Jones

Great article! Patience is really the number one thing that is needed when trolling resale shops and Garage sales. It's true that weeks can go by without any Lego showing up anywhere. Then I'll need more bricks for a project and just can't hold out any longer, and I'll go out pay for the pieces on Bricklink. Then it never fails, right after I'll suddenly hit a huge score at a garage sale and bring home 20 lbs of Legos for a few bucks that has all the pieces I need in it. Usually the day I bring it home, a little box from a Bricklink seller is waiting for me that has that same handful of pieces in it that I paid several times more for, than the huge box I'm lugging in from the car! But of course, you can't overlook the fun factor in garage sales and estate sales, you just never know what you're going to get. I only buy town stuff so I have very little knowledge of what's going on in other lines. Then I'll bring home a big mixed box and it'll have all this Spiderman or Mars Mission stuff I didn't even know about so it's so fun to be introduced to new bricks, minifigs, et., that I never would have owned otherwise. The sorting and cleaning can also be kind of fun, but after a while it also gets kind of tedious. Some filthy bricks can be really gross!

Went to a yard sale today and picked up the entire 2001 Harry Potter line used but still in boxes for 50 bucks. I'm excited!

I voted for 4-wide for basically all these reasons. It's my opinion that the 6-wide cars just seem to be out-of-place in a classic town scale. And as for two minifigs getting to make out in a 4-wide? That's what this piece is for!

I'll add my thanks to putting a link to this thread on the front page. What a set! I'm a town builder but I can't wait to get this. I love the scale of the buildings and at $99 US???!?! That's a steal!

I want one. My lego town has phones and computers and televisions and satellite dishes (and air traffic controllers) but nothing to power any of them!!

Those Batcopter pumpkins are SCARY! I like the earlier ones from the 1382 Scary Labratory and 4712 Troll on the Loose. They're a little more classic, a little less nightmare fuel.

I voted for the Classic Boats. The 4011 Cabin Cruiser is one of my all-time favorites. But I also like a lot of the "beach" nautica sets. I swear, I must have about a dozen windsurfers from all those sets that came out between 1992 and 1997. The 6342 Beach Rescue Chopper, the 6338 Hurricane Harbor, 6351 Surf N' Sail Camper, 6595 Surf Shack, 1791 Windsurfer and Van, not to mention the pink ones from 6401 Seaside Cabana, 6414 Dolphin Point, etc. Maybe I should MOC a windsurfer race with all the pretty sails!

I'm a classic town collector, so here are my town picks: Best overall set: I fell in love with it when I first saw it in a catalog as a teen, and then years later when I finally got it from ebay for a song last year, it was even more breathtaking in person. It remains the centerpiece of my town and I believe it is more visually spectacular than even my Cafe Corner. Best vehicle: Simple, and perfect. Love the minifig leaning out the window in that pic! And for nostalgia's sake, the Best House Ever: I got this set for Christmas when I was very little and I got hours and months and years of play out of it. I still have it and the awning stickers still stick! It also remains the centerpiece of my suburbs and I refuse to build houses that dwarf it. I even Town House-ized the Beach House! And the two minfigs from this site remain my all-time favorites. Look at that chick bursting through the door to bust on her lazy-a$$ man. Oh,, these older sets had so much charm ...

Thanks so much for the great review, I love that truck! I hadn't realized there was a real 4-wide recycle truck out there. I must get it one day to replace this abomination currently doing garbage duty in my town: I think that truck has seven pieces total in it. I do like the blue color though ...

For years my town folks had nowhere to eat, now this set has BBQ, pizza, and ice cream! What a great addition! Thanks so much for the review

Well, because it was suggested my post belonged in the Licensed forum, so I figured it was because I used a licensed set to create it even though it was for my fledgling town. I thought removing reference to the licensed set would follow the rules. Sorry for the confusion, I should have been clearer ... I'm a classic town builder and wanted to build a church for my little town, but didn't have a lot of extra bricks and I thought picking up the licensed set on sale would provide me with enough bricks to create one. I'm not trying to create a licensed set, I just want a realistic-looking but "classic town"-scale place to allow my Lego people the option to "get right with God" Anyway, thanks so much for all the comments! I've picked up some more slopes so I'm going to re-do the roof, possibly make the whole thing just a little bigger, and then of course get some pious minifigs in there! Zorro, thanks so much for the link to that site!! Do you mean this priest:? That is FANTASTIC. I love him! I think I'm going to have to build a whole bigger church just for him!

Hey all, A few months ago I tried to get motivated to work on a church made from a school set from a non-town Lego line set that I was able to get on sale near the end of last year. So using the last castle-like school from that now discontinued line and slopes from the Beach House, here is what I have so far: It still needs doors and I want to incorporate stained glass windows in a rebuild I am working on. This is my first real MOC so of course it sort of sucks so far, but if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them! There are more pics on my brickshelf if anyone is so inclined to look further. I just picked up two huge boxes of Lego at a yard sale over the weekend so hopefully I'll have some fun new pieces to work into my church and a couple of other small buildings I want to try creating. Thanks for looking and for any tips! (edited to remove any reference to licensed Legos)

Interesting. What was the delay between the Maersk promo release and the same set showing up at S@H? Anyone remember? I wonder, if TLC does decide to release it, (which I'm not convinced is going to happen) about how soon it show up in the catalogue.

Hi Brendan, an honor to have you here! I am a big fan of your work, I think the detail and the subtle humor is fantastic. Not to mention the mazing photography! I've always wondered: where do you get all your bricks? Do you just buy tons of new sets for parts, or a mix of sets and yard sale used pieces like many of us, or do you get "artist brick stock" or whatever from Lego? And how has TLC responded to you and/or your creations? Are they supportive/positive? Thanks and welcome!

This is a nice review, thanks for all the great pictures!

I love that guy's stuff, too. Especially the pianos! Truly impressive

I missed out on the 2006 calendar, which I thought was way better than 2007's, but I think this one is the best yet! Lots of good details for a town that DON'T duplicate elements in other sets. Instead of yet ANOTHER construction worker or yet ANOTHER firefighter, we actually get THREE places where minifigs can actually get FOOD! Sure it's just ice cream and BBQ and ...? red bread ...?, but it will actually double my minifigs food choices! All they have now are pizza and Mcdonald's and the popcorn vendor! :-D I also think the price is too high ... seems a pretty big jump from last year to this year.

Thanks for the wonderful and detailed review! I can't wait to build mine this weekend!

I vote Town Plan ... the charm of the minifig details; the interiors, the little surprises, have always been one of the top attractions of the sets. CC is a stunning build, but TP has much more personality.

Thanks so much for the pictures and the article. I can't wait for this awesome set!

My 50th anniversary free S@H shipping order arrived last week but I've been too busy to open it until now: Town plan and market street! Will be a busy weekend of building!!

Part Indiana, part Bridget.

I just bought boxes and boxes of straight track, switchers, curves, and the starter kit right after Christmas. I've only opened two boxes of straights so far but they were all bley too. I'm happy to have the track now at 50% off as opposed to a year from now when it may be all gone and selling for 10x list on ebay, bricklink, either. Still, I also wish my track all matched.

What a fun find! I can't wait to see the green grocer!! There are so few places for my townfolk to eat annd/or buy groceries in town and this would be perfect! I know Market Street should fit that hole ... but I still haven't bought it. Every time I drop it in my cart at S@H I look at it and go ... eh ...? I know it's going to be gone soon ...

I think this church is really really lovely, so classic and elegant! Did you do any interiors? Pulpit, pews, choir, etc?