Shadows

HA! Just maintaining a mafia tradition... you start every game smelling like megablocks and hiding somewhere. I dunno, but if'n some stranger comes ta town offerin' ta help us wit our liddle problem... BLAMMO!

Then the camera was tricked as well. If you take all the images and put them side by side in a good photo editor and sample the colours, that one is much more blue than the rest. Therefore, we're either dealing with a dark blue hat, or bad photography. Now personally, I think Hinck is one of the best photographers around, so I'm not entirely sure I can agree with your backhanded comment concerning his talent. Even if it's black, I hope he says it's dark blue now, Mr. Wizard. *throws up on Perry* I stared too long and got all queasy, maybe it was the three plates of calamari I had last night. Uh huh. Don't be a backseat Mystery solver, yodapants. Oh, and who is this Miss Leading dame or are you being misleading?

That was my first reaction, but comparing it to other helmets and black hats in the lineup, it looks dark blue to me. While it never officially came out in that colour, it does exist, and it would be just like Hinck to be sneaky and slip one in (I have one, fortunately).

Quick question! Is that a dark blue or black helmet? I always build my sigfig for these things and need to confirm that for accuracy. Thanks!

Oh, ta! *places the sheet of paper back on the stack and gently rubs it with the pencil, hoping to reveal the impression of what had been written on the sheet above it, then quickly pockets the pencil*

*wonders who that hot Alicia is married to* Always good to see a dame who isn't afraid to show a bit o' cleavage, huh? Ivan has informed me that Zabrina bears a great similarity to the lovely Florence, which is both confusing and slightly exciting for him. I'm more than a little disturbed by the whole thing, but certainly amused to see the return of Ms. Zepher in another round of Mafia fun.

Ian looks very orange blue collar. He should be quite a departure from dear Ivan, the former KGB agent turned chef. I can work with this. Let's not bother ol' Flo with the details. That Ivan was a real piece of work, stupid megablocker. Wonder what happened to him, anyway...

As I already said before, since Anthony didn't leave the room after his calculations, he clearly didn't figure out anything to do with the safe, clocks, or anything else that required action. If we're to believe he figured anything out, he must have actually deciphered the pictogram to mean something like a name. That's the direction to go with that, and honestly, we can do that while we're searching the house. Let's try another room, like the one out the other door from the library.

Wow, that came as a total surprise, and it's very well done! I'd also give it 5 strawberries, if I understood why exactly strawberries are the fruit of choice here.

Wow, this looks to be a long and complicated project! You seem to have the organizational part of things well under hand, perhaps that's something you can share along the way, giving everyone tips that might help their own collections/towns/displays. Beyond that, please keep us updated as you go, it should be fascinating to follow your progress. Is this going to be completely City/Town based, or do you plan to incorporate other themes as well?

According to Peeron, the US set includes 3 pieces but the rest of the world received one with 2. In reality, both boxes indicate 2 pieces. I think they counted the scooter and each wheel to make 3 and just put Ricky in the minifig category. LEGO clearly counted it as Ricky and the scooter, 1 + 1, considering each an 'interlocking piece'. Fabuland is deceptively sweet, clearly hiding an evil just beneath the surface. It was the theme that introduced the sledgehammer and the large axe and shovel as well as a very large (but colourful!) saw. There's a reason for this. In the FBG, we call that the Fabuland Edge.

If we knew where everyone had been standing at the moment of the incident, we could take turns searching those areas until we found the triggering device for that chandelier, assuming one was used in the first place. Sadly, that doesn't seem like something within our capabilities. I still find it suspicious that the doctor has been so obsessed with the chandeliers and then one kills someone. As for the clues in the notebook, I'm not seeing much there, but let's go one by one... The same group that was threatening Chester, the group he seemed to work for in keeping prying eyes out of this house and guarding whatever it is in the east wing? Seems pretty clear. Already established. It puts Bernard and myself on the opposite end of things from these red dragon chaps, since they seem to want the house kept closed and we want it opened for the public good. I can see where that gives them motive, but honestly, no one would be crazy enough to kill for the DHPT. They're practically a government agency, if they can't get what they want with more money, they'd just find a way to sue for it, no sense in killing anyone. Had the same feeling and questions myself. That was probably just Max wanting to pee in the corner. Here's the problem with all of our theories up to this point. He proceeds to use the pictogram to solve the case, which means it can't point to a page number, a time, or a combination. It literally must be a self-contained clue, since he doesn't go anywhere, do anything, or find anything. Somehow, solving that puzzle would tell us who the murderer is. It may not, however, indicate the method or location, so even if we think we've solved it, we're still grasping a bit to prove it. Clearly he used his head, which is no longer an option it would seem.

