22kane

Wow! That is sharp! I'm a Conrail guy but always had a soft spot for the BN green. Well done!

Looks great, nice job! I dig your CR locos too.

I grew up with the most plain Minifigures and as I started to get out of Lego (dark ages) they started getting a little more creative. The Minifigures today blow away any thing from the 80's and 90's so no matter the series I can always find something interesting (Even Simpsons series 2). The whole waste of plastic comment is fine, its just someones opinion. They don't have to buy them. It's a long wait when you skip a series though. I also think the licensed themes are great because it changes things up. Even with the supposed Ninjago series coming out, I am not a fan but I'm sure their will be a handful that I will collect. If they strictly released the standard CMF line 3-4 times per year it would become very difficult to keep coming up with characters that are interesting. The licensed themes give the team a chance to be a little more creative.

Large plastic totes. Shoe boxes inside of the totes house anywhere from 2-3 cars or locomotives. I also pull the batteries when I store them for any given amount of time.

I would love to see another american diesel locomotive. An american steam locomotive? Very doubtful. How about the Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy 4014? Hey, I can dream too.

The amazing thing about Lego is that if you do get into a situation like this they will send you the parts. I have dealt with them in the past on different circumstances and their customer service is amazing. Many if not most manufactures put it back on the retailer when there is a problem right after purchase. Lego could easily say that its not their fault that someone stole items from the box and to take it back to where you bought it from and they would be right to do so. I deal with a lot of tech companies on a regular basis like HP and Dell and they constantly pass the buck on everything. TLG is a one of a kind company in this regard and they hold a very high standard when it comes to their brand. Anyway, yeah... you have to be very careful when buying Lego from Walmart. Always inspect the box.

I had a bunch of the little sets from the Pirate series in the late 80's/ early 90's but always wanted the bigger ones like any of the large ships, Eldorado Fortress & Rock Island Refuge. They were very pricey even back then. Even after all this time I still remember them very well.

I've read most of the posts here over the past few days and it's a little ridiculous. Eurobricks is a good spot for information and I've been a member for a handful of years. Sometimes I wont post for over a years time but I still check in to see whats going on in the world of Lego. That being said this is a private site by membership only. There are a list of rules when joining and if you don't obey them you deal with the consequences. Its like if you got a job at a local convenience store. You agree to follow the rules with customer service and so on or the boss will come down on you. Its a very basic concept. I think people think that the internet is a place of free speech and that they can do whatever they want. This isn't the comment section at the end of an MSN article filled with racist and sexist remarks laced with profanity. The Moderators are the "boss" so to speak and they have the right to shoot down whatever they don't like or if they feel it breaks the rules. There is also a great deal of people that hide behind their computer looking to start trouble but if confronted in real life they would cower and not say a word. With that said does that mean I will never get myself in trouble here? No, but I am also an adult that understands that this is a private site, there are rules and if I break them then I deal with the MOD on their terms. I don't agree with all the rules either but It's not my site, I am just a member. Move on.

Completely agree. Beautiful design just doesn't run well. eBay auctions are the way to go. You just have to look often. Sometimes people are in a rush to make money and they put up sets for a short amount of time so the bulk of people miss it. The buy it now sets are typically over priced. I've obtained a large collection on earlier sets from auctions as opposed to buying from an eBay store. But like I said, you've got to check on a daily basis.

LOL!! I want one of those! That's one of the creepiest things I've ever seen!

I really like how you made the snow throughout the build. Very effective. I would totally buy this if it was a set. Nice work.

Great review and great set. I love when they do the rare minifigure thing. I checked out eBay and of course people are asking way too much for them. Guess I'll make the purchase through Lego.

Some kind of deal struck with TLG that no leaks can even be spoken about. Kind of defeats the purpose. Oh well.

Impressive collection! On a side note- Poison Ivy from the Arkham set looks a lot like Kate Pierson from the B-52's (circa 1990's).

Broke down and bought the Mixer set today. The Lego store still had it for 20% off and I think it's officially retired now. It says Sold Out on-line so I figured it was now or never.

Just got my third snow globe from the Lego store. I had the choice between the snow globe or calendar. Kind of a no-brainer. The calendar is really weak this year (no pun intended). But then again it is for the kids and adult coloring seems to be all the rage lately for some reason.

My bad. I just realized it's the "first wave" that I saw. I thought everything was coming out January 2017.

My 3rd Holiday train.... Just can't help myself.

I visited the KOP Lego store in Pennsylvania today to score the Holiday globe and saw they had all the January release Batman movie sets already. That and several other Lego series January release sets. They look much better in person. It was hard not to buy them all. I can wait though, there will be plenty of sales down the road.

I'm looking forward to it but definitely think all the Batman variations is overkill. A couple variations of the Joker and Robin would have been nice. All in all I like it and I'll put together a handful of sets like I do every series. This will be interesting though considering they are all "rare" characters this time around. Three full sets per case with no extras. Typically the eBay sellers jack up the price of the rare minifigs in a particular series but now they technically all qualify. I'll probably just buy sealed cases for this series instead of piecing a set(s) together from the local chains. Also- Love the close-ups. Thanks They'll all be "common" then. 60 figures per case. 20 figs per set. 3 characters per case.

Pretty much all of the suit figures - Bunny suit, pig suit, chicken suit,hot dog suit, banana suit- you get the point. Those and most of Series 14 Monsters series. If I had to choose just one though.... I'd probably take Banshee from Series 14. Well thought out figure. Spectre would be runner up. What a tough question.

I bought two E.T. Dimension packs at Walmart today. An employee put them out a few days too early.

They are the standard $3.99 price everywhere that I have seen them. I've actually tracked down over 10 stores in my area that have/ had them again. Could just be that retailer you saw them at.

This is right up there with the Back to the future set for me. I bought 2 just as I did for BTTF. I'm amazed by the amount of scalpers getting 2-3 times its cost on a set that was just released. I can only imagine what they will be charging in years to come. Get it while you can at MSRP.

I guess everyone has their reasons for collecting Lego. Some for building, some for profit? The profit end is a tough one because there is no telling what the "value" will be on any set in the distant future. It comes down to what the enthusiast is willing to pay. eBay has really destroyed part of the hobby. Brand new sets still in large circulation are posted 2 to 3 times their value and people are paying it. Currently the new Beatles set sells at an average $120 on eBay and it can be obtained at many retailers for its MSRP $59.99. I collect more than I should. Some I open others I do not. Some I can't bring myself to open which many would say is a waste but I enjoy the collecting part of it. All Lego trains I open and set up at Christmas time every year. Had I not opened them I would have a pretty nice payday but to me the trains are too cool to sell off. In the end there is no way of telling what something may be worth later down the line. It's a gamble like any "hobby" that you try and profit from. I've found that any sets I sell I use the money to just buy other sets I want more so it balances out in a way. Trying to make a profit every time most likely won't work out.