mostlytechnic

Well... I sure hope that we get some actual info today from the block to guide the voting, because right now we've got two normally solid players (Julia and Elijah) strongly barking up the wrong tree in voting for me. And it's hard to defend against, since it's still early in the adventure and I actually have been unusually quiet. Julia - when I was arguing with Delywn, she wasn't yet a confirmed townie. So there's a limit to how much you can hold that against me. Sure, if I was scum I'd have known she was town, but do you think then I'd have been dumb enough to kill her off that night? (and no, I'm not saying I know she was the scum kill - could have been vig kill as well) More importantly though, you're totally taking the discussion out of context to beat me with it. Yes, accusations are thin in the early game. But there's a difference between thin and literally baseless, just like there's a difference between an experienced player making baseless accusations (Delwyn) and a noob doing the same (Perce) - so no, I was NOT being hypocritical. Context makes all the difference. And as for why I was brought up in the list by the town block, it's because anyone being too quiet deserves to be brought out. I haven't been publicly cleared and so yeah, Molly's right to throw my name out there. I've got no problem with that. I do note though how a couple people jumped on that as an excuse to try and start a bandwagon on me... One with poor reasoning and one with no reasoning... Wow, only a few hours left and almost no votes... so I will Vote: Woodcock (bob) because he's one of the few being as quiet or quieter than I have been, and almost all of it fluff.

The first. Just a busy time of year, even when on an adventure such as this, combined with the fact that my observations on past adventures often lead to suspicion of me and arguments that lead us in the wrong directions for too long, so I'm being a bit more reserved on this trip. When I have something worth noting, I'll yell plenty.

Well, I doubt there's really that much to learn yet. Anthony's votes aren't actually helpful. He was the #3 vote on Perce the first day, and yesterday he made a "just because" vote on Elijah. Either just because, or hoping it'd throw suspicion off of his scum mate? No way to tell, so I read zero into that vote. What about the dead townies? Delwyn voted for Quincy and Mike voted for Perce on day 1. And Perce voted for Dr Wynn day 1. But being only a day 1 vote to look at, again, not really much there. I'm mentioning it for thoroughness, but I don't see much value in it.

Really? You weren't the only one? I just reread day 1. Here's what I found: See, some reasoning (being quiet) Too talkative You making an accusation WITH base to it. So you don't always throw out baseless scum reads. A reason for scum-reading. A baseless accusation/vote. And what happened to him? Oh yeah, he got freakin' lynched for it! Accusations with a reason. Another accusation of me, even though he got me confused with someone else. Another (legit) accusation of me for lying low. Now, here's the interesting thing to me. Those posts from Elijah and Ray were back to back. The next post was YOU continuing the accusations on me with literally no reason given. So, a scum trying to build a bandwagon on me? That's pretty much what it looks like to me. As for your claim that day 1 had many people throwing out baseless accusations, I sure didn't find that at all. In fact, yours was the only one I saw (other than the obvious joking stuff with Anthony/Elijah).

You didn't say suspicious. You said scummy. And that was when I had literally made 1 post. What on earth could you find scummy? I never said fluff was town, I meant that fluff is not something to base suspicions on - either way. I'm not saying things without reasoning behind it. That would be your role in this debate I have no problem with you suspecting me. I do have a problem with anyone throwing out scummy accusations without any basis. And I'm not surprised you forgot about me - I didn't post after that one single post on day 1 because of things. So since everyone forgot about me, do you really think I'd come in like this if I was scum? (I know, WIFOM, but still...) Look Delwyn, I have no real read on you either way. And I'm not trying to pick a fight. I'm just looking for people to give explanations of their reads. A read just stated with no reasoning is worthless or worse.

You're right, I did go exaggerating there and I shouldn't have. I apologize. But more importantly... Vote: Anthony Dixon (jluck) Oh, and look how Anthony voted yesterday - the infamous #3 spot on Perce!

