xboxtravis7992

Had they had that license 10 years earlier than they did (20 years ago now) I would have ate it up as a little kid! Yeah but they were a little late to the ballgame. Honestly I am surprised Thomas is still around and kicking, seeing they had adapted most of the original book stories before I was five.

That face makes me want to laugh and cry in horror all at once

Wow that is actually rather sad Zack lost his daughter. Although supper strange that Joss Whedon of all people has been tapped to finish the film! Apparently Joss is to Super Hero films to what JJ is for Star Trek and Star Wars; Joss has meddled with both DC and Marvel! In a strange way it makes me wonder if Joss will be trying to top his own Avengers films with Justice League. In other rumors, Wonder Woman buzz right now is positive suggesting it will be critically a far more successful film critically than the other DCEU films have been so far.

The "Death Trooper" Empire Battle Pack and the Carbonite Freezing Chamber. The Carbonite set was interesting, it is my first Boba Fett in ten years! It is funny comparing him side by side with my old one, the old Boba Fett really looks like Marvin the Martian in comparison

With the reveal of the new UCS Snowspeeder today, I saw a lot of people complaining about the inclusion of so many stickers. I began to think about it, and found it a bit strange how the Lego community so adamantly hates stickers, since in other modeling communities decals are common place and accepted parts of the model building process. I've had some model kits before which include stickers and water slide decals, and choosing either or is optional. While it could be argued that water slide decals or dry transfer decals are even more difficult to apply than stickers, when done properly the results are spectacular and can even be made to like as if the decal was "printed." While Lego is obviously meant for kids and probably won't embrace more complex decal sheets, would having them as an option be something AFOL's would want to see? I am pretty sure plenty of Lego customizers are using them already, but I mean having decals such as dry transfer or water slide in official sets as an option for a more professional look than a sticker. I don't know if they would withstand rough play, but for an AFOL looking to display the model, they would be a great alternative. For those who don't know what a dry transfer decal or a water slide decal is, here are some examples of how they work: Dry transfer: http://www.ghostofzeon.com/diy/drytrans/dry.html Water slide: http://www.model-train-tips.com/blog/57/the-art-of-applying-decals/ Thoughts?

