Svelte

The Big W sale catalogue is now online for sale starting July 3. See p 54-55 for Lego. As predicted, they have all the Castle sets with an exclusive on the Troll Warship. No prices yet. There's also pics of some of the January Star Wars and April Cargo sets, nothing we haven't seen on sale before although it will be interesting to see their prices.

Thanks for the news Deinonychus. At least we have a better idea of release dates now. And there's definitely a second wave. Yays! Target/ TRU exclusives for 8636/ 8637 though? They're always a pain to track down *Sigh*

Thanks for your kind words everyone! Actually Belloq I built it over about a week - much to the detriment of my Indy Month contest entry - Nooooooo! Credit to Batbrick's review of the Speed Racer set for alerting me to the cool aquarium sticker and Hinckley for reminding me of the zebra striped car doors - I especially like Dr Inferno's little chill out lounge.

Thanks Brainbox. As for the face, it's the barbed wire eyes that do it, I think

So, no oil, no Lego? Or can butane be sourced independently as a natural gas?

Lego - that's where the future's at, m'boy. Invest today! More precious than gold, more valuable than saffron. Especially when the oil runs out...

Klaus and Hans looked at each other sadly. The years had not been kind. This definitely wasn't what they'd expected when they'd booked tickets to the Spice Girl Reunion Tour. ~OR~ In an alternate reality in a galaxy far, far away, the Nazis really *had* invaded the ice planet of Hoth, Indy *had* scalped his own son to make a new toupee, and Sean Connery *really did* have a 24" wasp waist and could delectably fill a 36" B-cup. ~OR~ Sinner's revised entry for the Indiana Jones month contest raised eyebrows amongst fellow Eurobricks members, not least because of the one-handed typing he was doing when he finally clicked the 'post' button. 'It's all right,' he explained. 'I'm from Tasmania - all the women look like that here.' (Apologies to Tasmanians )

Wow! Thanks for those, metalandi! Hopefully it means they will be launching from S@H soon for countries outside the US. Edited to add: Well, the interior of 8637 is a little disappointing - a little sparse, and Dr I's throne is in an odd location. The Agents vehicle isn't that exciting either. The landscaping is fabulous though, with great parts - 45 trans orange slopes and 19 1x1 bricks, and 43 dark brown slopes - lovely. Nice touches of silver on the doors as well. I love the laser turret and the firepit as well. Stickers on chairs - that's a new one What is that odd technicy looking 2x16 brick on p 45? Is that a new piece?

I think they're red brown - the slopes all over the volcano terrain are the new dark brown, as found in the Indy River Chase and Castle sets. With a new shade, red brown now looks like dark orange compared to dark brown!

At the risk of self-promotion - see my sig As for Aussie sales, the Target website has updated and they don't start until July 24. At least we'll have a break between the K-Mart/ Big dub ones and the Target one.

Compare it to the Giant Castle Chess Set, also coming out about the same time - $US199.99 for 2481 pieces - and hundreds of those are just black/ white tiles. Say 10188 was also a non-licensed set - for 3500 approx pieces you'd maybe throw on another $100. (Although last year's 10181 has 3,428 and is also $199.99 but maybe the price is lower as the pieces are large amounts of the same brick, no figs) It wouldn't surprise me if the license threw on another $100, just as a round figure (I have no idea what the terms of the license are; I doubt they're that high, but TLC just seems to prefer round figures when it comes to the supersized sets - probably working on the basis that if someone is paying $350 for a set, they probably want it so much that an extra $50 isn't going to stop them). I also suspect that in 07 the Republic Gunship would have been a $USD99.99 set and the market has changed since then. Eg, despite the disparity between the US price of the 7662 MTT and the new Gunship, the UK price (79.99 GBP) is the same for both.

Thanks for your all comments guys! Matn, I do want to make more MOCs. I already have an idea for a smaller complement to this set... but I want to enter the Indy contest if I have time so probably not for a little while I look forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with! Yovnocrat - The torso is available in a whole heap of sets - see here . Mine came from 9247 Community Workers.

