The Brick Rat

Yeah, I'd like to know where ReZourceman got the Deep Sea Quest set (he didn't pay USD so it wasn't in the U.S.) There still aren't any for sale on Bricklink and no inventories, so I'm guessing he got lucky with a store selling it early. Elsewhere on Eurobricks, I've read that the Volcano Base is a TRU exclusive and Deep Sea Quest is a Target exclusive, so I'm betting that when DSQ shows up here in the U.S. it will be as one of the four Target Fall exculsives (although I could be wrong).

For several years now, during the Fall, Target has carried 4 sets that are labeled Limited Edition or Special Edition. They retail for $49.99 USD. Last year the sets were Dwarves Mine, the TIE Crawler, a Technic car and (IIRC) an Exo-Force set. I'm guessing that one of the sets this year will be the Agents Submarine set. They usually have a Technic car and another Star Wars set would probably be a good bet. For the fourth set I'd love to see a preview of a 2009 Castle Elves set like they did with Dwarves Mine last year.

I was worried that I would have to spend a good bit of money to pick this exclusive up on eBay. However, after seeing it, I think I'll pass. It looks to be the Brickmaster Indy jeep, the 2 Ugha warriors from the Crystal Skull Temple set, and some of the specialty pieces from the Temple Escape set (rounded out with some misc. brick elements). IMO, this is something only the most diehard completists need worry about.

Went to see The Dark Knight yesterday and I must say it was absolutely brilliant. When looking forward to an upcoming movie I try not to get my hopes up too high, but with all the good buzz and trailer footage, I couldn't help but to go in with high expectations. The Dark Knight did not match those high expectations, it far exceeded them. I really can't think of a single criticism for this film. The Batman movie franchise is in good hands with Christopher Nolan. Now I have to go see it again to assimulate all that was happening on the big screen. I'll also add that Maggie Gyllaenhaal was a much better choice for Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. I wish she had also done the role in Batman Begins.

All of my Batman figs (both stock and custom) are displayed on shelves. I've found several different wooden silverware/storage trays that make great minifig display shelves. Eventually my Indy, Spider-man and Star Wars figs will get the same treatment. I also display figs in vignettes. Most other figs are stored in Sterilite 3 drawer units according to theme, but I'm not very strict in this regard. For instance, HP and Spider-man figs with generic torsos can be found in the Town drawer and figs with Jedi torsos can be found in the Castle drawer. For the OCD types I'm afraid that many of my figs have mixed and matched parts so often that they have multiple personalities.

"Horrid racial "flesh" colors"? "Blatantly stereotypical race colors"? I must admit I don't understand this attitude (and you're not the first I've heard it from). All the flesh tones do is give an added level of realism to minifigs. I could make a racist MOC using flesh toned figs, but I could also do the same with yellow figs. Among the yellow fig population several races can be found: Asians (Ninja and Adventurer themes), Native Americans (Western theme) and African Americans (non-licensed basketball sets). Yellow or flesh tone, figs are figs; it's what you do with them that determines whether a MOC is racist or not. I think the real issue is twofold: nostalia and compatability. For most AFoLs figs have always been yellow and such a drastic change is jarring. You'll also meet AFoLs who prefer the classic smilies they grew up with over figs with various facial expressions. Most have made the change however, because there isn't a compatibility issue there. With fig color it is different. Most people dislike mixing the two types of figs (and who can blame them). It all comes down to preference. Neither yellow or fleshy is better or worse than the other. I remember when I got my first fleshy figs. It was the 2004 Prisoner of Azkaban sets (my favorite HP year - to make this post a little on topic). I thought TLC was nuts to be changing the licensed themes to flesh tones. So the first thing I did was put the minifigs together and...they looked strange. I then built several of the sets on the dining room table until the kids got home. They were excited to see new HP sets and began to play with them. I asked if they noticed anything different. Nothing. When I pointed out the figs were flesh toned, they went and fetched a yellow Harry Potter. When I put the fleshy and the yellow Harrys side by side my opinion changed. The fleshy HP looked normal and the lemon yellow HP looked odd. I didn't voice my opinion to the kids, just let them continue to play. Within minutes the fleshy figs had taken the older HP fig to the hospital wing to be treated for a bad case of "yellow disease". I've actually have passed up non-licensed sets because the figs were yellow. However, I've probably spent the thousands you didn't on multiples of licensed sets (gotta build up that fleshy population). And finally we agree. Even though 2004 is my favorite year. Quality Quidditch Supplies is my favorite HP set. I don't know how many I bought for those sand green slopes and shop windows (among other parts).

I've wanted a Castle themed advent calendar for several years now, so I'm very pleased that we're finally getting one. However, I am a little bummed that we're not getting a Santa fig with it. I'd happily give up the two skelly figs for one medieval looking Father Christmas.

Oh, BB is definitely worth watching. It's in my top ten of favorite movies in this decade and early buzz has it that TDK is even better. As far as characters go though, I agree with Nolan's approach; putting too many characters in a 2 hour movie can be detrimental (think Spider-man 3). What I would really like to see is a new Batman television series - like Batman, The Animated Series only live action and in 1 hour episodes. That sort of format allows you to introduce lots of characters and focus on a variety of relationships.

Being a BatFan I'm really looking forward to getting this hairpiece. With it's receding hairline it should make a great hairpiece for Batman villian, the Ventriloquist.

The reason these kind of sets aren't available to the general public is that companies pay TLC lots of money to produce a set that only that company can distribute, thus making it very desirable indeed. That being said, all is not lost. 8 or so years ago the Velux window company had a promotional LEGO house set that they offered for sale on their website after realizing how much interest there was for it in the AFoL community. It's possible that if there were enough demand TLC might pass that info on to Vesta. So, I'll put my name on the list. If this set were available, I would buy 2.

I doubt that Bullock will be in The Dark Knight; if he is it would only be a brief cameo appearance. Robin and Batgirl certainly will not be in it. Christopher Nolan has stated that as long as he's doing the movies Batman will go it solo. I would definitely recommend seeing Batman Begins before seeing The Dark Knight. BB does take place first, TDK is the sequel. And the villians in BB are mob boss Carmine Falcone, the Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul.

I was in Wal-mart the other day when I noticed a 20th anniversary edition of one of my favorite films, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. It's one of those 'hidden gems' of a film that most folks haven't seen or heard of. Directed by Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam, it's a mix of adventure and comedy based on the old tall tales of the title character as he goes from one improbable exploit to the next (from a trip to the moon in a hot air balloon made from women's underwear to traveling across the ocean in the belly of a monsterous fish). It has an outstanding cast including another MP alum, Eric Idle and an uncredited cameo by Robin Williams as the insane King of the Moon. I really enjoyed watching it with my kids (their first time) and would highly recommend it to anyone here.

As Grevious said in the other thread, more Agents in 2009 was confirmed in an interview with a LEGO designer. Not only that, but I believe he specifically stated that there would be five new Agent sets for next year.

I'd like to see a villian's space station (complete with death laser, naturally) and a space shuttle for the agents.

A well done vig. I do like it, but since you asked for constructive criticism I'll share a few minor things I would change. The Base: My only issue with the base is the opposite of what I usually see in vigs. Lots of people make vigs of interior scenes or outdoor paved areas, but leave the studs showing. Using tiles gives it a better finished look. Here however, I would choose studs over tiles. It's the Pellenor Fields, a dusty barren battlefield. Exposed studs would convey that look better I think. Other than that minor nit, the base looks good. I like the tufts of grass and the use of both tan and dark tan. The Minifigs: The figs look great. I do agree with the suggestion about the Bib Fortuna head for Gothmog, but if you don't have it I think the goblin head works fine. The Marion Ravenwood head looks good for Eowyn, but I think in this vig I would turn it around and use the scared face. On the battlefield, she usually had a grim and determined look or a frightened expression. A grim look would be my choice for the fig, but the scared look works too (it is her first battle and she's fighting for her life after all). My other criticism with the figs would be their placement. If you hadn't told us what this vig was I would have thought it was a generic vig of two old friends who have unexpectedly met on the field of battle. With how close they are standing, Gothmog's sword at his side and Eowyn's sword gently resting on it (and her smile) they look happy to see each other. I would move Eowyn back one stud and position them with upraised swords so that they look like they are trying to actually kill each other. That's it really - they are rather minor changes. The tiles vs. studs look is a taste issue. As I said at the beginning of this post it's a well done vig. Just turn Eowyn's head around and put the figs in a more dynamic pose and it should be even better.