I just skimmed over this topic, and I hope my perspective can add to it a bit. I was born in the mid-90's so the last pre-Star Wars space themes I had briefly encountered were Insectoids and the Town "space exploration" sets. I own a few of those Space exploration sets from the late 1990's, since one of them was actually one of my first real System sets and I picked up a few more years later. Star Wars though was a hit for me, and I have been getting sets growing up with the theme since its launch and I still collect it to this day... So to be honest I completely lack any first hand experience or nostalgia with the original "Classic Space" era. The only reason I have any interest in seeing MOCs of that stuff, or why I thought it was fun to get Benny in the Lego Movie Sets; is because I am a Lego fan and know of the theme as a "historic golden age" theme. As far as I am concerned, Classic Space is my dad's era; while Star Wars/Bionicle/Superheroes is my era. Now what I am seeing is a lot of my era of Lego toys growing up, has failed to catch on with the younger crowd. Star Wars and Superhero sets remain, in part though because of new movies and constant media saturation thanks to Disney and the other big media corporations making hit films one after another. What about the other Lego themes I grew up with? Bionicle flopped and made a nose dive for the ground when it relaunched, it just seemed that the magic of the mystical islands of cyborg robots didn't catch on with the new kids... Lego Studio, Mission to Mars, Lego Western, Lego Sports, are all completely off the radar for new kids; only really being fondly remembered by newly nostalgic "millennial" AFOLs. So my point to this is that Lego Classic Space could not come back in the same form it had and be a guaranteed hit, the very ethos which made it catch on in the 1970's-1980's are probably distant concepts with the average 10 year old now. When I see photos of Classic Space sets I am reminded of films like 2001 Space Odyssey, old NASA film footage, theme park rides like Space Mountain, Horizons or Adventure through Inner Space, and educational books which promised man would be on Mars by 1990 with floating ring space stations in orbit by 2010! It was an era where sci-fi was grounded in a sense of reality, anchored by the curiosity being generated by modern advances in the real world. Modern sci-fi/fantasy which a kid could be familiar with though is far different. Star Wars, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Halo, Destiny, Independence Day, etc. hearken more to the pulp sci-fi era of the 1930's-1950's than it does to the grounded methodical thought of the 60's and early 70's. As the costs and technological challenge of real space travel surmounted, our creative visionaries turned their focus back on fantastical space journeys with conflicts, superweapons, aliens and galactic war. Not to mention films like Star Wars and Guardians have a highly marketable cast of characters which appeal to people on a human level, Star Lord and Han Solo are a lot more fun to watch on screen than Dave Bohman in 2001 was! Selling a non-conflict peaceful exploration theme to people now would be a hard sell. Not to say that all modern science fiction is devoid of the factual look mid 20th century sci-fi had... The Martian for example is a successful film which returns to the classical idea of sci-fi being rooted in reality and the promise of near future technology. Although I haven't seen it yet, I have heard the TV series The Expanse has been similarly successful. And the breadth of NASA oriented sets which have come from Lego Ideas suggests there is indeed a science oriented crowd holding sway within the Lego community. But it seems when Lego wants to create in house sci-fi themes to market for kids; they must be patterning their themes off their in house successes with Star Wars and Superheroes. Life on Mars and Lego Discovery were the last full themes to focus on futuristic space exploration; since then most in house Lego themes have focused on science fantasy conflict. While a hard sci-fi theme such as Classic Space could be different enough from Star Wars to avoid in house competition; the fact Lego hasn't returned to that as a full theme leads me to believe they lack confidence that kids will buy up a hard sci-fi theme when an easier to market science fantasy theme has a better chance at success. And when Star Wars and Guardians are keeping fantastical space stories in the public mind, why wouldn't Lego want to tap into this free advertising? In short, the ethos which helped the Classic Space era be successful might not have transferred to the toy buying habits of modern kids and their parents. So what do I think Lego could do to be successful in bringing Classic Space back to the toy shelves? I think Benny's Spaceship and the Ideas Mech Suit show that Lego will drop Classic Space tributes into new one-off sets from time to time. This allows the small market of AFOL's to get small updates on the old sets they love while presenting something still attractive to parents buying for their kids. I like the idea mentioned in this thread a Sci-Fi type Creator Expert set could also be of serious appeal... imagine a nice D2C that is $150 of a modern take on a classic Lego moon base? I think a D2C would do well, allowing Lego to appeal to the nostalgic Classic Space crowd without risking a re-launched full size space theme would crash and burn. But do I think Lego could fully reboot Classic Space as a full theme? Probably not, at least not the same way they went about Bionicle G2, Alien Conquest, Nexo Knights, Chima, and etc... I don't think a lot of people really get into "hard sci-fi" until at least as a preteen where they have the curiosity to dig up the old Jules Verne books, watch films like 2001 and expand their horizon beyond the sci-fi/fantasy films and games they grew up with. Maybe a small theme of classic dip white space ships with a dash of classic Lego colors, with advanced building techniques, Technic functions, and motorization options could appeal to the crowd of pre-teens, teens, and adults looking for a bit more bite in their Lego sets beyond stud shooters and spring loaded missile guns. In the same way a Star Wars UCS appeals to a pop-culture/display model collector; a technical space set could appeal to those who enjoy science and technology. Maybe its just a crazy idea, but worth a thought!

Driver driven? As in the motors fire the drivers instead of turning the wheels directly? I need to see an explanation of how it was done!

Agents of SHIELD finale:

Out of the three my fave is the Maersk Train, but I love all three. HE had a fun build, and is solid and chunky in a fun way. The only reason I can imagine it having low popularity is because electric trains aren't as well liked by railfans as steam or diesel; but that is more of a general issue than anything with the set itself.

I hearby dub that YouTube title card as Cheeto the Hutt. I have heard a lot of Star Wars fans calling out Red Letter Media for being overly cynical. If I enjoyed the film so much, why would I want to watch an overly critical review (from Cheeto the Hutt there too)? Please don't tell me he is focused on the choppy start of Rogue One and the straight faced characters claiming they ruin the entire film . It's the fanboy eletism that was so darning to the Prequels, and it seems most Star Wars fans agree Disney's two offerings so far are leaps ahead of the PT; so why apply Prequel criticism to films that clearly outpace it? What, are we defending some nostalgia for the OT? Is the OT supposed to be sacred untouched holy film, while the PT, Clone Wars, Rebels, Anthology Films and Sequel Trilogy are taboo? Or can we just have fun that our favorite franchise is growing and go along with the ride? I think Rogue One deserves it's spot next to the OT, and don't you dare tell me the characters are bland. There is a reason I am collecting every Lego set with a member of the main Rogue One crew; yet my only named TFA characters in Lego that I have so far are Rey and Phasma; because honestly the Rogue One characters excited me just that much more. You'd be somber and bland too if going to war against an unstoppable foe!

