jonwil

Crowds weren't too bad at the stores I went to today. Still no sign of either of the Space Police III impulse sets or any new indy here in the west. Everything else (including Spongebob, Pirates and MMV at Target and the new Lamborghini) has appeared. Good stock of AT-OTs at both K-Marts I visited, they had the Death Star (one or 2 of each) but it was behind the counter at the service area instead of being on the shelf. Only other item I didnt see was the giant brick box (one K-Mart was sold out and offered me a raincheck though) The Xmas lay-by on all these items (Death Star, AT-OT etc) is a good move by K-Mart, it means they dont need stock on the shelf for people who want todays prices with Xmas delivery.

Nice job on the buildings. the Pizzaria reminds me of the one in the new City Corner set. I especially like the way you did the ATM (with the security camera) and the gas station (there are still gas stations like this in country areas here in Australia)

Those look great (especially the night vision goggles) Those Night Vision Goggles would go perfectly with the Particle Gun and Particle Pack as a set of Ecto Goggles :)

Spotted some new Racers in the Toyworld in Subiaco earlier today, specifically the yellow Lamborghini and that new racers set that has 2 of the fold-out track pieces. No sign of anything else new in that store (still had stock of the Market Street though) Nothing new in the Big W I went to either (no sign of any Space Police here in the west yet)

I am glad I was able to acquire the 8466 and the 8448 new-in-box for my collection. The 8448 was the set that brought me out of my dark ages.

Wouldn't surprise me if they are holding the sets back so that they dont have everyone buying them before the sale starts (leaving them with no stock when the sale hits)

Anyone seen the Space Police III impulse sets yet (or heard about them appearing anywhere?) They may appear at Big W when the rest of the SPIII appears (just before the sale next week), the catalog doesn't list them but it does list "impulse sets" with a couple of them displayed.

Still no sign of any Indy or Creator product (which is why I am glad I have my Cemetery Battle arriving in the next few days or so from New Zealand) Just hope the Space Police impulse sets appear sometime soon so I can become impulse set complete :)

Definitely Black Seas Barracuda. First great pirate set and it was reissued too (I had the original when I was a kid, shooting canons and all and bought the reissue when it came to the local TRU)

BTW, that white part was first seen in Black as a scuba flipper for the technic figs (I have a pair of them myself along with the air tank and diving mask but not the actual fig)

K-Mart in Inaloo had nothing new except maybe some Star Wars (I dont pay attention to that) The target there did have the Spongebob Squarepants emergency room

can any Aussies suggest appropriate sources for what you need to do this? I have some pieces that could do with it.

Lets hope that the release of Space Police includes the release of the 2 small impulse sets (the last items I need to be "impulse set complete")

If I found drugs like that I would report it to the cops just because A.I don't like illegal drugs or those who take, purvey or sell them and reporting this guy ensures that he goes to whatever jail, work camp, gulag, prison, gaol or other institution people in his area go to for drug dealing (sending drugs through the mail counts as drug dealing in most places) and B.Telling the cops is better than trying to hide the evidence and risking getting in trouble later. As for the LEGO, it might be cool to build something with it and then take that with me on my next holiday, just to show how ridiculous modern "security theater" is after the drug sniffer dogs pick it up (and then the security guys examine it and my other luggage with a fine tooth comb and don't find any drugs at all, just the residues)

I had exactly the same thought.

Nice one, looks good.

Its not about the cost, its about the fact that you kiwis have product on the shelf now but us Aussies will likely have to wait months for the same products.

Well I was given a quote from the NZ thread of NZD100 for the City Corner and NZD50 for the cemetery battle. Given that the CC is AUD99 on shop.lego.com and given that you need < 1 AUD to get 1 NZD, the prices in NZ seem to be better than those in AU. Of course, that assumes you dont end up being hit for extra money by customs if you buy from NZ (I have no clue if you wold on that or not). The hard part is finding a way to transfer money to NZ that doesn't suck.

Looks even more like we need to find a way to buy this stuff from across the pond in kiwiland (the only problem for me is finding a way to send money to NZ that doesn't require sending a physical letter (cash, money order etc) or using PayPal (because I refuse to use them after previous bad experiences)

That doesn't mean the stuff wont be in selected retailers earlier than that. LEGO Australia likely cant reveal details of exclusivity agreements they have with retailers. In any case, given that the cemetery and the city corner are already available across the pond, I will try and get hold of copies from there.

Ok, given that these sets arent likely to be out in Australia anytime soon (City Corner and Cemetery Battle), I would like to see about possibly ordering both sets from someone in New Zealand. What I want for this to work is someone from New Zealand who: 1.Can accept payment (in AUD, NZD or anything else, I will pay in whatever) without using PayPal (as they are on my personal black ban list because of previous bad experiences with them) and without the need to send a physical letter (e.g. money order or cash-in-the-mail). If there is a way to directly transfer money from my bank account, that would work, as would a way to pay via VISA, as would other electronic transfer options. 2.Is willing to buy the City Corner and Cemetery Battle, unpack them, repack them with as little empty space as possible (but keeping the bags unopened and the instructions and stickers intact so they wont get damaged in the post) and send them to Perth, Australia using International Air 3.Can give me a pre-quote in whatever currency so I know exactly how much I need to pay. and 4.Can do all this with no major delays (i.e. if you wouldn't be able to buy and send it for 3 weeks, dont bother) Also, if the person can get hold of the 4899 Tractor (I dont know exactly how you can get one in NZ, just that you can) I will buy one of those too. EDIT: If you can help, contact me via the contact options in my profile. Oh and mods, if this is in the wrong place, please move it somewhere appropriate.

Does anyone have any information or rumors on the actual release date (not what the catalog says) for any of the following in any shop (depending on when these will hit, I may want to have some kiwis get some for me): City Corner Indiana Jones Cemetery Battle Creator Family Home Space Police impulses K-9 bot & Space Speeder These are the 4 sets that are on my "must buy" list, if they arent going to come to our neck of the woods anytime soon, I may have to go ahead and do a Shop @ Home order to get me some (i.e. City Corner)

Does anyone have any information or rumors on the actual release date (not what the catalog says) for any of the following in any shop: City Corner Indiana Jones Cemetery Battle Creator Family Home Space Police impulses K-9 bot & Space Speeder These are the 4 sets that are on my "must buy" list, if they arent going to come to our neck of the woods anytime soon, I may have to go ahead and do a Shop @ Home order to get me some (i.e. City Corner)

If I was to do it I would be waiting until the City Corner appears as thats the one I really want. In any case from the info I have and from what I know about the way LEGO retailing works in Australia, I expect the reason we havent seen the new stuff yet is that everyone (including Lego Australia and the big retailers) are waiting for the mid-year school holidays and the mid-year toy sales. Saw the 2 castle sets (and the construction guy creator set) in another Toyworld today (and the Market Street) but even at $60, the Castle Drawbridge just isn't worth it. Anyone know of contact details for Lego Australia so we can ask them for info straight from the horses mouth about the release date of the new stuff (Star Wars, Indy, City, Pirates etc)? Worst that can happen is that they dont give us a usefull answer :) Or failing that, anyone in good with someone who works at a Toyworld or something and can find out from them about the release dates of this stuff?

With all the availability of new sets over there in kiwi land and the total lack of anything here in oz, maybe its worth finding someone over there who can buy some sets and send them over here :)