jonwil

Great bank. Looks like its the sort of branch that was originally a branch of one of the many smaller banks the ANZ has swallowed up over the years. (as seen on the large display on the wall of the ANZ Banking Museum in Melbourne)

Do any of the custom parts sites make the kind of rifles/pistols/revolvers that would have been common in Britain and her colonies in the early-mid 1800s or something similar enough to be a good substitute?

Nice dentist. Where did you get the hair?

Have either the new police station or the new police command truck been spotted yet?

I love the motorbike and the mechanic guy with the cool torso with the oil stains. Both will look good in my City stuff.

In the Grand Emporium, the window washer guy is in book #3, not book #1 with all the other figs.

My guess is that the long lead time (being that this stuff likely has to come in on container ships) means that its not worth it for LEGO NZ to order more product in since by the time it gets to NZ, the stores wouldn't be as interested anymore (I suspect it wouldn't arrive until after xmas at this point) But yeah, just find someone in .au willing to buy sets for you from wherever they are on sale next and send em to you.

I would have thought that if retailers think they can sell more sets, they would have gone to LEGO NZ and said "how many would we have to buy from you to make it worthwhile bringing more in.

Great looking studio apartment you got there.

I wasn't gonna get the Elf but now that I read this, I will have to get at least 1, maybe 2 just so I can use it (unmodified since I dont modify LEGO) for some Vulcan ideas...

I suspect any part that contains paint (as opposed to printing) such as the motorcycle, wings and headgear may well be made in China. But from the sounds of it, TLG have worked to get the plastic quality up to a higher standard for those elements.

The HP is around everywhere in Australia so if you cant find it in kiwiland, you could always find someone in .au to ship some across the pond :)

For some reason I cant help but think an air compressor of some sort would fit in this store. And BOC do make air compressors.

In my case I was able to get the City Public Transport from TRU here in Australia for a price that was less than what Shop @ Home would have cost (once you count the shipping) And I was able to acquire the Pig Farmer impulse and both Kingdoms impulses from TRU for far less than it would have cost to go to Shop @ Home (shipping would have been expensive even for small items)

For anyone on the fence about buying the Grand Emporium, BUY IT. I just finished assembling mine and it is the BEST set I have bought in years, beating both the Town Plan and the Emerald Night.

I think there is a new sword thing, not sure though.

The only reason I ever buy from TRU is if they have an exclusive (like the City Public Transport) or if they are the only ones with a set in stock (like the Kingdoms impulse sets were at the time I bought them) or on the rare occasion they have something thats actually cheaper than other stores.

Does anyone have a good closeup picture of the new weapons in this line?

Now THAT is cool. Best Technic airplane I have ever seen.

Note that this year (unlike last year) those of us in the west should get the same 5pm to 9pm hours as everyone else (since our laws recently changed to allow this)

I think the 2 x 2 corner panel piece is a new piece, I have not seen it before in any sets (and its not listed in the Bricklink database). Its a cool part though and I would like a couple in black, yellow, white and other base colors :) The new map is cool (but now I need to add yet another part to my list of "maps I need to obtain in order to have every map ever made" list :( ) The changed arch mould is in some of the new HP sets too btw. Mechanic minifig is great as is the professor. And its not a purse he is carrying, its a shoulder bag, same as Indiana Jones in the IJ sets. Damnit, the more info on Pharaho's Quest, the more I want it. Plus I want the new Atlantis And I want a Diagon Alley And I want new City And I want a new mobile phone I need more money :(

Why do I get the feeling that obtaining all the Snowboarders I want will be hard :(

oops, yeah it was 250 not 150.

Haven't seen it mentioned but David Jones has a sale on right now. Fire Brigade is down from $200 to $150 (good chance to pick one up if you want one) Some other stuff was on special too (some city fire, some trains and maybe others, I forget, it was mostly City though) Also of note was that there was one Grand Emporium on the shelf at the Perth CBD store (which is now mine :). Price tag was still $250. If you want one and you know of a David Jones that has one in stock, BUY IT NOW (even if you put it on lay-by and pay it off over time). I can pretty much guarantee there is no way you will get a Grand Emporium cheaper than this unless you happen to know someone who can pick one up from the USA without the high shipping costs. Anyone who missed out on a Green Grocer, Grand Carousel or VW Beetle because they waited too long in hopes of a sale will know what I am talking about :)

If you want a Kingdoms advent calendar, you could try and find someone in Australia who can get you one.