LEGO Star Wars 2020 Set Discussion - READ FIRST POST!!!

[2maxwell]

1 hour ago, ARC2149Nova said:

Sure, there are 4 sets from the era, but one is hilariously overpriced, lacks any real desirable figures, and is a ship most of us wouldn't mind going without. Another is a semi-pointless remake, at least make it the green variant or something. The other two are only receiving praise (mostly) for the minifigs.

Do this with any other era and you'd find people who feel very similarly about the sets they're receiving.

Say what you will, but the AAT is exactly what I wanted. Will I modify it? Yes. But I wanted a moderately sized CIS AAT with an Ahsoka fig and tank driver battle droids, and look at what I got. So there's one PT fan who is perfectly satisfied with this wave.

[Mandalorianknight]

3 hours ago, Sabre-aN said:

Good point, there's certainly no denying that they'll be more costly than the single colour parts. Though then again we did get 4 dual-moulded stormtrooper helmets cheaply in 75262. I suppose if helmets in general are already complicated / expensive parts anyway, perhaps the upgrade to dual moulding isn't considered as much of an issue as it would be for arms

True, the helmets were dual-molded. Duel molded arms and legs still seem to be more rare among SW sets, for some reason.

1 hour ago, jdubbs said:

I don't disagree that LEGO's choice of sets is mind-boggling at times. I do disagree that this is somehow a problem particular to the prequels.

^This. Lego makes some crazy choices, but it's not an agenda against the prequels.

2 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

On the subject of PT/TCW sets: There's certainly a difference between quality and quantity. Sure, there are 4 sets from the era, but one is hilariously overpriced, lacks any real desirable figures, and is a ship most of us wouldn't mind going without. Another is a semi-pointless remake, at least make it the green variant or something. The other two are only receiving praise (mostly) for the minifigs. I find it dismissive to shoo away complaints just because "it's 4/9 sets, be happy". I don't think the number is the problem, but the selection. Certainly, ignoring the 501st set, there were better options, but we got what we got.

Also, knowing Lego, there are major characters missing that we may never see (not just from TCW), and so that's a factor to consider in some people's disappointment.

Yeah, lego can make some weird decisions sometimes, but as others have said it's not unique to the prequels. Also, attempting to look objectively at these sets:
Grievous's starfighter: somewhat obscure fighter with 2 major characters and a clone varient.
AAT: major separatist ground vehicle with fan-favorite Ahsoka, clone varient and 2 droids.
501st: two small ground vehicles with 4 clones and 2 droids, a specifically fan-requested set. 

Anakin's starfighter: Main hero ship with 2 major characters.

There are totally some big flaws, like the price of the grievous starfighter and lack of a third figure in anakin's, but overall it's a pretty good selection. And it's almost half the wave! The prequels aren't getting too few sets, it's just that lego, as they always do, makes weird choices in some ways. For this wave, i think I can see the logic behind it, though. It's got Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, a major villain in Grievous, and then a heck ton of clones and droids with 4 major vehicles and one semi-obsure vehicle. 

 

Two other things I noticed that I thought were cool:

We get the three main heroes of the saga: Anakin, Luke, and Rey. I think this might be the first wave with all three.

There are two Gonk Droids in the wave, and they're new designs/colors. Clearly, until they release the Gonk Battlepack with 4 stud shooter wielding Gonks and the AT-GNK, this is the best wave for Gonk Droids in awhile.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Mandalorianknight

[dvogon]

Just found these new set images from AAT and General Grievous.

The AAT is ok, the Ahsoka minifig is nice and it is in a cheaper set, which is a good thing. I don't like that much the clone trooper though. A bit expensive I would say, given that it has only two minifigs + two droids.

The General Grievous star fighter is just waaay overpriced for what you get. I still see the old 2010 8085 set in very good shape, comparing it to this one.  

[samsz_3]

5 hours ago, jdubbs said:

I'm with you. If you look at the actual Stormtrooper costume, white hips seems way more accurate. I think people just have a nostalgic fondness for the black hips dating back to the first stormtroopers, and resist change, even when it produces a more accurate product.

This is true of sets from all the movies, not just the PT. How many times will LEGO give us Luke's Landspeeder, when they could have just as easily done the Lars family landspeeder, or even the green version of Luke's from TPM? How many Cantinas will come with Han and Greedo, ignoring the dozens of other aliens in the scene? Did we really need a blink-and-you-miss-it Y-Wing and AT-ST from Rogue One (never mind how good they were) when there were sets like the AT-ACT and Cargo Shuttle that had never been done before? Why did we get a generic TIE fighter from Solo instead of the all-new TIE Heavy? Why yet another Falcon (admittedly, a superior version, but the fourth in 5 years) from Rise of Skywalker instead of Ochi's ship?

