Malikon

Good on you for leaving your purchase at the register and walking out. Spending $600. at a 'toy store' should get you special treatment, not a hard-a** attitude. Not too surprised though,..it's Chicago. You're son makes an interesting observation. I'm 99.9% sure what the unedited observation was,..based on my own experience here the past few years. ...they act like they're doing you a favor and you're in the way. Did she roll her eyes as well? That seems to be very common 'customer service' in this area. Sometimes followed by, "What chu want?" Anyway, shame that happened. I'd planned on checking out the Lego store myself soon,..so thanks for the heads up on what to expect.

I like the vehicle modes, the robot modes leave a bit to be desired proportionally. I picked up Starscream, Megatron and the large Optimus Prime model. The design aspect seems fine to me, the vehicle modes are nice, very thick and solid with tons of layered plates. Honestly I've been picking up the bigger sets mostly because I wanted a good volume of bricks for the price. ...I'm sort of viewing the bricks as clay for my own art projects, so I've just been trying to get a bunch of them at one time. I didn't have Lego as a kid so I don't harbor any true 'purist' feelings. I'm just an artist/musician that recently discovered brick building so I've just been having fun with them. honestly I really don't see much difference between the sets (other then visual), they feel the same, clutch the same, and even make the same sound when you drop them. So far my favorite Lego set is the Creator Treehouse,..I just wish the box was better and the instructions weren't folded in half. ...all I have so far are Creator and City Lego bricks. ...but I've probably got 20 more Lego sets bookmarked and only about 3-4 more Kre-o sets bookmarked. (Enterprise, Devastator and Sentinel Prime) I've actually been somewhat surprised at how reviled Kre-o seems to be,..but then again I was surprised at how large and loyal a following Lego has with adults. The whole 'fandom' aspect of it surprised me really. Like all fandoms though I understand the loyalty, as a guitarist each guitar also has it's own large fanbase. (Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, etc.) as an artist though, .. I just see bricks that make it so I can create stuff at night for fun. Eventually I hope to get together enough black bricks to make a lifesize H.R.Giger 'Alien' head, with a snapping mouth/tongue. ...gonna be awhile before I have that many black bricks though. Hahahaha I noticed the giant black Lego Lord of the Rings tower this week and had to bookmark that one for that reason. I think a lot of those black bricks will come in handy. ...mostly I just see clay in little plastic brick form. The engineering aspects of using them as an art medium is really intriguing to me. It's not just sculpting them into form, but arranging them in a way that's durable and holds together best I really enjoy the challenge of. Fun stuff. I'm glad my GF picked up Lego set 30225 (the seaplane) on a lark. I probably never would've touched a Lego brick if she hadn't done that. ..of course 6 weeks and 6 sets later she may be regretting that. Hahaha

Yes...yes it is. (I'm an East Coast transplant as well.)

I recently got into brick building maybe 6 weeks ago and have amassed a pretty even split between Kre-o and Lego. I see online that Kre-o doesn't seem to be very popular with the die-hard Lego fans, but as someone new to building with these little bricks (and someone who likes Transformers) I had to get a couple sets. One thing I really have positive to say about them, and I only mention this because I see such negative things said, is that they really have great boxes. It's real nice to be able to open them up and use them as a sorting tray for building. I've even started using the boxes when I'm using the Lego brand building bricks because they're so convenient. Not that I'm trying to start any debate or talk bad about either brand, since I have and enjoy both...but I do wish the Lego kits I've bought had better boxes instead of tear open flaps. I've ended up cutting tongue and groove sections into the flaps so I can keep it closed. I imagine a lot of people throw out the boxes and just sort the new elements into their existing collection, but as someone who's new to all this and doesn't have a big collection of parts,..I've been keeping all the kits intact and storing the pieces in freezer bags inside the boxes. This morning I dismantled last nights Kre-O build and as I was sorting the pieces into the box for bagging it really dawned on me how something as simple as having a good box to build out of impresses me. Only own 6 kits at the moment, half and half Lego/Kre-o,...I've been getting a new kit pretty much every weekend for the past 6 weeks. ...this weekend I'm torn between the Creator Mountain Cabin and the Star Wars AT-RT. Anyway just wanted to say for all the negative things I see online about brands that aren't Lego brand,..one area where a "clone" got it very right, imo,..is that Hasbro is putting them in really good boxes that make great sorting trays. Not a problem I'm sure for big collectors, but for someone new to the hobby it really makes a big difference being able to store them and use the box itself as a 'building tool.' I have to admit just the fact I couldn't close the Lego box I found somewhat annoying. (which is why I cut a tongue and groove into the flap.) ..also all the Lego books are creased and folded which makes laying them flat more difficult, they keep wanting to close and I have to 'smoosh' them to stay open. The Kre-o books (at least the 3 I have) all came flat in the box and stay open while building. I know and respect that Lego is the top #1 brand and originator of the brick building toy,..but I have to admit since I find myself paying more for Lego brand I wish the packaging was as good as their competitor. Lego brand is awesome but the packaging and folded instructions leave a bit to be desired.

