brickbuilder711

I love it! Proportionally it does look a little short though, I agree to make it longer. 7 wide works pretty well and is perfect for such PF powering. I managed to do similar locomotives in 6-wide with PF completely immersed within the locomotives. I have had a similar cramp issue with a CSX GEVO I did before the version visible below; I'd say go for extending the length on the long hood. Needless to say, you made an excellent choice doing YN2, really like that paint scheme. https://www.flickr.com/photos/brickbuilder711/sets/72157640412121104/

It depends strictly on the part type. But I can say this, do not do online Pick-A-Brick because it is just plain expensive. There are various factors that I have brought down to a science myself, since I am digging through the various sources. The factors also determine the case for even thinking whether Bricklink is the correct route to go. The first is you have to of course compare prices. You need to have a rule of thumb that defines average cost per part on PAB in-store that you get when filling (mine is $0.02-0.05, the higher in rare cases). You need to know what you want and if you are seeking to get it in bulk (ie. 1000 of a certain brick). When regarding a BL Order, look at the shipping prices atop the part price. When regarding in-store Pick-A-Brick, think of the gas and any additional expense that may come from the trip. For me, unfortunately I do have to consider the trip expense as my nearest stores are 20/30 miles away. It rounds up to about a quarter to half tank of fuel which is no more than $25-30. The second, you really, really need to be on top of the selections. It will help to know what is available at the LEGO Store on the wall based on their now seasonal rotations and what they normally have. Knowing people that work helps even more. It's benefiting me as I speak as I can save trips if what I want isn't there. My main example is off topic for Castle, but is on point with my writing. I am currently building the . The moc is very, very hungry for parts. Mainly MdBlue brick, white 1x1, and clear elements.I Bricklinked, recently, white 1x2 plate (not available in wall), white 1x1x5 brick (sporadic availability) and clear 1x2 brick (available sporadically, but now does not appear to be available). I was unfortunately forced to Bricklink mdblue 2x4 brick, which was previously available in PAB but now isn't according to my contact. But I have gone to and will head to the store to PAB 1x2 brick in MdBlue. This is a brick I will need cuploads of to finish the tower. Out of all the MdBlue brick I have had over the last 10 years, I am down to 2/3 a small PAB cup of 1x2, 1x4, 1x1 and 2x2 brick and I still have 9 floors worth of building to fill in. One cup will not do it as it will only cover about 2/3 of the remaining fill-in, so two will. This is kind of the key here. The part sells for no less than $0.05 on Bricklink. A cup (counted in June 2014 to have 683 bricks) plus gas will equate the same or even more. But getting that second cup brings more bang for buck as the gas expense is fixed and doesn't change. This is just one way of looking at it albeit anecdotal. Of course, it's BL no question for parts that aren't available on the wall. Or if you find a set to be a very very good parts pack (which is rare), it helps. Unfortunately, the store isn't available for many people so BL remains the best option when logistical expenses top the base expense of getting PAB In-store. It takes some research but once you get the hang of it, you should have a great shopping experience. Happy building!

Sorry for the 2x post, but here are images to complement the video:

This is a work in progress MOC of the Element Skyscraper in Tampa, FL. I will be building for display with the GFLUG town layout in a final expansion of their Downtown Tampa diorama to the north. To show the midway progress, I created a video for you guys. Sorry that I sound a bit odd, have been fighting sinuses and a sore throat lately. Enjoy!

Aventura was short on PAB so much of the girly parts were scattered around the wall. They said that Sawgrass wasn't in much better shape. I wound up with the following, dual purpose: to sample the colors and stock up on the Friends colors for Miami stuff, and most importantly, my Element construction. Pink: 1x2 plate, 2x6 plate Lavender: 2x4 plate MdAzure: 2x4 plate MdBlue: 1x1, 1x2 brick MdStoneGrey: Most important part...... 1x3 brick Sadly as I was on a rush, a huge space was left over on cup 2 but I'm okay with it, it's at most 50 1x2 plates worth and I went over the rim anyway as I usually do. The wall also had: 2x2 brick in pink; dkpink, red,white flowers; and green, black, and brown 1x4 brick, etc.

Yes, not exactly certain on the horses but the Friends colored plates should become common in the summer. There may be other bricks in the Friends colors but I am not exactly sure.

GFLUG put on another show with their contribution to the twice a year Tampa Railfair. This display incorporated the usual Downtown Tampa skyline with various residential and commercial buildings on the side. I caught video of the display. It is similar to the Dec 2013 layout yet it includes new train models! ENJOY!

A cup full of 1x2 in MdBlue this weekend from the Sawgrass Mills LEGO Store. Needed it for my Element project. Also on the wall, some goodies: Dark red 1x2, Clear panel, pink 1x2 and 1x4, lavender 1x2 plate, etc. No wedges. They had Travises. I passed on these because either I don't need them, or in the case of the DkRed 1x2, have sufficient quantities of them already.

