blueandwhite

Well, I think that many minifig fans feel that a minifig should match the bricks that make up their world. LEGO figs aren't action figures; they are building accessories. As bricks and parts have become more specialized; so too have the figures that are included with the sets. Unfortunately, some of these figures have elements that are so detailed that they no longer 'feel' like they are constructed of LEGO. Instead, they seem more like action figures. I think this is more common with licenced themes but it's happening across the board. Still, I think that most minifigs are pretty good. New hair pieces and more complex torso prints only make sense considering we have more specialized bricks in a wider assortment of colours than we did 25 years ago. I'm still not a fan of the fleshies though.

I would imagine that some figures will see a significant increase in value over the years while others will not. The Spartan, Elf and Cheerleader for example will probably fetch a pretty high price in a couple of years when they become extremely difficult to find. Figures like the race car driver, sumo wrestler or crash test dummy probably won't as they aren't really in high demand.

As far I can tell, that's actually true. I've picked up 8 elves so far and they have a different dot pattern than the one on the current cheat sheet. The new pattern is actually easier to spot. I suspect that LEGO may be mixing the codes on different batches to throw off AFOLs who are using them to score specific figures. It may also depend on where you live. Either way, the dot pattern is a guideline only.

I find that the sets look fine. They aren't the most impressive sets LEGO has ever produced, but they aren't terribly shabby either. The QAR looks about right given the price tag. To get a truly impressive vessel you'd have to shell out a lot more than the 102 GBP sticker it's been given. I think that anybody expecting anything more was just creating a bit of false hope. The red sails are a nice change from the standard striped sails LEGO puts on its own ships and the detailing looks comparable to most of LEGO's larger vessels. The other sets are also par for the course and look to be a decent source of bricks. There's a lot of brown, grey and tan to be had from this line.

This is the reason many companies end up losing their Trademarks. Just becasue a person uses a noun incorrectly doesn't mean that they're actually right. It simply means that they are ignorant. People who are calling LEGO bricks "Legos" aren't correct; they are uninformed. To suggest that being uninformed makes somehow makes you correct is absurd. It's akin to suggesting that when you spell a word incorrectly or you make a grammatical error that you aren't wrong because you're ignorant of your own mistakes. While such errors may eventually fall into fair use and become part of a greater lexicon, the origin of the word is still based on an error in grammar.

Well, it's a relief that series 3 has finally hit Canadian shores. I've picked up a complete set, yhough I did experience a few disappointments including a hula girl who was missing her torso . I've also noticed that some of the accessories like the samurai's armour look incredibly shoddy in series 3. I really hope this changes in future series'. On the plus side; the printing for this series is much improved. The tribal chief in particular is just incredible IMO. The amount of printing on the head dress is mind boggling! I don't think I'm going to try and match my collection of Spartans for series 3 as none of the minifigs really excite me this time around. Still, it's nice to have a complete set of every series thus far.

I don't think there's any actual disagreement here. Coke is a registered trademark that has lost it's distinctiveness. To say that it isn't a brand name is like saying that Xerox or Kleenex aren't brand names either. Just like Coke, those brands have become part of the American lexicon. Consider this; you will never see a Pepsi can with the words Diet Coke on the side simply because the Coke brand still is registered to Coca-Cola. The mark is still legally owned and protected. You can call a Pepsi a "coke" if you choose to; Pepsi can't. Coke isn't just an ordinary word. Compare this to the likes of Aspirin or Zipper which have lost all legal protection and have become truly generic. In either case, LEGO does not want to be in this position. The important thing is that LEGO has done a pretty good job keeping itself off of this list. I honestly think one good thing about the clone brands gaining a stronger presence in the marketplace is that their brands start to stand apart from the LEGO brand. The last thing we as fans need is the LEGO brand to receive the same treatment as Coke does in many parts of the US. When I say LEGO, I certainly don't want anybody thinking that I'm referring to Mebabloks!

I think there might be a market for some sets that centre around Mickey and other iconic Disney characters but I'm not sure sets built around specific Disney films would sell. One big problem I see is that the characters as minifigs would inevitably lose a lot of their personality. Like the Toy Story characters, the animation models are very important to the integrity of those licences. I'm not sure that I'm ready for more human minifigs with molded heads. On the flip-side, I would love to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy in minifig form. This worked with Fabuland so I don't see why it wouldn't work just as well with LEGO. As I see it, sets based on iconic locations at Disney World and the various Disney Land theme parks would be great. This would provide LEGO with enough material to build some interesting sets. One of the issues I have with most licences is that the product centres around the minifigs and not the sets. We end up forking out $60+ for a few minifigs and a lackluster playset. A Disney line inspired by the theme parks shouldn't suffer such a fate. Think of the countless vehicles, rides and locations that LEGO's designers could draw upon. If LEGO gave us a Disney theme akin to last year's Toy Story line I would be thrilled. The idea of more lackluster playsets that fail to capture the character or personality of popular Disney films doesn't excite me nearly as much.

