Rufus

Happy Birthday Stallion of The Forest! Have a great day, dude!

I don't think this observation warrants its own thread. I'll merge it with the Series 4 Discussion thread. Please make sure you check for existing discussions before starting a new topic. Thanks.

I've updated the first post with a link to the high-res images, to make them easier to find.

Thanks everyone! I'll do my best to help Fangy continue to make the Special Themes Forum truly... well... Special

Some amazing entries, this was really difficult. In the end I've gone for sets I might actually buy. 2 Curse of the Mummy - 1 point 6 Museum of Anitiquities - 2 points 14 Cairo Bazaar - 1 point 24 PQ Museum Raid - 1 point 28 Excavation of the Fortress of Ra Ahmin Ka - 1 point 37 Temple Assault - 1 point

Thanks for the review! This set is strongly reminiscent of War of the Worlds: I've often thought about MOCing one of those tripod things; this set looks to be the perfect place to start. The green canopies will do nicely for the eyes.

Thanks, Fuzzy. It has a lot of features, yes; personally I'd trade the car for furniture, but hey. Thank you, georgivar. It always amazes me that the designer can come up with three interesting and different builds. I'd rather have had a light brick than the sound thing. Yeah, that is a disappointment with this set, but the tan door and window frames will be useful. I don't think it's so bad, though I agree an opening roof-bricked section would have been better. BTW, I think it was the Beach house which had the 45 degree windows. Thanks! Personally, I prefer houses which look more traditional; the secondary build captures the modern feel better than the first. Cheers, def! I'd go for the 6754 if you can still get hold of it (they're still selling them in some TRUs in the UK) Thanks Kiel! Thanks, Sparky (if I can call you that ) Personally, I think Apple Tree is a nicer house, and I'm sure you don't want all your houses to have red roofs! Thanks for the info about the batteries, though I wouldn't be heartbroken if mine stopped working. It's a pity they don't come with a variety of sounds. Cheers, it didn't stop me! Absolutely! Thanks Rick The barbie is certainly proving popular! Thanks, Etzel! I'm with you on the colour scheme. I think you're right about the baseplates - I guess they will disappear from Creator sets, and I don't think that's a bad thing, as it allows more versatility. You can always put the models onto a baseplate. Cheers, Gregorovich! You're right, it does lack the 'wow' factor of recent CREATOR houses. Yeah, charming and fun for the first couple of times And yes, the big plates will be useful. 'Zounds' indeed! Thanks, Man. Cheap, affordable housing ON! I've always been a 'the hotter the better' type of barbecuer, so I have no need for such things I was hoping it would play 'Enter Sandman', but hey... Thank you, McBuddha! What an interesting username you have Cheers grogall. I'd get the Lighthouse first. Unfortunately, not older than me. However, I noticed after writing the review that I have one or two already. Yeah, it's more of a 'Hillock House'. Another Barbie lover! You're welcome, Rumble. I'm not sure I agree that baseplates are necessary, but I do agree about the sound brick. Can't comment on your sister's doll house. Yes! That was my lame replacement for the 'Poor' option on the poll. Unless you think the set is poor. The first dog is ok; the second is awful. But I like the brick-built birds that have appeared recently. And Creator is all about doing interesting and imaginitive stuff with bricks. It's not what you think! He just dropped a sausage. Who knows? Cheers, Z! It's still something of an empty shell, but LEGO appear to have concentrated on the outside features for now... Yes. Agreed, though the jury's out on the dog's species. That's interesting info. Mind if I include that in the review? I don't mind him, I just object to seeing pictures of him in every review Thanks for the info, Tim! Cheers Dave! I agree - my wife an I have all of them back to the 4956 House. They make a great collection. Creator sets traditionally use primary colours, but I agree it's time for more realistic roofs. Agreed! Cheers, Leg Godt Gud! I think they are there to broaden the appeal of the Creator range. Thanks, ISC. There's more part variety in this set than a lot of the others, and the windows will be useful. If you want dark orange tiles, PQ sets are the way forward It will drive you crazy!! I know this isn't what you meant, but I can't help smile at the thought of Darth's Tie Advanced going 'Ding, dong!' down the DS trench! The dog is a very minor feature, don't let that put you off! Blimey, that's a lot of replies!

