gylman

Well, I'm not religious (in fact I regard myself as a militant atheist), but I still find his work repetitive and a bit sick. I laughed a few times at first.... but it just goes on and on and gets more disturbing. I guess I'm just old. Thanks for the reply though. Peace. Gyl

I'm sure many on Eurobricks know this man's MOCs. He used to call himself a Reverend, but I think this was a joke. He does these bible MOCs that are routinely posted on LUGNET. While they are occasionally amusing or show interestin stuff, mostly they are rather disturbing, showing murders, rapes, etc etc. Yet, no one ever objects on LUGNET, and he gets posted to the main page routinely. I don't get it. Have a look at one of his current offerings. Does this really have any merit? http://news.lugnet.com/announce/moc/?n=3028 Am I missing something? My feeling has been that he is trying to get people up in arms and start a controversial discussion, so I have been avoiding expressing my feelings, but frankly, some of his stuff is sick. http://www.thebricktestament.com/judges/ga...t/jg19_25b.html http://www.thebricktestament.com/judges/ga...t/jg19_29a.html I've been around the internet since before it was the "internet", and I've learned to ignore stuff that bugs me, since most of the time people who are doing it are trying to piss you off intentionally. I've ignored his MOCs a while, but they are just not going away. Sigh. Anyway, wanted some opinion on this stuff. Maybe I'm just showing my age by being bothered by this. Do you people like his work? Gyl

We saw it today. It was good, not great ( a bit slow in parts, but W&G are always like that). The highlight was actually the short that preceded the moving with the four penguins from Madagascar. The contrast between the two was that W&G would pretty much only make a kid laugh, while the penguins had something for both the kids and for the adults. Still, I would recommend taking kids under 12 to W&G. Any older...... maybe not. Gyl

When I saw Two Towers in the theatre, I was disappointed. Then I got the extended version, and it is totaly awesome. They cut so much key material, it really weakened the movie. The battle of Helm's Deep is the best epic battle I have ever seen in any movie. Even though the battle at Gondor was bigger, the Helm's deep battle was darker, more involving. The scene when the Elves arrive to help the Men of Gondor brought tears to my eyes (this may have to do with my long-standing Tolkien fandom and knowledge of how little Elves normally cared for the affairs of men, and what a sacrifice this meant for the Elves, who would otherwise be essentially immortal and were leaving Middle Earth anyway).

I agree that the one reasonable excuse for Lego getting all upset about the premature pictures of the sets is that if they don't convey the quality of the sets accurately. Cheers. Gyl

Don't misunderstand me - I'm not angry at TLC as things are now, because so far they have made no threats and notwithstanding some posturing by GregF and apparently by Jake TLC remains a far more communicative and FAN involved company than it was just 5 years ago. The point of my post was that it would be foolish for them to start bullying people around, and so far they have not done so. Maybe they are reading my posts (ha ha). However, the fact is that our place in the hierarchy of it all is at the TOP. TLC makes money when we buy their product. Their goal in life is to make money. It so happens that they have acquired a reputtation for quality and thoughtful play, but that is part of the marketing of their product and distinguishes them from competitors. Heavyhanded tactics against their fan base would erode their reputation and their fan base. No doubt if we start to be resentful of TLC company policies and tactics, we will buy less of their product. I do not think we have to apologize to TLC for the posting of the various sneak peeks - we did not steal the pics, and obviously if TLC thinks is so important, they should control where their pics go. This is the internet age - any image or idea of interest goes around the world in 2 hours. TLC can't expect to hype a bunch of retailers with the catalog, and then expect that not a single one of those people will release the images prematurely. And, bottom line is that it's nothing more or less than free publicity, some hype for the toy selling engine of the world's best toy making company.

