Campaign Announcement - 1 January to 31 May 2018 = Brick Dreams

We were able to donate $170 worth of LEGO bricks to Brick Dreams for our campaign held during the second half of 2017.  Brick Dreams posted a thank you post on their site that you can view here.  They have a large demand for bricks and have asked us to run another campaign for them.  So we are happy to announce that 15% of the profits we earn from the start of 2018 through the end of May 2018 will go to Brick Dreams.

So thanks to everyone who supported our store in 2017 and we are looking forward to another great campaign in 2018.

We Need Another LEGO Train! Any Good Ideas?

If you've read through many of my posts, you'd know that I'm a huge fan of LEGO trains and of creating cities around those train sets.  While LEGO has released a freight train and passenger train along with the CITY line every few years, it has been a while since they released a CREATOR EXPERT themed train.  Here's the history:
     -2009 - #10194 Emerald Night
     -2011 - #10219 - Maersk Train
     -2013 - #10233 - Horizon Express
Unfortunately, LEGO didn't follow the trend in 2015 or 2017.  I haven't seen anything official as to why.  If I had to guess, the train line wasn't profitable for them.  I get that they have to run a business, but it leaves us fans out of getting new sets every few years.  

So if you're like me, what are your choices?

You can build train MOCs of your own.  That's an obvious choices, but if you're like me and you're not the best builder in the world then it's not the best option.

The option I'm going for is getting the fan community to vote in a train on the LEGO Ideas platform.  If you're not familiar with it, here's how it works.  Fan builders submit their set designs to LEGO.  They can actually be built or can be built using a digital design tool.  Once uploaded, you get to post some information about the set you've built and why you think it's cool.  Then from there it's out there and people can vote on them.  If it gets 10,000 votes, LEGO considers it for a production run.  If it is selected, your set is sold, you get 1% of the earnings, and people get to buy it.  YAY!  

Here's what I think... we get some of the talented builders out there to post some awesome looking train designs and we vote them through.  Then hopefully LEGO will put one into production.  So what's out there?  I did a search through the LEGO IDEAS system and picked out a few you could vote for.

The first one is "US Train" by user "papat08" and it was posted in November 2017.  Here's a picture of what is being proposed.

It includes a diesel engine that can be modified to add a Power Functions motor, 3 intermodal rail cars with shipping containers, track with ballast, and a level crossing.  The engine is designed like a BNSF engine and is an improvement from set #10133 from back in 2007.  This set is pretty awesome in my books and I would gladly plunk down some funds to pick one up.  If you feel the same way, definitely go give it support.  At the time of this post it is at under 400 supporters, so a ways to go yet.

Another one is titled "Glacier Express" and was submitted by user "OrientExpress."  This one was posted in January 2017 and has over 400 supporters.  Here is what the user is proposing:

The set includes a steam powered engine that can be motorized with Power Functions and a passenger car along with some track.  It has some similarities to the Emerald Night set, but I like it.  Maybe an additional passenger car would help?

And finally... I've shown 2 trains so to switch things up a bit, user "Ymarilego" submitted a Chemical Plant idea on 15 January 2018.  It has over 2000 supporters at the time of this posting.

It includes a tank car with track, a tanker truck, and some pretty detailed chemical plant infrastructure along with a bunch of minifigures.  This one is another one to go out and support.

Let's bring another train set back to the Creator Expert line!  What are your thoughts?  Are there any other train sets out there I should go vote for?  

Set Review - #10256 - Taj Majal - Creator Expert

To read the intro giving an overview of the set itself and to see the opening, go here:
PART 1

The first bag starts the outer portion on the Taj Majal.  The first picture is bag 1.  It's not a very complicated build and it starts what became a very repetitive build with a lot of techniques repeated over and over.

The second set of bags (second picture) starts the corners of the outer portion of the Taj Majal.  The rounded out portion is an interesting build.  It still uses the rectangular pieces known to LEGO, but it makes it round.  I think it's actually better that they used this method versus using some of the rounded pieces out now.

