Svelte

oo has some sale stock, especially if anyone was still looking for the large MM sets MM Ultra Drill Walker -$40 MM Hypersonic Aircraft - $60 also... Agents Mission 7 - Deep Sea Quest $60

My Pillage the Village (a Pirates competition run late last year) was also a Fishmonger, so there's a theme there Stay on target! Yes, it was from the internet

I agree that this does look like a movie poster. Great work! It would be my first, but I would love to play (if there's room). This kind of thing is right up my alley.

I don't know what the distribution is. My understanding was that these sets were sold inflight, like a lot of other goods in the passenger catalogues, but I may be wrong. The only one I've ever seen in real life is the el cheapo Qantas Blocklock (or whatever it is) travesty Maybe someone who has actually bought one from an airline can tell us what the procedure is? Haha, that is a cute idea! It could be a whole miniseries - falling in love, Lego style I was thinking of MOCing a larger ice-cream shop in the same colour scheme, maybe that would be a suitable venue for romance

WhiteFang, my entry has been called into question in terms of following the rules - see the last few posts in my entry thread. As you are the highest authority in the land , let us know what you think, it may help other entrants who have yet to finalise their submissions.

I don't think I have broken any rules. If you read through the entry thread, it is clear that newer pieces are allowed, and newer colours. I asked these same questions all along the way. The restriction with minifigs is on the classic smiley face. Sure, I have expanded upon the repertoire of techniques and updated the look but I actually am quite proud of how it feels like Classic Town to me. The Chocomel tower from 1620 is reproduced almost exactly as a direct reference but the basic layout of the factory exterior (shuttered windows, evenly spaced), the open back, classic foliage etc all are hallmarks of Classic Town. If Classic Town includes the Idea Books then this entry is very much in the spirit of those pages, and of Classic Town itself. I don't see what fairness has to do with it, either. If this contest is really about an exact reproduction of Classic Town sets, then voters may not like my entry at all! However I interpreted the contest as expressing the spirit of Classic Town, not the exact letter - kind of like Hinckley's lovely banner. I am sure WhiteFang would have let me know if there were any violations Probably this should be reiterated so that entrants in the next few weeks are sure about their position.

INDEXED Name: Air Show Plane Theme: CITY Year: 2009 Pieces: 115 Minifigs: 2 Price: ??? Promotional set for airlines Resources: Brickset, Bricklink 1. Introduction Every year, the Lego Group produces a special promotional set to be sold only via airlines to their on-board passengers. 2006 featured the 2064 Air Ambulance and 2007 saw the release of 2230 Helicopter and Raft. This year, in keeping with more civilian flavour of the City sets overall, Lego has given us 7643 - the Air Show Plane! How does it compare to its predecessors? Does it fit with the rest of the 2009 sets? Read on and find out! 2. Box, parts and instructions The front of the box: The back of the box: The box is so teensy! I guess that makes it more economical to stow for on-board shopping. Here's a comparison with a Clone Battle Pack (almost everyone has one of these, right? Although the Air Show Plane box is a little wider): The instructions come in 2 booklets: The DSS (Dreaded Sticker Sheet): There are two polybags and some plates. Bag 1 contains the figs and ice-cream stand, and Bag 2 contains the plane. The parts are a good mix of standard colours and some rarer pieces such as a smattering of lime green and pink: The only really stand-out parts-wise is *9* of these metallic silver cheese slopes (1 is extra): 3. The Build - Figs and Ice-Cream Stand The figs. The pilot's colour scheme of navy and brown looks very tasteful, and I like the little helmets. The flag-waving, ice-cream selling lady has the Agent Trace hair and some generic City body parts. It's a nice touch that the flag is in navy blue, although somewhat confusing - is she supposed to be an on-the-ground traffic controller? If so, why is she running an ice-cream franchise on the runway? That aside, I do like that she has a chocolate and strawberry flavoured sundae as indicated by the 1x1 round plates! The ice-cream stand is a simple little build, and a great complement to the 8398 BBQ stand impulse which was released earlier this year. Indeed, I think it is somewhat better, with its unique colour scheme and more useful pieces. I particularly like the ice-cream dispensers, and the side clips for holding the sundae glasses: I do think Trace-Lite needs a new uniform as her current outfit looks very dark compared to the stand: In a surprise attack, the BBQ Impulse vendor, angered by the proliferation of rival snack stands in Lego City, hits back: 4. The Build - Air Show Plane Like many small aircraft, this one starts looking off like a boat: We build up the body of the air plane: That black modified 1x2 plate with handle acts as the control stick. But hey! At least it's not a sticker : The propeller apparatus will fit over this Technic axle: Voila! The plane is complete! Front-on view: Side view: Close-up of the (immovable) landing gear: All the parts of the set together: Bonus pic! This guy with the beard gets everywhere! 5. Overall Rating Minifigs - 7/10, nothing really new and Trace-Lite could use a better torso, but better than the average City set Parts - 7.5/10 - a nice mix of colours and pieces with some rarer pieces such as the silver cheese Build - 7/10 a fun, quick, classic-style little build for both the ice-cream stand and the plane Overall - 7/10 - hardly essential, but a nice set nonetheless This was a fun little set to build and it looks good. These airline promo sets are one of the few ways to get an old-scale plane and are worth picking up by Classic Town admirers for that reason alone. However, the addition of the adorable ice-cream stand in this set elevates it beyond a simple, classically-styled toy plane by suggesting the celebratory party atmosphere of an exciting weekend air show (To be honest, I probably would not have bought this set if it was just the plane on its own ). The plane itself, reminiscent of the single-engine aviation craft of the early part of the 20th century, is both different from and compatible with the larger City aircraft by virtue of not attempting to emulate the larger retail releases like passenger jets or cargo planes. If I was flying with any airline that stocked these I would be sure to pick one up as a fun supplement to the regular City releases of 2009.

