fred67

I have a couple of ones very much like that - probably that I got at Michael's. They are pretty good for those little pieces that you have like one or two of and don't know what to do with them, but otherwise I greatly prefer the Stanley ones (found at Home Depot, Lowes, Target, etc., and online): (deep) (shallow) The second one is what I'd use to replace those smaller ones, but they both have the same form factor (just different heights) and so they stack well together, even if you mix the sizes. The cons are 1) they are bigger (when you might not want that - but now I have many more of these than I do the smaller ones, which I should frankly get rid of), and 2) the sections are not customizable in size. 3) if you stack them on a shelf, you can't see what's in them... but I put labels under the handles (slopes, inverse slopes, tiles, etc.) to mitigate that problem. However, that second one is also a pro, because in this particular case, the bins are removable (and re-arrangeable in the case), which makes them easier to dump and dig through if you need to. Given the prices that Michael's and Joanne's charge for those hobby cases, these Stanley cases ($13.80 shallow, $18.50 deep on Amazon when I looked) are a better bang for the buck. Stanley also has a large case with resizable partitions, but I didn't like that one at all - I much prefer the bins, even if I have to "spill" pieces over (use two or more bins because I have a lot of a particular piece).

Yeah, I don't really get it... I live in the Metro Atlanta area - it's quite a large area, honestly, driving from one side to the other can take over an hour without any traffic (I'm talking about the METRO area, not the city limits). We used to have TWO outlet stores. Then I suppose the amount of interest couldn't sustain both stores, so one closed (this is many years ago). Now the one that stayed open has been upgraded from "outlet"to a full retail store; another new full retail store is opening, and a Discovery Center has opened in one of the fancy malls closer to the city.... all three of these are located between N and E on a compass with Atlanta in the center. I don't get how it's suddenly so popular... a decade ago they were on the verge of bankruptcy, partly from over-expansion... but now it seems like they are falling into the same trap. It might make more sense if they were more distributed around the city... but the N, and specifically NE are generally considered more affluent.

Series 3 was the first series that was widely available in the U.S. In fact, while I know others had better luck, I've NEVER seen an S1 or S2 packet in a brick and mortar store. Ever. S3 was the first series I could get my hands on without ordering online. I wanter if the stats show interest in CMF is waining. Perhaps people just haven't caught up.... it's hard to say more people are interested in 5 because more people have them when 5's been out for so long and 6 and 7 haven't. I don't see that that means anything in particular because many people are still getting figures by random. When I had to order from S@H, I didn't know what I was getting, I had little choice. Maybe these were harder to get hands on. A lot of what happens is just random, since the figures are random. I have TONS of figures I don't want (just look at the trading thread!) because I ordered from S@H and elsewhere and got random figures. From what I recall, elves were only three to a box - ape suit guy 5. Perhaps people were trying to get large numbers of elves and ended up with a ton of ape suit guys. So while the numbers are interesting, and there may be some correlation with wants and don't wants, it's too hard to assume anything. It's also astounding to me that elves are not even on the most wanted list. My CMF thread languishes with few offers until I offered an elf... then it trades away within a day. I have no more left to trade, unfortunately, but if I put "elf" in a post I'd be certain to have it traded away in days.

It is a cash cow, way more popular than they imagined it would be, but they are smart enough to not oversaturate the market, too; there's a reason you get releases in themes waves of a half dozen or so sets instead of a couple of dozen new sets every few months... "collectors" would stop collecting if they couldn't keep up (that goes for any theme). It surely wouldn't bother me if they slowed down right now. At first I couldn't wait for new series, but now, with a big wall display of 112 figures, it wouldn't bother me. For what it's worth, I think there may be a delay over the summer for the olympic CMFs. Luckily, while I'm willing to trade for set, I'm not particularaly inspired by them, and so wouldn't lose any sleep about letting them pass.

The compromise is to use this piece for the curved roof: and this: If I understand your problem correctly. It's not as gently sloped, but works and looks pretty good. EDIT: Oh.. I see what your problem is (after the edit), I get it... then you want to redo the roof using, maybe, these: It would require building the roof in a completely different way if you insisted on it matching the entire roof; otherwise you could put these next to the brick you're referring to and it's not a terrible match.

