Star Wars Constraction 2018 Discussion & Rumors

[ninjagoyax555]

any news on new constriction theme?

[Azani]

Even as we inch closer and closer to 2018, the question is more along the lines of "Will we see new constraction sets in the second half of the year?" No, as unfortunate as it looks, we probably won't be seeing a new in-house constraction IP from TLG in 2018; if anything, we may see the end of SWC, extrapolating off of the frankly terrible sales of the latest sets.

As I've detailed in the past, all of the evidence put forth so far for the developing demise of constraction is anecdotal, and nothing else; that said, if that's all we have at the moment, then we have zero right to say that others can't draw predictions from the so-called "truths" that come from those with industry connections. I would tend toward remaining as realistic as is possible with any variety of predictions until we hear some of the latter.

Quote

75533 Boba Fett

~snip~

75534 Darth Vader

~snip~

75535 ???????

~snip~

75536 ???????

~snip~

75537 Darth Maul

~snip~

 

So, this is going to sound really nuts, but can we consider the possibility that Darth Maul is in the Han Solo movie? Does the new canon explicitly say that he died in TPM? Further, @VBBN, do we know that 75535-75537 are also slated for a January release, if that's being inferred?

Edited August 4, 2017 by Azani

[Leewan]

30 minutes ago, Azani said:

So, this is going to sound really nuts, but can we consider the possibility that Darth Maul is in the Han Solo movie? Does the new canon explicitly say that he died in TPM?

He died towards the end of the season 3 of Rebels, which was set two years before ANH. I believe the HS movie will take place 10 years before ANH, so Maul was alive at the time of the movie. Now, the other Constraction sets, Darth Vader and Boba Fett, were also alive at the time of the movie. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be in it.

 

30 minutes ago, Azani said:

Further, @VBBN, do we know that 75535-75537 are also slated for a January release, if that's being inferred?

I'm the one who added the sets 75535 and 75536 to the list. I'll change the information about the release date to make things more clear. 

[Azani]

59 minutes ago, Leewan said:

He died towards the end of the season 3 of Rebels, which was set two years before ANH. I believe the HS movie will take place 10 years before ANH, so Maul was alive at the time of the movie. Now, the other Constraction sets, Darth Vader and Boba Fett, were also alive at the time of the movie. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be in it.

...

I'm the one who added the sets 75536 and 75536 to the list. I'll change the information about the release date to make things more clear. 

No, that totally makes sense from a storyline/canon perspective. My understanding, however, is that the Han Solo movie sets were unlikely to be released in January, and thus 75537 would be part of that wave, or released in a later wave even further out. My assumptions are based off of the set numbers and the conjecture that Boba Fett and Darth Vader are unlikely to be part of the same wave as the Han Solo sets.

As a side note, no problem. :P I shouldn't have assumed that it was a particular moderator.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Azani

[Leewan]

Well, the set numbers aren't always an indication of the release date. This year, 75531 and 75532 were released before 75526-75530, so they can as well release 75537 before 75535 and 75536. Plus, the names of the HS sets are still unknown. So why would we already have Maul's name if he's part of the HS wave ? No, I think it's simpler than that, we'll have a "classic villains" wave this December, and a HS wave a few months later.

[Azani]

On 8/4/2017 at 10:38 AM, Leewan said:

Well, the set numbers aren't always an indication of the release date. This year, 75531 and 75532 were released before 75526-75530, so they can as well release 75537 before 75535 and 75536. Plus, the names of the HS sets are still unknown. So why would we already have Maul's name if he's part of the HS wave ? No, I think it's simpler than that, we'll have a "classic villains" wave this December, and a HS wave a few months later.

So, the simplest explanation is the one that includes Darth Maul as part of a later wave. It's also the one that makes the most logical sense, as the names of the Han Solo figures are almost certainly under some heavy security, while the names of the others are not. Heck, Sir von Lego might know the names of the HSM figures; he knew the set number of Maul this entire time. I would be very surprised if one bizarrely numbered set was released out of order; a couple of sets, or an entire wave, is a very different situation.

EDIT: As a heads-up, leaked image that can be found on the "legoleaks" subreddit have confirmed that Darth Maul will be released later, along with the Han Solo sets. @Leewan

Edited August 21, 2017 by Azani

[PenPlays]

Apparently Vader's helmet can be removed, if the box art is anything to go by.

