sharky

Great stuff. Seeing how you modified the Statue of Liberty reminds me of how I often see people dressed as her at busy intersections promoting the nearby tax preperation service.

They have my vote already. Now if only someone would post the Blade Runner Spinner.

I know what you mean. When my daughter asked if she could get the Friends Vet Clinic for her birthday I thought it would be a simple thing to go to Walmart or Target and pick it up as I did my regular shopping. Oh how wrong I was. I only ever found it at 1 Target and there was only 1 left on the shelf. Of course the Lego store had them, but at the time I was looking I was near my home and not my work. I think perhaps it's popularity is due to the animals in it.

I agree I don't like it that the pieces are separate. However, I also agree with others that this could constrain the set in to simply right angles and wouldn't look good. This got me thinking. What if they made special base plates where it only had certain studs at the correct places. Not specific for a particular set, rather some kind of pattern that allowed you to angle smaller base plates on them. A good example would be the upcoming Mines of Moria. It would help in other similar sets like some of the PotC sets such as Cannibal Escape and Captains Cabin for instance. Also, it would be useful in Star Wars sets such as being able to put the Endor sets together at different angles to make a nice scene. Ditto for all the Hoth sets over recent years like the little Echo Base trench and the Wampa Cave. It could also be helpful with the Winter Village sets. Really, though, if I could only make one request it would be to bring back the moon baseplates at the Lego store.

I think as long as they don't mind re-issuing a planet then I say this is the best idea ever. I would really like to be able to get a Jawa this way. I thought another good one would be Mon Calamari with a mini Home One or other similar capital ship and Admiral Acbar or generic Mon Cal captain. Or if they wanted to reissue an Endor it would go well with that also. Another crazy thought would be to make a clear planet and figure out a way to have a clear sheet of plastic with a galaxy printing in the middle of it. Then they could put a mini Medical Frigate and maybe a Rebel Fleet captain or trooper. Or even do a special Luke in medical robe.

Thanks for the info. From the web page I can tell it is geared toward the younger crowd. Since it's so close to me I will definitely check it out. I'm sure my daughter will have fun. I was talking to a guy I know that works at a local Lego store, and he said that they sometimes dig out some old merchandise that they somehow overlooked and put them in the shop. So, it may be worth it to check out the shop to see if there is any nice surprises. Nothing too old, though, but perhaps a few retired sets from a year or 2 ago that are hard to find at retail.

Strangely, I just found out today about a Legoland Discovery Center that is opening this weekend in Atlanta, GA. I have heard very little info about this beforehand. I have checked out the website, and I will surely be making plans to visit. I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Grand Opening this weekend unfortunately. http://atlanta.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/atlanta/ I was hoping others that have been to a Legoland Discovery Center Grand Opening event could let me know if they offer any exclusive sets or any kind of special promotional sets during the grand opening. Also, do these stores typically have an exclusive set. For example, I heard that in the Lego flagship store in New York there is a Lego apple and a new polybag Statue of Liberty set that you can only buy at that store in Rockefeller Center in New York.

I agree with what you are saying, but I always felt that the smaller sets were higher margin compared to the larger sets. That is to say, the price per piece is high on a smaller set compared to a larger one. Therefore, the margin would seem higher on a smaller set.

@Blondi-Wan: I do wish they would do a coiled snake version of a snake at least. I think the way they have it sculpted now never fits in well with any set. I suppose the idea is to have it in motion, but I tend view it as an accessory to dress up a scene and not necessarily an item involved in play.

Took my daughter to see The Secret World of Arrietty. I nice movie that we both enjoyed. Not particularly wowed by it, but a nice family movie nonetheless.

Great review. Definitely have this on my want list and will look to pick it up this season. Regarding Princess Leia's dress. Although it didn't have a cape, it did have these long flowing pieces kind of like wings coming off the sleeves. I suppose the cape was a simple way of having a bit of that look. It is kind of odd that they didn't use a white sloped piece for the legs though.

I know I'll regret suggesting this, but what if they licensed sets from the Madagascar movies? Then they could do some sets with a movie tie and have a stronger hook for kids to buy them. Also, isn't there a TV show that features the penguins?

