Svelte

Amended! Actually, if you can still get the 7665 for $150, you might as well, since prices are on the up

The Republic Cruiser is a great set and brilliant parts pack, but it doesn't really measure up to the 10198 Tantive IV in terms of design sleekness and greebly goodness. It does look a little rough around the edges in comparison. If you're more of an OT fan, I'd be tempted to wait for the Tantive.

Which retailer?

Maybe create a new topic in Buy/ Sell/ Trade and then linky it from your post above so any Billund billet-doux will still see your post here

I opened the 3177 Smart Car today and 4 of the 40-odd pieces were 1x2 green plates, which were hidden from view in the final model. The build is so simple and the usage of green plates non-related to colour issues that this must be a cost issue. I do find this annoying because it does limit your MOCing palette. Any alternate model you make from this set is going to have splotches of green on an otherwise white colour scheme. Legoist, I completely disagree about the Creator sets. Considering most other lines end up being Technic frame vehicles with plates attached, I adore the fact that since 2004 we've had beautifully designed sets which give us more of what AFOLs usually want - basic bricks in nice colours (ie not the bulk brick packs) and lots of small plates and tiles. Bring them on!

Thanks for the great review, mikey! This was actually on my 'to do' list later today since noone else has done it, so you've saved me the trouble The set is nice - bright and classic looking, and instantly recognisable. The design of the cab is the same as we always get and I can't help but think that the tanker itself looks a little simplistic. I think this set stands out more in the 2010 lineup because the rests of the Jan/ Feb sets are mediocre and a little drab looking. Still, definitely a must-have for me and the combination of red, white and green in the classic Octan combination is always a winner!

EB Citizen mikey brings us the first review of the great new CITY 3180 Tanker Truck! Click on the pic to view the review and join the discussion!

You can't blame an AFOL for trying to smuggle as much dark blue and medium blue into one set as he could - they were both rare colours in basic bricks at that time. Shame that that was the first year when quality went really noticeably downhill - the dark blue inconsistencies in the first batches were terrible!

Hahaha! Great work! You've certainly captured the essence of Dexter, although he looks a little excited here hacking off arms and suchlike Your kitchen looks great too and the plastic wrap is simple but effective!

Boo! I disagree! I still have the following layout set up, almost 2 years later - unheard of amongst my collection and I still think it looks beautiful

The Club catalogue said March for Atlantis, with new City/ Creator in March and Ben 10/ Prince of Persia in April (from memory). Who knows what the Tantive IV will go for when it hits? If K-Mart has the rights, they may drop it to $200. Or maybe they learned their lesson from the AT-OT madness and will only get a limited quantity in. I think partly what influences these weird Jan price hikes is that they lock in details with Australian retailers for July sales at about this time, so they adjust the price to make the pre-decided sale price look more attractive. Eg 'Was $299! Now $200! looks better than 'Was $280! Now $200' or whatever they decide. Last year in Jan it was the Taj Mahal that jumped by $100 on S@H, and I'm sure that was just because LEGO wouldn't price it any lower and Myer wanted a nice round figure to promote in the catalogue.

I never reviewed it, but the Holiday Candle was like a version of a LEGO set from an alternate dimension where everything was slightly different... and just enough to be slightly uncanny. The polybags were of a different material - much sturdier plastic. The manual was a thick gloss cardboard and clearly printed at a different location from normal - each page was firm and thick, not at all like the flimy sheets we normally get. The box cardboard was very thick too. There were a lot of bricks, too, and they all seemed good quality - although it was slightly disconcerting to see 25 differently printed bricks in one set and 2 2x4 chrome ones It was like a Pod-People version of a LEGO set - close enough to the real thing, but it would never pass more than a cursory inspection. Enjoy your Flagship!

Decorations such as the snow globes, Santa magnet sets, Holiday Candle...

Thanks for this (hilarious!) review Barry at the office - ha! Barriss does seem an odd choice and hardly a fan favourite for a limited edition set - why not just go with Luminara? It's not the sign of a character's amazing popularity when you have to look her up on Wookiepedia to remember she was more than in just a few episodes of the CW animated series. The Swamp Speeder looks nicely designed, but at LEGO's RRP I ended up just buying the fig off BL for $US15 and saved myself about $AUD40 (and the self-shame of forking over a ridiculous amount of money for 170 pieces). Lovely review!

....Birthday.... EDIT: So much thready confusion! Happy bday CGH!

Happy......

My impression is that it's the piece budget that decides these sorts of issues - it's cheaper to use 2 of the smaller piece than add another element to the set palette. That's also why some sets have weird internal colours - City vehicles are particularly prone to having bits of green, red, or yellow plate (obviously the cheapest colours for these elements) to fill in gaps which won't be seen in the final model. Of course, this does work in the opposite way to drive part counts down. For example, the new cheese 1x2 slope which is becoming more common in 2010 means that the very low piece count of something like the Freeco Speeder looks even lower because the set has half the number of cheese pieces than it would have if it had been produced in early 2009 when the double cheese piece wasn't available. Same with the new 1x1 brick modified with stud on 1 side - whereas before you'd need 2 pieces to get the same effect (Technic brick and a half Technic pin), now you only need 1!

Nope. Maybe from ToyFair in Feb if achris is right

All we should need is the number starting with 45xxxxx on the back page of the instructions in tiny tiny print if they really are on the cache

You didn't get flamed I put the links in the first post with a credit to your name. The Site Guidelines specify a maximum of 800x600 pixels - we did allow some earlier larger images for detail but not 4 2000-3000 wide images all at once.

Great layout! I love official sets, and the Harry Potter ones from 2001-2003 were always designed to go together to form a mega-Hogwarts, but I've never seen them displayed with so much panache. I love that the Chamber of Secrets is literally buried underground! Amazing display!

With Harry Potter set for a return later in 2010, check out new member Celestrial's amazing Hogwarts Castle display, combining official sets and MOCs to create a stunning layout! (Click on the pic to view more details)

I think he means the Family Home. That is true only for the US market. Europe is supplied by production plants in a few locations, including the Czech Republic. The minifig parts he is referring to come from a specialised plant in China which also handles pre-assembled figs (eg magnet packs), seasonal items, and electronics. Even if the 'majority' of parts *were* made in Mexico, what really is the point of your comment? Quality is to be encouraged, especially in something so important as figs are to AFOLs

The second time I built this section I did find it stronger - not perfect, but stronger - so I am willing to admit I may have been too harsh on this issue Thanks for your comments! The Flagship really is a beauty