MetroiD

Happy new year, fellow studheads! Here’s to a good and prosperous one and all that… Ah, and here’s to a very good year gone by as well. Yeah, I guess you could say I’ve been around for a while now… I can still remember having new year’s day lunch as a kid at the Breezeway Café – their chef was a real master, and he’d fix me up the juiciest steaks! I’d dream of them for weeks whenever my parents would drag me up to their cabin along the Rocky River. I don’t suppose the mountains have changed much, and luckily I don’t go hiking too often anymore – I’ve had more than my fair share of baked bean cans. Now, the town – that’s a different story: when I think back, it seems everyone used to have their front door – and back wall – open for you… I guess it’s just that everything looks much simpler when you’re a kid and you walk around with a smile on your face all day long. Aside from all of that nostalgia though, let’s be honest, we’ve had it pretty good in recent years as well. True, some of our fellow townsmen may have developed a more lax attitude towards their facial hair upkeep, and traffic has definitely become a bit of a bother considering the amount of heavy trucks and equipment roaming the streets… but it’s a good thing the industry’s booming, now that our town is starting to turn into a proper city. More business brings more residents – and these days there’s plenty more girls in the streets as well! Speaking of which, let me tell you, up until a few years ago, there really wasn’t all that much you could do if you wanted to impress your date – in my teenage years, I even took a girl on a sightseeing tour of the local gold mine. Suffice it to say, she was far from impressed. But that’s also been changing in recent years! The first major new introduction to our fine city was that huge corner hotel with the fancy new Italian café on the first floor. Nice buildings like that have been popping up here and there, and even the local fire department which seemed pretty content with changing headquarters every other year has now moved into a renovated old building that has become the pride and joy of our downtown district. But let’s get back to taking girls out on dates. Less than a year ago, the city’s new cinema opened its doors to visitors and I was lucky enough to score two tickets to the grand opening of “Forever Sorting”. I was keen to impress a girl I’d just met – and that definitely helped; the date went really well, even though we had to miss out on the first part of the “dinner and a show” standard – she said she wasn’t a big fan of pizza or fast food… which was just as well, since I hadn’t picked up my paycheck anyway. We have been going out for quite a while – and now that our city has its very own Parisian Restaurant, I can finally take her out for a proper meal as well. Mind you, I live just across the street from the Restaurant, so I was literally there when they were laying the foundations. I remember that actually building it didn’t take too long; the construction team just seemed so agitated to get it done. Weirdly enough, the first sign of things to come was the pavement they arranged outside the place. That and the fancy red carpets– I still can’t quite fathom how they managed to keep them in such pristine condition… While they were still building the place, Bob – a childhood friend of mine working in the construction industry – sneaked me into the kitchen. He said that it was built to the exact specifications provided by Albert, the owner and chef of the new place. The interior space didn’t seem too big, but had room for everything – I guess Albert knew exactly where he was going to cook his starters, main dishes and deserts; and I could already imagine the magic happening in there. On the ground level, I could see that the central piece would be a stylish rustic wooden bar – and straight away, I knew just where my favourite table was. While I was watching them build the Restaurant, I was busy daydreaming about what would happen at that table – but that’s a whole different story. The contractors did a rather good job of cleaning up the place – the backyard looked pretty neat, and I could only hope that Albert would keep it that way once he opened his restaurant. In all honesty, there has been talk of rodents now keeping a regular watch on the restaurant’s trash bins, but personally, I’d dismiss it as rumors spread by the jealous owner of the pizza parlor a few blocks down the road. The restaurant’s façade started shaping up as soon as the builders were done with the first floor. They erected these gorgeous marble columns along the front, which really complemented the building’s broad windows. Albert had also managed to find space for a couple of tables for two at the front, and the fancy red carpet met its match in the red canopy above – which, aside from looking just as chic, served to shield the restaurant’s carefully devised menu from the elements – and stated to the neighborhood that the new place would bear its proud chef / owner’s name. Rumour has it that our new French neighbour has ordered the draperies that go behind the grand windows on the first floor from all the way across the pond. If that’s the case, I’m guessing he splashed out quite a bit – although Bob tells me that those things are not so original and he’s seen a pretty similar design and execution in one of those other fancy buildings around town… As you can tell, having friends in all the right places certainly pays off – Bob kept providing me with access to the place as construction works developed. In what seemed like no time, his crew was done with the first floor and started work on the second storey. Leading up to the entrance of the second floor is an open staircase that looks impossible to tackle with a serving platter in one hand and a bunch of