Glad to see the rumors are true, and we're getting Boba Fett and a better Vader in January.

Maul is Episode I, and releases alongside two figures that are grayed out according to the leaks that just went live.

[Shakar]

Well, since the last set I had some hope for, Boba, is a total disappointment in terms of parts, I guess this is it for me. I'll buy pieces off Bricklink if I gather the time to build my MOCs, but looking at these it seems Lego doesn't want my money anymore, so no more sets for me. They've taken the last theme I liked and ran it to the ground twice, and it seems I really don't care for their other lines anymore, so I just need to accept that in terms of new releases constraction is pretty much dead.

[Azani]

1 hour ago, Shakar said:

Well, since the last set I had some hope for, Boba, is a total disappointment in terms of parts, I guess this is it for me. I'll buy pieces off Bricklink if I gather the time to build my MOCs, but looking at these it seems Lego doesn't want my money anymore, so no more sets for me. They've taken the last theme I liked and ran it to the ground twice, and it seems I really don't care for their other lines anymore, so I just need to accept that in terms of new releases constraction is pretty much dead.

I would recommend buying Chewbacca once he's discounted by a decent amount. It's genuinely an incredible set.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Azani

[Leewan]

Just now, Shakar said:

the last set I had some hope for, Boba, is a total disappointment in terms of parts

Hey, what did you expect ?

[Shakar]

Just now, Leewan said:

Hey, what did you expect ?

I mean, I was hoping they would slip in one sand green shell size, even if it's not very movie-accurate. Boba was the only way we could have sand green CCBS and it's pretty much gone forever now.

Just now, Azani said:

I would recommend buying Chewbacca once he's discounted by a decent amount. It's genuinely an incredible set.

I'm curious about the torso build, but I really don't care for his parts. Is the set that good in person?

[Leewan]

Just now, Shakar said:

I mean, I was hoping they would slip in one sand green shell size, even if it's not very movie-accurate.

Haha, if you have unrealistic expectations, you're set for disappointment. 

1 minute ago, Shakar said:

Boba was the only way we could have sand green CCBS and it's pretty much gone forever now.

We can still get some in other themes. Okay, it's just four feet, but actually, we already did.

 

[Azani]

4 hours ago, Shakar said:

I'm curious about the torso build, but I really don't care for his parts. Is the set that good in person?

It's good. If it were a $25 set, it would be the best of the theme in every category; build, colors, parts, and gaps. It's actually a lot better looking on that last point than the box art seems to imply. 

[Shakar]

10 hours ago, Leewan said:

Haha, if you have unrealistic expectations, you're set for disappointment. 

We can still get some in other themes. Okay, it's just four feet, but actually, we already did.

It's true I shouldn't do that. It's that I remember that person who claimed to having seen the sets and seeing sand green shells on Boba and I clung to that. Sure, there are the dragon's feet, but it's not much if you want to build something. Boba might have sand green feet, though the colour of his boots varies a bit depending on the deciption.

A quick rundown of the recolours if anyone's interested, though I'm sure there are going to be a lot of inaccuracies due to shadows and lightning:

Boba
"Keetongu yelloworange" SW round smooh shoulder pads
Sand green SW male torso armour, (?) CCBS feet, Jango Fett helmet (well of course)
Dark red (?) 4M CCBS shells
Dark orange (?) 5M CCBS shell (left arm)
New parts: dark tan (?) tattered cape

Darth Vader
Titanium metallic (?) large tubular shell
New parts: new cape (? Though it's probably Kylo Ren's helmet)

Darth Maul
Too blurry to make it out. But head aside I don't see anything new.

6 hours ago, Azani said:

It's good. If it were a $25 set, it would be the best of the theme in every category; build, colors, parts, and gaps. It's actually a lot better looking on that last point than the box art seems to imply. 

Interesting, I undertstimated the set. I'll check it out, thanks.

[ZORK64]

Dang, I missed the pics.

I'd be particulary interested in Boba and Vader, so if someone could send me links...

Edited August 22, 2017 by ZORK64

[Azani]

5 hours ago, ZORK64 said:

Dang, I missed the pics.

I'd be particulary interested in Boba and Vader, so if someone could send me links...

