BeKindRewind

Really, you've visited all of them? Soooooo you've been to my house? That's a little creepy, dude. Just joking, of course. Thanks for the kind words. By the way, I actually love Austin. It's a great city. I just didn't get around to making anything for it and I was anxious to post what I had so far.

Welcome to the Lone Star State! While not a native Texan, I have now lived here for a few years and managed to visit many of this state's great destinations. I thought I would share some of these site with you, but in Lego form and in an Architecture style. First stop is closest to my home ... Dallas! In Dallas you will find the Reunion Tower. Completed in 1978, this tower rises 561 feet. It's located to the west of downtown and, if you are standing at the northeast corner of the observation deck, you can look just about straight down onto the famous "grassy knoll". Hundreds of LEDs of different colors surround the sphere and put on different light displays based on the holiday, season or if any local sports teams are playing. And a picture of the real thing, for those not familiar with it.: And now we head a little south to Texas' largest city, Houston. Just a short drive south of that we get to the San Jacinto Battle Monument, where the final battle of the war for Texas independence was fought and won by Sam Houston. The San Jacinto Monument is 567 feet tall (just 6 feet taller than Dallas' Reunion Tower) and hosts a 9-pointed star on the top (since it's in three dimensions, it looks like the star of Texas from any angle). This is the one model that is not completely pure Lego. I did paint the stars on the top so they would match the light bley. And again, a picture of the real thing for those who have not visited yet: Next we head over to San Antonio, home of the famous Alamo. Now, obviously I didn't make a model of the WHOLE Alamo as it is a large compound. Instead, I showcase the most famous facade of the Alamo church. What I find striking about the Alamo is how it is located right in the heart of San Antonio, surrounded by stores and restaurants. But once inside, it is quite peaceful. A great place to visit. The Battle for the Alamo took place in 1836. This one likely doesn't need an actual picture to remind people what the Alamo looks like, but just in case, here it is: Next we head up north to Amarillo, with the famous Cadillac Ranch. Created in 1974, it now boasts 10 cars stuck nose-first into the desert. Fun fact: the angle of the cars was not chosen at random, but corresponds to the angles of the Great Pyramid of Giza. And a picture of the real deal: And last we head back to the Dallas area where we find one last truly iconic piece of architecture ... my house! And that's Texas! There are more pictures in Brickshelf , though I don't think they are public yet. When they are, feel free to click on the links below. http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=546843 http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=546842 Oh, and for those who were wondering "what about Austin?" Well, there is very little about Austin that I could really consider "iconic" enough for the architecture treatment, so I give you this instead. I hope this appeases all you weird Austiners out there. Austinians? Austinites? Whatever.

On the topic of this new, undisclosed Batman set: could it possibly be either the batmobile or the batplane from the Lego Movie? They both were pretty awesome, and it might be how we get Green Lantern as either would be mini-fig scale.

Thank you, liam. I have been made aware of your flickr account. I would have commented there, but I don't have a flickr account or yahoo account myself. In the strongest possible way I would like to say that I am flattered and greatful for your appreciation of my work. My whole Gotham City was a labor of love honoring my favorite comic heroes. That said, if you don't mind I would appreciate if you could take them down. And thank you for asking.

I apologize if this has been brought up already (I skimmed the thread but didn't read every post) but I really hope that the new "thrown-back" hood piece that Lucy is wearing is actually produced, though the color scheme will make it less useful. And speaking of new pieces, is Vitruvius' staff supposed to be a half-eaten lollipop? I don't see a lot of uses for THAT new piece. Edit: I looked again at the one released set picture (should have done that before posting) and saw that yes the new hood piece is on there. I hope it comes out in new colors in the future.

I should probably have said "it's the best they could do in the typical architecture size." Yes, there are some amazing larger representations out there. Even the original 10181, while blocky, still gives a better overall curve to the structure. But for its size...nicely done.

