table decoration. The use of plates on the bride's skirt may make placing her in a scene very tricky, but this is one area where the groom does just fine. All the parts can be put to use in other places. Price: 7/10 Given that it's going for a lot more than the RRP in other places, I don't think the price for set is that bad, especially if you're buying it for the bride's dress (I've bought a torso more expensive than this set). If you go by price per part, it may not be worth it. Based on these scores I'd give this set a 7/10 - helped an awful lot by the bride's dress. Alternative skirt I couldn't find the skirt piece from last year's Kingdoms advent calendar, so here's the bride with a plain white 2x2x2 slope instead:

That's too bad, and I feel for you. It's one thing to have to make a GBP 50/USD 99 spend, but to find out they're sold out afterwards must be a real kick in the nuts.

Congratulations to the winners, again it was obvious who was going to win from the number of comments in the respective threads (in 1 and 2 anyhow). Even though I've probably gotten another duck, I'm proud of my entries - and everybody else should be too.

Who seriously voted that opening packets wasn't going too far?

Again, you've got yourself a deal!

Here's my Brick Friday haul, with the Heroica Fortaan game coming from Argos: Besides getting 10% off three times, I screwed up by doing three separate transactions (which meant only three sets).

I'd be keen on Mary Jane and the Nesquik headpiece! I have a bunch of Harry Potter figures/parts from the Sun promo sets.

For anyone taking part in the Lego store promo: you should be able to get one Holiday set for each £50 you spend in one go, up to a max of 5 sets (so I hear). I made the mistake of doing separate transactions, so I only ended up with three. In other news: Argos has the Heroica Fortaan game - if you can find it - for £14.99.

3 x Banana Balance, 2 x Ninjago and a Lego Champion game from Toys R Us.

Nothing but refusing to actually read it! Is this the Facebook "spot the bricks" competition we're talking about? That was the one I entered.

You'll have to manually remove them.

I didn't win anything. Conspiracy!