Jump to content

TomLego

Banned Outlaws
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    113

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by TomLego

  1. TomLego
    It was fairly recently (2 years or so) that my wife introduced me to Lego by giving me the Fallingwater architecture series as a gift. In the past year, I've become totally immersed in the world of Lego. At least in the part that interests me. I have all of the architecture series and all of the modular buildings. That was no small effort as three of the modulars were retired by the time I discovered Lego. I've also managed to track down a Taj Mahal 10189 as I was curious to see how a 5,900+ piece Lego set looked in person. I've also added some other sets that interest me as an adult......the VW van, the space shuttle, Tower Bridge and some of the trains. I'm not involved in any LUG. Not that I wouldn't be interested, but I haven't had the opportunity. I would like to be more involved in the online community. I've been on the Internet for over 20 years. I've seen a lot come and go. Eurobricks seems to have a very, how shall I say this, 'civilized' population. Very well mannered, very knowledgeable about the world of Lego. I would be interested in being a moderator. Since I've retired, I do have some time on my hands. I enjoy Lego and I enjoy walking my English Springer Spaniel. After the walk, she lays down and falls asleep when I'm working ( using the word 'working' in its loosest form) at the lego table. I would like to see at least two modular building offerings per year. With that said, I know nothing about Legos cost and return on investment as far as the modular series is concerned. Maybe sales only justify a once a year offering. Maybe a smaller building (1200 or so pieces) could be offered between release dates of the larger sets. This would seem possible, at least from a design standpoint, the Pet Shop was actually two buildings (the retail store and the residential building). Again, I don't know the economics involved. For all I know, I might be lucky in getting one release a year. Eurobricks is what a website should be like. It's administrators, and its participants, should be complemented on the level of knowledge and civility that exists here.
  2. TomLego
    Thanks, man. The only experience I have in color as it relates to manufacturing is when we ordered my wife's Audi TTS roadster. If you didn't want one of the Audi TT standard colors shown in the brochure, you could get any color offered by Audi on its other models for $2500 extra. To the extreme, you could get ANY color for an extra $5000. We stayed with one of the standard colors. :-) Again, thanks.
  3. TomLego
    Question. I've seen where it costs anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 to make the mold for a new Lego piece. Just saying, that's what I've seen in a couple of different places. Cant guarantee the accuracy of that cost, but for discussion sake lets say its true. What about changing the color of an existing piece? Is there a large cost in doing that? Say some important parts aren't available in olive green but are available in other colors. Is it a big expense to make the existing parts in olive green? Just asking, I don't have a manufacturing background. Thanks.
  4. TomLego
    Wait.......I imagine that Amazon itself will have it in the not too distant future. O course, at my age, I've had a lot of practice at waiting. It may be a little more difficult for you. I hope you get it very soon and at a fair price. :-)
  5. TomLego
    From Yahoo/AP COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Want to build a new home for Homer or try out a new hairstyle for Marge? Danish toy company Lego on Monday confirmed it will launch a special series themed on "The Simpsons" family globally in 2014. Lego spokesman Roar Rude Trangbaek wouldn't give any details about what characters would be included, but said the company hopes the series will "appeal to fans of 'The Simpsons' family." Lego, a privately held Danish company, has seen its sales soar in recent years after it started making series based on popular movies such as "Star Wars" and "Ninjago." "The Simpsons" has been on the air for 22 years, becoming the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program and a cultural phenomenon with colleges devoting courses to studying it.
  6. TomLego
    Well, the Lego store had a display with TH in the center and the PS split with the pet shop on one side and the residential part of PS on the other side. It looked so good that I have to think the idea came from TLG and not from the clones at the local Lego store.
  7. TomLego
    No contest, Pet Shop is the best. While Grand Emporium is nice, I think Pet Shop may be the best of the entire series. Pet Shop has so much detail. And, it's actually two buildings. The Pet Shop and the residential building. I've actually seen the Pet Shop and the residential building displayed separately. The local Lego store split the two and had one on each side of Town Hall in their store display. Bottom line......you won't be disappointed with either, but I think PS is the best.