It's the usual story: I went out to buy a tumble dryer, and returned with something vastly more exciting. Actually I had only ventured into Toys R Us because the appliance retailer was closed, and I wondered whether TRU might have some of the new Pirates of the Caribbean sets, so imagine my delight when I saw this set on the shelf! I'm a big fan of the underrated CREATOR line, and I love the direction LEGO have been taking with these increasingly detailed and attractive houses. I'm not alone in having been looking forward to this latest addition to the series, and was excited to see how the addition of a minifigure, vehicle and the mysterious Sound Brick might augment the CREATOR house line. Read on to see how I found the new set. Review: CREATOR 5771 Hillside House Number: 5771 Name: Hillside House Theme: CREATOR Year: 2011 Minifigs: 1 Pieces: 714 Price: GB £49.99 Links Brickset ... Bricklink* ... Peeron* ... Shop@Home * Not Yet Listed The Box The box is quite large and deep, measuring 474 x 371 x 90 mm (W x H x D). In common with most CREATOR sets, it's also surprisingly heavy; containing as it does three instruction manuals and a good piece to price ratio. The front cover is almost entirely taken up with a shot of the main build, with two insets showing the alternative models. The 'sound brick' features in prominence in the top right corner. There isn't much yellow on the front, but this is made up for by the yellow surrounds on all sides. There's no yellow on the back. The alternative models gain prominence in this faux-street layout; two insets highlight the modular construction of the larger models; again, the sound brick is highlighted. Note: visible musical notation does not float out of the sound brick when it is activated. In keeping with today's CREATOR range, a full inventory is included in case you're only after parts: Click the picture for a full-size image. Instructions Each model has its own manual. Unfortunately, LEGO's new tendency to ship manuals separately wrapped and with cardboard backing does not seem to have reached the CREATOR line yet: these were a little crumpled, but not too badly. The paper quality is good for all three; the covers feature lovely sunlit photos of the build for each one. The back of each is different: The main build extends all the way to the back cover; the tertiary build features a plug for the CREATOR site http://creator.lego.com/designers, and the back of the secondary model I'd rather not talk about The tertiary model, being simpler and smaller, allows room towards the rear of the instructions for other stuff. On the inside back cover is an advert for the highly anticipated 5770 Lighthouse: January's Log Cabin release is also plugged here. Further back in the instructions is found the full inventory: You can see close-up pictures of the inventory pages here: Left and Right. The instructions themselves are surprisingly pacey, but clear and with no issues about colour differentiation despite the prominence of dark bley and black. There are usually several parts per step but piece call-outs are a great help. I would recommend sorting the pieces carefully before building. Interestingly, the main, secondary and tertiary builds are labelled by LEGO as 'Quick', 'Intermediate' and 'Advanced' respectively; however, I didn't really notice any difference in difficulty between them. Actually, I found the Quick build the most difficult, but this was because I foolishly poured all the pieces into a box and tried to build by shuffling pieces around like a nine-year-old - hence my comment above. The Parts The 700 parts come in eleven polybags, with five 16x16 plates loose in the box. These replace the usual baseplate which, like in the Log Cabin, is absent from this set. I've divided the parts into three sections, roughly based on size: The larger plates, bricks and tiles come in a nice variety of colours. It's great to see green featuring prominently; the tan window and door frames will always be useful, and I must of course mention the 27 white 1x8 bricks. Next come smaller bricks, and a good quantity of roofing pieces: It's nice to see that, unlike the otherwise wonderful 6754 Family Home, this house has the nice double-slope pieces to 'finish off' the roof. There's also two of the newish 2x4 tiles in dark bluish grey, and we start to see some dark green . Amongst the smaller pieces, we find a nice collection of tiles, and some more dark green slopes : I could live without the dark bley grille tiles after my latest PaB wall acquisition, but the white and bley 1x1 and 1x2 bricks will always find a place in my collection. I've isolated a few pieces of interest: The four dark orange tiles, while nothing new, are welcome; the 1x3 arch I haven't seen before, and neither the 2x1 red plates with clip. The dark bley feather piece will be familiar to minifig collectors, having appeared as an accessory in the Series 1 American Indian fig. The 1x4 trans-blue tile is new this year, appearing only in some Police sets. We'll meet the glorious Sound Brick later. The