mostholycerebus

I saw this at Toys R Us today too, in line for the 'Ghost' microbuild. The most exciting thing about 250 pieces with no minifigs for $35 was the troll on the cover of the castle set.

They all crack eventually. You play with your beloved space guys, fighting aliens with your antennas, exploring brave new tables and loveseats, making kitchen-livingroom-frontroom runs in under 12 parsecs, dodging gigantic sistermonsters, and one day, the chinstrap cracks. You freak out. Elmers glue does nothing. But its OK, only a slight oxygen leak. You just have to take it easy, and top-up the airtanks at base more often. But space isnt 'easy'. One gravity fluctuation and BAM, chinstrap hanging out like a half-ripped-off toenail, and just as painful to the psyche. Catching on every fiber of couch, in clothes, tangling in the carpet. Until finally that dangler goes and all thats left, the final indignity, YOU snap off the last half of the chinstrap. Because NO chinstrap is better than half right? WRONG. All you're left with is a mono color generic lego guy, and everywhere you go people ask "Why does this scuba guy have a motorcycle helmet on?" Everyone. Cracks. In Space.

Looks terrible. No way i'll buy this for $130 MSRP. $100 MSRP, maybe, that means I can get it on the street for $65-$75. More and more of these LotR sets make me think " I shoulda just bought another Helms Deep and expanded it." I seriously dislike the layout, like all of us AFOLs, but I have learned from my 5yo son: sets I hate because they are 'incomplete' looking just mean its easier for him to play from all angles. His favorite set is Goblin King Battle, which I almost threw in the garbage because its such an ugly hodge-podge.