Brick Miner

yes, im a rare piece collector too !!! well, if it fits an MOC im designing anyway !!!going off forum topic here... but i loved hunting down the FORESTWOMAN... i think that torso is just beatiful !!! in her case, i think its the pure beauty of the torso's design (coupled with its rarity) that demands the price of 30 USD. along those same lines, the crusaders maiden torso is gorgeous !!! luckily i still had that piece from my childhood days,... so i didn't have to track it down !!! the brown vest ascot pirate torso is great also, and pretty rare, although i have acquired two !!! oops, my bad.- brickminer

i checked and didn't see any pirate books inventoried on bricklink (other than the ladybird books)... sadly, no western books either.does anyone know if these books were released in the US ??? all the sellers on bricklink, and the seller from this particular ebay auction are from overseas (from me, anyway). thanks in advanced - brickminer

cool, so its not just me !!!so, is this statement true for the same reasons i suggested in my above post ???

i am surprised also !!! but, are you suggesting that just because he is abundant, he is a less likely choice for the BEST ???if so, i agree !!! i notice (in myself anyway) that if a piece or minifig is harder to aquire, i desire him more... in turn making it an object of focus for me. and in many cases, i find myself liking the harder-to-get pieces and figs more... its kinda like the hunt or chase is what makes me like them !!! i've always felt that is a quality aspect of the LEGO hobby. also, if there is a piece/minifig i have a lot of, i tend to get borded with it (no matter how cool it is)... this is not the case with the pieces i have little-to-none of !!! or it could be that i always want what i can't have !!! - brickminer

ok, i got the BANDITS SECRET HIDEOUT 6761 on ebay in a great condition with no price tags... seller said it came straight from a factory sale... simply perfect, except for the price... 200 USD !!! anyway, im still looking for the rest... - brickminer

yes, it would make western more like the adventures or the knight kingdom. thanks for putting it so well !!!as far as giving each minifig a unique name... hmmm... im not familiar with the thread that you are refereing to (probably before i got heavily involved here). however, i can see how a castle fan would agree with that statment in regards to the knight kingdom sets. where a classic castle fan would want to build an army under his order (black falcons, crusaders, etc...) it would be hard to do with these uniquely named knight of today (LEGO's current releases). so yes, in regards to any "army building" fan... uniquely naming each minifig is not in favor. but in a situation like the adventures, where ther is ONLY ONE johnny thunder... it makes since to give him a name and history and personality !!! and not just make him a random archeologist. in that case generic is boring. in relation to the western theme, it goes both ways... the army building (calvery) minifigs should remain unnamed for that purpose. (i had actually already mentioned all of this in my original post !!!) however, the unique minifigs... like the sheriff, and bandits could gain so much (as i mentioned above) by being given personality and character. by the way, i love this discussion !!! - brickminer

hey guys... im back, been on vacation... thanks for bumping this thread phes !!! yup brickster is right, just using the names for wanted posters right now... but id like to name all the western figs, i have plans for a bunch of MOCs and want to incorporate many names. to quote myself... that is exactly what im looking to do with my MOCs, expand on the western theme. the names are a good start, cause LEGO only revealed a couple minifig names... and any good story teller knows a name can reveal so much about a character, and introduce worlds of story.i remember watching the extras on the STAR WARS episode 2 DVD... i recall a quote from it regarding KIT FISTO (green squid head jedi). in the movies KIT is nothing more than an "extra." i mean he no lines and no actual part in the movie. but give him a name, and suddenly he turns from an "extra" into a full blown character with history and personality. we suddenly want to know more about him, what his past is, and where he is going... and most importantly what his part is in the story that we are now engulfed in !!! that is exactly what im looking to do with the western figs... by simply giving them a name, it opens up a world of story. thanks so much for contributing brickster, but i was hoping this thread would be more active... with lots of contributions. it would be cool if we chose western minifig names from a couple members. i had a vision... however, if this idea is not popular at this time, i guess it just up to me to choose names.- brickminer oh, i finally got a digital camera so i have plans to reveal my first MOC soon !!!

ah, i missed this topic... and i love the adventurers... but may fave is mike !!!when i voted mike i thought, man this is going to be an oddball choice, but he is not too far from the lead !!! i was never to fond of johnny thunder... he had a lot of potential, but i felt lego never quite got him right. harry cane is next in line for coolness, and i love the name concept !!! - brickminer

HA !!! well put, and i agree... and would vote for "they all look like crap" but that isn't the question brickster asked... he asked to pick a favorite... and though they all look ridiculous, i can definietly put them in some kind of "favorites" order.so i'll choose the yeti. - brickminer

hey brickster, that site is very fun !!! thanks for sharing... but that sounds like some fan making up story to fit the name-change-game that LEGO played. doesn't sound like cold hard facts from LEGO. i don't think any of that is offical, and someone could make up another story explaining the name change just as easy... like dr. lightning and kilroy are brothers... or something as simple as that. in any case, thanks again !!! brickminer

thanks for contributing brickster, those are great !!! my favorites are... Block Holliday "Four Fingers" Fred Tito Bandito very funny and clever !!! these names are good too... Fast Draw Lecraw Mike "Come and Fetch It" Mallone "Pick Pocket" Pete Dirty Dan Sullivan Mean Mel McCormick Governor Harold "Goldee" Gatling Ed "One Bullet" O'Neil Rusty Bullets but i didn't get the reference (or the joke) on these names... Ace Albright Oscar K. Corral Cal Cartwright or are these names you just though had a good ring to them ??? - brick miner

im just curious (cause i don't know), but why is this set considered an adventure set ??? i mean i know bricklink classifies it as so... but is that our only reference... and what is their source ??? i mean, they also call the new grays "light blurish gray" and "dark blurish gray"... i don't see to many other sites using those names... usually its "old gray" or "new gray". bricklink isn't the industry staple all the time. - brickminer

brickster, can you site your source for this ???it was my understanding that LEGO never really got the names straight (each adventure having different UK names doesn't help). but the minifig that you have labeled as "Baron von Baron" actually goes by about 5 different names. i have seen him called, Baron von Baron (desert), Evil Eye (5928), Sam Sanister (5914), and possibly Sam Sinister (orient expedition) and Mr. Hates (dino). i don't really think LEGO thought into a "disguise" story line with the adventures. it seems to me that with each theme, the adventures got new names... which every ones they decided fit for that theme. i think Johnny Thunder is the only one who kept his name throughout all the themes. i mean Dr. Lightning became Dr. Kilroy in the Dino theme, and for what i suspected, Baron von Baron became Lord Sam Sinister in the Orient Expedition. as to the topic, i think Max Villano is a definite winner !!! - brick miner

thanks brickster !!! i had a lot of fun working on those wanted posters... and can't wait to find time to work on some more custom stickers. currently im working on some minifig torso stickers. i love western minifig MOCing, be cause there are so many possiblities with all the adventurers heads and torsos. its easily one of the most expandable themes for minifigs. but amazingly i ran out of combinations !!! so the stickers are a great way to expand !!! plus i can create some western saloon girls with the stickers. cause as you know, LEGO never gave us any western females !!! anyway, i though of anyone on this board, you would have some cool suggestions for names on the wanted posters !!! wanta contribute ??? - bm

thanks norro, for posting that link to joe meno's Nautlis... i loved seeing that... its truly a work of art !!!

i agree, this mini fig rocks... i love that torso, but never really noticed it from the harry potter series. it only caught my attention after seeing it in this set. i guess it was that silly female hair on lucius. its interesting that LEGO didn't create a new torso for this set. LEGO was known to cross over heads from other themes, but this is one of the very few times that LEGO switched a torso over to another theme. for example, the basic pirate head (with mustash and stubble) doubles as the head for the western sheriff. or the ice planet blonde guy doubles as the western red shirted cowboy... there are tons of examples for heads... but LEGO usually produced new torsos within each theme. its also interesting to note, that when LEGO kept the same head/torso configuration, and only changed the accessories (headgear, neck/body wear, or even legs) it was assumed that all configurations were the same charcter. for example, ironhook from the pirate theme changed accessories all the time, and even switched from all black legs to a black leg/peg leg combo. but his head and torso always remained the same, therefore always defining that minifig as ironhook. there are plenty of other examples for this too, just too many to mention. so, if we took these same rules and applied them to this minifig, well, i guess we would have a lucius aviator in the adventurers series !!! - brickminer