Minifigure Minifigs are new to the CREATOR line. We first met one in the Log Cabin. This one is rather plain: I can't see people buying this set just for the figure! The face is modern, but otherwise the hairpiece and body are oozing Classic Town charm. Personally I can't really see the point of including a figure; my LEGO town is swarming with people who have a nice job but nowhere to live - however, it does help as a point of reference to show how the set can be integrated into a town display, and also serves to bring a sense of realism to the set in a subtle way I can't quite put my finger on. Without the fig, the set would just be a model of a house; with the figure, it's a place to live. The flagship of this set is the Hillside House. As you can see, it's not really on a hillside, but the garden is stepped up to a higher level than the ground - about a brick and a plate higher, at least. The house features a balcony and opening patio doors, a barbecue and garden seating area, some 'flowers', a tree, and a car port. The base measures 256 mm x 256 mm, and the height is 184 mm from the base to the apex of the roof. You can also see how the feather piece is used - garden shears! I'm sure I've seen them used like this before... I haven't included build pictures in this review, but it is worth showing how the stepped construction is created: Two large plates sit at ground level, and some long bricks will support some more large plates which form the house floor and garden. Let's have a look around the house. From the front: From this angle, the frontage of the house looks quite small. Some nice tan tiles pave the steps up to the front door, and a few bley tiles form a 'stepping-stone' path to the garden. The obligatory, but welcome, nicely-designed porch light illuminates the entrance, and some trans-clear wall elements bring extra light to the entrance. Note the pearl-gold 1x1 round plate which marks the doorbell. More on that story later. The garden-side profile is larger, and we get a good view of the garden. We can see how the 1x4 trans-blue tiles are utilised - as a solar panel on the roof. I could live without this nod to eco-friendliness, and I'd rather see a gable window here. Still, it's better than the stickered tiles of the 8403 CITY House. Now is also a good time to have a little look at the doggie. He's not a bad little brick-built mutt; the 1x3 arch is a nice touch, as is the 'collar' formed from a red 1x1 round plate. By the looks of his cute face, I'd guess he's a West Highland Terrier. The rear clearly isn't meant to be on display: You can see how the chimney is more of a flue, but is capped nicely. The tree is an odd construction of dark and lime green slopes. I'm disappointed by the black plate at the base, which even on this rear view looks ugly and misplaced. Here you can also see how the construction of the patio doors leaves a 1x1 brick gap at the corner. In keeping with most CREATOR houses, windows haven't been wasted on the not-to-be seen sides: However, there are windows aplenty on the roof on this side. As you can see, the whole side of the roof is designed to lift to allow play access to the upper floor. Note the use of these pieces in red, which sit flush with the roof bricks but allow the panel to open. Genius! An aerial shot concludes the 'overview': This particular shot makes the set appear rather compact. However, its footprint is 32x32, the same as the baseplates on most other CREATOR houses. Details Let's now have a closer look at the Hillside House. Firstly, the front door. As I've already mentioned, the steps up to the front door are nicely tiled in tan; the four dark orange tiles make a delightful doormat. To the left of the entrance, the pearl gold 1x1 round plate represents the doorbell; to the right, two trans-clear wall elements make a window to allow extra light into the entrance hall. The Sound Brick can be seen behind; it appears a little intrusive, but actually serves to demarcate the entrance hall well. Some dark and lime green bricks make a fair representation of bushes. Round the side of the house, we come to the garden area. The focus here is the patio doors: The 'patio' is actually a small area of decking, if the brown tiles are anything to go by. A small patio light is formed from a 1x2 trans-yellow brick; this also makes a useful handle with which to open the doors... ... and here they are open: The right hand door will only open to 90 degrees, the left will open to 180 if the chair and 'flowers' are moved out of the way. A closer look at the barbecue: It's clearly one of those monster fancy BBQ sets, with work trays at either side. It's quite nicely built, and opens in two ways: the lid lifts to reveal the grille surface; the grille also lifts to show the 'coals' formed from 1x1 trans-luminous orange plates. There should only be three of these, but there was a spare with the set... I'm not sure what the dial tile is doing there. Maybe be this is one of those gas barbecues which in my opinion completely defeat the object of having