Tyrant

The Castle line has been a later release for a few years now. We don't have pictures because the pics we have are for the first part of the year, not the summer/fall waves. I am sure if I looked around I could find a thread like this for last year, the year before, etc. Give it a few months, unless you think we have seen everything coming out next year, which wouldn't be much compared to the last few years.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried this with the minifigs. With the other sets, I have never had a problem buying several (in multiples of 3) and having the deal go through on every third one. As an example, if I were to buy 9 sets that were $10 each, I would only be paying $60 before taxes (in store). That has worked just fine for me in the past, but I have no idea if there is an upper limit because the most of one set I have bought this way is 9.

Someone else will have to work out a pattern if there is one, but I can say that it does seem to happen more than once a year. However, it isn't very often. I do not remember off hand if it is usually running during the Black Friday sale or not, but if it is that would be the next time it would likely pop up (I would imagine).

I was meaning are we going to see them in other books. If not, it's hard to become interested in them because the book is open ended. I know the open endedness is intentional because the book is a way to introduce people to time frame of the new MMO. It's just that with other characters in the various SW books they either show up again (and again and again) or they have some kind of resolution (or die). Here, not so much. It doesn't make it a bad book if it's viewed as a chunk of the lives of people in this time period in the SW universe, but it's nice to have resolution. I haven't really looked into the new game that much, but it is nice to know her name isn't just a coincidence. Do they explain who any of her other ancestors were (who hooked up with Bastilla, for instance)? Yeah, the book with Darth Malgus on the cover is the one I am talking about.

I am wondering if we will see any of the characters any place else. I know Paul Kemp has an Old Republic book coming out set in the same time frame, but I have no idea if it is a follow up to this one or a stand alone. Also, I wonder if the Jedi Master (forgot her first name) is related to Bastilla Shan (from KotoR)? I thought the droids were an interesting idea though (not overly original, just nothing like them in SW before now). As for what I am reading, I just finished the second Forgotten Realms Cleric Quintet book, In Sylvan Shadows. That's the 5th Salvatore book in a row so I think I will switch to the Elminster series for now. I've read 67 FR books, but I've got 20 or so sitting around that I haven't read yet.

I just finished reading Star Wars: Fatal Alliance, an Old Republic book set during the time frame of the upcoming Old Republic MMO. It wasn't bad for a SW book but I have my doubts any of the characters will appear anywhere else. Now I'm trying to read through my backlog of Forgotten Realms books. I just started the Cleric Quintet by Salvatore and I'm about halfway through the first book.

I watched a few movies over the last week or so. The Other Guys-This movie was very funny. I don't recall any "off" jokes or groan inducing moments. Pretty well everyone played their parts quite well. Samuel L Jackson and The Rock are great as the over the top, action movie esque cops. Will Farrell is great as the detective who got promoted out of Forensic Accounting. Mark Wahlberg is great as the cop who wants to be the big action hero to the point that he believes every suspicious thing the two come across is part of a plot involving drug lords and crime syndicates. Easily the funniest movie I have seen this year. The Expenables -This was more or less what I expected. It was essentially an 80s action movie, the good and the bad. The action is good and "real" (lacking CGI, primary actors doing their own stunts I believe), the action is bloody, there are love interests, the plot is paper thin at best, the bad guys are true scum (Eric Roberts was a good choice here) and you want them to get what's coming to them, the character development is virutally non existant (well, maybe one or two characters learn something out of all this). Everyone played their role well, although only a few of the people in the movie had a real role. Stallone and Statham are the mains with Li, Lundgren (to my suprise, to be completely honest), and Rourke are the secondary characters with actual parts. Roberts plays the villain well. Steve Austin, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews have their moments, but they were basically card board cut outs of characters (which is very fitting for an 80s style action movie). Arnold and Willis are in this for roughly twice as long as their clip in the previews. Scott Pilgrim vs The World-I'll start by saying that I have never read the books, so I have no idea how "accurate" this is. Having saiid that, I was entertained. There is a lot of video game based humor/scenery in this. For instance, as Scott defeats the Evil Exes they turn to piles of coins and point scores materialize. A lot of things go completely unexplained (well, pretty well all of tha fantastical happenings go unexplained and no one seems to really question it). If you're not a video game fan, you may not enjoy the movie. Even the plot is like a video game (fight the "bosses" (the exes) to "rescue" (win the heart of) the "princess" (Ramona)). Also, Keiran Culkin steals about every scene he is in.

