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Good to hear some feedback from TLG on this. I wonder what caused it. Perhaps TLG was trying to update LDD and encountered an error? But I think we'd know about any planned updates of considerable size in advance.

The basic LDD mode has this for the most part. Unfortunately it also has a lot of parts in colors that they have never appeared in sets in, suggesting that it was probably made simply by generating parts from TLG's database including ones that were only made as test runs or whatnot. Obviously it's not the most effective way of judging this. Superkalle's suggestion sounds like the most efficient way to do this, though personally I just tend to keep a Bricklink window open pretty much whenever I use LDD. It's slightly inefficient, having to look up any part I'm not sure about before I use it, but I think it's worthwhile compared to having to find parts from one huge list. Plus, doing it this way makes it easier to check when/where the parts appeared and how much their Bricklink price is so that I can avoid using super-rare-and-valuable parts on something I hope to someday build myself.

The official names I used are from service.LEGO.com, but they're not that important and sometimes a single part will be listed under multiple names. The number should tell the LDD team everything they need to know to identify the part. I've gone ahead and listed the names I know above in blue, though, in case you were curious. The Stone Hammer is part 40581 HTO HAMMER.

Shortcut to Part One: Hero Factory Shortcut to Part Two: Ninjago Shortcut to Part Three: City Shortcut to Part Four: Monster Fighters and Dino Shortcut to Part Five: Super Heroes This year, I was able to go to the New York International Toy Fair for the first time as a representative of the BIONICLE wiki BIONICLEsector01 and its sister site HEROsector01. Together with fellow BS01/HS01 staff member Chols, who took most of the photos, I attended the LEGO Collectors Preview where representatives of LEGO fansites can view and photograph the new sets for an extended two-hour timeframe (our invitations unfortunately did not cover admission to the full three-day Toy Fair event, so externally-produced LEGO products like clocks and watches were not among the things we saw). Since our sites' normal coverage doesn't extend outside the constraction themes, we reached an agreement with Eurobricks to share with them our coverage of the LEGO Collectors Preview and all the sets and themes on display. Part six of our coverage is Friends, The LEGO Group's latest foray into the girl-oriented toy market. The theme focuses on five friends with diverse interests, representing different archetypes for buyers to identify with. Fourteen sets were on display from the theme's January wave: 3061 City Park Café 222 pieces USD 29.99 CAD 39.99 Other currencies from Brickset Despite the presence of pink and other pastels, the City Park Café has been one of the more popular sets with mainstream LEGO City builders, due to its uniqueness. This is the first time to my knowledge LEGO has had an eatery with this "diner-style" architecture. And not only is the building well-designed inside and out, it also features a plethora of great kitchen accessories. This set's mini-dolls include Andrea and Marie, a side-character who runs the café. 3065 Olivia's Tree House 191 pieces USD 19.99 CAD 24.99 Other currencies from Brickset Olivia's Tree House is a fun set, featuring the new pastel color Medium Lavender and some older (but still rare) colors. A leaf conceals a box containing jewels, and a crow's nest sits high above the rest of the model. The set includes an Olivia mini-doll, an adorable kitten, a squat little yellow bird in a sizable birdhouse, and a fish destined to be the kitten's next meal. 3183 Stephanie's Cool Convertible 130 pieces USD 14.99 CAD 17.99 Other currencies from Brickset This set is sometimes held up as evidence of how Friends sets can have just as much complexity as their City counterparts. The convertible in this set has bubbly proportions compared to the smaller convertibles common in LEGO City or the larger "Turbocar" from the Agents theme, and features plenty of the new colors Medium Lavender and Medium Azur. A Stephanie mini-doll, a dog, and lots of haircare/cosmetic accessories are included. 