I don't disagree that LEGO's choice of sets is mind-boggling at times. I do disagree that this is somehow a problem particular to the prequels.

Some times repeats are annoying for long time collectors if they don't represent a significant update, but you have to remember that the target audience and mass audience of all LEGO sets (aside from UCS/creator expert/big technic etc) are kids. For example if an 8 year old kid in 2017 wanted a Y wing then its good that LEGO produced one. Collectors may own the 2012 one, but the kid would have been 3 years old at the time, so wouldn't have gotten it. It might not have been the main ship in R1 but it's got a larger audience because it's a classic ship that's been in OT, R1, Rebels. It was 6 years between OT TIE Fighters, so similar point applies. Personally I do own the Cantina, Y wing, TIE Fighter and Falcon that you mentioned, because I started collecting in 2018 and they are iconic to Star Wars. The AT-ACT is quite similar to the AT-AT and one was released 2 years before R1, the only differences being it's taller (wouldn't be in LEGO) and has orange side panels. I wish we got the Cargo Shuttle and TIE Heavy however. I think a lot of these issues of perceived repeats come down to the fact that the ST ships are more or less the same as the OT ships (whether its Disney being lazy, fan servicing or it did make sense in the plot), and in a Han Solo film the main ship is going to be the Falcon. 4 X wings (3 ST) in 5 years is understandably quite ridiculous. I'm quite glad the ST is over so we can hopefully see more balanced waves. I hope they make new sets from R1, Solo (can't think of what they'd do) and Rebels rather than it be a one time thing when the films were new. With the success of Fallen Order and the upcoming release of Squadrons, it would be nice to get some game based sets.

Edited June 18, 2020 by samsz_3
Years

[TeddytheSpoon]

2 minutes ago, samsz_3 said:

With the success of Fallen Order and the upcoming release of Squadrons, it would be nice to get some game based sets.

I'd love to get a TIE Reaper as a Squadrons tie-in (if you'll pardon the pun).

[Kit Figsto]

57 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Two other things I noticed that I thought were cool:

We get the three main heroes of the saga: Anakin, Luke, and Rey. I think this might be the first wave with all three.

Yeah, this is a fantastic wave for people trying to build up an arsenal of main characters.  You can get Obi-Wan, Anakin, R2-D2, Ahsoka, Grievous, pilot Luke, ROTJ Luke, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Mando, The Child, Rey, and you can still very easily find affordable sets with C-3PO, ANH Luke, Ben, Poe, and BB-8.  I remember when I was younger, it seemed like certain characters were either only in big sets or weren't always available.  Heck, I think my first Han Solo minifigure wasn't even until the 2014 cantina since he seemed to only ever be in the Millenium Falcon.  So it's great, especially for kids who don't have all of the main characters yet.

[Mandalorianknight]

25 minutes ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

I'd love to get a TIE Reaper as a Squadrons tie-in (if you'll pardon the pun).

That would be a great set for the next TIE. It's a great design that's very different from the standard TIE, and it's now popped up in not only a movie but two console games (and plenty of mobile games, I'm sure). Although, we still need another bomber and interceptor, it's been over 15 years! And squadrons also prominently shows the imperial cruisers from rebels, and the mon cala ships we still don't have at all.

Maybe squadrons gets everyone really into OT starfighters and we can get those last few TIES, at least.

19 minutes ago, Kit Figsto said:

Yeah, this is a fantastic wave for people trying to build up an arsenal of main characters.  You can get Obi-Wan, Anakin, R2-D2, Ahsoka, Grievous, pilot Luke, ROTJ Luke, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Mando, The Child, Rey, and you can still very easily find affordable sets with C-3PO, ANH Luke, Ben, Poe, and BB-8.  I remember when I was younger, it seemed like certain characters were either only in big sets or weren't always available.  Heck, I think my first Han Solo minifigure wasn't even until the 2014 cantina since he seemed to only ever be in the Millenium Falcon.  So it's great, especially for kids who don't have all of the main characters yet.

I can sympathise with you on Han. My parents couldn't get me the 2011 falcon because I was too expensive, and at that age a hundred dollars seemed like a million to me. I found the magnet set online though, back when you could actually take the figures off the magnets .

