David Thomsen

I sometimes wonder about this, when it's mutually beneficial for two companies to have an arrangement like this - who has to pay who? I think it comes down to who is going to make the most profits from the arrangement. A lot of people are going to see The Avengers regardless of whether or not there is a Lego line, but a lot more people are going to buy the Avengers Lego sets because there is a film than if there was no film. So Lego have substantially more to gain from the arrangement, especially since The Avengers is kind of a big deal.

Is this the same with the type of plastic the Collectible Minifigs are made of, though?

I went with Thor. Iron Man is my favourite character, but that isn't the question here. Looking at them without taking into account their characters, Iron Man just looks like a man in a mechanical suit. Black Widow has a weird old face. Hulk isn't a real Lego figure. Captain America has nothing on his head, and while I can understand why they designed him that way, Lego figures with the stud showing on top of their head will always look a bit odd to me. Hawkeye has nothing in particular going for him. I think Thor looks the best as a 'Superhero' and as a Minifig.

Random question to revive this topic for, but I'm thinking of wanting to pop the 'Space Villain's' robot arm out and replace it with a regular Lego arm... is this likely to cause stress or damage to the torso? I haven't popped arms out since I was a kid for fear of doing any damage to my favourite toys.

This is why I think this topic should be divided into 'Superheroes from a Lego enthusiast perspective' and 'Superheroes from a Comic Book enthusiast perspective'. Because I am sure there are other Lego enthusiasts besides myself who do not care much about red hourglass belts, or the exact shade of Black Widow's hair, but who still want to keep up with Lego Superhero news.

The less representative she is, the less relevant her opinion is... you're basing your dismissal of the 'Friends' theme on the opinion of a girl you admit is somewhat precocious. Lego have done their research, they wouldn't have released the 'Friends' theme if it wasn't what the majority of girls wanted. The video of the girl ranting about pink toys on YouTube isn't popular because she represents all girls, but because she reflects adult values. TLG didn't create 'Friends' based on what they think girls want, but what their research has shown girls want. Which means, by your logic, that girls are imbeciles. And maybe they are. I remember when I was a kid and I wanted all of the Ninja Turtles just because my friends had all the Ninja Turtles. I didn't even really like Ninja Turtles, and I still feel guilty about pressuring my parents into buying toys that I neither needed nor wanted. This feels like a very moot argument to me. Toy designers make pink toys for girls because that is what they want... girls buy pink toys because that is what is sold to them. It is an endless loop. At the end of the day, the only people capable of breaking or enforcing the loop are the parents.

I feel like the GG and the FB are out of scale with the PS, the TH and the GE. The CC is in between, with widely spaced large windows on the top floor and closely spaced narrow windows beneath them. I'd use the CC as a corner building to separate the different sets of buildings. I think I will place them in the order: FB, GG, CC, TH, PS and GE.

I think there's a certain art to placing the buildings in the right order. For example, I don't think the Pet Shop buildings look right next to the Green Grocer. They just look completely out of scale. Also, the Fire Brigade doesn't look right next to the Grand Emporium - it looks like the latter should be towering over the former.

The only problem with the idea of yearly Halloween sets is that they've already covered a lot of that ground with the 'Monster Fighters' sets. What other Halloween ideas are there? Mad scientist with laboratory? Done. Vampire with castle? Done. Ghost train? Done. On the other hand, a yearly Halloween theme will last a lot longer than Monster Fighters, so after a few years that will have been discontinued... also a lot of the new pieces and prints from MF can be used for the Halloween theme. Personally, I think the way the ghosts are displayed in front of the house points to it being something you put on display, rather than something you play with... which would fit in with a yearly Halloween theme, but not MF. I also think it's extraordinarily large for a D2C set for a 1-2 year theme. Especially a theme that doesn't exactly look like it's for older builders...