LMFAO (sorry, that's just pure spam, but I just can't help myself)

Yes, but I guess it is notable that the pics were basically released by 1000steine. So they can't be total lap dogs. Maybe they are #1 on Jakes black list :)

FANS > TLC any time. Customers > company any time. Companies that forget this eventually join the dustbin of history. It's one thing for TLC to ignore Lego fans, as they did for many years when they had a more dominant market position. It's another for a money-losing TLC to antagonize fans in the age of the internet, when fans belong to forums and can very quickly become a nasty eMob with the right incitement. The lego freaks of today can become the anti-Lego freaks of tomorrow. There are more than enough bricks on the planet already. "anti" moves against big conglomerates occur all the time. Anti-Microsoft, anti-IBM, anti-Internet Explorer. They acquire a momentum of their own. Strong as TLC is, it is not making money these days, and cannot afford to lose even 1% of ther income over a tempest in a teapot. If I was the marketing manager at TLC, rather than going around suggesting that people should stop looking at, downloading, or sharing files that show the prototypes, I would create a web site that shows the pics already released, discusses the process of marketing Lego, details the product schedule for the coming year, discusses past picture leaks, show how some sets changed from prototype to final, and make a fun educational site for all. No anger required. Love your fans. In the last couple of years I have seen TLC take good steps to stay in touch with its fan base, and make genuine efforts to capture a bigger audience. I think they are succeeding but only time will really tell since all toy makers are struggling. The premature release of a few preview pics a few weeks in advance of when they were going to be released should not make TLC freak out and start threatening fans and fan sites. I have faith in TLC, and do not think this will happen, at least not over something this minor. If it does, then clearly the company has no real hope for the future. Cheers Gyl ($0.04) more than just y 2 cents' worth.

Huh? Why are we #1 on Jake's blacklist? Gimme the gossip! *twisted* Interesting how BZP and FBTB are intimidated by TLC, Legofan of course is very closely affiliated with TLC. So they are hardly independent voices. Lugnet? Bah, they are all psycho. Probably independent, but certifiable for the most part, at least the ones who post and bicker all the time. That leaves EUROBRICKS!! the only significant truly independent Lego Fan site. (oh yeah, forgot 100steine, sorry, they are bigger). However, how independent are they from TLC? I honestly don't know since I can't read German. Congratulations to Eurobricks! Gyl Seriously, I would be stunned and saddened if TLC would make threats against a group of people who love Lego so much, spend so much money on it, and probably promote it wherever they go. I doubt they will start yelling and screaming at Eurobricks. If they truly CARE so much they should just be more damn CAREFUL where and who they show their pictures to. Don't browbeat the fans, fire the dimwit responsible for thee oh-so-all-important pictures. Meh.

I'm glad to hear there's a a technic type set rather than yet another humanoid or bugoid. Haven't had one since 2002, and I think the Boxor, Exo-Toa, Manas, Cad and Gad, and Muaka were the best of Bionicle - building-wise anyway.

I Think Axonn and Brutaka look good. The hands are a bit extreme but hands are very tough in this scale. There is something in the back of the leg - I wonder if it has any functionality, or just for decoration. Hopefully functionality. The Pirakas--blechh one thing I see in this new year's sets is lots of claws. I love those claws. Very useful in all types of constructions, including non-bionicle.

Yes of course they are real. Look at GregF's over-reaction to their release. That says all I need to know. Are they really going to cancel the promo campaign to the biggest Bionicle site in the world, and probably the most active Lego site of any kind in the world? NOT!! (unless they are stupid and spiteful). Or..... maybe they can do a quick damage control job and fix up those very ordinary Matoran, as all the people who posted on BZP agreed.

do you have a link for us ;) EDIT: found it, loooooool I didn't know that they ware as FBTB, really picky on this kind of news *wacko* Don't worry, Toa Tilius !!!! I have to say that those BZP people take themselves far too seriously. Yeah right - cancel the whole promotional campaign just because a few pics were leaked. These pics won't lose them any business. Frankly, the 2006 Matoran are very ordinary - now THAT may lose them business (and I say this as a Bionicle fan). Don't sweat it Tillus - set leaks occur all the time. It's not like you stole the pics yourself. They were posted on the biggest lego site in the world (1000steine>lugnet any time, too bad I don't read German very well)! Chill, sit back, and laugh at foolish people taking a children's toy far too seriously. Gyl

LMAO, now pics are gone. Too funny. Oh well - we had a tease, now we gotta wait 2 months until the November catalogs, etc.

