22kane

I can totally see how people fall for this type of thing. I've been with eBay for over 11 years now and have never had an issue. At a quick glance everything appears to be normal and to a novice this is a great deal. I've found many great deals on eBay and never thought twice about being scammed. After seeing this though I will proceed with a little more caution. Someone said earlier that a parent could easily get sucked into this for gift purposes and with free shipping what do you have to lose, right? Casual eBayers would have no idea how to spot something like this and for the most part eBay is very safe and trustworthy site. When it comes down to it the buyers aren't idiots, they've simply been taken advantage of. It's really quite sad actually.

I saw the review for the City Advent set #7553 last night so I called my local Lego store this morning and sure enough they had it. I bought that and decided to get set 3180 Tank Truck before they are discontinued. Then in the mail I received two packs of 1411, a Lego studios minifigure set from 2001 that I bought on eBay last week. It's been a fun filled Lego kind of day. Edit- almost forgot! Picked up Space Police set 5982 Smash n Grab at a local toy store for $10. I can't even keep track!

I'm definitely more of a collector now. I find it quite difficult to even open many of the sets I own but occasionally I do build them. From time to time I set up a large section of track and run the trains around for a bit. That's as close as I get to playing with them now. I wish I could still play with them as I did when I was a child but I have lost that innocent imaginative part. Really the fun part now is the building aspect just like with model railroading. Running the trains is fun but building or creating is the highlight now. There are some interesting questions and responses here especially in the beginning with the Brickster asking why adults find it difficult to "play" again. In my opinion it's an imagination problem. As a child it's easy to assume how things in the world may work or act and getting lost in our toys with stories comes naturally from basic ignorance or simply not understanding. As adults we gain logic and understanding (some of us) and find it difficult to let our imaginations run wild (eg- that could never happen!). There is also shame as an adult, like who wants to get caught talking to their toys? There are then many more responsibilities on an adults mind which can cloud play, I need to pay that bill, wash the dishes etc. Even though I don't dive into play as I once did I still enjoy running the trains or maybe pushing a truck across the table while making that big large diesel sound. I just don't let my imagination run wild for hours simply because I don't know how to anymore. I also value my "toys" much more these days as they are more expensive than the ones I had as a child. For those that do play, I respect the fact that you still can. I don't see anything wrong with it, it's just something most adults don't accept. For those that are single and still play you may find it harder to meet someone but they say there is someone for everyone The most important part is no matter how you enjoy Lego or your hobbies is that you simply enjoy them without shame or embarrassment. Many people know that I still collect and build and I have no problem with that.

Forget Christmas, I want it now! Great review. I was hoping someone would do one. I think I'm going to get two of them, and two Star Wars advents too. Again, awesome review, thanks.

Very well done. I'm not really a fan of European loco's but you did a really nice job on this. I like the colors too.

I love it! Looks great! I'm going to have to do this one in Conrail blue, I just need to get the right bricks if I can. Great build!

Very nice work, I esspecially like the bank car. The flat car is very nicely detailed as well. Looking forward to more of your work. Great job!

Looks good so far. I'm very interested to see the finished product. I like the choice of colors, too many brown ships out there. The other pics are not public yet.

One word, Amazing! The detail is just mind blowing. You definitely put some time into this. I wish I had the patience and skill to build something so complex. Outstanding job!!

Very nice design, looks great! I like it much better than any of the recent Lego releases. Great build!

This thing is really shaping up. I've been watching for a little while now. Your attention to detail is stunning. Excellent work my friend. Can't wait to see more.

Another great article, thank you. Kristiansen was very smart to step aside when he did. I knew about a few of the problems Lego had but never had all these details. Again, great read and thanks.

I agree with Aanchir. I saw this blog the other day and I think it's just the author sort of hoping.

It's really hard to see the base of the loco in the picture, from what I can tell it looks good but some better light would help in the next photos. Some handrails would really go a long way too.

I'm really on the fence about this one. I just can't make up my mind. Now, the new Millenium Falcon is another story. It's also a hell of a lot cheaper.

I picked up another set of Whitecap Bay POTC and discovered bag 1 was missing. I called Lego and asked the rep if I should just take it back but she said they could just send out the bag I was missing so I didn't have to deal with Targets customer service department. They just make everything so much easier. They just have some of the nicest people working there. I've never had better customer service, really. Anytime I have an issue they fix it immediately.

Just picked up set 8160 Speed Racer Cruncher Block & Racer X at a local toy shop for $30. Pretty good for a three year old set and that it was $40 when it came out.

I used to think when I was younger that I should have been born British. I have English/ Irish heritage but that's it. You guys have some of the best music ever- Squeeze, the Smiths, Morrissey, Joy Division, early Happy Mondays... I could go on forever and I actually like the weather there. Ahhhh, the grey slate skies of Manchester...

So it turns out the toy shop down the street has this set in stock still. After reading the review it seems like a worthwhile purchase considering I can still get it at retail price.

Ah yes. I knew I had seen a post like this. If any MOD would like to move this... Sorry for the inconvenience. I just read the recent review on the Space Police Limo. I may pick that up.

Nice work. I really like the Renault.

A local hobby shop/toy store that's down the road from me has a great Lego selection. From time to time older sets appear and I'm not quite sure where they get them from. I know they have a warehouse somewhere so I guess they dig through it every once in a while and bring this stuff in. Over the summer I found some Indiana Jones sets there and that was a nice find. Today I noticed they had the following lines in... Space Police- almost every set Power Miners- about 3 different sets Speed Racer- 8160 Cruncher Block and Racer X A ton of Technic sets- too many to name but dated as far back as 2006. The prices are standard retail and I'm really leaning towards the Racer X set( that one is on sale for $10 off making it $30). I didn't take down all the set numbers but for these lines as old as they are what do you think would be the best to pick up? Also, if there is already a thread for this type of thing I apologize in advance.

Yes. The latest wave of sets in the large retail stores. There really isn't anything that just came out that's really catching my eye. Right around spring and after so many good sets hit the stores, now there is just a bunch of Star Wars and Alien sets I don't want. I'm really hoping to see some good stuff come out early next year. How about more trains?

Yeah, I just saw this the other night at my local Wal- mart.

Great article, thanks for sharing. I find it interesting that lego has gone after the Mega Blocks company many times to no avail. I never knew that.