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LEGO |OT 3| Build Hard. Buy Fast. No Mercy.

Rootbeer

Banned
Just saw the LEGO movie, Spoilers for it in this question:
Are there really AFOLs who glue their lego collection together? That is truly a great evil.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
not just an awesome avatar, but a very relevant one! Really excited to own me some ghostbuster LEGO and it's all thanks to you.

They better include slimer and/or a some other ghost, it'll be great to have the van and the 4 main guys but you gotta have a ghost to go with!
 

kapowza

Member
Monkey set is awesome, everyone should buy it. Lots of bang for the buck.


they still haven't released the animal sets in the UK, I am cry

my neice and I finished Monster Dino this morning and it's full of win, the arms make me crack up laughing. I might try and re-make it in red and add on the enormous wings from Fiery Legend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fIwIYOcLho

(not my vid, but you get the idea)

Simpsons house next :D
 
I went out to take pictures of Imperial Flagship. More tomorrow, but here's a teaser:

eKuAOBU.jpg
 
Just saw the LEGO movie, Spoilers for it in this question:
Are there really AFOLs who glue their lego collection together? That is truly a great evil.

Sadly, yes.
I work retail, and whenever parents and kids buy any of the minuscule amount of LEGO we carry or come in carrying a bag that has some in it I strike up a conversation about what they all like. And so many parents talk about the huge sets they bought for their kids and say they took so long to put together that they are going to glue it so it doesn't fall apart or so the kid didn't waste their time.
I, of course, immediately tell them "why in the world would you do that? That defeats the entire purpose of it all. You should be taking it apart and making stuff up. That's why it comes apart so easily, so you can use your imagination." To which the kid usually looks at his parent and says something like "See? I told you."
And the parent walks away a little annoyed that I undermined them.
 
Sadly, yes.
I work retail, and whenever parents and kids buy any of the minuscule amount of LEGO we carry or come in carrying a bag that has some in it I strike up a conversation about what they all like. And so many parents talk about the huge sets they bought for their kids and say they took so long to put together that they are going to glue it so it doesn't fall apart or so the kid didn't waste their time.
I, of course, immediately tell them "why in the world would you do that? That defeats the entire purpose of it all. You should be taking it apart and making stuff up. That's why it comes apart so easily, so you can use your imagination." To which the kid usually looks at his parent and says something like "See? I told you."
And the parent walks away a little annoyed that I undermined them.

hilarious and so very depressing, the poor kids...


I went out to take pictures of Imperial Flagship. More tomorrow, but here's a teaser:

eKuAOBU.jpg


that looks like fun Mik!
 

Ryuuroden

Member
12387147104_7247600a5e_c.jpg



Ah, what to say about the "Best" Star. Technique wise, it was not the most interesting set. What I did like about the technique was all the moving parts in the set that make it come alive as lots of dioramas. There were scenes that I knew would be in it and scenes that I had never noticed before until I built it. I think my favorite part of the build was the middle floors and within those floors it would be the Prison/Interrogation area. I feel the method they did of using a false horizon to construct the hallway was fantastic. It is definitely the results of the build that are the most fun part of the set. If you love Star Wars, you will love this set and I would totally recommend it as it's one of the top ones out there. If you're not a fan of Star Wars and just looking for interesting builds, I honestly cannot recommend this set as there were many times I did get bored during the construction. As a Star Wars aficionado I have to give it a 8/10 overall. If I had built it when it came out I probably would of given it a 10/10. It's just since then I have seen so many amazing sets I cannot put it on the same level. I do not have any sets I can look at that I can rate 10/10 but for reference the one that probably comes the closest is the Parisian Restaurant. Play-ability and display, the "Best Star" gets a 10/10 while enjoyment while building gets a 6/10.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
PhoncipleBone: Ahh, well keep fighting that good fight. I'll be sure to give an earful if I ever encounter it. Respectfully... if I can contain myself. Knowing that this may be a widespread phenomenon just makes the film's message that much more important.
 

ghostmind

Member
Thanks to jonnyrockets, I decided to pick up the rest of the CITY 2014 1H sets, along with a few others.