Thanks for the suggestions. We've got a couple of week long trips coming up - we'll use them for laundry, I think.

+1 jFox

I'm glad - I supported this a while back; I'm a big fan of modulars and mixing it up with other themes would be cool. Still... whorehouses, saloons, gunfights... might be outside of the core audience.

Ok, I know you all are anxious to get your hands on these sets, but without reading through thousands of responses, I'm curious about a second wave and if it will contain elf battle packs (like a supplement to Helms Deep).

Anyone who's bought a large set at a LEGO store has likely gotten one of those oversized plastic shopping bags. I'm wondering what people do with them, or if anyone knows if TLG recycles them. Unlike most bags (like the oversized ones you get from Toys R Us), these are really thick by comparison - really good bags. But it seems a waste to throw them out, and our recycling only takes certain plastics (mostly bottles). I can only find so many uses for them at home... they don't work well as trash bags because of the wide opening. I suppose I can bring them with me when I shop, but that feels kind of strange (I do use canvas bags when food shopping, though). But even if I were to keep a couple for that purpose, I still have a handful left over.

Slight update to my post - but with two important changes: 1. I am offering a Batman figure from 6857; I also have the extra Riddler head and hat from the same. 2. I am willing to give up an elf for two series 7 wants. Elves are gone. I have many older figures for trade, and while trades in the U.S. are better, I'm willing to trade (and have traded, multiple times) overseas for multiple figures. Edit: Started adding some series 7. Note to Brits! Would like to trade and/or paypal for the Olympic series!

Do you now? I don't get why people seem so delusionally willing to accept TLG's reasoning so quickly. They made a set of Darth Vader's transformation... you know, where the limbless and burned to a crisp Anakin is transformed? They made a set of the temple where Mola Ram rips out someone's still beating heart. They made a set of the plane where the mechanic (and yes, they include the mechanic) gets chopped up and blood sprayed all over the plane and cockpit. Let's not forget that Star Wars was before PG-13 (so was Empire).... Obi-wan chopping off some alien's arm; Han shooting first; Darth Vader picking some guy up by the neck and choking him to death then throwing him across the hall; the sexual overtones of Jabba's palace and his "slave" girls... a whole planet being destroyed? And you guys buy this excuse that a mere ship itself is not suitable? I didn't believe, but shrugged it off, when they rejected the Winchester, which was rated R after all, but this is just crazy... a PG-13 movie and TV show? I'm sorry if I sound like I'm ranting... I'm really tired of TLG garbage about their core audience. We had the same discussions after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when TLG stopped making sets... oh, it's "too dark," "too violent," not appropriate for kids anymore! And, oh, they'll never do Lord of the Rings! Too violent! Since when has LOTR been something aimed at the "core" audience? It's just rubbish - it's all about the $$$$, they simply don't think they'll make enough money to make it worth while... and that's fine; they're a business, and they don't succeed by making sets that don't make them money, but can we just stop being apologists for their disingenuous claims about their "core audience?" And while I am still going to post this, and accept any ramifications, I'll apologize now to anyone who takes offense... I'm sorry, but it really bugs me that TLG seems to already be violating the spirit of Cuusoo (although I also believe the Winchester "surge" to 10k was not in the spirit of Cuusoo, either, I'll admit).

Hate to say it.. but I told you guys and all I got was people getting mad at me. They created Cuusoo, limited posting set ideas to 18+, limited voting to 13+, and then reject sets as being outside the "core" audience range of 6-11. I really doubt many 6 to 11 year olds are asking their parents for the Shinkai or Hayabusa. My honest opinion is that both the Winchester and this one were business decisions - these sets would be quite large - in the $150 to $200 range or higher, which makes them a much bigger risk to produce. Sure, I can understand the explanation for the Winchester (although I still don't believe it), but given the licenses of the past - I won't recount all the gruesome scenes that TLG even made sets of, a simple space ship is not outside the core audience content. In this case, it's an expensive set for a movie that didn't even recoup it's production cost (which was fairly low for sci-fi, by most standards) at the box office. I don't blame them, but I don't think they're being honest about it... think of the fallout if they said "we don't think we'll make enough to take the risk on it." The Minecraft sets are going to be.. what? $34 Much less of a business risk. Consider also that if you're not careful, the zombies get you in Minecraft, too. Sorry - ranting, I know, just my opinion.

