Dunjohn

If only they'd printed it in 29 other languages instead of 28!

What? Of course I mean a sequel to the December movie. Did you really think I'd be in this thread without knowing the movie existed? Or that I thought the first movie would appeal to kids by itself? Please read my post again. We're all grateful for your frequent corrections in this thread but we'd probably prefer a little contribution too.

Yeah, I love them, but I haven't read all of them. I'm a bit weirded out by the notion that, when I've read the most recent one, I can't simply wander into a shop to get the next one. So, I'm trying not to catch up with the good Mr. Pratchett. The next one I have to read is Making Money. Funding issues mean I'm rereading old ones in no particular order at the moment. I'm nearly re-finished Mort. I read Hogfather and Soul Music last week. Probably Reaper Man next. It's probably easy to guess that my favourite character is DEATH, but I also like the City Watch, Lord Vetinari and the Ankh-Morpork Times crew. Tiffany, is she the one with the little blue guys?

If Tron manages to penetrate the Transformers/Clone Wars/Harry Potter crowd and produces a sequel, there's always hope for sets then. Right now, it feels a bit nerdy. But then, so did Transformers and Star Wars before their second comings.

It's probably about time I gave this a shot. May I?

September 6th: A bit of an update. 1x S1 Cheerleader (Opened) 2x S1 Clown 1x S1 Cowboy 1x S1 Diver 3x S1 Dummy 1x S1 Forestman (Opened) 3x S1 Indian (Opened) 1x S1 Magician 2x S1 Ninja 2x S1 Nurse (One Opened) 2x S1 Robot 1x S1 Wrestler 3x S2 Karateka 2x S2 Lifeguard 1x S2 Mime 2x S2 Pharaoh 1x S2 Ringmaster 1x S2 Skier 7x S2 Spartan 2x S2 Surfer 1x S2 Weightlifter 2x S2 Witch I have loads more Series 1 unsealed if anybody needs them. I won't list what because I don't know how much - I mix and match minifig elements a lot, but I can reassemble them easily enough. I kinda have everything I need but I'll listen to offers. Sealed or unsealed doesn't bother me unless specified, as long as it's all intact. I'm in Ireland but can ship anywhere.

Minifigs Series 2 has finally hit here, Smyths has them (the website says they're out of stock but they've loads). I got 20 random bags and missed five figs, but hit all my priorities. Probably could have done without four Karatekas but he is one of the most common.

Thanks! Both for the reply, and for getting my hopes up about being a Count for a minute there.... Toys'R'Us Exclusive? Bah. They don't even have stores in my country. Guess I'll have to Bricklink it.

The rubber die that comes with the Game sets is usually black with red studs, but I've heard tell of a golden version. It's available on Bricklink, too. Does anybody know where it's from?

Well, it's online, anything can go wrong... and since I'm something of a closet Lego fan, there's a risk the box'll break and the postman'll see the contents

Cars' enduring popularity has surprised me, given that it's the least popular Pixar in terms of critical reception (unless Ratatouille surpassed it). 'Course, that only shows what critics know. I loved Cars. There's even a new sticker collection out for them, nothing to do with next summer's sequel, just more stickers because the popularity must be there. Heck, Nemo is still beloved and that's even older than Cars. Arguments that Tron is more popular than Prince of Persia are suffering from a huge blind spot. Moviewise, sure, the original Tron is an enduring classic, even if most kids have never heard of it, and PoP obviously has no classic movie. But PoP has a massive presence in computer game land. And not just in the distant past, like Tron, which it also incidently happens to have, but also in the last decade or so since Sands of Time on the PS2. It's an A-list license. That sort of background far outweighs anything Tron can lay claim to, particularly within LEGO's core market. Don't underestimate the number of adults that play those games too, not to mention the retroheads who remember the Apple II original. That demographic alone easily rivals Tron's adult fandom. Tron would be a cool license but without having seen some sign by now, it's not happening, at least for this iteration.

Interesting idea, and very well executed. There's probably a better head you could use but this is instantly recognisable, and the water backdrop is particularly effective.

I just last night got the Troll Fortress from there, the sale's been going for about a week and somebody gave us the heads-up then. This is the first time I've ever ordered Lego online, and it's large by my standards, so I'm nervous.... Poking around Amazon now, other sizeable price reductions that people might be interested in include a lot of Star Wars, Toy Story and Prince of Persia sets.