That is one great thing about the past few waves, all the main characters are in cheap-ish sets. Except for Poe, who's cheapest set where he's not in a festive sweater is still $50, almost all the main heroes and villains are all pretty affordable. 

[MGS6735]

3 hours ago, ARC2149Nova said:

On the subject of PT/TCW sets: There's certainly a difference between quality and quantity. Sure, there are 4 sets from the era, but one is hilariously overpriced, lacks any real desirable figures, and is a ship most of us wouldn't mind going without. Another is a semi-pointless remake, at least make it the green variant or something. The other two are only receiving praise (mostly) for the minifigs. I find it dismissive to shoo away complaints just because "it's 4/9 sets, be happy". I don't think the number is the problem, but the selection. Certainly, ignoring the 501st set, there were better options, but we got what we got.

Agreed. I prefer the PT/CW sets to sets from other portions of Star Wars. My issue isn't with the number of sets released. 4/9 sets in a wave dedicated to a trilogy is more than sufficient representation under normal circumstances and is probably fair with Season 7 of CW coming out this year. My problem is also the quality of the sets. Looking at all of the sets from the wave:

Anakin's Interceptor: Good build although it is very similar to the last one. Figures (Anakin) could be better. 3/5.

501st BP: Great figures, BARC speeder is alright, AT-RT has some issues. 4/5.

AAT: Great figures, AAT build is laughably inaccurate. The price could be better. 2/5.

Night Buzzard: Figures are good and what we expected, build looks good but there seems to be a lack of interior space. Price is reasonable. 3/5.

Grievous' Starfighter: Build looks good albeit similar to the last one, all figures except the Airborne trooper aren't new or interesting, and the whole package is ridiculously priced. 2/5.

DS-II Duel: Good build, although it is very similar to the last one. Figures are nice with some good improvements (Darth Vader). The price is a little questionable. 4/5.

Resistance IT-S: Great build, probably the best in this wave. The figures are good, but some are kind of lazy. The price is solid. The vehicle is obscure, but that can be overlooked. 5/5.

AT-AT: Nice build with many improvements, great figure selection. Price is questionable at best. 4/5.

Advent Calendar: Builds are on par with what we expect with some nice new inclusions (Lucrehulk). Figures are decent and there are two exclusives. Price is what we expect. 5/5.

Taking the scores from this very non-scientific analysis, here are the averages for each trilogy:

PT (4 Sets) - 2.75/5

OT (2 Sets) - 4.5/5

ST (2 Sets) - 4/5

Advent Calendar (1 Set; doesn't fit in any of the other categories) - 5/5

Looking at this, the PT sets scored significantly lower than the sets from the other trilogies. (Although this is very unscientific and there may be some bias here as I prefer PT stuff. Feel free to try this yourselves.) I don't think it is reasonable to see waves dominated by PT/CW stuff as we did in the late 2000s, but it isn't unreasonable to have better quality sets. Also, more PT sets focusing either on Clones and Droids or things we haven't seen in awhile/ever (Jango Fett Slave I, Zam Wessel Speeder Chase, Kamino sets, etc.) would be ideal, assuming that the quality of those sets is at least on par with the others being released.

 

[TeddytheSpoon]

47 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Maybe squadrons gets everyone really into OT starfighters and we can get those last few TIES, at least.

To be fair the interceptor and bomber are both in the game as well, so it's perfectly reasonable any one of them could show up. Imagine if we got a remake of 10131 with four TIEs from Squadrons as a 2021 D2C...

What I will say about the great prequel debate is that it's been a long while since we had a big prequel set; 2015 if you count the latest Darth Maul ship, with the last $100+ ship being the gunship from 2013 (!), inflation notwithstanding. (EDIT: I forgot about the Jedi starfighter and hyperdrive from 2017 which was $100, but I thought that was overpriced at the time...) The bigger, pricier sets tend to be 'better' sets, or at least more impressive, while the smaller ones inevitably have more design compromises, which would support/explain the low quality argument.

At the end of the day it's all academic though, as the quality of sets is so subjective, as we've seen in this thread.

