BrickBob Studpants

I've received it today and it is absolutely glorious A clear contester for the set of the year award and we all know there's only one or two sets this year on par with this one (I'm referring to the Ewok Village and the Sydney Opera House) The level of details is sheer amazing and so is its height, it's simply towering over every other set I could think of (pun intended, as always muahaha ). I took a picture showing all current sets so you can get an impression of its incredible size: In a nutshell, this set is simply epic and worthy of being called so

Out of this year's LOTR sets, this is the one I was looking forward to the most, simply because Rivendell is one of my favourite places in the entirety of Middle-earth. And I'm glad TLG have managed to capture it this well, but more on that later As mentioned in my review of 79005, I adore the boxart of these sets The picture with Arwen and Elrond looks a bit weird though, it sort of looks like she's ordering him to attack someone And this is what you find inside the box: Fortunately, the sticker sheet is quite small and only sports the superior kind of stickers (i.e. the transparent ones). Let's not hesitate and examine the contents of bag 1: The new dark-orange leaves do look great, now I can't wait to see autumn-based MOC's Noteworthy parts besides the foliage are the round plate in pearl gold and the rings. Looks like TLG is being generous by giving us three instead of two. Interestingly, they came out of the bag the way they're shown here, it wasn't me who put them on the turntable Coincidence, or more? The world may never know (nor care ). And those are the minifigs that await you in the first bag: Gimli is the same as before (apart from the fact he only gets one axe this time around) and Frodo has two new face prints, which has to be a record (or is there another character that got six different face prints in two years?). The angry expression I don't quite get regarding the context of this set, I mean what is he so angry about? (Maybe because Gimli gets launched right in his direction on the boxart ) Let's move on to bag 2: To some, the most exciting aspect of this set seems to be the new gothic-style arch pieces which might become very useful for a lot of MOCs. The bag also contains more foliage and a nice array of (dark) tan, white, reddish brown, pearl gold, olive green and light bluish gray parts. And, of course, the remaiing minifigures, Arwen and Elrond, which are both absolutely marvelous: The face prints and hairpieces are nothing short of perfect and I very much welcome the return of the double-sided cape, I really missed those Those two are my favourite minifigs of this wave of LOTR sets (besides Saruman and Gandalf the White of course ). The alternate expressions are cool too, but I don't recall Elrond ever smiling And now it's time for some comparison pics, yaaayyy!! Extra parts (as I've said before, quite generous): And the finished set: I'm amazed at how well they've managed to capture Rivendell in such a small set, they got everything right The colour scheme, the new foliage and details like those cute microfig statues give this set real charm. Even the play function is cleverly done: the Eye underneath the table to represent the moment the Eye appeared when Gimli hit the One Ring with his axe might seem gimmicky, but as I've said, I think it's really clever. So what else is there to say about this set but.... BUY IT ASAP!!

I see it more positively: what's not to like about a set that includes an movie-wise unfitting character which is at the same time one that probably wouldn't have appeared otherwise (or can you imagine a different set including Amidala apart from her Royal Starship which would be impossible to get released due to the expensive nature of chrome parts?) And besides, the characters are not that random cause they at least interact with the characters in other scenes (examples: Dooku and Poggle have multiple discussions on Geonosis, so you can recreate those scenes with that set; the Gungan Sub appears in Theed, right next to the palace if I remember correctly and altough Mace Windu doesn't go to Kashyyyk, he still can be seen next to some CTTs when he meets Yoda for the final time etc.). I can't think of a random character in the true meaning of the word

I'm pretty sure this hasn't been posted yet, so here we go: Source: http://us.starwars.l...56-741f0b88783e Since it's a polybag, we might get to see this being distributed elsewhere as was the case with the Shirtless Maul polybag (well at least I hope so )

Awesome review and equally awesome set, in the literal meaning of the word "awesome" This is most definitely one of the most breathtaking sets TLG has ever released and I can't wait to get my hands on it next week

How could I have forgotten about the Studios Steven Spielberg minifig? Quite embarrassing as I even own that minifig I know about the super rare George Lucas minifig, but I mentioned him anyway because I'd like to see an official minifig representation (like the one that was shown in one of the Indiana Jones animations)

The thing that bothers me the most about this is the fact that they apparently completely ignored the dual-sided faces that most of the current minifigs sport these days. Do those count as friendly or grumpy or both? And I don't quite get the aim of the study; it's neither an experiment, nor an quasi-experiment or a field study, it's not even a correlational study or anything As a psychology major, I could think of plenty of experiments you could do on that matter (and I'm not really convinced that facial expressions on toys are that important for development, but again, only studies with experimental designs could shed light on this matter). Is it just me or is TLG always getting in the news for all the wrong reasons?

