brickzone

Hmmm... this is absolutely awesome. I really enjoyed the review, and it is nice to see closeups of some of the features like those at the corners, and the siege towers. I also had not realised the board was elevated, using two boards - one for the base and one for the playing board. However, I am now wondering if I can get a couple 48x48 boards, some 2x2 black and while tiles, and actually build this set (probably with substitutions) given that I own the entire Castle '07 + '08 line up (plus extras) and a huge collection of Lego already. Of course this is dependant on getting hold of the instructions somehow (maybe they will be on the Lego site?). I for sure can't fork out the €200 (too much Lego spending already, probably well over €2000 in the last year), which is a pity. It's well worth it by the looks of it. However I don't play chess much, and couldn't bear to get this just for parts, or to keep as a gigantic ornament. I had already surmised from a recent photo of the Lego Castle Advent calendar coming out this September that the witch has the Claw-dette head (I recently got the Volcano base, and the head is one of the coolest recent heads).

I like the overblown style of the Volcano Base. It is stereotypical of the comic book super-villian to have such an ill-disguised base. Of course it *has* to be a volcano. It *has* to have huge over the top doors. And *of course* he has an insane giant Laser just skulking behind the rock outcrop! Dr. Inferno has his image to live up to!

Now that Castle 07 is no longer an Argos exclusive (they did that but only released 3 sets!?) the addition of Castle '07 to the Smyth's line-up means that at the store in Limerick at least, they have virtually the entire Lego current line-up minus Lego S@H exclusives (mind you, I think there are still one or two sets exclusive to Argos). It is an impressive sight with the warehouse style of Smyth's - Lego down one aisle stacked to the ceiling! Skinny Boy - unfortunately the franchisee for Toymaster in Munster/Midwest went bust after overexpansion! They did used to have a reasonable line-up of Lego, but they went bust just as my dark ages ended! (I missed out on a mad sell-off with the local outlets closing).

Sorry, I figured it was much the same topic as the existing "Lego in Croatia" thread in the forum I posted, except for Ireland. As regards Argos, they have a different (more extensive) range of Lego in Ireland compared to in the UK. Although unlike UK the website does not show items from the previous catalogue that are on clearance (one has to check the codes manually at particular outlets).

Hello there. I don't know how many other Irish members there are, and how familiar they are with where you can buy Lego here. Feel free to add if you are familiar with this - I'd quite like to know as I do get to visit different parts of the country from time to time. I don't know about toy retailers there may be elsewhere in the country, e.g. Dublin. Obviously there is Argos - they are not always that great pricewise though, with a mark-up on S@H. However, the new police station was €55 rather than the €70 on S@H (that price reduction was then price-matched by Smyth's). Argos can also be convenient. Smyth's Toys are almost entirely S@H prices, and indeed occasionally they are cheaper or have sales/mark-downs (sometimes these pseudo-match S@H deals). Last Christmas they had a bumper sale. Art & Hobby can be handier to get to as they are a high-street store. I had written them off except for convenience as they usually have mark-ups on S@H prices. However, although these can be substantial on smaller sets (e.g. €35 rather than €30), they have no markup for many larger sets. And here is the final bonus - they have a loyalty card scheme where for every €120 you spend, you get a €20 voucher. They also have quite an extensive range as they seem to rotate stock currently on the shelf - possibly rotate between stores too. It's fun to call in and see what they have this week. Tesco Ireland seem at the moment to only have a couple of small sets (2x Mars Mission, City police helicopter and fire jeep, racer pods), S@H prices.

For Ireland it is also listed at €300 on S@H. Now if I could afford to spend that, it is really good value for the volume of bricks. I'm guessing despite the hue given by the lighting of the model that it is in fact white not tan. I like the detail of how some elements are done, such as the tiled area using 2x2 turntable bases, and the windows using headlamp bricks for the supports and 1x3 arch on top of them - works nicely with the stud that is visible at the bottom of such brick-built castle-style windows.

Good review - the photo from above shows off the scale of the castle much better than the box photo. I was one of those who always thought this set looked lame, ever since first seeing it in the catalogue. A couple of my siblings had smaller Bat Lord/Fright Knight sets and enjoyed the accessories and style of the minifigs etc. So last year having not only ended my dark ages, but done so for some of the rest of my family, I got this set off ebay for my sister for Christmas. I of course had to build it to make sure all parts were there before leaving ebay feedback and ending the transaction. First impressions were of how much brick there was to the set, as well as really useful large structural elements. And to be honest, while perhaps a bit childish, there's no doubt the style of the minifigs is kinda cute and useful for customs. It was really enjoyable building this set, and the scale is impressive when built, empty spaces notwithstanding (but hey, Lego has always had buildings with no back, etc. - just use your imagination and enjoy the access to playspace offered). The traps etc. are neat and more like the kind of "action features" modern sets come with (I for one am in favour of these, for kids they are fun and I think for builders they give ideas cause they are often done with minimal parts or impact on the set design). Anyways, needless to say my sister loved the set. Indeed she's currently rebuilding it for the second time. If I see it as cheap again, I will pick up one for myself. I got the first one at €30 incl postage I believe.