  8. TomLego
    I bought this at a B&N store more than a week before its official release. Love the book. Now that I've had it a couple of weeks, I just don't get/agree with the strategy of force feeding a bunch of white bricks into the equation. Charge $150, but instead of white bricks give me a credit towards purchasing the bricks I need through pick a brick. Or, simply sell the book as a stand alone item with information on Lego products and pick a brick. One other thing. About creativity. I don't think people need books or bricks chosen by others to be creative. Just look at all of the MOCs on this website. Creativity, you got or you ain't got it. :-) Like I've said other places, the book is great and could almost be the text for a class on design. I can see this as a one time effort with a very limited market. Hopefully, once the set itself falls off the radar, the book will continue to be available. The review is great. Thanks for all of the effort you put into it.
  9. TomLego
    Building with Lego is playing. And thank goodness for it! If you really want to build, Habit For Humanity can always use some help with real building projects.
  10. TomLego
    Let's never lose the ability to laugh at ourselves, or for that matter, our hobby. I appreciate people commenting on my lego display, as uniformed, humorous or without a clue their comments may be. :-) Enjoy!
  11. TomLego
    Got the Taj Mahal. It took an oversized box and bubble wrap. I knew the lego box was a little rough, but it didn't sustain any additional damage. Since I paid a bunch of money for this complete retired Lego product, I went ahead and paid $90 US for shipping and packaging. It was sent via FedEx second day and was a very large box ---25 inches on each side--- so that also added to the cost. I have reassembled the Taj Mahal and there was no damage and all of the pieces are accounted for. It only took an hour and forty five minutes since the packaging was so good and organized. I gave the eBay seller very detailed instructions and agreed to pay his actual cost of following my instructions. Not all eBay sellers listen, thank goodness this one did! BTW, on the original Lego box he put packaging on the inside, old newspapers, so it wouldn't be as likely to get squashed.
  12. TomLego
    I'm sitting here waiting for FedEx to deliver one box containing an assembled Lego Taj Mahal, the original box and manuals. An ebay purchase. I'll let you know how it goes. I should receive it within the next few hours if the tracking info is accurate, and it usually is with FedEx.
  13. TomLego
    The article by Molly Wood is an interesting piece of satire. While I think she glosses over the fact that a child can still be creative as he wants to be with Lego, some of what she says is amusing. And true.....
  14. TomLego
    First of all, as someone who's bought and sold on eBay since 1998, most eBay sellers aren't very good at packing things. I would start by asking the seller for a partial refund. That can be negotiated. If its in a condition where you really aren't happy with it, I'd go the refund route. EBay and PayPal in fhe USA are very buyer oriented so you shouldn't have a problem. I always give the seller the opportunity of correcting his poor packaging mistake before I take any action through ebay or PayPal. I don't think Lego has a dog in this fight (so to speak) as it appears as if this could have been avoided with some bubble wrap and a larger box. When I bought the corner cafe, the seller simply wrapped the original Lego box in brown paper, wrote my address on it and mailed it. Fortunately, it arrived in okay condition. As a last resort, you could throw yourself at the mercy of Lego and see if they'd help you out in the name of excellent customer service. For those who value the Lego box, you should always request ( and prepare to pay a little more) for the seller to put the lego box wrapped in bubble wrap into a larger box. I was very lucky the corner cafe and its box didnt wind up looking like your unexpected gathering.
  15. TomLego
    Legocrazy81: Sounds like a great plan. Thanks. I probably need a larger table and make a decision on moving it to the center of the room. It's only my wife and I, we have more house than we need, so maybe I just need to find a larger table and place it in the middle of a room. And add some street plates.
  16. TomLego
    Here's a display question. I have managed to accumulate all of the modular buildings plus one MOC. What's the best way to display them? I have a 6 foot long and 3 foot wide table. I can fit seven of the buildings in a straight line on the table. Since the Cinema is a corner building, I can turn the corner and fit up to 14 buildings on the table to form one solid block of modular buildings. But, that means for display purposes, the table will have to be in the center of a room to display all of the buildings in a manner where people can see the front of all of them. In an alternative display, I can add another table (which I've done) and the Cinema is on the corner of a new block of buildings. The tables can, in a more functional design, then be placed against a wall. What is your opinion? How do you display, or plan on displaying, these buildings? I currently have the two table set up with the first seven buildings on one table and the Cinema and a MOC on the new table. Ideas?