glasses in the other – and if it were me, not even the sturdy-looking railing would be enough to keep from toppling over. But I guess Albert’s waiter is not as clumsy – the guy certainly doesn’t seem to mind serving the two outside tables on that floor. The second storey itself is designed to serve as living quarters – Bob told me it was purchased before construction began by a scooter-loving girl who goes by the name of Stella. Her curious red toy has definitely livened up the neighbourhood, and is something we don’t see much of around these parts… From what I’ve been told, Stella doesn’t like having things too cluttered up around her so she keeps her place pretty neat and tidy. The nice Murphy bed she’s had installed definitely helps for that – and the fireplace corner with a reading niche adds tons of atmosphere to her living arrangement. And before you ask, no, I don’t do breaking and entering, and I’m not one of those guys that enjoy peaking in other people’s windows either – although, come to think of it, the windows on the second storey do seem to allow quite a bit of sunlight in. The reason why I’m aware of all those details about Stella’s abode is that, in a weird twist of events, Bob got together with Stella while working on that very same building. He’s now even looking to buy his own scooter… but that’s also a whole different story. Let’s move on to the third floor of the building. Seen from where I live, that is definitely an architectural masterstroke. Its flowing curvy forms in dark blue are broken up by an elaborate attic window and a couple of symmetrical ornaments that complement the marble columns leading up the façade. I could, however, almost swear I’ve seen the filigree ornamentation adorning the lower part of that floor used as headdress by some indigenous local tribe… The third floor is accessible via a rear outside staircase going up from the restaurant’s upper terrace. The top of the building is where Albert can usually be found outside his regular business hours – it’s the place where he has chosen to express his second passion other than the culinary art – painting. I paid him a visit a couple of weeks ago and I must tell you, the view he gets from that top floor is stunning. But then again, it would be – I live across the street, after all! The atelier is not too functional though – Albert’s easel and painting board easily take up half the space there. The moody artistic atmosphere also goes together quite well with the rustic fireplace, but it does feel as though it can get a bit too gloomy at times. So Albert has had some fancy electrical work done in there that allows him to get a ton of natural sunlight… at the expense of a whole lot of privacy. But I guess an artist knows best what it is that he needs for inspiration. As long as we keep getting Albert’s priceless (albeit a tad pricey) Foie gras, he may well do as he pleases with his roof! Well, I guess this pretty much concludes our tour of the city’s latest pride and joy. In all honesty, I must say I’ve seen buildings around these parts come and go; some of their designs get revisited, others end up repurposed or redeveloped instead. I’m pretty sure that Albert’s Parisian Restaurant is one for the ages. Not just as a great place to have a fine meal, but also as one of the architectural masterstrokes in town. Seeing Chez Albert go up was a joy – but not half as much as having it across my front door and watching it every morning when I go to work. Certainly, this will always remain a dear place to me. Oh, and speaking of that – in case you’re curious as to those daydreams I mentioned a bit earlier on – I guess you could call that my new year’s resolution… Yeah, I’m a lucky guy, feel free to envy me! The only thing that’s actually troubling me though is that I still need to consult Albert as to what I could actually fit that massive ring inside though… Shoot, wait – I almost forgot the best part of it all! Lucky for you, I’ve also got the whole thing being constructed – on tape. It was my way of returning the favour to Bob (he insisted on having all the details available for future reference), and now I think it's something everyone can enjoy. Voila: With your permission, I’ll use the end of this (re)view to break character just for a bit. First of all – may the new year bring you all good health and success! And at least one copy of the 10243 Parisian Restaurant each. Because "Chez Albert" is right up there alongside the Café Corner as one of the sets that you just have to have - unlike its predecessor though, it can not rely on novelty alone. Which is probably why this set's building techniques are actually what sets it apart - with elaborate yet sturdy and utterly enjoyable approaches, and a beautifully thought out interior design. As you could probably tell, absolutely no corners were cut in the making of the Parisian Restaurant and Jamie Berard has, yet again, gifted us with a brick-built masterpiece. Furthermore, allow me to take this opportunity to express my most sincere gratitude towards TLG and LEGO’s Community Operations Manager for EU and Asia, Jan Beyer, who provided our LUG with the wonderful opportunity to review this set for you guys. In case you can read Cyrillic, feel free to head over to our forum and read the Bulgarian version of this review. Then come back and tell me if you've spotted all the differences! And last but not least – kudos to my partners in crime for this review, who include my significant Otter, fellow LUG member Akeyzerr, as well as his significant …erm, well, Akeyzeuse? I’m just not too good with French... Anyway – the photos and the awesome stop-motion video for this review are all Akeyzerr’s work (yes, he is a very patient and meticulous guy!), make sure you check out the Flickr set to see them in hi-res, as well as the .