That's a good point. I am curious if they have done something like this in the past though. That is put out a new mold in those kinds of sets. I guess my main point was not so much to be exclusive with limited production as it was to market it more towards AFOLS that would be into things like Modular Buildings, UCS sets, etc.

Are you kidding? The farm animals rose up to challenge the farmer over control of the farm. It was a battle royal to the death. Seriously, though, I think they could do a zoo as more of a Lego exclusive set not unlike some of the other sets that don't see a mass retail release. Something like the exclusive Creator sets or seasonal Winter Village sets.

I've never had them question me on any parts that were either wrong, damaged, or missing. I thought I was missing a sticker from the sheet for my Plo Koon's Starfighter. It was strange to be missing a single sticker from a sticker sheet. Turns out, it was stuck to the inside of the box. By the time I found out, they had already sent me a whole new sticker sheet. Another time I got 2 of the same printed piece from the Ultimate Lightning McQueen set. It was the same side of the mouth. They sent me the correct side with no issues. The third time I had to get a replacement piece of a large angled flat tile. It was warped really bad. They sent out another right away. I believe they mentioned about licensed sets something about only allowing to get a replacement part once for a specific set. Or maybe she meant you are not allowed to buy extras of special items like a sticker sheet to a licensed set.

The shame of it! I know.

Still have no idea what you are talking about.

Maybe Lego City will eventually cycle back to a Farm theme sometime in the future and we'll get more farm animals at least. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until they come back to it. Not having been collecting as an AFOL for a great length of time I find myself looking back to where I have managed to pick up the animals I do have. Camel, Ostrich: Prince of Persia sets Owls, Pig, Frog: Harry Potter sets Chickens, Goat, Pig: Mill Village Raid Pig, Dog: small boxed farmer set Dog: Police set Shark: World Racer set Cat: Winter Village Toy Shop Horses: Castle and Prince of Persia sets. Snakes: Prince of Persia, Harry Potter, CMF, World Racer sets Scorpion: CMF Rat: Castle, Harry Potter sets Spiders: Castle, Harry Potter sets Fish: CMF, Castle, Super Hereos, City That's all of the ones I have been able to pick up so far.

I've bought Mega Bloks in secret.

I would like to say it was something cool like a UCS set or a modular building, but I saw a Star Wars Separatist Shuttle at a good price at a local discount chain and decided to buy it. Now that I think about it, it was only 1 year ago in February. Seems a lot longer than that. According to Brickset I have 296 and 580 minifigures. I can't believe I accumulated that many in one year.

I agree. If one assumes each color is printed as one layer, it is clear that the black color layer was placed higher on the left as compared to the right causing the change in appearance. The black around the eyes as well as the lips are higher which leads me to believe the black color was applied as one layer for both the eyes and lips. Which is more correct is another matter. I agree with Sir_Basil, both seem a bit off. The one on the right has the black color layer a tad too low. I think the intent is to have the black eye liner hit just at the transition between the white eyeball color and the orange skin color. Certainly there shouldn't be any orange between the bottom black eyeliner and the eye ball. I feel the one on the right looks the best.

That explains why they named it as such. However, it doesn't help things when people have no idea what the title/word Cuusoo means since it's Japanese in origin. That's all I'm saying. It's all in the marketing.

I agree, more aggressive marketing would help things. Or, frankly, when people here the name Lego Cuusoo for the first time they probably have no idea what it is or how it's supposed to work and are not even compelled to find out. If they named it something that better describes the concept simply from the title it may generate more interest. For example, when I here the term Lego Pick-a-Brick or Lego Shop-at-Home I immediately understand what it's all about. It could be as simple as that sometimes.

I suppose I haven't been into Lego as an AFOL long enough. I don't get the "what the government thinks I do." Can anyone clarify.

I would love to see a few more sets along the lines of City Space. Maybe some kind of moon lander set. Basically, any reason to bring back the moon landscaped base plate. Just wanted to throw this in here because now in retrospect I find it amusing. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course since at the time we had only unconfirmed rumors.