WhiteFang

Wow!! Lots of excitement for our Classic-Town.net readers too.

Iz, viewing this review of yours, had made me real regretfor passing out this set, back when those sets are so "commonly available". I thought it was another useless piece of bus, but after reading this review of yours, your insight and the amount of printed parts certainly aroused my interest for it. Well done! Looking forward to more of your H.P reviews of yours.

Now, Bonaparte had given you access. Go inside and found us. It's right at the top.

mania3, thanks for doing this lovely review! It's really very nice, especialy those wonderful great new town civillians. Their torsos are wonderful, and so is the new Agent Trace hairpiece in red, which I believe is it's first. This is a very good Agents set, and I do find it a good addition to be part of my collection. Perhaps, I could match it up with Exo Force, Stealth Hunter and go for a dual, or could Agent Chase sit inside there, and slice and dice Dr Inferno. Highly playable concept, with those robots related design. For me, truly getting this set, is to get those new minifigs' designs. They are so lovely. Thanks for sharing it with us. I had seen your Reviewers Academy application. Will be looking forward to work with you inside there, with the rest of your upcoming Agents 2.0 reviews, and of course your new Castle sets too.

With the recent reviewing craze on Indiana Jones by svelte_corps, our Eurobricks Knight, mania3 has presented his very first review which is part of the upcoming Agents 2.0 theme later this year. It's none other but the evil villiain, Dr Inferno, leading an all out assault onto these "new civilians". Will our brave agents win this epic battle, in this highly intense 8970 Robo Attack? Follow the actions closely in our Eurobricks LEGO Trains & Town forum. Click here to view this review.

Very nicely done! I love the landscaping which you have done, and it's defintely way much better and nicer than my first two attempts for this Forest ambush of mine. Well done.

Thanks for highlighting to my attention.

Svelty, awesome majestic grand review! Thanks for taking so much of your precious time to prepare this highly interactive incredible adventurous review ever! This is my favourite looking set, and your review has justified the value of it so much. I am going to get a couple of these sets together, to form a massive railway mine cart actions. Svelte, did you try and use it with those mine carts together from the Dwarves Mine together? This tracks could matched well with those in Dwarves Mine. Amazing realistic torsos, with your movie referencing. There are just so wonderful. It provides so much playabilitly and action. I love it!

Are you feeling sad about it?

I will love to know which event will that be. Seriously, I fear this will be another Shop@Home LEGO exclusive set, but this set is way too large to integrate in any of my City Collection. Perhaps, if TLG had a new theme in mind such as the "FunFair" theme, I think that will be so great! Of course, that must be in minifig scale. Thanks for highlighting more of its features. There are quite a fair bit of useful elements in it. Can't wait to view more close up images for this set. I did wish they could have used the regular horses instead of brick built. Maybe, they are trying to depict the mechanical looking, which could be the reason for using bricks. You did well, by translating most of the info down there. I got a feeling it will be related to those PF related kind of stuff though, otherwise it could be a new platform for the engines to move about. The idea of the sound brick is just plain wonderful, and we could always used it for those musical box in LEGO style. I must admit that this idea is a refreshing one, but defintely way too costly. Thanks for your explaination and insight. I need to visit HK one day, perhaps end of this year, to take a look at the shops over there. Sometimes, I did visit Minifigs.net to check out some of the cool stuff down there, but my ability to converse with you guys in chinese characters is a little hard. I need to install those software though. I really wonder why these news didn't make it to Singapore, it's so near to your region.

Eurobricks & HKLUG member, Alywin from Hong Kong has brought us this piece of wonderful news for all LEGO collectors to joy about. There is a possibility in the upcoming July this year, we will have more exclusive LEGO sets such as the awesome motorised with and perhaps a new musical brick, in this 10196 Carousel/Merry Go Round. Join in the discussion with the rest of our members. Click here to join this discussion.

Dear all, To separate the 10196 Carousel/Merry Go Round discussion with the rest of the news, I have created this topic for continued discussion over in Eurobricks Trains & Town Forum. This is the new discussion area. Please continue your thoughts and views in there. Thanks. WhiteFang

Dear everyone, First of all, I will like to thanks Alywin from Hong Kong for discovering this 10196 Carousel and some others that has been spotted in Japan retail catalog. The source is from HKLUG forum and Japan Clickbrick. This discussion topic will be focusing on the upcoming possible exclusive 10196 Carousel aka Merry Go Round set. Based on its descriptions from the catalog, it include with motor and sound parts. Alywin assumed that it can be rotated and is likely to play music from this new part, “Sound Brick”. At this moment, we have info that this set is likely to be released in July, but no additional information was given on “where”? It might be another Shop@Home exclusive. Another few pieces of useful information are the new, 48 x 48 green baseplate, tan looking beards, jesters’ headpiece, chrome mirrors and etc. From Alywin’s understanding, the retail price could be around JPY 37,990 and converted to around USD 380. Share your thoughts about this set in this discussion. WhiteFang Update (10th May 2009) Dear all, Eurobricks member, tnickolaus has highlighted the event, which took place in Germany where this set was presented to us "LIVE", at the AFOL Event, "1. Obernauer Fanausstellung" in Germany. Below are the images which are captured in the event. Enjoy and thanks, to tnickolaus for sharing this piece of news with us. WhiteFang Update (10th May 2009) Dear all, Eurobricks member, legomilk has shared with us more useful information related to this set. #10196 Grand Carousel Ages 16+. 3,263 pieces Available July 1st 2009 It’s a wonderful day for a ride on the merry-go-round! This elegant and beautifully detailed LEGO model isn’t just for show – it really spins and plays music while the horses and swing boats move up and down! Built with intricate, lifelike ornaments and features, the Grand Carousel is a spectacular addition to any LEGO display or carousel collection. Includes 9 minifigures and LEGO Power Functions motor and sound brick. Measures over 12” (30 cm) x 12” (30 cm) x over 12” (30 cm). Features and Benefits - Experience the romance of this merry-go-round decorated with brightly colored elements! - Features 9 minifigures including ride operator! - The platform rotates clockwise/counter clockwise and the music plays! - The swing boats and galloping jumper horses move up and down! - Lots of realistic details including reflective decals on the center pole, ornate ornamentation, fleur de lys, bejeweled horses and profiles of jesters! - The tent-like top is made of canvas! - The Grand Carousel measures over 12” (30 cm) x 12” (30 cm) x over 12” (30 cm). Pricing United States $ 249.99 United Kingdom £ 166.35 Central Europe € 229.99 Canada $ 349.99 WhiteFang Update 2 Official pic Update from our Ambassador: CopMike Update (24th May 2009) Dear all, In case you didn't know what the 10196 Grand Carousel is capable of, Eurobricks member, Matn has shared a video with us today which was taken in Brick Mania event in Wetteren, Belguim, organised by BeLUG. (Click onto the image to direct you to the video.) WhiteFang Update (27th June 2009) Dear all, 10196 Grand Carousel is now officially available in Shop@Home for purchase in the United States, for USD$249.99. Below are some more new images from Shop@Home. Thanks to Tinn-Man for informing us with this. WhiteFang

WhiteFang is reporting for duty, I meant Grant "Brakes" Buell (Brakeman).

Eurobricks Reviewer Academy Teacher, svelte_corps has finally completed this fourth ultimate incredible detailed review ever that is part of the upcoming Indiana Jones sets. This stunning, exciting rollercoaster ride for the The Temple of the Crystal Skull movie cast, which include the usual suspects from Shanghai Chase wearing in different outfits, sparring with the infamous villain, Mola Ram in the 7199 The Temple of Doom which involved so much action in a never released LEGO action set. It can all be found in our Eurobricks LEGO Licensed forum. Click here to view this review. *** Want to learn how to make the most awesome set reviews? Join the Eurobricks Reviewers Academy.

There is a very slight update on the rules on Classic Town torsos and heads used. The ratio has increased from 5 to 10 against 20. Thanks. I thought this set was available at Shop@Home? It was not available over in my country though. Looking forward to your entry.

I will like to reinforce my explaination reflecting in the first post. Eurobricks is trying to help TLG to keep the surprise as there is likely to be some kind of coverage that will be done soon in some kind of events. I am sure all of us down here, are very anxious to find out more about this, why don't we give TLG a little bit more time to see what they have in store for us. Meanwhile please be patient, and refrain from making aggressive unnecessary comments such as the one written by The Green Brick Giant above. Thanks.

Alywin, I really appericate your kind efforts to allow us to handle this situation immediately and removed it of your own accord. Well, it's not possible to cover it up entirely since we are living in a digital age.

Alywin, thanks you so much for informing us about this set, and of course HKLUG too. I am very surprised by this amazing piece of news. I need abit of time to calm myself though. So many exclusive sets in this year alone! My wallet is getting thinner. Alywin, any ideas if these sets are going to be Shop@Home exclusive?

Hello to all Eurobricks members and avid Pirates' Fans, After opening one set after another, I have started to show greater appreciation towards these new Pirates sets. Perhaps, I was deprived from owning Classic Pirates’ sets and was only able to admire those beautiful sets from the toy catalog. Mind you, those days in the 80s and 90s, Internet and LEGO online community was not strong or even exist yet, and these catalogs served a very reference tools for us. Let me walk you through this another Pirate review of mine, to sail forth to an unknown forbidden island where maps are no longer trusty. Name: Loot Island Theme: LEGO System / Pirates Year: 2009 Pieces: 142 Minifigs: 3 Price: USD$19.99, GBP 14.65, SGD$45.90 Resources: Brickset, Peeron An image of a 6241, Loot Island A rear image of a 6241, Loot Island Here we are. We have finally arrived in this mysterious lurking island that is far beyond the reach of the Imperial Royal Navy. Simply because, these Imperial Soldiers don’t see anything solid from their spyglass, doesn’t mean there is nothing there. How peculiar it is. Well, some things are better to be seen for yourself instead of viewing it afar. Holding the taunting Pirate Skull flag waving at the top of the structure, apparently we have discovered a Pirate outpost, which seemed to be the sinister “Loot Island”. More dynamic actions with interesting scenarios could be used for this set. Instruction Manual, Baseplate, Boat and Contents polybags This is a section of the 6241 instruction manual which depicts the built of the treasure trove hideout. There are two sealed polybags containing various parts, a navy blue rowboat and a raised desert island baseplate covered with tan. Useful parts and accessories This is one very useful set in terms of parts’ and accessories’ usage. There is this dark green crocodile acting as the nasty eating machine lurking around the coastlines. I also noted at this stage, and realised that almost every Pirate sets include animals or reptiles added that provide a wider variety. The new pearl gold treasure chest is used to store the treasure. Unlike traditional brown treasure chest, I find the new ones not really very appealing to me. It doesn’t really match well when they are stacked together with the older chests. The skull is a nice addition to illustrate the taunting message from afar. It looks to me like that tribal kind of sculpture. Greenery is quite adequate but could have been better if they are more foliage and palm tree leaves. White oars are being used instead of those brown looking ones. There are fairly quite abit of new elements being re-used and re-produced in different colors which is good, but I am sure most of us will find the older ones to be much better. It could be in terms of personal preference. You will get the usual loot of accessories such as a cannon, two blue epaulettes, three cutlasses, a brown flintlock pistol, two new flame pieces, an Indiana Jones printed treasure map, a spyglass, a fish, a pot that will be used for mini catapult, four different gems, a set of classic looking minted gold coins and lastly, two printed flags for both sides. Classic Pirate Elements This is a close up image of the printed flags and the gold coins. We had not seen TLG producing gold coins for a long time. I miss these special currency gold coins that were used for transactions and trade in the past, where denominations of its currency are used in form of 10, 20, 30 and 40. The new flags have very slight differences with its earlier predecessors. At least, I am glad that these representations of allegiance are not done with stickers. Spare parts There is nothing special, with the remaining spare parts. Let’s continue with the rest of the review. The characters These are the 3 minifigs which are featured in this set, and the highlight could be the gray bearded cast away pirate or does seem to be a pirate before. He appear to be worn and haggard, and apparently he looked as if he had stayed on this island for decades until these 2 younglings came by to drop him a visit. These younglings are your typical pirate crew and imperial soldier. I do like this pirate torso with red and white strips on its blue jacket. As for the rest of it, they are mostly recycled parts. Another thing which I don’t really like, is the use of the creepy bearded looking face quoted by svelte_corps in one of his City reviews. I don’t like this face as it look rather comical to be even recruited by the Imperial Soldiers. Imagine looking at this weirdo across twenty similar figures, I am sure you will get goosebumps too. These minifigs have printed torsos at the back. Building the Imperial Navy "Gunboat" Using tan and brown parts to create the base for the placement of the cannon is a good color combination and by using the 4 x 4 black rotating discs to allow the cannon to have a 360 degree angle. Realistically, I don’t think the soldier is able to shoot at certain angles where he doesn’t have a foothold in his boat. Different angles of the Imperial Navy "Gunboat" New baseplate for the Island