SirBlake

I don't have a problem with it. I find it adds some nuance to have some variation, though I do feel it necessary to make sure it's fairly evenly distributed.

I like this a lot! It looks really tough, great mix of blocky and curvy and the red looks great too. Makes me want to build one!

As a set, mumakil sounds really impressive, but the prospect of Dernhelm (Eowyn in armor) and Rohan armor Merry is just too tempting, so witch king showdown wins.

Love the idea. Like the execution. Confounded by the price.

This is great work! Anybody who likes this stuff should check out the classic MOCs by The Cook. It's great inspiration.

I'm going to pick mumakil this week, but it's going to be trumped in the first match up that includes Mina's tirith wall section and Gondor soldiers.

Love it! Such a cool style. I like how classic it feels, but uses such smart, contemporary techniques.

This is really cool. Futuron and Blacktron were always my favorites when I was a kid because of that modular build style. Nice work!

Ed, those ladies and kids are great additions! I showed my daughter and got a squeal of delight. I know we say this from time to time, but I sure hope TLG is paying attention to this thread.

Deathleech, I see the point you're making. The problem I'm seeing is that we're talking about retail distribution on such a massive scale that what happens on a local level is not necessarily indicative of a national trend or a concerted effort by that retailer. I have a pattern of 5 Walmarts and 4 Targets that I hit on a regular basis and none of them are consistently discounting or clearancing the same things at any given time. Only one target was ever stacked deep with council of Elrond and they have never been discounted or put on clearance so there they sit to this day. Also, I never once saw the endcap activity that you are describing. I'm not trying to counter your supposition that middle earth as a collective theme isn't performing as well as some other themes. I'm just saying that retail distribution and clearance behavior on a local level is so inconsistent that it is a poor key indicator of the big picture and therefore insufficient to draw conclusions from as to what TLG and big retailers intentions really are. I think that we can all agree that the future of LOTR is not bright based on the complete lack of news at either toy fairs or official TLG literature, and that we will be getting at least one final Hobbit wave based on those same factors.

I just found the monkey creator set on clearance. I don't think it's been out for 3 months. Does that mean there won't be anymore creator sets? I don't think so.

Ed! Wonderful designs! I can't find a fault with any detail. I would love to add these to my collection and my 8 year old daughter likes them too and wants to know what the Jarl's wife and kids look like. :-)

Thank you for being the voice of reason. I feel the same way.

This is cool! I agree that a bit more green and some greebling would add a lot to it. It looks like it'd fit right in with my racer series I've been working on...

I would buy all of that. I'd love to see what you come up with.

I really could not have expressed this better. Osgiliath

Lol, I see what you did there.

I think this is a great idea. It would be really fun to have a large vertical tower/keep. Maybe with the ability to connect other Kingdoms/Castle walls.

While my preference is for medieval Western Europe, there has been lots of discussion around expanding to things like Ancient Greece or the Roman Empire. A lot of people would love that and I certainly wouldn't mind.

They're usually a tough choice but this one is easy. MM again.

Wow! So much greatness, I don't know where to start. I will say that my favorite aspect is the multi-layered story telling. Industry, cops, crime, scientific discovery and space monsters. So very cool.

That's beautiful! I'd love to see the interior and see it built in brick. Nice work.

I bought 6 UHA for both bricks and minifigs. Only 1 MEA though. Between Thranduril, hooded elves and bald orks, it's just not as versatile. Same goes for the brick selection.

Whoah, I commented on B72 before seeing this one. Same thoughts apply here with additional love of how you've handled doors, walkways and stairs. Plus we've got some sweet mechs!

This is really cool! Fleshie heads totally work as do the middle earth Orc heads as aliens. The details in the walls and floor are very nice, but it's how the color scheme is incorporated that's really spectacular. Great work!