LEGO Haunted House

Well, I finished the Haunted House, Monster Fighters set #10228 just in time for Halloween. Overall, I am VERY impressed with this set, and can’t imagine why they haven’t don’t sets like this in the past. I can easily see them having a high-end set like this for Friends, and lots of other themes. I know they have a big Arkham Asylum set coming up in 2013 that is closer to this price range too.

I know this isn’t part of the modular series, but to my eyes, it fits right in. I’ll be displaying them all together:
LEGO Haunted House

I love how it opens up to the full interior. I prefer this for playability compared to the modulars, which I find awkward for any kind of interactivity:
LEGO Haunted House

The back:
LEGO Haunted House

The minifigs are pretty cool:
LEGO Haunted House

The front fence:
LEGO Haunted House

Welcome…
LEGO Haunted House

The full set.
LEGO Haunted House

Overall, this is one of my new favorite sets!

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart had what I would consider to be the best LEGO sale of the year. They had major discounts on LEGO Exclusive sets, and then Amazon ended up price matching many of them. The sale went on for days, and Wal-Mart kept adjusting prices.

Sets went in and out of stock VERY quickly. Near the end of the sale, oddly, Wal-Mart dropped prices even lower! But by that time, sets were out of stock, and I don’t think any actually sold at the ridiculously low prices.

For the sets we are talking about here, many of them rarely see significant discounts. I was so excited, I took screenshots!

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

This is the haul I ended up with, two more Fire Brigades and R2D2:
The Best LEGO Sale Of The Year

I don’t think we will see another sale this good for the rest of the year. Sure, around Black Friday, there will be some good deals on some sets, but usually it is not Exclusive sets like these.

LEGO Store – Final Sets of 2012 Arrive

I stopped by the Rockefeller Center LEGO Store yesterday to check out the Winter Village Cottage and Star Wars UCS B-Wing, both of which just came out. Lots to see in this trip!

A Monster Fighters display in one of the windows. Notice the oversized brick-built stands.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The UCS B-Wing Starfighter. At $199, I am not excited about this set. I will likely buy one just before they retire in in two years or so. And I am expecting sales on this one.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Star Wars LEGO:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

They placed R2D2 (another pricey set) at kid eye-level:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Throughout the store, they have these ghost cutouts on the shelves. They are really going for it with this Halloween theme!
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

I thought this was strange, another decoration for their Halloween theme.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Those Mandalorian battle packs are still hanging around:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

LEGO Lord of the Rings:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The City Advent calendar display:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The new Winter Village Cottage. I was surprised at the depth of the main building. Overall, a nice set, but I’m not too thrilled with the direction they are going with the sale of these sets because it affects the price.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Technic. Motorized Excavator is nowhere to be found:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The Monster Fighters sets:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Super Heroes:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Lots and lots of tourists and customers:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

October is double points month. Love this little red guy! Also: notice Rockefeller Center in the background:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Another view, with 30 Rock in the background:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The B-Wing. It’s a very nice set for what it is. But the B-Wing is a funny-looking ship, and one that many fans likely didn’t really notice much in the films. Also: $199!
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

This is a nice little bonus though, a free TC-14 minifig when you buy the B-Wing. This, with double-points, is a nice way to launch a big set. The TC-14, I think, I had been going for around $20 on the aftermarket.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The dark tan 2×2 tiles are back on the Pick-a-Brick wall!
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

I was really tempted by these, dark gray 1×2 bricks:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

And dark gray corner pieces:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Despite rumors of a very limited release, the Friends Advent Calendar is still in stock:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

So many great Exclusive sets. Space Shuttle, Camper Van, Sopwith Camel, Kingdoms Joust, and Tower Bridge. Heck, even the little mini-modulars set is still hanging around. I plan on picking that up on Black Friday, when LEGO usually gives an across the board 10% discount.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

And yes, four modulars are still on the shelves. Some discussion has been happening in the forums as to whether this is a new strategy for LEGO, or if they are just trying to make up with a snafu they had with Fire Brigade last year. Either way, I love seeing this.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

They have two winter village sets out, including Winter Village Cottage. I hadn’t heard if they had retired the Winter Village Bakery so soon or not.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Trains and tracks:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Road baseplates:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

City:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

I was shocked to see that they had Ninjago Lloyd ZX in stock. I asked the employee about it, and she said that those things fly off the shelf in minutes. These four were just put on the pegs. I resisted temptation to buy them.
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

A closer look at Lloyd ZX, $10.99 at this store:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Ninjago:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The New York City exclusive sets:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

I still have to pick this up, the Desk Business Card Holder:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The NYC exclusive statue of liberty magnet:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Collectible minifigs:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Fan made Battlestar Galactic ship:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Ghost!
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Another shot of the store:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

The incredible Pick-a-Brick wall:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Architecture sets:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Pirates of the Caribbean:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Creator and Brickley
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Creator:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Dino was hidden up here, along with Master Builder:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Duplo and Cars:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store

Two kinds of Brickley sets:
Rockefeller Center LEGO Store