a barbecue. At least there are some sausages included! The top floor is made accessible by the roof panel which lifts for easy access: As you can see, the upper floor is light, airy and completely unfurnished save for a rail to prevent falling down the stairs. Plenty of opportunity for adding some custom furniture, but it would have been nice for some to be included in the set. The upper floor includes a spacious balcony, replete with more colourful 'flowers': This is a great touch; the balcony wall is well finished with some bley wall elements to prevent our plainly-dressed friend from plunging into the spiky bush below. The whole upper floor is removable to allow play access to the ground floor... ... not that there's much to do. It's completely bare! It's great to get stairs, and the fireplace (presumably one of those glass-fronted wood-burning things) is welcome, but I can't help thinking there ought at least be a chair and a table . Note the two dark bley grille tiles, which prevent the patio doors opening too far inwards. Car In case you hadn't noticed, the set includes a car. I think only 2007's 4954 Town House had previously featured a vehicle, despite many CREATOR houses having a garage. This one is an odd little thing: The 4-stud wide car has a certain Classic Town feel, spoiled somewhat by the use of the ubiquitous 'one-size-fits-all' CITY wheels and mudguards. It has a simple construction, with basic SNOT at front and rear, and no 'cheaty pieces'. From this view, it looks quite attractive... ... but as we move around the rear: its stubbiness starts to show. The huge wheels give it a sort of chibi feel. Our hero (let's call him Brian) looks quite content driving it: Overall, it's a cute and charming little car, if not particularly realistic. The small size is essential to allow it to fit into the car port: Well, it doesn't quite fit. The car port itself is a simple plate roof leaning on two 1x1x5 brown bricks and a tile. Note the garden tap, though why it's placed here so far away from the garden is anyone's guess. And so we've finished our look around the Hillside House. Here's what's left over at the end: The usual collection of cheeses, tiles and round plates, but the flame and extra shears might be useful. Don't let the utilitarian van and sparse, modern looks fool you - this secondary build has the sun loungers and hot tub to suggest it's a seaside holiday retreat. At the time of writing, there is no information from LEGO to indicate what this is meant to be called, so I've called it Holiday Home. Let's have a gander. This 'front' view is probably actually the side, given that it's dominated by the large glass window and door. It's also probably the most attractive view of this otherwise oddly proportioned building. You can also see the blocky stairs through the window. This time, the rear features windows: I'm not sure what the large bley pillar is meant to be, other than just a pillar. Though it resembles a chimney to some extent. The top floor features a spacious sun trap, replete with two loungers and a table for Brian's beer: Brian is starting to look a little lonely. But at least he has his obligatory barbecue. Through the door, you can see the top of the stairs; note the 1x1 dark bley tile which prevents the door from moving too far into the building. This is entirely superfluous as the 1x4 white plate atop the door does the job just as well. And now, the star feature of this house... HOT TUB!! I love this. The 1x4 trans-blue tiles come into their own here, and the dial tile highlights the purpose perfectly. Brian really needs a non-canine companion to enjoy this with... Again, the top floor is removable, to allow access to the ground floor: The Sound Brick again intrudes into the living space, but to my mind suggests that a kitchenette would be ideal to fill the area in front of the rear window. And now, ladies and gentlemen, pray silence for the lamest play feature ever to grace a LEGO set: I guarantee when you've heard it once, you'll never want to press that doorbell again. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to build the set without triggering that blasted noise. Van This build features a rather colourful van in place of the car: My first thought when I saw that simplistic front end was 'bleurgh'! However, I urge you to look beyond that - it's not a bad little vehicle; although it sits on a 4-wide chassis, the sides extend to 6-wide giving it the appearance of an old-fashioned delivery vehicle. The roof lifts to allow Brian to be placed inside. There's a nice platform at the back for carrying stuff... ... in this case, a brick-built shrub that looks strangely like a cactus to me. After building the Holiday Home, here's what remains: There are a few useful parts in there, in case you decide to keep this secondary model built. And you might; despite its odd appearance, this unique building has a certain unexpected charm, and I found it the most interesting of the three to build. Finally, we have what LEGO call the 'Quick Build'. It's not