Lobot

The 2026 Advent Calendar is clearly highly divisive, but I'm really impressed by it! Most of the ones from the last few years have been pretty un-inspiring to me; I don't have much interest in endless Christmas jumpers or low-quality micro builds. However, this seems to be one of the best ones overall since 2016 (75146) and 2019 (75245) due to the decent builds, and array of minifigures/droids. Definately one to add to my shopping list

Not strictly on topic, but there's some incredible deals available on Amazon.fr at the moment! Quite a few sets are already discounted and there's also a code for the next couple of days which applies a 25 euro discount to 75 euro orders (this is updated daily on the homepage). I just ordered two sets with an RRP of £110, for just over £52 delivered....

I'm very impressed by the latest images of the UCS Slave 1 - it looks incredible and a significant upgrade on the older version There's just the right level of visible studs to keep it looking like a LEGO set, and the amount of greebling is perfect. Hopefully they've managed to make the underside a little more stable; there's a couple of sections on the old one which were incredibly fragile! It could have been a 10/10 - if it wasn't for those horrible stickers! I'm really looking forward to purchasing it - hopefully the UK RRP won't be too painful.

The U-Wing looks surprisingly good considering it's clearly downsized from the original. The boxart looks great and I'm eagerly awaiting the full high quality versions. It's going to sell well, especially due to the decent minifigures - I just hope it's not too ridiculously priced. The others look decent, but they aren't of any real interest to me. It's certainly an interesting mix of sets so far this year, although the UCS Slave 1 is by far my favourite to date!

My first impression is that it's a decent upgrade on 75060 which is one of my favourite UCS sets. They've made good use of the newer slope pieces and it's clearly more refined overall. I'm still not sure how it's 2,970 parts though, unless there's a ridiculous amount of greebling on the underside - it just doesn't look big enough! I'm not too bothered about the colour palette they've used for Boba, but his hair choice is rather odd... Hopefully LEGO will have a re-think about the current 'black' box styling at some point - it's getting a bit much. Great work overall, I can't wait to build it!

I'd be very surprised if the new Death Star has any interior, apart from possibly the odd token section (e.g. Throne Room). At the rumoured price point LEGO are clearly aiming it at the adult collector market and so I can't see it being anything other than a display piece; any interior/play sections are likely to require significant compromises and I can't see that happening! In addition, it's going to require a significant amount of Technic to support it all, and that will take up a lot of the interior, similar to most other UCS models. It will need to look absolutely amazing, and the obvious way of achieving that would to be base it on the second version (i.e. a seriously upscaled 10143); I don't see how they'd be able to replicate a near perfect sphere which would be necessary for the original. I'm expecting it to include a lot of exclusive minifigures to help justify the price and attract buyers, all nicely displayed on a separate stand.

I'm going to be in the minority, but I'm really hoping that the new UCS Death Star will be an upgraded 10143 (i.e. purely a display model, based on Return Of The Jedi). My concern is that if LEGO try to integrate any sort of internal sections or 'play' features it's likely to heavily compromised. In addition, if they do I'd guess that they'll base it on the original Death Star simply to ensure that the weight will be distributed more evenly. The second Death Star would make a far more interesting model, with all of the exposed inner structure; I'll be amazed if a fully enclosed/plated version will look anywhere near as amazing as that would be. 40 minifigures though sounds incredible - all we need is a nice display for them - similar to the one with Jabba's Sailbarge! It could be a great year for LEGO Star Wars - I can't wait for the first images of the UCS Slave 1

Please can we keep any discussions civil, thank you. I've edited the previous posts as that type of language is totally inappropriate on this forum.

The new Death Star should be incredible for that sort of money! I guess that it will be a display model similar to 10143, albeit significantly larger and more detailed, with a nice selection of minifigures on a display stand. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the first images of it, but if it’s any good I think it could be on my shopping list for 2025. I’m assuming that it will be around £900 in the UK, so it’s time to start saving. In truth I only tend to buy UCS sets these days simply due to a lack of space, but I can just about justify this and the Slave 1 next year if I don’t get anything else; my lovely wife has already granted me permission to buy it!

Finally purchased the 75355 UCS X-Wing from Argos - which worked out at a fraction below 40% off including cashback. Initial 25% discount - £157.50 Additional 10% off - £141.75 10% cashback - total price of £127.58! And it was in perfect collection when I collected it - total bargain at that price!!

That sounds incredible - 75060 is still one of my absolute favourite UCS sets It's one set that I'll be more than happy to pay full RRP for - the only downside is that presumably it will be called 'Jango Fett's Starship'...!

I've never really understood the differing pricing of some sets, but here's a good example of how awful LEGO Star Wars has become: Indiana Jones 77013: 933 grams, 585 parts, 4 minifigures, UK RRP £34.99 Star Wars 75396: 814 grams, 541 parts, 6 minifigures, UK RRP £69.99 I don't understand how they can possibly justify that. Even if you factor in a small additional 'premium' for the Star Wars licensing, plus the two extra minifigures, the Desert Skiff shouldn't have been any more than £50. If anyone from LEGO is reading this, I'd really appreciate an explanation!

The UCS AT-AT was initially intended to be £750 (in the UK) but after a lot of complaints it was reduced to £700 (and then later increased to the current £735). It's the only time that I've seen a set lowered due negative feedback from customers. I've said it before, but LEGO's recent pricing of Star Wars is getting ridiculous, and it's almost like they're trying to push them as much as possible for the sake of it. I'm comfortable financially, and have a very understanding wife(!), so I can buy any sets that I want, but I'm starting to actively spend less as a matter of principle. I used to collect all of the UCS sets (and often buy them at RRP as soon as they were available) but that's stopped and I've now forced myself to wait for a decent sale, which has taken the enjoyment out of the hobby for me. LEGO hasn't ever been cheap, but it always struck me as good value - but it's certainly not anymore. Hopefully they'll have a re-think at some point.

And, in other news 40755 is now on LEGO's website - with a RRP of £34.99 in the UK (link). I'd expected it to be higher than that, especially with 7 minifigures & 383 parts - almost a bargain!

The Sail Barge certainly looks well finished and includes some excellent details, especially on the top section. It looks very clean, and the deck cannon, rails and excellent balance between tiles and grills add a touch of class. However, it isn't that interesting as a set, and just looks like a 75020 on steroids! I'm not convinced about the quoted RRP though as many others have mentioned. If you combine it with the Sarlaac Pit, it's around £500, and for that you get 4,500 parts and 17 minifigures. On the plus side, it looks quite substantial, and I'll probably end up buying it at some point when it's on sale - but it's not a set that I'm in any hurry to add to my collection. My initial thought is a decent 7/10 - it could have been a lot better with a few more minifigures!