Shadows

Don't get me started Mandy Lori Ann! >:-( :-P We're probably cousins. I'm not sure how you could be old enough to be my brother, unless you went on a camping trip to the Carpathian Mountains like I did. *skull* When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Is anyone else having some doubts about that chess set? Sure, it looks amazing, but honestly, a bit too amazing, like the mad dream of an AFOL with some spare time. When was the last time LEGO produced anything with quite that much completely unnecessary detail? Why keep making chess sets when even the last one, which was pretty good, is already selling for $10 off regularly, and will probably end up clearanced out like all the rest? That said, there is only one way I can see this happening, and it's a stretch... They produce it as a set, instead of as a game. Literally, a big build-it-yourself parts fest battlepack like no one has ever seen before. Otherwise, imagine the packaging nightmare of all those prebuilt structures and minifigs needing to be kept in little compartments, etc. So here's to hoping that they finally listened to the griping about glued pieces and the general desire to minifigs and are trying something new. Count on $100 minimum and S@H/LEGO Store exclusive, even if we are lucky enough to see this. Crazy Chess Set On! *y*

*as the show begins, the camera zooms in on imperialshadows* Before we start this episode, I'd just like to take a moment to say a few words. Recently, we've been running a few extra episodes of EB News Presents, and you might be wondering why. It's because Staudie is crazy. No, I kid. Well, he is crazy, but that isn't why, though... Basically, we're backlogged with great interviews and have been getting so much positive response to the ones we have done, we hate to see them held back. That said, I fully intend to reign this back in to a more reasonable schedule, not exceeding 1 or 2 a week, like we were doing previously. Thank you for your understanding and continued viewing! *camera fades and returns to the show intro* Welcome to another exciting episode of EB News Presents! I'm your host, imperialshadows, our reporter this evening is Stauder, though I don't know where he is at the moment, and our special guest is Alex54, who also hasn't shown up, maybe they're off talking before the show. As you will note, we're filming in our special underwater studio to accomodate Alex54. Hope you enjoy the new set! *Staudie enters the studio* Um... why are you dressed for the old west? We did the Brick Miner episode weeks ago, and we're underwater. :-| HUH?!?!? So that's why Betsy went belly up. Back to the changing room! *sigh* This is what I have to deal with folks. *Staudie and Alex54 both enter the studio* You know, this is quite an interesting set, it has a lot of character. And LEGO ice trays. And a license plate. *wacko* HEY! Look! It's my old pistol from my, uh, seafaring days! You really are old. If you plan to ever get old ... >:-( That's my cue to start the interview! Q. So, Why the name Alex54? And why the Odd title? (Witch I belive is some french TV show... ) A. My first name is Alexandre, so my usual nickname is Alex. And 54 because it

Just remember: It isn't about winning, it's about acting like a winner and participating in the spirit of the contest. Once you've entered, the contest has only just begun. The next step is to enjoy the other entries, maybe learn something from them, and then vote for the one that inspires you most. Done properly, you leave the contest winning something more valuable than a fleeting moment of glory, you win knowledge, honour, and a sense of community. Plus you might just pick up a useful technique so you can kick some butt next time. *sweet* *y* Good Sportsmanship On! *y*

Welcome to EB! Be sure to check out the Big Billboard o' Doom

Welcome to EB! Be sure to check out the Big Billboard o' Doom

Welcome to EB! Be sure to check out the Big Billboard o' Doom

Welcome to EB! Be sure to check out the Big Billboard o' Doom

Absolutely great, if the price is right! I have to agree there. I think the packaging is the best indication that these won't be S@H or LEGO Store exclusives, but are being aimed at the checkout line of your average Walmart/Target. Plus, they would be a lot harder to rip open and steal parts out of, which unfortunately I do recall seeing with the boxed minifig sets (though not often, I bet it would be more common now).