Edited June 18, 2020 by TeddytheSpoon

[jdubbs]

1 hour ago, samsz_3 said:

Some times repeats are annoying for long time collectors if they don't represent a significant update, but you have to remember that the target audience and mass audience of all LEGO sets (aside from UCS/creator expert/big technic etc) are kids. For example if an 8 year old kid in 2017 wanted a Y wing then its good that LEGO produced one. Collectors may own the 2012 one, but the kid would have been 3 years old at the time, so wouldn't have gotten it. It might not have been the main ship in R1 but it's got a larger audience because it's a classic ship that's been in OT, R1, Rebels. It was 6 years between OT TIE Fighters, so similar point applies. Personally I do own the Cantina, Y wing, TIE Fighter and Falcon that you mentioned, because I started collecting in 2012 and they are iconic to Star Wars. The AT-ACT is quite similar to the AT-AT and one was released 2 years before R1, the only differences being it's taller (wouldn't be in LEGO) and has orange side panels. I wish we got the Cargo Shuttle and TIE Heavy however. I think a lot of these issues of perceived repeats come down to the fact that the ST ships are more or less the same as the OT ships (whether its Disney being lazy, fan servicing or it did make sense in the plot), and in a Han Solo film the main ship is going to be the Falcon. 4 X wings (3 ST) in 5 years is understandably quite ridiculous. I'm quite glad the ST is over so we can hopefully see more balanced waves. I hope they make new sets from R1, Solo (can't think of what they'd do) and Rebels rather than it be a one time thing when the films were new. With the success of Fallen Order and the upcoming release of Squadrons, it would be nice to get some game based sets.

Yes, I'm aware of who LEGO is selling to, and pretty clear on why they make the decisions they do. My point was that this sort of thing — favoring rehashes of the same 20 "iconic" sets over doing new/unique builds — happens across all SW eras, not just the PT, which the OP seems to think is being singled out for abuse by some kind of Disney/Lucasfilm/LEGO conspiracy. 

But on the other hand, there is a balance to be had between appealing to new buyers (kids) and repeat buyers (AFOLs, TFOLs), and this is where I fault LEGO. Many times, LEGO clearly makes the choice to do a rehash because it is easy and cheap — not because they're trying to appeal to their base. Luke's landspeeder, for instance, has come out every ~2 years for the last 6-7 years. One of those could have easily been swapped out for a different speeder of some sort (Zam's, Lars family, green version) while still giving the core kid market another generic Luke Landspeeder before the market completely turned over. LEGO reuses Han and Greedo in the Cantina because it's easy — the mold is already there for Greedo, the figure already designed for Han — not because they feel the set won't sell to kids without those characters. (Substitute Luke and Ponda Baba/Evazan and you've still got a memorable action scene... but this time one that kids and AFOLs will happily buy.) They did the Ep 9 Falcon — uhhhgain, with the Solo version still on shelves and the TFA version only retired a year or so earlier — because it was cheaper to spruce up an existing build than it was to come up with an all-new build for some new ship. 

My problem with LEGO's approach to all this is twofold: 1) I don't think they're giving kids enough credit and 2) I think they're either underestimating the size of the AFOL/TFOL market, or taking them for granted. Take this fall's AT-AT... a (slight) improvement over the previous version, but still a rehash, that easily could have been something new(ish) — a Fallen Order AT-AT or a RO AT-ACT, for instance. Would it have sold any worse if it were either of these? If you buy into the idea that kids have $160 to spend on this set (which is dubious) would they really turn their noses up at it en masse if it weren't the exact version in ESB? And even if they did, how many more AFOL buyers might it attract if it offered something truly new?

Yes I know it's ESB because of the 40th, and I know a lot of you are excited to get it because you missed the previous version, which is now insanely expensive. I'm just using it as an example of LEGO doing what is safe, rather than taking even a slight risk on something vaguely new.

Edited June 18, 2020 by jdubbs

[2maxwell]

7 minutes ago, jdubbs said:

LEGO reuses Han and Greedo in the Cantina because it's easy — the mold is already there for Greedo, the figure already designed for Han — not because they feel the set won't sell to kids without those characters. (Substitute Luke and Ponda Baba/Evazan and you've still got a memorable action scene... but this time one that kids and AFOLs will happily buy.)

The Han/Greedo interaction is so famous that Harrison Ford still gets asked about it regularly. If I was getting my first Cantina set, I absolutely wouldn't buy one without a Greedo. I'd love if they alternated the background characters to give us more (as they've done do a certain extent already) but, if you think a Cantina set would sell well to the 90% of lego buyers that aren't AFOLs, you're VASTLY overrating the fame of the other patrons in comparison to Greedo. It would be like making a Cloud City set without Lando. I mean he's in other sets, so why bother right?

