Mandalorianknight Posted February 22 Posted February 22 6 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: Yeah. The NR X-Wing was honestly a great choice by Lego. It does double duty for tying in. But if we don’t get a NR Trooper vs Imperial Remnant BP within the next 12 months, then they are grossly mismanaging the BP subtheme. (The NR armour design in the concept art is sick) Also. On the lore side of things. I feel like Thrawn’s additional forces could depend on the status of 2 people. Gillad Pellaeon. We know he is definitely still around. The question is what size force does he currently control. I feel like he’s definitely in command of at least one full ISD (probably the Harbringer) The NR having armor is awesome, it's great to see them actually stepping up their game and taking advantage of their resources- it's fun to see the sort of shift where the republic's got the gear and the empire's on the backfoot, and of course if anyone could make an empire on the backfoot an existential threat, it'd be Thrawn. Pellaeon appeared to be one of the leaders of the Shadow Council, but I don't know how many resources this would correlate to. Gideon's forces are nebulous but seemed to max out at a light cruiser or two, and resources were limited enough that they had to make a big deal about him requesting literally three guards. That said, Gideon was also totally obsessed with a singular planet/culture and also cloning himself, so I could see the council distancing themselves and sort of cutting him off from a lot of their equipment. Either way, though, I doubt Pellaeon has more than an ISD or two like you suggest. If only there was some way for Thrawn to get a large number of capital ships now that he has the ability to generate more troopers quickly. Some sort of Dark Force out there... (I am realizing how well they have set up that major aspect of the OG books. All they'd need is for either the zombies to have enough intelligence to fulfill basic crewer roles.... or to bring in the Spaarti clones. Gideon's clones were already very different from normal ones, being adult bodies, making them more similar to Spaartis. It would be really cool if they tied that in, which would also make that scene actually mean something and give some payoff to that whole cloning storyline that otherwise went nowhere.) 3 hours ago, Kaijumeister said: I keep thinking that outside of Grogu, the theme hasn’t actually introduced any brand new moulds this year. But then I remember that Zeb and the repurposed Shore Trooper helmet technically count as new moulds given how long ago those pieces retired. Nonetheless, I still think this year is really light on new moulds thus far so surely there’s room for a new Snowtrooper helmet at least. And absolutely! I really hope Lego don’t fumble their tie-in sets for Season 2 by either ignoring it or making excess buildable slop. Man, I would love to see another Timothy Zahn book about Thrawn just putting up with Ezra during their exile. Their personalities are so utterly opposite and it’s a shame we never saw much of that dynamic in the Ahsoka show. Yeah I should do the same. I’m glad the Sandcrawler has a good part count but this whole decision to utterly gut sets at large price points to be a fraction of the size and complexity (but not cost) and for some reason never exceed the 1000 piece mark really worries me about the theme. Buildable characters should not be the only large sets, and I wonder if we should just learn to never expect big builds that aren’t UCS sets moving forward. I can’t imagine it’s fun for the designers to be working under tighter constraints either. Yup. I don't think we had anything in january, and I don't believe anything in march either unless we're counting the "smart" stuff. (Which I wouldn't- they were in limited test markets in a city set a year or two ago, right? I don't think they're a star wars specific budgetary thing.) So especially if there's no august wave (I still have hope we will in fact have one), there should be plenty of new mold budget left for the remnant troopers. The best part is they have at least one set that would functionally be a buildable character and yet would also be minifigure-compatible. (While looking for images of that, I did see some of the new Baylan actor in costume, and he definitely looks the part. They did a good job with that, I just hope he can get the voice down.) I wish we could get that, but unfortunately it seems like Ezra got out of their pretty fast and just lived with the Noti. A lot of us thought the two would have to work together, but Peridea isn't all that hostile to someone with a full ISD, so I guess there was no need for Thrawn to enlist Ezra. Thankfully the Sandcrawler bucks that trend. Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted February 22 Posted February 22 (edited) GUYS!! You want a TIE Avenger? Yes? If we buy Marvel Avenger sets then Lego will see we want a TIE Avenger? But I don’t want a TIE Avenger because Andor is WOKE. Day #303 of going insane over this (Today was strictly a parody.) 7 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said: Some sort of Dark Force out there... Say that again. 