Wasn't going to get the Ecto-1, but then I saw it in the window of the local independent toy shop. And I'd just been to the dentist. And it was my birthday. So that seemed like as good an excuse as any.
So the Starblaster Showdown set (the smallest of the GotG sets) is a fun build. The little Sakaaran ship is kinda meh, but the Nova Corps ship is a fun build and is a really good likeness of its movie counterpart. The figures are all pretty awesome, too. I'd love to get a bunch of the Sakaarans and Novas for army building, and the Peter Quill minifig is now neck-and-neck with the Flash for my current favorite. Well worth the $19.99.
The Advent Calendars for 2015 are out, if you're into such things. We passed on the CITY one, but picked up the Friends one (has a cat and deer figure and a new Stephanie figure for my other minifigs to torment (don't ask)...
...but I think the Star Wars one is a must have for sheer volume of minifigs alone!
Criminals have turned to Lego as a new way of making easy money, stealing and re-selling sets in a growing black market.
Police have made several large-scale busts involving Lego thefts in recent weeks, as criminals have become increasingly aware of the ease and speed at which the Danish toy can be sold online.
The toys also quickly increase in value, and like Uncut Diamonds, are difficult to trace.
So if you pre-order Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham through GameStop, you get a Plastic Man minifig:
In other news, I pre-ordered Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham through GameStop.
Ugh! I hate paying full price for the games. I usually wait nine months when they get marked down to $20 or $30 bucks. But I might have to pre-order this time.
Picked up Chinese knock-off versions of Green Arrow, Captain Marvel/Shazam, and Phoenix of eBay recently and I was pleasantly surprised. Not quite up to Lego quality, mind you, but better than I was expecting. And seeing that they not only have versions of SDCC exclusives like the ones I picked up, but characters that haven't been made yet like the FF (the bigfig version of the Thing is particularly rad) and the cast of Young Justice - and for relatively low prices at that - it's tempting to go in on the whole line.
It's morally questionable, sure, but it's not like Lego is making these things available.
They've held a New England BrickFair event in New Hampshire the past few years, @nweathington, and it has been a lot of fun both years we've gone. Lots of great builds on display, some fun activities for kids, and lots of great shopping, particularly if you're looking for loose minifigs or 3rd party minifig-compatible gear (my son and I spent about $20 each last time on minifigure weapons and armor alone).
Be sure to report back on what you saw, did, and bought!
@LibraryBoy, I'm working the show, so I'm not doing any of the extracurricular activities. It's the show's first year, so there aren't a ton of exhibitors, and a lot of the exhibitors I've seen at other shows. Still, I'm having a good time.
my daughter is getting into LEGO and I really enjoy building things with her. i'm really considering quitting comics altogether and sell much of my stuff, as i'm almost a year into having a to-read list a la Murd. plus, i doubt i'll ever go back to rereading much of my stuff anyway...
i wonder how it is with you guys, being into comics and toys at the same time...
My daughter is a little too young to be into legos, but I've been buying the Disney Princess (along with a few of the lego friends) sets a little at a time. In about 4/5 years we will start peicing them out to her a few sets at a time, and with her birthday falling around the start of the new year it makes sense for me to plan ahead.
If she hates lego's then a few unopened boxes of Disney/Friends sets should get a nice resale price down the road.
i wonder how it is with you guys, being into comics and toys at the same time...
I don't begrudge my wife's brick habit and she doesn't give me too much crap about my comic book vice. :) To each their own hangup. :)
We enjoy the occasional weekend night of getting a new set and putting it together - together. I'm gearing up for January when all the new superhero sets hit the market. We have a niece and nephew who we're slowly bringing into the fold, and they'll likely inherit some of my Batmobiles and Batmen (but nobody touches my Groot!) :)
We're getting the best of both worlds this month with all the DC Lego variant covers. I'm hoping they'll come in (via DCBS) while she's away on a trip so I can decorate the house with them.
I built the Batmobile from this Batman, Flash, and Riddler set last night, and received delivered to my doorstep from Lego the largest of the new Minecraft minifig scale sets, the Mine. I now have on my shelf here at work the Batmobile, the DeLorean, and the Ecto-1! ...Along with other sets and figs, but those three cars are really awesome next to each other.
At my Toys R Us (and presumably all others) this weekend they're giving away a polybagged Rocket Racccoon (in the red Ravagers uniform) with a tiny potted Baby Groot stick, free with a $30 Lego purchase or you can just buy 'em for $4.99 (even though the bag says "Not For Sale"). Picked up one for me, one for my wife (who loved the movie and particularly Rocket & Groot), and one for the kiddo's Christmas stocking. Get on that people, it's awesome!
Also, in Chinese non-Lego Lego news, I recently had the chance to pick up Lego-like versions of the Fantastic Four (Reed, Sue, Johnny in full flame-on mode, and a big fig of Ben) and a Hulkbuster Iron Man big fig. The quality on the three smaller figures is still alright, though a little iffy (Reed's face looks weird, but maybe he's stretching, right? :D ), but the big figs are really nice, particularly the Hulkbuster Iron Man. Worth picking up if you don't mind the moral and legal gray areas these things inhabit. :-\"
Also also, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is so much fun. Play it soon if you haven't yet done so.
