blueandwhite

Looks about par for the course. I think people who were expecting anything more were probably fooling themselves. Personally, I think this is as good as its going to get. Remember, this is a children's line, where play features rule over everything else. Unlike Town or Star Wars, where there is a larger adult contingent, this theme seems directed squarely at kids. I doubt that its going to change any time soon. Still, we finally get a great set of minifigs (well the good guys anyways) with a decent set of faction/torso prints, as well as metallic helmets and grey(bley) breastplates. If the photo is any indication, we may see something of an "army builder" set as well. The bley castle looks alright, and it does have a good assortment of bricks, which is certainly welcome. No, this certainly isn't classic castle, but I don't really think that the sets of old would have gone over well with children either. This is a pretty nice compromise, bringing us the first decent faction in over a decade.

The figs are ok, but everything else is disappointing. Like other KKII sets, this seems 'thrown together' with little or no thought. While other lines have matured, KKII seems to fixate on the Juniorization trend of the mid to late 1990s. Personally, I hate the colour-coded building scheme that dominates <insert that tiresome argument> sets more than anything! A definite pass.

Honestly, this isn't an issue if you don't already have a large collection. For you younger builders, bley should be the only consideration. Of course, this also means that you will be missing out on alot of older and discontinued bricks. For many older builders, bley is simply not viable. We have already invested far too much into our already overabundant collections of grey. It simply doesn't make sense to collect the newer colours. Moreover, the juniorization of newer sets (like this one) is not appealing to many builders. Personally, I have no use for large single-purpose wall bricks. Such a set is virtually useless for MOCing. In short, when you have spent 20+ years building up your collection of bley, and LEGO decides to change the colour to something else, then you might understand. Later.

Thank you. I just bumped into your car the other day. I must say, its quite nice. The inclusion of the "Batmissle" is certainly a great feature. Also, I like the shape of the canopy. Its probably a bit more accurate to the original. I think the addition of the port exhaust system and tail lights would make the car even better! Still, I was even more impressed by your "Batman Revenge" car. The hint of chrome, and the covered front wheels are awsome. Also, where the wheels may be a bit small on some of your other cars, they seem to work perfectly here. This car is incredibly sleek. Later.

Wow! Looking at my MOC page, I must have really offended somebody. If that's the case, I am truly sorry. It was never my intention. Honestly, if you find my comments to be arrogant or rude, I must apologize. As is often the case, I tend to get a little over-excited when I finish a new MOC. It was never my intention to slight you or hurt your feelings. I certainly never intended to insult or diminish the work of other builders. Moreover, I don't think my statements suggest anything negative towards those aforementioned fans. I have seen alot of great Batmobiles (ALOT of Tumblers), but rarely have I seen a LEGO version of the Burton car. I certainly haven't seen one designed to accomodate the current Batman minifigs. Flicker's Batmobiles are great, but they are his own design. There are other good designs out there as well, but most of them seem to be varriations on the Burton car, rather than a direct homage. I certianly didn't mean any malice with my statements On LUGNET, I stated the following: "Looking around Brickshelf, I couldn

The angle is far more subtle than that. It was a good idea though. Later.

This is a result of the hinges used to narrow the waste of the car. The actual Burtonmobile narrows near the cockpit. To achieve this, I used 2 hinge plates. The result is accurate to the movie car, however it creates an unavoidable verticle line. Moreover, there is no wedge or brick that could achieve the desired angle. In actuality, the photographs make this line stand out far more than it ordinarily would (heightened contrast). If you have a suggestion for this problem, I would be greatful. Thanks. (Starwars 4J) explained it while I was typing *y* Later.

Sure. I'll take some photos tonight and get them up as soon as possible. Later.

Well, I finally got around to building my Burtonesque version of the Batmobile. The set version wasn't too shabby, but I wanted something that I could truly call my own. The 1989 Burton Batmobile is simply hard to beat. The funny thing is, I was worried that somebody else might build a better one before me, making mine look like a complete rip-off. Fortunately, that didn't happen. Still, waiting for my Bricklink order (which was held up in customs) was pure agony. My Burtonmobile uses almost no advanced construction techniques. There is almost no SNOT, and any other techniques are relatively straight forward. The cockpit slides forward on a Technic rod, allowing for an easy entry for Batman. The car's shape was closely modeled after the original, deviating only slightly. For all intents and purposes, this was intended to be a copy of the Burton car; detail for detail. Check it out on my MOC Page. Questions, comments or criticisms are always welcome. Later.

