Zarkan

During my first ever trip to a Lego Store, I made a sizeable purchase that included this lovely little kit. I’m a huge fan of the City line, and I was very eager to open the box as soon as I got home. Today I’ll be showing you why I love this little kit so much. Let’s get ready to clean some streets! Name – Street Sweeper Set number – 7242 Year – 2005 Pieces – 63 Minifigs – 1 Price – $7.99 USD The Box and Instructions: 7242 is a fine example of how effective the CITY boxes are. The front combines a picture of the set with a nice city background and road, giving it a neat appearance that harkens back to the simple classic town boxes. The back clearly advertises that this set is great for having some quick, easy fun, and shows off the opening window and the worker minifig. The instructions are also very nice – the steps are clearly layed out and have an interesting background (yellow and blue? Looks like Lego City has a pollution problem!). The Pieces and Minifigs: 7242 includes 63 pieces, not counting the extra parts. Brick lovers will be happy to know that there are plenty of normal pieces in this kit. Interesting elements include the red astromech body, the trans-black angular windshield, and the large yellow slope part. Some may not like the fact that the worker figure included is frowning, but I personally appreciate that Lego is giving their minfigs different expressions and emotions. He also has a great torso, which is very detailed. The Finished Model: Here’s a general view of the kit. Notice that it’s no bigger than previous street sweeper vehicles Lego has released. Back view, showing off the bright red water tank. Front view. Look at those bright blue bristle pieces! Left side view, where you can see the broom stored on the side. A view of the suction device. The tube and circular piece look great on this. Finally, a view of the interior, with the windshield up There’s not much there – just a space for the driver and a steering wheel. I should also mention that because the mold for the large hinge was changed, it’s often hard to open the interior without breaking the windshield off! This is the only real flaw in this kit – and it makes me wonder why TLC couldn’t have kept producing both the old and new hinges so we could have an option between easy movement and strong joints. The Model in Action: Heigh ho, Heigh ho, It’s off to work we go! Yes, I know that has been used before, but I just had to say it. Since this vehicle is only about 6 studs wide, it fits perfectly on the old roadplates. Summary: Presentation – 10/10 Pieces – 7/10 Minifigs – 8/10 (one figure is perfectly fine for this size) Model – 10/10 Playability – 6/10 (better with other kits, and the hinge problem restricts playability a bit) Price – 7/10 Overall Rating – 8/10 One final thing to mention is that TLC pulled a fast one with the price – when this kit first came out, it cost only $6 USD. Now the price has been raised two dollars – which is annoying if you ask me. They’ve been doing this with many of their best sellers, including the City Construction Crane and even the Castle Dwarves Mine. I find it kind of sneaky to subtlety raise the prices after a year or two – and I hope they stop doing this dishonest practice. But, regardless, 7242 is a very nice kit – and is completely worth buying if you are a town fan. I highly recommend it! Other Links: Brickset page on set 7242 Peeron Inventory of set 7242 Brickshelf gallery for this review (when public)

