The Lego Thread

[Forward Press]

If you folks don't mind, I might focus a little bit of building techniques since that is what gets me going these days when assembling Lego. I've built a lot so anything I think is neat and out there I will document.



With that in mind, bag 1 is building up a few accessories. Clearly no one in this village is lactose intolerant judging from the cheese vendor's produce. I like the sticker of a blueprint of a chair that a carpenter is probably making but I have no idea what's the thing on the right. Bag 2 builds the lower portion of the carpenter's workshop, complete with a simple key mechanism.



Bags 2 and 3 are nifty enough - they are used to build up the carpenter's workshop. I like the hoist system even if the space was a bit cramped to work in (the rope gets attached when the walls are already up so you sort of need deft fingertips to get it properly done). I took pics as well of the release lever (the black handle next to the gear which you twist to operate the hoist) and the hatch release (the black handle down and to the right) - the way it is built, you get a satisfying clicking sound from the release lever sliding against the gear inside as you lift the cargo to the second level. Neat.



A detailed close-up of what I'm talking about. Note that the ladders attached to the hatch are difficult to fold out once the hatch is dropped, but I guess the concept is nice even if the execution is not completely there. However, the hoist works great for sure.

22 bags to go still! Looking forward to it if the first three are any indication.

 

[Capital Power]

Medieval Market Village was the set that made me into an AFOL, with Emerald Night following soon after.

Do you still have Emerald Night?

 

[Capital Power]

If you folks don't mind, I might focus a little bit of building techniques since that is what gets me going these days when assembling Lego. I've built a lot so anything I think is neat and out there I will document.

View attachment 1928122

With that in mind, bag 1 is building up a few accessories. Clearly no one in this village is lactose intolerant judging from the cheese vendor's produce. I like the sticker of a blueprint of a chair that a carpenter is probably making but I have no idea what's the thing on the right. Bag 2 builds the lower portion of the carpenter's workshop, complete with a simple key mechanism.

View attachment 1928123

Bags 2 and 3 are nifty enough - they are used to build up the carpenter's workshop. I like the hoist system even if the space was a bit cramped to work in (the rope gets attached when the walls are already up so you sort of need deft fingertips to get it properly done). I took pics as well of the release lever (the black handle next to the gear which you twist to operate the hoist) and the hatch release (the black handle down and to the right) - the way it is built, you get a satisfying clicking sound from the release lever sliding against the gear inside as you lift the cargo to the second level. Neat.

View attachment 1928124View attachment 1928125

A detailed close-up of what I'm talking about. Note that the ladders attached to the hatch are difficult to fold out once the hatch is dropped, but I guess the concept is nice even if the execution is not completely there. However, the hoist works great for sure.

22 bags to go still! Looking forward to it if the first three are any indication.

Brilliant. Thank you. Very excited to pick mine up today.

Is the unknown minibuid a lathe or similar wood-turning tool?

 

[Forward Press]

Brilliant. Thank you. Very excited to pick mine up today.

Is the unknown minibuid a lathe or similar wood-turning tool?

Sorry reminded me of this.

It could be a pole lathe maybe.

 

[Symons]

Do you still have Emerald Night?

I do - I had it on display for about 10 years but I deconstructed it the other year to make space for some other sets. It's all bagged up separately from the loose bricks though.

Annoyingly, since I've been sick I've not felt well enough to build, which was only a few months after I took everything down so the display shelves look a bit sparse. I've got about 75 brand new sets waiting for me to get well, so I'm living vicariously through all of your builds instead.

There's a few new ones that I really want to buy for my collection but can't justify the cash at the moment (especially with not feeling well enough to build) and I don't want them to disappear on me.

 

[Capital Power]

I do - I had it on display for about 10 years but I deconstructed it the other year to make space for some other sets. It's all bagged up separately from the loose bricks though.

Annoyingly, since I've been sick I've not felt well enough to build, which was only a few months after I took everything down so the display shelves look a bit sparse. I've got about 75 brand new sets waiting for me to get well, so I'm living vicariously through all of your builds instead.

There's a few new ones that I really want to buy for my collection but can't justify the cash at the moment (especially with not feeling well enough to build) and I don't want them to disappear on me.

Love that you still have EN, it's probably my holy grail.

Sorry that you're sick, that sucks. Hope it's something you can get over. Having a pile of builds to look forward to should help. Share them with us when you're ready.

 

[Neese]

I do - I had it on display for about 10 years but I deconstructed it the other year to make space for some other sets. It's all bagged up separately from the loose bricks though.

Annoyingly, since I've been sick I've not felt well enough to build, which was only a few months after I took everything down so the display shelves look a bit sparse. I've got about 75 brand new sets waiting for me to get well, so I'm living vicariously through all of your builds instead.

There's a few new ones that I really want to buy for my collection but can't justify the cash at the moment (especially with not feeling well enough to build) and I don't want them to disappear on me.

Sorry you are not well and hope you improve soon.
Have you got any small sets to build that wouldn't be too taxing?

 

[Forward Press]

And on we go! Bag 3 sees a roof for the carpenter's workshop and a cart without a horse. Hmm. I guess the villagers have to deal with it.



