ZeldaTheSwordsman

Not the same thing as there being cheaper sets available on store shelves, though.

I've had the same thought. Resurrecting the older, cheaper designs (with slight modification where required or where it could improve things without adding to the cost) or alternately coming up with similar smaller and cheaper designs, and selling them as the basic line, while the more costly and complex designs are rebranded as Deluxe or Premium sets. jameseilers, 7140 doesn't look that bad. And it's the only Original Trilogy X-wing set that's actually gray instead of white.

Seems like Brickshelf's uploader is currently broken - you can select a file and click upload, but it doesn't appear it actually uploads the file, it just takes you to a page that says "UPLOAD" in large type.

Thanks! Yeah, aside from the printed JP logos the decals are kinda naff. I didn't want to blow through a bunch of printer ink trying to do the green on the sides, so I just used construction paper and drew stripes on it, with the front stripes being made from red construction paper. It looked kinda-sorta okay originally, but by the time of this photo it had faded. Also, the really silly-looking tinfoil-on-construction-paper mirrors were gone. Still, I'm proud of the design. It could seat four minifigs, it had the clear canopy, and (although you can't see it in the photo) it even had a detail the prop department overlooked: Contacting armatures on the underside.

I can see why he'd ask - it's a collecting phenomenon I've seen with other lines such as Transformers. Things such as particularly outstanding misprints, or miscarded toys, get labeled "RARE FACTORY ERROR" and sell for crazy prices.

So, a few years ago I was obsessed with trying to create my own Jurassic Park out of LEGO. It stalled, and I eventually broke up what I'd built (A Jeep, the gates, and this - the brick-built dinos were already scrapped) for parts. The Ford Explorer was the only one I managed to take a decent photo of before breaking it up. Yeah, some of the decal work was cheated with construction paper. Bite me. I managed to make it so that you could cram four people into it.

Very stylish. I have a suggestion for supplementing the blasters, if you're amenable: The regular Lego rifles (like in Western and Adventurers sets) could just about pass as the Senate Guard rifles. As far as a vehicle goes, I would actually suggest the "Cad Bane's Speeder" set. Throw the stupid bounty hunters overboard and you have a standard Coruscant airspeeder. Plus two more Senate Commandos for the ranks. As far as sets go I can also see the Police Gunship working. ...Alternatively, in lieu of vehicles you could make a Senate Building Entrance for them to guard.

@atlas Indeed, nail polish remover is for when you're actually trying to get rid of the tampographs (I used it to scrub an "escaped convict" torso clean of printing as part of converting it to a worker torso), or are getting rid of paint (as I had to when turning my Galactic Marines back into Snowtroopers); in the latter case, be very careful and finish the job with rubbing alcohol just to be safe. My sincere apologies. Irritation at your skimming was no excuse for venting my accumulated frustration from the day on you.

Nail polish remover will sort that out for you. Or maybe just rubbing it with your thumb, depending. Tampographs can be rather weak to skin oil. Torso prints are a bit hardier it seems, but face and headgear prints...

Try ACTUALLY READING MY POST INSTEAD OF SKIMMING IT, PAL. I'm saying that those sets would have been IMPROVED BY STICKERS. The Hailfire Droid's outer eyes aren't supposed to be level with the central eye, they're supposed to be on the sides of the upper part of the "face". Which, if Lego hadn't suddenly decided "Lol u no get stickers you get parts that r blank 4ever" for certain sets, would have been easy to do.

Regarding those metallic blue Super Battle Droids... Having rewatched the Battle of Geonosis several times recently, the ones in the movie actually seem to be closer to that color than to gunmetal gray (and on that note, the regular Battle Droids are definitely sand red and not dark orange ). On that note, have you noticed that Lego's apparent turnaround on stickers is causing trouble? Like the current Hailfire droid and its side eyes that are in the wrong place. Or the blank side dishes of the 2013 snail tank.

