rodiziorobs

Inconceivable! Learned something new, just now.

Fun topic! Of the suggestions so far, 'clutch' is probably the best, although 'happiness' has a nice ring to it. Here is a site with a list of amusing animal group names, and I think that both of the above names fit in quite well.

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten all about this one! Yes, definitely.

So I actually disagree with the OP, sort of; I also don't really like the end, but for mostly different reasons. In theatres I quite enjoyed it, but on a second viewing, I noticed how the whole dad character was over-the-top melodramatic. It bugged me, and it is why I don't like Will Ferrell movies in general. I imagine I hadn't noticed it the first time because I was too busy geeking out at the rest of the movie. So I agree with you that I don't like how the ending turns dad into a don't-touch-my-stuff bad guy, but I chalk that more up to Ferrell's overacting than the actual script. If that alone were scaled back, I think the whole thing would be better, generally.

Kind of off-topic, but Scarlett Johanssen's "Lucy" apparently walked away with the box office this weekend, stealing "Hercules"' thunder from The Rock. Hopefully this bodes well for Marvel greenlighting a Black Widow-centric film (or another with a leading lady...Ms. Marvel, anyone?) Also, I am completely on board if Evangeline Lilly does turn out to be Wasp (despite not being Janet). She would totally own that role.

I'm no completist, but I may end up getting most of these--many of them (particularly the warriors) in multiples. Too bad the price will be a bit higher, but it looks like quality went up, too. I can honestly say this is the best series I have ever seen, because I was in my dark ages for the first several :)

The T.U.R.T.L., or Treasure Unit: Recovery Transporter and Locator. More pics of the full vignette (8x8, naturally) on my Flickr

Personally, I would avoid LDD at first, and here's why: Like you, when I began to build again as an adult, I was bewildered by the new pieces and how suddenly SNOT building was commonplace. It took a lot of time to get used to building with the new pieces and techniques, so I tried LDD to use pieces I had never owned. I never really got a feel for them, though, because I didn't have them at hand to experiment with. Actually holding the new parts and seeing how they worked with others had to be hands-on for me. Now if that doesn't sound like you, then maybe LDD is a good place to start. I would recommend some of the Creator sets--they have a good price per part ratio, they give you a chance to use new colors and parts, and you get to see a variety of ways to use those parts in different contexts. That way, you can display a model if you want to, but it is designed as a model from which other models (MOCs) can be built. Good luck, and have fun!

I wonder how they will explain his ant-head appearance (antennae/mandible) since his origin has no connection to Ant-Man anymore.

Here's my first entry, Old Man Turtle. More pics on my Flickr.

I like to compare this situation with Pirates. With other themes, all heads were your basic, yellow, innocent looking two-eyes-and-a-smile generic face, and torsos and legs were standard. Different accessories made each fig a knight, or a space(wo)man, or a firefighter, but the minifig itself remained the same. But when they first made Pirate minifigs, they just didn't look Pirate-y enough. Too cute, too clean. So they had to put in some visual cues that said, "Hey! We're pirates! Yarrrg!" So they took those things that are most associated with pirates--peglegs, eyepatches, hookhands--and added those to the figs. Remember that for TLG torso assemblies and leg assemblies are one piece, so changing a hand into a hook or a leg into a peg or painting an eyepatch wasn't just adding an accessory; it was a change in the very essence of the minifigure. Did all pirates in real life have these things? Of course not. And not all pirate minifigs have those either. But by adding them, TLG was able to ensure that when a person (particularly: a child) looks at a minifig with one or more of those fundamental features, they can't help but think of that figurine as a pirate. Ok. Now go back and reread this argument, but alter it to focus on female minifigs instead. TLG discovered that girls didn't think the female minifigs looked enough like girls, so they made some fundamental changes to the minifig design (which also led to Belville, Scala, and now Friends) in order to better reflect that. These changes involved adding extra details to the traditional minifig, such as lipstick, long eyelashes, curved figures, etc. Do all women have these in real life? No. And not all female minifigs have them either. But by adding them, TLG was able to ensure that when a person (particularly: a child) looks at a minifig with one or more of those fundamental features, they can't help but think of that figurine as female. Remember that when it all comes down to it, Lego is a toy, and that TLG is a toy company. I'm not saying that because of that this doesn't matter, but we should all keep in mind that playability is the key focus here. In this case, kids being able to tell at a glance what a character is supposed to be (pirate, woman, pirate woman, etc) is essential. TLG has done an incredible job of creating female minifigs and including them in sets, while intentionally staying far away from anything resembling hypersexualization. Additionally, with the release of the Research Institute, they have shown that they are listening to their audience, and are trying to do what they can to correct things when there is a perceived imbalance. As far as customizing, that is frankly none of TLG's business; sure, Lego is by nature customizable, but it is not their job to make your custom figs for you. It is merely a matter of convenience to you, not an actual problem with TLG promoting unhealthy gender stereotypes, etc. Is It frustrating? Of course. So is the scarcity of Comic-Con exclusives, the lack of articulated Technic figs that aren't somewhat creepy, and the outrageous price of official chrome parts in the aftermarket. But the problem that you personally are unable to make the perfect minifig you have always wanted is exactly that: your problem.

This actually looks pretty standard for this kind of contest. Its not so much as license for TLG to use your creative submissions endlessly as it is protection for TLG against potential winners coming back to demand royalties and claim copyright infringement further down the road. If this shocks you as overreaching, you might be surprised to find that most websites have similar clauses in their terms of service, especially if creative contributions are involved.

If anything, video game music, like Bravely Default or classics like Zelda and Chrono Trigger. Even though it is a bit repetitive, the music was written specifically to play endlessly as background sound, so it works out. I play it on a loop at a low volume. It's nice to not have to put down my build to keep skipping over songs I'm not in the mood for. I save the rest of my music (rock, alt, metal, classic rock--pretty much anything non-country) for when I am at work.

For me, in regards to others' rules: Color mixing (old/new) is okay, unless I decide not to for a particular build. They are sorted together, and often end up built together. Damaged pieces are okay so long they still clutch together and don't detract from the build. Fleshies and yellows could mix, I suppose, it just never works out that way. The only off-brand allowed is Tyco, because they are identical (or superior) to Lego in every way, they are not available any more, and I have a bunch of them. Plus, its mostly just basic bricks anyway. Occasional sculpting or cutting is okay, but it has been years since I've done it. Sturdiness is important, but can sometimes be compromised for function or aesthetics' sake. For example, stretching the tolerances of bricks (such as connecting plates at odd, almost-legal angles) is totally allowed. The only "rule" I have is to never use the illegal connection where you insert a Technic pin into the bottom of a brick. I just don't like doing it.

I thought we already had a Stan Lee minifig... Oh wait, that's just the infomaniac. Seriously though, unless they are going to do the Con exclusives like Azog (where they released it generally a few months later) they should just stop.

My first trip to PAB! I was with my wife, who graciously allowed me to get a small cup (so I didn't press my luck asking for a large--besides, we spent nearly a half-hour just on a small!). 1st PAB! by rodiziorobs, on Flickr 790 pieces altogether, nearly 300 of them are the 1x1 round tiles, of which I didn't have any before, so I'm happy to have a ton now. I wish I could have snagged some more windows/panes and crates, but I figure getting a little of everything was best. I also got some friends colors, which I like but I never buy the sets because I just can't justify the price when I have no use for the minidolls. Anyway, I think I did good work. P.s. I was at the Murray (Utah, US) store, and they did not have horses. I didn't ask, because I hadn't read this thread recently and wasn't aware horses were a possibility. Edit: my wife just told me she thinks we should go back for another cup :)

I hadn't noticed that the stairs were forced perspective until reading the comments; now I've gone back drooling over that and all the other great details here, very well done!

I went to Legoland California a few months ago, and nearly everything in Miniland was in pretty rough shape--the models were still amazing to look at, but weather, sunlight, and in a few places, bird droppings had really taken a toll on everything. Bricks were all faded and peeling.

I think that's because even if the seller didn't know what they had, a few savvy bidders would, and the resulting price would be the going rate. But I agree with you on sellers bending over backwards when it comes to custoner satisfaction (I've only ever had one seller who was unreasonable). They all bow to the almighty feedback score, and those that don't suffer for it.

Ha ha, me too. As for the back end (the flat pointy one) getting dinged up, I prefer that it gets dinged up than my bricks (coming from the guy who just admitted to using his teeth!). I will always get another separator in the next set, anyway. I have 3 (4?) new orange, and two of the old dark grey. As kids we used to pretend the grey ones were sharks (because we only had one actual LEGO shark). I'm not sure the pirate figs were fooled, though. I wouldn't mind scoring a whole bunch of orange to try MOCing with.

Looking forward to the prospector, for the hat and beard in grey. I am still waiting for a picture of the Hun Warrior...

I have had the same kind of problem with book and suitcase pieces; I believe it is because the piece is molded flat but people prefer to use and store it folded, and not a defect.

When in doubt, send a message before bidding. I know that it's kind of late for that now, but once or twice it has saved me before getting into a bad spot. Also, if you haven't left feedback yet, it wouldn't hurt to message them now and explain the situation, maybe they'll refund you a little more. It seems like most sellers are reasonable if you feel like the item was misrepresented.

If this does happen, I want the set to have one minifig-sized Ant-Man and another the size of the minifig trophy (a la Jack Sparrow), or at the very least, Heroica-sized.

Agreed-ish. IMO, there need to be a few principal factions (from 2-4), but there should also be the ability for lone-wolf space adventurers to come and go without ties to any faction. Perhaps that is part of what Bob de Quatre meant when mentioning freebuilds? Naturally, it would be hard for these free agents to affect the greater story, but that might just be something that builders have to accept if they choose to create that kind of character.