+1 for JCC1004 everything was fast and smooth.

I don't think it's far fatched for us to see ships at some point. I think it will come down to what kind we are likely to see. I would like larger ships in line with the Troll Warship, but I will live with smaller ones like the older Sea Serpent. I don't think any reference to the historical role of ships during the middle ages is relevent. The inland countries would have next to no need of ships for combat due to geography. However, Kingdoms is not medeival Europe and it's geography could be anything (I haven't seen any maps so I could be way off). There was naval combat well before the advent of the cannon. For me, I'm not sure if I would prefer big ships or little ships. Little ships would allow us to buy more of them, due to lower price, and build a large navy. It would also not take up a larger product spot that would likely otherwise go to a fortress of some type. On the other hand, large ships look better and having full sized sails to use to mod other ships is nice. For smaller ones, I think the Sea Serpent is a decent starting point. Maybe make it a little longer so it can hold more troops in the middle and have mounted crossbows (or a small ballista) on the front. I would probably use brown parts for the hull though. For a larger ship, I think the Viking hull plates are the way to go. A larger ship should probably be a troop transport with some type of forward weapons. Something like the Troll Warship but with more structure involved at the front and rear, wide and short sails instead of the type on the Troll Warship. With either type of ship I would hope we would get a sea side dock or two.

For Kingdoms, I hope to see a similar number of sets. I am happy that there are 3 sets @ $20 and under so far (5 if you count impulses, 7 if you count battle packs) and I hope we see something along the lines of either the Tower Raid or Drawbridge Defense in terms of size, price, figures/parts, etc for the Dragon Knights along with a large castle for them (hopefully it being along the thematic lines of the Prison Tower Rescue, or just a large darker toned fortress). For the Lion Knights I would think we would possibly see a wagon of some type for them or some siege equipment of their own assaulting a Dragon Knight structure. I would love to see peasants in a regular issue set that isn't super expensive, but so far that wish seems to go unfulfilled. I would like to see a ship of some type for either or both factions. Larger ships like the Troll Warship would be nice, but smaller ships like the older Sea Serpent would be nice too. Perhaps a port as well. That's probably just wishful thinking. I would like to see greater representation of the Dragon Knights before we inject more factions, though I do want more factions (a redone Black Falcons would be awesome and given that both of the current factions are somewhat recycled it isn't without precedent) so I guess one set with a new group as a teaser for 2012 would be good. What could also be interesting would be buildings that can be attached to the current castle given that it is somewhat modular. For City, I would also like to see a School Bus. Or a regular bus. Either way as a standalone set. If we don't get a hospital (I don't have room for one at the moment anyway, so I am indifferent about a hospital), I would like to see a standalone ambulance. I assume that would also mean a medical helicopter as well. I would rather see something like a newscopter though. Perhaps a news van to go along with it, someone has to report on all the fires and arrests after all. A bank and armored car (hopefully seperate sets) would be nice and something we haven't seen for a while. A post office woud also be a nice addition. As for civilian vehicles, maybe a pick up truck. A pizza delivery vehicle or a minivan could be good too. If Farm continues, I agree with the previous suggestion of a sheep ranch. And hopefully a relatively cheap set with one or more cows. It's probably an extreme long shot, but maybe something like the Castle/Kingdoms battle packs only with farm animals. Since we have the horse trailer, a set of stables would be a nice addition as well. Maybe some silos too. For Atlantis (if it continues), I would love to see more animalesque minifigs like we have been seeing so far. The sea creatures have been good too so far so more of those will be good. I don't have it yet, but the transforming mech looks interesting and will be the first set I buy for the vehicle and not the sea creatures/figs. More sets like that, or just some greater variety (though I'm not sure what else really looks appropriate for an underwater theme) in vehicles. More temples/ruins are a must. I only buy the Space Police sets for the alien figures so anything that keeps giving us a variety of aliens is okay with me. Beyond that, a full return of any of the Trons (though I am partial to original Blacktron and M Tron over Blacktron II) would be nice. Perhaps a return of Ice Planet and really surprise people. I agree that things don't look promising for Prince of Persia, which to me is a shame because I like the ones that are out and I would like more sets along those lines (though I'm not sure what else they would make). If Indy returns my main want would be the tank from Last Crusade. A set of elephants from Temple of Doom would be good too. A dig site/map room from Raiders would make a nice structure. Maybe the bar in Nepal (or was it Tibet? It's been a while since I watched Raiders). From Power Miners my main interest is more monsters. Some sets, like the mech, are good and I would like more of them. SW is my only other interest and my wants for that would probably double this post.