Aquaraiders was an unfortunately short lived theme released in 2007. Although it lasted for only one year, I personally think it worked very well as a slightly futuristic version of the Town subtheme Divers. The vehicle designs were sleek but fairly grounded in reality, there was plenty of treasure and accessories – and best of all, the sets were filled with giant brick built versions of sea creatures. Today, I’ll be viewing one of the smaller sets in the line, which I got for my birthday early in 2007. Name – Angler Ambush Set Number – 7771 Year – 2007 Pieces – 130 Minifigures – 2 Price - $9.99 USD / unknown GPB / unknown EUR The Instructions: The front cover of the instructions is very bold, with a great action pose that accurately displays all that is included in the kit. Some of the effects like the snorkel bubbles and the glowing angler rod are excellent. The instructions are clear and well drawn – it’s easy to tell the colors apart. Every page has a nice underwater background, which is gentle enough to not be distracting. The Pieces and Minifigs: If you like variety in your lego kits, Angler Ambush is for you! The 130 pieces included feature a wide selection of bricks, plates, slopes, fins, and even a helping handful of Viking horns. You also get some nice accessories – including two full sets of diving gear, a jackhammer, a set of four coins, and even a whip! And for those who hate stickers, you’re in luck: this kit contains only printed pieces. Interesting pieces include a yellow fin with the Aquaraiders symbol, a printed slope with a menacing face, a trans-green seaweed piece, two blue angled fins, and two glow-in-the-dark dinosaur tails. The two divers included in this set are the same as the figures in the other Aquaraiders sets, aside from the different heads. The color scheme of black, yellow, and light blue is very effective, and looks very realistic. Here’s a picture of the Divers with their helmets on. They look pretty slick, don’t you think? I love that the diver’s goggle is made in trans-light blue. Another nice surprise is that the figures have double sided torsos! This is a very nice addition, and gives the minfigs even more detail. The Finished Model: Angler Ambush includes three main models – and I’ll start off with the small diving device. It’s small and simple, but very effective. As you can see, the diver has to stand while driving vehicle – but I think this is probably more realistic than having sitting room. Also notice that you can store two divers harpoons and a set of swimming fins on it. Next up is the treasure rock, as I like to call it. It looks great with the different angled slopes and the seaweed. Only, what’s that lever for? Well, that’s pretty simple too. All the diver has to do is press down on the lever like so… … And presto! The top of the rock comes off, revealing the concealed gold. This is a cool action feature, as it works well and doesn’t look too silly. It’s certainly better than another shooting gun or something. Finally, here’s the big baddy of this set – the Angler Fish. This fearsome creature has a striking color scheme, combining normal blue, dark blue and black with red gums and white teeth. A side view of Angry Angler. The two dinosaur tails used as giant teeth stretch back a long way! Unfortunately, the Angler’s back fin only has regular blue details on one side. Frontal view, where the Angler shows off his maw of fearsome teeth. The realistic details like the overbite and the light rod really add to the model, and the printed piece works much better than if they had used brick built eyes. Of course, I doubt a real Angler fish could stretch back his jaw this much. Man, that looks like it hurts! Good thing that the teeth are really great for chomping up food. Poor Diver… The Model in Action: Hey, how did this happen? Looks like one of the Aquaraiders is trying to play Crocodile Hunter with this Angler Fish, while his friend tries to warn him about the potential dangers of this endeavor. I don’t think this is going to end well. Summary: Presentation – 10/10 Pieces – 9/10 Minifigs – 9/10 (they are awesome, but look almost exactly the same) Model – 8/10 (great, but not jaw droppingly amazing) Playability – 10/10 Price – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9.2/10 Angler Ambush is a superb small kit, and the ideal kit to buy if you want to try out the Aquaraiders theme. It has everything you could desire in a small kit – nice figures, great parts, well designed models, and plenty of playability. There are a few minor flaws, but overall this kit is superb in every area – and a welcome part of my collection. Whether you are a fan of the old Divers theme, like underwater themed kits, or just want a nice cheap purchase, Angler Ambush is a great choice. I highly recommend it! Other Links: Brickshelf gallery for this review (when public) Brickset Entry for set 7771 Peeron inventory for set 7771

