Kaijumeister

I completely understand some people have grown attached to the digi-fig course builder system, but at the same time that system has ran for six years, which is a long time. It’s only fair that this theme is now transitioning to minifigure scale like a non-trivial number of people have been patiently (or impatiently ) been waiting for. My only concern is whether Mario will be getting the Smart Play treatment. I can see it being worth experimenting with but for the initial lineup of System sets, I hope Lego at least have enough restraint to first deliver solid builds and minifigures.

Whilst the huge transforming figures are reaching masterpiece-level quality (Soundwave especially), I would 100% love a minifigure-based set under the icons line. Imagine a UCS-level build of the Ark with minifigures of the Autobots and Decepticons

Really like the way you described the circular nature of this, I completely agree with you. You would have thought that taking the leap from Disney+ to the big screen would have at least meant an upgrade in terms of story and spectacle to justify said jump, but it sounds like this film has neither outside of the opening sequence. It feels like forever ago that this film was announced and the overarching consensus was one of apathy and confusion. They’ve had so much time to craft a good story here, and we know Mando is capable of providing some good storytelling, and yet it seems conspicuously absent. Anyway, I’ll reserve my full thoughts for after I actually see the film on Friday. Given that every Star Wars film has elicited typically polarised reactions swinging between ‘this is the best thing ever!’ and ‘this is the worst thing ever!’, having a film lacking in substance for people to latch onto and form substantive opinions on is refreshing in the worst sort of way.

I think this will be a fun time at the movies, but the reviews seem to indicate it won’t linger in everyone’s consciousness the way other Star Wars films have, for better or for worse. I’ll reserve my thoughts until I see it for myself, but I’m disappointed that Star Wars’ return to cinemas after 7 years is this unremarkable. At the very least, hearing that this isn’t even a step up from the TV episodes is disheartening. Anyway, massive kudos to the decision makers on the Lego Star Wars side for choosing to go all in with Mando and Smart Bricks at the expense of everything else (random unrelated buildable statues aside) this year. This reinforces why keeping a diverse lineup of sets is just a good idea in general.

Great question, I really enjoy Coffee with Kenobi although that’s more a podcast than a full YouTube channel. Their discussions on films / shows / books tend to be quite insightful and open-minded with some great guest stars too. EDIT: Actually I’d like to add Artorr to the ‘peak Star Wars YouTuber’ list. His video essays encompass a range of shows and films and they’re incredibly well thought out, edited, and articulated.

That’s really kind of you to summarise it all, thanks so much There are some really cool ideas in here which makes it all the more cruel to ponder which ones may or may not be true! At this point, I think it’s futile to expect playsets on LotR, but I do think expanding to dioramas / more book nooks would be greatly appreciated. The big sets clearly sell well enough that they’ll keep that model going, but it’d be nice to throw a bone to people who may not necessarily have the space to collect all the big sets. I’ve been tempted to buy all of them and leave the ‘when’ of building them as a topic for the future though… The Grond GWP makes a lot of sense, makes sense just to include two orcs alongside it!

I’m glad this theme is enjoyed and appreciated, it definitely conveys the relaxing and calming vibes of the games! I might pick some of the sets up at some point.

I haven’t been a collector of this theme nor have I played the games, although I do have an admiration for their art style and how relaxing they look! But in terms of consensus for all of you who do collect AC, have your opinions on the theme been positive as a whole? From an outsider’s perspective, I think it’s awesome that the theme hasn’t been exposed to gimmicks and largely sticks to the usual Lego formula. I’d definitely be buying these if I played the games.

Is that April Fool’s post summarised anywhere by any chance? I should really get Instagram. Blown away by how good Minas Tirith looks, but I just don’t have the space for it otherwise it’d be a day one buy.

Interesting that this is the first year that I don’t have any interest in the summer Dragons Rising sets, but Legends and Legacy fill my interest now. I was hoping to like the Land Bounty but the small size and lack of proper interior negates its appeal for me. Nonetheless I appreciate those are sacrificed in favour of play value with the multiple vehicles it can be split into. The Legends sets are quite strong IMO, although I wish they had more unique minifigures between them. Battle at the Dragon Blade is SUCH a unique concept, unfortunately the mech and dragon builds aren’t the best but you can clearly tell that’s a result of the parts budget being mostly used up by the fantastic dragon skull and sword builds. I probably would have sacrificed the mech and dragon builds and used the parts to populate some foliage around the skull to give it more of an aged look. In any case, another incredible year for Ninjago. I am so hyped for that new waist sword holster too.

I’ve forgotten how to do spoiler tags but the leak also mentions who those two alternate characters are, and it’s really something! They really do put a lot of effort into these mechs to give them unique silhouettes and interesting builds. All these years in and I’m happy to see I’m not meched out by Ninjago. And yeah, it’s an awesome new piece! Reminds me of the old Pirates of the Caribbean piece that did something similar, although that was slung over the shoulder rather than be a hip attachment.

Not planning to pick any of these up as I’m satisfied with my Windmill Village and Going Merry, but these sets are great! Solid builds and minifigures just like for Season 1, I’m glad the outstanding quality of this theme continues to persist.

My personal hope is Lego find a way to tackle some representation of the mainline 3D Mario games, e.g: - Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64. - Maybe an Isle Delfino location build from Super Mario Sunshine? - The Odyssey Airship from SM Odyssey - Too many things to count from the Super Mario Galaxy games! The best series in my opinion, although all 3D Mario games have been phenomenal. - Minifigure-scaled karts and tracks from Mario Kart. The digi-fig play sets in the more recent years really started functioning as awesome playsets in their own right. I’m hoping to see a similar level of quality with the minifigure sets.

Absolutely. Plus from a space perspective it just means collecting this subtheme doesn’t require copious amounts of real-estate. It’s one of my misgivings with how Lord of the Rings is being handled; all the sets are absolutely magnificent, but they’re also massive and collecting them can be a headache if one doesn’t have the space for it. A bridge set sounds brilliant, I didn’t grow up with TOS but this is nonetheless a set I would buy as I’m still attached to the characters. I wonder if they’ll introduce a phaser mould this time.

Outside of the fairly vocal demand for it, I do wonder what finally pushed Lego to tackle System sets for Mario. Not that I’m complaining! It is funny that twice in a row now, Lego has failed to capitalise on Illumination’s Mario films.