Pandora

Our happy and adorable townlife is under threat. We have a corrupt mayor, a next-to-useless police "department" and the first we hear of the FBI agent sent to help us, is when he's found in a pool of blood riddled with bullet-holes. Not a great start to the day. And on top of that you want to close the pub?! A bit of alcohol may help loosen the tongues of the guilty, and after I replant all the petunias you lot have trampled over, I'm gonna need a spritzer, at least.

Free beer?! Yes please, I'll have half a pint of shandy, thanks Hunter!

Not wishing to muddy the waters, but a few additions: He gave him a very good medicine. => Can you say this? Is medicine countable? I'd say: he gave him SOME very good medicine. You can say "a very good medicine". Medicine, in this sense, is viewed as an item, thus can be singular or plural. Therefore, both statements are correct. You can also have "some very good medicines". The "very" here helps distinguish between "good" and "better" (i.e. "very good".) She was at the beach. She walked along. => Can you use "walked along" without an object? If not, where would you insert the personal pronoun "it"? => She walked it along. OR She walked along it. (The first one sounds much better, the last one very strange.) There is nothing wrong with your initial statement, but it sounds poetic, rather than conversational. We would say, "She walked along it". She went on a beach. => I'd say: She went TO the beach. OR: She walked ON/ALONG the beach. Indeed, "She went to the beach", "She walked on/along the beach" are both fine. Similarly the phrase "Welcome at Eurobricks", would be more naturally said as "Welcome to Eurobricks". We have a lot of visitors now. => OK or do you have to say "we are having..."? Or are both tenses possible? Technically, both are correct, however we would say "We have a lot of visitors now" rather than "are having". The initial statement is fine as a stand-alone statement. Conversationally, we might say "We have a lot of visitors at the moment/ right now" and (as has already been said) "We are having a lot of visitors later" or "We will be having a lot of visitors later". Hope this helps.

Thank you so much Brickster! I think I cross-posted with you earlier. It's interesting to hear the thoughts of others who've built the set too, as you say. I'd already got a good way into doing this when I read your great review, so I thought I'd crack on anyway. Thanks prateek, and sorry I didn't make it clear that they were 1x1x5 bricks in black (and there are 1x2x5 trans-clear bricks): Thanks Gregorovich! Here you go, with and without fish! I had to use a Technic spindle to keep the button pressed for the photo; in real life, you have to use your finger! Thank you otterlily! I was pleasantly surprised at how diverse the alternate builds were in this set. Both 5770 and 5771 are great sets (but I prefer this one!) As I've said, I think my favourite is becoming the cafe (3rd model) as it has a nice relaxing atmosphere. You are quite correct about the photo , thanks for spotting that, I've changed it now! Thank you Stardusty!

That's very kind, Roodaksta, thank you. The stickers don't cover multiple pieces, however they are placed on parts which are reused and visible in the Secondary and Tertiary builds, so you'd either have to take them off again (not great) or not mind that bits of roof or boat are mirrored. The other option is to get a second set in which you leave the stickers off, but that's expensive. Here's a picture of the instruction booklet to show where they are applied. As I mentioned, the handle at the back makes this part spin round. The Light Brick is placed above, at the top of the glass-sided housing, and is illuminated by pressing on the Technic axle that pokes out the very top of the model. Here's another pic from the instructions showing how the light brick is sited. Thanks The Yellow Brick. I absolutely agree, the cafe is very nearly my favourite build, too.

I'm so pleased you have it all sorted after all that hassle. Looking forward to seeing you.

