Arjo

Yeah TXS did it way better, I hope someone comes to their senses and upgrade my store display!

Oh the boxes are there… still talk about underselling. Always a disappointment when I go to the store to see a new set on display and I can tell whomever put it together had to rush and/or did not care that much:(

Yes, showing the set with the different parts split out does not do it justice and won’t trigger much impulse buy/sway those on the fence as to whether or not they would be better off waiting (2x vip, gwp).

The Hocus pocus cottage looked better (to me) on display at the store vs. Pictures. Turns out it is quite imposing (so forget pairing with 10305). Interior access is worse (still) than I thought. One would need to give it the modular treatment (and change the whole interior to match whatever medieval establishment one would want to convert it into). Not a personal priority budget-wise but if I see it tank in price I’ll be there. In any case, looking forward to what some of you will make with it!

Well… my local store did not make much of an effort. The set is broken into individual modules which makes an underwhelming impression overall and makes it look overpriced. The boat has a good size though finish is rough. The modules did not scream yay or nay, they are “decent” on their own but I would think/hope the sum is greater than the parts in the present case. The minifigures I can live with (one can tell the printing is off but if you don’t have perfect eyesight, it is somewhat less glaring than in zoomed in pictures).

Parts exclusive to the set are not available (yet) for purchase. The waiting game is not over! Enjoy the set everyone getting your hands on it today!

Tomorrow, like rest of the world, no? Will be going to my local store so I hope it will be on display. Re. Actual purchase, not going to jump the gun wo 2x vip and GWP (or discount outside TLG). Too many sets, too much money, even AFOLS have to be reasonable these days!

Well, I don’t participate in the contest so I do not need to overthink it: I like it very much, well done! Does it have any interiors?

Yes I meant Bionicle, my bad! Taking a trip to the store on July 4th to see the set in the bricks. I bet it will be in closed form to minimise display space such that it might be hard to see and appreciate all the details. On a video I saw it next to the Hocus Pocus set and they looked somewhat comparable volume-wise.

Nope, Blacktron and Nexo Knight combo GWP, nothing else in the pipe bar a vague rumour of a "castle-related gwp" in August which may or may not be Majisto's. Galileo tribute is expected in Q4. Good things to come for those who will wait.

Well if that generally reliable youtuber is correct, TLG is bringing back the blacktron gwp in July so nothing castle or pirate on the horizon.

Lifelike! For a split second I wondered if the floor was also made of lego. Choice of colours and use of depth truly impressive, I wish I were able to do half as good (even that would be quite an achievement!).

Ah! Glad you like them! Never heard of this guy, one of the results I got looking for eldirado reviews. I will give this website another go because he takes great pictures😁

An online reviewer skilled with a camera has taken very nice shots of the set (playing with backdrops and lights). Not sure I am allowed to paste the link, his name is Brick Central, if of interest to you (worth a browser search imo).

You have a beautiful red coat army! I am very happy to see visual confirmation of what I had imagined i.e. the hair hat combo though allocated to female soldiers in the eldorado fortress will in fact do great for males to if anyone is inclined to swap.

Well F1stzzz, whilst I think you might have gotten carried away in your last post, I can see where you are coming from. Your post before that, you also made a decent argument re. POBB being a better value for money set... and yet at the time I (and others) did not go for it (see Jodawill's rationale). However, this time around you are willing to pass on this set but others will not. It goes to show that, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes TLG are pulling a number of strings to boost sales (nostalgia, fear of missing out...) and it hurts us AFOLs because though we may think we are savvy customers the truth of the matter is we are in fact addicts. Any lego maths is folly, there is not a set out there, big or small, that is not in fact overpriced (and yes it is getting worse). I do not believe in buying/skipping sets to send messages to TLG, I agree it is a specious argument presented by some but their enthusiasm is comparable to yours though at the other end of the spectrum. Who knows, maybe when you get to see the set with your own eyes you will be swayed (and others will in fact have second thoughts). Could be you see some mods or expansions (with additional sets or separate bricks) that will eventually tempt you. Or maybe you will stick to your current truth about the set, good for your wallet, less so for your psyche given how passionate about the Pirates them you are. Not much anyone on this forum can do about it, so maybe let others enjoy it for what it is.

Great job as always, looking forward to watching the video. If the latter doesn’t cover it, out of curiosity, how did you paint the sail so perfectly? I think I saw on IG you did it by hand???

Well sorry you are disappointed, truly, wish to share the joy with as many as possible though I appreciate it is far from a perfect set. The upstairs office will at least offer decent floor space once the cannon is gone (and it should be easy to repurpose the latter, particularly if one is inclined to expand on the set). I am not a fan of the two long guns fixed on the balcony... but I am glad they are there so I can give them to extra soldiers when I get my hands on them. The two things that irk me and I promise I won't say it again: the gaping holes should not be, TLG should have given the bricks for a clean build in default configuration; and the torso printing (which might indeed vary as I have seen pics giving me hope whereas others disheartened me... I guess I can only hope I will be lucky). Parting note, as often with lego buildings, I wish they were at least a brick taller (per floor). The fortress would look less easy to storm if it did.

Sorry it does not float your boat. First ytb review did not hype me up much… but second one was better in terms of the overall impression it made on me. In close formation I think it makes for a very coherent whole (though TLG should have thrown in the few missing bricks they removed on the count of allowing reconfig). Spread out, I think it would be easy to come up with additional blocks at the back to expand into whatever picks your fancy. And the minifigs whilst not fully redeemed can have a better look depending on what light strikes them. These days there aren’t too many sets in this price bracket that tick so many of my personal boxes so count me in:)

Jay’s blog review reassured me on many points but I still resent the poor torso printing. Hopefully not as jarring in hand (benefit of poor eyesight vs. High res zoomed in pics!)

Yep brickset review up… and as supportive of the set as I have been here, I am very disappointed in the torso bad printing. The washed out blue instead of crisp white will make me enjoy these a lot less than unfortunately. Reserving comments about the rest of the set for now, more reviews inc videos may help accepting this or that apparent shortcomings.

Exciting:) Leaving Monday behind, and looking forward to a Tues reveal... that's as good a start to the week as can be:)

How do you know the review embargo lapses tomorrow? Is it always 2w prior to vip release date? If so tomorrow is going to be a great day:D

I’ve watched a detailed review of the OG set (for I don’t have it) to refresh my memory. It had its limitations, some of which have in fact been addressed with the “reboot”, whereas a lot of the good stuff has been retained. Given the price is pretty close once inflation adjusted, and is certainly much better than paying what the secondary market demands, I think it is as good as it gets. TLG could have done a lot less, or a lot more at a steeper price still, so for me it is a happy medium with a lot of upside given the modular nature of the new set (and hopefully PAB to get a few extra imperials). Maybe some of the torsos will even end up in BAM stations the same way they released some lion knights and most of the PoBB minifigs after a while.

btw reading this thread I have expanded my vocabulary as I had no idea these hats were called shakos:) This year for the first time I have committed a grave lego crime... I took a sharpie to add a black line to the 501st specialist visor. It worked wonders and I was happier for it. For the shakos, adding a touch of red might be tricky/would require some special paint and some talent (unlike the sharpie fix) but I would imagine that a touch of gold with a sharpie should be easy enough for whomever will be bold enough to try! I probably won't! The CMF nutcracker's is very nice but I personally don't like the side hair and it is one of the reasons why I refrained from purchasing more than a few.