meyerc13

It's funny you say that, because when I first saw these sets, I thought that someone at LEGO must have been watching that show. Now someone just needs to MOC a wash plant, and we'll be set.

You mean 4438 Robbers' Hideout? It's a TRU exclusive and as mentioned exclusives usually aren't shown at the Toy Fair. I just picked this set up on Monday at the LEGO store, it's a fun build, but slightly overpriced (although better at $40 than the $45 TRU is selling it for).

Thanks for the great review. Looking at the early photos online I figured this would be a good set for parts if nothing else. However, the pictures couldn't tell me what the game play was like, but your excellent review has answered the questions I had in that regard. Thanks! I'll be near a LEGO store this weekend, I hope they have it in stock so I can pick it up with double VIP points, I know my kids will love this game. And the parts... wow! A full set of six tiles with pips... great for making your own LEGO six sided die. Money tiles, a croissant, a letter tile, a pizza tile... all great parts. I also like some of the other 2x2 tiles like the train, the helicopter, the tile with two stacks of money... these could make great signs in a LEGO City. Once again LEGO seems to have hit a great combination of game play and parts. I'm sure this one will sell well.

I like it. I've seen these close up at air shows, even toured the inside. Yours is a fairly good representation. You've got the bulge around the bottom, although I think yours may extend a bit too far forward. Also, I think your cockpit isn't quite sleek enough compared to the real thing. Also, the wings should probably be a bit higher, the real Osprey has a bit of a hump. However, with all of that said, I think I like yours better than the real thing. The real thing is a bit of an ugly duck, but the proportions on yours seem to suit the craft better. Good job!

I don't know if these sets are available yet where you are, but if they are I would start with: 4628 Fun with Bricks- This is a great way to get a good selection of bricks in a variety of colors. 4635 Fun with Vehicles - Sets like the one above are great for bricks, but never seem to have enough of the fun parts like wheels and windshields. This set fixes that problem, and is a great complement to a standard brick box for someone starting a LEGO collection. I bought this set for my kids, and just bought another one for a birthday present for my son's friend, and plan to buy a third for a nephew's birthday. This set is that good. Much like last year's 5933 Airport Building Set. If you start with those two sets, the one thing you'll still be left wanting are windows/doors for building houses. One of the Creator Houses would fulfill that need. I'd say if you stick to the Bricks and More sets/brick boxes, as well as Creator, you'll get a lot of parts for the least amount of money. Another option, if you can find them, would be the Dacta sets: http://www.brickset.com/browse/themes/?theme=Dacta&year=2010

I can't believe I'm the first to comment, but this is an incredible looking tank for your first attempt at one! I've never tried to build a tank, but looking at the details I can see how tricky it must have been to get some parts just right. I really like your hatches, excellent selection of pieces across the whole model.

This is a great looking creation. You did a good job capturing the sloped bottom and the armored doors. Looks great!

The surgeons are easy to identify if you can find a box that hasn't been picked through. Just feel for the 2x2 x-ray tile. It's the only minifig in S6 with a 2x2 tile like this. The problem is that the surgeon is short-packed, with only 3 in the initial case assortment. I've found three, which was the number I was looking for (need enough to staff my surgical suite in my hospital MOC), but it took some looking around (multiple trips to multiple stores) to find those three.

It matches the earlier pictures that were leaked.

That's part of what most banks around here offer, but most also have lanes with pneumatic tubes and tellers who service strictly people in the drive up lanes, for example: Aren't these found everywhere in the US? Or is it mostly used in areas where we get a lot of cold and snow? As for the Town Hall, I haven't purchased any of the modulars yet, the $149 price tag is just a bit higher than I'm comfortable spending on a LEGO set, although I must admit I've been tempted a few times by the fire station. It will be interesting to see how the higher $200 price tag will go over with LEGO fans like me who were hesitant at the $149 price, the new higher price makes it much easier for me to pass on this set, even though it is beautiful and it's a good value for the number of pieces you get.

I've never seen anything like that truck, but you've definitely done a good job converting it into LEGO. I especially like how you've done the windows/doors on the side. Around here, they sell Crab and Shrimp out of the back of a freezer truck, nothing as fancy as the source for your inspiration. I can't wait to see the inside!

I prefer American style engines myself (since I live near the Pierce Mfg. plant that's almost a requirement!), but this is a nice engine. You mentioned Ralph who is a great builder, another source is MOCpages where you'll find lots of excellent fire engine MOCers like Steven Asbury: http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/291 He's just one excellent builder out of many, but one of the first I found when I left my Dark Ages so his creations stuck in my head.

I was in MN for business last week, and on Monday saw a sidecap display at the Target at 494 and Cty 9 in Plymouth, but it was cleaned out. Then on Tuesday night (1/31) at the Mall of America LEGO store I found them, and picked up 10. I was trying for two butchers but somehow ended up with three along with 7 other figs. So they definitely were in MN hours before you posted this, but I have no idea if they still are.

I think the Harry Potter game would classify as a licensed game as well.