Done and done. If only because your post made me laugh out loud Maybe add a poll for us to choose our favourite between you and Dragonator? However, I can see the ramifications of choosing one over the other, so maybe not

CREATOR REVIEW 5770 Lighthouse Island Number - 5770 Name – Lighthouse Island Theme – CREATOR Year – 2011 Minifigs – One Pieces – 518 Price – GB £40.99 Links: Bricklink, Brickset, Peeron - not listed, Shop@Home - not listed. So, as you may have read in Rufus’ review, he went out to buy a new tumble dryer, and returned with LEGO. Infinitely better than magic beans. It was very exciting when these sets were brought home. A short tussle ensued, and I emerged victorious with my set – 5770 Lighthouse Island. I’m a little slower at reviewing, but still felt it would be a good idea to review this set, as I know it is only just hitting the shelves in many places, so I have tried to document my excitement as I constructed the three builds within. I must state that this is not the first review; The Brickster has beaten me to it! However the pictures were mostly taken and the review in progress, so I have ploughed on regardless. On a rocky outcrop lives a salty sea-dog, who mans the lighthouse to keep sailors safe and prevent ships running aground on the treacherous rocks.... The front of the box shows the primary model in a sunny, nautical scene with the Lighthouse Keeper (from now on referred to as Grundy, as it’s quicker to type, and there’s more than a lighthouse here!) jetting around in his little boat while the irritating sea-gulls pinch all his fish. There are also two smaller pictures of the alternate builds, and a large declaration of the Light Brick contained in the set, which gives light to the lighthouse. The back of the box again promotes the Light Brick and, in a similar nautical scene, shows all three builds together, with insets to demonstrate the play features of each. The box top, similar to other CREATOR boxes, shows the inventory of pieces, so you can see exactly what you’re getting. Each build comes with its own instruction booklet. Incredibly, all three of mine were in perfect condition, despite being free to rattle around in the box with the pieces. The primary build front shows the same scene as the box front: The back shows the final stage of the build. Inside this first booklet is an overview of all three builds, designating them “Advanced”, “Experienced” and “Quick” presumably to give kids an idea of which build to start with. The second instruction booklet front again shows the model in the same bright and sunny scene. While the back features the obligatory gurning child. The third booklet shows the third model with the same background, and here the back shows promotional pictures of CREATOR set 5771-Hillside House with its Sound Brick Also inside the box are a couple of blue plates, loose, three largish poly-bags, four smallish poly-bags, and a very small, but very shiny sticker sheet, again in unexpectedly good condition. As has been discussed on the boards, CREATOR sets now come with mini-figures, and 5770 is no exception, providing a Lighthouse Keeper (Grundy ) He wears an orange waterproof jacket, with nice printed details. There’s even a hood printed on the back. There are a variety of mostly red and white pieces, but I particularly like the large quantity of macaroni bricks in red and white. There are a few plates, which with the earlier-shown blue plates, will provide the flat portions of the models; as with other newer CREATOR sets, there is no baseplate. A small selection of roof tiles is provided, in black, light bley and dark bley. Most interesting are the Light Brick, and four 2x5 trans-clear bricks. There are also two 1x5 black bricks, which are unusual. Within the smaller parts, there are nice pearlised gold shutters for the 2x4 brown window frame, a large amount of taps and skeleton feet both in white, four smaller windows, a propeller, yellow life-preserver part, steering wheel and a small selection of Technic pieces. The main build, all together: The front of the model shows the rocky outcrop, complete with small pier, and thieving sea-gulls. There’s a small fire-pit for cooking any fish Grundy can keep hold of, and a life-preserver in case he falls into the deep blue sea (though heaven knows who’ll chuck it to him ) The right side affords a better view of the little window in the house section, the rocks and the beautiful lighthouse itself, with its lovely rounded corners – so tactile! The back mainly shows the handle, by which the reflectively stickered bricks at the top of the lighthouse rotate, to shine the light around. Housed inside the top part of the lighthouse tower is the mechanism for this; a