brickzone

Actually just an ordinary (small) sized one - I stacked the sandcastles to make the towers. I don't like large drinks - although I like a grand pot of tea to refill from, and I do often have lunch out at one of the few places offering coffee refills (although even then I purposely have just one small mug of coffee any morning I'm planning to have lunch there later).

I was the oldest in my family and I remember even as an older kid not being as into "playing" as my younger siblings. So often I would build a playscene for them from our Lego collection while they would play in it - and I'd participate just a bit myself with my own minifigs as they constructed an entire fictional Universe and stories for their minifigs (indeed so much so that my brother is still working on a book whose story began in that play). I remember when I was a lot younger playing lots with Fabuland with my sister who's the next oldest. But I haven't entirely lost the skills of play - it doesn't take a lot of effort to kick off some Duplo play with my two-year-old nephew, he just needs someone to have a Duplo fig talk and do stuff, or an animal, or trains (Troublesome Truck, Percy or Thomas).

Big Cam: By new - we are referring to the chair part that only recently has been produced with a moulding point in the base of the chair. The older chair parts are the same part, but do not have this "dish" with the mould point in the seat of the chair. This is mentioned earlier in the thread.

Bad news folks. It seems to be that the new chairs are fine - it is some of the new minifig trousers that sit loose on them. I tried the girl from camper van on old chairs and she was still loose on them, and tried old figs on the new chairs and they sat on them as normal. So I wonder if the "cheap minifigs" is really a Tic Tac Toe/Chess issue or something creeping into all minifigs? Or am I over-reacting?

I like the green road plates as in 4108. a) Six wide is necessary in my opinion b) The line colours match those used on Irish roads (white centre line, yellow verge) c) The only other six wide roads are the dark grey plates - these have all-white lines that look pretty plain and ugly IMO.

Well, I don't entirely like putting photos online, but here's a fairly camoflagued me at the beach this summer: As you can see, Lego isn't the only thing I build with! It's amazing what you can accomplish with a piece of driftwood for a spade and a disposable coffee cup for sandcastles.

Yay! Just picked up a Cannon Battle, and the pirate in it has the dark green stripes! All previous pirate sets I bought (entire theme plus extra Cannon Battles) had the lighter green which doesn't look as good IMO. Incidentally at €5 in Smyth's Toys here in Ireland, Cannon Battle is pretty good value. Plus you can't have too many cannons, infantry and rare brown trousers (very useful for peasants etc. in Castle)! I think this is the third one I've bought, I think I'll buy at least one more (but I'll leave it for a default "impulse buy" in cases where I don't see anything else when browsing toy shelves - good for a cheap and useful "I've bought something" option).

This looks pretty cool! I wish I had plenty of money spare, I would have travelled across for the volunteer weekends even from here in Ireland! Looking forward to seeing the finished project/TV programme.

A beautiful little inn. I really like the overall look of this model, and the various little details really add a lot. The wooden trellis over the balcony is nice, as is the little rocky/stream area. Nice use of 45 degree section too on the corner of the building. Fits in very well with a kind of fantasy-type stereotypical mediaevalish setting.

I was surprised that ELC didn't stock even Duplo in the past. I don't know how many of them are left in Ireland, they shut the one in my own locality a couple of months ago. Will have to check out WHSmith for Lego next time I'm in the UK (although perhaps they are only in Britain - I don't recollect seeing one in Northern Ireland). I found WHSmith pretty good value for books last time I was in England.

I use a soft paintbrush - one of those flat ones about 2.5 cm wide. It's a bit of an abuse of a good (and not too cheap) paintbrush but it works a treat - removes most dust and doesn't scratch (specifically because it's so soft it'll only pick up light dust, not any dirt that would scratch). Quick too. Static isn't an issue with the one I have now but I tried another "swishier" one that built up static so the dust clung again to the model. And that's here in Ireland where the damp climate means static buildup isn't as common as parts of the US etc. (indeed a lot of precautions for electronics are routinely ignored here). Some other places might be trickier (I'm recollecting a trip to Boston where I had to use a stick to remove a soft blanket from a hotel bed - doing it by hand electrocuted me so much).