Well, this is a bit of a mixed bag... The Good On the one hand, the Batmobile is looking quite nice. The racers set doesn't look too shabby either. The two Vikings sets look pretty decent, and the Exo-Force sets (allthough not my cup of tea) look solid with an interesting assortment of hinges, joints and Technic pieces. For those of you who like mecha, this is probably a dream come true. The motorbike and sidecar also looks good as a smaller set. The Bad On the other hand, KKII, year 3 looks to be something of a disappointment. These models are still far too <insert that tiresome argument> for my tastes. Empty arches and large pre-fab walls make these sets look quite large, but there really isn't much to them. There is no excuse for such poor construction considering how well-built other lines have been in recent years. I guess LEGO doesn't figure castle fans are all that when it comes to building as these sets are far simpler than any of the other lines. At least the figs look ok. The Batcave looks allright, but it feels like a large amalgam of mini-sets, rather than a unified construction. I don't know why, but it reminds me of some of the Dacta sets LEGO produced in the 1990s. I have mixed reactions on this one, but I suspect I'll be passing on the cave. The Downright UGLY What is with those Bionicle mini sets? They aren't really Bionicle, and they certainly aren't LEGO. They are more like playsets than anything else. Personally, I feel that these things completely miss the boat, as they don't look like they would appeal to either LEGO or Bionicle fans. I'm surprised they've made new ones considering the ones from the previous year seem to be sitting on shelves everywhere I go. Strange. Oh well. Some good, some bad.... I guess that's par for the course. Later.

Isn't the Adventurer theme set circa the 1920s-1930s? If so, wouldn't the North American West be a bit dated at that point? The cliche of the Wild West ends at the turn of the century, some 30 years before Johnny Thunder and co. hit the scene. If LEGO were to bring back the Western themed minifigs, I'm not sure how well it would fit in with the Adventurer line (of course, its probably even less likely that LEGO would consider bringing back the Western line). Later.

I think King Kong would have made a good licence, except that its too late. The movie has come and gone! If LEGO wants to get in on the licencing, they have to be quick! As for a 2006/2007 Adventures line; I don't think it will happen. As a sub-theme, Adventures simply isn't that popular. It seems that the Orient Expedition line didn't do that well, so I suspect that this is the last we'll be seeing of good ol' Johnny Thunder. For LEGO to continue with these sorts of themes, its almost necessary for them to acquire a solid licence that will entice kids. They missed the boat (pun intended) with the Pirates of the Caribbean (which would have been a great substitute for Pirates), but there are still potential licences to be had. Perhaps, if Lucas and Speilberg ever get around to it, LEGO could option the rights for Indiana Jones 4. If not, I don't see another Adventures-style line for the near future. Later.

Well, the fact that the LEGO logo is conspicuously absent from the packaging, I'm not sure that "dodgy" is the right word here. Yes, "Brick" and "Shifty" (love that name) are knockoffs, but its not like they are fooling anybody. Still, I try to avoid knockoff products. Besides being of inferior quality, I have a difficult time supporting anything that blantantly rips off the effort of the original designers. Later.

I'm not sure about that. Sure, getting a single train isn't that expensive. Buying more track, a regulator and an extra motor is. This is a toy aimed exclusively at well-to-do families. Expansion is great, but for most buyers it is simply not going to happen. It has been my experience that children don't spend large sums of money buying track in bulk. A child can get two or three different Batman sets for the price of a single train. If that same child wants to expand his railway, it will cost even more! The new system, with its all-plastic rails is undoubtedly cheaper. It likely means that LEGO will make more money on each unit sold (which is very important on a product that doesn't move in large quantities). Again, I believe that price is a major issue. Just because the system is cheaper to make, doesn't mean that LEGO will automatically pass those savings onto the consumer. I'm sure LEGO has done its market research. I simply don't think that trains (LEGO or otherwise) have the pull to compete with more popular branding (notably licenced products like Star Wars). I'm not sure that this would draw alot of buyers. Ultimately, Batman isn't closely associated with Gotham transit. When kids think of Batman, they think of his Batmobile, his Batwing and his Batcave. Even if a train has the name "Batman" on the box, I think its going to have alot of trouble competing with the staples of the franchise. The other trains you've mentioned are even more obscure. The Polar Express (a nice children's book to be sure) was a bomb at the boxoffice. Your other suggestions, while potentially interesting, don't necessarily offset the more popular and affordable sets on the market. I agree that new trains would be nice, however I don't think that they are going to make any inroads into the market. The train community is a niche (children and adults). I just don't know how you can make a system like this affordable enough to be popular. Whatever LEGO's reasoning for dropping the 9V system, I'm sure that money was a major consideration. Later.

