Legos, anyone?

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, wwwmwww said:

Just spotted this image from Lego.  And I have a few questions...

(1) Why does the southern hemisphere appear to be transparent?  Am I seeing stars through the Earth?  Those aren't city lights as South America is in daylight and many of those bright spots are out over the ocean.

(2) What is that in the top right?  Mars?  Just how close do they think Mars is?

(3) Where is the Sun?  The part of Earth that is in shadow places it behind us to the right.  The shadow of the lander and the part of Mars(?) in shadow places the Sun behind us and to the left.

(4) Why is the sky blue?  The moon has no atmosphere.

I love Lego and just got this kit yesterday but this image is really bugging me.

Carl 

(1) I believe that is LEGO's interpretation of Earthrise, first captured by the Apollo 8 astronauts and then captured many more times on the lunar surface by other Apollo teams. I'm not sure why they are using a transparency here instead of shadows. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise

2) Yeah, I think that is Mars. My guess is that LEGO is probably taking liberties to connect this to the Lego CITY Mars Exploration line that is out in the UK/Europe and is coming later this month for the US. A minifig-scale galaxy?

3) I would think that the sun would be somewhere off to the left based on those lunar shadows. The shadows covering the Earth are definitely reversed if that's the case, and I think Earth ought to be brighter too (compared to Mars).

4) Ah, no idea why they went with inky blue but the moon has an atmosphere...

It's not Earther-friendly, though...

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LADEE/news/lunar-atmosphere.html

Edited June 12, 2019 by technoblue
new page, added quote

[Valkyrie Griffon]

My little guy has just gotten into Scooby Doo a bit and I have discovered that we missed out on the Scooby-Doo Lego sets a couple years ago since he wasn't into either at that time. I see ebay "reprints" like this are available at a fraction of the price of the originals:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scooby-Doo-Mystery-Mansion-Building-Block-scoobydoo-shaggy-Velma-Fit-Lego-Figure/183222665636?epid=22023420227&hash=item2aa8ec01a4:g:t0QAAOSwQKla9yW5

 

Has anyone had experience with these? Are these just extras that the factories continued to run, as often happens with textile product, or crappy bootlegs? I'm willing to pay the premium on the Mystery Machine and a couple other of the sets but the Mansion and Lighthouse are quite overpriced in my opinion.

[technoblue]

43 minutes ago, Valkyrie Griffon said:

Has anyone had experience with these? Are these just extras that the factories continued to run, as often happens with textile product, or crappy bootlegs? I'm willing to pay the premium on the Mystery Machine and a couple other of the sets but the Mansion and Lighthouse are quite overpriced in my opinion.

I would advise caution. The MSRP for that set was originally $89.99 US. Looking at your eBay listing, my first thought is that it's for a knock-off. Of course, the price and the seller's feedback are putting up warning flags that it could also be a scam. 

I searched eBay using Lego's set number. This brought up a completely different results list (with prices in line with demand):

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR3.TRC1.A0.H0.Xlego+75904.TRS0&_nkw=lego+75904&_sacat=0

If you want to save a little more, I would recommend skipping eBay and buying from a site dedicated to aftermarket Lego like Bricklink:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=75904-1&name=Mystery Mansion&category=[Scooby-Doo]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by technoblue

[David Hingtgen]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 10:41 PM, Valkyrie Griffon said:

Has anyone had experience with these? Are these just extras that the factories continued to run, as often happens with textile product, or crappy bootlegs? I'm willing to pay the premium on the Mystery Machine and a couple other of the sets but the Mansion and Lighthouse are quite overpriced in my opinion.

LEGO has reissued like 0.001% of their sets.  And that's not one of them.  There are no "factory extras" from LEGO. 

As for quality--varies.  Some are awful, some are 90-95% as good as the originals.  None are equal to the real thing.  Check out the many "Lepin" reviews on Youtube, for some comparisons.  (They are/were the main direct KO of Lego sets--assume that a lot of the sets on ebay are from them, even if not named as such).  

