CircleK

Bricks N Pieces are currently out of the Sand Green Masonry bricks, so I purchased them from Bricklink for around .40 cents a piece. I have a feeling that is a little less than double of what they will go for on BnP when they are back in stock. I expect BnP will probably have them for around .22 cents a piece. The Modified 1x2's are closer to the $3.00 mark per piece for new on Bricklink. So, it's a substantial difference. You also don't need a full 56 of them (just like you don't need a full 56 of the Modifieds). I think I counted somewhere around 7 to 8 bricks where a standard 1x2 would suffice since the decoration is not visible. In the case with the masonry bricks, you wouldn't want to use them where you need a flat 1x2 surface since they have a horizontal ridge on the reverse side.

I recently tried an experiment of replacing the Sand Green Modified 1x2's with the new masonry profile brick on the Green Grocer. Here is a link to the Flikr album: https://www.flickr.c...57650704148036/ My thoughts: I'm a HUGE fan of the masonry profile brick. I think that is why I like the new Detective's Office so much even though I'm admittedly not much of a Modular guy. That being said... I'm not sure how I feel about them on the grocer. My biggest issue is that it has a run of 1x1s on the left hand side. The smooth finish of the 1x1s sticks out like a sore thumb and kind of breaks 'masonry' effect. It it wasn't for that I think I would love it. The two runs on the sides of the bay look great though. While building it I kept thinking that it may look better to leave the modified 1x2s on the Grocery side, but replace the ones on the bay side with masonry of a different color. What do you think?

The sand green groves are getting $$$. I've been watching them on and off for the past few weeks, although I'm only paying attention to US sellers with new bricks. There is a seller who keeps restocking them at $1.29 ea. After that they jump to a whooping $1.75+!!! Unfortunately, I had to pay out the nose when I did my GG bc it seemed like everyone was out of stock at the time I was shopping for them. A week or so after my orders came in some other sellers got some of the more rare parts in at better prices (including the grooves). That was a painful thing to witness. If I would have waited a week or two before placing my orders I would have easily saved over $50.

The Grocer is my favorite of them all. I love the sand green (although I agree that it also looks great in sand blue) and the charming Victorian nature of the building. I wasn't even really into Modulars buildings when I Bricklinked the first one b/c I thought it was such a great looking model and I wanted to try my hand at a sourcing project. I started going through a mini dark age earlier this year though and sold my Grocer and Fire Brigade. I regretted that move almost instantly. I regretted it much more while bricklinking the 2nd one though. Things were A LOT more expensive this time around. Bricklink is literally wiped out right now - I was able to get a handful of of the sand green w/ groove for $1.25 ea. and had to pay a whopping $1.75 ea. for the rest!!! It murdered my budget, but I wasn't sure if it was best to wait and see if a few stores replenished at a lower price or just grab them now out of fear of paying even more later. So I bit the bullet and paid the $1.75 price as much as I hated to b/c I wouldn't want to build it without them. I can sub the awning and the train windows without much regret - but in my world the Green Grocer must be Sand Green and the grooved 1x2s are essential. I just couldn't compromise there. I will say this though: I have seen a Grocer built with the the regular Sand Green 1x2's (No Groove) and it doesn't detract from the aesthetic nearly as bad as you might think. I thought it looked pretty nice actually. If anyone is on the fence about paying out the nose for the groove bricks then that may be an option for you. It's a much cheaper way to keep the "Green" in your Grocer.

Just placed my last bricklink order for a Green Grocer. Now I just have to wait for all the shipments to come in This is actually the 2nd time I have bricklinked the Grocer. I went through this exact same process a little over a year ago. Man, what a difference one year can make... I was actually shocked to see how much more expensive (and scarce) some of the rare parts have become. I don't even want to discuss what I paid for the 1x2 Sand Greens with Groove - Ouch! The limited availability of certain parts also resulted in a few more orders than last time and I had to turn to eBay for one of the minifigures. My last Green Grocer was built to spec with the exception of the Sand Green 1x8s (I used 1x4s instead). I made a few more substitutions this time however based on the suggestions found in this thread: Replaced the blue awning bows with dark red (I think this actually looks much better and I like that it will now be a different color than the one on the Pet Shop). Replaced the train windows with the regular 1 x 2 x 3 with pain (This is another improvement imo) Replaced the sand green hinge with light grey since it doesn't matter visually anyways. And of course - the dreaded sand green 1x8s. I used the suggestions on this thread and went with a combo of 1x2(25), 1x6(25), and 1x4(50) If happen across a decent deal on the blue bows or train windows someday then I will probably get them just so I can keep my model as true to the original as possible, but I'm also ok with the substitutions made and think it will actually look better in the end.

Wasn't there a PJ cameo in DoS? I thought I saw him eating a carrot outside of the Prancing Pony at the very beginning of the film. If so then there's your video game exclusive. A fat P Jackson figure complete with carrot accessory.

^ they were. They are sold out of it and MEA currently.

I'm wondering if there will be a summer release for either theme. If LotR is done then I could see it being another year (just prior to the last movie release) before we see any more middle earth inspired sets unless it is a D2C Hobbit.

I'm only grabbing a few of these. Abe, Barista, Panda, and Shakespeare are must haves. Does "Where are my pants guy" look like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to anybody else??? Alllllrigggghty then.

