AmperZand

Cool dark elves! The matching of the torso print to the kite shields is excellent. For my only drow, I resorted to non-LEGO head and hair (as well as weapons and armour):

I live in London (sort of). While it's true that property prices are mad, there are other places where they're also extremely high and therefore space very limited such as Manhattan, NY. I know of an AFOL in Monaco. I suspect his property prices aren't low. I have a feeling that London may be the best place in the world in terms of bricks 'n' mortar stores. There are two official LEGO stores, one each at the two Westfields. There's also one in Watford and another in Bluewater both of which are relatively easy to reach from London (north for Watford, south for Bluewater). Add to that all the John Lewises, Argoses, supermarkets, TRUs and WHSs (the last two for newspaper polybag promos) and it wouldn't surprise me if London had the highest density of retailers selling LEGO of anywhere in the world. Online stores/market places are a different matter. It's difficult to beat BrickLink in the US in terms of variety and low cost especially if you're after specific parts. Sure, you can order from US BL sellers from the UK, but unless you keep the order total under £15, you're liable for substantial taxes and Post Office charges (12% duty + 20% VAT including on the postage and duty + £8 Post Office charge). BL sellers in the UK and elsewhere in Europe tend to be fairly expensive compared to the US. Also, you can't order from the Netherlands if you're in the UK: there's roughly a 50% chance your order will go missing in transit. I doubt there's anywhere in Europe - even within countries never mind between - where postage is lower than within the US.

That's sad news. I remember going to an FAO Schwartz in NYC on holiday once many years ago. I was in my DA then so don't recall what their LEGO offering was like. Since becoming an AFOL in the early '90s, the only NY toy store I've been to was the big TRU in mid-town. They used to have a huge custom-built Empire State Building on display. I didn't even think of going to FAOS for LEGO.

I'm in the UK. For goods imported from outside the EU, if the "intrinsic" value is more than £15, you are liable for duty which is between 10 and 20% of the value of the goods and postage, VAT of 20% of the goods+postage+duty and a £8 Post Office charge. None of this applies if the goods are under £15. If you're lucky, your packet may come through without being stopped by Customs in which case you have nothing to pay.

I had a BL order that smelt really badly. I have an exceptionally accute sense of smell, so the odour would probably not have been detectable by most people. But to me, it reeked of cigarette smoke. I washed the parts in warm, soapy water, rinsed, dried by shaking the excess water off, dabbed them with kleenexes and air dried them overnight. Next day they were odourless.

And inarticulate. If you can't express yourself well, you shouldn't be hosting a YouTube channel. Agree regarding both BQ and Jang.

Kre-o isn't too bad. I use some Kre-o parts in my display collection. So did I. Dragon Mountain is one of my favourite sets (though I did mod it a bit). You're not alone. Several others have said the same thing in this thread. For the record, I utterly loathe fleshies. They make minifigures look like stunted Playmobil figures and are TLG's worst betrayal of the LEGO brand.

Daily Mail polybag promo starts 16 May 2015 and ends on the 24th. Details here: http://brickfanatics.co.uk/free-lego-with-the-mail-starting-next-weekend/ .

There's a Lego store in Watford too, but the already mentioned stores are easier to get to from central London. I know what you mean by localised key chains. I had the Tokyo and Paris ones. I'm not aware of any in London but then again I haven't looked for them either. You might want to call or e-mail the Stratford and Shepherds Bush stores to be sure. If you're a VIP member, remember to bring your card. Even if it was issued outside the UK, you'll get credit for your purchases from UK brand stores. If you forget your card, tell the sales assistant your e-mail address and they should be able to find your VIP membership.

Same here. I collect mostly fantasy/mythology/horror/historical minifigs with a bit of super hero (DC & Marvel) and sci-fi (including Star Wars). Apart from my Uruk-hai army, none of the 700 or so minifigs in my display collection are duplicates. I go for variety and most of my minifigs are MOCs. Here's a small selection:

BrickFanatics is reporting another Daily Mail polybag promotion: http://brickfanatics.co.uk/polybags-are-heading-back-to-the-daily-mail/ The exact start date is unconfirmed but there's speculation it could be early May to coincide with half-term. The list of polies is mostly known. It includes: 30272 A-Wing Starfighter 30283 Off-Road 30284 Tractor 30293 Kai Drifter 30303 The Joker Bumper Car 30311 Swamp Police Helicopter 30312 Demolition Driller 30313 Garbage Truck And a Disney Princess polybag, 30116, or maybe a new one.

I'm not a mod, but shouldn't threads that are different shots of a single minifigure be in the Minifigure Customisation Forum, not the Historic Forum? That's what I've been told in the past by a mod. I was told that even if the minifigure being portrayed was themed and purist, it still should be in Customisation. If so, this thread http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=108024 is in the wrong place.

Nice pictures. I'm not a mod, but as it's just a single minifig with a mushroom and not an army, this thread should be in the Minifig Customisation Forum.

I got 79018 Lonely Mountain yesterday. I've been thinking about getting it for a while and finally gave in to temptation. Smaug made me do it!

TLG's lawyers came after you? Wow! Were you selling the decals or did you just create one for your personal use? If the latter, I'm surprised it was an issue.

I hate to burst your bubble and really, truly hope this works out for you but the cynic in me can't help but suspect that the woman you imagine to be your dream lover is in fact a grossly overweight, balding, middle-aged ex-con with swastika tattoos and vomit-inducing body odour who chuckles to himself each time he pops a picture of a pretty girl in with an order knowing it will drum up business.

What a fantastic room! I especially like the classic spaceman decal/stencil. My fiancee has banished my LEGO so it's out of sight. I pretend her attitude bothers me, but in reality I'm quite pleased that my collection won't be touched by anyone but me. I suspect she knows that.

Great battle scene! Where did you get the Sauron helmet?

Great detailing! The angry kid really made me smile. What's he furious about?

Having said what I did above, the Historic forum does permit pictures of "armies". The mods take a very loose view of how many or how few minifigs constitutes an army, so these pictures could almost certainly be posted there too. I once got away with posting a picture of 6 goblins in the Historic forum!

Who won?

Intriguing! Do you have any pictures of the phoenix with that head?

The wing/tail and head flames are part of the original design. I didn't add them. I believe they're both new parts, appearing for the first time in this set.

Thank you, legozebra. It's kind of you to say so.

Itaria, The picture is broken. Can you please re-post? I'm curious to see your goblin horde! Here's my goblin raiding party: