Kaijumeister

Glad to hear the book nook is supposedly minifigure-based going by the Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter leaks! I’m not expecting to be blown away but a ~1200 piece count set should be fairly impressive. Seeing the reviews for Bag-End just affirms my original thoughts. I would have much rather the side builds be omitted, and a bit more added to Bag End’s interior instead. Still waiting for that hat / hair mould for Gandalf though. But I guess in his fight with DB he isn’t wearing the hat to begin with anyway. I wonder if the book nook will also include Boromir holding back Frodo, but then the set would require more forced perspective.

Ironically I’m fairly apathetic to new TIE variants but the Avenger is such a cool-looking ship. It’s great we’re getting a new U-Wing and it would have been nice for the second set to be the Avenger rather than a buildable K2 IMO. With that in mind, I’m willing to bet at least a couple of the Mandalorian and Grogu sets will be buildable characters and objects. Very curious that the UT-AT is no longer guaranteed to be a UT-AT (or I suppose, it never was). But as long as the set still includes Bacara and some Galactic Marines I’m sure it’ll still be a somewhat desirable set. I do find it weird that the two large summer sets are an MTT and the not-UT-AT though. It seems like a risky gamble on Lego’s side to bank the most expensive mainline sets on Bly, Bacara, Aayla, and supposedly Ki-Adi Mundi. Are they truly that desirable?

Sounds like Lego wanting to appeal to consumers who feel embarrassed at the prospect of buying Lego lol. I presume the lever will display the opening crawl of ANH or something along those lines. I always thought this logo would include some minibuild ships ‘flying’ around it but hey, guess not. Night Trooper BP looks awesome (boo for no Enoch ), as does Plo’s Microfighter. The Clone BP looks uninspired, again getting some new droid variants like magnaguards would’ve really made this summer better. Happy be proven wrong, but I don’t see much potential for this year to give us any true ‘heavy hitter’ sets the way we’ve been seeing the past few years now.

Yep, it’s pure speculation on their part. Not to brick on them but clickbait is that site’s bread and butter. The lack of development on BTSV has been common knowledge for a long time, can’t imagine this being new news. I’m shocked the Milano is retiring by the end of the year. Built the set last week and it’s one of the best Lego have ever put out. I wonder if this means a large vehicle build is due for this theme next year? That said, as amazing as the recent Quinjet was, getting another Quinjet at the same price point and piece count as the Milano would be awesome. The Milano itself is undersized compared to the source material but a Quinjet at thst size would be true minifigure scale. Anyway, more large space / aircraft sets please Lego Marvel!

It’s a beautiful set all round but a skip for me. As much as the side builds demonstrate some lovely attention to detail from TFotR, I wouldn’t have minded their omission in favour of adding more to Bag End. But gah, still no hair / hat mould for Gandalf! Come on, Lego I’m praying the book nook has a few minifigures in it.

As a whole, these sets look phenomenal and are a credit to Ninjago’s ability to produce fresh and exciting sets 15 years into the theme. Licensed themes could learn a lot from this. I have to admit I’m not completely enthused about the Bounty from that initial image, however I’ll wait for more pictures before making a decision. It still looks excellent, perhaps my expectations were too high. Also, seeing amazing box art like that of the Fire Knight Mech will always trump bland 18+ boxes any day of the week. There’s so much soul to it.

The whiplash is very real, that’s for sure. We get some amazing sets like that diorama, the Milano, Quinjet, etc. but then we also get the unnecessary spider-vehicles, all-round poor ‘battle’ sets, and so on. In some ways I think that makes this theme all the more frustrating. We know they’re capable of designing good sets, but they either choose not to in certain cases or their hands are ridiculously tied that they’re unable to. The latter doesn’t seem like a valid excuse to me. The only other reasonable set it could come in would be a Cap / Bucky vs. Iron Man Battle maybe, but then again you can already reenact that using the mini figures from the Airport Battle set so I can’t see it being reused. Doomsday is releasing within a very different climate to Endgame and No Way Home. The anticipation for Marvel releases isn’t what it used to be and there’s a lot of apprehension around RDJ’s casting as Doom. If anything, I think Marvel Studios have their work cut out for them to build up excitement for the film and I’m sure that’ll extend to their merchandising approach too. What concerns me more is whether the culture / competence / budget / etc. of this theme will actually allow for a solid Doomsday wave, or if they’ll just half-brick it and call it a day.

Plus movie sets tend to have higher budgets. The Solo sets were some of the best this theme has seen IMO. I still remember the Cloud Rider Swoop Bikes being so cheap yet including those fantastic new helmets for Enfys Nest and Weazel. We need more sets like that and last year’s Paz / Gideon battle was certainly a step in the right direction. Regarding an updated B1 mould, personally I find it a flimsy excuse that just because people have amassed copious amounts of the existing mould for army building that it should somehow prevent the introduction of any improvements to the figure. But then again, I also have no issue with battle packs including named characters if it means they’re the only way to get them (again, Enoch should’ve been in this June’s battle pack, because where else are they going to release him now?).

At this point, I agree the theme is too deeply entrenched in the current play style (which evidently sells well) to facilitate a complete shift to minifigures, and I say this as someone who would still love to see minifigures if only for the compatibility with other Nintendo themes. Crazy that we’re now in the 6th year of this theme. It would be nice if Lego could throw us a bone with a minifigure-focused set every now and then, even if it’s in the style of the occasional 18+ set. Heck, even producing one set based on each iconic game like 64 / Sunshine / Galaxy / Odyssey over the course of a few years would make people happy I imagine. A minifigure compatible Odyssey ship would be awesome. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair for Lego to dismiss the non-trivial number of fans who do want something minifigure-based 6 years into this theme, especially as it probably can be done without compromising the existing course builder system. Back on topic though, I would love to get Yoshi and Luigi in the same scale as that D2C Mario. Still can’t get over how good that set looks.