In part, I think it's a gimmick so that those who aren't patient enough to stack get cap space earlier on and are forced to buy more to get the quantity they want, or LEGO gets the part sold over more cups which means more $. Otherwise, their target audience probably likes the sturdy 2x4 and are perhaps more used to those.

The era in the mid 2000s just up until March 2008 was perfect; it was practically the "anything and everything" period for PAB. You would definitely walk out with a cup in hand because there was guaranteed unusual stuff. I remember lots of dark orange, sand green, blue and red, and even teal and purple stuff. In 2007, the dark colors seemed to reign on the wall and then was the PAB tub era, which I took advantage of. Honestly, now is not the pits for the PAB. The real worst time was between 2008 and 2011. Nothing but basic colors. The target market is for kids, but to some extent internally, TLC does offer some yet unmentionable ways to accommodate AFOLs. But their attachment is decreasing. Of course, nowadays the wall can never match the current available parts variety, which exploded over the last three years especially with SW, Friends, and some other licensed lines. The July overhaul may bring in some from the Friends line though, but time will tell.

Looks awesome! REALLY Love it! Nice expansions. If I were to be critical at all, only missing sort of a beach/club area.... Yet fantastic vision of Heartlake overall!

Nice mini build! Isn't the selection supposed to change a little now? So they brand parts for the next "theme"?

Thanks! Finished the three platform set: As much of a monster as it looks, the fact that it is 203 scale feet, and just under three times the length of a GE, I feel I have this scaled well lol

Giving my intermodal fleet a long overdue update, I swung over to 5-wide containers. With the new constructions, some new spine cars and a trailer chassis. Soon, I'll be doing more wells and spines. Vid: ENJOY!

So far, my CSX locomotive rebuilds are proving expensive, LOL... Those Flame Yellowish Orange (BLOrnj) 4x6 at .50 a pop sure are pricy. I would rate for any and all locomotives an average price to be about 60-80 USD per, considering the various sources of parts.

I added a couple updates to Sawgrass reflecting upon my recent visit. It's always nice to update but on a busy schedule, and with bigger walls (ie. 18x6 @ Sawgrass) it's tough to keep an update.

The piece I will unconditionally fill is the bley 2x2 tile, that is quintessential for city/SW and that for sure I can never have enough of.

Nuff said........... Passed on the Travis and some other ok stuff in favor of the must haves.

After all this time I am finally able to come up with my entry. This house has lots of movements and symbols within its design. It is a modern-classic style mansion-type thingy. The idea is that it's supposed to be a waterfront estate with immediate beach access. And... it's like a modern Gatsby house. Yes... a place to party! The imposing low view of the two story estate with it showing its grandeur. "front" view... though, there is truly no main entrance! This pic also shows the skylight window on the stair area. The ginormous glass windows overlooking the state-of-the-art pool to infinity are designed in slide fashion. They have the form that they would open up to allow guests to come in and come out and enjoy a grand party. Also, if returning from the beach, with some magic, you can also slide the right hand panel out and open from there too.... Here is a view of the kitchen inside, with fully professional food network-creme fraiche-style stoves, refrigerator, appliances, and a Mongolian Grill so we can feed the goers delicious Hors D'oeurves, entrees, and some delicious gourmet drinks! The flooring, waterways, and all else are designed to unify... they aim to connect the outdoors with the indoors for a surreal living space. Here's a view with the entire top of the house hidden to show this movement... Yes, that's an IKEA lamp on the right hand side LOL. Lastly, the second floor, complete with gym. Note how most of it is an open space towards the balcony deck because of the fact it is designed for parties. The bedroom is furnished with washing and clothing hanging facilities in the closet, single bath, king sized bed, computer desk, view overlooking the water, and bedside dresser. The main alley/den has a huge flatscreen TV, sofa, coffee machine, PS3, etc... And in the gym, treadmill and weight racks thus far. Harder to see are a lantern light and "selfie" mirror in the bedroom. Full Sized images available in my set: https://www.flickr.c...157643922854693 Piece count is around 5,830 elements... Pics don't do it any justice, so here is the render, enjoy the model!!! http://www.brickshel..._home_rev_3.lxf

I hear word on the street that the new parts are themed and to change monthly to different themes... So far, looks pretty bleak with city, except for the bley wings. I do like that the medium sized wheels are now available though, I plan to grab some. I wonder what it'll look like once they decide to, say, incorporate friends colors... maybe we'll see cool yellow and lt aqua bricks! I can only hope.

I'm excited for those wedges, so many uses.... Now the rest of it, I can't wait to see...

I heard around now the annual palette change is upon us... could anyone shed light into this year's parts?

Hot off the press, made a discussion Video Log entry for this one. Very excited for the great news. One can find the news entry in the video page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT7giZpqAcM

CSX Transportation delivered a NASA SW1500 to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, FL last week. So I decided to create a replica of this aging beauty myself. This engine contributed dearly to the 30 years of spaceflight that the world has witnessed.

I'm so in...