Monster Fighters 2012

[Combee]

Wow, there's a lot of glow-in-the-dark floating around in this theme. It appears from the boxes that the vampires have glow-in-the-dark heads. I've never been a huge fan of those, but with the new whiter glow-in-the-dark material, I think it will work out just fine. I can't wait to get my hands on that hearse (and hopefully the castle).

It doesn't look like the vampire head are glow-in-the-dark to me, but you're right, there are A LOT of other parts that are

Looks like: skeleton horse, spider, rat, ghosts, maybe the face on the front of the train, and the werewolf claws

Edited April 26, 2012 by Combee

[Clone OPatra]

It doesn't look like the vampire head are glow-in-the-dark to me, but you're right, there are A LOT of other parts that are

Take a look at the Hearse picture; the vampire lord's head has the glowing effect on it just like the glowing pieces on all the other boxes. It's not on the small picture of the villains on bottom right, but on the set itself. On the Castle box, I'm pretty sure both vampires have this effect too.

[Combee]

Take a look at the Hearse picture; the vampire lord's head has the glowing effect on it just like the glowing pieces on all the other boxes. It's not on the small picture of the villains on bottom right, but on the set itself. On the Castle box, I'm pretty sure both vampires have this effect too.

Ah you're right, it does look a little like it's glowing, neat

[LaytonsApprentice2]

Now look at this, someone in germany already sells this set for 40 € without minifigures which i really hate...:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Lego-9465-MONSTER-FIGHTERS-OHNE-FIGUREN-mit-OVP-und-ANLEITUNG-NEU-NEW-/300701139281?pt=DE_AllesfürdKind_Spielzeug_Lego&hash=item46032f4151#ht_2704wt_1398

He also sells the Vampire Castle but for 120 € which is too expenisve!

[IAmWillGibson]

Hearse, Swamp Monster, Werewolf and Zombies: SOLD!

Everything else will have to wait for discount, if possible. I like the ghost train, but for something that size or price, I'm gonna need to love it. Maybe I can score it and the castle on some deep discounts in a year [like I did with the Alien Conquest stuff], but I won't hold my breath on that.

Still, the above purchase will get me 4 of the 5 heroes, and enough of the monsters to make me happy. I'll be sad without the Vampire Bride, but I'll cope. Oh, and the Haunted House!! So excited about this year.

[Darth Hagrid]

I love the irradiated rat in the lab...

[Cammo]

The zombies can be used for a Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare MOC

If they eventually decide on making the Shaun of the Dead-set, they can reuse these faces :)

This theme's 100x better than their Dino theme imho.

[Darth Hagrid]

The zombies can be used for a Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare MOC

If they eventually decide on making the Shaun of the Dead-set, they can reuse these faces :)

They've turned The Winchester down... Not really surprising, though. We'll just have to make do with this one.

[TomRoid]

Is the graveyard the one where the Collectable Minifigure Zombie is from?

[KristofBD]

The final designs are once again much better than the preliminary ones. Still, I will probably only get the castle, which I find a very original set. The others are a bit too childish. The figs look very good though.

[305Bats]

AWESOME!!!! No more $3.50 + shipping for zombie heads from Toywiz for me! This set is a must have!

[TomRoid]

The final designs are once again much better than the preliminary ones. Still, I will probably only get the castle, which I find a very original set. The others are a bit too childish. The figs look very good though.

Something for kids and not adults is too childish?

[305Bats]

I'm probably in the minority here but I wish the bride's face didn't have the red,old school zombies didn't have red eyes,I was thinking a head swap with the driver would work well enough but in the pics her skin tone looks bluish,not gray like the others.

