ZO6

That base is definitely Poolside Paradise meets Space Police, though at the moment I'd say Paradisa is the winner...

You're right, the studded beams are a nice addition to the crane. Funny though that with the blue truck having so many similarities to the 8292 Cherry Picker that they ditched the nice brick built sections at the front of the cab in favor of yet more panels (and with stickers...). Overall a great year for Technic

The motorized excavator looks fantastic Glad to see that it will be fully mobile and have great boom/arm control as well. The other sets look pretty solid as well, though unlike the excavator they won't be 'must haves' for me.

Despite my cold feelings towards technic wings and panels in many of these sets, I can't help but find this theme becoming more and more appealing. I think the large portal set looks fantastic. I'm getting large Troll Mountain Fortress vibes from it (a set that didn't really appeal to me), but yet the Atlantis base seems a lot more well executed. The exploration HQ has potential if it does indeed fold up into a nice looking sub, but in base form it's a bit awkward. Glad to see pics of these new sets and looks forward to seeing more of them in the near future.

I really want to like the ships, but the parts used just kills it for me. I gave wave 1 from 2009 a fair chance, but the abundant use of technic panels and massive slopes turns me off. Yes it makes the ships look sleek and futuristic, but I would much rather these be made up of smaller pieces and wings with studs on them. The base looks to have a lot of play value. I want to say that it looks very sterile (perhaps simple due to the colour scheme?), but yet there are a fair amount of greebles... so I guess I can't really put my finger on what the problem is at the moment. I look forward to seeing more of these sets, but I highly doubt I will pick any of them up.

I'm definitely liking these a lot more after seeing the pics from the Canadian Toy Fair, though I'm still not completely sold on them. For me it will really come down to the small details which we have yet to see (mainly interior and accessories), as well as the pricing. I haven't bought many castle sets since the early 90s, so I may have to give in sooner or later...

Here is my medium sized collection. 8 sets in total, all from the classic trilogy save for the Temple of the Crystal Skull (I'm a sucker for large sets on baseplates...) Ambush in Cairo in front, with Temple Escape in the back (the plane is elevated on a technic beam) Temple of the Crystal Skull with full sticker treatment Shanghai Chase, Lost Tomb, and half of Venice Canal Chase The second boat from the canal chase, Fighter Plane Attack (sitting on a metal stand), and Fight on the Flying Wing Nothing terribly special but not a bad start. I of course would not mind owning the rest of the IJ sets, but realistically I plan on picking up The Temple of Doom (on sale though), Race for the Stolen Treasure, and Motorcycle Chase at some point.

Studs are what define LEGO! Why would I want to hide them? I display my studs with pride! On a side note related to studs, I'm not a fan of the classic wedge plates (linky) being replaced by those new technic panels on many sets (clicky). Also, as others have said, long live studs in the technic theme! edit - continuing a rant... - Not only do studs showing say "Hey, look at me, I'm LEGO!", but for every stud showing there is another opportunity to create, build, expand. Whenever I'm building a moc, and there are still studs available, I can't help but look at what parts I have left to work with and say "Hmm, I wonder what I would add...?" Covering a model in tiles just seems to bring an end to a build in my opinion. Sure tile work can look fantastic, but I'm often just as satisfied with that studded look and knowing I can expand at any moment. I guess a big part of it comes down to me being a person that likes to fiddle around with sets, re-arrange pieces, position mini-figs constantly and whatnot as opposed to 'tile-up' a model to look nice and put it on display.

