kasmca

I absolutely hate the idea of using licensed themes for CMF. The whole attraction to me with the CMF is the universal appeal and the fact that these minifigs can be used is a great variety of setting for builds and play. Also there was a greater variety within each set. Using a licensed theme is a horrible idea and will most likely result in me abandoning the collection. By choosing a specific license TLG will alienenate a large consumer base of folks not interested in that theme. Additionally the army builder will have little interest. I suspect this will cause the popularity of the CMF to drop dramaticaly. I know there are many folk excited about the Simpsons theme for S13, but those same fans may be upset if a different licensed theme was picked that they have no interest in like Teletubbies or The Wiggles (trying to think of something anti-Simpsons). If this trend is true, I think it's just laziness on the designers part who have run out of ideas. I say keep producing licensed themes, but please TLG, keep them out of the CMFs! This has got me wondering who the target audience is for these CMF's. I would be interested in seeing who are the major purchasers of the CMF's. I have seen many post indicating the the target audience is kids, but I have a feeling there is a greater amount of AFOL's who are snatching up these CMF's. It's not unusual to hear of someone buying boxes of these where parent who buy for their kids may not necessarily be completist and need to collect each and every one and multiple of them. I have all 176 plus several duplicates. I doubt there are many parent buying the complete set for their kids. The point of this is maybe the TLG is looking at this to determine the direction the CMFs will take in the future.

I picked up the Nov in store Calendar and it states for "Brick" Friday the Free exclusive will run from Nov 29 - Dec 2.

has anyone been successful in purchasing this set on it's own at the retail store?

This may be a dumb question, but why would you save up so many points to be able to buy a modular? I just cash it in as soon as I can every $100 I spend. Is there a benefit from saving them?

Awesome! - This may be my fav. I'm also very pleased that Lego is adjusting their Canadian pricing to be more comparable to US pricing. $30 difference vs $50 in the past - though not close to par, which is what the exchange rate it, it's a step in the right direction. Amazing amount of details and great colour scheme. Thanks OP for the fantastic HD pictures!

I don't think the issue is whether Lego should produce a Simpsons line or not. I think the issues is that they are hijacking the CMF line. I think it's great for them to produce a Simpsons line, just keep it separate from the CMF line. What if Series 15 was based on Mattel's Barbie or Pokemon? It may appeal to some fans of those franchise's but it would at the same time alientate many of the fans who have collected the CMF's to date. Please Lego Group - keep specific licensed themes out of the CMF line!

"LEGO are set to release (much like the Olympic minifigures) a complete wave of blind-bag minifigures (series 13 to be precise), with 16 Simpsons characters to collect"

Sorry, edited - I am NOT happy about this. Series 12 being based on the Lego Movie I can live with, but I may have to skip Series 13. I hope this isn't a trend. Maybe The Lego Group has run out of ideas. If that's the case maybe they should retire the CMF series instead.

Here is a link to an article confirming Series 13 will be the Simpsons theme. http://www.nerdly.co...-sets-for-2014/ "There have been plenty of rumours regarding just what we’re going to get from LEGO’s forthcoming The Simpsons licensed range, including a myriad of buildings, characters et al. Well now we have word, from an insider at a special Fox/LEGO event, on just what the LEGO Simpsons range will entail… LEGO are set to release (much like the Olympic minifigures) a complete wave of blind-bag minifigures (series 13 to be precise), with 16 Simpsons characters to collect – including Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Apu, Chief Wiggum, Moe, Itchy and Scratchy and many more of the show’s iconic characters – which will be launched May 2014. And despite a list of proposed LEGO sets hitting the likes of Brickset and Bricks & Bloks, we can confirm that the *only* LEGO set to be launched in the first quarter of 2014 in the UK will be the Simpsons House, which is set to be made available direct to consumers (via the LEGO website and LEGO stores) in April 2014. On top of that, this new LEGO range will also be supported by a special Simpsons LEGO TV episode (much like the LEGO Star Wars specials) in May 2014!" I'm not sure on the reliablity of the source, but we have seen these rumours floating around. Personally, I'm not happy with one specific brand taking over the colledctable minifigures. What I always liked about the CMF was the variety and no specific licensed theme. EDIT (2014 01 08) - Official press release states " The line of LEGO THE SIMPSONS minfigures will launch in May 2014 in all major toy retailers for $3.99 (USD) each. " source: http://brickset.com/news/article/?ID=9575

I'm going to wait until Oct 14 to get the Christmas bonus part 1 and 2x vip points.

