fred67

Yeah... when you can get the equivalent of a LEGO bucket in only gray for the same price, including S&H, let us know.

Those look quite good! I like the colors.

If they did it, I wouldn't want creator sets, I'd want modular sets. When they added "Hogwarts" to "Hogwarts Castle," that was a great idea - you had an expensive set with a relatively inexpensive set as an addition; they go together but there's no problem using them separately. As modular sets they are sufficiently detailed whereas creator sets would likely need to be much less so. I recall this even being discussed for the castle theme in general, but modular wall sections and so forth would be really cool - you can make Helms Deep as big as you like, with inner and outer walls; add a couple of modular sets that go with it (but work fine as stand alone), like the Hornburg or a Tower on the Deeping Wall, and now you're talking about a variety of sets at a variety of prices that can be used separately or combined. I would suppose that, as far as a "creator" version goes, something where a modular wall has either two half walls or one tall wall. Rivendell would be made up of a number of smaller sets, Lothlorien would be made up of a number of smaller sets... Moria, Hobbiton, Edoras, Minas Tirith (and to a lesser extent, Osgiliath). This is why I think the sets would be a great license for TLG - there's so many great ideas and sets (the list I just gave isn't even exhaustive, as there's a lot of one-offs, too, like Weather Top, and even where Bilbo encountered the trolls). I also don't think the license affects the price all that much... I actually think most of the other LEGO prices are inflated a bit to make it seem like the licensed sets aren't that much more expensive, piece for piece (obviously there are exceptions). FBTB.net had a price comparison a while back which, as I recall, showed SW sets were not any more expensive on a piece-by-piece basis (although I can't find it now). That would mean many of the sets would work fine for traditional castle fans (the only difference being "fleshies," which, as I've said, I could live without in a LOTR theme). BIG EDIT: I want to add that I've been stating support for a second fantasy wave... I think I'd be happy enough with it, but like most AFOLs I'm very impatient and want to see the sets I want to see. I think the orcs and trolls (hey, let's call them what they are) were good enough - the dwarves were good enough, the humans were good enough, even the "winged steeds" were good enough... add elves and some more white haired wizards in black towers with cloth robes instead of a plastic hat, and you're really onto something. I wish we could go buy, for reasonable prices (like most of the bulk brick "starter" buckets TLG sells), gray pieces. I can live with with LBG... but building a Helms Deep in LBG would cost enough using gray buckets... the way you have to buy parts now it would cost an absolute fortune. Maybe they should just do "castle buckets."

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?q=polybag EDIT: although that's woefully incomplete, too... but it shows ones outside the usual ranges.

International website = nobody knows where you are unless you say it in your post or set it in your user profile. The answers to your questions could vary by country, so yes, it's important (don't feel bad, though, may long-time users have not set their locations in their profiles and ask questions or participate in discussions where it might have meaning). Solutions to your problems are simple... either create a paypal account or get a credit card. You can get a pre-paid VISA card, for example, so you're not actually putting yourself in debt. Many stores sell them... look online to see where you can buy one... places like WalGreens or CVS.

I agree with Weil. I don't know if they will do LOTR, but I've been saying all along that if they didn't, I would be quite happy with Fantasy II. The variety of dwarf parts we got in Fantasy Era, and with the new dwarf, can make you 13 different (even if only slightly) dwarves. The riding dragons were great winged steeds, we had orcs and trolls... just missing elves. Make a couple of pseudo LOTR sets (wizard's tower, white city, elf city) and I'd be happy... I see a lot of benefits to it; given all the yellow figures we already have, they'd all work well together. It would likely be cheaper. They could expand the role of women (LOTR has a few great female characters, but they are few... maybe 3 that they'd make?) I have to say, I'd be happy either way. I won't continue to buy Kingdoms, though. I started slowing down on SW sets... decided I only really liked the OT sets, and don't want duplicates, so don't need the new MF, don't need the new AT-AT (but I'm glad they re-release, as I missed a lot of earlier ones), but I digress... one of the reasons was because, as a fantasy fan, I became enamored with the fantasy sets. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was BECAUSE it was fantasy. So when they stopped and released the Kingdoms sets, I bought a few... but now am not really that into it. On a side note, CallMePieOrDie said POTC and HP weren't getting any new sets... don't we already know there'll be a Black Pearl? And weren't we told HP was getting a big new exciting set by the end of the year?

