Faefrost

With Friends I think it is more things like table, counters, furniture etc that feels off. Everything feels 1-2 plates too high for minifigs. The wildly scaling spaceships never bother me, but for some reason I expect my minifigs to be able to see into the bakers counter without needing a stepladder.

Thanks for the great review as always Whitefang. This was superb. Man am I mixed on this one. I should be the target audience for this. An AFOL, a lifelong comic nerd, and someone who appreciates the strange, weird and stupidly humorous. I know I am the target for the movie. But the CMF's leave me more than a little flat. I think the big reason is there is not one figure in this line that you could possibly want or use more than one of. Where are the henchmen? Most CMF lines have a few viable Army Builder types. Even the Disney. This is one reason I hated the Simpsons ones. Every duplicate was a loss. Which took some of the fun out of it. As for these guys? My views are mixed; 1. Lobster lovin Batman - I like him. Some useful parts. He has lots of character. I can see Batman wandering my city in a bathrobe. It works 2. Glam Metal Batman - I love this one. Just pure awesome. 3. Fairy Batman - An amusing joke, but a little goes a long way. Not much you can really do with this one. The joke wears thin fast. 4. Clan of the Cave Batman - Meh! Really does nothing for me. I can't see any display or photo use for it. Not great parts. Just Meh! 5. Vacation Batman - may be the single best figure of the series. The only one I want multiples of, just to split it up for parts. The torso. The Ducky Ring. Just perfect. 6. Barbara Gordon - I should like this figure... but I really can't stand it. I know the character and character history too well so seeing her as a Cop feels wrong. The skin tone they used clashes horribly with the red hair and makes her look like an Oompa Loompa or bad spray tan wearer. The Dress Uniform is great, especially since it has no flesh anywhere, so can be used with any head color. But why oh why does it have a red sash? Is she secretly El Presidente of some Latin Republic? 7. Commissioner Gordon - The best interpretation of Gordon we have yet gotten. Sadly a little too detailed so you can't really use him for anything else. A great fig, but one is enough 8. Arkham Asylum Joker - BLEAH! Just seems pointless. We have better variants on this idea in actual sets. You don't even need one. 9. Dick Grayson - Nice that we get a civilian Robin. But damn that Goggles Head look is annoying. The rest of the fig is useful at least. The sad thing is without the stupid goggles the face has some great expressions. 10. Pink Power Batgirl - I know some love this one, but to me it's yet another joke that wears thin fast. Small female family members will love it. So I can see its point, but meh. 11. Red Hood - I like the idea behind this figure. I am just not sure that the execution worked. I love the inner head that you can't see, as that is the Jason Todd Red Hood Head. Which is great to get. That Red Dome just seems more distracting than impressive. 12. Eraser - What a fun little figure. I like the new head element. he reminds me of an old Dick Tracey Villain. 13. Nurse Harley Quinn - OK I will say it. BLEAH! I think I like every single other lego Harley Figure better than this one. This just seems too over the top campy. There is too much going on with it. That new hair piece is kind of garish. The figure is Gaudy. 14. Orca - I like this one. I love that they are usingthe red inner head trick again to show a scary mouth. While she seems more at home with the Atlantis figs than Batman, I still like her. 15. Zodiac Master - OK now here we have a great classic looking comic Super Villain. I love him. 16. Catman - A figure I never expected, but always wanted. Catman. Alongside Deadshot, Comic Bane and other Ahrley figures we are well on our way to a Secret Six collection. Can we get a Ragdoll or Scandal Savage fig? 17. March Harriet - Cause why the heck not? OK she's kinda cute. Nothing I would want 2 of, but why not. 18. The Calculator - I love this guy. I love that they found a way to incorporate both his whacky original look with the buttons on his chest, and his later purple spandex look. I love what they did with the helmet. A+ 19. King Tut - of all the oddball villains to resurrect from the Adam West show...? OK it's a cool gag. This one might have been better suited to a promotional fig when they released the 60's Batcave set, but regardless AFOL's with that set will be thrilled to have him. He's easy to find a home for. 20. Mime - She feels rather bland. Like she should have been a henchman instead. But sadly she has too many specific details for that. There are some great figures in this series. I just don't think I will be over buying on any of them. As I said a little goes a long way this time.