series of interconnecting cogs and axles. The left side is a little plain.... ....but this is to allow it to open and reveal the shack within! Here is a small stove for warming your tea, and a ladder for access to the upper part of the lighthouse tower, however the ladder only goes part of the way up before four white curved plates prevent Grundy’s advance and inevitable mangling by the Technic mechanism. It’s a little unfortunate that the chimney on the roof cannot line up with that of the stove inside the shack, but that’s a minor gripe. Another minor gripe is that the smooth roundedness of the lighthouse tower is interrupted by a couple of angular levels, but that is to allow the side to open. The balcony shows where all those skeleton feet and taps are needed and the binoculars provide a lookout station. The top of the lighthouse naturally houses the Light Brick. It’d have been nicer if the Light Brick had had a white light, rather than yellow, and it’s not a strong light, but it is a delightful feature nonetheless. The light doesn’t project very far, even in darkness. I must admit I haven’t applied the stickers, although I doubt that would make much difference. Each model comes with a boat. This one is a little yellow dinghy with an outboard motor, and I think it’s rather cute. I also like the 1x3 yellow cheese/grill parts, as I’m not familiar with them. (mmmm grilled cheese....) The underside of the boat shows the blue 2x2 rounded plate that makes the boat wobbly. Here you can also see that the propeller is pearlised silver. A better view of the top of the dinghy: With the set built, these few parts are left over: Secondary Build - Lifeboat Boat-house Onto the secondary build, as yet unnamed, so I’m going to call it the Lifeboat Boat-house. There is a smaller footprint for the building, and, although slightly different from the primary build, you can see the fish-stealing sea-birds remain. There’s a little garden, and the propeller serves as either a decorative windmill, or an eco-friendly wind-turbine to generate power for the Light Brick? The Light Brick in this build is used to light the lamp over the doorway by Grundy’s head. It works nicely, but seems to be just a way to incorporate this much vaunted feature. The boat sits inside the boathouse; here’s the same view without the boat: From the front you can see that the inside is actually a boat launch, with nowhere for Grundy to fry his fish or heat his tea There’s an attractive life-preserver sign over the front, and effective use of trans-orange 1x1 studs to make a “lighted” lanchway. The left side shows nice use of the 2x5 trans-clear bricks, to create a glass wall, but unfortunately the back half of the boathouse appears to be built over water Not too stable really.... The green cone is pressed, and by virtue of a Technic axle, lights the Light Brick and thus the door lamp. The back view shows a handle to the left, and another Technic mechanism in the middle, which form this model’s play feature: a rather ineffectual boat-launching mechanism. You turn the handle and the boat surges forward about a centimetre. It’s a nice idea, though. Maybe I’m just not being forceful enough? This angle shows the handle more clearly, and shows the grubby garden area. This isn’t my favourite model of the three. The boat for this model, however, is the largest of the three, and has the most detail. It is a well realised rescue boat, with its own life-preserver and railing, making use again of the skeleton feet. It’s similar on both sides, with an attachment for the binoculars to the right. Two smaller windows provide a windshield, and the boat is nicely streamlined. With two trans-yellow 1x1 plates the boat’s lights are formed. The railings can be a little fiddly, though Grundy’s off to save the day on the stormy seas! Once the secondary model is built, there are a number of pieces remaining. Tertiary Build - Fish Cafe Finally, I present, the tertiary build, also as yet unnamed, so I’ve decided on Seafront Fish Cafe. Or Fish Cafe. Or Yum! Kippers!. Well, I haven’t decided, but it’s clearly some sort of eatery serving fish. There’s clearly a cafe table with an umbrella, plus a menu outside the doorway, and a fish sign on the roof. The sign makes clever use of the yellow life-preserver part. The corners of this build use the macaroni parts in an inverted orientation, giving a coving effect to the edges. You can just about see the fish grill inside the cafe. There’s a little mini-pier and a docking area for the boat, plus a little garden area to the side. The sea birds are back The back shows the four little windows, and to me is reminiscent of a railway car, or a diner. Or a railway dining car The brown stud