Sarah

I've been wanting to get a train to, at the least, run under the Christmas tree every year. Been thinking about Lego because of the ability to customize color as well as it starting a new tradition of "Putting up the train" similar to putting up the tree was when I was a kid. The blue train is quite appealing to me. It looks more like the trains we see running across Texas. And the bull! I may have to try to bricklink a second cow though. I consider College Station my hometown -- and it has all sorts of different breeds of cow as the names of its major streets (or did when I lived there anyway) and now live in the Austin area -- home of the Texas Longhorns (Football team) How likely are they to use this cow in a different set as well while they have the mold?

I actually see this orange as being REALLY exciting to my son. Its his favorite color.

Thank you for the link. My husband wonders if Princess Leia is going to become the 12th Disney Princess

OOh. I hadn't seen this. I bought the Back to the Future CuSOO for my sister this year. If the Robin is made, and price is reasonable, I can see another Lego CusOO Christmas purchase next year for my mom. (She may need to get grandkids to put it together for her. I'm not sure she'd enjoy the process)

The Austin store has that many PAB bins, at LEAST. (not height wise. But width)

I'd guess Elsa would be 13th because she was the oldest, and the queen (and maybe marginally more popular in the stores? I'm seeing more Anna stuff leftover. Very strange to me because I think Anna is much more approachable than Elsa) So. who are the first 12 Princesses? We were trying to figure out who they consider Princesses and who not. I know Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) is one -- but one that is not used as often (though I see even less Mulan stuff and NO Jasmine stuff!)

I JUST saw this link to a blog article describing a system and was thinking of doing something similar for DS (age 6). He already has more Lego than I remember having growing up! http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2013/02/lego-meets-lack/ Our Duplo is in a giant under-bed Rubbermaid container. I am restricting the numbers to what fits there because it is plenty for 2 kids.

Wry. And to think the minifigures WERE the toddlers, originally I wonder how this face would look like on the new smaller body: http://www.brickset....ifigs/?m=pln108

No combined build?

I just got 31015 Emerald Express and I'm VERY excited. I'm going to have to buy at least 2 more of this set. Maybe 3 at that price point ($5 each) It's a 3-in-1 set! The main build is the front car of a train. (Which is what I bought it for) The other two builds? A middle car and something that could be used as an end car (I like the middle car view better). And attachment parts so it LOOKS like they would attach. I need to put this one together and see if the wheels really work. But this is SO exciting I just had to share.

...Except that the movies have veered away from the books already. (Legolas and Tauriel in Laketown. SOme of the dwarves left behind in Laketown. Everything that happens in the mountain, pretty much.)

People keep saying it is not scaled for Minifigs? I'm curious to see what it looks like with other (non-Simpson) minifigs in it...

How so? I've got some CMF figures next to a few (presumably set?) Figures (Gandalf and Frodo, Lone Ranger Gunman with Elg, bavarian Pretzel lady, Gingerbread Man, Plumber, Lady Scientist, Yeti, Bambam-girl..) They look the same to me

If I can make the $$ work out, I'll probably buy it anyway. I want the escalator! (I thought I saw there would be one?) Food court and revolving door... Can't be that hard to change the type of store. They do it in real malls all the time!

I could live with March. I want that princess set with the slide for my daughter (who is 2... yeah. But she'll be closer to 3 in March!)

I'd much prefer a toy shop in the mall...

...I remember the Troll in the Mines from the movies. I'm having trouble remembering the Fell Beast. Is that the horse-thing that the WItch King was riding when Eowyn so dramatically kills him. (I want that scene!) Or the big camel-like things that others of the attackers were riding?

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here. Of course not all girls love dolls and Lego friends, etc. Not all boys love cars and shooting things up either. (There are even boys who -gasp- don't like Legos.) But does that need to be said to be sure everyone is on the same page? I look back at the way I played with Legos, lo these many years ago (I got into Legos in the late 1970s) And I would have LOVED Friends. I managed with what was available. and eventually my interest petered out. I got into Lego because of Farm, Kitchen, Bathroom. Building a set from the instructions. Trying to figure out how to make the alternate pictures on the boxes. But most of what I did afterward was play with the figures in that scene. I had so much fun, it propelled me into other Legos -- Space Ships, Fire Stations, etc. But evidently there was not as much play value in those sets for me because my interest flagged. I've come back to Lego here and there over the years. But there are long years of not doing anything. And one of the main things I DID with the minifigures as a kid? I incorporated them with my Barbie play as the little kids everyone took care of. I incorporated them with my Dollhouse play to have MANY more people to play with. I wrote up individual tiny sheets of paper on every minifigure -- giving each a name, a birthday, and some information about what they liked/didn't like to set them apart from each other. Which are all things that now happen in Friends, as well as being able to play in the sets with your dolls. I think my interest in Lego would not have waned as it did if I had a constant infusion of new playsets to build like this. Lego is great because you can modify your sets and customize them. But I've not yet found the "bug" to invent it all myself.

Agreed, very early on (early 80s) I can remember my main item on my Christmas wish list was "More minifigs" so my parents went out and looked for a Lego set and got me one with a bunch of Castle figures in it. I think it was this one (which is a 1981 set): I've got the instructions for it. But would have to dig to verify if this is it or not.

I thought Lego was spreading out the minifigures to make it harder for thieves to slit the boxes and steal just the minifigures?

I was always a lot more interested in the characters in Legos than the building. And this started before the days of minifigs. My first set was Farm -- and had brick built characters. The next two -- Kitchen and Bathroom -- had mostly brick built characters and the only minifigs were the kids. (Though they were my favorite characters)

I also have an order that, when I ordered, it said "Back Ordered 30 Dec 2013" but it has not been shipped yet and now its Jan 2nd! I am going to give a few more days before hassling because I realize there has been a holiday

Agreed. My first response was "When Lego City retires" *Wry*

I suspect that is because minidolls are more expensive to produce than minifigs.

On lego Shop at Home it says that the next shipment is due in Dec 30. (I've got several friends looking for the Dolphin Cruiser! Lego Friends has really been wiped out this holiday season)