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Brickadier General

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Everything posted by Brickadier General

  1. Brickadier General
    I used to like collection stats and things like that but the size of the collection is so big that I'm not interested in taking the time to do this anymore. (I already spend a lot of time sorting and building). I guess I probably have a few hundred minifigures. Maybe 400? That's about as detailed as things get. As far as organizing collections goes, I don't have a running digital spreadsheet. I physically sort almost everything by type of part and hope I'll find the right ziplock bag(s) when building. If there's a ton of a given part type, I then sort by color. I have special places for transparent parts, golds and silvers because I like to find those right away. hehe
  2. Brickadier General
    If you want to take this further, I'd be curious as to how much people spend time sorting versus building. It always feels like I spend more time sorting than building. The sorting never ends!
  3. Brickadier General
    I generally don't pay much attention to set values and don't really buy to invest, so the bubble doesn't have as much of an impact on me. Sometimes, I have dabbled with buying something to keep and resell because it was cheap enough at the time and I knew it would have long-term appeal (ie: the BTTF DeLorean). It can help pad my "brickdiction" a little bit. hehe I would never recommend hanging on to LEGO as a long-term investment strategy. I'm a builder, so I can't even imagine having an entire closet-full of unopened sets. I don't know about a bursting bubble but think interest will most certainly wane at some point. However, I think as long as LEGO remains relevant with children some values will hold steady as the adults of tomorrow seek to capture a part of their youth. Other hobbies have not fared so well, such as model railroading. How many kids do you know that have a LIONEL train and play with it on a regular basis? It's not as popular as it was in the 1950s and the hardcore collectors are aging, and fewer young people are interested in carrying on the torch. Bubble or not, I hope that never happens with LEGO.
  4. Brickadier General
    Looking at it, it is hard to tell. My initial reaction is that it was custom made out of some material and put on top of the bridge. It wasn't unheard of for LEGO to use non-LEGO materials in their advertising (IE: the modeling landscaping materials used in castle ads). You can also find this picture in the 1980s book, World of LEGO Toys by Henry Wiencek.
  5. Brickadier General
    Some guy offered to sell me a LEGO wooden duck, but I saw one that he was auctioning off on eBay that looked more beautiful (they were the same shape and size). I told him I wasn't interested because I wanted to bid on the one up for auction, since it was in nicer condition. Well, I didn't win the duck, I later learned it was made by a German company (not LEGO), and the LEGO duck had been sold to someone else. The one that got away... I really wish you luck in finding one. You might find that it will take a lot of asking around but, eventually, I think you'll find it. If you're new to this like I was a few months ago, I would suggest first looking for LEGO ducks with the logo visible. The non-LEGO duck I bid on sold for over $170 USD. I was able to find that duck again, advertised as being from the actual company that produced it (Verhofa) and purchased it for $20.00.
  6. Brickadier General
    So many cool details is making me crazy! The setup looks really wonderful, and you all used a lot of neat building techniques. While the buildings are awesome, the first things I noticed were the trees made out of the "prickly vine" pieces. I don't believe I've ever seen them used like that but they make for some fantastic looking trees. They almost look like cedar trees. You all did a great job!
  7. Brickadier General
    Wow, these are very cool product concepts! My favorite one is your Flame Drake. While it is small, there is just something about it that instantly grabs my attention. I think part of it is the awesome posing, with the dragon using its wings to walk.
  8. Brickadier General
    Hi! I love your antique car. Very nice representation of the real thing, and you've managed to put a lot of detail in such a small model. Now, it just needs a Gottlieb Daimler minifig.
  9. Brickadier General
    Nice project, Kizmo. Never watched the show, but it looks like a fun little playset. Personally, my favorite part is the brick-built wheelchair. It's a nice design. It looks like you've netted over 1,000 supporters in a relatively short time. As someone with Ideas projects, I often wonder how this happens with certain projects. What did you do to promote your project, and what seemed to really give it a boost? In any case, I'm glad to support your project and wish you luck. I hope you get 10,000 in a Flash! Yeah, bad pun.... hehe
  10. Brickadier General
    I've never played the game before, but you did a great job at making a poseable build with a lot of character. It looks really crazy, in a good way!
