Pandora

Y'know an awful lot of what's being said today seems to be mostly chitter-chatter, and I'm struggling to draw the important points out of what's actually being said. I find myself needing to listen and re-listen to what people are saying, and yet still there's very little conclusive to find. Hardly surprising, really, this is the first day of this horror for us, and who knows how long it will last. Nika and Petr have been arguing quite a lot, but I suspect that they are misguided townies. Benji and Barbara have also attracted some attention, and to be honest Barbara you've not really said much worthwhile so far, however as you say, not much has happened. I don't think there's much anyone who stands out right now as being scum, but there are a few who've contributed very little at all (Catya springs to mind) but it may be they can't get a word in edgeways. I think I'm gonna need to re-listen to what you've all been saying all over again, and that, unfortunately, is gonna take a heck of a long time.

Yay for CrocodIzzy and her super mega ultra awesome flying rocket board! This is cute and cool, Iz, it looks like Fabuland is the place to be if you want some fabulous transportation!

Goshdarnit we're one heck of a large group, and we're all talking nineteen to the dozen here. I fear that there's a good likelihood that more traditional means of identifying scum, at least from the movies I've seen, may be being deliberately manipulated to the scum's advantage. I fear that the way the world has changed has led to scum easily realising how they may be noticed among us, and they are likely to play against this by being loud and brash. As so many have said, the first day of terrible ordeals such as this rarely yield any conclusive information, but the books I've read indicate we're usually better off in the long run by starting the lynching off on day one, and so I worry about suggestions from some that we shouldn't vote today or that we should vote without the intention of gaining a conviction. I agree with Reya - voting patterns will be a useful tool for identifying lying scum later on in this ordeal, and those of us still standing will benefit from the information that can be gleaned. As Samuel has eloquently stated, we none of us can trust anyone, not even those we love most, although I hope my beautiful Falicia would never do me wrong. It seems that we must be wary of our innocent citizens being converted to the evil ways of the scum, and I agree with Wilem that some sort of mafia ninja is likely among us. The most we can do at the moment is listen to each other and begin to form an opinion. Whether that opinion turns out to be the right one - well, there's only one real way to test that...

This is an awful situation for us to find ourselves in, but we have to take action to clean up our town. As has been said, all we can do now is wait for everyone to speak and see what each of us has to say, but I fear it's gonna be a real tough choice when it comes down to it. Lets hope the scum make some stupid mistakes so we can finish this with the minimum loss of innocent lives.

ISC, the Ticonderoga is just stunning! A big, beautiful behemoth with such wonderful detailing, too. It's a lovely colour scheme with the hints of yellow here and there in addition to the blue and grey, and it's just so huge! I love the engines with the trans-light blue parts, and the fact that the whole ship is an unusual shape for a space-ship, but it still quite clearly is a spaceship. Just wonderful! The whole layout looks great, too, with loads to look at and lots of fun details!

Hi everyone, Patrick here, I'm one of the town's firefighters. You haven't seen my beautiful wife Falicia have you? She's probably getting her damn hair done again, but I'm sure she said she wanted to slide down my pole.

I do think this is great! I too am impressed at how quickly you've built it, and it suits not only Fabuland, but the style of the cottage itself also really suits a crocodile character! The roof looks great, it is such a good idea. Plus you've shown you don't have to have much Fabuland to make a Fabuland MOC. I really hope you'll pursue this with more, however I'm becoming acutely aware of increasing competition in purchasing the dwindling stocks of Fabuland in the world!

That's a big upgrade! And a beautiful boat, too! There are great features here, the working net and the hold full of fish, and the life preserver and wrench on the side of the cabin. Edward Elephant and Marc Monkey both look like they're having a lot of fun in their grand new boat and they can certainly catch more fish, but I wonder if they'd feel more at home if their beautiful boat had been painted (built) with the bright primary colours that are synonymous with Fabuland?

Another fab Fabuland vehicle Rick! It has a lovely colour scheme, and not only looks like Fabuland but also gives off a classic 1950's vibe, too. Hinck's right, the front grille is a great detail, and I'm glad you managed to find some string to make this a working pick-up. Moar!