I don't understand the desire to remold the horse. It's perfect just the way it is. If anything, it's the overly detailed LEGO cows which seem out of place when you consider that minifigs have very basic features beyond the printing. I certainly don't want to see minifigs sprout noses or ears anytime in the near future (Jack Stone anyone?) so I don't see why we would need a new horse. I think many folks would be just as happy to see a new colour or two for the horse mold we already have. After 26 years, black and white horses have grown rather stale.

This sort of thing is always hard when all of the MOCs involved are of a very high calibur. Still, when push comes to shove these ships stand above the rest for me: 2. RTS Zavala 1 point 9. Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion 2 points 10. French Navy Xebec 1 point 12. HMS Gallardia 1 point 28. Hansa Trade Cog 2 points

This is really well done. I like that the work isn't needlessly busy but at the same time the build is quite sophisticated. The sloped path is nice but it's the skewed angle of the building that really stands out. Little details like the snot windows on the sides of the building and the general shape of the bell tower are just icing on the cake. The entire piece just comes together perfectly. I must say, there aren't many MOCs that look this polished. I hope we'll be seeing more works like this in the new year!

Very impressive. You've really done wonders with this MOC. The temple itself is fantastic and the detailing is spot-on. The courtyard is also wonderful with an abundance of trees and other small details. I'm really impressed by the entire layout. I'd also like to compliment you on your photographs. Most of them are sharp and draw attention to just how detailed this wonderful MOC actually is. Good stuff.

I mix and match my figures to suit my needs. I've always seen LEGO as a construction toy so I've never treated any figure or set as something sacred. Almost everything I have is broken down for MOCing purposes. Of course there are a few exceptions like the CC and UCS sets. I think you'll find that there are two distinct groups of AFOLs; collectors and MOCers. For most MOCers, breaking a set into bricks is what LEGO is all about.

It's too bad that these preliminary photos are so 'preliminary'. Given that so much here is placeholder it's really hard to get a strong sense of how exciting these sets will be. In many ways this line looks like it's going to be a repeat of the PoP and Harry Potter lines where the minifigs and accessories stand out and the sets themselves fall a bit flat. That doesn't really surprise me as it's hard to make a convincing set piece for $20-30. I'm more interested in what the larger sets might look like as well as the remote possibility of a S@H exclusive ship.

In fairness I'm not convinced that this is the case. I've had some figs holding the same accessories for over a decade without issue. While I'm not a fan of the matte finish or slightly translucent parts on some of the collectable figures or the battlepacks but I don't think that this has much to do with the actual plastic quality. The problem with the hands could just as easily be an issue with the mold being used. Still, as long as LEGO's overall quality doesn't slip too much for the sake of cost cutting I think most of us will be just fine.

I think the issue Teddy was pointing out had more to do with the 'regularity' of your mottling as opposed to the number of bricks in each cluster. In both examples you have clusters of bricks which seem spaced appart at nearly even intervals. In your earlier build you had mostly clusters of three, whereas now you have mostly clusters of two. I think it's the spacing and the lack of different clusters that Teddy was pointing out earlier. Perhaps you could try adding a few larger clusters, or even a few single off colour bricks. Also, you might consider making the spacing a bit more random. I would suggest checking out Aliencat's Brickshelf Page as he's one of the best at this sort of thing and it appears that you are looking to mottle your work in a style similar to his. Notice that the clusters are spaced randomly and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This seeming randomness actually makes the mottling appear more natural. I should mention that I think your work so far is phenomenal and that this is only a bit of constructive feedback. Mottling isn't easy (I'm not that good at it myself), but when done right the results speak for themselves. Keep it up!

Despite the speculation I'm pretty certain that the set at the bottom left is just the King's Castle. There may be some distortion given the poor resolution of the image, however you can still make out the general structure of the castle. I certainly wouldn't be getting too excited about this without something a bit more concrete.

The video is actually a good indicator of just how big some of the new sets are going to be. If you consider that the log cabin is $29.99 US this video gives us a better indication of what price range some of the new sets might fall under. It's nice to see that Escape from Dragon's Prison is so small which suggests that it will not be too pricey. Unofrutnately, the mill looks like it could be a bit more costly than I first expected.

Also, if you consider that set 7052 from the same catalogue shows a farmer with an old pitchfork instead of a brown trident and many of the other summer sets don't even have final prelinary images (almost everything for the Pirates of the Caribbean line is placeholder), I think it's safe to assume there will be changes between now and July. A number of images from the catalogue appear to be extremely early. I certainly hope we see the classic pitchfork return as I don't think the brown trident looks that good as a substitute. In any case, July is a long way from now.