  11. Brickadier General
    Thanks for sharing this video of the Idea House. I have been to the Idea House but didn't capture the tour. Seeing your tour video helped me relive that. I'm really glad you recorded some of the history from your tour guide. One thing I noticed was that the wooden duck wasn't in its display case (the one in front of the window). Did they have it on display somewhere else? Me too, so you have some competition.
  12. Brickadier General
    Hi Beltar, You lucky, duck! Do you have a flickr account where you could post photos? I would love to see the duck! Thanks for the tip. I know of Matchboxunlimited and have purchased from him in the past. Regarding the specific duck I'm looking for, he told me he'd keep an eye out for one. He is one of the best sources on eBay for wooden LEGO toys, but I also find that you have to really do your homework when doing business with him. He almost never points out flaws with items, such as missing parts. You have to really look at the pictures and ask questions before bidding. I have also found that some of the toys he had listed as LEGO were definitely not LEGO. I figured this out after buying a dog from him. The wheels had grooves in them. Through further investigation, I never found a dog that looked like the one I had. The LEGO toy collectors I have spoken to have never encountered LEGO toys with rubber tires around the wheels, and they are almost certain this never happened. I did find a dead ringer in the form of a dog made by a German toy company known as Gecevo (later, Verhofa). The Gecevo/Verhofa toys often look very similar to the LEGO toys. In fact, some of them are nearly identical in size and shape. In the 1950s at least, the 2 things that distinguish them from LEGO toys are the white rubber wheels and a small circular metal emblem featuring the logo of the company. I was able to buy a Verhofa duck (the same duck was made under the earlier Gecevo name) that looked like one of LEGO's. One of these ducks had been sold as a LEGO duck on eBay and sold for over $170 USD. It was missing the emblem, but you could see a circular spot of discoloration where it would have been. Meanwhile, the Verhofa duck I purchased from Germany was only around $20 USD. I would say the quality is on par with LEGO's wooden toys, but the difference in price is significant. When you buy a LEGO toy you are paying for the LEGO name. Gecevo has become forgotten over time. Here's some examples of the toys they made: http://www.ddr-holzspielzeug.de/hersteller/gecevo.html Anyway, the point I'm getting at is that, sometimes, without the LEGO logo it can be very hard to tell whether or not some wooden toys are LEGO. That's why when it comes to the duck, I want one with an original logo (though I also realize that at some point in the future, these might also be faked). Thanks for the luck...I will need it!
  13. Brickadier General
    Anybody know how sales of the game have been? I've noticed some serious price cuts (as much as 50%) on some of the fun packs over the past month or two, both on Amazon.com and through LEGO shop at home. Plus I remember several packs being on sale during last year's Black Friday sale. Based on that, it feels like the game hasn't exceeded TLG's expectations. I don't have a current gen system but get some of the packs from time-to-time because of exclusive parts and/or figures I really want.
  14. Brickadier General
    Personally, I think the Ford Model T would be a wonderful addition, preferably one of the alternative color choices before they only did them in black. The car itself was revolutionary. Not just in the U.S. It made a pretty big impact internationally, as well. I think the car would work well as a large scale creator model. You could have a working hood/bonnet, and the hand crank could be used to show off how the engine works. With the Model T, it would be cool for this one to be billed as a "3-in-one" model because the Model had many body style variants. You could do a touring car, a roadster, or a delivery wagon. I know the manuals are pretty thick, so digital instructions for the alternative builds would work nicely.
  15. Brickadier General
    Hi Wardancer. Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the tip. The wooden toys are so hard to find it seems like to best way to acquire them is through other collectors. Being able to walk into an antique shop and find one would be a dream come true...but considering I live in the U.S. this will likely always be a dream. hehe
  16. Brickadier General
    Send you help? If it helps your addiction you can send some to me.
