Lego (picture-rich thread)
lubbly stuff
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Sorry, on reflection I should have put that Advent tip in the bargins thread, but I did tweet about it, so you know, you should have followed me. Or something.

I only bought it as I was minimising chocolate as part of the new healthy me (lost 30kg since april) - but I've become obsessed. Lego is still amazing
30kg!? Fucking well done, mate!
Shit yes. Get thee to the middle-aged spread thread.
Ahhh this brings back a lot of memories

http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=948-1

Not sure if it's me being a miserable old git but modern lego seems to have lost something of its charm, the joy of lego was (at least to a young Morte) was digging out the big bucket of lego and mucking about and seeing what you can build. With Christmas round the corner no doubt some of the big day will involve building multiple lego sets with my nephews...who are paranoid about 'mixing the bits up'.
Pod wrote:
Actually City is the best theme. There's nothing cooler than a LEGO garbage truck.

I have this one in a box. And perhaps because I'm "old as fuck", I think it has a lot more charm than its massive modern equivalent, with its plentiful unique parts that can't really be used for anything else.
Morte wrote:
my nephews...who are paranoid about 'mixing the bits up'.

Oh, discordia! What has happened to children?
I know, it's terrible. Children really are quite useless. Stupid children.
CraigGrannell wrote:
Pod wrote:
Actually City is the best theme. There's nothing cooler than a LEGO garbage truck.

I have this one in a box. And perhaps because I'm "old as fuck", I think it has a lot more charm than its massive modern equivalent, with its plentiful unique parts that can't really be used for anything else.

Most of those bricks can be used for lots of other things. Sure, they are not as generic as a plain old brick, but apart from windows and wheels and such, they are still not "one-use-only" bricks. I think the large selection of arches, wedges and curved bricks that LEGO has developed the last 5 years is fantastic and allows stuff like the incredible new tie fighter model without resorting to specially molded bricks.
Loved my Space lego, had the Moon base with the crater plates.

But this was my fave set before I got Space lego: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=744-1

Mmmmmm motor... :luv:
The good Doctor sent me this yesterday:

Image

http://io9.com/5966902/serenity-lego-se ... -a-reality

$85 for the little men is too much, though.
Zardoz wrote:
But this was my fave set before I got Space lego: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=744-1

Mmmmmm motor... :luv:


Nice
I remember the Christmas morning I got that vividly. :luv:
He he...your post sent me scuttling back to the brick set site to look at the Space Lego...after a certain age I got the technics stuff and my brother got the space lego.

It all ended up in the general lego bucket though.
Zardoz wrote:
Loved my Space lego, had the Moon base with the crater plates.

But this was my fave set before I got Space lego: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=744-1

Mmmmmm motor... :luv:

Want.
Mimistletoe Kisses wrote:
I love lego trees.

Saw this in the Trafford Centre on Saturday.

Image

2 floors high :metul:
According to SCIENCE a tower made up of 2*2 bricks could go as tall as 3,591 metres (2.17 miles) before collapsing under its own weight...of course long before you got that high it wouldn't stand up though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20578627
lasermink wrote:
I think the large selection of arches, wedges and curved bricks that LEGO has developed the last 5 years is fantastic and allows stuff like the incredible new tie fighter model without resorting to specially molded bricks.

Hence "And perhaps because I'm 'old as fuck'". CHANGE IS BAD! WHY MUST THERE BE CHANGE?
CraigGrannell wrote:
lasermink wrote:
I think the large selection of arches, wedges and curved bricks that LEGO has developed the last 5 years is fantastic and allows stuff like the incredible new tie fighter model without resorting to specially molded bricks.

Hence "And perhaps because I'm 'old as fuck'". CHANGE IS BAD! WHY MUST THERE BE CHANGE?


Because, otherwise, 99p stores become £1 stores.
I'd point and laugh, but then I had this (1978) and this (1979). Argh.
CraigGrannell wrote:
I'd point and laugh, but then I had this (1978) and this (1979). Argh.


