Ogre

Well that's a drag! Not because of the deal but, because they closed the Zellers that used to be right across the street from me. :( Wouldn't mind snagging the train set.

Absolutely gorgeous!

That was my first thought upon seeing the pics...'great parts set'. Something else though...why not just use blue baseplates instead of 'building-out' around the footprint of the structure? Makes it look a little weird, IMO.

You and me, both! LOL (and I'm pretty sure I heard my wife mumble something about 'divorce' when I mentioned this to her)

I currently store them in 'flip-top' LEGO set boxes, loosely by theme. Example: a City box has my City instructions, Wild West, as well as Creator and any 'oddball' sets that I picked up...a Castle box has all of my various 'Castle'-type sets...a Pirate box has all my pirates...another Castle box has all my 'licenced' instructions, etc., etc. Have to move to a better system though...it's getting crowded. LOL

I have to say, that BLOWS! LOL I'm in Toronto and I'm kinda shocked that Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal didn't get the first LEGO store, considering how large the markets are. With that said though, I had figured that the SECOND store would be in the east, instead of another in the west. The closest LEGO store here is a nine-hour drive (one way) across the border...and I don't have a car! LOL I've made a pest of myself with LEGO, asking on many different occassions exactly when Toronto is going to get a LEGO store so, hopefully, they know that there IS some interest here. It really irks me though, seeing FOUR different LEGO stores in and around Chicago, with similar patterns across the U.S. (New York area for example) and here in Canada we FINALLY get ONE friggin' store...and it's half a country away from me. *sigh* We Canadians get boned on the stores the same way we get boned on the pricing. Too bad I'm addicted to brick. LOL! I had hoped that Canada's largest city (Toronto) would have received the first store but, no such luck. Anybody have ANY idea why they picked CALGARY as their first choice? Seems so odd to me.

I hear ya on the 'exchange rate', man. We Canadians get totally BONED on that. I've complained to LEGO on more than one occassion about it. Not that they CARE but, still... Anyway...my point in replying was...in regard to that 'price disparity issue'...TRU Canada has 'Brickbeard's Bounty' on sale for $25 off until July 29, 2010...plus, they have free shipping (up to $25 value) on all orders over $100. So, if you (or any other Canadians reading this) want to bulk up on ship sets/parts, this might not be a bad time to pick one up...or more than one. LOL

I have to agree...that's one ugly-looking AT-AT! IMO, it looks really 'chunky and clunky'. There is something that is just...'off'...about it. It may have some cool build elements and new figure elements but, all in all, I am NOT impressed.

Set #: 7569 Set Name: Hassasins Hide Out I don't know if this has been mentioned already on this thread, or not but...this set isn't "Hassassins Hide Out"...it's "Desert Attack" (according to the box and the link to s@h). Weird thing is, TRU lists it as "Hassassins Hide Out" and this is the picture that they illustrate the listing with online: Personally, I want this one, too!

I would love to see TLG bring back the 'idea book'. The older ones has some really inspiring models in them and the stickers were pretty good, too. Later books weren't quite as good but, were still better than no book at all. I'd also like to see the Brickmaster program expanded so that us fans in Canada could get in on the action. $62 per YEAR????? Heck, pretty much every LEGO shopping trip of mine costs more than that, and there are far more than one per year. LOL! And here's the thing...how many 'kids' are doing the BUYING of the LEGO sets? Not many, I'd bet! 'Mom' and 'Dad', as well as other family members (meaning: ADULTS) are usually the ones forking over the dough.

I soooooooooooooo hope that's the case! Thanks for the info/feedback everybody. I guess I'll just have to TRY and remain patient, since we don't have ANY LEGO stores here in Canada, yet. (first one is due this summer...IN CALGARY! ugh...doesn't help ME out one bit) I've seen all of the other "Kingdoms" sets at TRU, as well...alas, no 'impulse' sets yet. Thanks for the heads-up, Fishy! See, I was in TRU, too...but, no impulse sets at all for the new lines. Hmm...maybe the truck was delayed. Yeah, that's it! (does 'wishful thinking' really help? LOL) Okay, so am I the ONLY GUY IN CANADA who can't find these figures?!?!?! LOL!