After a three year run, Exo-force ended in the first half of 2008, with 7 new kits and a single online comic. For many lego fans, this did not come as much of a shock, but Exo-Force’s fans (including me) were upset that the theme ended without a third summer wave or a real conclusion to the story. Fortunately, Exo-force’s final year does did have some very interesting and creative sets, and every one featured the best gimmick of the entire series – “transforming” mini-robots that doubled as additions to the vehicle’s weapons. Today, I’ll be reviewing one of these kits, which I bought early this year. Name – Chameleon Hunter Set Number – 8114 Year – 2008 Pieces – 188 Minifigures – 1 Age Recommendation – 7-14 years Price - $14.99 USD (19.99 at TRU) / Unknown EUR / Unknown GBP The Box and Instructions: The boxes for the Exo-force line have been excellent, and the Chameleon Hunter is no exception. The Exo-Force logo and a portrait of the pilot, Hikaru, are found at the top. Below that, Hikaru’s latest mech crashes out of the jungle, weapons at the ready. The instructions have the same cover art as the box, which I no longer own. Here’s a random page from the manual. It’s fairly easy to tell the grays from the black, and there is a piece callout on every page. The instructions have a nice blue sky background that really contrasts the kit’s colors well. Oddly enough, the kit box also contained this sheet of paper, signaling a mistake in the instructions. What is strange is that the box art shares the same mistake! Now that I own a summer kit with two of the strange clip bricks shown in the error sheet, my guess is that the instruction and art designers accidentally used a piece that wasn’t supposed to be produced until later in the year. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me – and I doubt it will be the last. The Pieces and Minifigures: 8114 Chameleon Hunter has a wide variety of pieces, coming in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Here’s a picture of them sorted by color. Counting them reveals that there are a total of 16 different shades contained within the model. That’s quite a lot for a 15 dollar kit! Interesting pieces in 8114 include some green curved slopes, red bionicle claws and a firesword, two red Castle scythes, flexible lime spike pieces, cheese slopes with grills in them, pearly silver engine molds, one of the wonderful technic-tri axles first seen in 2007, and a nice helping of the bionicle/system fusion joints that also debuted in 2007. Many of these parts will certainly be useful in MOC’s, and others are just plain cool looking. Beware however, for there is a serious problem with the Bionicle/system fusion pieces! As you can see in this picture, there are two kinds of the socket piece – one with angled sockets, and one with curved ones. The kind with smooth edges was the original, and the one with angled edges has replaced them this year. What is disappointing is that the newer kind is far more prone to breaking than the old one (one of the pieces snapped as I was making this review!). This problem is also shared with the Bionicle kits this year, and as a fan of the theme, I find this very unfortunate and cheap. I hope that TLC gets enough complaints that they will revert back to the old mold, otherwise lego fans may be in for a lot of trouble! Chameleon Hunter includes only one minifig – a new version of Hikaru. He has reverted back to his original color scheme, but his uniform now has grey armor and an interesting camouflage pattern. Here’s the Hikaru family, showing the evolution of his suit. Note that I couldn’t find my third Hikaru head, so I substituted a Genki head, which looks almost exactly the same (the only difference is the lack of the orange visor). The Build: To make this review extra special, I decided to take pictures of the building process. This is the first time I’ve ever done this, but I personally found it a blast to take pictures as I built (it helped me savor the building process a lot more than I usually do) Let’s begin with the construction of the mini robot. First, you build his body, which is constructed on one of the technic bubble gears, as I call them. After that, you add his head, shoulder armor, and weapons, and you have your minicon er, mini robot (transformers fans will get that joke). This little guys is a simple build, but the end result is worth it. Unfortunately, in order to connect the mini robot to the main mech, the design utilizes a thin flagpole that sticks way out when it is deployed. I’m betting that that will restrict movement and combat a bit… Now, onto the real meat of the kit! The construction of Hikaru’s mech begins with the cockpit, which is built on a large piece first introduced in the Starwars line. Next come the shoulders, which, while relatively simple, are very cool. Detail is added to the cockpit after that, utilizing slopes and a grill piece. You also put Hikaru inside at this point. The windshield is added next. This trans piece has been around since the original A-wing and B-wing from the Starwars Line, and I’ve always liked it. Then, you build a small structure that will serve as the connection point for the legs. Speaking of which, the legs begin rather simply, utilizing two different kinds of joints and car bumpers. Green parts are added for detail. Note that I’ve already applied the stickers – I always do that the first time I build a kit. Ooh, it’s lime green slope time again! This color scheme is among my favorites in the Exo-Force line. Now it’s time to build the feet. The mechs of 2008 have far more interesting foot designs than the previous two years, since they are built up of small slopes and bricks. Here’s where we utilize the pearly engine parts. Now that the feet are done, it’s time to… … connect them to the legs! As I warned a while ago, be careful when snapping together the Bionicle/System fusion pieces. The legs are now added onto the body. Hm, I wonder what’s next? Ah yes - weapons! The claw on the left arm starts off with this simple construction. A technic rod is then placed through the hole, and more pieces are added on. Then, you attach the claws… …and you attach the entire assembly onto the mech. This goes through a technic hole in the plates used in the shoulders. The flamethrower is next. Again, it starts off simply, using another technic bubble gear. Two flagpoles are inserted through the holes in the bubble gear, and detail pieces and the Bionicle flame sword are added on. This assembly attaches to the other shoulder. We’re almost done! The lasts steps simply involve adding the necessary antennas and rockets to the mech. Then, you place the Mini robot on the flamethrower, and you’re done! The Finished Set: Here’s a side view of the mech. As you can see, the finished model is very pointy and angled. However, there is a slight problem with the armor - or lack of it. Right away, you notice that there are holes in the side of the cockpit! Even worse, the back also has a huge hole. It’s like Hikaru is inviting the robots to fire a round of lasers up his behind or something! And if that was not enough, the legs have holes in them as well! This is very disapointing, considering that all of these holes can easily be filled up with basic bricks and slopes. Bad TLC! Despite the holes, the cockpit is decent. It’s very roomy in there, although it doesn’t have any instructions. At least the canopy covers the entire top this time! Close-up of the flamethrower. The mini robot actually looks pretty good on it, especially if you move his joints a bit. Here’s a shot of the flame gun without the mini robot attached. It’s pretty thin and bare, but I like how they used a minifig jackhammer to add detail. Closeup of the claw. Seriously, this thing is huge! It also can close very nicely, as you can see in this picture. The Model in Action: The best thing about Chameleon Hunter is that, like all the Exo-force mechs, it’s incredibly poseable. Here’s a random cool position that I came up with on the spot. Man, imagine if these things were real! Tired of being treated horribly by Hikaru, the mini robot has decided to show his master what it feels like to be attached to a giant gun – upside down! Heh, looks like Hikaru is not happy about this. Conclusion: Presentation – 9/10 (one point off for the mistake in the instructions) Pieces – 8/10 (there’s a wide variety of awesome pieces, but the breaking joints are really bad) Minifigs – 7/10 Model – 7/10 (Hate the gaps. Hate them!) Playability – 9/10 Price – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.2/10 Chameleon Hunter is not perfect, by any standards. The gaps in the model are super annoying, and the easily broken joints are even more so. Despite this, 8114 is still an excellent kit, and one of the better Exo-Force mechs overall. The wide variety of interesting pieces is also a big bonus, and the price is superb as well. So, if you want a fairly inexpensive lego kit with lots of great elements and playability, I highly recommend you pick Chameleon hunter up. Hurry though, as they won’t be in stores for much longer!