The third set of bags includes the last 2 pieces of the corners of the Taj Majal.  They are very similar to bag 2 only oriented the other direction.

Here are bags one through three assembled into the outer base.  

Bag four builds the minarets.  They are all built exactly the same and are fairly sturdy despite what I thought looked like a flimsy structure.

Here is the construction so far after the fourth set of bags (and a good view out the window in my building area).

Bag 5 is next.  At this point, you learn that bags 5, 6, 7, and 8 are exactly the same.  Sadly instead of enjoying the build here, I just wanted to finish it up.  I enjoy building, but would prefer to not repeat the same thing 4 times over.  Enough complaining... here you can see both sides of the build and then what it looks like standing up in bad lighting.

And here are bags 5, 6, 7, and 8 in case you didn't believe me that they all looked the same.

Bags 9 and 10 are the same.  As you can see by the base of them, they connect using Technic pins to the builds from bags 5, 6, 7, and 8 to make the inner portion of the Taj Majal that holds up the dome.  Here are some pictures of both sides of the build and then all four pieces.

Here is the assembly of bags 5 through 10.

The eleventh set of bags adds the roof portion to the center section of the Taj Majal and connects the inner portion together.  

The twelfth set of bags builds the small set of domes on the top or as I looked up they are called chattris.  It also adds the 16 or so tall towers around the edges.  From what I saw on the web, they are called guldastas.

Bags 13 and 14 build the center dome section.  It starts with the bottom section and the inner structure.  Then the dome is built and attached to the structure.  

Here is the final assembled version from a few angles. 

The negative sides of the build:
     -it was somewhat tedious to assemble some of the parts over and over again
     -there are a lot of white pieces, but when you see the piece count and then look at the bill
      of materials, it is rather unimpressive to see the variety of pieces and colors

Overall, it's a pretty impressive build once completed. Would I have purchased it if I hadn't had a lot of VIP points to help pay it down?  Probably not.  I don't think the build experience would have been worth the $370 plus tax.  So while I'm excited that LEGO is opening up the vault to bring back some older sets, I will look for opportunities to not pay full price for some very expensive sets.  What are your thoughts?

Merry Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas from Bricks for Bricks!  Hope you got all of the bricks you were looking for this Christmas.

There's a simple LEGO Train display under my tree.  It is #10233 Horizon Express pulling up to the Winter Village Station (#10259).  In front is the City Tanker Truck (#3180) and a car from... I have no idea what old set it is... a town set from the 1990s most likely.

Happy building!

Set Review - #60153-1 - People Pack - Fun at the Beach

This is the second set in what will hopefully become a trend for LEGO City.  The first was Fun in the Park - City People Pack #60134.  This one is Fun at the Beach.  It was released on 29 May 2017 for $39.99 in the US.  With 169 pieces it works out to $0.237 per piece.  That's a bit high, but when you consider that it's a minifig set it's not as bad.  It includes 15 minifigs so that works out to $2.67 per minifig which is cheaper than any of the Collectible Minifigure Series sets offered.  I picked my set up on Amazon.com for 20% off or $31.99 ($0.189 per piece and $2.13 per minifig).  Onto the set...  The box front shows all of the set and the back shows all of the 15 minifigs with their hair, faces, torsos, and legs.

Here are the contents:
-2 parts bags
-a kayak
-2 sails
-2 folded up instruction booklets

Bag 1 is half of the set.  It includes the following:

First up is a kayaker with a red kayak.  It also includes a wind surfer and a dolphin.  The wind surfer comes with 2 sails.  It doesn't seem like a part that would break easily, but it can't hurt to have 2.

It also includes a sun bather in a recliner with an umbrella.  She has a camera, but I think it needs a beverage for her to sip on.  It also includes a male and female with a volleyball and a volleyball net.  

This bag also includes a girl who has built a sand castle.  She has a shovel and pail and the sand castle has a red flag on it.  Also there's a man with a metal detector who has some gold pieces he can find.  As a kid, I remember the metal detectors from Classic Space, M-Tron and others.  The old versions had a stud and hole in the middle of the sensor part.  So this one is somewhat the same except for that part.  The original version can be seen here.