particularly easier than the other two, but does require many fewer pieces, and sits on a smaller footprint. I've called it 'Country Cottage' in view of the quaint size, prominent greenery and conservatory feature. The inside is quite pokey, and requires an opening wall for access: But there is furniture! Admittedly only a table and chair, but there wouldn't be room for much else, especially as the accursed Sound Brick takes up so much space. The side of the house features a glassy space which I figure is a conservatory. It features some greenery, replete with water tap or sprinkler, and again there's a little doormat in dark orange. The garden features a small pond, not the prettiest sun lounger in the world, and an outside chimney thing which I am reliably informed is called a 'chiminea'. Again there's some random greenery, some of which seems to be integral to the house. This time, we have a strange robotic dog. The roof is again removable, but there isn't much room inside - the Sound Brick takes up rather a lot of space. No stairs, I'm afraid, but then despite appearances, there isn't an upstairs floor in this house. Car Somewhat surprisingly, this car is possibly the best of the three vehicles. The oversized mudguards have gone, and as a result the wheels don't seem quite so ridiculously large. The car could be some kind of open-top SUV in this incarnation. There's a little space on the back to carry a little flower pot, or whatever that is. Brian seems to spend a lot of time at the garden centre. I quite like the way the cheese wedges are used here. There's a huge pile left over after building this house: You could almost build another house with all that! Conclusion The CREATOR series of houses is proving rather popular, thanks in the main due to some beautiful designs. There was, if I recall, some considerable excitement when pictures of this latest offering, the Hillside House, first appeared in the 2011 CREATOR News thread. So how does the set live up to expectations? On the whole, this is a nice set, but given my high expectations following the beautiful 6754 Family Home and 5891 Apple Tree House, I find myself ever so slightly disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this is an attractive house, with a nice selection of parts; and the inclusion of the car and figure, with dog and barbecue, add a new dimension to play which has been lacking in previous sets... but it seems to lack the 'wow' factor of these previous releases. I'd still heartily recommend it, particularly as an affordable way to increase the choice of living accommodation which is sadly lacking in Studsville. As I mentioned, Brian's inclusion serves to add a sense of realism to the house - it's a living, working home, not just a pretty model, though Brian's preference for extravagant luxuries like that overstated barbecue feature over simple necessities like furniture goes some way to explain why he seems to be an eternal bachelor! Design 8 An attractive house, with fun and functional play features, and workable alternative builds that are far more than just an afterthought. The secondary build house is surprisingly good, and deserves special mention here; however, the design doesn't really innovate in a range that has already amazed us in the last few years. Build 7 The process is interesting rather than enthralling; there aren't really any new techniques, though the use of large plates over baseplates is definitiely an improvement and allows for more versatility in the layout. Again, the second build proved to be the most fun. Parts 7 There's a great selection of parts and colours, but little that is unique or hard to find. It might be a useful parts pack, but that is more a testament to the good value these sets represent. Playability 8 Here's where the set does improve on the previous CREATOR houses. There's plenty for the figure to do - he has a dog, a barbecue, shears, a mug, a car, and nice balcony to hang out on. I will not include that wretched Sound Brick here - it is nothing but an annoying gimmick, and I'd much rather have had a light brick, or better still some interior furniture instead. Price 9 £50 for 714 pieces, many quite large, represents the excellent value for money that is typical for the CREATOR range, despite the Sound Brick. I'm sure the minifigure is too generic to adversely influence things here. Overall 78% My Score 8/10 I'd recommend this set as a fun and welcome addition to the collection of any CREATOR or Town fan. Provided you don't expect to be overawed. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to let me know what you think of the set and the review. Rufus If you like my reviews, and want to learn how to make better reviews, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy! View all the photos on my Flickr page Resources 4954 Town House by Siegfried 4956 House by alex54 4996 Beach House by def 6754 Family Home by Matn 5891 Apple Tree House by def 5766 Log Cabin by The Brickster I leave you with a comparison with - and tribute to - the wonderful 6754:

