RichardGoring

The forest stronghold was my least favourite going into the reviews as it looks pretty simple. The staircase is nice, but otherwise, as said in the review, it's very similar to the Lion Knights Castle. And the trees don't look great to me. They're too sparse, and the flowers dotted around make it even more so. Which then gives the whole thing a sense of feeling too basic. The difficulty in accessing/using play functions lessens it's speak further. I'd prefer something more hidden and ingenious for the forestmen. The Mountain Fortress from series 1 seemed much more interesting and varied. The castle in the Forest from the Invitational series was also more interesting. As are a bunch of the MOCs for both Lion Knights Castle and the 31120 combination MOCs. To be clear, I couldn't design something half that good by myself, but those are the reasons it's not for me and I'll prioritize other things. For those that don't have the other castles or do value it, then I hope you have an amazing time with it. In the Tiago video, he did a preview of them all, and thought that the build looked interesting with lots of different techniques. I'll have to watch the full review to see why they differ on they view point. Agreed that it's expensive and doesn't need the back, but the Ocean House from series 2 was heavily criticized by many for being open back, so you can't win. (I loved it and ordered one though). It's very pretty, delightfully themed, and I'll be getting it anyway. Also in Tiago's preview he was disappointed in the Lost City, mostly it seemed through theme and lack of play features. I loved that one coming into it, but if there are no play features then it might sway me away from getting it. It still looks terrific to my eyes though. Haven't seen anything negative about the other two and I may try to get them, especially if the Lost City doesn't appeal.

Worryingly, the two smaller jungle City sets are marked on the LEGO website as retiring soon (red panda and olive crocogators), which is a little surprising, but will also be annoying if their parts don't make it to PaB. I was hoping to get some of the animals (and figures, and four-part map tiles), but some are exclusive to these small sets.

GWP on potentially all purchases would be terrific. Native list uploading is fantastic.

I've been in several LEGO stores around the US this year and haven't seen any that only do pre-built. So I would so it's the exception?

I had Caribbean Clipper as a child (and still have it today). I had so much fun with it, and my children enjoy it now too. It would always have my vote. Having never had the Imperial Flagship, I can't directly compare, but it seems like Imperial Flagship is a better model and Caribbean Clipper may be better as a play set, given that it's simpler and more space to get into it and act things out.

I watched @kbalage's review video on the 1966 Batmobile and it was a wonderfully critical review (in that not many point out flaws in sets much any more). It was on my wishlist, but seeting it next to other sets makes you realize just how out of scale it seems and suggests that the build process isn't as fun as a chunk of the other vehicles. Might wait a long while to see if there's a sale. Thanks for the review and for really exploring lots of areas in detail and considering it with a more critical eye.

I saw them in a Boston, MA LEGO Store. I think this shows what the accessories are 'supposed' to be - Minifigures BAM (@lego_bam) • Instagram photos and videos by @cacacolito

I was thinking a pastel colour would be great too. In my mind, either the San Fransciso style townhouse - although we already have that from the Bookshop - or a block of mansion flats might work really well. The Art Deco one from Poirot (Florins Court) in a pastel pink or purple would be great. Even better would be sand red, but it's not coming back. Or will they take the opportunity to do something in the new reddish orange and give us a load of newly coloured parts?

Seeing the mail sorter made me feel like the play functions were a huge plus on this set, and then Tiago's review showed the tipping basket on the hot air balloon - which I had missed - so the play functions are even better. Yes, it's small, and the layout is a bit odd, but I really like the smoothness to the snowy roofs, and the playability is excellent. Will definitely be getting it. Although the build looks it might be a little basic, which is a shame. Santa's Visit is genuinely one of the best, cleverest builds I've seen. The angles are all so clever.

If you want Majisto's workshop, then yes, probably. In the US, I've not seen Rivendell discounted at all. You may have better luck in Australia. So it really depends on what GWP you value most. November/December usually has a good set of stackable 2x points and GWPs, but you may not want them.

There are some good colour swap options on Rebrickable that I've always been very tempted by, but haven't done yet. Maybe now I won't need to. Although I think each of the colour swap houses costs less than half of the new modular's rumoured price of $230, so it may still be the best option to build a row of houses.

LEGO oracle. legoracle? Also, genius, and all around good guy. The large blank area in the middle that felt like it should have been rammed full of busting market stalls.

The mail sorting machine honestly improves it a lot for me. It adds so much to the play experience, and that's a really important part of what I value from the Winter Village sets. Still on the smaller side and feels a bit too small for the operation they're trying to carry out in there, but it will likely be fun to play with.

There we are, that's a good list!

I don't know what I may have watched that he directed, but I did see Rebel Moon (both parts) and it was so terrible, I was annoyed at having sat through it all and being tricked into doing so by Netflix pushing it as amazing. I hope he doesn't go near DC stuff, as it's so reliant on clever characters and story, and Rebel Moon was all over the place. I must admit to not knowing a huge amount about DC in general - very much a casual viewer - but other than the Daily Planet, are there any other iconic vehicles or locations that would make a good D2C that are not in Batman (where you have Batmobiles, Batwings, Wayne Manor, Batcave, Arkham, Ace/Axis chemical plant (maybe?))? DC generally feels like it is more based on characters than things that make good LEGO D2C sets? But again, I'm not well versed in any of it. Don't give them ideas!

Agreed. Not only does it look small, but it also feels very plain for what should be a semi-ornate building. So even buying two sets to increase the size a bit may not fix it, as it's all too simplistic. It's like when you get a great Friends building and decide to scale it up to a full modular building and appropriate level of detail. You need three of the Friends sets and a bunch more besides. Although that may be a poor analogy, as the Friends line contain some of the best sets LEGO produces. So it really depends whether you're looking for scale, detail, and accuracy, or a play experience and good impression of the X-mansion.

It was definitely in the BAM tower. This was my haul in September 2021. I regret not getting more lobsters.

The thing about modular add-ons that are structures is where to put them? Will that mean they have a large space on the actual modular to accept it (which could lead to a Ninjago City Markets issue of a large blank space that's quite disappointing)? Or does it float free, and you them have to mock up something to hold it and make it fit on the modular street, which is then a lot more pieces? No real preference either way, and I'm sure it will be good. Just pondering the considerations/draw backs of a structure compared to something that can be very standalone.

The cropped image is the first I've seen from the survey leak concept, and the mending still looks small, which is a shame. I suppose it's designed to scale with the other Marvel modulars, but it feels like it lacks the detail it needs for that type of building.

At least it's a positive of having such terrible set names. We know who's in it from the earliest leaks!

The modular GWP description has leaked and suggests it's a newsstand. No there's a fan mock up on Reddit, based on the description. Could point towards a Post Office or Newspaper building, but it's also generic enough to go with anything. I wouldn't link the Museum's GWP to the Museum, as a hot dog van is also pretty generic.

I've just realized that the prosthetic hand is from the Friends sets with Autumn. Which suggests a new mould for a partial minifig arm, rather than the prosthetic hand being part of it.

CMF parts are not often on PAB unless they're in regular sets. We've yet to see the falcon from series 24 in either a set or PAB. Same for the hornbill from series 22.

michael_bricks_f0rever on Instagram. Just the group shot, and it's blurry, but you can see a decent amount.

They generally look good. The longboarder doesn't really appeal, and the jetpack racer is a bit disappointing, but probably because I was thinking of something like The Rocketeer, and not a modern drone racing style suit. Will be interesting to see it in more detail. The others all seem good and I'd like to get at least one of them. The cockatoo is excellent!