How do you say it's not a scum-read when you literally said "I find ewan scummy"??? My point wasn't that you brought up a scum read, it's that you were stating a scum read with NO basis for it. I'd literally made a fluff day 1 post or two and you were calling me scummy from that. Why? If you have a reason, great, share it so we can discuss. But this felt more like just random throw crap out, see if it sticks, and have something to look like you're contributing. I know Anthony was joking; that's why I didn't discuss him. I know you always claim town; that's why I wasn't discussing that. Obvious jokes are fine. I ONLY was critical of you claiming you can't possibly be godfather because you were before. And that's not true. And then after I pointed it out you got defensive and started accusing be of being scummy for pointing out that you lied about facts. I'm not saying he's the godfather. Odds are high that he is not. However, there's always a chance. More importantly, not only has he lied about the odds, now he's twisting my words, accusing me of being scummy, bringing up other things that are off topic, all trying to distract. And THAT IS behavior we can and should analyze. That's the only reason I'm still talking about it. Yes, mathematically speaking he's probably vanilla town. That's the most likely. But his behavior is saying otherwise. Vanilla town don't need to twist and distract when they're accused. How on earth do you get a "good town read" on anyone from day 1? That's just ludicrous.

Ok. Finally here. Sorry about yesterday, got lost in the snow looking for a way out. I'll stick around more from here on out... Now, I caught up on day 1 without looking ahead to today so I could read it like I'd been a part of it. I marked a few things that stood out, and now that I'm caught up on yesterday and today, here's my thoughts (and yes, I understand that I'm now commenting with the benefit of more information including the result of the lynch. This pinged me - not because it was about me, but because it was a scum-read on someone who'd made literally just a couple fluffy day 1 posts. How on earth do you already get a scum read on that? And this - as soon as I saw Perce's random vote I knew he was in trouble, but I understood what he was doing. I've lived lives over on another world known as MafiaScum and they actually call the start of the game "RVS" for Random Voting Stage. Everyone throws out votes for whoever, with no real justification, just to get things started and see how people respond. As a noob to our group, that's basically was Perce was doing, but that's not how we normally act and he got lynched for it. Sorry dude! I can say that I would have been very unlikely to have voted for him for exactly this reasoning. The ONLY way I'd have voted for him was just to prevent a no-lynch, but probably not even then. Especially after he pretty clearly claimed vanilla, I was convinced he was just a struggling newbie and legitimately town. Oh, and this one pinged me yesterday too. You're correct that being a godfather twice in a row is unlikely. But again, THE LAST GAME HAS ZERO INFLUENCE ON THE ODDS IN THIS GAME. I'm following facts and statistics. You're the one spouting common stupidity, because most people SUCK at statistics. You are literally no less (and likewise, no more) likely to be godfather this time because you were last time. You even basically admit that my numbers are right but then call me scum for stating literal objective facts. Oh, and two of us called you on the bad statistics but I'm the one you called scum for it. Guess you already had enough fighting going on with Anthony....

Ditto. Can't believe I was so inactive day 1 - but with playing in multiple performances of a Christmas concert plus kids' stuff over the weekend, I honestly forgot about being in the game. My bad!

This is a terrible method of picking suspects, since some of us are trained vocalists, and some, such as myself, play drums for a reason. I can rock with the best of em, but can't sing worth a hoot. No. This is already mentioned, but no, the past has no impact on the statistics of this life. Your terrible misuse of math makes me suspect you already.

Bah. Here I am, trying to help you all survive, and you LEAVE ME HOME ALONE? Oh wait, that's that crazy movie. I meant YOU LEFT ME OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN? Good thing I came back.

Thanks for the thorough comments! I agree that the set has some limitations, both in construction and realism, but I think they're acceptable given the pricepoint and size. The antenna is definitely ludicrous - I really do suspect they had a surplus of the swords to use up! And yes, the way the steering knob is mounted is loose. I also noticed that the u-joints to the claw are not in the right spot like you mentioned, but didn't include it since it still works fine. That axle coming forward to the claw has a very long unsupported section that does bend a bit when you raise and lower the claw. It works, but is a bit of a cheat that I'm kinda surprised they let through. I just checked and the bucket from 8043 is a couple studs too wide for this set. I'm betting that was seriously considered, but it'd have meant scaling the whole thing up and that would have put it into a higher price point. Or they could have pulled the mold for the 8x14 bucket back out and remade it for this set... I really like the model you built! And that's interesting about the cabs being basically flush with the top but sticking out the side. In image searching as part of my research, I found both that style and ones like this, with the cab sticking up more (like the photo of the Caterpillar one in my review). I wonder if that's a US/European difference, or different types of mining, or what, because both styles definitely exist in the real world.