It has been quite awhile since TLG ever created a new baseplate for LEGO builders to utilise. In fact, it reminds me of those recent larger versions which make use of similar concept such as the 7627 Temple of Akator raised baseplate. One of the reasons which I come to believe for its costly price tag against its parts ratio, it comes to my attention that it could be this very baseplate which increase the overall cost production for this set. Normally, we don’t see baseplates with low piece count together that seemed to be a medium sized set, especially when you judge the size of its box. Let’s look at it from another point of view. Although the baseplate appeared to be suffering from space limitations, but I think there could be some MOC possibilities to build on with its 8 x 8 brick plate such as a small outpost, a single island spot for castaways to live on and etc. I did wish the surrounding flat ground could be just studs, instead of a smooth surface, that kind of tough to do anything useful though. Is there anyone with bright ideas to share? Center Island portion The center portion of this baseplate is the only section which required much building to be done on a small scale. The sinister looking skull design was perhaps built by local natives whom used to inhabitant on this island, but for some reasons, they vanished. Could it be linked with the skull statue with taunting yellow bright glow? Taking a careful look, you could notice there is a wooden barricade sealed in front of its entrance. A closer walk towards the entrance could reveal that there is a pearl gold treasure chest hidden behind those barricades. At the same time, the back of the entrance has thick green foliages blocking its path too. Perhaps, it’s the gloomy haggard old pirate that lived for more than a decade tried to hide it away from potential treasure hunters. Looks to me, the treasure map held by that old bearded pirate could reveal some clues to this trove. The only defense mechanism in the Island The short docking point has a defensive mechanism in place which is the traditional looking catapult that allows 360 degree rotation from all angles to allow a small 1 x 1 round ammunition to hit onto any trespassers. One thing attracts me about this docking point, is the simple building technique which was used to demonstrate the rickety wooden platform by making it uneven. Look on your right, and you will see what is for lunch later, and don’t ask me why the fish was inverted. Island's surroundings The 2 x 2 tan plates with a single pin at the center were placed at 6 different locations within the island baseplate that served to be some form of additional attempt of simple landscaping such as the small palm tree and surrounding stones. Different sections taken out Complete set An Imperial Soldier's misfortune, especially when he is alone Captured? Who can rescue him? Special appearence in the making of "Indiana Jones and the Abandoned Skull Island" To conclude this review, I am fairly disappointed with its retail price especially when parts are less than 200. There were a bit of mixed feelings about this set such as the very first time to use such island baseplate which has good enhancement concept but lacks building surface for future modifications or additions. To me, getting this set is essential if you are bending to complete the entire collection, getting a spare cannon boat, which I think is very cool looking, some good accessories and parts, that sad looking elderly pirate and lastly, the baseplate if you manage to find any use for it. Let me know what you think about this set, so we could share our experience and evaluate further and potential together. Summary review Playability: 7.5/10 (Able to integrate this island as part of your small pirate scene with some minor playing capability.) Design: 7.5/10 (Very effective usage of the surroundings but there are very limited space as well.) Price: 5.5/10 (Very costly vs cost per part ratio. Could be the reason of the unique island baseplate.) Overall: 6.8/10 (A set to have to complete your Pirate collection and getting the baseplate for other possible island related mocs.) I gave it a "3" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours? Hope everyone of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Critics are strongly welcomed. Pictures can be found in My Brickshelf (When moderated)

I have moved and merged this topic here, since it's related to BrickLink questions.

The mysterious prize pool for the "Re-discover the bustling streets of Classic Town Contest". has finally revealed... "7 more days left to submit your Classic Town entry!" Click here to view the current entries.

One more week to go, before voting begins. Come on, and start building your own Classic Town entry for this contest.

Stash, thanks for doing this. I am really looking forward to your participation in Brickworld, by bringing 60 over of us there. Don't forget, we are surrounding by you. Geez, I really can't imagine the look of your face when you see the whole load of us at your table. Great job and effort for coordinating this tedious project! This is brilliant, by showcasing your sigfigs. Very nicely done!

Aww, I was really looking forward to your entry too. You are also one of the avid town lovers, and your entry could represent your views towards Classic Town. Something is clearly wrong with my eye sight.