It's about time they came out with the Eiffel Tower! I think this is the best it could look made out of Lego. Bravo to the designers. Though it looks like there is a support rod down the middle which also isn't in the original. The only gripe I have is the color. Wouldn't a color like dark tan be more accurate? I'm just wondering why all of the architecture line has to be grey or tan. That being said, I will snatch this one up as soon as it's available.

A while back I remember a big discussion on the Friends line commenting on how few "girlie" colors are actually used in the designed-for-girls sets (ie lots of tans, whites, etc). Now look at the interior of the Simpson's house or the color schemes of any building in Springfield. Any set, if built to accurately reflect the show, will be bright and pastel surpassing anything Friends has given us. And this from a TV show that heavy skews to the male gender. Not saying this is a good thing or a bad thing...just commenting. Also, in case anyone here wants my opinion (cuz that's why you all come to this site, right? To get others' opinions?) this will be a single wave only. Yes, I could come up with dozens of set ideas. Yes, there are still a lot of fans out there and if you add in the adult who stopped watching but long for its nostalgia, it's a huge fan base to draw from. But AFOLS are still a small portion of Lego-buyers and I just predict a one-and-off here. That said I'm excited enough to buy them all, I'm sure.

As someone who doesn't have hours to spend "feeling" packet after packet, this series is awesome! So many big, easily identifiable pieces. Series 10 drove me nuts trying to distiguish different minifigs. I know many on here can't relate and are masters of "the feel", but when you've got kids in tow, nice, big accessories make my searching so much easier.

Love the pics! Thanks just2good. Overall not my favorite series, but they all can't be #1. I guess this finally solves the discussion on whether the yeti has a 1-piece head or not. The barbarian isn't so bad in my view, but I also really question the color of the waitress' uniform. It does look to be the paler yellow, however. I think the yeti, scarecrow and bavarian girl are my favorites (though it's a shame all the bavarian girl gets is another pretzel). Love the welder's 1x1 round bottle with hazard symbol!

As far back as I can remember I always coordinated colors, though I think it was just because of the type of Lego I had and not because of some innate need to look good. My collection was mostly space and castle. Most spaceships can have multiple colors and still look good and most castle sets of that era were all grey so I owned a lot of grey. As others have said before me, I rainbow-build more now then I ever did as a kid when I'm in the WIP stage.

Did anyone else notice that the Lone Ranger's black jacket and vest become blue when printed onto the legs? I know that TLG sometimes has difficulty when trying to match the same color onto different parts, like the doctor's lab coat between torso and legs, but I'm surprised that even a drawing of the minifig shows this discrepancy.

I know a lot of people are down on this series but compared to past series I think it's about par for the course. Every series has hits and misses but a miss for one person may be a hit for someone else. I remember one of the biggest complaints when CMFs all started was that the sports figures were so specific one couldn't make opposing teams. I particularly remember much discussion about the skiier being too specific with the number on his chest. Now we get another one for him to race and people balk. It may not be my favorite minifig and will only get one of him/her but I'm glad they are doing it. And a RED cheerleader? Yes, please! I loved the first one. Personally the Ancient Thespis and the Fairy will be my must get multiples of (assuming they look as good as they sound) but I'm also really curious about the Evil Female Alien, Santa Claus (would like to see how they differentiate him from the past iterations) and, most curiously, the vampire. Maybe TLG is phoning it in on this one, but I would love to see a Twilight-inspired version...I'm not a fan, just would like to see the minifig. And lastly, though I would love to see an American football player, I think he'll likely be a soccer player given the other sports multiples we've had in the past.

Ahh... On closer inspection you are correct. I can't actually read the words under the big number "9" on the original pics, but it clearly doesn't say "Series" so yes, I'm sure it's just referring to the 9 minifigs.