The elusive orange baseplate is the main reason MOCers will want this set, but it has a few other things going for it too. ____________________________________________ Be the first to build a path over the stream of molten lava, so you can battle the monster and take the ancient golden treasure. Block your opponents with the monster or wall of fire and slow them down with a clever bat attack. A game of strategy and luck for all ages for 2 to 4 players. INFORMATION: Set Name: Magma Monster Set Number: 3847 Theme: Lego Games Year Released: 2010 Number of Pieces: 95 Microfigs: 4 Price: €11.99 on release _____________________________________________ FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This is another set that I got on holiday so, again, apologies for the occasional poor photo. As you'd expect from a subterrainian theme, the box art is very vibrant and does a lot to attract attention to itself. The guy in the hat is obviously losing so he's just gone and chucked the die into the lava in a huff. The other guy's about to start flinging game pieces at him. Ah, takes me back to those family Monopoly sessions when I was a wee lad. Nothing depreciates the value of a hotel like being submerged in someone's milk. The back shows a clearer view of the restored game board, with both players having been tied to radiators at opposite ends of the room. Nothing too exciting here. The booklets, with the instructions having been folded for no reason whatsoever. To really rub it in, the rulebook is the one that doesn't quite fit in the box. The instructions would have fit fine, even unfolded. Here are the other contents - two bags, the die, and that lovely 16x16 baseplate. To be honest, though, I haven't really thought up a use for it yet. All it really could be is lava. I'm using it to store my microfigs for the moment. Moving on... THE BUILD Spill the bags and you get this square, if you do it just right. Some decent earth-shade bricks that will make for good landscaping, but the main draw is the selection of more exotic elements - six flame jets is fantastic, two bats, some quirky dark red bits, gold crystal, hollow studs, and orange teeth. All very excellent. Here are the four dudes and the brickbuilt Monster, who looks absolutely awesome. The head is extremely well-crafted. The minifigs are also among the most impressive I've seen, for their variety and versatility. They make plausible magma surfers but they could also be used in loads of other scenarios. The blue guy could be on a building site, or a street, or at a sports meet or something. The grey guy could be a Sam Fisher-style super spy, or a space marine, and so on. A quick glance at the box art would tell you that there's not a lot of building to be done, so after three or four minutes we're ready to go. The spares. A decent amount for a set with fewer than 100 parts. The fourth orange spike is sticking out of the Monster's back. Moving on.... GAMEPLAY Like the building, the playing is very straightforward. Youngest player goes first, but since I'm gonna be playing all four roles, there's only one way to settle matters: Alphabetically by colour in Spanish! Azul goes first and hits a grey. That lets him place a grey brick, and then move any distance along any nearby grey path. Blanco goes next! Blanco also hits a grey, allowing him to extend Azul's path and leapfrog to the end of it. Gris rolls a brown. He can't move along bricks that aren't the colour he rolled, so he starts his own path... with blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the blackjack and the hookers! Verde rolls black, which lets him sic a swarm of bats on a rival. With a cackle of "Fly, my pretties!" he sends them buzzing around the game leader, Blanco. On Blancos next turn, his die roll decides what happens. Hit black, and he shoos the bats back to their perch in the shadows. Hit any other side, though, and he runs shrieking, Ace Ventura-like, back to the mouth of the cave. Seems I didn't take a photo, but rolling red lets you move the flame wall to anywhere else on the lava flow, ideally blocking an opponent. It's usually a very minor inconvenience. Several turns later, and we finally have somebody within reach of the gold. In order to defeat the Magma Monster and claim the booty, Gris must roll a black on the die. Fail, and nothing happens, allowing the other players a chance to catch up. But succeed, and the game and glory are his. Does he? DOES HE??? Showing a complete disregard for drama, yes, he does. There are varient games where the Magma Monster can move out around the lava flow, which is why he's built on that easily-manipulated red platform, but he's just eye candy in the main game. As mostly usual, it'll fit back into the box if you shoo the bats. Moving on.... IN CONCLUSION This is a very simple set, both in building and in playing, and being at the cheaper end of the range makes it ideal for younger brothers and sisters to cut their teeth on. None of that makes it bad, by any means, but it probably won't stand up to repeated playing. Games are fast and simple. There can be a problem when one player splits off from the pack, as Azul (the blue guy) did in this demonstration game, because then it simply becomes a question of rolling the die and hopping on to the new brick, plodding relentlessly and boringly across the lava. That player will likely be the target of all the bats and flame walls, as a cluster of players are quite capable of tripping each other up by laying inconvenient path bricks for each other. Keeping the group together is the best way to make the game fun. Design: 8/10: Keeping things streamlined was obviously a high priority with this set and the designers do very well with their limited resources. Some game rules could have been better - the flame wall doesn't really do anything - but there's nothing here that will really ruin enjoyment. Parts: 9/10: Very nice, with about two thirds plain but versatile and the remaining third unusual but useful. The Bionicle minifig torso is about the only part that will take some thinking to fully utilise, and the orange board, while cool, doesn't really have a use yet either. I've already drooled over the microfigs so I don't need to repeat that here. Build: 6/10: What build? The game board took about as long to build as the Monster did, so I barely noticed this stage. That said, the monster looks fantastic, and the design of his little alcove is very effective. Playability: 7/10: It could be fun with the right players but it's one of the more simple games. For building playability, the parts selection is very good but perhaps not by itself. Price: 9/10 About right for whatcha get. Total: 82% A solid, workhorse entry in the Games line that does nothing wrong, but is a bit overshadowed by some of the other games. Thanks for reading! A Wooden Bridge Over Lava? Great Thinking, Guys - Dunjohn

