Lobot

@KevinYoung - I'll merge this with the general Q&A thread (link) as it doesn't really need a dedicated one

Welcome back Stash - it's great to see you around again, the SW forum has missed you!

I'm not usually that bothered about exclusives, but that has a definite appeal, similar to the Space Slug from last year It's just a shame that they don't make them more widely available; it seems far more in keeping with the 40th anniversary than the R2 polybag for May 4th, which seems a bit lack-lustre to be honest. Perhaps TLG might do a nice VIP offer via the website one day for fans that don't attend conventions, or have LEGO brand stores within less than a 25 mile round-trip! Fingers-crossed that we'll get something nice and shiny in the autumn, assuming that we do get another UCS set in 2017....

As previously mentioned we already have a Star Wars Pricing Thread (link) so I'll merge this thread with it And, the simple answer for this is to wait for the sales... In the UK, you can usually get non-exclusive sets at 30-40% at various times of the year which can be very useful if you're intending to buy multiples of them. Last year I managed to buy several First Order BPs at 50% off from my local supermarket, so it's well worth looking around.

I'm surprised by the UK RRP for the Snowspeeder (£169.99) which is the original (pre-Brexit) price for both the Slave 1 & TIE Fighter. I'd initially expected that TLG would price it at their revised price point of £179.99, so it almost seems quite reasonable. The £ has remained fairly static against the US $ for the last 6 months, but risen against the € so perhaps the 'baseline' is calculated against that; I guess that's logical. I'll be happy to order one on 4th May unless there's a cracking deal on something else; I don't expect the 40% discount will be available for more than a handful of smaller sets, but you never know!

I was hoping that we might get something really special - possibly another chrome Darth Vader, or C-3PO, but I guess we mustn't complain - it's certainly an improvement on last year! It's just possible that TLG may have something else planned for the autumn, to coincide with the rumoured second UCS of 2017... time will tell. Perhaps @ChristopherLee would be kind enough to clarify what he was talking about, it all sounded a bit vague at the time

The UK price is confirmed on the LEGO website as £169.99 (link); it seems like great value at that price point, which I don't recall saying for a while!

Thanks again CopMike - you're the best!

Considering that LEGO have often released two UCS-type sets each year, I think you're being a little harsh! There are strong indications that they've got something really special planned for the autumn and, if the rumours are true, it will be very much in keeping with the 40th Anniversary. As I said in the 2017 rumours thread, this a great set and I'm sure that it will be well received by most AFOLS. It's certainly on my shopping list for 4th May

That looks beautiful! Well done, TLG! My faith in UCS has been restored in a single move; definitely a purchase for me on May 4th. Hopefully they'll do something equally impressive for the promo; I'll be interested to see what's on offer. According to the press release on Brickset the UK RRP is £169.99, which is £10 less than both the TIE Fighter and Slave 1 (following the post-new year/pre-Brexit price-hike). I guess it could be an error, but perhaps TLG have realised that the price adjustments hadn't been that well received by UK AFOLS! Finally a set that I'm actually looking forward to buying, and building!

My guess is that they're trying to delay the reveal of the UCS Snowspeeder until the last moment, to minimise the chances of it being 'cloned' even before it's released! Earlier this month a fake version of the new POTC Silent Mary appeared, and that was within 24 hours of the first images of the official LEGO set! It's pretty shocking to be honest, and I can see why TLG are being so cautious about leaks at the moment - hopefully the lawyers will eventually fix the problem

The Slave 1 is one of my favourite UCS sets and I think you'll be very impressed; it's a good size, enjoyable to build and looks stunning on display. The boxart is amazing, but you're obviously not worried about that The only downsides are that the lower dark-red slopes look a bit unfinished close-up, the greebling on the underside is a little sparse (compared to the actual film model) and there's also a couple of parts that have an annoying habit of falling off randomly!

I'm not sure what you're referring to? The underside of the old UCS Falcon is very detailed; especially the mandibles and the section immediately below the engine block. The quad cannons are also identical to those on the top, so what else are you expecting? Try removing the top cannons; you can then hold the internal frame without any problems. It worked for me anyway, although I'll admit that it's quite a bulky set! If they add an interior it will eat into the overall part count (and add to the weight!); if that happens it's likely to be considerably smaller overall.

Great post Robianco, which echo's my thoughts exactly! I'm really impressed by the new Snowspeeder and hopefully a sign that the next UCS set will be equally good. Personally I'd prefer a UCS Falcon in the autumn, but a Blockade Runner would also make an ideal Christmas present from myself!

