LegoPohm

New Zealand just doesn't have the population to support a big Lego buying base. I always shop around and go overseas via the Internet, I always look and wait for sales/specials. It's the same for just about anything here, hobbies to food, a small population and very little competition. The real bugbear for me is the fact that not all sets make it out here, poly bags for instance. I'm lucky that relatives in the UK help out but I do feel that the hike in price is not a true reflection of shipping cost additions, but is that a taxation thing that is out of control of Lego?

Great review. I think Galaxy Squad is becoming my new favourite Lego theme. As a kid classic space was my number 1, so I suppose I'm coming back to my Lego roots. I think I have to make some Lego decisions as there are so many great sets and themes, but I have so many unfinished themes. Whitefang, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your reviews, they really help my decision making.

The more I have looked at the sets the more I like them. My Lego collecting of late has been very much geared towards getting licensed sets which in the main seem to be about collecting the minifigs. GS has got me looking at the models and the possibilites that present themselves - pretty much how it used to be for me as a child when classic space was my favourite theme. Well done Lego :) I have not found any release details for NZ yet.

Good article and good news for Aussies and Oz based fans. Hope there is a knock on effect in NZ in terms of export numbers of bricks.

I have found the whole Friends theme controversy rather odd, the opinions raised where never anything I considered until I read them. I have 3 daughters two of whom are very much into Lego, probably because their Dad is :). Whichever sets come out to be played with the result usually ends up the same: they use the minifigs to enact weddings and parties, decorating the buildings (the MMV is a favourite for this) they create and hunting ,firstly, for the brighter coloured bricks for their MOCs. On the flip side they also love to set up battles with Star Wars and Castle Lego and enjoy not letting Dad win. I enjoy getting involved with their play either with the Castle, Star Wars and City Themes and/or their Friends themes. I certainly do not see why Friends is re-enforcing a gender stereotype; when not playing Lego my girls run around outside digging holes in the garden, climbing trees and generally engaging in what could be regarded as male stereotype activities. Does it really hurt for boys and girls to retreat into these worlds every now and again whether it be a pink room filled with hairbrushes or a full on infantry engagement in front of a castle?

Thank you for the great review, WF your minifig reviews are always great. Each series that goes by seems to have fewer figures that appeal to me and I am less inclined to want to collect them all; mainly due to not yet having a complete collection of any series - I get ones that fit themes and sets I have, plus a few others I like the look of. This series seems does not really grab me as a whole, I'll try for the pirate, alien, conquistador and actor; plus I know my girls want the fairy and father Christmas. I'm sure a few others will find there way into the collection as we don't put a lot of effort into feeling them - the females with dresses are pretty easy to identify though.

Not too sure how I am going to manage to do a build for this without my daughers knowing, I am sure they'll end up with some input/take over, especially now they have read the contest information over my shoulder!

Great review, thanks for taking the time to do it and share. Have to say, from these images I am impressed by this set, each review of the LOTR sets that I read convinces me further than I am going to have to try and get them. My wallet and Wife are not going to be best pleased, although I am sure the bank manager and TLG will like how my money is used

Brickminer I have seen on the jobs at lego website a trainer position with Legoeducation in Billund. I am a qualified teacher and really keen on this position but need some info about life 'outside of Lego' in Billund, so that I can give my wife and kids some more information to go on rather than just the job description. Can you help or is there anywhere you can point me for more info? Thanks for your time.

Some great scores here, enjoying reading people's PAB adventures. Wish I had one here in NZ. Still, I get plenty of time reading up on techniques for packing for when I go and visit my relatives in England later in the year - I think I'll be spending a lot on Lego purchases. If I take one of my daughters I'll get a couple of suitcases, but only use one for clothes on the outward bound trip leaves plenty of room

I can't say for sure how true it is but a couple of on-line retailers here have the sets listed but only one has quoted the release date of September - the other just says unavailable. At the moment I can deal with it - but once people start showing off their sets, minifigs and MOCs on EB I'll probably end up pestering relatives in the UK to send them .

