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Wee bit of self-promotion here: I also like to build digital MOCs only with parts and colors that really exist, so that it would be possible to actually order the parts and build them if I chose. The windscreen from the White Dragon Horse Jet 80020 isn't quite the right shade of green, but it still worked really well for finishing my Gamma V Laser Craft 6891 remake:

Something I've learned from optimization theory in the context of scientific or engineering computation is that there really is no such thing as an objectively best solution for any multifactorial optimization problem. You can formulate an objective function and find the point in parameter space that corresponds to the maximum value of that objective function, but the objective function itself is a subjective thing determined by your subjective weighting of the relative importance of various factors or your subjective judgment on how to include those factors in the objective function. In short, it all comes down to personal preference, what's important to you: it's all subjective in the end! As shown by endless arguments on the internet over trivial things ....

The Bowser airship looks so much better than the Piggy Pirate Ship or the Sea Cow, IMO. It's still a caricature, but less exaggerated. It looks more like a real ship than either of those two. The nougat colored hull pieces are great. Too bad it only comes with one hull center segment and one hull bow base. Otherwise it would be too easy to rearrange the two hull bow upper parts into a proper pirate ship, I guess. I haven't bought any Super Mario sets, but I think I'd buy this one if I hadn't already bought the 21322 and the 31109 last year.

Hmm? It's a fine build, but I don't see what it has to do with where to find Lego in New Zealand ... ?

I remember reading the name of that walker in the original 2002 printing of the Attack of the Clones cross section book and not knowing what it looked like, or even if there was more to it than a throwaway name. That mention has been retconned out of the 2020 printing of the Star Wars Complete Vehicles book. Now I know what it was supposed to look like all those years ago! Thanks. Nice blend of vehicles and the Art mosaic style to reproduce the complete piece of concept art, too. Is there a "bridge" between the AT-TE and the AT-AT in the new canon?

If you count the studs, the dimensions of this year's Slave 1 are actually nearly identical to the original model released in 2000. I think that's pretty neat! Makes we want both of them.

Jonah and the Whale would make a really fun playset, especially if paired with a Jurassic World T-rex. Can Jonah escape the whale before the T-rex eats them both? It's up to you! Jonah and the Whale might not make it into a Lego set, but with the Disney license we could very well get a set of Pinocchio, Geppetto, and the whale Monstruo someday. Swap the minifigs with that and bob's your uncle!

I would add that one's individual concept of God is very much an internal construct. Part of the premise of religious freedom in the United States is the idea that every individual has the right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, as opposed to being beholden to the dictates of any particular set of religious teachings. That includes the right to not believe in any god at all or to pursue other secular forms of the pursuit of happiness. In my opinion, pursuit of happiness through living LGBTQ identities is at least partially a First Amendment issue. That's one of the reasons I've come around to supporting LGBTQ rights, though I have mixed feelings about some of the premises of the movement. As long as people don't pose a danger to each other (bullying, threatening, acting aggressively, engaging in physical violence, etc), act in a discriminatory fashion, or engage in hate speech, everybody should generally be allowed to act, speak, and believe as they please. Mutual respect is the key - and mutual respect, if practiced, tends to reduce hate, mellow opinions, and produce common ground. Thanks to everybody in this thread who has been speaking respectfully and finding common ground.

I like that interpretation of the Gamma V Laser Craft. Very clean.

A Nativity set would work very well. In theory, all the animals for it already exist, there's a minifig baby, and it could easily be done at a similar price point to 40516. Because Nativity sets of all sorts are already sold widely, it might be the least controversial, best selling Bible set possible. It would go with existing seasonal Christmas sets, it's got a heartwarming story attached, and it would sell well to lovers of Lego animals too.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asexuality These are the IA you asked about, I think.

I've got three Thunderbird 2 toys at home with different shades of green: Bright Green, Green, Olive Green. Depending on the color grading of a particular clip of the show, and whether you're watching the old show or the new one, Dark Green might work too. There's lots of wiggle room. But you're probably right that a lot more of the necessary parts for the ship are already available in Green than in Bright Green. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Looking at set 40516 from a parts perspective, I see the bright green arches (part 6005) and my mind's eye pictures a model of Thunderbird 2 about the size of the rejected 10k Ideas project by Andrew Clark. But there are only two of them in the set, so even with Bricklink it would be pretty expensive to get enough green arches for Thunderbird 2.