Nothing wrong with any of those...or being old.
My brother had that police station. I had the fire station and the castle. Actually, we still have those sets, and still in pretty good condition too.
lasermink wrote:
My brother had that police station. I had the fire station and the castle. Actually, we still have those sets, and still in pretty good condition too.

I wanted those so badly! Had those space sets, though, and my brother had the police station. Brilliant.
I now have a deep need for some lego.

...damn you lego >:(
I get an itch when I pass the LotR Shelob set which has the Gollum minifig...
lasermink wrote:
My brother had that police station. I had the fire station and the castle. Actually, we still have those sets, and still in pretty good condition too.

I got the later 1981 station, which I, er, 'may' have just rebought on eBay a while back for more than a few pence. I also have a wee 1980s crane on my office speaker, facing off against an evil panda (in front of a framed set of Muppets stamps).

I work alone.
I swear I had a Lego kit called a "Magnama Starship" but Google tells me I'm misremembering.
DavPaz wrote:
Morte wrote:
my nephews...who are paranoid about 'mixing the bits up'.

Oh, discordia! What has happened to children?


What? I (aided by my parents) did that, dividing my three Space sets among their boxes sorted by colour, and my two generic sets likewise based on colour. It made life and building shit so much nicer. Any future models (like the police truck or my race cars set) stayed within their own boxes.
SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU, IMPORTANT NEWS AHEAD:

I live near Watford. Guess what opens in Watford on the 14th of december?!
Pod wrote:
SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU, IMPORTANT NEWS AHEAD:

I live near Watford. Guess what opens in Watford on the 14th of december?!


Oh, Dear God. I'll be there.
Phew. Wrong side of the M25. If they ever open one in west London, I'm doomed.
CraigGrannell wrote:
Phew. Wrong side of the M25. If they ever open one in west London, I'm doomed.


You must think the Metropolitan Line passes through a City 17-style forcefield to clear all the horrible not-London things off.
CraigGrannell wrote:
Phew. Wrong side of the M25. If they ever open one in west London, I'm doomed.

Isn't there one inside Hamleys?
metalangel wrote:
You must think the Metropolitan Line passes through a City 17-style forcefield to clear all the horrible not-London things off.

I live west of London, not in London, and so west London is easy enough to get to rapidly (including the hideous IKEA at Wembley, which Mrs G has fortunately now grown tired of), but north London/Watford means getting on the M25, getting past the Heathrow blockage, and still pootling for along for a while after that.
TK-421 wrote:
Pod wrote:
SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU, IMPORTANT NEWS AHEAD:

I live near Watford. Guess what opens in Watford on the 14th of december?!


Oh, Dear God. I'll be there.


Oh fuck, why would they do this?

Incidentally, the only Space set I ever remember having was http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6890-1. To be fair, I was generally only interested in the more everyday Legoland sets.

This was probably my favouritest set:
http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6392-1

And I always remember this one as being the first ever set I got:
http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=1966-1

although I also had a load of Fabuland stuff, which I guess I must've had before that. I've probably still got all my Lego in the loft at my parents.
I keep getting tempted by that airport set on eBay, until every time I add it to a watch list, I realise I'd have nowhere to put the thing. As for the car repair shop, that's a pretty rare set.
So many memories in this thread!!
Zio wrote:

Oh fuck, why would they do this?


Because, Dave, they are bastards. Will make it easier to buy all the brand new white parts I need for Hobbes though. When I have the time and money to actually do it, mind you.
KovacsC wrote:
So many memories in this thread!!


Sadly, none at all for me. I must have had a deprived childhood. The only thing close to Lego I had was this -

Attachment:
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I'm quite pleased that a picture of the model I had exists online though.
CraigGrannell wrote:
I keep getting tempted by that airport set on eBay, until every time I add it to a watch list, I realise I'd have nowhere to put the thing. As for the car repair shop, that's a pretty rare set.