Poor design choice is a problem with a few of the Construction sets. The dumper truck mechanism is really annoying and barely stays on. Compare the design of that with the hingeing mechanism of the tractor in the large Farm set which is far superior and much stronger.

Birthday discussion merged! Batbirck's celebrations go into day 2!

99? You realise you've reached the upper limit of 0-99 to use Lego? Time to put those bricks away, gramps! Happy birthday!

I think I forgot to put the control panels on the first time, so took the screen off and didn't put it back right. To be honest though, I didn't notice. I may fix the main shots but I think the action ones are fine The screens are positioned differently on each boat though.

The novelty of that piece has definitely worn off.

I disagree; if it sat lower, it would have to be wider at the base and then it wouldn't look like a fez at all. If they wanted to add detail they could have printed hair on the minifig but that would probably be cost-prohibitive as they'd need to do it double-sided.

I'll fix that. I was obviously getting confused by the flowery lapel and Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'. It's the spyglass piece from Pirates in black, also used in the AAT and Medieval Market Village. This didn't bother me, as so much action is going on in the chase sequence (people leaping up, shooting, grabbing the controls) that it isn't hard to pose the figs side-by-side even with the lack of arm room.

Indy for the win! The minifigs are outstanding, the set designs are a good mix of playsets, buildings, and vehicles, several new interesting pieces have been introduced in lovely colours, and the prices are actually generally very reasonable for a licensed theme. Batman was OK, but it quickly became repetitive. The figs were good but not amazing. 2006 was the first and best year, and even then it didn't really seem to sell that well. If Indy wasn't around, Harry Potter would probably be my first choice as they had a lot of great sets with fantastic figs too. Over-exposure really killed this theme though. There's a lot to like about SB too but as Clone O'Patra says, Indy is really useful across the board whereas some of the SpongeBob stuff is too theme-specific.

It depends which windshield piece they use. If they use the newer pieces which don't hold studs in place except at the very front, they can't use car doors. (Older-style cars often used the windshield piece to hold the door in position). This is why it's a little strange that the big orange hauler and the red truck don't have car doors as that large windscreen would seem perfect for them - but you can see that the windshield for the blue vehicle couldn't use them.

It's nice to see a classic blue building! I like the way the cannon juts through the front and the curving arch of foliage. Guts, guts! Everywhere guts!

Maybe that's because I only review sets I like myself (Apart from the dreaded kitchen scale )

Definitely. But if that tactic means we get more 'everyday life' buildings in sets, I'm all for it. Let's hope it sells well. It also means that the scale of the individual vehicles in these sets is somewhat better, IMO. If Lego released a bus as a standalone, they would go all out and make it 12 wide with two aisles of seats, working emergency doors and a Keanu Reeves 'Speed' minifig (or something)

Thanks for the great pictures! I have to say, apart from the smoke garage door pieces, there is not a lot in this set that appeals to me. I already have enough vehicles and the design of the garage itself is very much of the 'series of 1x2x5 bricks connected by plates' school. The orange and white colour scheme is a nice change, but I would have liked to have seen something more in line with the red/green/white Octan service station aesthetic. The new torso is OK> but the rest of the figs are just the same old parts that everyone has a million of. It's a shame about the car doors too Especially since the vehicles seem to have been designed with them in mind. I wonder what happened?

