Beautiful cathedral in a stunning city. Durham is a great place to visit and is full of character and history. This is a beautiful cathedral, but is lacking in information at a lot of the points that we were interested in. We asked a question of one of the numerous members of staff who replied that she was not a guide, just a steward. Chichester cathedral has guides stationed at various points, explaining who/what etc the statues and monuments were... Went on our Anniversary had a fantastic day walking around Durham . The cathedral was fantastic the windows amazing You can't help admiring the work that went into building places like this, all created without the aid of modern building machinery. You don't have to have a religious bone in your body to appreciate buildings like Durham Cathedral. If you're putting together a to do list make sure you include a visit to the Cathedral. The assistants are only... This is a wonderful site to visit. It took us a lot longer than we initially planned, simply because we were so absorbed.
The history of St Cuthbert was already somewhat known to us so we were pleased to be able to put it into some context. St Cuthbert's Shrine is a peaceful and moving spot. The building is inspiring....Its an absolute must see for anyone visiting Durham. The cathedral is currently undergoing renovation of its main tower and therefore the tower itself is closed. The main cathedral however is open to all, free of charge, donations are encouraged. Inside you will be in awe of the most beautiful original stain glass window, not to mention the... At over 900 years old, this cathedral is in astounding condition with interactive exhibits, free entry, and a beautiful profile. Heard so much about the Cathedral and was truly impressed with our visit. As well as stunning architecture you get a real sense of history. Plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand to assist with anything you're not sure about. Have visited this building many times and have to say its an amazing building.
Not religious at all but how the building was made 1000 years ago is amazing. Defiantly worth a visit if you get the chance and its free. We had planned to visit the cathedral to see the Open Treasure exhibition, which is excellent - make plenty of time for this. But someone told us to go to evensong on Wednesday, and we are so glad that we did. It was very special to hear the choir in such a spiritual place. And the staff in the exhibition...I call this the mini year. With a grand total of 14 sets released, it would be one of the smaller production years and half of those kits would be mini building sets. This was a great year for the 7+ age group or for those people who had itty-bitty living spaces!Millennium Falcon Item #: 4504Affiliation: Episode VAges: 9+Pieces: 985Minifigures: The Millennium Falcon played a key role in the rebellion against the Empire. It assisted Luke Skywalker in Destroying the first Death Star and delivered a critical strike to blow up the second. This smuggling freighter, turned rebel warship has seen a lot of action in its long history.
For this LEGO building set, they focused on its role in Empire Strikes Back when Han, Chewie, Leia and C-3PO escaped Hoth after their Rebel base was overrun by Imperial forces. It even comes with a Snowtrooper minifigure to shoot down during your escape. You will have to supply your own potatoes for the asteroid field. Mos Eisley Cantina Item #: 4501Affiliation: Episode IVAges: 7-12Pieces: 193Minifigures: This building sets name can be a little misleading, because the Cantina is only one small part of the models included in the box. The Cantina section is the booth where we first meet Han Solo. LEGO was kind enough to include a Greedo minifigure in the set, so you can decide who shot first! The other models to come with this set are; Luke’s X-34 Landspeeder and a Dewback. Rebel SnowspeederItem #: 4500Affiliation: Episode VAges: 7-12Pieces: 214Minifigures: This would be the second standard building set of the T-47 Airspeeder or as it is better known, after the Battle of Hoth, the Rebel Snowspeeder.
This set and the one released in 1999 would be very similar but had separate designs. You can decide which construction you like better. TIE Collection Item #: 10131Affiliation: Expanded Universe Ages: 8+Pieces: 682Minifigures: A TIE Fighter by itself is not very intimidating in battle, unless it is piloted by a Dark Lord of the Sith. When you put four TIE Fighters together, enemy pilots have something to worry about. This set came with Vader’s Advanced TIE, two standard TIE Fighters and a TIE/d Fighter. The Advanced Tie and Standard TIE Fighters represent the trench sequence in A New Hope when Vader was picking off the Rebel fighters that were trying to shoot proton torpedoes down the Death Stars exhaust vent. The TIE/d is a pilotless TIE Fighter controlled by a droid brain. The TIE/d would be the first LEGO building set to come from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Models from the Expanded Universe are based on source material outside the films or Clone Wars cartoons. TIE Fighter & Y-WingItem #: 7262Affiliation: Episdoe IVAges: 8+Pieces: 412Minifigures:
This was either a very popular building set or the LEGO design team was running out of ideas. This would be the third time this exact set was released over the course of 5 years. For the third time the only thing changed was the item number printed on the box. The running numbers are; item #7150 (1999), item#7152 (2002), and item #7262 (2004). X-Wing FighterItem #: 4502Affiliation: Episode VAges: 8-12Pieces: 563Minifigures: This X-Wing would be very similar to the model released in 2006. It had the recognizable opening and closing wings, landing gear and a canopy. However, this set comes with a lot more than Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter. This building set would also include Yoda’s hut, with a secret compartment. Since this recreated the Dagobah scene, you could also put plants on the X-Wing to make it appear as if Yoda lifted it out of the swamp water. Or you can sink it in your bathtub, your choice. This would be the first set to include a Luke Skywalker Dagobah minifigure or Yoda from Empire Strikes Back.