This is a nice way of building up orc armies, but I do wish it was designed like the Knight impulse set. There you have a minifig, enough weapons and armor for two figs and a weapons rack made out of basic pieces. Add a generic fig from your collection and you have two knights and the pieces from the rack can be easily used in MOCs. The pieces that make up the siege weapon in the Orc impulse are not as easy to use in other creations. I'd rather have seen a "Orcish" weapons rack (different from the Knights rack, but like it, using basic elements) with a second helmet, another weapon, the Orc armor and a shield to put on it. Still, although not as good as the Knight impulse, it's a nice little set. Where I come from people keep both as pets. However, if either are found in the house uninvited, they are considered pests. And if you look at the Chinese zodiac, rats are very well thought of and are symbols of prosperity. The Brick Mouse Rat

Welcome to Eurobricks, IceMan. It's always good to see another BatFan here. There have been several good suggestions already, but I'll go ahead and share what I've done for henchmen. Catwoman: None. But my version does have her black cat Isis. Killer Croc: None, but if you make a hideout for him a crocodile pet would work. Two-Face: Given his obssesion, I give him just two henchmen at a time using modified thugs from the Batmobile set. For the first set of goons, one was light flesh and one was dark flesh. I've also made minifig versions of Min and Max, the twins from BTAS. Joker: Like Batbrick suggested I've "clowned up" the fig from the Batwing set, but not with Exo-Force hair. I use the two face painted Islander heads from the Pirate theme and call them Punch and Judy. Penguin: My Penguin is accompanied by Jay, Lark and Raven, his henchwenches from BTAS. They use the tuxedo/waiter torso with black hips and light flesh legs. Mr. Freeze: I actually found henchmen for Freeze rather easy to create. I use the generic fig from the Batcave set and switch out the knit cap for an Arctic hood piece in blue. The Riddler: The riddler has several options. 1)Custom make his henchwenches from the comic books, Echo and Query. 2)Make the LEGO type of henchman as has been suggested using a plain green torso. 3)Make the kind of henchmen from the recent 'The Batman' cartoon - The Riddler torso with green hands, green legs and hips and an all green head (you'd just have to customize some white eyes on the head). Scarecrow: I haven't gotten around to making any henchmen for him yet (funny since he's one of my favorite villians), but I think Batbrick has a good idea about using the pumpkin heads. Poison Ivy: She needs plant/men hybrids. I make mine using the Endor Luke Skywalker torso (unfortunately expensive and hard to come by nowadays) with sandgreen arms, hands, hips and legs. For the head use the HP mandrake heads from last years Hogwarts set. Bane: None. Harley Quinn: Mostly she hangs with Joker. And when he kicks her out she pals around with Ivy. But when she had her own comic she actually assembled her own gang. They were all male and dressed exactly like Harley except no facepaint and they each had a number (1-5) one their backs. They were called the Quintets. I'm hoping to eventually get enought Harley minifigs to make my own Quintet gang. Bonus Fig: Black Mask:b] LEGO hasn't made a Black Mask fig yet, but it's really easy. Use a dark suit torso with white hands(gloves) and a black skeleton head. For henchmen make the generic LEGO type with black torso and use the HP deatheater head (the doublesided Lucius Malfoy one). I hope you have your Arkham Asylum by now - it's a great set. As for what to get next? I think Big T had a good suggestion with the Batmobile set. The main Batvehicle with a great villian; it's hard to go wrong with that one.

I do wish Clayface had the ability to form weapons with his hands/arms; nevertheless, I am happy he is in the game. And I agree that he looks strange. If he had been based on Clayface from the more recent 'The Batman' cartoon series, he would look fine as a minifig. But, being based on the look of the BTAS Clayface, he should be the size of the Hagrid minifig or even a little larger. As it is, he looks like a Clayface mini-me. That's not to say I wouldn't want him as a minifig. And if they do make him, I hope that LEGO will make a Clayface version of the new arm piece found in the Agents line and give us a variety of weapons (single mold and brickbuilt), in the same orangey color as Clayface himself, that can fit into said armpiece.