Well, my vote always goes out for a revamped Black Falcons in these types of discussions. They were my favorite of the older factions. I think they would be nice with updated flags/torsos, and their colors (primarily black and blue with a bit of yellow) aren't being used by the two Kingdoms factions so they will stand out as different. Maybe they could actually get some king/queen/princess/prince/wizard types this time too. I hope it would also be a sign of other old ideas getting a new life like peasants. The tournament idea is a good way to reintroduce some older factions. If it isn't them, then I would like Forestmen (or Wolfpack). If the former, the forest/tree sets could be good and definite peasant potential. If the latter, hopefully they are still robber types but maybe with an outpost or ship or something. If it's something more original, maybe a faction modeled after the armored unicorn shield design from KK (can't recall which guy had it).

I do see what you're saying, but I've been selling stuff online for over a decade so boxing things up and posting ads just doesn't seem that time consuming to me. I've all but stopped using Ebay and stick with BL now. For me, the only headache is getting shipping quotes. As for your example, I don't think I could bring myself to sink that much into it. Or at least not paying retail. I would've bought those during the sale last year, or go to a LEGO store and rack up tons of points. Storing 30 of those could be tricky, but if I could turn a $4500 profit I would try to find a way. That's the part that doesn't scale well though. Well, that and the fact that 30 at once would flood the market which is why I try to diversify. I do agree with what I think you are saying in that this alone is very unlikely to pay the bills. That's one of the reasons I don't worry if I can't sell the sets later. I can still use what I bought. That is one of my only real concerns. The other is that sales will drop to nothing if the global economy completely falls through. Then again, if that happens I'll probably have bigger things to worry about.

I'm in a similar situation with the second version of the MTT. I got it on clearance at Wal Mart for $60 or $70 (though I think it was cheaper than that on Black Friday at TRU one year). I was planning on selling it. Now it appears to be somewhat valuable. At this point though, I would build it if I had room to display it. If I haven't sold it in a few months I may keep it.

I'm going to qualify this by saying that if you are talking about tens of thousands of dollars then you would probably be better off investing in something else because certain aspects of this don't scale that well. Having said that, what are you sinking money into that is seeing a greater return than reselling these sets? I'm selling sets 18-24 months after I buy them for more than twice what I payed (after factoring in taxes, etc). That's a profit of 100% or more. Yeah, you can get a deal like that every so often if you are either really lucky or doing insider trading but that is not a sustainable level of return on any "real" investment that isn't insanely risky. Sure, it can take 2 years. 2 years to double your money, buying something that if all else fails you still have a product that you can use. Some of these sets don't increase in value like that, that's true. As with any investment, the key is smart investing. You don't just buy whatever sets come along and whatever price is floating around. I'll give you an example of something along the lines of the method fred67 mentioned. In the last few days I have sold a number of sets I have been sitting on for 18-24 months. For 3 of them, I had $160 in them and I got $365. I took this money and bought 2 AT-OT sets during the sale. I bought them seperately and used a code for $5 off each of them, so it worked out to $365 for the pair. So, I had $160 in something that has now been transformed into 2 sets who's MSRP is $500. Some people have mentioned storage. That is a valid concern if you are cleaning out a TRU or 3. Otherwise, if you don't have space for some boxes do you space for the sets/parts without the boxes? I know they take up more room in the box, but either you have some room or you don't.