I think this is disheartening, but much like other running changes LEGO has made in recent years, there is little or nothing we as fans can do about it, other than support the current 9V system while its still available. The fact that they haven't finalized the Hobby Train as a mainstay is not a good sign. Still, I don't think any amount of fan support or protest will make a difference. Of course, I appreciate that we are getting more communication from TLG these days, rather than being completely blind sided like we've been with other changes (Grey/Bley). As others have said, I don't think that the 9V system is viable. It certainly is too costly for fans like myself. Considering that it costs upwards of $1000 to set up a decent layout, this is clearly not a hobby for children. And that's part of the problem. I don't think there is alot of incentive for the powers that be to keep the 9V system on the market. Appealing to a few AFOLs simply doesn't cut it. When all is said and done, I think LEGO is simply afraid to admit that the 9V system is on its last legs. Later.

That's cool. In Canada, the names are essentially the same as our American counterparts. Even the French names (which I cannot speak, mind you), translate into roughly the North American equivalent. For example, the Black Seas Barracuda is "Barracuda de la Mer Noire", and the Elderado Fortress is the "Forteresse Eldorado". I suppose that only makes sense, as it might confuse children who are bilingual. Later.

Thanks for your support Sting :-) . Unfortunately, there is nothing to guarantee that older bricks will be updated or produced in new grey for a new generation of fans. I expect that alot of accessories will eventually see the change to bley, however some of the older bricks may never see such a transition. Some of the older molds may not even exist at this point in time. As your a castle and pirate fan, it may dishearten you to learn that this fine brick has yet to make the transition to the new colours. Now, it is true that some parts will undoubtedly make such a transition, but with new wall pieces and other elements becoming common place, it is equally possible that a number of great bricks will never be produced in the new colours. And yes, another Legends set would do much to alleviate this problem for castle fans, but what about Space, or Train fans? If anything, these themes have more specialized elements that may not make the transition. It is more than a bit troubling. I sincerely hope that LEGO looks back at its set archive and considers converting some of the older elements into bley for new fans. Recently, Classic-Castle had a poll on the production of Legends in Bley. Initially I was against it, as I would prefer something new, but looking at the number of great bricks that may be lost, I'm having second thoughts on the subject. Oh, the Grill Helmet is actually in pearl grey, not bley. It still looks cool though! Later.

Sorry, I don't believe that I'm whining. I'm simply stating what the situation is for many fans with larger collections. And it is by no means a dead issue when it comes to the secondary market. Just because LEGO has discontinued classic grey doesn't mean that there aren't continuing reprocussions for some fans. As I have said countless times, I don't expect old grey to return; EVER! That doesn't mean that I can't express my feelings on some of the issues that have arisen as a result of this change. And more to the point, if these discussions are so irrelevant to you, why bother participating? I don't mean any offense, but there are people who still feel the need to discuss this matter. Simply talking about something doesn't automatically constitute whinning. You may be growing tired of the continued colour change discussion, but I am equally tired of being told that it doesn't matter, or that I "can't accept reality" and move on. We are all entitled to our opinions *vader* . Later.

I wish! Unfortunately, for alot of vetran AFOLs, old grey is the only grey! In fact, its becoming increasingly difficult to acquire large quantities of old grey bricks on the secondary market. Sure, oddly shaped and rarely-used elements are available in abundance, however basic building blocks are becoming harder to come by, and their prices have risen accordingly. Stores that have large quantities of basic grey (1 x1, 1 x 2 etc.) tend to sell at a premium, making it an expensive and difficult item to acquire. Yes, there isn't alot of bley on the secondary market right now. This is simply because its new. As time passes, bley will be far easier to come by. The prices are generally better, and this trend will only continue as classic grey becomes increasingly difficult to find. The second problem with bley for old-timers is the simple fact that no new bricks will be available in classic grey. This means that any new brick post 2004 is incompatable with their collection. Newer bricks like the slope bricks featured in many of the Racers sets (, , and ) will never be available in old grey. This problem doesn't stop there of course. For newer builders, older bricks that are no longer produced won't be available in the newer colours. In short, the colour change marks the end of an era for many builders. Sets with large quantities of new grey are for the most part, worthless to those builders who have too much invested in their existing collections. As to the number of old grey fans. That is more often than not determined by the size of one's collection. Builders such as myself or Norro who have vast collections of old or classic grey would have a far harder time converting to the new stuff. Simply put, we have too much invested in our current collections. Starting fresh would be too prohibitive. I've amassed my collection steadily for over twenty years, so starting over really isn't an option. Sure, this doesn't affect kids, or AFOLs with paltry collections of the "old stuff", but it does affect the rest of us. As Bricklink caters primarily to older adult fans, I don't think that many Bricklink stores will be "dumping" their remaining stock of old grey any time soon. So if the change hasn't been a bid deal for you, that's great! I'm glad that it hasn't hindered your enjoyment of the hobby. Still, I would ask you to appreciate that not everyone feels that way. For some of us, this is, and always will be a big deal. And no, that doesn't mean we are all going to make a fuss and abandon the hobby we so enjoy. It simply means that new grey isn't a viable option for everyone. Later.