Lego 42045 Technic Hydroplane Racer Thanks to Lego and EuroBricks for making this review possible! This was supposed to be a preview-review, before the Dec 1 release date for the set, but it got stuck in customs or something and didn't arrive in time. Well, I'd rather do a good, late review than a rushed review, so here it is. Name: Hydroplane Racer Set Number: 42045 Pieces: 180 Price: $19.99 Minifigs: 0 Theme: Technic Year of Release: 2016 Links: Bricklink Brickset The Box Standard Technic box. Action photo, 2-in-1 logo, inset of functions. And the new "try our app" logo in the corner. The Box Back More standard stuff with the B-model and a larger app ad. The Contents 3 bags, two manuals (yes, despite all the ads for their instructions app, they included printed manuals for both the main and B models!), a BIG sticker sheet, and two loose black beams. The Interesting Parts There's a lot of panels in this set. Some are new colors (the blue curved panel) and the L-shaped blue panels are a new mold. I see them being used as mudguards on future sets (or maybe even this year; I haven't looked at the other 2016 Technic sets in detail yet). The hose, soft axle 7 long in black is new as well. The normal 7 axle in yellow is a new color too, and I have no idea why it's in this set. Both models use it in invisible places, so there's no reason other than making it easier to grab the right length axle to have it. I assume other sets this year are using it, but I'm not sure. The Manual And the dumbing-down continues. Now they have to show people to compare axle lengths to the 1:1 prints on the page that have always been there. But how does the 1:1 work on the app? Might have to look into that... (for the record... I pulled out my phone and tried to find the app in the Google store. Couldn't find it. So then I went to the Lego website shown on the page and it had a link to it. Turns out it wasn't showing up because it's tablet only, so Google wasn't showing it to me on my phone. I'll try again later with a tablet...) Starting the Build Two Technic standards. A bunch of pieces linked together to make a specific pattern of holes, and an engine block. Some Weirdness This felt very weird to me - making the crankshaft for the engine, they have you build it right to left. I don't know if it's because I'm a lefty or what, but it felt awkward. I need to look in some old manuals and see if it's always been this way... (nope! I randomly looked at 2013's set 42000 Racer, and it builds it left to right.) Assembling the Core Here's the core of the racer, upside down. The engine block, some gears at each end, and a couple boat studs for smooth gliding. And yes, they cheated and those are only attached on two studs instead of all 4. I'm always amazed at how Lego geometry keeps finding interesting ways that it works. Like here, with those boat studs. They fit perfectly into the bottom of the brick and against the beam. The Front End Up front we get a standard blue seat with a couple "hidden" wheels behind it. A boat doesn't typically have wheels, but these will drive the mechanisms of this model, so we'll let it slide. An odd part choice here though - in the very front there are two tan "axle pin without friction" parts holding that 3 long liftarm on. Why? There's no need in either model for the non-friction pin, and there's lots of the normal blue axle pins in the set. So why include these two different pins? And All Done! It looks like a huge jump here, but it's really not. The front and rear connect to each other, and then a bunch of big panels are added that make the model look WAY bigger. The stickers on this set really make it work. Without them it's pretty bland and boring, so I recommend using them. From the Rear At the back we have a fan to propel the boat. That's not so accurate. All the images I can find of real-life boats use props in the water. But since this is a non-floating model, we have to make some tweaks I guess. There also should be fins going down into the water for