Legogal

It is clear that TLG makes many parts not sold to the general public. I forgive them. And will continue buying them on BL or wherever I can get them. A BL seller in the UK recently sold me ten of my second most favorite Duplo gal (the gorgeous lady in the red dress,) and I am thrilled that he has over a hundred of them. From a very, very rare set (theatre Duplo), and personally I don't care where he got them. Yup, life is not fair, but at least most of us have decent LEGO collections...not something 99.99 per cent of the world can say. Let's just enjoy what we have, okay?

Definitely looks like the real thing! What a fine model...congratulations! My son built this one after a visit to KL, and hubby spent a weekend adding interior lights via a harness on the back of the build. It lights up beautifully. And used a zillion bricks and a box or two of 4 by 4 glass walls. I went up at night when the city lights are amazing. The view is quite good on a clear night. The skybrige is an exciting walk and an amazing engineering feat. A bit scary to look down from there, too! During these hard times for Malaysia, it is wonderful that your model stands out and supports their national pride.

This looks wonderful because now you have space for essential departments like cookware mentioned above by LT. Sporting goods, jewelry, shoes, coats, scarves, furniture, toys, china and silverware are also some possibilities. Nordstrom is a stellar US department store, and offers a good example of what such a store might carry. Its cafe is a lovely place to meet friends and serves outstanding food while providing a break from shopping for the ladies. And it serves at a wonderful outing for new moms with a huge ladies lounge perfect for nursing and changing your baby. The first Nordstrom on the US East Coast (Tyson's Corner near DC) opened when my son was 3 days old, and was the first outing we made when I could drive again at ten days. So don't forget to add lots of moms pushing baby strollers! I tend to purchase two sets of the mods I like so that they can easily be expanded because interior space is so limited. And this gives you the option of expanding the building years later when you have the time and space without having to pay exorbitant prices for retired sets. Just picked up extra Parisian Restaurant and Pet Shop sets for this reason.

Holy s(*&^%#$&(t! Do you think we could make this a bit harder to post a photo to EB? I have noticed that I am not alone in not posting a photo directly to EB. Can someone please make a one-step, copy-paste method so I can drag the damn things from my iPhoto directly into BL? Signed: Representative of the large class of technologically challenged folks over fifty in the world (In case you have noticed, we rule the world. Your time will come later.)

I saw that at TRU today and was not shocked because they are known for such high prices. Last time I saw this set for $100. at TRU, the nearby Target had it for $40. less. It pays to show the TRU cashier their price online because it often is cheaper online at TRU. Our TRU in Cary, NC, no longer has Architecture or MBA sets, which were stocked in the Asheville TRU today. This could be because we have a LEGO store in Raleigh while there is not one in Asheville.

Wonderful mini-builds! It is a real treat to look at your minis! Keep up the great work as your mini city grows.

Gary, Wish that store was called Kroger and a mile from my house because I stop by there almost daily. Thanks for posting the photo. At least we know that it is being sold to the "public" somewhere. In a way it is cool that they are trying to do something cool for the locals who are being inconvenienced by the building of this house.

Ahhh! That makes more sense than one mutating car. Praying for clear, sunny weather in Billund. From what I have heard, that may take a miracle, which is fine with me. (I did Paris Disney when it first opened in freezing rain with my three year old son on my shoulders. It took us two days to thaw out after that. Very few places to get out of the rain there. Ugh!)

L@go, Is that a riddle for the rest of us to solve? If so, I am guessing that you drive a convertible that fills up the back seat when the roof is down and thus can only carry two people then. Am I wrong?

(I am sure that Choc can crank that one out with less than 500 bricks! ) Holy Cow! Can you imagine the electrical bills at that little abode? Mowing the little yard must be a joy, too. My next question is where do you park your cars when you have a moat like that around your little shack?

Wow! This looks great so far! What a lovely church to model. The front porch looks especially welcoming. Keep up the great work!