I have to agree. One of the things I like about this forum is how it is generally free of some of the worst aspects of the internet. I used to be on a Transformers forum until I got sick of all the comments about Megan Fox and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Maybe better to think about how this is one of the most gender equal sets ever created. True, the highest position (mayor) is held by a man... but so is the lowest position (janitor). The second most important position (photographer) and second least important position (secretary) are held by women. If you think of the bride and groom as equal, and also the two children, it averages out so that men and women are balanced perfectly equally. Quite an achievement. Oh yeah... good spotting. And clever photography from Lego for hiding the bar sticking out of the side of the model...

I think it is this piece: Or something like it but shorter.

But if it's the Monster Fighters D2C set, there won't be any more of its kind... whereas if it's the start of a new yearly Halloween theme, there will be more of it and you'll be able to build a Halloween Village.

One possible theory is that they're going to start releasing a yearly Halloween set, similar to the yearly Christmas sets. But more likely it's a D2C set for the Monster Fighters. Which is a shame, because this actually looks quite good, whereas Monster Fighters looks kind of silly to me.

I was quite happy that it's impossible to find any 'Town Hall' hints in the Pet Shop, because the 'clues to the next Modular Building' theory could finally be put to rest... but now it's being adapted to include any of the previous modulars, meaning the probability of being able to find hints for each new set will gradually approach 1/1. I really really hope the next set is a police barracks, because I cannot think of a single clue in any of the previous sets that point towards a law enforcement theme.

I actually wish they would have more 'blank' torsos, like they did in the earliest Modulars. Back then it felt like they were trying to stay true to the most basic principle of a minifig. Now everything but the face is getting more and more complicated, including having Collectible Minifig hairpieces.

It's funny how people's opinions can differ. Some people think it looks too plain - I think if you add too much, it will begin to look gaudy. Vive la difference. Wish they'd done something about the empty space on the back, though - a fire escape? Some small vents? Anything to break it up a bit. At least that's not the side you're going to be looking at, though.

I'm surprised we didn't see any of these as well, they seem perfect for a Modular Building. Also the 2x2 ribbed round brick, although I see a couple were used during construction. Personally I prefer it this way, making clever use of classic pieces rather than 'cheat' pieces.

...and welcome back to Lego.

The elevator is novel, but it is a step in the direction of flick-fire missiles - a gimmick with limited play value that detracts from the overall aesthetics. If I were to make an elevator in a modular building, I would have had a discrete column of technic gears within the walls that connect from floor to floor and are turned by a handle in disguise. The elevator would have 'gear racks' down the side to be lifted up and down by the spinning gears. Any close-ups of the brick-built door?

...Heimlich manoeuvre?

Okay, I was wrong about the elevator. In my defence I thought it would be a proper elevator, not just a floor with no ceiling. I'm trying to figure out how it works... it looks like the two side of the gap aren't actually connected by anything, so the lever can go all the way from the top to the bottom. I think it zig-zags around crooked bits so it can sit on something at the different floors. Damn it, why is there a computer in the way? I'm curious as to what the ground floor looks like. TLC, it is time to wow us with official pictures, don't you think? Also: It looks like the set contains two of those new shields. I wonder how people are going to use it in their Castle MOCs? The way I have mine set up, the vintage fire truck is parked out the back where it is a curiosity for children to play on. Either that or the fire station is just a big museum... but then why is everyone wearing fire gear?

Yeah but... it's more complicated than that.

At this stage it is pretty much an established pattern. I think in six more years we will actually have a complete city block. Well... four years, if you don't mind your city block being a rectangle. Still can't figure out what the kid is reaching for in that picture. Some kind of weird tiny glass vase with a yellow flower in it?

Does anyone agree with me that the set probably won't have an elevator? I'm just reminded of how a lot of people thought the GE would have a working escalator, and now they see signs that could possibly indicate an elevator when they more likely indicate a stairwell. For one thing, how is the cleaner getting out of that trap door on the roof - is he standing on top of the elevator? Man, we need hi-res images fast so we can talk about what the set actually does have, rather than what we think it might have... Also, does that red-headed girl with the magnifying glass remind anyone else of Nancy Drew?