Legos, anyone?

[no3Ljm]

31 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Those vignettes are pretty neat. The way they fold into a faux book makes for great presentation.

I received my Lego Holiday 2020 Catalog yesterday, and man, these Harry Potter sets looks awesome. The Diagon Alley specifically. However those book sets that I posted wasn't in the catalog yet.

 

[M'Kyuun]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

I received my Lego Holiday 2020 Catalog yesterday, and man, these Harry Potter sets looks awesome. The Diagon Alley specifically. However those book sets that I posted wasn't in the catalog yet.

 

I got the original Diagon Alley set for my wife years ago, and we still have it displayed, as I've long thought it looked amazing. Then this. I'm awestruck by what an incredibly large and detailed model the designers created here. A grandiose set of this size and detail would have only been possible with a MOC when the original came out. It has 5544 pieces for $400- excellent value. Finding an adequate spot to display it would be the most challenging aspect, as this set definitely commands a shelf.

[no3Ljm]

Apologies in advance for posting this one here. I know it’s not an official product, but for the sake of the forum’s name, I hope it’s ok to share it here.

Quote

 

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005001530421751.html

5800+Pcs MOC Space Fighter Bricks Small Particle DIY Building Blocks Stem Toys For Children Adult 
Features:

.Originated from a famous cartoon battleship as the prototype.
.The battleship has multiple defensive and attack batteries.
.The aft propulsion system is well designed
.The model is made up of various parts, which can be assembled together with children or friends and enjoy the fun of my own creation
.High quality building block parts made of ABS raw material. No rough edges, bright color, good hand feeling, not tight nor loose.
.The electronic user guide was stored in special memory so just open it with your computer. Through the instructions to let you fully understand the structure of the model
.The assembly is of high difficulty.
.For Age: 8+
.Perfect for party, birthday, graduation, Children's Day, Christmas or any other occasion
.An excellent present for MOC players, collectors, enthusiasts
.Due to the large number of parts, please take good care of the parts
.After the assembly, it is also a super great home decoration.
.Note: If you have any problems, please contact us in time

Specifications:

.Color: As Shown
.Material: ABS
.Product Size: 70 x 34 x 20cm
.Product Weight: 4800g
.Package Dimensions: 32 x 36 x 24cm
.Package Weight: 5100g
.Packing: Carton Box


Packing list

.1 x DIY Building Kit

It looks awesome!

It’s Aliexpress so please shop with caution.

[technoblue]

Looks cool, but now I want to go searching for a good LEGO SDF-1 MOC.

[Tking22]

I ordered Sesame Street and the Las Vegas architecture set, got me over $150 so I got the Charles Dickens gift. What a cool little gift set, I know $150 is a fairly steep buy-in, but it's a cool looking little set. I'm excited to check it all out. I almost, almost, almost bought the VW Camper instead, I'm missing that set and Lego.com actually got stock again, but me and Sesame Street go waaaaaay back, I grew up with those colorful characters and that barrio, I had to have it. I can't decide if I want the JP T-Rex set next, or keep my eye open for the Creator Expert Ecto-1, I missed out and would love one for Christmas. 

[sh9000]

[Lexomatic]

Re: that unauthorized 5800-piece Macross-like set -- interesting hybrid of the TV and DYRL stylings. It's got the general shape of the TV version, with aircraft carriers; but has the grey color, leg-greebling, and six-nozzle engine arrays of the movie; plus extra red stripes, minus the nose-prongs.

AliExpress co-sells include a chibi version of the Macross in Attacker mode, the Yamato and Andromeda from Space Battleship Yamato, the boxy Mark 2 and pointy Mark 7 Vipers from Battlestar Galactica (2004), and the EAS Agamemnon from Babylon 5, and another one.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Lexomatic

[Lexomatic]

On 11/14/2020 at 9:31 PM, slide said:

I wonder if any other forms of collectables will suffer the crash that sports cards did in the 90's...

