Rufus

Well, I don't have any better ideas, so .... vote: Quinn Sinclair (Quarryman)

Or maybe the sword killer also targeted Dacius, but the axe-wielder got there first?

As people have said, it looks like we're back to square one. I was all ready to look again at Charles; but now Harriet seems to trust him, I don't know who else we should be looking at. We could investigate the quiet ones; however experience of other games... of life has shown that that is not an indicator of guilt, and some have been quieter than others .... I've looked back at our discussions of the last few days, and no reason for Walter's death readily presents itself; if I've missed something, please enlighten us. I guess we'll have to wait to see what information Harriet brings us.

I see. Thanks, ladies

So... Beatrice was immune to vampire bites, but was bitten by a vampire, and vanishes in a puff of smoke..... but was a villager. Something doesn't add up here.

Gadzooks! What a bizarre night. I'm delighted to see Sebastien alive, after the mistake we made yesterday; I'm sorry we lost too more villagers but at least we've nailed another Rogue, or 'Rouge' if you prefer. Looks like there's still at least one out there, though, if the pickaxe killing is anything to go by. But what happened to Beatrice? It is indeed suspicious - yesterday she was pleading for people to contact her with information about vampires (presumably because she had been bitten), and now she disappears. This doesn't bode well.

He's hiding from your stalking

Dude that's amazing. One of the best I've seen. Great concept, fantastic execution!

I've been experimenting.... 'Bombad General' 'I'll never join you! Hope you like!

Thanks for the encouraging comments, guys! Cheers Zorbo! I'm surprised the last one didn't make it your way - I thought it was kinda universal. But as you say, this one's much better! Thanks, Leg Godt Gud! I'm with you on that. We definitely need a new hospital, and the marina is certainly worth a shout. It's a nice set, but if money is tight the summer wave has more variety Thanks for the info, Rick! 3661 is next on my list (I'd have got that first, but it's harder to come by) All this ing reminds me of something... It's certainly very suggestive! Good point about the fence piece, LT. For me, it's now another post for the 2009 horse-trailer girl to jump over.

Thanks for the pics! Harbour line - great concept, poor execution. It looks like LEGO has gone for function over form here; the boats all have big single-piece hulls designed presumably to float in the bath, but the result is a little ugly. The Harbour set isn't a patch on the last one. My favourite of these is the Paradise Cafe marina, but even that suffers the usual tendency to have a few large pieces as walls or windows, which gives the set a utilitarian look. Still, it makes a change from the usual emergency rescue stuff!

Thanks grogall for the pics! Hmmm... I think they could have done a better job on the Falcon. It's very similar to 4504; they've clearly fixed a few issues (the new hinge mechanism for the folding roof pieces is a plus - the previous ones were rather weak), but it's still far from perfection. The exposed Technic beams on the underside are hideous! I appreciate the interior features, but the floor is now a mass of bley... I think I preferred the 8x8 dark bley grille plates they used on the earlier one. I'm not sure I could justify getting the new one just for a few minor improvements. I probably will though The Endor set is a nice expansion on 8038. I'm hoping the front end will have a removable section so Luke can do his lightsaber thingy on it; the new Ewoks are looovely I'm very impressed with the podracer set - normally I wouldn't bother with this, but the design (especially of Sebulba's pod) is gorgeous! It looks like the bars connecting the pod to the engines might be made of trans-clear Technic liftarms, which would be a great touch - but possibly a little fragile?

