Star Wars Constraction 2017 Discussion and Rumors

[VaderFan2187]

YES! I missed out on the last Darth Vader constraction and really want another one.

Though this seems a little early... hopefully this new version will be superior and not inferior.

[RetroInferno]

22 hours ago, VaderFan2187 said:

YES! I missed out on the last Darth Vader constraction and really want another one.

Though this seems a little early... hopefully this new version will be superior and not inferior.

It's gonna be hard to top the original, easily one of the best SW constraction figure.

I'm very happy we are getting Boba Fett, let's hope it's a bit more elaborated than Jango. 

[TwistLaw]

Another Vader figure and a recolored Jango Fett?
That's a triple A disappointment. I seriously hope more interesting stuff leaks in the next few weeks.

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, TwistLaw said:

Another Vader figure and a recolored Jango Fett?
That's a triple A disappointment. I seriously hope more interesting stuff leaks in the next few weeks.

Let's not jump to conclusions about how much of this is repeated, yeah? These figures have come a long way since that original wave, and Boba in particular may show vast improvements as a result. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the new Darth Vader have better shaping and maybe even a geared arm.

Frankly, I'm just happy that after three waves based solely on new movies we're finally starting to see figures based on legacy characters again, even if we're only getting them two at a time.

[tafkatb]

Maybe Vader could have a new human head sculpt with a removable helmet? That could justify an update.

[Leewan]

9 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Frankly, I'm just happy that after three waves based solely on new movies we're finally starting to see figures based on legacy characters again, even if we're only getting them two at a time.

What do you mean by three waves based solely on new movies ? Did you forget the Stormtrooper Commander and the Scout Trooper & Speeder Bike that have been released this June ? 

1 hour ago, Tragic Banjo said:

Maybe Vader could have a new human head sculpt with a removable helmet? That could justify an update.

Hehe, I had a similar idea, yesterday I jokingly said to @TheOneVeyronian that this new version could be Vader before he gets his suit, and that there could be a play feature where you can cut his limbs.

More seriously, that's an interesting idea, but I think that would require either a very small head, or a very large helmet for the parts to fit, so I'm not too sure about the final result.

[JekPorkchops]

On 7 juli 2017 at 9:17 PM, JekPorkchops said:

I'm fine with a redesign of the buildable Vader. 2015's had a great torso build, but he was a little too big. His helmet looked fantastic but was too small and his arms had awful proportions because of the reuse of those long printed shells. Furthermore, his cape attachment looked horrible. I'd like them to design a slightly smaller, simpler and more pose-able Vader, being $25 instead of $30. His helmet would probably look good then and wouldn't need to be redesigned.

Reposting my thoughts about Vader here.

Boba Fett was inevitable, seeing as they already have the helmet mould, and he's a must-have. His colours, shoulder cape and less-clean-than-Jango-look make him different enough.

I'm not too fond of geared arms on SW constraction figs, but I don't hate it either. They'll probably give Vader one, and it would look fine if the knob was as well integrated as Kylo's.

I'd like Lego to make removable masks for all helmeted figures. Vader's helmet was too small anyway, so a bigger helmet with a normally proportioned human head would be great IMO. 

48 minutes ago, Leewan said:

What do you mean by three waves based solely on new movies ? Did you forget the Stormtrooper Commander and the Scout Trooper & Speeder Bike that have been released this June ? 

I think he means that both that June wave and the upcoming two sets are a welcome return to the legacy characters (after a TFA wave and two RO waves) and I completely agree. When I first imagined a line of 'SW Bonkles' I was thinking we would see classic constraction figures like Anakin Skywalker, Han Solo and Darth Maul before the likes of 'Chirrut Imwe' and 'Baze Malbus'.

Edited July 9, 2017 by JekPorkchops

[Lyichir]

3 hours ago, Leewan said:

What do you mean by three waves based solely on new movies ? Did you forget the Stormtrooper Commander and the Scout Trooper & Speeder Bike that have been released this June ? 

 

No, of course not. I was talking about the wave of The Force Awakens figures and the subsequent two waves of Rogue One figures. The Stormtrooper Commander and Scout Trooper are what finally broke that streak, and I'm glad to see that we're continuing to see legacy characters next year (as opposed to, say, getting two full waves of The Last Jedi figures before finally getting back to characters from the original trilogy).