3187 Butterfly Beauty Shop 221 pieces USD 24.99 CAD 29.99 Other currencies from Brickset Perhaps the most outwardly "girly" Friends sets, this one has a strong emphasis on fashion. Multicolored lipstick, several mirrors, and haircare/cosmetic accessories can be found inside. A spare wig also sits on a mannequin made with a classic minifigure head. Mini-dolls in this set include Emma and Sarah, a side-character who only appears in this set. 3188 Heartlake Vet 343 pieces USD 39.99 CAD 49.99 Other currences from Brickset The Heartlake Vet, like a lot of Friends sets, stands apart from the City theme with its extremely detailed interior. A hedgehog, a dog, and a horse are all included, along with lots of medical equipment accessories, insects and flowers, and a fishtank. Mini-dolls in this set include Mia and Sophie, a veterinarian who only appears in this set. 3315 Olivia's House 695 pieces USD 69.99 CAD 89.99 Other currencies from Brickset The flagship set of the Friends theme is, of course, a dollhouse, but a much more substantial-looking one than anything in previous girl-oriented themes. The bright reddish-violet (Bricklink's Magenta) roof, brick yellow (Bricklink's Tan) walls, and white trim make it colorful without too much reliance on pastels. Rooms include a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Medium blue kitchen accessories and a white kitten provide play value along with the mini-dolls Olivia, Peter (Olivia's dad), and Anna (Olivia's mom). 3930 Stephanie's Outdoor Bakery 45 pieces USD 5.99 CAD 7.99 Other currencies from Brickset An affordably-priced Friends set, this one's main assets include the Stephanie mini-doll, a printed parasol, and a printed milk carton. But the cakes and treats built largely from basic building elements add play value, along with the oven, stove, and sink. 3931 Emma's Splash Pool 43 pieces USD 5.99 CAD 7.99 Other currencies from Brickset This small low-priced set includes the Emma mini-doll in a small but stylishly-designed pool. The attitude of leisure reminds me a bit of the Paradisa theme, although I don't remember any Paradisa sets quite so effectively evoking a swimming pool without the use of BURPs. 3932 Andrea's Stage 87 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Other currencies from Brickset There's a wide range of sets year-round at this $9.99 price point, and they offer lots of variety. This one has a stylish proscenium arch and the best grand piano I've ever seen in an official set, along with stage lights, a boom box, and a microphone. None of the parts are stickered. Includes an Andrea mini-doll. 3933 Olivia's Inventor's Workshop 81 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Other currencies from Brickset The set that most strongly defies gender stereotypes, this set despite its pastel colors promotes interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields with details like a printed blackboard covered in equations, a microscope, lots of chemicals, a work table with tools and a side-mounted clamp, and a robot resembling our good buddy Alpha Rex (or perhaps his 2.0 counterpart). Includes an Olivia mini-doll. 3934 Mia's Puppy House 64 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Other currencies from Brickset This set doesn't especially impress me, as the "puppy house" itself is small, the apple tree feels a bit superfluous (if well-designed), and the main assets of the set seem to be the grooming accessories (as well as, of course, the puppy). Still, I'm sure girls interested in animal care might find this appealing. 3935 Stephanie's Pet Patrol 73 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Other currencies from Brickset With its stylish aqua (Bricklink's Light Aqua) ATV, modest rabbit hutch, and grassy hill, this set feels a lot more rural than many of the sets in the January wave. Other contents include the Stephanie mini-doll, an adorable bunny (featured on the LEGOshop.com Easter Gift Shop, for those who want to see its size next to a minifigure), a carrot, and a bale of straw (a bright yellow 1x2 relief brick). 