7 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said: If only there was some way for Thrawn to get a large number of capital ships now that he has the ability to generate more troopers quickly. Some sort of Dark Force out there... (I am realizing how well they have set up that major aspect of the OG books. All they'd need is for either the zombies to have enough intelligence to fulfill basic crewer roles.... or to bring in the Spaarti clones. Gideon's clones were already very different from normal ones, being adult bodies, making them more similar to Spaartis. It would be really cool if they tied that in, which would also make that scene actually mean something and give some payoff to that whole cloning storyline that otherwise went nowhere.) Filoni is probably going to replace the Dreadnoughts with Separatist ships that were lost since Anakin’s deactivation. But yeah. Something similar is probably happening. What’s definitely happening though, is Thrawn is obviously going to hijack some of those new NR capital ships. He just needs to find some mining drills. Tantiss was left abandoned by the end of TBB. And there was a whole other mountain which got ignored in the background. Edited February 22 by CloneCommando99 Quote
BrickBob Studpants Posted February 22 Posted February 22 4 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: GUYS!! A Turtle parody? In this economy? Bold. 4 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: Day #303 of going insane over this We gotta do something special on Day 365! TIE Avenger bday cake for everyone!! Quote
Mandalorianknight Posted February 22 Posted February 22 6 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: Filoni is probably going to replace the Dreadnoughts with Separatist ships that were lost since Anakin’s deactivation. But yeah. Something similar is probably happening. What’s definitely happening though, is Thrawn is obviously going to hijack some of those new NR capital ships. He just needs to find some mining drills. Tantiss was left abandoned by the end of TBB. And there was a whole other mountain which got ignored in the background. That's possible, especially given his love of the prequels, but strictly speaking there's nothing that would make the Dark Force fail to fit into canon. Actually, the prequels add in another layer to this- the tragedy of the Katanas being slaved together could easily be why separatist capital ships have B1 pilots crewing them rather than just putting the droid brains into the ship itself. And there's even some shiny new starhawks for him to take. It's amazing how well this all fits together. I had thought there was something wobbly with Tantiss fitting into the new canon, but reading the wookiepedia pages I believe all you have to do is say Palpatine even kept the fact that it would be repurposed secret from Tarkin- which makes sense, since it was supposed to be a closely guarded secret. I would really like to get some confirmation on what's happening this 2HY. We know at least a few of the sets from the 2026/7 list are coming, but how? Are we getting a small august wave? Is it a full wave, and there were just august sets not on that list? Is it just a few of the buildable coming in September/October with the calendar and/or UCS set? Quote
BrickBob Studpants Posted February 22 Posted February 22 29 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said: Are we getting a small august wave? Is it a full wave, and there were just august sets not on that list? The only summer sets with a rumoured release date are the unknown $70 set (June), the $100 M&G set (June), and the Imperial Shuttle (July). The remaining sets (i.e., the Sandcrawler, AT-AT, buildable Boba, unknown $50 set) still have no release date, so those could be our August wave Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Shuttle was also an August set, or even the two June sets. As we’ve seen with the M&G sets so far, their release dates aren’t exactly set in stone. The X-Wing was said to be released in June at first, and now it’s an April 1st set! Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted February 22 Posted February 22 26 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said: I would really like to get some confirmation on what's happening this 2HY. We know at least a few of the sets from the 2026/7 list are coming, but how? Are we getting a small august wave? Is it a full wave, and there were just august sets not on that list? Is it just a few of the buildable coming in September/October with the calendar and/or UCS set? Upscaled Vader is almost certainly going to have a 40*** set number like the other upscaled minifigs. Because it’s assumably a Lego exclusive. So I feel like it’ll be the one that releases this year. According to Jediacpenguin/ Bricktap combined info: June 75458, $70, 775 pieces, please be a TIE Avenger. 75461, $100, 1028 pieces, 12+, almost definitely a Buildable Anzellan. July 75459, Imperial Shuttle, $140, 14+ Unconfirmed summer date (assumably August) 75451, $50, assumed to be Maul Shadow Lord 75453, $200, Sandcrawler 75454, $160, AT AT 75455, $170, Buildable Boba September/ Autumn 75456, $45, AC 75457, UCS SSD MIA numbers 75450 18 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said: Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Shuttle was also an August set, or even the two June sets. As we’ve seen with the M&G sets so far, their release dates aren’t exactly set in stone. The X-Wing was said to be released in June at first, and now it’s an April 1st set! Well yes. But we knew of the 14+ July set number long before the we even heard about the X-Wing or it’s supposed June release. 50 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said: That's possible, especially given his love of the prequels, but strictly speaking there's nothing that would make the Dark Force fail to fit into canon. Actually, the prequels add in another layer to this- the tragedy of the Katanas being slaved together could easily be why separatist capital ships have B1 pilots crewing them rather than just putting the droid brains into the ship itself. That’s true. Wow. Filoni’s actually not been doing a bad job of setting this up. Quote