ya, last minute bidding (less than 1 minute) has become a staple for ebay users. i always thought i had the advantage though, because i work from home. so, id always be able to plan my bidding when the auction closed. where as others might be at work, or whatever, and might miss the closing. well, i guess for this auction i didn't have the advantage. we happened to be installing vonage (internet based phone service) on my computer that night. so, i had to bid 5 minutes before the auction closed. i put in a bid of 155.00 USD, just to be sure... (the current bid was 88.00 USD). i was the high bidder, up until the last 30 seconds left to go... when i was outbid @ 157.50... so i upped my bid to 160.00 (it wasn't high enough), then i lost when the auction closed and i ran out of time. yes, if you are bidding on a competitively priced item, or an item that rarely comes on the market, you probably wont win unless you watch the bidding end during the last minute. as a good rule of thumb for highly desirable items, id say that prices double during the last minute. ah, yes... that was the difference, brickster... the condition of the box can drive the price up considerably. and the difference between a seal being intact or loose can mean huge differences in price. for example, i placed my bid on the 6761 @ 160.00 last night. the box was perfect with no price sticker or evidence of one being removed. now, i have a 6761 for sale in my bricklink store for 85.00 USD. my copy for sale is MISB with the box being near mint (except for with three price stickers on it, two on the front, and one on the back). both copies are the north american version of the set. so, in this case, three price stickers make the difference of 75 dollars to me !!! see i have a copy of all the western sets opened... and i have a second copy of most still sealed in their boxes. but only a couple of those MISB sets have mint boxes... see, im looking to collect a SEALED IN MINT (OR NEAR MINT) BOX set !!! that is all the western sets in pristine condition (no price tags, no major wear, and all seals still intact). i new it would be expensive when i started it... but i figured selling some of my non-mint box versions would give me some extra spending money... well, after seeing a 6761 go for 160.00, i realize i might not have enough dough !!! anyway, ya... a MISB 6761 that is not in a mint or near mint box will go for around 80-90 dollars, i have one for sale right now !!! but one that is in a mint box is going to go for about double that !!! well, that is what i found out last night anyway !!! - brickminer

wow !!! i just got outbid on a bandits secret hidout 6765 @ 162.00 USD on ebay... its the first one i've seen in a near mint box in this year !!! im really convinced these sets are becoming serious collectors items !!! thanks for the encouragement, but i think you might have gotten a great deal brickster... that is, if those sets you purchased were in near mint to mint condition. prices ive see this year are way above 80-100 dollars !!! ah, this is a very good point !!! but a very good point as to why LEGO wouldn't bring back the western line... what i see is a secondary market dollar value increase, at least here in the states. just because LEGO wont rerelease the line, doesn't mean the prereleased sets aren't valuable. the prices i listed above may be too low !!! brickminer

ok, here are some thoughts i had late last night while falling to sleep... i always thought the adventurer's HARRY CANE had a fun name. making a play on "hurricane." so i attempted some wild west bandit names in the same fashion. R.V. Oliver, or "revolver" T. Ricky Goldtooth, or "tricky goldtooth" Tom Boweed, or "tumbleweed" i also tried some other names not following this idea... Quincy "Quickdraw" Adams and Gus "Gunsliger" Jennings anyway, i thought those were a start... and id still love to hear some others inputs !!!