Even in a world where TLG made Bible sets, I can't imagine they'd make a set with the play scenario "minifigure C brutally and spontaneously murders minifigure A!" Even the Star Wars sets related to Order 66 aren't quite that, y'know, murdery. The Mustafar sets have the play scenario "minifigure OWK is trying to stop minifigure AS from being more murdery than AS already is," and the Palpatine's Arrest set has the play scenario "all these other minifigures are trying to stop minifigure P from being more murdery than P already is." From some perspectives, the Isaac story wouldn't be any more grim and disturbing than the Mustafar duel and Darth Vader transformation ... but I think it's pretty freaky, not really playset material. (It's one of the stories I leave out of my headcanon of the "good parts version" of the Bible.)

These are really great updates. They work very well as modern City sets and keep the feel of the original sets. I especially like your update to 6431, it actually makes it seem like a real vehicle. I had set 6431 as a kid but I didn't like it very much because I couldn't figure out quite what it was supposed to be. It didn't have a roof, the front sloped like very few real cars and trucks I knew about, and the big lifted wheels looked completely unrealistic to me. One of the reasons I buy a lot of Lego today, including Lego cars, is to assuage that childhood longing for a Lego car that actually looked like a real car, with a roof, etc! So maybe if I'd had your version of 6431 as a kid I wouldn't be buying Lego today because there wouldn't ever have been a lack of a car that looked like a real car! :) ... Would you mind posting the Studio files?

It has been a good thread for that. In the post you're responding to I used the word argument because I was afraid the thread was going to go in an uncivil direction. That worry hasn't panned out, so I apologize for using the wrong word.