Onto bag 2...

First up is a boy/teenager on a hammock.  He has a smart phone which I think is a new piece for the LEGO universe.  It also has some plants where the hammock is hung up on for shade.

Next up the beach cleaner with his broom, trash can, and obligatory banana to clean up.

Next up is a kid in a tank top and shorts.  He has an old school boom box with a cassette tape player.  Do kids these days even know what that is?

And then there's the mean lifeguard.  Come on... I know you've been to the beach or a public pool and the lifeguard was some pissed off teenager or 20-something who just yelled all day long.  No running!  No diving!  No having any fun at all!  Well here he is with a parrot, megaphone, and binoculars to spot kids having too much fun.

Here we have a girl, her dog, her Mom/Grandma/Aunt/cool older neighbor/LEGO woman carrying a $100 bill buying some ice cream from the vendor on the beach.  Only one flavor... white balls of iced plastic.  Looks yummy!

Last up, the scuba diver (tank-less) with a helmet, mask, and flippers.  He has a fish and lobster to dive with too.

If you're looking to build a beach scene, this is a great set to help populate your scenario.  I recommend it... especially if you can pick it up at a discount from Amazon.com or elsewhere.  I'm a fan of having people packs for LEGO City.  They've done it for Star Wars and Ninjago and I'm glad to see it for City.  Back in the day, I recall that they used to do City people packs with fire fighters, policemen, and workers.  I'm hoping this becomes a yearly trend.  What would you like to see them do next year?

It Has Arrived! - #10256 - Taj Mahal

(see Part II of the review HERE)

The Taj Mahal was re-released on cyber Monday (27 November 2017) and I was awake at 5 AM to place my order.  While some may not be excited about it because it decreases the value of their new-in-sealed-box 10189 Taj Mahal from 2008, I am certainly glad to see 10256 out there and I hope to see even more in the future.  Maybe the Green Grocer or Market Street or even the Cafe Corner could be next?  This is just me speculating and wishing so don't go starting rumors.  I don't have any insider knowledge here.  With the re-release of the Millennium Falcon (#75192) as well this year, it makes me wonder if this will become a trend.

My plan is to do a review of 10256, but I expect it to take a while since it is so big. The set is 5,923 pieces (one more than 10189... it includes a piece separator).  At $369.99 in the US, it works out to $0.062 per piece which is a good deal in my books (it had better be for that amount).  I had a lot of VIP points and a gift card so I ended up paying $4.24 for my set (YAY!).

The set came in the box pictured below. I'm glad it did because this box took the brunt of the damage that came through the outside shipping box.  My 10256 box was pretty well intact when I took it out.  This is not the first set to have this shell box.  I reviewed the Porsche 911 GT3 RS #42056 and it had a similar box.  Also the NASA Apollo Saturn V #21309 has this protective box now.  The original one I reviewed did not, but I ordered some for my BrickLInk store and they have the protective outer shell box.

The picture above shows a label on the bottom left.  I zoomed in and took a picture of it.  It shows that the set was produced in Mexico which, I'm not an expert, but I'm betting most US sets are from the LEGO factory there.  The other interesting thing I noted was the production date of 22 September 2017.  Considering a 2 December 2017 release in the US (okay, so VIPs could order on cyber Monday 27 November), that's pretty impressive that they can make them and have them ready to go in two months.  I'm curious to know the dates on other sets out there.  What was the production range?  And what is confidential about this?  Or is it that they didn't release it right away?

Here is the box to include the front and the back.  Nothing too out of the ordinary here.  I'm looking forward to cracking it open and starting the build.