Bags 4 and 5 are both for the interior and bottom floor of the building next door. Looks like the textile maker or seamstress or whatever job title is back then for those who made clothes. Standard stuff mostly...



...until Bag 6. I do like the thatched roof builds that we found on Lion Knights Castle and glad it has continued here. Lego decided to show off a bit here by a curved build around a window/skylight in the roof. It leaves a tiny gap due to the angle but it's barely noticeable and definitely a good technique.



Bag 6 is effectively just the roof but it's rigid, no weaknesses even around the window, and looks fab.




Bag 7 is the exterior complete with beehive and vegetables and the tapestry and accompanying stand. As you can tell, it swivels with the carpenter's workshop similar to how it was done in Lion Knights Castle. The background of the sticker for the tapestry is a clear reference to the old yellow castle set (375) which was also built (in miniature format) in Lion Knights Castle.

One issue however is the water stud in the bucket (bottom left of the above picture) is not solidly attached and as you can also observe, the handle falls off quite easily as well. When it eventually goes on display, I might stick a tiny bit of blu-tack inside to ensure the water stays there.

 

[Capital Power]

View attachment 1929396

And on we go! Bag 3 sees a roof for the carpenter's workshop and a cart without a horse. Hmm. I guess the villagers have to deal with it.

View attachment 1929397

Bags 4 and 5 are both for the interior and bottom floor of the building next door. Looks like the textile maker or seamstress or whatever job title is back then for those who made clothes. Standard stuff mostly...

View attachment 1929399

...until Bag 6. I do like the thatched roof builds that we found on Lion Knights Castle and glad it has continued here. Lego decided to show off a bit here by a curved build around a window/skylight in the roof. It leaves a tiny gap due to the angle but it's barely noticeable and definitely a good technique.

View attachment 1929400

Bag 6 is effectively just the roof but it's rigid, no weaknesses even around the window, and looks fab.

View attachment 1929401View attachment 1929404


Bag 7 is the exterior complete with beehive and vegetables and the tapestry and accompanying stand. As you can tell, it swivels with the carpenter's workshop similar to how it was done in Lion Knights Castle. The background of the sticker for the tapestry is a clear reference to the old yellow castle set (375) which was also built (in miniature format) in Lion Knights Castle.

One issue however is the water stud in the bucket (bottom left of the above picture) is not solidly attached and as you can also observe, the handle falls off quite easily as well. When it eventually goes on display, I might stick a tiny bit of blu-tack inside to ensure the water stays there.

Is the goat supposed to be the one pulling the cart?

The bucket water/handle thing is an issue in all sets it appears in. There's probably not much more they could do to improve it unless you make the whole assembly a single pieve which kinda defeats the point of it all.

Some very coold construction in this set though. Looking forward to it.

 

[Forward Press]

Is the goat supposed to be the one pulling the cart?

The bucket water/handle thing is an issue in all sets it appears in. There's probably not much more they could do to improve it unless you make the whole assembly a single pieve which kinda defeats the point of it all.

Some very coold construction in this set though. Looking forward to it.

I do appreciate them refining a great technique (the hoist with a 'clicking sound' caused by a release lever that also doubles as a 'catch' to make sure it only rotates one way, a similar technique was used with the portcullis hoist on Lion Knights Castle) and introducing new techniques (curved thatched roof) so already so far even with that minor issue it's an excellent build. Maybe a couple too many loose pieces as well (the tools/weapons stand in the first bag also has the implements loose and attached only by gravity). Of course, I also wish the stickers were replaced with prints.

So far so good though.

 

[Symons]

Love that you still have EN, it's probably my holy grail.

Sorry that you're sick, that sucks. Hope it's something you can get over. Having a pile of builds to look forward to should help. Share them with us when you're ready.

Thanks for the well wishes, mate - I appreciate it!

Sorry you are not well and hope you improve soon.
Have you got any small sets to build that wouldn't be too taxing?

Yeah, it's so weird that my brain finds it so tiring when it's always something I've found relaxing. I attempted Sunflowers a few months back but my brain felt it was more like work than not, but maybe it's time to try again.

 

[Neese]

The sunflowers are annoying to build. Try something more fun

 

[Capital Power]

Thanks for the well wishes, mate - I appreciate it!



Yeah, it's so weird that my brain finds it so tiring when it's always something I've found relaxing. I attempted Sunflowers a few months back but my brain felt it was more like work than not, but maybe it's time to try again.

I can only echo Neese's sentiments - the Botanicals are cool but fiddly and it can be difficult to get everything connected correctly and in the right place. The Sunflowers is probably the most irritating. If you have a smaller 3-in-1 or something else fun, try that instead. Not the Kingfisher though .

 

[Forward Press]

And onto the last bags of the first half - figured I'd knock it out so I can take a breather on Sunday afternoon...



Bag 8 sees the return of the not safe for lactose intolerant dining options. And look, a cat! Yes that is milk from a pail I guess but like previous bucket issues I wish that it (and the pots on the stove) had stud attachments at the bottom. Again considering a tiny blob of blu-tack when finished.



