Rob Klingberg

Wow, how did I miss this thread until just today? Great work, daystar! I love how your plans and work are evolving. Question: do you have a plan to also add roads/intersections? (update) Just found the road models on your blog-- very nice! -Rob

I love the door! Agree the scene looks much better with it. I also like the idea you're proposing-- when do you plan to build a corner module? I would be very interested to see the layout of that-- by setting the building so far back (which I do like), it would seem you would have little or no space left for a corner building. I'm interested to see how you solve this! Brick on! --Rob

Finally decided to pick up the Death Star using Double VIP points. I bought it for my son, even though he's only six years old. I plan to keep it in the attic until he's old enough to really enjoy building it with me. I know they will soon stop making the kit, and I'd rather buy it now than spend 3-4x to buy it when he's ready! Now it will just be a test of my will to see if I can resist cracking the box and building it in secret.... --Rob

Great review, thank you for posting. I am a big fan of the Architecture sets but have been on the fence about this one. If you're a fan of the Architecture series, you have a different definition of what constitutes expensive since the average price point on all of the sets in this series is much higher than with other sets. That said, I still haven't found a way (yet) to justify this purchase. The building itself doesn't "wow" me like the Imperial Hotel or Robie House did-- I'm speaking mostly of the real-life building as I think the set does capture much of the appearance and features of the original. Still thinking, still looking at it up on the shelf at the LEGO Store, still pondering October Double VIP Points...... --Rob

Just supported! So well done. I love all the detail, I love the scale, and I love the flexibility/modularity. I'd even be willing to buy the plans from you today! --Rob

Beautiful job! I love the overall appearance, and you've captured the proportions well. Still neeed to look at this a bit longer to decide how I feel about the "hair-trees" but I definitely give you points for creativity. Right now I'm leaning toward liking the trees! --Rob

Thanks for the feedback-- I too have questions about FLL experience as my daughter (4th grade) will be starting on our school's first team this coming Wednesday (Minnesota). I love that FLL seems to take the LEGO team experience to the next level by building robots and competing. I also love that it gives kids (especially girls!) in lower school an outlet for their urge to build and create. Good point about the EV3 vs. NXT. I will need to ask about that! I hope they will be using EV3.... --Rob

I love Garratts! Always great to see them done well in LEGO. Do you have video of the loco in motion? --Rob

Ever since BrickLink was sold, I have been waiting nervously to see if any other "shoes" dropped (i.e., things changed for the worse). It looks like the new owners are mounting a legal battle against anyone who uses their API's or even their naming convention. One would hope the owners would make their taxonomy freely avalable, as it has to a large extent become the industry standard. There is still a lot of money to be made for the owners from contnuing to preserve the marketplace as a vibrant community-- if they start nitpicking and clamping down on other members of the ecosystem, it will be very unfortunate. Keeping fingers crossed and still hoping for the best.... --Rob

This set has been giving me fits ever since I first saw it-- to buy, or not to buy? I've bought and have been a huge fan of all the previous sets in this series, but I'm struggling with the cost of this set, especially since I don't get any "buildings". I do like the mechanical features, though. Hmm, hmm, hmm. We'll see how good Santa thinks I've been this year!

Every once in a long while, a build comes along that I can't stop looking at. A build where I truly cannot even contemplate the energy, passion, design, and precision that went into making it. This is one of those models-- I don't even know what else to say but WOW. Simply amazing job. If you would be interested in having small LEDs inside each of those guns that fired in random succession, please contact me. I'd love to help. --Rob

This looks like a beautiful model. I hear what people are saying about the stickers, but I actually see that as an opportunity to mod the ship so instead of having a small number of brick-built container stacks, you actually had individual containers you could add/remove. Will definitely keep my eye on this one for possibilities.... --Rob

Well done! I like this because it doesn't look like a Lego model at first glance-- it looks like a detailed scale model. The details from the door handles down to the underbody hoses and equipment are just amazing. And of couse I can't forget to congratulate you on integrating the DCC with sound, etc. I love Lego models with DCC and all its possibilities integrated. --Rob

Excellent job, LT12V! The Kof is one of my favorite little engines, and you have replicated it beautifully. I especially like the lights! (Lights are always one of my favorite features of trains) If you would be interested in some smaller pre-mounted SMD LEDs that would fit inside the headlight bricks without visible wires, let me know. I'd be happy to send you a couple! --Rob

Wow, more fantastic work!

Another great creation, 'tuwar'! You have a talent for creating interiors-- I love the furnishings and all the details you put inside your buildings. Brick on!