@Aanchir, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. Having read your longer response, I can appreciate why you decided the best way to respond to @Pdaitabird was to write a quick, flippant one-liner and move on. Often that's the best thing to do in an argument, particularly one that provokes a strong emotional response. I wrote what I wrote because I initially read it as you lobbing an insult, rather than just moving on, and I didn't want to see this thread devolve into an acrimonious exchange of insults - it's that sort of thing that has led to several members with high post counts being bullied off the forums in the past, so I wanted to put a word in edgewise beforehand. Unfortunately, there's a long history of terrible conflicts between sets of Christians of different faith traditions calling each other un-Christian, and I didn't want to see that recapitulated in microcosm on Eurobricks either. Also, in a thread like this, fortunately or unfortunately, it can be hard to know where the line is between discussion focused on a particular Lego set and discussion of broader societal questions, so based on that alone I didn't think Pdaitabird had written a ban-worthy post. The mods don't seem to have taken any action, and this was their one and only post in their entire post history that wasn't strictly about Lego, so it's not like they had a pattern of repeated hate-speech violations. I guess it might be appropriate to say a bit about my perspective and background. I was raised by married, churchgoing biological parents in a Christian denomination that places supreme emphasis on cisgender, heterosexual marriage. Regrettably, it also has an ugly history with gender and racial equality. As an adult, I've had to deliberately review the attitudes, biases, and assumptions I absorbed from my parents' congregation and consciously reject the ones that are racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory. It is an ongoing struggle to grapple with this history, and the present-day flaws of my church, and decide how and whether I can remain engaged with the faith of my forebears. My general attitude is to go with the "good parts version", to borrow a phrase from The Princess Bride: I do my best to live the teachings about kindness, tolerance, inclusion, and empathy, while setting aside the uglier teachings of the Old Testament and parts of the Epistles. After all, many new denominations in Christian history can be described as "good parts versions" of the churches that their founders split from. Thanks to @Aanchir, @Alexandrina,and others, and also thanks to plenty of media coverage and a good deal of internet research (stemming in part from my own deep-seated discomfort with many of the gender and sexual norms in my church), I've come to understand and empathize with LGBTQ+ perspectives a good deal more than in my youth, when I was, I admit, ignorant, prejudiced, and somewhat bigoted. (Stuck at my computer all the time for work, I haven't met a lot of out LGBTQ+ folk offline, though I'm sure I'd learn a lot if I did.) I wouldn't say what Pdaitabird said now, but in middle school I might have. My church encourages people to talk with friends and colleagues when questions come up, and to take a stand of some kind when it feels necessary, so from that background I entirely understand why they spoke up. Even knowing that the historic power differential is all on your side (cishet Christian), it can still be hard and somewhat frightening to speak up and disclose your religious identity in mixed company, in case someone is offended or chooses to bully you. I'm not saying that it's nearly as hard as coming out of the closet and living your life according to your LGBTQ+ identity! Please don't misunderstand me when I say that! But it's not entirely easy either. I try to empathize with all people of good will who are just trying to live their lives according to their deeply held identities, whether they be LGBTQ+ or religious or both (many are both!), so for that reason I felt like I had to speak in support of Pdaitabird's right to speak (using the word right loosely, recognizing that Eurobricks is a private platform not bound by the First Amendment), even though I didn't agree with all that they said, nor with quite how it was said. But again, this was all a misunderstanding. If I'd understood the intent of @Aanchir's post better, I would have let it go and not replied. So I apologize for that. Aanchir, thanks for your efforts to be a vocal advocate for marginalized people on this site. @Alexandrina, most of this is stuff I would have said in the DM I was going to send you, so I don't think I'll send it after all. I was specifically wanting to respond to your question, That's a good question, and I don't have a good short answer (hence the DM request). I guess, it depends on how you use the word bigot? To me that's a highly loaded, pejorative term. As I see it, you can't be a bigot and be a good person. A bigot acts with deliberate malice towards people in a group they don't like, stubbornly refuses to even begin to empathize with people in that group, and wants to punish anybody who disagrees. Anybody in any demographic group can be a bigot towards anybody in any other demographic group, regardless of the power differential between those groups ... though if the power differential is too great, and the existential power one group wields over the other is extreme, then bigotry begins to change into perfectly understandable self-defense. So it's not a really clear definition of who is a bigot and who isn't, but most words are pretty fuzzy anyway outside of highly specialized technical contexts. So I can understand how Aanchir's response to Pdaitabird was perfectly understandable self-defense, and also how it seemed a little bigoted in the other way when I first read it, and also how Pdaitabird might have thought their posting/taking a stand was perfectly understandable self-defense of their set of Christian beliefs, and also how Aanchir and others saw Pdaitabird's post as hateful, bigoted, or un-Christian. My point here is empathy. According to my personal sense of what words mean, acting without empathy for how the other side feels is the essence of bigotry. The core of my personal Christian belief system is empathy, and I do my best to believe (though it can be challenging at times) that even in the most unequal societies, most people are trying their best to be good as they understand it, most of the time. Someone can be highly prejudiced in many ways simply because of the environment they were raised in and the environment they live in, and still be a good person. Most people are not bigots, even if they carry the prejudices of their society. That's an idea that often gets lost in the culture wars, but it's an idea I find essential to everyday life. I just can't go about seeing the worst in everybody. So I support LGBTQ+ rights and believe in fair and full participation in society for LGBTQ+ people, but I try not to condemn people who are, shall we say, behind the times due to deeply held religious beliefs. @Aanchir: I agree with everything you say here. Incidentally, Loving v Virginia encapsulates many of the things that my church used to teach decades ago that it has almost (but not completely, root-and-branch) renounced today. That illustrates the struggle many faithful Christians in the United States have today with LGBTQ+ rights: We (speaking for the historical church) were wrong back then. Absolutely, shockingly, terribly wrong on the question of interracial marriages. Today I can hardly believe that my church would ever have taught some of the racist things it used to teach. So if we (speaking for the church) were wrong on major questions of civil rights back then, how do we know we're not just as wrong, wrong, wrong on major questions of civil rights today? That's why I choose the "good parts version" and generally support LGBTQ+ rights, but it can be a hard thing to choose your own conscience over your church's teachings, when those teachings are associated with eternal reward or punishment. That is, again, why I try to maintain empathy and understanding towards opposing views. Again, agreed. I appreciate your understanding this particular question so well. I would also, truth be told, be very uncomfortable if Lego were to start making Bible toys just because it's an untapped market for more cash. I would also hope that any Bible stories sets would be handled with the same caution, sincerity, and sensitivity they demonstrated with 40516, and I'm also impressed with the caution, sincerity, and sensitivity that they do seem to display with 40516. For instance, despite the ubiquity of crucifixes as devotional items and necklaces, I would be very uncomfortable if Lego were to make a retail set out of an event as sacred as the Crucifixion, or the Resurrection. In fact, there is quite a large market for scripture toys and religious decor, especially in people of my faith tradition, and most of it makes me uneasy about these things being exploited for financial gain. But I made the Bible stories wishlist topic because I thought it would be a good outlet for some of the discussion in the 40516 topic ... and also because a great big Noah's Ark made out of Lego would be super fun :) Gee, long post! I think I'm finally out of things to say for now! Cheers, everybody!

This is slightly off-topic, but now that Dr Wu has made a few superintelligent kill-all-humans big dinosaurs with long arm-like front limbs, and a few bloodthirsty kill-all-humans flying dinosaurs (sorry not sorry for the misuse of the word dinosaur there), I want him to make a fire-breathing dinosaur. Then he can put them all together and make a dragon!