3936 Emma's Design Studio 79 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Other currencies from Brickset This set has no shortage of fun details like a laptop, printed bulletin board, printed pink cell phone/MP3 player, sandwich, and lots of colored tiles to serve as "fabric". The Emma mini-doll is included. 3942 Heartlake Dog Show 183 pieces USD 19.99 CAD 24.99 Other currencies from Brickset Another set geared toward animal-lovers, this set includes a washbasin for grooming, a stage with "runway" and lights, a trophy stand, a jumping fence, and a see-saw. Other contents include the Mia mini-doll, two dogs (including the one from the puppy house as well as a cocker spaniel that seems unique to this set), dog bones, and grooming accessories. There were five sets on display slated for an August release: 3184 Adventure Camper 309 pieces USD 29.99 CAD 39.99 The Adventure Camper is what in the US we tend to call an RV, or Recreational Vehicle. The vibrant pink color might turn off some male buyers who want a vehicle for their city, but it has lots of great contents including a bright yellow handbag, bright red kitchen accessories, bright red and medium azure bicycles, a television set, and a picnic bench and barbecue. Mini-dolls include Olivia and Nicole, a side character. 3189 Heartlake Stables 401 pieces USD 49.99 CAD 64.99 The largest set of the August wave, this set features a barn, two stables, a well, and two types of jumping obstacles. The mini-dolls include Mia and Katharina, a side character. Mia comes with both her default hairpiece and a helmet-hairpiece combination, whereas Katharina simply has a blonde helmet-hairpiece combination. Two horses are also included, each with a 2x2 dome to fill in the back, a new saddle design for the Friends horse featuring stirrups, and a set of reins. Grooming accessories and other accessories too numerous to name are also included. 3937 Olivia's Speedboat 65 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 On to the $9.99 sets! Olivia's Speedboat is quite attractive and reminiscent in structure to last year's 4641 Speedboat from the City theme. Other contents include a beach towel with parasol, a sand castle, a red bucket, and the Olivia mini-doll. 3938 Andrea's Bunny House 62 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Andrea's Bunny House features a larger rabbit hutch than that in Stephanie's Pet Patrol-- a size you might expect of a chicken coop or a hutch housing a whole family of rabbits. However, the set is well-furnished with a carrot, an opening gate, some fences, a water bottle, and another red bucket. The Andrea mini-doll and single rabbit complete the set. 3939 Mia's Bedroom 85 pieces USD 9.99 CAD 12.99 Mia's bedroom shows she's far more than just a meek animal lover! Girl knows how to ROCK! The bed with side-table, desk with brick-built radio, book, and yellow handbag are all nice, but the music stand and drum set are where this set really shines. The Mia mini-doll is of course included. Finally, there was one set on display due for a September release: 3316 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar 193 pieces USD 34.99 CAD 39.99 The price-per-piece on this set will surely drive away AFOLs, but I can see some of this set's contents, like the medium azure skis and ski poles, becoming quite desirable through Bricklink. The Olivia mini-doll has a unique holiday sweater while a blonde character (Katharina, I'm guessing, based on eye color) wears a red suit with black boots and white trim. Only the christmas-tree pattern tells you this is not a gender-swapped Santa Claus. Also included are a puppy, milk and cookies, a Christmas tree, and perhaps the best minifigure-scale LEGO snowman of all time. That wraps it up for the Friends theme! Next up will be coverage of sets from the Creator, Racers, and Games themes. We recognize that our coverage is coming along somewhat slowly, but bear with us and we'll keep the updates coming!