I too saw this on Brickshelf before Batbrick posted it here and have been meaning to add my praise for a while. It really is awesome. The thing that jumped out at me when I first saw it was how impressive and solid looking it was - bulky and menacing. The skulls under the window arches are a great detail - you really get the sense that eyes are watching your every move as you approach.... The dark bley and dark tan is a beautiful combination. The foliage is very nice too, it all looks very crisp and jungly, although I'm not sure about the pine trees - different climate, surely? Minor quibble, I know you are short on foliage. The inside is equally splendrous and its a good use of those excess gold roof slopes I like the multiple levels within the body of the main building itself as it adds to the play value. And the fertility idol making you preggers is hilarious! Totally twisted but logical - fantastic thinking. I have to agree with Brainbox, I'd like to see a secret compartment - maybe in the rock sculpture at the front? He looks so self-satisfied and glowering, I just know there's something secret hidden in the belly of the beast! It looks like you have room to maybe have a removable section or trapdoor to reveal another room. In short, you should be rightly proud, Batbrick, even if your stocks of dark bley are now depleted!

I'd also like it if someone did a review or took some pics of the inside. I'm curious as to what exactly is in there at just 60+ pages. It's not something I'd put a special order in for but I might get it with something else from S@H. Mirandir, I agree with you about the bricks - even the 50th anniversary gold brick key ring is a tan brick chromed gold rather than the type used in Town Plan .

Wow, these are great I love the compact, stubby little faces of the skulls - they look particularly malevolent. The level of detail is fantastic as well for such small craft - you've done a great job. I actually like the trans blue and white scheme a bit more than the Space Skulls red/ white - makes them more clinical-looking and creepy.

