Impromptu Decal Tutorial - Tac and JasBrick

We'll if you have figured it out, the decal experiments I was referring to are these pics from Tac. Utilizing a variety of helmets and armor from Space Police III, Power Miners, and BrickForge. TLG is obviously taking notice with the World Racers helmets. Helmets from Space Police and Power Miners just beg for this type of treatment. But wait, there's more!

If you read through the comment thread JasBrick steps up to the plate and give an impromptu tutorial on decal application. For your consideration:

(Via Tac's Flickr stream)

Hardsuits, Hardsuits Everywhere

A few posts ago we mention Becheman's Warhammer 40k hardsuit designs. He's back this time with instructions for his Starcraft marines. I can't begin to state my appreciation for those who are willing to share their knowledge to help the community grow. If you, yes 'you' citizen, know of any other great repositories of customization knowledge (books, websites, forums, etc.) please let us know.

While we are on the topic of hardsuits, I have one more to share. Take a look at this Blood Skull Power Suit from Titolian. Great use of the BrickArms chain gun and some subtle greebley accents. I couldn't help but think one of the Backyard Blasters helmets from World Racers would be a nice tweak. The decaled helmets from that line are a great add to a customizers arsenal. If only someone else were to experiment with decals on helmet designs...hmmm...but that's another story.

(Via Becheman and Titolian's Flickr streams)

Scenes from a LEGO Store: May 2010

This last Sunday I visited my local LEGO Store in Southwest Ohio. I was hoping to pick up one of the exclusive LEGO Kingdoms battle packs, specifically for the dragon faction.

Both Kingdom's battle packs were present and retailing for around $15 USD. I almost pulled the trigger, but then I noticed that one of the plumes was out of the great helms, making a 'plink-plink' noise when it contacted other parts of the figures. I don't want to cry "Chinese plastic", but it was enough of a concern for me to place it back on the shelf. If this is not a personal concern or issue, they are quite nice and you get a good variety of armor and accessories.

All of the LEGO Toy Story 3 sets were in attendance, as well as some of the early releases from unlicensed themes such as Atlantis, World Racers, Space Police III, and of course Kingdoms. Wave two of the LEGO board games were also there, not seen at other retail outlets previously.

In LEGO Star Wars news, the infamous Admiral Ackbar magnet set was there, including the overpack sticker to correct the spelling errors.

As I was checking out I chatted up the cashier, mainly inquiring about the Collectible Minifigures due out soon. The cashier confirmed that, in fact, you can only buy five packs at a time at the store. It would seem there are concerns that some may buy them all up for the secondary market. No confirmation as to if the figures will be behind the counter as well.

I continue to be disappointed in the LEGO Store experience as an AFOL. Although I recognize that I'm not the target demographic, I find it somewhat surprising that other retailers, like Toys R Us, actually have the product before them and sometimes at a lower price point. Yes, key chains, magnet sets, and some product are truly unique to the bricks and mortar store, but will that drive repeat business? Now that the VIP program applies to LEGO Shop @ Home purchases in the US, I may stop driving the 45 minutes to get to my local store.

New Sets Appearing at US Stores

Heads up citizens. Word on the BrickLink forums is that some of the new unlicensed LEGO themes like Kingdoms, Space Police III, City, and World Racers are now appearing in LEGO Stores across the US.

I just called my local store and they confirmed. Call yours today!

There are reports that Toys R Us also has some of these sets in the bricks and mortar store, plus ToysRUs.com has several sets listed now for sale. Brickset has a forum member who has also claimed to have purchased a box of Collectible Minfigures from TRU! If true, then the minifig invasion of the US has begun!

LEGO World Racers in 3-D?

Nick W. dropped us a line about this pic of the upcoming LEGO World Racers minifigures. World racers looks to be a mash-up of the Racers series with a touch of Agents thrown in for good measure.

What intrigues me about this design are the dual colored goggles. Comments online have compared them to 3-D glasses. Although I don't know much about the line, so far, its not completely out of the question that 3-D might play into the theme somehow (aside from the obvious fact that LEGO are inherently 3-D). If you've seen recent LEGO Club magazines or bought an Atlantis set, you'll know that 3-D stories and movies have played a role in marketing that line. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

(Picture from BenLego's Flickr stream)