*Yawn* How tedious... another run of Police sets. I confess to being deeply underwhelmed by the news that the latest additions to the CITY range would not only be yet more police sets, but also straight remakes of previous releases. However, on closer inspection, I noticed a number of features which looked like improvements over the previous renditions, coupled with a spattering of new parts to add appeal to collectors, so I thought they might deserve a closer look. Here I review a set which is ostensibly the same as an earlier 2005 release; I'll take a good look around the model then compare it to its ancestor to see what LEGO has done to improve it. Review: 7286 Prisoner Transport Name: Prisoner Transport Number: 7286 Theme: CITY (Police) Year: 2011 Pieces: 173 Minifigs: 2 Price: GB £13.99 | US $19.99 | EUR 15.99 - 16.99 | CA $24.99 | AU $29.99 | DK K149.95 Links ... Shop@Home ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron (not yet inventoried) ... EB Set Index 7286 The Box Click for a high-resolution image The general format of the CITY range boxes hasn't changed in years: a blue surround partially frames the set against a cartoon silhouette of a city backdrop. Here, we see the good policeman has abandoned his vehicle in order to give chase to the grinning felon, who has decided to run into the blue surround. I like the consistency in the box design, though it is getting a bit long in the tooth, and I wonder whether it's time for something fresh. The Back: Click for a high-resolution image Again, there is consistency in the CITY line. Several panels show off the various features; the largest on the left details the modular construction now commonplace in these sets. This time, a smirking cops says, 'Hey!' - I could live without that. Note the centre panel: the captured miscreant grins behind the bars of the van. As we shall see, this is difficult to recreate due to the design of the rear section. Click for a high-resolution image The top panel has the usual minifig display, and gives us an idea of the size of the box. There are only two figures, so the empty space is filled with the accessory box. The criminal seems happy to stand by unrestrained while the cop shows off his tools. Contents The box opens with thumb tabs, revealing a single manual, a small sticker sheet, a reasonable quantity of Billund Air (breathe deeply), and two polybags: They are numbered for modular construction, although there isn't really an intuitive place to halt the build: there's just a similar quantity of pieces in each bag. Instructions The single manual came out of the box reasonably uncrumpled: It's the same scene as the front of the box, although the fence part has mysteriously disappeared, along with the tower from the city scene. The Photoshopping here isn't the best: you ought to able to see some of the background through the cab, but all we see is a white space. The steps are clear: No piece callouts are included, or needed. Black and dark bluish grey are differentiated with ease. Toward the back of the manual is a single inventory page ... Click for a high-resolution image ... and several pages at the back are occupied by a multi-pane cartoon, apparently designed by a fan using the cartoon designer on the Lego website. It describes the apprehension of the felon, but noteworthy is this final picture: There's something disturbing about this pane, looking at the expressions on their faces. Get the cuffs on, luv, you've pulled! Decal Sticker Sheet The expected sticker sheet has the usual 'POLICE' logos; the two longer stickers are meant to be placed on the fence piece. I was a little disappointed not to have a choice of 'Polizei' here: I'd be interested to hear from members in other countries who have this set, to see if they have sticker logos in the local lingo. The Parts Bag 1 contains the minifigs, accessories, the fence piece, and the first half of the van: New to the 2011 CITY range is the 6x3x2 blue windscreen, currently unique to this set, but I'm sure that'll change. I'm looking forward to seeing it in trans-black! Note that this model is built upon the 6x16 vehicle base; as we shall see, it would be possible to build this set using 'simple' plates, but I guess it saves money to do it this way. Bag 2 builds the second half of the van, and the motorbike: Other pieces of interest include the crate, appearing for the first time here in yellow; the black lightsaber hilt (not so rare, but new for me); and the new minifigure sack: On the right are four new 4x1 semi-tiled plates, which are used to allow easier removal of the roof. The coloured pieces are shown here just to make the semi-tiles easier to photograph. The Minifigures Unsurprisingly, the set features a cop and a robber. The latter is the usual hirsute, grinning, gold-toothed villain, although why he's already wearing prisoner garb when this set is about his capture is uncertain. Maybe he broke out of prison then immediately went on a crime spree? The cop has a strangely benign expression. Not like any policemen I've had dealings with! He wears the usual police officer torso, replete with 'Brick Sheriff' badge. The backs are entirely unadorned: I'd like to have seen the stripes on the prisoner torso continue round the back, but there you go. The Build The build starts with a few plates on the underside of the vehicle base, which is then built up from on top. The recess is filled in: hence it would be possible to recreate the base with two 4x8 plates, a 6x6 plate, and two 6x1 plates. The SNOT front is built around last year's modified 2x6 SNOT plate, providing extra strength here. After that it's brick on brick. You'll note that although the cab is quite roomy, the chair sits between the wheel arch pieces, forcing the driver to sit in the centre. Now we move onto bag 2. The centre section of the van has shutter doors on both sides, and will contain the accessory box, in a manner similar to the 7239 Fire Truck. The rear segment is therefore a little shorter than the previous incarnation, but this time the prisoner is at least given a chair. You can see how the 4x1 semi-tiles are employed to allow easy roof-removal. The roof has two sections: One for the cab and one for the rear. There's a rear entry spotlight, and a swivelling one on the roof, for those night pursuits. The motorbike is identical to the one in the 5626 Coast Guard Bike. The accessory box contains a pair of handcuffs, megaphone, radio, sonic screwdriver (torch) and a paddle with a blue light, the purpose of which is uncertain, but apparently it is a Police requirement to have one. The Complete Set Let's start with a good look around the van. From here, I think she's pretty good-looking. A little square at the top, maybe, and Lego still hasn't solved the problem of the square front over the angled SNOT grille and