ij4uen1.jpg


60053 Race Car
60054 Light Repair Truck
60056 Tow Truck
60057 Camper Van
60058 SUV with Watercraft
60059 Logging Truck
60060 Auto Transporter
60061 Airport Fire Truck

60027 Monster Truck Transporter (from 2013)
76012 Batman: The Riddler Chase
The LEGO Movie TRU build event Emmet's Car
Western Emmet (from LEGO Movie game)


As I have stated previously, I am not going to be picking up this year's CITY Police sets, as between the 2011 Police sets, the 2012 Forest Police, the 2013 SWAT Police, and the Super Secret Police from the LEGO Movie, I think I am good on police sets.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
Rumor time!


The BrickShow has stated that there will be a UCS Batman Tumbler coming later this year.

That would be awesome. It would prolly be the first super hero themed item/set made of lego that I will buy. Been staying out of the line so i can spend the money on multiple modulars and such. Fortunately I have been able to cut down on star wars and city with all the similar re-releases so to speak. However, there are 3 big ticket star wars sets I must get; UCS X-Wing, SSD, and Ewok Village now that I have the space.
 

RichardAM

Kwanzaagator
Lego Movie was really incredible, loved it. I just want to build so badly now!

Anyone know or suspect if we're getting a new Western theme? Seemed to have a pretty heavy focus in the film over themes more obvious like Castle or Pirates.
 
Rumor time!


The BrickShow has stated that there will be a UCS Batman Tumbler coming later this year.



Nooooooooo!

Don't get me wrong, while this is great news, it almost certainly demolishes ANY kind of hope i had left for a UCS Batmobile revision (after missing the first one) which i would have VASTLY preferred to this!! :((((
 

Ponn

Banned
Nooooooooo!

Don't get me wrong, while this is great news, it almost certainly demolishes ANY kind of hope i had left for a UCS Batmobile revision (after missing the first one) which i would have VASTLY preferred to this!! :((((

Tumbler really isnt bad. I got the Batmobile from the recent Two Face set and its actually really nice. Its solid build with heft and looks pretty badass. I would actually like a UCS Batwing the size of the Quinjet.
 

sharbhund

Member
I don't think this has been posted yet, it's a Collider interview with LEGO VP of Design Matthew James Ashton (and LEGO Brand Relations Director Michael McNally):

http://collider.com/matthew-james-ashton-the-lego-movie-interview/

I know there’s a lot of adult collectors out there that collect LEGO. Have you guys ever thought of creating something bigger than the Super Star Destroyer that would be higher than a $400 price point or have you found that is pretty much the max that you can create and put on store shelves?
ASHTON: I don’t think we’ve ever gone into that thinking price as the starting point so we wouldn’t really pick up a price tag or a size limit on a model. I think there have been things that we’ve though about that could potentially go bigger than that. I think actually the biggest item that we’ve done, from a piece-count perspective was the Taj Mahal and I think that was about 5,900 pieces. So we have done sets with a lot of bricks and if the right idea comes up and the right opportunity, we think that there’s a big enough fanbase to do something bigger in the future. It’s definitely something we’ll consider but we haven’t said that there’s an upper price limit on these things but obviously we have to be realistic at the same time.

Have you considered a “retro line” where you would bring back or revamp classic sets like Blacktron, Western, or retired sets?
ASHTON: We have talked about it, all of these things are coming up all the time internally. It’s something, I think from a nostalgic point of view, it’s great. It’s something that will potentially be quite niche as well. Even though there’s a lot of nostalgia and it would really pull on the emotional heart strings of some hardcore fans, if you compare some of the models from the 80s to what the kids are used to seeing and playing with now, it would not necessarily hit the same appeal level that we need to get kids buying into as well. It’s a little bit niche and we have talked about it. It’s another one where we’re not saying that we wouldn’t go with that but it’s not something that we’ve focused on. Just looking at The LEGO Movie, what we’ve done with Benny’s spaceship specifically for the movie is, we talked to Chris and Phil about working a classic spaceship into the assortment and we came up with a great way. It’s a hybrid but it’s something that all the adult fans will just go nuts about because it’s an addition to what they knew and loved as kids. But then for new target audiences it’s got all features and functions, mechanisms, and all the cool stuff that kids require in the model of today. That’s what we tried to do with that, we’re catering for both target groups within the same sort of model.