Bridge pieces are from the Exo-Force Sentai Fortress 7709 of 2006

Background: In some ways this is a MOC-MOD of 4210 - I really liked the shape of the new Coastguard set, and felt Dr Inferno's cohorts deserved some kind of base prior to the launch of the official Volcano base, so this is what I came up with. Behold the Seabase of Dr Inferno! Join us as we explore a typical day in the life of the world's most wanted supervillain... 9am. All is quiet on the Seabase of Dr Inferno - an abandoned oil-rig converted by the world's leading anarchy-tects into the villainous lair of Dr Inferno. The seabase comes complete with cybernetically modified guard animals, heli-pad and laser turret - all the mod cons. After spending a depraved night working on a plot for world domination by removing all the vowels from every set of Scrabble ever produced, Dr Inferno is taking a leisurely stroll around the seabase. 9.05am: An alert sounds on the empty landing pad - incoming vehicle! 9.10am: 'Megablocking MEGABLOCKS!' Dr Inferno shreiks as his personal jet craft lines with a surprise visitor. 'I can't believe I forgot my accountant is visiting today! Megablocking audits! Sometimes being the world's most succesful and filthy-rich sociopath has its downsides, but even I, the nefarious Dr Inferno, dare not defy the tax office!' 9.12am: Dr Inferno tries to change his expression from 'feral grin' to 'friendly smile', without much success. He goes to meet his visitor. 9.14am: Dr Inferno's accountant, Sam Sharp, greets his employer: 'Please don't kill me - I promise this will be over quickly!' 'It better be,' snarls Dr Inferno. 'I have a tennis lesson with Pussy Galore at 2.' Sam swallows his fear as he notes the presence of a previous intruder to the Seabase down amongst the depths - mechanically-modified sealife defend against prying eyes. 9.15am: They hop on the Seabase's travel platform and zip to the heart of the Seabase. 'I like what you've done with the place,' says Sam. 'Orange and black - it suits you. Where did you get the inspiration?' Dr Inferno secretly fingers his luscious locks. 'It just came to me,' he replies casually. He doesn't feel the need to tell Sam that his design brief for the architects specifically included a 50-foot giant tower with rockets based on his own hairstyle. 9.16am: The two arrive at the loading dock at the centre of the seabase. 'Meet my PA, Cindy Borg,' says Dr Inferno. 'Would you like a cocktail? Cindy was an early volunteer for one of my experiments. Her arm has been replaced with a full-service liquor nozzle. Makes her very *handy* around the place, hah hah.' 'Uh, thanks,' says Sam. A perfect whisky sour shoots from Cindy's wrist into Sam's glass. 'Spray ya later!' she winks as she dries her stump off with a towel and departs. 'Will do,' says Sam. Despite the missing limb, Cindy is kind of hot. Sam wonders if she her 'pour' function can be reversed to 'vacuum'. Dr Inferno has better things to do than stand around and supervise. 'I'm off to test my laser turret - the 1,000 kills service warranty is coming up soon. Call me if you need anything.' 9.25am: Finally left alone, Sam begins cataloguing the latest batch of riches which have arrived at the seabase. 'Two gold bars - check. Two cardboard boxes containing leaked prototype Lego 10188 Death Stars - check. Two cases of cooking oil collected from the pores of the endangered minke whale - check...' And on it goes. Dr Inferno's prize Persian, Mr Fluffybot, is unimpressed by all the activity. 9.30am: As Sam goes about his business, Dr Inferno admires the potent power of his thrusting laser cannon, its sleek lines and hard, potent barrel. He sees nothing psychologically odd about this at all. The laser cannon rotates 360 degrees horizontally, and the barrel can rotate approximately 90 degrees vertically. Dr Inferno sometimes like to climb on top and hum 'The Ride of the Valkyries'. Sssh - don't tell anyone Laser comes with built-in light-up function! 11.02am. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the seabase.... It's time to feed the sharks! Automated cyber-controlled Shark-O-Matic feeder in retracted position, hidden under the base. The motorized arm unfurls to its full length. Breakfast is served! The hungry shark leaps up and devours its meal whole! (Rumours that Dr Inferno sometimes uses the Shark-O-Matic to dispense with enemy agents are entirely true.) 11.28am. Realising that he hasn't checked his hair for at least an hour and a half, Dr Inferno withdraws to the sanctity of his Hairbase. 11.32am. The Hairbase is equipped with a variety of security devices. This biometric reader ensures that only 100% authorised personnel - and Cheryl, the cleaner, who only comes on Thursdays - are allowed into the control center. 11.34am. Dr Inferno presents only organic components of his body for inspection - his optical scan and thumbrint are required. Voila! The door opens. What could possibly be hidden behind this barricade? A torture chamber? Fire-pit? A succession of deadly traps, each more complicated and fiendish than the last? Actually, it's just reception. Cindy Borg doubles as Seabase Receptionist - the pay is good and the hours reasonable. Cindy's arm-nozzle doubles as a watering can for the flowers here too. However the magazine by her side hides a deadly weapon. Overall back view of the tower: 11.40am. Dr Inferno arrives in his luxury pad on the second floor of the Hairbase. Swanky! Note the gold and marble floor tiles, tropical fish aquarium, letter tray for answering fan mail, and exotic and deadly flowering cactus. No expense spared! Dr Inferno is especially proud of his zebra-hide upholstered cocktail cabinet. Here he relaxes with Mr Fluffybot and sips on an olive martini. Note the hairbrush - but who is it for? Dr I or Mr Fluffybot? With figs removed: 2.40pm. Three hours later, after an intensive grooming session - we won't go into detail about that here - Dr Inferno decides to review Seabase security. He calls his minion Break Jaw on the top floor to make sure that all systems are running smoothly. Sadly the tastes of Break Jaw are not as refined as those of Dr Inferno - look at that! Pizza and basketball! Tssk! Each sculptured tuft of Dr Inferno's hair conceals a deadly missile. Another security feature can be seen here. Unbeknownst to his staff - and in defiance of every occupational health and safety law in existence - Dr Inferno has wired the whole infrastructure of the Seabase with explosives, remotely programmed to detonate at his command. The control box is on the far left. You can also see some of the remains of previous agents who tried to infiltrate the base, tossed down here like the rubbish they are. The Seabase also has a small dock with an escape hover-pod should Dr Inferno need to flee the enemy. Or any creditors. Which reminds him - what has Sam Sharp concluded about the state of Dr Inferno's finances? 3.48pm. Seems that Sam Sharp has been getting along very well with Cindy Borg! 'Pour me another Shecks on the Beach, darlin',' slurs Sam. 3.55pm. 'Get away from her, you dolt!' screams Dr Inferno, snatching the cocktail glass from his employee's hand. 'And you' - he points his claw at Cindy - 'I'm docking your pay all the motor oil you've consumed greasing up this moron!' Cindy Borg quickly flees. Drunken Sam Sharp sways towards Dr Inferno. 'DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR!' bellows Dr Inferno, giving him a sharp slap across the noggin. Sam Sharp clutches his head in pain. He doubles over in agony. Or is it something else? 4.02pm. With an enormous RIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPP!, Sam's hair and skin peel away, revealing.... Agent Trace! The super-smooth agent has assumed the identity of Dr Inferno's mild-mannered accountant to infiltrate his operations, with 100% success. (Or 'win', as they say on the internets.) 'Locks like I've put a crimp in your style, Dr I,' winks Agent Trace, brandishing her pistols. 'You mad wench - never!' Dr Inferno makes a mad dash down the stairs of the dock to his escape hover-pod. 4.06pm. Only to find that someone is already occupying the craft. 'Meow.' Mr Fluffybot waves a paw goodbye. Agent Trace snaps on the handcuffs. 4.15pm. 'It's time to lock you up, Inferno,' drawls Agent Trace. 'The things you see in prison will make your hair curl.' 'Nothing could be worse than your puns,' spits Dr Inferno. 'Take me away.' THE END FOR DR INFERNO.... ...or is it? And just one final shot of the whole base with Dr Inferno's plane on the heli-pad. And just coz I really like this seaplant: Design notes: This is primarily an over-the-top playset to fit in with the Agents line. I'm not much of a vehicle designer so I left the 8635 jet alone - I think it's perfect as is, anyway Why reinvent the wheel? Kudos to the 4210 designers for their interesting usage of the bridge pieces - I have said before that in some ways Agents is like an evil version of Coast Guard The photography is a bit all over the place as I rely on natural light and there's been little in Sydney recently - I like to think the shadows add a dramatic, noirish touch to the gripping events presented here And there we have it - my first large MOC for Eurobricks! Thanks!