Close, but not quite. Barbara was crippled when the Joker shot her at home. No longer able to function as Batgirl, she became Oracle and now provides intel to Batman (and the superhero community at large) and heads up the all female team, the Birds of Prey. Originally, Oracle worked out of the Gotham clock tower, but last I heard she was working out of an airplane. As for the 6 unknown villians in the LEGO Batman game, here is who I'd like to see: Clayface: with the ability to create weapons from his own body. Ras' al Ghul: an accomplished swordsman (and accompanied by ninja henchmen would be nice). Firefly: a guy who can fly and set things on fire. Black Mask: with his own masked thugs. Maxie Zeus: with lightning bolt staff. Mad Hatter: with mind control ability (imagine Batman suddenly having to fight a mind controlled Robin or ordinary Gotham citizens).

Actually, if you raise the minifigs arms so his hands are next to his head, he'll slide right down into the belly of the beast.

Caption 1: Fresh from 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' and it's ' Close Encounters of the Third Kind' ending, George Lucas totally lost it for Indy 5. Caption 2: "Ack, Fritz! What was in that blue milk that Frau Lars gave us this morning." Caption 3: Harrison Ford: "I don't know which is worse - that Spielberg and Lucas set this movie in the '60s during Woodstock or that they're calling it 'Indiana Jones and the Magic Bong."

Excellent review. I bought (and built) this set on Friday and absolutely love it. I can't say if it is a common or rare mistake, but my box is correct. Yep, you're right - it's been found in Belville sets for years. It's also made appearances in past system sets (Harry Potter springs to mind). I'm glad to see it included here. I'd say it's the same material as the Exo-force hair, but is better molded. It's not as loose as the Exo-force hair, as you note. Actually, the flyer is one of my favorite of the small Agent vehicles. The larger of the 4 wheeled vehicles however seems rather uninspired. I wasn't at all sure of the size of this set, but after building it I can't imagine it being any smaller. Not only my favorite Agents set, but one of my favorite minifig sets of 2008. It has made it to North Carolina at least. However, it wasn't in the LEGO aisle. They replaced all the Indy and Batman merchandise that was displayed at the front of the store with new 2008 LEGO sets.

No, they're set in the '30's. Raiders in 1936, Temple of Doom in 1935, and Last Crusade in 1938.

I picked up this set earlier in the week and was quite pleased with it (in fact I have missions 1-5 and am happy with all of them - this series is much better than the old Alpha Team ever was). I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. I will say 2 things about it now though. 1)My set came with defective instructions. In 2 places pages are missing and duplicates of other pages repeated. For instance, the car instructions are missing steps 16-21. Fortunately, I was able to make out what pieces went where in the missing steps by studying the illustration in step 22. I hope you have better luck with your instructions. 2)This set contains the best LEGO sound brick ever (it's just begging to be incorporated into my Arkham Asylum).

I stopped into the TRU here in Charlotte, NC today and found a bunch of new sets. They had: Agents 8632 Swamp Raid 20.99 USD 8630 Gold Hunt 30.99 USD Batman 7884 Bat-buggy 10.99 USD 7885 Scuba Jet 20.99 USD 7886 Batcycle 34.99 USD 7888 Tumbler 49.99 USD Castle 7048 Troll Warship 79.99 USD City 7736 Coast Guard Quad Bike 6.99 USD 7737 Coast Guard 4WD and Jet Scooter 10.99 USD 7726 Coast Guard Truck with Speed Boat 40.99 USD 7739 Coast Guard Patrol Boat and Tower 60.99 USD Creator 4993 Cool Convertible 49.99 USD 4998 Stegosaurus 49.99 USD Mars Mission 7646 ETX Alien Infiltrator 30.99 USD 7645 MT-61 Crystal Reaper 49.99 USD System 5522 50th Anniversary Building Set