[autolycus]

Y'all are lumping all AFOLs into a single category: those who own all (or almost all) sets that have been released to date. That's a really poor assumption. I'm an AFOL. I have a few smaller sets I bought from the first 2-3 years of the SW line and then nothing until 2016. I have a few sets from 2014-2015 that I bought from eBay. I skipped a LOT of the 2016 and 2017 stuff since I was still working my way back into collecting more and more. I have no AT-AT. I have no Final Duel. I have no Grievous minifig--I do have the constraction Grievous, which is excellent! A lot of the things y'all are complaining about being rehashes, I'm excited about. When things I already have are updated and re-released, you know what my reaction is? "Good, that means I have a little bit of extra budget room to dip further into a different line." I'm not a completionist so I don't care if I skip a set because I already have a good version of that vehicle or scene. And I still have PLENTY of sets to buy each year that I'm looking forward to, both within the SW line and others.

And even if I weren't in an extended Dark Age, I might not have had enough money for EVERY set I wanted. Something like an AT-AT might just not fit in someone's budget, so bringing it back gives lots of AFOLs a 2nd opportunity at it, even if they weren't in a Dark Age like me.

Things like the Falcon will always be around. Lego would be fools to not rehash that, an X-Wing, a TIE Fighter, etc. pretty regularly. At this point they've got pretty darn good renditions of those that don't need significant tweaks. And @2maxwell is right, some of these sets with different characters wouldn't sell nearly as well. Cantina has to have Han and Greedo. They keep doing the same Luke's Landspeeder rather than a Lars one because no casual customer would have any recognition of the Lars one.

[jdubbs]

3 minutes ago, 2maxwell said:

The Han/Greedo interaction is so famous that Harrison Ford still gets asked about it regularly. If I was getting my first Cantina set, I absolutely wouldn't buy one without a Greedo. I'd love if they alternated the background characters to give us more (as they've done do a certain extent already) but, if you think a Cantina set would sell well to the 90% of lego buyers that aren't AFOLs, you're VASTLY overrating the fame of the other patrons in comparison to Greedo. It would be like making a Cloud City set without Lando. I mean he's in other sets, so why bother right?

Greedo has a large presence in the scene and in the mindshare of kids who watch it, sure. But I could say the same thing about Walrusman/Ponda Baba. It's the first alien we really see in the movie, the first time we see a lightsaber in action, and it's pretty impactful for a kid to see a dude's severed arm lying bleeding on the floor. It certainly made an impression on me as a kid, and on my own kid when he first watched the movie. 

I'm just saying it would not kill them to cycle in some other characters now and again. When you're faced with buying your second and third Cantinas, trust me, you won't excited to shell out $50 for yet another Greedo. 

2 minutes ago, autolycus said:

Y'all are lumping all AFOLs into a single category: those who own all (or almost all) sets that have been released to date. That's a really poor assumption.

Not assuming that at all. But as an AFOL, if you really want a set that's not currently on shelves but was released 5 years ago, you have the option to find it on eBay or Bricklink or wherever. You don't have that option if the set never existed in the first place. There will likely never be an AT-ACT or a Fallen Order AT-AT, if they aren't released alongside their supporting media. That is the problem with constant rehashes.

[2maxwell]

5 minutes ago, autolycus said:

Y'all are lumping all AFOLs into a single category: those who own all (or almost all) sets that have been released to date. That's a really poor assumption.

Totally agree with everything you said. I've been collecting since the first SW sets were revealed and I definitely am picky and choosy about what I get. Even now nearing 30, I still go back to get 1 or 2 sets from the last several years that I didn't pay attention to at the time.

5 minutes ago, jdubbs said:

Greedo has a large presence in the scene and in the mindshare of kids who watch it, sure. But I could say the same thing about Walrusman/Ponda Baba. It's the first alien we really see in the movie, the first time we see a lightsaber in action, and it's pretty impactful for a kid to see a dude's severed arm lying bleeding on the floor. It certainly made an impression on me as a kid, and on my own kid when he first watched the movie. 

I'm just saying it would not kill them to cycle in some other characters now and again. When you're faced with buying your second and third Cantinas, trust me, you won't excited to shell out $50 for yet another Greedo. 

I mean, like I said the Greedo interaction is so famous that Harrison Ford gets annoyed when it's brought up. No one talks about the others, even if the scene was impactful. It doesn't hold the same cultural cache. And as someone who already owns a Cantina set, I'd only buy a new one if I felt the new one was structurally a big step up over the one I already own since you know, I already own a Cantina. No new minifigures alone are going to make me update a set of a building I already own when, as an adult, I can always just bricklink the new figure I want for much less than the total cost of the set.