For that price/seller rating, I'd be concerned that it's not even a KO, but more likely to get "beads in an envelope" when/if your package arrives.  Bootleg sets are cheaper than the real thing's MSRP, but not THAT cheap.      

[Bobby]

To continue from an earlier post in this thread, just another fun assembly with leftover parts of an  akira-ish "scooter-like" bike!

[Valkyrie Griffon]

13 hours ago, Bobby said:

To continue from an earlier post in this thread, just another fun assembly with leftover parts of an  akira-ish "scooter-like" bike!

Nice custom build. In the comparison pic in the top right I see what looks like the McFarlane Toys bike. What are the other two?

[Valkyrie Griffon]

On 6/15/2019 at 10:44 PM, David Hingtgen said:

LEGO has reissued like 0.001% of their sets.  And that's not one of them.  There are no "factory extras" from LEGO. 

As for quality--varies.  Some are awful, some are 90-95% as good as the originals.  None are equal to the real thing.  Check out the many "Lepin" reviews on Youtube, for some comparisons.  (They are/were the main direct KO of Lego sets--assume that a lot of the sets on ebay are from them, even if not named as such).  

For that price/seller rating, I'd be concerned that it's not even a KO, but more likely to get "beads in an envelope" when/if your package arrives.  Bootleg sets are cheaper than the real thing's MSRP, but not THAT cheap.      

Ok thanks. I wasn't looking to buy from that specific seller anyways it just happened to be the first one I saw for comparison. Also I don't want Chinese KOs but I didn't know if sometimes the factories keep running without Lego's knowledge like many of the clothing factories do. Obviously those are unofficial and considered KOs but when they come from the same factory it's the same thing. Don't really want to buy something made in China anyways though. Thanks for the input everyone.

[Mazinger]

On 6/15/2019 at 8:44 PM, David Hingtgen said:

As for quality--varies.  Some are awful, some are 90-95% as good as the originals.  None are equal to the real thing.  Check out the many "Lepin" reviews on Youtube, for some comparisons.  (They are/were the main direct KO of Lego sets--assume that a lot of the sets on ebay are from them, even if not named as such).      

My own experience is that the blocks themselves are of decent durability, but the clutch is at best 80% of original LEGO block, meaning they don't hold together as well if played with a lot.  For simply "display on the shelf" needs, the sets should be fine.

Bionicle KOs, however, are to be avoided.  The quality of the plastic is sub-bar.  You'll get breaks probably while assembling the set and with repeated use you will have more breaks, I guarantee. 

[M'Kyuun]

Well, technically, even if you buy a real LEGO set, you're still buying some Chinese made stuff, as LEGO has factories in China. They produce a lot of the specialized minifigs and minifig accessories, and other parts as well. I've noticed that many of the collectible minifigs have looser tolerances on the arms and sometimes legs over standard figs that come in sets. I guess that's the price we pay to have small intricate painted details on some of these guys.

To the conversation at hand, I'll echo David's comment that LEGO doesn't produce extras, as they have very defined production runs, with most retail sets seeing about a two year run before retirement. More specialized sets, like the UCS Millennium Falcon, may see five or more years depending on sales. Buying second-hand LEGO can be a gamble, as  a lot of folks out there have realized the value to collectors, and as such, scalping and price-gouging amongst internet sellers has become an unfortunate norm. C'est la vie, I guess. Anyway, as technoblue advised, I would look more to sites like Bricklink and Brickset to ensure you're getting official sets. I've bought any number of sets from various sellers on Bricklink, and I've had favorable results. Moreover, most sellers there are willing to 'fix' an order that is incorrect, and the site itself offers customer support to try and sort things out should they take a turn towards the nasty.

Good Luck, Valkyrie Griffon! I hope you at least get a copy of the Mystery Machine, as that was a really well done set. Cheers!

[Bobby]

4 hours ago, Valkyrie Griffon said:

Nice custom build. In the comparison pic in the top right I see what looks like the McFarlane Toys bike. What are the other two?

Thanks! That is correct, McFarlane, then Bandai's Soul of Popynica PX-03 Tokyo Motorshow Limited Ed (this one had no markings), then the "e–scooter", then the other custom build from the previous page.

