LEGO Star Wars 2016 Pictures and Rumors

[Digger_Harkness]

Really waiting for the first video reviews and high res photos of the new Death Star and all these RO sets, hopefully the new Death Star will have new functions and some new designs somewhere.. (I would even be happy with new stickers)

[Forresto]

I have a crazy idea. What about dual molded black legs with black boots for the black clad imperial officers?

[Richpepperell]

I have a crazy idea. What about dual molded black legs with black boots for the black clad imperial officers?

That'd look great - you could use them for Vader too!

I'm actually just watching ANH and I can see myself wanting to get hold of a load of the storm trooper officers - "Holding her is dangerous", "Where are you taking this... Thing?", they crop up all over the place!

[Brickdoctor]

I have a crazy idea. What about dual molded black legs with black boots for the black clad imperial officers?

Dull China plastic on top, shiny Europe/Mexico plastic on the bottom for those polished Imperial boots. I'm in.

[davidr1193]

I have a crazy idea. What about dual molded black legs with black boots for the black clad imperial officers?

You can kind of do that by using a Batman's legs. There's two sets where he comes with dual molded legs (gray top, black bottom). Those would look so good on Imperial officers! I would have thought they'd do that for the Death Star but apparently not

[Dhivael]

Slippery slope much? TLG does do their research when considering the potential popularity of set and theme concepts. I highly doubt a negative reaction from a portion of a demographic that isn't their primary target would prompt them to cancel an entire subcategory of sets.

This. Precisely.

They have to know that this set is similar in style and price point to the old one. They are not counting on the AFOL community to drive sales here. They are counting on the fact the old version continued to have strong sales years after it was released. For those of you who are getting another chance at the Death Star-- Go for it! It is an awesome set! I know that I won't be in for this one, but its not a bad set, al la the Hoth base earlier this year. It is just one I already own. Plenty of happy kids will get this under their christmas trees or in birthday presents, and I for one am glad of it.

(Now if this were Hasbro... that is another story)

Edited August 22, 2016 by Dhivael

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

Not only children.

Lego is way more popular these days than before (5/6 years ago). There is a lot of adult people who would buy the Death Star. I think that remaking the original set was the best idea. It was a great set that represent very well all the DS scenes from the movies.

In other words, most of the people (even AFOLs whi didn't buy the old one, like me) doesn't care that this is a remake of the old UCS DS. The set is still great and the minifigure selection is even better.

Of course "we"' AFOL's are also important. But by far not the main target group. I simply wanted to explain - by mentioning some aspects - how egocentric it is to assume the DS will fail because of the mentioned reasons. It's simply the "revenge" of some fans who had unrealistic expectations of a profitorientated toy company.

[marksable]

So, I'm the guy who spoke to a Lego employee at San Diego Comic-Con and was told the Disappointment Star a) the set would be an "enclosed" and b) that it would be $400. First, I want to apologize if I got anybody's hopes up or misled you in any way. I didn't want a "scoop", I was genuinely excited and believed the Lego employee I spoke to was someone who had seen the set and had no reason to lie to me. I'm not saying they were lying, conventions are hectic places where miscommunication can easily occur.

I do think it's emblematic of what I'd call TLG's poor communication this year. It seem they ask a lot of us - not just issuing takedowns of images but (some of which they have the legal right to do, others of which they don't), but in the case of TFA last year, asking that we not even discuss sets that we'd seen. I've never been clear on what exactly Eurobricks or any other site gets in return for being close to Lego, but it's not my place to question that. I'm happy there's a forum where I can learn about new releases, have questions answered by knowledgeable fellow AFOLs and of course seeing the creativity of the members here.

Still, I think this was a case where someone from TLG could have taken advantage of the ability to speak to fans here and elsewhere and very easily clear this up. If they follow forums and websites as much as it's rumored they do, they had to be aware of the growing excitement for a "bigger and better" Death Star. It would have been very easy to manage everyone's expectations by being honest. They could have done this officially or communicating it "off the record". There was likely to always be disappointment, but I think it would have been far less if we knew now months ago before excitement reached a fever pitch.

