Arigomi

I love how you use the flying mummy wings in a display.

For a promotional set, it certainly uses a wide array of colors. Most of the appeal seems to come from having a personal connection to the place.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I was curious because my own collection is only at a mere 2300 elements. I heard somewhere that 5000 elements is a good starting point but I just wanted hear about experiences from real people.

When I say "critical mass", I'm referring to the point when your collection is large enough that you don't feel horribly restricted by it. You are confident that you can solve problems with what you have.

It is a result of a lot of feedback from parents and kids about the Creator houses. They wanted minifigures and accessories so that kids could play with them. The Log Cabin was designed as a response to parents that wanted at least one Creator house at a lower price point. While the bulk buckets are economical, they don't offer much in terms of parts selection. Unlike other themes, Creator sets have a long shelf life so there isn't a rush to buy them up before a set is discontinued. With some patience, you can snatch them up when they go on sale.

I think this set is better than the White House set. While the White House set used more building techniques and had a wider parts selection, the building is only famous for its history rather than its architectural design. The Farnsworth House is an excellent choice for the theme. Part of the charm lies in the fact that nobody would want to live in it. Despite being a functional house, the view is both a blessing and a curse. You can enjoy the view the of the natural surroundings from inside but the floor-to-ceiling glass walls also remove any form of privacy. The house gives a new meaning to the proverb "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." It is a little strange to see an official set use so many tiles for purely decorative purposes. The look achieved by the interior is a key feature in determining whether or not to get this set. Without the interior, the building would look too plain.

I'm not surprised that it's still a WIP. The amount of purple parts needed is clearly the biggest hurdle.

I really don't understand the logic behind the Transformer minifigures. Why do you want them if the sets focus on building the Transformers? They could've integrated them in some way like the Headmaster, Targetmaster, and Powermaster toys. Right now they seem a bit redundant.

Where did the yellow female barbarian microfig come from?

The terrain baseplates really don't offer much beyond a place to display stuff. There aren't enough studs to build anything on them. The studs that are available are spaced apart in really strange configurations.

According to the video, the Fire Temple comes with 7 minfigures. That might account for the price.

It is replacing the old design. I can't remember where it was discussed but the new arch is made so that they can sit flush on top of curved slope bricks.

Thanks for the reviews. I'm surprised the balance mechanc works so well given the delicate nature of the gameplay. It seems like it is more fun than a boring game of Jenga. While the scale of the bananas are big, there do exists banana species that come close to that size.

Heroica looks exciting. There are so many possibilities with this sub-theme.

I agree. The civilians have printing that are just as good as what you get from the Collectible Minifigures.

The problem is that TLG doesn't want you to pick and choose. The blind packaging prevents people from going into a store and buying the ones they want. You have to put in extra effort by using a method to identify what is in the bag. People complain about "fillers" in each series because they don't like the idea of buying a CM they don't want. I'm surprised at the a lack of any sci-fi themed CM in this series.

That might have been true in the past but it doesn't happen anymore. The plastic containers for Creator mini sets have big sticker labels (one of the front and one on the back) that cover most of the seam created by the lid and the box. There is no way for them to accidentally pop off without breaking the seal created by both the front and back sticker labels.

Cool! It reminds me of Death Blossom mode from the movie "The Last Starfighter".

The printing on Nya is definitely one of the highlights of this set. I personally would've cut back on the horn pieces at the entrance in favor of more flame pieces to give it more of a demonic look.

Color consistency has little to do with element size. If the elements come out patchy, it just means that the batch needs more mixing so that the pigment is evenly distributed. Color consistency refers to how well you can reproduce a certain color from one batch to the next. The goal is to have a purple brick from one batch look like a purple brick from another batch. Base colors like red, yellow, and blue are made using stock pigment. Thus, one batch of red bricks with look like another batch of red bricks. Purple and other specialty colors have to be mixed from stock pigments into the ABS. Purple tends to appear in sets as small elements because you can produce a lot of purple elements from a single batch of purple ABS. This helps to reduce the number of purple ABS batches that have to be mixed and checked for color consistency.

These sets might be what you get for subscribing to the unannounced successor to Brickmaster that TLG is working on. I wonder if that bee implies that there will be a bigger 2011 Creator set of a bee.

I think my favorite part of the movie was the horse carriage scene. Sensei Wu has no reservations about how he abuses his naive students. I'm a little sad that TLG decided against making a special mold for Sensei Wu's bamboo staff.

I thought it would be fun to look into the different kinds of personalities that have emerged among the AFOL community. The personalities I've come up with are extreme cases and not meant to be an accurate representations of anyone. I just wanted to highlight interesting aspects that I've come across that are unique to this hobby. I tried to come up with archetypes that aren't restricted by theme. Museum Curator: It's only for display purposes. Buying Habits: I like big, expensive sets. Bigger is always better! Sorting Method: Very basic if at all. Most pieces are used in my display layout. Building Space: Feng shui is very important. The building space is surrounded by a display shelf with various models to promote the flow of positive energy. Philosophy: What's the point of having 10182 Cafe Corner if you can't show it off to family, friends, and complete strangers? MOC Maniac: That's not a set. It's a parts pack Buying Habits: Bricklink and Pick-a-Brick are the only ways I can get enough 1x1 round plates in trans blue. Sorting Method: Is there any other way than by official LEGO color and part number? Building Space: It looks like a crime scene with parts scattered everywhere. There is always a work in progress. Philosophy: Show me an illegal build I haven't used. TLG should've kept the pegs on flame pieces. Retirement Planner: They are an investment. Buying Habits: I buy two copies of every set I want. Sorting Method: Mint condition, in sealed box. Building Space: None Philosophy: I don't have time to build right now but it won't be that way in the future. I will be able to sell off my duplicate 10193 Medieval Market Village for a tidy profit someday. Anyone else have some personality types they wish to add?

I wouldn't stress over it. Forcing yourself to stay active turns a fun hobby into a tedious job. I have a long list of hobbies besides LEGO. That doesn't mean I feel obligated to schedule time to explore each of my interests on a regular basis. There are times when I feel like building and times when I don't. It is far more frightening to burn out and begin to hate a pastime you once loved. I sometimes get bored when my circle of friends stick to talking about the same narrow range of topics. Does that mean I hate my friends? No. At that moment, I just wanted conversation that challenged me in new ways because we were getting into a predictable routine. This article about an avid Star Wars fan going "cold turkey" from the fandom for a year might help you sort out your own worries. http://io9.com/57206...thout-star-wars

This mother has some strange ideas about the sizes of LEGO sets. I would personally say that "medium" sized sets would be in the $20-$50 range. Something tells me this mother ignored the recommended age rating on the box. Large sets are recommended for kids at least 9-years-old due to their complexity. Her 6-year-old child is too young for a large set.