Something I have noticed recently; I am beginning to refer to and think of Rogue One as part of the "Original Trilogy." I know logically that despite taking place in the same time era it isn't part of the OT because it wasn't released cinematically in the same era; yet for some reason getting to see classic Star Wars characters and ships in the film really makes it the most OT Star Wars offering in years... Am I the only one who keeps thinking of Rogue One like that?

Tie Striker for $45 USD clearance at Walmart!

Sorry! I didn't realize the UK was several episodes behind on Agents. Spoiler tag added.

Deep in the bowels of a Star Tours spaceport; G2-9T works on repairing a broken R5 series astromech, constantly distracted by passing spacefaring tourists... This is a small vignette I made out of spare parts the other day. Sector 2 from the original Star Tours ride has remained one of my favorite moments of Star Wars. Growing up it was a ton of fun entering the ride in Disneyland and walking through the dimly lit and dirty Sector 2 seeing dozens of droids sitting in disrepair and abused states while two Goose Droids slowly worked on repairs. While the current Star Tours ride is technically superior and far more repeatable of a ride; I have always felt the trim and polished Sector 2 with the two droids handling TSA duties feels less Star Wars-y than the original madcap world of ill repaired droids the original presented. For reference to those of you who weren't familiar with the scene: The vignette is the result of combining spare pieces from my Lego parts bin together. This is probably the third time I have attempted to recreate the feel of Sector 2 in Lego. Admittedly it seems hard to create a pile of random junk in Lego while maintaining focus on the core aspects of a scene! I admit its not perfect, but its a fun litte vignette to display in my Lego collection. C3P0 on the observation platform. I also redesigned my Goose Droid using a plethora of new parts which weren't available when I first built the figure many years ago. I know the mix of new and old gray in the fig might be an eyesore for some of you, but for the dingy droids used in the actual attraction, it seems fitting . Hope you enjoyed my quick vignette, until next time! Star Tours history:

Guardians V.2 was awesome! Definitely one of the MCU's strongest films emotionally. I won't spoil it here, but the ending did take me by surprise.

Do O Scale Kadee use a spring for self centering? I have only worked with HO Kadees so I only know of the "whiskers" which self center the coupler. Technically real prototype trains don't self coupler like most models do. So removing the springs and whiskers etc. is realistic, it just is tedious manually centering every single coupler!

That just made my day Can't wait to see if this Goliath is a sign of an upcoming D2C.

Between the two sets, I think the ultimate battle for Asgard is the better one. New villain, plus Valkyrie and the first official normal Bruce Banner figure. The ship is sort of weird, but it just probably isn't well known. The arena does look bland... the colors while they match what the trailers show; it seems a bit jarring and almost to alien for the normally muted color palette of the Lego Marvel theme. So is this it for Lego Marvel sets of 2017? Other than the SDCC exclusive figure (or D23 or what ever convention Lego Marvel will go to this year); it seems we know almost the entire Marvel schedule this year. Unless of course a secret D2C pops up from the line soon. After the spectacular showing of Lego Marvel in 2016, I feel this year has been a bit more bland and tame. I wonder if Lego Batman Movie, Lego Ninjago Movie, Star Wars Episode 8, Wonder Woman, Cars 3, Justice League; on top of three new Marvel films really did stretch Lego's design team thin for this year's sets...

Oh heck do we really need a separate discussion for this film? We already have an MCU chat going on to discuss MCU films and tv, and Guardians is very much a part of the MCU! This feels super redundant to me.

All relative. My collection is the largest I know of with all my personal friends and acquaintances (292 sets). However when compared to the collections of many people online mine still looks rather modest... So all relative, I think maybe once you hit the 200 set mark it is in the "larger" collections; but not the "largest."

Rebel Trooper (Basteren?)

Imperial Hovertank. I am going to get the AT-ST sometime soon I hope too. Really tempted to finish the entire Wave 1 of System style Rogue One sets (I also have K2SO in CCBS so there is that too...) Possibly my favorite Star Wars film and single Lego set wave ever? Maybe...

I hope the price is a bit cheaper... I like how it looks though, and the figs included are fun.

I wanted to vote for the Imperial Tech, but since it is so close I'll give the vote to Kylo to try and break the tie!