dr_sarcophagus

woohoo! They have come to Oz. Fantastic!

Any word on whether this theme will make it to Australia this year? The 2016 catalogue is suspiciously bare of SC. my sister is visiting from the US in April so if they aren't coming I may need to get them to bring me some. Best options for mail order in the US?

Fantastic! love the battle droid one. They look awesome, especially the superbikes. Do they roll?

The amusement park friends sets have great potential for a sideshow alley.

10 10 14 15 26 It was tough deciding where to give my two votes to 10 or 14. Was a lovely overall presentation and some amazing building techniques, but in the end the cider mill was just too delightful.

I find duracells won't work very well. The bump on the top is too fat for the terminal. Energizers are fine though.

If you are American, 60052 is where it's at. Its miles better than the high speed train, and the extra and better track configuration is important. The oval of the passenger train gets boring real quick. A box of flex track will allow more diverse configurations, plus the flex pieces are real short which allows you to line up more complex configurations. Never underestimate the importance of track.

I think you pretty well have it covered. Although once the team have finished the foundations they'll need a large crane, scaffolding, a cement mixer (and the hosy sucky thing to get the concrete to the upper floor formwork) and prefab concrete panels on a low loader..... :)

Ironically I'm going to pass this up in favour of the temple of airjitzu.

The dollhouse format allows for very good options to display the interior. Architecturally it very much fits in the 'big rectangular box' school.

Yes, now that you mention it. Looks uneven for the outer arches. I'd like to try all square radiator bricks which would better bring it into the 1930s period.

Thanks all. I've been tossing up between this one and Parisian Restaurant for my next large purchase. It's $300 Australian here and although many sets have been faring reasonably well against our dollar lately (or the US is undergoing a Lego price correction) this one hasn't. $250 would be a much easier decision. However I do really like the look of it.... I'm so sorely tempted.

I agree with L@go. People laugh when I describe Lego as a 'medium', but this proves it.

So now that this set has been out for a little while, what are people's thoughts on it who have bought it?

I have no issues with the bricks. They make perfect sense. Many rarer colours only come in 1x2 or 1x4 bricks so they have to use them to get a greater colour diversity. Also they need to maximise the use of the same part in the same colour to get economies of scale / allow easier sorting. For example in the DO all 1x1 black rounds had a hole, but they only needed them for the stove and I think a light fitting. All other applications of the part could have used a bog standard round, but that would have introduced another unique part. Whenever I've encountered a part which at didn't seem to make sense, in all cases it could be attributed to part limitations or reducing the inventory range in the set. I.e to be able to make it cheaper or less frustrating to build. In Europe and Australia they don't even disclose the piece count on the box, which casts further doubt on this whole "artificially inflated piece count" theory. Apologies, this is probably not what you were referring to in your post, but it has come up pretty frequently with modulars so I wanted to provide a different view.

Hey Doge, welcome. For my 2c I love the latest modulars. The DO in particular with its differing heights and depths really helps to break up the streetscape which otherwise would look almost like a single facade along the street. But in the end I wouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks. I've been following discussions for some time and all modulars recieved a fair bit of hate from people when still in print. FB was boring, PS interior too bare, GE build too monotonous, PC too few seats and too many windows. After they go EOL they are instant classics. Taste is personal and I think most people recognise that. I suspect many of those who get really upset feel they have no option but to buy each one even if they don't like it to complete the set. Personal tastes can also change as well. My first modular was the FB, which I did like initially - but I liked the parts more so I broke it up. I've recently rebuilt it though and like it more than I did before, particularly as it now has several companions. Like you, it's the architectual style that is important to me and my favourite period is that 1900 - 1930 transition from Victorian to Art Deco. My street is also American and a bit rough around the edges. Like San Fran or LA back in the day. Hence I've passed up on GE, TH and PR (though I may end up getting that one). For me it has to be christmas or birthday to get a modular into the house so I have to be choosy as well. I was overjoyed with the DO when it was released, and it sat in the cupboard for 6 months until my birthday. All the while reading peoples complaints about the size and the storyline here. Well its perfect, or almost so. And cookies - well whatever it takes for lego to sneak a bar into a kids toy. I say thanks. And money laundering? Lol. I just wish BB was released this side of christmas because I'm facing an 11 month wait at this stage. At the end of the day, you get what you like. In terms of investment advice that holds too because what you love many others will too.

Just toss in another pet shop

I actually really like it - and I don't usually like the expanded mods so much. But 'Mamut' really captures it well. Almost as if it were an iconic building. It does need to be double depth as well though

Yeah, lucky for me my street is American - which is why I am still on the fence about PR, but love the DO and PC. Though I am starting to need 2 streets.....

I agree. Neoclassical (as would befit a 'traditional' building such as a bank in the 1930s) but with some art nouveau elements such as the colour and fences to bring it up to the modular era. Not sure why they changed the sand green elves fences for black though. I think they would have fitted quite well as sand green. I'm glad it's not 'impressive' as it will work better with the other buildings. Being white it will certainly stand out against the others anyway, and if it were grander or larger it would dominate far too much. I really like the additional floor mod - and it would look even better as a 4 storey building. Fantastic. I also like how it is continent-independent. I think this is the first one they have made which could look equally well in a European street or American. The Pet Shop brown building being the only other - and that is also European leaning with the details.

Battle for Ninjago City has one I believe.

THE! DOCTOR! IS! COMING! THE! DOCTOR! IS! COMING! WE! WILL! BE! WAITING! WE! WILL! BE! WAITING!

Phew - now I can stop checking this thread every day. Stone Angel is accurate - it makes my hair stand on end in 'scary face' mode. Sign me up (though after this wait I'd probably be happy with a 2x4 brick stood on its end with a couple of stickers slapped on it).

Not to be a pedant, but the bus's are Type 2. Type 1 are the beetles.

sorry, double post.