I've already started checking out the prices of airplane fares in hopes I could manage to book something at reasonable prices. Surprise surprise - ain't no such thing as cheap flights to Billund from this corner of the world. Will look into all possible options, I really want to finally meet you guys in person. I was even considering a road trip, but 2000+ km for a few days' stay is just too much, even by my standards. Any tips on flights to nearby places and convenient transportation to Billund would be very much appreciated!

Thanks for the information, Gary - I had in fact come across some of your comments regarding these older sets at various places on the net and I'd already noticed that if there's someone who can provide comprehensive information regarding those, it would be you and your Guide. By the way, that picture in your store does depict one of the boxes I own, which is definitely a surprise, considering how hard it is to find any image of those. I've been pondering for a while now whether I actually want to keep those sets or not - it was interesting to see "ancient" LEGO in the flesh, but I'm definitely not that type of collector. Besides, they're pretty large so storing them is a bit of an issue... We'll see. Thanks for the info - I might just stop over and buy a copy of your great Guide later on, once I get back to actively being involved in the hobby with MOCcing, etc.

I've got some sets from before 1985, but my oldest LEGO stuff definitely has to be a 1:87 HO-scale Bedford Tanker Truck and a couple of LEGO wooden boxes complete with allegedly original contents (wafer plates, 1x1 windows, tiny pseudo-doors, weird tyres and the lot). Thought it'd be interesting to have such relics in one's collection. The wooden boxes are so old, there's hardly any proper info on them - Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron... every bit of information that's on there is either incomplete, or incosistent. P.S.: Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten - my recent Fabuland frenzy also filled me up with figures that are definitely from before my time... but sooo worth having!

Sorry? You should be chuffed; you had me totally fooled and you played an absolutely great game! You deserve a lot of credit for keeping your cool throughout - it seems you play a thoroughly awesome Scumgame and I'll be sure to add you to my list of "don't-Rick-this-up-man!" players. Going through all the posts in this thread, I can't help thinking it's really appropriate for Meahon to have pink hair in the end... Sorta like the village idiot... Once again, I'm sorry for causing so much confusion in the Day threads; but Shadows - I don't think I contradicted myself at any point in time in public or in private? I was very much willing to bite the bullet for Town, but I was hoping my aggressive play would end up helping Town in some way, which I must admit it really didn't, in the end. In hindsight, the one thing I totally regret is that I never actually tried to work with Foog, even though based on his Day One actions, I was pretty sure he was Town. That could have made a great difference, even though he probably wouldn't have trusted me too much anyway. At least that way, once I'd died, there would have been one actual Townie left behind to use the info I had - and adding that to what was already going through his mind could have been pretty beneficial.

