HawkLord

Monster set seems like a solid release for me. People have wanted Zombies and granted I think this one could use a couple more of them, it's probably as close as we'll get since Lego also has to make the sets interesting.

I vote Mini Mods. Never did like the look of the Sith ship. Plus, overall I'd say the Mods look like more fun. As a Lego Star Wars collector, I have more ships than I know what to do with, so when one like this comes out I have to be really choosy.

I can tell you that Lynnwood, Everett, and Tacoma TRUs do not have these. Might be worth trying Freddies this weekend. Given that Series 8 seems to have less army-builder types, I'm not worried about this set at all. In fact, I might just make one last run on Series 7...

Very good job, man. I really liked CS back in the day.

Found gobs of the Frodo polybag at TRU today. They had them wedged in the same side-aisle wing that the CMF are usually in.

Around here (WA) Series 7 hit Fred Meyers stores first and then made their way to TRU, Target, and Walmart. From personal experience with other toy lines, certain stores tend to get "hot" at different times. Last series, Freddies was the hot store, this time it looks like it might be TRU, since they're the only store reporting in right now. I haven't seen any Series 8 this past weekend. Most area TRUs are still sitting on Series 7 with some Series 6 mixed in. Most Targets and Walmarts are out of Series 7. This could mean nothing or it could mean their next orders are going to be for Series 8.

Seems like some of the Frodo polybags are starting to show up in the US at TRU. I'm hoping to find at least three.

I buy duplicates of battle packs and some other sets to keep sealed. To me, Lego is one of those products where it never hurts to have more than one of the same thing. You can build it as a duplicate or build it into something else entirely. Meanwhile, other collectibles like action figures can get boring if you have two copies of the same figure.

The Gungan Sub is a lesser known vehicle that only really works underwater from an under-appreciated race. The main selling point is the Queen Amidala figure, which is exclusive to the set and has been high on people's wishlists for some time. Given that The Phantom Menace 3-D has already come and gone, I can't see there being a good chance that this Amidala will see another release soon. Weathertop is a pretty good playset in that the environment is very interactive. The figures are good, with the Wraiths being the major selling point. Granted, more Wraiths will be offered in future LOTR sets, these two here are a good start towards a full nine. My vote would be for Weathertop. As you mentioned, neither set has a really good price-per-brick ratio, however, Weathertop has the better figures overall and the better "play value". Or to put it more bluntly - I'm a huge Star Wars and LOTR fan and I have two copies of Weathertop and have not yet bought a single copy of the Gungan Sub.

You're not alone. That's easily my favorite CMF of all of them.

Doesn't bother me. I just bought the Star Wars Desert Skiff that's listed for "Ages 7-12". That's surely didn't stop me from buying it.

Then you shouldn't worry too much, as the VIP set is made up of Series 3 figures.

Great little set there. As a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I really like this piece. And my sig is a dumb reference to it...

I recieved the Cake Set with my LOTR/SW puchase today at the Lego store. I was thinking of trying my hand at a review of it, but I don't think there's enough interest in it really. The circular blue plate is cool, though.

I took this directly from the Lego site under the VIP Minifigure set description: •To make this special VIP purchase at shop.LEGO.com: just sign into your LEGO ID account before purchase! •To make this special VIP purchase at a LEGO Store: just present your VIP membership card at checkout!

Very well done. I especailly like the statues and the flaming Ringwraith.

LOTR Mines of Moria from the Lego store. I had meant to buy Helm's Deep, but the more I look at the set, the less I feel inclined to buy it. Which breaks my completist strategy for the LOTR sets, but that's ok.

Desert Skiff from the Lego store. I was also going to grab Palpatine's Arrest, but I had LOTR stuff to buy, too. Next time...

There's a Zombie Car promo next month? Edit: Nevermind. I should have done a bit of research before asking, as it's posted in the Monster Fighters section.

Well, the ones I've army built have been: Grey Alien, Galaxy Patrol, Bagpiper, Evil Knight, and Viking Warrior. I've never really come across the Spartan or Elf in any sort of quantity to bother building those up, so they've always been off my list. Meanwhile, there's at least one figure that I've built that is not quite military related, the Bagpiper. And to some degree, the Grey Alien doesn't necessarily have the be a military related figure, as it is just a unique looking species or race.

True, this Cake set is nothing to get overly excited about, which is why I'm in no hurry to hit the Lego store for it. I might be passing by that way this weekend, in which case I'll try to stop by for it. Still wish it was some type of minifigure - even if it were some generic figure with "80th" printed on the shirt or something. And I'm still surprised that some regions are getting the Hulk polybag instead.

I would say "yes" if you mean the polybag Hulk (though I doubt Target has the polybag Hulk) or the Avengers Hulk. If you're talking about the Hulk action figure type set, then I would say "no".

Those are great - thanks for sharing. Wish I had some of my old bricks from back in the day.

Even when the Death Star gets discontinued, it's had a long enough run that those who want it have probably got it already. Most things that become valuable when they run out are usually hard to get or are of a limited run. Here the Death Star has been going for a good number of years and is readily accessible on Lego's site and in Lego's stores. Sure, when it goes, you'll probably find alot of them on auction sites for twice retail, but those will hardly (or never) move. The same is true without alot of Lego stuff I see that is supposed to be "valuable" but is really just based on an inflated sense of mark-up.

Looks like the Lego Group is celebrating their 80th birthday with a promo Cake set. The set is the usual polybag promo available with a $50 purchase. http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Birthday;jsessionid=j+UFbckNu5LfVAzVReQgug**.lego-ps-2-1?icmp=SHSitewide_BirthdayGWP Personally, I think it's pretty cool, though I'd probably be able to use a commemorative figure alittle bit more. Considering I have some Legos to buy this month anyway, it works out pretty well. So, what does everyone think of the Lego Cake and more importantly the 80th anniversary of Lego?