  17. Brickadier General
    I know this is probably a long-shot, but I am very interested in buying a wooden LEGO duck toy like the one below. I would like to find one in very good condition, with most of the original paint and the LEGO decal. An example like the one below would be good for me. If you have one you would like to sell, or you know someone who might be able to help, please let me know. I'm looking for this duck because I recently purchased a photo from eBay that appears to show a child playing with the same exact pull-toy. (See 2nd picture.) It would be nice to have the actual duck to display along with it.
  18. Brickadier General
    That's pretty cool. I don't think anyone's done "neo-Paradisa" before, but that fits into the theme pretty nicely. Do you have any shots of the interior?
  19. Brickadier General
    If the $270 price tag is correct, I will have to wait a bit before I can even consider this...and I really wanted GB HQ, too. I grew up in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and the old TV show was on reruns. I watched it all the time, so I have a particular interest in the show. The vehicles in it look great, though the Batboat is noticeably absent. At least we got the Bat Copter, Batcycle and the Batmobile! I'm pretty excited about the minifigures, too.
  20. Brickadier General
    In the time since the last post, Omar made a microscale Riddler, and I made the duck car for Omar's Penguin microfigure. The duck car is from Batman returns - It's an amphibious vehicle (the flippers on the back are to help it swim through water).
  21. Brickadier General
    You did a really good job of getting the shape of the car at that scale. I really like your custom decals - They give it that extra "pop." I grew up loving the Corgi model too (it was my dad's). Does yours have the "pulsating flame" when you roll it along the floor?
  22. Brickadier General
    Thanks for sharing such an in-depth review of the GB HQ playset. Being able to see all the little details up close makes me want this even more! $300 is pretty steep for a set, but it looks well worth it. I'll have to hold off awhile before I can get one, but I grew up with the Kenner playset too and this is a wonderful nod to it. I never actually had the Kenner set (my friend did though), and many hours of fun were spent with it. I kind of remember "slime" that you could push through the skylight. That part was kind of gross (and smelly). I love the minifigures in this one - They look spot-on. I especially love the inclusion of Slimer, the zombie cab driver and the librarian ghost (with two faces) - That part of the movie always freaked me out as a kid.
  23. Brickadier General
    Maybe they're hoping to take it in another direction. I haven't seen that ad until recently, but TLG has been advertising LEGO Ideas in magazines like BrickJournal for some time now. This is an issue with most crowdsourcing websites. If you go to KickStarter, you will find tons of failed projects - Many of these have poor presentation and/or vague goals. With LEGO Ideas, I'm guessing the issue is time. They are already analyzing every project that comes in within a few key areas (photo quality, appropriateness of content, etc). I think outright evaluating the quality of a build or likelihood of its viability as a product is somewhat of a touchy subject - If they start rejecting submissions based on such criteria it might discourage users. The voting process is the key "filtration system" so that staff can focus on scrutinizing the most serious contenders. The one thing that I do think they could reject outright would be projects that are simply too large to be viable, such as the huge dioramas that have often reached 10,000 supporters. Size should definitely be a factor in the approval process. Creating original ideas that people are going to flock to is very, very difficult. With Ideas, I think support is dependent on reaching a target audience. With licensed stuff you have established (sometimes very huge) target audiences. This is why they tend to do so well. While Birds, the marble maze and Exo-Suit are not licensed, they were familiar enough to people to have established target audiences. Birds was especially popular with bird watchers and nature enthusiasts in general. The "Labyrinth" marble maze was based off of a pre-existing game which has been around for several years. This would have appealed to anyone who had previously owned one, as well as board game/puzzle fans. Exo-Suit is probably the most original of the group. But even with that, it was framed in the context of Classic Space, which has a strong following (and mechs are pretty popular). Based on what I've seen on Ideas, original content often struggles to find an audience. A random monster project is a tougher sell than Doctor Who, no matter how awesome it looks. But if the monster is inspired by the work of a particular artist, author, etc (ie: HP Lovecraft) it might stand a better chance.
  24. Brickadier General
    This looks really great. I'm not familiar with the game, but the fin in the back reminds me of some of the first Batmobiles. Don't worry about painting. This is an extreme case.
  25. Brickadier General
    If you still have a lot of minifigs left, I think you might do well to sell them individually on BrickLink as opposed to a lot. Either way, good luck with your sale. :-)
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