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Kaijumeister

Eurobricks Knights
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Everything posted by Kaijumeister

  1. Kaijumeister
    Yup… I suppose the plus side with the Smart Brick sets consisting solely of predictable OT remakes is that it frees up next year for more interesting sets to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Star Wars. Like some of you have already theorised in the wishlist thread, maybe Lego release sets across the films / shows / games etc. as a celebration of the theme as a whole. I’d love it if they debuted a new packaging art style for it too in black and gold or something. Also apparently the Smart Play Landspeeder will have a new windshield piece. Hooray I guess.
  2. Kaijumeister
    The ‘Gaming Greats’ figures Hasbro offer in their Black Series and Vintage Collection lines come to mind. Just a handful (if that) of figures every year based on the Star Wars games spanning both the old EU and current canon. I understand the average Lego Star Wars set needs to appeal to as large an audience as possible (because the Galactic Marines are incredibly mainstream). But with the volume of sets we receive each year, I refuse to believe that dedicating a set or two towards some lesser known properties within the Star Wars canon or EU is too much to ask for. Anyway, from January to May 2026, the non-UCS sublines this theme encompasses include - ‘Normal’ System sets (2) - Smart Brick sets (8) - Mechs (1) - Battle Packs (1) - 4+ (1) - Buildable Characters (1) - Starship Collection (1) - Busts (1) Haven’t yet included the 5 TMaG sets until we know what they’ll actually be, but thus far this is a very interesting split. I’m pinning a lot of hope on the TMaG and summer wave sets being good because otherwise, Ninjago and Marvel are dominating my attention next year.
  3. Kaijumeister
    The Old Town is a wonderful love letter to the theme and the minifigure lineup has so many big hitters. As objectively amazing as the set itself is, I’m debating whether or not to get it. The modularity is appreciated and the build is amazing, but I think I would’ve preferred a single cohesive structure. Anyway, that all said, I hope we have another location on the cards for the summer Legacy set(s). The fact that Legacy is thus far comprised solely of location builds and a high-end mech (disregarding the polybag) makes me wonder if they’re avoiding more vehicles this time round because Dragons Rising already has a plethora of them every year.
  4. Kaijumeister
    A canon video game? With distinct character designs, unique vehicles, and likely a massive fanbase? Why on earth would the Lego Star Wars team consider something so distasteful? (To riff on the ongoing TIE Avenger campaign, this is my Year #5 of asking Lego for a Stinger Mantis) I haven’t played the KotOR games but this announcement is huge news and having the original director of the KotOR games on board is promising. It sucks that the game is still in its nascent stages, but Lucasfilm announcing things extremely early before having anything close to a finished product is nothing new. Modular Star Wars playsets based on locations like the Death Star(s), Endor, Cloud City, Mos Eisley, Naboo, Geonosis etc. make perfect sense for this theme. Having such sets with the quality of, say, the ongoing modular Hogwarts system would be genuinely incredible, although I agree with @BrickBob Studpants that it wouldn’t be the best having them completely occupy larger price points either. @Mandalorianknight it’s a shame the location playsets from 2024 don’t seem to be selling very well. They’re some of the best location builds the theme has seen in a while.
  5. Kaijumeister
    Agreed! I like to think they’ve been saving a Spider-Man 2002 final battle set until they’ve had the budget to produce a new helmet piece and give arm / leg printing too. Hopefully 2026 is finally the year it happens! I love the idea of being able to display this year’s train set, the upcoming SM3 one, and a hypothetical Spider-Man 2002 one alongside each other. I do think we need a new Tobey variant though, preferably his mask with battle damage. There is so much potential for the Epic Moments sets, especially being able to tackle scenes that haven’t yet been covered by Lego without sacrificing a higher price point set. It really is confounding to me. With the insane amount of reuse they get out of the current Spider-Man minifigure, why not just give him the boots!? Very true. And, man, I still wish the NWH Goblin figure was better. The face and torso printing were good but I’d have added leg printing, purple soft goods, and a recolour of the hood piece for Battle Ready Wyldstyle from the Lego Movie 2 CMF. I can understand the compromises they had to make given the stacked minifigure lineup for the NWH Final Battle though.