Today I’ve received my latest orders from s@h including the LOTR sets and both exclusive SW sets for this year’s summer wave, as can be seen below: Seeing that there already plenty of LOTR reviews (albeit in video form), I decided to review the SW sets instead which are both pretty rare currently (due to simply not being available in most parts of the world). The first part of this double feature is a review of 75024 HH-87 Starhopper. The vehicle this set is based on frequently appears in season four of TCW, prominently in the Zygerrian arc and in the episode „The Box“ which is part of the arc that focuses on Moralo Eval’s heist (subtle name btw ). The set features Obi-Wan in his Rako Hardeen disguise (though without his helmet, which is a shame), Cad Bane and weirdly enough, a Nikto guard (who doesn’t make an appearance in neither of the two story arcs mentioned, but in other episodes this ship also shows up). So let’s start with the first thing you obviously encounter when buying a set, the box (pun intended ). I really like this year’s box art with Yoda in the corner; the green colour scheme also looks quite refreshing after all these years of blue, white, red and black. Nothing too fancy on the back, but I appreciate the small shots showing the model from different angles. Why Bane is shooting at Obi is beyond me though, maybe his cover was blown After examining the box, let’s take a look at the content inside: we get three numbered bags, a DSS and the instruction booklet. And that’s the content of bag 1: Again, nothing too fancy, but quite a nice array of parts in various colours. Especially people looking for dark tan parts might enjoy the part selection here. The 1x4 trans neon green tile is pretty rare and so far only appears in Galaxy Squad sets. The first bag also gives us two of the minifigs, Obi-Wan and Cad Bane. Both feature detailed prints on both sides. Bane’s face print is entirely new, as you can see on these comparison pics: Speaking of comparison pictures, I also took a comparison pic of Obi's CW incarnations: Bag two contains lots of dark grey, dark tan and lime parts, just as the first one: The windshield isn’t new, but this marks the first time it’s included in a SW set (and, to be precise, also the first time it appears outside of the City theme). And here’s what awaits you in bag #3: The Nikto guard in all his glory: I like the print, but too bad he doesn’t get an exclusive new headpiece like the Zabraks did (apart from Sugi that is). Let’s get to the meat of this set: First off, we have a nice little speeder which sports quite a refreshing design compared to other speeder bikes (though I like those as well). The portruding plates on the sides serve a certain purpose as shall be seen later ;) And here’s the main star of the set, the Starhopper itself: I’m really fond of the overall design and colour scheme, though I can see why a lot of people dislike both. Dk tan and lime is fine with me, but it sure isn’t everyone taste ;) You can attach the speeder underneath the ship, so that’s what the plates are for. The bike can be released by pushing down one of the plates on top of the freighter. And lastly, here are the replacement parts: nothing too special in this category I guess Overall, I really like this set, it features a good assortment of minifigs and parts and the model itself sure looks great on the shelf (and is „swooshable“ too), but the colour scheme might throw some people off and so does the lack of a helmet for Obi-Wan. But you can’t have everything, can you ;) Next, I’ll review my favourite spaceship-based set of this year, so stay tuned :)

@HJR: Of course, here you go:

@deskp: Here you go: Looks way better than the other hairpiece, which is better suited for male elves I think

@naugem: There aren't that many freighter-like ships in SW, so I used the Bounty Hunter Gunship as base for comparison: @HJR: Here you go:

@naugem: Of course, I'll take some comparison pics tomorrow Btw, does anyone know how to edit thread titles or are only admins capable of doing so? I've just noticed that I 'd written "hooper" instead of "hopper"

@KurttKrueger: Of course, here you go: @Faefrost: Thanks for the clarification, now it makes sense

@IronFish: It was 129 CHF, which is about 100 €, 90 $ or 90 £ (of course not in real life, but in the LEGO reference system )

And as requested, I present to you a few additional pictures: As you can see, the minifigs are kept in place by the new corner parts that were introduced last year: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=93095

Thanks for your comments! @IronFish: I got it on s@h Currently it's only available in Switzerland, Germany and Austria though @khatmorg: You're right, those are indeed flick-fire missiles. I guess this gives the term "fire the cannons" a whole new meaning And yes, those technic pieces form a handle for safe carrying

@Ki-Adi-Mundi: Thanks a lot! The ship measures 33 x 25 cm The set includes 15 stickers in various sizes; 6 are used for the middle section that consists of those dark red curved top bricks (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=6091), 2 large ones are applied to the outside of the escape pods, 2 portray control panels inside the pods, 2 are used on top of the bridge section, another 2 are supposed to be control panels inside the bridge and the last one is applied to the front of the ship (between the lightsaber windows) I'll take a few pics of the bridge later

Absolutely stunning This and the Tower of Orthanc have to be the best s@h exclusives in ages

That would be great, but the piece selection somewhat indicates that it's the Sydney Opera house instead... I don't think the village needs that kind of "skeletal" technic pieces I hope I'm wrong though

I've tried it, but those two pieces can't be connected because the middle section of the Maul leg piece is too long

That's just painful. I'm sure they put effort in their videos but can it really be that hard to do at least a minimal amount of research to get the main characters names and species right? Generally, I don't quite get the appeal of video reviews of LEGO sets. Unlike film or videogame reviews, there's no footage to talk about, so what's the point? You usually can't even take a good look at the set's details. They might be useful to show the set functions but that's it, at least in my opinion. *Rant over*

@8BrickMario: Padmés hairpiece is ABS, but Leia's isn't

Yes, the same he is, but come as a surprise this should not

It's also made of rubber, but a harder kind thereof, if that makes any sense It's comparable to the Zabrak headpieces ^^

@8BrickMario: It's really a tough decision, but I've come to the conclusion that the Duel set and the new Gunship are my favorites, because both have fantastic minifigs (as do the other sets, but those are especially magnificent) and I've always wanted an Episode II gunship (I own the CW version, but that one sorely lacks the bubble turrets). The Sailbarge is up there too with its sleek design and great minifigs I took a picture of that trans-light blue piece because I've never seen it before (though I'm pretty sure it existed in different colors before, but I'm no Technic expert). The set includes two of them and they're used as part of the engines ^^