Svelte

The Tantive IV is back at stock on Starwarshop for $US149.99. With $79.99 postage, that still makes it very attractive. You could have it FedExed next week for $AUD250 instead of wait 3 and get it from S@H for $AUD345 If only Starwarshop sold modular houses and other exclusives. Quick, somebody stick a Darth Vader in the Grand Emporium!

Bridal dress in shop window = madly over the-top Vegas wedding chapel with flashing neon signs and Elvis impersonator minister That's my guess

Can we keep this discussion on track and save the petty arguing for elsewhere? Community threads are not the highest priority on EB - since we are primarily a LEGO forum, not a historical forum or arguing forum - so if this continues, the thread will be locked. This will save everyone some time and save the moderators from having to intercede in topics that are not strictly LEGO related. If you feel a member has behaved inappropriately in-thread, use the 'REPORT' button - that's what it's for. Keep your Private Message arguments private. Thanks.

Yeah, it looks like an ad from the back of a LEGO Club mag and the figs do look rendered in the video game style. Since PoP was originally a video game, and LEGO loooooved licensed video games, it wouldn't surprise me if this were in the works. Besides, it says 'Coming Soon - May' which wouldn't make sense unless this image was released this year and we've known what the Alamut artwork looks like since before Christmas. The sets are released in April, so maybe the game is timed more closely with the film. Thanks for the image!

Uh... no. Leave it to the experts! As I said a few pages back, I'd heard some details (corner shop, revolving door) when I did my MOC but hadn't seen any pictures. Apart from the superficial similarities, the builds are wildly different. In particular I love how Jamie has resolved the corner window feature through curves rather than flat angles this time, and as Holodoc says, the system of clipping letters onto flex-tube is pure genius!

Yes, the image has clearly been Photoshopped to remove the watermark. Since we respect the spirit *and* the letter of the law here, I think it is best not to post it (I bet Brickset takes it down soon too - a rare lapse of judgment for them). Thanks.

With all due respect to Allan's sweet little MOC, the technique has been around for a while

I'm sure there's a screengrab program that can get inside the flash and get the whole hi-res version as a single image, but without it, yes, that's what I did for the 10211 pics too.

The sets look like they've been taken down from Amazon, too.

Dark bley has been variable for the last few years. It is especially noticeable with specialty parts with different thicknesses, such as the large 1x5x6 panels in use since 2007. In reviewing the new 7206 Fire Helicopter, Dr Sinister also reported that the dark bley part of the new nose assembly was very different from the usual colour: Personally I've found it variable enough in normal pieces (bricks, plates, tiles) in the last 2 or 3 years that I've stopped noticing (I try not to buy sets with too much dark bley anyway.

Aaah, I see. I was mainly asking about Amazon as I thought their box sizes might be smaller than the S@H ones. But the standard big exclusive box is 23 x 17-19 x 4 so they exceed the USPS standard size anyway. Maybe even BL is still cheaper. I imagine that the 10211 will quickly settle at about $US180 on BL (and after a while, even closer to retail at $US150), so if you're paying $US70-80 per box it still is quite a saving and seemingly less complicated.

They're still there... just as links

Thanks for the pics, grogall. 4 such large ones is a little too much so I've changed to links (check the previous page) and also added them to the first post with a credit to you. Thanks!

peterab and doodz, one question - can you choose to consolidate a package later? as far as i can see it on the shipito website, you can choose either the (a) individual package, flat $8.50 fee plus postage (b) virtual mailbox, $50 a year, which allows repackaging. the individual package option says "INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES does not offer consolidation of packages (merging several packages in to one bigger package). Please select virtual mailbox service if you need this service." it's a bit confusing as under the (a) invidiual package option it also says "We can try to make a package smaller to fit USPS size limits. Use Special Request on your account for that" i don't really want to sign up to a year long $50 package, especially if i've never used the service before. is this what you guys have done, or have you had them repacked some other way? do they charge you an extra repacking fee? if so, how much?

Amazon.co.uk doesn't post anything apart from books/ CDs/ DVDs to Australia. We are quite lucky in that we have a high customs limit - they won't pursue you for duty unless the value of the goods is over $AUD1000.

I think they're white, not bley. There are bley 1x3 tiles and 1x2 cheese, however.

I was convinced it was dark orange, but I've heard whispers it may not be after all... Toy Fair is in Feb, so we should see some actual, physical sets built from bricks then... with a release date of April, they won't be prelims either (like some of the Indy models last year where the figs were all wrong).

Maybe the price hikes in 2010 are a bargaining chip, so when overall sales decline due to the madness of trying to sell 170 piece sets for 30GBP or $60AUD or whatever, LEGO can go to Lucasarts and say 'Well, it looks like the best days are over for this license. Maybe you should reduce your cut?'

doodz, how were the Toy Story sets you received from Amazon packed? More economically than S@H? I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to order something like the Grand Emporium direct from Amazon to shipito rather than S@H if the package is likely to be smaller, since everyone says that the US S@H is terrible for using oversized boxes.

Previews at Toy Fair Thanks for the news, achris.

I think grogall should stay off all the grog I don't think the escalator moves, either. It looks far too brick-built and I don't see why the first floor one would be different from the ground floor.

We're sooooooooooooooooo good to you