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[SiegfriedFM]

I'm going for a local brick seller and he still has Pets.

What makes Parisian the best out of the rest though?

It's small but PACKED with details. The interior of the restaurant and the front of the building are pure building joy.

However, I would get Pet Shop at this point. It's bigger and less detailed, but it's a very cool build and it's extremely flexible. If you buy any number of modulars, you are going to want it eventually and it's probably going away next (unless Palace Cinema beats it). I think the only reason why it's still around is that most of the parts are relatively common. It has no completely unique parts. Although, I'd be wary once Lego removes other sand blue sets out of their rotation.

Parisian Restaurant is the better set though and the second best after Green Grocer.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Excited to see what you make. A ship perhaps? If so, doubly excited.

Please be excite.

 

[PalaceBrother]

I'm going for a local brick seller and he still has Pets.

What makes Parisian the best out of the rest though?

The restaurant is gorgeous and has a very different feel than the other modulars (yet sits alongside them nicely). I haven't opened the Detective's Office yet, but of the three I say get Pet Shop. It and the restaurant vie for my top spot (I don't have the original 3 modulars so Green Grocer isn't on my list) and it's the oldest.

So I'm loving the van so far....but this little inconsistency is driving me nuts. I wish the doors lined up perfectly. Anybody else have this problem?

 

[Boss Doggie]

I happened to be in a Lego store yesterday and I picked up that Parisian restaurant set. I only own a few other sets, but it seemed like an unusually good value to me at $160 for 2400+ pieces whereas the other sets I own were all $120-130 for 1200-1300 pieces.

And it is a really attractive set, I think I'm going to display it on a bookshelf once I finish it.

Yeah it does look really well done and has a layout not seen with typical modulars.

It's small but PACKED with details. The interior of the restaurant and the front of the building are pure building joy.

However, I would get Pet Shop at this point. It's bigger and less detailed, but it's a very cool build and it's extremely flexible. If you buy any number of modulars, you are going to want it eventually and it's probably going away next (unless Palace Cinema beats it). I think the only reason why it's still around is that most of the parts are relatively common. It has no completely unique parts. Although, I'd be wary once Lego removes other sand blue sets out of their rotation.

Parisian Restaurant is the better set though and the second best after Green Grocer.

So Pets lack details but is large? Nothing noteworthy about it other than having two buildings?

So the Simpsons house is crappy compared to the modulars huh?

The restaurant is gorgeous and has a very different feel than the other modulars (yet sits alongside them nicely). I haven't opened the Detective's Office yet, but of the three I say get Pet Shop. It and the restaurant vie for my top spot (I don't have the original 3 modulars so Green Grocer isn't on my list) and it's the oldest.

So I'm loving the van so far....but this little inconsistency is driving me nuts. I wish the doors lined up perfectly. Anybody else have this problem?

It gets better once all parts are put in. I had the same thought when I was building it.

 

[PalaceBrother]

So Pets lack details but is large? Nothing noteworthy about it other than having two buildings?

So the Simpsons house is crappy compared to the modulars huh?

The interior of the Simpsons house is nice (and faithful) but imo it's not a good set at all. I didn't enjoy the build and it doesn't look great from the exterior.

The Pet Shop actually does have some really nice detailing both inside and out. One of the rooms is essentially empty, but it's for a good

Spoiler

awesome

reason.

It gets better once all parts are put in. I had the same thought when I was building it.

Thank you!

 

[Boss Doggie]

The interior of the Simpsons house is nice (and faithful) but imo it's not a good set at all. I didn't enjoy the build and it doesn't look great from the exterior.

The Pet Shop actually does have some really nice detailing both inside and out. One of the rooms is essentially empty, but it's for a good

Spoiler

awesome

reason.

Thank you!

Oh, tell me the reason O:

And figures the house feels weird. I also got that vibe when I watched Brick Builder. I really hope the Kwik-E Mart is much better.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Yeah it does look really well done and has a layout not seen with typical modulars.



So Pets lack details but is large? Nothing noteworthy about it other than having two buildings?

It's not as packed as Parisian Restaurant, that's all. The top two floors of the town house are rather dull. However, the bottom floor and the front are packed with awesome buildings techniques, and the entire shop house is brilliant. It's also a very flexible build - you can place the buildings in smaller spaces than a standard modular.

