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250 EUR. For a carousel. I mean, come ooooooooooon... Fair enough, we've never seen LEGO do anything like this before, so in that sense it's pretty unique. From what these pictures are showing, this one's obviously a stand-alone set which can never be combined and look good next to a regular town building or even the likes of the Green Grocer etc. And yes, it does include PF & everything, but 250 EUR is simply too much. I understand the price tags on sets such as the Death Star or the Millenium Falcon. But if TLC had opted to cut down on this one a bit and offer it at a better price they would have done themselves a favour. I can't imagine it ever going on sale for 150-170 EUR either, so I guess this is one of the sets I'll never own. The good thing is, I personally wouldn't pick this one over the Green Grocer, Cafe Corner OR a mint second-hand Monorail anyway...

With or without two doors, this one just screams Classic Town. Teddy, knowing how wonderful your other town MOCs are, I would love to see this one included in your town layout sometime later on... The idea itself is very nice and a perfect way to show all the diversity of LEGO from the 80s (at least theme-wise, with all those minifigs :) ) while still sticking to the Classic Town theme. A beautiful entry mate!

Ааааааh. Monorail monorail monorail monorail monorail monorail Need I say more :) That's such a neat MOC... Gotta love it!

Thanks mate, and you can stick to Bobby... My better half doesn't write in the forum, she just sticks to reading every now and then As for the Super Chief - fingers crossed, I WILL be reviewing that one in a few weeks' time!!! It's all in the hands of the European postal services right now... Speaking of which, has anyone of you tried fitting the Super Chief and/or the BNSF GP-38 with PF motors and lights? How does it look, does it take a lot of rearrangement, is it even possible... or should I just go and buy a regular 9V motor for my first LEGO train?

I'll also go for the Super Chief, without any hesitation. If we're comparing them set-wise though, it would be a much harder decision, bearing in mind that Hobby Train offers 1000+ bricks... But in terms of the beauty of engines recreated in LEGO bricks, it has to be the pride of the Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe line . On a sidenote, I've just managed to snatch one on eBay for 35 Euro... I just HAD to share that with you guys, you won't believe how happy (AND lucky!) we both feel right now... I'm absolutely ecstatic that the first LEGO train we're going to add to our collection will be one of the most beautiful LEGO sets ever "Over the moon" is simply not strong enough; just can't wait till I get my paws on that one! Btw, I've also found another good deal for ~50 EUR, so anyone interested in buying a Super Chief (in Europe) could drop me a line, so that I can give you the link. As for that Croc engine... it's nice (European pride fits well here :) ), but I think that if I owned the Hobby Train set, I'd build that one and some of the other models, after which however I'd get started on my own MOC... most probably, a detailed tram for our city. It's just that, cool as it looks, the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) engine isn't really a personal favourite of mine - I believe the set itself offers a few more models which are equally beautiful - if not even more so - and the best thing about it is the opportunity to build pretty much any kind of rolling stock you'd get the notion to. I do believe that a comparison between the Emerald Night and these engines listed here would also be quite appropriate...

Erm, sorry for the stupid question, but what do you mean by 12:00 GMT... is that midnight on 12/13. May or noon on 13. May?

Both of these are absolutely wonderful diesel engines and I'm just happy to see that LEGO have decided to recreate them in bricks in such a detailed way. Their exact colour schemes and almost impeccable representation of the original engines automatically turns these two into some of the best LEGO train sets that ever came out. As far as the BNSF engine is concerned, I believe it represents a General Motors Electro-Motive Division EMD GP-38 four-axle loc - an engine widely popular towards the end of the 60s. It did never even come close to the popularity of Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Super Chief, which was also built by General Motors more or less during the same period, however The Super Chief was so immensely popular not only because it defined "streamlined America", an era of design history which we all look back to and marvel at, but also because it was one of the best engines of its day and so was used to transport hundreds of Holywood stars across America. The EMD GP-38 (the BNSF train), a.k.a. the Geep, was never even aiming at becoming a legendary train, hence its more "typical" form - it did however provide great reliability at a relatively low cost of operation. In my mind, I've always imagined the GP-38 diligently hauling cattle, pulpwood or coal across America while the Super Chief makes its way between Los Angeles and Chicago like a railway supermodel. So there you have it, the Super Chief's appeal is understandably bigger than that of the GP-38 - not only because of its design, but also because of its huge role in American railway history. But that doesn't mean the BNSF train isn't worth having... Now, I personally would love to own both, but so far have only found the Super Chief at a reasonable price - fortunately, like most of you, it is also my favourite between these two. So I'm currently looking at a few possibilities and if I'm lucky I might post a hands-on review of a trains fan who never owned a LEGO train but somehow managed to get his paws on the Super Chief. If not... I'll just keep on dreaming. But I'll do my best to own both these models sooner rather than later (especially with them becoming increasingly hard to find and expensive) - just like any other LEGO train fan out there. Edit: Checked my facts. The BNSF train is actually an EMD GP-38, and not a "U-boat" GE U-class as I had first thought.

