nikhkin

Nope, there's also outlines of a B-Wing, and X-wings and Y-Wings and TIE Fighters. It's just art. The reason it is a silhouette is because they can't show a set not included in the box. The reason it stands out is it's bigger, and I'm sure the reason it is highlighted by the light behind it is because a large black blob would look odd. It's just art.

There's your problem. This is an 8 year old set. They can increase the price and claim inflation. I think it would be easier to swallow with a much lower increase though.

Reddit

Ah, you're right. I wonder how many people really had a problem of the door popping out, and why it couldn't be black to blend in

With them having (potentially) the same printing as current figs, can the changes really justify the additional cost? They have a new hair piece for Han, but we get new ones all the time in CMF, and it'll show up next year in other SW sets.

Don't forget the cheese slope! I genuinely don't know why it's there! That was a huge pit below Obi Wan when he deactivated the tractor beam. No detail is necessary.

I think it's pretty simple what has happened. Lego didn't want to retire it, but certain pieces such as the old TIE window, old Darth Vader helmet, those big missile pieces etc are no longer in production, or were only being made for this set. Some parts aren't made in that colour (swapping red for yellow) Other parts of the set could do with improvement to be stronger. Other factors, like Luke's outdated hair, needed to be addressed. Rather than just update the existing set, they decided to make a new one with the new pieces, but didn't bother to actually change the bulk of the set. I had expected them to at least add slope pieces to make the overall shape smoother.

As much as I am sure you're right, I'm going to wait for the price before being disappointed. If it's closer to the original price then I won't be because it's just the same set. If it is actually $500 I'll see how to conversion to GBP is and then realise it's a terrible price and then I'll be sad.

I just saw the leaked picture of the set. I thought CM4Sci was joking about the random cheese slope but it's actually there!

I don't think so, but a logical guess would be Jyn Erso and a Death Trooper for 2 of them. Perhaps K2SO for the third.

Incredibly unlikely. I don't think Lego has ever done something like that. It probably wouldn't sell well, and if they did do it, why not just make the shell free-standing as its own set? Plus, isn't modifying your sets with other pieces part of the whole Lego ethos? That said, it would be interesting to see. Didn't you just have double points in America? I can't even remember the last time it happened in the UK

The downside to that rumour is I think the advent calendar Bespin Guard is just the one from Slave I, no updates.

That's awesome. Interesting use of lever pieces on the walls. I always find it intriguing how people recreate the wall panelling of Star Wars ships/stations.

I'm fairly sure the last version had a couple of spares so it's likely they'll do the same again

That is true, but even 20 minifigs couldn't account for $150 more on the price in my opinion. They can manufacture the CMFs with new moulds and prints for less than that, and the majority of these figures will likely be using existing moulds and maybe some updated printing. I can actually understand Lego going from $400 to $500, but when they have similarly sized sets for far less it baffles me. I guess they look at the Ewok village and say "it's twice the size so twice the price"

It seems even less likely that Brick Show have any new information. Just sat through a minute and a half of them reading off the minifig list we got 2 days ago from Promobricks. If they had proper pictures they'd be able to give better information than that.

Now we just need an oddly animated clip of Mr Chip destroying Alderan. I assume this is the same picture, just cropped slightly differently. What's most disappointing about the price is that the Disney Castle has more pieces, but is only £290, compared to the presumably £400+ of the Death Star.

I'm inclined to agree with you, he didn't state anything more than we already knew, but I can keep hoping that pictures are going to seen soon.

Don't the announcements normally come a bit sooner when there's an early VIP release? Edit: Brick Show have just put up a video where they imply they have pictures, so they're definitely out there. He also said it looks very similar to the old version (further confirming what we've been told). He said the price is between $450-500

When you said this, I wondered if it was a Vogon ship from Hitchhiker's guide, due to the black and yellow striped colours. However I went back and re-watched the video and he says "inspired by one of my favourite space themes from when I was a kid". To me this suggests a Lego theme. His bio on the Lego website says one of his favourites was 6806 Space Hopper, so I guess it would be a Classic Space set from around that time.

Ah yes, just found it, thanks:

Well at least that tells us it isn't 100% identical I assume it's an old picture from back when the original came out and was on display in a store.

How can you even make out a TIE Fighter in that picture?

I would have expected cheese slopes to help get a smoother look to the sphere. They also haven't mentioned that he is chromed.

That picture just looks like the superlaser doesn't have the ring around the emitter on the original. Comparing it to pictures of the original the remaining structure appears to be identical. I feel like this is almost entirely an issue of timing. If they re-released the older modulars now I am sure it would be met with a lot more positivity. The main reason people are annoyed seems to be because an updated version comes so soon after the original retired.