[David Hingtgen]

6 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Well, technically, even if you buy a real LEGO set, you're still buying some Chinese made stuff, as LEGO has factories in China. They produce a lot of the specialized minifigs and minifig accessories, and other parts as well. I've noticed that many of the collectible minifigs have looser tolerances on the arms and sometimes legs over standard figs that come in sets. I guess that's the price we pay to have small intricate painted details on some of these guys.

Basically---a ton of minifigs and "misc" parts are made in China.  But the core plates/bricks/slopes/cones/tiles, all the "normal" LEGO pieces, are not made in China----there's many other factories (Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, etc) that do that----LEGO keeps most of the essential bits "close to home".  

[no3Ljm]

LEGO exclusive set to be sold at SDCC 2019.

 

[Kelsain]

14 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

 

 

 

Hah, that Goose is pretty awesome!

[Tking22]

Got my Jurassic Park T-Rex Rampage set in, looks pretty neat. I like the mini diorama sections built into the back side of the iconic gate, I thought I'd be meh on them but they look the part and are charming enough. The set is all about the T-Rex though, and that thing looks fantastic, I'm probably going to bust it all out and build it this weekend.

[Chronocidal]

So, I know absolutely nothing about Ninjago.  But I have to give the set designers credit, because they're actually hitting some design aesthetics that I really love.  I saw this set in a catalog at the beginning of the year, and put it on my list immediately.

Apparently it's a redesign of a set they've made before?  The wings do a big flip-open-and-swords-pop-out action, which works okay (though it's not reversible, since it uses a pull-cord with tension in one direction... I might try to re-engineer that with gears).  But seriously, just look at the thing.  That might be the most attractive pseudo-aircraft design they've made in a very long time.  Could probably use a few tweaks to smooth out the structure, but I just love the shape of it.  Pretty good price-per-part as well, think it came in at around $35.

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

So, I know absolutely nothing about Ninjago.  But I have to give the set designers credit, because they're actually hitting some design aesthetics that I really love.  I saw this set in a catalog at the beginning of the year, and put it on my list immediately.

Apparently it's a redesign of a set they've made before?  The wings do a big flip-open-and-swords-pop-out action, which works okay (though it's not reversible, since it uses a pull-cord with tension in one direction... I might try to re-engineer that with gears).  But seriously, just look at the thing.  That might be the most attractive pseudo-aircraft design they've made in a very long time.  Could probably use a few tweaks to smooth out the structure, but I just love the shape of it.  Pretty good price-per-part as well, think it came in at around $35.

I'll echo your sentiments regarding the redesigned Jay's Storm Fighter. I have the original, set 9442, which was a fun , albeit far more simplistic, design, which introduced the pop-out wing gimmick.  Of all the Ninjago anniversary sets released this year, the new improved Storm Fighter caught my eye immediately, and it didn't disappoint; as you said, it's one of the nicest fighter inspired aircraft sets within System to grace a box in quite some time. Too, the new model has about double the parts count, making a beefier model compared to the original. The only thing I question about the design is why they used a hinge plate on the nose in front of the canopy instead of an inverted 2x2 curved slope, which, IMHO, would have looked nicer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bolt]

Nice set. Haven’t seen that one yet. I’ve bought several sets for my son and the ninjago line has really grown on me. They’re really quite diverse in their designs , I find.

[sh9000]

 

[Chronocidal]

8 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

The only thing I question about the design is why they used a hinge plate on the nose in front of the canopy instead of an inverted 2x2 curved slope, which, IMHO, would have looked nicer. 

Yuup, I was curious about this from the start as well, but what impressed me was that they actually inverted the nosecone for a better profile, rather than use the existing right-side-up version.  Fortunately, it's an easy fix, provided I can find the right part to do it.   

As nifty as the switchblade design is, I'm actually tempted to upscale the entire model, and either remove the mechanism, or at least remove the pull-cord, and spring-load it with a shock absorber and some gearing to snap back and forth with a lever.

