jFox

Soo many new and exciting beards! I love the dwarves from the fantasy era, and would love to add some of the new beards and accessories to the few that I have. Can't wait to see what the sets look like!

As for decals, I saw this set on Brickforge which has a fair amount of torso decals for cheap: http://www.brickforge.com/store/product.php?productid=16649&cat=440&page=1. I've never purchased decals from Brickforge so can't make any claims as to their quality, but might be worth a look.

That looks pretty nice. It reminds of the scene from Helm's Deep when he's putting on armor before the siege. I really dig the printing on those pieces, the scales look very nice.

+1 to Piratedave84

I like the pieces you used for the cockpit, though I think that's because it looks a little steampunk-ish to me. Regardless, very cool ship!

A painting I did, I call it "Son of Mario" and based it on a Magritte painting. Size: 20"x30"

This ship looks like it would fit with the Reavers from the Firefly show (or the movie Serenity, which had lots of them). Good job, looks very menacing.

I agree with your verdict on this, it's a pretty fantastic set, and for only $20 I can't imagine a good reason to skip this one. Maybe if you're afraid of spiders... I really like the string mechanism too. The hook is a little unsightly when it's not attached to anything, but does a good job of securely wrapping up a poor minifigure.

That's a really cool idea! It would be cool to see these guys in a scene with some people cutting down trees or harming the forest in some way. Maybe even honest woodcutters getting a scary surprise. Would love to see any updates on this concept. I agree with JackJonespaw, some color variations might work out nicely.

This is really the best plan of attack, I think. For easy math, let's say you buy a set for $100. You say you'd discount said set and sell it for 75% of the original price, so you would make back $75, when that set sells. Which could be months from now, if ever. Asking around here in advance is a good way to expedite that process, and maybe you'd only do this if you're guaranteed to get this deal. But if you could buy those same minifigures for $25 on Bricklink, you're all done. No need to pay the initial cost of $100, and no need to worry about storing the set, paying for shipping materials, losing some money to PayPal, etc...

@Hawkman - Thanks, but I can't take credit for the banner; I just plucked it off a nearby siege engine from the Tower Raid set. @Wardancer - Yeah, the chain around his neck was a bit much. In my head I imagine a harness that goes around his neck, under his belly and back near his tail, but at this size it's hard to pull off. I took that off as you can see below. @SuvieD - You make a couple of interesting points, and I'd like to offer a few counterpoints. First, love the idea about the nets! That would be a really cool addition to this guy's arsenal. As for the spear, the prongs/blades at the end don't necessarily mean it's heavy or a poor choice. There are a lot of weapons that you specifically DO want to catch on things. Mancatchers and similar weapons, for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasumata. I saw BrickTW has a spear they call the "Hell Halberd" that is a good LEGO(ish) example: http://shop.bricktw....ll-halberd.html If I see anything else of theirs that strikes my fancy I may pick up several. As for the banner, samurai sometimes wore something on their backs to deflect arrows. It was big and visible, and would fill with air when moving quickly. http://en.wikipedia....ki/Horo_(cloak). I can see your point about wanting to keep a low, almost stealthy profile, but that's not my intent with this guy. It's like putting barding on horses. Is it slower than no armor at all? Sure, but the extra protection is worth it I think. That being said, I do agree the armor was a bit bulky, and a little "Hollywood" as well. I tried experimenting with some bone pieces to create some armor "plates" to drape over the sides, but it just wasn't working out how I liked it. The results always seemed to thick. So I went a bit more minimal and here's the results: The chains under the neck are removed, and the only armor on the sides is the troll shield. I like this approach because the shield is thin enough to not really stick out, and it gets the troll emblem on there (which I think is pretty cool). I also tried adding a second shield on the side, but I think this might lean back in the too-bulky direction. What do you guys think? Behind the rider you can see a few teeth pieces sticking up. This sort of acts as a backrest to keep him seated--and add some much-need lumbar support! Also, a few trophies on a chain to demoralize his enemies. It reminds me of that scene in Return of the King when the orc catapults "release the prisoners" to Minas Tirith. I removed the banner because it seemed a bit too big, and covered up the rider too much. Some here liked it, so maybe I'll look into it again. Maybe a shorter pole? I like the old banners from the Ninja/Shogun sets, they didn't seem as obstructing. Also, I need to find a way to put more weapons in there. Hmm, maybe a sword holder on his back? Poor Crownie... didn't have a chance!