2001 - Well, the main problem that year was that the sets didn't come out until July, so the year was kinda only a half year. At least we had the MNLOG! 2002 - Repetitive, in some ways yes - the reuse of the mask hunts and the "combine all powers into one ultimate beam" was annoying. I wouldn't call the power upgrade silly though - back then it was brand new for bionicle. Also, I'm one of the few who has never hated the original Nuva. Personally, I like that the masks stay fairly close to their originals (lewa's and pohatu's excluded), that the weapons all stayed true to form, and the awesome armor pieces. As sets though, they're nothing more than the Olda with more powerful gear. 2003 - Totally agree with the Kal. They are still the ultimate incarnation of clone sets, plain and simple. Mask of Light was actually not that bad, IMO, even though it was way below what we would expect from a Bionicle movie. Come on, couldn't the Toa actually hit the Rahkshi instead of the ground just once? And why did the script have to make it sound like a LOTR ripoff with the "the mask has chosen you" stuff? Did like the graphics and some of the voices, though. 2004 - Yes, secondary colors were needed badly. There was so much new grey that year that it's not even funny. However, I personally liked the Titans - ever single one of them. To me, they were the highlight of the sets that year. Krekka was a nice bipedal build (aside from the arms), Nidhiki was cool with his spidery design, Dume and Nikwak was highly original, and Lhikan and Kikanolo just plain rocked. Oh well, different tastes, I guess. 2005 - I dunno, I just though the storyline there was a bit too all over the place. I mean, how can 6 half beast Toa and six midgets build several giant airships, find the mask of Light, build a tower of Toa, take back the Colesium, find Keetongu, and fight off hordes of spiders, all while losing one of their own, just in one year of storyline? Plus, it took ages for everyon to figure out where all the different stories took place in the timeline for that year - and this is the sole year to have that problem. I totally agree about the sets, though - except for the Titans, which I really liked. 2006 - Now this is where I start to totally disagree. While I understand the complaint about the powers, I personally loved the humor in the book series, mainly because it was dark and sarcastic, two things which I really enjoy in books. The books from that year are still enjoyable reads for me, and I liked that a lot of the Voyatoran and Inika broke the common elemental stereotypes (a nervous le-matoran and far more serious air toa, a mystereous po-matoran, a far less reckless fire toa, a gruff and fierce ga-matoran, etc. Plus, for the most part I think the personalities of Jaller and Co were fairly true to the originals, and Greg threw in a lot of little nods to their MNOG personalities in this year and 2007. Also, you can't reasonably complain about the sets being to simiple - they had more pieces than the original Toa Mata and far more joints. It is annoying that they keep using the Piraka and Inika body designs, but back then they were brand new. I really loved the Voyatoran, which had a lot of the cuteness of the original Tohunga, and the titans were good as well (Especially Vezon and Fenny). 2007 - I don't get how 2007 was any more convolted than the aformentioned 2005 storyline. At least 2007 had a definite timeline right from the start. Also, for the answer to the humor, read above. 2008 - This was somewhat true, but there were some interesting things like the keystones and the Codrex. Plus, the flashbacks in Book 10, the great Makuta personalities, and the general maturity of the Toa Nuva really made the storyline this year good, IMO. And seriously, the Awakening blows away everything storyline related since 2001, so I don't really care about the otherwise lack of mythological elements. Just some of my personal thoughts.