Set Review - #10259 - Winter Village Station

In this politically correct world that we live in, you can't call it Christmas, but that's what this set and the theme that it belongs to is all about.  The Winter Village Station is part of a the Winter Village line that started a few years back.  It's listed under the Creator Expert theme, but really could be considered its own theme.  This set was released in the US on 1 October 2017 and is meant to go with last years set the Winter Holiday Train (#10254-1).  This set contains 902 pieces.  It retails for $79.99 in the US which works out to $0.089 per piece.  This isn't too bad and these sets often don't go on sale too often, but you can wait to see if Amazon or LEGO Shop@Home does a sale on them at some point.  

I'm a big fan of this theme although I didn't like the Winter Holiday Train as a LEGO Train fan.  I was hoping LEGO would release a train along the line of the Emerald Night or the Maersk Train.  This set seems better to let's see how it goes...

Here is the box.  Nothing out of the ordinary here.  It shows what the set looks like with the Winter Holiday Train on the back.  It might work for advertising, but it doesn't work for me.

The contents are 9 bags split into 2 sets.  It also includes 2 instruction booklets that are sealed up along with a small sheet of stickers.  The set adds 4 pieces of straight track as well.

The first part of the first set of bags includes the track, a level crossing, 2 trees, and 2 street lamps with wreaths on them.  There isn't anything too out of the ordinary from this part of the build.

The second part of the build is the bus.  This vehicle falls in line with the style of other vehicles seen in previous Winter Village sets like the postal vehicle in 10222 Winter Village Post Office and the snow plow in 10229 Winter Village Cottage.  The top is removed easily to insert passengers and there are 3 seats for passengers and a seat for the driver.  As you can see, there is space on top for luggage storage or in this case some colorful presents.  While I like the design and look of the vehicle, the child minifigures don't fit well in this vehicle to include the boy that comes with this set.  Kids stand while riding I guess.

The second set of bags finishes up the set with the construction of the station itself.  It's not a bad looking design and the build uses some creative techniques to come up with the details so I can't complain there.  It does use a fair number of stickers that I dislike placing on though.  I also am not a fan in general of how the Winter Village theme only has the fronts of buildings, but not the backs.  While I understand this is for the play factor, I still prefer to have a full up building for a display.  In the past I have bought 2 Winter Village sets and put the 2 halves together, but I think I need to try and create the other half of the building on my own as a challenge.

This view of the station has some good detail to include a newspaper rack, a clock tower, and the window opens up to where a passenger can order a coffee from the barista.

The inside of the station is rather sparse, but it has some details.  On the right you see the ticket counter with the sticker that lists the train schedule.  The station master has one extra ticket that he can give out which thankfully is a printed 1x2 tile.  The barista has a small station to work at and make some beverages for passengers.  There's also a small Christmas tree up in the attic area that you could probably use as a decoration elsewhere in the set.

This picture shows the walkway and station platform.  I like how the guide chain is set up.  Using microphones to attach the chains is a pretty genius idea.  This view also shows the clock tower a little closer and the floor and structure underneath.  It's a pretty simple design, but it has a good look to it in my opinion.

This set comes with 5 minifigures.  There's a bus driver, a boy, an older woman, the station master, and the barista.  They are a good bunch and I think they go well with the set.

Why should you buy this set?  If you're a fan of the Winter Village line, then you'll definitely want it to keep up with the theme.  Also, if you're a train fan, it's a good addition to any LEGO train display.  As I mentioned, I would prefer it to be a complete building versus the half, but I'm up to the challenge of finishing off the back on my own.  At under $0.10 a piece, it's priced good.  These sets don't typically go on sale, so look for a chance to get double VIP points or to get one of the free gifts with a purchase

Set Review - #21310 - Old Fishing Store - LEGO Ideas

It took me too long to build this and then do the post.  Sorry...

Set #21310, the Old Fishing Store, was released on 2 September 2017 in the US.  The price is $149.99 in the US and with 2019 pieces it works out to be $0.073 per piece.  It is set number 18 in the LEGO Ideas line so let's get right to it.

Here is the box.  It's about the same size as the #21309 NASA Saturn V Rocket box.