is there to allow the back to be opened easily. Inside, there is a better view of the fish grill and how the Light Brick has been placed in order to make the grill light up. You can also see how the 2x5 trans-clear bricks are used to make a full-length glass frontage, with Grundy beyond. Here’s a better view of the fish grill/ Light Brick combo. It works very effectively, and it’s a good way to use the play feature in this model. There are (mercifully) no Technic pieces in this model. Before I get into trouble: I like Technic, but I haven’t built with it since my school days, and I find it fiddly, it’s just a personal preference. The left side is a little plain, but here you can better see the little seating area made with red macaroni pieces and that a lookout is made using the binoculars. The boat for this model includes some of the ignored Technic pieces, using them to cleverly create a mast. This is probably my favourite boat. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it might be because it represents recreation more than the others, and it’s a sweet little sailboat, plus it doesn’t have a steering wheel, and so is a little aimless (unless you can find some sails). As Grundy sails off into the sunset.... ...quite a lot of parts are left over. Conclusion All three builds were highly enjoyable, and to me reminiscent of the Log Cabin, but more interesting. The frame on which the plates are seated can be a little fragile and annoying before being stabilised by the addition of the plates, but then every LEGO set recommends you build on a firm, flat surface ( I may not have consistently done so) and you can pick up blue baseplates at LEGO shops and TRU usually, so the lack of a baseplate in this set doesn’t bother me much, really. For the price, it really does seem to represent good value, common to CREATOR sets compared with other themes. Design – 9/10 overall, this is a great set with three interesting and different models, all with their own use of the Light Brick, and the three would look pleasant if displayed together, or individually. The use of the macaroni pieces to provide curved walls in all three structures is just lovely, and all three models are recognisable and functional. Build – 8/10 each build is interesting and varied; building the base-frames can be frustrating, and I found the Technic bits fiddly, but neither so much as to detract from enjoying the builds. Whilst building the lighthouse tower may look as though it’s just brick-on-brick, there’s surprisingly more to it as you add in the Technic mechanism, and the sense of satisfaction when it’s built is great. The Lifeboat Boat-house is the least interesting build, but as mentioned has the most interesting boat, and it would still be a useful addition to a Town with a harbour. The structure is made more interesting by the use of the macaroni pieces, but compared with the Lighthouse (or even the Fish Cafe), it falls a little flat. Were it not for the other two builds with which to compare it, it would still be a great model, though. Although it is the smallest and simplest build, I was really quite enamoured with the Fish Cafe when finished, and thoroughly enjoyed the build. There are some nice details, like the light-up grill, and again, it would fit well in a Riviera scene. Although it doesn’t have a play-feature per se, I still think it is more playable than the Lifeboat Boathouse. Parts – 8/10 there are some interesting smaller parts, and plenty of red and white macaroni. The minifig is slightly more interesting than those with the other CREATOR sets, and of course there’s the Light Brick! Playability – 8/10 great playability with the Lighthouse lamp, for a while; equally, the boat-launch in the Lifeboat Boathouse is diverting for a short while. All three models have ships with them, though, and it is easy to imagine stories and scenes being set up using those – ships in peril, daring rescues in rough seas, a relaxing fish supper after a day’s yachting.. Price – 9/10 for the beauty of the models, and the interesting features, I really do think this represents great value and am tempted to pick up another set to have both the Lighthouse Island and the Fish Cafe built together. Overall 85% The lighthouse is a beautiful model to look at and the curved corners are just with the upcoming Harbour sets in Town, this will provide a welcome addition; indeed a small amount of MOCing (to add the aaargh factor) could incorporate this into the Pirates’ theme, to keep their beautiful galleons safe as they come in to port for rum and wenching. All in all, this is a great set, and is likely to remain built in one form or another for a good while yet. Comments and opinions are most welcome.

