ZatBricks

  Once in a blue moon, it feels like Lego listens to its most hardcore fans -- and we get some awesome sets from classic themes that have been neglected for years. The Lego Movie (the first one anyway) delivered some sets that ... kinda ... sorta paid homage to classic themes, and 2020 was pretty great with the release of  Pirates of Barracuda Bay , which rebuilds into a modern version of the classic Pirates set, Black Seas Barracude. Train fans also got the super-cool  Crocodile Locomotive , and although new train sets are released every few years, this is the first one in the Creator line since the  Horizon Express  graced the scene back when dinosaurs still ruled the earth. Well, 2013, but you get the point -- it's been awhile. The Ideas line of sets has helped breathe live into these classic themes (Barracuda Bay is an Ideas set too) but since we only get a handful of Ideas sets each year, many of awesome designs just disappear into the depths of the interne...

One thing that my city certainly needs more of is cars. Not just any vehicles, but cars specifically. I have plenty of trucks and and SUVs and entirely too many police/fire things. It seems like Lego rarely releases sets that are simply cars . In 2019, Lego held a contest to design a vintage car . This entry, titled Aedelsten Deluxe , was the chosen as the winner by fan vote and was given away starting this January 1st as a gift with purchase over $85. Hurray, new car! As a side note, the runners-up are all absolutely fantastic, and I would love to see them released in a similar fashion. Or, better yet, put them all in a single set called "Vintage Cars". I would buy a baker's dozen of them. So here it is -- the 40448 Ideas Vintage Car. The set largely holds true to its original design, although had some minor modifications, and all of the chrome pieces were replaced with light bluish grey. It is based on some sort of 50's American car, this set looks fantastic cast in...

Some of my co-workers are aware of my Lego hobby, have seen pictures of my layout, and thus view me as some sort of godlike expert on the matter, coming to me with any number questions. Many of those questions could be easily answered with a quick Google search -- but I don't want to bully my co-workers too  much. Anyway, one of them has decided to dig out his childhood sets, which are all smashed up and mixed together in some sort of box or plastic tote. Part of me hoped I could convince him to sell them to me, but it seems he received a few newer sets as gifts over the past couple months and like many folks who are locked inside their houses during this pandemic, Lego has the potential of becoming a hobby for him. He had previously asked me what I thought it was worth -- and my response was the same as it would be if I was considering purchasing something I saw on an internet marketplace. That is, "it depends". The value of a box's contents depend on a few things: -...