Something in here I have to comment on after reading: Why, exactly, are some people complaining about and wanting to mod out the hump? http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/AT-AT.jpg As you can see in this screenshot, the actual AT-AT models in the movies very plainly have a pronounced hump in the middle. They're supposed to look like that. And that's something this set actually does better than 4483 - on 4483 the hump isn't as noticeable from the side, which is clearly not the case with the movie models. However, in exchange, this one's butt doesn't stick out far back enough past the legs. The head looks a bit less messy, though, and isn't crying out for a rubber band to keep the side panels in alignment like 4483's is. Another thing to comment on is, despite there being snowtrooper battlepacks available at the time and it not having a space-hogging speeder bike storage area, this set has less seating room as built than 4483 does! That's just silly.

Lovin' that hovertrain you've got. And your 4483 AT-AT's lookin' good.

My last contribution wasn't really a display, since I don't have the shelf space to do army displays like that. This sure is a display though:

Well, I've done some reviews already, but I could use some improvement. I would love to join if it's still possible.

Apologies, I thought my reply fell within the bounds of what you can bump old reviews with. My bad.

Thank you. I would indeed recommend buying multiples of this set, it's an army-builder for sure and you'll build up a nice fleet of BARCs and STAPs if you do. I'll see what I can find around the house to use as a solid white surface/backdrop for future reviews. As far as the model train layout goes, we'll see... It's the kind of thing I'm reluctant to put away once it's been set up because the assembly's a bit convoluted (photo here). But I'll try to pick it up or at least keep it out of shot in the future (maybe take out the tracks near the filming area...).

Suspsy, they're the cops, not the army/navy. I found this thread while looking for stuff about the Solar Explorer, which I actually like (more below) I think I would go for #7065 Alien Mothership as the worst Space set so far. Don't own, but have seen. It's more valuable as a parts pack than anything else, and hoo boy does it not live up to its name. It just looks like a rather skeletal and plain flying saucer rather than the command ship of the alien fleet. Looks can be deceiving, I know, as something that looks bad in form can still make up for it in function (As with 6951 - which by the way I actually have most of thanks to my uncle giving me his old LEGOs).... but that doesn't happen with this set either. You can't dock the other alien ships with it, it's really only got seating for the conquerers' head honcho, there's no real tools or transmitter arrays or anything... Ugh. This might have avoided the bottom spot if the name didn't make a promise the design broke, but then again it might not have. I think even a KFOL would only want this thing for parts and figs, which is a pretty damning thing for a set. Some of the sets I've seen hated on here (like 1478, 6813 -which is SP2, Suspsy, 1195 Alien Encounter...)... You do have to bear in mind that they're impulse sets. They're designed to be cheap, little pieces of the theme's world that a kid can by with a week or two or perhaps three's allowance (unless they're one of those unlucky sods who gets $1 or less for allowance) or some recycling money, and overall they do it well and are fun to play with. I don't think the Solar Explorer's bad at all. Mediocre at worst, and it's fun to play with. It looks and feels very much like an evolution of NASA's rockets and shuttles, which are the definite inspiration. It has a detachable probe robot, and the middle section is a detachable solar-powered shelter/research station that holds one astronaut on a little rover car, obviously designed to be left behind for a bit to get some work done and picked up again later; similar in principle to the Landing Modules used by the Apollo missions but more technically advanced. Coulda done with some greebling and control tiles on the inside but that's not a huge strike against it. The solar panel roof could have been brick-built, but a plastic sail-type piece still lends itself to other uses (if you're not a careless buffoon who loses the thing ). I also like the overall Life on Mars theme in terms of narrative, aesthetics, and designs.