Obviously, you seem to know why I insisted there was something fishy about your behaviour on Day 1. But when my attempt to lynch you didn't work on Day 1, I tried something else entirely. Go through the day threads once again and you'll notice there wasn't any other mention of lynching you after my attempt on Day 1 was unsuccessful. Yes, I was unhappy, because a lynch on Day 1 could have helped us somewhat, but that was that - and whenever I spoke about Bess from that point onward, it was just as a reference. True, I dangled the idea of trying to revisit the Day l lynch options once again in private to see how people would react, but I never tried to convince anyone you were scum in public OR in private, so once again I don't see why you're reacting as though my motives were somehow personal!? I really can't understand why you and other Townies would always be so keen to jump to the conclusion that I was trying to lynch you again. I was trying to say what I was actually saying - and giving rational explanations to my behaviour, which obviously none of you were interested in anyway. For what it's worth - it seems that I was still right, in a weird way -- since if we had actually lynched you on Day One, it would have helped us in more than one way... Not only would we have been in a position to link people's votes/reactions to the results of the lynch, but we'd also have known that Cecilie was a (dead) Scumster. So, Cecilie and Rick's willingness to so easily accept my obviously lousy accusations against Bob could have turned into a very good scumtell for us, and pretty Bess could have killed us an Assassin as early as Day One. Combined with Shadows' investigation, we'd have taken care of two Assassins on the first two days. Instead, Day 1 was wasted for Town, with absolutely no useful alliances formed up. Then, on Day 2, I decided to mix it up and check out what people's responses would be to a claim that was actually true. I thought it was downright obvious that I was the protector from the moment I said that in public, but I was never going to come out and say that yes, I was the protector, because well - that's not the way I like to play, and obviously not what our host expected from us either. What I did forget though was the fact that the Scum would be much more organized considering their small numbers and would never allow themselves to be so obvious as I was - hence would not follow up on the opportunity I gave them to defend Rick. Day 3 started weirdly for me since I wasn't making any progress in private, and people weren't keen on speaking out in the Day threads either. Once Shadows decided I was scum, I tried to level with him and in the end did give him _all_ the info I was privy to. All I wanted was to be able to form a 3-way discussion with the other "confirmed" Townie. Obviously, he was lying about that, so my uneasy feeling about trusting Shadows to begin with was not so ill-advised. I didn't really believe he'd actually gotten a result on Rick on Night 1, so I only had myself to blame for the fact that I believed he had actually confirmed a Townie on Night 2. Either way, it's hard to work with someone when they're always trying to think of new ways to bamboozle you and then end up claiming that it's the "other people" I've been in contact with who'd been feeding me lies - which couldn't have been the case anyway, considering the lack of trust I had towards people I was in contact with up to that moment. Towards the end of Day 3, Shadows still didn't think the fact I was obviously the Town Protector was enough to try and save me -- and, on the other hand, the way Cecilie never placed a vote against me made me think she couldn't be scum. So I ended up telling her all my info / observations as well. And I also placed a vote in a way that I thought could help Town on the next day. Panda - I wasn't suspicious of you because you weren't ready and willing to form a Town hub and trust me from the off. What got me thinking was the fact that you tried to accuse me in private (your reaction to the "should we reconsider the Day 1 lynching options" talk I mentioned above), and it was a very scummy accusation, which didn't match the way you'd have reacted if you were Town. So from that moment onwards, I was working under the assumption that you were Scum. That was my only reasonable lead before I was lynched and was also something I shared with Shadows; that's also why I voted against you in public, even though it would never have changed the outcome of my lynching. I wanted Town to be wary of you and go after you afterwards. Instead, they blindly followed an accusation and lynched me for being obvious, without actually making any use of my death afterwards. As to the whole PM timestamp deal - I did clear that up with Shadows immediately after he notified me that he was suspicious due to that. It was a freaking P.S., dammit...