My wife and both kids all have some of the CMFs, at least... in fact, while I'm the buyer, I'm the last on the list to get the ones I want, they always come first. My son has a small collection, including bionicle and Star Wars, but as he just turned 13, doesn't seem to enthusiastic about LEGO anymore - although he also keeps up his CMF collection (but he's got two UNOPENED MBA packs on his desk, despite him saying he really wanted to subscribe when I asked... I may order the next set for me). My daughter sometimes builds with me - she often makes little things, even just spelling out "Happy Birthday" or something on a plate for special events, but we've also built a few nice things together, including a Ferris Wheel and some castle stuff. My wife thinks it's "cute," and likes some of the CMFs; she certainly doesn't mind it as my hobby, and I think she likes it better than other hobbies I could have.

Yeah... like a couple of the others, sometimes I buy licensed because there is some cool stuff in it, or because I just like the set. For POP, I got some of the sets when they went on sale because I thought they had decent pieces. I bought the imperial flagship (pirates, not SW) because I thought it was so cool, even though I'm not a big pirate fan - but that got me into ships, so I got some POTC sets (QAR, BP). Other series I just like the series - I bought all the newer Harry Potter stuff because I'm a fan of HP, not because I thought they were particularly good (and I don't think they are - as a train fan, especially, a bit disappointing). Then there's the biggie... I buy OT Star Wars sets because I'm a big fan. I did buy a couple of PT sets because I liked them. IOW, it goes back and forth - there are licenses that I happen to be a big fan of, so buy the sets because of that. Other times I buy them because I truly like the set; and I love that they do licensed sets because I think we've gotten tons of interesting new pieces out of them.

+1 tiggerkiddo - thanks for the trade! +1 Super Goblin - went out of his way to make a trade, really appreciated.

I'm suggesting a hypothetical... and suggesting that TLG would respond the same way it's responded for years to questions about certain licenses (before Cuusoo ever existed) is not far fetched - they already did it with the Winchester. There's a disconnect there when you need to be 13 to vote and 18 to submit a set, yet they deny a project because it doesn't suit their core demographic of 7 to 11 year olds.

And that's part of the problem. Maybe there should be a vetting period where you can't vote for a month after signing up, or maybe only VIP members should be able to sign up... or something. This is the problem When LEGO asks if you would "support" something, they are asking from a business perspective... they want to know if you'd buy the set. I supported Serenity because I'd buy it. I supported the Winchester because I'd buy it. I supported Space Marines and the Western Modulars also for the same reason. Even when it's a set I wouldn't want for myself, I've supported sets that I'd give as gifts - and mentioned that in the comment field when you click to support. But it's not a maybe... it's people that I know would like those sets and I'd definitely buy them. I really think it's uncool, and I definitely don't think it's what LEGO had in mind, to support something you wouldn't actually buy. That's just my opinion. But what happens when sets start getting made and they only sell 5 or 6k sets (or less)? How long does something as cool as Cuusoo last under those circumstances? It doesn't even mean that it goes away, just that TLG repeatedly uses the tired "it doesn't fit the core demographic (despite the fact our core demographic isn't old enough to vote, let alone post their own creations)."

That's not cool, IMO. If you wouldn't buy it, don't vote for it. Do you really enter "0" in the number of sets you'd be willing to buy?

JFox... that's really a fantastic idea. I stacked on two more display cases for series 6 and 7, and now I'm almost hitting the ceiling as they sit on the armoire I had them on. As I've mentioned, I don't care to group them by series, I like grouping them by (admittedly subjective) groupings. Still, while you'd squeeze an extra figure in, if you did 6-7-6-7-6 instead, you'd have an even 32 - exactly two sets worth of figures. Your design is great, though... I'm admitting I might steal copy it.. or at least the basic principle.