Bags 9 and 10 are for the upper portion and roof of the farm house - standard stuff, really, apart from the neat technique (ie use of the swingy thingy, I dunno what you call it officially) to achieve the 45 degree angle for the chimney.



More animals! The goat and squirrel I think will be popular additions to the Lego animal menagerie. Bag 11 fleshes out the exterior. Pretty and importantly also leaves room for play and display options. Now to see how it connects with the first two buildings...



...success! It fits fairly flush and of course smoothly. But wait, there's still pages left in the first manual! What?



Probably the best part of the build so far. Wolf Bandit makes it worthwhile especially posing him next to his own 'Wanted' poster. There are three posters - one for his capture, one for the sale of the goat, and a bigger one on the other side warning of dragons. Good idea to have this little glade (is that the correct word) to add a bit of greenery and water to the set.

Still 13 bags to go and this marks the halfway point and swap over of manuals. No major issues so far, but a handful of minor ones.

 

[Neese]

^ this looks like fun to build

 

[Capital Power]

^ this looks like fun to build

It does . I picked it up last week when the stores had the $100 gift card offer, but it's a birthday present so will have to wait a little while. Very impressed with what I've seen so far in FP's review.

 

[Forward Press]

^ this looks like fun to build

It does . I picked it up last week when the stores had the $100 gift card offer, but it's a birthday present so will have to wait a little while. Very impressed with what I've seen so far in FP's review.

Yep you can see the positives but may as well get the (minor) negatives down so far:

• Stickers, obviously, but if you're not like me it's not a big deal
• The two houses don't sit absolutely flush when they are closed up (unlike the Lion Knights Castle which has little clicky bits as well to ensure they clip together while still being easy to open up) - so there will always be a gap at the other end from the swivel of about a millimetre or so since bricks cannot be perfectly straight all the time
• The documented bucket issue - might solve this when finished
• A few loose pieces as well (mostly tools) - not a problem if it's just display, but I might want to play with it too

Looks bloody good for display though and definitely playable, and still only halfway through.

 

[Xtreme]

Annoyingly, since I've been sick I've not felt well enough to build, which was only a few months after I took everything down so the display shelves look a bit sparse. I've got about 75 brand new sets waiting for me to get well, so I'm living vicariously through all of your builds instead.

In the height of my frustrations when building some Lego I've often wondered if there's a market... or why there aren't any Lego builders advertising their services to build sets for people ?

Yes I know it takes away part of the fun of doing it yourself and seeing the finished product after hours upon hours of building... just sometimes I run out of patience, stop and think "gee I wish I had someone that could build this for me" lol.

 

[Forward Press]

Yes I lied, got three more bags done since I wasn't looking forward to watching all of the Port game anyway. We only lost by 50 points? Sweet!



A short bag 13. For the record, it seems the older women minifigs in both Lion Knights Castle and this set have glasses in their hands. Are Lego implying something?




Bag 14 is quite interesting as you can see - the pub I would guess with the keg and lute. However, massive points deductions for the chess board only being a 7x7 grid and not 8x8, thus being historically inaccurate and taking me out of the build. Step up your game Lego.




Bag 15 adds a giant kitchen to the top floor to supply the hungry patrons below I suppose. Does it count as animals if they are dead and on the countertop or storage barrel? If so, add two more to the list.

 

[Capital Power]

In the height of my frustrations when building some Lego I've often wondered if there's a market... or why there aren't any Lego builders advertising their services to build sets for people ?

Yes I know it takes away part of the fun of doing it yourself and seeing the finished product after hours upon hours of building... just sometimes I run out of patience, stop and think "gee I wish I had someone that could build this for me" lol.

I'm happy to build your sets, but might be a little slow in returning them to you

 

[Xtreme]

I'm happy to build your sets, but might be a little slow in returning them to you

I only felt like that during the 89 Batmobile, it was very tedious toward the end (when it was 90% built, and wrecking one step.... then having to back track 80+ pages to redo something else that also broke lol). I was thinking, I'd love the finished product without all of the drama

 

[Neese]

Building the 3 in 1 old school camera. It's pretty fun and not difficult Symons

 

[Neese]

This is pretty cute for a $30 set. I am going to display it with the Walt Disney camera and Polaroid camera when I build them.

 

[nobbyiscool]

I was cleaning my place today, ironically trying to create a bit more space to put the big Mercedes F1 together during the Sheffield Shield final this week (go Tigers!)

Ironic because while I was cleaning I knocked the two-thirds built Senna Mclaren off my shelf and it exploded. I've been trying to figure out how to put it back together tonight, but I think it's terminal - I'll have to pull it apart and start again

 

[Capital Power]

Built the Polaroid this afternoon. Satisfying and clever little build and very realistic, even with a picture-taking function which works well.

Would I recommend it? No, not at RRP ($90). Unfortunately it hits the market at the same time as the Creator Retro Camera, which can be had for less than $30 and is just as satisfying to build. The comparisons are inevitable, and the Polaroid comes off second best. One for a deep discount only.