I often resort to google... like "elves site:eurobricks.com"

Ok, all you guys wanting an army of Royal Guards... I want an army of Dwarfs: My Post.

That's just silly, though - there's no reason to buy those dice boxes for every single minifigure ($0.80/each, AFAIR, times 16 minifigures = $12.80) when the single tiered case that holds 21 figures (even though I've configured mine for 20) is $10.00 and, moreover, you can more freely pose them than you can in either the LEGO case or the dice boxes (or the shadow boxes). And it's not that I have a stake in the Container Store, either, there's plenty of display cases that will work. I bought the dice boxes for "special" minifigures, like customs, the Chrome Stormtrooper, the white Boba Fett...

The wheels (both sets) on the engine and the passenger car should swivel. The tender should be fine. I haven't build mine yet, but I imagine they put something there to keep the wheels straight for kids playing with it without tracks. If that's the case, I'd be surprised they didn't include instructions for using it on LEGO tracks (even motorizing it).

+1 diabloiij

I know nothing about the movies except that Peter Jackson is taking on more of it than he wanted to (which I think is a good thing) and that it will be in two parts; I also read a few things about movie rights and so forth, but that was all settled. I know the book was targeted at a younger audience. I can only suppose the movie will be better for younger audiences because the book was, despite a few interesting details they might add, but who knows? Maybe they'll make the epic final battle so gory it'll be R. But there are a few other things I'd like to point out - the first couple of Indiana Jones movies may have been PG, but it was the second one that was explicitly aimed at kids (thank Lucas for that, even if you want to blame Spielberg). Of course, it's generally considered the weakest of the original three for that reason (same reason Return of the Jedi is considered the weakest of the OT, IMO). In fact, the Last Crusade was supposedly referred to as being an apology to adults from Spielberg for the Temple of Doom - and it grossed nearly 50% more worldwide despite being PG-13 instead of PG. But I digress.. the point is that these movies came out 20 to 30 years ago, and LEGO launched a line based on just one last, single movie (perhaps they assumed if it did well there'd have been another one by now... it's obvious "Mutt" was supposed to take over the franchise), it was PG-13; POTC had three highly successful movies and we didn't get LEGO sets until the fourth (relatively crappy) movie... and it was PG-13. I think a lot of parents let their kids watch PG-13; I'm going to go ahead and admit my son watched all the movies when he was quite young... and played most of the video games, to boot. Perhaps 7 is too young, but I don't know that 10 or 11 is, and I think there will be renewed interest in LOTR when the Hobbit comes out. I'll also point out again that I'm not expecting TLG to release LOTR sets. Then again, I was not expecting them to release new HP sets, either (based on PG-13 movies, no less). I was quite happy when they did; I would be quite happy if they did LOTR... but I'm not holding my breath, I'm merely disagreeing with a lot of nay-saying about "why" a LOTR wouldn't work - I personally don't believe the arguments. The question for TLG is merely it would it work well enough to justify the costs, including licensing. I have no doubt this line would not do as well as Star Wars, but it doesn't have to do as well to be worthwhile; but if Newline, MGM, and the Tolkien Estate (and whomever else would get a cut of the pie) think they should get just as much as Lucas does for Star Wars (and knowing Newline and it's parent company... Time Warner, I wouldn't doubt it), then TLG might not feel it's worth it, because it would likely not have nearly as large a run as SW has. But as is often pointed out, it's all just speculation, and this is just my two cents.

For crying out loud... that video was over 11 minutes? It should have been about 45 seconds. In fact, it should have been a couple of pictures instead of a video. I'm sure you could come up with a cheaper alternative. I like the big cases I used (from the Container Store, see previous posts on the thread) because nothing else seems to allow you to fully pose the figure in a way it was meant to be; my skiers are actually wearing their skis (and facing the forwards); the fishing poles are held forward. None of these other solutions seem to give you enough depth to do that. However, I want to thank you for posting because the shadow frames are always cool and I think there's a lot of use for them for displaying LEGO. I mean, if you throw a bunch of towns people or SW droids or something in there, it could be very cool. Some of the original architecture sets could work in a shadow frame as well.

Really? Not even the lady with the fan? Just kidding... while I'm not a fan of the lady with the fan, pretty much all the other ones are at least average or better. It seems more like just before surgery rather than in it; examining the x-ray one last time... my opinion? Good enough. I'm actually reminded of Pat, the sexually ambiguous character from Saturday Night live. I'm not convinced it's a guy. EDIT 2: Now that I look at the surgeon, how do we know it's a woman? EDIT 3: And how do we know the alien's not a woman (or at least female)? EDIT: Because it's a toy robot, not a robot-robot.