One of my favorite items you guys have come out with has been the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Have the sales of that item exceeded what you guys had projected? Was it a big hit? Is it something that based on the sales you might consider doing more of say a Hill Valley play set?
ASHTON: The sales on the DeLorean have been really, really good. I don’t know how much we can talk about this. I don’t think we necessarily expand on doing more Back to the Future products but we are looking to do similar things on different franchises.
MCNALLY: We just announced today that we’re—latest review from the Cuusoo concepts—we have green lit a Ghostbusters Ecto 1. So, that’ll go into production and be available later this year. It’s very similar to the Back to the Future sort of product, vehicle based, some mini figures. We’re not revealing product information yet, that’ll be coming a little bit later in the year. We did just partner with Sony Pictures on that one. The idea that consumers are helping us do a zero in on what they have passion and what they’d like to see, the Cuusoo platform is nice way for us to understand what are those niche opportunities that can really satisfy a fanbase without having to go through this sort of lens of mass global appeal or boys ages 6-11, or whatever the case may be. We have a business model around that platform that allows us to be a little bit more in and out and do things that maybe have a lower thresholds but have super high affinity within a certain group.
ASHTON: That specific model we finished three weeks ago and it is awesome. That is on my Christmas wish list. It looks really good, the Ecto 1.

I believe the original submission was submitted with the Ghostbusters headquarters, obviously that’s a much higher price point. Was there ever a thought of doing the headquarters or did the success of the DeLorean make you go with just the Ecto 1?
ASHTON: We did have the discussion and decided that at this point it would definitely be more optimal just to go for the vehicle. But if opportunities arise in the future, we will evaluate that as well. We did just do the vehicle this time around and it’s basically because there’s always a new Cuusoo platform that we’re working with then we do have the really high price point on our ongoing franchises like Star Wars that we do with our shop-at-home exclusives. We’re keeping the big items tied into lines that match our retail assortment at the moment.
MCNALLY: We’re sort of connecting back to one of your earlier questions around our lead times. The less complex the model, the easier it is for us to pass track and go to production. We have a structure in addition to a vehicle, that item may not have come out for a year after we decide to greenlight it. We’re always looking at how we balance meeting the fans in the timeframe in which they’re indicating a passion and then making decision about models on that base as well.

Lots more info in the full interview! Hopefully, if Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! sells well, they'll make some more retro sets.
 

wetwired

Member
I don't think this has been posted yet, it's a Collider interview with LEGO VP of Design Matthew James Ashton (and LEGO Brand Relations Director Michael McNally):

http://collider.com/matthew-james-ashton-the-lego-movie-interview/


Lots more info in the full interview! Hopefully, if Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! sells well, they'll make some more retro sets.

Oh yeah I forgot to post a link here to that. I posted it on twitter and Facebook on Friday night
 
The Lego Movie was paaaacked at my local theater. Our family loved it. It really does give some character to the Lego Movie mini figs and sets.
 

Ponn

Banned
Lego Movie is doing great, the 17th is a little over a week away. Where is the official Sea Cow announcement? And the others? Really weird they are dragging their feet on those sets, its not like they are big secrets at this point.
 

Vyer

Member
So, LEGO Movie spoiler:
Green Lantern was pretty prominently featured, though I don't dig the version of the costume they used very much. Still, I wish they'd hurry up and release it already. Also interesting that we saw Milhouse, guessing he's part of the CMF Simpsons line.

Also, all of you AFOL might expect a little good natured ribbing by other family members after it's over. :)

Movie is very good, pretty much a must if you are a LEGO fan, so many easter eggs.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
So The LEGO Movie is on track to set box office records for February with a 61 million dollar opening weekend. That would put it behind only Passion of the Christ which made 81 Million and part of the reason why it made 81 Million was churches in mass bought out all the tickets on opening weekend.
 
