spiderfan2000

Rewatching the LEGO Batman Movie for its 5th anniversary yesterday made me remember the period from late 2016 to early 2018 when we got so many characters released for TLBM across 24 sets and 2 CMF series (of 20 minifigures each too, that's something I miss). Seriously, we got so much that we may have never seen released otherwise, especially now. From all the various Batman villains and variants (Bigfig Bane, Calendar Man, Classic Captain Boomerang, Condiment King, Crazy Quilt, Egghead, Gentleman Ghost, Kabuki Twins, Kite-Man, Magpie, Mutant Leader, Polka Dot Man, Tarantula, Zebra-Man Calculator, Catman, Eraser, King Tut, March Harriet, Mime, Orca, Killing Joke-style Red Hood, Zodiac Master, Clock King, Doctor Phosphorus, Hugo Strange, Killing Joke inspired Vacation Joker) to the heroes (Classic Green Arrow, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Wonder Dog, El Dorado, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, Wonder Twins) and supporting characters (Updated Alfred, older Commissioner Gordon, Aaron Cash, and a variety of GCPD officers), and even other stuff like Reeves film inspired Jor-El and Zod, and a couple Flying Monkeys for good measure, everything that came in the DC sets afterwards seemed rather underwhelming for the most part. I can only imagine how many more characters could have been made if the LEGO Super Friends movie hadn't been cancelled. Man, I miss those days.

Yeah, I don't really see LEGO doing direct tie-in sets for the video game. At best, I could possibly imagine an indirect tie-in where LEGO uses the game for detail reference in the slight chance they make an Azkaban Prison set, which LEGO would need to make up interior details for otherwise, considering its miniscule screentime in the movies that mainly shows the outside.

I just built the Fluffy Encounter set. Pretty underwhelming as a standalone set overall. The minifigures are alright (getting the trio in robes is better than getting jumpers again at least), and I think the Fluffy build is pretty solid overall. The ability to actually pose Fluffy in a sleeping position adds a decent amount of value for reenacting the scene the set represents. The grey neck pieces and the weird combination of awake and sleeping heads are the most visible issues. Including two sets of heads that could be swapped out would have been the better option here. The location build is okay, though feeling a little insubstantial. The main issue is that there isn't a satisfying way to display it by itself. To keep the Devil's Snare room under the trap door, you have to leave the tower top off to the side, as there isn't anywhere to put it in that configuration. This set more than any other relies on having other castle sections attached to it to look presentable on display while keeping its play features intact. Overall, I give the set a 5/10 by itself, 7/10 if you have the rest of the 2021 Hogwarts sets.

My guessing that 76218 could a Sanctum Sanctorum or Asgard is mostly under the assumption that 76210 is an Avengers Tower, mostly because I can't really see anything else Marvel themed warranting a $500 price point. And of course, that's also assuming neither set number is actually for DC. And the plot thickens...

Is it possible that 76218 could be a Sanctum Sanctorum or Asgard? Both of those seem like decent candidates for a minifigure scale D2C if it isn't something Spider-Man related.

If we're getting another D2C Bat-vehicle this year, I still think the Bat-Ski Boat from Batman Returns has a decent chance of being next, considering it would tie into the 30th anniversary of Batman Returns, similar to the '89 Batmobile D2C releasing on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Batman movie. Plus it would likely mean finally getting the Batman Returns versions of Catwoman and Penguin as minifigures.

I'm personally hoping that if we get Raimi trilogy sets, at least one of them is from Spider-Man 3, considering that movie never got any LEGO sets before. A brickbuilt Sandman with minifigures of Spider-Man, Venom, and New Goblin at a $30 pricepoint would be something I would buy without hesitation.