What exactly do you mean by the term "missed them"? They're all currently posted in a mirror of the original post on "r/legoleaks". Just check the comments. Alternatively, you can check out the user "lego_peru" on Instagram. :)

Edited August 22, 2017 by Azani

[ZORK64]

19 hours ago, Azani said:

What exactly do you mean by the term "missed them"? They're all currently posted in a mirror of the original post on "r/legoleaks". Just check the comments. Alternatively, you can check out the user "lego_peru" on Instagram. :)

I can't find the mirror nor any pics at lego_peru.

I literally only find old or unrelated stuff.

[Azani]

On 8/23/2017 at 8:17 AM, ZORK64 said:

I can't find the mirror nor any pics at lego_peru.

I literally only find old or unrelated stuff.

As of today, both are gone; the mirror was taken down and the fellow by the name of lego_peru had to remove the majority of his leaks. Sorry about that; PM me if you'd like to request certain images.

 

EDIT: :)

JANUARY

75533 Boba Fett - 25€

75534 Darth Vader - 35€

APRIL

75535 (Han Solo Film) (Likely Han Solo) - 25€

75536 (Han Solo Film) (Likely Beckett)- 25€

75537 Darth Maul - 25€

 

I know the above prices for certain.

-Azani

Edited October 11, 2017 by Azani

[Shakar]

I don't particularly care about the set, but DV is 35 Euro? What?! He looks so simplified compared to the 2015 set, yet not only he's not cheaper but more expensive too? There's got to be something hidden to his build that we haven't seen.

[Azani]

1 hour ago, Shakar said:

I don't particularly care about the set, but DV is 35 Euro? What?! He looks so simplified compared to the 2015 set, yet not only he's not cheaper but more expensive too? There's got to be something hidden to his build that we haven't seen.

I know, right? I mean, we can discern that his torso is partially custom, as there's a 4 or 5M A shell near the lower part of his crotch, but there's got to be more of a stylistic detail or function. He'll also be taller than 2015 DV (hopefully).

Edited October 12, 2017 by Azani

[Leewan]

Hopefully the parts count will justify that. 2015 Darth Vader was 30€ and has 160 parts, and to compare with a more recent set, Chewbacca is 35€ but includes 179 parts (although 10 of them are tiles with clip for his belt).

[TwistLaw]

On 13/10/2017 at 8:28 PM, Leewan said:

Hopefully the parts count will justify that.

Most probably it won't. The price of standard SW CCBS figures was raised from 20$ to 25$ last year, without any actual improvement on the build or piece counts (just compare this to this), so it's safe to assume that this year's DV won't be an actual step forward compared to the already good 2015 version.

But well, we're talking SW CCBS here. A repetitive line with a limited range of colours, builds and price tags - no wonder so many people, both in the constraction fandom both in the LEGO SW fandom, care so little about it-.

[Aanchir]

On 10/12/2017 at 6:18 PM, Azani said:

I know, right? I mean, we can discern that his torso is partially custom, as there's a 4 or 5M A shell near the lower part of his crotch, but there's got to be more of a stylistic detail or function. He'll also be taller than 2015 DV (hopefully).

Well, we can probably anticipate that Darth Vader will at least have a gearbox or some other sort of action feature in the torso, since that's been a standard feature of basically every figure with a lightsaber or other melee weapon since the second wave. Also, just glancing at the leaked pic, interesting that he's the first buildable figure with a removable helmet. I'm sure other people have probably already noticed this and been talking about it, but I guess I wasn't paying attention before.

1 hour ago, TwistLaw said:

Most probably it won't. The price of standard SW CCBS figures was raised from 20$ to 25$ last year, without any actual improvement on the build or piece counts (just compare this to this), so it's safe to assume that this year's DV won't be an actual step forward compared to the already good 2015 version.

While the piece counts of Star Wars figures haven't increased all that much (besides the ones that have gearboxes), I'm not sure the price increase was totally arbitrary. Scarif Stormtrooper is a heftier build due to larger parts like the thigh shells and gun, and has more printed parts including a unique plastic kama. Even in the first wave, the $25 Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't have a higher piece count than the various $20 figures, so it seems like these sorts of subtler differences do have an impact on how LEGO prices the individual sets.