Happy Birthday Phred!! I hope you have a fantastic day with your lovely family, filled with lots of LEGOey-Piratey-ness!

Happy Birthday guys! Tazzie m'dear, hope you have/ will have had a fantastic day at the Brick Expo!

In fairness, I should point out that he spotted "something" and I spotted that they were (probably) legs. Always teamwork...

This is so lovely! The tan detailing on the facade really gives it the "shoppe" feel, and I too love the pattern of the paving, and the gumball machine is a great idea! One thing that struck me was the side window - the external detail in particular. The covered arch and sill could so easily have been overlooked but it's a charming detail that also helps to incorporate the primary colours of the Fabuland window into the build. It's the details you put in, Hinck, that make this special. Speaking of which, uhm, who's under the counter?

I would love a chance to play, please. 1. Your past Mafia experience (You must be a graduate of Mafia School or have played before) Not Mystery, Mafystery or Shadows bloodbaths Escape From Isla Paradisa and Fabuland Housewives, both Mafia School games. 2. Your availability to post frequently for the next 6-8 weeks Aside from an outside chance that I may be whisked away somewhere sumptuous for my birthday (somewhere that will likely still have wifi), there is nothing foreseeable that would prevent me from posting at the required frequency, for the allotted time. 3. Applied knowledge of the board software's use of the term "portal" As has already been mentioned, the portal refers to EB's frontpage, where the latest LEGO news is announced for all to see. It can be reached by clicking on the Frontpage tab, by opening a new window (if your "portal" to EB is the frontpage and not a bookmarked subforum) and by clicking on the delightful banner at the top of the page. 4. Your most embarrassing moment (yes, there's a reason. If you don't want to share, make one up ) Well, there was that time I went camping, and took part in an aerobics class one morning - and after a few exertions my bikini top pinged off and hit the intructor in the face. Hilarity ensued. Or maybe that's the plot of bawdy "comedy" Carry on Camping from 1969... I think I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as, really, nothing is springing to mind. Either that, or I'm completely shameless... Will that do?

This looks like a lovely summery picnic, perfect for August, and I like the way you've used different coloured apples to hint at the late summer feel. I hope your August turns out to be as pleasant as this looks!

This seems like a good song for today - Float On by Modest Mouse. It is also one of my favourite songs, so I'd be happy to hear it any old day, really.

That is an incredibly kind, generous and thoughtful gift for your friends! It is a delight to read your post as you describe in depth the various stages of your build(s) and helpfully point out pitfalls for those who may wish to follow in your footsteps. It's also great to hear that you received so much information and advice from EB, too! The build itself fits very well with the real life examples you showed in the opening picture, and there are some great interior and exterior details - I particularly like the bird house and BBQ you've built, and the sand and rocks are simple yet effective ways of showing the seaside. The fact that you've gone to the trouble to fully furnish the house - again I particularly like the larger bed and the refrigerator - will show your friends how much thought you've put into their gift. I really enjoyed reading about your process, and seeing the completed model in brick form. I think you've definitely earned yourself a Mojito!

I think Ricky Raccoon has just become the coolest guy about town in his new Hot Rod! That looks like a monster (and detailed) engine, that will surely pack a punch, and with those huge headlamps (which look curiously like fried-eggs on taps ) he'll have a clear view of the road ahead as he zooms about Fabuland. The red and yellow colour scheme work nicely and suit the Hot Rod well, which still fits the Fabuland feel so well; it's just disappointing for other Fabulanders that they can't catch a ride - Ricky's too cool for passengers now. Great creation, Rick!

Thank you, Hinckley, for your extremely kind words, and I'm glad you like the googly-eyed monster! Thank you for your praise -R8-, and I agree adding the parts you mention would have been a simple solution to the lack of landing gear.

Thank you very much, ZO6! Sounds like you got a good deal from your sister's collection! I know how you feel, lifeinplastic, I have my fingers crossed for the 2012 girls theme that it will continue with the ethos of Paradisa, and agree that the lack of conflict, and as you say "good clean fun" (just like Fabuland), is very appealing in itself. Thank you for your compliments 22kane! It may well be that we'll think the same next year as you did during your dark ages...