I buy all my Lego in secret, but rarely does it stay secret . My kids seem to know my collection as imtimately as I do and quickly shout up to mum if they spot something new in amongst it all. My wife is fairly tolerant and 'gets' my Lego collecting but I do stick to the line 'it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.' I can get away with being open about minifigs but anything else I usually have to sell something beforehand (not Lego), but I am running out of those 'somethings'. I have no idea how I am going to manage the LoTR Helms Deep set yet...

Love this build and enjoy returning to see how it is going. Cracking stuff.

Posted my entry last night after some silly errors with deep linking on my part. My first attempt so I hope it is acceptable, I am afraid my photographic skills are not very good at all.

My entry to the 8x8 vignette. Minifig: Roman Theme : Historical I was flicking through some history books and googling for inspiration of something that would hopefully be a little different and came across some images of roman latrines. Hence I give you 'Military toilets through the ages' First the overall view: Medieval garderobe: The Roman latrine: Other images of the entry available here. Cheers.

Firstly thanks for the replies. I think there is some sort of irrational thing going on in my head . When I was a child my town sets and basic bricks all got lumped into a big plastic bucket but my space was always kept separate in its original boxes. Oddly enough it never occured to me to store Lego any other way. I suppose there is a fear that one day I may come to re-build a set and find that parts have gone missing - keeping parts by theme gives me a modicum of control over the sets (in my head anyway ). My goal is to make it easier to make MOCs especially castle themed - I would keep my Classic Space separate though.

My total Dark Age was 1990 to 1998 - serious sporting interests and study ate up all my spare time and cash. From 1999 to 2003 I picked up the odd set here and there because I liked to look of them but had no real call to get back into Lego. In 2004 I got the Ferrari pit stop set (because I liked the look of it) but that set really brought me out of my Dark Ages. It was quickly followed by the dark side developer kit, some star wars and city sets. Had a minor break in 2006/7 when I married and I've been buying ever since. My collection is modest compared to some images I have seen on Lego forums but it is expanding with Castle being the main contributor. My children have a healthy enjoyment of lego now and I have more excuses to buy more.

Ever since I can remember I have been slightly overzealous about not mixing themes. I have a some plastic drawers with a theme in each: Pirates, classic space, castle, city/town, Star Wars, technic; then smaller drawers with the minifigs of each theme. I have gone through this forum on sorting several times with the intention of refining my sorting but cannot bring myself to lump parts together whether it be by colour, type or whatever. I've had a go at a few small MOCs but for each I really struggle to allow the themes to mix - probably some sort of Lego OCD - how have people got over that 'mixing' hurdle or has it never been a problem?

Hello, My lego history begins as a 3 or 4 year old opening up a Galaxy Explorer way back in the 70's and I have been hooked ever since. Lego has always been in my life except for my dark ages during University and a few years afterwards. Classic space was my main theme but I did have what I classed as ordinary Lego - basic sets and classic town. Much of my Classic space was sold to fund uni but I kept the GE and a couple of other bits; my ordinary Lego is in a big bucket in my Mum's loft in England but space eventually followed me to NZ along with my Lego pirate ship Red Beard Runner. My dark ages officially ended when I picked up some Star Wars sets and I have not looked back. I have kids of my own now: 3 girls and one boy and great excuses to buy more Lego. We have built up a collection of City Lego, mainly the hospital sets and a lot of fantasy Castle. I find it hard to keep my spending to one or two themes... Enjoying the discussion here on Eurobricks and the MOCs are great to behold; I would very much like to get more standard sets as well as themed sets in order to give MOCs a go. Cheers,

My daughters love the Princess and the pea story and love this Mary Poppins - they're looking through their books to see which story could be built.

On first seeing the NY toyfair images I was of a I can take it or leave it persuasion with only the attack on Weathertop being on my radar. This pictures have me trying to figure out where I can make savings in order to get them, these are great, thanks for posting them.