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[ZombieAndi]

If you don't have bins, use small bowls and the boxes of the set

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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[kevblee]

And rope off an entire room.....and banish all pets. After seeing your picture I can see why I haven't started building the Falcon. At the rate my death star is going, I'll be doing this for a few more days.
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Advanced Brick Building Instructions

[Flesh Skywalker]

I use our 8 person dining room table. We only use it for special occasions. Putting these types of sets together qualify to 50% of our marriage.

[ZombieAndi]

Is the Death Star sturdy and stable?
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[kevblee]

Well, I'm 100 pages in to a manual that is 259 pages long. Mine seems very sturdy so far! Great functions as well. The trash compactor is great!
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Advanced Brick Building Instructions

[ZombieAndi]

That's good to hear. I feared that maybe the floor wouldn't be very sturdy, because it is built section/room for section.
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[ZombieFlynn]

When I was building it, it was very sturdy. It is built room by room, but the four walls in the DS kept it up on the sides, and the design of the floors kept it so that it wouldn't break in the middle.
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Well, time to face the new world at FBTB II...

[bigj22]

I just got it done today and it's amazing!!!! Took me about 14 hours total. Sorting is a must.Hopefully LEGO continues to come out with diarama setsmore often. I love them!!

[Greg Hyland]

Got mine Friday. Woo!

So everyone here is right... SORTING IS A MUST! As I may have said before, I don't usually do this, but I gave in (the only other set I did this on was the UCS Star Destroyer).

I too was excited by the icons on the boxes thinking "this must be orgainized segments!" Buy not the case. I'm sure this was done for factory packing purposes.

So, because building space is VERY limited for me, here's my system. I take out all the bags, but I don't open them. Then, I look for the bag that has the piece (or pieces if youre lucky) and only open that. Then after I find the pieces I need, I sort the other pieces, not using small tubs (which sounds like a good idea I may have to start doing) but by putting all similar pieses together. Pieces that are too small go back ina zip lock bag. So far I may have only opened about eight or nine bags (haven't been able to put any figures togehter 100% yet!). This may not be the best system, but it's working so far. We'll see!
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Sined,
Greg Hyland
http://www.lethargiclad.com
"You'll thank me when you share my politics!"

[kevblee]

Well, I'm now 130 pages in, working on the detention level, and I'm becoming more and more impressed as I build. It's getting huge....and I'm shocked by how stable, and solid this thing is. No space is wasted, and everything makes sense. The reactor hole in the emperors throne room...even falls to an abyss. It's staged over the Luke/Leia swing area....another abyss. Very CLEVER!
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Advanced Brick Building Instructions

[alldarker]

I put the finishing touches to my Death Star late Sunday evening! It sure looks amazing, it's even bigger than I'd expected. Like Gregg, I too don't like sorting bricks much, but in this case sorting into LOTS of plastic tubs and picking from the bags were essential. Even then I had frequent moments of dispair looking for an elusive piece.

Quite a lot of pieces remained. Three of which seem to be significant: a dark bley 1X10 plate, a dark bley 1x6 studless plate and a light bley 1/3 1x4 plate. Does anyone else have any of these pieces remaining? The 1X10 plate seems to be extra, as the set only uses two (and I have accounted for them in the set) according to the brick list, but the other bricks I am unsure about. I also got an extra red cape, which is nice...

Also, as others have mentioned, in the instructions the colors were once again sometimes hard to distinguish. Black and dark bley, red and clear red, clear red and clear orange, silver and clear white were the main culprits...

Only real disappointment with the set is the quality control of the pieces. The set contained two shades of light bley pieces, and three shades of dark blay pieces! I have two 1x6 bricks which are so much darker bley, I actually seriously thought they might be a different, new color. Also, tolerances of the pieces were often way off.

Still, all in all an amazing set!
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WWAD: What Would Alldarker Do?

[Greg Hyland]

[michealearlwillard]

I have found the tolerancing and color variations as well in the PaB wall at the store here. I though it might have been that they were using factory seconds for PaB. Interesting to know that it is expensive sets as well.
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"No one likes you ... you ... a big ... no ... funny..." - dWhisper

[ZombieAndi]

What do you think? Should I get the real thing? Or is my 'MOC' good enough?
I would love to have some of the figs, but before I spend 100s of dollars for 6-7 figs, maybe I should get the whole set?
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[kevblee]

Hi Andi, I highly recommend the set! I would not spend lots of money on just figures. In the long run.....heck as well as the short...it's worth it. It's a fun build , and even as "just a parts pack".....man you're set. You could use all these slopes, bricks and plates for just about any large MOC. I think most people on the thread here are very happy they have one!
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[ZombieAndi]

thanks for your answer kevblee.
S@H had even a 15% discount action, so I ordered it now. Will be interesting to compare the original to my version-built from pics
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[alldarker]

I agree with Kevblee that you will not regret buying this set, Andi! The set is a great build and the figures are sweet, especially if you don't have the UCS MF (any more). Even displaying it should be slightly easier than the other big UCS sets: the footprint of the DS is quite small, and it is very portable (it's practically swooshable)!

By the way, what 15% discount action is this; I couldn't find it on the Dutch S@H site. Is it a German action, or do you have a voucher or something?
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WWAD: What Would Alldarker Do?

[ZombieAndi]

I think it is kind of a catalogue code. I read about it at 1000Steine.de. It's "club15". No idea how long it lasts.
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[alldarker]

[SlackJawedYokel]

What I don't understand is why Darth Vader comes with an extra lightsaber blade - an all black one. It's lying at his feet in the instruction manual. Maybe it's a reference to the badly rotoscoped lightsabers in Episode IV?

- J

[alldarker]

[Blondie-Wan]

[kevblee]

Andi, did you have to get rid of your UCS M Falcon???? I still have not even built mine yet...and I got one last October.
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Advanced Brick Building Instructions

[ZombieAndi]

yes, I have, needed the money. But already really fast after getting the Falcon. (maybe one month later).
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~Andi

Flickr•Brickshelf

[Inzane]

[kevblee]

[TK-425]

[kevblee]

[ZombieGIR]

I guess because the cane is a black lightsaber blade, it was thought Vader could use it instead of his trans red one, thus replicating the rotoscoping technique used in the filming of ANH? Makes sense to me, but anyway.

This 15% off wouldn't translate over to the US, would it? I'd love a bit of a discount to counter the shipping. My nearest LEGO store is a bit far away.
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[Voice of Reason]

I preordered my DS at a Lego store and had it shipped to my home. They told me that once it ships I can get Loyalty Card stamps if I bring my packing slip and receipt to the store.

I am wondering if this is true for all S@H purchases. If I bring my receipts for all the other S@H purchases I have made recently, will they give Loyalty Card stamps for them too?
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