Mr. Elijah Timms

I think we're much more likely to see this in a future Wave of the Collectible Minifigs, but it's got to be a matter of time before Lego gives us some rock stars!! Some figs with crazy hair, some crazy torso prints, and most importantly, guitars!! Who doesn't want Lego guitars?? Bringing this back to this thread, I could definitely see an amazing 'rock concert' set with a small stage, a drum set, a four piece rock band complete with mic stands and maybe even some big blocks as speakers on either side. Throw in a few of those bars/fences like in the Pig Farm across the front and you've got yourself a show for all of your figs. Finally, Lego would officially ROCK!

I have the Cloud City Boba Fett. Yes, he's pretty cool. However, I've always cherished my Lando figs-- every one of 'em. They're just so cool! The Bespin blue outfit, the Skiff Guard get-up, even the Rebel General-- Every one of 'em are fantastic.

I like how this thread is worded: Settle into a theme. I came out of the dark ages to do the Star Wars line, and was absolutely dedicated to every Original Trilogy set up until a year or two ago. There's just so many re-releases it's getting a bit excessive and less interesting. And expensive. At about the same time, I really got into the Pirates, and went back and dug out all of my old Pirates stuff. For a while last summer I think my hobby was hunting down Imperial Soldier impulse sets. Since the Pirates theme was discontinued, I finally set my attention on something that I haven't been interested in since about 1985... CITY. And since then, I haven't looked back. I think the only thing that'll break me from City now are Trains or maybe the rumored re-release of Batman.

I have Stingray Explorer, and it's a great little set... I always had it sort of blending into the Aquanauts subtheme, like some civilian divers blending into the 'war' between the Aquanauts and the Aquasharks. Also had some great minifig heads that were swapped out into my pirate crew and now city life. Something so cool about that white-haired man of action head that I love. It's so very Race Bannon.

Well, that one... yeah. Loot Island... It's pretty bad when half of the plastic in the box is one big piece: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=64649

Cheated? Not at all... Certainly the old sets will always hold a dear place in the hearts of those who were able to experience them. I had quite a few but always wanted more, and was very happy that TLG was willing to accommodate that desire with the new line. While not perfect, we had a pretty good range of sets and got some great figs out of the deal. And except for perhaps the sails and maybe some of the different colors, I think the new sets blended relatively well with the old. Now, I should also say that I support anyone' decision to criticize the new line, with one exception-- BUY THEM, THEN CRITICIZE. Don't just look at a few pics and then bash it, without ever building it yourself or holding it in your hand. And for two reasons: 1.) Because how often have we been pleasantly surprised at sets that look bad online, but turn out to be pretty great in person, and 2.) If we ever want Lego to return to the Pirates line, we have to prove above all else that it will sell. And I think they did fairly well, right? Will we ever see them again? I'd expect some. Why did the line stop so abruptly? POTC sequel perhaps... who knows.

Yeah, my biggest fear with these guys is that I get a mountain of Crash Test Dummies. My understanding of all this barcode nonsense is not that people are afraid of getting doubles, but rather they're looking to identify these army-builder figs they want. I'm sure many of us will be happy with one or two zombies, but you know there's gonna be that one guy with the iPhone looking to track down 40 or 50. I just want the entire set, and beyond that a few extra Robin Hoods or Native Americans. If that means I get a few extra ninjas or cheerleaders, I can certainly live with that.

Very cool stuff.... that 'bad knight' is killer. I haven't cared about Lego Castle in YEEEEEEEARS, and I suddenly entertain thoughts of becoming a dragon clan collector , hehe!! Thanks for the review

Yeah, I've been thinking about it more and more. I just broke down a bunch of city sets into a tub last night, and when you have City Corner, the Pig Farm, the Tractor, the 4WD and Horse Trailer, the Camper, and even the BBQ stand all in one tub, things get a little blurry in there. So I'm thinking about going the Ziplock route and being done with it. My only concern is that I've had some humidity issues in the basement, which I'm proud to say have been addressed, and there are more than a few plastic bags down there in storage that seem to be fine-- I'm just worried that about any potential 'sweating' inside those plastic tubs. BUT my wife has some clothes and stuff down there in similar containers and it's not like she pulls 'em out dripping with moisture either. I think my confidence is rising that this is the way to go. Thanks, desultor~

Are they any threads out concerning ideas for upcoming waves of the collectible minifigs?? I have ideas, but don't know if this is the correct venue...