Thank you jd5775. Good spot with the shorts, I've spent a lot of time with this set and I didn't notice! Thank you Aanchir. I still rather think that even a microfig would look a little creepy in this context, but certainly better than a figure with a standard minifig sized head! I agree that there is a degree of colour clashing here and (as Rick also noted) that the pastel pink looks a little faded (although I still like it), but as you say there have been far worse over time. I too really hope (and expect, to be honest) that the new line will fit better into a Townscape from a colour point of view. Thank you LEGO Train 12 Volts! Aha Pep! Yes, indeed, and two outta three ain't bad! That sounds like loads of fun! I agree with you (and Rufus) - it'd have been great to have some other equipment; maybe some monkey bars or a climbing frame wouldn't have been too complex for the time? At least they produced something in this vein. Thank you, I'd love to, but only if we can play with the Zoo van stealing lion!

This is a stunning MOC! There are so many intricate details here and they indicate that this is a once grand building, ravaged by time and repeatedly patched. It could so easily just look like a run-down building but the evidence of repairs and the presence, and implied action, of the minifigs show this is an active building. The use of doors and car tyres to patch the building show imagination not just on the characters part, but also yours as the builder, and I really like the subtle colour scheme of red, yellow and green running through the MOC in addition to the grey and brown(s). Additionally, building the structure on stilts over the swamp hints further at the erosion of the building, and the attempts made to keep it functional - a great detail. I'd love to know even more of the story behind this, but then there's also just as much fun (with so much detail in the build) in constructing our own. Really great to look at and I'm sure you'll have plenty of interest when it's on display.

Thank you Cloney O! It's funny you should say that.... I'm honoured to have enticed a Pirate here! Must be the palm tree and the parrot? I was quite surprised at the proportion of rare colour parts. Thank you very much Captain, your comments mean a lot. I really tend to agree, there's a simple set here with examples for kids on how to take it further, plus a good number of figs. Having missed out initially, I too am now discovering the same charm with Paradisa, and I must admit this was catalysed by the lovely Paradisa MOCs you made for yor Mafia School. Thank you Sandy. Thanks Foog! I guess the spearminty Light Green is a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like it! I can see they wouldn't fit so well into a regular Town scene, but the set could be rebuilt on a regular green baseplate and I don't believe the playground items themselves would look too odd in that context. Oh shush, you! Thank you very much Rufus. Thanks snefroe, and, yeah, sorry about the Barry Manilow.. One of the things I really find heartening is that, in a set clearly aimed at girls, TLG didn't censure their build or creativity. They didn't look at the addition of a small amount of technic, or the unusual SNOT bathroom and exclude them on that basis and I really hope this translates into the upcoming new "girly" sets. Thanks Big Cam, I really appreciate it! Thanks Rick! I do however disagree with you slightly over the pink colour - if the parts had been the same garish pink as that on the box, I personally would have been far less interested, however I suspect you mean an inbetween colour that's still pastel to fit in with the Paradisa palette and that I would agree with. It really was very interesting to build just from the picture; I'm so glad they included it. Somebody should definitely invent that!