legomr, you have a very well thought-out list there, and I understand your conflict. I would suggest using the following criterion to help further decide what and what not to use: Does it really feel like a flagship? It's an important distinction: Flagships aren't always the biggest, though they do tend to be big and fancy and multifinctional. They are however top-rank command ships. By this rule, the Stellar Recon Voyager and Secret Space Voyager would be out (well, you might make a case for the former getting in) because while they're big, they don't have a command feel to them - the big command vehicle of M-Tron is definitely the Mega-Core Magnetizer, a ground vehicle. The Hypersonic Operations Aircraft, big S.O.B. though it is, is also ruled out - it's plainly an attack craft and not a command craft. Heck, 7691 ETX Alien Mothership Assault barely makes the grade. The Solar Explorer, however, is clearly the ship in charge when it comes to Earth's astronauts from Life on Mars, it's definitely got administrative function to it. My picks would be: #7315 Solar Explorer #6982 Explorien Starship #6980 Galaxy Commander #6985 Cosmic Fleet Voyager #6975 Alien Avenger #6979 Interstellar Starfighter #6986 Mission Commander #6984 Galactic Mediator #5974 Galactic Enforcer #6973 Deep Freeze Defender #7691 ETX Alien Mothership Assault And last but not least (and technically first XD): #928 Space Cruiser and Moonbase AKA #497 Galaxy Explorer. Dishonorable mention to #7065 Alien Mothership because while its name means it should have been this... yeah nope. Doesn't look all that commanding, doesn't have anything to let it function as a command/base ship... Darnit LEGO. (picks bolded and bumped up a few sizes so that anyone not interested in my rambling can spot the list easily and hop right to it) Out of that complete list of flagships, I'm not sure I could really pick five for your originally-asked-for list.

This is an excellent review of the Railroad Club Car. You covered every last bit of detail, you photographed the build from angles that gave a good view of how the set actually works, and the little story you included for the building process was very entertaining (Ackbar made me laugh XD). It certainly makes me want this set or the parts to knock it together very much! However, I challenge your story's apparent premise of the Metroliner being unable to hold all of its included passengers. Between the bunkroom in the one power car and the dining room in the other, and the central coach itself, there's seats for 8 of the nine passengers. Plus within the coach, the corridor ends have room to stand or sit a figure or two, someone can sit or stand at the sink, and it looks like the same holds true for the rest of the corridor alongside the actual chairs. So there's one passenger from the set itself who doesn't get a chair or a bed, but there's still room for 'em. Indeed, there would seem to be room even to squeeze in the three passenger minifigures from 4554 Metro Station. However, lacking the Metroliner and the Metro Station and without the right parts free to build the coach, I can't double-check this for myself.

As someone who got started with 9v, I find it rather enjoyable to use. But it is not without its flaws (such as no steam loco drive wheels); one of the most important to watch out for is the fact that the insulation on the wires for things like the track power clips is vulnerable to dry rot. Mine were stored in dry conditions, out of the light, but have still succumbed. And without the insulation, the wires have started to unravel and made the clips useless. I don't own any Power Functions equipment so I can't speak for that; has anyone had this happen to their PF cables?

It's a bit necro, but something I would like to point out since no-one else has: Mostlytechnic, those two seats on the far side of the street that seemed random to you do have a purpose. They appear to be meant as a basic bus stop. There's no sign, true, but otherwise they fit the bill.

This is an old thread, but it was indexed and I do have something relevant to the main issue being talked of here. Regarding fixing track down if you must, the 9V, RC, and PF tracks all have a hole in the central sleeper for that very purpose through which one may put a nail or a narrow screw. If you are going to use nails, allow me to share a tip from a model railroad guidebook: Cut a V-notch in a piece of card, and hold that against the nail as you drive it in. This will leave a tiny gap you can use to grip the nail and remove it should you decide to change the track layout.