Oh, OK. I had forgotten/overlooked that discussion, I suppose. That's cool then.

Stormer XL is at least 31 modules tall from what we can measure, so he'll be at least 7 modules taller than the medium-sized hero sets. That's more than "just a little taller" in my book. Nex's role isn't only as a mechanic, as I see it. He's always been "the tech guy", and that's what the 2012 design continues to evoke. I love the new Nex set though I wish he had at least one hand joint. The redesigned 2.0 helmet for Nex is really cool-looking in my book, at least as cool as Evo's. The fact that the generic texture of the 2.0 helmet's forehead has been replaced with a circuit-board texture that evokes the same overall pattern is a very nice decision on the part of the designers. The only real decision on the Nex set that I'm really iffy about is the choice to give him a white torso rather than an orange one. While I like white returning to his color scheme, the sheer amount of it on the new Nex set is a bit overpowering.

They do attach by the shoulders, but Stormer (like most of the Super Heroes sets) has two torso beams, one in front of the other. Just as in the Hulk set, the chest is attached by the front torso's shoulders while the actual arms and shoulder armor attach by the rear torso's shoulders.

The comic artist for that was probably just working with what they knew. Keep in mind that until videos started to show up for Breakout, we didn't know for sure that the Heroes would go back to their 2.0 forms before their Breakout upgrades. Also remember that many comics have been based on preliminary set designs, such as how the Toa Metru in the 2004 BIONICLE comics had different eye colors and no chest plates, or how Breez in the Hero Factory comics from 2010 had a purple Hero Core. Stringer's helmet is black, but his shoulder armor is Titanium Metallic. It'd be nice if they matched, but it definitely still looks cool.

I keep thinking that the large chest shell from Hulk would be cool on a vehicle MOC, perhaps as the hood of a car. I'd love to someday make a Hero Factory car (or hovercar) using the new building system, as I think it could fulfill the purpose well. Yes, it's mostly based on joint pieces, but in The LEGO Ideas Book one of the builds featured is an assembly line featuring a car body made almost entirely from click hinges. I think a similar build with Hero Factory beams and shells could be similarly effective, even if it still featured a lot of Technic at various places.

I like the show for providing the context for the sets. The sets are definitely works of art, but (for example) a story with just heroes and villains doesn't especially make sense without settings, civilians, etc. Hero Factory FM fulfills this same world-building function, although in a less visual medium. I guess you could say I like them both equally, since both the sets and other media like the show serve as inspiration for me when I make Hero Factory MOCs.

Yeah, I made that template a long time ago, so I'm not surprised it has problems. Actually, part of the reason I made it is so that you wouldn't need to ever wrap your own sprockets. The intention is for you to clone the pre-wrapped sprockets, delete a few treads so there is no longer a full loop around them, and attach straight lengths of tread between them (using the spring yellowish green scaffold to create additional lengths of tread at a desired length if need be). But obviously this works better in theory than in practice-- the distance you need between the wheels will affect whether the wheels can simply be placed at the default angle or whether there has to be more improvisation involved. Even more so if the tread in question is supposed to have some "give" and thus straight lengths of tread won't connect properly. Realistically, I should probably just take down the sprocket-wheel template, as try as I may I can never get it to be truly user-friendly for anything besides creating extremely simple treads. But I believe I have heard some people vouch for its usefulness, so I wouldn't want to take it away from anyone who has had success with it.

I personally like Voltix's color scheme, even though I think it would be better if the blue wires were solid blue rather than blended so you'd truly get the intended electrical-wiring effect. As for the reuse of the Black Phantom helmet, I know a lot of people who'd disagree just on the grounds that it means three different colors for that helmet piece. Additionally, the helmet has four connection points on the side, and the fact that different parts are attached to these connection points on all three sets the part appears in helps to differentiate them and demonstrate the helmet's versatility. At least no heroes used that helmet, as Rocka did in a LEGO Club Jr. comic

I don't think ice is better than water or lightning is better than air; I just think that they make for cooler-looking Spinjitzu. A tornado of air is just a tornado, and a tornado of water... OK, that's sorta cool, but I think Zane's blizzard-like Spinjitzu looks pretty awesome in its own right. Yes, water and air are excellent elements. As an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan I couldn't help but realize that. But as I see it, if Ninjago is going to use elements of its own rather than an existing elemental system, I think they chose some pretty diverse and cool-looking ones.

I kind of like the Ninjago elements, because they come close to the classical elements (fire, earth, air, water) without sticking to them exactly. Lightning is a much more impressive effect than air visually (a tornado of air, after all, would just be an ordinary tornado), and having ice instead of water makes for some very interesting effects since you effectively have one Ninja with heat-related powers and one with cold-related powers. Additionally (and probably more importantly), they make for some nice and diverse Ninja colors. They could potentially introduce a gray ninja as a side character without needing every ninja to have his or her own element, just by assuming that the Ninja Sensei Wu chose were special in their close attunement to one particular element each. In fact, a gray ninja features in the story "The Phantom Ninja" from the book Cole: Ninja of Earth. Anyway, at least TLG didn't go with red, green, baby blue, and purple again. What elements would those be?

