RoxYourBlox

I received a lot with such a logo. Supposedly the part had been available only in old sets. But if it's a fake, I'd like to know, too.

Blue, brown, and white are my daughter's favorite colors. She hadn't been playing with castles much, so I wanted to make something more appealing to her but still challenging for myself. Apple Tree House (5891) and Bricklink.com

Pictures were taken with our Canon SLR on close-up mode with cool hue and tungsten/shade. The photos of the buildings shown together were snapped in a room without direct light, unlike the individual ones. Had I processed afterward, I could've brought some brown back without sacrificing the vivid blue. Alas, I still need photoshop for home.

Thank you for the kind words! I'd like to share additional details which may not be apparent in the photos: BB Bed & Breakfast - On the facade, the white columns overlap brown tiles, which in turn rest on an offset created by technic bricks. The interior is empty aside from curtains. Coffee Corner - Simply put, this is a remake of Cafe Corner, so that I could have one (somewhat) affordable and also so my daughter could enjoy it in her favorite colors. Blueberry Elementary - This started as a remake of Market Street for the same reasons as CC, but I spun it into a school for my daughter. The playground (shown on flickr but not here) was inspired by Lego 3818, 5891, and this. The band and science rooms were inspired by my experiences. Palace - Although BB B&B was meant to be a modular-style remake of Castlometry #4, I was not yet satisfied. Thus I started again from scratch and focused on giving the columns room for play. Unexpectedly, the brown walls tend to bend inward, but this error has been alleviated by attaching inverse 45 slopes to the floors above. Blue House - Inspired by a floor plan from ahmanndesign. The entire roof sits on a jumper offset from the second floor onward, for no good reason other than to give myself a headache. The second floor also features a miniature table with 2x2-stud micro-modular representations of each building on the street.

flickr That's all, folks!

Does anyone know if there are dark orange 1x1 plates or 1x2 jumper plates in this set?

I have had a similarly positive experience as brickdoctor and vynsane. My macbook pro has 8GB RAM and a solid state HD. It achieves smooth rotation of models up to 4000 pieces (with outlines on), and the case runs cool to warm. The only downside I've experienced with this over a PC or other macbook is a half second delay when selecting a new piece.

I also don't understand TLG's strategy for the timing... It would seem quite unusual for any business to release a major product with little to no lead time for advertisement.

My 4-year-old daughter loves boyish colors and Lego, especially the Modular and Creator themes. She is also fascinated by Friends and motivated to plow through these instructions further than other Lego sets. Much of what Lego claimed about girls' style of play has been true from what I've observed, and I consider myself someone who promotes gender neutral play as much as any parent. My daughter loves small pieces, variety of color, and detail, and the Friends line caters specifically to those interests. Thanks Lego!!

Could I see a picture of the box top showing piece quantities? Dark orange has not been a common color lately, and there might be some new bricks in this set not evident in pictures shown so far. I do like dark orange; while it may be overwhelming on its own, it's a great color as a trim for reddish brown.

I hope this means we'll see dark orange jumper plates, as they don't exist and I need 3 dozen. A suspension elevator with old-fashioned double lattice gates would be cool...

I have a couple thoughts that have been nagging at me for the past few months and would be interested to hear your opinions (and to gauge if my suspicions are not unfounded). Without further ado: 1) Where do "Rare / HTF" bricks originate that had not been issued as part of a set? 2) Are AFOLs reluctant to share instructions / files of MOCs?

