Tacitus

Not to defend anything here, but wasn't the Arrest of Palpatine one of the exclusive TRU sets that we voted for a few months back? So, WIKI or not, there may be some truth to the rumor. I often wondered what set "won" the vote.

I agree. The use of the slopes was a great surprise. I also like the designer chair!

Sounds like fun! I'm in! -Tacitus

I have to admit that I find ships and land vehicles altogether kind of boring. Forts, hideouts, castles, and villages are much more interesting to me from both the standpoint of design and imagination. True, vehicles do lend themselves to easy playability, but it is very limited. For example, the Batman line drove me nuts because they had all these vehicles, but no place to drive them to. So, Batman always seemed to be on this neverending car chase. The Agents line, until the creation of the Volcano, was kind of the same thing- look, Agent Chase is...chasing...again...now, in a car. Now, in a boat. Now, with a heli-pack... but still chasing. Of course, with a Pirates line, you have to have a fair share of ships. But without a fort or village to pillage, or an island to hide your treasure on, all those boats become kind of pointless, and totally repetitive.

The sets are now in the Milwaukee, WI area TRUs- the island, the Kraken, the hideout, and the cannon attack. I also noticed that a few of the new city sets were there, as were the new themed basic block sets, one of which features a freckled-face pirate minifigure.

I would also recommend the Volcano Base for the same reasons that others have mentioned. Great figures, and it really looks cool. Oh, and better yet, it has been but on sale at Toys R Us for $10 less than normal.

The new backdrop is great!!! Thanks for reminding me of the only Monster studio I didn't get. I think I just didn't want another figure of the guy in the brown suit. That, and I really get bored of cars. The mummy set and the Frankenstein set are both my favorites. I still have them on the shelf. Keep 'em coming, Brickster!

I think that the bones and structure are right, but the skin and organs are off. I have to agree with the others that it doesn't read medieval to me. I don't think it is an LDD thing, but more of a color choice. I wonder if you used more gray's and browns/tans, if I would feel better. (I think that the Medieval Village is too colorful, too.) Also, the chairs that you have constructed are very modern. I would place them as 1940's era design. Medieval should be more stripped down, basic. Brown doors and black window panes. Don't get me wrong. I agree with Athos that this is one of your best MOCS, and better than anything I've done lately. And I'll probably shamelessly steal your idea at some point. The architectural structure of the building very Village, but the color scheme and design are more modern. And, you know, if you strip down the interior- wooden chairs, a minimalist bed- the price would drop accordingly. Oh, but it needs stairs to the upper levels. Actually, I think that all the Medieval Village buildings need stairs, for that matter.

I tend to agree with the other comments, although I do like the tree as it is. It reminds me of the tropics after a storm. In particular, I would say that there needs to be more of s sense of dimension and depth to the layout. Raise the beach up a bit so that it rises out of the water. Also, the troops need to have more movement. They are too "stiff" as another has already written. I think I would remove the guy rowing the box, and replace him with a figure who is waste deep in the water, either battling the shark, or rising up from the water to storm the beach... but this scene is your story to tell, so never-you-mind that. Still, looks good. :pir-skull:

This is one of my favorites. The only thing that I really dislike about the set is the use of the rubber band to keep the bomb-containing aft section closed. That rubber band doesn't last very long.

Well, it is about time! Finally, some peasants! This is a great looking set. I particularly like the green "harlot" dress female minifigure. It would be a very quick change to turn that into an Elven archer figure (and maybe that's where we'll see it again!), or even an Arwyn from that old comic book, Sojourn. Jan 2009 can't come soon enough!

I'm with you, there. Horribly clumsy controls.

I'm not sure that I had a Dark Age per se, more of LEGO waxing and waning, especially since the early 90's. Although, now that I think of it, there was a period between 6980 and 6066 (1982 and 1988?) that was LEGO Dark. I blame GI JOE. And I've just dated myself.

Oh yes, I feel that pain, too. Oh, and FYI, I just order my sets at 4:50 PM central, so stock hasn't run out, yet.

I was thinking "SNOT!"

Very nice. It is a much needed upgrade of the original cinema. I actually decided not to get that set because I was annoyed that the buildings were so "doll house," as you aptly put it.

Pretty cool? Lucky you getting the clone tank. Out of curiosity, are there any differences between new and old versions of the AT-TE or the gunship? I had forgotten that there was another version of the AT-TE.

Just fantastic. Using wagon wheels for the column tops was a great idea, which I will have to steal sometime- I never know what to do with those big wheels. But please, you've got to reveal how you made the vortex. I've been staring at the pictures, but I can't figure it out.

You took the pillow-fight concept in a very different direction than I would have taken... To each his (or her) own.

Once again, lovely review, but it has already been done.

Lovely review, really. But the sad fact is we've seen it before, twice. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20293

Keep the room clean as much as possible. Vacuum the webs as soon as you see them to keep the spiders from nesting.

That's exactly what I thought of, too. I just hope that the new version of the rock monsters will be more articulated.

I think my only follow up question I would have CopMike ask TLC would be concerning the cost of petroleum, and the long term effect on the LEGO product. Shipping and manufacturing costs aside, the bricks are petroleum based products. So, what effect will the rising costs of oil have on production? Will LEGO maintain brick quality, but increase the price, or will they sacrifice quality to keep the price relatively stable? I think that the issue of resource availability for LEGO production, and the long term effect of this on consumer pricing, is something more pressing than whether or not the clone battle pack is cheaper in SE Asia.