TeufelHund Posted February 22 Posted February 22 Mand-R has reviews of all the Smart Brick sets up and he’s absolutely savage. I agree with most of his points and don’t believe there’s much of a market out there for ugly sets with bizarre sound effects. These will be on clearance in short order. Quote
Alex_South Posted February 22 Posted February 22 (edited) 3 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: According to Jediacpenguin/ Bricktap combined info: Oh I see, so the Delta-7B got moved to 2027 along with the Ep2 speeder chase. What does AC mean? Edited February 23 by Alex_South Quote
BrickPrick Posted February 23 Posted February 23 On 2/21/2026 at 12:29 AM, Kaijumeister said: Sometimes politeness in the face of absurdity is the highest form of indictment Seriously man, the Dumb Yoda audio genuinely sounds traumatising. At least the Dumb Luke and Vader audio is somewhat reminiscent of the classic Lego Star Wars games. I’m looking forward to the muddy Mando figure too (bonus points if we get a new faceprint of Pedro Pascal just not having a good time). And yes, our crusade for that General Skywalker minifigure shall hopefully end this summer! Yes, it can be a good way to get the point across. Not sure I could have stomached all the further laughter I would have gotten from the BS reviews, so I only watched the Falcon so far. But now I'm ready for the big blowout. I always thought that having them go full mumble mode from the original Lego Star Wars games would have been a very nice touch... fully aware that it would never happen. Word up, buddy. Quote
Meaf Posted February 23 Posted February 23 2 hours ago, Alex_South said: Oh I see, so the Delta-7B got moved to 2027 along with the Ep2 speeder chase. What does AC mean? Advent Calendar Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted February 23 Posted February 23 Like all men: I am TIE Avengeance, I am the night, I am Batman! (#304) 8 hours ago, Alex_South said: Oh I see, so the Delta-7B got moved to 2027 along with the Ep2 speeder chase. They were likely never this year anyway. If anything 75450 could end up being the Delta-7B as Lego seems to like releasing a Jedi Starfighter every year. Quote
Llewop Posted February 23 Posted February 23 4 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: Like all men: I am TIE Avengeance, I am the night, I am Batman! (#304) They were likely never this year anyway. If anything 75450 could end up being the Delta-7B as Lego seems to like releasing a Jedi Starfighter every year. Think that long list was leaked to stop most the fanbase from fully melting down and crying about the smart sets. I forgot they are supposed to be doing movie poster sets as well. You never know we may get some or most this year. You never know what could happen. I saw a clip of M and Rs video with the sounds and it is bad. Like why are they not using the proper sounds? To me it sounds like it could be a rights/licensing issue, could be why it’s only a limited release as well (6 countries). I would be genuinely surprised if there is a third wave of sets. was interesting though I saw someone compare the two x wing sets we are getting this year (smart vs new republic one) and while the price is different, the piece count is similar but with the smart set you get all the smart techy stuff on top of it. So really the 20 quid in price difference is pretty much the tech. As they have the same normal minifigure count similar piece count (people still go by those to judge a sets worth). But still one set you get an accurate nice looking depiction of a classic ship the other is and always be a gimmick that is destined for failure. Quote
BrickBob Studpants Posted February 23 Posted February 23 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Llewop said: You never know we may get some or most this year. You never know what could happen. According to leakers, it’s the opposite, „most“ of these sets are actually scheduled for next year Since Jedi Bricks is apparently a reliable source now, this could well just refer to the upscaled Vader minifig since he claims that one‘s coming this year for $100, and we don‘t have any further rumours currently. We‘ll see. I‘m not fully convinced either it‘s the only set on that list to arrive this year since it would be the first year since their introduction not to have a single Microfighter, and there’s one right there on that list. Then again, 2021 inexplicably didn‘t have any BPs, only for them to return the following year That said, I‘d rather focus on what we do know is coming instead of hoping for hidden set numbers. Saves me the disappointment Edited February 23 by BrickBob Studpants Quote