stability and hydroplaning, but again, had to drop that. Here's an example of a real boat: You can see they nailed the overall look quite well. The Underside For those that want to see the mechanicals, here's the underside of the model. Minifig Scale Technic? Nope, not quite. A fig will fit the seat, but sticks out of the cockpit and can't fit a helmet at all. So close... Starting the B Model Again with the engine block, but this time an opposing 4 instead of inline. An Odd Part It's rare for Lego to include parts specific to the B-model, so I was curious when I found this 2-axle with pin, a fairly new part. In the main model, it's used in a place that a normal 3 pin would have been fine, and it's the only one of these in the whole set, so it obviously must be needed in the B-model. Sure enough, there's an assembly here that needs it: The Front of the Boat More upside-down building. And that silver piston is basically only there as a spacer. It has no real function. (Yet.... it turns out later an axle goes into it, so it's a support for one end of the axle.) Adding the Wheels We keep building around the engine. This model uses the same wheel setup as the main model. Taking Shape The B-model instructions tell you to put the stickers on in case you haven't - they actually did a good job making the sticker work on either model. But the silver piston used as a cross-brace is a bit weird. It can spin, so that axle hole on the side ends up facing whatever way it wants. The Back End The flex axles are used here under the panels just for appearance and to support the exhausts at the right angle. Same fan propulsion as the main model, and just as wrong here :) Worse, the gearing is switched. In the main model, the pistons and fan spin pretty quickly as you push the boat across the floor. In this one, they turn very slowly. More Instruction Weirdness I'm always curious at how Lego decides to do instructions. Here's how the panels on one side of the boat are assembled. For the mirror image on the other side, they tell you to put all 3 pins into the short panel as step 1 (2 black and a blue), add the white piece as step 2, and then add teh second panel and stickers as step 3. Why two different ways? All Done Here's a similar angle as most of the official images. Looks ok. I noticed though how obvious the wheels are. The back of the box image is a lower angle that hides them more. And I like the mudguard panels as seats. Pretty clever. From the Side I'm not fond of the profile. It doesn't sit level like I think it should. The wheels are a stud too low sticking out of the bottom. The Underside Like most B-models, there are compromises. There's pins and axles sticking out, but that's what you do when faced with a limited piece selection. Minifig Scale Yet? Nope, not quite. A bit too big this time. I think the driver is supposed to sit in the seat with knees over the front of the guard (where the grey pin is). So the minifig is way too small. Spare Pieces Very few leftovers in this B-model. The Conclusion So, what's my conclusion on this model? The B-model is fairly meh, and too similar to the main model. However, I LOVE the hydroplane racer itself. It looks great and is very swooshable. For the price, it's surprisingly large thanks to the big panels on the sides, Yes, this is one set that really needs the stickers to look good, but they look great and are well worth putting on. The Ratings Value: 9/10 - Close to 10 cents a piece, and a fairly large model for the price. Design: 9/10 - Looks great other than the tiny fan on the back. Minifigs: n/a - I was tempted to give a score since a minifig almost fits, but that'd be cheating. Playability: 8/10 - Not much functionality other than the engine and fan spinning, but very swooshable and sturdy enough to be played with. Parts: 9/10 - A bunch of panels (including some new ones), just about every kind of Technic pin, and quite a few thin liftarms . Overall: 9/10 - The set is a solid winner, as long as your satisfied with the main model.