very cool

Hey welcome! I grew up in Maryland, beautiful state. I'm also in love with the Haunted House, it's highest on my list of Modulars to get.

at the moment Saints Row 4. I want to get the lego Marvel game next, and Watch_Dogs when it comes out.

Liked the movie very much. To be honest I wasn't expecting a story that good. Very much looking forward to the blu-ray and hopefully a ton of bonus features and behind the scenes. ...Metalbeard is awesome, as is his ship.

yeah I'm thinking about it. It's in Schaumburg I think? That's not far from me. ..still trying to figure out how to tell the GF I want to go to a Lego Convention. though she's used to my oddities by now. If you see a guy with a vest and bowler hat walking around (avatar pic) come say, "hello." I tend to dress pretty old fashioned/fancy for a rock n' roll/blues/metal musician. ...but wearing a dirty T shirt and jeans on stage just isn't my style.

thanks for the welcome.

Very cool. I like how it flows and has an organic feel to it. not blocky at all.

ahh the requisite 'welcome' post. My name is Malikon I live in Chicago and play music for a living, and do art as a hobby (and sometimes commission). Never owned Lego as a kid,..though I did play with the neighbors bricks sometimes,..making awful little spaceships for the most part. A few weeks ago for some strange reason my GF picked up set 30225 ( a small seaplane) and it sat bagged next to the computer for a few days. She said it was on clearance for $1. and she knows I like to tinker with things. I used to have a pretty large Transformers collection that I sold a few years ago for a new guitar (though I kept my 9 favorites) and I guess she knew I sort of missed messing with them. Anyway,..I opened the bag up one afternoon and threw the plane together pretty quickly,..it was neat. There's something oddly enjoyable about building things out of these little bricks. So I tore it apart and made a little Mecha figure (once I figured out how to angle and anchor the 'wings') and of course a spaceship and a bunch of other little ideas. Well needless to say within the past week my 'brick collection' has jumped from 37 bricks to about 1,600. (it's about half and half Lego and Kre-O,...couldn't resist Transforming bricks,..I do love TF's and proudly wear a Decepticon tattoo,..and my stage name ending with 'kon is a slight head nod to them as well.) So I started looking around online to see if other adults by chance were into throwing these little bricks together and was ... pretty surprised to see such a large Fandom. Spent the weekend digging around and learning about Brickworld, the Pick a Brick walls, MOC's and other acronyms,...research I suppose. Even contacted a Lego group in Chicago to see if they get together for builds and stuff. (not much luck there but it was nice to talk to someone about this stuff.) After digging through a bunch of messageboards it seems like Eurobricks is pretty active and well modded for the most part. I don't see people tearing into each other too hard or anything,..so I figured I'd join up. I have a couple ideas for builds in the future I'd like to do and I think the Pick a Brick wall is going to be an invaluable resource for pulling together the pieces I need. I'm still a little incredulous that I'm enjoying these so much, but I guess I'm just seeing them as another art medium for building and not so much as "kids stuff." I figure it's all about your point of view. Play-Doh may be for kids,..but clay is a serious medium for sculpting,..so I suppose while the little bricks may be built for kids,..they can also be a serious medium for sculpting as well. It's all in how you look at it. Anyway, glad to be here, seems like a pretty cool place...well organized. Take care and thanks for having me, Malikon