I was hoping to get a few pics up for you guys as my order was supposed to have been delivered yesterday. It didn't make it though. It didn't make it today either. So, I'm sure you can imagine my frustration here. I agree though - those of us who ordered in the first round should have received them by now. I'm really surprised no pics have went up yet. I don't think any have hit the bay yet either which is even more strange..

The new sets were at my local meijer this morning as well. They were having a BOGO on all their LotR & Hobbit sets so I decided to try my luck - no dice... They refused the discount on the new items.

I got that same good news today!!! I'm excited since it is really the first time I have bought Lego anything without seeing it first, so it will be a total surprise unless pics go up before my shipment arrives. I know its doubtful, but it would be awesome if one of the printed shields from LTC is included.

I managed to nab three of them (limit was four), although I wouldn't be shocked if the order gets canceled. I hate paying the TRU shipping on a poly order, but I have very little luck when it comes to finding them in the wild and my nearest TRU is 45 minutes away.

Not sure how well it would fit into the village, but I have been patiently waiting for Santa's Workshop. I would prefer that it was done in the same doll house style as the Haunted House, but realize that would probably throw the scale off compared to the other buildings. For now, the WV Cottage *is* Santa's house in my display. A Winter Village Butcher would be cool too. It would need a large window with a Christmas goose on display.

Loving the fact that the Battle Mech actually has a weapon this time. The recolor is great too.

This entire theme looks suburb. I pretty much love all the sets with the exception of the Comanche Camp and will def. be getting at least the Stage Coach and Calvary. I'm not much of a western fan (even less of a Johnny Depp fan) and have very little interest in the Lone Ranger film - I'll catch it on Red Box for $1.00. So, the fact that I'm salivating over these sets is a testament to how great of a job TLG did with this theme. They knocked this one out of the park.

I'm still holding out hope for a theme that plays on Greek Mythology. The recent additions in the CMF line (Minotaur, Cyclops, soon to be Medusa) have made me optimistic. I'm hoping these figs are somewhat of a prelude much like the monster figs were to Monster Fighters.

With the exception of the castle itself, I actually like all of these sets better than their Kingdoms counterparts. The prison carriage and outpost look great and the dragon mountain is a must have.

I'm hoping we get at least a third wave. There is still more than enough material to produce scenes that even the casual fan of the series / movies would recognize. My wallet will actually be happy when this theme finally ends though. It's the only theme I feel compelled to complete bc I know I will regret it someday if I don't. From a collectors stand point, I think this line will be gold a few years from now. These stories are timeless. Just as it is with lego, a new Tolkien fan is born everyday. As more and more people come to lego, they are going to want the sets that line up with these classics. Whether its 2 waves or 10, we should all be happy that we were out of the dark ages during this release.

Crazy. All of the hobbit sets are readily available in my area and have been since their release before Christmas. I actually counted 7 Unexpected Gathering sets tonight at my local Meijer. This was pretty much the case with the LOTR sets as well, although I am starting to see less of them now. I actually think that is bc the shelf space has been given to chima, turtles, etc though. All the stores seem to be in the middle of new layouts right now. The bigger lotr sets seem to be absent from the new layouts, but you can still find Shelob and Gandolph everywhere. I actually thought the theme was a big stinker before finding this forum. I'm happy to hear of its popularity in other areas and that we are actually getting a 2nd wave.

I'm so glad I scored this set when I did. I was trying to hold out for a good deal but started getting scared and pulled the trigger at $85.00 on Amazon. I'm glad I didn't wait though. S@H, Walmart, and Target are all out now. Amazon has them listed for $150.00 & the price is inflated on eBay as well. The days of getting this set at retail or under are probably coming close to an end.

Just noticed that series 9 is now listed on the Toys-R-Us site as In-Store only for $2.99.

What was the "series 5 incident"? I've had zero luck in my area so far. I've been checking two separate TRU stores, Kmart, Meijer, Target, and Wally World for the past couple of weeks but have come up short each time. I am really excited about this series though and my impatience is starting to get the best of me. I'm thinking about rolling the dice and ordering a random 16 from shop@home. I think I will be ok b/c I mostly want multiples of the more common figures (cyclops, alien, and knight). I really don't care about the lesser available figures like the roller derby girl, waiter, or plumber. I actually think ordering them that way will be kind of fun. I normally feel them out so I know exactly what I'm getting. It's a far better use of money, but it does take some of the fun out of it... Worse case - I sell whatever I get that I don't want.

For those of you who have been buying / collecting / building for awhile now - How many LotR waves do you see TLG actually producing? I know you can't predict the future here. I'm asking for an educated guess based on your past experience with themes that have been equally popular. I want to complete the LotR theme and was wondering what that commitment may entail as far as waves / number of sets. Thanks!

Repeat of my lost comment: I love Love LOVE this series so far. So much so that I am ready to call it my favorite series to date. The Cyclops and Battle Mech are probably my favorite. I love the fact the the Mech has a normal fig head and helmet, rather than the one piece molds you are seeing on the Galaxy Squad Mechs. Replace the mech head with a "human" head and you can build another squad of Space Marine type figures. I am a little disapointed that the Mech doesn't come with some sort of weapon though.