Tervlon

Wonderfully done, Ralph! This is gorgeous. That you can lift it over your head is a testament to your outstanding engineering skills!

Yes, I believe the Discovery Centers, like Legoland, charge by weight. It can get really pricey and generally isn't worth it unless they have a rarer selection of bricks.

Less than 1 week to go! Everyone be sure to stop by the Pharaoh's Labyrinth collaborative build and say, 'hi'! Who still has a crazy amount of building to do? I know I do.

Really sorry to hear that, Ralph. Take care and I hope all works out for the best. We'll see you next year.

Boo! Sorry to hear it, perhaps next year.

Yes, I think they unveiled last year's winter village set at BrickFair 2011.

I'll be there for my fourth year. It's a great time for everyone and there should be plenty of space if you reserve it and get there before Friday afternoon. I've really appreciated and enjoyed getting to know fellow AFOLS, like Ralph, in years past. I'll be showing of my Adventure's Quest theme and will be rolling out a collaborative project in the theme with a few buddies from WAMALUG so we'll see how it goes. Your MOCs will be a big hit for sure.

Well, look at it this way, a witch hunt is perfect for a haunted house.

There was more to it than assumptions, and the case was specifically laid out and nothing more than an explanation was asked for. I am glad we received it. I agree with you, this set is gorgeous and is one of the best of this year's selection.

I, too, appreciate the response. Like John, I feel like the resemblance was strong because of several unique and specific stylistic and technical piece usages that I felt weren't necessary for the build. I am happy that there are people listening and that they care about the community's thoughts on the project. I don't feel the comparisons of the set and the NILTC MOC were spurious or unwarranted but I think John would agree with me that there was no intention of attacking an individual personally or maliciously. I apologize if it ever came across as such. In the end, all that was needed was a response as we received.

None of the above are similar to the D2C Haunted House. Yes, there are a lot of haunted houses. That's not the issue that anyone has with the set. The fact is it looks too similar to the NILTC specific haunted house to be random. The fact that all the houses you linked to are so diverse and different actually reinforces the idea that LEGO's house should have been more original, because if all of those builder's ideas are so different isn't it weird that LEGO's model is JUST like the NILTC house? Shouldn't LEGO's be its own thing too? Its not the color, its not the fact that its a haunted house, it is that so many of the details are identical. That's it.

The designer admits in his video that he doesn't design buildings and that it was challenging. It is not outside any realm of possibility that he looked online for inspiration and used techniques and styles that he found, even if it was sub-consciously. If you look at the list of similarities and almost exact copying of techniques that TJJohn put together its suspiciously similar. It matters for two reasons, first its someone else's design and that would be stealing someone's intellectual property. Second reason is because LEGO is monetizing fan creations on Cuusoo and giving 1% of the sales to the fan who designs a successful product. If they are using someone's idea they should be compensated by LEGO's own logic. By all measures this will be a successful set, its gorgeous, but its strikingly similar to another creation. I hope that there is more to this than we know about and that the original builder get credit or that this is some sort of accident. However, there is nothing wrong with people asking questions.

It wouldn't be too fabulous a set if you were the NILTC member whose creation was copied. All this was was a discussion on the similarity of the creations, if it makes you uncomfortable to discuss it don't participate in that part of the discussion. The fact is we don't know the circumstances around the set and if it is copied, a coincidence, or collaboration. The use of intellectual property rights and the potential copying of a creation by a multi-billion dollar company of a MOC isn't something we want to let slide either. I myself am not making accusations one way or another, but the issue is real and could be troubling. No need to troll people because you are bored by their contribution of something other than mindless compliments and "OMG ZomBies!1!" /Feeding the Trolls

This looks great! Supported! Had my eye of creating an airship for awhile now, I really like the use of the card stock. Great job!

Brickset Review of Helms Deep

It was great to the see the set. I was especially surprised to see that the set apparently came with 2 stings and 3 (!) One Rings. The extra rings and sword are huge sweeteners to buy the set in my mind. Of course, the figs are just plain awesome, too.

It really depends on the store. The rule is that you have to build an entire figure, however I have been to stores that allow any 15 elements in the box. I've tried to do it at other stores and they won't sell the box to me. It really depends on the store's enforcement of the rules and what employees are on staff at any given time. You just need to try your own store.

Great review, well done. Hulk is a massive fail imo. You can't remove his head or even his hair?! Not much of a minifig in my mind. This set is easily the worst of the collection. I'd pick it up at 50% off but not any higher than that.

Awesome, I'd love to see this theme make it. I've supported it on Cuusoo! Great video, can't wait to see where you take it.

Thats funny that you mention it: The above is actually how it all got started. I haven't played Heroica, but I do look forward to trying it out sometime. As for the tentacles, they aren't attached to the base or bear but rather held on by the Manta headpiece's tail in back. It's super fragile, but I will try to get a picture if you'd like. It uses simple pieces and construction. Thanks all!

Great review of a beautiful set. I can't wait to pick this up. You've definitely made me more eager to pick it up. Now do you have any advice on how to get the wife to not notice $200 missing from the account? ;) Thanks!

That Vader MOC is a beauty! The manta headpiece goes straight on and just needs to be twisted a bit to get it around his ears. No cutting required.

Just when you thought it was safe to see the world and buy an ice cream sandwich a new villain takes to the streets. While evil's strategies often rely on force and fear Cthuluteddy relies only on force and cuddliness. As a result of these new tactics humanity is desperate for a hero, but none are to be found. Tentacled Teddy Bear rules the day. I hope you all enjoy this strange yet cuddly MOC of pure evil that shows what happens when you have too much time on your hands.

Very nice, I like the consistency it provides to the other buildings. It fits in perfectly and isn't overbuilt. Great job.

Huw posted the following on Flickr. Pretty awesome. LEGO stand decoration at the London Toy Fair by hmillington, on Flickr