Freddie

Seeing how Fugglewyg is just getting back into LEGO again, he's probably not aware of what bley is. Some years ago LEGO changed the color mixture for their two grey colors, dark grey and light grey, into a grey color with more blue in the mixture. The result was blue grey (bley), or stone as it is also known as, and the differences are far from microscopical. This changeover was permanent, and not consulted with AFOL's - the result is reflected in the prices you saw - the old grey is very popular with AFOLs who have been in the hobby for a long time, and thus are not willing to pay money for an "incompatible" color - you on the other hand, who is returning, get a cheaper ticket into the hobby. Just be aware that if you buy older sets (pre 2002?) you will always get the old grey color with the set. I personally prefer the stone over grey, because I think it looks nicer while the old grey looks old, yellowed and dull.

It actually took me a while to select my favourite here, but I finally decided on Caf

Honestly, you don't think it's just an early draft for the calendar's design? It doesn't look particularily well-drawn. And I see the helicopter has a new windscreen, rather than an old one. The old one was three, and not two, bricks high, but had the same shape otherwise.

To be honest, I'd probably buy it anyway. It's just that I would like to see something else other than a hospital or a fire house or some other kind of police/health/fire/emergency/you get the point, when TLC has the chance to do just that. A "Barber/Bakery Block", for example - something that's more or less nationally neutral and takes a dash at normal, everyday life. Like a caf

I, for once, would love to not see a fire station, police station or hospital in this series, released by TLC. Why? Because we got plenty of them, plus the charm of these buildings is that they're shops and appartments, and the kind of buildings that we see everyday. I want to add that neither do I feel that Market Street belongs in the same series, as Caf

You've got my attention, or rather your building got it. It's an enjoyable piece of architecture, that is. Like taken out of photo! *y* I wish I had time to complete my own modular building *sigh* - I've got so much inspiration and tons of ideas, all the time I've got is to archive them. |-/

Nobody on the outside will notice, that's why there's curtains. X-D Besides, the furniture would get smashed anyway when all the police-officer and fire-fighters hold their housewarming party. :-P Honestly, it's not that bad that it lacks an interior on second floor, it makes people interiorise it and thus makes it more personal. Gives some leeway for improvisation, if you catch my drift.

The thing that got me back out of my own dark ages, if I can call it so, it's more grey than dark, was a job as a christmas-extra in a toy store. As an employee, I got employee-discounts, which made LEGO-sets very attractive very suddenly. I have litteraly not seen back since then. I'm not working there anymore, and don't want to either. But my studies are slowing down the interest and time spent on lego to idle, and I've taken up drawing as another hobby because it requires less time and space. Doesn't mean I'm abandoning ship, oh no. I'm trying to integrate my two hobbies into each other...

The suspension and gearboxes and whatnot you might find in a technic set, those are all fully-functional features. They're there just for show and for the fun of it, even if it doesn't get used one might expect it to. Some models have alternative featues for each model, such as 8448 where the builder could chose between either a convertible hardtop model or a gullwing-door'ed coup

Ahem! But there has! I haven't seen Sinner's in action, but I'm guessing his is a better execution of the concept than mine. Mine is (like Sinner's) mostly unmodified, with a few bricks removed just to get enough space for both motors. The problem with mine is that the XL motor powers the wheels through the gearbox, which is neither effecient enough to get the car moving very fast and not strong enough to hold up against the motor's torque. The rest is original, though. And the project is mostly stillborn, as I haven't progressed with it at all. There's a lot (and I mean A LOT) of problems with it, and I haven't had the time to correct them. Besides, it was just an experiment to begin with, because I noticed the PF-motors fit very nicely in the original motor-compartment. Edit: Gah! Forgot to comment on Sinner's car! Well, like I said above, I think it's a good execution (a functionally probably a better one than mine) of remoting a car that's by all means not meant for it. I especially like how the small motor visually resembles a gearbox. Very neat! And also - a video, please (check if the camera has a video function)? I'd like to see it actually moving. :D

