voltio

I can't comment on the CC, but I did pick up the re-release of the Redbeard Runner in 2002. It was a good ship, but the color scheme was a bit of a mess, with a blue cabin, red hull (of course), white trim in some places, and gold elsewhere. But the size and number of cannons was excellent, and compensated for the above flaws. Bottom line: if you want realism and bluecoats, pick the CC. If you want size and larger-than-life adventure, pick the Redbeard Runner* *or better yet, the Black Seas Barracuda! *wub*

Voltio to Goggleson: "Commando Goggleson, come in...he's not answering. Where is he?" Inertia [looks at datapad] "Sgt. VBBN and Goggleson are near the spaceport, they're not far." Voltio: "Let's go. (to VBBN) We're on our way now, with our blasters ready. The rebel scum will be eliminated!"

"Affirmative. Inertia has looked over the mission brief; our objective is the Gelgelar Free Port, the prime population center on on that swamp. Even if the medical center is not there, there will surely be some stray rebels from which we can extract information." [Voltio and Inertia's freighter leaves the hangar and enters Gelgelar's orbit in no time. The port authority gives landing coordinates, and Inertia land the ship.] Voltio: "Good work, pilot."' (to VBBN): "We're on the surface.

Nice work! I guess those red axles you used are either before my time or extremely rare (probably both :'-(), which is a shame; they rock! Great idea, and thanks for showing me a part I have not seen before.

to Gen. CW: "Understood, sir. We will approach this mission with utmost secrecy." To VBBN: "Sergeant, I suggest we enter the planet in civilian transports and, of course, civilian clothing to avoid drawing attention. There are several impounded smuggling craft in this ISD's landing bay, most of which are flyable. Inertia and I will land one on the surface and pose as merchants; you and commando Goggleson can land separately, with a rendezvous at the target zone." [at the hangar] Voltio: "It's no wonder the smuggler scum who used to own this craft was caught--this hulk's engines date back to before the clone wars! [inertia and Voltio enter the craft] Good. The controls are sound, and the pre-flight checks look serviceable. We're ready to go." [The smuggler craft exits Gen. CW's ISD]

A few words about Tuesday Morning's ad: One of the sets contains "1448 pieces," and the only such set I know of is the Exo-Force 7709 Sentai Fortress! Unfortunately, however, TM often inflates the MSRP of sets to make their stuff look like a better deal. For example, I purchased a Technic Street Bike for "50% off MSRP," but they used $60 as their MSRP instead of the correct amount, $50. So if the deal tomorrow is "50% off MSRP," it might not be so good.

There were two distinct variations of the 10030 UCS Star Destroyer. From 2002 to early 2006 (or late 2005?), they were produced in the old gray colors. After that, Lego began selling the second production run, this time in bley. I don't know of any way to tell if a sealed 10030 is old gray or bley; I own an old gray model from 2004 and a bley model I purchased this year, and the boxes are 100% identical. The 10143 Death Star II was released in 2005, after the bley-gray switch, and was only available in bley.

I just printed 12 of them. I guess Target is where I'll buy Lego this year! :-D

For all residents of USA: Star Wars UCS 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer ONLY $199.99! Star Wars UCS 10143 Death Star II ONLY $199.99! Sorry, but I'm really excited about these S@H deals! They won't last long, so order soon. :'-)

I know that they were semi-affordable here in the USA, since my Unitron Monorail 6991 still has the $140 price sticker on the box. *wub* I'd buy 3 more if they were produced again and the msrp was below $240.

I am really disappointed in the USD price of these. I can buy a Castle Tic-tac-toe set on Bricklink for $19.99 ( 10 figs at $2 per fig), but these BPs deliver 5 figs for $13 (5 figs at $2.60 per). Even LSW BPs are cheaper, at 4 Stormies for $10, and those have licensing costs. I can't blame Lego, since the BPs are beatiful products, but I can blame the current exchange rates. *n*

To Gen. CW: "Sir, the strike force organized by Commander Jax is being readied now. Sgt. VBBN has reached the staging zone, as has Pilot Inertia. AA fire is heavy, so finding the most direct path is difficult. Nevertheless, the commander will doubtless commence the assault soon--." COMSCAN: "Zone 1 approach coordinates have been finalized. The LZ is less than 2 km east of the objective. Proceed immediately." [Detailed coordinates to a shallow swamp close to the AA cannons are sent directly to the cockpit of the TIE Lander assigned for the mission] Sgt. VBBN to troops: "We are go for departure. Move!" [sgt. VBBN, Sgt. Voltio, and pilot Inertia board TIE/L along with 6 other commandos.] Sgt. Voltio to Gen. CW: "We're on our way to liquidate the target, general."

[The Carrack-class cruiser arrives at suitable LZ; Sgt. Voltio, Sgt. VBBN, and Inertia disembark and march to base camp.] Voltio to TIE/ru SIC Alpha: "We're ready for orders, sir. Also, our surveillance cruiser Officiator has arrived, and is primed to deploy probe droids to aid in the search."

Voltio to Sgt. VBBN and TIE Pilot Inertia: "We're needed at Yavin IV; the Officiator and Tartan Patrol Cruisers made the jump into hyperspace before us, but the route from Telos is far longer than the path from the DS, so we have not lost time. Space station defenses can spare one Carrack-class cruiser to take our TIE Interceptors to Yavin IV, and it is ready for departure. " [The three pilots board the cruiser and make the jump to hyperspace.]