Well, you guys are certainly correct that it's speculation, but there's usually more to it than just having one wave... when there's one wave, and those items are on sale in short order (just a few months), then it's a pretty safe bet (even if not 100%) that they weren't selling well.

That's fine... I never said they don't "like" basing their sets on vehicles; they really do LOVE it, it makes coming up with sets in a variety of price ranges very easy for them. But this is the point: it's not required to make a successful theme. HP is a successful theme despite not having a lot of vehicles, certainly not even particularly "play-able" vehicles in HP's case, and so few they had to repeat them over and over again. I'm not suggesting themes with a dearth of vehicles is easy, but there are more playable "vehicles" in LOTR, like battering rams and siege towers... frankly, nothing less than what the castle themes already offer plus "winged steeds" (if you know the "Wyverns" from the fantasy theme, you'll know what I mean... not some clunky "brick built" Nazgul) and even ships. Other themes are also lacking in vehicles; castle, Prince of Persia (of course, that's selling like crap, but not because of a lack of vehicles); even the very successful POTC only has one non-ship vehicle. I think what happens is some themes certainly lend themselves to having a lot of vehicles, and vehicles are an easy set for TLG to make (and usually easy to make in a variety of price ranges), but they certainly aren't necessary for a successful theme. You're entitled... I enjoy discussing it... sometimes people get bent out of shape on the internet when people disagree with them, but EB is quite the reasonable place, I think. Anyway, kids may not want to race around in Gandalf's cart, but they'd love to play with the horses and winged steeds. Kingdoms doesn't have cars, spaceships, or trains; POTC has none of those, either, nor did the non-POTC pirate themes. All I'm saying is that it's a little of both - kids like vehicles where vehicles are appropriate; TLG makes copious amounts of vehicle sets when possible because it's easier for them... what I suggested is it's simply not a requirement for a successful theme, it's just something that makes it easy for TLG. I've seen them at Target... doubt I'd see it at Kmart; I read the Hobbit in third grade (age 7 to 8); my son read it a few years ago... I don't know exactly how old he was, but he's only 12 now. I also want to reiterate that I never suggested LOTR would be as popular as SW, but I'd be willing to bet it would be at least as popular as HP, given the release of the movies. I also want to point out I'm not arguing that TLG will likely release a LOTR theme... I don't think they will, I just think the reasons people are giving is wrong; in a case like this, it almost always boils down to a simple matter of money - in this case, the cost of the license. Another EDIT: I also want to mention that there were sticker books for LOTR, even if they weren't popular; I will be willing to bet you will see a lot of marketing towards younger people next time around, including things like McDonalds or Burger King toys. Yet another EDIT: I just found that Burger King, in fact, had LOTR give-aways in their kids meals.

Don't want to turn this thread into something it's not, but I do agree with toorayay; I bought two Green Grocers because one was a damaged box, so I bought both and saved the pristine version to sell later on, which eventually about doubled what I paid. I have no regrets about it... it was only two, and a lot of people who missed out back then because they were still in dark ages, or for whatever reason, are quite happy to get those sets. I've never complained about paying inflated prices for sets I missed, I just have a limit beyond which I won't go and will live without - but some people have a much higher limit.

But the kids in HP started at age 11, the top end of the usual LEGO range, and while I don't know any kids in the magic LEGO age range that have read the LOTR, I know MANY who've read the Hobbit... and that's ultimately what this is about, since the idea for a LEGO theme revolves around the release of, as I said before, two pretty much guaranteed blockbuster movies aimed at a younger audience than the LOTR. I don't think a TV show is necessary... Star Wars is the only ongoing theme with one, and I wouldn't suggest a LOTR theme would be as popular as Star Wars... even HP wasn't nearly as popular as HP, but it does quite well, apparently, no TV show necessary.

I missed this when it was posted, glad I caught it. I got the calendar because I always do, but what crap. Very disappointed. Still a nice review, though, SilentMode.

