drdavewatford

Thanks for the review, Kim. I ordered my (absolutely gorgeous) space shuttle a day before this promotion started, so I ended up going back to shop@home and ordering the new passenger train earlier than planned so I didn't miss out on one of these beauties ! I'm a sucker for classic space, and just couldn't resist it..... Dr. D.

Thanks, Rufus - excellent review of an average set. I'm not sure if LEGO has a 'heritage' of producing half buildings such as this half house and the city corner; it probably does, but if not, perhaps it's in response to complaints about the price of sets. Certainly I expected it to cost more than the £29.99 that you paid for it. I'm not quite sure what I'd do with a set like this if I bought it - it would look out of place in my street of modular buildings, and I don't have space to start up another LEGO town elsewhere ! Dr. D.

I agree with prateek - seeing the constructed model it's almost impossible to believe that it contains 560 pieces. I like the Architecture theme, but I'm struggling to understand why the sets are priced at such a massive premium. OK, so there are a lot of pieces in the White House, Fallingwater etc., but they're mostly tiny. I'll no doubt pick up this set when I'm next in Chicago and can visit one of the brand stores; this set isn't even available in the UK (right now, anyway) and the price of these Architecture sets works out even greater in pounds sterling. Then I'll just have to hope it doesn't get crushed on the flight home !! Dr. D.

If you just want a quick sale then go ahead and sell as one big lot. I fully agree with others on here who've said that to maximise the sale price you should reconstruct the sets and sell them set by set, however. This will net you much, much more cash for a modest investment of your time. If you have instructions or even boxes for any of the sets then dig them out as they will substantially bump up the price (particularly the box). You can look on Peeron or Bricklink for a parts inventory for each set to see what you're missing, and if you really want top dollar for the sets then buy the missing parts on Bricklink and sell as 100% compete sets. I've found that for many parts the replacement cost on Bricklink is very small. You may find, however, that once you've collected all the pieces together for your old sets, you can't resist building them, and then you may want to keep them after all.....! Good luck, Dr. D.

Brickset is fantastic - if you love Lego, it's a wonderful resource. Perfect for keeping track of the sets you own, and for those you want. D.

What a pointless post - nothing you pointed out is a genuine text mistake. I think you've got too much time on your hands.........

Interesting discussion. Like many of you, I'd also like to see rolling stock, trackside buildings etc. made available, but I fully understand the economic arguments for LEGO not making these kind of sets available as standalone sets at retail. Perhaps therefore a different business model is needed for such niche sets, and there have been some interesting suggestions on this thread. My own thoughts about how LEGO might be able to serve the niche AFOL (and KFOL) train market are as follows : - don't expend any marketing budget on the sets beyond releasing photograps and other information to LEGO fan sites such as Eurobricks, Brickset etc. etc.; let the fan networks spread the word - only sell the sets online via S@H - package the sets in plain boxes (not ideal but I'm trying to save LEGO money to make the proposition more attractive) - don't supply printed building instructions - make them available online only (buyer can print them out if they want) - if the R & D aspects are prohibitive, get the community to submit designs to be voted on by the fanbase; I suspect that the successful designers would not insist on royalties - just the honour of having designed a set and getting recognition would suffice for most. I'm sure there are other 'short-cuts' that LEGO could take here; the only unacceptable shortcut would be poor quality bricks. Given the mark-up on the bricks themselves, LEGO could surely serve the community and make a modest profit if they followed the suggestions above. Thoughts ? Dr. D.

Nice set, and I agree it's excellent value with the 4 pieces of straight track it comes with.

It's a good question, though - eBay prices for the Batman sets are astonishingly high. The Catwoman Pursuit set (7779) from 2006 had an RRP of £7.99 when it was at retail, but now regularly fetches £70-£80 on eBay, even in a non-MISB state ! I can't think of too many other recent retail sets which have exploded in value to that extent. I've always assumed that compared with other themes, Lego didn't make many of the Batman sets, and/or they weren't widely available and were only sold for a short time, but I'd like to know whether this is actually true or not. Dr. D.

"Still, one can dream.... (from http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartnupj/3014730901/ and http://safa.tv/447,12-famous-structures-in...-in-lego,9.html )" Yum - looks gorgeous ! And while they're at it, perhaps they'll give us the Tower of London as well !

<groans> OMG - another 'must have in this year of 'must haves'...! I don't recall a line up of sets which has caught my imagination quite so much for many, many years. There's the new trains, the space shuttle, Grand Emporium, the PoP sets, the upcoming Harry Potter sets, the Q3 and Q4 Star Wars sets (including the awesome 'UCS' shuttle) etc. etc. I don't know whether to laugh or cry - I'll surely laugh at the Lego, but cry when I see my credit card statement . :-)

Interesting - I have the original, and this one looks almost identical apart from the stickers. The new one also has 2 extra pieces - wonder what they are ?!

All true, but it still shows a stunning lack of imagination.... It was bad enough releasing a new Slave 1 so soon after 6209, but this is ridiculous ! Anyway, when all is said and done I have no complaint with the Shuttle and the midi ISD to look forward to, so it's all good !

You guys have got great eyesight - even zooming big-time I can't see the guns you're talking about. I have to say it sounds incredibly unlikely that TRU or LEGO would have guns for sale in the shop within such a set, but if guns are really there......could this be a hoax ? I mean, it seems to have emerged from nowhere, and when was the last time a 3rd party company branded any set other than a tiny promo ? I can only think of ancient Shell sets, Maersk Sealand and the Vestas windmill, and the latter 2 were originally made for employees only. All that having been said, if the set IS genuine, I'd buy it ! I love the yellow truck, but this TRU one is a nice alternative colour scheme and a cool collector's item. Dr. D.

