And THEN there's those Summer sets too.

I know some oldskool purists might be stuck in the past, but you'd really have to be kidding yourself to say Lego's not in a "golden era" again.

They're doing really cool stuff, that's why.

Power Miners have gear functions.

I want a Granite Grinder...

-Nuju Metru

I like the Thunder Driller best, as far as gear functions are concerned. Check out the design team video, and you'll see how awesome it is. You can see how the spin/counter-spin effect is achieved by clicking through the instructions.

... you'd really have to be kidding yourself to say Lego's not in a "golden era" again.

LEGO's been doing a lot of things right lately. The tough times of a few years ago forced them to really re-examine their whole business strategy, and that process has borne some rewarding fruit -- for both the company itself and us fans of its products. The level of customer input into product development has grown substantially. The latest Mindstorms release is a prime example of that. I was also happy to see how BIONICLE.com webmaster Kelly/Binkmeister has been using his special connection to the BIONICLE fanbase to an all-around advantage, such as in this example, where he acted on Jinzo's wish for more glow-in-the-dark pieces.

I just really hope LEGO can keep this momentum going through the current global economic turmoil. I think a company with a good reputation and a high-quality product, that genuinely listens and responds to its customers, can maintain its success even in hard times. It's the less well-adapted companies that suffer more.

<o> <o>

Those videos are awesome.