As a completist, I would love to have every one of these minifigs, but I don't even want to know what kind of prices the whole set will cost me here in the US. That being said, I need to pick up at least one of the female Judo fighters, just because it's someone for my Series 1 Karate fighter to spar with. And I'm fascinated by the swimmer. I can only imagine the MOCs using a bare chest dripping with water Does anyone know if this is the official Series 9? The initial (blurry) pics actually had Series 9 printed on them. Does that mean the rest of us will skip from Series 8 to 10?

I am loving this polybag! The only set from this theme that I couldn't bring myself to buy was the Ghost Train...not because of the ghosts but I just don't care for the train itself and couldn't justify paying that price for a few ghosts. And now TLG goes and solves my problem! I will be getting quite a few of these. I just hope I can find these polybags. The Lego Store near my house never gets polybags (I don't know if that's true of everyone's Lego Stores or just the ones around Dallas) and the TRUs near me sell out VERY quickly. It is a shame, however, that's it's not technically the same ghost as in the Ghost Train, due to it's lack of legs. Not complaining, merely commenting.

Love your Arkham, moop! And thanks for the shout-out. I always felt that my Arkham was a little on the small side but in order to keep the whole display under 5 feet it was a necessity. However you've gone and done a wonderful job and I bow to your MOC. I like the prison riot idea and if I'm not mistaken is that poor Dr. Arkham cowering right in the middle of the fray? While I like that you incorporated the original TLG Arkham, it's actually your own areas I like the best - especially the exterior wall seen in the fourth picture.

Very nice build! I especially like the angles of the inside walls which it looks like you've captured beautifully. My only question/comment would be that having the entire "floor" being the same white as the walls seems a bit off. Then again, I can't tell from the reference picture what color the ground is supposed to be, so maybe the whole thing really is white.

This looks like a lot of fun! I am a big fan of microbuilds and this one is coming along nicely. For some reason that I can't pinpoint I think my favorite is the Hydroponics. It just really caught my eye immediately. Two questions: Is this set in any particular universe/time/story or is it just "earth in the not too distant future"? And also, what piece is used for the round concave chairs used in the living quarters? I can't seem to place them.

It is a shame that these don't have more responses. These are great MOCs! Maybe if it was in the Adventurers forum these Dinos might get more love. Granted the show and theme are sci-fi, but that's just a thought. I never saw the show as a child (my parents being a bit strict on the shows I could watch), but I do distinctly remember a large colorful picture book depicting the different types of Dino-riders and pouring over it at a friend's house. I think you captured the styles perfectly and adapting the Legos to fit around the bodies/heads/limbs looks very natural. Very nice job!

I really do want to thank you all for your responses. The planning of all the details did take quite a bit of time. I had actually wanted to build a paddock for the Hungarian Horntail using a black baby dragon as a stand-in and, yes, I had thought about the giant squid in the Lake as well, but trying to keep it to a single baseplate drove me a bit nuts as it was and I just ran out of space. I didn't want to make it seem TOO cluttered. As it is, Aragog is merely a stone's throw away from the Quidditch pitch Anyway, I wanted you all to know that I've posted this on Cuusoo. You can find it at: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/13184

Seaber: I had originally thought about the Durmstrang ship and the carriage, but in the planning stage took them out thinking that they might distract from the overall look of the castle. Now that it's all done and you bring it up, I might had to revisit that idea, especially the ship (without the horses the carriage might not be easily recognizable and I'm straining to think how I would make it). My wife mentioned having small rowboats heading towards the castle as well for the first years, but I nixed that idea as a rowboat would just be too small for the scale (an upside down tooth piece might work but then I couldn't attach it easily and they don't come in brown). TheLegoDr: I'd love to see your rendition of Hogwarts so when you are done please post it so we all can see! Size was my biggest concern here as well as I wanted to be able to display it but still show the surrounding areas. I starting out on a 32x32 baseplate but ultimately needed more so I stuck with a 48x48 baseplate. It's quite solid and can be moved around easily. As for Cuusoo I don't want to even think about how much this set would end up costing (I spent quite a bit on bricklink orders and completely depleted my green plate supply).

