Svelte

I want to try 10133 as a safe combination. Charlie, I reccomend you unscrew the barrel of the Mont Blanc and have a look inside for any concealed notes or other clues.

What time, Mr ISC?

I was thinking that too... Eg, the Venator at US$120 plus say $45 for postage is at today's rate about $205AUD. For the smaller sets its even more attractive. But they haven't been released there yet, let's hope the dollar doesn't crash again! You're right, we normally do pretty well for mid-size Castle sets: The Skeleton Tower was $US50 and here $60, so a ratio of 1.2 Dwarves Mine $US60 and here $70, so a ratio of 1.16 Drawbridge Defense $US40 and here $70 so the ratio of 1.75

I would like to run my fingers over the coat rack to see if there are any unusual features or hidden compartments... OK, it's a stretch for a coat rack to contain secret compartments, but you never know! (Schmelt prays that stray splinters don't lead to a sudden loss of life points!) Are we allowed to put whatever combinations we like in the safe? I am wondering if the answer is in plain sight... 5 digits... could be a number along the lines of with 10xxx, if you get my drift.

Non-licensed sets used to be around 1.5 times the US price. Licensed sets (Spongebob, Indy, SW) usually fall in the 1.5-2x range. Looks like licensed sets are back on the upper end of that ratio and non-licensed are climbing too. The other factor is what retailers will buy. Most stores will not go past the $150 limit (apart from DJs which is upper end, and Myer for its promo exclusives, but only during July sales) as they know parents won't fork over more than that for a kid's building toy. With 20% off, the highly-priced Venator will sit around $180 which makes me think the sales are already stitched up. It's 'Hard to Find' designation also makes me think it will be limited to a few retailers or all retailers for a limited sale price period of around $180. I just can't see K-Mart and Target doing regular restocks of a $230 set Obviously the Motorised AT-AT was repriced a few months ago so that it would be in line with the Venator when it came out. The mystic Lego price-setters set trends in reverse! EDIT: Since I made this post, they've actually delisted 3 of the SW sets from the 'What's New' page, which is interesting. I wonder if they'll come back?

Looks like we've got a price increase for Star Wars. Maybe due to the very weak dollar when they were setting prices for this line $69.99 for Drawbridge Defense also seems kind of high. City is a bit higher than I would have thought, too - $20 for the Tow Truck? $100 for City Corner? $13 for that tiny little car? I wish everything was available at once instead of the 'half of its here, half of its not' approach.

The best way to see everything that is new to visit 'What's New' -> 'Products Launched in 2009' -> 'View All' http://shop.lego.com/WhatsNew/ProductsLaunched2009.aspx?va=1 It's not hard for a US user just to switch countries to see what Europe has, and vice versa

Ooh, a teaser! Thanks for running such a great competition. I really had a blast! On the weekend I was working on my entry I had just got the early Venice Chase and City summer sets, but I was too focused on finishing the contest entry to build them! (Apart from breaking out the fezes ) If that's not a testimonial to a really fun contest, I don't know what is! Congrats to the other winners for their sterling work and for everyone who participated - there were some really great ideas at play!

Yes, from 5.30pm. I'm sure the Emerald Night will eventually be in a limited amount in retail stores, but I wouldn't be surprised if they knocked the price up before selling it... just like the VW & the Taj itself.

*whispering* That wasn't me! It was Bulldog...I think I said though that all Australians are criminals *sigh*

Interesting; I wonder if it will be in tomorrow's sale. Where did this news come from Whittleberry?

The yellow is also very poor quality in this set, you will be displeased to note! The bus suffers particularly badly from the 2 types of yellow - 'alien and glowing' and 'almost transparent'. I know you said someone at Brickworld said they were clearing out old parts in the poor quality, but 2 years after the horror of Cafe Corner I don't buy it. I think we're stuck with colour issues for the near future.

My bad I missed that and went straight to the inference of bestiality. Carry on! I must admit, I did ponder trying an action of peering through the keyhole to see what Arin was doing in the Mayor's bathroom, but it did strike me as a little creepy

Sure, bring up the pony! That poor little creature, I was doing it a service by taking the half-starved creature in Don't think we haven't noticed you sidling up to that mangy mutt. "Oh, your fur's so nice... your coat's so smooth... lick my wounds... Have an Eggo..." Yes, that's how it starts....