I read about this and honestly, wasn't surprised. I still think it was more voluntary than forced, and oddly, I think it's a good idea, not because of potential confusion on Bricklink, but because it sets up the potential for someone to register their "username" which is really just a thinly veiled LEGO name, as a domain, and then real confusion or potential infringement could occur. I expect eBay to be next, and LEGO can enforce it, if they want. On a vaguely related note... I actually thought the guy with www.pick-a-brick.com in his name was closer to being potentially confusing to the dimmer members of society. Sadly, a lot of people really are just that stupid and I'd be surprised if LEGO doesn't have that registered legally. Whatever the case, it's apparently surprising to the 1800+ members who will be changing their names, but otherwise, fairly unimportant on the grand scale.

That's ok, if you scroll back far enough, I "came out" in this thread and now Asuka is making a "homogeneous" crack. Discrimination. It's all around us brother, it's all around us. They just start with the poor defenseless monkey. :'-( ;-)

Kid makes a good point there. |-/ Thanks! Is it fixity fixed as in it won't do that again, or is it just fixed this time? Was it something I was doing differently?

I'm getting there. :-P On a general basis, I do think that what kids want is action. Action can come in many forms, and for some themes it can't be much of a vehicle. Castle is the best example of that. In Castle, LEGO replaces vehicles with things that shoot (and people complain, but I bet the kids love them). In almost every other theme, it's easy to incorporate mostly vehicles. When you think of Star Wars, you think of characters and ships. Yes, it's nice having sets like Hoth, but look how that turned out. A ship, a bunch of characters, and a door. EVERYONE griped about the door. We all wanted more of a base, but would people have been thrilled to pay the price? Fans would, but kids wouldn't. That wasn't iconic enough to justify a $100 set with more base. Almost every Star Wars setting is like that. Cloud City was a disaster in many ways, though I personally liked it. For kids, it was boring. If it hadn't been for Greedo and the dewback, the Cantina set would have been a rehashed washout. Would people have wanted an expensive Cantina instead? Sure, but we would have expected aliens and lots of them. That gets difficult, and raises the price dramatically. It's easier to stick to vehicles. Look at other themes. Exo-Force is almost completely centered on them. Why? They do battle. The bases haven't been good sellers, always ending up on clearance. That alone guarantees that they're keep going in that direction. Harry Potter was a theme with a lot of character and building potential, and few vehicles. It was also a flop for LEGO, maybe not as bad as Spiderman or Studios (two more themes that strayed from vehicles), but bad enough to drop despite the success of the books/movies. Basically, it can all be summarized by the new postal sets. A plane. *WHOOSH* A van. *ZOOM* A building. "Hello ma'am, would you like to mail that package? That'll be $2.85." *THUD* Guess which two they chose. I might not like it, but I can't blame them.

Conjecture on the part of fans. I don't believe the lack of vehicles has any real bearing on this apparent decision to avoid Indy 2. The reality of the situation is that in many ways, the second movie isn't even related to the other two. It is definitely darker and much less appropriate for the target LEGO audience (though honestly, the whole series is a bit darker than I think LEGO should be actively involved in). As for vehicles, there is a car chase early on, the plane ride, the mine car segment and the temple. Four easy sets that fit within the standard LEGO range. I just honestly think they're avoiding them both because the movie is generally considered the loser of the series and because of the nature of the movie itself. Add in the financial considerations: all new characters with no potential for reuse outside of Indy himself, and it's a complete loss. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there was at least one set from it, eventually. Probably the plane, maybe the car chase. All depends on how much they can do without requiring new heads/hair. I'll comment on the general vehicle topic a bit later.

You've got a deal, considering I figured I'd have to pay you to take him. *sweet* As for food, he can always fish or pick wild berries or something else entirely unsafe natural. ;-)

Good job, brother! *y*

Wow! You've started doing comics! How convenient that I discovered these during the very episode in which I first appear, though I can't imagine why you started with episode 3 . Is this going to be one of those Star Wars things where you come back later and do really crummy episodes to fill in before the good ones? X-D Whatever the case, top notch job on this one! *y* It's called acting, something that some of us television professionals have learned to do. :-| Brilliant! I shall steal that very excuse for when I don't want him on the show! Need an assistant? I hear that a certain cub reporter is available. ;-)