Voltio to Telos Fleet: "There's been a change of plans. Reinforce Admiral TK at his current position; the Tartan cruisers, TIEs, and the [/i]Officiator will be put to good use." Voltio to Genl. Casewindu: "Sir, Sgt. VBBN and I require the coordinates to the TIE/RU fighters so that we may carry out Cmdr. Jax's orders. Unless, of course, the situation with Admiral TK takes precedence. Also, has Inertia been cleared for participation in the TIE/RU progam? Voltio out."

I got my Batmobile on sale as well, and am pretty satisfied with it. It's a fine parts pack; I'm especially fond of the big pearl-gold wheels, which are great for "pimping" other cars like the 4896 Roaring Roadsters. Keep in mind, though, that it has no steering mechanism, and the roof is rather thin and flimsy. Bottom line: buy it for parts, and maybe for the design, but definitely buy it.

"Understood, General. The commander of the 501st, Cmdr. Palin Jax, has already reached a dead end at the traitor's last known location, Yavin IV. I will bring him reinforcements immediately." [sends urgent HoloNet message to Imperial garrison at Telos] Voltio: "Sir, I am under orders from General CW to requisition the equipment necessary to deal an unexpected contingency. I'm sending you the proper credentials now." [Credentials are verified.] Garrison Officer: "We have three TIE squadrons available for this mission, as well as the Acclamator-class cruiser Officiator. Officiator has a full complement of probe droids in place of a TIE bomber hangar. In addition, I can spare 5, if need be six, Tartan Patrol Cruisers. Their armor is light, but they are highly effective against Corellian Corvette threats." Voltio: "This situation requires all six Tartans. Ready the fleet for the jump to Yavin IV" (Voltio to Cmdr. Jax) "Sir, I am sending you additional fighters, light patrol craft, and an intelligence cruiser to aid in the search. Sgt. VBBN will also be arriving soon. Unless you have other plans, the fleet will set out for Yavin momentarily, Commander. Voltio out."

I personally don't think leaving negative feedback is worth the hassle in most cases. I've received parts of poor quality from BL (yellowed parts with odd stains and filth listed as "great condition"), but I also operate a store there and know that mistakes can happen. I just leave positive feedback so that they will do the same for me and boost my ratings, or say nothing (if I'm really :-( ). The key is, BL sellers can't be expected to always have the same precision as, say, Amazon.com. We're people with outside commitments...and I can imagine a universe of outside commitments more pressing than a $0.06 order. Making a special trip to the post office to mail said order would cost more than $.06 in gasoline alone. Negative feedback is really only deserved in the case of blatant fraud or seriously misrepresented items, IMO.

Voltio to VBBN: "We've failed the admiral; he won't be in need of us in the search for Sylp, since the 501st has embarked to reinforce him. I am following his orders to return to the Death Star to prevent Rebel sabotage, and I suggest you do so as well." (Voltio and 5 troopers (Sylp having killed the sixth member of his squad) board an ILC filled with supplies and ammo, bound for the DS) Stormtrooper: "Sir, what disciplinary action--" Voltio: "We let this catastrophe happen, soldier. Whether we are executed or merely demoted depends entirely on the patience of our commanders." 8-|

I was ready to rant on the US prices of the Gunship ($120) and V-19 Torrent ($55), but I suppose there is a silver lining, from the perspective of international fairness: we Yanks are finally starting to feel the effect of the sliding dollar. :-/ But aside from the cost issue, WOW! The new RGS is stunning, an instant classic with enough accuracy for AFOLs and sufficient playability for all. I'm also digging the Plo Koon fig from the AT-TE. *y* Bankruptcy on!

I am really baffled by the typo on the back label of the model...apparently, it is an "Indiana Jones/ Hans Solo" collectors item. :-P So it was rare, but not well proof-read.

Guard to Sgt. Voltio: "Sir, you need to come look at this. There has been an error in processing the prisoner." Voltio: "Soldier, what error? The pilot of the rogue shuttle craft was put under class-VII surveillance and security. Are you telling me that he has escaped again?" Guard: "No sir, but the prisoner has regained consciousness and it is now apparent that he is not the traitor." Voltio: "You'd better be sure. If this is true, we've made a serious mistake." Guard: "We ran some tests and looked at Sylp's file. Both are clones from the same genetic template, but the pilot of the shuttle is 1.5 standard years older than Sylp." Voltio: "I should have killed that bantha entrail when I had the opportunity. Question the pilot, then release him to the medical center to be checked over." (to Admiral TK): "Sir, I was mistaken in my earlier report; the traitor Lord Sylp has escaped despite our attempts to recapture him. I beg mercy and await further instructions."

Sgt. Voltio to Adm. TK: "Sir, I regret to inform you that the traitor Lord Sylp has been more troublesome than we expected. He initiated a violent escape attempt, but the situation is now under control and he has been returned to captivity under sedation. I assure you, Admiral, that we will not fail you again." Voltio to guards: "Show this slime no mercy if he causes more problems."

My eyes are permanently damaged! The above "train" is pure :-X. It looks as though someone with no previous knowledge of construction toys designed it. Still, I have to concur that the first Enlighten Brick design is pretty nice. I too would buy it if it were a TLC design. It looks like a pastiche of classic 1980s and 1990s Lego planes.

I picked the ISD, because despite its faults, it was a fine value. 1366 elements and several uncommon figures (flesh imperial officers, Darth Vader, Royal Guards, Tarkin, Imperial R2 unit) for only $99.99 was amazing, especially given that it could often be purchased for $85 shipped on Ebay from late 2006 to mid 2007. Yes, the bridge was a bit of a scale disaster, but that could be fixed with only a few bley plates. Indeed, the whole set was a great base for modding, due to its size and straightforward construction. I also loved the fact that the set contained so many trans-green lightsaber blades, since I used them to arm my custom Jedi. *y*