A new Cantina with a bunch of characters most people couldn't name might sell well to the 10% of lego buyers who are AFOLs, but would probably do pretty poorly among the rest of the 90%. I totally agree that they can (and should) cycle background figures more than they do, as obviously we all want more characters. But some characters make a scene, and selling that scene without that character would be a fool's errand.

[ARC2149Nova]

4 hours ago, jdubbs said:

This is true of sets from all the movies, not just the PT. How many times will LEGO give us Luke's Landspeeder, when they could have just as easily done the Lars family landspeeder, or even the green version of Luke's from TPM? How many Cantinas will come with Han and Greedo, ignoring the dozens of other aliens in the scene? Did we really need a blink-and-you-miss-it Y-Wing and AT-ST from Rogue One (never mind how good they were) when there were sets like the AT-ACT and Cargo Shuttle that had never been done before? Why did we get a generic TIE fighter from Solo instead of the all-new TIE Heavy? Why yet another Falcon (admittedly, a superior version, but the fourth in 5 years) from Rise of Skywalker instead of Ochi's ship?

I don't disagree that LEGO's choice of sets is mind-boggling at times. I do disagree that this is somehow a problem particular to the prequels.

I never said it was a problem unique to the prequels, but my post was in response to the notion that just because half the wave is prequel based, fans of that trilogy should be satisfied. I like the sets we got, I really do, but like I said, clearly there could've been better options. An AAT is nice, but a Mandalore-based set would be even nicer. The Mandalorian gets scene specific sets, Clone Wars can too, I believe. But, like I said, we got what we got, doesn't mean it's necessarily terrible, but could be better.

As for other remakes, as others have pointed out, not everyone buys every version of every set. My first Lego Star Wars set was 2010's Luke Landspeeder. Never bought another one until this year's release. Yes, there was one in 2014 with Mos Eisley, yes there was one in 2016, but I just so happened to get this one, and I'm very happy with it. I do understand the frustration with it, but again, no two collector are completely alike. Also, that 2016 Y-Wing is my favorite version of that craft to-date, and up to that point I never owned a Y-Wing. Plus, the Cargo Shuttle and AT-ACT would not fit in the price range of either $40 or $70, so I don't really think the Y-Wing or AT-ST would've been easily replaced. Also, the AT-ST was the first one since 2009, right? 2007 if you're only looking at single releases.

I didn't buy the TIE Fighter, but that was moreso because I didn't spring it in time. It too was the best version since 2012 (and the FO variant doesn't count), but also, looking up the TIE Heavy, and I really don't see how that's a TIE worth fawning over. It's literally just a gun beside the cockpit...Now a Bomber/Interceptor, I wouldn't mind, and I think the Bomber was in the movie, but by and large, the Solo sets were very fresh. Also, the Falcon is the Falcon, not only is it the best version since (imo) 2010, but it's simply iconic. Ochi's ship could've come out after the movie, but the Falcon stays where it is.

I'm not opposed to remakes, but I do think the choice in remakes are a bit odd. Swap the AAT for a Mandalorian speeder, still get Ahsoka, 332nd Trooper, but now you also get Mandalorians, which are very popular right now (almost too popular ). Maul's Super Commandos go for no less than $20-$30 a pop on Bricklink, that's absurd. Anakin's fighter could've been the green version, then maybe the Mustafar robes would at least make sense! And hack $20 off of the Soulless One's price, and everyone's happy. No way the good General costs that much to make.

Anyway, not all remakes are created equal. Simple changes to what we got, largely keeping the elements most liked the same, and voila!

[2maxwell]

On a different note, I've come around to agreeing with the people who think ROTJ Luke needs a new hair mold. It's still a very accurate piece for that hairstyle, but the softness of the edges and the texture set it far apart from current hairpieces and make it feel dated. I can see why everyone felt it needed an update.

Edited June 18, 2020 by 2maxwell

[ARC2149Nova]

6 minutes ago, 2maxwell said:

On a different note, I've come around to agreeing with the people who think ROTJ Luke needs a new hair mold. It's still a very accurate piece for that hairstyle, but the softness of the edges and the texture set it far apart from current hairpieces and make it feel dated. I can see why everyone felt it needed an update.

It might be time to release Emmet's hair in a new color, if they wanted to go with an existing piece, but a new one is probably due. I feel the same way about Padawan Obi-Wan/Anakin's hair, the old male hair and slicked back pieces are far from ideal.

Maybe that's were some new molds for Star Wars can come from, more accurate hair pieces every year or so.