I couldn't help but notice the $34.99USD pricetag for 278 pieces. I guess the days of the 10 pieces per $1USD ratio are officially history. Still a great set, though, and a must buy.

Dude, cut Lego a break-- if they were to produce a full scale airport it would likely take up an entire room of your house and require a credit application just to buy the thing!! Honestly, I think Lego, at least in most cases, does a pretty good job of finding the balance between including enough content and keeping the costs down. An airport could EASILY become a $250-300 USD set and probably be amazing, but in all likelihood they just wouldn't sell enough units for them to justify releasing it in the first place. Perhaps more of a modular approach would be the answer? Next year release the Airport Hangar? The following year a proper Grounds Crew, or maybe a Concourse?

Ahh yes, the Sandcrawler. I was quite surprised at a.) how big this thing was when finished (the pictures definitely do not do it justice) and b.) how long it took to build. Nothing was overly complex, but very very time consuming. If I recall correctly I had a day off and started this in the morning and had plans to do several things in the afternoon, and just didn't get to 'em all because of the big brown behemoth on my desk!! I remember getting the entire structure completed and thinking I was finished, then spending another half hour putting all the greebly details onto it. In terms of the larger SW sets (I do not have the Death Star or the RBR, fwiw), I find myself struggling to name the most successful of them all. This was an absolutely essential addition to the collection, but perhaps not my favorite. The minifig Star Destroyer just kills all in terms of size, but with regards to design and fun build I'll still take the 4504 Millennium Falcon over all other takers. BUT the Sandcrawler might have been the most tedious build, and that alone is a challenge in a good way. Good job on the review-- lots of ample pictures and details.

There was a time in my young life when building the most impressive Imperial Walker out of Legos was the most important goal in life. You have accomplished this goal, and then some. Life at its fullest. Congratulations, haha

Now that we've received a proper treatment of Hoth, there are two remainining environs from the Original Trilogy that need to be addressed: 1. As little as I am a fan of these scenes, we need a proper Ewok Village. Perhaps TLG should consult ACPin 2. Otherwise, the main focus should be series of sets based on the Mos Eisley cantina. Lots of figs, perhaps add-on modules, etc. My collection will not be complete until I have the full cantina band as minifigs!

Great review man-- there's a lot of great sets out there we've purchased as AFOLs, but there's no matching the attachment and history of a set you've received and enjoyed as a kid. The words Galaxy Explorer and Motorcycle Shop instantly come to mind for me... As an adult, I'm torn with the concept of Classic Town... There's something so simple and quaint and perfect about those little cars with all the studs on top, but at the same time I must admit if today's CITY line still looked like the classics, I doubt I'd have ever gotten into it in the first place. I'm relatively new to the City line but if not for the heightened design standards and SNOT compositions I'd probably still be sailing the high seas or in a galaxy far far away.

$79.99 USD / 3 minifigs (four if you count the new carbonite piece) = $26.67 per minifig (or straight up $20.00 each). That's a lot of cash for three little plastic men. Waves arms to keep from falling off the fence...

If I remember correctly, didn't Majisto have torso printing? Like a little belt and a pouch or something to that effect??? Conceivably, you could just use that torso with the new legs and have a super-detailed Majisto/blue wizard, and some clean blue body for whatever purposes you'd like. Sounds like a fair trade-off for such a small price.

Easily my favorite Aquanauts set... the design is strong and functional, and the aesthetics aren't sacrificed for playability. You can argue that the Sharks sets were cooler, but that's just because they were so very pirate-like. This set is definitely the highlight of the 'good guys' and definitely worth picking up if you have the chance.