For once. But that's about it. It's not hard to understand why Brawn GP did indeed do the right thing by handing the win to Button. There's no guarantee that things will indeed remain as they've been so far this season and I for one am sure that at one point not only Toyota and Red Bull, but other teams (i.e. the favourites) will start pushing for podium positions as well. When that moment arrives, it would be best to have opened a gap as wide as possible, both in the Constructors' and the Drivers' Championship. So it's only logical that they decided to give Jenson the win, even though it wasn't exactly fair to Rubens. In any case, I highly doubt if he's capable of mounting a serious title challenge... he's just not the type of driver. Enough said about Brawn GP - I couldn't help but notice that quite a few of you have enjoyed Alonso's success at the expense of Massa's 5. spot... But I must admit, I really did feel sorry about the way Ferrari screwed up Massa's race yet once again. Given, he's definitely not one of my favourite drivers, but this is turning into a habit for the Scuderia. I mean, if they're so great, why can't they manage to pull one single race without killing their drivers' chances of success? The car is bad, that's pretty much obvious, but both Kimmi and Massa have shown that they have the will to keep pushing, no matter how bad their cars are. And yet, they've been additionally hampered by their team's ridiculous inability to make one right decision. I find it absolutely appaling and yes, I believe that Domenicali has to go if Ferrari are to go forward.

Those are really wonderful... I think I'm going to buy a few things from Arealight, so I was wondering whether anyone of you had information regarding the quality of his work. Furthermore, a few "hands-on" reviews of these scooters would be great, once they go on sale.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, thanks for that, Brickster!!! Sort of a coincidence too - I have been scouting eBay lately in hopes of snatching an old(ish) train set at a decent price. Unfortunately, the economic crisis doesn't seem to affect LEGO (I passed on a 6399 Monorail / Airport Shuttle before seeing it hit 260+ Euro!!!), so I'm still hunting but I haven't given up hope. Seeing as we're not currently willing to spend too much on LEGO, I don't believe we'll be in the market for an RC set, especially bearing in mind that the Passenger Train is useless compared to the great yet rather expensive Cargo Train set. We might consider getting an Emerald Night though, since the price on that will keep going up as time goes by. However, in the meantime I've been checking out the 10205 My Own Train set and I must admit I'd love to get my paws on one of these (not necessarily in black). Question is - how good is this train's PF compatibility? We're definitely not keen on having to buy overpriced 9V sets (not with their firmly established collectors' status), so with the new PF trains & track I think we can get started on setting up our own rolling stock... Hopefully, I'll be able to MOC up the 10205 engine a bit, even if doesn't quite suit PF, but I was curious to know whether there were any actual problems with that (seeing that you already own one of those). Furthermore, from the stuff I've been checking out, I've come to the conclusion that the 10183 Hobby Trains is hands down the best train set in terms of value for money... What are your thoughts on that?

Wow, well done Klaus-Dieter :) I was expecting your entry, seeing as you're one of the people around here who really love the "Classic Town" look. I see you've gone for a Town Plan kind of scene (lots of details, nicely structured buildings, etc.) and you've done a nice job with that! By the way, I really dig that definitive early 90s feeling of your MOC; if it had been on sale during that time it would definitely have been an exclusive item ;] Personally, we've got an awful lot on our hands with work deadlines & exams knocking at the door so I don't think we'll manage to build anything for this contest, but seeing entries such as this one has really made it a whole lot of fun for us! Thanks for that

Veeeery nice, tovarisht (or bratushka, even :P ?)!!! The 6/7-wide cargo truck is absolutely brilliant. As far as the caddy-style one is concerned, if I were you I'd also add a bit of detail in the back. A wider bumper, some rear window or sth... I'm not really sure, but I think it's just a bit too plain - at least for my liking. Still pretty ingenious tho, great job on those vehicles! P.S.: Congratulations, BlueBard I guess I'll be trying to follow in your footsteps now...

Yup, the 3-race penalty is a suspended one mate. In other words, as long as McLaren behave like good boys, nothing bad is bound to happen. That's why all the Ferrari-biased guys out there have started whining like you wouldn't believe... "oh, it's so unfair, how could they have become so soft, but it was so wrong what McLaren did, they should have been banned for life, blah blah blah" In any case, this obviously gives McLaren a great chance to fight for their honour, if not the championship, and really rub it in on Ferrari and their horrible start to the season.

Yeah, thanks. However, the post-two-words "Which mp3 have you just found in the depths of your HDD?" & derivative kinds of threads do not really match my idea of a "meaningful" music discussion. P.S.: Anyway, if a mod sees this thread as being redundant, please take care of it in a way you find appropriate.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_5254835,00.html YEEEHAWWW!!! People might say it's lenient, I say bring on the European part of the season!!! Hopefully, McLaren will now be able to finally leave this entire mess behind them...

