fred67

Compared to most LEGO prices, most of the PF stuff seems relatively inexpensive for what it is... however, I agree, the lights seem particularly expensive, and I don't like the design of the light element itself, which makes it hard to use, IMO. Lifelites, while more expensive, are also more flexible - one kit should be able to light both front and back (and cars). I haven't used these, though, although I do toy with my own LEDs and wires.

Another "SPARK" article on Foxnews.com. I've largely stayed quiet on this issue; it's true that for my daughter (and my own) sake, I'd have simply preferred standard minifigures being used. I love the sets, though. But someone on bricklink posted a link to this article, and I couldn't really believe what I was reading; they admit the figures are well proportioned (unlike Barbie dolls, for example), but I found this disturbing: So... I'm curious... having "little" breasts "hypersexualizes girls?" WTF? Really, these people need to whacked with a clue-stick. Finally, a voice of reason: But then this is just disturbing: As a man who would buy both standard and friends sets for himself AND his daughter, I take exception to the idea that the sets are gender specific. Like all toys, they may be geared towards one sex or the other, but nothing is necessarily specific. In this case even less so. Again, I'd have preferred standard figures, but the sets themselves are quite good for anybody.

(picture is a link to bricklink)

I don't know, personally, but our store was open before the "official" opening weekend.

I had to vote no... I'm sad I missed the sets before, and it's not that I wouldn't like them, it's that they've moved on and already have replaced the theme with others. There's only so much they can do.

From this report,, from 2007 to 2010, profit margins nearly doubled. 12.8% in 2007, 23.2% in 2010. The profit margin is the real value you want to look at when trying to compare apples to apples. They will offer up every excuse in the book - I'm telling you, the volume of plastic in an average LEGO set needs a relatively small amount of petroleum, for example - it's a tiny fraction of the total price. You can double the cost of petroleum, and it only very slightly affects the manufacturing cost. And again, I'm not belittling TLG - not only do they have every right to be a successful profit driven company, but the more successful they are, the more products we get. I know it's hard for some people to get over the fact their favored company is profit driven, the thing is to realize that profits are not evil. But I stand by my assertion that the biggest cost increase to consumers of LEGO over the past few years is increased profit margin, plain and simple. In the U.S., CMF prices went from $2.00 to $3.00 from one series to another. I know people outside the U.S. will whine about us still getting the best prices, but that's not the issue (and I feel your pain) - the issue is that increase is 100% profit due to the success of the series. Even if their profit was ZERO before the price increase, their profit margin is 33% after it... and you have to think that it certainly wasn't zero before. I want to also state that I never felt price per piece made a valid comparison. Would you pay the same for 500 1x1 plates as 500 2x4 bricks? It's a wildly inaccurate way to determine the value of a LEGO set; it's more of a starting point, and after you have to figure in the value of minifigures, and consider the various types of parts you get in the set. Even then it's still just a "ballpark" valuation. The bottom line here, despite any bickering we might have about it, the value of a LEGO set is entirely up to you - it's either worth it or it's not. I like discussing issues like this (I'm definitely into politics and the economy and trying to understand how businesses work), so I hope I'm not rubbing people the wrong way... businesses are not evil; they create and sell products we want and need, and we're free to buy from competitors (or not all in most cases).

It's true... it's not just trains, though. In fact, it's most "detailed" sets; the "realistic" LEGO trains appreciate in value - the ugly ones (like the Railway Express) are only valuable for the parts - 9v track, motor, regulator... Detailed sets, like the modular buildings, also appreciate quickly in value - more than the trains have; and so have most (but not all) of the UCS Star Wars sets. Still, it can make sense to get an extra if you have the spare change. I've become the inadvertent owner of some very expensive sets as I bought them at MSRP (or even on clearance), only to build them years later when they are worth several times what I paid. It's hard to bust that seal in that case, but I didn't buy it to sell (note my "tag" under my icon, which I got for building a Cafe Corner despite the value being over four times what I paid). But if I knew then... I might very well have gotten several. Hindsight is 20/20.

