Arigomi

That is exactly what is happening. Mattel's CEO has said "This acquisition is all about growth." Despite being the #1 toy maker, Mattel isn't in very good shape right now. Despite being iconic, Hot Wheels and Barbie are no longer brands that kids care about these days. Mattel's Monster High dolls actually sell much better than Barbie does. Overall the toy industry has seen decline over the last few years. Some say that growth in the videogame industry is to blame. Whatever the reason, toy companies like Mattel are scrambling to remedy this situation before it is too late. TLG is an anomaly because it has experienced growth. Mattel sees this success as a market trend with potential for growth. Mattel bought MB because it is the fastest way to break into the building block sector of the toy industry before the trend cools off.

High quality rubber bands are very easy to buy these days. Rainbow Loom kits are popular with kids and has resulted in many retailers selling packs of high quality rubber bands in various colors.

I'm interested in seeing what happens with the latest Legend of Zelda project. If it doesn't pass review, another will take its place in the next CUUSOO reivew period. Unless TLG gives an ironclad reason why the license will never be picked up, fans aren't going to stop submitting projects till something sticks. The Macross project would be wonderful but it is highly unlikely due to Harmony Gold's long history of taking legal action against any Macross merchandise appearing outside of Japan.

That's normal. Creator sets are designed around the main build in order to reach a desired price point. The alternate builds are constrained by the parts selection used in the main build.

A couple of options that haven't been mentioned are 10228 Haunted House and 10220 Volkswagon T1 Camper Van. If you buildings start feeling a little empty, you can always supplement them with a few minifigures from the Collectible Minifigure series. If you don't mind mini-dolls, you might want to consider some of the Friends sets for your collection. Many of the sets can find a place in a City collection with little to no alteration. Friends sets also get interesting parts like the 1x1 round tiles with cookie printing.

http://www.knex.com/products/family-guy/ The minifigures look like they are getting ready to strangle me.

A pizza delivery person would be nice. The printed pizza tile that has been in use for decades really needs a permanent update. Any future TMNT sets would benefit.

Did anyone else notice the lack of a refrigerator in the kitchen? It seems like such a weird oversight for a set of this size and price.

In my experience, it takes a while for a new wave of Friends animal packs to show up at stores. Even my local LEGO brand store doesn't get them right away.

It depends on the context. It always reminded me of faux hawks and the spiky hair boys like these days.

Maybe they are those "holographic" cups where the image changes depending on the viewing angle. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this before but I took a picture of this when I was at Target. (click on the image to view the full size) A blurry version of this image is printed on the 1x2 tile that comes with Hard Hat Emmet.

This topic gets revived every once in a while since TLG has eased up on its theme restrictions over the years. Even if you ignore the social issues, a military theme wouldn't make much money. The world has changed a lot since the 1980s when G.I. Joe was at its peak. Hasbro is only keeping that property alive to cash in on the limited nostalgia factor. The best you can hope from TLG is generic vehicle builds from Creator or Technic. It is unlikely that a military theme could ever come close to matching the successs of Ninjago or Friends themes.

I was on the fence about Gail till this review. Her unique printing and hardhat with ponytail makes her stand out from the typical construction minifigs.

The transition to small boxes was inevitable. The canisters drove up the price significantly for such small sets. In the United States, there was a huge price increase for these products from $5.99 in 2012 to $6.99 in 2013. I can't believe that the Mountain Hut convinced me to drive to my local LEGO Store and get a CMF Series 11 Mountain Climber to go with it.

I'm skeptical that there is enough demand for this service.

It was $80 last time it was available earlier this year. I don't see any reason for TLG to change the price now that it has been repackaged. It is a good value if you factor in the value of the books. The boxes are also the same type used for LEGO boardgames so you can use them for storage. There is still a possibility that LEGO MBA will eventually come to Europe and other markets. When the product line was first announced in 2011, TLG stated their intention to expand into other markets the following year. To explain why this didn't happen, you have to look at the history of the product line. LEGO MBA was orginally created as a successor to BrickMaster and thus it was structured around a subscription business model. Kit 1 was sold in stores as an introduction but subsequent kits required a subscription. With a subscription, one kit would arrive in the mail every two months. Each kit consisted of a polybag of parts and its corresponding book. TLG learned through feedback that customers would rather have boxed sets. As a result, the subscription model was phased out in favor of boxed sets containing multiple kits. This change in business strategy led to level 3 (kits 7-9) subscriptions being retired earlier this year. TLG doesn't want to expand into Europe if there are still wrinkles that need ironing out.

It seems more like an evolution of Power Functions than anything truly new.

The LEGO MBA program was originally a subscription based program. Kit 1 was sold at stores as an introduction. A level 1 subscription would have kit 2 arrive first with kit 3 arriving a month later. Unlike kit 1, subsequent kits did not come in a box. The parts were packaged in polybags and mailed with their corresponding books. TLG looked at customer feedback and found that people really wanted boxed sets and therefore decided to abandon the subscription aspect. As a result, the rest of level 1 (kits 2-3) and level 2 (kits 4-6) are now sold in a box. One rumor is that Level 3 was probably removed from S@H so that it could be redesigned to improve its appeal. You can find promotional pictures of level 4 here.

One thing that 3D printers will have trouble making are transparent parts. The process of printing an object layer by layer has a tendency to create visible streaks in the material.

When I first saws pictures of the windmill's interior, the spigot the 2x2 round brick reminded me of a beer keg. I know TLG didn't intend this but it was fun to imagine that Chet was a hipster that only drinks his homemade craft beer.

5. Duh-Nuh - madLEGOman - 1 point 31. Chicken Case - bloei - 1 point 36. The Source of All Ants - Ryclen - 1 point 40. Dinosaur extinction? - Cecilie - 1 point 43. Like CATs in a Maze - Stormbringer - 1 point

Momo is from the obscure Avatar the Last Airbender licensed sets.

Three highly skilled operatives have been chosen by the Babylon Foundation to deal with threats to intergalactic peace. Alpha Ships by Arigomi, on Flickr Piloting the scout ship Alpha Red, we have Erica from the Squirrel Union. Piloting the starfighter Alpha Green, we have Jenny from the Cat Alliance. Piloting the dropship Alpha Blue, we have Kate from the Turtle Federation. Alpha Supreme - front by Arigomi, on Flickr The three ships combine to form Alpha Supreme. Alpha Supreme - back by Arigomi, on Flickr Additional pictures can be found here.

I was at the LEGO Store today and found myself constantly going back to look at the 2013 sets 31007 Power Mech and 31008 Thunder Wings. I spent quite a while debating with myself if I could make room in my budget for them. Naturally, the store clerks noticed my concentration and asked if I needed any help. After telling the clerk "I'm fine", I eventually convinced myself that I could wait since Creator sets stay in production for a year or two depending on popularity. Does anyone else have moments like this?

My count comes to 11 parts fused together. 4 fenders/wheel wells 2 snot plates for the front and back 2 long bricks for the sides 2 plates with wheel axles 1 plate on the bottom to hold everything together