And @luckymustard, how is the Minecraft set? We're going to get the kiddo some of those for Christmas seeing as he is a Minecraft fanatic who enjoyed the initial Lego Minecraft offerings but kinda lost interest quickly since they were microscale. He's definitely the type of kid who'd enjoy teaming up Steve with Batman, the Ninjago crew, Emmet & Wild Style, and more to take on the Ender Dragon. :D
Only one bag, out of five or six I think, in so far. I imagine there are some fun action elements to it. Hopefully in a week or less I'll have it completed and I'll let you know more, and for sure, then.
Oh, man, I want them all! Particularly the Gorilla Grodd set (which comes with Grodd AND Captain Cold for villains, so I can replace the Chima gorilla dude and figbarf Captain Cold I made) and the Brainiac set (that skull ship looks amazing).
Looking around, here's what I found for price points via Brickipedia:
76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro - $19.99 76026 Gorilla Grodd Goes Bananas - $39.99 76027 Black Manta Deep Sea Strike - $39.99 76028 Darkseid Invasion - $59.99 76040 Brainiac Attack - $24.99
Huh... that's a big jump in set numbers. Wonder why?
This also has the prices, but will eventually have the piece count, and even a price per piece. I bet that would be the reason for the range in prices.
There's a minifigure 4-pack cube available at Target that you can either get free with a $50 Lego purchase or buy outright for $15, and you get what I think are exclusive figs from 4 of the lines... a version of the Green Ninja from Ninjago, a Chima lion guy, a rural cop dude from City, and a pre-New 52 Superboy (t-shirt & jeans) for DC Super Heroes.
There's a minifigure 4-pack cube available at Target that you can either get free with a $50 Lego purchase or buy outright for $15, and you get what I think are exclusive figs from 4 of the lines... a version of the Green Ninja from Ninjago, a Chima lion guy, a rural cop dude from City, and a pre-New 52 Superboy (t-shirt & jeans) for DC Super Heroes.
Only one bag, out of five or six I think, in so far. I imagine there are some fun action elements to it. Hopefully in a week or less I'll have it completed and I'll let you know more, and for sure, then.
I'm done! The Mine is a great playset type of toy... you know, one you actually could play with. It seems like it should be pretty easy, but not quite as easy as the old castle or other building opening/folding out and snapping back together sets, to modify/switch around on the fly some of the different pieces, especially in relation to the railway.
I hope to add more to it soon to make it more like the game and less transparent. I want to make it a little bulkier underground, in the caves.
I want to mention straight away that this isn't my podcast. It's actually being done by Jim Ford aka @choanata on the forums. I guest hosted the first episode (out just a few days ago). But Jim isn't often on the forums and, when he is, is usually isn't the type to self-promote. But heck with it, I'll do it for him.
I've seen the active bit of love here in this thread for Legos (and participated in it myself) so I figured I'd just share the news of a Lego related podcast with you guys.
Comments
...but I think the Star Wars one is a must have for sheer volume of minifigs alone!
In other news, I pre-ordered Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham through GameStop.
It's morally questionable, sure, but it's not like Lego is making these things available.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pIO8Ne0CfkU
More pics here.
Be sure to report back on what you saw, did, and bought!
i wonder how it is with you guys, being into comics and toys at the same time...
If she hates lego's then a few unopened boxes of Disney/Friends sets should get a nice resale price down the road.
We enjoy the occasional weekend night of getting a new set and putting it together - together. I'm gearing up for January when all the new superhero sets hit the market. We have a niece and nephew who we're slowly bringing into the fold, and they'll likely inherit some of my Batmobiles and Batmen (but nobody touches my Groot!) :)
We're getting the best of both worlds this month with all the DC Lego variant covers. I'm hoping they'll come in (via DCBS) while she's away on a trip so I can decorate the house with them.
And @luckymustard, how is the Minecraft set? We're going to get the kiddo some of those for Christmas seeing as he is a Minecraft fanatic who enjoyed the initial Lego Minecraft offerings but kinda lost interest quickly since they were microscale. He's definitely the type of kid who'd enjoy teaming up Steve with Batman, the Ninjago crew, Emmet & Wild Style, and more to take on the Ender Dragon. :D
Oh, man, I want them all! Particularly the Gorilla Grodd set (which comes with Grodd AND Captain Cold for villains, so I can replace the Chima gorilla dude and figbarf Captain Cold I made) and the Brainiac set (that skull ship looks amazing).
Looking around, here's what I found for price points via Brickipedia:
76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro - $19.99
76026 Gorilla Grodd Goes Bananas - $39.99
76027 Black Manta Deep Sea Strike - $39.99
76028 Darkseid Invasion - $59.99
76040 Brainiac Attack - $24.99
Huh... that's a big jump in set numbers. Wonder why?
So yeah, the Superboy totally sold me on it.
I hope to add more to it soon to make it more like the game and less transparent. I want to make it a little bulkier underground, in the caves.
BRICKS WEEKLY: A Lego Fan Podcast.
I want to mention straight away that this isn't my podcast. It's actually being done by Jim Ford aka @choanata on the forums. I guest hosted the first episode (out just a few days ago). But Jim isn't often on the forums and, when he is, is usually isn't the type to self-promote. But heck with it, I'll do it for him.
I've seen the active bit of love here in this thread for Legos (and participated in it myself) so I figured I'd just share the news of a Lego related podcast with you guys.