[SpiderSpaceman]

Oh excellent! The guy with the shades has elvis hair again! (seem to recall seeing that first, then City boy hair in it's place. Which would have just been messing up perfection for no good reason)

[Phyre]

Almost all of my LEGO budget this year is going to be spent on Monster Fighters and LotR. This theme is awesome already, and I think it's the best non-licensed action theme LEGO has done in several years. Hopefully we can all spend enough money on it that they'll do another wave in 2013. I definitely see a potential for at least one more wave, with several monsters not yet featured (witches, pumpkinheads, ghouls, banshees, goblins, etc.) in the line. Just because the storyline so far revolves around the vampire, I don't think that necessarily means we'll only see one wave. The theme is called "Monster Fighters," so as long as there are monsters to fight, I think this theme has the potential to last a while. Once Dracula is defeated, they could make one of the other characters the main villain, like the mad scientist, werewolf, maybe even the currently nonexistent voodoo doctor, or they could just introduce a whole new set of monsters. But the first wave has to sell well, and that's where we come in.

As for the Zombies set, it looks pretty great. I just wish it had more zombies, or at the very least a different one instead of the driver. But the bride and groom look fantastic. I will likely be getting at least two Zombies sets, depending on the price.

[Darth Hagrid]

Just because the storyline so far revolves around the vampire, I don't think that necessarily means we'll only see one wave.

I certainly agree with you, another wave would be wonderful. However, this is one of bi-annual action themes, and so, like PQ, Dino, and AC before it, will probably be over within six months of its release, when another new theme rolls around...

[Mr_Malfoy]

With the first pictures of the zombie set, I'm really digging this theme now. All those monsters !

[Dharkan]

Well sorry but AC and Pino were weak themes in my opinion. Not sure about PQ, it was a bit underrated, but still it was a nice return back to adventurers.

Compared to these 3, Monster Fighters are waay more anticipated than them. It has great new figures, a lot of new parts and the concept is (at least for me :D) more interesting than AC or Dino.

[Amset-Rah]

Well sorry but AC and Pino were weak themes in my opinion. Not sure about PQ, it was a bit underrated, but still it was a nice return back to adventurers.

Compared to these 3, Monster Fighters are waay more anticipated than them. It has great new figures, a lot of new parts and the concept is (at least for me :D) more interesting than AC or Dino.

As much as I liked those themes' sets, I agree. The storylines felt like cliche action movies with little plot and maximum action. I think that was the point for AC, as it was more or less a pastiche of 50s B-movies/sci-fi flicks, complete with flying saucers and walking tripods (But with a militaristic force against them) and with Dino there is no plot from what I can tell. That one seems like an action movie pastiche in every sense, but that doesn't mean neither of these series were horrible. they had great sets and their lack of a storyline invites the children to make up their own: Why are the aliens invading? Why are there dinosaurs terrorizing the city? It's up to the kids' imagination.

Now with Monster Fighters, there's no doubt in my mind everything about this series will be amazing at best, decent at worst. The minifigs are incredibly detailed, the monsters are a perfect mix of creepy and cartoony (In Lord Vampyre's case), some creepier than others (The zombie bride comes to mind). The storyline, though done before in other contexts (Name another character who tried making the night last forever. You know, it'd be a nightmare to make the moon the new sun), is still a storyline nonetheless. The moonstone idea is the equivalent to the Atlantis treasure keys in a way, complete with the flagship set containing all the moonstones (Sans the zombie one, I assume), but still a unique piece. Plus the classic horror motif is the icing on the cake.

Yeah, I guess you can tell I'm psyched for this.

[vynsane]

I love this theme. The size of the hammer on that truck is hilariously awesome.

[Khorne]

This line will definitely be worth checking out once the sets are out. Those figures are just absolutely stunning and the sets are decent. I will especially look out for that vampire castle and the zombie graveyard. That vampire bride is gorgeous and since I missed out on the Collectible Zombie minifig, I would really like these ones . I think these figures will fetch high prices on Bricklink, since most of them are just one of a kind/set (except the protagonists) and will be highly sought after.

[Algernon]

As much as I liked those themes' sets, I agree. The storylines felt like cliche action movies with little plot and maximum action. I think that was the point for AC, as it was more or less a pastiche of 50s B-movies/sci-fi flicks, complete with flying saucers and walking tripods (But with a militaristic force against them) and with Dino there is no plot from what I can tell. That one seems like an action movie pastiche in every sense, but that doesn't mean neither of these series were horrible. they had great sets and their lack of a storyline invites the children to make up their own: Why are the aliens invading? Why are there dinosaurs terrorizing the city? It's up to the kids' imagination.