Woah - careful now. By saying that, you're also dreaming for the erasement of 2001 as well - which seems to be the real sacred cow here. Would you rather have that erased as well or just keep the entire 8 years of storyline and enjoy what parts you liked? It's like Starwars - just because the movies started to decline after Episode V doesn't mean that you should wish that the first two never happened. You take the good with the bad, since no storyline can ever hope to be perfect. Of course, this applies to you guys, not me - as I have found good in all years of the storyline. Yes, even 2005, chaotic and poorly strung together that it was.

I'm outraged - just because you don't like their color of skin doesn't mean you have to torture them! This is minifig racism!

Wait - so you're not allowed to link to BRICKSET on Classic Castle.com? Man, and I thought BZP was tough on leakages...

You still don't get it, Algernon. 2009 is not this magical eraser that wipes away all the storyline of the previous 8 years - it's only a continuation set in a different land. Everything that happened before is still very significant, and will probably play a lot more in 2010 and beyond.

That would be interesting, and would probably work a lot better than in the normal Bionicle universe - but Lego seems to have shied away from RTS style games since Rockraiders (and I can see why - I don't think it was that popular with the target audience at all, although it seems to be a cult classic among older lego fans). It might be interesting to see a game like that online though - they've already mada a game for Mars Mission that has a surprising amount of similarities to the Command and Conquer games.

Will it ship to the US? If so, then I'm in!