I, too, noticed how depleted the Raleigh store PAB wall was after Christmas with all of those free brick boxes being filled. Finally they had some 1x1 bley round tiles in early March after I had visited the store about ten times looking for something to put in those five boxes. Have you noticed how many 1x1 tiles it takes to fill a small box or PAB cup? I love the little 1x1 round tiles for decorating all kinds of things, making steeping stones in a garden, roof tiles, stove top burners, etc. Wish they had them all of the Friends' colors, too. It does take some time to properly stuff a box or cup if using multiple types of pieces, and it is challenging if you have the time. It seems as if LEGO underestimated the amount of bricks it would have to supply in the New Year to fill all of those free boxes. And the same dull bricks tend to show up month after month. 1x1 bricks are rare and often valuable in dark red, green and blue, and sand blue and green. etc. Same with 1x1 square tiles. These must be huge money losers for LEGO when placed in PAB because you can stuff so many in a small box or cup.

Like the roller monkey explanation! Cool! I would not have paid 300US for a new Taj when it came out...too much money as we were poorer then. But Hubby ordered it for a Christmas, surprise and we built it with my son home from uni. It was a very satisfying build with each of us doing parts of it and then putting it together. Then Hubby built a base and added lighting with a switch on the wall, and it lights up our circular stair landing very gracefully. So it means a lot to us. I can understand why you don't want to pay the market prices, and at that many pieces, it would be a nightmare to BL. It was hard enough to build with all those pieces all in one box. It is fun seeing that many of us like the similar sets in this theme. The subject of architecture has always fascinated me with many notebooks of drawings of buildings made from age 8 on. Then at 16 I had my first B in high school from a drafting teacher who did not like girls. Really p(%*T($#*%( %ssed me off. So I dropped the dream of becoming an architect. Too bad because it was what I wanted to be all through growing up. Architecture as a subject has always interested me and led to trips all over just looking at interesting buildings. Alvar Aalto has done a string of them in Scandanavia. I took my Mom through many of those buildings during my twenties when we Eurailed through Scandanavia and Europe for a month. The architecture we saw during the trips I took her on was just unbelievable. So anything that raises awareness of design is a plus in my books. Thanks to TLG for this series.

Rollermonkey, how did you end up with that name? I am going with your list but have to add the Taj Majal instead of the Guggenheim. BTW, You have great taste in Architecture sets!

Yup, Sometimes it feels and looks like the apocalypse already happened here in the US. They build with very short nails here, and everything does seem to fall down way too quickly. Many of FLW's famous buildings practically collapse within a few years of completion....just read about Fallingwater, Johnson & Johnson, and many more he built. (Hey, that is an idea now....how about a Fallingwater actually falling in the water? That really would be cool. Fortunately they have already spent a gazillion dollars making sure it does not collapse in the water.) Anyway I have wanted to build a Usonian house model for years, but still have not located decent plans. Photos but no plans. Hummmmmm! Time to look beyond our little village. BTW, This competition does sound wonderful!

Darn, I guess a model of a trash dumpster is out. It is our most common model of local architectural style, and some lucky people even get to live in them. And being rectangular would have been an easy build. Oh crap! That leaves out trash cans placed on the street and our infamous local dumps as well. Where is FLW when I need him? Am I the only one who thinks that her local architecture stinks big time?

Fangy, does this mean that you and your wife might be able to put some clothes in your bedroom closet after this trip, or are your planning on filling it up with newer Lego sets? I am glad that Belun likes Lego...for your sake!

A couple of folks have inquired about buying an Architecture Studio from the US. Ugh! I took one to our mailing place yesterday for a shipping quote to Bergen, Norway. It weighs over six pounds unpackaged and eight pounds packaged in a box with bubble wrap. Fedex costs 220US, and USPS costs about 100US. FedEx tracks all the way to the buyer's door. USPS only tracks up to delivery to the Norwegian postal service. Add the 160. US cost at the Raleigh Lego Store with tax, and you are looking at about 260US without complete tracking coverage. Ugh again! Three sets might fit in an extra bag that I could possibly check for $250. being a third bag, but they could get pretty beat up by airline baggage masochists, and the boxes are already scratched up a but before I buy them at our local store. Ugh again!

