Rick

Really original take on the contest theme. And that video is hilarious and very well done: I really like the facial expressions used.

If they launch it for S@H as well, I sure hope they will also start offering it for countries without physical Lego stores (like The Netherlands).

Those pictures look like they've been featured in this thread before... so I'm afraid it's old news.

That's quite an impressive display. I didn't know some motorcycles were amphibious though.

The color scheme is really great, I really like the dark red. Yet another build to closely watch indeed.

I like that the 'Fire Brigade' set uses the 1 x 4 SNOT brick with studs on only one side instead, it doesn't mess up the interior of the buildings. Not having vertical spacing also results in a more 'modest' look. This brick technique can be a little over-detailed in my view.

... which shows that PaB is heavily overpriced. The number of parts equals about two and half Modular Building at a cost less than half of the PaB price...

I remember a discussion somewhere and I don't think the staff was really positive about moving avatars/signatures...

Why do they always have to resort to using weapons on unarmed enemies? I guess this is how they try to handle their defeat in the tournament of retribution...

This one's pretty annoying

Couldn't they've matched the cones with the color of the Orc heads?

Nice idea. I really like the variety in the PTV contest, now that the violence aspect is prohibited. Too bad the weapons aren't available in the same color at the statue. Also, I don't really like the hair piece on the statue, but you probably face the same problem of part availability there. Finally, I prefer grays and bleys not mixed in one MOC, but others will undoubtedly argue it adds variety to the color scheme.

Nice concept, good to see the factions getting along so well... The build is also really good and detailed. You really used every stud well. The face of that bar lady is really giving me the creeps though: why don't you just use the admiral's daughter's head that's in the current pirates line?

Congrats! That b-day edition whacking is really good.

Right - WhiteFang, Svelte - when building these modulars, I also take the time to enjoy the work in process and look at it from various angles, study the techniques that ultimately become hidden from the outside. I usually do a modular building in two sits. So I'd say about 4-6 hours for me. I really don't time it.

The working lights are a nice touch. I'd sacrifice exact resemblance to the original in a lot of places to achieve a more smooth look. But I guess that's a matter of taste. I prefer a smooth Lego-like look over exact realism and accept the limitations that Lego pieces inevitable have.

Definitely a good thing. Compared to the first version it looks a little more 'finished' now.

I see the point, but I mainly keep seeing it as a mustache.

I doubt whether kids realize that Pirates are actually the 'baddies'. I guess the picture that is portrayed of pirates is similar 'Robin Hood': heroic thieves with high moral standards. I count on the staff to defend the empire!

Great build so far! I will definitely follow your build, looks like you're progressing really fast. For the biggest canon design, I'd definitely take a version with a long base. Are you going to make all your canons (the 36p and the 24p) the same color: either 'metal' or gray?

The idea is what really sells this, but it's a little 'fuller' now, with the back pack and the gun added to the shako.

Sure, implicitly I'm saying: why does TLG limit the number of S@H exclusives if they could get more sales with roughly the same cost by splitting certain sets (see the reasoning in my earlier pos; same goes for offering 'middle floors' for the Modular Buildings, I guess). However, I can imagine that they give each line a limit to the number of sets to avoid discussions, like "... but if we split this set into two..." with people responsible for the various lines.

That's amazing how managed to cram all those fully-furnished rooms into such a small space. The overall design is also very nice and I like the extension on the populated house and the idea of putting scaffolding on the neighbor's house. The version with one floor less looks better/friendlier from the outside if you ask me, but that's the difference between the city and the country-side I guess.

I still don't quite understand why it would make a difference for TLG to release (1) a train with two wagons or (2) a train with one wagon and a train car set. Sure it means you'll have two exclusives out instead of one, but I don't see where the big difference is in terms of costs and I'd only see additional benefits, i.e. most AFOLs buying the train set plus a number of extra train cars.

I'd say most of the good fan designs are much better than most of what TLG comes out with, except for the exclusives of course, because fans try to overcome the inherent limitations in official designs. I guess the limitations that designers have to work with are mainly cost, piece availability, and not being able to put too many different pieces in a set. (This latter point becomes apparent when you compare the inventory of an 1980s Town set with a 2000s City set. It also makes it much more difficult to build alternatives with newer official sets, and could be the reason for not included alternative builds on the back of the box anymore, but that's a different issue.) But these limitations are understandable, because TLG's designs have to marketable, fan designs obviously don't. Having said that, TLG designs are often more sleek/finished than fan designs. I sometimes feel fan designs suffer from over-detailing, which comes at the expense of a less sleek overall looks and less sturdiness. TLG designers have to strike the right balance between detail, looks, sturdiness, functionality, cost. But that's what designs are evaluated on. The latest issue of 'Behind the Helm' has some interesting insights into the Lego set design process.