xenologer

I've always wondered what the point of constests by independant guys was... Now, if you're someone 'official' like a forum admin, and TLC has provided you with a free set to review and spread publicity...(like that ever happens) then it would make sense to have a contest to decide which forum member should recieve it afterwards. An independant 'non-official' contest never made sense to me, why would the contest organizer wish to donate his own funds/legos as a prize when he recieves nothing tangible in return? I guess the organizer might just be generous... but... Aside from that, whats the motive for contestants entering a contest that contains no tangible prize? We can simply post photos of our mocs normally to let people see them; it doesnt need to be part of contest. Anyhow... so while anyone can do a contest, for those reasons above generally 'official' contests work out better.

I find it interesting that so many people are getting excited over this new PAB compared to Digital Designer when this has exactly the same bricks and prices (and probably the same staff bagging them for you). Any bricks you want to order from the online PAB you could have been ordering months ago via LDD. (indeed, I have been) So why the sudden interest now? Perhaps TLC's marketing of LDD was not good?

I figured as much ohwell At least It's a nice way for me too look up brick prices when I'm trying to optimize a LDD model...

Does anyone actually Know how well Factory has been doing? I really love it, buy lots of my own designs even more than in-store stuff lately... but I have no clue if I'm the only one... ...judging by the lack of interest whenever I talk about it... maybe I really am the only one...

according to google language translation... I think they mention that you will also be able to order parts by phone, but those orders will be limited to smaller size... 10 types of brick? 528 types of brick? I hope theres some good stuff in there... like windscreens or minifigs... but realistically... this is probably just an extension of the current LDD Factory stuff. Just without having to buy the custom box.

But in addition to the directional arrows, the Hovercraft picture has round arrows around the fans I bet they made some technic mechanism that links wheels hidden underneat to the fans so they spin when you push it around... I don't mind the shape of the hovercraft... they all look futuristic as far as I'm concerned whether or not I buy that depends on how many pieces the rubber bumper base is made from...

hmmmh looks nice Is that a new windscreen on the Fire Pickup truck? or a very old one? I wonder whats going on with the little picture of the hovercraft with all the arrows on it... maybe they're trying to say that it has wheels underneath and it can move any direction?

I dont like buying new sets unless I have the box in front of me in a store so I can see it in person... Somehow it's different when you can pick it up and feel the weight, see the back of the box... I'm hoping TRU in the USA gets it soon.... Anyone seen it yet? P.S. did you know that in the US at least, TRU tends to get new sets sooner than the Lego Shop? They cost a little more though to pay for the early release privleges...

From the photo, it looks like it's basically a Keychain minifig with a parachute instead of chain. You could probably reattach it to any other keychain fig if you wanted... or maybe modify a minifig backpack to tie it to that instead...

.... Is this meant to be a parody of the current fad of escessively greebly spaceships? No-offence meant if not...

The boxy shape and the utilitarian cockpit make me think its some kind of construction ship. How about an astroid miner? That would explain the big cannon underneath (for rock blasting), and you could replace the small wingtip guns with gripper claws...

This one's totally OK, because the messed up price is their fault not yours. If you want to be helpful you can tell them they have the price wrong... but that'd be kinda dumb if you pass up a deal first. Plus it is always cool to take advantage of hot blondes. :-D This one... First point, Your loss, you should have called Lego Customer Service and had them mail you the missing parts, its free and a really good service. Second point, you shouldn't have returned it with figs removed... that was bad. However, giving the figs back won't help unless the specific set is still on the shelf and you can actually put them back inside. (if they already sold it, then what are they going to do with 3 figs by themselves and no barcode?) Paying them won't help either because retail stores are run by robots, and they arent programmed to accept 'guilt money' without a purchase to ring it up with... So, if this was real recent you can check the shelf and try putting the figs back in the box; but frankly it's probably already gone. You're just going to have to live with it. Donate the figs to charity if it makes you feel better. Or go buy some Legos :-D that always makes me happy... P.S. I took advantage of a cute blonde once... I was at a bookstore and this new manga (comic book) I wanted had just been supposedly released. I checked their website first and it said the store had the stock now. But when I arrived, it wasn't on the shelf. and the Info desk told me that they had it, but can't sell till the release date next week. (what a mean, lying website) So I hung around the door to the employees-only stockroom and as soon as a younger looking blonde girl(college part-timer i bet) came out asked her if she could help me find it, and suggested that maybe someone forgot to put it on the shelf cause it was so new... Well, she happily got my book from the stockroom for me. And I bought my copy earlier than the release date. :-P

I can confirm that this set is now at my local TRU CA, USA darn... I forgot to write the price down, It was either 70 or 80$ USD... too much for me to buy today.

bleh, I should learn to read more closely the sale is for Bionicle, Technic and ExoForce ONLY no racers, city, creator, or SW ... ... ... ohwell... there wasn't anything in those categories I wanted much anyhow... On a good note the new Technic Firetruck was on the shelf at my TRU in CA, USA too expensive for me to get right now tho...

I don't think "Illegal" is the right word here. They're not intentionally trying to limit creativity. It's just a Guideline for how much stress various connections put on the bricks. Some combinations might cause bending or damage over time, so they aren't advisable. Its especially important for the official designs, where they might remain assembled on a shelf for a long time, and they don't want to risk having something develop a stress fracture. It would be bad for their reputation if an official design caused bricks to break. You can always do what you want with your own designs tho. Personally I want my bricks to last, so I dont force connections that cause stress... perfectly willing to do wierd uses for bricks of course, like strange Almost 90* Triangles out of technic pieces... but of course I'll calculate just how much deformation they are under... if its within the mould tolerances its ok...

?soul? -well, thats a different topic... I wonder if he was buying single boxes at a time... or if he would grab up the entire stock of each store all at once... when a guy buys up 10 of one set... and theyre all 10$ for such a big box... that would look pretty suspicious to me

?He swapped out the barcodes right at the shelf? Sounds like he got too cocky. Youre supposed to either: -do it where there are no cams -do it as you are pushing your cart down the main aisle (yeah, it sounds like a bad idea, but you're moving so cams don't get any detail, and no one you pass by sees you for more than a moment so they don't pay attention to you)(it's also just plain unexpected, and they'd have to carefully check All the camera footage to piece together your full path...) sounds like he got caught because his massive sales record on bricklink blew his cover Greed was his downfall If you pay in cash, and only buy enough sets for yourself -not start a Business on it! you should be safe -no, I dont have any sticky barcodes, I just study security systems(any complex system) as a 'hobby'-

That second page... with the technic and system snot bricks joined up 'illegally' I have seen that in official sets. the mini Rebel Blockader Runner from Star Destroyer uses this a lot! Personally, I never use this method myself for a different reason... studs seem to deform if left in technic holes over long periods... I've also seen them violate the lightsaber rod inside a hollow peg rule too... and yeah... its a major pain getting the parts separated later... quit doing it myself for that very reason. In fact.. Ive got a part that split because of that... I'd better send in that replacement request... Well, Looks like I am for the most part legal! I'd already figured out most of those rules on my own... The only one was the plate between studs thing as seen on the Constellation model... I've used that in one model, which I don't really plan on ever taking apart...

TIP: buying 3 identical items for the 2+1sale then trying to return 2 of them (to get 1 free set) DOESNT work for one thing, they no longer take returns without recipts for another, back when they did take returns with no recipts, all lego's would return at half cost during the course of the 2+1 sale anyhow.... what would i get.... darn, I already bought everything I wanted this year... I guess thats the whole point of the sale... clearing out the stuff that's not moving... theres a single Construction Site that's been sitting on the shelf at my TRU for about... 4 months now, I wonder how long till they figure out 42$ was overpriced and put it on discount....

Found pics on Brickshelf looks like some lucky guy has it already... http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=206707

hmmmh i guess a good way to think of it is, its not fraud if its something that is obvious and any reasonalby informed guy would catch onto but since nowadays clerks are Not expected to barter, and Not expected to actually know prices, (they're trained to Trust the scanner) then to take advantage of that system, (as dumb as it is) is considered fraud by the expectations and standards of modern retail system ohwell I'd still have fired the clerk in the Millenium Falcon incident anyways... sure... he's not trained or expected to see past obvious price differences... but still... ZOMG! how dumb do you need to be to fall for that?

I like small sets as well. I am far more likely to buy myself something small 'just because I feel like it' rather than something big... Consequently, every time I go by the store is an excuse to get something small... Although, I'm not so sure I care for the TinyTurbo packaging or the Pod of the X-Pods.... They just seem to pile up... What am I going to do with the 21 Tiny Turbo boxes stacked up against my dresser?

I don't think you give these people enough credit... Just because someone lacks a college degree, and works in retail doesn't make him a complete idiot. People know the value of money, its just common sense. Even if they don't have a BA degree in Lego's they'd still notice relative price to sizes for the other lego sets that pass by everyday. switching sides The point with asking the "I'd like to buy this item for x$" question, is not to actually have the clerk make a thoughtful descision, but to have him go into 'robot mode', scan the item and see that your request matches the bad barcode and just say 'yes' without thinking it thru. Thus even though he is not expected or trained to barter, he has done so inadvertantly (thanks to your Carefully worded question). Despite lack of training or expection, they still represent the store authority since they Do handle the transactions. Thus you can trick the store into agreeing to a bad price, by taking advantage of this flaw in their authority delegation system. My theory is that by twisting it this way, it becomes legal, (but still not ethical). ON Topic: I haven't heard any responce at all from the OP... suppose we scared him away with our torches and pitchforks? :-D ohwell....

I'm not so sure about that one, I mean, the clerk has EYES doesnt he? He can see what he'e selling and what the price on the barcode is; versus what he remembers the price on the inventory was. If you were to hide items inside a different box, then yeah I'd agree that you're 'cheating him into thinking it's something else'. But here everything is out in the open and so obvious; all he has to do is say... 'that price seems off, let me do a price check'. I seriously think that in the Millenium Falcon incident the cashier was negligent and almost certainly part at fault. (or maybe even a disgruntled employee who intentionally let it go) because seriously... a box that big for 10$?? what kind of moron would believe that? humh ...Maybe when store's start treating their employees like machines, they start acting like machines; and 'turn off' their common sense... Okay, heres a slightly different situation. Suppose a customer changes a barcode to be a lower price. And as he is buying he directly says to the clerk 'I would like to buy this for $5. Is that OK with you?' (quoting the lower price). Now the customer has made a direct request for the lower price and the clerk is actually saying that he agrees to it. Now perhaps the stores did not train their clerks well enough to give them the competence to ever consider beyond the scanner barcode... but regradless he has agreed to the price requested. Personally, I'd think that this example totally changes it, to place the blame onto the poorly designed system; of having a clerk who represents the store and has authority to make sales, yet has not been trained to be anything more than an extention of the barcode machine.... It has always fascinated me, how in the past Barter was common, but nowadays people pay marked prices from barcodes without question. No one ever attempts to ask for a lower price. Technically, the barcode is just a store policy, not a law. It is Policy to exchange for the price on the barcode scanner, but not Law; if you can get the clerk to agree to a different price and break store policy, well.... ...devil's advocate is fun in debates...

My thought on the Dino pod was that it had great colors and nice models. (I made a big mean dino-bot that eats the Robo-pod for breakfast) However, the one flaw they should have used normal technic friction pins instead of the 4L lightsaber rod for the hip joints. I absolutely can't stand that saber rod; it has to have the worst quality control of all the new mould pieces. Far too often you will get a rod where the two halves of the mould do not match up, resulting in jagged ends, or rough seams on the sides. This of course plays havoc when you use it in a place like the dino's hip joints, and interferes with legs rotation... EDIT: Below is merged data from a similar X-Pod topic, added for continuity of discussion. -JINZO xenologer Sep 20 2006, 03:31 PM Well, we've seen a bunch of pics for 2007 stuff... and I didn't see any mention of X-Pods My local TRU doesn't carry them anymore either... Is the theme over?