One of these days I need to bring down the modulars and have a look inside. There's a ton of detail in each, but you almost never see it from outside.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Hmm I'll keep it in mind.

To those wondering here is what I'm choosing around. I wonder why Emporium is expensive.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Hmm I'll keep it in mind.

To those wondering here is what I'm choosing around. I wonder why Emporium is expensive.

Because is it out of print.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Ahh...

Anything special with Emporium compared to the other modulars? Or is Parisian still better?

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Ahh...

Anything special with Emporium compared to the other modulars? Or is Parisian still better?

Emporium is one of the best looking ones from the outside. Probably my favorite. However, the interior is lacking and the build is one of the most repetitive of all the buildings. But, that repetitive nature is what makes the exterior look so good.

Of all the modulars out there now, Parisian is the king. It isn't even close. But, as others have stated, go with Pet Shop first because it will only increase in value as time goes on once it goes OOP. You have another year or so for Parisian.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Emporium is one of the best looking ones from the outside. Probably my favorite. However, the interior is lacking and the build is one of the most repetitive of all the buildings. But, that repetitive nature is what makes the exterior look so good.

Of all the modulars out there now, Parisian is the king. It isn't even close. But, as others have stated, go with Pet Shop first because it will only increase in value as time goes on once it goes OOP. You have another year or so for Parisian.

That seller's stock is specifically that though, and seems no one is buying them locally.

 

[ruxtpin]

I think I'm in the minority on the Simpsons House. I love it because of the color you get. Granted, it's on the interior - but I think it's a great looking set and display piece.

 

[Zerojul]

I think I'm in the minority on the Simpsons House. I love it because of the color you get. Granted, it's on the interior - but I think it's a great looking set and display piece.

I absolutely agree with that. We're a minority of two

 

[ghostmind]

Big changes to LEGO Store Pick-A-Brick, beginning April 1st.

Going forward, a section of each store's PAB wall is going to be reserved exclusively for something called Build & Play. For $5 you'll be able to take pieces from this section that are specifically for a mini build. There will be two builds at a time, and you CAN NOT take these pieces for your normal PAB cup.

For example, let's say one of the B&P builds is a shark, and it has eye pieces and teeth pieces. You can't put those pieces in a PAB cup. You can't put ANY of the pieces from the shark in a PAB cup. You'll be given a special container for the shark and you put the pieces in there.

As for the normal, now smaller section of the PAB wall, you can't take more than one full cup of a single item anymore. So if you're trying to build the Titanic (or life-size Orthanc) and you need three cups of black brick, you'll need to go to three different Lego stores.

Apparently this is just something Lego is trying out, and that they'll gather feedback after a few months to assess if they'll continue doing it. Personally, I think its going to be difficult for the customers (to adjust to these changes) and the store staff (to enforce these policies).

 

[Ryuuroden]

Big changes to LEGO Store Pick-A-Brick, beginning April 1st.

Going forward, a section of each store's PAB wall is going to be reserved exclusively for something called Build & Play. For $5 you'll be able to take pieces from this section that are specifically for a mini build. There will be two builds at a time, and you CAN NOT take these pieces for your normal PAB cup.

For example, let's say one of the B&P builds is a shark, and it has eye pieces and teeth pieces. You can't put those pieces in a PAB cup. You can't put ANY of the pieces from the shark in a PAB cup. You'll be given a special container for the shark and you put the pieces in there.

As for the normal, now smaller section of the PAB wall, you can't take more than one full cup of a single item anymore. So if you're trying to build the Titanic (or life-size Orthanc) and you need three cups of black brick, you'll need to go to three different Lego stores.

Apparently this is just something Lego is trying out, and that they'll gather feedback after a few months to assess if they'll continue doing it. Personally, I think its going to be difficult for the customers (to adjust to these changes) and the store staff (to enforce these policies).

Yeah good luck with that TLG. I have never done what other people have done and put other stuff in my PAB cup to get it cheaper but they are are really trying to annoy me enough to do so, aren't they. Whats next, will we no longer be able to get 15 ghost shrouds for the price of 3 minifigs from the build a minifig section?

Glad I am part of a LUG now.