Paradisa was a subset of town made by TLG for a short time in the early 1990s, 1992-1997 to be specific, and it is often regarded as the most successful foray made by TLG into a theme aimed at a female market. These days many have fond memories of Paradisa – the unusual pastel colour scheme and the higher prevalence of female Minifigs may be reasons why. Unfortunately for me, Paradisa was released during my dark ages; were I a little younger ( ) I may have owned some. Nevertheless, it appeals to me now, and the advantage of being a little older is that I have a little disposable income, which I like to dispose of by buying older sets such as this. With its rosy sunsets, tropical birds and palm trees, Paradisa makes for some perfect summer building, but does 6403 Paradise Playground fit in with this summery theme? Read on to find out more. Number – 6403 Name – Paradise Playground Theme – Town: Paradisa Year – 1993 Minifigs – 3 Pieces – 82 (BrickLink), 91 (Peeron), 94 (Brickset) , 99 (LEGO Collectors book) By my count – 84 excluding minifig parts and counting the flower sprue as one part. Price – Bought for EURO 30.00/ GB £26.43/ US $43.09 MSRP US $13.25/ GB £8.13/ EURO 9.22 Links: Brickset, Peeron, BrickLink. The Box Pink! That really is the first thing that springs to mind when you look at the front of this box. Once you get over that initial onslaught, you can notice a playful little scene showing the whole set. There is the old LEGO System logo denoting the set as standard minifig scale, and the special brightly-coloured corner tag denoting this as a Paradisa set. In case the bright pink didn’t give it away. TLG often put in a little background to the set on the box-art, but it seems especially more detailed for the Paradisa range. Behind the set is a multi-hued sunset, a textured landscape and sea, plus a few little details like sailing boats and drawn palm trees. These details make the box bright and colourful, interesting and appealing, and help tie the set in with the Paradisa range as a whole. As with many older sets, the back of the box shows a number of alternative builds. These represent a diverse range of possibilities which I’ll come onto later, but suffice to say that I rather feel it is a shame that boxes no longer show these pictures, as they show the other ways the designers had thought the bricks may put together. It’s a great way of enforcing one of the fundamentals of LEGO – that you don’t have to just follow the instructions, you can put the bricks together any way you please. The top and bottom of the box are a fiesta of pink, punctuated only by the nostalgic System log and another sunset set scene, and the obligatory safety warnings and barcode respectively. The sides replace the loud pink with colourful sunset scenes and another picture of the set along with the LEGO and System logos – this is not a dull box. All around there are a variety of pastel pinks, oranges, blues and greens. Every effort has been made to make this scream ”Buy me, little girl!” The Instructions The instructions look like a booklet, but they’re not. The front of the folded poster shows the set again, but with the minifigs in a slightly different arrangement, which to me implies movement, and more importantly activity. Behind the set is a similar-but-different pastel picture of a sunset over a glistening bay, with sailboats and palm trees abound. As you fold out the instructions, you have a large double-sided poster with different sections broken down into their individual stages. The front shows you how to assemble the minifigs, the pram, the seesaw and the palm tree. The back shows how to build the slide, and how to place the remaining pieces to build the scene. They are simple and straightforward, and throughout decorated with swathes of various pastel hues which further enhance that this is a Paradisa set without compromising the colours of the parts in the pictures. There is no confusion as to which colour part is required. As you can see, there are no part call-outs, but rather the old-fashioned spot-the-difference pictures, which I find a bit more fun. You may also notice in the top corner a triangle with the Paradisa logo on the front and the statement “90 points” and the set number on the back. Presumably these were collectable coupons, redeemable for rewards, a little research came up empty, but I’m sure someone could enlighten us. Also inside is a separate pink Paradisa poster, showing a composite of all the Paradisa sets together, along with their set numbers. Seeing TLG's view of all the sets in one place gives us an indication of their vision for the line - that it involves fun and leisure pursuits in a tropical location locked in permanent sunset. Click on the picture for a high resolution view. The Parts The baseplates for the set are two 8x16 plates in light green. Interestingly these baseplates are only available in this colour in this set and 6405 Sunset Stables, and the colour fits well with the pastel scheme of the theme. It’s actually quite a pretty colour so it’s a shame these baseplates haven’t been seen since 1993. The parts inside are divided into two polybags, a large and a small, and the polybags are the old-fashioned perforated kind. Theoretically, given that the box seal was partially broken, there could have been an accumulation of dust over the intervening 