I haven't played it, but from what I saw online, Bionicle: The Game was pretty bad. The graphics look horible, and I read that it was extremely short, simplistic, and had a terrible camera. Oh, and it totally butchered the Bionicle storyline, DESPITE claiming to be official. I agree that the battles did get a bit repetitive, but I still did as many as I could. The reason is that IMO, the battle animations are simply AMAZING. Smooth animations, lots of effects like vibrating and particles, tons of detail - man, they were just awesome to look at! Also, the battle system was good in that you could actually gain more powers for your Toa as you went on. Each Toa started out with just one special attack, but at the end of they game they all had four. I also liked that there was a heavy use of status effecting powers, like poison, sleep, scared, dazed, confused, etc - and both the rahi and the Toa could use them. I think the thing I was most disapointed about was the lack of a decent final boss. Fighting three rock entities that were all exactly the same wasn't exactly epic. However, this actually was very true to the book, so at least they had a reason for it.

That's my point - I prefer the more subdued dark red and gold shades to the super bright and cheesy white and yellow shades on the BSB. But wait, seriously - the BB is an obomonation? While a lot of people have come out and supported the BSB over the BB, you seem to the the only one so far to express such hate for the latest lego pirate ship. Hate like that sure sounds fitting on the 4+ pirate ship, but on a SYSTEM ship? Besides, what is so terrible about BB? It has awesome figures, lots of animals, a treasure chest, plenty of gold pieces, separate hull and mast pieces, a big cabin, some nice detail - and all you can say is that it's plain awful? This makes no sense! Also, for those of you who are complaining about the actual presence of a skull and crossbones on the BB, need I remind you that almost every major Pirate ship has had them as well? The Skull's Eye Schooner, the Red Beard Runner, the Cross Bone Clipper, the Renegade Runner - they all had the skull and crossbones, so I don't think you guys are being very fair to the new one.

That's good to hear! I was worried for a bit, but I'm glad you cleared that up.

Actually, one already has been made. It's called Maze of Shadows, and it was for the GBA. It was possibly the only offline Bionicle game that technically could be considered cannon, as it followed the storyline of Bionicle Adventures 6 fairly well. Plus, it was really fun. The puzzles were very enjoyable, and battling the Rahi was fun as well. Plus, it had some of the finest RPG graphics ever on the Gameboy Advance, and some decent music. I overall would give it an 7.5 out of 10, which I think would be considered good in most people's books.

If TT does make it, they better make it more varied than Bionicle Heroes. Not that I didn't like that game, but the extremely simplistic and repetitve gameplay (far simpler than Lego Starwars, actually) combined with the extremely annoying Hero mode brought it down a lot for me. That's a shame too, because it had some great elements like fantastic graphics and some great background music. Regardless, here is what I want to see in the 2009 game: - Lots of platforming, using individual powers (Gresh can use vines and plants to swing across, for example) - Melee combat that is more than single button pushing, utilizing combos and multi-button maneuvers. NO GUNS! - The ability to affect the general environment, not just in specific locations. How awesome would it be to be able to kill enemies with fire hands shooting out of a lava pool, or to create stone pillars to cross to whereever you want? - An actual storyline, that for once actually follows the official one to some extent. Should include cutscenes that are more than just for laughs. - Tag team partners, much like in the other lego games I want the big Glatoran to team up with the Agori! - Bosses that are more difficult to defeat and don't all involve the same basic tactics. Come on, the bosses in Bionicle Heroes were all wimps! - A coliseum area that is not part of the main adventure, where you can fight against all the main characters and bosses again. I'd buy this game in a heartbeat.

Today, I picked up the lego CITY Police Helicopter. I bought it to replace a crappy hashed-together helicopter that I made for my custom Police Trailer. It's a very nice set, and I'm already planning to do a review.

Null Vote. Sorry, but I can't decide - I love both equally! Ships are great for lots of seafairing action, while islands and forts are excellent for displaying and making up cool scenes. And they both always come with plenty of acessories and great figs, so there's no real preference for me.

I love both ships, but in modern times I have to give the edge to Brickbeard's Bounty. The latest Pirate ship has far better colors, better figures, and better animals and acessories. However, I can say that the BSB wins over the BB in cannon ammount and deck design. I just like Brickbeard's ship better now - mainly because the colors of the Baracuda look very cheesy compared to the more subduded scheme of Brickbeard's Bounty. Who cares though - if you're a die hard pirate fan, you should own both!