 

[Kipp]

Going forward, a section of each store's PAB wall is going to be reserved exclusively for something called Build & Play. For $5 you'll be able to take pieces from this section that are specifically for a mini build. There will be two builds at a time, and you CAN NOT take these pieces for your normal PAB cup.

For example, let's say one of the B&P builds is a shark, and it has eye pieces and teeth pieces. You can't put those pieces in a PAB cup. You can't put ANY of the pieces from the shark in a PAB cup. You'll be given a special container for the shark and you put the pieces in there.

Maybe I'm being dim, but I can't work it out. What's the difference between this Build & Play thing and just a typical poly-bag sized set besides the fact that someone will have to grab the pieces off the wall themselves? Seems a little silly.

 

[tiggerkiddo]

Man I dunno, I think those policies are just gonna end up with a lot of confusion for both staff and customer. Sounds complicated...I don't think it will last.

 

[PalaceBrother]

Yeah good luck with that TLG. I have never done what other people have done and put other stuff in my PAB cup to get it cheaper but they are are really trying to annoy me enough to do so, aren't they. Whats next, will we no longer be able to get 15 ghost shrouds for the price of 3 minifigs from the build a minifig section?

Glad I am part of a LUG now.

What kind of benefits do you get from the LUG?

Also, do you guys meet in the central chamber of your Orthanc every week,or just every other week?

 

[Ryuuroden]

RIP Wallet

 

[ghostmind]

RIP Wallet

You had $300 in VIP points?

Nice!

 

[Ryuuroden]

What kind of benefits do you get from the LUG?

Also, do you guys meet in the central chamber of your Orthanc every week,or just every other week?

sent you a message, and right now we meet monthly at Panera. The Zoo is supposed to eventually donate a clubspace for us in return for us building lifesize LEGO animals for them on commission. The last Zoo levy didn't pass so it hasn't happened yet. I recommend anyone in the Central Ohio area to join our LUG. I can give you the info.

 

[BentBricks]

Big changes to LEGO Store Pick-A-Brick, beginning April 1st.

Going forward, a section of each store's PAB wall is going to be reserved exclusively for something called Build & Play. For $5 you'll be able to take pieces from this section that are specifically for a mini build. There will be two builds at a time, and you CAN NOT take these pieces for your normal PAB cup.

For example, let's say one of the B&P builds is a shark, and it has eye pieces and teeth pieces. You can't put those pieces in a PAB cup. You can't put ANY of the pieces from the shark in a PAB cup. You'll be given a special container for the shark and you put the pieces in there.

As for the normal, now smaller section of the PAB wall, you can't take more than one full cup of a single item anymore. So if you're trying to build the Titanic (or life-size Orthanc) and you need three cups of black brick, you'll need to go to three different Lego stores.

Apparently this is just something Lego is trying out, and that they'll gather feedback after a few months to assess if they'll continue doing it. Personally, I think its going to be difficult for the customers (to adjust to these changes) and the store staff (to enforce these policies).

I can see that only being an issue with "rare" pieces. Sometimes things like leaves and such are stockpiled by people so I can understand limiting things, but it should be left up to the store IMO. When my LEGO store got those newer brown horses, they limited everyone to only one cup of those. Also, if there are some items that sell slowly or have a huge inventory of them, the manager should allow someone to buy multiple cups.

Curious about the new mini-build thingy. $5 seems a bit pricey if it's just for a small model like the usual monthly build thing. Then again, Mixels are $5. Hmmm. Also, I think it will be hard to enforce if it's in the same bins at the PAB wall. They should just build a kiosk like they have for the BAM (build-a-minifig).

 

[leng jai]

The Pet Shop is by no means a "large" modular. In fact, it's the hardly any bigger than the Parisian Cafe (which is the smallest). The latter makes up for it with density - it's much more detailed than things like the Town Hall and Grand Emporium.

 

[PalaceBrother]

I finished the van today. After doing the Birds set last week I'm really enjoying these non minifig-scale sets. I need some time to think about it but the entire build was a wonderful experience. It is certainly high in my ranking, I just need to figure out how high...

After much wringing of hands and visits to Bricklink to check prices, I went ahead and applied the logo sticker. Nailed it in one, thank goodness. It really does bring the whole set together.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

I finished the van today. After doing the Birds set last week I'm really enjoying these non minifig-scale sets. I need some time to think about it but the entire build was a wonderful experience. It is certainly high in my ranking, I just need to figure out how high...

