blueandwhite

The method your asking about is far too expensive for most fans. It simply isn't possible to amass a large quantity of unique elements in the colours you've mentioned by simply purchasing sets. Moreover, the number of unique elements you end up with is likely to be quite limited. Certainly, sets like Bounty Hunter Pursuit (7133) and Slave I (6209) would appeal to someone in your position. Unfortunately, the former set is discontinued, and the later set is quite expensive for the paltry amount of sand green you acquire. Think of it this way. For every element in a colour your looking for, your likely to end up with ten or more in a colour you don't want. Additionally, many of the bricks featured in colours you want may not be useful to you. At the end of the day, you could end up spending $1000s of dollars just to acquire a moderate collection of useful elements in the colours your looking for. Today there are simply too many colours and too many elements to actively accumulate a decent collection of the more obscure colours. Ironically, in your effort to do so, you will undoubtedly end up with an impressive collection of the more mundain colours, like grey (bley), black, red, etc.. Still, good luck on your search. Later.

There's only so much a person can say about any given MOC. Lets not forget that there are a huge number of MOCs on the internet. Athos' vignettes are nice, but to expect a huge number of replies is expecting too much. I think the large number of views Athos' brickshelf gallery has recieved speaks volumes about his work. To expect people to actively post comments is perhaps a bit much. Yes, there will be some people who choose to do so, however moreoften than not, people will simply take a look at your folder and move on. You shouldn't take it as an insult, or conceal your work because people don't reply. Oh, I gave your Imperial Ground Forces a 3. When I voted, I didn't know that it was actually a MOC. I simply thought it was a set suggestion. As an army builder (minifig pack), it seems like it could use a few more troops. The inclusion of the cannon would undoubtedly drive the price up, so I would expect at least four figs. Still, an interesting idea to say the least. Later.

I always love these sorting topics. Truthfully, I don't have a specific sorting method. I sort some bricks by colour, others by type, and certain bricks are sorted by both. Its simply a question of quantity. For example; I only have a small quantity of tan bricks, so I keep them in a single bin, whereas my collection of grey (not bley) is absolutely huge, and needs to be sub-divided. Even then, I keep certain elements mixed. Its really a question of convenience. For me, sorting every single brick into its own tiny sub-category is a huge waste of time (and a headache). It just doesn't make sense to sub-divide elements that I frequently use in tandem, or ones that may be easy to find, even when mixed with different parts. And yes, my collection isn't that big (probably in the whereabouts of 100,000 bricks), so sub-dividing by colour/size isn't absolutely necessary. Later.

I think Beagle nailed the message, but the ad itself is rather weak. Comparing apples to oranges doesn't adequately describe the social injustices arising from racism. If anything, this ad promotes racism. It suggests that the two groups are too different to co-mingle. The separation between the puzzle pieces and the brick is not by choice, but by nature. The brick's incompatability with the inferior puzzle pieces suggests differences which are more than superficial. In short, the UN supports racism *vader*! Later.

Some people expect too much from a $9 set. For those of us short on cash, this is a great way to pick up a Batman minifig with the added bonus of Catwoman. The piece count isn't too bad for a set of this size, and the dragster isn't really that bad. Sure, this set doesn't measure up to its more expensive siblings, but I don't understand why there is such hate for this one. Heck, the piece selection isn't even that bad. This and the Batmobile are probably the only two Batman sets I can afford right now, so I for one am very happy that such a set is available.

I've already picked up the dragster, but I am so getting this for the Burton-Batman. The Batmobile looks decent for a set-design, and the figs look great. Most importantly, this set has a great assortment of parts which might be used to make a movie-accurate Batmobile! Awsome stuff.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but does the UK even get Transformers with any consistency? From what I understand, half of what is released in the US doesn't even make it over there. Most UK Transfans seem to rely on import shops. And it doesn't surprise me that the US generally sees sets before Europe. The United States is a huge market. Furthermore, as a single country, distribution is likely made simpler. Allthough Europe as a whole is quite large, the many nations that comprise your continent probably make distribution a bit slower. Still, the important thing here is that your even getting Batman, and thus far there is nothing to indicate that it will be sensored like the Dino line (of course, the Euro versions ended up being superior anyways). So, with any luck, your Bat-sets will include the same firearms featured in the US versions. Seems like a great deal to me (and so much for LEGO's anti-violence policy).