I could see staying silent if the older Death Star were still on sale, as that would depress sales. Or, if the DS were in any way a spoiler for Rogue One. Clearly, foreign knockoffs wouldn't be a problem as whoever does those things already has access to the (same) old Death Star.

I don't blame the designers. I don't have any secret knowledge of the inner workings of Lego, but I doubt they were asked to do a redesign and mailed this in instead. Still, it's not been a great year for Lego, from Kylo Ren's shuttle's wings not folding out, to a tiny Carbon Freezing chamber offering a single new minifig (Ugnaught by no Lando?) to The Assault/Insult on Hoth being a collection of smaller sets with a misleading name. It's hard to know where to assign blame - the shuttle was based on concept art, I don't know if the designers had a in naming their own products. But I think taken together it's been a disappointing year for SW Lego fans.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for those who missed their shot at getting the Death Star and now will be able to get one, even if it's more expensive. I very much understand the frustrations of those whose hopes were dashed, and again apologize for any part I played in that.

Personally, I'm disappointed and find myself in a bit of a conundrum. I bought a Death Star right before they retired it. I haven't had a chance to build as I was in an accident and broke my right arm and tore the cartilage and left wrist. When I heard about the new Death Star, I made the decision not to open or build it on the hopes (and multiple rumors) that the new one would be bigger and better. I bought Lego sets only directly from Lego during double VIP months so I could build up my discount. (Which makes a difference as Amazon often has discounts that make buying a set from them cheaper than Lego, and as a Prime member I get free two day shipping).

I thought I would sell my old DS to cover the difference between my VP $ (around $100) and the price of the new Death Star. I wasn't hoarding or speculating or even looking to make a profit on the old Death Star, I just hoped to break even on it. There's always collectors that prefer old sets to the updates, so I thought there'd be some market. With the price of shipping, and now the suppressed demand because the new DS is so similar...it looks like I'd probably take a loss selling it.

I could of course just build the old Death Star, but I don't like the idea of an outdated set, even if it's just the minifigures.

I know there are worse problems to have in life than this, but it's definitely a Disappointment (Star:). I don't pretend to know how valuable AFOLs are to TLG, but I do hope they listen and learn something from this.

[RetroInferno]

So basically Sean Murray works for Lego now?

[Hip]

Ahahah

[ltzik]

All we need now are 10179 relaunch rumors and most of us will be happy, on the other hand I think LEGO is too afraid to release 600-650 bucks set... Especially when I discovered lately that it didn't sell much(How the hell?!).

[Markalus]

All we need now are 10179 relaunch rumors and most of us will be happy, on the other hand I think LEGO is too afraid to release 600-650 bucks set... Especially when I discovered lately that it didn't sell much(How the hell?!).

It's not a matter of if but 'when' they re-release an updated 10179. They would not be afraid on price either, just look at recent price hikes and the number of large sets that are being released. The whole notion of 10179 not selling well is out of context. The Lego market is a much different place to where it was 9 years ago. It's way more popular now, both with kids and AFOLs. 10179 was released at the height of the GFC when disposable income was a dirty word. Hindsight and the current street value of 10179 will ensure an updated version will be an instant sales success, whatever the cost. In Australia, 10179 was $1000 rrp! I would imagine it could be a $1500 AUD set if released today, even though our dollar has firmed against the USD since 2007. It would be a no-brainer day one purchase for me. It's that iconic.

[halomaster96]

I don't particularly want to echo everyone else's disappointment, but I am happy I won't have to shell out a ton of cash on ucs sets since I've got the original. It's too bad cause I've really wanted to get a ucs model type set since I got the TDK Tumbler last year. Hopefully with the looming release of Ep. VIII we will get a re-release of 10179 that is mostly the same but probably with both/the new radar dish and the sequel trilogy heroes in new outfits. Back to the DS though, how come the only part of it that looks significantly different is the Tie Advanced and it looks terrible? Couldn't they have gotten whoever made the great one in 75150 to make a smaller one? Also, if the DS had the outer shell and maybe some mini x-wings, y-wings, and Ties then it might have been worth a buy and the upped price.

[xboxtravis7992]

I imagine there are tons of collectors out there who missed out on the first death star for whatever reasons... And this their chance to get it.