Next up are the parts.  There are 7 sets of bags, a tan 36x36 stud base plate, an instruction book in plastic wrap, and some stickers.  While I'm not a huge fan of stickers, they weren't too bad to apply to the set.

The minifigs are all in the first set of bags.  There are 4 of them which includes 2 men, a woman, and a boy.  The 2 toned legs are something I don't recall seeing elsewhere.  I presume it is supposed to be that they are wearing boots.

The first set of bags for the build starts the base of the store.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.  A lot of brick stacking which included a number of 2x4 bricks which you don't see too often these days.  The hidden spider web is a fun touch.

The second set of bags puts in the floors to include the floor boards with printed textures on them.  I like how some of them are staggered and there are different colors used.  The tiles inside the store are a great color too.  Especially with the dark green that is used.

The third set of bags adds the start of the walls.  I'm a huge fan of the siding color choice.  The technique of angling tiles to show that they are starting to fall off as you would expect in an older wooden building near the sea is a great touch.  Anyway, this set of bags starts the details of the store and an office is built too with a desk, chair, and light with a newspaper.

The fourth part of the build just about completes the first floor of the set except for some of the details inside the store and the outer details.  It also includes the fencing around the deck outside.

The fifth set of bags completes most of the details of the store, starts to build up the roof, and completes some of the outer details to include some cases of lobster and fish.  You can see the store has fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment, some nets, and a few other items.  Yeah, a few of the items are dynamite.  I'm not sure why they'd be selling that at a store like this... who fishes with dynamite?

The sixth set of bags finishes the sidings and the roof.  The roof is creatively built with different colors of bricks, tiles, and printed tiles.  You can also see the addition of some seagulls.

The final set of bags completes the build.  The last detail is the watch tower about the office.  It includes a ladder to climb up, a telescope to look out, a flag, and a fun crab attached to the fencing around the deck of the tower.

My take on this set... it's a great build and you should get it.  It has lots of great pieces and uses some great building techniques.  At around 7 cents a piece it's not a bad deal despite the $150 price.  It's hard to say if a set like this will ever be discounted so look for opportunities to get double VIP points or one of the cool freebies LEGO gives out with purchases.  Typically the Ideas sets are around for a year or possibly a bit longer so get yours now before you have to pay a higher price on the secondary market.

A Museum Made of Bricks

I'm always impressed when I see larger MOCs build by the fan community up close and personal.  For one reason, I don't have the pieces on hand to do anything like them and also, I'm just not that talented of a builder (yet).  I was glad to see a replica of the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama up close and personal.  

You can read about the builder and some more details here.  If you don't want to pay to go into the museum (it' a children's museum and it's awesome for adults and kids), don't worry because the MOC is on display in the lobby.  It was unveiled in March of 2017, but it appears that it will be a permanent item at the museum.  

Here's the front of the museum.  The recreation of the cylindrical front of the building is very impressive.  It's always neat to see how people turn rectangles and squares into curves.  I didn't take an overarching shot so you can't get a full perspective for how big it is.  

Here are the details of the model.

Here are some closer shots of the front of the museum.

Here are some of the Easter Eggs they placed in the model.  There are some of the vehicles from the movie Cars, Stormtroopers chasing Han Solo, and a few other fun items.  The cross sectional build for this part is good and they did a pretty good job covering some of the details like the IMAX theater.

Here is the other side of the building where a Mindstorms character is walking down the street.

Just a few pics and a short write up.  It is definitely worth the visit and you don't have to pay to walk into the lobby to see it.  If you happen to be in Birmingham, AL definitely make a point of stopping.  There's a LEGO brand store 13 miles away so another bonus to being there.

If you've seen the MOC, what do you think?  Let me know.

Set Review - #21309 - NASA Apollo Saturn V - LEGO Ideas

The seventeenth LEGO Ideas set (has it been that many already) was released in the USA on 2 June 2017.  The NASA Apollo Saturn V has 1,969 pieces (after the year 1969 when the USA reached the moon).  Priced at $199.99 it works out to be $0.061 per piece (which is great).  It has been sold out multiple times since it was released.  I'm lucky to have snagged one before it was sold out again.  Onto the set review...