Woah, that's an awesome steal! I guess your luck was hot that day, huh?

Thanks for the review, Brickster. Seriously, I think TLC's hit on an awesome idea with these new easy builder sets. Making simple sets to introduce young fans to basic building techniques will surely help them get more young fans into lego, and it harkens back to the early days of the toy when fans only has very simple parts to work with. What I'm most shocked about is that this set includes an exclusive minifigure! I don't understand how I missed that until now, and I may have to get this set just for him. Besides, some nice parts at an affordable price never hurt anyone.

Thanks for the awesome review, svelte. Well, I have to say that, from looking at these pictures, Brickbeards Bounty is amazing. The design is very nice and detailed, the color scheme is far less cheesy than previous ships, and the figures and acessories are amazing. I wish they had included four cannons instead of three, but I can see how that will be easily fixed. There's only two real flaws to this beauty, in my opinion: 1 - The deck is too low. Older lego pirate ships had a higher deck and a far more complex construction down in the middle area, and I wish Brickbeard's Bounty did as well. 2 - The masts look fairly unstable. Svelte, can you tell us if they are unsteady or not? I'd really like to know. Regardless, I'm so glad that Pirates is finally back in full force, and I hope that next year I can get this beauty. Thumbs up to TLC for bringing back the theme and not messing it up!

Thanks for the news, Christan! Even though there's only three kits, I like the sound of all of them. Here's my thoughts: King's Battle Chariot - Hm, this sounds like a Crownie version of the Skeleton Prision Carriage. I hope that this includes two horses, two crownies, and an ork or two. Drawbridge Defense - I hope this is modular so you can add it onto the Castle Siege from 2007. I would like to see at least three orks, two crownies, and a dwarf or two. Troll's Dark Fortress - Yes, finally the Trolls get a place to call home! I personally expect that this will be built up using lots of black arches, brown plates, and grey burps. I hope we get at least four normal trolls, one giant troll, the Troll hag, two crownies, and two dwarfs. Maybe the Crownies could also have a small siege tower as well. Huh? How do you know that? These seem to be most definitely the summer sets, not spring sets.

Thanks for the news, Christian! Here's my thoughts on the new set names: Helicopter Transporter - I think this sounds great, as I'm betting it will use the same colors as the Postal or Cargo themes released this year. Besides, Lego rarely ever messes up helicopters. Tow Truck - YES! I've wanted one of these since the Gas station came out in 2007. I personally hope that it's in the Octan colors, but even if it's in a differen scheme it will probably be fine. Garage - Mm, a big kit huh? I'm liking the sound of this - let's hope that it includes at least 3 vehicles, a working lift, lots of tools and acessories, and everything else a good garage needs. Camper - It just keeps getting better and better! I REALLY like the sound of this, and may even invest in it. City Life - Man, I hope this is a really nice set that includes two small buildings, a couple vehicles, and plenty of figures and acessories. How awesome would it be if it was a bigger version of the small City Life set? Advent Calendar - Not that interesting, but still nice. I hope it includes some stuff related to farming. Strange that there's only 5 normal sets plus an advent calendar. Maybe it's because we're getting so many sets this january. Oh well, at least they picked some really interesting subjects!

Great news! I too love the sound of a robot attack. Don't be so sure about that, Batbrick. It's really hard to tell whether there will be new villians or not just from those sketchy descriptions and names. I'm personally hopefully that we will at least get one or two new villians - and even if we don't, I bet we'll probably get new versions of some of the characters.

Thanks for the awesome review, Brickster. This is another great set from the new Pirates line. The raft is very nice - I love how they used the snot construction - and the two figures and the acessories are great as always. The only two things that lead me to vote a 4 instead of a 5 are the slight overprice and the unoriginal "kracken." I would have much rather them give us either a brickbuilt kraken or a new animal mold, as the one included is just a red octopus. Man, 2009 is going to be expensive, especially considering that I want the big ship, among other items.