Exactly... wizards and Robin Hood... that's not a bad way to look at LOTR. I think that when the Hobbit comes out, you will see a lot of kids in the demographic that will definitely want some Hobbit or LOTR figure over Darth Vader. I think kids really do like elves and drarves and themes where there are clear-cut good guys/bad guys. If kids like fantasy castle theme, there's no reason they wouldn't love LOTR theme with it's epic battles, battling wizards, and super bad guys like the Nazgul (and do you doubt the appeal of their "winged steeds?"). You could have said the same thing about Harry Potter. They had all but discontinued the line... it was too dark, not enough vehicles, the content was getting too mature. Did it really still appeal to kids under 12? Well, they tried, and they got their answer... yes it did. Or, if it didn't, it still sold enough to be worthwhile.

Yeah... more or less. I've posted a couple of general ideas about sets (although I didn't go into detail some posters have... too much for this thread, if you ask me, but whatever). I did it to counter point 3 in the list below. A few years ago I would have concluded there wasn't a chance, but I see things a bit different now: 1. The tired old explanation that LOTR is too violent is bunk... I just watched Anakin Skywalker chop off Dooku's head and, beaten and burned, drag himself out of lava with his one good arm and three stumps... and there's even a set for his "transformation." In Raiders of the Lost Ark, a mechanic gets chopped to bits by the propeller of the flying wing, and blood splatters all over the plane before it explodes - and of course, LEGO released a set for that, too. I don't think I need to mention they released The Dark Knight sets, as well. 2. That you need vehicles for a theme to succeed is bunk, and even if it weren't, there are horses and flying Nazgul and Gandalf's cart and ships... at least as much there as HP or POTC or the regular castle theme... especially when you add siege towers. 3. That there aren't enough set ideas to make LOTR interesting is ABSOLUTELY bunk. 4. That it won't appeal to the demographic is bunk (*). I've given this a lot of thought, and I think some things are important to think about... the demographic age range is quite small, relatively speaking. What are we talking about? Typically 7 to 12? A mere five year range... but SW the OT seems to have sold just as well as the PT sets, 30 years later. Even the first POTC is well beyond 5 years... a 6 or 7 year old when POTC came out is well into the teens. Even the original Toy Story was WAY older than that (1995)... Toy Story 2 is 12 years old. What happened is a new movie revives interest in the entire series... you've got TWO movies that are, as sure as you can possibly be about these things, going to be absolute blockbusters coming out; and the Hobbit is likely to be targeted to a younger audience (as was the book). Young enough? I think so. I still doubt we'll see LOTR sets; I'd be a happy camper if we did, and if not I'll make do with what I have from the fantasy era along with new elves and drarves and customs, and hope that, if they don't do LOTR, they'll do more fantasy in the future that I can use to do LOTR stuff myself. That's always the beauty of LEGO, right? But the point is that all the naysayers who say "LEGO will never do LOTR" and then give some explanation about why generally use one of those four tired reasons that I simply don't agree with. I sadly accepted that there would never be any new Harry Potter sets, too... oh... the HP LEGO sets didn't make enough money; it was getting too dark; there just aren't enough vehicles.... so these reasons about why TLG won't do LOTR are mere speculation... none of us really knows a damn thing. Well, here's my speculation: if TLG does not do The Hobbit/LOTR, it will be for one simple reason - they couldn't reach an agreement with the rights holders that makes it worthwhile. I don't think it will happen, but the reasons people nay-say it are mostly bunk. In the end, it will all come down to money.

After having build the others I was wondering why it was so short on interior details (*); I'll chalk it up to being one of the first sets when TLG didn't know how popular they'd be. In my copious spare time, not only will I make an interior, I'm going to light everything. Would be cool to have it for Christmas, but I doubt I'll get that far. * EDIT: Obviously meaning that we successfully finished... my wife did quite a bit, which is unusual, surprising, and more than a little bit interesting - all in a good way.

Thanks. I'd never built it simply because I didn't have room. Although I've collected all the modular buildings since Cafe Corner, I ended up keeping this one the longest for various reasons... my wife and kids got me the Pet Shop for Father's Day, for example, and we built it right away. Last Thanksgiving we took the Grand Emporium to Grandma's to build. Finally I added some new shelves... one dedicated to modular, so here we go. I actually spent the time between my first post and this one digging it out of my closet

Long story short... decided to do a family build of the Cafe Corner today. It's been in my closet for some time now; I bought it new from the LEGO Store for MSRP. I checked bricklink and, in North America, the current MINIMUM for a new set is $779.00. I feel like I must be crazy, but I did buy it to build it, and I'm a sucker for my kids.

Wow, that looks great! Thanks for picture, I'm sold.