As your example shows, it is all about picking the set. Now that we have some trends and ideas from the past few years since the after market has been growing we can make educated guesses. Also, as you say, there aren't many legal investments (aside from straight gambling, which obviously has high risk) that see that kind of return. Yes, it is on the smaller scale and one should use traditional investing if they are looking to invest serious sums of money, but that kind of return isn't something that happens very often in the regular markets. I sell most of my sets for at least twice what I pay for them. Even after I factor in the taxes I paid and cost of going to get them (when they aren't bought online with free shipping) the return is still well above anything you can reasonably expect to see on a reegular basis with investments when viewed in terms of percentages. For most sets, buying them when they are on sale (and most sets are on sale at some point or another) is enough insurance because at that point even selling them at MSRP will provide some profit if you have to move them or are tired of holding on to them. Or, once they rise above MSRP you can afford to sell them lower than the commpetition because your profit starts at a lower price point so you are in a better position to actually sell them. It's worked for me so far to get money to sustain the hobby, though I'm looking at your idea of rolling over the profits. I've coonsidered it before but I haven't been in a position to seriously consider it. Also, I have never felt bad about doing this or anything like it. I've done it in one form or another with most of my hobbies. With the miniature games I play they are sold in random boosters so some figures are worth more than others. I sell off extras and ones who's value jumps that I have no use for all the time. It helps pay for the hobby. On the rare occasions when there was a reasonably sure way to know if a valuable figure was in the box, I bought them. I honestly don't understand what people have against making money.

I've bought a number of sets to resell and so far they have been selling. Yes, with some sets you do have to hold on to them for a while so you will need some place to keep them. If you are going to do this, you need to take advantage of sales instead of paying retail for them. This way you have less in them and the possible profit is greater. There have been a comment or two about smaller sets not being worth it. I don't believe that to be true. Yes, you may only double your money but you should buy more than one if you are wanting to resell them. Using the SW battle packs as an example, you can get 10 of them for the price of Home One and 10 of their boxes are easier to store. On top of that, if you have a KMart or Meijer near you you can get them on sale (buy 2 get 1 free) so for the same buy in price you can 15 instead of 10. Then once they double in value you actually have triple the value in inventory (15 doubled is 30, or 3 times the 10 you payed msrp for). Like coupons, it isn't about any one single item. If you make $20 in profit on a $20 set, you don't buy just one to sell. You just need to consider what drives the value of each individual set and if there is a cheaper alternative that will kill resale value. And, like I said, if you are buying a set to resell try to find some way to reduce it's cost to you. Just don't expect instant returns.

Well, I really like the figures, animals, helmets, and parts these sets have in them so I hope that we see more of them. I ordered the Battle of Alamut and the Fight for the Dagger from TRU yesterday during the sale. Once I get them I will have all 5 sets and aside from the Battle of Alamut I have multiples of them all to get multiples of all the new stuff. I'd love to see a smaller set with a camel and the Alamut guards. So, maybe we will see them late this year for the DVD release (which should be this fall).

I would like to see more of the EU characters, mainly the Sith. I'd like to see: Darth Krayt (and maybe some followers, named or otherwise) from the Legacy Era Exar Kun Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Darth Sion, Darth Nihilis, and Darth Treya (along with generic Sith minions and soldiers) from KotoR 1 and 2 Naga Sadow Freedon Nadd Lumiya Mara Jade Ben Skywalker Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina Solo Grand Admiral Thrawn Joruus C'baoth Admiral Daala Female and non human Imperial Officers and soldiers HK-47 Bastilla T3-M4 Basically the rest of the crew in KotoR 1 and 2 Sora Bulq Sev'rance Tann Aurra Sing The list could probably be nearly endless.

