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Oh good lord, there's a transparent red bicycle going for $150 too... does anyone know how exactly people get a hold of these "test run" pieces? Smuggled out by factory workers, perhaps?

I just started reading through the bios, and my favorite bit is the Lumberjack's quote: "I'm okay!"

The skater's sweater is the main thing I don't like about her - I don't hate it, but it has that Hot-Topic-watered-down-corporate-lady-punk aesthetic of someone trying way too hard to look like they skate but not someone who does. Of course, an "accurate" female skater would have no makeup and be dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, and I can't imagine that would sell very well. Her streaked hair and black jeans are awesome though, and I don't personally think the belt is too particularly girly.

Looks like I'm pretty late to this party. Dang, offline for a few days and you miss quite a bit... Anyway, I'm really impressed with the selection so far. I'm not a fantasy builder, but there's quite a bit to be excited about for those that are. I'll definitely be getting the mechanic, Statue of Liberty, and skater (pretty sure none of the people who complain about the prevalence of skateboarders actually skate themselves, but I certainly appreciate it ), and though I don't have any use for the butcher, his cap is perfect for a 50's diner or candy shop. Come to think of it, this series actually seems comparatively light on the city type figs, though there will probably be two or three more in the remaining six.

That is some gorgeous interior detailing - I especially love the dark red furniture, and the kitchen looks a lot like the sort of thing you see in Architectural Record these days. Will Mr. Pritzker be up for a Pritzker Prize for this one?

Yeah, I just don't think it looks any good at that scale. Of course, I've seen several other prototypes in pictures of Mr. Tucker's desk that never came to fruition, so I'm gonna hold out hope that the Opera House will be done as a much larger set with brick-built curves a la the Taj Mahal.

The only official source that has showed names, that I know of, is LEGO's Facebook page, but some of the ones given there seem dubious. I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be any mention of Series 5 on LEGO.com (unless I'm missing something) considering these are starting to show up in stores.

I remember really wishing I could afford the Statue of Liberty set when it came out - looks like I'll have a second chance! Assuming of course that this is a CMF and not some promo item that's going to be ridiculously difficult to track down.

That was never a "policy," more likely just the result of the designer being a US-based architect. And it most certainly is real!

I hadn't even thought of that, but now I really hope that will be the case! A whole bucket would probably be too much to ask for, but it's a safe bet we'll get lots of trans-green with the Green Lantern sets; it's the perfect opportunity for brick-built weapons and such.

So, this response is nearly a year late, but I notice no one else mentioned this: transparent pieces are made of a different kind of plastic (polycarbonate as opposed to ABS), which makes the pieces clutch a lot more strongly. (This became abundantly clear when I tried to separate the stack of seventeen 1x2 transparent plates in my Fallingwater set.)

Well, it's pretty likely that a couple of the existing licensed lines will be discontinued by the time Super Heroes comes out: Cars 2 will likely be replaced with Brave sets, and Harry Potter might not be around much longer - we might see another year's worth of sets, but interest will drop off some now that the final film has hit theatres. Pirates of the Caribbean could go either way; other than the Black Pearl, I haven't read about anything new coming out, but there are four films' worth of material to mine. There are plenty of other active non-licensed themes, as well as a couple new ones due next year, so I highly doubt the focus on creativity is in danger of eroding anytime soon.

Welcome! Always nice to see another Ohioan; whereabouts are you from? I'm in Cincinnati, originally from a small town near Columbus.

At first I figured an invisible jet was really unlikely, since (even though it would look amazing) it's generally a bad idea to have too many transparent pieces together - but a more <insert that tiresome argument> version might work, and now you've got my hopes up!

Sooo... Watchmen is technically part of the "DC Universe," right? Or maybe that's asking a little too much. In any case, though, this is awesome. Are there any pics out of the Wonder Woman minifig? A set made up entirely of transparent bricks! Okay, no way that's happening, but we can dream...

I've heard rumors of a Sydney Opera House being next for the big sculptural landmark sets (like the Taj Mahal and Tower Bridge). I don't think there's any way the relatively small scale of the Architecture line could do it justice.

I also read there are 62 LEGO pieces for every person on the planet, though that number might be a little out of date as it's from a book published last year. Might make a fun building challenge though - everyone build a vignette to represent themselves with exactly 62 pieces... And Daniel's Dad - outnumber the humans by thousands? I'd love to see a picture of that!

I was just looking through one of my architecture books the other day and thought both of those could make for really cool LEGO Architecture sets. I think the Centre Pompidou is the more likely of the two. My absolute favorite, though, are Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses, and even though it will probably never happen, I would love to see the Pope-Leighy House as a set. What I don't want to see is Villa Savoye. I know it's architecturally famous enough that it's probably inevitable, but I just can't stand Le Corbusier.

4 Privet Drive was released in an earlier HP wave, but I'd love to see an updated version, as well as Hogsmeade. But what I most want are some additional Hogwarts common rooms, because it is an absolute travesty - a travesty I tell you! - that there is still no Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff presence in the LEGO wizarding world.

Ooh, I think you're right! I really hope that part will eventually show up in other colors and in more affordable sets, because it's perfect for Prairie style roofs. Would this be the first entirely new part to make its debut in an Architecture set?

Undoubtedly. Adam Reed Tucker, the designer of the Architecture sets, is based in Chicago and has his own various distribution channels as well as those provided by TLG. Though admittedly, it probably won't sell nearly as well in the U.S. as in Germany (unless maybe they put a picture of John F. Kennedy visiting the gate on the back of the box).

I'm totally fine with the bulk of the piece count being 1x2 dark red plates; it captures the brickwork of the real thing quite nicely. Kind of like all the white tiles in the Farnsworth House - that sort of detailing is essential to the spirit of the actual design. I do hope that the Dark Stone Grey plates of the base are just a preliminary render and that the final product will have Earth Green though.

If TLG continues with its Disney/Pixar license, there will almost certainly be a line of Brave sets. Based on what I've read so far about the film, I have high hopes for them.

*drools* So at 362 pieces, I'm guessing size and price would be comparable to the Rockefeller Center or Guggenheim?

Are you able to divulge your source for this?