AmperZand

Same here. The combination of the jester, the new witch and the maid make this a 'must have' set. I'm not taking the chance. I'll get one of these when it comes out, maybe more than one for friends. If the set is discounted next year, I may get another for myself. After all, you can't have too many minifigs, right? The top of the box in this pic seems to show the contents. Doesn't look like there's a giant troll in the set. Like other posters, I'd be very surprised if there were. I think that there won't be any more minifigs in the set than shown in the box art though I do expect accessories that aren't portrayed on the front of the box.

You mean like the minifig on the left of this pic?

LEGO S@H - 35% BrickLink - 45% BrickForge - 10% Other retailers - 10%

I went over to Brickforge to see what the latest parts and colours were only to get a 404 error. Is Brickforge no more? Please tell me it ain't so!

A sublime creation! The colour of the water where it's hit by the waterfall is masterfully rendered. I really hope you preserve this creation and never disassemble it.

Thanks for the pic links! I really like the new witch. She's creepy! I hope she's the same as the one in the forthcoming advent calendar.

According to Amazon in Germany, advent calendar 7979 is due out on 24 September and is priced at EUR 17. I'm guessing that it'll be £15 in the UK but that's conjecture on my part.

That's what I used in the following MOC. I also used BrickForge's sword and helmet. Gotta love BrickForge!

I just received 5618 Troll (Orc) Warrior from S@H. Here's my take on it... The set consists of an orc with mottled silver/back helmet and a pearl light grey orkish scimitar. He is accompanied by a light bluish grey rat. He also has a hand cart that is laden with a projectile and a couple of pearl light grey spears. On the plus side is the orc and his personal accoutrements. The pearl grey sword is a welcome alternative to the copper orkish blade that came in other sets. My delight that TLC has ventured full-square into fantasy still hasn't worn off and I'll forgive the fact that his face is the same as all the other orcs produced so far by TLC. Some enthusiasts may have preferred a variant though. I'm also pleased with the inclusion of the part (#4520320) that serves in this set as the haft of the projectile. It will do nicely as a torch (with the addition of a flame from another set). On the downside, I'm disappointed by the cart. I have trouble imagining a brutish orc pushing around a little cart, even one armed with weapons. The projectile doesn't really work so kids hoping they'll be able to shoot each other may feel let down. While the spears that are stored on the cart are a useful alternative to the orc's sword, I can't help but feel that one spear would have been sufficient. I would have preferred a wider assortment of weapons and armour housed in a chest the orc had looted. Despite its limitations, I like this set. It would have benefited from more weapons but the grey orc-forged scimitar and the torch part make up for this shortcoming. I can see this set appealing to kids seeking a foe for their knight and to army builders. My grade: 3.5/5 Pictures to follow if/when I have time. Until then, here's a link to the official pictures.

S@H UK has frequently updated rankings of their top-selling sets. The Good Wizard has dropped out of the top 25 and therefore its rank is no longer public. But for quite a while after its release, it was in the top 10. I suspect that TLC are happy with how this set has done. But the real measure of its success from TLC's point of view will be how well it has performed as a gateway product for other sets in the Castle line. My guess is that TLC have or will be doing research on The Good Wizard and other impulse sets to gauge their cross-selling index. I very much doubt TLC will make their findings public but you'll know if The Good Wizard and The Knight did OK from the release of new Castle impulse sets in a couple of years.

You can get it through BrickLink. It's available from both European and N. American sellers. [raaaant!]If the prospect of paying European prices and transatlantic shipping fills you with dread, spare a thought for we Europeans who routinely have to pay more for less and have to wait much longer for it. And I don't just mean LEGO - all sorts of things. It costs less than half the price to see a movie in NY than it does to see the same film at a similar theatre in London, and it usually comes out months earlier in the US too.[/raaaant!] Here's a link to my review of this set.

Here's something I posted over at CC a while back: One of my classic dragons had a loose wing so I used a trick to stiffen the joint that I picked up from the Stikfas forum. I haven't found the trick mentioned here at CC so I thought I'd pass it on... If you have a loose LEGO joint, separate the parts and apply a thin coat of varnish to one of the joint surfaces. Which surface, 'male' or 'female', depends on the size and type of the joint. For loose hands, for example, apply the varnish to the 'male' part; for wings, the 'female'. Allow the varnish to dry completely and gently re-assembe the joint, easing the component parts together. If the joint is still loose, carefully separate the parts again and apply another coat. Allow to dry and try again. Repeat the process as many times as necessary. One or two coats will usually do it. Satin varnish is best as it's the closest match to the sheen of LEGO. But it doesn't make that much difference whether you use gloss, matt or satin as the inside of the joint is hidden anyway. My favourite brand is Humbrol - YMMV. As for poor quality control, I haven't had any problems with legs but I have got some shields from the Castle line that were badly printed. The gold was slightly offset from the rest of the design. I know that TLC tested production in China though it was on a small scale and the parts didn't go into circulation. TLC was so appalled by the lack of quality control that they pulled the plug on future manufacturing there.

Elf Impulse Set Pcs: 11 Release: 30 Feb. Two thousand and never

Shame their hands are brown like their loin-cloths, not dark orange like the rest of their bodies. Do the Ughas wear brown gloves in the movie or is TLC trying to reduce the cost by not making hands of the right colour? Either way, it's a pity.

Yes, that's probably part of the tour. Otherwise, it wouldn't mention the LEGO Brick Road van. (my emphasis). Quoted from Breaking News. As Breaking News were not the only ones to be reporting that date, it seems likely the source was a press release put out by TLC or TLC UK. Of course, the tour date could have changed since that news was disseminated. But a promotional tour starting in late March and ending in early May doesn't seem abnormally short. That would give them five weekends to hit the major shopping centres before ending the tour in Windsor.

Mythic Greece would be great! Just imagine Spartans, a minotaur, a chimera, a medusa, a hydra, a satyr, a centaur or two etc. *wub* Actually, I couldn't wait and I've already created a pegasus and Greek hero: I think that TLC already created a Caveman line for Duplo so they're clearly not opposed to the idea in principle. They did knights & dragons for both Duplo and regular minifigs after all so there's a precedent for them using the same theme twice.

The LEGO Brick Road tour of UK stores and shopping centres was scheduled to start yesterday (24 March 2008). Does anyone know where and when it'll be stopping? If so, can you please post details? Any info on what the tour includes would also be appreciated.

Don't click it! Copy the entire URL and paste it in your browser box. Hit the return key on your keyboard. You should be able to see the pic. To get back to this forum, click on the back button of your browser.

Hmmm... I can see it but that could be because I posted it. Try copying the following URL into your browser box (don't click it even if you can): http://www.toymania.com/toyshows/fx04/images/fx04lotr2.jpg HTH ;-)

At the risk of being branded a heretic, may I suggest this 3 1/2" action figure:

Do you mean a quintain? That's certainly a possibility. I was thinking a cauldron too but maybe I'm just being wishful.

I don't know for sure but my guess is the wizard will be available in the US eventually. I don't see why TLC would put out the knight in the US but not the wizard. In the event that they don't release the wizard State-side, there's always BrickLink and Ebay. I frequently order parts and small sets from the US to Europe through BL. Shipping charges aren't that bad. So the reverse, i.e. Europe to US, should be pretty straight-forward. Again, I suspect that they'll all be available in all territories in due course.

Good news! The Knights and Skeleton Battle Packs are now available at S@H priced at

Looks great. Sounds awful! :-X Still, a brilliant creation.