ILikePi

I was browsing the Target coupons site today, and found a coupon for $3 off LEGO. I printed it out to see what it was; there were the three sets on sale, all normally $20: 7239 Fire Truck 7570 Ostrich Race 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck Not much off, but the sets might also have reduced prices at the store, similar to the Woody and Buzz to the Rescue coupon a while back. I don't recommend getting Lotso's Dump Truck though, since Walmart has it at an everyday price of only $14.37. Click here, then click the toys category on the left to find the printable coupon. It expires June 13, 2010, so no need to rush to your store. Enjoy!

Wow! TLG has adapted Harry Potter to fit in with other modern sets quite well! I love every single set! I don't think I'll be able to get Hogwarts Castle and Hogwarts Express, but I'll definitely get the other four sets. I'm just so happy that I have another chance at getting Harry Potter sets, because I missed out on all the other ones that were released before. And it does look like the pictures are very preliminary still; the owls on Hagrid's Hut aren't printed, Ron has different hair in Hagrid's Hut, and Draco's face in Hogwarts Express is Ron's. I think those have already been pointed out, though. Dobby's Release - Since it's the cheapest set in the line, I'm obviously going to get this. It also comes with two exclusive minifigs! Quidditch Lesson/Quidditch Practice - Nice uniforms, tons of capes, and five minifigs, all of which are exclusive in their Quidditch uniforms! Hagrid's Hut - I love this set! Lots of animals (two owls, one rat, Norbert the dragon, Aragog the spider, and three mini spiders), an interior filled with accessories, a light brick in the fireplace, a patch of printed pumpkins and mushrooms, and the main characters and Hagrid! What more could you want? The Burrow - Cool asymmetrical design! It seems like the tower part should be tilted at an angle a bit, but other than that, I love it! The kitchen is one of the first fully furnished ones in a while, and you get dark red roof slopes and some PoP nougat bricks! Also, each and every one of the six minifigs are stunning, especially Bellatrix and Fenrir! The only thing I don't like about this set is that it's the Half-Blood Prince scene that doesn't appear in the book (making a ring of fire around the Burrow). However, I don't mind since if it wasn't that scene, we wouldn't have gotten Bellatrix and Fenrir! Hogwarts Express - Not many innovative techinques used in here, but I still like the set. Some very cool minifigs (Ron's sweater looks great!), various accessories (chocolate frog! ), and the Ford Anglia with all of its medium blue bricks. The passenger cab seems a bit bland, though. Hogwarts Castle - Wow! Some very cool architecture (I especially like the part with three cones sticking out of the roof top), and so many minifigs! We finally get Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris, and Filius Flitwick (his head print is hilarious ), along with revamped versions of many other minifigs (McGonagall for the first time in flesh)! The only thing I don't like is Snape's new face (I loved his old one). Really can't wait for a review on this set! I'm really excited about these sets and the return of Harry Potter, even if it's only one wave! My only complaint is the abundance of stickers. There are some printed parts (like magazines, newspapers, and owls), but intricately printed parts was one of the qualities that made LEGO Harry Potter so cool!

Thanks for the mini review VBBN! Still waiting on mine to arrive; for some reason TLG decided to end my subscription a year early, so I had to resubscribe. If it doesn't arrive before the end of May, I'm just going to send a usual e-mail to LEGO Customer Service. They always send me a magazine whenever I tell them I didn't receive one. You should try doing the same, prateek.

Since the City Advent Calendar is really disappointing with only 6 minifigs (lots of cool mini versions of real sets, though), I'm definitely going to get this one instead! Nine stunning minifigs, tons of armor and weapons, and even some well-known fantasy stuff, like Excalibur (the sword in stone) and the queen holding a frog prince!