[2maxwell]

22 minutes ago, ARC2149Nova said:

It might be time to release Emmet's hair in a new color, if they wanted to go with an existing piece, but a new one is probably due. I feel the same way about Padawan Obi-Wan/Anakin's hair, the old male hair and slicked back pieces are far from ideal.

Maybe that's were some new molds for Star Wars can come from, more accurate hair pieces every year or so.

For Anakin you could always hack the bottom off the mullet piece haha.

[ARC2149Nova]

Just now, 2maxwell said:

For Anakin you could always hack the bottom off the mullet piece haha.

I was literally trying to remember that piece the other day (long story), thanks for reminding me. 

[Sneakguest]

3 hours ago, Kit Figsto said:

Yeah, this is a fantastic wave for people trying to build up an arsenal of main characters.  You can get Obi-Wan, Anakin, R2-D2, Ahsoka, Grievous, pilot Luke, ROTJ Luke, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Mando, The Child, Rey, and you can still very easily find affordable sets with C-3PO, ANH Luke, Ben, Poe, and BB-8.  I remember when I was younger, it seemed like certain characters were either only in big sets or weren't always available.  Heck, I think my first Han Solo minifigure wasn't even until the 2014 cantina since he seemed to only ever be in the Millenium Falcon.  So it's great, especially for kids who don't have all of the main characters yet.

I just wished that most lego buyers (especially parents and other relatives) were aware of BL, then we would get rid of this megablocks repetition of main characters 300 times

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

To be fair the interceptor and bomber are both in the game as well, so it's perfectly reasonable any one of them could show up. Imagine if we got a remake of 10131 with four TIEs from Squadrons as a 2021 D2C...

What I will say about the great prequel debate is that it's been a long while since we had a big prequel set; 2015 if you count the latest Darth Maul ship, with the last $100+ ship being the gunship from 2013 (!), inflation notwithstanding. (EDIT: I forgot about the Jedi starfighter and hyperdrive from 2017 which was $100, but I thought that was overpriced at the time...) The bigger, pricier sets tend to be 'better' sets, or at least more impressive, while the smaller ones inevitably have more design compromises, which would support/explain the low quality argument.

At the end of the day it's all academic though, as the quality of sets is so subjective, as we've seen in this thread.

As you noted, It's been awhile since our last $100+ prequel set, but I think i know why. Most of the waves that haven't been for the new films don't have $100+ sets (excluding UCS of course, that's a whole different beast). And in those waves, we've had some big prequel sets (I'm counting $60 and up as "big"). The jedi starfighter/hyperdrive ring, as you said, but also the AT-AP, and Turbo Tank. (I'm not counting yoda, it's a statue)  Looking at the OT, the only big non-ucs since the new films have been coming out are a the X-wing, Sandcrawler, landing craft and 20th Slave one. It seems this is more so a case of the more expensive sets being for the new releases. This also shows how weird lego's releases can be. The three biggest ROTS releases are all Kashyyyk, and the retailer exclusive is a ship that appears in the special edition for a few seconds and as in an episode or two of rebels

Edited June 19, 2020 by Mandalorianknight

[jdubbs]

16 minutes ago, ARC2149Nova said:

never said it was a problem unique to the prequels, but my post was in response to the notion that just because half the wave is prequel based, fans of that trilogy should be satisfied.

I don't think you should be satisfied. I don't think any of us should. But you previously claimed Disney/LEGO are "shafting" the PT, and dismissed these sets as examples of them showing the PT any kind of love. I'm saying this wave is evidence that they treat the PT just like all the other movies. You may wish for "better" sets, but there are others who are happy with these exact choices. For every PT fan that is annoyed at getting another Soulless One or Jedi Starfighter, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just like for every OT fan is who is annoyed to get another AT-AT, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just read the comments of the last few hours.

18 minutes ago, ARC2149Nova said:

Ochi's ship could've come out after the movie

Highly unlikely at this point. Sets that large ($100+) are either tied to upcoming/just-released media or something super-iconic, neither of which is true of this ship. It's not impossible, but I'm not holding my breath.

[ARC2149Nova]

2 minutes ago, jdubbs said:

I don't think you should be satisfied. I don't think any of us should. But you previously claimed Disney/LEGO are "shafting" the PT, and dismissed these sets as examples of them showing the PT any kind of love. I'm saying this wave is evidence that they treat the PT just like all the other movies. You may wish for "better" sets, but there are others who are happy with these exact choices. For every PT fan that is annoyed at getting another Soulless One or Jedi Starfighter, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just like for every OT fan is who is annoyed to get another AT-AT, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just read the comments of the last few hours.