Where are you located? I would highly recommend the 2011 police station (783 pieces). It's on clearance at Walmart - $60 in Canada and $83 in the US. It's a fantastic set with lots of playability. 2 vehicles, a bike, 6 minifigs, a dog, jail cells that open, 3 stories, 2 garages that open and close. You can add the 2008 helicopter to the set as well. I have most of the modulars and a bunch of city sets and most of the great vehicles in my city. http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=7498-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=7741-1 http://www.walmart.com/ip/LEGO-City-Police-Station-Play-Set/15257144 http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/lego-city-police-police-station-7498/10144399

I think the minimum purchase will be $99 as in previous years for each. I wish they would give the option of buying them alone. I'll get the first one with the new Christmas Market. Not sure there's anything over $100 that I want after that.

Got a door knocker on Friday from Mastermind Toys. It offered a free series 10 minifig just for walking in one of the Mississauga stores. My daughter wanted the sky diver and that's what she got. It was good until Aug 18. I was tempted to go to my neighbours asking if they were going to use theirs.

Got this at costco for $9.99 today.

Sadly, I was talking with the manager of my local Lego store and he said that they no longer allowed sell these because they are not labeled properly and they could violate some retail regulations.

Great start. Try buying off bricklink instead of just relying on sets and pick a brick. You can get better prices and more pieces. Here is a link to Grey 32x32 base plates: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3811

Spend a bit less than an hour packing. I had time to kill so I took my time. Started with building brick towers 2x6 and 2x8, 9 bricks high to fill the majority of it, then packed 1x rows of bricks, slopes and modified tiles to fill in the rest of the base. An employee told me I can build a pyramid on top as long as the top triangles close, so I started with bricks going in one stud all arond and added 1x tiles and plates fill in the gap, constantly checking that the cardboard can close. Pretty easy to optimize with bricks as they are square boxes.

Filled my Christmas Box last week. Not much selection, but these boxed are well suited for plain bricks anyways. Type Description Colour Quantity Brick 1x2 Medium Blue 9 Brick 1x2x5 White 8 Brick 2x2 Black 1 Brick 2x4 Blue 14 Brick 2x4 Brown 5 Brick 2x4 Orange 2 Brick 2x4 Red 18 Brick 2x4 Tan 19 Brick 2x6 Dark Bluish Grey 8 Brick 2x6 Red 1 Brick 2x6 Tan 9 Brick 2x8 Black 2 Brick 2x8 Blue 2 Brick 2x8 Red 4 "Brick, Modified" 1x2 log Brown 17 "Brick, Modified" 1x2 with Handle White 3 "Brick, Modified" 1x2 with Vertical Clip White 3 "Brick, Modified" 2x4 log Brown 21 Hinge Plate 1x2 Locking with 1 Finger On End Light Bluish Grey 12 Hinge Plate 1x2 Locking with 2 Fingers On End Light Bluish Grey 12 Plate 1x1 Trans Green 12 Plate 1x1 Trans Red 16 Plate 1x2 Brown 14 Plate 1x3 Brown 10 Plate 1x4 Blue 12 Plate 1x4 Yellow 10 Plate 2x10 Tan 2 Plate 2x2 Orange 15 Plate 2x2 Corner Tan 14 Plate 2x6 Tan 12 Slope Slope 30 1 x 1 x 2/3 Trans Clear 11 Slope Slope 33 3 x 1 Black 18 Slope Slope 45 2 x 1 Tan 18 Tile 1x2 Lime Green 1 Tile 1x4 Green 5 Tile 1x8 Black 2 Tile 2x2 Red 2 "Tile, Modified" 1x1 with Clip Grey 6 "Tile, Modified" 1x2 Grille with Bottom Groove / Lip White 11 Total 361

We I could get this set on it's own. Just finished my big purchases.

This set is on Lego.com coming soon - Oct 1, 2012 - $129 CDN http://shop.lego.com/en-CA/Winter-Village-Cottage-10229 - $99 US http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Winter-Village-Cottage-10229 - $149 AU http://http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Winter-Village-Cottage-10229 - 89 UK pounds http://http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Winter-Village-Cottage-10229 - 99 euros http://shop.lego.com/en-DE/Winter-Village-Cottage-10229

This item is now on the Canadian and US Lego shop. I'm very disappointed that they priced it at $74.99 CDN for 425 pieces.

I got a grab bag at downtown Disney on April 21. They had about a dozen. There were some hero pieces a lot of doors but no frame and I got a boat! No minifigs though.

I keep mine in these display cases. They have an easily removeable cover. I got 3 in anticipation of 10 Collectable Series. I dedicate one row per series. You can cram more in especially if you remove the black stands. You can purchase them here: http://www.custom-wall-displays.com/ledica.html. They are relatively inexpensive compared to alternatives I have seen. They are also big enough to hold all accessories including the fisherman's pole. I'm very happy with them.

Thanks for the review. I'm a bit disappointed. I'm hoping Lego will come out with a modular Hospital, similar to what Fire Brigade did for Fire stations. Here's one someone made on Cuusoo: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/12410 and another: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35999

Thanks bluedragon. Can't wait to hear your progress. Can you provide details on your adventure in sourcing the parts? Thinking of doing it myself and wondering what the cost and effort would be.