But that was if the Hero Core was drained of power, which I'd assume would be different than removing a fully-charged Hero Core and re-inserting it.

Perhaps the horse just has higher demand among kids and army builders than more "niche" animals like camels. PAB selection has to be kept within certain limits because the parts have to be picked by hand, and the more parts there are, the less efficient the packing process becomes. It certainly makes me wonder what the future of the online PAB service will be because TLG's other custom-ordering services, Design byME and Hero Recon Team, have been determined not to be cost-effective (Design byME was cancelled in January; Hero Recon Team will be cancelled next month). But all in all, I can easily understand why Pick-A-Brick tends to stick to interchangeable minifigure parts and more versatile building elements as opposed to lots of extremely specialized parts like animals. Conflict doesn't have to be person-versus-person or even person-versus-monster/animal/robot to sell a theme. What's really important is the potential for conflict-- not conflict as in danger, but conflict from a storytelling perspective, as in challenges a person has to overcome. Ambulances have to hurry their patients to the hospital. At hospitals, doctors have to identify and heal a person's ailments. At an airport, people have to get to their planes on time, and the planes themselves often have to get to a destination. Firefighters have to fight fires. Road repairmen have to repair roads. In all of these sets there's plenty of room for storytelling. I respect the desire to see more "zoo animals", but I just don't see a zoo set or subtheme as the best way for these animals to be introduced, since I don't imagine that kids in the LEGO City age range would readily associate zoos with conflict-based storytelling. Perhaps that's a failure of my own imagination, but I think a story told at a zoo, other than something completely out-of-the-ordinary like a wild animal escape, would consist of "First we went to see [Animal A]. Then we went to see [Animal B]. Then we went to see [Animal C]." For a story told from the zookeeper's perspective, simply replace "see" with "feed/tend to". These things work fine for Duplo, where again the role-play helps young kids to understand the world around them. But for older kids seeking to act out adventures and challenges, it doesn't seem like it would hold the same appeal.

Great to have some insight into the creative decisions that went into this MOC! Sometimes the actual design process for a MOC or set is just as interesting as the end result. Anyway, this is a pretty nice MOC. It's a very "sculptural" MOC, where parts serve to lend it a streamlined and substantial-looking form rather than being selected for having matching textures. It's not a style of building I'm good at or fond of using in my own MOCs, which tend to be smaller models based on a few parts that I feel happen to look good together, but it's definitely one that I can always admire the complexity of. The head and hair are wonderfully expressive. Colors across the whole model are well-organized, body proportions are effective, and the end result looks good from all angles-- with or without the green accessory sections attached. Well done!

Perhaps, but having all the elements doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll be an expert in using all of them, or that he'd be able to use all of them at once.

I would prefer Ninjago stick to its own small set of elements than try to create a sprawling system of elements that incorporates a bunch from different mythologies. After all, the Tornado of Creation requires "Spinjitzu of all four elements". I'd hate to see them to retcon that to be "Spinjitzu of any four elements" by creating brand-new elements on the same level as the previous four. Plus it would mess up the Spinjitzu card game royally. In the meantime, there's this amazing Ninjago trailer that I'm not sure has been linked to before. Among its features are Zane with a robot eye, the Great Devourer attacking the Destiny's Bounty, the Green Ninja fighting Pythor, and our first view of the Ultra Sonic Raider as it appears in the TV series. Pretty awesome stuff.

I don't think it's a coincidence at all. The Chinese facility does use cheaper plastic because of Chinese manufacturing laws. I'm not trying to say that there's no difference in quality between Chinese-made parts and other parts, though personally the differences that there are don't tend to concern me. Most of my collectible minifigure parts match non-Chinese parts almost exactly in color, and differences only become apparent if you hold them up to a bright light. It's possible that I'm simply not as good at differentiating colors than other people on this site, but even so it doesn't cause me any problems when building, and if I saw a MOC at a convention that happened to use generic legs of a certain color from a Chinese-made fig I would probably never know the difference unless I for some reason had cause to examine the minifigure closely. People can say "only the best is good enough" all they like, but that was TLG's purported standard, not my own, so it has little to no bearing on my purchases as long as the parts suit my preferred level of quality. I'm not saying everyone should share my standards either. Just that I appreciate my collectible minifigures no matter where they're made.

