Jump to content

AFOLguy1970

Eurobricks Counts
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,338

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by AFOLguy1970

  1. AFOLguy1970
    So if the release is tomorrow, when is the exact moment it will be available on Lego.com? Does it go by a certain time, or do you have to wait until your particular time zone enters December 16?
  2. AFOLguy1970
    Perhaps the Arkenstone could be a gem with a light brick behind it. It would then be part of the scenery and not just a stand alone object.
  3. AFOLguy1970
    I am building a 5 level structure with 2300 elements in just the first level. Yes, I definitely recommend going with the rarer pieces first. In fact, my wanted list only contains the relatively rarer items which also cannot be bought on online PAB (meaning I must Bricklink them). I took the tedious task of handwriting my parts list and listing by part number and color in the order that LDD presented in the Excel document. I put how many parts I need of each type and check them off as I complete them or write how many I have currently if I am short. When buying the rarer/more expensive ones, I also usually add some of the common ones to the order if they can be acquired cheaply. Typically, I avoid placing small Bricklink orders (less than $15 or so) to avoid a huge chunk of the order being shipping costs. The hope is to have only common pieces left so that there will be no problem getting them and at a low price.
  4. AFOLguy1970
    If they make the space man and this ship, I will buy it, although making him "broken" and faded might be a dealbreaker. Like many people, this set could help me relive the good times in the 1980's. My Galaxy Explorer, All Terrian Vehicle, and Alpha I Rocket Base are long gone in a garage sale, but the memory lives on.
  5. AFOLguy1970
    I wonder if it might just be a S@H early VIP offer? Sometimes the Lego Store people do not have the knowledge of things that we do. When I bought PC a few months ago, it was up to me to remind them that there was a free sticker offer to go along with it. The employee had to ask someone else where the stickers might be. As for the release of PR, it appears we have two possibilities:If a 16th online purchase date does occur, I may have to use the credit card and VIP points (since payday has yet to arrive) The alternative is that it really is Jan 1 in stores and online without exceptions. My family will think I am staying up New Year's Eve to watch the new year come in while in reality I am waiting for the exact second for the purchase to be made. Either way, something tells me that you would want to buy this right when it comes available otherwise you may have to wait a while.
  6. AFOLguy1970
    Hello, I have been buying parts for about a year now working on a couple of different projects. Here is what I learned: (1) Create a wanted list for your parts. Then use the "By shop" tab. This is extremely useful, because it will show you the sellers that have the best matches to get as many of those parts as possible from one place. As you probably have learned, shipping is what really eats into your budgets, therefore you want to place larger orders with fewer sellers. (2) Online pick a brick has three distinct disadvantages: First, the parts tend to be expensive (although some of the smaller parts are not too bad). Second, the selection is very limited. For the variety and color of parts Lego makes, the selection of parts is decidedly small. Third, the parts ship from Poland, so you might have to wait a while if you are in the states. (3) You do have to research and compare sellers as far as prices go. Not all of the big sellers are unreasonable with prices. There are some who I have ordered from multiple times due to selection and reasonable prices. (4) 20 cents per piece would of course depend on the piece. If you are talking about a 16x16 plate, this is a great deal. If it is a 1x1 plate, I would avoid it. The prices depend not only on size, but color as well. If the piece is somewhat rare in the desired color, then it will be higher. I create my designs in LDD and then create the list of needed parts. While building in LDD, I sometimes go to Bricklink to make sure the part exists in that color and it is readily available and affordable. If not, something might be changed.
  7. AFOLguy1970
    The Death Star is indeed proof that Lego is willing to incorporate more than one scene, event, etc. into one set. The Death Star not only represents different times, it even deals with two different structures. The Unexpected Gathering set included a Sting, even though the time period was meant to be before Bilbo set out. There is also a nod to LOTR with his book and the letter with the seal (again not yet existing when the dwarves visited Bag End). With that said, the number one question Lego would ask with such a set is, "Would it be profitable?" This is speculation on my part, but I would imagine if Lego placed an armoured battle ready Sauron in a set, it would sell well. A Mt Doom set would not need to be too fancy. Maybe a ledge with orange/red trans pieces for lava at the bottom for the build. Since the Ring begins and ends at that spot, it seemed like an important enough location to consider.