The main thing that drives the prices up is demand. Honestly. We keep trying to figure it out, but it's really quite simple - it's not just licensing, it's not just the cost of oil or shipping, it's what their marketing research tells them will maximize their profit. They are a profit driven company, and that's not a bad word and it doesn't make them a bad company - their profit motives drive them to keep delivering new and great sets. I will throw this out there as an example: the LICENSED Star Wars Clone Trooper Battle pack with a speeder-bike and four troopers is $12.99; the similar Mandalorian BP is the same; I could name more, but you get the idea. Now the city accessory set 853378, with four fire fighters and little else, is $14.99 (of course, it's not even available anymore... it was only around for a couple of months in the U.S.). So $2.00 more for the same number of unlicensed figures? I don't know how they come up with that price... but it has little to do with licensing or cost of materials, and there was nothing particularly interesting or new. Again, don't get me wrong - I like LEGO; if I had a problem with the prices or the fact that LEGO tries to maximize how much they get from us, I wouldn't buy it. Profit is not an evil word, it's what drives companies to produce... but if you want to know why the prices go up faster than inflation can explain, it's because LEGO charges a premium and has a relatively high (very high, in fact) profit margin - even in the U.S.. God bless them... keep going, TLG, the more successful you are, the more you'll bring us and the longer you'll be around. EDIT: I wanted to add this, as well... TLG has a monopoly on LEGO sets. That sounds dumb, but it's true - and what pulled them back from "the abyss" (on the verge of bankruptcy) is partially the fact they realized that they had the best building brick on the market and shouldn't be ashamed to ask a premium for it. Their profit margins soared, and so did their actual profits - because people who knew bought LEGO, despite the price increases, because it was still more worth it than other brands.

Hi, Chris, welcome to EB... If you don't already know, you need to check out the LEGO store at Discover Mills in Lawrenceville; There's a LEGO discovery center at Phipps Plaza (it's for kids though... and, except for special events, you can only get in with a kid). There's another full LEGO store opening in Alpharetta in June (15th). Finally, there's DixieLUG, the area's LEGO users group (also on Facebook), and NGLTC (North Georgia LEGO Train Club, if you're into trains). Their website is not really functional at the moment.

Cool; neat idea and done really well.

If you are near a LEGO store, look for them in PAB walls. If you see something you like that you need in abundance, ask for a box - no better way to get a LOT of a single piece at a good price. EDIT: you may want to try LEGO Education, too... they sell white plate packs; I've bought packs of LARGE white bricks from them (8x16 - not plates, but bricks). They have a lot of interesting things there.

I agree it's similar to BR, but the problem I have with that is that both have historical and fictional groundings... from the real gladiator games to stories like "the lottery" and "The Long Walk," so while there are a lot of similarities, there are a lot of previous stories (and real history) that they both borrow from. I think that's why the comparison bothers me - because while the Hunger Games is hardly completely original, neither is BR. Yet THG had my emotional level up quite high from before the "reaping" until the final moments... and less than half the movie was the actual "games." It's much more focused around a dystopian future and manipulative government, and how someone plays the "game" (not just the actual games) to win over the crowd. In fact, that makes comparisons with "Gladiator" even more valid... gladiator takes down Commodus by winning over the crowd. I could go on all day about what's "borrowed" from what; it doesn't lessen either BR or THG in my opinion, but there is one important distinction: THG is much more focused on the politics (not sure that's the correct word for it), the "games" did not even start until well into the second half; BR is much more focused on the "battle."

Friday, June 15th is the scheduled opening for the new GA store.

Wrath of the Titans. Now very good.

Yet most layouts have more straight. A LOT more straight. The problem is the mold, as far as I recall, a single mold that made an equal number of straight and curves. If they don't sell them in equal amounts, then they have a lot of waste. I think they must have changed the mold by now, giving us curves and flexi... I don't know, whatever they are deciding is definitely not what LEGO train enthusiasts want, it's what they think will maximize their profit, so it's not likely you'll be able to get what you want without buying something you don't. I'm not a critic of the free market, I'm just saying why I think they don't give us what we actually want. My opinion is that projects like that are way outside the idea of Cuusoo. Yes, trains as a hobby are, sadly, dying out. The train shows are filled with 80% older guys with a smattering of kids and their moms. As I mentioned, TLG is a for profit company, they can't do stuff just because it would be nice for us. Yes... again, I think most people understand that's how TLG made tracks in the past (in a single mold that made an equal number of each); the 9V era was a disaster for TLG when they finally had to dump all those curved tracks that nobody bought for pennies on the dollar. I think these people think it's more likely to get the combo back again then to go all the way and actually separate straight track again. One step at a time, perhaps. What really bugs me about all this is people were quite vocal about the straight+curved packs for some time... so TLG's answer was to give us flexi+curved. What? They may as well have flipped us the bird. I urge you guys not to jump onto something as silly as getting enlighten tracks when ME Models track works so well whether you are using 9V or PF. It's frustrating waiting for them to fill and replenish their stock, but the track I got works great, and I finally get to have brown ties.

New guys need to check this thread: EB Members Trading Collectible Minifigs Portal. Might make life a bit easier.