Mini Building SetsThese miniature models may lack the details of their larger counterparts, but their small size and cheaper price make it more practical to collect in large numbers. Besides, in the Star Wars Universe “size matters not”. AT-TE Item #: 4495Affiliation: Episode IIAges: 7+Pieces: 63Minifigures: NoneThis would be the first AT-TE mini building set to be released. The small size would not stop LEGO from giving this model a lot of articulation. The six legs could be moved up and down to simulate walking, the guns rotated and folded, and the top cannon could be raised or lowered. The All Terrain Tactical Enforcers are large tanks that take up a lot of space as a regular building set, but with the mini kit, it is much easier to find a place to display your creation. Boba Fett’s Slave IItem #: 6964Affiliation: Episode VAges: 7+Pieces: 25Minifigures: NoneThis exclusive set was only sold through certain retailers. Not to worry, the Slave I is the same model released in the 2003 Jedi Starfighter and Slave 1 mini building set.
Except, the colors have been changed to match when Boba Fett was the owner, instead of his father Jango Fett. Imperial Shuttle Item #: 4494Affiliation: Episode V-VIAges: 7+Pieces: 82Minifigures: NoneAlthough equipped with laser cannons, the Lambda Class T-4a Shuttle was used to transport troops and high-ranking official for the Imperial military. The Imperial Shuttle’s side wings could fold up and down but the cockpit was just a sticker piece. The mini set might not be to scale, but it looks a lot more realistic than a standard building set, when put next to an Ultimate Collector Star Destroyer. Sith Infiltrator Item #: 4493Affiliation: Episode I Ages: 7+Pieces: 55Minifigures: NoneThe Scimitar was a stealth ship prototype. Since Darth Maul used it as his personal ship, it became known as the Sith Infiltrator. Released as a standard building set in 1999, this mini building set would not be as detailed but it did have movable flaps on the wings. Star DestroyerItem #: 4492Affiliation: Episodes IV-VIAges: 7+Pieces: 87Minifigures: NoneThe Imperial Star Destroyers were massive starships, whose size instilled fear in those who crossed their paths.
This looks really amazing on the big screen, but buying and storing these capital ships becomes a bigger concern. The mini Star Destroyer was a nice way to have a Star Destroyer in your collection and not sacrifice an entire shelf or tabletop. _______________________________________________________________TIE InterceptorItem #: 6965Affiliation: Episode V-VIAges: 7+Pieces: 32Minifigures: NoneThis mini Tie Interceptor was an exclusive building set and only sold through certain retailers. The Tie Interceptors were fast, maneuverable, and had no shields. They were extremely effective in battle but did not have a very long life span. So when you finally decide to blow this model up, you will only have 32 pieces to look for. X-Wing Fighter Item #: 6963Affiliation: Episode IV-VIAges: 7+Pieces: 41Minifigures: NoneThe mini X-Wing Fighter was another set that was only sold through a handful of retailers. There have been plenty of X-Wing Fighter building sets released since the the original 1999 LEGO Star Wars hit store shelves, but this would be the first mini X-Wing.
The design was simple but you could still lock S foils into attack position or close them for long distance travel. Ultimate Collector Series These larger building sets come with a lot more pieces than a standard kit. This allows for amazing details to be put into the completed models. These models are for the more advanced and patient builders. Y-Wing Attack Starfighter Item #: 10134Affiliation: Episode IV-VIAges: 14+Pieces: 1473Minifigures: The BTL Y-Wing Starfighter was used heavily by the Rebel Alliance as bombers against larger capital ships. The Y-Wing was not very maneuverable or fast. In fact, Luke Skywalker once described them as moving “like a sleepy Hutt”. However they were heavily shielded and armed, which allowed them to both dish out and take a lot of punishment. This would be the first time LEGO released the Y-Wing fighter by itself. Up until this time, all Y-Wings were released in sets with Vader’s Advance TIE. The Y-Wing is deserving of the UCS because of its fame in the Star Wars Universe and because of the details that are able to be brought to its open engine design.