Weirdly enough, there IS no such thread to be seen anywhere around here... And I do believe that as much as we enjoy F1, sports, etc., we're all fans of some band or singer... Share your tastes and dislikes here! To start it off, let me set the topic to Depeche Mode vs U2 - 2009 edition... Clash of the titans? Seeing as Blur don't look like they will be recording a new album to show Oasis how it's done, I firmly believe that this year's top band clash is between U2's long-anticipated No Line on the Horizon and Depeche Mode's "deep undercover" Sounds of the Universe... What do you think of those two albums, have you checked them out? I've been following both bands closely and own a full discography of both, so I guess I have some reasonable background in terms of U2 and Depeche "fandom" And to my surprise, U2 have all but failed to deliver... I've only listened to their new album three times before I got really bored with it, and haven't played it since. Nice drums, catchy rhythm, but that was pretty much all there was for me. Enter the same old prolongued bits, garnished with lyrics which this time around sound pretty cheesy and/or confusing (who could have expected THAT from U2?) and there you have it - the reason why NLotH has been collecting dust on the shelf for the past few weeks... The amount of dust has definitely grown owing to the fact that I've been blowing it out of my speakers lately... using nothing else but Depeche's latest effort. I have to say, to me Playing the Angel (2006) was one of their best works ever and it had reached a level which could hardly be sustained, especially after a three-years' break from recording. Obviously, that has not been much of a problem for Depeche - their sound and tunes are once again inventive and deep yet amazingly catchy... And to me, it's definitely a win for the Essex boys this year. They're visiting Bulgaria in a few weeks for their second gig here (their first/last one was during the Touring the Angel tour and obviously they liked it here ;) ) Since I missed that other one, I'm gearing up for my first Depeche live and a whooole lotta fun :) U2 are once again going 360 round Europe, but making no stop in Bulgaria. What about you guys, are you going to any gigs of these two bands; what do you think of their new albums...?

That "seaking" thing bears a striking resemblance to a very close and personal friend of mine... ...the Mighty DOPEFISH!!!

Same here... Just a thought - what's the use of having countless "added" responses to a single question, when you can only select between ~10 of them? I'd much rather have had 7-8 predefined answers + the most popular 3-4 user-suggested ones (as discussed, for example, here on the forums), rather than seeing each and every one of us add the same notion, albeit in our own words...

Well, Brawn GP aren't exactly the kind of team that could have spent enough time and resources in order to catch up with the big teams in F1. So in a way, it is only fair that they took their time constructing this new car - otherwise they would never have reached the position they're in right now. P.S.: Noticed how we all suddenly got F1 icons?

I've always loved streets and layouts designed on multiple levels. Yours is a prime example of what one of those should look like. This is absolutely stunning, I've bookmarked the Brickshelf Gallery and added it to our collection of references... we'll most DEFINITELY be drawing inspiration from this lovely hotel!

My point precisely. Hamilton had an awesome race despite the overall bad combination of tires they used (should have gone for the softer tires in the final phase, so that he could push for a podium finish). However, Heiki has once again proven that he's just not good enough - and that's it. He lacks fighting spirit and the ambition to keep pushing... and I don't say he's a bad driver - if McLaren need someone who'll never whine for being in the shadow of Lewis, then I guess he's the man. But he'll never be pushing for the Championship or leave a trail in F1 history of any kind. It was more or less the same with Ferrari, even though I must admit the race didn't go as planned for Massa. But at the end of the day Kimmi didn't have the easiest of times either, but he still did push on as hard as he could. What did Massa do? Absolutely nothing! No pace, nothing. The only thing he'll remember from this race is almost taking out himself & another driver on a couple of occasions - whici were some totally unjustified risks. Just the reason why I dislike Felipe Massa - great expectations, was handed a great car (last season), failed to deliver and starting placing the blame elsewhere. When at the end of the day he just has to face the music and accept that pace is what you get with a good car. Skills however won't come attached to your chassis. Oh, and by the way, now that I've seen Jenson Button close down Felipe Massa by a lap I can only say one thing: BRAWN FOR CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

Yeah, I checked out your review @ Brick Town Talk. Thanks for posting that! Obviously, the flexible track is really a nice addition and not just an ugly unrealistic unballastalbe new part, as some train fans have called it. I shudder at the thought of the G-force horrors minifigs will have to endure after the introduction of these... (think rollercoaster tycoon ) P.S.: I just noticed that these new rails' size also makes them PERFECT for tramway layouts... I guess I should really consider investing in some of those.

Ralph, I've been studying your 5- and 7-wide vehicles lately (such as these ones) and they've most definitely got me hooked on building my future cars, buses and trucks using uneven numbers. Unfortunately, right now I don't really have enough parts (or time) to get started with that. In any case - thanks a lot to you and all the other guys who build those innovative designs and then share their tips & tricks with us (off the top of my hat, Carbohydrates also falls in that list :) ). Cheers! P.S.: Sorry I can't help you with any particular piece of advice, Mariko, but I'm an absolute beginner in terms of 5-wide building :/

In that case you must harbour an awful lot of spite for at least half of the male population all over the world... Dude, you ARE evil!

Quiz... oh no... The virus of Facebook quiz mania has infected EB as well!!! (obviously, I'm quite evil)