Jeff Huntington

I think the last time LEGO toys (such as they were, they were very simple) were in Happy Meals was 2009. McDonalds Restaurant came out in 1999. They were really inexpensive, I think US$10 a piece, which is why I have 6. I seem to remember that you got one free if you had a certain size Shop at Home order at the time, but I could be wrong. I still have a couple of them in the box thinking I'd moc them somehow but have never gotten around to it. The set itself is really not that special except for the stickers. Even the crew minifig is a plain white torso with a sticker to look like the uniform. I'd be surprised if we ever saw corporate branded sets like it again. I remember when Octan first came around when they dropped the Shell license.

What would we have to do to get LEGO to give VIPs the ability to purchase this group of minifigs instead of the set they announced a while back and haven't heard anything about lately?

I was able to get one in the U.S. about 12 years ago direct from the company for around $15, I think. It has extra red sloped roof pieces for building the alternate models, too.

That is absolutely amazing and a quality piece of work. The stickers really bring it to life! In the U.S., they changed the signs about 12 years ago so they are just the oval logo on a pole, no dealer name or anything else. I like the sign-style you chose to use -- very clean and detailed. Again, great job!

I was always amazed that, at least on my set, the hinge pieces maintained a tight grip and I was able to pose the camera man in many different positions and not fall down. It's been a long time since we've gotten a TV crew -- 1997 by my recollection (with 6553-Crisis News Crew). We're really overdue to get another one.

Congratulations! I felt the same way when I was finally able to get this in 2002 when it was the first LEGO Legends set. Man, how I wish they'd have kept that program going. Not only is it a great train but I thought it was a great build as well. Now you have to try to find a Club Car or two to go with it!

Finally a MOC of a place I've been! It looks great, both lit and unlit.

The elf is the only choice I can support. How on earth did the Spartan not make the cut? He's still the only Series 2 one I don't have and I know many others wanted multiples and couldn't get them. And no Series 1? They were so hard to get (at least in the U.S., or at least where I live) that I can't believe none of them made it either. I was looking forward to getting this once it was announced which minifigs won, but now I don't care.

Very nice representation from one of my favorite episodes. I'll have the song running through my head the rest of the night.

Very nicely done, Zeki. The only thing it's missing are scoreboards. I really wish LEGO would come out with new sets for the World Cup again. The ones from 1998 are a favorite part of my collection.

If I remember right, this set was never available at retail in the United States. You could only get it directly from LEGO, since it was advertised on the back of the catalogs from those days.

The same loading mechanism was used in 6353 Coastal Cutter, a 1991 set from the Nautica line. Not sure it will be any easier to come by (I love mine and would never get rid of it), but it's bound to be cheaper than this one. The mechanism works really well and was used to pull a small one-man boat onto the larger cutter.

Thanks for the quality review. This set will always stand out for me because it's the first "real" set (as in, cost over $15) I bought after I had my first job. I still love this set. The large police boat combined with the Coastal Cutter (another of my favorite sets) made a formidable aquatic rescue team.

It's never been available on retail shelves in the U.S. for some reason, which I've never understood since other than the box being a little bigger than the usual it would be a great impulse set. I've picked up some from Shop at Home, and the LEGO Store near me has it, so you can still get it if you want it.

It looks great and very realistic. When you mention how you made the doors, it sounds similar to the way the airplane doors work on the large aircraft (like the one in 3182 for example). Would you say that's close?

Great as usual, lightningtiger. I love the details on the road, particularly the streetlights. One question: is the 60 in the circle sign the speed limit down the road, or the sign marking the highway name?

All the rumors I've heard about when it's coming to the U.S. have said August. I'm hoping it shows up in the Summer Shop At Home catalog.

Guido is a Fiat model of some sort, that's why the 3rd party trademark notice. If you watch the Cars movie, in the credits there are permissions from most of the major car companies for the designs of the individual vehicles.

It looks really good. I've had similar ideas of building a sporting goods store with all the minifigure parts, but had not thought of converting a City Corner bike shop into one. I've thought of buying another one for the bus anyway and this will give me a great foundation for my own. Thanks for the idea!

That's an amazing amount of detail, and it goes so well with your Forbidden City entrance. I can only imagine how long it took you to build it all. The cranes and lions were especially impressive. It was nice to see Mr. Kristiansen admired your work as well. Fantastic job!

I love the sign out front - simple, but it reminds me of a number of now-extinct small US gas stations' signs. The gas pump is another nice design. Really nice work, LT!

Thank you for sharing your amazing creation. I wish I could be in Hong Kong to see the rest.

I picked up two yesterday after waiting almost an hour in line at the grand opening of the new store in Indianapolis. I started building the first engine today. I know I want to motorize it, but I'm torn if I want to get a separate set of PF for it, or if I want to cannibalize a 9-volt motor from one of my old trains (it would most likely be from 4559). It's been a great build so far.

That is an amazing piece of work and, I suspect, love. I especially liked the ships in drydock. I salute and envy you, sir.

Bricklink shows that the piece in question is also used in 2 Prince of Persia sets (though in different colors), so it was available for the GE.