AmperZand

Very nice! It's a shame BW wings don't come in light bley (or whatever the gargoyle's colour is). You've done a great job painting the wings, but apart from fleshy elf ears, I don't recolour parts.

From memory, quite a few minifig-scale weapons lack a mark. Some do have a logo like this halberd http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=6123#T=S&O={} but others like the katana don't. I think that minifig heads that are hollow all the way through lack a logo as do many window glass and other transparent pieces. Also, fabric parts lack a LEGO logo though that probably goes without saying.

Got some at WHS in Kingston just now. According to the staff there, Twickenham and New Malden branches have had them since late last week.

The last time I was in Japan, they didn't have LEGO stores. They did have an independent chain that specialises in LEGO called clickbrick. Here's the one in Inagi-shi, Tokyo: They have some kind of contract with TLG, but their stores aren't the same as TLG's in Europe or the US. They don't have BAF as we know it in the west, but the branch pictured above did have a broad equivalent. If memory serves, types of pieces were priced individually, e.g. all headgear was priced the same, and you could get as many as you liked. If you speak Japanese, you could call them up and ask them what hairpieces they had. I doubt they could tell you what part numbers or official colours they were, but they could probably give you a description of each. Japanese customer services makes most US and European customer service look pretty poor. But as the OP said, he can't get to a clickbrick store, so that isn't an option. If you're not a purist, there are third party vendors that do various hair pieces. Their international postage rates to Europe aren't too bad, so they're possibly reasonable to Japan. To be honest, I've never tried ordering from them from Japan.

The BBC News site now has a video about controversial uses of LEGO: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35311548

Where in the UK is your local WHS? Are your astronauts in distress? Most of them are flying their flags upside-down. Is that to save themselves the embarrassment of having turned up in the same outfit?

At the end of tonight's Newsnight on BBC2, there was a fan LEGO cartoon! It was pretty well done. If you're in the UK, you should be able to catch it soon on iPlayer. You might also be able to see it on BBC America - I'm not sure. Elsewhere, you'll probably need a proxy server.

Yes, of course. My previous post was entirely sarcastic for satirical reasons. In all seriousness, if the same thing happened to me in the UK, I would not be best pleased. In fact, I'd be making a fuss to the media, pressure groups etc questioning why taxpayers' money was being wasted on unnecessary intrusions when there are so many more important priorities. I'm sure the same is true in Germany.

Great review and pictures! It looks like you've started subscribing to the Simpson's skin tone palette! If not, I've got some fleshy heads and hands for you including a few rare heads.

There are a couple of important reasons why this check has to be made. First, the German government needs to know what you are doing including what you are receiving in the post. You could be a dangerous person and only the state can ensure that you aren't. The German government, as everyone who has any knowledge of 20th century history knows, has an impeccable record of protecting its citizens. The second reason is that if this and other checks weren't made, lots of custom officials (and others) wouldn't be required and would lose their jobs. And we couldn't have that, could we?

I don't have the S15 faun yet, but from the pictures I have seen, I suspect the functionality wouldn't be compromised by removing the front of the hip. However, I don't think it would look very good when standing. While seated, it might be alright.

Nice picture! Not to nitpick but not all of those are suited people according to TLG. Of course, you can think of them however you like. I don't always follow LEGO canon myself.

I think they still have offices in Slough but their UK HQ is in London according to http://brickset.com/article/13195/lego-open-new-london-hub

TLG did open a UK HQ about a year ago. It's in central London, but I don't know the exact address. The media and influencers such as the Brickset crew were invited to the grand opening, so it shouldn't be too hard to find the precise location. It's not a secret.

Excellent design! Ingenious use of pieces - the bucket handle as a belt buckle is inspired.

That was true of the S13 and S14 CMFs in 2015. The Lego stores were selling them a few days before anyone else. It doesn't surprise me that they're doing the same again.

Ooh, that's so bad it's good Back to the original question... Best set: A draw between Flinx's Ultimate Phoenix (70221) and Master Wu's Dragon (70734) Best minifigs: S13 Goblin (even though I don't care for the oversized scimitar), S14 Gargoyle and the Spirit Warriors from Master Wu's Dragon set Worst: Everything Minecraft I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Flinx's Ultimate Phoenix as the best of the year. It's a thing of beauty, a classic. I don't care for the flick-fire missiles, but they're easy enough to mod out (see my Brickshelf page for a picture).

Depends on the seller. Most will send the minifig loose, but assembled is not uncommon. If you have a preference, you can ask the seller. BL sellers are usually happy to accommodate requests of that kind. They are AFOLs themselves and tend to be understanding of fussy buyers. The same can't always be said of Ebay sellers.

I've been getting minifigs through BrickLink (BL) for years and have hardly had any issues. Look for sellers with good feedback. If they have any negative feedbacks, check what - sometimes the buyer is at fault and using feedback unfairly. I once had a BL seller who failed to mention that his parts would stink of cigarettes. And a few times, a seller has made a mistake and sent the wrong part - but they've always been good about putting things right. You do need to check that accessories are included: they normally aren't. Also, if the minifig has a cape, I always ask that it not be attached to the minifig and that it be sandwiched between pieces of card or in its original box for protection. Hope that helps!

LOL! We need to leave them where they are so that archaeology PhD students in the future have something to write about

That's a bit unfair. She was able to remember three facts. Yes, three of them! With brains like that she's sure to reach the highest echelons of the company.

I did some reconnaissance yesterday and found out from a nearby store that sells loads of CMFs that: - they are happy to breach TLG's street date embargo - they have not received notification of latest CMFs being at their distribution centre - they have not received marketing collateral (e.g. signage) for the next series and usually get it about a week before the product arrives in store ...all of which makes me suspect it won't be an early Jan release. It could be later in the month, but more likely Feb. I won't be naming the store, but it's a branch of a national chain.

No, that's not the number of stormtroopers in my collection! According to this BBC News article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35170829, that's the number of stormtrooper minifigures TLG has ever sold Now you have to figure that since they were first released, quite a few have been destroyed. But even assuming a 50% attrition rate, that's still 500 million, i.e. more than the population of the US. Can you imagine that many stormtroopers in one place? If they all shot at the same target, one of them might actually hit it.

I voted for the satyr/faun. I've wanted a satyr minifig for such a long time and this one doesn't disappoint. The gap at the top of his legs and his lack of pan pipes are a bit unfortunate, but I can live with them. I'll be displaying my fauns standing straight so you won't see the gap and I'll be replacing the straight flute with a third party syrinx. My second favourite is the frightening knight. I have misgivings about the colours of his coat of arms and will probably replace his shield, but apart from that he's a perfect addition to my evil knights.

Ah cr@p! According to a leaked German catalogue ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/137861589@N04/23790045326/in/photostream/ ), this series is for FOLs from 5 to 14 years of age meaning I'm too old to get any by decades. Does anyone have a Tardis I can borrow? I need to go back in time to collect my younger self. Thanks.