20 or so years, but the LEGO inside was remarkably dust free. Once again I’ve separated all the parts by colour, so these are the contents of both bags. I think when most people think of Paradisa and “girly” sets it is natural to think of lots of pink, especially with such a vibrant pink box, but as you can see, there really isn’t that much pink at all. Just ten pieces, in fact, however the 1x2 curved brick in pink is only available in this set and 6409 Island Arcade, and the pink fence and pink 1x2 tile with handle are both pretty much limited to Paradisa, with neither seen since 1997. The 1x2 and 2x2 tiles are also both mostly limited to a few Paradisa sets, excepting a brief appearance by the 2x2 tile in the 2003 Belville set 5857 Safran’s Amazing Bazaar, so what little pink there is, is actually not that widely available. The grey parts are old grey – beloved by some, and shrugged at by others. Again there aren’t many parts, but there are some of interest, specifically the curved grey arches which are only available in this colour in this set. The real majority of parts in this set, as with many Paradisa sets, are white. Many of the white parts are commonplace, however the white 6x6 container is only available in this set and the Fabuland set 3637 Gertrude Goat’s Painter’s Truck. In fact that part only seen in Fabuland (in other colours) outside of this set. The 1x3 slope with studs on top (or gable piece) is also relatively uncommon; it is only elsewhere seen in white in the 1996 Exploriens set 6982 Explorien Starship and the 1998 Paradisa set 5847 Surfer’s Paradise. I’m also very happy to add another saucepan to my collection. Some of my favourite parts in a set are the greenery and detailing pieces. Here there are parts for a palm tree and a single red flower spruce, along with a multicoloured parrot. Not a huge amount of greenery altogether, and I might have expected more given that this set is supposedly aimed at girls, but I’m not about to sniff at a palm tree or parrot. There are three minifigs with this set, which is quite a high number given the size of the set. None of the minifig parts are particularly rare, however a few are no longer seen in sets. The face with freckles was last seen in 2004, and the rosy-lips-thick-eyelashes face is almost exclusively available in Paradisa sets, which is a shame as it’s a very likeable face. I particularly like the gold printing on the striped vest (as a belt buckle) and a necklace on the pink top. They’re little details that are easily missed, and could easily have been left off, but I appreciate them. The pink top is certainly pretty, and clearly appealing to girls; it is exclusive to Paradisa sets. The white jumper with the Paradisa palm tree logo on the other hand was available in numerous sets, even outside of Paradisa, up until 2003. Overall I prefer the pink top, really. From the back, there’s not much detailing to these minifigs, really. In fact there is no back printing for the red stripey vest, making it some sort of weird man-halter-neck type top. I’m slightly disappointed there’s no back printing for the pink top, though. A couple of extra dots would have added just a little bit more, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. The Build So, as mentioned in the instructions part, there are a number of elements in this set that are built separately and then combine to make the full display. Having assembled the minifigs, the next step is to make a pram. Yes really, a pram. Did I mention this was aimed at girls? The pram is cute, and from the pictures the pretty lady in pink is evidently Mum, or a nanny, as she’s usually pictured near it on the packaging. Or is she some sinister Mafia Moll or crazy psycho lady, because *gasp*, the pram is empty! Is she smuggling contraband? Is there a revolver secreted under the baby pink hood of the pram? Is she about to ice one of the cute little kids playing in Paradise Playground? Lets hope not, it wouldn’t exactly be Paradise if she did. Actually, for very few parts this makes a convincing minifig scale pram, if you like that sort of thing, and I concede that a Mother and pram does fit in with a playground, and there isn’t really a way to add a baby without it looking even more sinister. One could add a microfig from a recent LEGO boardgame, but that’d still be odd. The next component to build is the seesaw. Again this is a straightforward build, but I’m really happy to see Technic pins and bricks used in a set aimed at girls. To my mind, there’s no reason why girls shouldn’t like Technic, and although the seesaw wouldn’t work with the inclusion of these pieces, I’m glad TLG didn’t think “we can’t put Technic in a set for girls!” Anyhow, I’ve presented it her on the delicious light green baseplate to show off the colour scheme. Pink and grey to my mind brings back distinct memories of the 1980s, however the combination here is probably also because grey goes better with pastel than black, and they wanted to use pink. Admittedly they could have used a pastel blue or yellow, but I don’t get the feeling that TLG wanted to include too many colours in this set. I do think this is effective use of the 1x2 tiles with handles to make a simple yet recogniseable model, and the soft pastel colours are pleasing on the eye. The other major component to the build is the