I think its fair to say that not everyone on this thread started collecting Lego Star Wars sets straight from 1999... We've all missed out sets that we regret not buying over the years and we've waited for Lego to remake the set in question se we can get it. And it's the same principle here really. People have missed out on the DS and Hoth sets and this is there opportunity to get them again.

There are some of us who have been getting Lego Star Wars since 1999, but have been limited in funds. When the theme started I was only 5 years old so any sets I got were from my parents or other family members. It really wasn't until a few years ago I had enough money to purchase stuff regularly for myself and even then I still lack the complete ability to buy every single set from an entire year. It kind of gives me comfort to know that in a few years when I am done with college and fully on my feet, that the Death Star will still be on the shelves, ready for me to finally purchase it after eyeballing it since 2008.

Even then I agree %100 it is a lazy move on part of TLG. :)

[eldiano]

What's wrong with the new cape fabric? And Vader came with the new cape in the TIE Advanced set also.

I passed on the TIE advanced since it's rebels, but to me the thickness of the capes make the head stick out a bit more than usual and kind throws off the minifigure, I think, it's just a pet peeve anyway I always have extra black capes from other figures, but I so totally would use them while they sit down.

Everyone is drowning on a small cup of water to the leaks when nothing's been official, for all we know we have been lead into a merry go round that I am sure people have vented to Lego already about the design and flaws.

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

So, I'm the guy who spoke to a Lego employee at San Diego Comic-Con and was told the Disappointment Star™ a) the set would be an "enclosed" and b) that it would be $400. First, I want to apologize if I got anybody's hopes up or misled you in any way. I didn't want a "scoop", I was genuinely excited and believed the Lego employee I spoke to was someone who had seen the set and had no reason to lie to me. I'm not saying they were lying, conventions are hectic places where miscommunication can easily occur.

I do think it's emblematic of what I'd call TLG's poor communication this year. It seem they ask a lot of us - not just issuing takedowns of images but (some of which they have the legal right to do, others of which they don't), but in the case of TFA last year, asking that we not even discuss sets that we'd seen. I've never been clear on what exactly Eurobricks or any other site gets in return for being close to Lego, but it's not my place to question that. I'm happy there's a forum where I can learn about new releases, have questions answered by knowledgeable fellow AFOLs and of course seeing the creativity of the members here.

Still, I think this was a case where someone from TLG could have taken advantage of the ability to speak to fans here and elsewhere and very easily clear this up. If they follow forums and websites as much as it's rumored they do, they had to be aware of the growing excitement for a "bigger and better" Death Star. It would have been very easy to manage everyone's expectations by being honest. They could have done this officially or communicating it "off the record". There was likely to always be disappointment, but I think it would have been far less if we knew now months ago before excitement reached a fever pitch.

I could see staying silent if the older Death Star were still on sale, as that would depress sales. Or, if the DS were in any way a spoiler for Rogue One. Clearly, foreign knockoffs wouldn't be a problem as whoever does those things already has access to the (same) old Death Star.

I don't blame the designers. I don't have any secret knowledge of the inner workings of Lego, but I doubt they were asked to do a redesign and mailed this in instead. Still, it's not been a great year for Lego, from Kylo Ren's shuttle's wings not folding out, to a tiny Carbon Freezing chamber offering a single new minifig (Ugnaught by no Lando?) to The Assault/Insult on Hoth being a collection of smaller sets with a misleading name. It's hard to know where to assign blame - the shuttle was based on concept art, I don't know if the designers had a in naming their own products. But I think taken together it's been a disappointing year for SW Lego fans.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for those who missed their shot at getting the Death Star and now will be able to get one, even if it's more expensive. I very much understand the frustrations of those whose hopes were dashed, and again apologize for any part I played in that.

Personally, I'm disappointed and find myself in a bit of a conundrum. I bought a Death Star right before they retired it. I haven't had a chance to build as I was in an accident and broke my right arm and tore the cartilage and left wrist. When I heard about the new Death Star, I made the decision not to open or build it on the hopes (and multiple rumors) that the new one would be bigger and better. I bought Lego sets only directly from Lego during double VIP months so I could build up my discount. (Which makes a difference as Amazon often has discounts that make buying a set from them cheaper than Lego, and as a Prime member I get free two day shipping).

