mikey

Surely these sets would be available on UK Shop at Home? I would buy some of the smaller sets to get the aliens. Even if they do not release them in retail shops, what difference does it make to their centralised european distribution site where they despatch to?

Is it possible to choose? Whilst passenger trains can look superb, sleek or classy, and are sure to look in place within a town layout, perhaps there is not as much scope for MOC, once you have built your train station? And playability is limited to loading up passengers and running your service? With freight trains, which also look excellent, I think you have more scope for MOC, to create rolling stock of different verieties, and a cargo yard with diverse buildings, etc. So I am going to go for freight, but really the two choices go hand in hand. Surely once you have bought track and created your layout you would not limit yourself to one or the other?

an incompetent one probably!

Nice choice of subject, and well executed... But for me growing up in wales, the only tractor worth having was a Massey Ferguson (red), just like what Lego made for us! Very interested in your plough, I have started some agricultural Lego, a 'disk harrow' and crop sprayer so far. Have you made adaptions to create a '3 point linkage', for the plough connection?

it's a pirates life for me...

A very good point, I think they are all hobbling disaster zones! I will go for BrickBeard, just because I have the modern pirates. I have to say when I was a kid the original captain looked very good (and of course the whole line was a revolution in MiniFig design), but I never got any Pirate sets -so I have no nostalgia for them really.

I have become a big fan of Dark Tan recently, but it seems only to be available in a limited number of parts (plates limited to 1 x 2 i think?), i'm not sure that you would get tiles smaller than 1 x 6?, so you would have problems unless you mixed with Tan. A mix of Reddish Brown and Brown would look good I think, but saying that perhaps you do not need to tile the deck? A big problem with surfaces which are tiled is the reflective aspect, I do not think any ship was that clean that you could see your face refelected on the deck. To leave studded allows good positioning of minifigs & accesories, and would stop the deck looking like a mirror! So I think you do not need to tile the deck.

I think these both look really cool, something you might keep up for display, or seems that they have a lot of usefull little parts as well to use. If they are available on the UK shop at home I would get them.

There are so many themes that I have missed out on. The one I am really gutted to have is missed is Vikings, I also would have liked to have some Western and Ninja aswell, also I think some of the AquaRaiders submarines looked very good... I could go on there are to many! But the one I really would have liked to own some of is Viking.

Cheers for all the positive comments everyone, loads more ideas to come yet... He will definetly 'survive' for a bit longer, I think death would be far to easy for him!

Another detailed MOC, the rollcage and bullbar look perfect, and the angled bonnet excellent. Orange would look good, but I think red suits it well also.

so after floating around aimlessly in his bucket, our unlucky Lego Pirate is getting thirsty (drinking options very limited and rather unsavoury!)... a lush green island is spotted, and a sheltered bay is found... with all this vegetation fresh water will be near, so a trek inland is the answer... so it looks like we have another guest? this one looks all skin and bone, but sometimes the thrill is in the chase?

I think the whole idea of protraying the evolution of the site through the centuries is brilliant, and each stage has been prefectly executed. This stage looks superb, set in the height of the middle ages, as castle architecture reached the pinacle of design, and achieved both the functions of defensive structure and status display. I fear stage five would bring degeneration in artistic design, as artillery start to command the battlefield... A superb idea, and executed with skill.

I agree with this, I think Lego should stick(!), to what they know and do best. I hope they are not wasting resources on unprofitable ventures, and to be honest these look terrible. Saying that it wouldn't surprise me if these are a forgery, they look terrible, and the whole idea seems a bit far fetched.

This is a great MOC, of a great subject, an original idea and execution. Wave technique is very creative, this last week I have seen three new water ideas: blue epelettes, space helmet visors, and now horns! He has got a suspicious grin though!

The longest anything has staid in a box for me was 2 weeks (Giant Bulldozer, brought because it was cheap!). Usually they are built the same day I get them, if I have time. I do buy occasional multiples, but these are for parts I want so they get opened and sorted quickly as well. I would like to be able to keep MISB, I think it might be a good investment for resale maybe, but at the moment I would not be able to resist the temptation. So I am not saving anything, even though I think it might be a good idea!

Cheers for all the comments, wasn't keen on the 'fantasy element' of Castle at the start... But am now starting to like the Orcs (but not Trolls!, yet?), and I don't think they are 'evil' just a bit misunderstood! She may not have royal blood..., but she is a Princess among Minfigs! I was worried you might say that! I hope you would both have honorable intentions to this young lady!

A great attempt to morph the two building styles together, the fronts of your buildings look brilliant. I have been trying to do this (open backed, but highly detailed buiding), but without much success yet! Your pavement with a veriety of tile sizes looks superb, a lot better than using all the same size, very realistic.

so robbing that dwarf had been easy, actually very enjoyable... but on the way back home, talk soon turned to dividing the loot, well in an Orc court possesion counts instead of the law, and so the resentment began to fester...

A great review of a great set, I am waiting for this to be available on Shop at Home now!

Captain Green Hair: 1 Slyowl: 1 Hinckley: 1

This is a bit off-topic and slightly random but... 'Army Building' does not really appeal to me, a handfull of minifigs to populate a scene is enough for I thought, untill I imagine the possibilities for an ancient Greek theme... I would buy multiple 'battle packs' to create a decent sized hoplite force, oozing with confidence with their democratic ideals, the massed ranks of Athenian minifig citizens, shoulder to shoulder against the barbarian and tyrant... I think a Ancient Greek theme would be amazing, exciting, and really allow for 'imagination' for the young and old.

it was an easy choice, stay on that island and slowly loose all sense of reality, or take a chance on the seven seas again...

I think this is an important point, and i'm sure this is something the Lego designers are aware of, I understand that the company was founded on these principles. It is a good thing that they are starting to pursue these themes, and I hope they are widely available. I think the generation Lego is aimed at (6-12), will be totally environmentaly aware, they are born in to a society trying to deal with the mistakes of the past, and I presume not recycling, futile uses of energy and resources will be as socially unacceptable to them, as say drink driving/ racism etc is to us. As for the debate this post has started about Nuclear power, I think as a short term solution it is the only way we can get out of the mess we are in, without extreme changes to society and economy. But creating, and then stockpiling very dangerous heavy elements is not a long term solution, it may give us a breathing space of fifty years or so, in which time alternative energy solutions need to be perfected, but we need to be aware they measure the half life in thousands of years for the waste of this system.