2013 January City Sets

This thread on EB has written information about the more-or-less confirmed January releases for the city line:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74000

With all due respect, LEGO... Why fire and police...again? I understand SWAT is a new look at things but already the agents line looks SWAT enough. All that this Fire, then Police, then Fire strategy is going to lead to is so much redundancy that will lead to virtually no sales. Kids turning 11 years old today would already be exposed to two maybe three fire stations since they met the 5 year old age group, starting from the 2005 Fire Station to the 2007 then the 2010 or 11 (I don't even remember!).

The only plus about the police line is that there will be a different series of sets. Instead of having a full station there will be a Museum Heist... that reminds me of LEGO Studios in 2001 with the bank set. The chase is interesting but we've seen similar sets in the past.

Now the great vehicles are OK this year. I appreciate the updates to the Tow Truck (from 2009) and the Cement Truck (from 2007) but another fuel truck, and a shorter one at that isn't necessary. If I were LEGO I would invest more into a delivery truck/van, city bus, food truck or the like. In that sense, I agree with what Klaus-Dieter opined in page three.

I hope and duly hope that in the summer of this coming year that we see some variety. If LEGO took to doing buildings such as a supermarket, post office, or corporate office, then maybe there would be interest in those. I do expect to see new LEGO trains in 2013 maybe in the summer even though the cargo train came out in 2011.

It seems like the City line is not being taken to its full potential... Not such a great move, LEGO.

LEGO 2012 at a glance

I am mixed about this year's line. While I am not feeling "sold" to the Forest Police/Forest Fire lines, I am getting attracted to one police set.

http://www.miniland.nl/Nieuws/index.htm click LEGO City Van 2012 on this link.

By set (and I plead the first): (and with 2011 estimated prices)

4208 Fire truck - good but can be done with parts at home. It's got foliage though. Estimated price: 25 USD
4209 air rescue? - I'm not sold on this set but the plane's right to scale, a Saab -8 or something like that. Est Price: 70 USD
4427 ATV - Good set but key word for you advanced builders: Parts at home ;) EP 8 USD
4436 Police Car - Ugly. The blue is really tacky. EP 15 USD
4437 off road truck pull over thingamajig - Good set but again, Parts at home here my friends. EP 20 USD
4439 Helicopter - Butt ugly! But I'm happy for once the thing is not juniorized. I might actually get it for the roof elements (if it's cheap) so I can make airplanes. Est. Price: 60 USD
4441 K-9 and Sports car chase - Good set. Not crazy for the van but love the car. Looks like the first of Dark Red in a city line. Sold. EP 30 USD
4431 Ambulance - Great set, very realistic. I might get it for the windscreen and bike but otherwise, meh. EP 20 USD, and the parts should appear to be green and not Dk. Green.
4432 Garbage Truck - Sold. I will buy this one for sure. Looks splendid and like a green version of a real deal. EP 20 USD.
4433 Dirt bike transport - Great set, but Parts at home, my friends.I do like the lime bike though. EP 30 USD.
4434 cement truck - Looks great. I don't know if this is a dump or cement truck. I may buy this... EP 25 USD.
4435 Camper - Love it!!!! The caravan looks like a sale and the car, even though it resembles 7993's, is a keeper. Sold. EP 30 USD.

Creator:
Most are not keepers, but noteworthy:
6913 - a medley of blue and mdblue. I don't really have Medium blue cheese nor round slopes in my stash. EP 10 USD.
6914 - looks like a revisit to 4507, but mucchhh smaller. Liking the DkRed but I don't think he'll be sold. EP 20 USD.
7291 Motorbike - Great use of orange, but no go for me. EP 15 USD.

And as laughable as LEGO Friends is, it looks like an absolutely great resource of bizarre elements. I say GO GET IT, even to the guys; just for the parts. Trim the fat, sell the girl figs, girl parts, and even sticker sheets on BL, and make some interesting stuff with the rest. I know I will, but I guess I have to have a GF with me on my Store trips, or order them online. They're not as ridiculously juniored as the Belville was, and they have tons of odd parts. The new Azure from Spongebob might be that blue tone that's in every set. People make really cool things with these girl colors and you know it! And get this, the "Oye Papo" of Miami is all about pastel tones. Click on "LEGO Friends" on the site. There are enough interesting colors to warrant a sale, and I am known not to be a bearer of sets but to build custom models. Despite the intense number of "cooties" in any given set, the tree house, cafe, store, and dream home have hidden resources great for any builder.

A MOC... and an Impending Series...

My coins into the bucket this time around include a few things:

• I am currently in the making of the Plant City Depot, a train artifact that was preserved. Look for my video on Friday, which is the day after which I am committing to finish the MOC. Right now I am doing the outer walls and I will be working like crazy wrapping this bad boy up. The building will be the emphasized epicenter of the Plant City diorama which will appear on Florida LEGO User Group and Greater Florida LEGO User Group (longer term) displays in the future.
  The Plant City Depot was built in the late 1800s as a connector station for the Plant System and the Atlantic Coast Line. In 1974 after trimming and discontinuation when SCL service dwelled into Amtrak, the depot, what was left, got entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Now people are trying to turn Plant City into Folkston, but that is not happening so easy. Today, railfans gather inside the lobby to watch ATCS at the ticket desk, read magazines, check out memorabilia, or enjoy the layout in HO Scale (1:87).
  My LEGO rendition will be done in three phases. Phase one is the building and the outer walkway. Phase two is the interior; due to time, I may not have this by Friday. Phase three is the North side patio-ish walls/walkways. Due to my LEGO "palette", the roof will be black and not gray, but the black gives color and emphasis on the model. It is being constructed with dark red elements for walls and standard green windows. Watch me describe the true difficulty in the video.
• Semi- or entirely prototypical city and town buildings will be developed as a series. I am willing to create a LEGO show for YouTube which is a How-To conduit of making an all-inclusive LEGO City. Instances will be descriptive, variable length episodes from 4 to 10 minutes describing the model, its role in the city, and segments of the interior details that can be mirrored when the viewer would, hopefully ;), feel inspired. Look for this to begin surfacing with the Plant City Depot, followed probably by a bank. This series will "air" new episodes to YouTube weekly until August 19, with the exceptions of July 5-9, and when I go to Folkston. After August 19 look for bi-weekly airings.

That's about all under MY sleeve. Will share them all soon.