dhaas06

Exactly, mine turned out being just like that too. And it's darker in a bad way... it just looks cheap

I agree completely. Anyone who objects to minifig selling clearly doesn't understand economics. Ebay is wonderful, because it is one of the few ways to experience a true market equilibrium, where the intersection of demand and supply directly create price. Collectors just happen to have high demand, so the price sets itself. I was also puzzled about Lego's decision to sell collectible figures this way. While the company still makes great profits on these packs, they're considerably smaller than the profits from the larger sets. Perhaps they expect to offset the reduced set sales by selling proportionately more of the magnet sets. Plenty of us may not have been interested enough in the figures to buy the full sets, but we are willing to pick up the figures for much less (and get multiples). I think that Lego observed the lucrative secondary market for collectible figures and wanted in on that business (and also to reduce the prices by increasing quantity in the market). As long as these magnet packs add up to higher profits than the bigger sets, we may be seeing these things for quite a while.

Actually, I think that's entirely possible. Heck, look at all of the incredible surprises we've had already! TLG has proven that they really are listening to us, and they're making the stuff of our dreams. So, I would actually be surprised if the new train line doesn't have any remote-powered functions besides the trains themselves.

That red carriage is a caboose, which classically is placed on the end of a train and is used for the crew to live (sleep, relax, eat, etc.). With modern locomotives, these amenities are provided without needing a separate carriage. Also, modern trains have smaller crews, so the caboose is rarely used anymore. I don't know if European trains had something similar or not. You could also try this piece, if you're looking for the best shine!

Any flexible track that I've seen for model railroading works based on the metal rails: one is firmly connected to the plastic ties, while the other rail can freely slide through the other side of the ties. Then there will be excess "free rail" on the ends which must be trimmed (depending on how much the rail is curved). So, I really have no idea how the concept would work with all-plastic Lego rails.

These are included inside different varieties of General Mills cereals. (I have a couple already.) They are only two pieces each, the bottom chassis and the big top piece that attaches to 6 studs. While the studs are compatible with regular system bricks, the plastic seems cheaper and kind of Megablokish. Maybe this is just me, I don't know. At least the studs do have the Lego logo stamped on them!

If this is a real set, I believe that it will not be the only one to come out this year. It looks to be the train only, with no rails, motor, or remote. Regardless of whether or not those things are available separately, Lego has always offered a "complete" set that contains everything needed to run a train. My guess is that this will be an exclusive (obviously, via the number), and it will supplement a simpler set that is ready to run out of the box. In any case, this is a Lego train fan's biggest dream come true! It even makes the death of 9V bearable .

This is great! Mind if I borrow a few ideas to try my own? I'm inspired A church like this would be the perfect way to blend my medieval marketplace into the modern part of my town in the layout!

Nice work! Great interior details. I've been planning some similar buildings to add to the village, but you've certainly beaten me to it.

I'm afraid not, look carefully in the 5th photo and you can see that he turned all of the slits down . Oh well.

Hmm... while the set is as wonderful as I imagined, that price point is harsh! And it looks like I'll have to clear a bigger spot on my layout than I realized .

Yes, it most definitely is intentional. Just today I bought five of the same battle pack, and each set had the exact same extra pieces. The small extras are precise, the big ones are generally errors.

No, Market Street was not in the original plans for the new buildings, it was a fan-designed set thrown in the middle. Check the first part of the interview here. He didn't really design that one, he just made it better for production.

No, that's going to be a City set. Cafe Corner and Green Grocer belong in their own class, specifically the Fully-Awesome-Modular-Buildings-With-Extreme-Details-And-Immense-Size theme. At least, that's how S@H classifies them. (right?) And a self-promoting Lego store would be the coolest set ever. Imagine, there could be a miniature box inside of this set! (probably a sticker for box art.) It would be an endless vortex...

Hmm... well I can't argue with that!

Being a train fan, everything about this model is superb. But, for some reason, the detail that sticks out to me the most is the ice. I love the ice! It really brings the whole car together and makes it stand out.

Now THAT is a custom Lego ship! Great work; it really sets a standard for others to look to for inspiration.

That set concept gives me immeasurable joy. So magical! What wonder! Will any of the workers betray their comrades and cross the line to feed their families...?

Wow... a realistic urban fire station would be fantastic! One problem though: I was planning on MODing my own to go between GG and CC. If TLG went and did it first, I'd look like a copycat .

Yeah, I just stayed up all night about a week ago figuring out the best way to spread a couple hundred pieces over as few sellers as possible. I ended up narrowing it down to 7 orders, which was quite a feat, considering the various kinds of parts that I needed and the rarity of some. Now I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but maybe I'm not the only one who thinks this way: I love the challenges of using Bricklink. Lego is my hobby and my passion, and I'm willing to put forth the effort to pursue it. If everything was too easy, getting the parts or sets you need would be like refueling your car. Consistency and convenience are great, but it can take all of the satisfaction out of successfully accomplishing a task. What I'm saying is that I love the thrill of the hunt, like driving around town in search of a particular set. I don't have this kind of attitude toward anything else, just Lego, and that's what makes it special. I have no problem with tweaking Bricklink and improving the service, but at least it does function well, and any gripes we may have are just convenience issues. Maybe I'm crazy, but for me, finally getting to build my very own Black Seas Barracuda would provide only a fraction of the joy if I could just grab what I needed at the local store. Something about spending hours figuring out orders from around the world really sets this model up to be one of the most special ones I own... once everything arrives that is .

There has been speculation here in the forums about a bank or some other "official" establishment. Personally, I'd love to see something specialized, like an ice cream parlor. However, since the first two were food-themed, maybe a store isn't out of the question. I just think that it's a lot harder for TLG to put a lot of "merchandise" into an official set (like clothing or furniture). That seems like more of a custom thing done in MOCs. It's hard, because a lot of the businesses that make up a real city would not make an appealing Lego set for most audiences, like a nightclub or office building. It would take a special child to spend hours of play with realistic Lego cubicles . So, as more of these wonderful buildings come out, it will be interesting to see the kind of variety that they have. It's hard to walk the line between realistic and fun for kids, but we've seen Lego doing it very well these days!

That is incredible! I've always regarded your brewery as a work of art, but something about adding this to it takes it to a whole new level. Both MOCs are outstanding, but together they shine. The attention to detail is appreciated, and those windows really have the look of a classic, industrial city building. I just love the way that both models have the same "feel" to them, like they are without question on the same street, in the same town, in the same era, yet still separate entities.

Hmm. I went after you posted this, and my local Target had several of them, but for the regular $79.99 . Oh well, maybe it'll happen later.

The frog is in danger of getting run over by that cart! Great MOC, it really has a warm feel to it, and the attention to detail sets it apart.

If anyone can find any 6211 Imperial Star Destroyers still at Target, they have finally gone on clearance to $69.99. (Yes, I know they were $59.99 on Black Friday, but all of my local Targets sold out within 20 minutes that day, so I missed out.) They haven't restocked the set since Thanksgiving, so I assume the last two that I snagged tonight were returns after Christmas or something. I considered hiding one and waiting for the clearance to increase, but I didn't have the nerve .