Well, thanks alot CopMike. After all my steadfast reluctance, I'm beginning to fear I'll be buying the new set just for these guys. And I can't even tell if I'm happy or angry about it.

Lego Star Wars is a cash cow. The license will never end. And why? Because it's very clear Mr. Lucas has plans to diversify and continue Star Wars not as a single storyline, but as an entire brand of entertainment that reaches into multiple venues to multiple audiences. Over the past 10 years Lucas has wisely created entirely new markets for Star Wars and will continue to do so. Many people never realized the genius behind the Prequels, where in some ways George bet the bank on the young kids to develop a new generation of 'collectors.' Say what you want about the movies themselves, but if they never happened, the SW-merchandising consumer base would not have the same strength it does now, or in 10 years for that matter. Sure, there will always be those of us who will buy SW stuff until the day we are old and gray, but there has been a conscious decision to skew younger-- so that the love of Star Wars and the resulting purchasing power doesn't die off with all of us 30-somethings who were there when the original trilogy shaped our imaginations as kids. I'll admit, I've been growing a bit disgruntled about it in some ways-- there's such a push on marketing to youth that it just interests me less and less. And Galactic Heroes or whatever it's called-- yes, I'm sure the collectability factor attracts adults, but this whole trend in toys today is a barely veiled attempt to build brand loyalty with kids so that they'll attach themselves to these characters for their entire childhood and beyond. If George Lucas, and toymakers in general, want to hit the home run, they have to create these new youth markets to ensure that multiple generations will 'buy SW stuff until the day they are old and gray.' It's smart business. But on the other hand, I LOVE that Lucas seems to be breaking off of the youth focus-- the news last week about the Robot Chicken comedy collaboration is GREAT news! Not because I'm a fan at all of Robot Chicken... I'm actually not. What's good about this is that it shows that Lucasfilm sees that the Star Wars brand can exist in multiple genres and attract different target audiences. The Robot Chicken crowd is clearly not going to go for Galactic Heroes, and vice versa-- but it doesn't mean that they both can't have their Star Wars cake and eat it too. The idea that Lucas will and might continue to develop his brand on different levels for different age groups is fantastic-- and should give us all hope. After the Clone Wars came out, I was sure that the upcoming Live Action TV series would be along the same lines... skewed a bit young, focusing on those who are interested in the Prequel storylines (no offense to them, it's just not my thing). If nothing else, the Robot Chicken news could mean that Lucas might be willing to develop Star Wars entertainment for a more mature audience. This is exciting, if only in theory! Ultimately, it's obvious that the Star Wars brand will not go to George Lucas's grave (forgive the thought), and will go on indefinitely with multiple TV developments and likely more movies, perhaps even a reboot many years from now (heresy!) just as the Star Trek universe has experienced so many years after its inception. And as the brand continues to evolve, there will always-- ALWAYS-- be toys to go along with them, and why on earth should we think Lego won't be around for the ride?? This stuff will always sell... I think the only thing that would ever kill the Star Wars-Lego collaboration is if Lucas & co. decided to launch their OWN toy company, their own brand of building toys, etc. etc. Otherwise SW Lego is in no danger. (Sorry if this rambled... but I hope it was entertaining if not thought provoking. I'd also like to say that I didn't mean to offend anyone who is into the Prequels or the Clone Wars. I've only ever collected the OT SW sets and the newer stuff has never been my thing-- but I'd like to deeply express that I have nothing against those who do and have no less respect for them. It's just not for me.)

Agree with Indiana Jones... just feels like it's a matter of time before TLC drops one of these in a big way! Nice design though-- your truck cab is very clean and stylized.

GREAT job, man-- this is what the farm should have been-- the house, the REAL barn, just a full farm setting and the people to go with it! Consider me impressed.

I guess it's a pretty safe bet there's a purist mentality at play with you folks? Personally, I'd shoot the Ben separate and just slap him in there on a separate, semi-opaque layer in Photoshop... but I certainly appreciate the dedication to the dying art of photography.

I'm all over this guy, as Lego Ninjas were pretty much during my Dark Ages. Thanks for the review CopMike!