It isn't so much the dolls themselves. Some of the elves and especially the new DC comic ones are adorable. But the Friends style sets are also slightly over scales for minifigs. So they don't convert that well.

That is gorgeous. I love the color and texture you achieved with it. It draws you in really well.

I love it! It just has so much cool stuff packed into it. Granted it might look a little odd between the Grand Emporium and the Pet Shop? If you do display it with the official Modulars, might I suggest tucking in a "Space For Rent" sign somewhere?

Which sort of segues into one of the other areas that might weigh a bit against China long term. Specialized theme specific tooling. One of the more amazing things about the two other similar multimedia action themes (heck call it three and throw elves in there) remain how much more universally useful almost all of the line specific new tooling has been. I think for Ninjago really the only elements not immediately used or useful elsewhere were a few bad guy heads. Mainly the Snakes. Similarly So many of Nexo Knights new parts have found a ton of cross usage elsewhere. So much of China's new molds budget went into things like the head masks that are hard or impossible to use elsewhere. Yeah we got some good stuff like the minifig wings, but it just feels more limited.

BrickLink sellers can sell both new and used. Many sellers buy clearance sets on bulk and simply part them out. There are tools available for taking an LDD design and generating an XML parts list. Which can then be uploaded to BrickLink as a Wanted List. You can then use that to search and manipulate results to minimize the number of orders and sellers needed to get the parts you need. One word of caution if you are designing using LDD. If you plan on actually building the creation in the Brick, don't go all freeform with the colors. Not every brick is available in every color. Also be aware that some part/color combinations, while available within the database, are incredibly rare and even more incredibly expensive. Be prepared to go back and substitute or work around to reduce costs and increase part availability.

Actually I am rather astonished at the breadth of those projects that do clear the 100 vote threshold, often quite quickly. I think the number is likely a bit better than 1 in 100. Just looking at the past week it would seem that those recent projects that have, or clearly look to be well on a path to 100 in 60 days are more often than not, not licensed IP, are rather varied and interesting subjects and are well presented with a good pop of color and an attractive thumbnail to draw the eye.

I think the concern is not that the skin oils will soften melt or errode the lego. But rather long term exposure to or basting in certain oils will cause the plastic to become more brittle over time. Something that you do not typically associate with the oils. I remember one of the Lego design people clearly stating a weird little known fact that Butter is bad for ABS plastic for this reason.

Lego is not really going to test for it. Any such deterioration is decades outside the expected lifecycle of their products. Remember these are intended to be Toys. Children's playthings. Not historical art pieces handed down from collector to collector across the generations. Lego holds up better than most Toy products excepting maybe Die Cast cars. The rubber issues are the nature of the beast. Parts under stress or designed to stretch, such as belts, treads and rubber bands will fail long before the heads will. Do note that Lego has been largely moving away from the softer rubber heads in favor of more solid plastics. A little softer than ABS, but last much longer than the older squishy ones.

I hadn't noticed until you asked, but it may lean back very slightly. That angled door section really almost free floats in there. It is largely just connected by two turntables, and otherwise chocked in by trim on the sides. So it has a little play to it. I had used a vaguely similar strategy with my Comic Shop MOC to similar floatiness. and it is a bit of a bitch to get those turntables lined up and dogged in, let me tell you.

The Architect Office is gorgeous. It just would not blend in with my setup. A bit too modern. I have the plans for the Speakeasy. That one has been calling my name as well. I've just held off because I find my city seems to be becoming a den of drunks and reprobates.

I have a few of their other instructions. I am tempted to recolor their Police HQ and add that to my shelves.

It's more the Marvel stuff is largely launching off cycle in order to capitalize on movie synergy. GotG was a huge Lego seller, so they will be focused there. as that IP has huge synergy with Lego. Moreso than most other Super Heroe properties thanks to it sspace/spaceship themes. Similarly they will be focusing on The Lego Batman Movie not simply because they have a piece of it, but because it is pure synergy to their product line. They can make and sell everything that you see on screen. No need for iron Man vs a Hobo in a Golf Cart. No need for the Amazing Spider Trike vs Jamie Fox. What we have seen announced for Marvel is mainly the off cycle filler stuff. Similar to the role the Ultimate Spider-Man sets play between movies.