I still think that 6086 was the coolest-looking castle, by far. I HAD hoped to see that released as a 'Legend' one day.

Does anyone here happen to know if the new "Jester" and "Wizard" impulse sets from the "Kingdoms" line are going to be available in North Amercia? I've checked on lego.com and though I see them available elsewhere, they are not showing up for Canada (where *I* reside). We got ripped-off and didn't get the "Good Wizard" impulse set from the last 'Castle' line and I'm wondering if that's going to happen again with this new series. Anyone have any information? Thanks in advance! ~ Ogre

Though the BFF is a good-looking set, I'd have to say that 6086 was the best-looking classic castle set ("Black Knight's Castle"/"Dungeon Master's Castle") I totally agree, which is why I also voted for the Blacksmith Shop. That sign is my favourite part of The Guarded Inn set. LOL

I was quite surprised to get an extra sword and gold goblet in mine, along with the usual assortment of 'extras' (skellie arms, gems, etc.). I don't think I've ever had extra weapons in a set before. Well, look at it this way...compare the price of this calendar to 9 'impulse' sets. Here in Canada, the impulse sets are $4.95 CAD (+tax) each. Calendar was $39.99 (+tax and shipping). Going by the 'cover price', it's like getting one impulse set for free. I can't remember if anyone has mentioned this, or not but, the maiden has the 'double-sided' face...one calm, one 'startled'.

Holy smokes, is that ever gorgeous! Only thing is...*I* sure as heck wouldn't want to have to climb those steps in plate armour!

WOW! That is a VERY NICE creation! Certainly blows away anything that was in the 'Dragon Masters' line! I agree with the poster who said that it wasn't 'luck' that caused you to win first place...'twas definitely skill. Nicely done! Keep up the great work!

Sorry to hear you missed out. Keep an eye on Ebay...or perhaps you know someone in Europe, or one of the other regions where the set is being retailed?

It wasn't just better than all of the Knight's Kingdom sets, it was better than the 'King Leo' so-called 'modular castle system' sets that were out before KK and even better than the 'Royal Knights' that were out before 'King Leo'. I personally love the fact that this is a COMPLETE building (not just a 'front', or a 'shell') with lots of detail. Yes, the new Market Village set (10193) is STUNNING but, look at this in historical context...MV is coming out almost SEVEN YEARS after the 'Blacksmith Shop'...and look at all of the crap we Castle collector's were subjected to in the interim! IMO, the blacksmith set was WAY ahead of its time and thus, is totally deserving of 'AWESOME' status...which is why I bought two of the buggers when they were first made available.

Personally, I would LOVE to see more 'Old West' sets. I think they killed that line off FAR too quickly, without really giving it a chance.

I had that happen with some 'Pick-A-Brick' baseplates...ordered four, received two. After hopping on the phone, giving all my info, etc., I had my two missing baseplates in about a week. I have to say, TLG has always been good about that. I remember when I was just a wee lad, if any pieces were missing from any of my sets when they were opened, my dad would call the customer service number and within a couple of weeks, replacement parts were at my door. Too bad all companies don't have that level of customer service. ------------------------------------------------- And just to clarify an earlier question: Canadian prices are HIGHER than American prices for pretty much everything. For this advent calendar, I believe the U.S. cost is something like $30 + shipping and taxes...for us Canadians, it's ten bucks more. ------------------------------------------------- HOLY RUSH-DELIVERY, BATMAN!!!!! I ordered my two calendars on Thursday afternoon...they arrived on my doorstep today (Tuesday) at noon!!!!!!!!!! I've NEVER received an order that fast before!

No idea how many they have left...I was too excited to even think about asking. *g* When I called though, the first thing I said was "I hope I'm not too late for this" and the operator responded with "Well, that depends...do you have the code?" I guess she knew EXACTLY what I was calling about. After I gave the code, she said that yes, they had 'a few' left...now, I'm guessing that's "retail sales speak" for "no worries chump, just gimme your credit card number". LOL

I just found out about this offer yesterday (Oct. 16) and ordered my 2 sets. Total cost? $102.33 Canadian dollars. Ouch. A heck of a lot more than I'm used to paying for the advent calendars (usually grab them at 50% off on Boxing Day). Oh well. All that matters is that I'm getting them. :pir-skull: