no_skill

Great thread. I cannot believe there wasn't one previously! I too would be very interested in hearing anyone else's experience with the copper tape. I will be trying this in a few months, once I am reunitied with my 9V goodness. If anyone else has other good ideas for converting RC to 9V track, I would love to hear them. Once upon a time (on a different forum) I read about shortening straight 9V track to facilitate different geometries. I would love to see that topic linked/posted here too. If I can find the site, I'll drop a link. Thanks!

Most of my sets get built and segregated according to theme. After a while on display and a period of destruction at the hands of my children, I rebuild them, then partially disassemble them and store them in plastic containers or cardboard boxes with sets of the same theme. I’ll do the same with a MOC that I am particularly fond of. When I have time and feel like it, I’ll pull out the boxes from that theme and arrange some sort of set-up (like a big city scene). Once I am done, I again let my children have at it for a while. Usually before thing are reduced to complete rubble, I’ll once again intervene, re-build, then partially disassemble for storage. We don’t have the space for me to leave a display set up for an extended period. I wish we did, so I could keep refining things. If I have a set I am not particularly fond of, I will either MOD it into something I like well enough to include with the rest of the stuff in the cycle, or I’ll use it as a brick pack. My children and I have about equal amounts of LEGO, by the way. It’s mostly in a different theme (like Star Wars), so when my stuff comes out, they always have lots of fun with it. I wasn't lucky enough to get a Winter Toy Shop (it was gone too fast). If I did, it would be in with my Town rotation like the other sets I'm fond of.

I certainly agree with , But definately would add and . The clear ones are ok for windows, but as a bad excuse for wall construction, I can't stand 'em.

I know this thread is old, but I thought I might suggest it be placed in the tutorials index? I think it would be a useful addition there. Thanks!

I was lucky enough to have two copies of an almost identical set, 6641 , as a kid. Even more lucky, I still have them today. I played with these incessantly over 20 years ago and they still look great in my City today. My kids love them too! Both sets have stood the test of time, and are truly outstanding!

I was about to agree with the 7191 UCS X-Wing (even after sorting the bricks it was difficult) until someone else brought up the 8002 Destroyer Droid...I think the Destroyer may be the winner in my book. In 1975 when I was a kid, the 565 Moon Landing gave me fits. At the time it was the most complex build I had undertaken (I was 7 year old) and the old-school lego instructions were not very easy to read and follow.

I agree with the others; I think it is great that BrickArms is doing so well. The parts are superb and the customer service is terrific, a real class act. Honestly though, I had no idea that a nitch market like this could support Will and his family. This is wonderful news! Keep up the good work!

Blackheart Brit-- I Bricklink'd the parts to booms like yours yesterday, right before I found this thread! I've also been looking for another BBB on discount to mod...well, something along the lines of what you've done! Thanks for posting the pics, it looks great!

I boxed my LEGO up when I was 14, and kept them that way for about 19 years. When my oldest son turned 3 (year 2000) I broke them out. I wanted him to enjoy Classic Space and Technic (it was called Expert Builder back-in-the-day!) as much as I did as a kid. Knowing that I almost never lost an element, I turned to the web to look for building instructions. I promptly found LUGNET, and was elated to find there were AFOL's out there. Then I turned to E-bay, just mostly curious about what the collector's value of my Classic Space sets was. I came across a MISB 5542 at an insanely cheep price (you could do that with some regularity on E-bay back then) and figured, "what the heck?" A week later I put that great set together and LOVED every minute of it. I still remember that as the best build of my life. It was my first new LEGO set in 20 years (and the first time I ever used E-bay too!). About 10 minutes into that set, my Dark Ages were officially over. While I often lament missing so many good eras of LEGO, I'm glad I came back in time to experience part of the 9V train era. Early Star Wars was a blast for my son and me too (although it doesn't much interest me now, he still likes it). I occasionally have mini Dark Ages creep back in, mostly due to lack of time and space. The awesome LEGO exclusives (most recently 10210) always seem to keep the flames burning for me. So I guess for me, the three bigest factors that killed off the Dark Ages were: 1) A child old enough to enjoy it with (and rekindle the flames). 2) A few awesome enjoyable sets (to fan the flames). 3) Exclusive and adult themed sets (to keep the flames burning). Sometimes I wonder what will happen down the road when/if my children stop playing with LEGO. I guess there is a chance things may go back into the box (actually, it'll be BOXES now, and more than a few); maybe, maybe not. But if they do get packaged up, the day will arrive that grandchildren come along, and (probably to my wife's dismay) the boxes will come out for everyone's fun, not the least of which will be my own!

Good useful & thorough review of an outstanding set. I can't keep myself from buying more and more of these at $6 each! The wall is a little lame, but when bought in quantity one winds up with enough elements to do some useful things. I wish LEGO would make more sets like this, nestled between the tiny impulse sets and the more expensive battle packs. Thanks for the review!

So far as I am concerned, if someone wishes to combine fleshies and yellow, that's fine; to each his own. Personally, I find the particular peach hue LEGO chose to use for the fleshies quite atrocious. Whenever I acquire a fleshie, it immediately meets a yellow permanent marker! It is a close (but not perfect) match to LEGO yellow. I may start making an exception by using fleshie heads with the new Toy Story army men. For some reason, I find the peach on green thing quite pleasing--go figire! On the other hand, I quite like the darker heads (Lando, NBA, Indy natives, etc.) and have no problem freely mixing them into the fray. I wish I had more, in fact. So I guess for me it is more an issue of a distasteful hue than it is one of variety or traditionalism.

segambit, To run 9V you will need a speed regulator a power adapter track contacts 9V motor and 9V track Frequently the speed regulator, power adapter, and track contacts are sold as a bundle, but make sure if you are buying sight unseen. Trains are awesome! Sounds like you are already hooked, it'll only get worse!

That is the big unknown. I really hate one-generation-only releases. It seems LEGO has invested much in PF, accross many different lines. I want to think that is a good indicator that it will be around for a while (but unfortunetly I too am not certain). The rechargable battery box is the big expense for PF, yes? Track for 9V. If you will be acquiring 9V sets, you will be left with an abundance of curved track, and little straight. So, I guess the type of layout you desire may factor into your decision. A battery box can be swapped out from PF in much the same way the motor can be switched out in 9V. The prelim pics of the upcoming PF trains lead me to believe the rechargable battery will be included; your Emerald Night can be retrofitted with the battery. XL motors are really not that expensive. Neither are IR receivers. Perhaps the best solution is wait until good information is out regarding the pricing of the new PF sets. (Hard prices aren't leaked yet, are they?) Given the high element count, perhaps the Emerald Night's cost is not the best thing to base 2010 pricing expectations upon (wishful thinking). In my opinion, 4561 is a good starter 9V that can still be found at a reasonable price. It was a gift for my son 9 years ago and got me into the genre. 16 curved and only 2 straight track, by the way. Again, expansion is where things become problematic. If I could easily pick-up a few 9V sets where I am, I would; but I already have a foundation with 9V. Most of the 9V sets I'm interested in acquiring at this point are quite collectable and expensive. I'm hoping the messages from LEGO are valid, and the future (at least for a few generations) really is in PF. I can only speak for myself. Seeing the prelim pictures of the 2010 sets and the Emerald Night, if I were getting in from the ground floor, I personally would go PF.

If you think Train is something you will get into and a theme you may ultimately follow, I recommend going with PF and start collecting as new sets come out. It is very hard not to get hooked on Train! 9V is just too expensive now, especially if you don't already have something significant to build upon. I keep watching the price of 9V straight track climb and climb. The 9V sets are none too cheep either. The initial buy in for either is significant, but in the present climate, I think that expansion is (and will continue to be) much easier with non-electric (PF) systems. Given the pics of the soon-to-be released PF Trains, it appears that LEGO is taking their development seriously...hopefully that will continue.

OOPS! In the excitement to post my first creation I guess I got a little over excited! Sorry!!!! 50 lashings and to the brig with me!

Axles are described by how many studs long they are. 4 is shorter than 5, which is shorter than 6, etc. Peeron and bricklink are resources to just about ALL lego elements. Sounds like you are enjoying this fine vessel as much as I am! Welcome back from your "dark ages!" There is no finer set to bring someone back!

Beggin

One easy mod that goes a good distance for reinforcing the prow (my kids are a little rougher than I am!): Step #20 in the instructions (pg. 33), prow subassembly step 1; use a brown 2 x 3 brick instead of a 1 x 2 log brick. This will also displace one of the 2 x 2 round bricks on the following step, which is ok; just use a #4 axle instead of a #5 axle to anchor the bowsprit. It works just fine. If you absolutely must glue LEGO, use household clear drying white glue (Elmer’s in the US) or warm-melt (not hot-melt) craft glue. Both will hold fast but aren’t permanent and can subsequently be cleaned off the bricks pretty easily. The longer I have this set, the more impressive it becomes!

This is a fantastic set! Svelte’s review is of the same caliber! After building the ship, I feel like adding a few comments of my own, may I be so bold. In almost every way, the model is better in person than I expected from the outstanding pictures and box art. From pictures, I was skeptical of the aesthetics of the prow SNOT. In person, it works wonderfully, however. After Svelte’s review, I was expecting the prow to be quite flimsy. While not robust, I have found it sufficiently sturdy and have yet to experience any unexpected detachments. I had doubts about the color scheme (mostly with the blue accents), but again it looks great in person. I am a big fan of the soft tubing on the prow. The slightly different bend of the upper and lower “rigging” is well executed. If this area were filled in with bricks, it would look overly bulky. I also had doubts that a single tap would provide an adequate forestay. To my surprise, it holds the jib much better than expected. Who would have thought? Lances are used to create a masthead for the jib…it functions well, but doesn’t look quite right to me. It’s a petty complaint, really. My other petty complaint is using a single 2 x 1 slope to cap off the inverted arches that swing up to the poop deck. It looks a little unfinished. I will mod this as soon as I am done drooling over the majesty of this gargantuan vessel (which may take a while). Oh, and a ship this size may be slightly undermanned by the crew provided…a few cannon battles will solve that dilemma! Over all, a must have set, even though it’s a shock to the pocket book. We all know this is one of those instantly classic sets that those who pass on will regret later. (Who needs another one of those in their brain’s inventory?!)

I build town because I really, really, love trains....But a train going around a track is a little empty unless there is a passenger or freight station. How can you have a passenger station without an airport and some houses? How can you have a freight station without industry and places for the employees to commute to and from? How can people commute without a gas station & vehicles? Oh and there had better be fire and police stations, just in case...Well, you get the idea. But for me, if there is no train running around the track, there is no real need for the rest. An interesting thing about my Lego habits, however. Although I am blessed to have a fairly large collection, I have never been blessed with enough room to maintain a constant set-up (some would say display). When I build a layout, I always start by laying the train track and setting the train in motion. This may take up to an hour to get just the way I would like. Then, while the train is running round & round & round, I have been known to spend a week or more (if lucky) arranging & rearranging the town and creating new MOCs, loving every minute of it! Without the train though, I really have little motivation for the rest. Kinda weird, hunh? Oh, by the way, it usually is all cleaned up and put away after a week or two. That's bad, because it is hard to "grow" a town as I would like. It's good because next time I get to enjoy the fun from scratch!

I just got done posting about my monetary lamentations over at the Pirates forum (the Imperial Flagship has stung my wallet)....then I came here and saw the AWESOME looking Kingdoms line. Honestly, I was kinda glad that the recent castle lines were generally uninspiring to me (except Medieval Market). This allowed me to focus on other lines, namely Trains, Town, and Pirates. I don't think I'll be able to pass on the new Kingdoms flagship (7946), in addition to the new Cargo Train and the rumored modular building. Some of the smaller Kingdoms & City sets look too good to pass up as well! Last year was my biggest expenditure on LEGO ever. This year may be even worse! My wife is going to kill me before it's over! Thanks for the sneak preview. Now I have to go look for a second job...

I just got finished with S@H. A light wallet and a guilty conscious, what a way to start the New Year! Wait, didn't last year start with a large Pirates release and purchase (the whole line), only to be followed-up by a new train and a modular building?....Looks like recurring pattern of assaults on my bank account, not to mention on my (barely) LTW.

Darn Darn Darn! I was going to place an order this week too! I hope it comes back as well. Me thinks I had better get moving with the rest of my holiday order.

This is a timely thread. I was just about to start one of similar context. This is exactly correct. I bought 4 sets of PF lights in an attempt to illuminate the interior of my modular buildings. They are (very) poorly suited to the task. I played around with attempts to diffuse the light with tranparent studs and bricks, unsuccessfully . I suppose if one wanted to put many lights in each room, it may work. But unless someone comes up with a good technique for diffusion, it will take many strands for each room/floor and entail significant expence for a whole city lay-out. I would love to hear other's input, to include successes and failures. Good thread!

Terrific review of a landmark set! I agree your pictures are fantastic. What do you use for lighting?