AmperZand

I suspect the weird names are due to LEGO’s sales channels and timing. A significant percentage of LEGO’s sales is to resellers (Amazon, Walmart etc) and wholesalers, not direct to consumers. At the point in the sales cycle when the toy trade is making buying decisions, LEGO doesn’t have set images, just set names, piece counts and recommended pricing (which, incidentally, is why those details leak first). A trade buyer who isn’t necessarily very knowledgeable about LEGO or Marvel might not understand that ‘Fantastic Four vs Galactus’ isn’t a set of five minifigures costing $60 at retail. So LEGO explains in the set’s name that Galactus is a large, built figure. It seems stupid to us, but makes sense from a business perspective.

I’m not a purist and not an arbiter of purity. I was just putting it out there as a suggestion for those who see purity as a scale rather than a category.

Another way of doing new candles (ones that are unlit and therefore not melted) is to use this piece: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=String grips#T=A If you cut the string at the base of each bar and partway to the next bar, you get a great candle and wick. Some consider cutting string unpurest but I believe there’s precedence for cutting string in official instructions (though, admittedly, not this piece).

I started collecting History (fantasy, mythology, historical etc) minifigures back in 1993 as an offshoot of my interest in D&D. As a result, I've always been more interested in individual heroes than massed ranks (D&D for anyone who doesn't already know is centred on individuals, not armies). So my collection emphasises variety, not uniformity. That's in no way a value judgement: I very much enjoy seeing the armies of other collectors and even have one army - of Uruk-Hai - myself. But for the most part my 'armies' are themed groups of heroes, not rank and file soldiers.

The recently released Micro Command Centre (40786) is a great set, but because it's micro scaled it isn't easily integrated with most of the rest of Classic Space. I therefore modded it to make it minifig friendly. It wasn't my intention to make a proportionally scaled up version, only to modify it just enough to work for minifigures. I'm not a big fan of stickers, so none from the set were used. The microfigs appear here as space kids/babies. This mod follows on from my enlargement of the Micro Rocket Launchpad (40712) from a year ago some of which is included here.

I was also wondering about the positioning and suspect it will be a play for the premium end of the market. If so, it won't be competing with LEGO on price which will be a shame for many AFOLS, myself included. I'm not sure that it will be porting existing licences over to Mattel Brick Shop. Those IPs may already be too strongly associated with Mega Blocks/Construx. It may seek new IPs. It may compete with LEGO by being more innovative and varied in its products such as parts or materials that LEGO doesn't do or doesn't do much of. Parts with studs (or anti-studs) facing in opposite directions, elastomer (silicone) parts that flex, or sets with elaborate lighting systems (not just single light-up bricks) are a few possibilities. I wonder also about the segments Mattel will target. Will it go after the 18+ segment (architecture, plants, art) or particular geographies (China)? It could also compete with LEGO in certain non-IP themes either targeting kids or adults or both. Castle is ripe for development as are trains, pirates, western and modern warfare. I'm hoping for quite a lot from Mattel Brick Shop because there are so many ways in which LEGO could be improved. Ultimately though, Brick Shop may turn out to be quite disappointing. We'll have to wait and see.

LOL! When I add to my display collection it's with a view to keeping the addition permanently. Changes normally only occur when LEGO comes out with a part or build that more closely matches a concept than what I already have. Otherwise, things stay as they are or get added to. I have some MOC minifigures that are over 30 years old!

Excellent all round but especially NPU of the sail and capes. Great job! My own giant bat MOC is considerably older. It’s been in my display collection for almost 20 years. It currently ‘flies’ (suspended with fishing wire) above my vampire army (not shown in the picture).

I wasn’t able to do any LEGO shopping in the first few days of the year as I was travelling. When I finally got the chance, I wasn’t optimistic about getting all the CMFs I wanted: Beastmaster, Pirate, Bogeyman, Pterodactyl and Cupid. I had to visit four stores to get one or two of each. Unsurprisingly, the Beastmaster was the hardest to find. Some stores had been picked clean of those. There were plenty of Cat Lovers and Telescope Kids though but they weren’t on my wish list - or, it seems, anyone else’s.

If you haven’t bought them already, you may want to avoid getting them from a LEGO store or lego.com and focus instead on other retailers where they’re more likely to be discounted. I haven’t been following this particular set closely but my feeling is that it hasn’t sold particularly well. That would mean it’s more likely to be discounted. It’s RRP/LEGO store price is £170 but it’s currently on Amazon at £155. My hunch - and please don’t hold me to this - is that it’ll be further discounted in January as retailers seek to make space for the 2025 releases. I used the wait-for-a-discount-because-I-don’t-think-this-will-sell-well strategy with a couple of recent purchases and managed to snag one for 33% off and another for 50%. (I also had loyalty scheme incentives from a couple of retailers so my cash spend was even less when combined with the discounts).

Infamously, Ned drops the LEGO Death Star when he finds out that Peter is Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming: Link. Also, in the boss fight towards the end of the 1981 film Time Bandits, there are oversized LEGO pieces. They may also appear as normal sized bricks earlier in the film but I don't recall. It's been years since I saw it. Great film by the way.