I just finished building the Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets. Overall, despite being a generally weaker build than the 2018 Great Hall, I think the new set is still pretty fun, and I do appreciate some of the things they did to keep the set feeling different from the 2018 set. The Great Hall itself has details such as the Owl Lecturn and the cereal boxes which are nice to have. The dueling feature also adds some solid playability. The stickers for Lockhart's classroom and office add some amusing detail. The slide into the Chamber of Secrets is a good addition, though you can't do as much with it unless you have the Polyjuice set to place above it. The door and the Chamber itself are solid builds that incorporate a lot of details. I like how many chocolate frogs are scattered throughout the build. This set alone has twice as many chocolate frogs than in every set in the past from 2018-2020 put together. Of course, the basilisk is much better than that thing we got in 2018. The minifigure selection is solid, though Tom Riddle might need his legs swapped out, and Luna is a confusing inclusion for a COS set that only feels justified because it means getting a torso with Ravenclaw robes. Another opportunity to get Lockhart is always great, and Sinistra is a good addition to the Hogwarts staff. Colin and Justin are noteworthy characters to COS that I'm glad were included here, as they wouldn't have made for particularly interesting inclusions in a CMF series. Overall, I'd probably give this set a 7.5/10, or an 8/10 if you also have the Polyjuice Potion Mistake set to connect to it.

This could make a pretty good one if done correctly. Include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Crabbe and Pike from that scene, and you have a full minifigure lineup for the calendar already. A micro Shrieking Shack as one of the builds would be a nice touch too. There's probably a decent number of Hogsmeade themed things that could be included to fill out the rest of the daily builds.

I've concluded that the 2021 Advent Calendar feels a bit lacking in terms of having Christmas themed builds compared to the previous calendars. Only two builds this time are Christmas themed, and that's counting the wreath from day 4.

Interesting to note, this map layout I found of Diagon Alley from the first two movies is followed fairly closely by the 2020 Diagon Alley set, with everything from Ollivanders to Flourish and Blotts being in the same order on the same side, though Broomstix is cut off and Gambol and Jape's is replaced by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with the Knockturn Alley entrance being slightly moved. What if this mystery $470 set is all (or at least most) of the shops on the other side of the alleyway (Cranville Quincey's Magical Junkshop, Potage's Cauldron Shop, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Eeylops Owl Emporium, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, Mr Mulpepper's Apothecary, and the Magical Menagerie)? Granted, that would be a bit disappointing if we had to continue to wait for Gringotts, the Leaky Cauldron, or Borgin and Burkes.

I'm going to make some (probably overly optimistic) predictions under the assumption that the sets will largely follow the January's POA/GOF focused theming. 76400 for $19.99 Attack on the World Cup 76401 for $49.99 Triwizard Task, either Lake Task or Maze Task 76402 for $79.99 Shrieking Shack 76403 for $99.99 Leaky Cauldron 76404 for $44.99 Advent Calendar, perhaps POA Hogsmeade themed 76405 for $469.99 - D2C set, Gringotts, Broomstix, Magical Menagerie, and Slug & Jiggers/Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary 76406 for $49.99 Quidditch Match (Gryffindor v Hufflepuff, POA Edition) 76407 for $89.99 Durmstrang Ship, could include Lake Task 76408 for $119.99 Buildable Ron and Dumbledore If we get a lineup similar to this, a lot of gaps left behind from the 2019 sets would be filled in.

No Kaecilius, no Galen Erso, and now, possibly no FB3 Grindelwald? If I were Mads Mikkelsen, I'd be disappointed.

I can't fully judge the set until we get better pictures, but from what has been shown so far, I'll probably get the Hospital Wing when it goes on sale for $40 or less. The build looks decent enough, and I expect the interior will be well detailed. Out of the minifigures, Pomfrey is the clear standout, though I appreciate they included a broken leg Ron variant instead of going with a total repeat.

Not a whole lot that appeals to me from this 4+ wave, but there is some stuff that looks useful. I might try to get the set with Hulk and Rhino when it goes on sale, as both of those minifigures are standouts. The Ms. Marvel and Doc Ock figures might eventually make their way into future Bricklink orders at some point. Some of the parts are in good colors, as the red web pieces might look good with Carnage, and the medium legs are nice to see in all those colors (I don't recall seeing them in red, yellow, or dark purple before) I do hope this doesn't prevent us from getting a bigfig Rhino in the future though.

