Captain Sidecar

Just in case any Australian EB members aren't yet aware of it, Kmart Australia currently has the above set on sale for AU$150, which, at 7.5c per piece for a motorised set, strikes me as something of a deal.

Thanks for the replies. Much as I thought really. I'm fairly pleased with it for $60, but I definitely wouldn't have been very interested at full RRP.

I like that a lot. Excellent representations of the VW engine and the "kipper" chassis.

I just bought a 42155 set from Target, where it was on clearance for AU$60 (in spite of the Lego Store still wanting AU$90 a pop for them), and also note that there are a few on the 'Bay for about the same, or even a smidge less, with free postage. Does this fairly easy availability at a significant discount on RRP indicate that the set has been a bit of a sales flop? I know there was some scepticism on EB when it came out, and I wonder if that's been reflected in the general consumer reaction. For myself, I bought it, not because of my (near non-existent) interest in Batman, but because I like motorcycles and, ridiculous rear suspension and daft engine configuration notwithstanding, the overall styling and general blackness appealed to me. That and the fact that there are a couple of very nice MOCs floating around, which appeal even more. However, I'm a sample size of one, and my tastes in both Lego and motorcycles are probably unusual. Did the set fail to capture the movie audience on grounds of lack of fidelity to the movie bike (or other reasons) whilst also missing the mark with Technic fans 'cos of shortcomings in the design or quality of build? Am I about to be disappointed by some deeply hidden flaw that I've missed?

It's not so much that they're not manoeuvrable as a whole, it's that most steering is done by throttle and body movement, rather than by the front wheel; techniques which obviously don't apply when pushing an unpowered model (or the real thing with a dead engine, for that matter) around. Or maybe my outfits were just bad ones. The first one was certainly rather frightening in hindsight, now that I'm older and wiser. I was recently somewhat startled to discover that it still exists, 27 years after I sold it and, not entirely coincidentally, left the country.

Doesn't appear to be on the shelves in Western Australia. I called into the Lego store in Booragoon yesterday and they didn't have one either. I daresay I could track one down online, but postage would make it significantly less good value. Anyway, I'll be kept amply busy for a while, sorting and cataloguing the 7.5kg bulk lot of mixed System, Technic and, apparently, Bionicle bits I picked up a few days ago. I could very easily get into simply buying and sorting bulk Lego, and never actually build anything.

So entirely realistic then. Speaking as the former owner of a couple of outfits, and builder of one, in 1:1 scale (hence the handle).

I will confess to speed-reading some of the more repetitive arguments after the 10th (seemingly) go-round, but yeah. It's been very interesting, and I don't mean that sarcastically.

Phew! 90 pages finally read. It's been an education (and not just about Lego), it really has....

Well, I've just done some online research and it looks as if the snow groomer, the motorcycle and the dump truck are it, at least from the cheap local sources, and the snow groomer is near sold out from anywhere I can conveniently get to. I did find a reference to telehandlers on clearance for AU$7, but, not surprisingly at that price, they were long gone. Ah well. What's available will do for now, and I'm sure something else will be along before long.

I'm afraid I didn't notice exactly what else was on the shelf. Plenty of 42132 Motorcycles and 42147 Dump Trucks at AU$14 both of which I'll probably buy when I get back there in a couple of days, although they don't seem to be quite as much of a bargain. Still below MSRP though, so not bad. Not sure if.there was a telehandler or skid steer loader though. I shall check, as these do seem to be an excellent and economical weekly treat, and the models are a nice size as something to fiddle with on my desk. Fortunately I work alone, so no weird looks from co-workers.

I was in BigW (Aussie discount chain department store) yesterday, looking for other stuff, and, happening to pass the Lego shelves, noticed they had the 42148 Snow Groomer set on offer for AU$10. Can't go wrong for that price, so I grabbed the last one on the shelf as a first go with Technic. I've just spent a very enjoyable half hour or so putting it together, and have to confess I think it's excellent value. Admittedly it couldn't be described as a challenging build, but it's a fun way to while away a bit of free time nonetheless. 178 Parts (most of which, and most of the build time too, seem to be track segments), three, yes, three, functions (front and rear ploughs raise and lower, left-right slew on the front one), working tracks, a decent B-model, and scads and scads of alternate build MOCs. For a tenner. Brilliant. If you're in Oz, check out your local BigW to see if they've still got any. I'd be stockpiling for parts at that price if only I hadn't bought the last one in my local branch.