marcobnine

Often a set review will indicate the number of bags for a set. I used this to verify the contents of my Grand Carousel that was very damaged. The following is a review for 10212: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45909 The reviewer does not explicitly mention the number of bags, but in the fifth picture you can see all the bags laid out on the table. I counted 24 bags in the photo, which means your set is probably complete. Hope this helps.

Jamie Berard's presentation "Stressing The Elements" does a good job of explaining the "illegal" technic 1x1: http://bramlambrecht.com/tmp/jamieberard-brickstress-bf06.pdf

Considering the author writes "There is 12 minifigures" on the LEGO wikia page, I would seriously question this entry.

Go lie down.

I agree that this new brick looks pretty realistic, but I don't really think it is in the "spirit" of the modular buildings. For example, the Fire Brigade achieves a similar "brick wall" effect using modified 1x4 bricks and tiles (I think this looks even better). I would expect the focus to remain on similar "advanced" building techniques rather than the simple use of a new part. Similarly, while the round 2x2 grill brick is great for columns, I still prefer the brick-built columns. A great example can be found on Jamie's town hall creation that is discussed earlier on this thread, and if you go to the LEGO Creator website you can actually watch a video of Jamie describing the building method. The modular building series offers cool building techniques and a great selection of parts, and that is largely the result of finding novel ways to create realistic objects and surfaces. The widespread use of new parts like this is essentially a shortcut and would take away from the overall experience of a new modular building. Granted, these elements are crucial for cheaper sets aimed at a younger audience, as they can cheaply add detail. I just don't want this to evolve into yet another BURP.

Just got 10196 Grand Carousel in the mail. I bought it for the list price of CAD $350.00 at the Toys R Us Canada website. I was just browsing the site last week when it showed up as "in stock". As soon as my order went through it was out of stock so I guess that was just the very last set. I opened the box (damaged in shipping anyways) and the contents are perfect (sealed polybags, intact sticker sheet, etc).