Ah, there are those pesky pics. :-| X-D Ok, now as you read the interview, go back and forth between that post and the original one and try to guess where they belong. It's like, interractive TV. Enjoy! *wacko* Oh, and just why is it that the host of the show has been using a replacement head instead of his proper one, and our guest just happens to have the one I've needed the whole time? Huh? >:-( Speaking of which... do I have another brother I didn't know about? Wait until ImperialScouts hears this one. ;-)

Welcome to another exciting episode of EB News Presents! I'm your host, imperialshadows, asking the questions will be Stauder, and our special guest this evening is Doctor Sinister and his very special guest is the man behind the man, Andrew. Ok, I'm not sure how this is going to work, I'm not used to dealing with two people who are really the same. Well, except that time I interviewed me. 8-| You know, I first met Doc, and yes, I'm allowed to call him Doc but you aren't, back when he won my Douglas Adams Vignette Contest, so it's quite a pleasure to have him here with us this evening. Hehe, you called him Doc. *Doctor Sinister smacks Staudie with a riding crop while shaking his finger in the classically accepted 'no no' motion* OUCH! :'-( I'm going to enjoy this interview. *sweet* Q. Why the name and the Evil sigfig? I see you just came from a Police meeting... A. Yes, I'm glad you noticed that, as Mayor of Tabletown I am also Chief Commissioner of the Police Force and we just had an interminable meeting about detention periods. I've decided to just have all the prisoners shot, so I could get out of the meeting early and come here so sorry if I am a little out of breath. If I may just butt in here to stop my LEGO friend taking over the show - this is Andrew, the creator of Doctor Sinister. I'LL be doing the real talking from here on in... Doctor Sinister's origins have nothing to do with LEGO - he's a character I created many years ago. He's a slightly inept over-enthusiastic supervillain running an organisation called Sinister Incorporated (S.INC). Contrary to what many people think, he actually predates Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies - I'm still upset about that because everyone thinks I ripped the idea off. The S.INC website (www.sinisterincorporated.co.uk) was actually featured in the Times newspaper just over ten years ago. I use the name everywhere I go on the net and it made sense to create a minifig version of the character. So LEGO Doctor Sinister rules Tabletown with an iron fist. It's like comic books - you have alternate versions of some characters in different universes, this is no different. Tabletown even has a Regional HQ building for S.INC! Q. How long have you collected LEGO? A. My earliest LEGO sets that I can recall date from the mid 1970s - I had an airliner and a double-decker London Bus, as well as a general mish-mash of basic elements. In the early 1980s I had the entire range of Classic Space sets - quite a large Moonbase in fact. Alas, the Moonbase was destroyed in circumstances I'd rather not talk about and I don't have that any more, but I kept my earliest sets and went on to build spaceships and things out of those - writing stories and technical manuals about them, all of which I still have. Q. What is your favourite Set? (Say top 3) A. This is tricky, but for sheer fun I love set 6769 - Fort Legoredo, it's got so many nice features. I also love 4483 - the original Star Wars AT-AT for the shapes that LEGO were able to achieve. The only problem is the head, it falls apart as soon as you even look at it! My last set would be 6479 - the Res-Q Response Centre just because it's a really cool black building that positively bulges with Minifig accessories and really complements the rest of the Res-Q range. Q. What is your Favourite Theme? A. Given that my town takes up a large space in my house, I probably couldn't say anything else so without a doubt it has to be Town/City - as that's where most of my money goes although Star Wars and the current (2007) Castle lineup are close seconds. Q. Best In Real Life Lego Moment? A. Probably Christmas morning in 1981 when I was given many sets of what we now call Classic Space - building sets such as 918 and 497 really stick in the mind - I get a real nostalgia hit when I build new sets because my mind takes me back to that moment in 1981 and then I know I'm truly in the LEGO-Zone! Q. Best EB Moment? A. Undoubtedly when I joined. No, I don't mean it's all downhill from there, but when I tentatively posted the first pictures of Tabletown I was really unsure as to what reaction I would get. But everyone was very welcoming and friendly and I think it's a really great community that I'm proud to be a part of - and I hope everyone enjoys my postings half as much as I enjoy theirs. Q. If you could design a custom set, what would it be? Whatever you want. No "Wack a EB member" Sets please. A. I'd love it if LEGO made an official line of Doctor Who sets - that would really send me over the edge in excitement. A TARDIS playset would be super-cool, along with some Daleks. Alternatively, if they were to bite the bullet (no pun intended) and start making some quality military stuff that would be great. Official LEGO Tiger Tanks rolling down the streets of Tabletown would look magnificent. I'm not a good enough builder to make replicas of real machines or buildings I'm afraid. In fact, I'm not a very good MOCer at all, I kind of scrape by most of the time and sometimes my stuff is more miss than hit. Q. What Inspired you to make Tabletown? A. I got back into LEGO following the release of the first Star Wars sets and I collected these for a bit and really got the LEGO bug in my head again. So I bought a Police Station, and then buckets and buckets of bricks, and then more Town stuff until I had enough to make a small town on a little table - about two feet square. I called it Tabletown. This was about 8 years ago. Tabletown became the setting for some very strange events