The new doors (the ones with panel on the bottom and four window pane holes) don't seem to fit properly in the old frames - they bend ever so slightly when hinging open. That's despite them having still used the old frames in some sets.

I'm looking forward to seeing more. I think Power Miners is a great theme even if I am not interested in buying them myself. As a kid I would have loved them (and indeed they have appeal to me now too - just not as much as other "more important" themes). I'm guessing so far from the one tiny picture we've seen that this new theme may have similar appeal but it will be interesting to see what special items it brings.

Pig pen for the farm sounds like a must have and to be honest I had though Farm might have been a one-off. I'll be interested to see the others, I'm accepting enough that Lego have to release the core emergency sets over and over because kids grow up (i.e. Lego have to appeal to a new "generation" every 3 years or so). Besides, it's possible any new sets will be more interesting. I'd like to see a newer and better hospital though - while certain past ones have appeal, the last "modern" design was a bit lacking. While I understand people voicing their disappointment, I don't think people need to be quite so vocal and ranting. The A in AFOL stands for something. Besides, I don't know about the rest of you but in the current circumstances I need a break from cool sets! There are plenty for the second half of this year and indeed some themes we know about next year as it is.

A very impressive MOC. First, it looks really nice - orange rather than yellow is a change but some of the details are nicely done like the headlamps and wheel hubs. I like the choice of wheels - those are some of my favorite new tyres. The functionality incorporated is astounding (although I am not a Technic expert nor have I viewed many MOCs with Technic). Having four sets of turning axles is impressive, and it's well thought out having a genuine counterweight not just bricks! This gets a thumbs up in my book - I'd be delighted to have a model like this in my collection.

People keep talking as if it's a full PF setup - but surely it is just an Exoforce-style light brick and even the batteries included flash is just about it having the little button cell inside already? I sincerely hope so, as this would presumably not really add much to the price.

A beautiful creation, I love its imposing look and the chunky detail around the battlement and the base, making use of the natural look of Lego bricks. The way the tower rises above the trees is nice, and I like the aura of abundant growth given by the greenery and trees. The diagonal elements lend an interesting look to the creation, not just in the octagonal tower, but the arrangement of the square sections too. As has been remarked upon, the little details on the walls are nice and make it more interesting. There is some beautiful work on the balcony and upper windows (nice using the ball pins). As a black and grey creation the Falcons seem at home in this, though it nearly seems like a wizards tower, or something out of a fantasy world. An impressive creation.

I'm really on a Lego embargo at the moment. Like many of the rest of my countrymen, having to consider food, bill-paying, etc. in uncertain circumstances (albeit in my case not servicing debt as well). Nevertheless, I'm hoping I can allow some money for this. It's really amazing. Surely the light brick, despite the PF logo, is just like those Exoforce ones? I.e. small button cell battery inside a 2 wide brick that has a bit you press to light it. The carolling faces are nice - not perhaps so versatile but a nice addition to my options when arranging minifigs from my collection.

Lego are probably constrained by their existing customers in what steps they can take. I think the more prevalent female minifigs is an improvement and hopefully it will be built on. I think Lego could have moved in this direction sooner too, but it did take some good product development I think to come up with recent sets - they are a bit more inventive in making "everyday life" be fun play. I think that's something that appeals to a section of boys too who aren't as interested in the standard just action themes, police/robbers, fire/emergency etc. Also today I think some of the more traditional boys have been lost to the toy market due to video games, meaning Lego had to broaden its appeal. Mind you I think Lego did pretty well with Fabuland back in the day, but it probably wouldn't work as well today as back then. It wasn't just Paradisa in early 90s either - some of the ordinary sets were a bit like todays city sets in having female minifigs and sets with more "everyday life" play value. I think even if Lego reach more girls with the standard Lego line, it makes sense to have something like Belville for "girly" girls (and there are plenty of those even today).