  6. Kaijumeister
    Some quick thoughts now that LAN have started reviewing the January wave: - Ghost Rider Bike: As close to a perfect £9 set as one can ask for within a licensed theme. I do wish GR had a chain though. - Daily Bugle: Great set (with a fun play feature relating to Mysterio). It really pays off focusing on one large build, however I still wish these buildings had more of an interior. I’d also replace Miles and Gwen with generic civilians, or at least someone to man the news stand to give a sense of stakes bigger than property damage. - Epic Moments: Glad to see the instruction booklets confirming this is the start of a new subtheme, even though we all assumed as much. A set based on the finale of Spider-Man 2002 with Green Goblin would be awesome. With the circular bases these sets share, I hope the intention is to keep this subline compact and affordable. Removing the dual moulded legs on Spider-Man is ridiculous though, given how much he’s reused everywhere. I also pray the Lego Marvel team intend to produce an MCU Captain America with a similar level of detail to the Venomised one.
  7. Kaijumeister
    My thoughts also, I would’ve preferred a more condensed build rather than something that looks spread out and hollow in the middle. I’m sure my thoughts will be more positive with HD pictures. I’ve been craving a large Ninjago set since the Gardens but Tournament Temple City and the Workshops haven’t appealed to me the same way.
  8. Kaijumeister
    For sure. A small subtheme would be a great way to minimise the wait between each set but I suppose the current cadence fits Lego’s needs well enough.
  9. Kaijumeister
    Getting a General Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku minifigure is the only reason I’ll tolerate more clone sets. But otherwise in principle I agree they’ve consumed too much real estate for set diversity. I’m sure the Cantina will include Wuher and some more aliens (…right? Right?) - the latter especially are what make that location and scene as iconic as it is. The choice of which characters are getting the smart treatment is quite interesting. Initially I thought their respective sound effects would consist of lightsabers, blasters firing, ‘force’ noises, crackling lightning etc. but it seems like actual voice clips could be on the cards too. Wish they’d just release a demo for this stuff so we can see it in action. Given how much they’re shoving this down the theme’s throat, it better be a substantial improvement upon the Mario tech.
  10. Kaijumeister
    I don’t mind waiting. The quality of the Season 1 sets has been outstanding so I’m more than happy to wait a little longer if it means the Season 2 sets are just as good.
  11. Kaijumeister
    Great points all around. ‘Mature’ for Ninjago means advanced building techniques (putting it lightly, the Ninjago designers are wizards) and excellent display value still rooted in the ethos of what makes Lego sets so timelessly endearing. Lego Star Wars could learn some lessons on how to approach sets that are not quite UCS, but not normal play scale either. Whilst I’ll reserve full judgement on the Smart Brick sets until I see them, they certainly sound like the electronic aspect is intended to be a substitute for sets that can just work well on their own. @Zap Rowsdower Unfortunately the busts are 18+ whilst the buildable characters (outside of 3PO and Chewbacca) are typically 10+ and 12+. So the presence of the former doesn’t preclude the presence of the latter later in the year (although I hope BB-8 is all they’ve planned). Getting a buildable Mando in place of a nice 1000+ system scaled set is exactly what I’d expect Lego to do. And ditto, those £60 sets with three desirable minifigures (plus potentially a droid) are the best thing Lego Star Wars has introduced this year. Naturally as a result, that’s the one thing we’re seeing less of next year.
  12. Kaijumeister
    I think it’s an image quality issue that makes it look like Zelda has a nose. Can’t wait to see this set! I would love to get a Tears of the Kingdom playset or diorama one day too.
  13. Kaijumeister
    I’m guessing they’re saving the Old Town for its own unique reveal, shame it hasn’t been unveiled yet and I can’t wait to see it. I am absolutely loving each of these Ninjago Legacy sets. The value for money, build quality, and overall approach towards the 15th anniversary is really well thought out. I wonder if we’ll get more of these in the summer. The Dragons Rising stuff interests me less (mostly because the usual cadence of dragons, vehicles, and mechs feel repetitive), however the use of the bigfig head on the mutation monsters is quite charming! In the same cadence as the last few years I’m sure the summer wave will bring about some more desirable and complex DR sets.