  8. AFOLguy1970
    I just cannot see Amon Hen becoming a set, especially if there is only one wave left. One thing Lego likes to do with LOTR/Hobbit is make sets with at least one new exclusive figure in each set to encourage sales. Amon Hen has nothing new to bring to the table. We already have the complete Fellowship. As for the Uruk Hai, this is the most dominant faction currently if you look at all of the minifigures made in the sets. They even outnumber the Mordor orcs. If you have bought one of each set, more Uruk Hai might not be the priority right now. Rohan and the whole Saruman/Uruk Hai story is fairly well represented right now. Gondor is the really big hole and is in dire need of attention. Technically, the Gondor presence consists of two Mordor orcs and a catapult that you get with the pirate ship. If I were Lego, here is what I would do: (1) A big set of Minas Tirith's gate and Grond. You could have the troll, soldiers, orcs, and some necessary main characters. (2) An orc seige tower and a section of Minas Tirith wall that connects to other parts. More orcs, soldiers, and a main character. This would be a good place to have a catapult on the wall. This would be your army builder set, and would allow you to make Minas Tirith as big as you want it. (3) The Witch King/fell beast vs Eowyn and Merry battle. Maybe have another small section of Minas Tirith in the background that attaches. (4) An oliphaunt with haradrim. Good guys could be Legolas and a Rohirrim. Yes, I know Legolas is a repeat, but that scene........ (5) Either a scene in Osgilliath with Faramir or a Mt. Doom scene. If Mt. Doom, then two different time periods. Include Sauron, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum.
  9. AFOLguy1970
    Today's build (day 9) will certainly not be seen as excessive. We get a 4 piece bench. Overall, I really like the calendar. I just think today is the weakest link. So who actually checked the day 9 slot again just to be sure there was nothing more? Anyway, hang in there folks. It gets better.
  10. AFOLguy1970
    Sure glad I changed my mind to get that first before going after the Pet Shop. It might not be the best modular, but it is one where one would not want to be without it either in a collection. Opening the City Advent calendar on Day 3 and getting the dalmation was satisfying, because it went right to the FB. This also indicates that the "retiring soon" label is not applied to every product on the website, therefore waiting for such would be a risky move.
  11. AFOLguy1970
    A pharmacy does sound interesting. In Europe, I know they are identified by a green cross sign to the outside. That could be easily designed as the identifying feature of the business and you do not have to spell it out either. There sure were lots of those in the Madrid city center. I guess the American cousin to those would be something like the old Rexall drugstores which also doubled as soda fountains. Either way, this would certainly make a nice modular. I like the idea of combining businesses like the dentist, etc. Either that or additional residential space would be nice. The modulars do seem to highlight both European and American styles. The variety has been great, and I suspect this will be a successful line for quite some time. Also agree with the possibility that the next one could be civic. Everything mentioned in the above posts would be a welcome addition.
  12. AFOLguy1970
    A bank, school, or newspaper would all be nice. The challenge with the school would seem to be making it not look too much like the Fire Brigade. The first thing I think of as a classical town school house is the bell tower and red brick structure. With both Town Hall and Fire Brigade having bell towers, it might be hard to imagine a third so soon. So far, the modulars have been carefully done not to resemble each other closely. A newspaper would be great, especially if you somehow established a printing press in the interior. Perhaps, moving parts could be used to make an assembly line. With the way modulars have been done, almost anything would be appealing to me as long as the buildings retained older architecture styles. I do not care for modern architecture, the presence of such would probably be the only thing that would keep me from buying a modular.
  13. AFOLguy1970
    Certainly looking forward to buying and building this. This is already budgeted in next month's paycheck. With two other modulars to build for Christmas, it will not be too difficult to wait until a week or so later. I just hope they will not run out on the first day they are made available and end up with a late January expected ship date. Judging by the reviews on this set and the response in message boards, this appears to be a potentially very popular and sought after set.
  14. AFOLguy1970
    Thanks for the explanations. It is sad to see people like this ruin it for everyone else. That does seem to put the issue of express shipping in a quandary. What if you ordered a high dollar item and really needed it quickly? Is there a way to somehow bypass the customer service hold and get your item shipped quickly after ordering?
  15. AFOLguy1970
    I placed an order on Saturday for two modulars and online PAB in order to take advantage of triple VIP points and get the holiday set. It has since been sitting in "customer service". After reading posts on here and Brickset, it appears that Lego manually checks all large purchases, or at least purchases on large items. The general concensus is that they are trying to weed out resellers as opposed to people who plan on keeping the sets. With that said, it would seem that the site should use a different term that "customer service". To many people, that would imply that there is a problem with the order and that they need to call Lego. Perhaps, they should use "Order received" or "In process". I did get an email saying that the order was received. One question though: what if you ordered express shipping? Obviously, the whole point of this is to get the item quickly. Would using a shipping option like this put you ahead in the review, or are you essentially throwing your money away as obviously the item will not be shipped until they finally reviewed your order, which could take several days? Another thought: lots of people ordered something last Saturday due to the offer of points and the extra set. With the busy Friday coming up and more offers, it seems like they might have difficulty handling the high volume if they have not even sorted out Saturday's orders with only three days to Friday and a whole new barrage of orders.
  16. AFOLguy1970
    I dont think MEA is too bad. It might be the first Hobbit set to be purchased from this wave. Thranduil is a really good minifigure. The build uses some nice pieces, especially the brown arches and the shields. The only downside is that out of the four elves, only one provides a generic elf hair piece. Two have hoods, so you cannot actually even distinguish them as elves. Thranduil's uniqueness would not be suitable for army builders. You would actually be better off purchasing Mirkwood Spiders if you wanted elven hair pieces. The price for MEA seems fair. It is comparable to the Uruk Hai army in number of figures and pieces in the build.
