strangely

I don't think it's Lego being cheap, I think it's Lego knowing what price point they can get the consumer to pay out for a product. For Gru's house, you'd be looking at $200+ to turn that into a modular style dollhouse and is any Despicable Me consumer seriously going to pay that much? I think Malfoy Manor has a similar issue: how many people were going to pay $200-$300 for a modular dollhouse version of it. It doesn't even appear very much in the movies and only a handful of scenes take place there. Then you have a second issue: the scenes that do take place there involve murder, kidnapping and torture. So already the set is less kid friendly, alienating a large section Lego's usual consumer base. So you have a set that's basically more palleteable for adults, but also is not a popular location from the films. So was Lego really going to put out a high priced set for this? It just feels like a modular version of Malfoy Manor would have been a big gamble. I actually really like the set the way they did it. The facade is flat, but so is the actual facade of the building it's based on, so that works for me. If it has the long table and a few other things like a dungeon, balcony, etc then I'll be pleased with it.

Probably a budget constraint for the Disney 100 sets I imagine. Or possibly they listened to the criticisms and added it to Belle for this year. I'm just glad she doesn't have the random sparkles that the Disney 100 Princesses had and as a result is actually accurate to the movie.

Looking at the new leaked Burrow photos, I am heavily relieved that Molly finally has a unique face print. I don't like Percys face/hair combo. I love the build of the Burrow, I definitely feel like I'm going to get this after seeing all the details up close.

Wednesday dorm set leaked (assuming it's real). Looks pretty good. Two variations of Wednesday and Enid included I believe and Thing.

I feel like it's going to appear in an unrelated set (Jean Grey was theorized in the Marvel topic). Even though the original piece is still around, they probably don't have that color in stock at the moment, so using a similar piece in the right color that's in production was probably the cost cutting move.

I give them credit, they managed to take an extremely difficult art style and put it into system scale and still be recognizable. This turned out better than I expected.

That list is pretty funny, it includes aliens and characters with synthetic shades of red that don't even exist in nature (looking at you MJ). Also the little mermaid was never specified as a red head in the original story, people just associate it with her because of the popularity of the Disney version. The gingercide debate is made funnier by the fact that Barbara Gordon wasn't the first version of Batgirl, it was Bette Kane (as Bat-Girl). So literally the red headed version of batgirl is just a favored version, not even the original. Even the live action debut of Barbara portrayed her with dark hair (though her batgirl mask did include a red wig).

BTAS is pretty much the definitive version of most Batman characters, so I think it's wise that this new show is going for twisted/different versions of these characters. While I agree that it seems lazy at face value, I also don't want to judge it until I see the show. Minnie Driver is an interesting casting choice, I feel like there's definitely potential for this version of the Penguin, but only time will tell. Personally I would love to get these variations in Lego form someday (preferably in a set geared more towards adults).

Even at his most 'realistic', he's still a guy dressed as a bat, unable to turn his head, somehow never taking fall damage no matter how hard of a landing he takes after gliding at high speeds, fighting bad guys who at any point could just shoot him in the face. Frankly, the explanation of Superman being an alien and has powers and that's how he can fly makes more sense to me than Nolan explaining that Batman has electric gloves that makes his cloth cape turn into a cartoon outline of a bat and that just so happens to be so aerodynamic that he can chase cars with it. Lol

The Lego version of the trailer dropped. It doesn't seem like they show any set builds, but they do show off a handful of the minidolls. Honestly, i think minidolls were the right way to go, I think they really capture the costuming and overall look of the characters. The hairpieces are a highlight, but face prints look good too, Glinda especially bears a good resemblance. Based on the minidoll variations featured, it seems like we'll get a set for their arrival to Shiz, potentially the dance and something in the Emerald city (just a guess though).

Interior photos of Ollivanders have leaked. Looks like either 3 or 4 new wand molds I think (I could be wrong).

Thanks for clearing up my confusion, that makes more sense.

Advent calendar pictures are out. It basically is a great hall booster pack. Additional tables, a fireplace and christmas decorations. There's a statue for each house too. New winter sweaters for each house and another ghost.