  14. Kaijumeister
    This new post-2025 trend of severely downsizing and slashing parts budgets on vehicles even though they go past the £100 / $100 mark is beyond pathetic. These are the sets that should have good building techniques, sizeable interiors, and solid minifigure selections. A Millennium Falcon with less than 900 pieces in 2026 is laughable - even the Starship Collection version had a higher piece count! The Smart Brick sets sound uninspiring and the number of side builds in these sets despite their already low part counts isn’t encouraging. I’m keen to see what these sets look like and to see some demonstrations of the SBs in action. Dedicating 8 sets towards this system is ambitious, but it’s disheartening to see that a lot of the builds sound like they will be severely compromised or simplified to accommodate the SB. If this new system augmented existing play patterns, then great, but it seems like so many compromises and sacrifices are being made just to accommodate the SB. @CloneCommando99 and @Mandalorianknight I totally agree that this theme is selling its soul in pursuit of the 18+ market and tech compatibility side of things. Watching the Fan Media Days coverage of the January Star Wars and Ninjago lineups really threw things into contrast. Both themes and heck, the subthemes cater to different audiences, but not a single Star Wars set revealed for 2026 can hold a candle to the likes of, say, Ninjago Legacy. Anyway, hopefully TMaG sets and summer wave will make up for how underwhelming the confirmed sets have been so far. I really hope this summer isn’t clogged up with more buildable characters at least.
  15. Kaijumeister
    To paraphrase Gandalf, it is in the summer wave and TMaG sets that we must place our hope. I understand the DSII final duel being a scene Lego want to keep represented on shelves, but having a system set, diorama, substantial representation in a UCS set, and another system set within the span of seven years seems a little excessive - even though these may have catered to slightly different audiences. I’m sure they’ll reuse Palpatine’s advisor in here as a selling point, and am interested to see if they change up the overall layout of the 2015 / 2020 versions. Whilst we’re on the subject, a Bespin Duel playscale set (that isn’t region-locked) is long overdue. The 2020 diorama was excellent, it’s a shame that had such limited availability.
  16. Kaijumeister
    I’m shocked that Cobb’s Speeder is £25! Sucks that the American price is so egregious. This is definitely the highlight of an otherwise small and by the numbers January wave: - Outside of needing a new hat piece, Bane looks perfect. Very happy to see he gets arm printing. - The Timothy Oliphant likeness on Cobb is spot-on. Always appreciate it when Lego’s graphic designers go that extra mile to nail an actor’s resemblance and I would love to see more of that. - The speeder is oversized and the shaping of the main engine should be much rounder, but at £25 I can live with it. The new Mandalorian box-art really does pop. The fact that the key art is actually art and not a render looks awesome and seeing this approach adopted on LSW packaging for sets based on new content would be a great change of pace from the art style they’ve been using since 2022. As much as Mando’s speeder is very meh, the fact that you can get that and Cobb’s Speeder for £34 is genuinely great. I feel like a kid again where £32 was enough to obtain a starfighter and battle pack. The January lineups for other themes such as Marvel (still surprised at this), Minecraft, Harry Potter, Ninjago, etc. all outclass Star Wars by a wide margin. Let’s hope the post-January LSW sets make up for it.
  17. Kaijumeister
    Lloyd’s Titan Mech is unsurprisingly fantastic. The shaping, angles, colours, and overall design are all on point. Can’t wait to display this alongside the Fire Knight Mech. Weird that they’re revealing a March set before the actual January sets, but I’m sure official images of the remaining Legacy and DR sets aren’t far behind.
  18. Kaijumeister
    Personal preference, it would be cool to get a more accurate-looking cross guard lightsaber even if it would be a composite hilt / blade mould. Realistically it likely would end up being oversized anyway. Yeah, I do think the omission of minifigures is intended (to at least degree) to help isolate the Starship Collection as premium ‘adult’ collectibles. Wish they’d just reveal these January lineups collectively, rather than the piecemeal approach.
  19. Kaijumeister
    Okay, putting Kylo Ren on the BB-8 box art is cold, given that we aren’t actually getting any system sets on the ST. I guess it being based on the original version that came with the first Command Shuttle confirms there aren’t any plans for any system sequel sets anytime soon. It is curious though. BD-1 releasing in 2022 wasn’t indicative of any future Jedi sets so they just plonked the Fallen Order logo on the box art in place of the usual source material minifigure. If we ever get Kylo again, they really need to redesign his helmet and lightsaber. The helmet looks too bulbous as it is, but a combined hood / helmet piece that’s correctly proportioned would be awesome. Overall, big meh for the January wave. Happy for all the buildable character and Starship Collection fans but these sets simply don’t interest me on a personal level the way normal system sets do. Interestingly, quite a few March sets are also being revealed. I wonder if further details are imminent on what to expect for Star Wars.