It's not as simple as wages either. Minimum wage in Ireland works out to a seemingly impressive €1500 pm. However, in Dublin, rent alone would be half or even the majority of that amount. Also many people don't get minimum wage (temporary worker, "in training", dodgy employer). Motoring is not really an option on minimum wage, and public transport is so bad that in many cases it is not an available option. You may have to buy your groceries at a more expensive small local outlet or pay €20+ for return trip (possibly every week) by taxi to a real supermarket. Costs to get to work may be significant as you may not be able to afford accommodation near work, and you may have a tough time coping with paying for transport+accommodation.

I've realised that I'd pretty much like all the Agents sets. I got Volcano Base from S@H and picked up Mission 1 on impulse at Argos, but I'm wondering if I should hold off buying any others now in case there's a collection released. Any news on such a development? I'm guessing it might omit Mission 7 & 8 which would suit me perfectly (don't really care for Mission 7 despite the cool octopus).

I believe it is a playmobile part - my Mum got a similar bottle (in greenish clear) in a Lego lot before and this was the final determination after some research. Lego minifigs can clutch it I believe but the hole at the bottom is larger than a Lego stud.

This is nonsense concerning Ireland at any rate (for one thing, our health system is nearly as unequal as the US!) Sales tax in Ireland is 21% - that does not at all account for much of the price differential. I don't think Lego have operations here in Ireland, but companies here don't pay much tax - 12.5% (and only 10% for companies here since the 90s) - that is quite a bit lower than the US, and potentially far far less depending on the situation. Even income tax can be lower here in Ireland than e.g. the US because you don't pay any income tax at all up to a certain limit (about $14K) and you only pay 20% up to a quite high limit (about €50K). That's before you account for tax reliefs for renting, paying mortgage, healthcare costs, etc. Those earning a lot of money do get taxed at 40% but they can employ accountants to make use of all the various benefits and tax offset schemes. Some pay very little income tax. Quite frankly it's a miracle our govt. has any money. Motoring is taxed till the cows come home though - despite the fact that unlike the rest of Europe we have abysmal public transport (or none for many people). Yet we pay higher prices than our European neighbours who do enjoy all the great social services. Ireland is a nice place, but really, you do sometimes feel a bit conned here. Still, I suppose the system here has facilitated people earning a lot of money in the last ten years. I've certainly been able to afford a lot of Lego, European prices notwithstanding. To be honest, Lego does not annoy me most. The people who annoy me most are UK retailers who for no particular reason sell at large amounts more here in the Republic of Ireland. Their excuses about shipping are not valid, as it costs just as much to get goods from England to Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and goods are sold at the same price up there. Then there are the European manufacturers who don't actually sell to Ireland directly. They sell to the UK (which is not in the Eurozone) who in turn resell for a large markup to here in Ireland. So Lego could be a lot worse here in Ireland, I do admit.

It is somewhat insane that I can purchase from the US a set that has an Irish RRP of €45, and pay a price cheaper than the €23 limit for having to pay import duty, and even with postage from US to Ireland it ends up being €32. If it wasn't for the potential where price is above €23 of having to pay 20% import duty and 21% sales tax, I would buy far more Lego from the US. As it is, the authorities are stricter on items such as electronics - and second-hand toys don't count at all fortunately. I'm glad prices here are in Euro though, at least you can compare with the rest of the Eurozone and see if you are being ripped off more. It's more awkward for the UK, Denmark, etc. cause they have the complications of having to convert from pound sterling, kroner, etc. The sooner they get into the Eurozone the better, that will make the Eurozone a larger more cohesive market - providing more economies of scale to Lego and anyone else. Unfortunately doesn't look like happening anytime soon. As for the Euro/Dollar gap - I think anyone expecting that to be short-term is being unduly optimistic.

Tried to get the imperial dropship (reduced in price by €2 in new catalogue), which also falls under the poster offer (at least here in Ireland). However, not only was the poster out of stock, they also only had the rebel speeders (same item code). It would have been my first Star Wars set - I had planned to use the torso and legs for custom space minifigs.