They are indeed pearl light gray. Ah, that is good news. The sets themselves don't really excite me, but some of these minifigs do. New heraldry, interesting (in a good way for a change) torso/armour printing, and improved colour sense really save these guys. Thankfully we're seeing a real move away from the monochromatic Jellybeans of yesteryear. About time!

I'm kind of disappointed. Early photos implied that the helmets were going to be pearl grey. In these newer photos, it looks as if the visors are in fact dark bley. The new shields do look nice though. Still, I'm just not feeling these sets. The new minifigs are a noticeable improvement, but the sets themselves are still quite dull. On the bright side, this will mean more money for Batman and Bricklink! Later.

Also, seeing that Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 are being released within the next year, it would seem that there is no better time to get in on some pirate action! The first movie was huge, and I suspect that the next two will also be quite the draw at the boxoffice. A LEGO pirate line would probably be quite attractive after these two films have been released. Later.

Well, this isn't necessarily bad news for you Pirate fans, as LEGO recently introduced the Duplo Castle line. Honestly, these look great. Far more exciting than the basic Duplo I had as a child. Who knows, maybe a Pirate line is headed your way in the future (I wouldn't get my hopes up though). Later.

I agree with you. Batman will achieve its greatest success in the US, simply because the character is an icon of American pop culture. I mean, if LEGO acquired the rights to a popular European character like Ast

Still, its a theme with alot of useful bricks. Personally, I'll be building my own interpretation of the Burtonmobile to replace the set version. Later.

Very nice. Great pieces, and proper brick-built models which are sure to make for some excellent MOCing. Kids are sure to love this line! Heck, Gary looks amazing! Who would have thought that LEGO would actually include a brick-built animal? Still, I can't help but wonder why is it that Knight's Kingdom continues to be so *I wanted to say that this set contains a lot of big pieces but didn't want to take the time to write it all, so I used the word "<insert that tiresome argument>" instead*? None of the licenced themes suffer from this affliction. Give kids some bricks, and great things will happen. This line looks good. I'm not even a fan of Spongebob, yet I'm still tempted. Later.

I honesetly don't want to see any scene sets. I mean, Spiderman was ok, but most of the sets were pretty bland. Batman succeeds where Spiderman fails because of the vehicles and cool gadgets. To downplay this aspect of the character will ultimately result in weaker set design. Sure, I'd love to see a Gotham P.D., or something similar, however I don't want weak scene sets that end up looking dull. If Batman makes a comeback for a second (or even third) year, I wouldn't mind seeing vehicles based on the film. A Batman Begins "Tumbler" or 1989 Burton mobile would really make my day! Heck, I would love to see the 1960s Lincoln Futura batmobile. As for buildings, Gotham P.D. is obvious, as is Wayne Mannor. In all honesty, I'm happy so long as we don't start seeing playsets. Smacking a few random parts together and calling it a scene simply isn't my cup of tea. Give me well-built Bat vehicles and complete buildings over action scenes any day of the week! Later.

What's interesting here is that the battle is not between the typical Shadow Knights, or King what's-his-face's soldiers. Instead, we have an army of Green and Yellow soldiers who presumably serve under the new Green maxifig Knight and one of the new maxifig villian Knights. The two guys in the foreground are presumably the 'leaders' as they have different breastplates. The other characters come in sets of two. Two villians with classic flared helms, two with barbutes (all wearing what appears to be black armour), two heroes in gold armour, and two heroes in darker armour (all have silverish visors). The main hero has a what appears to be a green breastplate with silver highlights and grey arms (the others have green arms). The main villian is wearing what appears to be a metallic flaked helmet and breastplate with a printed design. Its obvious that the heroes control the pass, and that the villians are attacking (at least in this pic). The seige weapons (which admittedly look lame) feature yellow highlights, much like the attacking army. The wall features green flags. More to the point, the wall is occupied by green Knights, and the seige weapons are controlled by the yellow fellas. The wall itself is pretty dull, as as are the weapons, but as a child I would have loved this set. Its the first Battle set LEGO has ever produced. Too bad its likely to be overpriced. As an AFOL, I simply can't justify dropping upwards of $70 (Cdn) on something like this, simply to acquire a few new minifigs. Perhaps a second chess set is headed our way. One can only hope. Later.

This year's Viking sets look great. Unfortunately, the KKII sets still leave something to be desired. The minifigs are great, but the set design continues to be... dull |-/ . Still, at this point in my life I don't have alot of cash to burn. I think I'll be limiting myself to a few of the Batmen sets (the Batmobile and Dragster), possibly the Viking seige weapons and Creator 4896 which looks to be a great source of parts for making an improved Batmobile (Burtonmobile). Still, for those of you with more disposable income, this should be a good year. Later.