This was tough, because I love them all. Here is what helped me decide: Ambulance - just a bit too large for the Sprinter it appears to be. If it had been a US style with a cab and a box, then maybe the 6 wide would look right. I still love it, but the scale is just a bit off. Dirt Bike Transporter - Same problem, the scale of the 6 wide truck doesn't fit well in my LEGO City. I love the set, I just wish they could have done it at 4/5 wide instead. Garbage Truck - This was a close call, because they really nailed the truck this time. The airplane tails to reduce the weight of the back end was genius. The problem is, that's the biggest change between this garbage truck and the last one, so for me this wasn't revolutionary, simply an improved design. Still a great one to pick up though. Car and Camper - This was another incredible set. Great for girls as well as boys, my daughter got this for Christmas and loves it. The only downside for me is the car. First off, why a car and not a truck? That's a big camper to tow with a car. Second, why Yellow? Just once I'd love a LEGO car in Green or Blue or Gray or something besides Red and Yellow. Overall a great set, and definitely one to pick up, but just not quite perfect. So the winner is - the Dump Truck! I love this set, new wheel barrow, new parts for the dump bed, a barricade... Truly a great set. Let's hope the next wave of LEGO vehicles brings us a snow plow, I'd love to see one of those make a return to LEGO City.

These are really amazing. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent admiring them. These combine two things kids love - LEGO and carnivals. What still amazes me is is that they are not only functional but portable. I just wanted to tell you what a great job you've done on these, true masterpieces.

Personally I wouldn't drop the change for one of these kits, its too rich for my blood. But then again I wouldn't shell out the money for one of the retired modulars either, but plenty of people do that. I think the key is to look at it like a collectible, and not as an MOC. If you don't want to buy the kit, he also sells instructions for some of his designs. I probably sound like I know the designer, which I don't. However, I've been to the Brickmania Toyworks a few times now with my kids, and I've got to say the designer seems to be a really nice guy and gives back a lot to the AFOL community. He allows a couple of LEGO train clubs to leave a permanent display setup in his warehouse space, and the TwinLUG group is also meeting there now. Knowing that he gives back so much, when I see comments about him ripping people off - that's so much the opposite of what I've seen that I had to speak up.

Not my creation, but I was searching for this hospital today and it doesn't seem to be in the index: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35999

Here in the US, finding a small mom and pop shop that carries LEGO is very difficult, mostly due to LEGO's policies. There is one excellent toy store an hour from here, it reminds me of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It has Playmobil, Thomas Wooden Railroad, and all the toys you'd expect to find in a store like this - except LEGO. I chatted with the owner one day about that, and her own kids love LEGO, but LEGO just isn't friendly to small retailers here in the US. They limit the products she can carry, set unreasonable minimum orders, and don't offer the product at prices that she can compete with the big box stores. I only know of three smaller retailers within 100 miles that carry LEGO. One of them is a small variety/department store that has somehow stuck around when all others like it have disappeared. Like the shop you describe, they still have product from years ago. When I first rediscovered LEGO a few years ago, I found the road plates I had as a kid still at the same prices ($5 for a pack of 2!). If you are looking for Galidor or Jack Stone, you'll still find some of it there. Most of the good sets have unfortunately been picked over, but last time I was there they still had a good selection of Space Police left. The other two retailers are learning stores. At both of them you can sometimes find LEGO from last year that the other retailers have clearanced, but these stores get enough business that the retired LEGO sets don't stick around much longer than that. I always take advantage of clearance and sales at the big box stores, but when I want a set and nobody has a deal, I'll go out of my way to buy the set here because if I'm going to pay MSRP, I'd rather it go to a local business than a big box chain. Like the retailer at the top of my post who doesn't carry LEGO, the selection in the themes they can carry is limited, but on the flip side they carry some of the dacta sets so they have some things the box boxes don't (like the minifigure collections). I wish LEGO encouraged business from small retailers instead of discouraging it. I saw a post on another site that claimed that LEGO cancelled Minifig Series 6 orders from independent retailers. Unfortunately I suspect this could be true, and that's the kind of thing that sours these retailers to LEGO. LEGO should take care of these retailers, because there's a segment of the market that won't buy toys at Wal Mart, but only at retailers like these, and LEGO is losing business because of this.

Interesting fact, I was placing an order with Amazon.com today and decided to check the LEGO section to see if there was anything worth adding to my order, and I noticed that four out of the top ten building and construction toys are LEGO Friends. It seems to me that LEGO may have a hit on their hands. Also, in the February Parents magazine it made the list of the Top 10 Things to Have/See/Do. Clearly LEGO PR was working over time to get word out on these in time to get them into magazines that are on the shelf in January.

I think this is a good discussion. Having only come out of my dark ages in the past few years, large plates are difficult to come by. I've purposely bought a few sets for parts just because they had a good number of 6x16 plates. With some of the new Creator sets, there are even larger plates. However, if you don't have those large plates, it can be tough to build a roof/floor for a building.

That's called a wing plow, and almost all the Snow Plows up here in Wisconsin have them. In fact, the big plows that are used on wide roads can have wings on each sides of the plow. The craziest thing I've seen up here is a TowPlow. Google that if you've never seen one to see how creative they get in snow removal these days. This is a great MOC, and while I don't build in 4 wide, I'm thinking that a 6 wide plow would be a good addition to my town.

I think it is too early to tell on these small details. In some of the Lord of the Rings pictures they had unpainted stand-ins for certain figures, so I'd say that even if we could see anything in these extremely preliminary images, that it could be subject to change before the set is released.

Thanks for the heads up! I wonder if this is the same one that was on Youtube from the UK, it mentions the police station, so I suspect it might be. I've set my DVR to record, can't wait.

From another Wisconsinite - great work! I grew up in Sheboygan, and the Sheboygan lighthouse and Kenosha lighthouse were built at roughly the same time and to the same design. I can say you've definitely captured the look of these Great Lakes lighthouse quite well.