So in general, I tried to play a different / all-guns-blazing kind of game, and my downfall was the fact that I changed my approach towards the game, but not towards the players. I was way too easily fooled by Rick in private, even though I suspected Pandora as soon as we started talking "more". Also, I never trusted Shadows 100% until it was too late, and even when I did trust him and provide him with all my info, with ample time to turn the ship around, he didn't trust me in return - so there you have it, the day that Twit & Twat shot Town in the foot. Truth be told, once I'd posted my revelation about having protected Rick on Day 2, I regretted it immediately, because I wasn't really trusting anyone at that point. However, I was hoping that would lead to contacts with more people, and based on the information I present to them, I could make this work. Instead, it was my downfall. Scum goes out and openly says he defended other scumsters, then claims protector but doesn't want to reveal the protector's real identity. Obviously scum, let's lynch him. I mean, seriously Town? And vote me out for that? I've heard it on multiple occasions now that I dug my own grave, but I tried hard to level with many of you guys - the only ones who actually led a cautious conversation of sorts with me were scummy Cecilie and Rick. Once again, well played to the Scumsters though. For what it's worth, I think Shadows should _only_ play scum from now on - he's way too good at fabricating tons of stuff anyway and obviously, even if he ends up Town, he still confuses the hell out of each and every single one of us... Which, on this occasion, did not really help. P.S.: Oh, Hinck, and letting an obviously brilliant-as-ever Rick "live on" and keep in touch with his scummy mates from beyond the grave... I think that must have pretty much killed off any chance Town had in this game. He may have lost his ability or the option to vote / be active in the Day threads, but you know bloody well that observation is just as important in these games, so in my point of view that decision did definitely tip the scales. With Pandora converted and a Royal Family member killed off so early in the game, keeping Rick in the frame just made it way too easy for the Assassins. My 2 cents anyway.

So I'd been talking to scumsters all along. Rick on Day 1, then Pandora and Cecilie on Days 2 / 3. And trying to sort it out with Shadows by presenting him with all the info didn't help either. Ah, what a poor poor game I've had. I'm sorry, Townies, I really thought I was doing us all a favour by getting the action going in the way that I did. Oh and Panda - I just _knew_ it! You make angry bunny sad! I only got suspicious of Cecilie once I'd died, and by then it was already way too late... In any case, I must say scumsters, you did an absolutely great job. But Meahon's awesome hair is still the highlight of the game... sorry for stealing your thunder I'll be back later to post more detailed feedback on the game.

Great MOC and beautiful detailing - I especially appreciate the "greebling" of sorts on the top of the locomotive. And I applaud your decision to go for a brick-built logo rather than use a sticker - you've done a very good job there!

I think I most definitely fit in the "non-Technic" category (as described above), and as a non-Technic guy, I must admit I understand your gripes and the reasoning behind your desire for people who are not actively involved with Technic to refrain from voting since they can't really appreciate the models for what they're actually worth in terms of technical achievement. That said though, I think a lot can be said about how much this contest has helped liven up this part of the forum and, hopefully, bring more attention (and fans / MOCcers) to LEGO Technic in general. For one, I know that's definitely the case with me! Besides, aren't you forgetting the panel factor here? The way I saw things, that was precisely why there was a panel to begin with - in order to ensure that non-Technic entries would not be allowed to dilute the vote. So in that sense, I can't agree with the bashing-of-sorts that the Steampunk Shark is being subjected to. No, I didn't vote for it precisely due to the reasons you've pointed out - in terms of technical achievement, there were MOCs that were much more complex. But that doesn't mean the Shark isn't a Technic MOC, after all - and an awesome looking one as well! It might not be able to float and not be loaded with other ingenious functions, but it's still very much Technic. Just as it has been the case with other contests, there are voters who appreciate form over function, and I think one has to accept that. In order to help alleviate this issue, I think that in future Technic contests, the judging panel and their votes should be more significant - with the potential of this process of getting nominated for a judge turning into an all-year-round contest of sorts in terms of valuable contribution towards the Technic Community.