Also, there definitely hasn't been any sort of across-the-board shift towards fewer pieces for more money. The K2SO and Baze Malbus figures had decidedly more weight and higher piece counts than any of the previous $25 sets, and all the other recent $25 sets without fabric or plastic film pieces tend to have a piece count hovering around 100. This year's Elite TIE Fighter Pilot is back at the $20/€20 price point despite a pretty impressive weight and piece count (the main thing setting it apart from the $25 sets from the same wave is the lack of any fabric elements). The Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike set has a similar or better price per piece to similarly-priced constraction vehicles like Jetrax T6, Thornatus V9, and Drop Ship. So I don't really feel like the Star Wars figures have become a decidedly worse value than we've come to expect from sets of the past.

[Azani]

44 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

Well, we can probably anticipate that Darth Vader will at least have a gearbox or some other sort of action feature in the torso, since that's been a standard feature of basically every figure with a lightsaber or other melee weapon since the second wave. Also, just glancing at the leaked pic, interesting that he's the first buildable figure with a removable helmet. I'm sure other people have probably already noticed this and been talking about it, but I guess I wasn't paying attention before.

While the piece counts of Star Wars figures haven't increased all that much (besides the ones that have gearboxes), I'm not sure the price increase was totally arbitrary. Scarif Stormtrooper is a heftier build due to larger parts like the thigh shells and gun, and has more printed parts including a unique plastic kama. Even in the first wave, the $25 Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't have a higher piece count than the various $20 figures, so it seems like these sorts of subtler differences do have an impact on how LEGO prices the individual sets.

Also, there definitely hasn't been any sort of across-the-board shift towards fewer pieces for more money. The K2SO and Baze Malbus figures had decidedly more weight and higher piece counts than any of the previous $25 sets, and all the other recent $25 sets without fabric or plastic film pieces tend to have a piece count hovering around 100. This year's Elite TIE Fighter Pilot is back at the $20/€20 price point despite a pretty impressive weight and piece count (the main thing setting it apart from the $25 sets from the same wave is the lack of any fabric elements). The Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike set has a similar or better price per piece to similarly-priced constraction vehicles like Jetrax T6, Thornatus V9, and Drop Ship. So I don't really feel like the Star Wars figures have become a decidedly worse value than we've come to expect from sets of the past.

Thanks, Aanchir, additionally, I found these on Friday but forgot to mention 'em over here. Looks like you were right about the gearbox. Custom gearbox?

"Place the Boba Fett bounty hunter in a fighting pose and get into action! Adjust its antenna and orient it downward to target its prey. Weapon the sniper rifle, then fly into the air with its powerful jet pack with built-in missile launcher."

and

"Reign over the galaxy with Darth Vader! Put on his cape and grab his red lightsaber. Then place him in a fighting pose and turn the wheel to move his arms. Once victory is gained, remove the helmet from the Dark Lord to reveal his scary face!"

3 hours ago, TwistLaw said:

Most probably it won't. The price of standard SW CCBS figures was raised from 20$ to 25$ last year, without any actual improvement on the build or piece counts (just compare this to this), so it's safe to assume that this year's DV won't be an actual step forward compared to the already good 2015 version.

But well, we're talking SW CCBS here. A repetitive line with a limited range of colours, builds and price tags - no wonder so many people, both in the constraction fandom both in the LEGO SW fandom, care so little about it-.

Hey, we appreciate your positive vibes. :)

Quite seriously, I don't think that there's a lot to back up these complaints; sure, Chewbacca and DV are both a little overpriced, but the former was genuinely one of the best SWC sets to date. I'd say that he was worth 30 USD/EUR, and I expect the new DV to be similar, in all honesty.

Serious apologies if I'm missing something, but what did you like so much about constraction in the first place? Tbh I've never heard you say anything positive in here.

[Leewan]

3 hours ago, TwistLaw said:

The price of standard SW CCBS figures was raised from 20$ to 25$ last year, without any actual improvement on the build or piece counts (just compare this to this)

Your comparison isn't fair. :p I could say "just compare this to this, they have the same price point, but the TIE Pilot has more parts, and the back is better covered.", but that wouldn't either represent accurately how the sets evolved over the years. The Shoretrooper is a bit weak, true, but in general, the sets do have more parts and a better build than they used to. EDIT : Oh, I missed Aanchir's post, so now it will look like I wrote a summary of his message. 

Now, I also doubt the new Vader will have much (if any) more parts than the old one, but I wouldn't use the difference in the number of parts between the previous and the current sets to demonstrate that.