Lego 42049 Mine Loader Thanks to Lego and EuroBricks for making this review possible! This was supposed to be a preview-review, before the Dec 1 release date for the set, but it got stuck in customs or something and didn't arrive in time. Well, I'd rather do a good, late review than a rushed review, so here it is. Name: Mine Loader Set Number: 42049 Pieces: 476 (I think) Price: $39.99 (I think) Minifigs: 0 Theme: Technic Year of Release: 2016 Links: Bricklink Brickset The Box Another standard Technic box, not that there's anything wrong with that. It is a littler weird that the mine loader is shown OUTSIDE the mine, but whatever. The Back of the Box Again, very standard. It's oddly technical, showing the exact angle of the machine when turning, but that's the sort of nerdy detail that Technic people like. The alternate Mine Cutting Machine model looks interesting and unusual as well. The 1:1 Part The 1:1 part on the top of the box is especially helpful with this set. These mining machines are very oddly proportioned, since they need to fit in mine tunnels, so it's hard to judge the model size based on the wheels or seat like you can an ordinary set. The Contents You get manuals for both models (a single book for the B and two books for the main), a medium size sticker sheet, 4 bags, and 4 loose tires. The Special Parts This set has 4 of the new mudguard panels in yellow, two cylinder halves in red (a new color), some of the new color red and yellow axles, a couple of the new-ish Technic spacers, some of the axle-pin combination pieces, and a couple swords! I'm pretty sure that's "an antenna" and a spare. The Start of the B-Model Since I like the main model better, I'm building the alternate first, so that's how I'll write the review. There's "power" for something (probably the engine) being taken off the one axle here. Overall, a pretty standard Technic frame beginning with some structural beams, a frame, and using liftarms to support axles out to the sides. More of the Frame The far end of the model has some obvious steering mechanism being formed, as well as a pivoting arm right in the center that's probably the connection from the Hand of God knob. The Steering Yup. Called it. Oddly, there is a different turning radius between right and left right now. I wonder if that'll get fixed... More Mechanisms That's looking more Technic now. Sad to see a u-joint being used just as a fixed straight connection like that, but it is the alternate model... The Engine Block Because all engines should be enclosed in a red cylindrical housing, am I right? The Chassis It's definitely coming together now. And yes, the B-model instructions tell you to put the stickers on. It doesn't matter whether you build the main or alternate first, you'll get the stickers on (almost - there were a couple leftover that didn't get used in the B-model). Almost Done With the rest of the body done and the wheels on, you really get the scale of this machine. That blue seat is tiny compared to the rest of it! And yes, the uneven steering lock got fixed. After putting the wheels on, you add a couple of "pin with ball" pieces to the underside to restrict the steering. They didn't do that at first so that you could turn the axles sharper while putting the wheels on, which made it easier to do. The Grinder Keeping in mind the scale of the machine, this thing looks terrifying! The tan gear at the back drives the spinning blade up front. The red bushes near the turntable let you adjust the angle. All Done The arm quickly attaches to the body and it's done. Sadly, that tan gear doesn't connect to anything - it's just a knob so you can spin the blade by hand. Raise Your Hand, If You're Sure... (I think I'm dating myself with that title...) This thing has massive reach. I'm imagining this inside a mine, grinding away the rock overhead. Pretty viciously effective machine! The crank on this side of the model is used to raise and lower the arm. Works well, and the grey spacer makes it nice to use since it spins freely. The Leftovers Not much left for a B-model. Nice usage! Starting the Main Model The main model starts similarly to the alternate, with a frame, some axles, and a drive connection from one axle to something later. Getting Complicated Already We're only a few pieces in and we already have three separate gear trains going on. There's the axle driving the tan beveled gears inside the frame at the bottom. There's more tan gears in the middle, and there's also a black gear sticking up as a knob that turns the grey connector in the center. The Body is Done I skipped ahead quite a bit, but it was a bunch of standard Technic building. You've got a fake engine with fan at the back, driven by one of the rear wheels, a knob sticking up for steering, and an axle coming forward to open and close the claw. The Claw! I like that they used a link system to open and close the claw instead of just gearing it. The axle comes forward from the chassis (it's the red axle) with a couple u-joints for flexibility and drives a worm gear. That rotates a gear below with a 2 stud liftarm on each side. Those arms have pin with towball in them and then a link going from that short liftarm to the claw. It's a small rotation of the liftarm, but makes the claw open widely and works very well. Raising the Claw A few black liftarms join the claw to the body of the loader and allow it to move up and down. It's a simple mechanism there - one yellow beam goes back and connects to a lever that lets you raise and lower the claw. When raised (as shown), the lever locks in place by going just slightly past the centerline. And It's Done Add some wheels, a cab, and some wheel arches and we're done. It's a great looking machine, pretty unique, and looks like the real thing. The main difference from reality is these usually have a scoop for moving loose rock. Since we've had so many scooping vehicles in the past (tracked loaders, the Volvo L350F, excavators, etc) the claw here is a fun change and adds to the playability for kids. Like the real thing, the body stays very low so the cab only has to stick up a little bit for the driver to see all around, because mines are cramped and busy areas. From the Rear This angle is great. I love the use of the new mudguard panels to make a nice curve to the back of the loader. The antenna is a little weird, but perhaps they had a big pile of flat silver fencing swords to use up. The black gear just to the left of the antenna is the claw control. Rotating that gear opens and closes it. The back end is a little lighter than a real machine would be, but Lego wanted to leave the engine exposed so you can see the cylinders moving. The Conclusion So, what's my conclusion on this model? I like it a lot. It's simpler than a big set would be, but it's got lots of design and playability crammed in a mid-sized set. It's a unique vehicle. However, it does have a few flaws. The steering on the main model needs some drag added. As is, you basically have to drive by holding the steering knob since it'll bend if you push it from behind. I don't like the use of pin with pin hole as mounting points for the orange and red trans plates for lights, since they can turn slightly and be at weird angles. The antenna is unnecessary and in the way. But none of these flaws are dealbreakers or even big deals. They're minor. The Ratings Value: 10/10 - Less than 10 cents a piece, lots of useful liftarms and such, nothing too weird or single-use. Design: 9/10 - Looks very realistic for the size of the set, good functionality, not too dependent on stickers Minifigs: n/a - n/a Playability: 9/10 - Controls aren't perfect (loose steering, small knob for claw control) but very functional and cleverly done. Parts: 9/10 - Nice selection, although heavy on the standard yellow and black. Almost zero studded parts. Overall: 9.5/10 - It's a great intro to Technic set - a unique vehicle, good functionality, nice part selection, and decently priced. I like it a lot and plan to keep it around as a finished set.

