Sir_Basil_Ashton

I would support this idea. Or at least be content at knowing that there was a method to the madness. Would that said, I'd like to see LEGO blow us away with a playset that no one has ever thought about.

I know one thing, I'll never buy another UCS set in fear that it's going out of production.

Very nice job. I really like that it's more to minifigure scale.

Quite an interesting discussion going on over there. Personally, I hope this rumor stays a rumor.

Picked up 3866 The Battle of Hoth. The first + with LEGO I've had since moving from the USA to Italy. If any fans in the USA would be interested in obtaining one of these, shoot me a pm.

Conan the Barbarian. Was entertaining for what it was. I was kind of expecting more brutal deaths though.

I hope that either Maul or Oppress fall in Season 5. Darth Sidious is more powerful than both and I would find it disappointing if he didn't personally take care of the would be Sith. Maul was his apprentice so he knows his strengths and weaknesses. Oppress was apprentice to Dooku but his power and skills are limited to brute strength.

From what I understand, when you get a set graded by a company, they don't appraise the value. Same goes for other collector items that are graded such as sports cards or comics. The Grading Company will grade the condition of the item. What the item fetches on eBay, conventions, etc. is irrelevant to the grader. As far as Bricklink is concerned, I never go by the lowest price an item is sold for. As far as I know, there's no way to tell if the particular item sold was a complete set or incomplete set. Now that I typed that, I'm sure there's a way to filter the data to reflect complete/incomplete sets.

Thanks for the background info. As a member of a family that has only been buying LEGO since the Holidays of 2009, I was completely unaware of that. I'm curious to know how many LEGO sets AFA has graded. That would be some interesting information to know.

The lack of offers may be a reflection of how ridiculous their Buy it Now price is. I'm tracking their listings to see if they sell and for how much.

Very well put. As the fools pay these astronomical prices, they are setting an expectation of prices for collectors. The fact that AFA has graded LEGO sets tells me that they have been approached about it by a good amount of potential customers. A decision was made at a certain level that LEGO sets are something they will grade.

My understanding is, all The Grader will do is grade the condition of the item. In the case of a sealed LEGO set, the condition of the box. I think this is similar to a vintage Star Wars vehicle where the condition of the box is graded but the contents themselves are not. Collectors will set a price that they're willing to pay based on the graded condition of a particular set. The owner of a graded set can assign any value they wish. If someone purchases it then it validates the price that was set.

If you look at the other items that the seller has for sale, I saw some of these sets at Celebration VI as they had a booth there. I had never seen graded LEGO sets before so when I saw LEGO sets in a hard plastic case, it really caught my eye. I've read the comments thus far and it seems that a lot of the folks here are against LEGO being graded. Unfortunately though, I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. I've collected comic books and sports cards during my lifetime (don't anymore) and once word spreads, I can see more and more listings of graded LEGO. It may not catch on immediately but I can see it eventually getting there. How long will it take? Who knows.

I hope this question is never answered. I'm happy with the balance of the 2013 sets thus far. There are so many new sets that LEGO can make. The fact that they're taking on TOR sets is a good sign.

I'm 152 pages into DARK LORD, The Rise of Darth Vader and it has kept me interested up to this point. This is the 1st Star Wars novel I've read in approximately 13 years.

This year was a horrible LEGO year for CW fans. Up until this year, all I ever read about was how upset OT fans were with LEGO. Well, looks like it's time to hear them complain again. Personally I like both the PT and OT so I'm happy every year.

I'm speechless. As awesome as the UCS Falcon is, your MOC blows it away.

Although I've had my fill of Phase I Clone Troopers and would like to see more specialized ones. The current Phase I clones have been around since 2009 and I've been waiting for new Phase II Clone Troopers to be released for some time now. I'm ready to army build something new. I think that since the clones in TCW are now in Phase II, now would be as good a time as any for LEGO to move forward.

Come on, this is the Age of Technology. It's our right to know everything. Personally I liked it when I was a kid going to the toy store looking for something new that I'd never seen before. Those were the days.

While living in a hotel in Italy, watched Thor.

Thanks for the leads. I will definitely be on the lookout as my family settles and we venture out to different stores.

I haven't been on the board for awhile due to work and because my family and I just moved to Italy from the USA. Not sure what to expect with LEGO but I hope I'll be able to continue to find sets in the themes that my family likes. I'm already expecting to pay a higher €ost. Any suggestions on where would be good places to shop for LEGO in the area of Napoli?

Thank you both for sharing. The more info I read/watch on Season 5, the more impatient I grow. I can't wait for the new season to begin. Hopefully we won't be disappointed.

Hello fans! I recently took my family to Legoland California for the first time. At "The Big Store" I noticed a lot of the new sets that are popping up at retail stores as well as this Thor polybag that I had never heard of. I have always wanted to contribute to the site with a review and figured this was my chance. So without delay, my first review. Name: Thor and the Cosmic Cube Set Number: 30163 Pieces: 25 Minifigs: Thor Price: $3.99(USD) Theme: Marvel Super Heroes Year: 2012 From what I've read on Brickset, the only place to find this polybag right now is at Legoland California. I'm sure that'll change shortly. Bag Front: Nothing too exciting, just Thor in action. Bag Back: The standard back. The Contents: No new pieces or unique colors that I'm aware of. Extra Pieces: Extra pieces are always a bonus. Manual Front: Steps 1-4 on the front. Manual Back: Steps 5 & 6 on the back. There's an eye warning but as much as I tried, I couldn't get Thor to knock the bricks hard enough to fly with substantial velocity. Minifig Front: Same Thor minifig available in Hulk's Hellicarrier Breakout and Quinjet Aerial Battle. Minifig Back: Nice backprinting on both the torso and head. This seems to be the standard in the licensed themes. With Cape: Although I like the backprinting, Thor looks better with his cape. The Cosmic Cube: It's been awhile since I watched the movie so I don't remember this scene. Thor freeing the Cosmic Cube: Not the best action sequence ever but Thor does get the cube. Overall Set: I tried different poses but this was the best I could do. Ratings: Design:7/10 Nothing too complex to this set. Price: 10/10 Can't complain, it's a licensed theme polybag. Minifig: 10/10 My 1st Marvel Heroes minifig. Nice printing. Playability: 8/10 I'll keep trying to get Thor to launch some bricks. Build: 7/10 Easy build, even my 3-yo nephew was able to complete it. Overall: 8.4/10 I grew up on Marvel Comics and I'm glad to see the characters in LEGO. I wasn't a fan of The Avengers but I found the movies quite entertaining. I really wish Marvel took care of The X-Men the way they did with The Avengers but I really can't complain. By the way, I was able to pick up 6 extras of this polybag. If anyone's interested, shoot me a pm. I'm really looking to trade for other polybags or minifigs but will sell these at cost plus shipping. Thanks for reading.

Okay, so my son and I looked at the pictures of the new B-Wing a little closer today and he just told me something very interesting. He thinks it looks like The Twilight from The Clone Wars only smaller. I don't think I've ever heard that comparison.