headlights. From the side, we can see the effect of the new windscreen: The new screen has a gentler slope, which matches that of the roof pieces, giving a uniform, streamlined look to the front. Nice! Again, the rear looks a little blocky, but that's necessary to allow a low step for prisoner ingress. From the front, she looks a little plain. This would undoubtedly be improved by stickers. The greatest incongruity is the centrally placed steering wheel. The rear is also plain, and rather square. I like the use of red plates/tiles to simulate brake lights. The roof is unremarkable. Two strips of blue lights frame the rotating spotlight; binocular pieces on the cab roof simulate sirens/loudhailers. The underside shows the simple mechanism for attaching the wheels: The red plates are inexplicable, and probably aren't needed at all, let alone in such a colour. Features Yay! Opening cab doors have returned for good. The cop looks quite comfy in his spacious cab. There's even room for him to keep his mug. Tsk! Drinking and driving ... In the rear, the naughty crim maintains his toothy grin, even shackled so uncomfortably. Perhaps even now he's planning his escape... If the chair were removed, it might be possible to sit to villains seated face to face on the wheel arch pieces. They'd have to play tootsies, though. Here's a view from top, with the roof off: There's good ease of access to the cab and the rear sections, but getting the accessory box out requires you to open both shutter doors, and push it out with your finger. Everything comes together: There's a surprising amount to this set: An attractive van, with interesting play features; a wealth of accessories; the fence, and the motorbike. As such, it's a nice self-contained playset, and a number of different scenes can be fashioned. Comparison to 7245 The previous incarnation of Prisoner Transport was 2005's 7245, on sale originally for £9.99 / $12.99. This was essentially the same concept, but simpler and without many of the play features (there should be a small rotating torch on the roof of the earlier version, which has mysteriously disappeared ... ) As you can see, the earlier van is smaller, and lacks the centre storage section; coming as it did from the first days of SNOT vehicle fronts, its grille/headlight arrangement is a little ugly. It also lacks wing mirrors and doors. You might spot a minor difference on the front: 7286 has two 1x2 slopes flanking a 4x2 slope; in 7245, there are 2 3x2 slopes. The new configuration allows the sticker to be placed onto a single brick, avoiding the problem of STAMPs. Nice touch. The rear of 7245 has smaller doors, and an ugly rear step which, protuding 2 studs from the rear, must make reverse parking hazardous. The doors are smaller, so the felon would have to duck to get in. Note also the difference in the design of the barred windows: 7245's are made from fence pieces, while the latest versions use half-ladders installed in window frames. These mean that the baddie could, in theory, push the bars out from the inside, so some suspension of disbelief is required (must... stop... living... in ... Lego... world) Another side effect, is that the prisoner can no longer do this: Not only can't he grip the bars in 7286, but the placement of the wheel arch pieces and chair makes it difficult to stand him facing the window at all. Here's how the figures compare, 7286 on the left: Aside from the colour of the hat, the villain is identical, down to his gold tooth. Both are prisoner 50380. It's a pity they didn't use 24601 The cop differs only in his facial expression: If you ask me, the scowl on the face of the earlier cop is much more appropriate. Putting both sets together yields the following scene: 7286 and its components are mostly on the left. There's a big gap on the right: 7245 really doesn't contain much but the van, the two figures, and a megaphone. The new version has much more in terms of accessories and play features, but does that justify the higher price? Conclusion The mischievous thief speeds by, unheeded by the good policeman, who enjoys a well-earned cuppa having already fulfilled his arrest quota for the month. One of the most frequently heard moans among members of this forum is the frequency with which similar sets are redesigned. The January wave of 2011 CITY sets is dominated by rehashes of earlier sets; in this case the entire Police line is recreated, enhanced by some added features, new parts, and a corresponding price hike. Is this a welcome update on an older set, or a merciless attempt to extort more money from LEGO's loyal fans? Here, I'm inclined to the former. I could live without endless emergency services sets, but when you consider that these ranges are the bread and butter of the CITY line's range, with the most appeal to the target demographic, this set represents a very positive move. Firstly, it's a much more attractive design than the former, which by comparison is dull and boring; secondly, it has a wealth of features, and I suspect would provide a great deal more play opportunity than the modest price hike might suggest. Indeed, when you consider the price, 7286 wins hands down: at 8.1 pence per piece it is significantly better value than 7245's 10.1; however, it is still poor value when you consider wonderful sets such as last years 3180 Tank Truck. Design: 8/10 It's an attractive set with some decent features, though it doesn't really break any new ground. Build: 7/10 A straight-forward process, aimed at the younger Lego fan; there isn't much to challenge the AFOL, but neither is it tedious or repetitive. Playability: 9/10 This is 7286's star quality. There's a lot for the kids to do with this set, even if their collections are small; it's quite self-contained. In terms of features, it puts the earlier set to shame. Figures: 5/10 In contrast, the figure selection is very weak. There's nothing really appealing here if you already own a criminal and a cop, and the choice of face on the cop is disappointing. Parts: 8/10 A splash of new parts, and the existing pieces may be useful; I'm sure the motorbike will find a good home in your Town layout even if you're not fussed about the Police van. Value: 8/10 As discussed, this represents good value when compared to some of the earlier sets, but there are still better deals around. Overall: 75% My score: 8/10. Yes, it's a rehash. But it's a good rehash. My now redundant 7245 is going into the parts bin (or perhaps will become an ice cream van or similar!) Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please feed back on the set and the review. Rufus Resources My Brickshelf folder, with high-resolution pictures Th Cobra's review of 7245 Cop: 'This 100 note I'm holding? It's not a bribe - it's forensic evidence. Let me put it in my pocket for safe-keeping.'