Beautiful MOC, and so nicely presented. I love how you've done the cute little bridge, and the spiky trees are very clever. I also love the use of the 2x1 bricks with technic axle hole - simple but ingenious

Fantastic review, Cloney! One of your best, and that's saying something. Great pics, and a wonderful lighthearted commentary. I laughed out loud at the rolling cage vid - for some reason that appealed to my sense of humour. I have yet to get hold of any of these PotC sets, but this'll be one of the first I buy.

Lovely review, def! I agree, that angler fish is ingeniously designed. I love the googly eyes. I'm not sure what it's doing in the shallow regions where divers can exist, but hey *must suspend disbelief*.

Thank you for your kind comment! I wish you all the best too Thank you, Sirens! again! Thanks! Thank you, kris! My aim was to make a set that people would want to buy, so I'm glad you think so. Thanks, CT! I was originally going to make a custom roof cover, but the Shanghai Chase roof material fits perfectly. Nicely spotted Thanks, Skalldyr! I will try to MOC more just for you I agree about the play features; however, as a D2C set, I think this might appeal more to adults or older kids, like the modular city range, and is meant to complement the other PQ sets. I actually worried that adding a mummy attack or similar would look like an afterthought and might be a distraction from the main focus. Plus, it occurred to me that in none of the official PQ sets is there anything resembling a 'base' for Raines & Co. to operate from. But thanks! Thanks, gabe!

Happy Birthday dude! Hope you had a good one

Where are you based, and how far will you ship?

This looks promising! If you replace all the [image] with (and the reverse for [/image]) then the pictures will show up in the post

Sorry... I just had to edit your thread title

Thank you, Cornelius, I'm glad you like it! Thanks, Yellow Brick! Ooh Rick you flatter me ... about the tiles, I kinda see what you mean, but I don't think any other colour would work. Thank you Gregorovich! Thanks, KristofBD. I'm pleased I got the 'atmosphere' right - that was the most important thing for me. Let's not speak too soon - there are some really fantastic entries out there... but thanks. Thanks, Fangy! *<whisper> Vote for Rufus* Thanks, Brickdoctor! Thanks, lego-maniac. I'm glad you spotted the droid legs More high praise! Thanks! Thanks so much, Boney! High praise indeed, from the Master! Thanks, Kiel. I'm really glad you like it. Yay! I'm glad you picked up on that! You should see the other names I considered Thanks, Gahrian. I'm particularly flattered that you've made your first post in my thread! I honestly don't know the piece count... but I'd estimate 1500 - 2000. Many are small tiles and cheese wedges. Ahmet's face is one of the few 'black' faces - from the PoP Battle of Alamut set 7573. "Archie"'s torso is Lucius Malfoy's from Freeing Dobby 4736. The phone is a handle to lift the trap-door, allowing access to the roof. The figs will have to stand on the bed to get up there. As for your other question... it's c. 1930, and the middle of the Sahara, I guess they use chamberpots Thanks, Nieks! technically, it's a billiard table (I couldn't fit 15 balls on there ) I'm really pleased the car is proving popular. I'm hoping the roof technique will catch on

I think careful spelling will be a prerequisite

That's lovely, ISC! Your imagination is second to none, and you always make a stunning scene from it. I recently grabbed a load of 1x2 trans-clear plates from the PaB wall, but I'd never have thought to make a jellyfish out of them! And I love that arch. I'd be interested to hear how you used the UV light. I think the fluorescent 'glow-in-the-dark' bricks also glow when used with blue LED light (at least, I found that with green lightsaber blades).