Only problem is my memory is faulty, I never had that set. I thought it was odd because I remember getting it as a present from my parents when I was in hospital having an eye operation, which was definitely earlier than 1985. This was the set I actually had:

http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6363-1

I really am going to have to phone Dad later and see if he knows where the big Lego box went. I know for a fact I had this one too:

http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6371-1

I used to keep all the instructions for all my sets safe too, they should be in that box (provided my Dad hasn't done something stupid like chuck it all away or something).
Ah. The auto repair shop is slightly different (although I think it's actually much nicer). That's my favourite Shell set too, despite the weedy tow truck.
I still have a stack of Castle lego (the good period - the lions castle, the black eagles castle and loads of siege engines and bits and bobs) a fair stack of City lego from the late 80s and some 80s space lego, including an ace moon truck which carries a space rocket.

First Born is a massive lego fan, so he's getting an Lego Space Shuttle and an Xwing for Christmas. I can't wait.
Went into Watford on Friday to pick up some christmas presents + other crap (spray-stratch!). Before getting the other stuff we decided to go and look around the LEGO store first, as it was the closest thing. It's basically just 2 long walls of Lego products which is staffed by 16 year olds. I RESISTED buying anything, because I am strong.

Went around the rest of the shops and bought the other stuff we needed and, on the way back to the car-park, just happened to go by the LEGO shop 10 minutes or so before it was closing, where I had second look. Just a look.


Anyway I've built my new purchases. The Winter Cottage and the Pet Shop!. I've wanted one of those modular buildings for quite a while now.

I built the snowy cottage on Friday night/Saturday morning. It's a really attractive little Scando style house -- a really nice scene overall. Lots of pretty blue bricks to add to the collection :)

The house has a nicely designed chimney that puts the 'brickwork-effect' brick to good use as a feature-brick to make the chimney seem like a nice stone/brick thing. The IKEA style kitchen has a really cool checkerboard floor that I spent more time than necessary on to ensure that it was all the 1x1 smooth bricks were properly aligned to stop each one from being rotated slightly and giving an overall non-uniform appearance. I doubt anyone can tell :P

It's a pity the roof doesn't pivot open and the top floor detach, though the roof detaches easy enough. I really wanted the top floor to pop off, even before making the modular buildings, as its presence makes the kitchen quite gloomy. (I can see how to modify it quite easily. Maybe even make it so that the entire 'roof' pops off at once?). There's a nice fire in the living room that has an light-brick inside it. You can light up the whole house with it when the light from the brick cascades through the yellow and orange transparent bricks and gives grandapa, the chandelier and the geometric rug a nice 'fireside glow' :)

Still, the set has a major draw back: THE FRONT DOOR DOESN'T FUCKING OPEN WHEN THE ROOF IS ON?! I don't think it's too hard to work around -- just notch out the roof (though that'll prevent using the spaceship piece to get the sloping edge that touches the other roof), but I can't be arsed doing it. Also it's a 12+ set so it includes some zany faces, and is probably the reason for the non-house bits.



Did the modular house today (was at a work's Xmas party thing on Saturady night. TAKING UP PRECIOUS BUILDING TIME). Before starting the set I was really excited to do it and thought the pet shop was the most interesting bit with the red town house appearing dull. HOW WRONG I WAS. The red house is WAY better, if empty.

The majorly exciting thing about the left house is the technique used on the bay window thingies. You can download the manual and look if you want, but it uses two headlamp pieces to invert the LEGO bricks and then clips in two upside down white dome pieces onto this to create the lower dome under the window. The height of the sideways-upside down headlamp is 3/2 of a brick or something and can be topped off by a stud to bring it back into normal height. The window arc itself that the window-bricks sit on is created by 4 alternating hinge pieces that fit so incredibly snugly around two upside-down tow-bar pieces (that themselves get inverted back into normal stud orientation via some lightsabres to create a table for a vase) that it makes me wonder if they thought of that all the way back in the 80s or whenever those pieces first came around. MEGA COOL.

Both baywindows are exciting things to make, but the bottom one is best due to the studs-not-on-top (SNOT!) stuff. I've not experimented much with SNOT in my own LEGO creations, usually only using the L shaped adapters to create some sideways smooth bits, but this set definitely shows some of the basic techniques. There's also some nice techniques to learn from the set for building your own railings rather than relying on the jail-bar pieces.