The difference being that LEGO elements have an intrinsic value, even if there's a crash in appreciated-inflated prices for sets. For the foreseeable future (*) there will always be somebody who'll want to use those bricks, even if they're dumped en-masse into a brick pit for kids, rather than scrupulously parted-out on BrickLink. But printed pasteboard cards don't have a secondary purpose other than making flippety-flippety noises in bicycle spokes.

(*) Until/unless some kind of high-res tactile-VR supplants the entire market sector of plastic building toys.

[M'Kyuun]

36 minutes ago, Lexomatic said:

The difference being that LEGO elements have an intrinsic value, even if there's a crash in appreciated-inflated prices for sets. For the foreseeable future (*) there will always be somebody who'll want to use those bricks, even if they're dumped en-masse into a brick pit for kids, rather than scrupulously parted-out on BrickLink. But printed pasteboard cards don't have a secondary purpose other than making flippety-flippety noises in bicycle spokes.

(*) Until/unless some kind of high-res tactile-VR supplants the entire market sector of plastic building toys.

Even if there were a way to do tactile virtual bricks, and I'm sure its coming, there's something inherently satisfying to building a set or a MOC and having the final model there for play and display that I don't think you'll get from anything virtual.  I work on my designs in Studio and LDD from time to time, but it never gives me the same satisfaction as putting real bricks together.

I'll back you on your argument for LEGO's persistent value; even if a set doesn't appreciate, oft times the parts in certain sets, especially those in rare colors, low production numbers, or retired, will appreciate greatly, usually well beyond the value of the set itself. Even new parts, if produced in only one or two sets, will command a fairly hefty price on the secondary market.  It can certainly make an already expensive hobby magnitudes more so.

[sh9000]

Wow.

[Dobber]

That is amazing!

[M'Kyuun]

LEGO is offering fans a chance to choose a classic theme for a LEGO IDEAS set due next year to commemorate their 90th anniversary. 

Classic Space all the way!!!

[danth]

8 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Classic Space all the way!!!

Yep. Since I had three votes, I used them all on Space. Classic, Blacktron, and Ice Planet.

[M'Kyuun]

So did I, actually. While I fervently hope the final choice is Classic Space, I also voted for Blacktron and M-Tron as my second and third choices. Blacktron was my second favorite Space subtheme, and M-Tron had a cool gimmick and some cool sets, especially the Mega Core Magnetizer. I'd be happy if any of these got chosen, but man, I'd love an updated wedge shaped ship in the vein of the old Galaxy Explorer.

Ultimately, though, I just hope a space theme is chosen, even if it's not one of my picks. My greatest fear is that Bionicle will win.  There are a lot of Bionicle fans, and it did help to save LEGO's bacon back in '03, but as an anniversary themed set, I think it ought to be something harkening back to those early sets from the late 70's that introduced the world to the minifig and sooo many possibilities.

I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for Creator to touch upon Space at some point, as last year they made a really nice looking Pirate Ship, this year they're supposedly making a nice Castle set (not to mention that last year a really nice classic Pirates IDEAS set was released, and they're getting ready to release a Blacksmith shop through IDEAS very soon, so that's two of the classic themes down. We're due some serious CS representation in Creator and IDEAS).

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

I want more UCS and Creator Expert cars, I've loved every Creator Expert and UCS vehicle I've ever purchased. My Ecto-1 will be in my hands Monday, just in time for my b-day. I'd LOOOOOVE if Lego announced a UCS/Expert DeLorean time machine for this year, I'd also take a UCS Adam West Batman Batmobile. 

[ErikElvis]

Saw a new AT-AT at Walmart. Wonder if it’s worth picking up over my old one. I couldn’t say for sure there any many changes. Did like the grappling hook Luke. 

[Scyla]

5 hours ago, ErikElvis said:

Saw a new AT-AT at Walmart. Wonder if it’s worth picking up over my old one. I couldn’t say for sure there any many changes. Did like the grappling hook Luke. 

The cockpit has now room for three Mini-Figs and the back of the AT-AT has seats for the Snow Trooper.

All around it has a more accurate head and more brick built details and no stickers...