1.) Have you played in a Mafia game before? If not, do you get how it works? Nope. I made up my sig for fun, since you all look so cool with your game history there. 2.) Will you be pretty free to play for however long this plays out (excluding the week of the 22nd, of course)? Probably. Barring alien abductions. 3.) Rate, from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, how upset will you be with me if I don't get these pictures and days out on a totally prompt schedule (these pictures take a long time to edit)? I'm cranking out 2 Technic reviews (of both A and B models) in 2 days, so there's no excuses! 4.) If, in case you get angry, take it out on Danny, yea? Why not both of you? That's the point of team hosting, right? 5.) If you were in a plane crash, what magical destination (like in Lost) would you prefer it crash on? None. Magical destination always seem to have something terrible going on. 6.) Is Scotland, or is it not, the most peaceful and beautiful place in the entire world? Wouldn't know; I haven't been everywhere in the entire world.

No invite for me this year. Not spending enough I guess :) Also possible I've gotten flagged as a speculator, since I buy mostly the big stuff in the store. Small sets I'll get at walmart/target/amazon when on sale, so my lego direct purchasing is mostly modulars, exclusives, holiday, etc. And I do indeed do some of that - some of my purchases are for me and my kids (you don't even wanna see my basement!) but I also have about $10k worth in my garage in sealed boxes, waiting for them to be discontinued. The past years (I've gone every year except 1) my in-store spending was many thousands of $$$, plus a few thousand more online. Enough spending that I'd get the annual modular building PLUS more 100% free with my VIP points. Right now my VIP balance is $65 and that feels SO low! But yeah, that does seem a bit underwhelming this year, especially since that's basically the same deal that everyone gets the rest of the day (calendar, gingerbread house, etc). you just get the very nice bonus of avoiding crowds! In past years when I've gone, many of us just picked a place on the floor to start stacking stuff and bought whole piles of sets. It was fun :) Our store had a nice mix of afols, parents with kids, etc. I'll probably go when the store opens - still avoid the crowd, and my wife really wants that gingerbread house :)