I think they just changes it for the European release, since Ras' set also had these rims...or Yoda just has a weird batch of Batman sets :-P Well, from the sound of things, the European rims are an improvement on the older North American versions as they can be turned around for a more retro look. Honestly, its not like the US ones looked that good to begin with. If I could, I would love to have reversed them as the interior on the rims actually looks better than the exterior. So congrats to you Europeans on once again getting the better set *y* ! Later.

Yes, but is there a set that contains a helmet in dark gold to match the armour? It would certainly be nice, but thus far I don't see a set that includes such a piece. Does anybody know if one of this year's Knights will have a gold helmet? Later.

Honestly, it would be great to see a site dedicated to the best MOCs arround. A sort of online "Master Builder Idea Book". The problem is alot of great MOCs end up burried in sites like Brickshelf, never again to see the light of day. Personally, I find myself inspired when I see a bunch of great MOCs, yet I find that searching Brickshelf can be quite tiring. Often I find it impossible to find the MOC I'm looking for. Even the "Most Popular" search is irritating as many great MOCs simply haven't been viewed frequently enough to be noticed. So, in the spirit of the LUGNET thread, I've decided to post links to five of my all-time favorites. I hope that others would follow suit. This list is by no means a comprehensive list (there are so many talented AFOLs out there, afterall), but a shortlist of a few builders I consider to be among the best. 1) The first is Marakoeschtra's City Square. For me, this is one of the finest castle MOCs out there. The detailing is absolutely supurb. 2) The second is Jojo's Grange. Like Marakoeschtra, most everything Jojo builds is fantastic, but this really stands out for me. Not only are the small details wonderful, but the overall setting is so tranquil. This one simply blows my mind. Anybody looking to build small details owes it to themselves to check out the galleries of both Jojo and Marakoeschtra! 3) My third choice is Srezkall's amazing F-117A Nighthawk. Simply put, I have never seen bricks arranged at so many different angles! This some seriously advanced SNOT, and it looks phenomenal! 4) My fourth choice is pretty much anything made by Keith Goldman. A master of SNOT and studless design, Keith's MOCs are pure art. One of his best works is his Nova Taurus. If there was ever a guide on making SNOT look good, this is it. As with the others, you really should check out Keith's Brickshelf gallery if you haven't done so before! 5) My final choice is Holger Matthes for his rendition of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. The detailing here is out of this world! Its like LEGOLAND for minifigs, and I can't get enough of it. So what are your favorites? Are there any MOCs that truly stand out to you? I'd love to hear what others think, and what their personal favorites are. Later.

Honestly, if you can put a pin in either side, then these rims are a significant imrpvement on the originals. Quick question: Do these rims look the same on both sides, or is the other side similar to the interior of the American rim? Later.

There is no way of being certain that LEGO will never change any of its colours again. Of course, when they changed grey to bley, there was quite an outrcry, so I suspect it may not happen again. That being said, there is no reason to actively purchase old grey if you don't already have a large collection. Its more expensive, and won't be very easy to come by in the future. Remember, nobody knew that LEGO was going to change its colours. It was a running change, and many of the earliest sets to feature bley had a mixture of grey/bley. Many people incorrectly assumed that it was a quality control issue, but LEGO addressed the issue, informing fans that the change was permanent. Still, there was a strong backlash, so I don't think we'll be seeing a repeat of this incident. So yes, bley is the new grey! If your looking to stock up, I suggest the Graveyard Duel. Doller per brick, this set is as good (if not better) than most of the creator line, and easily one of the best sets for amassing a great assortment of bley bricks. Later.

These are a big improvement on the KKII designs (which I am no fan of). Still, there are a few odd things here. THe most obvious is that the armour has chainmail printed on it, making it look like an arming doublet (the garment worn under the breastplate). This would have actually been an amazing Torso print! The chainmail print being on the surface of the armour isn't my cup of tea, but it certainly beats the colourful space heraldry of KKII yr 2, or the futuristic patterns of yr. 1. The heraldry I like. Its far less modern looking, and seems like it will be easier to integrate into a more traditional collection of bricks. Later.