dunamis

Here are a couple of shots to show you scale. I wish I had my X-wing and TIE Interceptor built, but I don't right now. (yes, I don't always put the stickers on my sets...)

No problem. However, there are no blue or tan elements in the set at all. The only colors in the set (according to the part inventory) are: Red Black Light bley Dark bley

Dimensions as stated on the box: 13 in (33cm) wide 13 in (33cm) long I agree. I think the light and dark bley mix well on this set and look really good. Defintiely better than the blue on the Interceptor.

I built it over two nights. I do stop to take notes for the review but 5 hours is pretty close. I think i'm a slow builder (my pre-build sorting needs improvement) but this build seemed to go pretty quick. I'm in no hurry though...

10175 Vader�s TIE Advanced Reviewed by Dunamis Set 10175 1212 Pieces $99.95 from LEGO shop @ home Build time 5.0 hours The Box: We�re presented with a nice big box although nothing special. As usual, in order to get to the goodies inside you must break the two seals and open the box when you pull out the perforated tabs on the side. My inability to master this seemingly simple task is well documented and hence no further ridicule is needed. We have had much discussion on boxes (old vs. new), trays, thickness of cardboard and how empty boxes seem to be. I will say that when I first opened this box it seemed really full especially for such a large box. I think part of that impression is that there are a lot of large pieces in this set. The back of the box shows the model again with some additional technical details typical with the Ultimate Collector Series sets. No alternate models are shown. Inside the box, the parts are in the two types of standard LEGO packaging; perforated bags and standard sealed bags. There was only one large piece (the rear canopy) free in the box outside of a bag. The bags were not numbered, but upon close observation you can tell that some of the bags are identical (in terms of their contents.) Basically this means you can get by without opening everything at first and manage your pre-build sorting accordingly. Of course, some builders prefer to open everything first and get organized. ARRGGG! The Manual: Another stellar effort by the LEGO manual staff. The manual is well done, nicely laid out and flows along nicely. We have our standard set of manual features: - Piece call outs for each step - Parts inventory at the end of the manual - Good color separation (once you calibrate yourself after the first few steps) - Page numbers When I first started building this set, I thought we had gone back to the old days of color problems in manuals. I thought, �oh, great, here is this set with three main colors: black, light gray and dark gray. It�s going to be a nightmare.� Actually, that was not the case and after the first few steps I had calibrated myself to the manual and the pieces in the set and everything was fine. Although, close attention is needed toward the end of the build as the wings are almost all black and it can sometimes be hard to differentiate where to apply the pieces. LEGO also does a good job in clearly showing the greebling (OK, grammar police is that the correct use of the word greeble?) as in this example when they show you the � and overhead views: More manual pics: The Pieces: Hello bley parts pack! There are a lot of black, light and dark bley pieces in this set. Plus, there are a lot of big pieces, especially plates. Nothing earth-shattering though except we get the return of the gigantic windscreen from the TIE Interceptor 7181: We do have the usual assortment of Technic pieces that seem to accompany almost every decent sized LEGO set these days. You�ll get your Technic pins, a few axles and beams. As with all the Ultimate Collector Series sets, a good portion of the Technic parts are used in the stand. Unfortunately, this is my second set where I have noticed a difference in axle quality (the other set was 8285 Technic Tow Truck.) Even though there were relatively few Technic axles in this set, most of them exhibited the issue where there was ABS residue on the part making putting even a single Technic bush on the axle a laborious task. Not a good sign if this keeps up in future sets. The Build: Another fun build! The steps were very straightforward and never called for a ton of parts at once. Since the model is symmetrical, there is always the monotony of building components more than once. I felt a little of this toward the end as the four slanted wings are basically all the same. I think that the monotony was mitigated a bit because the pieces were so big (lots of 8 x 8 plates) and you are not faced with fidgeting with a bunch of little 1 x 1 pieces. In the photos below, you can see how the back of the body goes together: Finally, there is not much left over when you are done: The Design: This is a big set and it sits prominently on a desk or shelf. The model looks great across the room and stands up well upon closer examination. In addition, the model is heavy and definitely has some mass to it. It feels solid. Here are a few pictures of it against some other models to give you a sense of scale: One minor annoyance is that the detail inside the cockpit is hidden even with the top hatch open. You can pull off the front canopy, but you wind up taking off other pieces to do it. It�s really not worth it as (at least for me) when I am showing off a LEGO set the last thing I want to have happen is pieces and part come flying off. Plus, once you get the front canopy off, the view inside is still blocked: Another nitpick I have is the wing sections (there are six total) are bowed. They will not sit flat on a flat surface. However, this does not seem noticeable once they are attached to each other. We will have to see how this holds up over time and if anyone else notices this. There is not a huge amount of greebling on the model (unlike the Y-Wing) but I suppose that is a function of the ship itself. From what I know of the ship, the greebling seems appropriate. I thought the view from the rear of the ship was nice: The cockpit was nicely done. It has a seat (not minifig sized), two printed slope computer displays and a couple of levers. The only moving part on the ship is the upper hatch: There is nothing else to show on the ship so that is kind of a bummer. Perhaps could have had a couple of service hatches to show off more but I digress� The Stickers: Rejoice! This is the shortest section in the review for a good reason � only ONE sticker and it is the specifications for the model on the display stand! No wordy rant about stickers, STAMPS and other nonsense. It�s all good! Overall Thoughts: A very nice set. As with all Ultimate Collector Series sets there is limited play value as they are designed to sit on a shelf and look nice. If you have the shelf space, this will look great next to the Interceptor, X-wing and Y-wing. It was a fun build that is very low on the difficulty scale. It is a great way to spend a few evenings. The one reservation I would have is the price. I know the price/piece ratio is in our favor, but I still feel like the set is overpriced. I don�t know how else to explain it. If this set was priced like the AT-ST (at $79 US) I think it would be a steal. $99 US just seems expensive to me. No doubt I�ve just poured beer on the burning fires of the Europeans. You guys already get hit with higher prices on LEGO and here is this nutty American complaining about how he feels like this set is overpriced. I don�t know, it will be interesting to hear what everyone else thinks about the set and the relative pricing of it. To bottom line it for you- If you are into displaying your LEGO models and like the Ultimate Collector Series you won�t be disappointed. If you prefer to get a little more bang for your buck, stay away and get either the 6210 Sail Barge or 6211 ISD. Of course, a lot of this is subjective so I'd like to hear your thoughts, comments, complaints and feedback on my review and the set. If you have any questions or want and specific photos, let me know and I'll post them for you. Here is the gallery: Dunamis Brickshelf Galery Final Rating: 80% Build 10/10 (Very brisk build for the number of pieces. No gotchas.) Functionality 7/10 (It is designed to sit on a shelf and look nice, which it does well. Could have used a few more things to show off though) Design 8/10 (Very nicely done.) Parts 9/10 (If you are looking for large black, light and dark bley pieces, you�ve come to the right place.) Price 6/10 (The price ratio is good, but I am left feeling like I paid too much.)