Ricky Raccoon and His Scooter Theme: LEGO / Fabuland / Figure with Accessories Set #: 3605 (US), 324 (World) Year: 1980 (US), 1979 (World) Pcs: 3 (box indicates 2) Figs: 1 MSRP: ? Brickset | LUGNET Guide The Set Box Front - Ages 3-7? Huh? Box Rear - Alternate possibilities! Walking next to the scooter. Waving at a passerby. Riding into the sunset. Give them a break, it's only 2 pieces. "I wonder what's in here?" ponders Marky Monkey. "Good thing I have this handy whacker hammer to help get this box open." "Oh my! What an odd place to put one of those!" exclaims Marky. Suddenly, it roars to life. VRRRROOOOOOMMM! A shiny red scooter comes flying out of the box, running the surprised Marky over and leaving him for dead. The unknown rider seems unaware of the carnage he's caused and rides off happily. Just then, the dark cloud of guilt hits Ricky (at least that's the name on his insurance card) as he comes to a startling revelation, "I ran over a poor monkey back there, didn't I? I'd better go back and help him!" Ricky spins around and returns to the scene of the crime accident. Ricky Raccoon to the rescue! Sure, he caused the accident in the first place, but he's returned to take the still stunned victim to the plastic surgeon (the only kind they have in Fabuland) for help. I'm sure they'll become fast friends, laughing about that funny day when Marky Monkey simply opened a box and was run over by careless Ricky Raccoon and his shiny red scooter. Oh yes, I'm sure they'll laugh. A lot. Uh huh. The Review What is there to say, really? It's the equivalent of a Fabuland Impulse and I'm sure it was originally sold at a very affordable price, much like a current impulse. Who wouldn't be thrilled to find something like this today? Well, I just bought the two sealed copies I used for this review from an eBay seller for a very reasonable price (do a search, he seems to have cases of them). I debated opening one, but thought that it would be nice to review a 'new' set from the distant past. Unlike a modern set, the box is about as wide as a standard impulse and only about 2/3rd's the height of one, just barely large enough to hold Ricky and his Scooter. No wasted space here. Matter of fact, he was actually standing on the scooter facing the wrong way in the sealed box, which seems to be the most efficient way to package him, so clearly LEGO wasn't into oversized boxes for this one. The packaging also differs from modern sets in that the parts weren't sealed in a bag of any kind and it included a small Fabuland catalog to promote the rest of the line. The 'instructions' for the set consist of a short story where we learn that Ricky continues to be a reckless (but not wreck-less, I'm sure) driver, choosing to do acrobatics on his scooter. I found photographing them a bit too difficult, but I may scan and share both the catalog and instructions at some point. For now, the instructions may be viewed via these links: Pages 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 Now for the review portion of our program. Basically, it's a figure set aimed at a younger audience, so there's only so much one can say. It's a nice figure and a vehicle. It might have been nice to include an accessory, some reason for Ricky to ride around, perhaps a package or a basket with something in it. The whole thing balances very well, so it would be fun to roll around, or perhaps send down a big slope hurling at amazing speeds until Ricky crashes into a wall. Marky suggested this idea for some reason. So, taking into account that it was probably inexpensive, it would be really hard to give this less than a 9/10 when you take into account both the target audience and the intent of this set, which it seems to do very well. Design: 8/10 Price: 10/10 Playability: 10/10 Overall: 9/10 And there you have it, a fine little set full of fun, nostalgia and potential vehicular homicides. What more could you want?

If he doesn't, I will. That private dick thought he knew something before his untimely demise. We need to know what that was. Yes, that must be it! At precisely 3:18, a homicidal nazi sea lion priest killed Chester with a musket... while perched on a rock in the sea. I'm not sure he was actually waving a flag at the time, but it's symbolic, I'm sure. Like the cross. He might not have been wearing his collar, but no doubt, he was a priest. In a diabolical twist, he drew a picture of the event and included the time. THEN he put the picture in the drawer, locked it and hid the key in that book triggered statue. Would you like to make a formal accusation to that effect?

But I didn't check Sea Lion books, I don't think... I might have implied it since I wanted to check everything, but he balked at the idea. In the meantime we could have checked them all and maybe poor what's-his-name wouldn't have been chandeliered.

Give it time and enough whiskey, stageboy. Already requested all of that, it seems the 318 isn't a page or Draggy isn't cooperating.

After getting over the initial shock of this tragedy, I'm left to wonder if it's any coincidence that a certain person seems to fiddle with ever chandelier in every room we enter, then one falls and kills Anthony... That's a good idea! And someone slap Max, he's babbling.

Uh huh, that was the first thing I thought too. Then I noticed that they have a shark, so it's completely different.

