dhaas06

It's nice to know what they're called! I didn't realize the sprues on 1x1 studs actually got released in sets before 1992; I started collecting in the mid-90s. They definitely still use them, though, because mine is in new brown!

Well, I really don't think he's getting them from those bags you mentioned, at least not at $7.99 each. Those bags look to be about 1 pound each, but this seller generally only gets $20 for 3 pounds or $35 for 6. When you then consider that he offers free shipping and also has seller fees to pay, he must be getting the parts much cheaper. Another curiosity was when the Batman sets were discontinued a year ago. Right after they were gone from the shelves, he ended up posting hundreds of copies of two of the sets (7885 and 7886). They were complete with unassembled figures, but parts only. No boxes, instructions, stickers, or even original sealed bags. I'm wondering if these were perhaps what was left mid-production and unpackaged when TLG decided to abruptly can the line? Interestingly enough, those are the only parts I've received from him that are all of fine quality. Well Shadows, Alice, I wish all the defects were fun like marbled bricks! Unfortunately, many of the issues are minor, uninteresting, and just plain frustrating. Also, I've seen a few crushed ones in there too. More than just stepped on, but clearly obliterated from industrial machinery! I'll try to take pics soon. I may not get to for a day or two, because I'm away from my collection for now.

Hmm... that's interesting, thanks for pointing that out. I've never heard of those before (being 6 hours from the nearest Lego store). That certainly would answer how this seller has access to many of the same parts and pieces, but I know there's more to the story. I began getting suspicious about a year ago when I bought my first of his lots and found a few parts that were from 2009 Star Wars sets. I recognized them from the photos, but they were still at least a month from stores. (Sorry, I don't remember now which parts exactly they were.) Also, as I mentioned before, the amount of damaged pieces is scary. Some stand out right away, like marbled bricks or many of the same part with no shine (with a flat, cheap finish like Megabloks). Once I had 2 1x1 round plates that were still connected via "junk" plastic! Do those ever make it into sets? Lately, though, I've been inspecting them even further and found that even some of the seemingly normal pieces are not right either. For example, the hole on the bottom of every 1x1 plate I just received is uneven and a different size. I compared it to a regular 1x1 plate from an official set, and the difference in quality is clear. I can try to get comparison photos posted later if you like, assuming I can capture the details with my camera. I still have more evidence to the weirdness and I can elaborate more later Actually, this part isn't really the issue. The photos he uses (and has been for a year now) are only supposed to "represent" what a typical pile of Lego parts looks like. In reality, the ones he sells are all very different lots of all types of pieces. This would be fine, as long as the ones he sells aren't pulled out of the rejected-pieces recycle bin of the factory .

I'm sure anyone who has browsed the US eBay site for Lego has come across some of these auctions. This seller has been around for about a year now, and has sold over 11,000 of those bulk Lego lots. I have purchased from this seller several times, and each lot leaves me more confused. After this last one, I've had enough. If these parts are genuine Lego at all, then they are straight from the pulled, damaged product out of a factory. I can share more details about my experiences if you like, but I'm curious if anyone else has dealt with this seller, or maybe knows anything about who they are or where they get their parts. I'm usually a soft-spoken guy, and you can see I haven't commented much during my time on Eurobricks. So, I don't want it to seem like I'm making a big deal out of things, but I figured that with the number of these lots sold in the last year, someone out there may have some knowledge. Thanks, dhaas06

Beautiful! I'm planning a modular town as well to go with my train display (I own all the sets already, just no space yet ), and I hope I can pull off the smooth overall style and unity that your buildings have together. Nice work!

PM'd!

No wagons for the Emerald Night? I understand the reasoning that Jamie mentioned, but it's still disappointing. I wasn't going to buy several copies of the full set just for more wagons, figuring they would be available later for a quarter of the price. Now I guess I have to

The possible danger here is that TRU sometimes puts their own stickers all over some of the bigger sets to keep this kind of thing from happening, so make sure the box doesn't have anything on it.

The commercial probably stated that the sale is this week through Saturday, 9/26. And even though Star Wars is excluded in-store, anything goes on their website (last time I checked, anyway). That also includes the exclusives that they have online, like Town Plan.

Signed, but without our real names, all we can give them is a total count of anonymous website members. Right? I hope that's good enough for TLG to get the idea that we're serious.

So does this mean no more Chicago for Hinckley? Congrats, I know you'll quickly become a vital part of the team!

Here is the S@H page: http://shop.lego.com/ByCategory/Product.as...cn=97&d=203

Thanks for the info, Holodoc. I guess that's the problem with these powered elements: there are multiple sources and a relatively complicated production (as opposed to regular Lego pieces), so the supply stream can get clogged up pretty bad. It's nice that Lego is at least sending the basic controller as a temporary replacement, but do you know if they will send the speed one too once it's back in stock? It certainly wouldn't be fair to receive the old one but not end up getting the one you paid for .

I agree with SeaKing61: what happened to the Emerald Night collection? I actually stumbled upon the fact when looking for the new Power Functions speed controller, which has vanished from S@H in all countries. Then I looked to see if it was still offered in the collection at least, and the collection is gone too. Has there been a problem with this variable speed controller, leading to it and the collection getting pulled from S@H?

Hmm... I actually used a different method for applying my Peril in Peru stickers than I have on any other set. Unfortunately, the box and instructions are not accurate when they portray the big window stickers as having the same colors as the neighboring bricks. They are only bright enough when put on a white background, so the trans-smoke pieces make them way too dark, and the yellow looks especially terrible. What I did was buy a few plain white labels, which are really just big stickers. I carefully measured and cut out the white labels to the exact size of those 4 stickers (including cutting out each window). Then I lined them up and put the Lego stickers over the white stickers, and then the white ones on the set. My colors match perfectly now, and it's almost impossible to tell that there's anything extra underneath. If anyone's interested, I can post pictures later. So, all this to say: I definitely agree with you that Peril in Peru is a special set that needs extra care with the stickers! I hope you find a good technique that works well.

I don't understand the acronym, CFOL. Does this mean that being a Christian takes away one's classification of "adult"? That seems to be pretty extreme... Also, what happens when the Christians on Eurobricks come out of the cracks and unite in a topic? What then? This really doesn't seem to have any purpose; it's just a fluff topic. I respect what people believe, but spamming non-related forums is counterproductive to any cause, Christian or not.

This is brilliant! All of these parts work perfectly together. I just wish I thought of it . Nice job!

Whatever you do, just don't put the arm up and pull it away. This is what cracks the torso down the side, since there is no internal support structure for that stress. Like others have said, the best way is to put the arm straight out and then pull it away from the torso.

Why is this being shared with Lego fans? I don't see the connection...

Japanese Yen

Ebay is your friend.

I don't understand what you mean by proper 3D layouts when it comes to traditional, full-scale trains. Regular track never has steep grades, except maybe for the hump in a rail yard used for assembling trains. In mountainous terrain, for example, changes in altitude are not solved with ramps but rather large spirals to gradually increase height.

I just checked, and my local Target had no such organizer in the $1 section . Oh well, maybe later?

Wow! This creation has so much charm. Great job with the details and flow of the model. I'd live there!

Now that's a Mine Mech! If only the official set were anything like this...