Thanks, this was fun to watch but very frustrating. I would have done so much differently if I was in the game and probably gotten lynched quickly :) Day 1, I would have pushed for the cop/watcher combo. In this scenario, that would have acted like a cop/doc combo in a normal game. Cop could have claimed once a scummo was found (or a know townie was about to be lynched) and the watcher could have watched them, effectively preventing the scum from killing the cop that night. Might have only bought 1 more night for the cop, but it'd have made claiming a bit less likely. And with so few players, 1 more night would likely be all that was needed. That seems to me more helpful than HOPING that a tracker happens to catch the scum killer. Day 2, I agree with whoever suggested no lynch. I know that's a forbidden suggestion around here and practicly grounds for a policy lynch with some of you, but in this game, you shouldn't have lynched. There wasn't going to be enough days to learn much from voting patterns. And with only a handful of players, EVERY townie life was very valuable. I don't think the little that could be learned from the lynch was worth it when day 1 lynches are so rarely accurate.Heck, go look at the votes now that the scum are known. Def voted alone for medium, and DF was about 3/4 of the way down the wagon on dragonator. Neither is normal scummo spots. But this is sorta why I really liked watching this game. Being so different (very little night actions, no PMs, short) means the normal ways of playing don't necessarily work and it pushes people to play differently. About that ending though... I'm one of those evil hoarders. You should see my garage - probably close to $10k in lego BNIB stored there. I've sold off most of the old stuff - now I've mostly got a handful each of the more recent modulars, etc, that I'm waiting for prices to go up on. Your photos made me drool though - I WISH I had 20 each of Cafe Corner and UCS MF.!!!

Looks to me like it comes apart in floors like a modular, not hinged like the Haunted House was. I looked and can't see any vertical seam where it could open, but there ARE what appear to be horizontal seam - the red lifting off the grey lowest floor, and the root coming off for sure. If you look at the sidewalk, it's all alternating tiles, with no spot to open. You can also see that the seam between the two baseplates is tiled across, so no seam there to hinge open.

another reserve, confirming that i'm paying attention.

Translate this from Doglish to English: "Rimage ris everything. Re're the reatest retectives!" Image is everything. we're the greatest detectives. Did you cheat on the translation? No, why would I? I've got little kids. That's as clear as plain English to me! What character from 'Scooby-Doo: Where are you?' do you identify with the most? Dang, got pieces of each. Love food as much as Shaggy (and a bit of a slacker), smart like Velma (and wear glasses, and I'm a scientist by trade), got some of Fred's dorkiness, but I guess not a lot of Daphne in me. Do you have time to actually participate in the game for next few weeks? Yep. I will be out of town this coming Tuesday the 13th if it's actively going that quickly, but otherwise, no problem. If a lottery happens and you aren't selected, do you want to be on reserve list? Yes please!

Oh, it certainly was - but how does a bug THAT bad even get onto the disc version and not fixed long before? Minor, obscure bugs are one thing, or adding features... but bugs so massive, gamebreaking, and hit so many players that they actually make the FAQ on the Dimensions website... that's a whole different thing.

Bought this for WiiU. I was surprised by the issues we've had... Granted, my boys were impatient and didn't want to wait the estimated 19 minutes to let the game update when we first started it up. So we went straight in, not realizing that there was a GAME BREAKING BUG 5 minutes into the game! If you don't update, and you remove Batman from the portal at any time, then it'll never let you build the Batmobile. So you're stuck there forever. I had to google and found out it was a bug and to let the game update. There also were differences between the onscreen instructions for building the portal and the printed booklet. Dunno if those were fixed in the patch or not. And then annoyingly, when you installed the patch, and loaded your "stuck" saved game, it restarted the game and you have to sit through those non-skippable cutscenes introducing the characters and redo the beginning of the game. Then later, partway through the Wizard of Oz section, it completely froze up the WiiU. Had to force the system to power down. Just seems like a bit of polish was missing from the usual Lego standards... but the figs and game still seem awesome. I'm sure we'll have a blast with it!

See, I told you it made TOTAL sense for the scum watcher to be a thing! And yet you tried to lynch me over it... @#%$@# Federation people....

I'm going with the Ood from Dr Who - you're so subtle with the hints there...

Dang! Way too not awake yet to process everything.... but.... Yes, I really was the vig and I really did forget to submit my last night action to kill bob until Monday morning Dealing with sick kids all weekend and I literally forgot I was the freaking vig and needed to do something! So then I woke up Monday, thought oh crap, saw PMs from the block and the hosts and sent it in really quick. Thanks for a little grace on that one JJP and DLL! Not that it really mattered... Glad I was right on my scumread on Stig and that my scum-tell of splitting the vote still holds true! Now it won't work anymore since the scum team WILL do like Hinck said... but it worked this time. Thanks for a fun game!!! I definitely was more emotionally into it than normal, almost up to Hinck-levels of stress over the game!