I would expect to see more indirect Spider-Verse tie-ins, such as how we've gotten new Miles variants, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Ham in sets since 2019, which I suspect was largely influenced by the Spider-Verse movie. I would hope we at least get Peni Parker included in a set within the next year or two.

I've been hoping for a D2C Avengers Tower ever since the Daily Bugle set came out and made the 2020 Avengers Tower look rather undersized in comparison, so I'd have no issue with that being the mystery set. $500 is more than I would have expected though. I would hope that an Avengers Tower at that price would have a level of size, detail and minifigure selection that can sufficiently surpass the Bugle.

I am really liking the look of the Hogwarts Trunk! It seems like a very fun set, and all the house torsos with scarves, plus the skirts and dual molded short legs are very nice to have. Another opportunity for the unsorted student torso is also very welcome. I'm glad that we're getting a flying owl that isn't Hedwig. With all the interchangeable features for the build and minifigures, I might end up getting up to four eventually if they go on sale.

I agree that a (hopefully) four minifigure accessory pack with two Chitauri does sound very likely. I would hope that in that scenario, the other two would be either Endgame Black Widow and Hawkeye/Ronin (because a Vormir set seems incredibly unlikely to happen for obvious reasons) or Drax and Nebula (to go with the Benatar set)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I really enjoyed it, but now I'm bummed out that LEGO didn't release any minifigure scale sets to coincide with it.

1: Lizard (Easily the most interesting for me, because we have not gotten any version of the character before) 2: Electro (Assuming we get a mask piece, otherwise he might drop down a spot or two) 3: Green Goblin with mask (The 2002 minifigure, while still great, could use an update) 4: Doctor Octopus (I'd hope the look of the tentacles is done right) 5: Green Goblin without mask (This might move up after we get a better look at the design on screen) 6: Sandman (As a character we've gotten in a lot of sets recently who likely won't have a drastically different look in the movie, I'd only be particularly interested in a minifigure if we finally got a torso print with no sand on it. A brickbuilt version could be hit or miss in quality depending on how its done)

Assuming we get a spoiler set or two that includes Electro, I hope he gets a translucent yellow "mask" piece that can be recolored in solid yellow for a classic comic Electro.

Considering a lot of minifigures from mech sets don't stay exclusive, it makes me wonder if that Black Panther minifigure will turn up in a Captain America: Civil War Infinity Saga set. A remake of the airport set would be great to get.

After four years, I finally got a TLBM Joker Manor (used and complete with all minifigures, and instructions but no box), for a price I'd consider decent compared to what they normally go for these days. I haven't gotten around to building it, but I'm glad to now have the only TLBM set I was missing. It brings memories of my peak of LEGO DC collecting from 2017-2018. The LEGO Batman Movie, which may very well be my favorite Batman movie, got me back into buying LEGO sets after taking a break for several years, and the design of the sets really stood out to me. I truly did enjoy all those sets and both CMF series, for having a wide variety of vehicles and location builds, a ton of both secondary and obscure characters we likely never would have gotten in the main DC line, and wacky variants that I find to have a fun charm to them. There's still a decent amount from the movie that I wish had made it into the sets (I really hope LEGO finds a way to eventually release Samurai and Gleek in some sort of Super Friends themed set in the future, as their exclusion from TLBM sets/CMF still baffles me to this day. At least we got classic Cyborg in the DC CMF) and I am quite disappointed that the sequel was scrapped. LEGO DC just hasn't been able to generate the same level hype for me since then aside from the 2020 CMF series, as only a couple sets and minifigures have interested me otherwise.

After watching Eternals yesterday, I feel a lot more motivated to pick up the sets. If we get more comic Spider-Man sets next year, I wonder what villains we'll get. The villain lineup we've been getting since 2019 has been fairly consistent, with the following being featured in multiple sets in that period: Green Goblin Doc Ock Sandman Vulture Venom Carnage Mysterio (starting in 2020) I do hope we get at least a couple new villains for 2022. I'm really hoping we get a comic Morbius as a loose tie-in for the movie. If we get movie versions of Electro and Lizard next year, while that could increase the chances of getting classic comic versions afterwards, that might result in a wait until 2023. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for a Rhino bigfig after the minifigure version comes out.