I saw Kick A** over the weekend. I can safely say it earned it's R rating. I have never read the book so I have no idea how accurate it is. It was pretty violent. There is lots of language. Those aren't a problem for me, but if you just look at the previews there are only hints of these things. This is not a typical superhero movie. I think it was trying to be either a deconstructionist look at superheroes and the fact that you would have to have a few screw loose (and possibly not for the better, if it is possible for that to be for the better) to even consider becoming a superhero. Or it was meant to be a parody and illustrate that fighting violent criminals is bound to become a pretty bloody affair. Or maybe it was both. Any way you look at it, I found it entertaining. If you're into the darker side of comics or just want to see some graphic action, you'll probably like it. My only complaint was the people sitting in front of me. The guy decided to slow clap about 5 times during the movie. The one where you take about 30 seconds to clap 4 times. His lady friend was a big fan of using net speak out loud (using the single word phrases "fail" and "win" make you sound ridiculous in real life) and felt the need to fist pump when two characters were commenting on the fact Paris Hilton is flat chested. They managed to remind me why I am apprehensive about watching movies in larger cities while simultaneously making me question how they can afford the $9+ ticket prices. On the plus side, she was large enough to act as a human wall and block out the fact someone two rows in front of her was texting through most of the movie. I sometimes wonder if it's natural at my relatively young age to be concerned about the future of civilization or if a movie going experience should make me consider things like that because of the audience and not any questions the movie raises.

You can only because they have no way of tracking them at the moment. The coupons say you can only use one per person during the valid period. I doubt I am the only one who ignores that, but that is what the coupons say.

I would also like to see those things, I just think they can coexist with Castle. Castle and Pirates coexisted for quite a while during the original Pirates run and they are both "historic". Castle is presently coexisting with the current Pirates line (well, it was), the new Prince of Persia line (which is as historic as Castle), and to an extent the Harry Potter line (which has a castle and fantastic elements so there is some crossover) so I think they can coexist with another "historical" line. I would like to see one myself, I just don't think you have to put Castle on hold to get it.

I just got done watching Date Night. I thought it was funny. Not as funny as The Hangover for instance, but there was more than just what you see in the previews. Thankfully, the funny outweighed the serious quite a bit. I've noticed that a number of RomComs (which I usually avoid) have a problem balancing those two, usually towards the end when the zany plots have forced the characters into a corner that they will only get out of with some serious soul searching. There is a little of that here, but it doesn't go overboard. In an interesting suprise, the couple's son was a LEGO fan. He asked his dad to have a LEGO battle with him and unless my eyes were playing tricks on me he had the King's Castle Siege (or it might have been the Tower Raid) on his table.

If, by some turn of events, there is a screw up and the box doesn't have a complete set, why would Entertainment Earth want to be on the line for that? They haven't made any guarantee so they shouldn't be responsible for living up to one. Or, a more reasonable point, how can it be proven one way or the other after they are opened that the person opening them did in fact not get a whole set and isn't just trying to scam them? They say it to avoid potential headaches and I would do the same in their place.

While some may consider it unethical since the coupons strictly say you can't do it, there isn't much from stopping you using the coupon more than once. I've usually done it by going to different stores or in the worst case (when I was someplace with access to only one for a multi day stretch) I went in at different times and made sure to get different cashiers (it didn't hurt that this one in particular had two entrances and thus two sets of cashiers). They have no way of tracking it even though they put in your membership info when you use it. If all else fails, bring a friend.

The case on Entertainment Earth has 120 figures, not 60. That's why it's $239 (or, basically $2 a figure). If you want 60 figures, what you want is this. A single display box. The one already linked to is 2 display boxes.