Agreed on both points! But the same goes for most threads on Eurobricks :) Mostly I just thought some of the feelings in the 40516 thread could stand to have a more productive outlet, i.e. wishlisting for hypothetical future sets instead of just objecting to a current set. Hence this thread ... but that's getting a bit off-topic. @AmperZand, @KotZ: David vs Goliath USD RRP $25 Parts count - 170 Minifigures - David Bigfigs - Goliath Build: built-up elaborate helmet and spear for Goliath, some sort of Ninjago-esque spinny thing for David to represent spinning the sling, a small cart or terrain build (and, @williejm, a small helicopter!) Skylines and architecture - There's so much excellent religious architecture of all kinds around the world, but that is a bit off-topic. Still, as long as we're dreaming ....

Jericho Fortress Siege USD RRP $100 - $120 Part count 1200 - 1500 Minifigs - three Jericho solders, Joshua, three or four Israelites with trumpets. One Jericho woman (in the story, Rahab). Animals - none. Build - large four-walled fortress with collapsing walls. One of the corners of the fortress has a little house built on top with a removable window, and a small pulley with string. It can raise and lower a crate with a hook. Box picture shows the Jericho woman (Rahab) leaning out the window as an Israelite soldier (spy) is suspended in a crate. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho! Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down! Why would anyone who's not interested in the theme buy this set? It's a big castle with civilians and soldiers. It doesn't have to be Jericho if you don't want it to be.

Nice minifigure pack, nice message. Thanks for the review. Is the hairpiece on the yellow figure the same one used for Will Byers?

A mosaic based on Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" could work pretty well. Like all the mosaics, it would be really useful for making all sorts of other pictures even if you didn't like the main one on the box. A set from Revelation / Apocalypse with a Satan dragon, the Four Horsemen, and the army of the Lord ... well, I think that would be a long shot and very unlikely even in the hypothetical case of Lego making Bible sets. The iconography isn't nearly as standardized for Revelation as it is for things like Noah's Ark, and there are already plenty of dragons in Ninjago. A set like that would probably end up being full of exaggerated neon colors and bizarre vehicles and armor ... I'm imagining something like Nexo Knights, I guess. But then again, Monkie Kid is pretty far removed from Journey to the West, so there's precedent for a creative interpretation of a religiously-inspired folktale/legend that turns it into a bunch of mechs and other sci-fi action/adventure vehicles!

Ooh, all those lions. Do I see four lionesses in there? Yum. I still need to get the Safari Off Roader. Set, meet budget. Budget, meet set ....

@Alexandrina - There was something you said in the other thread that I wanted to respond to, but I thought it would have been a bit off topic there, and it would be off topic here too. Can I send you a DM?

Noah's Ark USD RRP of $100, $130, or $200 Parts count of 1200, 1700, or 2500 Minifigures (4) - Noah, Noah's wife, two children (not biblically accurate, but whatever) Animals - male and female lion from City, two small white birds, rat, cat, two horses, and a goat!!!!! (Two goats, actually.) $100 and $130 price points are brick-built ships similar to the Creator pirate ship (set 31109) but without the sails $200 price point uses prefab hulls for a larger ship about the size of the Imperial Flagship (set 10210) Why should anybody buy this set if they're not interested in the Bible stories theme? It's a big ship! It has lots of animals! It has a goat!!!!! Peter's Fishing Boat USD RRP of $40 or $50 Parts count of 400-600 Minifigures (4-6) - Peter, Andrew, Jesus, maybe Peter's wife, maybe some townspeople or other fishermen Animals - fish!!!!! Build - Fishing boat is 8-10 studs wide, 25-30 studs long. Has one central mast with a canvas sail, maybe some oars. Has a mesh net, maybe a net launcher as a play feature, though that would be anachronistic. Side build is a little bit of shore, sand, or beach with a campfire. Represents several New Testament scenes: the calling of Peter, a sermon shortly after that, Jesus calming the tempest, Jesus telling Peter to "feed my sheep" after his resurrection. Why should anybody buy this set if they're not interested in the Bible stories theme? It's a small/medium-sized ship that can be used for Viking raids and any number of other historical builds. The Good Samaritan USD RRP of $30 or $50 Parts count of 300-500 Minifigures - up to 6, in descending order of priority the Good Samaritan, the Injured Man, the Innkeeper, the Robber, the Priest, the Levite Animals - one horse, maybe also a rat Build - An area of rocky terrain with desert plants. A cave like the one in the 2020 Luke's Landspeeder model, for the Robber to hide in. A small inn similar to the series of $30 Jedi huts of the past few years (Yoda, Luke, Obi-Wan). Why should anybody buy this set if they're not interested in the Bible stories theme? It's a good way to get historical/peasant minifigures and a horse. The inn might not fit in an English Middle Ages-style Castle layout, but it would fit in a layout based on a Star Wars desert planet like Tatooine, Jakku, or Jedha (especially Jedha). The simple bricks, slopes, and wedge plates used in the rocky terrain could easily be used in any other terrain build.