...and no prints on the dishes on his legs.

I also heard rumors that one of the Lego Star Wars leaked sets could be an UCS AT-AT so maybe wait till those sets are revealed.

[M'Kyuun]

54 minutes ago, Scyla said:

The cockpit has now room for three Mini-Figs and the back of the AT-AT has seats for the Snow Trooper.

All around it has a more accurate head and more brick built details and no stickers...

...and no prints on the dishes on his legs.

I also heard rumors that one of the Lego Star Wars leaked sets could be an UCS AT-AT so maybe wait till those sets are revealed.

Man, I hope so. That's the UCS I've been waiting for since they started the line. However, to @ErikElvis, the System set you saw at Walmart, 75288, is pretty well done, and definitely has the best head, so far as accurately accommodating the two drivers and Gen. Veers. The original 4483 from 2003 still looks the best proportionally to my eyes, and it had that lovely printing on the dishes. The new set's legs are too thin, and the hip dishes are the same size as the knees, where they should be slightly wider in diameter, and it throws the look of it off. I own two copies; one to keep as designed, and a second to mod, if I ever get motivated enough to do it. However, on the whole, 75288 does a good job of capturing the look, has a cool internal winch to reel Luke up to the underside, has a Snowspeeder ensconced in the back, and has the strongest and most flexible neck connection yet on a System AT-AT. IMHO, It's worth the $160.

I'm expecting my Ninjago City Gardens and '89 Batwing sets today. I'm excited for both. I have the first Ninjago City set, and it definitely left an impression as one of the most fun sets I've ever built, and at this point, I've built likely a couple thousand, no hyperbole. I skipped the Ninjago CIty Harbor set, as it didn't look as engaging to me, but this Garden set looks to capture once again a variety of structural designs, colors, and commercial Asian flare that the original did, and it sings to my soul. My biggest conundrum is where I'm going to put it.

The '89 Batwing is just cool, if a bit inaccurate to the original movie model. I think the designers did a better job on the '89 Batmobile, but it's still pretty cool, and the ability to hang it on the wall will prove useful, as that's likely how I'll display my copy.

[Tking22]

Ecto-1 showed up today, looks good, can't wait to dive in. I'll be leaving off the "rust" stickers, and I'm switching the ladder to the other side.

[Chronocidal]

I feel like I need this just for all of the shaped white panels.    Looks too long though, did they stretch it?

[Tking22]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I feel like I need this just for all of the shaped white panels.    Looks too long though, did they stretch it?

It looks pretty accurate to me, those old Cadillac MMs were massive, massive vehicles, basically boats. This complete Ecto-1 is 18" long, pretty big model.

[Chronocidal]

Huh, fair enough, I guess the profile of the back window threw me a little.  Looks good though.  

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

In between projects, I got to modify Sluban's Viper model:

I added bulk and changed the proportions a bit. I also added lot more detail and a full weapons loadout. More pics here.

[sh9000]

[Tking22]

On 1/20/2021 at 11:07 AM, Tking22 said:

I want more UCS and Creator Expert cars, I've loved every Creator Expert and UCS vehicle I've ever purchased. My Ecto-1 will be in my hands Monday, just in time for my b-day. I'd LOOOOOVE if Lego announced a UCS/Expert DeLorean time machine for this year, I'd also take a UCS Adam West Batman Batmobile. 

 

11 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Holy crap, wish granted, this is totally bought! Looks fantastic! Vip orders open February 15th, I'm definitely in.

[Dobber]

On 12/1/2020 at 3:24 PM, Lexomatic said:

Re: that unauthorized 5800-piece Macross-like set -- interesting hybrid of the TV and DYRL stylings. It's got the general shape of the TV version, with aircraft carriers; but has the grey color, leg-greebling, and six-nozzle engine arrays of the movie; plus extra red stripes, minus the nose-prongs.

AliExpress co-sells include a chibi version of the Macross in Attacker mode, the Yamato and Andromeda from Space Battleship Yamato, the boxy Mark 2 and pointy Mark 7 Vipers from Battlestar Galactica (2004), and the EAS Agamemnon from Babylon 5, and another one.