After much wringing of hands and visits to Bricklink to check prices, I went ahead and applied the logo sticker. Nailed it in one, thank goodness. It really does bring the whole set together.

Now you need Mini Cooper.

 

[Ryuuroden]

My current set ownership by year now starting with 2008 which was a year before I came out of my Dark Ages the 2nd time.

2008: 12 sets
2009: 39 sets
2010: 50 sets
2011: 67 sets
2012: 84 sets
2013: 104 sets (may still be getting a couple more from this year but mostly done)
2014: 111 and counting
2015: 33 and counting

I see a scary pattern here.

Just in case, to remove confusion, those numbers are sets I bought from that year of release. So, I bought 84 sets that were released by TLG in 2012 although I might have bought them over a 3 year period. The numbers may be slightly inflated because they include each type of CMF and so on but they do not count duplicates of which I have many (in all themes). Like it only counts 1 Grand Emporium even though I own 5 of them.

Overall stats:

996 sets, 555 different

piece count from sets: 199,509

minifigure count: 3,292 (I thought I had more but turns out I don't according to brickset)

loose pieces from bricklink, PAB, craigslist, etc that I have cataloged: 122,100 pieces (actual number is larger but I didn't start keeping track till 2 years ago so I have 3 years worth of stuff I could not count accurately)

What are your crazy stats?

 

[WordAssassin]

I bought myself two Upscale Mugs today! Red and blue. They hold exactly one cup of liquid, which happens to be perfect for me since I'm hardcore dieting and that makes portion controlling drinks way easier than using just randomly sized glasses (every little bit helps). They're also microwave and dishwasher safe, for anyone wondering.

Also got the Gingerbread Man and Robot keychains. Robot is missing his key. I shouldn't be surprised but I was.

 

[PalaceBrother]

Now you need Mini Cooper.

Oh it's been in my secret closet for months! The backlog is strong these days.

 

[BentBricks]

My current set ownership by year now starting with 2008 which was a year before I came out of my Dark Ages the 2nd time.

2008: 12 sets
2009: 39 sets
2010: 50 sets
2011: 67 sets
2012: 84 sets
2013: 104 sets (may still be getting a couple more from this year but mostly done)
2014: 111 and counting
2015: 33 and counting

I see a scary pattern here.

It is scary. The increase is tapering off after 2013. That is troubling.

 

[BentBricks]

I'll just leave this here...

by minicoop4, on Flickr

 

[Ryuuroden]

It is scary. The increase is tapering off after 2013. That is troubling.

Lol, I still have 29 sets to buy that were released in 2014. I tend to not buy stuff immediately. I have a feeling though that 2014 will be the plateau year and that from 2015 on, I will be see roughly the same number of sets from each year purchased as I made in 2014. That is unless LEGO starts increasing the variety of sets by even more.

 

[oneknightr]

I'll just leave this here...




by minicoop4, on Flickr

LMAO!! Now that's funny.

 

[oneknightr]

Could you post a picture of the mod you made? I have to order a couple of missing pieces off bricklink, and I might as well order the parts for the mod.

Sorry for the late reply. I had a busy weekend. I'll try to take pics and post them in a few days. The parts you would need are pretty standard, nothing unique or hard to find.

 

[PalaceBrother]

What are your crazy stats?

Those are some pretty ridiculous numbers. Wow. I can't come close to that.

I've told the story here before but my parents kept all of my '78-'84 LEGO in sealed shoeboxes. I was cleaning up our cold room in mid-2012 and I found the boxes. I had just bought my daughter Olivia's Laboratory so LEGO was fresh in my mind for the first time since 1984. I looked inside and thought "Huh. I wonder if the pieces are all here? I bet you can find instructions for these old sets on the internet".

The next thing I knew it was 3am and I'd built pretty much every set I owned as a kid. That was fun and I was ready to call it a night but I made one fatal mistake. I thought to myself, "I bet some of the new LEGO sets might be neat. I should look what's available and pick one up on a lark."

2012 - 65 sets
2013 - 78 sets
2014 - 90 sets
2015 - 33 sets

95206 pieces, 331 sets, 1130 minifigs. It's safe to add 15-20% to all of those numbers due to loose pickups etc.