The Shuttle looks absolutely stunning ! I've been itching for a new monster Star Wars set, and LEGO certainly haven't let us down - thanks, chaps ! On the downside, the AT-AT appears to be utterly pointless. The previous version, which looks to be about the same size, is still on sale at shop@home....... Unless you're a minifig obsessive, it seems like a waste of a set, to be honest. Can anyone explain why they would overlap 2 similar AT-ATs ? Bizarre. No doubt the price point will be higher, however, so I guess that's one reason..... It's hard to get a clear impression of the midi scale ISD, but I'm sure it'll be worth getting - a no-brainer for me. Thanks for posting the pics !!

1. No, I buy them because they are interesting, challenging builds and because they make excellent display models. I don't break them down for parts - the sets are kept together and cherished ! I already have the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal (and would love to get the Statue of Liberty, but boxed examples are incredibly hard to find now) and would definitely buy further world icons if LEGO made them. 2. It depends. Some themes, such as Star Wars, I buy all the sets as I'm a collector. Others I'm selective about, depending on how much I like the particular model. 3. A few suggestions : - The Sphinx - Houses of Parliament/Big Ben (London) - Sydney Opera House - Empire State Building (large such rather than Architecture size) - An awe-inspiring cathedral, e.g. Sagrada Familia (Barcelona), Notre Dame (Paris), York Minster (UK) - Buckingham Palace - (Remake of) Statue of Liberty - could reissue as a 'Legends' set I'd buy any of these like a shot, if they were large and detailed. If I had to nominate a favourite it'd probably be the Empire State Building or a Cathedral, but any of the above would work for me. 4. I'd love to see more UCS Star Wars sets in the mould of the Imperial Star Destroyer (10030), UCS Millenium Falcon or UCS Death Star - my preference would be for a ship not already previously made as a UCS such as the B-wing, A-wing or super star destroyer, or else an iconic scene/location from the movies remade large and detailed, e.g. Naboo Palace, Cantina, Jabba's Palace wth detailed interior. I'd also love to see more large, detailed boats such as Maersk Sealand, e.g. an iconic ocean liner, battleship (although I'd guess that military is probably out) 5. I'd like to see more modular buildings - I have all modular buildings that have been made so far and would love to see more. I think trains should continue to be a steady seller. I'd love to see individual rolling stock on the shelves, e.g. more coaches for Emerald night and the passenger train, interesting cars for the cargo train to pull. I'd also like to just be able to buy straight runs of track and not have to buy curves that I don't need at the same time.... Great to see a Star Trek theme with the iconic ships. Other 'cherished' themes - Thunderbirds, Battlestar Galactica.... Thanks for listening, Dr. D.

Love it - superb ! Have you produced a set of building instructions ?

Very nice review - thanks ! I'm really not sure about this set......its quirkiness appeals to me, but I won't be playing with it and can't see myself displaying it, so the price is probably too high just for the pleasure of building it and putting it back in the box. As others have stated, there are many other sets around this price point that I'd probably choose over this. If it gets heavily discounted at some point then I might be in play, otherwsie I'll probably pass. In some ways the same goes for other sets in this second wave of TS3 sets - it's hard to see them selling very well as they'll be too expensive for most kids, and most AFOLS will probably opt for other more displayable sets. In this case I fear that TLG's 'optimistic' pricing may badly hurt sales, which is probably not so much the case for the new trains, Star Wars etc. which I think will be bought by many (me included) almost regardless of their price. Still, we'll see.... Dr. D.

Fire Brigade, perhaps ? The windows look the same as the window above the front Fire Brigade vehicle entrance. Dr. D.

Great job ! For me, the interior is the highlight - the candy store on the ground floor is truly magnificent. The outside is somewhat reminiscent of Cafe Corner; interesting to see purple bricks used to make a modular building, although for me the colours are a bit painful on the eye I have to admit ! I can't wait to see this alongside your other buildings. Dr. D.

It would make a lot of sense for this to be given away with purchases of 8097; I wonder if this will only be the case if it's bought from a LEGO brand store or shop@home, however, rather than from another store (i.e. a LEGO exclusive). With the kind of discounts being offered on some sets by Amazon etc., it'd be a good way to ensure that LEGO fans buy 8097 direct from LEGO at an undiscounted price..... I'd certainly pay the full RRP to get this 'giveaway'.

The waiting game is a dangerous game to play when it comes to Lego ! I can speak with personal experience, having delayed my purchase of the Eiffel Tower for too long and then eventually paid almost double for a MISB set. I agree with previous comments on here - you've still got time (particularly with Grand Emporium which has obviously only just come out), but don't leave it too long. I think it's better to prioritise purchasing the big sets such as GE and FB over smaller sets as you'll generally pay less of a premium to get the smaller sets on eBay once they've been retired. I do sympathise, though - there are SO many excellent sets this year across multiple themes..........

Nice ! Because it's such a sleek ship, I think the chunky stand spoils the effect somewhat, but other than that, looks great ! Dr. D.

If you follow the link below you can see the 'standard' extra parts for your set (scroll down for the extras) : Inventory for 7676 A 2 x 4 plate isn't part of the 'standard' loadout of extra parts. It's not impossible that one might have crept in accidentally, but I reckon it's more likely that you just missed the building step where it was used. Dr. D.

Superb, although such a beautiful environment probably deserves better than the clunky 1999 Gungan sub..... Great use of Harry Potter roof parts on the buildings, and I love the craggy shoreline using BURPs - it just looks stunning overall. Great job ! Dr. D.