The Ferrari looks very nice. The Xpods are decent. I will definitely have to expand my collection of both of these. Ferrari may be the best display theme ever, I think. The rest....... sigh. Technic looks feeble compared to last 2 years. No new Mindstorms? No Vikings. No Adventurers (oh Johhny, where are you?). The manga robots..... not for me although I wish TLC all the best of luck trying to catch the pre-teen boy market. Still, as someone pointed out, it's only part of the year's offerings, so hope springs eternal. Or, maybe they are all phoney! Hope springs eternal except for the Ferrari sets. Gyl

Retroman! (remember my age. I was playing with Lego when this guy was being released). Matt I will email you a better version of the picture.

Retroman! (remember my age. I was playing with Lego when this guy was being release). Sorry for double post.

Welcome. Enjoy this friendly and easygoing site. Gyl

Being a compulsive eBay and Bricklink shopper, as well as a knife collector, and having received and sent packages to and from Australia Singapore ++ Hong Kong ++ Japan ++ Switzerland France + Belgium Italy Israel Netherlands ++ Germany +++ Spain + Brazil Mexico USA +++ Canada +++ and the United Kingdom (all 3 parts) +++ (and I am sure there are other countries I forgot) I can state without fear of being wrong that the worst mail service in the world from a civilized country (well, more or less civilized) both most expensive and slowest/least reliable, is Royal Mail from England. I have found the US Postal Service, to my surprise, to be quite excellent! Spain and German y also stand out. Cheers. Gyl

Hi Matt I am a big time eBay buyer (see "gylman" user on eBay) and have bought many things from UK. I am in Canada, and I know the Royal Mail schedule like the back of my hand. Your package must be several kg, and you will not get the value you deserve from your goodies because of the massive cost of shipping. People just won't bid. If you break up the auction lot into several lots that weigh 1 kg or less, even 2 kg or less (including the weight of the box!!) that can be shipped at a more reasonable rate, you will get much more for your efforts. No one has bid as of yet, and you could still take the auction off, or revise it with only part of the lot, and create some new ones. Speaking as a buyer, unless I am looking for bulk parts, I usually don't like paying for items "also included" in an auction, let alone the extra shipping cost. I know it's a hassle to relist, but it depends why you are doing the auction. If you really need the money, you definitely will be much better off to subdivide your big auction. $0.02 Cheers. Gyl BTW: 56 days for surface mail to North America may be misleading. My experience is Royal Mail takes 2-3 months to Canada, and I assume also the US. PS: I just looked at your feedback profile. You look like almost an identical eBay buyer to me. Probably you are aware of those issues I raised. Sorry if what I said was obvious or redundant.

Actually, and totally off topic, from my perspective in Canada the impression of Scandinavia here is of a racially and religiously homogenous somewhat xenophobic and socially insulated part of the world that is good at talking up its "social justice" and 'progressive" values (which are easy to apply in that setting). However, the view from here in Canada, one of the most diverse countries in the world, is that other than token financial support, Scandinavian countries don't actually get hands dirty in helping solve some of the world's more serious problems by taking in refugees,or providing tangible human assistance (i.e. more than just money) in the world's many trouble spots. The other scandianvian connection of course is Ikea, famous for its cheap furniture that falls apart very easily. Hence, I would not consider "Made in Scandinavia" a selling point. "Made in England" would be much more meaningful here, in the US, and probably in Australia. Of course, since in about 20 years the world's dominant country and consumer market is likely to be China, "Made in China" is going to be become an asset, not a liability. $0.02

Sigh. Nothing in Canada. Nothing at S@H, nothing at TRU. I know the Vikings will eventually come here (heck, they discovered Canada >1000 years ago, and are long overdue to return) but the waiting is killing me! :'( Gyl EDIT: argh, couldn't stand it anymore. Bought the full set on eBay. Probably will end up costing less than buying them in Canada anyway given our very strong doller and avoidance of taxes (assuming I can dodge customs *twisted* ).

A more complex build for the big set. Maybe something that can be combined with the "castle" from this year, to make something more impressive.

yes.... well. I always rely on a business report from Lebanon as the most up-do-date and reliable source of news on TLC. |-D