Kristel

Looking good, LT. I like how you have done the clothes rack, but maybe the clothes hanging off it could have some more colour?

I was very excited when the Friends line was first introduced, and I haven't been disappointed since. I think the sets keep getting better and better, offering more diversity (e.g. karate and soccer) and playability (e.g. Mia's disappearing bunny and the ability to rearrange the interior of the pet salon). From my own perspective, this theme has provided me with a palette of colours that I adore, accessories to bring the interiors of modular buildings to life and inspiration for my own modular buildings. Of the next two buildings I have planned, one draws heavily on the Friends colours and the other is based on one of the existing sets. My daughter can't get enough of them and I love watching her role play with her Friends. She had LEGO before Friends came out, but she relates to the Friends minidolls far more than she ever did any of the minifigs. While she still builds and plays with her other LEGO (Hero Factory, Cars, City (mostly the vehicles) and Star Wars), its the Friends sets that get most of her attention. The Friends line has opened up the world of LEGO and all the good things that come with it, such as fine motor skills development and creativity, to a market segment (mostly girls and their Mums) who otherwise may not even have considered buying LEGO. You see them in the LEGO aisle and their eyes light up as they say "Ooh, girl LEGO!". Whether or not you think it is "too girly", this is a good thing for young girls around the world. I hope that the Friends line stays around for a long time. Given how quickly the sets seem to disappear from the toy store shelves, I think it will.

Thanks, L@go. I'm glad you like it. I knew what I wanted the roof to look like before anything else, which meant that I actually started with the roof first and then had it sitting on supports while I figured out the rest of the building to go with it.

Those few changes have made a huge difference. As rriggs said, pretty much perfect now.

This is great looking build, with a lot of attention to detail. I really like the cherry/plume trim on the shop front and how you have done the shelving behind the counter.

Ours hasn't arrived yet either.

This is a very cute version of the beach house. Will you be showing the complete town once it finished?

There are some unique and very creative details in this set, like the ice sculpture and the way that you have done the balcony on the first floor. I do want to give all your minifigures some gloves, though, as it looks really cold outside!

Another great chapter, with another great scene! Love the baby and the posing on the figs, particularly the face palm for the Beast. I wish I had paid more attention to my fairy tales when I younger, as I can't keep up with who's who!

Just wanted to say a collective "well done" to all the entries so far. They are awesome and I know I will struggle to choose between them when it comes time to vote!

I was going to provide comments on all the entries, but there are so many awesome entries! So, I just wanted to say, love them all and good luck in the contest. Si-MOCs, I hope you're planning on giving us five votes to play with because three just isn't going to be enough!

Yet another awesome entry. I love how you've managed to maintain the chicken theme throughout each of the builds.

The starfighter looks great, but the moon base steals the show. Love it!

How cute is this pig! Well done!

Love the colours in this. Great parts usage, too. It is going to be really hard to vote with so many great entries in both categories.

This is fantastic - great concept, nicely executed! The fingers also caught my eye and it took me a little while to figure out how you had done them. Very clever!

As I said on flickr, this is beautiful, both in terms of the building and the presentation. I'm looking forward to seeing the interior!

Thanks for pointing this out! I have updated the first post with a collage picture showing the roof from a different angle.

Thanks, everyone, for the great comments! I really appreciate it. I designed the sticker myself, using Inkscape to draw it, and then printed it on standard photo sticker paper. Thanks Andy D and LegoDr. Go for it, I'd be honoured. After all, imitation is the greatest form of flattery! LegoDr, there's plenty of room in the village for another cafe! Thanks vynsane and Jonathon. I like how the top windows turned out. It took ages finding a combination that worked in the small space available. And my pleasure, vynsane. It's a great idea for a group!

Gorgeous! I love the wrap around porch and the shape of the building, and the colour combination is just perfect. The interior detailing is great as well, particularly the tiling downstairs and the whole work area upstairs. The carriage is gorgeous too. I like how you have included the little bucket on the side! The guy proposing to his girlfriend rounds out the set nicely. Well done! Can't wait to see the Victorian modular!

I am too clumsy to ski or snowboard, so when I do find myself in a winter village, the first thing I look for is a place to have a nice mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. Hence, the natural choice for my entry to the Winter Village contest was a cafe! The footprint of the cafe is similar to the first three Winter Village sets. It has four subsets and 6 minifigures. Hope you like it. First up, a picture of the whole "set": The cafe itself: A view of the interior, with the guy who drinks eight cups of coffee a day because he has a crush on the pretty cafe owner: Another angle of the back to show some more of the detail: Final photo is a collage showing the details of the roof, the chimney and how the lightbrick lights up the transparent green and red plates above the front door: The lightbrick gives quite a nice effect. Unfortunately, my photography skills don't do it justice. Here is the flickr link for some more photos. C&C always welcome.

Where are all the entries? If I don't see one soon, I'm going to feel compelled to photograph and upload the rather awkward-looking spy truck I built and I don't think anyone here wants to see that!

A gorgeous building, that is beautifully detailed. You've captured the alpine perfectly! I particularly like how you have done the bed, the upstairs balcony and the fence out the front. Good luck in the contest!

I love it. The floor looks great and nice use of the Duplo.

Thanks, Pandora, for the awesome review. We have this set and its been an absolute hit with my daughter for playability. I agree that this is a great set all round, with just the design of the roof stopping it from being an outstanding set. Having said that, those magenta arches are going to make a nice awning in a modular building one day! They were on the shelves at Myer in the first week of January ...