I noticed from brickset that these are now available at S@H. Search for 852331 or look in Product Collections. $30 AUS? I think I will pass .

What's the embargo date on the press release, if you don't mind me asking? Or are embargo dates themselves embargoed? Must not confuse self.

It seems very lavish, doesn't it? It terrifies the mind to think what the 09 anniversary set could possibly be. Maybe a 1:1 scale UCS Han Solo in carbonite

I only recently started catching up on the back catalogue of interviews but I really enjoy them. Thanks imperialshadows and stauder! Your sense of humour is very distinctive and there's nothing better than a good comedy double act WhiteFang, I really appreciate the way you have gone back to some 'classic' sets and reviewed them on EB. Sometimes there's such a flood of new stuff that you get caught up in the rush and forget what's gone before. Like others here I pretty much missed the whole of Classic Castle and a lot of what I've seen only comes from brickset or the instructions archives. It has been really interesting to see photos of sets which have made me reevaluate my preconceptions - thanks to you, I've reevaluated aspects of the Ninja theme and come to like it a lot more!

Must... sell... firstborn. If you don't have a firstborn, better start breeding

Probably on the upper end since licensed sets are comparatively more expensive. Unless the depressed dollar really has made a difference. I didn't buy the UCS Millennium Falcon because it was horrendously overpriced for Australians, but I am going to find it hard to resist this one. Please, Lego, bring back your dark ages so I have money once again and room in my flat! No... kidding... I'll find room somewhere. I was just thinking 'Thank god I didn't preorder the Chess set!'

Here we go, boys and girls. From the Lego cache: pics are back Dear Lord, but it's huge. Who knows the price? I think I'm hallucinating that pic of the minifigs. I think we have a contender for set of the year.

6030 Catapult, 1984: It's a nicely brick-built mechanism and a good size, unlike some of the warbeasts produced in more recent years. This was also before every castle set had a compulsory catapult built-in! Funny how people have complained that Technic has invaded System sets in recent years, when the whole base and wheel section of this baby is Technic-based.