I thought I would sell my old DS to cover the difference between my VP $ (around $100) and the price of the new Death Star. I wasn't hoarding or speculating or even looking to make a profit on the old Death Star, I just hoped to break even on it. There's always collectors that prefer old sets to the updates, so I thought there'd be some market. With the price of shipping, and now the suppressed demand because the new DS is so similar...it looks like I'd probably take a loss selling it.

I could of course just build the old Death Star, but I don't like the idea of an outdated set, even if it's just the minifigures.

I know there are worse problems to have in life than this, but it's definitely a Disappointment (Star:). I don't pretend to know how valuable AFOLs are to TLG, but I do hope they listen and learn something from this.

The thing is - how should they listen to us? It's not just the diversity but especially the extremely childish behaviour that prevents more influence. If I'd be working at TLG - I'd get the impression the AFOL's are less adult than actual children, with their unrealistic expectations. The last DS was one of the best sets & it was at least very likely that they'll reuse it since a just4display-model could never sell that well.

But yes, better comunication would have prevented a lot. Funny how little we know of the inner processes of our favourite toy company..

[Lunchietey]

I still love the whining about price.

Yes it's inflation since 08 amd yes a few extra pieces add to it but everyone seems to have missed a big part of it.

Disney.

They want to make money. They will be slugging Lego a hefty brand premium.

The reason the disney castle isn't as expensive is that the pieces are smaller/lighter and the castle is Disney's own intellectual property. They didn't pay $4b for the rights to it.

Ok let's move on now...

[MKJoshA]

If anyone really wants to go in depth on the whole "does Lego care about the AFOL community when producing sets" question, they should go read the LotR thread. It's a good 200 pages that deeply delves into that topic.

[Brikkyy13]

If anyone really wants to go in depth on the whole "does Lego care about the AFOL community when producing sets" question, they should go read the LotR thread. It's a good 200 pages that deeply delves into that topic.

Can we get a TLDR?

[Forresto]

If anyone really wants to go in depth on the whole "does Lego care about the AFOL community when producing sets" question, they should go read the LotR thread. It's a good 200 pages that deeply delves into that topic.

I didn't think a group of lego fans could sound more depressed. if anything the thread just reminds me how fortunate we are as SW fans to be getting anything at all.

[LegoAndDisney]

I don't really understand what people actually thought they could have done any different with the Death Star. I don't think the build is dated and I don't think an outer cover for it would have improved anything other than creating more bricks so Lego could up the price. I knew the updated minifigures would be the only change they'd come with for the new Death Star, but I think that's all it really needed. I only got mine last year and I remember my lack of excitement on the minifigure front (thankfully I already own all the updated minifigures aside form Leia, Han and Tarkin anyway). I think those that don't own the Death Star yet will welcome this with open arms, especially with the new minifigures too.

With regards to Hoth; I understand why people were upset, but throw in a white base plate and it's a pretty okay set.

[benderisgreat]

Just saw new pics of Deathtrooper and it's a great minifigure! Highly detailed and I love paldron, but why does Lego keeps reusing angry clone face? Why can't they use some other face?

[nikhkin]

Just saw new pics of Deathtrooper and it's a great minifigure! Highly detailed and I love paldron, but why does Lego keeps reusing angry clone face? Why can't they use some other face?

"because the Storm Troopers are all clones..."

I know they aren't, but that's probably why they do it. I think I actually preferred it when they used the black, featureless heads as you didn't get a patch of yellow showing at the back. It's very rare for me to remove the helmet of a Storm Trooper so I'd prefer a better look with the helmet on.

[Richpepperell]

Just saw new pics of Deathtrooper and it's a great minifigure! Highly detailed and I love paldron, but why does Lego keeps reusing angry clone face? Why can't they use some other face?

Just saw the pictures too - something feels not quite right about the printing. The torso printing seems to stop abruptly at the hips, even cutting sone of those cylinders in half. I would like to have seen the printing carry over the hips. Still looking forward to getting them though!

[Forresto]

Are these death troopers on the reddit?