vynsane

Legocrazy81 - when you click on the link in my post, do you not see all three? That would be odd - and that's the only S@H that I know of. I wasn't aware that the brand stores were only stocking the Cottage.

How did you check? I see three available right now: Bakery, Post Office and Cottage, after searching for "Winter Village". This tracks with Toy Shop, Bakery and Post Office being available last year. It seems they'll keep three sets alive each winter: The two most recent previous offerings in conjunction with each year's newest addition, with one dropping off. This year we saw the addition of the Cottage and the removal of Toy Shop. Next year we should see Post Office, Cottage and next year's new addition available, with Bakery dropping off. If the series gets more popular/sells more, I could see them only bringing back the previous year's set in addition to the new one.

The piece in the small preview pic looks more like a solid purple translucent, possibly rubbery, thing that minifigure's legs fit inside, not a net like that pic. I sort of envision it as the opposite of the "head suckers" from Alien Conquest.

I figured the actual "shooting" was a photoshop special effect simulation , which is why I put the word in quotations - but the purple blob around the figures' legs looks to be an actual physical object. I don't really know why many people were expecting an army. Back at the end of September Faefrost and I basically called the "small (color-coded for your convenience) team of heroes" akin to Gatchaman, Power Rangers, or Thunderbirds (or Voltron, as you point out).

If you zoom in a bit, it looks as though the dragonfly in that pic is "shooting" some sort of translucent purple thing at the legs of the minifigure in front of it... perhaps that's the "cocoon prison" from the description?

This is so lame! I forgot how bad LDD looks without outlines on.

I don't think the term "squad" is referencing the different colored "teams" but all of them together. They call Chuck Stonebreaker the "green hero of [the] Galaxy Squad". Other than the Orange team, the rest are just one human and one or more robots. I think everyone is too hung up on the use of the word "squad" and any official meanings thereof.

Okay, I've found all five descriptions. Did a Google search for "site:amazon.de LEGO 7070x". Obviously, the translations aren't great, since it's just the Google Translator... 70700 Space Swarmer (translation from German: Space Beetles) The evil alien beetle-like insect buzzing in his space-beetle in the Galaxy! Do not let that captures the robot the Galaxy squad with the mouth parts of the beetle! Help him to escape with his jetpack out of the reach of the sound cannon of the insect! Get yourself to safety, take the space bug to target and turn it off with your blaster! Includes 2 minifigures with weapons: beetle insect-like alien and robot Ages 7 and up. 70701 Swarm Interceptor (translation form German: defensive jet) A dangerous alien races mosquito zoom on its space plane! Holding that creepy critter on together with the leader of the blue team, Solomon Blaze, and the divisible defense-Jet! If the fight goes out of control, the Abwehrjet the Galaxy squad are divided into 2 machines: an agile flier with removable missiles and a powerful gun turret with camouflaged missiles! Against the divisible Abwehrjet with Solomon Blaze in the cockpit, the alien insects have no chance! Includes 2 minifigures and appropriate weapon: Solomon Blaze and alien mosquito. Ages 7 and up. 70702 Warp Stinger (translation from German: mosquito) Holding the insect alien on board the Space furchterrregenden mosquitoes! He used the surplus function of the space mosquitoes to attack the heroes of the Galaxy squad. Make the Alien with the leader of the red team, Billy and his Speeder Starbeam harmless! Beware of sticky cocoon-case of space Mosquitoes beware! Exhort from the detachable blaster and try using the robot to free the galaxy from these oversized pests! The space, with its cocoon mosquito trap, the moving wings, the removable bullets and the shooter feature a very dangerous opponent. Includes 3 minifigures and appropriate weapon: Billy Starbeam, robot henchman with Jetpack and alien mosquito with wings. Ages 8 and up. 70703 Space Mantis The Space Mantis has taken with her nimble grasshopper legs tracking the Galaxy squad teams. Holding onto the space of the Mantis aliens before Solomon Blaze and his blue robots get into his mouth sting! Parts of the vehicle Galaxy squad in an armored car and an agile flier on! Beware of the launcher and the sticky cocoon of space Mantis care! Includes 3 minifigures: Solomon Blaze, blue robot henchman and exclusive red insect Alien From 7 years. 70704 Vermin Vaporizer (translation from German: robot special buggy) Space Scorpion hastetmit its cocoon behind the green hero of Galaxy Squad! Set to Help the leader of the Green Team, Chuck Stone Breaker and his green robot here, the critter with the ScRobo special laboratory incapacitated! Bring the alien invader in trouble by you split the robot specialized laboratory in a powerful robot and an armored lab! Translate Chuck Stonebreaker in the cockpit of the robot and fire powerful missiles and rockets into the double-Alien! In a special laboratory, you can then examine the alien insect. Includes 3 minifigures: Chuck Stone Breaker, Green Robot and alien insect Í all with matching weapons. Ages 8 and up. 70705 Bug Obliterator (translation from German: Command Shuttle) Dangerous space dragonfly tries to capture the heroes of the Orange Galaxy squad in a cocoon prison. Fly with the command shuttle and the heroes of the Orange team, Jack and Ashlee StarStrider Fireblade! The vehicle can be a button in a rugged utility vehicle and split a manoeuvrable space ship that brings the insects from the top in distress! Exhort from the camouflaged missiles and laser cannons to repel these alien creatures! Includes 3 minifigures: Jack Fireblade, Ashlee StarStrider and alien insect with wings, weapons and cocoon. Ages 8 and up.