Noticed a week or two ago they had done this with Lego Mindstorms at Smyth's Toys in Cork. First time I had seen it done with Lego. In other stores of that chain, they usually just have the Mindstorms up on the high shelves (they are a warehouse style toy operation). Incidentally the same occasion I bought a videogame in another store, and it was indeed complete and had anti-theft seal, however, they still put that one back on the shelf and gave me a new one from out back. I wasn't complaining, but it seemed rather roundabout and odd. Especially for a game costing €7. The retail outlet that annoys me most is Tesco. With their new barriers, extra CCTV surveillance they are the epitome of police state Britain visiting our shores here in Ireland. They should just put up a big notice stating "We consider all our customers to be suspected criminals"!!! I avoid going to Tescos as much as possible it is so unfriendly compared to the alternatives. Also the automated checkouts are pants - it isn't convenient to have to do the shop's work, and wait in longer queues as people not experienced in scanning items go through stuff at a snail's pace. Sorry, turned into a bit of a rant. On the plus side I did pick up a Lego Racer there reduced from €5 to €3.

If I was more fanatical about searching for sets, I would indeed include these in my search results, as often the seller will at least be prepared to send to Ireland if one enquires. It's a pity Royal Mail now just charges the same for postage to Ireland as the rest of Europe. There used to be a special rate for parcels to Ireland. The last major Pirate set that I would like to own but haven't yet found at a cheap price is Scull Eye Schooner. I'd also like Imperial Outpost and Lagoon Lock-up.

As per my earlier suggestion of a Lego City "Life" theme, here is a concept for an office block: It is of course somewhat pricey using PaB, but it's not exactly optimised. I'm sure an office block set of roughly this size/style is possible.

BSB is one of the sets that probably does make a profit (although only MISB) even accounting for inflation (although I would say only just). The amount large sets cost in the past would buy a lot more than the same amount today. Many items here in Ireland would easily be four times as much today as in the early 1980s (price of a pint alone is 3x as much) - but for a given size of Lego set that does not hold true. Mostly Lego sets are the same numerical price in Euro for a particular set size as they were in Irish Pounds back in the day! Lego is cheaper than ever. Even each year they get cheaper, as prices are going up and up for everything else due to inflation, but not Lego.

Irish prices are still the same... €45 for the battle wheel, needless to say I still do not have it. €59.99 also seems a lot for Skeleton Tower (I bought the complete collection though when it came out - it was priced quite cheap for IRL and included ship attack). €75 for Troll Warship is also €5 more than many other European countries. (I was weak-willed and bought it in a local toy store though, same price there too) and even €70 is expensive enough I think.

I think it could be down to supply - I think Lego Pirates were quite popular in UK and Ireland and so perhaps are even now not so hard to get hold of (or at least not hard enough to drive prices up madly). I have not ever seen Port Royale (Imperial Trading Post) go for little though - fortunately that one I owned myself and was able to restore gradually (although I still need a full-size Imperial flag - my own is missing a clip, and some pieces are quite worn - minifigs are all good condition ones now though). I've also struggled to get hold of some medium soldier sets - because no matter how rare, I'm only ever prepared to pay a certain amount for particular size of set. I have seen even the Black Seas Barracuda go for quite reasonable prices a number of times (despite all the times it goes for a lot), and got my own for €70 incl shipping (crazy considering in mid 1980s it must have been like IR£100+ given the UK price at the time - and we had massive inflation over the years, even post euro, changeover was IR£1=€1.27 as well, so €70 is very little). I don't think they could be that rare really in these waters (at least for a large set) - they do come up regularly enough in the listings. It's an awesome set. I believe I'm still missing about 4-8 small brown wheels mind you - although I'm not sure - I might have got them all for this set and now just be missing them on another pirate set. Space Lego by contrast seems to be a lot more prevalent in US listings and correspondingly go for less. I'm quite happy to have mostly collected my sets of interest, though I'd still love Alpha Centauri Outpost. It seems to me that there are *very* few sets you would make a profit on comparing original purchase price, price you would get now, and taking into account inflation. Even many MISBs don't fetch prices fully accounting for inflation - relatively speaking Lego was very expensive in the past.

Hmmm... now I would also like this set! Unfortunately just too many things on the list ahead of it. There are just too many sets I would like to have to buy them all - although I've already bought more than I'd intended (and I mean a *lot*). I've plenty of sets from 06 and 07 that are at a similar level of wishlist to this ferry set. 09 is likely to be full wishlist-wise too.

I agree on the Lego shop issue. Sure Ireland is a small country, but surely there could be a Lego store in Dublin and/or Belfast (maybe Newry would suit to serve both NI and RoI) for people in the rest of the country to visit on the usual shopping day trips. I also agree on the brick quality, but at the same time, Lego reducing costs does mean we get more bricks than ever for less money. Sure it's slightly annoying a non-uniform wall in say Café Corner, but only 5-10 years ago the costs for such a set would have been astronomical and I couldn't have dreamt of owning such a set. We are seeing more and more large amazing sets today partly cause they use cheaper bricks. Lego shop at home shipping costs seem a bit steep considering they get the full profit margin on purchases rather than have a third party retailer have their cut (and the main toy chain here in Ireland sells at S@H prices, even before below-cost selling was allowed here, so it must include their profit margin). Considering the lack of actual Lego stores or even full range in the third party retailers, S@H is the only option for many sets.