Well, both my kids (10 and 12) read the books (they are both pretty mature, IMO, both in advanced classes); the whole family went to see the movie last week. I haven't read the books (but am inspired to now). The movie was a lot deeper than I expected it to be; the commentary on society and the government was amazing, definitely up there with 1984 and Animal Farm. Anyone expecting an action packed sci-fi extravaganza will be disappointed. The "games" don't even start until well into the second half, and it's a LONG movie. I will say this, to give some perspective. In January I had shoulder surgery. I sat around for the first week with nothing to do. Can't build LEGO with one hand, really. Couldn't even hold a book that well. So I ended up watching TV, including a handful of premium movie channels. It was garbage; complete and utter garbage. Dozens of movies and all of them garbage. I was so bored. My standards became a lot higher... and The Hunger Games is one of the best movies I think I've ever seen. I think it affected me on levels that most "kids" don't get (having a child old enough for the reaping, for one). The juxtaposition of the characters going from abject poverty and borderline starvation immediately to a room on a train with plates, piled not with healthy fruits and vegetables, but cakes and pies and so much utter garbage that they couldn't possibly consume it (IOW, you know it will just go to waste). I didn't like the jerky cut scenes; I think we see a lot more violence in other PG-13 movies (take, like, Live Free or Die Hard), and the use of the jerky-cam was not so much to avoid showing violence (it made the fight scenes downright confusing - you just saw limbs, you didn't know who was throwing the punch, let alone winning the fight), I think it's a cheap technique to avoid having to choreograph fights. I forgive it, but only because it wasn't a movie about fighting. I can't wait for the next movies; I expect to have read all the books by then. Unfortunately I have a pile of books to get through at the moment, before I can thing about THG, but I also expect it'll take at least two years for a sequel. That's disappointing, because the actors are already well older than the characters they are playing. I'd always thought Harry Potter should have been one a year. As far as splitting the finale... yes, the studios do that with popular books now because they can make a lot more money. They've already got you hooked. I haven't read the books, but while the screenplay may have captured enough of the essence of the book, it's always nice to have more details... but if they were going to do that, I'd rather see it with character development in the beginning than the end. But the book lovers almost always scream for the more subtle details that are necessarily cut out of the story in order to make it "fit" on the screen. I guess I'm saying we shouldn't complain until we see it - they may very well do a great job.

Their response when you got 500+ seems very optimistic, though: That is 100% accurate. I see no reason they shouldn't make this set, and can mention several sets they've made from somewhat gruesome scenes in movies... the fact that they've released zombies themselves is only the clincher. If they don't do it, it'll be for some other reason whether they state it publicly or not... this would be the biggest set from Cuusoo that reached the needed votes, so they might consider it the biggest risk. It wouldn't surprise me if they "played the violence card" to slink out of making it, but I'm pretty optimistic about it right now.

Ahh... I have tons of those (light gray, of course), I could have sworn I saw tabs to connect directly with the curved rails. EDIT: OOHHHH!!! I see what you did there... OK, cool.

Wow. I like this a LOT. I'd like to see more about how you integrated the narrow curves with the straight tracks. Then engines and cars are awesome for the scale; I like the whole layout. Congratulations! It's like combining LEGO and n-scale to have a reasonably sized layout. (I know it's more comparable to HO, but I think of "n" when people want to conserve space). EDIT: I guess I've not encountered any of the separate straight rails (aside from ME Models) with the tab. (runs off to Bricklink to look them up). EDIT 2: I can't find straight track pieces with tabs... what did you do?

Agreed. I didn't support the minecraft set, but at the price it's coming out as, and knowing some fans, it's a good gift. I really wish I could have gotten one of the first two sets the released; I guess we may get a chance to buy the Hayabusa. I'd definitely buy a Shaun of the Dead Winchester Set, especially with the improvements made on it. I'm really excited about it now; I "liked" it myself and drummed up a bit of support, but it's amazing hitting refresh every few minutes and seeing how quickly it's going up.

I'd like to assume it's the former.

Yes, that's exactly what it is. The first couple of ones I got from the local store were quite good, they were completely stuffed and barely close-able. Now the bags are maybe 2/3 full and I don't see anything interesting in them. I actually got Squidward's head (the good molded one). I think they are getting cheaper with what they give you.

I've been keeping my eye out at my local store, but since the last time I bought it seems they are putting less and less in the bags; I doubt I could get anywhere near two big cups worth of pieces that kasmca got if packed with even a weak packing job, probably little more than one. Given the price and that you can only see a few of the pieces, it hasn't seemed worth it.