Flieger

A question: are the TIE pilots of the new Gozanti-cruiser set new? Different printing for the helmets, e.g., or are they the same we had with the TIE Advanced?

About bloody time! The old was really getting old. PS: in my country, it is April 2nd already, so this better not be a belated april foolbrickmario loves DisneyTM!. The first Thrawn-Triology was some of the best EU-stuff ever, and quite enjoyable even for casual fans. And it made me like the EU, in the beginning. The later books never had this magic, and most of the EU was plain stupid imho. I do not want to start a flame war and I know many like the EU, so I try to leave on a common ground: Thrawn, in the first triology, was really great and he got the EU going in the first place. Edit: ........... okaaaaaaay... this board still has "something" going on for April 1st. Not funny guys, not on April 2nd.

I can easily see why Thrawn is popular. I would say he is the most popular EU figure. He is the only one I am interested in, which means something because I am generally a TV&Movie purist. (And being a purist has nothing to do with what DisneyTM). Lego's choices regarding promo minifigs puzzle me quite often. How is it decided what promo minifig they do? Wouldn't it make sense to have poll or something like that?

The 501st is not just a TCW thing. It is a bit unfair that we had a 212th battle pack but no 501st. Perhaps it is because their role in the movie was not exactly kid-friendly...? (And it is strange that they missed the opportunity of a new Phase II Cody, indeed!) Speaking of battle packs, I would like to see this one: Death Star Troopers (II) - 2x Imperial Navy Troopers (aka Death Star Troopers; the one with the huge helmets) - 2x Imperial Officers in Black Uniforms (Legends' so-called Stormtrooper officers; with the new caps) Imperial Navy Troopers - 2x Imperial Crewmen (like the recent ISD ones) - 2x Imperial Junior Officers (like the Imperial Officer of the recent ISD, just with Lt. rank pins) Imperial Space Troopers - 4x Space Troopers (the canon ones seen when the Falcon lands on the Death Star in ANH)

You are right, I think. The black trousers are easily done, and even a Grand Admiral is not much of a problem. Just remember how messed up rank insignia in the Star Wars universe are. I for one am glad that they did a canon minifig, rather than a Legends minifig even if Thrawn&Pellaeon are cool.

Yep, the AT-RT is massively oversized. I forget the smilies. About the rest I was serious. The speeder bikes are objectively oversized, like the AT-AP is objectively undersized. In fact most sets I listed are, still objectively speaking, notably under-/oversized. I would be hardpressed to come up with a set that is true minifig scale (i.e. based on the minifig being 1.8m tall). But the feeling is about right, at least for me. This is a very subjective impression of course, and I am not surprised about differing opinions.

Yes, true minifig scale is rare. But there are some sets which feel better scaled than others. From what I have: 75002 AT-RT -----> probably one of the best sets for true minifig scale, assuming the minifig is 1.8m. 75004 Z-95 Clone Headhunter 75038 Jedi Interceptor 75039 V-Wing 75042 Vulture Droid 75043 AT-AP 75046 Police Gunship 75082 TIE Advanced Prototype 75083 AT-DP 75090 Speeder Bikes

I would have preferred Yularen in TCW outfit, since we do not have any Republican Admirals. And Republican non-Clone personnel is scarce anyway. The ANH outfit is nice too. I think this one will stay exclusive, because there are very few sets in which he'd make sense. And I do not see any Death Star Briefing set coming.

Outstanding review! I like photo reviews better than video reviews, so I am very glad you did this. Thanks a lot!

ZCerberus, thanks a lot for this read! It was enjoyable, informative, and thought provocing. So it was everything I like. The fantastic pictures are a highlight, too. Let me just disagree on a single point: the scepticism about a UCS set holding minifigs and being on minifig scale. As long as the chosen ship or vehicle is big enough, this is actually a plus in my opinion. I would give my firstborn for a UCS AT-AT at true minifig scale, but that would be enormously large even for a UCS set. (Assuming a minifig represents an average male at 1,80m, or at least someone between 1,60m and 2,00m). The Slave One is just big enough to look good on minifig scale, without being overly big for a Lego set. If anything, I'd complain that the current Slave One is too small to be minifig scale, closer to Lego System scale (which is always scaled down).

Using the Lego Store Gift Card my friend gave me for birthday (that was really cute of her!), I got the TIE Advanced Prototype. Here in Germany this one is overpriced I feel (50 Euros), so I was glad about the gift card. The set itself is certainly nice, though. Excellent build, good minifigs. The TIE pilot's print could have been better, but that is the only complaint I have beside the price. (And I know some people complained about the red spring loaded shooters, because the TIE uses green laser bolts. Yes, it does, but it also has red emitters on the cannons. So when the shooters are loaded it looks accurate!). True! I actually prefer walkers to spacecraft due to their often better display value. And you may think of the AT-DP as the brother of the AT-AP. One is tall and lanky, the other short and stubby; one is fast, the other powerful; one for defense, one for attack. They make a nice display together, even if they are from different eras.

AT-PT? Do you mean the AT-AP? If so, I have them both, AT-DP and AT-AP. I think the AT-DP is the slightly better purchase, although I am a fan of both. The AT-DP does look better and is imo more impressive on display due to its height, but that is subjective. The AT-DP has the better minifig selection: both pilots needed, a main villain, and a Stormtrooper - what is not to like? The AT-AP's minifig selection is very good, too, but I think you actually need the Kashyyyk-Troopers to complete the set (and the droids are... well, droids).