[Bobby]

17 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

...have to give the set designers credit, because they're actually hitting some design aesthetics that I really love...But seriously, just look at the thing.  That might be the most attractive pseudo-aircraft design they've made in a very long time.  Could probably use a few tweaks to smooth out the structure, but I just love the shape of it...

 

15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'll echo your sentiments regarding the redesigned Jay's Storm Fighter...the new improved Storm Fighter caught my eye immediately, and it didn't disappoint; as you said, it's one of the nicest fighter inspired aircraft sets within System to grace a box in quite some time. Too, the new model has about double the parts count, making a beefier model compared to the original...

Agreed. When I saw this kit I thought great design and decent price but I didn't buy it for whatever reason.  Sometime later I was looking on my shelf at the box art of my Arcadia VF-0D and it got my thinking about this kit again for some reason. I bought it the next time I saw it thinking of the intention of aiming for that color scheme. After swapping/adding/removing various parts, plus using some leftover Macross decals, I thought it ended up looking like a sort of prototype version of the VF-0D at a very nice size. I should try M'Kyuun's suggestion of changing out that hinge piece on the nose!

[M'Kyuun]

Nice heavy mod of the original, Bobby.  Looks fitting with those Macross kites, and I like that you kept the swing wing feature. Lovely all around.

[Bolt]

That looks awesome !

[Bobby]

11 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Nice heavy mod of the original, Bobby.  Looks fitting with those Macross kites, and I like that you kept the swing wing feature. Lovely all around.

 

10 hours ago, Bolt said:

That looks awesome !

Thanks...here's a couple more angles shots 

[Tking22]

I just ordered my Lego Creator Harley Davidson, looks fantastic, and like a fun build, I'm excited. Also, I noticed I have, like, 19,000 VIP points to use, decided I'll save them for next week when I decide to grab my Lunar Lander, I should be able to get it for next to nothing.

[kanedaestes]

I just picked one up today at my local Lego store. Can’t wait to put it together tomorrow 

[kanedaestes]

[technoblue]

Nice build @kanedaestes!

That Harley is one smooth ride, even in LEGO. Does this expert set include any interesting gimmicks?

[kanedaestes]

The engine pistons move and some other cool mechanical moving pieces like the chain. Problem with the pistons is that they are covered up by the engine block so you don’t actually get to see it. But it was a great fun build and a beautiful piece next to my Mustang though it’s bigger than the ‘Stang. 

[technoblue]

9 minutes ago, kanedaestes said:

The engine pistons move and some other cool mechanical moving pieces like the chain. Problem with the pistons is that they are covered up by the engine block so you don’t actually get to see it. But it was a great fun build and a beautiful piece next to my Mustang though it’s bigger than the ‘Stang. 

Thanks for the quick summary. It really does look like another good one.  

[M'Kyuun]

I'm curious if Mike Psiaki worked on this. he's an AFOL cum LEGO Designer with an impressive resume' of models both personal and professional. He designed the F40 Ferrari, VW Beetle, the DB5 Aston Martin, and the Mustang Model sets, as well as the Blue Power Jet set which is a beautiful set itself with a lot of realistic features. It's probably the closest we'll get to a modern fighter in LEGO.  Anyway, seeing the Harley , and hearing about its features, makes me appreciate the artistry and craft that go into these Model sets. I remember being wow-ed by the old model series back in the 90's, and these new sets feel very much like an evolution of that line. Very cool.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, the old "Model Team" line from back then was like a merging of typical system sets, over Technics-level functionality.  They were great sets, and always wish I'd had the money for them at the time.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Check out this build I did from a design I bought. It came with digital instructions, a parts list, and stickers to dress it up.  I had a lot of fun building this thing, and the parts were not of a rare lot, so the total price for parts was just under $100. 

[Bobby]

Wow...that came out really nice! Looks heavy too!

[Beltane70]

That looks awesome!

[David Hingtgen]

Actually came with stickers, or a file to print/make stickers with?  If the former---who's selling these?   I've never seen any MOC instructions that actually provided stickers.  Generally, if stickers are provided--so are the bricks themselves, and you pay $$$$$$$ for it.