nesquik

Yes, they're stickers because the posters are under the 'features' banner. If they were printed, they'd be under the 'hard to find elements' banner.

11pm U.K time :)

I think you'll find February 1st is a more realistic date if the company are choosing to announce the product this Friday. We haven't heard anything at our store, but as a gauge the Horizon Express arrived the day before Christmas Eve and that was released New Years day... I'll let you know when stock comes in.

Some of the disappointment in regards to the Palace Cinema's screen room can be understood, but I would hazard a guess that many members are judging the scale/proportions of this theatre against modern and/or common buildings. The truth of course is that this is not designed to emulate a modern multiplex cinema. Part of the charm of the modular buildings is that the major services we take for granted today are scaled down to a very charming level; that which preceded technologies we are so used to. It is because of this that each building has genuine personality, and represents the function quite clearly. Each service is set in a period where design fashioned an iconic look. With this in mind, I believe the Palace Cinema does a nice job of recreating a smaller community atmosphere for movie watching. This isn't to say that large theatres never existed in the late Art Deco period - quite the opposite in fact - but many small and even 'tiny' picture houses were extremely common. This is the benchmark that the designers likely went for with this set, as it looks like a very manageable build and offers some really lovely details throughout. I would happily sacrifice the authenticity of the interior for a stunning architecture, because Creator products are designed more so to be showpieces that cram as many interesting and clever building techniques/details in as possible. The only flaw I can see in this product is that the architecture/exterior is inevitably more suited to a larger theatre, but for the all the reasons just listed, this doesn't bother me. I'd quite like to double it up anyway and maybe even change it from a corner design to a two-long building. (Check out this 1930's theatre room in England:)

This was the company gift for Christmas 2012 (in the U.K at least). A real exclusive to this set are the stickers for the windows, but other than that it's pretty basic in the component roster. There's about 7/8 bags, they're not numbered unfortunately but I decided in the end to leave mine in its box... It's a shame others decided to flog theirs on eBay.

I wouldn't worry about modding the windows as, if you look at the images, those two walls facing the pavement are two-studs wide anyway. With one layer of brick providing the 'arch' effects, and the layer behind it supporting the windows, you could simply replace the windows with standard bricks and you'd still at least the nice architecture in front of it.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation being spread around with regards to these new Castle products, and some unfair judgements (partly based on low-res images and wrong expectations) We were informed about these sets in November at the Lego store I work, and the images found on the link provided earlier are from an internal 'catalogue', albeit rough and for staff viewing only. The images are not "preliminary", they are the final products. You'll also find out why the Series 10 CM minifigs have gold packets, too.. The new Castle products follow some cues found in recent City counterparts - the company wishes to introduce new fans into product lines much friendlier. This has been a real challenege; bridging the gap between different product lines, especially Duplo and System. In addition, these products are very economical and are NOT meant to appeal directly to Afol's. LOTR and Hobbit haven't sold in the quantities that even we as retail staff expected, and that's largely because families want the best value, and the children can easily be pursuaded to spend their money on many smaller products rather than one large one. For this reason, the smaller licensed sets are popular with children purely because they can own a movie branded product with their pocketmoney, while the larger ones appeal to a far older audience. Whichever way slice the cake, some of the products are shocking value for money, and don't provide a inviting entry into this style of theme. It's interesting to read of the negativity in this thread, because it would seem that many members automatically assume (or expect) these new Castle products to have the same level of detail as those from recent years, without taking into account what function a product serves in the first place. These new Castle sets will provide a fun and enjoyable entry into historical territory, and as long as the kids enjoy it, then I honestly don't give a damn how bad they are. Playability is the single most important attribute, and that's something that the company sacrifices with LotR/Hobbit. So please, spare a thought for just who these products are aimed for.

The chances are that the movie posters will be stickers, because this would allow the owner to pick from many different designs on the sheet (much in the same way that the Horizon Express has different 'numbers' depending on your carriages).

I think users in the negative camp need to appreciate that Exclusive (or, Creator Expert) products are entirely individual, and not tied down to specific or running narratives. Even the term 'modular building' has been coined purely as a reference to the way that the buildings connect to one-another. It does not mean that the design of each new product must harmonise with past releases. The thing to take away from this 'Palace Cinema' building is that, while it may not jump out at you as being a cinema on first glance, it is beautifully original and looks to be a very interesting and fun build, which is what Creator products are all about. This is in similar vein to 'Town Hall', as the architecture doesn't strike you immediately as being such, but it's a huge and entertaining set. In addition, you're basing your opinions on a fairly low-res image. I've had the opportunity to see a print quality image of the building on a release schedule, and it will drastically alter your opinion on just how much detail is in the architecture of the building. I have to agree about the Buick though (it's not a limousine), as it is extremely tame for a £99.99 product. I'd actually pay an extra £10 just to have something more befitting the grandness of the occassion.

