BrickLink Designer Program Series 8 sets revealed

I want that train, and the hot air balloon is quite tempting too.

dang... I need (2) loco's and a $150 Bricklink order to create a B-unit of for an awesome A-B-A setup...

It is gonna be awesome... bocu denaro's expensive, but definitely awesome.

Are there alternate pics of any of these sets yet? For the buildings especially I'd be interested in seeing what the interiors are like.

Four do not interest me much, only the University is quite nice, but it is very expensive too. And it it is a pity that BDP doesn’t allow modulars anymore.

Coconut Cove would have been a better name.

First no-buy series for me. Nice to save.

As usual I want the three most expensive ones. May have to seriously reconsider & try to build them out of parts I already have.

@bricks4everyone said:
"Hot Air Balloon for sure, love University of Science too but it's too expensive for my budget. "

Yeah I love the University but we'll see how the budget looks. I haven't gotten any BLDP sets since the Wolfpack Tower one, and University would certainly be a good choice, but it's rough paying that these days. Hot Air Balloon is nice but I don't super need it. At least the University isn't something they've ever had in Lego Town.

I never thought I would say this, about any set ever, whether fan designed or not, but-

Tone it down on the minifigures, there is such a thing as too much…

That being said, Dustmark Keep and the University of Science are both beautiful, and I would have loved either of them at any other time, but alas, with a certain ‘rumored and all but confirmed white city coming out at the same time, I will likely have to pass

Might get the totally-not-a-F7. Other ones look fine but bo interest whatsoever.

@Sutures said:
"dang... I need (2) loco's and a $150 Bricklink order to create a B-unit of for an awesome A-B-A setup...

It is gonna be awesome... bocu denaro's expensive, but definitely awesome."

That was my thought as well!

Not gonna lie dustmark keep looks a lot worse without the tax collector torso. Strange that they didn’t swap out the purple to match..

@Jraptor said:
"I never thought I would say this, about any set ever, whether fan designed or not, but-

Tone it down on the minifigures, there is such a thing as too much…"

Agreed! Not every feature of the set has to be filled with minifigs! That hot air balloon is probably filled with a dozen.

I would love to know what the changes were, if any, for each set.

@Lyichir said:
"Are there alternate pics of any of these sets yet? For the buildings especially I'd be interested in seeing what the interiors are like."

There are if you go on the BDP website.
https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-8/main.page

All of them look amazing!

The bird in the hot air balloon uses an interesting technique to capture those big wings that pelicans often can be seen as wh ed n flying away in the distance… besides that, it looks very awkward. The University of Science, on the other hand, is spectacular.

balloon, Balloon, BALLOON!

Duskmark Keep and Coconut Cape for sure!

@PDelahanty said:
" @Jraptor said:
"I never thought I would say this, about any set ever, whether fan designed or not, but-

Tone it down on the minifigures, there is such a thing as too much…"

Agreed! Not every feature of the set has to be filled with minifigs! That hot air balloon is probably filled with a dozen."

University of Science has 18. Dustmark has TWENTY

@iwybs said:
"Coconut Cape and Hot Air Balloon are really good, definitely looking forward to ordering them next month."

Yeah, I'm not going to get any of these, but if I were, I'd definitely be getting those two. In that scenario, I might have gotten the locomotive, too.

@gunther_schnitzel said:"Coconut Cove would have been a better name."

I think that both are fine names.

@FuddRuckus said:"balloon, Balloon, BALLOON!"

Yeah, you have to work your way up before you're ready for a Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!

@WizardOfOss said:
"Might get the totally-not-a-F7. Other ones look fine but bo interest whatsoever."

Maybe it would've been to US-centric, but I'm surprised they didn't go the extra step and do another licensing deal with BNSF like they did for 10020, because that's pretty clearly the "bluebonnet" Santa Fe livery without the actual logos.

Will certainly get the Brick Railroad. Reminds me of the push-along Lone Star Union Pacific Diesel I had as a kid. Used to love Lone Star Trains almost as much as Lego!

The University of Science looks fantastic but I simply wouldn't have the space to build it!

@Sutures said:
"dang... I need (2) loco's and a $150 Bricklink order to create a B-unit of for an awesome A-B-A setup...

It is gonna be awesome... bocu denaro's expensive, but definitely awesome."

Oh yeah an F-Unit A-B-A (or A-B-B-A) lashup would be sweet!