I’ve had my eye on that EAS Agamemnon for over a year now but I’m always apprehensive about ordering from one of those 3rd party sites that sell it.

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

LEGO Ideas has the second fan vote up for a 90th anniversary set.  The four themes that made it through the first round are : Bionicle, Classic Space, Pirates, and Castle, and the anniversary set will reflect whichever of these four receives the most votes.

As it stands, Bionicle seems to be getting the lion's share of support. My vote is for Classic Space, but in truth, I'd rather see any of the System themes win over Bionicle, which IMHO, shouldn't have even been in the running with all the classic themes of the 70's-90's. Anyway, just thought I'd make folks aware that the vote is live.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

It was a great time building one of my favorite planes-it's finally done!

I posted more pics here.

[Chronocidal]

Boy do I ever wish LEGO would re-introduce seamless angled plates like the old notched wing pieces.  They make a ton of separate left and right plates in a bunch of other angles, so why not the 45 degree ones?

Edited February 6, 2021 by Chronocidal

[Dobber]

6 hours ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

It was a great time building one of my favorite planes-it's finally done!

I posted more pics here.

Wow that looks great!

I’m always too intimidated to try a custom as I don’t have a brick stock pile and I’m not sure how to go about buying what is needed to make these gorgeous models. Like I mentioned above, I’d love to get the B5 Agamemnon, but don’t know if the sites that sell it are really just scams.

Fantastic work.

Chris

Edited February 6, 2021 by Dobber

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

21 hours ago, Dobber said:

Wow that looks great!

I’m always too intimidated to try a custom as I don’t have a brick stock pile and I’m not sure how to go about buying what is needed to make these gorgeous models. Like I mentioned above, I’d love to get the B5 Agamemnon, but don’t know if the sites that sell it are really just scams.

Fantastic work.

Chris

Thanks Dobber!  I was intimidated as well and I didn't have a stock pile of bricks when I began looking over the custom builds out there. The hardest part is recognizing pieces, and how they are classified, i.e. bricks, plates, tiles, wedges, slopes, and modified.  On the other hand, some designs can be loaded on the Studio program and from there a complete parts list can be generated.  This list can be uploaded to Bricklink and parts from the list can then be bought from vendors who are registered with Bricklink.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[Tking22]

I just grabbed a Porsche 911 off Lego.com, good looking set, looks like a fun build. VIP access started today, I should have it in hand Tuesday.

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, Tking22 said:

I just grabbed a Porsche 911 off Lego.com, good looking set, looks like a fun build. VIP access started today, I should have it in hand Tuesday.

It does look like a fun build, but I put it on my wish list for now. I'm thinking of saving it to help pick up a gift with purchase later on.

[Tking22]

On 2/16/2021 at 4:50 PM, technoblue said:

It does look like a fun build, but I put it on my wish list for now. I'm thinking of saving it to help pick up a gift with purchase later on.

Some of my favorite sets are the UCS and Creator Expert vehicles, so I had to have this ASAP, it doesn't hurt that I've always had a soft spot for the 911 in general, it's a gorgeous machine.

Speaking of the 911.

It looks fantastic, I'm excited to check it out.

 

[technoblue]

19 hours ago, Tking22 said:

Some of my favorite sets are the UCS and Creator Expert vehicles, so I had to have this ASAP, it doesn't hurt that I've always had a soft spot for the 911 in general, it's a gorgeous machine.

+1 On the Creator Expert sets. The vehicles are just good fun all around. I've been doing my best to keep up with most of them. I find myself pickier about the UCS sets these days. Some of them demand too much space, and the UCS city/base sets are not really my thing. I'm more into the Star Wars system sized sets. Of course, I would need to hide my wallet if LEGO brought back a traditional space theme.

HaHa! Speaking of which, it's been hard waiting on the 911 but there's only a few more days to go. I'm going to try and get it along with the new Amelia Earhart gift set.