LordsofMedieval

I don't know what it is, but this one REALLY speaks to me. I think the reason is because it feels more... Lego-ish... or toy-like that a lot of the models that are posted here. And that isn't me dumping on the techniques or the skill involved or anything like that - it's just that this ship looks like a proper Lego kit. If you ever consider selling instructions, I'd be a buyer. This is one I'd actually like to have on a shelf.

I don't generally like midi-scale, but the execution here is just supremely good.

Oh, I really like the boat. Very nice.

There are videos on YouTube of people who have managed to get the giant Hogwarts train running. Performance is sketchy at best. This thing is a must-buy for me at 8w and a hard pass at 10w.

Not big on 6w, but credit where it's due: this is very strong.

Sure wish they'd bring this theme back. I wonder if Lego somehow views it as politically incorrect.

Man. Hard life for that dude-who-is-now-a-skeleton.

Jesus. Well done. Coal mines are such depressing places (I'm not inherently opposed to coal, it's just dirty stuff), but this is very bright and lively.

Now it makes me think of this: Not that that's a bad thing. The B12s were/are lovely things. Weird, but lovely.

Reminded me so much of this place that I had to fly out and take a screenshot:

Looks tedious to build, to say the least. My guess is that it was done with computer assistance?

Oh, wow, that's a wonderful pine tree. Reminds me of the 'flavor' we have in my neck of the woods: Sitka Spruce and their droopy branches.

Thanks all.

I think, to Lego's mind (and this is not me speaking - I'm presenting what I believe Lego's emphasis is; not how I view shopping) the sets are catering to different gender playstyles. The City set has an element of hardworking action - namely, the moving of groceries from a truck (not included) to a forklift to the shelf. IE, the process of shifting supply is the more important action than the acquisition of product. There's also a waste/recycling element (the bottle processing) which could necessitate the use of yet another large truck to move. In the Friends set, we're told not to dwell on the nitty gritty of commerce (there's a vegetable pickup that has fresh produce in the back, but I think even younger kids understand that this is *not* generally how most groceries arrive at a store). No, here the most important activity (and, again, this is NOT me saying this - just interpreting what I see) is the shopping itself. And the ugly truth is that the reason that this is emphasized is that it is 'women's work' (for the record, my wife detests the grocery store - the point where it is generally my job to go in). Now, Lego would probably deny this (especially since, if true, it's pretty traditionally sexist). But I think that's why one set goes in the one direction and the other routes completely a different way - because of traditionalist interpretation of what one gender or the other cares about (which is silly; as a guy who was formerly a kid, the Friends set is just better. When I'm in a grocery store, I'm a customer - that's what I want to play).

The unfortunate truth is that the current hull pieces are an enormous step back from these second generation ones. These were nice and slender, and featured tapering into a proper stern. I so desperately wish Lego would make them again.

I wasn't originally going to share this one, but then I figured what the hey. Yes, it's powered by a small PU motor. And the tiny crack on the roof would be filled in on the actual model with some, uh, 'surgically altered' brackets (sometimes, when dealing with 7w models, one has to make hard choices). I really wish someone would save this actual locomotive IRL. It's just there, rusting in a field.

I'll leave the link to explain the locomotive's history, but, in a nutshell, it was built solely to disrupt an act of Parliament, succeeded, then proved too large for loading gauges elsewhere in the GER system. During this period, it was tried briefly as a tender locomotive (without major modifications to the locomotive), then, when that failed, rebuilt into the ugliest thing on wheels. I modeled the second iteration, because I believe it actually looked quite good plus a tender. I actually think this is an engine that translates very well into Lego - particularly because the boiler is a rare British example that is the proper size to replicate with relative ease (although I needed to do some complicated stuff to make the front bit work). Best I can tell, it's rock-solid. Most of my engines are very strong, but, true to form, this one in particular would be a cement block.

Nice. Larger scale than I build in, but very nice.

The newer friends set is better, too. Has actual tiled floors, and far more shelves. I liked the loading dock element of this set, but as a customer, that's not really a major part of the 'grocery store experience.'