It's true, and I understand your problem with it, but at the same time there are a million different "space ships" out there, and, as someone who mostly collects and displays, I'm much more likely to support something like Serenity or a Battlestar Galactica Viper than I am someone's random spaceship (most of which are not worth the time of day). Something would have to truly stand out. On the other hand, I do recognize original work, too. I supported the western town, although it needs to be pared down to a single MOC; I supported the space marines, too. And I wouldn't support Serenity if I didn't think it was really well done - I wouldn't support a half-megablocked (my censorship) effort, which far too many projects seem to be, just because I like the theme or license. I wouldn't have supported the Winchester if I wasn't really willing to buy it. I suspect that's not the case for many of the supporters that flocked to Cuusoo after seeing it on Conan O'Brien. Maybe Cuusoo membership should be limited somehow. VIP members, maybe? I don't know.

I was going to say something about the Winchester, but then Scruacarrot wrote: There's a boatload of differences, of course, but the fact that Shaun of the Dead was tongue-in-cheek comedy that parodied zombie movies didn't save it; Firefly - the TV show - was fairly mild. Serenity, the movie, was not. Maybe not a lot of cursing, but a lot of fighting, dead people, and "ravers" to keep it from being substantially different from the TV show. Depends on how they view it, I suppose - based off the TV show or the movie. The movie was more of a compressed version of the main story arc for the entire series rather than a continuation. No, it really wasn't. It wasn't profitable, but not exactly a disaster, either. If you include DVD rentals and sales, it was barely profitable, in fact. I agree it's not exactly the kind of blockbuster that TLG would want to take a shot on, but like Shaun of the Dead, it's got it's cult following - and the model is just a cool ship and very well done. I have to agree here... first of all, if you don't like it, don't vote for it or buy it, but complaining when something reaches 10k because it was licensed is just... I don't know... comes off as really whiny. I don't want to offend anyone here, it's all just opinion, but frankly, licensed or not, if it's cool and I like it then I like it. It really doesn't matter if it's licensed. I probably won't buy Zelda... borderline BTTF; I would buy this, though, given a remotely reasonable price. Look to see TLG raise the voting requirements. At first it was only like 1000, right? I don't think the first two models got anywhere near 10k because there were hardly any Cuusoo users at that point. I don't even recall hearing about Cuusoo until the second model "won." I remember the first model being released and just thought it was some Japanese promo that wasn't available here. They're going to have to raise voting requirements to be some proportion of active (not total) members.

It's hard for a company to do something cool like Cuusoo and not have it manipulated and ... let's say, made less useful and fun (as opposed to the word I was going to use: "ruined") by people taking advantage. It happens every time a company tries to do something nice - freebies and promotional items, for example. Government programs, too - there's seemingly no end to the ways people discover to manipulate and abuse programs designed to help people who really need it. I don't know what TLG can do to mitigate the problems, but as a LEGO enthusiast, I agree wholeheartedly with obsidianheart - I only vote for sets I'd buy if they made them (for some reasonable price, of course). I may buy some of these other ones if they end up making them - Back to the Future, Firefly, Zelda... but I couldn't reasonably promise I would, so I didn't vote for them. I also skip over people I think are violating terms, like asking for re-releases (although they often get removed fairly quickly nowadays). I also don't vote for anything that doesn't actually have a model (even an LDD one). I don't vote for vague ideas. I often express that in comments when people are suggesting what they think should be a "line" or a series of sets that I can't support it because it's not a single set that I can tell Cuusoo that'd I'd buy X number for some specific price... even if I'd like to see such a series. As far as licensed or not goes, I don't really care - either I like or I don't.

Thanks, Donut. Kind of a convoluted way to do things, but it worked for me... got Heroica Castle Fortaan ($29.99) for $16.99 with no tax and no shipping. Amazon Local looks pretty useful, I'd never seen it before... I already did another one of these voucher deals and saved $15 off Mother's Day gift. Good catch

+1 jfox, thanks for the trade!