Yes, the guns are different to the Batman ones, I'm sure someone did a photo comparison last year. The Ambush in Cairo set also features a prominent Tommy gun, so at least it is in a cheaper set. Thanks for all your kind comments, everyone! This set wasn't high on my must-have list (apart from the figs), but my opinion dramatically improved once I built it. I think the most impressive thing is how sturdy the play models are - the boats don't just fall apart or explode - you have to make that extra effort and when they go off they do so quite spectactularly!

That's really interesting... do you know of any pics? I'd like to see such a display! Great review, ISC. Those pesky dwarves get everywhere!

Name: Venice Canal Chase Set: 7197 Theme: Indiana Jones Subtheme: The Last Crusade Year: 2009 Pieces: 420 Minifigs: 4 (and a rat!) Price: $US39.99 (according to Toy Fair), yet to be confirmed elsewhere Resources: Brickset 1. Introduction Indiana Jones and the Decades-Late Merchandising! After last year's successful releases to coincide with the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film, this year's Indy sets have shown a distinct inclination to focus on the past - appropriate for such an eminent archaeologist. The Venice Canal Chase is one of the most memorable action sequences from the 1989 release 'The Last Crusade'. Introducing beautifully detailed figs and an action-packed assortment of features, this mid-size set is sure to be a must-have from the 2009 Indy assortment. 2. Box, parts and instructions The front of the box showing the chase taking place. I think this picture was a poor choice by marketing, as the angle of the shot makes the boats look tiny and hides much of the Venetian bridge. I think some people will complain about the price tag on this set, not realising it is substantially bigger than it looks just from the artwork! The rear of the box, showing the various functions at work - more on those later Minifigs. The Grail Guardians get a special shout out! If I was Elsa, I'd fire my agent. Presumably everyone knows who Indy is Instructions - one book only! Random instructions page showing the building up of the boat: The other forthcoming sets from this wave: And some very exciting poster art for the biggie of the summer releases, the Temple of Doom/ Dwarves' Mine crossover (You know you were thinking it too ): There are no stickers in this set, so straight to the parts. There are three numbered bags. The first contains the minifigs, canal bridge and surrounds, and the other two correspond to the boats: The parts scattered hither and thither: There is not a great deal new non-minifigs wise, but we do get some pieces in dark tan we haven't seen before - tiles, jumper plates, the large cutout wedge plate and the 1x1 plate: One of the large individual Tommy/submachine guns: But really, it's all about the fez! It's a great part, and unlike some new headgear pieces, sits very firmly on the head. I can see zillions of usage for this piece. I bet Jamie Berard has a whole stash wondering what he can do with a new modular building using this as a decorative detail :wub: One of the best new pieces this year! I mean, who doesn't love a fez? 3. Minifigs! As is usual for the Indiana line this year, the minifigs are exceptional. We get Indy in a grey suit (his fedora is included so you can swap), a brand new Elsa with double-sided torso and buttercup yellow glamourpuss hair, and two menacing villains in dark flesh and with similarly snappy suits. Is this a Lego set or a fashion parade? From behind: Just the good guys, to show Indy's suit better: Elsa's mugshot. The hairpiece is nice, not revolutionary, but a welcome and classy addition to the range. It will be great for '40s style Hollywood noir MOCs: The Grail Guardians. I love these bushy 'staches! Kasim, on the right, is the one who has all the dialogue in the movie - and also the only member of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword with a flower in his lapel. I'll forgive Lego for not producing four different new torso prints for this set though Kasim's original stache deserves a screenshot of its own: Bonus pic! 3) The Build - The Canal First up are the canal markers - bricollas? - very simple in blue and white but adding a nice contrast to the browns and muted tones of the rest of the Venetian streetscape. The canal scene is assembled in three parts. First is the manhole which leads up from the sewers Indy and Elsa escape through: On the other side a little ladder leads up from the canal itself. The 1x6 tan tiles conceal a seesaw mechanism: With a little bridge added: The extended bridge sits over the parts of the tan tiles which jut out, so that when the mechanism is depressed the bridge flies off. I like how they added the 1x1 blue round plate to the end of the bridge struts to keep it looking as if the whole thing was submerged : The two long arch pieces connect the two side of the canal, with tiles acting as stairs and an ornate railing using the spyglass piece in black. Here, Elsa enjoys the scenery: The piece selection of the Venetian bridge here is great, very useful for any builder (bley arches, lots of tiles, the spyglasses). The manhole cover is simple and effective, and isn't attached by studs so pops off easily. The bridge exploding mechanism is sturdy when constructed but easy to operate, and the whole assembly doesn't fall apart when you move the set around. I like that minifigs can perch on the railing or appear from beneath the manhole; it really does add an extra level of playability to the chase scene that would be lacking if the set just comprised two boats. This part of the set is probably what pushes it out of the $US30 mark but it is well worth it, in mu opinion. 