Anyway, the left house also has some nice dark red slops to add to the collection along with some nice orange smooth plates to act as feature bricks on the outside. Along with a million flowers it makes the house look very housey. Also some nice opening french doors on the top floor. The lower floors have a sexy looking spiral staircase, a cute little toilet and a phone + sofa. The front door has a cool SNOT thing to use minifig skis to create a porch ornament! Very cool :)

There's also a fully featured basement with doors, but you can't see into it. It'd be very easy to make the ground floor lift off of the basement as the other floors do from each other. I'm surprised they didn't do this -- NEGATIVE POINTS FOR THIS. The upper floors feel really empty, but this is 'explained' away by the guy painting using the paint-roller and the cardboard boxes. "They've obviously just moved in!" etc, but it feels like an excuse. Couldn't LEGO corp provide another few minifigs or like, 20 more pieces to fill out the space? Also negative points for the absurdly tall hat rack.

Even with those negative points the town house is the best, as there's lots of interesting things to learn when building it. Also, it's 16+, so no zany grins, just good old yellow ':)' all the way, and you even get some of those new fangled child-legs they use to make Children, Gimli and Hobbits.



On the otherside, the blue Pet Shop is a bit of a disappointment. I was initially excited because, y'know, it's GOT A CAT! Unfortunately, apart from the sign (that I think is OK/a bit shit), there's not much interesting in it. It's very sparse in the shop with what feels like lots of wasted floor space, though I do like the design of the animal pens. The apartment has a nice red kitchen and a fireplace, but it also feels empty. Outside it looks nice: It's got a sign, some nice slate-style sloping thingies and some attractive upper windows. But there's no feature bricks or anything to break up the front wall, apart from a bunch of divets on the front windows so the entire building feels like a big block of blue, with the residents of the apartment having the misfortune of having half a blue wall and half a black wall near the top :)

The 'PETS' sign is the most interesting part building wise, though it looks quite ugly close up. It's an interesting design as it's full of 1x1 bricks all stacked aside each other or stacked sideways etc, but all those 1x1s are prone to twisting and warping and not having exact alignment, so it looks a bit crap. (You can even see this on the box).

It's a really cool building and makes we want MORE MODULARS (and also makes me wish I'd bought the Cafe/Greengrocer in 2008, as they're on ebay for £500 or so). But I feel like there should have been a bit more stuff in there to make it better value. Even just like 10 more bricks for some more furniture. The same goes for the big Harrod's style shop. I was thinking of getting that, but it looked even emptier :'(
Look what I found!
A single, half emtpy box? TRY HARDER!




(MOON PLATE!! :luv: )
What's the bright green U-shaped thing?
@Pod: Yay at new Lego! Also, the pricing of those items makes me feel less guilty about the money I've spent 'rebuying' all the old sets I foolishly dispensed with as a teen.
Pod wrote:
Went into Watford on Friday to pick up some christmas presents + other crap (spray-stratch!). Before getting the other stuff we decided to go and look around the LEGO store first, as it was the closest thing. It's basically just 2 long walls of Lego products which is staffed by 16 year olds. I RESISTED buying anything, because I am strong.

Went around the rest of the shops and bought the other stuff we needed and, on the way back to the car-park, just happened to go by the LEGO shop 10 minutes or so before it was closing, where I had second look. Just a look.


Anyway I've built my new purchases...


Ha ha! Myself and the missus went in there yesterday - it's a better shop than the one in Milton Keynes!

Anyway, I personally really want this:
http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Haunted-House-10228

but the missus shocked me by telling me she really wants one of these...
http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Volkswagen-T1-Camper-Van-10220
to the point of which she was even telling me about where in the flat she'd display it.

I was already planning on buying her one more Chrimbo pressie, so now I'm seriously thinking about getting her this... it would be a kinda cool thing we could do on Christmas day, building that together.

It's that or a pair of Doc Marten boots, since she's been on about owning a pair of them for ages. Hmmm...
Pod wrote:
(MOON PLATE!! :luv: )

Four of them!

Pod wrote:
What's the bright green U-shaped thing?

Probably not Lego, to be fair.
Lego tiem.
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