Sly, you really do come up with some amazing MOCs. I absolutely love the medieval spin on A Christmas Carol. I really like how you've managed to incorporate so many distinct scenes into such a small footprint. The MOC itself is an excellent build as usual. There are so many amazing details here, but above all else I really like the use of the flesh-toned figure as a ghost. A MOC of this calibur is definitely a nice way to cap off 2010.

Fortunately for us, LEGO is a constantly evolving brand. We've seen changes both negative and positive and we've seen LEGO come back from being on the edge of ruin. Still, the change that pleases me the most as an AFOL is that LEGO has paid increasing attention to the input of adult builders and enthusiasts. The ambassador program and LEGO's active involvement in major fan conventions are two examples of this relationship. I firmly believe that the innovation and creativity that has come out of the AFOL community has been very instrumental in reversing LEGO's fortunes. Many of the innovative building techniques that are poplualar within the AFOL community are now commonplace in today's sets. Moreover, we've seen a number of product lines which seem to have been heavily influenced by AFOL input. If you had even suggested to me in 2004 that we would have a collector's line of minifigures or a castle line with a wide range of peasants I would have just scoffed at the idea. I suspect that products like these are the result of LEGO actually taking the time to listen to AFOLs and the realization that the wants of AFOLs and younger purchasers may not be entirely exclusive. Personally I feel that the ambassador program has had a bigger impact on LEGO than most of us care to realize. LEGO is a company where the communication actually moves in two directions and for that I'm greatful. This certainly wasn't always the case.

It's amazing what you can miss when you're away on holiday. These sets look absolutely wonderful. I love that we're starting to see some peasants in the main line this year. The goat and chicken are also greatly appreciated as are the new buckets with handles. I'm not that fond of the Mill Village Raid as a set, but as a parts pack it looks absolutely incredible with it's dark tan log bricks, goats, chickens, pigs and wide assortment of brown and grey bricks. It wouldn't surprise me if this set was $69 or $79 US which would probably put it around $100 CDN. Still, considering the value of this set as a parts pack it's very difficult to say no here. The Dragon Prison set looks like a decent mid sized set. It's nice to see the pointed visor return for 2010 (hopefully in dark metallic grey in the final release), and I'm eager to see what the dark green barding will look like when its printed. The strutcture itself is rather bland and I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't use dark green for the grass but the set seems to be more about the figures than anything else. Hopefully this stays around $20 US, although I could see it going for $26. For me the real steal here is the Blacksmith Attack set. This should be a relatively affordable way to stock up on peasants and chickens while also adding a few dragon knights and armour into your collection. Hopefully this set stays around $10. The only set I'm not too fond of is the Carriage Ambush which looks rather bland to me. Given that it's numbered higher than the Dragon Prison set, I could see this set going for $29 or more. I just don't see the value in it. There are some nice bits in there, but I just can't see myself dropping a lot of money on a set like this. Overall 2010 looks like it's going to be fantastic for Castle fans. While I would love to have seen the forestmen return, the emphasis on the Dragon Knights and the inclusion of peasants and peasant accessories is hard to pass up.

The hockey player is my favourite but I like all of the figures for series 4 so it should come as no surprise that I find series 4 to be the best of the bunch. After series 3 was revealed I was getting really worried that LEGO had lost their touch. Almost none of the figures from series 3 appealed to me in any way. Series 4 on the other hand is a series where I don't think I would be disappointed opening any figure simply because the whole batch is that good. This is what all of the series' should have looked like. While the Spartan is still my favourite figure, this series is easily the most balanced one yet. No figure feels like filler here. If LEGO keeps this up, the barcode/dot issue will be a thing of the past.

As much as I hate prices being marked up, the seller has every right to do so. It's not as if LEGO is a necessity of life. That being said, I rarely buy LEGO at the MSRP and I almost never purchase anything from Toys R Us as they do like to bump up their prices. In a free market, the seller has the right to sell a product at any price (hence the $3.99 collectable minifigs at Toys R Us) so long as there isn't any price fixing involved. If you must have a certain set, you're going to pay the asking price. Just remember, many people don't even agree with the original MSRP on some sets. This is certainly true in Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia where LEGO is priced significantly higher than it is in the US. Still, we gladly pay that price because we want our bricks.

I think the key difference between series 4 and earlier series is that there are a lot of great figures to choose from in series 4. In the past few series, several figures seemed to be simply thrown in to fill out the line. While everybody clamoured to grab cheerleaders, Spartans and elves, how many people were rushing out for ringmasters, traffic cops and scuba divers? The thing that makes series 4 so amazing is the wide variety of accessories and prints included with each figure. No figure seems to be an afterthought. I suspect that this will probably reduce the tendency to hoard figures as most folks would be happy with all of these guys. Here's hoping series 5 continues this trend.