Thanks a lot, that is a nice minifig, even though I am usually not a fan of textiles on Lego. (...which is why I am still looking for an adaequate torso print).

Likely so. I am still wondering why the colours look so different... lighting, texturing? I do not know. The colour guide is a little inconsistent, too. The Tank Transport Pilot's uniform is supposedly "hexachrome black", yet it looks a lot darker than the same colour on Kallus's uniform. Strange, isn't it? There is a Rebel's colour guide, too: http://www.starwars....wileks-and-more But indeed it does not really explain Sabine's helmet...

Is there a good torso (and good legs) to recreate Darth Sidious' appearence when he duelled Maul and Savage?

Overall, the coverage is good. In fact, it would have been excellent, if one just took the first few episodes into account. However Lego could have given us a Sentinel-class shuttle (with Tarkin, two black-pauldron stormtroopers, and crewmen) and/or the corvette (with you know who), to complete the cover of the later episodes. Also some buildings would have been nice, like the academy or the abandoned Senate building. (I realize that such scenary sets are less attractive, though). It is likely that the Sentinel shuttle would have clashed with the Tydirium, and from what I have seen, Lego probably did not have much insight into the later episodes anyway. So I understand why we are not getting them. And it is ok, seeing we got some very good sets already. I just fear for the future. With TFA around, and "classic" films still going strong, I doubt Lego will invest as much into Rebels in 2016 as they invested into TCW sets back then. ... which would be a shame. The plans for season 2 sound really exiting. So I hope my fears are unfounded. And I want a Rebels' style Vader, to go along with my Rebels' style troopers.

It's ok. I can even share your point about the expression. Just regarding the colour, it is wise to remember Lego does not have a 32-bit colour palette. They operate with approximations. And I feel white is a better representation of the very pale, almost white Pau'an skin. The greys Lego has would all be way too dark. So I think white is a better compromise.

Agreed. It was the best designed minifig of the whole Rebels lines. No mistakes, no odd colours, new moulds... what's not to love? I do not think so. Not only has the Gozanti been featured prominently in earlier episodes, the figure selection does not make any sense if it was supposed to be a set for the finale. This is just a set of a spacecraft seen in the show with some minifigs added. I am tempted to say 'randomly added', but Kallus has been seen on board of that cruiser as early as Droids in Distress making quite an entrance...

@ Khaled Yousef: good points. I do not know what defines "success" for Lego. I do not know what expectations Lego had with the LotR-line; I do not know whether they were met or not. In any case I dare say they were not as high as the ones for Star Wars. Some developments, like the current suspension of the line, may be interpreted as sign that the sales were not stellar. But that is a) an interpretation on the basis of very much incomplete data sets, and b) implicitly assumes Lego wanted to do more waves. I would not readily subscribe to that, since we have seen three waves for three movies which tied in nicely to the current Tolkien media release (Hobbit). Did they want more than that? I do not know. Furthermore, the bizarre absence of any Gondor-themed sets, despite three waves for three movies, is not explained by bad sales. In fact I have not seen any good explanation. This alone is a strong indication that something is going on behind the scenes, which we do not understand. With all these unknowns, thinking in binaries like "if it had been a success, there'd be more sets" does not seem the best approach.

Huh? Just because some countries get sets at different times doesn't remove the fact that the wave released around January 1st is THIS YEAR, and included a fair number of Rebels sets. Please bear with me, English is not my first language. When I said "new" sets other than the Gozanti, I was referring to the not yet released sets of the summer wave. Of course I have acknowledged that this year's winter wave included Rebels sets, actually I have praised some of them and discussed the (odd) colour choices of the minifigs. So it is not like I would ignore them. What I am complaining about is that we only get one new set with no new characters; only variations of minifigs - variations which we, imho, should have had in the winter wave (Sabine's helmet e.g.). If only the minifig selection would be different...

You're right, 2015/2016. If Disney shows Rebels next winter, it indeed makes sense to release the S2-Rebels sets in the winter wave. (Although I still dislike the lack of S1 sets in 2015).

Really? Can you give me a link please? Last info I had was the Season 2 premiere at the SW Celebration Anaheim in April 2015. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Rebels:_Season_Two Will they postpone the actual airing of the season so long? I know the TCW seasons were aired between September and March, but I hoped with a premiere as early as April that we might get a summer season.

It seems the only Rebels set planned for 2014 is the Gozanti. In 2015, Rebels will have completed its second season, perhaps be in its third. With TFA getting most of the attention and Lego already being behind one or two seasons in providing sets for Rebels, I am not confident that Lego can cover the show as well as they covered TCW. Worse: if there is not third season, Lego's interest in making sets for the show will be even lower. The only upside I see is that Lego can have a look at the on-screen models and colours, and get them 100% right. That being said, I can imagine a lot of wonderful characters: Lando, Fulcrum (identity revealed; I won't spoiler ), Tarkin, Vader (new mould for the Rebels' helmet style), Bail, and who knows who will show up in the next season(s). More ANH Imperials, like Motti, or more ANH Rebels, or old TCW characters like Hondo. We also need more Stormtrooper variants. Give the toy makers what they want...

Well, at least in Germany you do not get it much cheaper. A bit cheaper, but not much. I'd say you should get it. Since TCW has ended, you might have to wait for years until Lego releases a new Rex, if they ever release a new Rex. And the price of 75012 will only increase the longer you wait. While 37 Euro is not exactly a good price, it is worth it if you like Rex a lot.