slide, which is a slightly more complicated build than the seesaw. The curved grey pieces, along with white arches, add a smoothness to the model, rather than it being just blocky. The gable pieces are used to form the slope of the slide itself, giving it a precarious 45 degree angle that would be fun to slide down, until you land in a crumpled heap at the bottom. The issue of creating steps up to the slide is solved in one fell swoop by simply attaching a ladder onto a grey 1x2 plate with a handle, and this works nicely apart from the fact that this introduces a small step down on the flat top of the slide. It’s a very minor gripe, though. I like the use of the pink fence pieces at the top of the slide to form a railing, as it makes the model prettier, more decorative. From this angle you can see how steep the slide is, but that it is pleasantly tiled in pink. No wonder she looks apprehensive.. It is, at least, wide enough for a minifig to fit on, as they plunge to their death, so it works as a model. The last playground area isn’t really built, as it uses the 6x6 white container as a sandpit. The adult sized kid wields an adult sized shovel and saucepan as presumably something akin to a bucket and spade. That’s it. Actually, not quite, from this angle you can see that sand is represented here by two yellow 1x1 round plates (actually, there’re three in the polybags, but the instructions only call for two, and I didn’t want to over-do it). From this angle the “kid” also looks nearly naked; I dread to think what he’s doing in a sandpit with no sand, but there are no 1x1 round plates in brown provided with this set, unless the yellow 1x1s represent something else... He hides his face in shame. This isn’t really a build, but at least it’s another element to the set and fleshes out the playground a little. Altogether, and when placed according to the picture at the bottom of the second page of the instruction poster, the elements form an L-shaped scene. The foliage details are added in, and although the palm tree and parrot fit nicely with the feeling of the set, the red flowers feel a little harsh. It’s a real shame that they couldn’t have used pink flowers; only a year later dark pink flower sprues would be produced for a Belville set (5890 Pretty Wishes Playhouse) and they at least would have fitted in with the colour scheme slightly better than red. White flowers in this context, I believe, would have been a little dull, but again would have jarred less against the rest of the set. The addition of the palm tree adds a bit of height to the overall scene, and I’ve always like the construction of these palm trees – that the you can articulate slightly between each join, making the tree curve and bend in a realistically organic way. This and the multi-coloured parrot add an air of the exotic to the playground. From the back you can see that the sand pit and palm tree are both used to join the two light green baseplates together. There has been much concern recently about the lack of larger baseplates in more recent sets, and I find it interesting that actually that that isn’t something new – here the same method using and joining of two smaller baseplates is used way back in 1993. The components fit reasonably well together on the surface provided, but there could be more baseplate visible at the ends of the slide and seesaw. All the nicer if that visible baseplate were the same lovely light green. After combining all the elements, and building according to the instructions, an economical three pieces are leftover. The 1x1 yellow round plate could be added into the sparse sand pit, leaving but two remaining pieces. As I mentioned earlier, there are a number of alternative builds shown on the back of the box. There are no instructions for these, but I maintain that adding them to the box art is a great way to show what else could be made with the pieces in the box. So I have tried (successfully I think) to recreate these scenes, although this first one causes me a little confusion... The first scene shows a seating area with sand pit, with I think, a covered cooking area. I don’t get what the pink curved piece with 1x1 yellow round plate is – a beer tap? Surely not. And what is the freckly girl carrying? Is it a tray with a fried egg? There’s a different, but still recogniseable incarnation of a pram, and a somewhat stunted plant for the parrot to sit on. I guess my imagination is failing me. The next scene is a little more obvious – it’s a bathroom and living room and hearks back to the time when Town buildings came with a little interior furnishing. This took a little thinking about to build given that the baseplates are used vertically, and I’m pleased with the result. I like the sink and toilet design, and I enjoyed the challenge of thinking in a different orientation. The bath is a bit odd – you may notice a costume change for the minifigs so that freckly girl is now sitting in the bath in her pyjamas (who does that?) and the lady and manchild are now wandering around in their underpants. At least they have a nice fireplace to keep them warm. The sand pit is now a cupboard, and somewhat randomly the parrot is sitting on a saucepan on the wall. It was going so well... The last of the alternative builds I’ve tried to recreate is a sort of Cabana. Do you have Barry Manilow in your head