Now with Monster Fighters, there's no doubt in my mind everything about this series will be amazing at best, decent at worst. The minifigs are incredibly detailed, the monsters are a perfect mix of creepy and cartoony (In Lord Vampyre's case), some creepier than others (The zombie bride comes to mind). The storyline, though done before in other contexts (Name another character who tried making the night last forever. You know, it'd be a nightmare to make the moon the new sun), is still a storyline nonetheless. The moonstone idea is the equivalent to the Atlantis treasure keys in a way, complete with the flagship set containing all the moonstones (Sans the zombie one, I assume), but still a unique piece. Plus the classic horror motif is the icing on the cake.

Yeah, I guess you can tell I'm psyched for this.

I don't really think the storyline here is any less cliche than previous LEGO storylines. LEGO doesn't usually bother coming up with an involved mythology with its original IPs (some exceptions... Bionicle and Ninjago, for example)and these yearly action themes follow a pretty typical pattern, even when they receive multiple waves. There's always some variety of crystal or other valuable for two factions to fight over. For example: Power Miners/Rock Raiders: Crystals, Atlantis: Portal keys, Bionicle: Masks, Adventurers/Pharaoh's Quest: Treasure, etc. The ONLY alternative to this storyline is when one faction is attempting to capture another. For example: Dino, Space Police, Agents, etc. Monster Fighters appears to be the former. LEGO seems to really go out of it's way to prevent a straight up "war" storyline - it's either a race to a valuable or intent to capture. I appreciate the effort, even if it is pretty much just a gesture at this point.

That said, Monster Fighters is looking hot. My only hesitation is that I don't see where the theme could go from here. They're used up almost every monster already. Unless they're okay with re-issues, what's left? Witches and scarecrows maybe? I don't see much room for expansion.

Still, these sets look great in their final form. I can't wait until we get some big pics to analyze.

EDIT: You know, I just remembered the unintentional debut of that Haunted House set awhile back. Whatever happened to that? Is that tied to this theme at all? It looked great from what I remember.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Algernon

[Dannylonglegs]

That said, Monster Fighters is looking hot. My only hesitation is that I don't see where the theme could go from here. They're used up almost every monster already. Unless they're okay with re-issues, what's left? Witches and scarecrows maybe? I don't see much room for expansion.

I agree! I can't wait for these sets to hit the market! We haven't seen the aforementioned Voodoo Dr. who made the zombies. I get the feeling he'd make a great second wave villain, but if they do go with another wave, I have no doubt we'll see witches. Scarecrows, maybe. (I would really dig that actually, especially if it comes with a new crow/raven mold.)

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[TomRoid]

I agree! I can't wait for these sets to hit the market! We haven't seen the aforementioned Voodoo Dr. who made the zombies. I get the feeling he'd make a great second wave villain, but if they do go with another wave, I have no doubt we'll see witches. Scarecrows, maybe. (I would really dig that actually, especially if it comes with a new crow/raven mold.)

~Insectoid Aristocrat

Then you've got other Universal Movie Monsters like the family of Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Damne and The Phantom of The Opera??? (*copyright* cough cough) And we could reuse some from Monster 4 like the Scarecrow or just a new pumpkin monster (like the headless horseman) and the devil Red Monster and maybe trolls and skeletons but those have been done in LEGO before (actually classic skeletons would be pretty cool). Plus the witches, Scarecrows, Voodoo Doctor and some rehashes. Is that strong enough for a second wave?

Edited April 27, 2012 by TomRoid

[Sid Sidious]

And we could reuse some from Monster 4 like the Scarecrow or just a new pumpkin monster (like the headless horseman) and the devil Red Monster and maybe trolls and skeletons but those have been done in LEGO before (actually classic skeletons would be pretty cool).

We did have mummies in Pharaoh's Quest last year, ghosts in dozens of castle sets, and the werewolf, Frankenstein's monster, vampire, mad scientist, and zombie in the Collectible Minifigures; so I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility for skeletons and trolls to be done.