I really like the Great Hall. The proportions are pretty good, though I will probably adjust the exterior columns from 1x1 to 2x2 and do fewer rows of windows. I will also probably create a platform for the teachers table too. I do like the rooms in the rock base can pull out. It's nice to have the option to display them separately if I so choose. My main complaint is the courtyard, I don't understand the design of it at all. The colonnade design makes no sense and doesn't look anything like in the movie. I really don't get what they were going for here.

Two new wand molds. I'm surprised, but it's nice to have wand options now.

It just leaked on Insta. New wand molds, it looks like potentially it's a wand handle add on (like in Hogwarts Legacy), but not completely sure. New Troll mold too.

I audibly laughed when I saw the Joy minidoll in the new Inside Out set. They just gave all the way up on that design lol.

I don't mind new starter courses so long as the figures look better, hopefully less blocky.

I'm really excited for this theme. Honestly, I love the idea of a goth minidoll theme, and I think the characters from the show will translate really well to the minidoll style. The show features all of the Addams family, so there's definitely a possibility that they could all make an appearance, but I'm guessing these sets will likely lean toward the Wednesday characters. Outside of Wednesday, I expect we'll get Enid, the principal, Eugene, Ms. Thornhill and the Hyde at the very least. My guess for the sets is that both will be parts of Nevermore Academy and they'll combine together in some way. I expect that we'll see Wednesday and Enid's dorm, the principals office, the conservatory and maybe the quad. I also expect one of these sets will recreate the school ball and we'll get Wednesday's outfit from the dance.

Some Instagram leakers are saying it's minidolls (for Wednesday too). Honestly, I'm okay if this turns out to be the case. I think Lego has managed to dial in on a good design style in the last couple of years for the minidoll printing and hair pieces and I've grown to appreciate them now.

It's not completely finished yet, but I think the exterior is close to final. I decided to forgo the more modern looking gas pumps and use the more retro inspired design from the Corner Garage set. The rest of the building I kept pretty similar to the original design. I'm going to work on the garage interior next (I have a decent idea of what I want it to look like), but I'm unsure about what I want to put in the store part of the gas station. I originally thought about making it more of a convenience store, but I think that clashes with the Super Store too much (for so few residents it doesn't make sense to have so many food options). So I'm thinking about making it into an automotive supply shop. Since my first post I've been working a bit more on the landscaping rather than the buildings. Nubby's is about 60-70% done and the Information Center is about 50% there (I keep going back and forth on how to do the tower, with the new elevator system introduced last year I tried to incorporate it into the build, but it pretty much ate up most of the floor space so I think I'm going to go back to the drawing board on that). I've been busy with work, so progress is slow, but I think the East side of the island is coming along nicely. I've hit 10K on pieces and Stud.io is still chugging along.

Oh wow, $300? I don't know if I can justify a model of the Deku tree for $300.

Me too. I'm really hoping Lego introduces something that properly replaces the original palm tree pieces. I just miss how it could be posed. I do like the new leaf they introduced last year though, I like how full I was able to make it look. I probably will mess around with her design a little more, and I'd like to create a new design for Papa's torso too. I had forgotten about Mama's black hair, I think my Lego Island 2 nostalgia subconsciously won out. Thanks for the kind words everyone! I'm glad you all like it!

Over the last few weeks, I kept finding myself watching playthroughs of Lego Island on YouTube. It's a nostalgic favorite of mine, one of the first PC games I ever owned. My nostalgia rabbit hole got me thinking about what the Island would look like today in the style of current Lego, so I decided to start building it in Stud.io. Of course, I needed to pick a starting point for this project and decided, to begin with the Pizzeria: I started with the original model and kind of just tinkered with different parts until I felt satisfied with the results. Here's the interior: The updated Brickolini family: The Pizzeria is one of my favorite buildings on the island and it was a lot of fun revamping it for the modern age. In fact, I was so happy with the results, I decided to submit it to Lego Ideas:https://ideas.lego.com/projects/fda5bce0-ad10-46db-80ef-fceccba6577d And here it is in it's new home on my Lego Island layout: Eventually I plan on redoing the entirety of the island, but it's a pretty big island, so who knows how long it will take. In fact, here's my progress so far: I've worked a lot on the gas station and super store, but I'm not satisfied with them yet, so I won't post any closeups yet. More updates to come, eventually.

I like both the grey and sand green, but my preference is a mix. The roofs in the film tend to look a bit grimy/mossy, so I don't like when they go with one solid color.