Still Raindrop

I imagine there are lots of reasons. In this case, I would assume that Brickadier General likes the beautiful architecture of plantation houses, or that period in history--or both. One doesn't have to condone something to use it artistically.

Nice--it's got a very classic town feel to it!

This is absolutely splendid! The detail is fantastic--the chair, the waves breaking against the shore, and the buried minifig are nice touches. The bar itself looks just like a shack one would find on a Caribbean beach.

I voted for 4-wide, but I'm still not entirely certain. Though I really do like the detail of 6-wide cars (that SUV in the horse trailer set is beautiful!), Brickenridge is composed of 4-wide cars and 6-wide trucks. I think these are quite realistic, and wonder whether the entire town would have to be rescaled if a change were made.

Wow. I was going to build a plantation house a while ago (for a Faulkner-inspired creation), but I ended up scrapping it. This one, however, is simply brilliant! It truly captures the look of a plantation-style house.

Doesn't seem to be available in the US. My local TRU actually has a few Aquaraiders sets, but I'm incredibly low on money.

I think the anglerfish would disagree--his jaw certainly dropped! Good review of a fun little set. I never got any of the Aquaraiders sets, unfortunately, but this makes me wish even more that I had.

I added a few more pictures to the first post demonstrating the construction of the bed. I hope this clears up any questions, and confirms my view that this is the best system dump truck that LEGO has ever made.

I agree, although I'm not sure that the characters are that specific. Break Jaw was obviously inspired by Jaws, and Gold Tooth seems to be a mix of Auric Goldfinger and Francisco Scaramanga. However, I think that Ogel from the AT series was much more closely modeled after Blofeld. True, Inferno does have the scar . . . .

Wow. I've recently made three or four attempts to create a coach like this, and have ended up scrapping every one of them because they just didn't look right. This one, however, is absolutely brilliant! It has all of the features of a large coach down pat. I'm usually not a huge fan of 8-wide vehicles (I tried building my coach in 6-wide), but this is an exception, as it's so well done, and the size really seems to fit. Also, I love the windshield wipers!

In fact . . . here are a couple comparison shots to give you a better feel for the size of the truck:

Although it looks that way, those are actually just part of the signposts.

The orange lights are this piece, a variation on the old colored domes. And yes, metalandi, the truck really is a perfect size.

Indeed, the only thing that really resembles juniorisation is the Bionicle pieces. In fact, I would say that this is probably the least <insert that tiresome argument> dump truck LEGO has put out in well over ten years. The road sign was indeed a disappointment, especially considering that the speed limit sign was printed in the police impulse.

It's two pieces; they clip into the sides. I think the pieces might originally have been used on Bionicle vehicles.

I picked up the 7631 Dump Truck today, and I figured I would post an unofficial review, until Badsneaker's Academy-approved one was ready. So, here we go. (Sorry about the lighting-- it's difficult to find bright lights in the afternoon here) Box Front--Nothing we haven't seen before: Box Back--The usual demonstrations of modularity and action shots: Contents--Two numbered bags, instruction sheet (bent and crumpled, in my case), and small sticker sheet: Random instruction page: The minifig and miscellany. These are all very useful for a construction scene. I am, however, disappointed (though not surprised) that the sign is a sticker. The fence I can understand, but haven't there been printed signs with that same symbol before? I've not seen these hinges before, but I don't really have a lot of town/city sets, so I doubt they're new: SNOT we got. How much SNOT? Quite a lot! The dumping mechanism is this construction done twice: The completed truck: You can see that the 1x1 piece with arms (don't know the official name) keeps the truck from turning too drastically. Also, note the neat little SNOT piece on the back of the cab: The back: In action: Extra parts: This is a wonderful set, which really captures the feel of an articulated dump truck. My one beef is the back of the bed--there is no lip of any sort! Even a row if yellow cheese slopes facing outward would have been better; as it is, the rocks could spill out of the back quite easily, which isn't good for an off-road dump truck (that is, not a transporting tipper). However, the cab more than makes up for it. That thing is wonderfully done! Not only was it a fun build, it looks very much like an actual heavy construction vehicle. The pictures don't even fully capture it. The new tires look good, and they run very smoothly. Overall, I am extremely impressed with this set, and would recommend it highly! EDIT: Here are a few photos showing how the sides of the bed connect. Side of the bed, with technic pins circled. The large piece is clipped onto these pins. The side piece, with all the little technic pins in place: Being clipped into place: All that's left is to attach a few more pieces: Also, here are a few comparison shots. I originally put them in a separate post, but I'll try to keep all the images together:

I'm editing the photos right now for an unofficial review.

Hmm . . . I have notoriously poor luck at raffles, lottery, and such things. Still, I might as well give it a shot! I'm in (if you please)

You really do capture the look of this very faithfully!

Oh, I was jokingly referring to the head mold in the new SpongeBob SquarePants sets.

Just as long as the Squidman doesn't have the new Squidward head mold

Though I'm still not entirely certain which I like better/think is mightier, I cast my vote for Brickbeard's Bounty--partly in reaction. I agree that the skulls on the sails are rather cartoonish, but to say that the ship itself looks like a 4+ Pirates set . . . that confuses me. I love the detail of the ship, as well as the subdued, more realistic color scheme. I am aware that those colors weren't around when the BSB was made, but that doesn't affect how good the BB's color scheme is.

That walrus ornament is brilliantly executed!

Thanks. I don't have enough bricks to go for the modular standard, so I decided that classic town was good enough for me

The O'gel sticker comes from 6738, Skateboard Challenge. The Bistro sticker is just some extra sticker sheet; using a thin permanent marker, I just wrote "Bistro" on it, then cut it out.