After hearing a coworker speak highly of the new Dino sets, I took a closer look at them. Upon seeing the Raptor Chase set, a light bulb went on in my head and here's the result. The robot arms (with claw/fang piece) wrap nice around the torso, but I wish I could get some more armor wrapped around him. I like the way the axe blades in front look, though they are very wobbly. That axle piece they're attached to does not fit in the robot arm very snugly, so if I even look at it the wrong way it wiggles around. Still thinking of a good way to fix that. I also tried putting an arm/fang combo on over the head, but I'm not quite sold on it yet. I'm not sure if it's the color (only have 2 of those arms in brown), or the shape. I'm happy with it so far, but feel like I could certainly add something to it. Once I perfect this, I think I might pick up 2 or 3 more raptors and make an elite cavalry squad to terrorize my kingdom (once it's built at least)! Comments and criticisms are welcome!

It's like a perfect slow-mo photograph, nicely done!

He's looking pretty good so far! I like what you've done with the hand; the minifig legs make for a nice, thick hinge piece. The beard looks nice too! Speaking of hinges, have you considered hinge plates for the elbow? These parts (and they come in brown and green): http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2429c01 Keep it up, I look forward to seeing more progress on it.

That's a pretty nice looking set. The hearse has a nice just-slightly-over-the-top feel to it, to make it look a little cartoony and ridiculous but still cool at the same time. The zombie driver really nice too, the printing on him is great.

I've experienced similar issues with some weapons, though it has happened on a variety of part/color combinations and with various figures. In my limited experience (just got back into LEGO this year), I'd tentatively agree with Hive; perhaps this just how LEGO is these days?

I think I know the model you mentioned, the one from the boxed set of the movie. This is very much a good representation of that (and the city in general). Very detailed, I love it. From what I've seen of micro builds they look they could pose quite a challenge, and this is certainly no exception. Well done!

I agree! Though I didn't realize they were legs until I read this... The color scheme is really nice as well, and I like the small splashes of white and green.

Thanks for all the pictures! You weren't kidding, Miniland is pretty incredible! I've been debating taking a trip down there, given its "tame" nature. But seeing some of those pictures is making me lean a bit more in the positive direction. Cypress Gardens was really nice, it's good to hear they kept some of that around.

You could always use the fleshies as "foreigners" in anything you create. Men (and women) from a strange land, with strangely colored, exotic skin, etc.

I can express a similar sentiment about Star Wars sets from the prequel trilogy or the Clone Wars. For me, the original three Star Wars movies are meaningful to me, so the LEGO sets based on them have an extra level of value beyond just bricks. The prequels I don't care much for, and haven't seen any of the Clone Wars series, so much of those sets are very bland to me--though a few sets are interesting in their own right. So for those sets, I don't have any regrets about never buying, say, a Clone Turbo Tank. Though I might get an Aayla Secura figure someday, just because I think it looks nice. I won't just swear off licensed sets on principle. Rather, I'll look at each individual set and see if it interests me. Whether that's from a parts perspective, or the shape/style of something in the build that might be a useful reference in the future.

That's a nice use of those plant/vine pieces, they make excellent jellyfish tentacles. Thumbs up on the photographer, too! Though I'm not too sure about the teeth pieces at the bottom... rocks? Seashells?

Here's the situation: I bought a bunch of used plates a little while back, and they were a little dirty so I decided to wash them. After they dried and I stuck a few together, I noticed they felt different than other pieces I have. They felt harder, almost brittle. And when I put them together they grip each other VERY well. So much so that I'll have to give them several pushes to fully attach them. Each little push only attaches them about a quarter of the way before they get stuck again, and need a harder push. Even putting a minifig on the studs took more pressure. Also, if I put a few together and bend/twist them just a little, they make a lot more creaking/cracking noise than other pieces do as well. So the question I have is, is this normal? Does this happen to all pieces over time, or is it something specific that could have done this? When I washed them it was in warm water with some Dawn dish soap, and I used a toothbrush to clean around the studs. Could the previous owner have left them in less-than-ideal conditions for storage? Maybe a place that was too hot/cold, or too humid, etc? Lastly, should I be worried about using these with other pieces? If these pieces have hardened up a bit, will the extra stiffness cause undue stress on other pieces connected to them? Or am I just worrying over nothing?

Wow, that is a beautiful pegasus! I like how dense the wings are; there are a lot of pieces in there and looks very much like feathery wings. The body of the pegasus is very well detailed too. I don't think I've seen a brick-built horse like that before. Very cool use of those cones for horse hooves!

Love those mantlets (and today I learned they have a name). Always like seeing little defensive structures such as these in people's work. Good job!