The front facade details and the greenhouse steal the show....my, oh my! Building it in my favorite sand green color seals the deal. Your creation just makes me smile on another dreary and cold day. Thank you!

If the MBA and Architecture Studio sets were not so large and did not weigh so much, we would be happy to bring some with us. The excess baggage fees are outrageous on the two or three flights we will be taking to Billund. The commuter planes kill you on baggage fees. Otherwise we would pick up however many sets were needed and bring them along. Is the whole Architecture line sold outside the US? The only books I have seen in those sets have been in English. That seems to be one of the biggest obstacles for the first two themes mentioned. Hummmm...

Wow! We love Totoro in our house! First saw the film 20 years ago with my five year old son. The book is wonderful, too. Thanks for building a character so dear to us.

Glad to hear the Park was not flooded because the damage sounded quite devastating for west of London. (We were at EB 2013 in Germany last June when the floods in Germany and to the East were so horrible and barely missed getting caught up in the mess.) Pepp. please let us know what you think of Windsor after your next visit. Looking forward to visiting that Park soon.

Agreed! Vitruvius is my favorite character, and I love his skin tone, too. Wish they would make more figs in that color.

Well, I finally made it to LL Florida after canceling the trip three times due to a bad neck. The weather was gorgeous last Monday, and my AFOL Dan offered a free pass and toured the Park with me mentioning recent changes. That was a huge help because it is a very large Park. I focused on Miniland and the shops during four hours there. If you go as an adult, a day or two should do it. With kids, two days would be better. Beware that Duplo part is still closed if you are taking toddlers. Other notes: -The vegetation is lush and mature as much of the Park was planted when it was Cypress Gardens over 70 years ago. There is a lot of shade under the tall trees, and the flowers are just lovely. If you have a choice, spring and fall are the recommended times to visit because it can be cold in the winter and summers are almost tropical. -Leftover from CG are the waterskiing arena and shows and the huge greenhouse. These take extra time. -There are 14 shops within the Park. They will take your purchases to the front to pick up on departure, but allow at least two hours or your goods will not be at the gate. We learned the hard way! -Take a hat, long sleeve shirt and sunscreen. Bad cases of sunburn were evident all over, especially among the British visitors. This skin damage can be permanent and deadly. -Allow at least three hours for your return to the Orlando airport if you are flying out. 2:40 was was not enough, and I missed my flight home by ten minutes due to horrendous lines at the rental car check in, Southwest counter because boarding pass computers were not working, security lines, etc. This required another overnight stay, a real bummer. If that happens, go online and try to reserve a room at the Marriott Renaissance just two miles away with a 24/7 shuttle which allowed me to leave at 5.30 AM and make my 7.20AM flight the next day. I found a rate of $100. which was amazing for the peak FL season. -Do spend time in the Extreme Shop where they discount many of the items and sets 30-50 per cent. My friend found some Haunted House sets on discount there; I bought a few small items on sale, too. It is hit or miss in this store. Last time he found nothing to buy. He lucked out our Monday visit because they had just restocked. -Avoid weekends and holidays if possible as it is easier to see without crowds. The Monday visit was wonderful because the Park was not crowded. There were a lot of 5 to 7 years old school groups, but not many families. -And have fun by all means because it is an expensive trip but worth it. My total included $230. airfare from Raleigh, $60. for a one day rental car from Thrifty, $325. for two nights of hotel, and $100. on small items in the Park. We did not have time to eat in the Park. I am posting three sets of Miniland photos. The first is of the Florida builds, which were excellent in general. Two areas were very weak. Miami's South Beach draws millions of visitors every year and deserves a display about ten times the size of what is shown. Same with Key West. Here is the first flickr link to the Florida builds: http://www.flickr.co...57642369175505/ The second flickr link is to the Washington DD and Las Vegas builds: http://www.flickr.co...157642428780334 The third flickr link is to the Pirates builds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/120386613@N04/13185379805/in/set-72157642421676354 Enjoy!

Fikko3107, Wow! This is a great comparison of LL Malaysia and LL Windsor! Thanks for the info as few have visited both of these Parks. Your inside tour at LLM sounds fantastic! It is great that you were able to see so much there.