which I would document and send them out in regular e-mails under the heading "Picture of the Day". When I moved house to my current location I built Tabletown in my garage, it's now about 12 times as big as it originally was. I think my inspiration was the Moonbase I had when I was a child, it's like I'm over-compensating for its loss. *Larry attacks and is eaten by T-rex* Hmmm... that was odd, the cameras died off just as it was happening. I hope Staudie got that on his handicam and can add them in after this interview, since I don't have those pictures! :-| Q. That was odd... Was that YOUR T-Rex? *Innocently wistles* A. Hmmm, my laboratories normally churn out Allosaurs, good to see them branching out... I have no idea what he's talking about. Always good to keep the important information away from 'the help.' Hey! >:-( *Doctor Sinister shakes his riding crop at Andrew and Andrew coughs nervously* Q. Can we see your current WIP project? A. I don't have one right now. I generally don't have WIPs - not for more than a day at a time anyway, at most. When I build something new I work at it until it's built and don't stop until I'm happy with it. I built the Venom Class Helicopter, the Vigil Class Supply Truck and all the Small Arms in one sitting, and I was up until 03:00 AM finishing them. Apart from some minor tweaks to the Venom the next day, it was done. So right now all I have is a box of bricks which I have to sort back into my collection as three weeks' of frantic building has left it in a bit of a mess. If I can't get something right in one evening, I may work on it for a second but more often than not if it's still not right after that I figure it's not to be and so it gets torn down again. Silly Staudie. You never ask an evil doctor to reveal his future plans, even if you think you're talking to his alter-ego. :-| Q. How is the army coming along? Any need for transport helis? A. The Army is basically complete now but a transport chopper does sound like a cool idea. However right now my emphasis would be on adding more troops - where I colour-coded the specialists in the Army it's left the actual number of combat troops a bit light - only 9 strong, plus the Sergeant. Everyone else is an Officer, Driver, Pilot, MP, Medic, Recon' Trooper or Gunner. Out of the initial 30 troops I created, two thirds are now doing something other than the fighting so I think I just need more grunts. This should be easy enough as my favourite Bricklink supplier is in the same town as me and they even deliver to my door. The other day I put an order in and they dropped it off within the hour - talk about speedy service! Staudie! Are you looking for another job? I mean, if this one is just too taxing for you, we could always cut your pay hours and give you more free time. Q. Why did you use the forklift parts for the vehicles? A. Basically I bought a load of Container Stacker sets purely and simply so I could use the containers themselves in my harbour (it's very busy and crowded now!). Of course this left me with a load of parts and bearing in mind I was writing about the Tabletown Army in the news pages, I decided to use those parts to build no less than four of the Triumph Light Attack Vehicles so I had an Army to right about! Things went a bit mad after that and two weeks later I had ten Army vehicles, all in green, all sharing certain design factors. Q. Any plans for expanding? A. Tabletown is really about as large as it can get in its current location, and there's nowhere else to go at the moment. I can expand upwards of course and I anticipate building some more high-rise structures at some point, but in terms of surface area, I don't really see how I can make it any bigger right now. I do have designs for an ultimate version of Tabletown but I suspect they will only ever be a dream - it's a U-shaped construction about five times as big as the current layout! As it is, I've now got LEGO in most of the rooms of the house, the dining room contains a Fort and a Castle, the office is full of Star Wars sets and the Army currently lives in the kitchen. Q. Any funny scenes in Table town right now? A. Well there's a guy fishing with hand grenades in the marina, there's a Sniper in the football stadium picking off rival supporters, Count Dracula is preying on some construction workers near the train line and an Aztec King is trying to order Popcorn from the stand outside the Fire Station but this is all perfectly normal for Tabletown. Q. How is Table Town Written? Two Words or one? A. Tabletown is one word. Since he's written it 14 times now, I would think you could have figured that out. Q. What is your fav Fig? A. Official fig - I really like Frankenstein's Monster. Custom fig - Doctor Sinister of course. He goes with me everywhere. I have a soft spot for Darth Vader as well of course. Q. Who should we Interview Next? A. Tricky question - yourself? No! We don't repeat interviews! Well, except you-know-who. :-P A. Am I annoying? A. Not really. Yes, absolutely. I know which one I like more. ;-) Oh, all done now? Sorry I wasn't paying more attention but the good Doctor and I were over here plotting scheming discussing some future plans. Vacation plans. Yes. That's it. Right. Nothing even remotely sinister. Us? Never! One thing though... I hear your work with the EN has been hampered repeatedly by an inept subordinate. *glances over at Staudie* WHAT? There have been some issues, but they'll work out in time. I have suggestions on how to deal with that one. Excellent! We shall discuss this further, once the show has ended. And on that note, thanks again to Doctor Sinister and his faithful minion Andrew for joining us this evening! I'm not his minion. *Doctor Sinister smacks Staudie with his riding crop again* HEY! >:-( He didn't say it, I did. I know, but he's more fun to smack. Seems reasonable to me. *camera fades* *NOTE* When did thread titles start trying to automatically correct capitalization? It's keeping me from calling this EB News Presents, as it should be* >:-(