Lobot Posted February 23 Posted February 23 13 hours ago, TeufelHund said: Mand-R has reviews of all the Smart Brick sets up and he’s absolutely savage. I agree with most of his points and don’t believe there’s much of a market out there for ugly sets with bizarre sound effects. These will be on clearance in short order. In my view, it's great that MandR's reviews of the sets have been so well balanced, and have highlighted the (few) good elements to them. From what I can see they're going to be a massive failure and I wouldn't be surprised if the entire wave is cancelled by LEGO by the end of this year. I find the constant flashing of the Smart Bricks really uncomfortable to look at, and the sound quality is just awful! As others have mentioned, they may have been suited better to basic City sets where the more limited functionality wouldn't have been so much of a problem. The only highlight of the entire wave for me is the Dewback - that's genuinely brilliant! Quote
Llewop Posted February 23 Posted February 23 (edited) 1 hour ago, Lobot said: In my view, it's great that MandR's reviews of the sets have been so well balanced, and have highlighted the (few) good elements to them. From what I can see they're going to be a massive failure and I wouldn't be surprised if the entire wave is cancelled by LEGO by the end of this year. I find the constant flashing of the Smart Bricks really uncomfortable to look at, and the sound quality is just awful! As others have mentioned, they may have been suited better to basic City sets where the more limited functionality wouldn't have been so much of a problem. The only highlight of the entire wave for me is the Dewback - that's genuinely brilliant! I thought they tested it on city sets either last year or year before? They must have had some feedback otherwise they would have given up straight away. I just don’t see them working out long term. It’s relying on one kids actually wanting a SW set let alone the smart ones and 2 of those kids who want it are those sets within a budget that their families could afford? Again so much of the initial success of them will be the launch and only launching in 6 countries for me just feels like it’s destined to fail. also I’ve seen loads of ads for these smart sets. Now I don’t see many other ads for LEGO in general but the fact that they are actively advertising it more than normal sets to me says that they are worried about sales but also possibly trying to get new fans in to LEGO but still think they are going to lose more than they make from these Edited February 23 by Llewop Quote
Kaijumeister Posted February 23 Posted February 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: That said, I‘d rather focus on what we do know is coming instead of hoping for hidden set numbers. Saves me the disappointment I genuinely admire how level-headed you tend to be about this theme and hobby as a whole. I need to do the same when I get disappointed about sets that don’t materialise. 3 hours ago, Lobot said: In my view, it's great that MandR's reviews of the sets have been so well balanced, and have highlighted the (few) good elements to them. The only highlight of the entire wave for me is the Dewback - that's genuinely brilliant! Yeah I agree, I’ve watched the reviews too and they’re very well balanced in terms of critique and acknowledging what works well in these sets. The Dewback highlights my earlier sentiments that the Smart Brick will work best with relatively simple builds where the play patterns are based more on imagination and intuitive movement than pre-existing scenarios. I get the impression that the Smart Brick was designed with a more open-ended kind of play in mind, but the Lego Star Wars team had to work backwards to figure out how to squeeze it into sets. That’s why many of these sets (especially the vehicles) strip out huge chunks of the builds and the play features either amount to toggling a red paddle piece to stimulate the colour sensor, or cramming in colour coded minifigure accessories to do the same. It literally is taking two steps back for every one step forward; any benefits the Smart Bricks bring to the table are inherently limited because of the context they’re used in. On the plus side, the Smart Brick can actually play the cantina music! The mechanism for having the Modal Nodes start moving around unfortunately tends to drown the noise out, but it’s there. I’m glad they were able to do that. 8 hours ago, CloneCommando99 said: They were likely never this year anyway. If anything 75450 could end up being the Delta-7B as Lego seems to like releasing a Jedi Starfighter every year. Additionally, they’ll probably want to strike whilst the iron is hot with the V-19 Torrent on shelves with the General Kenobi figure. Seems like a misstep to finally get a set out with a corresponding Anakin to complete the duo after the V-19 retires by the end of the year. Then again this is Lego Star Wars. I’m reminded of how often we’ve had either an AT-AT OR snowspeeder on shelves, but never both at the same time since 2014. Edited February 23 by Kaijumeister Quote
brimbolet Posted February 23 Posted February 23 18 hours ago, TeufelHund said: Mand-R has reviews of all the Smart Brick sets up and he’s absolutely savage. I agree with most of his points and don’t believe there’s much of a market out there for ugly sets with bizarre sound effects. Thanks for the link. I was very interested to see a review of the TIE set, the only one I call decent, because I still like the idea in general. Loved toys that made sounds when I was a kid. But the sound quality is oh boy, I didn't expect much but this is horrible. Really wonder where and how long Lego has tested the smart brick sets before starting mass production. The continuous flashing is quite annoying and probably unnecessarily reduces the playtime. Quote