I can't seem to find them (but I don't really know what I'm doing or how to go about it). If at all possible, could you please grab all of them and give us your best translation?

I was just thinking: It's possible that the image on top is actually multiple sets, displaying some sort of modular interchangeability. The wheeled vehicle could be the Bug Obliterator, the large flying vehicle would be the Vermin Vaporizer, and the smaller one would be the Swarm Interceptor. This is, of course, counter to the report of different colors for the Squad, but the uniform color scheme makes more sense in light of past themes.

At least in that set. Reports are that each Galaxy Squad set has a distinct color scheme. Man, I'm getting psyched for this theme now!

It's not at all illogical. TLG could make a lot of money by re-releasing the earlier, less widely-available, series'. It doesn't seem to have any basis, though. It seems like JaegerEX is drumming up a rumor in the hopes that it will become true, somehow.

Sounds like a great addition. I liked the two-parter last year, but this sounds like a better integration with the Winter Village.

I'd say the set we're looking at here is 70702, "Warp Stinger". Polywen confirms the figures are olive green, but the vehicles appear to be lime green, black, light and dark tan, dark and trans red with a splash of purple. He also states that the Galaxy Squad protagonists are not steampunk style, so it's not directly tied in with the Monster Fighters, aside from this narrative.

Flickr user polywen, the artist responsible for the LEGO Club Magazine comics, posted the original artwork on his photostream. The same pic, no words, but less glare: MF5p2FinalSmall by polywen, on Flickr

They are obviously solar wind ionization/propulsion panels, not wings

Very cool, I like how the central fuselage sort of has that 'old school classic space' vibe to it, what with the triangular shape and all. As for photography - I might suggest isolating the build from everything else using a large (20" x 30" or thereabouts) sheet of white paper or posterboard. It goes a long way towards focusing all attention on the subject (the background in these shots is very distracting).

Wow, that's impressive work. I can't believe you gave it working landing gear!

There is always that option, too - rapid prototype/sketch in LDD and refine in real bricks, if you have the resources (money) to do so. That said, if you really think LEGO is not up to the task then maybe you have to rethink what you're building and change the design.

I always LDD with the real world in mind, even if I don't necessarily plan to build it. Often times, the structure will be sound, but the colors might not exist and I'll have to modify the color scheme when and if I decide to go to the ABS stage. I have had to rebuild slightly in the past when going from digital to real. I might even go so far as to say my more recent digital MOCs are slightly over-built in reaction to the possibility of unstable connections inherent to building sans gravity.

That's freakin' awesome.

The suspense... THE SUSPENSE!!!!

Dude, you're on fire with these. I love how each one has it's own distinct role/color scheme, but they all are obviously from the same 'family'.

Yeah, I definitely get a Streamliner/Futurliner feel to it! It actually kind of looks like a 1950's diner with engines ;-)

It could also be a ploy to sell multiple copies of the "bug" sets. If they're all at the relatively lower price-points, the use of the word "swarm" might be a purposefully semi-subconscious hint to army-build them, to have a huge bug infestation that a small handful of elite Galaxy Squad soldiers have to eradicate. I know I wanted a huge army of stormtroopers for my Star Wars collection when I was a kid, not that I was able to convince my parents of that need. If they had been made available in bulk or an otherwise cheaper avenue, I might have received my army (which would have been, like, 8 tops - seriously, mom and dad!) It reminds me of the more modern Real-Time Strategy games, where one side has superior units in smaller numbers, while the other side has inferior units in greater numbers. It's still a balance, just a different tactic.