Great job, 'mtrkustoms'! I love this effect. Where did you put the battery inside the car, and how much runtime do you get from the battery? It would be great to see a full train with these lights, in video!

Excellent job, 'tuwar'-- the building is so detailed, right down to pictures hanging on the interior walls! This is one of the best LDD models I've seen in a long time-- so good in fact that I wish I had more bricks so I could build it myself! I would agree the lights on the front would look better if moved down to the first level, and I might also add more windows in the first floor bathroom and kitchen. Overall, though, a wonderful job!

If there was any confusion on this point, the box can in fact be easily open and re-closed. I am storing the parts inside the box right now-- it is a sturdy box and can easily be opened and securely re-closed. That is one of the "plus" aspects of the set.

Thank you for posting such a thorough and informative review. I went out on impulse and bought the set the day after it came out at B&N. I've since spent some time with it and believe the book is the biggest reason for picking up the set. I'm by no means a student of architecture, but always interested to learn-- the book is extremely high-quality and it is packed with excellent, thought-provoking information. Long-term, I think it will increase my enjoyment of the set quite a bit (I haven't made big progress in the book-- I went right for the bricks of course!). I do agree that more storage boxes could have been provided-- I'm the kind of builder who likes to have all pieces of a certain shape well-organized, so the containers provided with the set (though high-quality and convenient) didn't come close to meeting my needs for in-box storage. I went out and picked up a bunch of small, stackable plastic food storage containers today, and plan to sort tonight. After spending time with the set, I have to say my two biggest complaints are: 1. not enough of key pieces (especially trans-clear 1x2 plates, which I need to explore Micropolis-type buildings, and 2. the mono-color. I appreciate the thought behind making all the pieces white (to free you up for maximum creativity), but I found the lack of color detracted from my enjoyment of the set. The book makes a point of being a list of ideas, theories, and inspirations-- and it is that-- but if you want to build real buildings (not just conceptual models), I found the all-white a letdown. While it would have been impractical to include any decent color assortment in a set like this, seeing all those white bricks on my dining room table has proven to be less inspiring than I'd first hoped. Anyway, just my impressions after putting in a few hours with the set. Overall I like the concept, and I hope TLG releases more open-ended sets like this in the future.

Great video, thank you for posting! Once again, well done on all fronts. --Rob

This is just great! Well done. How did you drive the PWM, with the high current needs of the motors? Using an H-Bridge driver, I'm assuming. And how did you do block detection to avoid collisions at the crossings? Now all you need are some signals. :-) --Rob

Hi brickdad46, yes that is correct-- we designed our lighting system so that no bricks would need to be modified. You can see a review of our lighting system here: http://bit.ly/aladreview. The kits and all of our other products are available internationally here: http://bit.ly/tindiebrick The kit you want for lighting the Winter Village Cottage is the Micro LED Light Board Starter Kit. Everything you need to light the Cottage is included in this kit. Yes, it does come with basic printed instructions, but we have a more detailed, visual guide here: http://brickstuff.dozuki.com/Guide/Adding+Lights+to+the+LEGO%C2%AE+Winter+Village+Cottage+%28Set+%2310229%29/7/1 This walks you through all the steps. If you have an iPad, you can download the Dozuki app for iPad and find our guides by searching for "Brickstuff". (the iPad versions are handy when you work at your build area with a mobile device nearby) Let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks! --Rob

Hello everyone, my apologies for bumping an old thread, but I wanted to let everyone know that I published an online guide today for those interested in adding lights and effects to their Winter Village Cottage. You can find the guide here: http://brickstuff.dozuki.com/Guide/Adding+Lights+to+the+LEGO%C2%AE+Winter+Village+Cottage+%28Set+%2310229%29/7/1 Full disclosure: I manufacture the lights described in the guide, but hopefully people will find the tips and ideas shared in the guide useful no matter what lighting system you use for your creations. Enjoy! --Rob

Great stuff! I always enjoy the discussion topics about lighting the most. I love seeing the creative methods people have used to light up their creations. There are many great products on the market as everyone has said, and people have also done amazing things with the do-it-yourself approach. I'm writing to share another option folks might want to consider. Full disclosure-- this is my company, and I'm pleased to finally launch these products after 18 months of development. Take a look and let me know what you think. https://www.tindie.com/stores/brickstuff/ I also posted a how-to guide today-- hopefully people will find this helpful, regardless of the lighting system they use. http://bit.ly/brickguide1 Happy lighting! --Rob