So this is probably last month for sale. Someone please talk me in or out of getting Lord Business set.

You get Biznis Kitty in it, and a luchador wrestler in it. Not to mention a glittery cape and a giant cape shaped like a tie. Great pieces for MOCs, and the tops of Lord Business's boots are removable so you can add them to any minifigure if you want them to have platform shoes.
 

ghostmind

Member
So this is probably last month for sale. Someone please talk me in or out of getting Lord Business set.

Lord Business in all his crazy glory.
Vitruvius with his sparkly cape.
Biznis Kitty
Trans-clear minifig stands
Lot of other great parts

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm thinking it becomes a more relevant set after watching it.

EDIT: What Phon said!
 

Ponn

Banned
I meant Toys R Us sale/PM probably ends tonight, not month.

Thanks guys, can always count on LegoGAF to convince me to buy Lego sets.

The figs look aces, I was just a little concerned the main set for the price not being worthwhile. I see some unique pieces though, and gotta catch all them Kitties!

Also is Melting Room worth it for the hooded Wyldstyle? And anyone notice Lego Store is adding onto her name on all their listings spoiler
Lucy/Wyldstyle
Is this a movie spoiler? If so wonder why they are doing that.
 
So there are more Lego Movie sets coming out, right?

I don't see the big pirate shop from S@H so I'm just assuming.

I would love to get one of those police transport fliers that they use to
detain Wonder Woman and the rest of them after the cloud city attack
 

ghostmind

Member
So there are more Lego Movie sets coming out, right?

I don't see the big pirate shop from S@H so I'm just assuming.

I would love to get one of those police transport fliers that they use to
detain Wonder Woman and the rest of them after the cloud city attack



We've got four more Movie sets on the way:

70810 MetalBeard's Sea Cow (Feb. 17th for VIP/Mar. 1st general release) $225 to $250 (est.)
70814 Emmet’s Construct-o-Mech (probably June) $60
70815 Super Secret Police Dropship (probably June) $80
70816 Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! (probably June) $100
 
Hello, LegoGAF! I've been thinking about rejoining y'all, and the movie has pushed me over the edge. I recently moved somewhere where I actually have space to display models/legos and the like.

I have a question, though. A question about plastic.

When I was originally into lego as a child/teenager, I was pretty anal about keeping things pristine (I still am, with toys). Not in the sense that I wouldn't play with them or use them, but in that I was/am very sensitive to quality. I hated sets that used stickers or decals instead of paint, but what really ended up pushing me away from Lego altogether - at least, Bionicle, which was the series I was most into - was the declining quality in plastic.

The Rakshi models had really soft plastic for their face pieces and backs, as well as their weapons. This plastic would begin to "fray" and peel at the edges after not much wear and time at all, and it made my collection look ratty as hell after a few months. For those curious, I'm pretty sure it was the same cheap plastic the Matoran's arms were made of during their happy meal toy run.

I sold most of my Lego when I went to college, but I've picked up a few sets and minifigs now and then. I've noticed that the minifig plastic has changed to a lighter one - at least, in a couple of promo minifigs I received, like the Elrond that came with Lego LOTR. Is this issue going to rear its head again? I vastly prefer minifigs made entirely of that sturdy plastic the head is made out of. Is this lighter plastic only used for promos and freebies, or are all minifigs and more pieces being made of softer plastic now? Or is it somewhere in between - lighter plastic, but not as bad as the Bionicle bullshit?

Anyway, sorry if this post sounds completely insane, but if anyone has an eye for that sort of thing I'd definitely like to know.
 
Brave the ice and snow to go to TRU, they said all the kits for The Lego Movie were gone. Sure. So I went to Gamestop to pick up the game, no movie ticket, the guy said here was no such promotion. Well at least I got the mini-fig. I went to Target to pick up toiletries (stranded at work)and found all the Hobbits set on clearance along with Daily Bugle and couple other sets. At least something went my way today.
 