Honestly, I kind of wish they'd remade the Caribbean Clipper. It's been so long since we last saw a reasonably-sized hero boat.

Well, I definitely think it looks better without the tower. I think the tower was intended to give some kind of notion that the station was serving a dual role as both a depot and some kind of control point for freight movements, sort of like this squished into a single structure: However, that's generally not what you see on stations IRL, and having a low, one-level building IMO makes it look more like modern commuter stations you see in both the US and Europe.

That's your opinion, which I respectfully disagree with wholesale. I don't think Lego should be in a position of forcing conversations with 8-year-olds - it is my (or, in this case, her parents') responsibility to select a time and a place for that; not a corporation's. Why? Because losing an arm is horrifying. We don't know that Autumn was necessarily born that way (or, certainly, the box leaves that completely ambiguous). She lives on a farm - she very well could have lost it in a machinery accident. Let's not pretend that these things haven't happened, don't happen, or will not happen in the future. It's pleasant to imagine that Autumn was simply missing her forearm at birth. But devoid of a clear-cut answer, she's quite possibly maimed. Why should guardians be left trying to fill in their gaps on that matter? And that is precisely why obligating parents to have this conversation is a dirty and "baffling" move - because nobody should be forced to carry Lego's water on a subject that is potentially enormously dark. This is a traumatic issue. More importantly, there is this: there are overt and undeniable elements of both shaming and suppression of the individual with regards to Autumn not using a prosthetic in any set. As to the first point, it implies that there is something wrong with people wanting to improve their own state of being by employing advantageous technology; that Autumn 'isn't being herself' unless she's out there without anything on her arm to help her. With regards to the second point, by Autumn choosing to do without any kind of assistance, Lego essentially distills her personality to that of allegory. What's the most important thing about Autumn for Lego? That she's a vehicle for forcing a discussion - that's it. That's why she is the way she is. And equipping her with a prosthetic would reduce that impact. Which is why she doesn't have one. Frankly, I've now been personally attacked twice in this thread - first by Maple, and second by you in the bolded portion - for the sin of asking a question involving part selection and implying that I was troubled about having to do legwork for Lego. It is not a self-own to express such a sentiment (especially since many other people apparently find the lack of a prosthetic a problem). Certainly, nothing I said warranted going after my character, or letting someone suggest I abstain from having children just stand uncensored.

I like this solution better, since it's brick-built rather than being stickers. However, I think this is a pretty clear-cut case where they should have introduced a new part. So many of these supercars that Lego favors modeling have highly-sloped front lights. A new piece could believably accommodate all comers.

It's actually kind of amazing to me how fast this set was retired. I know Lego sets don't have a long shelf-life, but is 7 months standard practice?

... what? Dude, people wear prosthetics. The technology has gotten much, much better in recent years, to the point now where we are verging on bionic replacements. As things stand today, provided you have some muscle mass left in the limb, a prosthetic can actually be manipulated via muscular movement, opening and closing a mechanical hand. They're already testing attachments that connect directly to nerve-endings and simulate a sense of touch. I'm not even going to address the argument (which I guess you're angered about) that 'this is fantasy, and maybe in a fantasy world nobody has to be hurt or suffer catastrophic, permanent harm' (which would also be a valid case, but which NOBODY in this thread was asking for). But even from the perspective of devastating injuries or birth defects existing in the Friends world, there's no reason that poor Autumn has to go around with just a stump. Lego embraces technology on other fronts - the prominent electric vehicles, solar panels, etc. being obvious examples. Why should this poor girl's existence be limited to being what amounts to a one-dimensional emotional prop and living example of medieval standards of medical care? (*Edit* I also want to add here: I AM PHYSICALLY DISABLED IRL. I have a giant abdominal wall hernia as a result of medical malpractice [don't google images of it unless you want to puke]. I can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, have trouble walking and standing, and can't exercise. If I could fix ME, I would. I don't exist for your false pity, and neither do handicapped people. We want to help ourselves). Sling your manufactured rage elsewhere. I wasn't asking for a replacement left arm - I was asking for an an item to give her an ability to safely grip the reins of her damned mount; to empower herself; to make herself as whole as she can be. The same item she would ask for in real life.