If it's like the prior Vader transformation set the table will be a little more complex, with a mechanism for lowering the helmet onto him, then tilting up the table. And a brick built med Droid. With an extra figure and a bit more room they could easily hit a $30 price point. Whether it is good value may be debated.

I could be wrong, but I think they are a trans orange.

The concerns for plastic bags mostly relate to PVC plastics, which most action figures are made of or Polystyrene such as plastic model kits are made of. Things like soft vinyl. Lego's ABS will outlast you in most cases. The only exceptions are the special soft head pieces used for some figures and some minifig accessories. Really the main issue is PVC figures. PVC i.e. vinyl toys are made of a softer rubbery plastic. This material will outgas as it ages and continues to cure. Things made of this material will eventually get brittle. But allowing it to happen in a plastic bag adds to the problem. The outgassed materials just get trapped in and slowly react with the bag creating a chemical stew that your toy bastes in. ABS does not outgas in this manner. It is largely fully cured when it hits your hands. What little outgassing or decomposition it does is so marginal as to be a non issue. Your core Lego parts will outlast your grandkids. They will be dug up by archaeologists next Millenium. The exceptions are rubber parts. Rubber tank treads. Hoses. Special heads. Rubber bands. Those will go brittle over time. Nothing you can do to stop it. The only other deterioration that will occur is the parts will slowly yellow somewhat over time. This is caused by the Bromine based fire retardant added to the plastic. Once again nothing that you can do. It will happen. Just limit UV exposure as that will increase and hasten it. Weirdly butter of all things will react with ABS and cause it to get more brittle over time. Some skin oils may be similar, hence why they suggest cleaning?

It's been revealed that they will feature Green Minifigs... and a Raccoon!

Ok that is just fantastic. I love the carriage style entrance. The facade is really nice. And the interior details are perfect. You even put the toilet paper just out of reach of the toilet. You clearly have a deep understanding of modern Hospital design.

Let's see on my wish list? I'll deviate from the norm. Instead of simply a return to Classic Space, I would like to see a return of some of their more interesting followups. Blacktron 3, Space Police 4, Ice Planet, Mtron. Etc. a nice shiny D2C Classic Castle would be a treat. I don't need a whole theme. Just take the concept of "Yellow Castle" and re-imagine it as a 2000 piece set using tans and such. With battlements and towers and knights etc. go all out. We are overdue for a new Power Miners/Rock Raiders type theme. And no the stupid City mining and volcano sub themes don't count! Requires Rock Monsters!!! And topping my list of themes that need a return, a modern classic that only got one glorious wave and a D2C. Monster Fighters!

I long ago promised I would post some pictures of the finished Modular Pharmacy and Soda shop, the directions for which are included in Brian and Jason Lyles "the Lego Neighborhood book. " http://a.co/2vx79Na Unfortunately after I bought all the parts, life happened, and I needed to step away from them for awhile. I finally got the creative bug again and worked through both the Brick Bank and sat down and completed my long unfinished Pharmacy. The results look quite impressive in my shelf city. (sorry about the picture quality, I just did some fast phone pictures when I finished around 2am. I will break out the real camera for some better shots later.) The included plans are designed to make a nice old school Corner Pharmacy/Soda Fountain with an Apartment above. The basic building is largely a redress of Brickcity Depot's Corner Hardware Store (Brian and Lyle are Brickcity Depot.) The building and particularly the interiors have a nice period charm and fit in well with the official Modular series. There are a ton of wonderful micro builds in it such as the Apothecary Cabinet and the Soda Counter. Upstairs is a very nice bathroom, a living room with classic upright piano and old style console radio, kitchen and bedroom. And some well designed signage on the roof. pro's; It's just gorgeous. The colors have nome nice contrast and it has good distinct texturing. The signs in particular really draw the eye and make it pop. con's; This is a non Lego build designed by and for AFOL's. So it is not as well engineered as some Lego tested stuff. Some of the details and structural points use minimal connections, which can make them fragile. Particularly the floor of the second floor by the stairwell is held together with a single stud. The colro scheme downstairs inside the Pharmacy itself is a bit...brown. If I were to it over I might mix it up a bit. This will be the third Modular Building I have built and Bricklinked from scratch using either third party plans or my own designs. Lessons Learned; 1. You always forget to order one crucial group of parts that will stall the whole thing at half finished for a week or two... ALWAYS! 2. You always seem to accidentally under order certain parts, such as tiles. I am not sure if this is a glitch when importing XML lists to Bricklink, or if I'm just a fool. I find it is easier just to slightly overorder most smaller items by a couple. This way when you lose that rare colored tile to the carpet monster, you know the one that you are positive you don't have any of packed away somewhere, you will have another. 3. With third party instructions you will need to work a bit more than with normal Lego ones. Depending on what software the designer used they may or may not rotate to change angle of view, which can leave you struggling to work out what is on the backside of a wall. LCad designed stuff is notorious for this. You just need to map it all out. (Brickcity Depots instructions are probably the best of the third party ones in this regard. Very easy to follow.) 4. You will always order some critical part in the wrong color, without realizing just how visible it will be. ALWAYS! 5. The damn thing will always cost more than you were planning. So never ever tell the wife. (And no, I honestly don't know what the final cost on this one was. I ordered most of the parts a year and a half ago. My Liberty Comics MOC and The Winchester were each somewhere in the $250-$300 range, but I was not using Bricklink as efficiently as I could, opting more for bulk expediency than price.) https://www.flickr.com/gp/faefrost/L510c8