We've got four more Movie sets on the way:

70810 MetalBeard's Sea Cow (Feb. 17th for VIP/Mar. 1st general release)
70814 Emmet’s Construct-o-Mech (probably June)
70815 Super Secret Police Dropship (probably June)
70816 Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! (probably June)

Hell. Yes. This is exactly what I was wanting, thank you.

Any idea on prices for these? I want this really bad. And if it does come out in March that coincides well with the Martian Manhunter promo
 
I decided to make a custom lego figure for the first time in a reaaaaaaaaaaaallly long time, thanks to the lego movie! Hah.

Nicely done, with retro them also. That theme was out during my dark ages.
I'm curious to see if interest in certain The LEGO Movie CMFs will change after seeing the movie.


Hello, LegoGAF! I've been thinking about rejoining y'all, and the movie has pushed me over the edge. I recently moved somewhere where I actually have space to display models/legos and the like.

I have a question, though. A question about plastic.

When I was originally into lego as a child/teenager, I was pretty anal about keeping things pristine (I still am, with toys). Not in the sense that I wouldn't play with them or use them, but in that I was/am very sensitive to quality. I hated sets that used stickers or decals instead of paint, but what really ended up pushing me away from Lego altogether - at least, Bionicle, which was the series I was most into - was the declining quality in plastic.

The Rakshi models had really soft plastic for their face pieces and backs, as well as their weapons. This plastic would begin to "fray" and peel at the edges after not much wear and time at all, and it made my collection look ratty as hell after a few months. For those curious, I'm pretty sure it was the same cheap plastic the Matoran's arms were made of during their happy meal toy run.

I sold most of my Lego when I went to college, but I've picked up a few sets and minifigs now and then. I've noticed that the minifig plastic has changed to a lighter one - at least, in a couple of promo minifigs I received, like the Elrond that came with Lego LOTR. Is this issue going to rear its head again? I vastly prefer minifigs made entirely of that sturdy plastic the head is made out of. Is this lighter plastic only used for promos and freebies, or are all minifigs and more pieces being made of softer plastic now? Or is it somewhere in between - lighter plastic, but not as bad as the Bionicle bullshit?

Anyway, sorry if this post sounds completely insane, but if anyone has an eye for that sort of thing I'd definitely like to know.

For the most part, the quality is still very high, but it seems quality control and a few other factors have brought things down a little. Please take with a grain of salt as I may not have the facts entirely correct.

- LEGO has colors their plastic at the factory now as a cost saving feature. Previously, the plastic ABC granules were already colored. This leads to some color inconsistency in the LEGO bricks. I notice it the most with yellow bricks. I think this also leads to bricks letting more light pass through (only if you hold up to light). Not really noticeable with light reflecting off the brick.

- Chinese factory. These are what many AFOLs consider lower quality. I think many CMFs or all are done in the China factory. My understanding is LEGO is not allowed to import their standard ABS granules into China. LEGO treats their ABS plastic with additive chemicals by Bayer (plastic division has sold off and is called something else). I believe LEGO is building their own factory in China and will be able to start using the same ABS granules all the other factories use. This is also for the growing market in China.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323415304578368161124637122

- Some of the moulds that are the softer plastic are on purpose due to the shapes where the pieces would break off a more solid plastic.

In general, I'm still happy LEGO quality overall. They are still very much ahead of the competition, but some competition is getting closer.
 
I pray moving expenses in a few months are not too obscene. Because I still need Sydney Opera House, Simpsons House, and soon Sea Cow. And that is before the new Star Wars UCS set and the larger Movie sets. It will be an expensive summer, but I plan to do one massive purchase at once, just for shits and giggles.

EDIT:

Also, welcome to all the new people joining in due to their love of the movie. Always nice to have fresh faces in here.
 
D

Diggeh

Unconfirmed Member
Semi-spoiler for early in The LEGO Movie:
Do you guys think it's possible to build that awesome hovercraft-esque mode for the Super Cycle Chase? That had me drooling.
 

Ryuuroden

Member
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