Sorry guys (and gals) I had to work late and just now finished the model. I'm about 1/2 way through the review and I'll get it posted tomorrow. I'll be out with the family all day so it won't get posted until the evening after the kids get to bed.

Wow, nothing gets by you, Yoda! *yoda* Those photos aren't even 8 hours old! I'm surprised they are public already... I received it yesterday from Shop@home and started building it last night. It was after Midnight and I knew I could not finish (I'm at work now). It has been a pretty fast build though and I plan to finish it tonight and get the reivew up tonight as well (or Saturday at the latest.) So far so good though. It is a nice model! *y*

Totally agree with that. We could then finally have our rebel troopers!

PM sent.

I ran across this review of LEGO Mindstorms NXT and thought I would share. I have the set and I'm currently writing one of my long-winded reviews which should be done soon, but I thought some might find this useful. NXT Review

Depending on how often the need is, I'm definitely willing to help out our established members on this. I'm not on the SS list here, but I am on FBTB (under Dunamis.) Also, I'm not sure if it matters or impacts the cost of shipping to Europe significantly, but I am in California so keep that in mind. Is this a weekly thing or twice a year type thing? Don't let that one set you've been looking 10 years for (and the seller only ships within the US) slip away, I'm sure I can help you out. PM me with details

p.p.p.s. Seriously, can all of you with info shut the hell up if you are not going to reveal anything, its more than annoying !! How many times do I have to say that seriously :-| Please show some respect for other members and stop the bragging |-/ *yoda* I second that. Either tell us what you know or don't say anything. Yes, we will all find out soon enough, but it is quite frustrating to have people continue on and on about super-secret info that they know about but aren't going to tell us.