That's fantastic news! Nice find. It'll be great exposure for EB.

I'll add my congratulations to the pile here. That is a stunning construction, woooootles - beautifully designed both inside and out. There's nothing about it which looks incongruous - it's almost a scale model, yet also sits perfectly in minifig-scale. I found myself thinking, 'I'd love to live there!' (And not just because it's California )

For a first MOC, the fire truck is not bad at all, Hrw-Amen! You've got the essence of the LEGO City van down perfectly, and added a few nice touches - I like the way you've done the roof with the red bow pieces. You've also got the SNOT front and rear nicely - and although these figure commonly in CITY vehicles, it's by no means a simple technique. The overall design is cute and yet you've managed to pack in features like the opening doors, the hose-reel and ladder. Great stuff, I look forward to more. I can't really comment so much on the boat - maybe some more views would help here?

I tend to agree with you.

On a rocky outcrop in the midst of the barren and dusty desert sits a harmonious lush oasis, where our heroes have established a luxury Hacienda. Here they can rest and recuperate from their exhausting adventures, store and display their treasures, and plan their next expeditions. Here we see Professor Hale greeting heroes Jake Raines and Helena Skvalling as they return from their latest adventure in their powerful convertible car. Mechanic Mac McCloud prepares to tinker with the car; the Professor's native assistant Ahmed Sleet tends the thirsty camel, and his housekeeper Frau Katzendogz watches from the balcony. Set 10xxx: Professor Hale's Oasis Hacienda The building has a modular construction, allowing easy access to the various areas for play. Here the roof has been removed, showing the main staircase and landing. Helena and Jake play billiards whilst waiting for dinner to be served. Now the entire upper floor has been removed. The billard table converts easily to a dining table, so Jake and Helena can regale the Professor with the tales of their daring deeds. Note the Power Functions fireplace! Hope that mummy doesn't come to life.... Frau Katzendogz prepares the next course of dinner in the kitchen. The kitchen features a stove, sink, work table and a barrel of ale. The other room is the Professor's study, and contains a desk, bookcase and treasure chest. In this view, you can also see the pattern of the tiling on the veranda, and the clear waters of the oasis waterfall. An alternative view of the main hall, showing some more of the Professor's artefacts: Helena and Jake make use of the bedroom to take the Pharaoh's Quest love intrigue to the next level The entire building has modular construction, allowing easy access to all areas: Here you can see the Anubis statue in the landing alcove, the trap door allowing access to the roof, and the (unoccupied) bed in the Bedroom. The roof section has a rotating fan on the underside, and a small roof garden which Frau Katzendogz tends when she's not busy keeping house for the Professor. In the tower module (bottom right), you can just see what Professor Hale did with Amset-Ra's sarcophagus. Was it wise to bring the ancient king's remains here, Professor? Here's a close-up of the sporty convertible car: The car seats two comfortably side-by-side, and has opening doors. The roof folds up and down with ease, protecting the occupants from the dust storms that terrorize desert travellers. You can see the roof folded down in the first photograph, or here. For more pictures, see the Flickr slideshow. I don't MOC very often, and this is by far the biggest and most intricate MOC I've ever done. My goal here was to create a true 'dolls' house' playset, whilst keeping within the theme, and maintaining a reasonable size and part count. The architecture is a deliberate fusion between North African and Spanish colonial styles, and I thoroughly enjoyed adding the little details, especially the tiled floors. I'm particularly pleased with the light-up fireplace, and the folding roof of the car. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed building and presenting it! Please let me know what you think. Rufus