I use what seems to be the most popular method of storing the instructions: Binders with plastic photo-sleeves. I do the same with catalogs as well. The bigger, fatter instructions for the technic

The set was already at the top notch in my book, now I need to make room for more notches, because it just moved up a few notches more. I didn't fully expect an interior, but was crossing my fingers for one. Not only does this have an interior, but what an interior! A grandfather-clock! A proper old-style radiator! Mailboxes! And a fully stocked grocery-store! @ Joebot; yes, it's just an apartment. But that's not a bad thing, is it? :-P

LEGO has also released a video, celebrating the anniversary of the brick, available in downloadable .mpg (frontpaged on LUGNET, where I found it) or on YouTube.

According to what I heard on the news this morning, it's 50 years since the patent was filed.

*gasp* I want! NOW! X-O *wub* *sweet* :'-) :-D *y* *sing* I love the green color. I love the windows. I love the design. Wallet's gonna hate the price, though.

That shunter is sweet! Wish I had a spare motor, because I would so copy it! *y*

To my knowledge the 12V trains were never released in North America. And because of this there exist no 110-120V transformer that would work with these trains - no official ones, anyhow. The electrical system those trains and anything compatible used was modular and easy to modify and adapt, so there are probably some solutions out there that would make the train work properly, but it would require a little effort and a third-party transformer that can transform power down from 110-120V to 12V. Note that I am saying that you should adapt the cables to fit the transformer, not modify the transformer to fit the cables! You can do all that, or you could just get some 9V track, motor and transformer - the 9V motor will fit just fine on the locomotive.

...and the Norwegian one, further justifying re-uploading them. Well, only 7726. But it's on page 34. TBE June. :-P BTW; Anybody else getting sets later than usual? I'm not thinking only City here, but I've noticed that the CITY cargo sets (april), tiny turbos (april), SpongeBob (june), Indiana Jones (may) and some other stuff arrives much later than the rest of the world. I'm fearing that we may not see Coast Guard up here in the north 'til august. :-/

The 4555 cargo station from '95 also uses that combination for it's crane. Works well enough at low speeds. Just don't expect anything to be very stable with those wheels on those rails, if you're thinking of using it for anything fast.

I'm thinking that the retailer catalogs may be localized to only display items that will be available for sale within that region, so a retailer catalog from a different country possibly displays additional sets as well. As a side note; looks like Ctiy-Airport wasn't a big seller, gone after two years - normal cycle is three.

Hah! I've had a similar dream. Except mine also had unreleased prototypes for sale as well - plus they were on sale. *sigh*

The new creator house also has a new 1x2 clip-hinge (used for the satelite dish) that could be seen as a spiritual succesor to the old 1x2 non-click hinge, with the massive advantage that it's quite solid and far more versatile. Personally, the dumbest decision LEGO ever did was the introduction of Town Jr. We all know the misery and agony that followed in its wake, so I doubt I need to go deeper than this.

I like the raft. I really like the raft. Dunno about the helicopter, haven't seen it yet, but I like the raft. Why can't LEGO experiment with "random" sets like that one? Something that doesn't necessarily belong in a sub-theme, but that would tie in nicely, connect, with the other sub-themes. As an example: I can see the raft being the center of attention for the coast guard guys. Just like a bank with bank robbers would tie in nicely with the police sub-theme. I'll stop there, before I start wandering.

The classic cars had a hinged roof which was hollow beneath (no tubes), clearing way for the minifig's head. Without that there's no way a minifig will be able to sit upright in that car, unless you lower the sitting area one plate.

They're stickers, yes. Three BIG ones, on each side. Only apply them if you're sure the hull won't touch water, I doubt they're waterproof. Which reminds me, it's also possible to attach a motor to it, but it isn't included. Besides, you'll need either a big bathtub or a pool of respectable size to have any motorized fun with it - the ship is huge.