I don't browse this section of the forum much, but I thought that I'd help with your efforts. My screen resolution is 1440 x 900, and I use Safari all the time (best internet browser IMO). (Please note that I haven't voted in the poll)

Great article Brickster! It really covers all the things that AFOLs and TFOLs alike experience. I personally tend to wait around 3 months to half a year or more after a set comes out before purchasing it, mostly when a new wave is expected to arrive soon and sales start racking in. I did that with the Droid Tri-Fighter, which went on sale for $17, normally $25. I saved $8 that way just because I was patient. Today I found Lotso's Dump Truck at Walmart today for $14.37. It only came out two weeks ago, and is normally priced at $20. I bought it because I wanted the minifigs and knew that I was going to have "lotso" () fun with it. Also, I had been checking the values of the minifigs from that set on BrickLink prior to my purchase, and found out that the minifigs total to about $15 on BrickLink, so I knew that I could sell it in the future and get at least 100% of my money if I ever wanted to. In 2009, I bought many sets without waiting for them to go on sale. However, I've gotten smarter now, and usually I only buy the sets that I know I really want, and I buy almost only when there are sales. I'm still behind on buying some sets, like Echo Base, but I'm waiting for it to go on sale again before buying it because I missed out when it was on sale for $20 (normally $25) on Walmart.com a few weeks ago. I also agree that hunting for old sets is a fun experience, but I just don't have the time to commit to that. However, last year, I did find Temple of the Crystal Skull at Target for 50% off (MSRP $80)! That was only because I decided to price check the set on one of the scanners; the label on the box said it was $64, and I wouldn't have even thought of buying it at that price. Now I bring that set out to play with whenever a new episode of Mythbusters shows on Wednesday, so I definitely don't regret buying the set.

I think you should just get the Lunar Limo. It comes with two of the three minifigs, is the cheapest set to come with two alien minifigs, and builds an awesome gangster limo with splotches of purple all around. If you really want Craniac, I would recommend BrickLinking him (and his trans-blue axe blade!) as buying the set just for him doesn't seem worth it to me.

Today I went to Walmart, looking for 50% off sales mentioned on FBTB and BrickLink. Unfortunately I couldn't find any (I did try price scanning "lotso" sets ), but my trip was not in vain as I did find Lotso's Dump Truck at an everyday low price of $14.37 - MSRP 20 USD. I bought it as an early birthday present (thanks Oky Wan for the compelling review!) Aww, that's very sweet of her! What were the other two sets, by the way?

Happy birthday, Shadows! Would you like a shadow cake to go with your 193 birthday candle shadows? The missing slice represents the big fat hole in your heart

Hilarious concept, Siegfried! Tamina won't be happy when she discovers exactly how honest 'Honest' Nirmal is Judging from your first pic, it looks like Ackbar was tricked into buying Bullseye. Boy, he'll be disappointed when he discovers that he bought a toy donkey...

Thanks for the links lisqr! I hadn't examined the pictures from the New York Toy Fair in detail, and the sets look much better than I thought! It's great that the Space Police base gets baseplates! I wasn't expecting that, and the overall design of the set is just fantastic! Tons of cool stuff, like the black cow catchers on the satellite, the laser-guarded fences, the two mini bikes and, of course, the trans-light blue axe on the pistol! I just love trans-light blue The Lunar Limo looks sleek! The splashes of purple all around aren't overpowering, and it really looks like a gangster limo. The Undercover Cruiser seems like it's worth $30 USD - it's quite large for its price, and comes with an undercover mode feature! However, I was hoping that TLG would've kept the trans-light blue windshield. I don't mind it that much though, as it does exist in another set (albeit an airline exclusive one). The gangster vehicle looks neat! I like the large blasters at the front, and the overall look of it is much better than many of the other alien vehicles in the SPIII line. I want all of the sets now (), but I'll only end up buying either the cruiser or the limo because of all the other amazing sets coming out this summer.

TLG released a 2 minute mini movie on YouTube today which features all five sets and sets the story line of Prince of Persia:

Wow, season 2 went by pretty quick! I can just barely remember the episodes in the middle. I'm hoping that Cad Bane makes a larger appearance in the season 3. In season 2, he was only in the first couple of episodes, but he was on every single printed advertisement I saw! I also hope that Embo and Sugi reappear; if a couple of episodes for Cad Bane isn't enough, one episode for them surely isn't either!

Wow, what a cool set! There's so many details not featured on the box. It looks like there's a truckload of useful parts! The trans-light blue 1 x 4 tiles are to die for () as well as the neat marbled frog. Also, it looks like there's a new mold for the tridents. Are they soft and rubbery still? Thanks for the review! My interest on the set just went up a couple of notches. I'll have to keep a close eye on sales for this set now. EDIT: Since a poll has just been installed, I give this set a 5. Brilliantly designed.

Just a quick note TheBrickster; you missed the bag charm Millennium Falcon. Based on others' reviews and looking through the online instructions, my favorite Falcon (although I don't own any of the sets) would have to be 4504. The interior is fully furnished, and it's in a manageable size, unlike the UCS version. However, if the UCS one did have a complete interior (like this or this), it would definitely be my most favorite one. Oops! I clicked "add reply" instead of "preview post". Editing... Fixed! EDIT: Never mind about the bag charm being missing from the poll; looks like someone added it for you after my post!

For most sets I buy, I wait until it's sunny and bright so I can take pictures of the polybags for future reviews before I open them all up. That means my vote goes to "that night or the next day". Interesting topic! Me too; whenever I bring a set home, I can never resist opening it!

Thanks for the mega review WhiteFang! It's stunning to see 60 of these minifigs side by side. I don't have the money to splash the cash on a box, but I'll still be getting one of each minifig once they come out in the US next month using a combinations of barcodes and feeling through the bag (first I'll try to guess what minifig is in the bag, then I'll check if I'm right using the barcodes; after I buy them, I'll do the same thing again at home!). Hopefully, if a box ever becomes empty, the employees at the store will allow me to take it. If not, I'll just have to satisfy myself by just taking pictures of the box.

Thanks for the review der seb! It's hilarious how this set has smaller versions of its box for minifigs to play with. Then each of those three small sets would have three smaller sets inside themselves and so on I'll definitely get this set if I have any cash left over at the end of 2010.

I think many have already seen this, but there's a post on TBB with more high resolution pictures and an official description of the set. It's going to be $100 USD ( $129.99 CAD / 79.99 GBP / 89.99 EUR) and is actually called 10213 Shuttle Adventure. EDIT: I called the set 10213 Space Adventure instead of Shuttle Adventure. Oops!

Thanks again for another high-res picture, grogall! Looks like an amazing set! The minifigs have some cool torso prints, and I just love that logo! Not really sure why there's US flag prints/stickers on the spaceship (I'm guessing stickers), since it's probably going to be an international release. Similar to the US flag on 10197 Fire Brigade... The dark orangeish part of the shuttle (sorry, I know nothing about shuttles ) looks very pleasing to the eye! What color is it? The new PoP color? I can't wait to see the interior! Hopefully it'll be detailed since the LEGO Direct sets are getting better and better as the months go by!

Wow, these sets look great! I won't be buying them, but I do love the stuff each set has, like clocks, waste baskets (trash cans would've been better though), a train signal and a newspaper (pinned to the wall) on the first two sets, and how the Cargo Train set has two more smart cars. The only thing I think is really odd is the head choice for the female minifigs; the one in the Train Station set has one that looks like a male's face, and the one in the Passenger Train set has one that looks just plain creepy with the combination of Irina Spalko hair and that tank top. The latter one looks like a guy dressed as a woman Thanks, grogall!

Wow, this set looks wonderful! I didn't get to examine it in detail at BBTB 2010, and there's a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know about before! I didn't know about the red 2 x 4 tile, the yellow 1 x 3 tiles, and the yellow 10-wide windscreen, all of which are cool parts! I wasn't expecting the trans-black windscreens to be printed too, so that's a bonus. To sum it all up, the minifigs, printed parts, new colors of parts and all those windscreens really make its price not as bad as it seems. Thanks for the review Oky Wan!

Thanks for the pictures schlaouich! I was planning on buying this set just for the wampa and snowspeeder, and seeing other views of the cave makes me hold true to the fact. I missed out on the Hoth Rebel Base, so I'm glad that there's another chance at getting a snowspeeder. Just wondering though, did TLG always wrap their strings around cardboard? I never saw that before. $40 USD according to FBTB.

There's a PoP BrickMaster set for September-October 2010: Unfortunately I can't post a larger picture of it because I haven't received the latest magazine yet. It looks like a neat set! I like how TLG is starting to make BrickMaster sets with minifigs again instead of just mini models. I might just have to order a subscription soon.

Looks like the time you spent building this paid off Dr. S! Truly a work of art. I watched your YouTube video, and you really packed tons of details into this giant spaceship! Also, how many bricks do you estimate are in this SHIP?