mkeller234

Volvo grill? Looks great, I like it much better than the regular set

This one was certainly more tedious to build. There were so many 1x1 plates in this set. I also think they used smaller brick sections in this set compared to the pet shop. I suppose that increases the part count, but also gives you a much more flexible parts selection. I don't know about others, but it sure is hard to get your hands inside the lower level of this one. My daughter and I play with these and she likes to get the little hats and stuff, definitely hard to replace those on the hooks (frogs)! Speaking of frogs, does every building have them? It seems like i've spotted a frog on most. I think that is a fun little trend. I love the hidden Bat in the bell tower too.

Yeah, I was really surprised at how the 1932 was built. I have the Pet shop too, and I was surprised at how different the techniques were. The pershop sign is much simpler, I think they must have had a light bulb moment with that one. It's fun to compare. I love the way they designed the brick facade and stone corners. I built it all yesterday.... I stayed up 48 hours and pushed into the realm of hallucination.

Just to update, I did end up buying the fire brigade today. I built the lower lever this afternoon, it definitely took a good chunk of time! So far so good.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful responses. It seems like such a dumb question, but for me it was not so easy. I think I will go for Fire Brigade. It looks to me like it might have a little bit more going on inside. I do love the red brick look too. After this, i will have to figure out which other is next (and how i'll pay for that one) Thanks again, Matt

What makes the first three so insane anyway? Smaller quantities? Even if the were all available, only one of the first three really excites me (green grocer). Also, thanks form your input. It's so difficult to decide when you don't get to see them in person. I was not interested in the pet shop, and then was persuaded by a Lego employee. I'm so glad I got that input, because I think it's wonderful.

So I bought the pet shop as my first modular. I love it. I love the detail, the two halves and the many rooms to explore. My daughter loves it too. I almost have enough money saved for my next. Grand emporium can still be found at msrp, but not for much longer probably. I like that it's a corner building. I think it would look great with the pet shop too. I'm not in love with the interior photos I've seen. I can buy this at the Lego store and get points on my VIP card. I found a fire brigade near by at a small hobby shop. It is not selling at msrp... It's 215.00 USD, new in box. I like the design better, and I like the truck that comes with it. I'm betting it has a higher playability than GE. So, is that price crazy? Is it worth the 65 dollars over msrp? It's only going to get rarer... And probably more expensive. I know this is a lame, over asked question.... But it's really tormenting me! Also, do I get VIP points at local stores? I'm guessing that is a Lego store only thing.

Hah, well my last experiences were in the early to mid 90s.... So it's been a while! A lot has changed for sure. I used to covet any snot tiles that I got, and that usually wasn't very many. It seems like there are tons of those pieces now.

Thank you. I am happy to be here. I love the set reviews, they are excellent! It's funny, when I was a kid I would build the sets maybe just a few times and then mostly build my own creations. Now as an adult, I seem to be mostly interested in putting sets together. I think nostalgia is to blame for that. I'm sure my own creativity is bound to kick in eventually.

After reading this I decided to have a second look at the CMF figures compared to a standard minifig. You are all correct, the difference is obvious when you have both side by side. I easily noticed the loose feel in the joints, the low sheen finish, hand coloring and poor hand grip. The CMF line also has a few soft pieces, like the seagull. I have not encountered that before with Lego (talking old sets here). I concluded this: Yes, they are lower quality and even a bit frustration to pose. However, once they are posed I doubt that I will handle the CMF figs very often. Since I don't look at them as play objects, I am ok with the lowered quality. They are still undeniably fun to look at. As someone that grew up with mostly classic smile faces, I really enjoy the individualism and humor in these CMF lines. Of course, YMMV!

That is perfection! I agree with the others, I would love to see this building with other modular sets attached.

I noticed some pretty glaring color variation in the pet shop that I just bought. It doesn't really bother me though, I actually think it makes the plain sides a little more interesting. I'm having a real dilemma choosing between the GE or FB now. Does anyone know how much longer we can expect GE to be around until it's retirement?

I went to the Beechwwod store. I didn't even know they had a Lego store... I felt like I was entering heaven!

I'm sorry, but I was not talking about your photos! Sorry for the conusion. I meant when I was shopping for a modular building, I did not think the pet shop looked very refined in the photos on the lego box and online. After I purchased and built it, I was surprised by how nice I felt it looked. Similarly, I saw a parisian restaraunt in person and was surprised that I didn't like it as much as I expected to. I was more or less offering my personal thoughts on the pet shop building. Your photo is A-ok!

Very nice! I only recently bought my first one, the pet shop. I think that the pet shop is much better looking in person than in photos. There is something that is lost in the photos, maybe it's the depth of the facades? Since you own so many of them, which one stands out as your favorite?

That sounds like a good thing to me. If you were blissfully unaware about the CMF manufacturing and noticed no differences, what then is there to worry about? I bought some of the series 11 CMF line, which was my first real Lego purchase as an adult. I noticed the hands on the elf were brighter looking, but I marveled at how perfect the torso printing was. I did not know where they were manufactured, but I was happy with them. Now that I know they are manufactured in China, I am still happy with them. I bought the pet shop modular set this past weekend. I definitely noticed a large variance in the color of the blue and brown bricks. It doesn't really bother me though. Also consider this: A black seas barracuda cost $110.00 way back in the early 90s. It was re-released in 2002 and sold for $90.00. So, somehow they managed to reduce the cost of that set after a decade of inflation. I don't think I could afford Lego products if their cost had kept pace with inflation. As long as I still feel a general sense of quality and care, I am a satisfied AFOL!

I've decided to stop lurking and officailly say hello. I started collecting Lego sometime around the late 80s or early 90s. I vividly remember pouring over the mini-catalogs and the excitment of Christmas morning builds. It's actually a bit embarrasing that I could love a toy so much, but I am sure you all understand the feeling. I am 30 now, and just recently learned the acronym AFOL. I have a two year old daughter, and thankfully my parents had the foresight to keep my old Duplo bucket. We've really had a blast playing with the block sets together. Better yet, those big mega-blok bags have sat idle since the old Duplos arrived on the scene . I would typically build a set only a few times before the blocks were merged into the mass for my own creations. I don't know what triggered it, but I decided to see how many sets I could reassemble from that mass. I'm definitely have more bricks to find in the attic, but still managed to build a few complete sets with what I had. I forgot to include my space shuttle in the photo. Plenty of Castle sets and others remain to be rebuilt someday. Here is my first set purchased as an adult. It was a load of fun. I bought this at a Lego store and you could just feel the enthusiasm from the employees. It's so rare that you can just tell how excited someone is about the product they sell.