Right after Christmas 2009, I fractured my left shoulder. I ordered the 10189 Taj Mahal to keep me busy for a while. Having to build the entire 5922 piece set using only one hand was a pretty long but satisfying experience. Stacking the hundreds of trans-clear 1x1 plates and aligning them nicely was a challenge, as was trying the join the 6 base sections It took me 2 full days of building (from approx. 10am -10pm) with only food breaks. Generally I build sets at such a leisurely pace, with precise placement of every piece that I never find any of them "hard to build", simply more monotonous depending on the situation.

x2 x2 Not a bad haul for the year so far. Some stats: -41 different sets, 43 counting duplicates. -Between all the sets, 19793 pieces -$2470.75 CAD spent ($2792 including tax) -I bought 1 set at 40% off, 2 sets at 25% off, 4 at 20% off I'm still hoping to pick up the 4WD & Horse Trailer before the year is over. I also plan on buying myself a very large set (at least Taj Mahal price... don't know if I'll venture into the Death Star or UCS MF range), though I don't know if I'll get around to it by the 31st or not so it may be a 2010 purchase. Hope everyone else got at least some of the sets they wanted this year Next year looks to be potentially expensive again

Another fantastic review - thank you! LEGO has a real winner on it's hands here, the appeal for both AFOLs and kids is massive. I love everything about this set! The potential for playability and MOCs is superb.

Nice review for an eye catching set! I love that all the pieces in the set are printed, great move. I imagine this will help with playability, as when the car goes racing along (thanks to the pull back motor) and crashes, you won't have stickers that come loose and fall off. I imagine that despite the price this set will still sell like hotcakes - I know I want one!

I really liked the original Bionicle stuff. Most of the stuff was a great low price, so it was easy to grab a set very frequently and have a complete series of figures in no time. The larger sets had lots of neat functions and were therefore very appealing as well. I have the majority of the Bionicle sets from 2001-2005, but then lost interest in the 2006 stuff when they removed the gears and technic functions (my major complaints) and raised the prices (minor complaint). In 2006 I bought two of the Matoran and one of the Piraka, but they just didn't do anything for me. I found the Toa Inika particularly unappealing that year, and that was the end of my Bionicle days. The original 6 Toa will always have a special place in my Bionicle collection as they are still my favorite.

They were one of the places I phoned yesterday (along with half a dozen others in southern Ontario), but unfortunately all they had to say was "Stores don't carry the set, and S@H is sold out". On the plus side, though Bricks & Blocks closed down in both Waterloo and Cookstown a while back, at least they managed to merge their resources and form this new Toy Building Zone store Unfortunately they also only ship within the U.S. Thanks again for the help everyone, I appreciate it.

Alright, thank you for the heads up. I guess I'll go with ebay before the prices get to be too much more ridiculous.

One of the retail outlets, such as the Imagination Center in Orlando Florida (though I'd be interested in one of the locations closer to Ontario, Canada). Ex. LEGO Store site I know they have a phone number, I was just hoping someone might know off hand if they would ship to Canada or not, as it would save an expensive phone call across the border. Thanks

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone knows if official LEGO stores in the United States will ship to Canada or not? I'm trying to acquire a Winter Toy Shop and wanted to avoid Ebay or Bricklink if possible. Thanks

I love what you've done, it looks beautiful! It has a much more complete look to it over a single Winter Toy Shop. The snow covered trees (both pre-fab and the brick built ones you've made) are a fantastic addition. Very lovely - thanks for sharing!

Beautiful creation! You've got yourself a customer Everything looks incredibly well thought out, your detailing is just stunning. Thanks for sharing!

I noticed on Friday that CC had disappeared from S@H and was saddened by that. I knew it wouldn't be long before it was gone from North America as well, but I thought it was a bit odd that it went from "Available" to not listed at all - a complete lack of "Sold Out" or "Call to check availability". I phoned today to place an order for Green Grocer but asked about Cafe Corner... and to my surprise I was still able to order CC. So for those interested in acquiring the set, it might not hurt to phone in and see about buying CC as they might still have some left

That's a beautiful modification of a beautiful set! I'm just getting around to acquiring my first copy of the Winter Toy Shop, and now you've got me wanting two! Thanks for sharing!