[Leewan]

Oh, okay, I thought you were actually referring the January 2018 wave, since you mentioned Boba and Vader just before. Thanks for clarifying. 

About Boba, I think the new hexagonal add-ons introduced this year could be used in yellow for his kneepads and in dark red for his wrist gauntlets. Anyways, I really don't see him simply being a recoloured Jango Fett.

[Takanuinuva]

3 hours ago, Leewan said:

Oh, okay, I thought you were actually referring the January 2018 wave, since you mentioned Boba and Vader just before. Thanks for clarifying. 

About Boba, I think the new hexagonal add-ons introduced this year could be used in yellow for his kneepads and in dark red for his wrist gauntlets. Anyways, I really don't see him simply being a recoloured Jango Fett.

Maybe not a complete recolor of Jango Fett but an updated version like how the Stormtrooper was an updated design to the First Order Stormtrooper

[ZORK64]

I'm curious and torn about a new Darth Vader. I got the first one and I'm more or less happy with him, except for the cape. But I'm not really willing to buy another Darth Vader just to get one with a proper cape.

Boba Fett though has good chances to get into my collection, as I always liked his design.

[N-4K0]

15 hours ago, Leewan said:

I think that would require either a very small head, or a very large helmet for the parts to fit, so I'm not too sure about the final result.

 

Vader as a character in the movies has a bigger head due to the helmet. I feel that the molded helmet piece is a bit too small compared to the body.
It looks to be of the same size as the other figures' heads, but should ideally be a bit bigger.

Same issue goes for the Jango Fett figure, the head should IMO be a bit bigger.

That said, I'm also curious about what's going to be new with the second Vader figure, as well as eager to see the Boba Fett figure although I don't expect it to be remarkably different from the Jango one.

[BubbaFit45531]

I hope it's not actually Boba and Vader BrickHeadz, which I'd never buy. I'd buy a Boba Constraction for sure, and recently already bought Darth Vader.

[ZORK64]

8 hours ago, Error404 said:

 

Vader as a character in the movies has a bigger head due to the helmet. I feel that the molded helmet piece is a bit too small compared to the body.
It looks to be of the same size as the other figures' heads, but should ideally be a bit bigger.

Same issue goes for the Jango Fett figure, the head should IMO be a bit bigger.

That said, I'm also curious about what's going to be new with the second Vader figure, as well as eager to see the Boba Fett figure although I don't expect it to be remarkably different from the Jango one.

Yeah, now that you mention it, I also notice how small Vader's helmet is compared to the Stormtrooper. It's really bizarre, considering that Vader is still a head taller than the Stormie.

[Leewan]

On 28/02/2017 at 6:52 PM, Leewan said:

Anyway, I hope the future sets will give us bones in more (opaque) colours : I was glad to see that Chirrut Îmwe had flesh-coloured parts to make his bare arm, and I think it would be nice to have some bones (not necessarily all of them) that match the colour of the clothes or the skin of some characters. I'm actually planning on ordering four flesh bones for Rey's arms, to replace the black ones.

Hehe, TLJ-Rey seems to use 5M B-bones in flesh for her upper arms. Yes, there are pics out there, but remember the rule : If you find an image of a new LEGO set and it is incredibly blurry or stamped "Confidential", it is a leak-please don't post it here. 

[bobasdad]

Pictures of the constraction figures for The Last Jedi are on the LEGO Shop's russian site.  They include:

- A First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter Pilot (with red stripes on the helmet).  It uses a new helmet mold with tubes that attach to a chest apparatus (constructed similarly--but not identical--to the one on Poe Dameron) and comes with a spring-loaded blaster rifle.

- A new version of Rey (without a hat).  I think this might be the first female Star Wars constraction figure TLG has made that doesn't have some sort of headgear.  She comes with a lightsaber (with a blue blade) and a blaster pistol.  She has a cloth element around her hips but not around her torso.

- A member of the First Order Praetorian Guard (which appears to be a heavily armored version of the red Imperial Guards).  It is almost completely red and comes with a strangely-shaped staff (it has blades on both ends that hold minifig-sized lightsaber pieces; it looks really odd).  It has a new helmet mold and appears to use a new shell type on its upper arms.  It has a long red cloth peice that covers its hips and legs.

- And Chewbacca, who appears to be taller than the other figures.  His upper arms, forearms, upper legs, and lower legs all use the new thigh shell (with tons of printing to represent his fur).  He comes with his bowcaster (which includes a spring-loaded shooter) and his bandolier, which is recreated using light bluish gray clips attached to a rubber piece (BrickLink Part No. 98567) that wraps diagonally around his torso.