That sums up a lot of my "collecting" as of late. Except for the new Star Wars and Technic, I've been going back and scooping up all the old sets I used to play with (Classic Space, Expert (early Technic) and Town). I came out of my dark ages about 20 months ago and I love finding (usually on Ebay) the old sets I used to love playing with as a child. In addition, I found it very relaxing to find and build the sets that I never had (like Castle, Pirate and Trains.) I remember seeing the castle sets in the catalog as a child, but I never had any. I have a somewhat stressful job and I spend many nights building these old sets and leaving them out for my kids to find in the morning. They are soooo excited and can't wait for me to get home from work so they can show me all the things they did with them and we can play together. What could be better?

Nice review, Graynar! Thanks for taking the time. I've often wondered about this set, yet I have not picked one up yet. I'm waiting to catch one on sale. Having seen your photos, I get a sense of how many bricks there are. It really looks like a lot! I was looking to build up my bley collection and there are some great parts in this set. Thanks again for the review.

I'm with gylman on this one. I can remember way back in the day (I'm 37) when I would go to the toy store and look at all the LEGO sets and flip up the lid to see all the parts displayed. I have some of the larger classic space sets and early Technic sets and I can remember keeping all my parts in the trays that came with the box. Another thing that I forgot to mention in my 8285 review was that the rubber from the tires made oily circles on the instruction manuals. At first I couldn't figure out what was on the manuals, it looked like a ring from condensation from a soda can when you put it on a magazine or newspaper. Then I realized the rings were the same size as the tires. LEGO should have at least put the tires in a plasic bag to prevent this. So, I wouldn't mind spending a few extra bucks on a nice box. I would definitely keep it then.

I don't believe there are any Star Wars minis currently in stores. TRU and Target was clearing out the last of them last fall. There are several Bricklink stores with them available though. They should be around $5-10 each.

Got an Email this morning from LEGO S@H that says over 75 items up to 75% off. I looked through it and not a lot that interests me, but I'm not a big fan of Bionicle and there was there was a lot of Bionicle stuff there. At any rate, here is the link so go check it out. LEGO Shop @ Home

Wasn't it determined that the price for the battlepacks would be closer to $10US? Yes, I believe SAM89 did some analysis and determined that pricing would be something along the lines of: 7654 - Droids Battle Pack - $10 7655 - Clone Troopers Battle Pack - $10 7656 - General Grievous' Starfighter - $20 7657 - AT-ST - $20 7658 - Y-wing Fighter - $35 7659 - Imperial Landing Craft - $50 ^^^ above info is credited to SAM89 Which if true would be a steal for the battle packs. I mean seriously, these things are going to sell like crazy!

K-Mart seems to be hit and miss but I managed to find some pretty good deals in their clearance isle this weekend. 4884 Wild Hunters Lugnet 4884 was marked down to $15 (from $30) AND since it had a clearance tag, it was an EXTRA 25% off! Final price was $11 and change. Not bad for 630 pieces. 8874 Battle Wagon Lugnet 8874 checked out at $5.50 There were some other deals as well, but you get the idea. Bottom line is check for the extra bonus multiplier clearance tag to get the additional 25%. Good hunting!

Thank you! Sorry, my incoherent ramblings sometime don

Because the movies are in 2D ;-) ........and it's a cheap low budget Deathstar. Now, that is funny!

Wow, congratulations! Nice find. The Wally World in my area has sporadic deals (but nothing as good as you did.)

8285 Technic Tow Truck reviewed by Dunamis Set 8285 1877 Pieces $119.95 at the LEGO store Build time 10.5 hours The Box: The box is quite large but pretty standard. It has the flip up display top that opens up to show a gigantic picture of the truck and all the features of it. To open the box, you must break the two seals and open the top of the box which lifts up when you pull out the perforated tabs on the side. For some reason, I can never get those perforated tabs to work right and I always wind up destroying the box to get it open. The back of the box shows more features and the alternate model which is a flatbed truck with a crane on the end. Inside the box, the parts are in the two types of standard LEGO packaging; perforated bags and standard sealed bags. There were some larger pieces free in the box along with the ten rubber tires, dreaded sticker sheet and the SIX instruction manuals! The bags were not numbered, so as you can imagine in a set this size I recommend some kind of

Apparently, LEGO brand retail stores have been told to hold their stock until Sept 1. However, multiple TRU's have them and I purchased (what appeared) to be the last one at the TRU in Thousand Oaks, California last night. At any rate, they seem to be be widely available (at TRU) in the US.