Being on holidays in small beach towns can mean only one thing: Strange old sets in pokey little shops! This isn't particularly old, but it's certainly odd. I hope I'm putting this in the right forum. It certainly doesn't feel "Town" enough like the other Sports sets. Set Name: Flip Shot Set Number: 3542 Theme: Lego Sports - Ice Hockey Year Released: 2003 Number of Pieces: 46 Price: €8.49 (probably less in other shops; this place's prices were nuts) Apologies in advance for some of the photo quality. I didn't have a great setup in the holiday apartment. BOX & BOOKS: Flip Shot and friends came in Bionicle-style pods that could double as sports bottles, which is nifty, I suppose. There's a slightly sportier design moulded into the pod that's visible once you rip the paper off, but it still looks kinda cheap. I forgot to take a photo of it. The back features instructions for the puck-hitting functionality, which TLG managed to squeeze into just three steps. And to make sure that no kid is too stupid to get maximum benefits from the product, there are even instructions for how to fill the pod with water and then drink the water, which TLG again manages to shave down to just three parts. I'll be damned if that germ colony is ever getting near my mouth. Inside is the instructions booklet and DSS. The booklet features that same irritating, grainy, multi-screen effect that blights the entire Sports line and obscures a fairly nicely-arranged action shot. I didn't apply the stickers. The first couple of pages show off the unique features of each Hockeybot, and suggest some truly baffling game ideas. The four hockey players have different-shaped stick heads that affect the puck differently. Flip Shot specialises in chipping it into the air. Is that even legal in ice hockey? I know pretty much nothing about the sport (it's like water polo without the horses, right?) There are a lot of ads towards the back for the other Sports sets. For some reason, the final three pages are printed upside-down. That's a combination model in the top corner, that has pretty pretty much zero differences from the base model other than ridiculous layers of armour. The drinking instructions provide me with twenty-eight new ways to say "clean before use:" perfect for next year's holiday. Moving on... THE BUILD: Here are all the parts. That square white thing at the bottom is a spring box that provides some snapback to the hockey stick. That weird white thing in the middle isn't attached to anything; for the moment, it's just sitting there. To maneuvre it into place, the instructions told me to attach it to the black Technic axle, which is then removed, and used later as the hockey dude's spine. It's the first time I've ever seen a single part perform two roles in a set's instructions, and I thought it was pretty cool. Then you take this other weird white thing... ...jam it in there... ...and twist it so it slots in beneath the first weird white thing, lifting it up and down. Then you attach the spring box and hockey stick so that the "up" position is the default. The hockey dude's spine attaches to the first weird white thing, so slamming his head down will twist the second weird white thing out, swinging the stick. Et voila. The big stupid eejit is finished and ready to hit the ice. I chose this face mask because it was already broken off the sprue when I opened the pod. That's right - the Parts Square photo above is a lie! FOOLS! The spares. Well, I suppose the second puck isn't really spare, but my limited knowledge of the rules of ice hockey tell me that you're only supposed to have one on the ball court. I think I like the top mask best. That's what Star Trek's Geordie LaForge would be like if he were a robotic ice hockey gorilla with no limbs. I want you all to take a good, long look at the bottom one. That's right. You can never unsee that now, can you? IN CONCLUSION: Hmm. There's just something conceptually wrong with this guy. He reminds me of those MOCs of mine that exploded in the hanger because the central inspiration for them simply demanded too much of the model to really be viable. The slammer mechanic requires him to be very stable, which means he's little more than a square box that doesn't do a whole lot. This guy has no limbs. Let's be clear on that. No arms, no legs, not much neck. He apparently holds his hockey stick using one of those groin attachments like Kryten has in Red Dwarf. He can't move. All this guy is, is a slammer toy. I'm kinda making a mockery of the term "Action Figure Forum" but there's nowhere else for him to go. And he's ugly. Design: 3/10: Unfortunately, it's rather crippled by the slammer mechanic, resulting in something that's too ugly to display and to restrictive to be much fun. The faces are interesting but somewhat creepy. The slammer mechanic itself is okay, though the puck doesn't get much distance and I can't really imagine how you'd simulate a game of ice hockey with this guy. Definitely the oddballs of the Sports theme. Parts: 7/10: A mix of basic Technic parts and Bionicle-style elements that aren't overly-specialised, meaning they're easy to reuse. Even the two weird white things could be used in other capacities. And getting three masks was nice. Build: 7/10: The large blue torso part takes a lot of the workload, meaning that aside from the slammer assembly, you're mainly just adding detail. There were still a good few interesting things to be done during the process. Playability: 4/10: You could probably entertain yourself for a few minutes after building it, maybe terrorise the cat a little, but after that? It's parts. Price: N/A: I'm gonna skip this one because I know I got ripped off here; the store I got it in is known for being on the expensive side, so this was probably €6.99 at launch and should have come down a lot since. I was happy enough to satisfy my curiosity with holiday money that I didn't have much else to spend on. OVERALL: 30%. I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who did enjoy this line, because I'm sure it has its fans. I didn't get anything out of it, though. It's restrictive, clunky, harsh on the eye, and completely out of step with the other Sports lines like Basketball and Soccer. Thanks for reading! Fits back in the box, fully assembled - Dunjohn