I'd contact customer service. I had an order recently that appeared to be successful but I never got a confirmation email. They eventually found it when I rang about two weeks later and it had somehow gotten stripped of its date and stuck in the system. So things can go wrong. The address thing sounds like a pain - I personally like not having to worry about postcodes or "proper" addresses here in Ireland but I guess the downside is the poor folk in the back of beyond who have trouble getting things delivered at all. Plus some web forms *require* a postcode. I now put in "IRL" because NA (for non-applicable) can I have discovered, get your delivery sent to Namibia (yep, the envelope had some interesting labels and stamps on it when it arrived a couple months late).

I don't know which is supposed to be "correct" - I think actually counter-intuitively the lighter one may be - I think it's in some of the official photos. I bought all the Pirate sets just after Christmas and any green/white striped shirt guys were the lighter shade. The same goes for one or two cannon battle sets bought in Spring.

There was a thread on this some time back - I'm not sure we got a definitive answer but it's presumably just a variation (not exactly misprint). I like the dark green version myself but all my own ones are the light colour.

Tough one. The building/part styles in the older sets are so different. Take BSB, it's more detailed than BB, but the latter has the benefits of modern colours, parts and building styles. For example, the studded rails and so on on BSB look dated now. It is my intention to build a re-imagining of BSB using BB parts and modern brick colours (although I'm not sure entirely how to do this yet - tan and brown alone would be too different from black/yellow, but black/yellow is too "basic" as well). If the 1989 sets were designed today they would I think beat the 2009 ones, but I think between the originals as is, and the new ones, I prefer the new. Even if todays sets are perhaps more built to a price - the ones today are incredibly more affordable than the originals were back in the day given the little difference in absolute prices but vast difference in money's worth today - i.e. it's worth a lot less.

Methanol is an extremely toxic substance. Menthol is in a sense a herbal remedy as natural menthol is an extract of peppermint. It is indeed just about the only thing for a headcold/blocked nose. Paracetamol is pretty much a poison. The body can't actually cope with much more than the recommended dose, which is why here in Ireland now shops can only sell one paracetamol product at a time and indeed the computer systems in the supermarkets have been modified so the check-out can't check more than one paracetamol product. Also the larger packet sizes aren't sold anymore and the high dose ones come in smaller packets. I wouldn't recommend taking it for more than couple of days. I try to minimise use of it myself - often I'll not use it for headaches unless it's a bad one. Apart from anything else this ensures it has some effect when you take it (the pain relief won't be as good if you take it too frequently). Also, don't drink alcohol if you're taking paracetamol, it lowers the safe dosage limit. Aspirin doesn't have the same problem (it's mostly beneficial), but it has so many effects that it too has to be used sparingly and indeed it's not suitable at all for some people. However, due to its various beneficial effects, it may be specifically recommended to some people by their doctor. All in all, drugs are a tricky business and natural substances aren't necessarily better (some indeed essentially *are* drugs).

I find hot Lemsip (hot lemon with paracetamol) helps a lot if I have a sore throat with any cold/flu, and helps with aches if it is a flu. Also I've found it can calm things down enough to stop it getting worse if I take it just at the beginning of when my throat gets itchy. I haven't really had a cold or flu for the last two winters though (maybe a touch of a cold once or twice, but barely noticeable). Fingers crossed for no swine flu or nothing noticeable - but it's possible one might have it without realising. Even now in summer there are people with the sniffles here in Ireland and its entirely possible some people actually have swine flu. Going to the doctor isn't free here like in the UK for most people, so I'd expect diagnosed cases here to be low. It's about €60 for an ordinary GP visit (i.e. not including the cost of any prescription), and even with health insurance you have to pay that usually - it's only those on low income or unemployed who get a medical card for free care.