I must confess as a former Firefighter 60003 always makes me cringe a little. 60002 is a near perfect representation of a modern era Fire Truck. it has the shape right and includes all the basic functions and storage. 60003 is really a Utility Company Truck painted red. It just feels wrong to me (and yes your mileage may vary. Most don't look at these things via "What is i's roll in Fire Ground Operations?"). But I always finds the odd ones amusing. The Fire Truck led and became the symbol of Lego's turnaround in the early 2000's when they were facing bankruptcy. The new executive team rejected the highly stylized SciFi'ish Jack Stone Fire Truck in favor of the then new 7239. Which remains one of the most perfect Lego Fire Trucks ever made. Since then, 9 times out of 10 they will generally make Lego Fire Trucks that are good representations of real things. That make sense. That would pass the smell test not simply for kids and consumers, but actual Fire Fighters. Which makes the few that they get wrong so very very bizarre. For example of the current sets 60112 is stunning in how much it gets right. Whereas 60111 is just mind boggling. (Yeah lets put the hydraulic bucket/boom on a towable trailer... and tow it behind the rescue truck...yeah somebody missed a meeting about how this stuff works. (and yes I know I am being overly picky and a crotchety old know it all bastard. But it's like looking at a plane with the wings on backwards.)

None of those old fire trucks are in active service. They are display and parade pieces only. Typically a departments "first truck". Often kept and maintained as a restoration project by the Firefighters. Anything older than mid 60's can't actually pass modern pump certification in the US or Canada. They are not what can be considered "Class A" pumpers. While you may still see a handful in deep rural areas, often just being used as water tankers, their only function in an urban or town department would be parades, weddings and funerals. Insurance rules mandate that the department be operating Modern Class A pumpers. If they are running old school apparatus then the local homeowners and businesses insurance rates skyrocket.

Technically anything that appeared in Clone Wars series and Rebels is cannon. And Hounds Tooth showed up in Clone Wars. It always struck me as a design almost made for Lego.

But we got an E-Wing? Just not in the colors we would have liked. 75018 Jek-14's Stealth Fighter was an E-Wing straight out of the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels. We just weirdly got it under the Yoda Chronicles sub theme. We desperately need a new Tie Bomber and Interceptor. Heck a Bomber would even be worth the modern tie prices. I'll argue that the last OT tie was not bad. The only thing off about it is the dome canopy instead of the newer dish. But it really is overall very similar to the newer TFA one otherwise. Swap in the canopy from the tie advanced or newer Darth Vader set and it looks fine. On my deepest wish list would be a YT-2400 ala the Outrider, in scale with the current MF or Ghost. I remain hopeful as they just gave us the ship in Rebels. A "Hounds Tooth" with an assortment of Bounty Hunters would be a treat as well. We are also long overdue for a nice new Dagobah set with X-Wing (with weeds) Yoda's hut etc.