Happy Birthday Quarry! Hope you're feeling better and have a great day!

Joining us in a vote today, Mr. Lyons? If you're voting, mean the vote must be worth it. I was going to wait for more evidence to arrive, but seeing as so many have voted already, I may as well join the party. Vote: Sebastien Vaughn (Shadows)

Which would mean Strawberry Switchblade is scum. Whoever she is.

All are good points. Why investigate Goldilocks if you know she's innocent? Answer: you do something else, but say you've investigated Goldi. But what then did he do? Perhaps the Baron could answer the other two?

Scurdyburd. Börk!

While it is certainly possible that we have more than one investigator, I find it hard to believe that they would serve the same purpose. It would be more likely that one will search out villagers, giving the result 'village' or 'not village' (or innocent/not innocent etc.), and the other would search out factions, eg. 'werewolf' or 'not werewolf', or the scum faction of your choice. The only reason I can see for having two with the same action would be if one were scum; for example, it would be useful for the wampires to have an investigator to find out if another person was a villager as opposed to, say, a werewolf. Assuming this is the case, it doesn't really help us ascertain which of Vaughn or Coleman is scum. If this isn't the case, then one is lying altogether about the night action, in which case Coleman's acknowledgement of his own uncertainty, coupled with the detail in his responses (as reported by Harriet), lead me to believe he is telling the truth. I would like to wait for further confirmation from either party before voting, but if none is forthcoming (nor is other information), I will vote for Mr Vaughn in order to test the theory. All this assumes Harriet herself is trustworthy, but I have so far seen nothing to lead me to believe to the contrary.

That's all very well, Harriet, but we don't have the complete information. In particular, we don't know who Goldilocks or Bambi or Person x actually are (with the exception of Evil, of course ), and most of my time after watching your fantastic dramas is spent trying to work out who the protagonists are. Obviously - and rightly - you can't tell us, but as a result, our interpretation will not be based on a solid grounding in fact. We therefore have no choice but blind trust versus ignoring your plays altogether; the fact that none of the protagonists themselves have come forward to quibble your presentations make me incline toward the former option. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything you're doing for us, and it is fun trying to work out who everyone is. I think I finally got Person 2 worked out! (I'm a bit slow). Just don't me, please! Applesauce?

Another excellent play, Harriet, encore! You have made a convincing argument for Mr Vaughn indeed being Evil, although just what kind of evil remains to be seen. We should indeed vote for him. It does, however, mean that Mr Vaughn isn't our mysterious sword killer, so we still have a loose cannon on the, well, loose.

Ooh, that's news. Did I miss something? I don't recall that being mentioned before. No wonder there are so many protectors around. And as someone said, if wampire bites convert people to wampires, we could be in trouble

Why, thank you! Cock?

I just meant that I didn't believe in either until I saw with my own eyes Zeb convert into a werewolf. Now, I don't know what to believe, but it makes vampires possible. I don't know anything. One thing has occurred to me, thinking through what's been said today. Person 1 claims to be a bodyguard, as opposed to a standard protector. If I understand things correctly, that means he would be killed instead of the intended victim. I'll have to think back some more over what's been said to see if this leads anywhere.

Maybe you did, but it might be as farfetched as you think. Werewolves and vampires appear alongside each other throughout popular mythology. I didn't believe in werewolves myself until I saw with my own Mr Zeb convert in the moonlight; now, I don't know what to believe, but I wouldn't be nearly so surprised if we did have some bloodsuckers among us. However, if the good Baron is indeed a vampire, I doubt he would be so foolish as to disguise himself as a person who looks like a vampire. Eyes. I saw him with my own eyes.