Edited July 14, 2017 by bobasdad

[TwistLaw]

The red guy that recently leaked is cool, he has a dagger that is very BIONICLE-like and an interesting add-on that seems to fit pretty well G2. Chewbacca is hilariously bad, the rest is generic, overpriced SW figures.
I may be getting the Praetorian Guard, but most probably I'm just gonna bricklink the pieces I need.

[Takanuinuva]

Any idea what to search for when looking? I was on the russian shop at home and found nothing.

[Shakar]

Oh great, more cookie-cutter builds. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, but that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed, right?

The Pilot and Rey, oh well, hello Death Trooper and Jyn Erso. I spot few interesting parts, which are Rey's robe, a new size of flesh coloured bone (I think), 4M dark brown shells, dark brown SW lower leg shells and a black blank torso shell on the Pilot. Otherwise, not good.

Chewbacca..oh boy. I never cared much for the character but I'm pretty sure they could've done better. He looks very basic, which is pretty sad because he could've been our shot at a ""Titan"" CCBS figure. The torso and the lower legs might have some slightly custom builds, but I doubt they're anything of particular note. The printed parts look hilariously simplistic and cartoony. The only interesting pieces seem to be reddish brown 5M shells and Beast feet. I think I could use some of the former, but I'll Bricklink them.

That Guard, though. That almost redeems the other 3 sets. Almost. And I'm willing to forgive the build because he/she looks marvelous. I admit I thought the figure was dark red at first, which probably made me more excited than I should've been, but the more I analyzed the parts the more I knew they couldn't make so many recolours for one set. Still, as far as bright red goes it's still a pretty good selection- red 4M shells, at long last! Very interested in the red robe, the new shoulder armour and those new blades (they kind of remind me of Kopaka Phantoka's Blizzard Blade, but somehow cooler looking). Pretty sure I'm gonna get this one on discount.

[TwistLaw]

Just now, Shakar said:

 those new blades (they kind of remind me of Kopaka Phantoka's Blizzard Blade, but somehow cooler looking). Pretty sure I'm gonna get this one on discount.

I'll be honest, the first thing they reminded me were Hakann's tool. But I guess you're right, their smaller size puts them closer to Kopaka Phantoka's Blizzard Blade. Whatever the similarities, I see great potential for those pieces (the shoulder armour looks perfect for a "Ekimu guard"-style moc).

[Azani]

On 7/12/2017 at 3:21 PM, Shakar said:

The Pilot and Rey, oh well, hello Death Trooper and Jyn Erso. I spot few interesting parts, which are Rey's robe, a new size of flesh coloured bone (I think), 4M dark brown shells, dark brown SW lower leg shells and a black blank torso shell on the Pilot. Otherwise, not good.

It looks to me like the Pilot is a little more complex than the Death Trooper; there's a Poe Dameron-esque structure on his chest. That head sculpt is incredible, however.

Frankly, I feel like Rey is the second best, after the Praetorian Guard. She's got exposed hair (nice!) and reuses the Erso torso plate; that said, we were all hoping for that, right? We've got a solid number of new recolors, plus a lightsaber. I'm pretty certain that I'm going to pick her up.

Chewbacca is alright; as far as individual parts go, he's fantastic, but the completed model looks pretty weak. It's a little unfortunate to see the SWC designers use the new shell six times on him, especially because they're all printed parts. However, he gets redeemed pretty quickly by the Guard.

Man, this last guy is unbelievable. Lots of new, versatile parts, recolors (including the shin armor in Bright Red) and a lithe, sleek design with a cloth component. In my book, he's up there with Rey as the best of the wave.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Azani

[JekPorkchops]

I actually think Chewbacca looks fantastic! I even hated the thought of Lego trying to make one, because it would just look horrendous with their current selection of shells and fur add-ons. But they have used one of their more recent pieces very wisely, and with that printing on it, it just works incredibly well for all of his limbs. The head integrates well too, though the expression is a little weird, but I think it's okay. I like the small shells that act like his shoulders and I like the brown beast feet. The use of the bandolier piece is very appropriate. I think his satchel is made using a super hero chest piece. I'm not a big fan of his knees, the small shells look off without printing and the grey upper leg bones are a little exposed in this area. He probably won't look great from the back, but I love his bowcaster.