In un mondo splendido,
colorato e magico...

Oh wait, that's not...

...anyway, they are all absolutely splendid.

What a fantastic series. But oh my is BDP becoming such an expensive theme.

When this great program first started, I thought it unlikely that an entire series would ever call to me and break the bank but it’s now occurred in Series 5, 6, 8, and 9! And I’m already regretting skipping on 7.

I don’t see how I can pass up on Dustmark with the incredible design and amazing minifigures. The University would fit right into my city, more so than so many of the recent modulars.

I am surprised how expensive the balloon got but I guess I should have looked at the initial piece counts.

I am also very much looking forward to some designer eventually putting this kind of TLC into a space set, a theme so far underserved by BDP.

@DefaultOption said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Might get the totally-not-a-F7. Other ones look fine but bo interest whatsoever."

Maybe it would've been to US-centric, but I'm surprised they didn't go the extra step and do another licensing deal with BNSF like they did for 10020, because that's pretty clearly the "bluebonnet" Santa Fe livery without the actual logos."

Do they allow licensing with BDP sets, though?

@TheOtherMike said:
" @DefaultOption said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Might get the totally-not-a-F7. Other ones look fine but bo interest whatsoever."

Maybe it would've been to US-centric, but I'm surprised they didn't go the extra step and do another licensing deal with BNSF like they did for 10020, because that's pretty clearly the "bluebonnet" Santa Fe livery without the actual logos."

Do they allow licensing with BDP sets, though?"

Ideas yes. BDP no.

Lego making normal retail trains sets in the same style of this one would be a money printer for Lego.

Not cheap, but some really nice ones this time.

I love them all especially the university of science and the Castle

I hope that isn’t the only actual build we get for the snake knights faction that previously appeared in the 31168 Medieval Horse Knight Castle. It would be a real shame if it was, and there was never a non-limited, non-ridiculously expensive main range release.

this is gunna be an expensive wave for me...

I'm not a train guy, but that train is beautiful. Great details on shaping. Granted, I don't open the sets, so probably pointless for me to get it. I should just bricklink the pieces and build it so I don't have to worry about the box staying sealed.

Reading all these positive comments about the not-a-F7 diesel loco has got me thinking:

"Don't you know that it's time to get on board
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through
Well, well
People all over the world
Join in
Start a hype train, hype train
Please don't miss this train at the station
'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you"

(with apologies to the O'Jays for butchering their song 'Love Train')

Is that University of Science closed in the back?

@Lordmoral said:
"Is that University of Science closed in the back?"
Not sure what you actually get with one set, but the main picture seems to be 2 sets, joined and mirrored, double width. Maybe with a choice of backless or open.

@yellowcastle said:
"What a fantastic series. But oh my is BDP becoming such an expensive theme.

When this great program first started, I thought it unlikely that an entire series would ever call to me and break the bank but it’s now occurred in Series 5, 6, 8, and 9! And I’m already regretting skipping on 7.

I don’t see how I can pass up on Dustmark with the incredible design and amazing minifigures. The University would fit right into my city, more so than so many of the recent modulars.

I am surprised how expensive the balloon got but I guess I should have looked at the initial piece counts.

I am also very much looking forward to some designer eventually putting this kind of TLC into a space set, a theme so far underserved by BDP."

It's my favorite theme. Best in fun sets, design, and value.

That said, I'm not entirely convinced by the train.

At least two locomotives for me, if not more. On the fence about the Hot Air Balloon.

@Lordmoral said:
"Is that University of Science closed in the back?"

The model is essentially 2 halves. You can have it open like the main image, where its wide and shallow, or you can close the 2 halves together. The other images on Bricklink's site show that better.

Yeah, these are great, but I've been at this a while, and the volume of stuff they release these days is impossible to keep up with, regardless of how much my little undiagnosed-OCD-heart wants to. First World problems, but my current backlog might force me to pass on these.

@iwybs said:
"Coconut Cape and Hot Air Balloon are really good, definitely looking forward to ordering them next month.

The train locomotive is a great model and Dustmark Keep is pretty good too. University of Science isn't so interesting on its own, but hopefully someone will mod it into a cathedral and post pictures. It has the classic cross shape of a European cathedral.

BDP 11 voting is open now."

I will be picking up Coconut Cape

Phew I can skip this round! Great stuff just doesn’t interest me