Here in Ireland there are not too many options for Lego either. Fortunately, we have an indigenous toy chain, Smyth's Toys, which is generally a superb toy warehouse (retail park style operation) - although they have a bit too much of a monopoly in some places. For Lego this doesn't matter though as they often have nearly the full range and at S@H prices (sometimes cheaper even!). Smyth's have had a lot of business from me, mainly small sets. I put in a recent S@H order including Agents Volcano Base, but for example I will pick up the Swamp Mission at my leisure in Smyth's. The main alternative local chain, Toymaster, also had a decent Lego selection, but the franchise owner went bust in the south of the country through overexpansion. Argos (the UK catalogue outlet retailer) are a player for Lego here in Ireland too, but have a markup on S@H prices. They seem to have a better range in Ireland than UK. Like in UK, they had Castle '07 exclusive, which was annoying as they only carried 3 sets with a markup. Smyth's have both Castle '07 and '08 this year though. There is also another indigenous chain store, Art+Hobby, which isn't a toy store per se, but sells some "imagination" type toys including Lego. They however add a markup to the Lego. I think they just about manage with Lego through the art of distributing their Lego across outlets around the country - possibly they rotate what stock is on display too. They also end up with some older sets - I got hold of an outdated Viking Set I'd been looking out for here (€35 rather than €30). At least some of their locations though they don't have much competition though (Smyth's etc. are increasingly just retail parks - whereas A+H is high-street/mall). Tesco have a couple of sets. I picked up a couple Mars Mission sets and a City set here on impulse. Back in the day before Tesco took over Quinnsworth here in Ireland, the latter had a fantastic range of Lego - it was the main Lego source along with Roches Stores (department store taken over by Debenhams now). Sets would sit on the shelves for an eternity though - the actual numerical prices were similar or higher for a given size of set in the 1990s in Irish Pounds than they are in Euro today (i.e. a small set that is €8 today would have been about IR£8 then) - conversion rate at euro creation in 1999 was £1 = €1.27 and we have had a number of years since where inflation even reached 5%. The regional towns seem to still have some independent (or at least small chain) toy retailers selling Lego - but to be honest, unless you were stuck in those places, it's not a big deal as they have a markup and old/limited range. I wish we had more real proper elaborate department stores here in Ireland with toy departments. I've visited a number in Germany which were awesome.

Indeed - I meant though that I wondered if it was even big enough to be minifig scale! That's awesome about the light feature. I haven't seen or read much about power functions - it looks like being a nice incorporation of electric elements into normal (i.e. not technic) sets though.

We have a fair few of these turbines here in Ireland now, although nothing like what I saw in Germany last time I visited. Anyways, this set looks pretty authentic for the subject matter - although even at 2 feet I'm not certain the turbine is mini-fig scale. Any ideas? The hut would be uncomfortably close to the turbine in real life I think! Looks like a hillock with possible green burps to counterweight the turbine. Nice. I am guessing this will be pricey not just for power functions but large number of bricks including large ones, and more than a couple of minifigs and accessories too by the looks of it. Hope it is available here in Ireland though, at least on S@H.

A "workers" theme for City. You could have an office, shop, farm, factory. Maybe even a school would fit in there. An impulse set could be a hot-dog stand or some such. Anyways, whatever you call the subtheme (maybe if it is not too depressing, you could call it City Life), it would add life to a city and allow the kind of make-believe life role-play that kids do (ala Sims). Duplo has often had a farm, but Duplo is really not that great even at 5 years old, and I think a farm would still be play value to age 8 or so at least. Probably should just be a medium set - keep it fairly limited (as the Duplo sets are). I think the factory set could be awesome (and should maybe be the largest set). Lego has so many vehicles that a car factory seems most appropriate. Plenty of opportunity for action elements there (kids can have all the machinery go crazy in the factory, etc.) The office should be two stories (at least) although obviously it probably has to be the standard open-back construction with relatively small floorspace (although it could be medium-large set in the theme). It could have an elevator as an action piece. The interior would have reception, floor area (probably only two desks) and managers office. The shop could be the small-medium set, just a simple "convenience store" type layout, kind of like Green Grocer ground floor interior except simple exterior and a couple more shelves/cabinets inside. Another ideas for simple small sets (maybe smaller than the convenience store) would be a hair salon, bakery, takeaway (just kitchen plus counter!).