Hi Mark, good to hear you're getting into such a great hobby. I also started my Trains collection from scratch about 3 years ago, and I was pretty much in the same situation as you are now. For me personally, the thing that's worked best was purchasing train track in bulk - i.e., via eBay or Bricklink when there are good deals available. I've invested both in 9V and PF, since I'd like to run trains using both systems. If you've made up your mind though and will only be using the newer PF track, you should have no problem in acquiring large quantities of those on eBay as bulk lots. In case you decide that for one reason or another you'd still like to have metal rails, I could also recommend ME Models - at least for straight sections, since their curves are hard to come by. As for baseplates - you'll probably need those if you're planning on landscaping and ballasting the track. I've run my trains without baseplates on multiple occasions, but it's not a great sight since the track just doesn't look right. That is, of course, if you're into realism. If you just want to run some trains, you probably shouldn't worry too much about what you put the tracks on, as long as the surface is stable and flat. Incorporating that into a real layout though does require baseplates.

Happy Shadowday, birthday boy! (...boy?! ) Have a great one, and I hope it's the start of a very... awesomely shadowy year for you!

To tell you the truth, once I get back to MOCcing, that's probably among the very first things I'll try. I've got a tram city layout planned, so this use of RCX / the touch sensors is just a brilliant solution! Will keep you posted.

Amy! Happy happy birthday mate lass!!! Have a blast!

This is absolutelly brilliant. My current understanding of RCX / NXT is non-existent, however I feel that I'm going to have to develop some skills in that area if I am to successfully build the tram line I've been dreaming about! Thank you so much for this video, it literally looks like it will open up new worlds for me... P.S.: Being a train buff is pretty addictive... Glad to see you've put those Technic-y skills to proper use

Like it!? I _love_ it! Cuteness overload! And by the way - your mini animals are awesome

It is a very thin line indeed, but the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum and was meant to serve a religious purpose no more than, say, the Castel Sant’Angelo or the Lincoln Memorial. The Hagia Sophia always had religious roots before becoming a museum, as it is now. First it was a Christian basilica, afterwards it was converted into an Islam mosque. Just based on that last part you could imagine that it could be a very sensitive issue for many people, so it is perfectly understandable why TLG would decide that it does fit the religious bill and hence is not subject to approval for the Cuusoo project.

Thanks for all your videos from the show, I really loved those! The typical "model railway" style of setting up your layout is instantly recognizable and I must say that it seems like a great way to showcase those beautiful trains you have - much more effective than a cluttered-up Town style layout.

No prob, glad to see they're back and kudos on sorting it out so quickly

And that right there is another good reason to use flickr / brickshelf (or even MOCpages) as opposed to photobucket for the purpose of uploading pics of reviews and MOCs. Oh, and I have to agree with Ivan K., I was a bit disappointed that it was the Skyway which got rereleased as a "Legend" and not its predecessor, the International Jetport. Then again, considering the latter's more 'touristic' vibe - I've heard on numerous occasions how people could picture it as a local airport at some cool holiday destination - and comparing that to the Skyway's busy look & feel, I must admit I understand the decision.

Very neat rig there. I'm loving the headlight combo on the tractor, but the trailer is also very realistic and still LEGO Townish. Looking forward to your big MOC - I'm guess this one is an addition to it?

Let us know when you're ready with those, I'm sure there's lots of us who'd be interested.

I'm guessing you're going to need quite a few yellowed / old grey bricks, but I'm sure the end effect will be awesome. This project is yet another good example why people shouldn't moan about their discoloured bricks - all the more possibilities to depict realistic aging! The 'bruised and weathered' look works great on your source image and I'm sure it will be absolutely striking in LEGO form once you're done with this. Keep us posted :)