  20. Kaijumeister
    I find it funny that we’ve been lamenting the 18+ification of the Star Wars theme in 2025, but 2026 now introduces the exact opposite with the Smart Bricks. The middle ground of good ol’ normal sets continues to shrink. Saying that, I’m still hopeful these sets will be able to stand on their own feet without the Smart Bricks, electronic minifigures aside. Although it’s likely driven by childhood nostalgia, I do miss the days of LSW battle packs being experimental and creative (although given the narrower scope of canon media at the time, I suppose the theme had more breathing room to do so). I still fondly remember the 2012 clone battle pack debuting that fully decked out ARC Trooper, it was amazing to see so much effort going into a minifigure within such a cheap set. More than anything from a build standpoint, I would love to see small vehicles like speeder bikes (especially BARCs), AT-RTs etc. actually be small. The Hoth speeder bikes within the 2020 AT-AT and UCS version, along with the Endor ones from the RotJ diorama were a massive step in the right direction. On a more topical note, HD pictures of the Ahsoka Season 2 concept art are now out. So much good set material in here, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a T-6 realised at the £140 price-point this time round.
  21. Kaijumeister
    Usually after a great deal of complaining, I accept the LSW Team’s set choices every year even though a fair share of them feel incredibly misguided. However, the ongoing refusal to release a Stinger Mantis is the one thing that really, really bugs me. It would be the perfect set for the £140 price point; the ship is colourful with a somewhat interesting geometry (and the landing configuration would actually translate quite well to a clever set function), the crew would look excellent in minifigure form, and it’s based on a canon video game series that is actually popular within the fandom. With the fairly simple shaping of the main hull, accommodating a decent interior shouldn’t be too onerous either. I guess the demand for JFO / JS in Lego form is overstated within these small online spaces, and Lego’s market research has indicated minimal interest in tackling the games, but surely the Mantis should be on the LSW Team’s radar nonetheless. Getting sets on these games is literally my #1 wish within this theme (along with a TIE Avenger of course, but at least the Micro Galaxy Squadron version looks fantastic). Reading through the excellent ideas in this thread feels like wish fulfilment.
  22. Kaijumeister
    Gotta be honest, this strikes me as a nothingburger of a wave. The introduction of £9 sets is most welcome (and frankly, I would much rather have these than mechs and microfighters) and Cobb’s speeder looks like a good purchase on discount, but it says a lot that the new package design genuinely feels like the highlight of this wave of sets. I feel like Star Wars has reached a point where the fairly wide spread of waves throughout the year means that the early year waves feel somewhat hollow, disparate, and almost like a tickbox exercise. We’ve become accustomed to almost entirely overlooking early-year set lineups in the hopes that the summer waves are worth the wait. Hopefully the rest of the year’s sets will be worth the wait, and I’m sure some of them will be, but it would be nice if winter waves actually felt exciting and substantial again. The last time that truly felt the case was 2020. On a more positive note, it is nice to get some sets that are essentially based on the Season 2 premiere episode of The Mandalorian. That episode felt truly cinematic. I also echo that it does look like Mando and Cobb have new blaster pieces, although it could just be a matter of angles and the poor image quality. I’m also surprised to see the Grogu mould being reused despite the rumours of the UCS N-1 introducing a new mould for him. I suspect the updated Grogu mould will debut with the TMaG sets.
  23. Kaijumeister
    What a brilliant MOC @Mandalorianknight, you’ve captured the shaping perfectly and this looks addictively swooshable! Omitting the grey edges is also a smart choice as the Avenger’s wings looks ‘sharper’ anyway. I’m largely apathetic to TIE variants (they’re cool, I just care little for them), but for some reason I absolutely love the Avenger. It’s a shame Lego will seem to be ignoring this as a potential set.
  24. Kaijumeister
    The leaked list comes from MaxBaut, he’s as reliable as it gets The Four Weapons looks simply incredible. I can understand some of the concerns that it looks a little small, but nonetheless it looks dense and packed with detail and easter eggs rather than this being a matter of small surplus pieces that only exist to pad out the piece count. I mostly liked what Lego tried with Legacy in 2021, trying to reinterpret evergreen locations and vehicles, however this 15th anniversary celebration strikes me as far better. The build and minifigures look incredibly faithful to the show, only with modern sensibilities, building techniques, and price-points that we couldn’t have gotten back in 2011. The display stands for the annniversary minifigures look incredibly ornate too. I can’t wait to see what the remaining 15th anniversary sets look like.
  25. Kaijumeister
    My delusion-I mean hope tells me we’re getting a Dooku next year given that we got Ventress this year. Shame about us never getting a Republic Crosshair, however I don’t think it’s too great a loss given that back in 2020 it’s unlikely he would have had a helmet with a rangefinder anyway. Still a shame though, I always thought the LSW team could have squeezed a small TBB set in somewhere with him just to complete the lineup.
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