For those in the UK, the RRP will be £55 as confirmed by Smyths.

Updated with an additional ranger, sorcerer and nobleman, all using at least one part from the CMF series:

Pretty recognisable for non-Belgians, too! I've been to Ghent several times around this time of year and saw Gravensteen but only from the outside. Unfortunately, it was closed when I was there, so I wasn't able to enter. Still, a great place. This LEGO design is excellent. Very much looking forwards to seeing pics of it once it's built.

Wow! It’s like you used ESP on me. I would have selected exactly the same ones except for best minifigure. While the dragonborn paladin is indeed cool, my pick is the same as @DonQuixote’s, the vampire knight ‘Basil the Batlord’ CMF.

I’ve been using QR Pro in stores and just checking the codes against a screen grab from Jay’s Brick Blog. At home, where there’s good wi-fi, I’ve started using omgbricks. It works pretty well except that the image of the minifigure only appears for a fraction of a second. Blink and you’ll miss it.

I completely agree. Indeed, I’d go further. Current LEGO speaks two design languages simultaneously. On the one hand, you still have parts that emulate ones that can made by hand of wood. The minifig head, for example, is a shape that can be turned on a lathe. The torso and legs have flat sides because those or relatively easy to make of wood. On the other hand, you have intricate parts with many curved surfaces that would be a nightmare to shape consistently by hand. LEGO of yesteryear adhered to the first (or came close). LEGO of today is an incoherent mix. The earlier style had a charm from its simpler lines that the newer aesthetic lacks, and combining the two just accentuates that difference. If you’re going to advocate for more detail being better in the moulds and prints because it’s less abstract, then you’re in favour of standard minifigures having more realistic features such as noses, ears and round body shapes.

The prints were fine but the red one, unfortunately, had an almost imperceptible crack on the side of the torso and a tiny nick on the helmet. I have since retired it to my reserve collection and substituted a perfect one from 10497 Galaxy Explorer instead. I was lucky enough to get pretty much perfect prints for all the parts. The only parts of the vehicle that aren't exactly right are the white modified plates to which the red lights at the front are attached. At some point, that part was redesigned by LEGO to make it sturdier and mine are the slightly thicker, more robust, newer kind. The difference is hardly noticeable though and only a real aficionado would know.

Reducing it to one is tough. I'd be tempted to say 497 Galaxy Explorer but just nudging it to first place would be 6927 Mobile Tracking Station/All-Terrain Vehicle. To me, 6927 covers my two favourite Classic Space eras: the blue/grey/trans yellow of the late '70s and the black & white of the early '80s. The set also has what could be the smartest play feature in any LEGO set. When you open/close the retainers at the back of the ATV, the Tracking Station slides down/gets smoothly pushed up as if by hydraulics. I don't still have my 6927 from the 1980s, but I did recreate the set from parts I had and ones I bought on the secondary market 10 years ago. It remains - and will remain - part of my Classic Space display collection. Here it is from my collection:

A month ago, I came across an almost full box at WH Smith. One of the staff had put them behind the counter in such a way that you couldn’t see them. I was only able to get them from WHS because I asked. I snagged a couple of dragonborn paladins and a Tasha. They were full price but that’s OK. I had to move mine and will have to again. It’s easy enough if you split it into the modules. I hadn’t even considered moving it all assembled. If I had to for some reason, I’d use a flat, rigid board to support the whole base. Still not ideal though; separate is definitely better if you can.

Oh, for sure. There's a pretty cool brick built harpsichord in the Lion Knights Castle set as well as a drum and herald's trumpet that are fine. I was just confining my reply to moulded ones as that seemed to be the OP's intention.

Cool topic. I only just saw it after @Karalora revived it. If we’re talking about System moulded parts only and excluding Fabuland etc and brick built instruments, there are some omissions. There used to be a trumpet piece. Also, the Harry Potter wands have officially doubled as drumsticks in at least one set, the Lion Knights Castle. I don’t know if klaxons qualify as musical instruments but if they do, there have been two: this one and this one.

Thanks for your kind words. The bulk of my display collection is fantasy/historical/mythological, so I always seek to use parts that way even if they are intended by LEGO for other themes such as sci-fi. I can turn Playmobil figures into LEGO ones by simply changing the colour of the heads/hands to yellow 😛 I’ll be displaying the Lady of Pain as sold. I have more than one, but am not yet sure what to use the spare parts from the others for. Thanks for saying you like my angel. @Yperio_Bricks is exactly right about the parts being from a Princess Leia.

My mods of the D&D figures from the Collectible Minifigures line as well as from set 21348 Red Dragon's Tale. Figures that did not come from either but have benefited from their parts are also included. Note that not all of the minifigures are modded. Some such as Strahd, Szass Tam and the Lady of Pain are as sold. Most of the parts are LEGO. Only four of the pieces are third party. I did use a couple of non-purist techniques. Overall though, they're close to purity.

I wasn't involved in setting up this display so don't know for sure why Tasha's cauldron wound up with the gith, why the halfling is missing his cloak, why the dwarf's axe head is upside down or why Tam is missing his handheld trans red skull. I suspect those are mistakes made by whoever arranged the minifigures.