Thanks everyone for all the kind responses. I'm glad you all like it. Chaosteacup: I actually hadn't seen the Noble Collection until you pointed it out. That's a nice model that I wish I had seen before I began work. Flipz: the spider tiles actually come from the original Aragog set 4727, but they also had them in Draco's Encounter with Buckbeak 4750. Autobrick: the tall flat-topped tower is one that I struggled with the most. It's somewhat triangularly shaped in most of the pictures I've seen leading me to use the pieces I did. In a few screen shots (but I can't tell you from which of the movies) the tower is flat on top, but in other movies it has the traditional pointed roof. I debated which to do but ultimately settled on flat since another sand green point would blend in with the rest of the castle and I wanted some variation to the towers. If you all think I should put another cone on top let me know as I have been debating this for a while.

Hello, everyone! While not officially part of the Hogwarts Community Build, it just so happened that I finished my latest project at just about the same time as that project so I thought I'd share it with you all. Before we get started a word of caution: this rendition of Hogwarts Castle is my take on it. As many of you may know, the actual look of the castle changed dramatically between the various movies to fit the needs of the film. I tried to make my model fit the overall consensus that I could find floating around the web and coupled that with my own take on a few of the finer points as well as to accommodate the limitations of Lego. If you are a bigger Harry Potter fan that I am, please note that certain towers may not be where you think they should be. I give you Hogwarts Castle and all of its surrounding grounds: Here's a closer view of the castle itself, where you can see the Great Hall and the large tower where the Grand Staircase is: And the boat house on the Lake: A look at the greenhouses and another entrance to the castle: Yet another entrance to the castle with the walled grounds of Hogwarts. Also visible is the Whomping Willow: Another shot of the castle from the other direction: Here is the Clock Tower and the courtyard where I believe the final showdown takes place between Harry and Voldemort (though obviously just in the movie as the book was different.....and better): Across the wooden bridge you head down to Hagrid's Hut and you can also see the start of the Forbidden Forest: Into the Forbidden Forest you can see Aragog and his children in a clearing of the trees: And here's the Quidditch Pitch. You'll note that all four houses are represented by their own colors. Side note, my idea for the Quidditch Pitch actual started this whole project. And it looks like the Hogwarts Express just dropped off the young witches and wizards for another year at Hogwarts: Under the lake you can see the MerVillage and the underwater forest where Harry fought off the grindylows: And a closer view of the MerVillage where Ron and Hermione were being held: Here we have all the challenges that faced Harry, Ron and Hermione in the first book as they went through the trap door. If you've only seen the movies, you may not understand the last two room prior to the Mirror of Erised: And on to the second book with the Chamber of Secrets: Here's an overview of the entire layout: And lastly, four different shots from all four angles around the castle: And that is my Hogwarts Castle. I hope you all enjoyed it and I welcome comments and criticisms, though pretty much at this point there's very little I can change about it. Feel free to visit my Brickshelf account once it becomes public for even more pictures than what I have above. http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=500097

Lately I've been trying to Bricklink most of the animals Lego has ever offered, though the elephant still seems just a bit too expensive for me. So I would like to echo pretty much everyone's pleas for more animal molds from Lego. As far as aquatic animals, we're doing pretty well looking at Lego's history (shark, saw shark, dolphin, crab, starfish, regular fish, octopus, crocodile) but the land animals are lagging behind. Some have mentioned the lack of conflict on why there is no zoo theme. I guess I just think a zoo would still sell well even without much conflict. But if conflict sells, TLG could still make predators (lions, tigers, wolves) and make a fairly conflict-ridden safari theme. Lastly, and fairly far off topic, I know TLG has a specific policy against modern war-themed sets, but do they actually have a policy against religious themes, like a Noah's Ark set? I know they have never really made anything religious before (I guess skirting the line with the angel impulse set) but I wasn't sure if anyone knew of any "actual" policy against them.