The moment has finally come, LEGO.com has revealed their official product page for the much anticipated 2009 return of Pirates! Why don't you take a moment and head on over here. It's loaded with product images, downloads and fun you're sure to want to see for yourself. Once you've taken a good look, please return here and let us know what you think! It's a grand day to be a Pirate, eh?

As we've been discussing around the forum, the official 2009 Pirate line has been launched and now LEGO.com has opened the brand new page featuring it here. I'm sure you'll be pleased to find it includes all the usual things you've come to expect: a product lineup, downloads including a poster, wallpaper, a screen saver and comics! Surpringly, it also includes a poll (it's a strange one, but amusing). So, what do you think? How would you rate the new LEGO Pirates product page? Please be sure to vote and then explain your answer, pointing out the things you love, the things you hate, and the things you wish were there. We'd appreciate the input, and I wouldn't be surprised if LEGO would be interested as well. Happy Sailing!

Might as well, I think this lot has forgotten that we've only been at it for a few hours. They're acting like this has been going on for weeks or something. Then you're not looking at the right pages... Yes, a good idea. Now, where did that picture go? Hmmm... guess I'll have to imagine it in my head. A sea lion. On a rock. In the sea (duh). With a musket. Waving a nazi flag. 318 underneath. A cross inked into the left corner. So, we have a dirty Gerry sea lion with an old weapon, sitting on a rock in the sea. 318 could mean anything from a combination to a time, an inventory number or an age (don't ask), but the cross may be a map symbol as opposed to a religious icon. Aside from the number, though, we aren't exactly being given any directions or pinpointed locations to turn this into a map. It keeps coming back to that silly Operation Sea Lion, no matter how I google it try to think about it. I just don't know... have any ideas, Draggy? I mean, it is just you and me now, and if we're ever going to get out of this house, I'm going to need some help here, and maybe someone else will regain consciousness and assist us if we start to get somewhere.

Well, barring a vast collection of chandelier books... Let's see... I'll start with Majiko's Cookbook the green potion book, then try any WWII histories or volumes on dragons, the region, or any editions of the Illustrated Guide to Oversized Door Hardware. I love big knockers. If this doesn't work out, I guess we'll just have to keep it all in mind and move on. Unless someone has something else they'd like to check, I'd say we head out the other door and see where it takes us. Of course, if we do find something interesting, we can stand around and chat it up some more (and hopefully our sleeping participants will wake up... ).

We need Sinner, it seems like it would be right up his alley! Sinner, who? I have no idea what I'm talking about. Looks like I'm in good company.

Oh look, a lion charging directly at us! *while everyone glances in random directions, Peter grabs the knife and tosses the whole thing, bag and all, up into the chandelier where it becomes wedged. Now, will you children stop playing with knives and get down to business here? Nazis... I hate these guys. Sea Lion. Brings to mind Seelöwe, Operation Sea Lion. The Gerries had this ridiculous plan to invade England through an amphibious assault across the channel. It relied on far too many uncontrollable factors and unwinnable situations and was given up on. If it's related, this paper would have to be from 1939 or 1940. The number 318 could refer to almost anything ... I'd like to take a look through the non fiction books, specifically those in the 318 range, which I believe would be "General statistics of South America", an area not entirely without it's Nazi history. Perhaps Chester or this 'Guardian' has a load of old Nazi gold stashed somewhere. If that fails, I suggest we all take a book (I'll start with this bible since there is a cross in the picture) and turn to page 318, looking for anything out of place. Perhaps we're starting to get somewhere.

Nice wobble... The armour too. I think I'll go take a closer look at that. The armour too. Let's just remove this helmet and see if anything interesting is inside or anywhere else in the armour and I'll leave the rest alone for now. Oh, and another idea... did I happen to find a pencil anywhere around the desk? I'd like to use it to gently create a rubbing across the top sheet of paper in an attempt to see if anything interesting had been written on the previous sheet. If there is no pencil, I'm still going to take that sheet of paper in hopes of finding a lemon later. And a heat source, maybe a stove burner. Oooh, and some whiskey. What the hell is he talking about? I don't know, Pinky, but it's intriguing. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's ... SHUSH! *looks around* I swear, I haven't even found any booze in here. Say, did anyone happen to bring along a bottle from the other room? I really do think it's suspicious that there isn't any in here. We need to investigate that further, and quickly! WAIT! One more thing... Perhaps you could take that shiny little key over to the desk and try it in the top drawer, Miss Susan? Stacy? Sandy? No... I'm sure it was ... Surely he couldn't have forgotten her name already! Yes, that's it! Miss Shirley! No, that doesn't seem right either... Don't do that to him, he's confused enough already. It's kind of fun though. Yeah, it surely is... Um. What was I saying again?