  17. AFOLguy1970
    My Christmas wish is to be the kid down the street For this year, I used some money from working overtime to buy modulars. This has taken the burden off my wife of finding me something. For Christmas 2014, I am hoping that the Hobbit sets will include a very large dragon. That would be great to build next year.
  18. AFOLguy1970
    I am 30 miles from the one in Dallas. Therefore, instead of making small multiple purchases, I tend to make larger purchases with fewer trips. After seeing the posts about the store events and discovering triple VIP points, I decided that the online deal meets my needs. I was going to spend half online, and then half at the Lego store to get the PAB box, but the points have convinced me to make one large purchase today. In addition to some online PAB for an upcoming MOC, I will be building the Pet Shop and Grand Emporium for Christmas. The only extra money left now is to buy my wife's Christmas stuff, and that cannot be touched
  19. AFOLguy1970
    I spent over $2000 on Lego this year, even more than on vacation. This was spread over Lego.com, the Dallas Lego Store, and one visit to Downtown Disney Lego store as well as the Denver Lego store. I would have liked the invite, but apparently some people in my area are even more obsessed than I am with Lego. At least my wife thinks I am obsessed. Wait until I tell her this still was not enough for an invite! Just like Galaxy Explorer, I too plan on continuing to spend a lot of money on Lego. There are a couple of MOCs to work on as well as the impressive modular line in addition to other things. Would have loved to be invited though. In the meantime, hopefully there will be a nice incentive to order online tomorrow.
  20. AFOLguy1970
    The Holiday catalog does include the GE and Pet Shop, but not the FB. I would then assume that FB should be the priority for anyone who wants it. My other assumption is that GE and Pet Shop will be around at least through the holidays since they are in the catalog. Once we reach January 2014 and Parisian Restaurant comes out, who knows how long they will remain.
  21. AFOLguy1970
    This review certainly validates the desire to purchase the set. Although it is not as tall as some of the others, it does seems to fill out in the back more with the patio and other features. It appears to be the most detailed of any of the modulars. My hope is that Lego produced many of these, because it seems like there is a LOT of interest in this set. I plan to order it Jan 1. Maybe the "good" news about the January release is that it gives me a chance to focus on getting the Pet Shop and Grand Emporium while they are still around. Then, the hope is to get this one and then go after the Town Hall sometime in the spring. This is going to be an expensive month or two coming up....
  22. AFOLguy1970
    William Shakespeare---nice Gail the Construction Worker-meh Panda Guy--could be interesting Abraham Lincoln---great! Taco Tuesday Guy---I kind of like him Larry the Barista---not too bad President Business---OK Calamity Drone----uggh Marsha Queen of the Mermaids----Ok, I guess Wild West Wyldstyle---if she's the one with the fan, then good Scribbe-Face Bad Cop---dont we have lots of these? Velma Staplebot---eewww Hard Hat Emmet---I guess he was necessary “Where are my Pants?” Guy---meh Mrs. Scratchen-Post-------not feeling it Wiley Fusebot.--slightly interesting It is kind of a mix, and this is why I hate the fact they are random. With my luck, instead of getting Abe, Will, Wildwest, Taco, and Panda, I am going to end up with robots and some guy that does not wear pants. Not assuming to be the first to ask, because I did not read the whole thread, but what about blue classic space guy?
  23. AFOLguy1970
    Trying to also come up with a top ten.... (1) Some indication of 2014 LOTR sets (2) Beorn (3) Radagast (4) Thranduil (5) Bard (6) Laketown guard (7) Laketown master (8) Azog (9) Gundabad orcs (10) brown arches in the Mirkwood army set Yep, this is mostly about the minifigs!
  24. AFOLguy1970
    I have thought about this and wondered what separates Lego from other toys and makes it attractive to all ages. Of course, you can make almost anything out of Lego. From my personal perspective, I really like creating things in miniature. So often, this is what Lego does, especially with architecture and scenes. Lego makes an excellent model building tool just like wood, clay, etc. It comes in many shapes and colors, which make the possibilities endless. Also, as an adult with kids, it is something that you could do together as a family. Looking forward to December 1 when the 5 year old, the 6 year old, and myself start with our Advent calendars. The 6 year old will play with his Star Wars version, the 5 year old looks forward to the City version, and I am also doing a City calendar to augment other builds. I can already see putting the Dalmation, grill, and firefighter in the Fire Brigade. The Christmas tree can spruce up the lobby of the Palace Cinema. Anyway, there is so much you can do with Lego.
  25. AFOLguy1970
    It took about a week to build the Tower of Orthanc, because I did about 3 bags a day.
×
×
  • Create New...