now, too? Good, because I’ve been stuck with it for the whole of this review. So Lola (who was a showgirl) sits in a queenly fashion inside her cabana, waving her palm frond. I like the use of the gable pieces on the roof, which allow the attachment of the palm leaves and bring this build back to the Paradise aesthetic. The cabana was quite difficult to reconstruct as the picture was right across the opening seam of the box, and the back isn’t visible at all, so I’ve built the back it as I think it should be built from the parts available. But, hey, that’s pretty much what building with LEGO is all about, right? Building sets, then modifying them to suit you, and possibly extending that further to MOCing. I’m sure some would disagree, but I think it is. Conclusion Design 7 /10 The scene is instantly recogniseable as a playground, and I’m most pleased with the seesaw which has a simple, yet effective design. The pram is also a very cute little rendition that works well and fits the System scale perfectly. There are aspects which don’t work so well, such as the steep nature of the slide, and the sand pit that isn’t so much built as placed, but altogether this is clearly a playground. The pictures of other possible builds are interesting, but my favourite, as it was the most interesting and was a slightly more challenging build, was the bathroom. Young girls often like the “Doll’s House” aspect of LEGO, and the furnished bathroom would certainly be appealing for that reason. If I’d had this set as a child, I’d have certainly tried to build the bathroom scene, and that makes me wish that TLG had included instructions for this build, so that the younger me would have been able to. Parts 9/10 For a relatively small set there are some interesting and unusual parts here. The light green baseplates are just lovely, and make me want more, and although there isn’t that much in the way of pink, the pink parts are useful and unusual. There’s a small amount of old grey here for those who like that sort of thing, and a couple of interesting pieces in the larger quantity of white pieces - the gable pieces are new additions to our collection. In addition to these unusual parts, there’s also the ever-useful palm tree, saucepan and parrot. Minifigs 8/10 Again, for a set of this size, to get three minifigs is actually quite a haul. The minifig parts are a little odd, but my favourite would be the lady with pretty face and nice pink top. The gold detailing is a pleasant surprise, but I’m disappointed that there’s no back print to the stripey red vest, and the white Paradisa top looks more like a sweatshirt, and thus a little warm to be wearing in such tropical climes. The little girl’s freckly face is also a welcome addition, as there could just as easily have been three classic smiley faces, not one. Build 8/10 The playground, while not particularly challenging, uses some slightly more interesting techniques than one might expect, including a very minor use of Technic to make the seesaw, and the gable pieces on the slide to form a 45 degree slope for tiling. I’ve added in an extra mark here because of the bathroom build. It’s not part of the instructions, but I actually had the most fun building it, and really liked the idea of building a set in a different orientation. Playability 8 /10 The seesaw works as a seesaw, thanks to the Technic, and moving parts, even if you move them yourself, always add to the playability. The slide also works as a slide, if you suspend your disbelief and accept that LEGO minifigs will not be harmed when landing at the bottom. I can easily imagine a little girl playing out stories with these figures in their playground, and if they built the bathroom, I can see that being very playable too. Price 7/10 The MSRP of US $13.25/ GB £8.13/ EURO 9.22 seems relatively reasonable at first glance, but comparing this with a similarly sized Town set from the same year (6667 Pothole Patcher MSRP US $9.25/ GB £5.68/ EURO 6.44) and there’s a bit of a discrepancy. I can only assume that this is because it’s Paradisa, and thus more specialised, but that seems a bit of a rubbish reason. Given that TLG have always been trying to include more young girls in their fanbase, pricing a set aimed specifically at girls at a higher price-point than comparative sets seems a little odd to me. When I bought it I paid EURO 30 for a MISB set, which is the lower end of the going rate on BrickLink, but you can pick up complete used sets from around EURO 17.50 (US $25.13, GB £15.42) – personally I’m happy with the price I paid. Overall 78% 6403 Paradise Playground initially appealed to me as a Town set as it is a little bit different. It is not a shop, or a vehicle but instead more a depiction of everyday life that would fit very nicely into a Town scene. The parts overall are quite interesting and useful, and despite the fact that I usually eschew pink, I’m actually very happy to have even this modest amount in this set and the overall pastel Paradisa colour scheme is pleasing to me. The minifigs are plentiful for the size of the set, and include some nice parts and detailing, but the real bonus for me was the surprising enjoyment of building the “afterthought” scenes on the back of the box. Thank you for reading, comments are always very welcome. High-Res pictures can be found on my flickr account.