Where am I? *wacko* I could have sworn I posted this somewhere else ... :-|! Oh, that explains it. Speaking of which, I'm still waiting for that check you promised for mentioning you in every EB News Presents, plus a little extra for your recent cameo. Don't make me send the boys around to pick it up, ok? *picks up the phone* Yeah, Copmike... I might have some more work for you if a certain deadbeat doesn't come through shortly. *excited chatter* Oh yes, it's him again, and this will require one of your deluxe jobs. I'll let you know. *excited chatter* I know, but we should give him a chance to pay, and no, you can't do it for free, that wouldn't be professional. *hangs up* ;-)

That's sort of what I went for. It can hover in place, fly forward by tilting partially, or it can move forward on either water or snow with the robot skiing on those skids. Oh, and I'm dead serious about the flick missile. That's how I prove I was thinking like a LEGO designer. X-D

You had an old yellow building? I don't remember that. 8-| X-D Moving on ... :-D Green Door Tavern! Beautiful! Absolutely great! I'd be proud to have it in my downtown, if I had a downtown, which I don't because I never even got around to building the Cafe Corner that I wanted so badly and finally ordered and then put with the rest of the pile of things I haven't gotten around to building yet. :-X *remembers to breathe again* I especially like that section with the part under the other part over by that one. You know... *points* *wacko* Ok, ok, it's seriously great, and I mean that! It's so much better than the yellow building that I don't remember at all. ;-)

Aw crap. It isn't the first time I've done that, either. :-$ I hereby christen this "the thread of confusing one person for another" *wacko*

They're all fine entries, but only one can be the best. I have voted for that entry. Nope, I'm not saying which one. X-D

WRONG! (I love how I come in reviews for this set and tell people that they're opinion is wrong) ;-) The speeder is great! GREAT! It is most certainly swooshable and even you admit it looks like something the Rebels might have used, so how can that be wrong??? X-D Plus, as most agree, the figures rock. *y* On your "out of 50" scoring system (???), I'd give it a 42/50. To get a 50/50, they would have needed to give us at least one different face and not used stickers. So go take another look at it and embrace the speeder! :-D