This will be released in February at the earliest... The Lego store I work in has a stock room flooded with January products, nothing for after.

Just finished building my H.Express... The main engine alone took just under 3-hours to build, but I enjoyed every minute of it because of the clever building techniques. For example, to achieve the 'upside-down' section on the front of the train (under the cabin), you simply glide the mini build through some 4x1 ledges, and that allows the two sections to sit back-to-back. Amazing. Also, the SNOT on the sides are just incredible as the 'arrow' effect is achieved through 1x1 plate clips that hook onto railings in the centre of the train, and those railings form part of an engine detail, so it actually adds to the overall effect. The passenger carriages were easier and took a little less time, but I enjoyed the interior as it was fun imagining how the minigures would interact with the surrounding. Due to the reliance on legacy bricks, the entire train weighs a lot more than you may think. On the whole, this goes down as one of the greatest Lego trains I've owned, and I don't say that lightly. Why? Because the final design is achieved not through countless special components that solve problems, but simply through the foresight to solve those problems with classic elements so that it is not only an educational build, but one that is very fun. It feels like traditional Lego, and as our new branding suggests, is an extension of the existing 'Creator' product line. This is important when drawing comparisons between Creator and Creator Expert products, and as crazy as it sounds, it felt at times like I was constructing a section of a modular building. The stickers in this set have also been well thought out, and are not an necessity for the final look of the train. You can use them for the front grille and cockpit control panel (the latter is a wonderful design), but both are applied over just a single brick, so you won't damage them if you break the model up. Again, this is an trait drawn from Creator in which stickers are not essential or required. This will be an easy sell in store as the lack of license, stickers, new branding and great price point are all the kinds of things that customers question. It will absolutely be appealing to younger builders, and I think that's important as the 'Maersk' very much had a hands off demeanour. But above all, this is just a fun product that screams Lego when you look at it, and is perhaps more attractive than many of the extended line trains in the past as the elements are purposefully so exposed. So, as you can tell I'm pretty giddy at the moment and won't waste any time in extending this loco!

Nice photograph.

'Clues' do not exist in these products. Period...

There are NO intentional references to future buildings in these products - anyone that thinks otherwise is simply trying to make the links for the purposes of speculation.

It is the Palace Cinema.

I think you're reading into this too much.

Palace Cinema won't be released until Q2 of next year, at the very least.

Red Cargo Train will still be on sale next year, but Creator Expert is now the umbrella for any train products existing outside City (making the links between City trains and other products closer). 7939 has already been discontinued, but stock has briefly returned online.

Maersk is officially discontinued early next year; no more stock for Lego retail stores at this point.

Like the new Horizon Express train, the stickers will probably be designed as an option.

The 'Friends' product line is, along with Ninjago, the highest number of units to leave our store. If anyone believes the theme is too effeminate, then clearly they are male and missing the point.

It does create a problem, because standalone train products have not sold as well in the past. Therefore, less units are produced and the cost incurred is greater.

In the case of Lego City train products, the most expensive components are the train tracks and Power Functions. The locomotives/wagons themselves actually use more legacy components these days. More factors are taken into account than simply the quantity of output. For example, the injection machines at TLG have a precision that most other companies can't (and actually don't need to) match; this is required for perfect interlocking of the components. Companies like Brio/Playmobil don't follow this path because a single product is its own system, whereas Lego products are part of a larger system.

It's worked for companies like those because the products in question are entirely different. 'Lego' is a construction toy, and the costs involved are subject to the size of moulds and how often they are used. A good example is the 'track packs' - they weren't selling very well when we had more varieties, but since consolidating the product line-up, they've sold better.

Well, I can only go by the Lego store where I work. Every week we have parents who ask (both for themselves and on behalf of their children) whether we "just sell the trains on their own", and it's borderline embarrassing having to big-up the Maersk Train as a viable option. The license has made it more expensive than it should be, and when the guests are told how much it costs, they can't see the value. At least with the Horizon Express, not only is it a bit cheaper, but the customer has more options to expand the product. The track is another issue, however. In order to maximise profits, TLG have consolidated track packs because we weren't selling enough of each variety when more options were available.