Yes, so much worse off by having most sets on store shelves for weeks already Let's stick to the topic and not turn this into a 'grass is greener on the other side of the pond' thread

Yesterday, images of the 2 large sets weren't showing; today they are!

The missing pics of 5973 and 5974 from yesterday are now up at S@H for those interested. The Galactic Enforcer looks amazing! Not sure about the way the prison cells break in half to be used, though

Looks good! The overlapping curve pieces are really nice in the first shot. Certainly way better than the official MM models If the sets had looked like this, I would have been more interested in the theme!

Since I still suspect this is all some elaborate reality show slash secret adult film studio, I again would like to check that lovely banker's lamp, without touching it, peering carefully on the underside of the glass to see if any ghostly numbers, letters or hidden cameras have been imprinted on the glass.

Well, I totally agree about the figs! As I said in Bricks' review, if a licensed line like Indy can have four new figs in one $11 set (7195) it's appalling they couldn't throw in something better than what we get here. Even 2 more Senate Commandos would make this a whole lot more appealing.

I'd like to look under the table, to see if anything is glued or attached to the underside of the top. Let's all be on the lookout for five digit names, numbers, codes or 'X' marks. Charlie, I also recommend you flip through the pages of the books as well as look behind them, in case any loose pieces of paper flutter out. Mayor Brown, how do you afford such a nice little office when the rest of the town is a bit, well, run-down?

Yes, but the 6211 was released three years ago. So you can't really expect the products to be identical for the same price. Either the piece count stays the same and the price goes up, or the price stays the same and the piece count goes down. I guess for the US it feels different as only recently has the flagship summer set been retailed at $US119.99, whereas the price in Europe and elsewhere seems relatively stable at around 140 Euro. I imagine the peak oil prices (before the crash!) affected production decisions for this wave too.

There's actually 8, but the shy pilot stays in the cockpit Squiddies do not bow before your squinty-eyed Tusken superiority! Darth_Legolas can join the alliance The 'clover' piece is described on Bricklink as a propeller - see here.

The Squiddies are invading! With the arrival of the first half-decent Space theme in several years, the alien faction of the new Space Police 3 theme will stop at nothing to eliminate their licensed rivals and in doing so ensure their own future survival! Notorious criminal P:Squiddy and his family of clones launch a direct attack on the Star Wars universe in their fearsome SQU:AT - Squiddy Assault Tank. "No longer shall we be confined to the bargain bins and 70% off clearance sales after our second wave comes out," declares P:Squiddy, rallying the troops. "Together we will cut off the head of the Evil Empire - no, I don't mean Palpatine, I mean George Lucas - and build an evergreen theme that will last a thousand years - or at least ten. Enough time for me to triple in value on Bricklink so I can sell off my clone duplicates and make a tidy profit!" As the fearsome SQU:AT engines and twin-mounted anti-canon cannons roar into life, a thousand MISB Chrome Vaders shudder in their polybags. Could this be the end of Licensed Lego Star Wars as we know it? The invasion begins! Main view: (same as title pic) Frontal view: Overhead view: Right hand side view: Left-hand view showing rear entry hatch: Rear view, showing hatch open and P:Squiddy descending: Close up of the front section: Like the 7679 Republic Assault Tank on which this is based, the front engines and cockpit are both accessible. You can see the fuel cells at the front and the pilot at the controls: And finally, a motivational poster from the P:Squiddy Propaganda Department: Thanks for viewing! This is my first SW competition entry; the 7679 is one of my favourite sets ever, so I had great fun adapting it to a different aesthetic entirely! Join the P:Squiddy revolution today! (Brickshelf folder)

Great idea! I'll have to have a think. Eerily, even before the EE characters were announced, I had just bought an official 'Schmelt' figure from bricklink - I always wanted a curly 'stached Chef fig and never had one. However I 'lost' it almost immediately before the mystery started and can't find it anywhere! It's odd, because I have everything else from that order I bet someone from Willoughby had something to do with the disappearance. They're probably using it as a voodoo fig right now! Save me!