Fantastic creation! I had something nearly identical in mind as a Halloween equivalent to the Winter Toy Shop, the main difference being I'd make the house out of brown bricks for that old wooden look and I'd have a different interior. Still, I really like what you've done - thanks for sharing!

Part 2 The Sets Up first is the Hydro Crystallisation Station. At 482 pieces, this was the largest and most expensive set in the theme. This really was a very expensive set, but it has a great presence when complete. Included in the set was the base itself, a good sized sub, and a small Stingray craft. The three Hydronauts as well as two Stingray figures are present. The shark, octopus, and manta ray round out the aquatic life. The station is built on the same baseplate used by the Neptune Discovery Lab (though 6195 used two of the plates), and features two of the large trans-domes that were popular in earlier Space sets. The back of the base featured a "conveyor" section which the prison pods (more on this) could slide along. Ladders made it easier to access the main control station. The side of the base had a large gate which was used to hold the Stingrays prison in the cave. The green window panels at the front of the base light up the cave with an eerie glow. However, should one of the Stingrays become locked up, one of his buddies can set him free. The front of the base featured a sinple mechanism - when the string (which was attached to a hinged plate with the green window panels mounted loosely on) was pulled, the front section of the cave would be blasted open (well... so long as there was not too much friction between the pieces, and you pulled hard and fast on the string). The control station station featured a couple of printed panels, computer devices, and levers. Some of the all important crystals are also present to be studied and have their power put to use. The top of the dome played host to one of the fun suction guns which was mounted on a rotating arm. This set had a number of play functions - another one being the trap door in the control room. The unlucky victim would be dropped into the cave below. The dome/control station could also be easily detached from the main base. The sub included with the set had a nice bulk to it and had quite a few details. The side propellers were mounted on spring bricks and could be clicked into different orientations. The back of the sub held a prison pod. This pod, which held a Stingray, could slide off the back of the sub and along the conveyor section of the base. The sub also featured the driver compartment, as well as an area to hold a crystal box. The included Stingray craft was appreciated as it really added to the play possibilities. Next on the list is the Hydro Search Sub. At 297 pieces, this futuristic looking sub was the second largest set in the theme. Included were three Hydronauts and one Stingray minigfigs. The sub had an interesting shape, and once again was made up of many trans-green domes and windows. The back of the sub, revealing all 5 propellers. Like any good ship, a mini-sub could be detached. I always loved the mini-sub. The shape was great, and it was fun to swoosh around. It had lots of propulsion, weapons, and even two suction guns/hoses. Opening the dome on the mini-sub revealed the pilot as well as a spot to hold a crystal box. The main ship sans mini-sub. The rear of the main sub featured a couple crystal boxes as well as other compartments for the crystals. The front of the sub had another one of those large cockpit pieces, as well as a jail section for Stingrays. Either side of the ship was made up of a control station such as this. The Crystal Detector was the 104 piece wheeled vehicle in the theme. It featured 1 minifigure and a surprising amount of playability. Making a return from the original Aquazone series are the flexible arms. It was also nice to get another compass and suction gun/hose. The back of the vehicle had two propellers and a compartment to hold a crystal box. The front cockpit could rotate as well as detach to become a mini-sub. Finally there is the Solo Sub. This 25 piece set was basically just a large cockpit piece with a propeller attached. The sub also included one minifig and accessories to beef him up (search light attachment, harpoons, flippers). Although a poorly designed set IMO, I still find myself the owner of two of these, as combined with the rest of the sets in the theme it offered a number of play options. Final thoughts As a stand alone theme, the Hydronauts had a wide variety in their set design and offered a huge amount of playability (I personally think they look great on display as well). However, another faction - the Stingrays, were also released in 1998 to go alongside the Hydronauts. The two sides were meant to fight over the all important crystals, just like the Aquanauts and Aquasharks several years before. I hope this has been a fun little article to read. If you would like me to add anything or take more pictures - just let me know. Questions and comments welcome