BrickBob Studpants Posted February 23 Posted February 23 2 hours ago, Kaijumeister said: I genuinely admire how level-headed you tend to be about this theme and hobby as a whole. I need to do the same when I get disappointed about sets that don’t materialise. Thank you! I used to get really disappointed when sets or minifigs I wanted didn’t materialise, like when HP died in 2011, LOTR didn’t come back in 2014, Bolg didn’t get made, or when we didn’t get Saw or Galen back in 2016/17. The difference is that NOW I HAVE MAGICAL MANIFESTATION POWERS* AHAHAHAHA Seriously though, patience is key. Almost everything I’ve ever wanted has been made in the meantime, not just for SW, all I needed to do was to wait Of course they’ll never make *everything*, but I’ve learned to appreciate the things they do offer! *TIE Avengers are exempt Quote
Darth_Bane13 Posted February 24 Posted February 24 I think it's safe to say Lego Star Wars is in it's dark age now. Quote
BrickBob Studpants Posted February 24 Posted February 24 1 hour ago, Darth_Bane13 said: I think it's safe to say Lego Star Wars is in it's dark age now. Nahhhhh, not at all. Dislike the Smart Play sets as much as you want, but we still get plenty of top-notch sets every year, pricing aside The M&G sets are excellent and the upcoming Mando sets sound even better! If you’re a hardcore PT fan who doesn’t particularly like Clones, then maybe you’re a bit out of luck for now, but that’s not enough to call it a “dark age” as if it’s a universal fact Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted February 24 Posted February 24 I do love the smell of rhydo in the evening. Is the TIE Avenger fuelled by rhydo? Is that why I’m so addicted? (#305) 13 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: If you’re a hardcore PT fan who doesn’t particularly like Clones, then maybe you’re a bit out of luck for now, but that’s not enough to call it a “dark age” as if it’s a universal fact List of SW AFOLs who are oppressed: EAW fans, KOTOR fans, Sequel fans, JFO fans, SW fans who are also DC fans, Legends fans, Angry Birds SW fans, Rogue One fans, TPM fans, 1st Act of AOTC fans, child OT fans… Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted February 24 Posted February 24 Anakin from the 75401 Ahsoka's Jedi Interceptor will come with the magazine soon. (27 March in Germany.) Quote
ArrowBricks Posted February 24 Posted February 24 (edited) 16 hours ago, Darth_Bane13 said: I think it's safe to say Lego Star Wars is in it's dark age now. From my point of view, it’s missed potential. I do like the sound of higher piece counts and price points for flagship sets this year, specifically the Sandcrawler. The problem I have is no set feels like the best version LEGO could have made. That’s what defines the “golden age” which most of us agree includes 2011-2014. The pace of and actual development relative to the years prior mark those years (2011-2014) as transformative. If we look at 2016 and compare it to 2026 I do not think LEGO Star Wars has made any meaningful strides to a better product. 18+ has given variety for adults, granted, and the smart play sets are innovative regardless of how the technology has been implemented and marketed, but at significant costs both financially and in terms of quality. I am really excited to see the Imperial Shuttle - I regret not getting the 2016 version, let’s hope it’s close to the quality of that. The AT-AT is really going to rely on the figures for me, as it seems stylistically the same as ESB versions. Edited February 24 by ArrowBricks Quote
Darth_Bane13 Posted February 24 Posted February 24 17 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: Nahhhhh, not at all. Dislike the Smart Play sets as much as you want, but we still get plenty of top-notch sets every year, pricing aside The M&G sets are excellent and the upcoming Mando sets sound even better! If you’re a hardcore PT fan who doesn’t particularly like Clones, then maybe you’re a bit out of luck for now, but that’s not enough to call it a “dark age” as if it’s a universal fact Pricing is a big part of the equation in whether a set is worth buying or not, you can't just say "pricing aside" when that's clearly a big problem with a lot of sets today. If the MTT from last summer was $120 the reaction would've been a lot different. Saying the M&G sets are excellent is a stretch, the initial R1 wave was excellent, M&G sets are mid. I'm not saying we don't get some nice sets here and there, but it's a clear downgrade from 1999-2020. Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) “Whatever our final version of success looks like, there’s no chance any of us can make it real on our own. We need Smary Play to help. We need the fans angry. We need them coming down hard. Oppression breeds rebellion.” Day #306 of keeping things Rael. 13 hours ago, ArrowBricks said: The AT-AT is really going to rely on the figures for me, as it seems stylistically the same as ESB versions. It has a different head shape. Edited February 25 by CloneCommando99 Quote
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