The mechanism used in Vader's Transformation looks almost identical to the one in the Carbonite Chamber from last year; the top 'octagonal' design is also very similar albeit with a different colour scheme. The larger brick-built droid looks good, but it's a bit of a shame that they didn't re-use the 2-1B from 8096 though, but I guess you can't have everything. The more I see the set, the more I'm convinced that it will be a great seller for TLG - I'm assuming that the UK's pricing will be £20-£25... which seems reasonable for that sized set

Darth Vader's Transformation is the best of the wave, as far as I'm concerned. It looks a fun build and decent value for money, which seems quite uncommon these days. The Advent Calendar looks reasonable, but isn't in the same league as the 2016 version; most of the mini-builds look instantly forgettable but it includes a few nice minifigures. I'm quite impressed by the Rathtar Escape; it's always good to have something a bit unusual and it certainly is! I'll be interested to see the RRP - at 836 parts it could be in £90 territory so I could be tempted when there's a decent sale

Hi Redbird11, I hope you don't mind but I've embedded some of the photos for you Great work by the way, they all look brilliant!

The colour looks fine to me, I don't understand the reasoning for any negative comments about it. LEGO has a limited spectrum available and if you look at the film models they're part-way between white and very light grey - quite similar to the Imperial Shuttle so neither white or LBG are an exact match. Overall it looks like a great set, and the designer should be congratulated. If the rumoured UCS Falcon is of a similar quality I'll be a happy bunny!

That's a very nice looking set - I can't wait to see the full images of it. The cockpit does look a bit odd, and possibly a little out of scale, but that could just be the angle. I'm not too sure about the stickers on the front air intakes, but overall it looks like a vast improvement on the original. That's a first day purchase for me; TLG have finally redeemed themselves after a totally forgettable 2016

I've said it several times before but if TLG did a limited run of 25,000 new UCS Falcons at £600-750, they'd be sold out in a couple of days. There's enough 40+ year old SW fans who won't think twice about such a purchase (me included!); just take a look at some of the vintage figures on Ebay (1977-84) such as Blue Snaggletooth, Yak Face & DT Lukes to see what I mean. The aftermarket for SW has exploded in the last couple of years and I'm amazed by some of the prices at the moment, and TLG must be aware of it. This sort of set isn't ever going to be targeted at children; there's plenty of others in the range for that. It would be a clever move for TLG to do this; especially to coincide with the 40th anniversary - and I can't wait!

Considering that 10129 was released in 2003, you'd hope that a new Snowspeeder would be a totally new design! With a retail of around £180 it should be impressive - and in the 1600-1900 part range. As much as I like the old version, it does look incredibly dated but that's due to the limited range of elements available at the time. I'm optimistically hoping for something akin to the quality of the Slave 1; that would go a long way to making up for the last two 'UCS' offerings which I can't must any enthusiasm for

I'd be surprised if TLG don't align it with May 4th to maximise the potential sales, but t's just possible that they may do an 'early access' for VIP card holders during the latter part of April. However, I'd be happy to wait for a couple of weeks to combine it with any promos that are available. I just hope that they're a little more respectable that last year, which were meagre to say the least! Thanks for the information @Sir von Lego - is that euros? If so, that would place it at the same price-point as the UCS TIE & Slave 1 in the UK (£179.99). Do you have any idea of the part count, dimensions, or whether it's from Episode V or VII...? I'm very hopeful that 2017 will be a good year for UCS sets; a decent Snowspeeder and Falcon would do very nicely!

Thanks, benderisgreat! I'm really surprised how much I like the Rathtar Escape, I can see that selling well. It's good to have another set with Episode VII Han, apart from the Falcon so it should give anyone with a limited budget the opportunity to own him. The Rathtar seems to have been 'inspired' by the Doctor Strange set, although I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm not sure about the Bounty Hunter Battle Pack - the image is a bit fuzzy but that looks like the old Bossk? Darth Vader's Transformation looks brilliant if a little smaller than the earlier images indicated. I'd expect that to be in the £20-£25 range, but time will tell. All we need is a UCS Snowspeeder & Falcon this year, and I'll be a happy bunny!

Thanks, it doesn't look too bad, but I think that we were really spoilt in 2016, so it was always going to be difficult to maintain that sort of level. It has a few nice minifigures and it will be a good way to obtain a cheap BB-8 if anyone is still looking for him

As much as I adore my 10178 I don't see it as being a 'UCS' and neither do Bricklink or Brickset. It brought me out of my dark ages, and is an incredible feat of engineering, but it's not 'Ultimate' in any respect (e.g. size, accuracy or appeal!). I hope that TLG will release one at some point; they should be able to create a stunning model in the 2,500 - 3,000 part range, as several fans have already demonstrated. My wish-list is all OT; UCS Falcon, Star Destroyer, Blockade Runner, AT-AT & TIE Bomber. I've almost given up hoping that we'll ever get a UCS Cloud City after seeing 2016's feeble offerings - but I guess you never know. Perhaps 2020 could be the year....