Well isn't just sweet. Timing that beautifully with a visit on the weekend to the special event at the Stockholm store in Sweden. To quote Hannibal from the A-Team "I love it when a plan comes together". I am in for a top weekend.

No surprise to see that those of us in the antipodes get the usual added bonus of a 10% markup on the price. We're so lucky ...

I think I'll wait and see if this glorified parts pack ever appears on special.

Meh, I don't got 200 bucks to waste on this.

Should we start a poll, which is the biggest letdown, Hoth, Batcave, this thing?

@Block-n-Roll... even though the Netherlands is RIGHT NEXT to Germany, where The Village costs €199,99, that 10% markup is also added for us, to make this €219,99. You guys in New Zealand and Australia have the luxury to imagine the markup is for extra shipping across several thousand miles... We can't even do that.
Anyhow, I've no interest in Minecraft so this is an easy pass.

@alldarker same for Belgium..

Direct-to-consumer means not even available in Lego Stores right? I am very excited for this set, and am hitting up the Lego store in Mall of America tonight.....

I have had a few criticisms regarding this set, mainly aimed at the minifig choices and the addition of another iron golem, but it does look like a good representation of a Minecraft village, whether that is your "thing" or not, so I'm not sure that it can be viewed as a disappointment in the same way that AoH might be.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one, so that I can make a more reasoned judgement.

@thoughtsonblocks. I asked Huw if these kinds of sets were available in official LEGO Stores and he said yes. I imagine these are maybe not available to other toy retailers.

Good set, bad minifig choices.
Instead of pig weshould get a calf, instead of enderman another villager.

What were the other D2C sets? I know of Hoth and Batcave, don't remember other two..

@Waynlewis: Brickbank and ghostbusters firehouse

Thanks @Peterb1602 . I was actually hoping the Technic Porsche would've been released today too..

Horrendously overpriced as usual. I'm leaving this on the shelf.

I think this can be recycled into the TLG spare parts bins.

At £85 this would probably be a decent set.

This would be an excellent set if it weren't so horribly overpriced. To me, it's worth $150 at most. Come on Lego, if you're going to inflate the price but not the piece count with it, you gotta at least take the Ewok Village route and add a bunch of minifigures to go with the environment itself.

@The a green Brick Giant: How is this particular set such a let down? What did you expect? I imagined it pretty much like it is, but with more villagers and less other mobs.

I saw this set in the window of my local Lego store today. I'm not a fan of Minecraft/the Minecraft sets, so won't be getting it. But the way they had the model set out in the shop made it look more impressive than the pictures I've seen.

Any idea on when the minecraft fortress will come out?

How long until the separate buildings turn up on eBay?

@Roger Kirk, that is often my experience: in real life sets look a lot better than in photographs. I got a feeling this set will certainly look better and although I was iniitially disappointed (after AoH and batcave) I think it will look the part and be a fun build. I think I will let the reviews pursuade me in this case.