I acquired this set on Thanksgiving weekend and had the review photos ready to go as I built it, but I haven't gotten around to it 'til now. It's a decent large battlepack, though a tad overpriced (as with everything in the Star Wars range anymore; licenseflation, I call it) Here's the box, from both the front and the back: As is usual with contemporary Star Wars sets, the front shows a high-energy battle with motion blurs while the action on the back is a bit less energetic. The back also demonstrates the set's gimmick and provides views of the BARC speeder from different angles. The top (not shown) has the customary minifigure images; I like to cut out and save these. Here's what that box contains: An instruction manual, a small sticker sheet with decals for the bike and the STAP, and three bags of parts. Front cover of manual, and the inside of the manual. Amusingly, even today the manuals still tend to show pieces as being Old Gray and Old Dark Gray despite the switch to the new bluish grays. And here's all those parts dumped out, ready for building. You could go bag by bag, but where's the fun in that? Besides, if you want to follow the instruction manual exactly you actually pretty much have to do this! As ever, it starts with building the minifigs (except for one), and they're in two separate bags already. Then the first part of the build proper it gives the instructions for? The STAP, the pieces for which are in the other bag. With that out of the way, it's on to the build. The minifigures, including the one it doesn't tell you to build right away. One 91st Recon Corps trooper (It's not Neyo, he doesn't have Neyo's sash), two Battle Droids (one holding a rifle, one with the original Battle Droid arm on either side to pilot the STAP), and two Super Battle Droids. Note the platforms under the SBDs and the regular BD with the rifle. Those will be important later. The STAP begins to take shape. It too is also on one of those platforms, and is also flying lower than previous STAPs since it's on a transparent flagpole atop a transparent cylinder, rather than a transparent cannon piece. Interestingly, the flagpole is the classic rounded-top version, rather than the new one with the flat top. The STAP is almost completed. It's the same basic STAP design that had its beginnings in the "Droids Battle Pack" set and was refined and given proper CIS livery by the Clone Wars AT-TE set. And boom, one complete STAP with Battle Droid operator. The droids' lookout post is under construction. Note the 2x2 tile, it will also be important later. A bit more formed now. Just like "Clone Battle Pack" from 2007, this set makes use of a wheel arch as a top guardrail for the lookout. Not too much more formed, though the first of the vegetation growing around the place has been added - this is supposed to be in the brush of Saleucami after all. Not as densely forested as Felucia or Kashyyk, but plants do abound. And getting started on the other side of it... Not much to comment on here, although you do get a good look at the hinge plates used to make it not be just a straight line. And voila, the droids' lookout post is complete. Two places of concealment in the brush, flanking an armored lookout's nest. The classic foliage piece that looks like a miniature christmas tree is once again brought into service here, and very nicely so too. Last to be built is the BARC speeder, the star of this set. As with most vehicle builds of the non-nautical persuasion (and even then, some of those do this), it starts with a plate or two or three. As a bone thrown to alt build potential, two 1x6 plates are used where a 2x6 plate would have also sufficed. The body of the bike takes shape. Here, the center is formed from one of the new missile bricks (that goes on your notepad too). A wheelmount piece for the handlebar assemblies to clip to can be seen, something that's standard nowadays for BARCs. The body is basically complete. There is a battle droid head next to tally marks, indicating somebody's been keeping score. Yes, this is a sticker. No, I'm not gonna complain about it being one. And ta-da. BARC speeder ready for action. It looks nice. The BARC design has been well-refined by this point, and it looks very nice. I've seen some people complain "We dun need another BARC" but you have to keep in mind that not everybody was able to get their hands on the previous sets to include one (like me), and the fact that a good chunk of the target market wasn't even born or old enough at the time of those sets' release. So here it is, all together: Battle on Saleucami. One Battle Droid on a STAP, one on the ground with a rifle, and two SBDs. All four of them on 2x2 bases that let them stand without just falling over, but leave them easy enough to knock over. A lookout point with tiled spots to stand them, so that they are braced but not anchored. A clone trooper on a BARC speeder with a spring-loaded missile-launching brick and four missiles for it. Can you say "Shooting Gallery"? It's a lovely idea for a set, good fun to play with and good for building up your armies. It's perhaps a tad overpriced, as I stated at the beginning, but I still recommend picking it up before it disappears from store shelves.

This was a well-done review and you captured the salient points well. It's a pity about the pigtails hairpiece being replaced by a ponytail, but I don't think they had a choice. The pigtails' total disappearance from every LEGO range by the time of this set's release makes me suspect the molds were lost or had degraded. On the subject of the door stickers not going back all the way: I think that was done for practical reasons. If the stickers extended as far as the curved sections - even just the part visible when the doors are closed- they would be pinched between the door and the wall of the train, and get rubbed against and tugged on every time the doors were opened or closed. It wasn't an issue with the tampographed stripes since such printing is basically flush with the plastic, but the brief phase of everything being tampographed with no stickers around was already ending, and the original stamps were likely gone besides. At least here all you'd need to fix it is masking tape, toothpicks, and cheap-but-decent (smooth color with only thin coat) acrylics.