I bought 3. It is a nice set for parts, better than the larger pink box. 1x 4569079 2x2 white brick w eyes 2x 4504369 1x1 white tile w 45 slope 1x 303901 2x2 white brick w 45 slope 2x 4520970 1x3 white brick w arch 4x 302301 1x2 white plate 1x 302201 2x2 white plate 2x 371001 1x4 white plate 1x 302001 2x4 white plate 2x 244501 2x12 white plate 1x 4611700 1x2 white plate w hook 1x 4282737 1x2 plate w 1x4 side studs 4x 4538968 white lattice shutter for 4x3 window 2x 4247139 white window arch 1x 4521943 white door for 4x6 frame 2x 6000019 white flower brick 1x 9327 white legs 4x 462401 white wheel hub 1x 9551 white steering wheel 4x 614124 1x1 yellow plate round 1x 4651443 smiling female face 4x 302326 1x2 black plate 1x 371026 1x4 black plate 1x 303426 2x8 black plate 4x 4578677 small black wheel 4x 4546705 1x1 green tile w slope 2x 303928 2x2 green brick w 45 slope 2x 4220027 2x2x3 green brick w slope 2x 302028 2x4 green plate 1x 4541414 6x12 green plate 4x 4619599 1x1 green plate round flower 2x 4143562 2x2 green flower brick 1x 4273743 croissant 1x 382340 2x4 translucent white windshield 2x 4244363 1x1 translucent orange tile w slope 2x 3005744 1x1 translucent yellow round plate 1x 3006848 1x1 translucent green round brick 1x 4567333 1x1 translucent green cone brick 4x 4118787 1x3 orange brick 4x 4118827 1x4 orange brick 2x 4121967 1x2 orange brick w 45 slope 3x 4158355 2x4 orange plate 4x 4157103 1x1 orange plate round 1x 4654448 orange brick separator w axle 1x 4143404 translucent pink mug 2x 4212454 1x1 lime green brick round 2x 4537937 2x2 lime green plate 2x 4537936 2x4 lime green plate 1x 4504850 4x4 lime green plate 4x 4550362 2x2 magenta brick w 45 slope 10x 4518889 2x4 magenta brick w 45 slope 2x 4243920 dark yellow plate 3x 4211166 2x2 reddish brown brick round 2x 4216581 1x1 reddish brown plate round 1x 4550736 reddish brown hair female 1x 4211350 1x2 medium stone grey tile w grille 2x 4211504 2x2 medium stone grey plate w wheel axle 4x 4492224 1x1 hot pink brick 4x 4621545 1x2 hot pink brick 4x 4618655 1x3 hot pink brick 4x 4621542 1x4 hot pink brick 2x 4518891 1x2 hot pink brick w 45 slope 2x 4244613 1x4 hot pink brick w arch 4x 4216479 1x1 hot pink plate round flower 4x 4286050 1x1 pastel pink brick 10x 4517993 1x2 pastel pink brick 5x 4550359 2x2 pastel pink brick 8x 4518890 1x4 pastel pink brick 4x 4520632 2x4 pastel pink brick 4x 4517996 1x1 pastel pink plate round 4x 4640739 1x2 purple brick 4x 4653960 2x2 purple brick 4x 4640611 1x4 purple brick 4x 4626935 2x4 purple brick 4x 4656482 1x4 purple brick w arch 1x 4656624 2x4x6 purple frame 2x 4656625 2x4x3 purple frame 1x 4656499 purple tank top female 4x 4619512 1x2 lavender plate 9x 4619524 1x4 lavender plate 2x 4625027 2x6 lavender plate 2x 4625022 1x8 lavender plate

Hello, and thanks for sharing your troubles! I, too, have experienced the problem as you've described twice since October. On their first attempt, customer service said they could not see my negative points in their system but replenished the points by manually adding them back. However, within a day the system subtracted those points with a so-called "Product Return". Next, they reissued a VIP card with a new number while I kept my old ID name. I did not make a purchase again until late November. Then, I made a purchase and again had negative points. This time I ignored the negative points under the assumption it was a read-out problem with the website. On black Friday I went to a local Lego store. There, the cashier saw the negative points. Upon consulting the manager, he gave me a new VIP card and reported the last as lost/stolen. He then gave me a second new VIP card and recommended I start a new ID name to go with this second new card. I called customer service later that day to see if the points on my old ID name could be restored... it did not matter anyway, as they could see I had less than $1. When I asked customer service for their assurance that this problem would not happen again--that they would identify the cause and fix the bug, the lady seemed confused by my question and kept reiterating that I should use the new ID. I also filed a complaint online, but Lego responded that my problem was resolved over the phone. My theory: There is a bug in the new website; do not place a "mixed" order online at this time. My point total went negative with orders that contained PAB/DbM parts mixed with normal sets and/or partially paid by VIP points. Orders consisting only of sets tallied the points okay. However, I can't be certain because I'm not willing to troubleshoot with my new ID.

I also support the ideas for LDD to include a part list and pick-a-brick option. I don't really need the box, and none of my DbM purchases included instructions anyway. Here's hoping!

Yes, I had read his comments. Nevertheless, I want to say "thank you" and "please keep LDD going" in case any Lego employees browse this board.

This is terrible news. I can only hope that TLG continues to make digital design software available to the public. Certainly nothing that I've done could have been realized without using LDD as a primer.

I slammed the connection together at 45.67 degrees on my first attempt but then wasn't able to replicate it. It is difficult to connect a plate at both ends at a 45 degree angle since the hypotenuse = 1.414 times the side, and you can't achieve a length of 1.4 even with a jumper plate. If it is for a roof, I recommend the bottom remain unattached (e.g., Mill Village Raid).

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but I'd suggest: Gender: N/A Occupation/print on torso: Red torso & hands, no print Type of headgear: None Type of facial expression: Red, no print Color on torso/legs: Red, no print Accessory: LEGO VIP card facsimile, printed on a 1x2 white tile

The original post has been updated with photos to the last 4 castles. The files for castle numbers 2 and 6 were also edited with a few modifications. My Flickr set is here

Any thoughts on how to turn a large/elaborate MOC into something more marketable? (I imagine there are plenty of unique ideas here that people could submit if refined.)

In an ironic turn of events, two of eight orders arrived last night, so I can draw a couple conclusions. US-CBP is processing imports in 5-10 days (instead of 1-3 as back in spring 2011... but not as long as I'd feared), and DHL is not being punctual in updating its tracking numbers once orders are with US Postal Service.

Have any other US citizens here been experiencing delayed shipments on pick-a-brick or design-by-me orders? I have noticed increased times from "shipment tendered" to the next step on the DHL tracking page for orders I've placed since this summer. Just wondering if/ how many people are in the same boat.

If the camera was saved at an odd angle while the brick count is still accurate, you could try select all (control+A), copy, new, paste.