4) The Build - The first boat There are two boats included in this set - an ordinary tan one and a dark tan one. They are similar but not identical, as we shall see. Superficially, the colour scheme is the most obvious point of difference. At the end of the build I did notice that the box art and the instructions contradict each other in illustrating who is sitting in what boat The instructions show Indy and Elsa in the dark tan vessel, as below, but if you look back up at the box art (and every other promotional image of the set, including the cover of the instructions), Indy and Elsa are in the ordinary tan boat and the villains are in the other one : I was confused and perturbed by this (as you can guess, I am easily confused and perturbed ) so I rewatched the scene on DVD to see which was right. However in the film, the boats are almost exactly identical! There is however one point of difference. Here's a screengrab from the film, see if you can spot the clue: Can you spot what makes this boat special? No? It's the colour of the flag at the stern! In the film, Indy's boat has a red flag and the bad guys have a black one (how appropriate). In the instructions, Indy and Elsa are correctly placed in the dark tan boat with the red flag, but everywhere else they're in the regular tan boat with the black flag! Tah-dah! Except of course that in the film both the boats are identical anyway, and there is no differentiation in colour apart from the flags. Make sense now? People who followed the above paragraphs may scrape their melted brains off the floor and pour them back into their heads. Repeat after me "Cool, those blue and white markers *do* look like the ones from the movie!". We will now resume the review! The dark tan boat up is built up of two sections connected by Technic pins: This connects to the rear section. The tiled slope thing will act as the ejector button when in position: The finished boat: The button goes down and the end of the boat pops off! "This is *our* boat and I won't hear a word otherwise!" Seriously, you don't want to mess with that 'stache: Another shot. In this edit of the movie from an alternate timeline, Henry 'Pistol' Jones and Elsa 'Succubus' Schneider are the villanous members of a secret cult, whilst Kasim and his furry-faced friend are heroic adventurer-archaeologists bent on saving the world! The light tan boat is built differently to its predecessor. We see a lot more greebly engine stuff in this version, and the boat's hull isn't designed to split in two: The separate little engine slides over the innards: Tan tiles attached to plates sit on top of the engine section to complete the craft: Side view: By depressing the studs between the gap at the end, another seesaw mechanism pushes the tan tiles and engine section out of the boat. Boom! Extra parts leftover at the end of the build: And the chase is on! Here are all the parts of the set together! 4) Action shots and final thoughts It is actually surprisingly enjoyable to set up the bridge and reenact the chase! My inner child was pleased at the various layouts you can make - so top marks for playability! Swooshability is for spaceships and so on - what's the word for describing the feeling when you're pushing two boats around? Submersability? Hullability? Someone out there coin a new phrase! The builds are solid too so the play features don't self-destruct if you play a little rough. A before-and-after demonstration of the set features. Here's before: Action features utilised! This is exactly how the parts landed, nothing has been moved to make it look like they flew further! And just because he's too cool 5) Summary review Playability: 9/10 - Every part of this set has a different and well-designed function - and the set definitely works as more than the sum of its parts Minifigs: 9.9/10, minus .1 for the fact the two Grail Guardians should have different torso prints On the other hand, the fez! The fez! There is currently no better line for minifigs than Indiana Jones Design: 8.5/10 - Great functions, some useful parts, solid builds. Price: yet to be determined Overall: 9/10 - A great addition to the Indiana Jone lines. Really fun to build and play with, and superb minifigs - what more could you want from a Lego set?

A review is forthcoming Brickdaddy, reviews should be posted in individual threads inside the Licensed forums. Check out the Reviewers' Academy for guidance for all things review-related

The buckets are where the Umpa-Lumpas make their beds at night. It probably could be clearer!