22kane

I was just talking about when someone sets a theme and rules and people post pictures.

The stickers will be affected by the moisture from the excessive hot and cold temperatures. It would probably take years but it can ruin them. I have also noticed that connected bricks in exsessive heat become very loose in time and don't seem to ever go back to that tight fit. As long as the bricks are all broken down you should be ok. I would check your stickered bricks from time to time though.

Very cool. I'm taking a trip to Texas next week so I'll keep a look out for this. Nice job.

Ha ha. How can I really say what I want to here? He went from playing with bricks to dealing them... Is that ok?

To answer the original post- A couple months ago they had the same deal at the Lego store in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania. I asked the sales clerk if I could just pick out 15 different parts instead of building the three figures. He was very confused at first but let me do it in the end. I was able to get different hats, hair pieces, tools and so on. The parts bins at the KOP store are large and they carry (from time to time) some very rare parts. I guess it just depends on the sales clerk really and it's not like each piece is inventoried. All of the BAM parts come in weighed bags just like the PAB wall so it really shouldn't matter. Almost forgot to list my findings- cowboy hats, top hats, rare colored hair types, a couple shirt types I've never seen, diver helmet, skull cap, skull & crossbones pirate hat, mermaid fins and beanies (wool hats).

Whether you like it or not Lego is a large corporation and this is what large corporations do. Outsourcing for a cheap labor force to gain a higher profitability is the name of the game. In America alone most of the large manufacturer companies that started here now have their labor force in a completely different country. From what I know Lego hasn't abandoned any of their original factories in favor of Mexico and hopefully they don't. With this plant in Mexico they can supply North America without the use of container ships which sends the profit higher. They probably even got some kick-backs from setting up shop from the Mexican government. This is big business, that's how it goes. I personally don't have an issue with it. I'm not a "buy American" screaming good ol' boy and never will be. Would I like them to share the savings with their consumers like myself? Yes, please. But it won't happen. The rich get richer I guess.

I love the winter themed Lego sets but I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the post office. It just doesn't stand out to me like the toy shop or bakery. Depending on price I may or may not purchase it. Regardless, it would still look nice under the tree with the other winter sets. The VW van is a must have. This is by far one of the most detailed car offerings from Lego I've ever seen. Being an owner and fan of VW's I can't pass it up. I am a little worried on the possible price though, about $100 or less?

I had several of these older sets as a child and they were great but for me, Lego gets better with age so I'm fond of the newer sets. They tend to have more detail with more special pieces as opposed to the early block sets. However, the early Marina and Space Shuttle win over the newer models. Other than that, give me the new stuff!!

If it's blue locomotives you crave look no further. Although Conrail has been split up between CSX and Norfolk Southern some of their blue power still roam the rails. Check out the link for many "blue" locomotives. Conrailcyclopedia

Very nice, I really like the colors on this one. Great MOC! Is this powered with two motors?

I'm not a big Fabuland fan but I really like the detail on this. The front patio especially with the various colored bricks. Most of the Fabuland buildings I've seen are very basic so this is a special treat. Great job!! Almost forgot- The ivy on the sides is a great addition

Both of you have interesting points and many I agree on. With trains however, they seem to hold and increase in their value. Most of the 9v products sell quickly and high regardless of condition at times. It seems on average most of them go for double their original price. Part of this is because many collectors have a good amount of 9v stuff and need parts or don't want to convert entirely to PF. All together it's a crap shoot, like playing the stock market if you buy to make a profit. Many of the sets are obvious in that they won't be worth anything like World Racers. But really when it comes to trains you really can't lose.

After a bit of research I found more of Dan Aubin's fascinating designs. I plan on building a few myself. The link is below. Amazing work, Dan! Dan Aubin Designs

I'm always amazed as I poke around eBay on the going rates for certain Lego items. The Santa Fe and BNSF loco's are very popular items when they go to auction and usually end up getting about $100 to $150 U.S. Many times I see other things included with the loco's which drive the cost up. Many of the Buy It Now items are usually priced way too high to see any action. There are several other trains that fetch a high price like the Holiday Train and so on. Recently I've been watching auctions on some current trains like Emerald Night and the Maersk set. I'm quite surprised on the amount that people are willing to pay for one item from the set. The EN passenger car usually goes for about $70 in America when the whole set is only $99! These two sets are definitely one of a kinds and will be sought after years after their production runs. So do you stock up now and sell later down the road? Or maybe it's not an investment but you're just happy to have one. I have bought two Emerald sets, one sealed one opened and two Maersk sets, both opened. I think I might buy one more of each just to see what happens 5 years from now ( keep them sealed of course). I figure if your going to invest on any lego trains these are the two to do it with. With all of the Lego trains out there it just seems these two are really going to increase in value, so how many will you own?

Minifigure Speech Bubble Link Not sure what to make of this. I found it on Brickapedia looking through the upcoming set releases. Not such a bad idea but the plastic around the neck is a little too thick.

It's very roomy on the inside and I like what you've done with the floor tiles. Very nice MOC

I've seen people ask but no answers. Any set date on a U.S release yet? Seems like every other country has them now. I need to learn to have some patience I guess.

Wow. Very, very cool. You've done an amazing job! Now the question is, does it run? Whether it does or not this is an impressive piece to have in a collection. I am truly jealous.

I really like how you made the different vending machines and the large bookcase. Overall it's a great design and you did an outstanding job on it. The outside of the building really captures that classic city building style from the early 1900's. Great work!! Looking forward to seeing more of your MOCs.

I have to say that this is quite impressive. Far much better than the one that Lego offers. I don't know if I could get used to the color coded date system and would prefer old fashioned numbers. It reminds me of those clocks with the different lights broken down into four sections- can't remember the name of them right now. Anyway, great calendar, very creative indeed!

As a child I had a few different hospitals in my collection. They were probably the most boring sets that I had. I agree with many of the comments already made here in that we need a larger building. More detail would be nice such as a waiting room, a couple different check-up rooms with various equipment and possibly an ER. A 5-6 stud wide ambulance would be nice too. Overall just more rooms and more detail like the recent Police sets.

This is actually true. Many rubber molds are coated in oil so the product can be released. The oil is not coming from inside the tires.