Arigomi

Don't forget that McQueen's front piece has a mouth on it. I'm not sure how you can work around that. This might be one of the few instances where people will try to remove the printing off of pieces.

The reviewer didn't mention any back printing on Kai. I remember that someone was concerned that they might have their names printed on the back, reducing their usefulness in random ninja MOCs. I would personally use tan log bricks for the patch of bamboo that Kai uses to ambush the skeleton.

The earlier sets looked sleeker because they used decorative Technic elements. Personally, I prefer action themes where Technic elements are only used for play features rather than decoration. Atlantis 2011 seems to put more emphasis on brick built designs in response to the mixed reception for Atlantis during 2010. The temple set is definitely on my wish list because it has so many useful parts, play features, and unique minifigs. I have a feeling the ridged 2x2 cylinder bricks are going to be insanely popular.

I would have to go with Time Cruisers because it often felt like TLG was just trying to find a way to get rid of the random parts that were taking up space in the warehouses. It was certainly creative but the lack of a unified color palette or design aesthetic made everything look like it was designed by a child with a severely limited collection. NinjaGo only seems odd on the surface. It is fairly tame when you compare it to all of the weird adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Another example would be how nobody seems to raise an eyebrow when the Power Rangers fight monsters and evil robots using a mix of martial arts and technology.

That bank looks fine to me from a modern viewpoint. An ATM you can drive your car up to would've been nice though. The older banks remind me of Check Cashing places that you find in dangerous neighborhoods. Seedy neighborhoods like that are the only place I can think of where you can find a business with pictures of money painted on the windows.

The "Ultimate Build" sets sound like they are similar to 7592 Construct-a-Buzz and 7591 Construct-a-Zurg. I doubt that they would be true UCS sets because Stars Wars is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to licensed themes. I wondered why there weren't many early 2011 Racers sets. I guess the plan is to make room for these Cars sets in the summer the same way the Pirates theme was put on hold to make room for Pirates of the Caribbean sets.

Target (USA) Weekly Ad (Dec. 5 - Dec. 11) 32% OFF 8061 Gateway of the Squid 32% OFF 3181 Passenger Plane 32% OFF 3221 LEGO City Truck 32% OFF 8089 Hoth Wampa Cave 20% OFF 3844 Creationary

TOYS R US (USA) BOGO 1/2 OFF with Coupon (valid 12/7/10 to 12/9/10) http://trus.imageg.n...U_DOTD-cpns.pdf The interesting thing about this coupon is that it has no restrictions on themes. Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Pharaoh's Quest are pictured on the coupon.

When the story about magnet sets being glued first broke out, I was expecting more discussion about how to safely remove the glue. The blind packaging of collectible minifigures didn't stop people from finding ways to circumvent it.

I've been able to ignore all the CMF hype for the 3 previous series but I am seriously tempted to buy some now. The only reason I've been able to resist is because I've never seen them in stores. Let's just hope that S4 is made in bigger quantities. I have yet to encounter any of the previous CMF series in any stores. Ebay scalpers/speculators keep buying up everything. It would be nice to be able to walk into a store and buy some rather than planning my entire life around when a store gets their shipment. Small purchases like this aren't ideal for online shopping due to shipping costs.

Bah, right after I finished editing my original post. The musketeer is looking a lot better now that we can see it has a metallic silver fencing foil. It's clever to add the little ball on the end turning it into a practice weapon. Nobody wants children or AFOLs poking their eyes out with it.

The Musketeer would be better with a plume in his hat. EDIT: Nevermind. He does have one. I just couldn't see it in the picture because it's white.

I just thought it was strange that they would use more expensive cardboard for the cheaper sets.

Does anyone know why Creator sets are packaged in thicker cardboard boxes than other themes?

@ceroknight DX ninjas are just ninja minifigures with special dragon printing on them. Their standalone sets cost more than the regular ones but come with different weapons and different cards that go with the spinning top/card game aspect.

There will definitely be more dragons if there are future waves. TLG wouldn't risk so much on fabricating the mold for the dragon head if they didn't intend to use it as much as possible. The appearance of DX ninjas in certain sets is irrelevant. The white DX ninja appears in both the ice dragon set and in a standalone minifigure set. The only minifigure that probably won't appear in a standalone set is Sensei Wu because the Spinjitsu Training Center comes with his cards. The biker skeletons aren't that weird of villians if you compare the theme to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I went to Toys R Us to take advantage of the BOGO Half Off sale going on this week. Toy Story sets: 7595 Army Men on Patrol (bought two, one is a Christmas present for my brother) 7599 Garbage Truck Getaway Creator sets: 5864 Mini Helicopter 5865 Mini Dumper 5868 Ferocious Creatures 5891 Apple Tree House 5766 Log Cabin

Great job on the MOC. I like how you actually used the big green base brick while most people feel compelled to build off a baseplate or plate. I'm surprised that nobody mentioned how you snuck in a random parrot into your MOC for fun. The parrot makes me want to modify it into a pizza stand on a tropical beach because Hawaiian pizza is my favorite kind of pizza.

Bringing back pieces in a different color is one of the easier things a designer can petition for. As long as enough sets are using the mold and it's in the approved color palette for the year, making a part in a new color is feasible. The Creator sets use this strategy a lot to keep them budget-friendly while still presenting something of interest.

The funny thing is that more and more System sets have been incorporating ball & socket joints for articulation. The most recent examples are 7325 Cursed Cobra Statue and and 5764 Rescue Robot.

Reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=JtFvQ4BEk0M The age cap means a lot to adults buying gifts for children of relatives or friends. Unlike the parents who spend a lot of time with them, it can be hard to know what kids like because their interests can change over the course of a year. The last thing they want to do is buy something that the child thinks is for "babies". EDIT: Fixed some typos.

The click hinge and bar/clip combination is a pretty odd detail. I've been thinking a lot about what keeps Atlantis from being truly exciting as a theme. From what I can see, it is a lot subtle oddities that add up. It looks like the designers are still trying to find the ideal balance between function and design to make the transformable vehicle gimmick look good. The sense of scale seems off. For example, the vehicle in this set would feel very different if you remove the controls for the minifig and imagined it to be in midi scale. I would also like to see more details like oxygen tanks to give the vehicles more of an undersea feel. The human minifigs tend to look like clones because all of their personalities are hidden behind identical diving gear.

I suspect the design was aimed more towards making the cobra swooshable than poseable for pictures. The price of this set is making me once again question how much this theme will cost overall. Seeing that mummy juggle snakes reminds me of Serpentor from G.I. Joe and the snakes he throws like javelins.

The design books sound like interesting reference materials. I have a theory about the exclusive minifigure. The exclusive minifig could just be something you get at the end of the year. What it looks like would be based upon what challenges you have completed. Just being a subscriber without completing anything would mean you get the default minifigure. It could have printing on either the torso or a stand to keep track of what year it applies to. The next year, it starts all over with different minifigure designs.

Now that I think about it, I think I got the order wrong because the commercial with the house doesn't mention the website.