It should be remembered that even if a set is already out in stores, the ones displayed at Toy Fair and similar events are not guaranteed to be finalized. Last year I remember at least one Toy Fair had a prototype version of the Battle of Naboo set that had non-printed Gungan heads. Chances are this print for the olive green T-Rex is just an earlier version of it that never made it into sets. Good observation about the car. I'm not much of a classic car buff so I never noticed the similarities myself.

I think the Green Ninja probably has all four elements. First of all, his spinner crown has patterns reflecting all four elements. Secondly, the "green" battle cards in Ninjago are ones that use Spinjitzu power from multiple elements.

I definitely think a lot of people are thinking about these matters entirely backwards. TLG's thought process isn't "how can we release a bunch of new animals in a theme that gets kids excited?"-- it's "we have a theme idea that will get kids excited; what new animals can we add that will help it meet kids' expectations?" For instance, TLG surely didn't release Aquazone or Divers simply as an excuse to create more aquatic animal molds, or release Adventurers as an excuse for a scorpion, or send the Adventurers to the jungle as an excuse for a spider. All these themes would have emerged from pitches for diverse lines that excite children's imaginations and sense of adventure, and the animals would have been chosen afterwards based on necessity and practicality. Do we need a few new parts to establish an underwater atmosphere? Let's introduce seaweed, octopus, and stingray parts. Does our desert adventure theme need more danger? Let's re-use the snake mold from the Western theme, and maybe make a new scorpion mold. Do our jungle ruins not feel "ruined" enough, and is it too hard for kids to act out their favorite scenes from action movies? Let's add some spiderwebs as obstacles, and create a new spider mold to go on them. This is the sort of thought process that the new animals in these themes might have emerged from. I agree with Lyi that a circus theme would have more potential play value than a zoo theme. Visiting a zoo is a leisure activity; working at a zoo is... well... work. Some types of leisure activities are more "adventurous" to kids than others, hence why TLG has had sets like this year's Car and Caravan which celebrates the tradition of leaving home to appreciate nature and the outdoors. Zoos, on the other hand, are for the visitor a purely observational experience (minus sitcom-style family drama, of course) and for workers a routine work experience. So while zoos are naturally good subject matter for Duplo, which targets kids who are first learning to understand their world through role-play, it doesn't have the same appeal for older kids who want to tell exciting stories, not just recreate simple chains of events through play and building. A circus is also an observational leisure activity, but there's usually a strong sense of thrills and danger, and circuses have never hesitated to play up this angle. Of course, circuses have their own share of controversy regarding how animals are treated for the public's amusement, so TLG might be deliberately choosing to avoid such a theme for that reason.

Actually, printed river plates in the past couple decades were always just road plates with different printing, so they always follow the same pattern a road does. The only exceptions are some very old river plates from sets in the Castle theme, which had water actually printed over top of the studs on the baseplates. TLG hasn't done this in many, many years and to be honest I don't know if they still have the molds and printing machines necessary since there have been some significant changes in production since then. I mostly agree with Lyi. While the value of road plates and river plates for cost-effective landscapes is obvious, there are a lot of inherent limitations to both, and for most kids it's probably much easier to imagine roads and bodies of water than to pay for a road or river plate, which would raise the cost of any set and in a lot of sets would necessitate larger packaging-- all for something that has no impact at all on the actual construction of the set and hardly any versatility outside the intended application. When it comes to background details of sets, I prefer when my money goes towards actual details you build like in 6858, 3648, 4209, and 5766 than towards specialized baseplates that will simply be taking up extra space on my display shelves.

It's better than most of the aircraft polybag sets I've seen in recent years! Very cohesive design, and it actually looks slightly aerodynamic rather than blocky. The police pilot figure and the printed "Police" tile are good incentives to get this set.