The Praetorian guard looks awesome! Don't like the fact that it is yet again an updated version of something from the OT, in this case a Royal Guard, but I think he is just executed so well. The cloth piece coming down all the way from his waist is great, and the red is very striking. It has a nice new head mould and I like the 'faceless warrior' thing he has going on. The weapon is very interesting and it looks to be some kind of lightsaber-resistant tool. The new shoulder add-ons kinda remind me of the Knight's Kingdom figures from 2006, and the weapon pieces also reminded me of Kopaka Phantoka's blizzard blade.

Rey looks great to me as well. Just built her 2016 figure, that one was pretty good but would've been a lot better without the headgear. I also feel like that one had more of an approximation of her outfit, while this new one looks to be very accurate. I like the asymmetrical cloth piece. It flows very well with the new female torso shell. Her arms look a little too bulky yet again, but that is to be expected with the use of shells. I think they should make specialized bones/pieces for exposed human arms. It's nice to see them going back to filling in the space in the foot pieces, but I don't like the fact that they keep on using the B type bones for the upper arms. I think the face also looks a lot like the character. Looks like her silver gun has been updated.

I actually like the Elite TIE Pilot the least in this wave, but he's still pretty good. There's just something off about the new helmet mould to me, and it could've been fantastic. I like the tubes going from his helmet to his life support pack on his chest, are those shortened rubber hoses? Don't like the build for the pack as much as Poe's, and it appears to be attached from his back by a couple of ugly technic assemblies that run along the side of his body.

Edited July 12, 2017 by JekPorkchops

[Shakar]

Just now, TwistLaw said:

I'll be honest, the first thing they reminded me were Hakann's tool. But I guess you're right, their smaller size puts them closer to Kopaka Phantoka's Blizzard Blade. Whatever the similarities, I see great potential for those pieces (the shoulder armour looks perfect for a "Ekimu guard"-style moc).

The size and the System lightsaber just jumped at me as soon as I saw them. I also hope to get the new armour in more colours, especially gunmetal and silver; though I suppose that would require similar characters to show up in the movies.

Just now, Azani said:

It looks to me like the Pilot is a little more complex than the Death Trooper; there's a Poe Dameron-esque structure on his chest. That head sculpt is incredible, however.

Frankly, I feel like Rey is the second best, after the Praetorian Guard. She's got exposed hair (nice!) and reuses the Erso torso plate; that said, we were all hoping for that, right? We've got a solid number of new recolors, plus a lightsaber. I'm pretty much certain that I'm going to pick her up.

Sure, but when you take that away they all look pretty much like the same build save from some differences in limb length. Since the TFA wave with all figures you either get the "gearbox build"  with the new torso+gearbox+gearbox cover (Kylo, Rey, Jyn, etc) or the "without gearbox build" with that old 9x11 torso bone I had hoped Bionicle G2 would bury forever (all the myriad of Stormtrooper variants, Chirrut, etc). Not a single time have they attemped some custom leg or arm build or tried to reuse the Uniter torso.

At least the 2015 figures tried something a bit different like Grievous or DV. Yes, I remember K-2SO, but one out of 12 figures in roughly a year isn't enough. I had hoped we'd get something more varied like the Super Heroes figures, just a bit more refined, but it's just the same stuff every time. It's even more infuriating than the Inika syndrome since everything looks so criminally bland.

I wouldn't be so annoyed with these if we still had Bionicle or another non-licensed constraction theme. I thought that, as long as Bionicle just churned out all those custom CCBS/Technic builds, I would've put up with the SW same build syndrome. But now it's all we got for the time being, it's disheartening having to see the same build recycled for the 20th or so time.

[VaderFan2187]

I really like Rey's head mold. Probably one of the best human heads in CCBS (except for maybe Obi-Wan)

[TwistLaw]

Just now, Shakar said:

I wouldn't be so annoyed with these if we still had Bionicle or another non-licensed constraction theme. I thought that, as long as Bionicle just churned out all those custom CCBS/Technic builds, I would've put up with the SW same build syndrome. But now it's all we got for the time being, it's disheartening having to see the same build recycled for the 20th or so time.

Same here bro. And we should consider ourselves lucky that we got at least those copy-pasted, overpriced figures, chances are that next year we won't get a new CCBS theme with even SW abandoning the constraction niche.