Here is the box.  The front shows the completed set with the NASA logo.  The back shows the different stages of the rocket along with a pictorial timeline from launch to moon landing.  

The set contains 12 parts bags and a thick instruction booklet.  Like other Ideas sets, the instruction booklet has information about the set design process and the Apollo Saturn V itself.  

Bag 1 starts off with the S-1C Stage (I had to go to the instruction booklet... I didn't actually know that off the top of my nugget).  For those of you who aren't space buffs, that's the bottom stage of the Saturn 5 with the giant rockets that lift the whole thing off the launch pad.  The use of SNOT techniques starts off with this stage.  It's pretty impressive that they didn't have to use all giant BURPs.  This part was probably the most fragile of the build.  It fell apart multiple times during the build.  Thankfully it held together and the rest of the build was pretty solid after that.  

Bag 2 added more to the S-1C stage.  One of the best parts of this build (in my opinion) was the printed bricks (curved slopes).  I couldn't imagine having to apply stickers to this entire set in all of the places it would have been required.  The printed curved slopes definitely make the set look more realistic and make it look sharper.

Bag 3 continues with the stage and making the outside round.  Besides curved slopes that say "U - S - A" there are also American flag curved slopes.

Bag 4 continues to round out the S-1C stage.

Bag 5 finalizes the rounding out of the stage.  The use of 1x2 white grill tiles to make it rounded is an interesting building technique.  That part gets a bit repetitive, but it helps add realism to the actual rocket.

Bag 6 adds the 5 F-1 engines with the use of the barrel pieces.  If you look at this set you can see where a brown version was used as a look out post for a Pirates set.  Interesting use of the same piece in black for a rocket.

Bag 7 is the S-II stage.  The build starts off the same way as the last stage with an inner shell.

Bag 8 continues on the S-II stage.  I am a huge fan of the 1x6 white printed tiles.  Thank you LEGO for not using stickers here.  

Build 9 finishes out the outer shell of the stage.  4 steps to finish out each side.  

Bag 10 completes the stage and the picture here shows it attached to the S-1C stage.

Bag 11 is the S-IVB stage.  You can see the J-2 engine in the picture of it alone and then the other picture is of it attached to the rest of the model.  It's definitely getting tall and harder to photograph (for a non-pro like me).

Bag 12 has numerous items.  Pictured here is the Lunar Module on the surface of the moon along with 4 astronaut figures.  It's pretty impressive the amount of detail the builder crammed in despite the size.  The 1x2 printed American flag tile is great that it is not a sticker, but I can see myself losing it someday based on how it is attached.  

Huge fan of the use of the gold colored pieces!

Here is the Command Service Module after landing in the ocean.  It has the flotation raft and balloons out (are those the technical terms?).  This part is a simple build and once again I'm glad there are not stickers. 

The last part is the instrument unit (on the bottom, but it's the top in the picture), The covering for the lunar module, service module, and command module, and then the tip called the launch escape system.  This part of the build was pretty easy, but the instruction booklet does a good job of showing how the actual rocket was set up.

Here's the full rocket (only I'm a bad photographer so you miss the very tip).  It comes with 3 stands so you can set the rocket on its side.  This also allows you to take the stages apart and display them separately.  To be fair, the design is sturdy enough that you can set it down on the bottom stage and it will not come apart (unless you knock it on the floor).

The verdict... AWESOME!  I highly recommend this set.  It was a great build with some nice detail and interesting building techniques.  The types of pieces used are pretty good too if you would want to take it apart.  The no stickers is a real bonus too.  The downside... it went on sale in the US, was sold out, was back in stock, and has been sold out for over a month again as of the posting of this review.  LEGO has not said whether they will add more to inventory or if it is done.  If you haven't purchased one and you want one, pick it up before it sells out again.  I'm glad I caught it when I did.  If LEGO doesn't release additional inventory, my guess is this set will jump up pretty quick on the secondary market.