KINGDOMS Day 8 - This Advent Calendar Has Really Throne Me for a Loop!

 

At the top of the gatehouse tower, behind the castle's Christmas tree, lies today's gift.

A throne... Okay, so a throne isn't that exciting as LEGO sausages- but few things are!  So it had some pretty unfair competition today.

Here come the pieces!

A rightly regal rump's resting ... resort?  Ran out of R words :(

Seeing as I deigned the potential princess/queen as an enchantress, I await a monarch to sit upon the throne.  Maybe tomorrow, someone'll settle upon the seat!  And no, Mr. Teapot (Mrs. Potts??), you are not the one to sit on the chair!

CITY Day 8 - A Day I Have Been Looking Forward to Since I First Saw the Cover of the Calendar's Box

Ah day 8, why was I looking forward to you.  Is it because I wanted to explore the innards of the firestation? Not quite...

It's because of this! LEGO SAUSAGE!  Oh and a cute dog too.

I am floored.  LEGO has exceeded my expectations.  I was only anticipating one LEGO sausage, but, the extra piece gurus at LEGO have blessed me with... A SUPERFLUOUS SAUSAGE!

Mmm, what a great Christmas treat for a doggy!  Perhaps it is actually a LEGO Snausage?

Thoroughly satisfied with my acquisition of LEGO linked meat, I resign myself to merely setting out today's set in its place.

KINGDOMS Day 7 - An Enchanted Christmas

  

What is lying in the frozen waters of Day 7's moat?

Well, well, well, if it isn't a Christmas princess!  At least I can only presume it is... it will have to pass my LEGO female minifig test.

 Another brutal LEGO minifig massacre...

The princess even has a little frog - maybe she'll kiss it and it'll turn into a prince!

Let's check this against my  standards I set yesterday:

- Hair instead of hats or helmets - CHECK!
- Lips - CHECK!
- Occasional torso piece with sides painted to look curvy (but still essentially the same shaped torso piece) - CHECK! (note that yesterday's little girl didn't have this)
- Often times more defined eyes as well CHECK!

I am going to have to add a new criterion to my list - that is...

- Instead of standard legs, may consist of optional angled leg/dress piece.

LEGO has had these angled leg/dress pieces for some time - I can think that they have been around since at least the early 90s (maybe even late 80s).  The thing that always struck me as odd is that the dress piece actually makes the women noticeably taller than standard legs would, so if you do choose to incorporate this piece, you end up with a lot of long legged ladies running around your LEGO land.

Something neat that LEGO has been doing for a few years now has been incorporating alternate faces on the reverse of the LEGO heads.  Often times a smiley face turns to a scared face - in this case, a happy princess turns into a disgusted princess.

However, I almost think the 'disgusted' face makes her seem more like an evil Enchantress with a toad familiar by her side.

Here we are after 7 days, the Kingdoms set now has a rather blasé looking princess/evil sorceress.

Don't let her ensorcle you!

CITY Day 7 - Play us off, LEGO Advent Calendar (Internet Meme Alert!)

 Day 7 sees the little white Kitty bored of its master, who is left lying on the ground.

Ooh, a keyboard.

I like the idea of using the classic space/city vent style pieces as keys for a keyboard - very neat idea, and gives a great effect!

Here is the completed keyboard.

And the girl decides to get up off of the ground to give the keyboard a go. 

So now we have the girl on the keyboard, the boy on the drums, frosty with the crane toy, and the kitty on the skateboard (wearing a helmet of course).

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Of course, I would be seriously at fault if I missed an opportunity for true LEGO Advent Greatness.

IT'S TEH LEGO ADVENT KEYBOARD CAT!

Play us off, LEGO Advent Keyboard Cat!

KINGDOMS Day 6 - The Gift is in the Mail

Day 6 in the Kingdoms brings us to the 25% mark.

And it looks like we get an armour rack to go with the weapon rack from day 3.

As per usual, the pieces are spilled out.

And now the armour stand is complete!

What a busy blacksmith I have, making all of these useful items - maybe he should don them one day and go up against flail man... ah, if only it weren't Monday morning, I probably would have had the energy to set up that shot.

And here we are after day 6 in the Kingdoms, and just like the City calendar, it is all starting to come together.

The teapot is still jealous.

CITY Day 6 - Have yourself a merry little kitty miss

Wow - now on Day 6 of the city advent calendar.  Christmas time is surely whizzing on by, speeding past like a fire truck! (see inset picture for day 6...)

Ooh! Another LEGO minifig, this time a girl with a little white cat.

Severed LEGO body parts strewn across the set.

Ta-da!  She's really come together now.  It is important to note the difference between male and female LEGO minifigs.  Key differences are:

- Hair instead of hats or helmets
- Lips
- Occasional torso piece with sides painted to look curvy (but still essentially the same shaped torso piece)
- Often times more defined eyes as well

This female LEGO minifig has 3 of the 4 hallmarks of female LEGO minifigs.  It probably doesn't have the 'curvy' painted marks because it is supposed to be a child.  Which is really very silly, considering it is a tiny miniature plastic toy.  But then again, I probably am not one to judge on what can be considered silly, seeing as I have been blogging for five days about two different LEGO advent calendars.

Here the set is coming together, 1/4 the way done!

KINGDOMS Day 5 - The Spear-it of Christmas

Day five in the Kingdoms - maybe five golden rings?

Ooh, a spear battlement!

The pieces are revealed!

And just like that - the battlement was built!

Double the spears, double the flails - all of the awesome!