That's terrible reasoning. Canada, where I live, has many many tourist attractions... if a LEGOland was built in Toronto or Niagara Falls... it would be very successful. There are many other countries like this. Well, as a fellow Canadian, I have to disagree. Themeparks are far better suited to warmer climates. Heck, I live 20 minutes from Canada's Wonderland (a themepark). The fact is, due to weather, it only brings in business for six months in any given year. Also, other than Ontario, and Quebec, Canada's population density is extremely low. We simply don't have the market for something like this. It would be more suited to a Southern US State. As for Europe, they already have two LEGOLAND parks. Don't forget, Europe is far smaller than North America. Its not unreasonable for a fellow in England to make the trip to Germany or vice versa. The same can't be said in North America. To drive from the Northern East Coast to California would take over 40 hours! Honestly, a second US LEGOLAND makes sense. Later.

Superior to what? For every advantage a fortress has, there are bound to be disadvantages. For example, a castle built on a hilltop may be more difficult to seige, but it may also be difficult to re-supply. Furthermore, to find such geography may force builders to situate the castle in a less strategic point, making it easier for invaders to gain access to desired territory. Most castles were successfully seiged by cutting off supply routes and starving the occupants to death. Ultimately, a successful seige will depend on alot of factors which go well beyond the soundness of the fortress itself. From a design standpoint, concentric castles were some of the most impressive fortresses of the middle ages. They were not dependant on geography, and the two-walled nature of concentric structures made them difficult to seige, even if the invading army managed to occupy the outer ward. Trying to give a definitive answer as to what type of fortess is the best is simply unreasonable. Everything is situational. Later.

Old grey or classic grey is simply "light gray" on bricklink. New grey, or bley is referred to as "light bluish gray" (hence the term "bley"). If your looking for classic dark grey, yes it too is simply referred to as "dark gray". Just remember, with the discontinuation of grey in 2004, prices are only going to go up, and its going to be near impossible to track down new lots of classic grey. Its not uncommon to see grey listed at prices 2 x3 times higher than a few years back. Later.

What was that? Bley, fleshies, or something else. Honestly, alot of the changes LEGO has been making sure do upset us in the AFOL community. This is going to be devastating for Train collectors. Still, I wouldn't wish these changes on my worst AFOL enemy! Later.

This castle would be no easier to seige than any other castle. Concentric castles are certainly common, and do have a number of significant advantages. The tactics you mentioned are by no means particular to this type of structure. Even if this castle was built on a raised plateau, the goal would still be to cut off supply routes and starve out the inhabitants. Sure, being on a plateau affords the defenders a number of advantages, but there are also disadvantages. It is far easier to cut off supply routes to a raised structure. Similarly, it may be harder for reinforcements to gain access to the castle to relieve the seige. In such cases, the occupants may still starve and be forced to surrender. More to the point, this concentric fortress has a number of advantages you're overlooking. The obvious advantage of this sort of structure is that it is not terrain specific, and thusly can be built in a strategically important location without the same regard to geography. The moat makes sapping virtually impossible. Also, if attackers were to breach the first wall, they would be completely vulnerable to the defenders positioned on the tller inner walls divinding the inner and outer wards. And if the concentric design was as flawed as you suggest, it certainly wouldn't be very common. Remember, some of the last true castles in Britian were concentric. Later.

I have nothing against Halo, but Halo LEGO *sick* ?!! Honestly, this license doesn't work. LEGO, while certainly not devoid of violent themes (Star Wars, Batman etc...), they are not a company that likes to promote violence. Halo is basically pure violence. Sure its fun, but does it really fit in with LEGO, a toy that promotes creativity rather than wanton destruction. More to the point, do you really think that LEGO would be allowed to pick up a theme that competes directly with the Star Wars licence? I mean, LEGO hasn't had a true space theme since picking up Star Wars in 1999. Assuming that they renew their relationship with Lucas, I don't see this trend changing anytime soon. And honestly, while Halo works as a videogame, it really isn't particularly imaginitive visually. A hero in generic armour riding around on a few vehicles and killing aliens isn't particularly exciting. Ultimately, I question the logic of picking up such a limiting license. And remember, not all Halo fans are LEGO fans. Halo's fanbase is paltry when compared to Star Wars et al. Instead, LEGO should be worried about keeping its major franchises. In short, this line should (and likely will) never happen!! Later.