Yay! *casually accepts sack with $ sign from TLG*

The entire PoP line turned out to be far more interesting to me than I'd originally thought. Easily my favourite line of the year, and that includes Collectible Minifigs. I own all the sets but I still want more. I own three copies of this set, and I'm eying up a second Alamut while the getting's cheap....

Hmm, no sign in Smyths or Argos here. On the other hand, Smyths always had plenty of Series 1 in stock, as late as Wednesday, and that had all vanished today. It's a long shot, but perhaps they took it down due to a till clash with the new series...? I'll check it out again tomorrow.

Probably Agents. I'm a big James Bond fan and usually dig anything that takes it to extremes. The LEGO attempt is particularly effective. I did really like Power Miners but I've kinda gone off it.

Magic boxes don't have an even spread of cards; one guy might double his money while the next gets all duds, and the company takes great pains to ensure randomness. However, some people have been able to "map" certain cards based on where they were positioned on the print sheet. The company usually responds by changing their system immediately. Too much money rides on high-end tournaments for them to risk a loophole like that. LEGO, on the other hand, seem to want to guarantee the spread so they'll either try something less obvious on the packs (which will be spotted within seconds anyway), change the factory system so they can send specific figs to the boxes without marking them (which may be prohibitively expensive), or give up and go random. I reckon the first one's the most likely, but not definite. LEGO prides itself on the guaranteed quality of their end product, so they may not want to go completely random. Somebody back there mentioned that he liked Series 1 more until he actually got Series 2 in hand. Well, I voted for Series 1, and I think its selection is better both for its themes and the individual parts (I mix and match minifig elements a lot), so we'll see, maybe my mind will change there too :)

I haven't heard of that Robin Hood trilogy. Is it any good? I'm re-reading some of my Discworld novels at the moment to save money, in no particular order. I'm going through Mort at the moment.

I've entered loads of things and won nothing but the respect, admiration and even envy of the other members. And those were largely imaginary. Could this be my hour??

Wow, I wish these were available here. Those are great parts for the price. Lovely review, thanks!

They're €2.49 here, same as the Lego ones.

Ridiculously in-depth and exhaustive review again, WhiteFang - thanks! The links to other threads are much appreciated too, since I referred back to your other review constantly. I can't think of a single thing you haven't covered (other than the positions of various minifigs within the boxes; knowing that Zombies are mainly in the back-left corner sped up my barcoding considerably, but that's something I can do myself) so this review is looking like being my base of operations from here on out. The cameos by EB members is especially cute :) Excellent work!