You seem to be extremely combative. My point is that some concerns are quite valid. And I'd like for you to quit bringing up my previous statements as a reason to shut down my argument. Whether you agree or not, it doesn't change the fact that some people (and I'm not talking about myself for the record) being disappointed in this wave's selection. I've given my thoughts on the wave, and for the most part, I think it's quite good, all things considered, but the fact remains the same, it could always be better. Would anyone really complain if Soulless One was an ARC-170? Would anyone really complain if AAT was any other vehicle with the same or similar figure selection? The answer is no. Or at least, not many. So yes, some fans are disappointed. They have every right to be, just like everyone else has the right to meme on Snowspeeders, wish for more detail, etc.

I'm also not saying that there aren't people who wanted a new AAT, Grievous Fighter, whatever else. But I did suggest simple changes that would keep the sets fresh (Anakin's fighter being green, Soulless One costing less, etc.). But, you cherry-pick my response and bring up a past comment as reason to dispel any critique of Lego and their choices. I tend to follow the SW fandom at large, so I have my reasons for certain opinions, but my "original" post was defending other fans who were disappointed. I never said the prequels are the only sets with remakes, and I contended your examples of "pointless remakes" to prove a point that some remakes are quite warranted. But perhaps we should be talking about Lego's strategy at large, regardless of the material involved.

If people are upset over this wave, it's their right. Just because you like it, just because I'm okay with it, doesn't mean everyone has to agree.

37 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

As you noted, It's been awhile since our last $100+ prequel set, but I think i know why. Most of the waves that haven't been for the new films don't have $100+ sets (excluding UCS of course, that's a whole different beast). And in those waves, we've had some big prequel sets (I'm counting $60 and up as "big"). The jedi starfighter/hyperdrive ring, as you said, but also the AT-AP, and Turbo Tank. (I'm not counting yoda, it's a statue)  Looking at the OT, the only big non-ucs since the new films have been coming out are a the X-wing, Sandcrawler, landing craft and 20th Slave one. It seems this is more so a case of the more expensive sets being for the new releases.

I'll also add to that the fact that most of our last few prequel sets have been mostly limited to Kashyyyk (as far as the movies go), and I now understand many fans' problems with Hoth. The prequels are full of various locales, many of which we still haven't seen. That's also an issue with OT sets, most of them recently have been Tatooine related, with few ventures outside of that.

I believe that perhaps 2021 will see a greater variety, with more long-awaited vehicles/characters from across the board.

5 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

The prequels aren't getting too few sets, it's just that lego, as they always do, makes weird choices in some ways.

I feel like this is more of the problem. Taken objectively, this is a good wave, all the sets offer something of value. But put together, it's an odd bunch.

[jdubbs]

On 6/15/2020 at 4:32 PM, Kit Figsto said:

Also, part of the reason that I think we're getting a shuttle is that, based on jdubbs' previous comment, he seemed to be hinting that it'll be $350, and there isn't a whole lot that could be remade at that price point. 

Sorry, I overlooked this and should correct a misconception. For the record, I was only hinting at the price of the fall UCS set, not its identity. (Though it is what I would expect a modern UCS Shuttle to cost!) There are a lot of people claiming this set is the shuttle... whether it turns out to be so... well, time will tell.

[Kit Figsto]

13 minutes ago, ARC2149Nova said:

I believe that perhaps 2021 will see a greater variety, with more long-awaited vehicles/characters from across the board.

I for one am certainly excited to see what we get.  Other than S2 of Mandalorian (which I think at this point is almost assuredly to have a set based on it, since S1 was such a hit, they'll definitely end up cooking up something for the January wave in order to avoid what happened last year and only having one set that, in all honesty, wasn't that important of a scene/vehicle), we don't have any new stuff that will take up a lot of the winter wave, since I think the Cassian show is scheduled for spring of 2021 if I'm not mistaken.  I feel like we might get another few waves of very diverse stuff (sort of like the waves we got between 2006-2008, when it was a mix of all different movies + even the EU).  At least, that's my hope!

Just now, jdubbs said:

Sorry, I overlooked this and should correct a misconception. For the record, I was only hinting at the price of the fall UCS set, not its identity. (Though it is what I would expect a modern UCS Shuttle to cost!) There are a lot of people claiming this set is the shuttle... whether it turns out to be so... well, time will tell.

Good to know, thanks for the clarification!