  17. TomLego
    They should have had at least on sample book on display or some excerpts from it. The book is the unique thing about this product. Without the book, its just a bunch of colorless bricks.
  18. TomLego
    Totally agree. We are on the same page. I have a couple of other collecting interests (old tube radios, for one). Not saying you are guilty of this, but too many collectors are not happy unless others validate their collecting habits, tastes. I collect what I want to collect and am never surprised, offended, disgusted, tired (feel free to insert whatever emotion you choose) by what people say or think. I listen to baseball games on a 1938 Zenith radio and when I get bored, I work on a MOC for my Lego modular town. With that said, when I meet someone with a hobby that I'm not interested in or don't understand, I try to ask rather shallow questions (not too difficult for someone like me) and make general complimentary comments. Collections of hundreds of shot glasses. Collections of old dental equipment. Collections of old tools. Collections of Star Wars stuff. I don't get it. I guess there's a collecting gene in all of us, but it puzzles me where it lands sometimes. Collecting match books? Collecting pot holders? Seriously. Whatever. As long as people don't try to take me down the 'it's a good investment' road when showing me their collection of Hallmark forced collectibles. Well, enough of this. I have to figure out how to compensate for maybe not having enough sand green bricks for my modular creation (without spending any more money).
  19. TomLego
    As an adult who collects Legos, I'm just happy to get something other than your basic rolling of the eyes. Seriously, man, no disrespect intended, but we collect what most people see as toys.
  20. TomLego
    If two sets are even in your evaluation, do some research and then buy the one you think is mostly likely to be retired first. Usually, that will be the one that was released first. Usually. I would not brick link something when there are still buildings I need that can be purchased right off the shelf at the lego store. Also, keep an eye on Amazon for their occasional discounts. BTW, welcome to the obsession. :-)
  21. TomLego
    These are both great. I like the van better than the official lego version. I imagine the roof on yours is also more stable than the official lego version. As for the beetle, it makes me smile. And, I can't ask for more than that! Especially the way you did the hood. Nice work!
  22. TomLego
    Im just starting out on interiors. I'm still busy with a semi-residential property based in part on the sand green bricks from the haunted house and a ton of sand blue bricks from pic a brick. I'd check out that guys Barnes &Noble/Starbucks for interior ideas. Good luck and congrats on finishing GG.
  23. TomLego
    Well, if you're building Duplo or My First Lego Princess, then I don't know how to explain it to your wife. If you are building some of the more popular AFOL themes, then there shouldn't be a problem. I'd never even touched a Lego brick until I was almost 60 years old. My wife thinks the architecture series and modular buildings are interesting. The real validation came when she went to one of her business associates homes and saw her AFOL collection. If all else fails, threaten to buy a boat or take up golf.
  24. TomLego
    Okay, first impression. This probably isnt for most lego fans. It has a lot more to do with the technical nature of architecture and design. Lots of history, too. Is sort of like saying you like the TV programs Scrubs or ER and someone buys you a book on the human anatomy. There are exercises in the book using the lego bricks provided and discussions of the various components that go into designing a building. Several landmark buildings and their design are discussed. Is more like the study material that would accompany a beginning course on architecture, creativity and design. It's a long way from mini figs, Star Wars and Back to the Future. The bricks are mostly off white with some small clear ones. When I actually sit down with this and start the 271 page book, it will be more like starting an introductory class on design and architecture than it will be like staring a modular building project. Props to Lego for branching out like this, but I can see where it would be easier to sell it in a university book store rather than a Toys R Us store. And, maybe that's why the close tie to Barnes and Noble with this product (like all architecture offerings). BTW, the key to this Lego item isn't the bricks. This isn't about brick linking it for a lower cost. Is all about the very beautiful and informative 271 page book and what you can learn from it. Update....I it see its now listed on TLG website. Enjoy!
  25. TomLego
    It just bought it at a suburban Atlanta B&N location for $149.95. If you are a B&N member you get 10% off. The 271 page book is impressive. I'm going through everything now. Feel free to ask any questions.
×
×
  • Create New...