Nurse!!! He's out of bed again... Oh, he seems to have gone, nevermind.

Well if she is, she's barking up the wrong tree...

Hello, Payton Pig here, pleased to see you all again.

Thank you, Hinckley! I will give it my all, and will ensure my grammar, punctuation and spelling are tippety-top

Taking the story in a whole new direction... Fabuland Chainsaw Massacre?

Um. Not the best thing to say to butter-up the host of the game you hope to be picked for, given that Hinckley wrote it.... If you'd like to have a look, and then post how brilliant you think it is, here's a link.

When I first saw your vignettes of the earlier series of CMFs I thought they were an ingenious way to display your collection, and it is delightful to see you carry this on for series 4. There are some fantastic little scenes in there (my eye was drawn to the very large ice-cream in the background of surfer-girl's vig!) and they stack together so well. The Frankenstein's monster and Scientist vigs work very well, both individually and together, and there are other clever ideas such as the bonsai tree in the Geisha vig. It's great that you're displaying these, as no matter how good the photos are (and they are good, to my eyes) LEGO always looks better in real life, and I'm glad people will have the opportunity to see these up close. Like others, I too will be excited to see what you come up with for series 5!

Another Fabuland mafia! Absolutely adorable! It's just so..irresistible; I have no choice. So to answer your questions: 1. Some plans, I'm afraid: 3rd to 5th June to Windsor for the EB event - potentially questionable internet connectivity (countryside), and depends on 'phone signal/ truth about hotel wi-fi but only for a couple of days, and may not be a problem. 11th to 24th June to the good ole US of A; will be in NYC until the 14th so I doubt internet connectivity will be a problem, however it's a long flight from London to NY and the cabin crew get a bit uppity about using mobile phones on planes for some reason.... 2. Errrm, yes. Isla Paradisa Mafia School. And it didn't end well for me... 3. In Fabuland? Well it has to be the panda Preferrably Perry panda, rather than Peter panda (I know you know the difference, and yes I could have alliterated that better), with a close second being the adorable rabbit(s), naturally. Although, who doesn't love a monkey? Otherwise? Dogs, definitely, I have always adored dogs. A close second would be lions, but I wouldn't really want to keep one as a pet. I was half expecting to have to write a dissertation on some of the more esoteric points of the English language I'm almost disapointed

Maybe in Belgium but this is an international site. It's still "yesterday" in Hawaii (don't know if there's anyone from Hawaii around..) and not far off "tomorrow" in New Zealand. Plus there's inconvenient stuff like real-life and work and so forth to fit in.

I was really looking forward to the opportunity to get my teeth into a more complicated game, if possible; now I'm not sure whether that'd be appropriate?

Such a great scene! The jellyfish is brilliant and the UV lighting has paid off in the photo - there's a real deep-sea iridescence to it! I don't recognise the trans-pink parts , where are they from? The stone arch is beautifully made; it reminded me of the arches goldfish swim through in goldfish bowls but it's still very clearly a deep-sea scene. Yet another fabulous MOC!

Dazmundo has visited more recently than I have, as he asked a similar question recently. I was actually looking at the webpages just yesterday to see what was new, as the EB event is there this June. The Legoland Windsor website (like the other Legolands) has an interactive map of the park, where you can zoom in to see what there is to see and do, and it shows good detail of the various sections of the park. Plus on the "PLan Your Visit" page you can download a voucher for free ice cream for kids . The website also lists all the events, plus has the opening hours and directions. I would agree that half a day may not be enough, unless that half day is from Midday to closing time, in which case it might almost be the whole time the park is open that day. The map will also show the various LEGO shops; being a commercial venture, there are plenty of opportunities to spend money on LEGO! Hope you have a great time!

Really enjoyed those clips, def! You can also find a plethora of similar in LEGO animation

Happy Birthday, Cutlass Iz! Hope you have a lovely day, doing all the fun things you want to do, and hope you get lots of LEGO!

You are not the only person on EB to not recognise it, I have been asked before, and its relative obscurity is partly why I chose it for my sigfig. Absolutely. I got my Queen "dress" from my 2010 Kingdoms Advent Calendar (I've changed the head and hair), which also included a Prince figure with those legs. The last time I looked on Bricklink, that was the only source for the Queen torso, however I picked up a Queen keyring last Friday, so that may have changed, and it appears they may be emptying unsold advent calendar parts into the build-a-minifig bins.

I'm not quoting any of that, lest another wave of nausea washes over the mafia forum. But, thanks

I rather think that Hinckle suits you, and I'm sure it's only ever used as a term of endearment. That is the only reason I have used it. You should embrace it, not denigrate it.