rodiziorobs

Also, I have noticed a difference in dismantling CMFs versus non-Chinese manufactured figs. I regularly dismantle my minifigs with no problems, but it seems that CMFs tend to be a tad looser afterwards.

Unless you are inserting studs into the hole from both sides (i.e., a 1x1 round plate on each side), it produces a pretty strong connection. If you are putting a stud through each side, they should be hollow, otherwise the word "LEGO" increases the height just enough to weaken the connection. Using a 2x2 jumper as shown in the picture above, there should be no problem.

I don't think any kind of keyword search is cheating, although out of courtesy maybe wait until it goes unanswered for a day or so. I think that image searching--where you use the picture itself rather than keywords--is cheating, if you plan to then guess the answer. I have done that with several movies from this thread, but only when I knew I had no chance of knowing it, and no intention of guessing it.

Mmmmmmyeaaaaahh...but I think steampunk wouldn't be keeping close to the theme of the contest, since after all it specifically states "Space Pirates", so I think I'll just stick to that.

I've had an idea for Pirate MOC (steampunk pirates, actually) for quite awhile, and was about to start this week. I suppose I could alter it a bit and have Space Pirates instead, this contest sounds like too much fun to miss out on! Thanks Bob de Quatre!

This is a great way that I have used, also. Especially for licensed sets, where people just want the minifigs, you can pick up the rest of the set (got mine from on eBay) for a huge discount--often 50% or more. You just have to educate yourself and be patient for the really good deals to come along. Find a couple sets with pieces or colors you want, and put a bunch in your watchlist. Only bid if they are a good price, and learn from the other ones you aren't bidding on to see what the sets usually sells for. For example, awhile back I was needing a lot of green and brown and tan pieces, so I watched the Shire, Warg attack, and Barrel Escape sets (without figs). I bid on a few, lost a bunch, but in the end, got one of the Shire and two each of the others, each for about 40-50% off MSRP. Obviously, I didn't get any minifigs nor most of the weapons or accessories, but I got a lot of parts in colors I wanted at a pretty good price. As always, YMMV.

Well I was hoping for another entertaining chicken box, but I suppose a bubble mailer will have to do Thanks a ton CopMike! I know this must take a ton of time and effort, you are incredible!

SpaceCamp

The mixel joints, however, aren't able to hold up much weight. They enable knees without much height increase, but you couldn't support a fully-armored mech with them. Heck, you probably couldn't support even a barely-armored mech.

Huh. Well I don't mind admitting I was wrong back there (again). Interesting, I really wonder how the MCU will adapt now. I hope they'll forge ahead with their original plans concerning Civil War rather than shift everything around to give Spidey a leading role. Stick to BP, and put Spidey in as a supporting role--nothing too major, but more than an extended cameo. I think a less-is-more approach like with the Hulk in Avengers is really the best way to go, then it leaves plenty of room for him to grow in the MCU. Reading this, I think you're absolutely right: this would probably be the best way to do the character justice. Even Sony's approach to do the Sinister Six would work incredibly well in this format. I am glad though, that we had to go so long without Spidey in the MCU--If Marvel had had the rights all along, we probably never would have got anything like Iron Man, Thor, GOTG, etc. Having to work within that limitation--and seeing the kind of $$$ that other studios were making off of crappy movies based off of their characters--really made Marvel and the MCU into what it is now.

I am really coming around to these minidolls the more I see of them. The level of detail is incredible, and doesn't look out of place on minidolls as much as on minifigs as of late. It seems incongruous in many instances to see such high levels of printing quality on the regular boxy minifig; as minidolls have a more detailed shape, the printing fits the style very well. But I keep coming back to my age-old complaint of how minidolls have almost no articulation. No wrist or hip movement, legs are a single piece...<sigh>...If TLG ever redesigns a few things to be able to include at least a little more poseability--Minidolls 2.0--I would have no complaints. As is, I'll still pick these up as I can afford them (with all the other hopeful 2015 purchases). The exquisite detailing goes a long way in making up for the lack of articulation, and the set designs and parts and colors are superb.

You could always buy the Infomaniac minifig off of Bricklink. Of course, he is yellow instead of fleshie, but otherwise looks exactly like him.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don't believe it. I have looked up a couple of articles about this and they all mention Amy Pascal as being instrumental in bringing this agreement about, and that she will have a key role going forward. Problem is that she resigned last week (after the hacking scandal revealed her unsavory emails).

My only complaint is that there couldn't be more winners, as there were many creative and well-built entries. But these three were very much stand-outs, so congrats to all participants, and especially to the winners! Thank you all for sharing with us!

I think the not-featuring-space is what seals it. I never played the game, but had a few sets and it was (and still kind of is) one of my favorite themes. Until reading this, I had no idea it took place on an alien planet. I think when determining things like this that videos, games, and other media--while informative--kind of take a back seat to the sets themselves, unless of course they feature prominently in the sets. As you said, space doesn't at all, really. But you're right, it isn't too terribly important. Fun post, Peppermint! I look forward to your follow-ups!

The photos do seem to understate the size of this thing, but I thought the same about the Slave I; I watched the designer video and saw the box art, etc, and it looked good. Then I saw the display model at a LBR store and my jaw dropped: it was enormous! I expect the same reaction here, as this ship looks big enough, but I expect that it will absolutely dominate the display window at my local store. And the neighboring stores as well. I love the nanofigs, and hope Lego does this for more characters. It seems like lot of complaints about SH sets in general is that they always feel small, especially when in minifig scale (Avengers Tower, for example). That or only a small part of the model gets reproduced in a set (Hulk's Helicarrier breakout). With these tiny guys--with remarkable printing, I must say!--those giant builds like the Helicarrier become possible. I'm not saying I want minifigs to become a thing of the past, but if TLG occasionally made more nano-scale sets I would snatch them right up. IMO, having another scale of figs available opens up so many MOCing possibilities. One final note on the 'illegal' build of the tiles held by clips: official sets have done this before (the SBSP set Heroic Heroes of the Deep springs to mind), but it is legal because they are tiles, not plates. That tiny groove at the bottom of tiles which allows you to remove them from other pieces has another purpose: it shaves off the corner of the piece just enough that it can fit into a clip. Plates cannot do this without stressing bricks, or worse, cracking them (I know this from sad experience), but tiles or any other piece with a "fingernail groove" do just fine. In this case, it's brilliant parts usage. Hoping to be able to afford this, but with a house purchase in the works this year, I am not so sure. Although I suppose I my life would go on just fine without it (the Helicarrier that is, not the house).

The ship itself looks pretty good, and I like the minifigures. But those trophyfigs? Incredible. They are definitely my favorite part of this thing; the detailing is superb, and it opens up a whole new range of scale for building dioramas or vignettes. If only there were some trophyfig villains, as well. Pity I will never be able to get this set--$350 prices me right out of it--but I hope to pick those trophies up separately on the secondary market.

The ship itself looks pretty good, and I like the minifigures. But those trophyfigs? Incredible. They are definitely my favorite part of this thing. Pity I will never be able to get this set--$350

Frankly I quite like the bandanna, and even prefer it to the old one...except when viewed straight on from the front. It looks terrible that way. But from all other angles, I think it looks great. As far as a new monkey mold, I hope TLG doesn't change it, as I love the old one. However, mine is so worn out the arms don't hold their position anymore. Granted, the same is true for my older minifigs, but I don't go trying to pose them in trees...

Of course when I check this thread and its not answered...I have no idea what it is. Figures.

I think it's because the nature of the toy is that it shouldn't need gluing, thus to do so is to contradict its design in most people's eyes. Sure there are all sorts of crafters, modellers, and kitbashers who would have not problem with glue. By and large, however, it seems they live by a different set of rules than most FOLs, who prefer to see the system as a challenge to be mastered, where gluing constitutes cheating. Also, Lego is made to be recycled, where every part can be endlessly repurposed as something else somewhere else. Glue negates that, tying pieces up permanently. Basically, I think most people in the community could agree with the view of: if you are going to use glue, why bother using Lego?

I have only used it to repair broken pieces--for example, one of my kids broke the wheel clip on a motorcycle so the wheel would not stay in. I glued what remained of the clip back together and now the wheel stays in place and can still spin freely. I can't imagine a situation in which I would glue normally functioning pieces together, though.

I wish I had more points to award! 22 Emma 2 26 Cara 1 24 Kristel 1 23 CM4Sci 1

All of those are great ones, and I can see myself easily getting multiple sets from each theme. Did you hear that, LEGO?

I can see this making sense, if the store had been sent a copy to have ready on display when the set becomes available (next month for VIPs, right?) My local brand store currently has the Sea Cow, and before that, Arkham Asylum so a large set like the Helicarrier would make sense. Although if that were the case, I imagine some employee somewhere would already have leaked photos all over the web by now. But which figs were included? It seems like that would be more easily deduced from a glance than the scale of part of the set in the middle of the instructions. Of course, you would have to look at the first pages (perhaps across multiple books...), but that is one of the first things I would try and see. As hadokn stated above we already got one, so it's possible, but why? Seems a little redundant. Wierd. I mean, as a big fan of the Games line, I would absolutely love microfigure Avengers, but that seems like a very odd inclusion. Unless it's Ant-Man, which would confirm why we don't know much about the standalone Ant-Man set: maybe he isn't in his own set at all? Thank you for sharing! Sorry if it seems like I am being really critical of your comment, I am just trying to see ways that what you have shared could actually happen. I suppose we will find out soon enough. Well, actually not soon enough, but you know what I mean.