At the beginning of 2013 I decided to start keeping track of how much I was spending on LEGO in an effort to curtail the expense. 26 months later that number stands at

Spoiler

$8,600

. That's almost $350 a month! Please send help.

Also please don't tell my wife. That's the most important take-away!

 

[peteykirch]

I really wish I didn't miss out on the Valentines Day vignette.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Mini guns ready for my airship. They tilt up and down, and spin the gear on the back and both barrels rotate.

 

[Ryuuroden]

Mini guns ready for my airship. They tilt up and down, and spin the gear on the back and both barrels rotate.

Awesome!

time to start building in power functions for all those movable parts

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Awesome!

time to start building in power functions for all those movable parts

I have no power functions.
I did think about looking up the dimensions of the motor and battery pack and leaving areas in the rear for it, but went for light bricks inside instead. Gotta have a glowing fire like my first airship had.

 

[Kito]

I really wish I didn't miss out on the Valentines Day vignette.

You can still catch it for less than double the RRP on eBay.

 

[ruxtpin]

Finished the Helicarrier. Yes it's expensive, but it's going to look kickass next to my SSD.

 

[wetwired]

still waiting for avengers sets in Australia, I've heard reports of them showing up but no luck in Brisbane that I can find yet, I wanted to snag the hulkbuster set

 

[leng jai]

Yep, no sign of Hulkbusters. Took us forever to get the Double Decker Couch also.

 

[Jables Swan]

We only just got the Lego Movie sets 2 weeks ago.

Spoiler

In Tassie.

 

[Jimbro72]

What are your crazy stats?

After your post I got curious on my own collection so I decided to update my stuff since I hadn't in like half a year or more. Looks like I'm approaching 600 unique sets (589 different, 612 total) including polybags. Piece count over 245k. I haven't updated all my CMF so I'm probably around 1400+ minifigs, too. Breakdown by year is:

1978 - 1
1983 - 2
1999 - 11
2000 - 14
2001 - 10
2002 - 20
2003 - 15
2004 - 12
2005 - 6
2006 - 9
2007 - 12
2008 - 16
2009 - 28
2010 - 29
2011 - 40
2012 - 80
2013 - 111
2014 - 134
2015 - 39

Somehow I managed to hold on to 3 technic sets from my childhood and yet none of the city, classic space and castle I had. I also got back into LEGO when Star Wars sets first made an appearance and have been (mostly) complete with that since the beginning but then 2 years ago is when I starting collecting other lines, as evident by the huge spike in sets purchased by the release year. Probably too many other lines.

 

[ghostmind]

Here we go:

2005 - 4
2006 - 4
2007 - 4
2008 - 6
2009 - 23
2010 - 31
2011 - 95
2012 - 172
2013 - 186
2014 - 183
2015 - 25


Apparently, I own 749 sets, 685 which are unique. This contributes to a total of 246,431 pieces, and 2195 minifigs. This does not include PAB or pieces purchased from Bricklink, etc.


I'm planning on picking up just over 50 sets this year, which is a major reduction from recent years. I'm also planning on selling off the bulk of my collection this year, leaving about a third of my current total remaining.

 

[parrotbeak]

Wow, you guys make me feel better about my collection.

Skipping CMFs, promo packs, etc:

2008 - 1
2009 - 1
2010 - 4
2011 - 8
2012 - 20
2013 - 8
2014 - 10
2015 - 6

Brickset stats including everything:

85 sets, 68 different. 34507 pieces. Retail value $3586. 231 minifigs.

 

[ghostmind]

LEGO Jurassic World - The Game trailer:

https://youtu.be/TcbIrNXJ3JI

 

[PhoncipleBone]

How are you guys getting a year by year breakdown of sets you own? I can just see themes and sum of all sets.

My collection is seriously lacking compared to most everyone else that posted.

237 sets owned, 133212 pieces. That is not including PAB stuff.
669 mini figures that I have at least entered in the database. I haven't gone through for most of the CMF stuff or what I have multiples of, so I am probably closer to 700 figures.

 

[leng jai]

My collection is pretty small, I pretty much only buy what I really like and don't bother buying small/play sets (DD Couch was an exception). My last 6 sets were Parisian Cafe, SpaceShip, Tumbler, Palace Cinema, T1 Camper Van and Imperial Flagship.