nice touch by placing the MOC on a blue shinny surface !!! great placment and presentation as usual. and you used my favorite two adventurers sets anubis and the sphinx... great choices !!! i saw a couple MOCs similar to this in concept on ebay last year... the builder had taken official LEGO release of popular (and large) pirate sets and added on to them. i remember seeing a black seas barracuda, imperial trading post, enchanted island, and others. each had been composed exactly as LEGO produced them, but they added on a significant number of pieces, expanding on the concept. in some cases adding on double or triple the amount of pieces !!! this is an interesting way of MOC building, something i never would have thought of. and i like it !!! it gives the builder an extra chanllenge, because the additions have to blend seamlessly with the custom areas !!! i wish i would have saved pictures of the sets the ebay seller had for sale... they were pretty good, and interesting, none the less. i even remember a black version of eldorado fortress for the pirates !!! again, i liked seeing this brickster !!! - brickminer

thanks sting... hopefully this long winded post isn't for nothing... so thanks for getting some ideas started. great suggestion, that has the kind of ring we could be looking for !!! unfortunately, the bandit you speak of is one of the few already officially named by LEGO. that is flatfoot thompson !!! ok, lets branch of from my original idea behind this post, since we are on the topic of minifig names. i'll make a list here of all the western minifigs LEGO released. first the bandits... of these, only the second bandit (in the red shirt) is named. that is flatfoot thompson. its kinda funny, as a kid i always thought the black bandit was named flatfoot (as he appears in more sets, and seems to be the more prominent villain in the wild west). after taking a closer look at the wanted poster, i find out its actually the red shirted bandit !!! next the cowboys... of these, only the sheriff is named thanks to the european version of 6755, we get sheriff duke. i think the red shirt cowboy makes a good depute... he always seems so lawful in the sets he appears in, almost always right behind the sheriff (the exception would be 6769, where the sheriff is nowhere to be found). i think a a title of depute is appropriate for him !!! finally the calvary (i wont go into the indians) here only the colonel is named, again, thanks to the european version of 6706. that is colonel jefferson. most of the calvary minifigs have variations in hats and bandanas... but the three above cover all the minifig torso/minifig head combinations. however, i would assume that the other calvary members couldn't be named specifically, unless they were given a different head. LEGO used the lietenant and calvary soldier in a very generic way... meaning multiple versions of those minifgs could appear in a single set. this also makes differentiating them with names almost useless. now, all the other minifigs are up for being named. however (back to my original post) the only names relevant to the custom stickers (right now anyway) are the bandits. as i develop more stickers the other names may become relevant... so id love to hear some ideas !!! - brickminer

ok, but im not total sold on your reasonings... comparibly, LEGO pirates have always done very well, and their are just as few movies about them... im not sure hollywood is the only element at play here. i don't think its that simple. but again, i only asked the question... and i admit to not knowing much about this subject (the european market that is). what i do know is that i like these sets, and hopefully i can find them !!! their was a post in the castle and pirates forum recently (last week), that said the western sets are very hard to find and sell extremely well in the secondary market (one of these best themes actually)... that is really what influenced me in starting this thread. i guess you could say i didn't want to be left behind, getting these sets only after prices had risen !!! anyway, if anyone else has any leads, keep me posted !!! brickminer

i hope that is true, and i can end up finding these sets at a price lower than what i am willing to pay !!! i had no idea the western theme didn't do well in europe... i have always been told that europeans love old west movies and memorabilia ??? which i never would have suspected, living in the states. thanks !!!

hello, well i wanted to start sharing some stuff i've been working on... unfortunately, i still don't have that digital camera... however, the recent post about the pirate map (by dreamweb) has really inspired me to get some feedback on my creations !!! so anyway, im working on some western MOCs. im really interested in exploring all the possibilities that LEGO missed (there are plenty that come to mind, right of hand). but first i took a look at what LEGO did explore... (6765, 6755) LEGO started the formation of a town, presumably a gold/silver mining town (hence the name gold city junction/silver city). in the town they only explored three themes, a bank, a general store, and the sheriff

ah, that is too bad sonny... but thanks for checking. the european verions of the sets are very common in good condition, anyone know why or have a theroy ??? i have seen multiple copies of the european ones for sale in near mint condition (just in the past three months). as many as 10-15 fort legoredos and 5-10 bandit secret hidout, all in near mint to mint !!! i have been tracking them and they are all over the interenet, and the north american verions are very rare in near mint condition !!! - brick miner