Locutis

In Canada, at least on my VIP account, you have to redeem points in $5, $20, $50, $100 increments only, and for a code that you enter online for a discount.

My order just shipped this morning.

Looks like it could be 20%. Would that be VAT?

Awesome review, and an awesome set. What are the different shades of blue? I know there's dark and medium blue, but what's the other blue? Locutis

I was debating ordering this set on the weekend, and on Monday Dec 15 I reloaded and it said "Call to check...". I phoned and spoke with a CSR and indeed they had "very few left". I mentioned that the day prior it was limited to 2 per customer, and asked whether I could still order 2 of them. She checked and said there were literally 2 left, and put the order through for me. As I was on the phone I hit "refresh" in my browser, and it changed to "SOLD OUT". Needless to say Toys R Us (.ca) still has (oops, had) some of these left at retail pricing. As of yesterday TRU.ca had 19 in stock, and checking this morning it's sold out. This set sold pretty fast when push came to shove. Locutis

On the North American S@H site, Town Hall and Grand Emporium are listed as "SOLD OUT". Locutis

A nice idea, but unnecessary. Simply use a 16x32 along a 32x32 and you have the required stud count. It's not difficult to tie two baseplates together. Locutis

I have been contacted by members and co-ordinators of the LUG, and apparently I misunderstood. PF is welcome in the layout, just that 9V track is still required for the LUG layout loop. Locutis

The question still would remain: is it worthwhile for me to spend $700 on electric rail track to use in a display? Or at some point will everyone be convinced to upgrade to PF and that investment would have been worthless? It's fine to modify PF trains to use 9V and to modify 9V trains to use PF, but unless I have track and power regulars that is sort of pointless. Is it a worthwhile investment to modify my PF trains to 9V? Locutis

Our LUG is brand new, with less than 15 members. Membership is free. The LUG itself has zero assets. Locutis

This would require a significant investment, as I have about 12 trains. I do like the idea of using EITHER on the same train, but others don't like the idea. I do agree, they are a bit unreasonable. It's 9V or get out. Sadly, we are a small group of only about 15 members, with about 10 show participants. 3 of the participants have trains, all of which are 9v (they were back into Lego much sooner that I was). I have the Emerald Night, Maersk, Constitution, one each of the City trains since 2004/5. I'm looking into the Horizon Express (x2 or more). I'd like to get the Holiday Train, but I don't know if I should use PF or 9V with that, and if I do, that affects my other trains. It's a poor situation all around. I even considered not displaying next year, but that negatively affects the group as a whole, and it was a fun experience. Being told I can't use my trains was disappointing (I used one of my PF trains as a prop in a railyard being "unloaded"). Locutis

It was quite an awkward conversation to have. You have to explain that TLG no longer produces electrified tracks and trains, that they are all battery-operated now, but none of the trains on the tracks are battery, they are older or have been modified. Then you have to explain Bricklink and that's where you can only get the electric tracks, and people get soooo confused. Then they ask questions like "why did Lego do that" or "do you have any battery-powered ones on display" and so forth. I had thought about this, too. I can pickup a brand new 9v train and track for around $180 to start. However, my section of the display is 16 feet long, x 2, which means 32 feet of track. That would be approximately $700 worth of electric track, by my cost estimates... When I say I have a significant investment, that includes Li-Ion batteries that recharge (TLG-brand). I'm not spending anything additional to run my PF stuff, as I've already (invested?) spent that money. I would like the ability to make my own layout in advance, using my own plastic track where I want it, without having to buy 9v if I can avoid it. In addition, the flexibility of being able to use flex-track for difficult joins (like between sections at a corner, where the layout doesn't perfectly match up). I even suggested we look at converting the 9v trains to use a tender or car that has PF in it, and use a partial 9v section that would somehow recharge the Li-Ion battery pack for when it transfers onto the plastic track. Negative. I'm either stuck in the past, and need to invest in older trains, or I need to modify PF trains to use 9v motors that I currently don't have. Either way, it's a problem. Locutis

I have a substantial (in my view) investment into Power Functions trains and track. I currently have about 12 modern PF trains, and about 100 feet of plastic PF track. I have many remotes, motors, etc. Our group, MBLug, just finished our second display show (my first), and I was very "envious" of many of the electric trains. In addition, I had to borrow track to go through my section as I do not own any 9v track. My section was 16' long, with 2 rail runs through it. My question is simple: Is it worth it to now go back and buy some 9v trains, track, and accessories even though I have this significant PF investment? I'm a purest to a point (I will bricklink build something that is difficult/impossible to get), and would consider getting pieces to build a Santa Fe or BNSF or Metroliner without making them 9V, or buying them and converting to PF. Should I convert my PF trains to 9v, and pickup some older 9v trains and track, or should I buy older 9v trains (without the track/etc.) and convert them to PF? The only problem is, by staying "modern", I'm kept out of the displays. My trains are all battery-operated, and the LUG show co-ordinators insist on 9v only, which means none of my fantastic trains can be put on display at a show here unless I convert to 9V (which I currently have no means to do). What's your opinion? How have you or your LUG handled the (no longer recent) transition from 9v to PF? Locutis

Wow, this set is truly amazing! It very much reminds me of a mix between cafe corner and Green Grocer. There's a lot of Green Grocer-like design in there. It's interesting to note how they did the box art, with this set beside the corner set on the right, which they normally do not do. Also, note that Pet Shop, Fire Brigade, and Grand Emporium are all absent on the box art. I hope Lego keeps their CDN/USD pricing for other sets like this one. Maybe they have finally realized that their Canadian dollar pricing needs to be more in-line with the USD pricing, which on this set is much more realistic. I hope it isn't a mistake! Locutis

I was also fortunate to grab some from TRU.ca! By chance I was looking today again (1 week later), and they are again back in stock and accepting orders. Not sure why this set which is supposed to be completely sold out, keeps appearing everywhere... Locutis