Very quickly going off topic, but from a narrative standpoint, it confounds me that the entirety of the ST takes place over the span of just over a year. It makes it hard to observe any substantial and believable changes in the characters. Compare that to the time covered within the PT and OT - you can see changes in characters. Especially Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Luke. I suspect the Midi-Scale Command Shuttle and Kylo's Helmet are a way for Lego to gauge interest in the ST without needing to use any budget for new minifigure prints / moulds / etc. The problem is most people who want some level of ST representation probably desire it in the traditional playset format rather than just one-off display pieces. It speaks to the wider problem with Lego now that even though they could choose to cover media, the monkey's paw curls and 'cover' means helmets/ midi-ships / Brickheadz etc. I don't necessarily mind more 18+ stuff covering something, as long as that media is also represented via at least one 'proper' system set too. It's like with Jedi: Fallen Order. The only official set we got was the buildable BD-1, then Lego made (a thoroughly half-baked) Cal as an anniversary figure without bothering to include BD-1 after the set containing BD-1 retired. BD-1 was an amazing model by all accounts, but it stings when we get so close to Lego representation over something but it's in the buildable <thing> format only. At this rate I'm crossing my fingers Micro Galaxy Squadron puts out a Stinger Mantis because Lego sure as hell won't be bothering. It's a damn shame too; characters like the Second Sister, Purge Troopers, etc. would kill as Lego minifigures - far more than yet more P2 clones in different colours, and I say that as a massive TCW fan.

Yeah for DC it really hit me when that value pack released some time back with the Keaton Batwing, Batmobile, and polybag - and the minifigures were Batman, the Joker, Batman, the Joker, and Batman Yeah a new variant is sorely needed. I keep hankering for the Insomniac suit given that it’s visually distinct enough from the variations on the standard red / blue suit we’ve been getting since 2012. Great point. Plus those non-D2C location builds also showed that you don’t necessarily need a huge piece count to make a fun playset. 2013’s Bugle didn’t even break the 500 piece mark yet it included a decent facade of the building along with Doom’s jet. 2018’s Sanctum Sanctorum build was great, the Avengers Tower from 2015 and 2020 were also pretty good, and so on. I’m still hankering for a truly phenomenal playset though. In my opinion the 2016 Bridge Battle still represents the pinnacle of what a good non-D2C playset should be.

I’ll reserve my thoughts on the build itself until we get more images (seriously, it’s the least flattering angle to get a first look), but the minifigures are stunning! I donated my 2016 U-Wing years ago so might just pick this up.

That is genuinely a perfect set It does make me lament how good a minifigure-scaled Mario Kart line could have been, I wish Lego could divulge why such an option is completely off the table but I guess it doesn’t matter. Back on topic, this’ll be the first Nintendo D2C I buy since the ? Block released. Speechless at how good it looks.

I can’t imagine what the backlash would be like if any other licensed theme was this poorly handled, especially Star Wars. It gets frustrating hearing the ‘oh our budgets are so low!’ excuse when these sets are so absurdly overpriced and the cost is passed on to the consumer anyway. It actually beggars belief that for some reason, they thought redoing the Mk85 was of paramount importance despite the existing design being more than good enough, yet creating a Mk42 for the Armoury set was out of the question Don’t forget the Iron Man 2 Hammer Drone set! Such an awesome scene from the film and one that’s hopefully difficult to screw up given it’s a small set. I’m still quite excited for these sets too and can’t wait to see them, but at the same time my faith in how this theme is being handled is at an all-time low. I reeeeeeally hope a new Spider-Man variant is on the way. When it comes to this theme, new prints for characters are treated with the same degree of penny pinching as full on new moulds I miss when this theme had a more judicious approach towards new moulds, especially when they’re needed to represent a character’s design more completely. Star-Lord’s helmet was last seen in 2017 which is crazy, they didn’t bother to a mould for live action Green Goblin’s helmet, the list goes on and on. The number of new moulds we get these days is close to non-existent. It’s kind of funny to think how much more budget 4+ sets get for this sort of thing.

Agreed on all points. ‘It’s just rubble’ is a poor excuse and a short sighted one too when looking at the Endgame battle. There’s so much to that scene that would make for cool builds like you’ve already pointed out, and I’d personally relegate small rubble builds to act as stands for minifigures if nothing else. Fingers crossed the summer wave isn’t so lazily done as what we’ve seen so far. It’s been encouraging to see LAN members tear the Endgame set apart, hopefully the Lego Marvel team take the right lessons from it moving forward.

Seems likely, however it seems weird to gauge interest in a theme through a set that’s half targeted towards fans of OoT and half towards BotW when so many BotW fans are probably priced out of a large D2C set to begin with. If the Great Deku Tree set was just based on OoT I suppose that logic would still make more sense, but I’m sure plenty of BotW fans occupy younger demographics. I guess an apt comparison would be how Lego are approaching Lord of the Rings - they refuse to make any sets that aren’t huge and pricey, but they’re based on films that released over 2 decades ago. Really hoping for more Zelda though, especially Tears of the Kingdom sets. There are so many locations, vehicles, and characters that are ripe for Lego representation. Even a ‘create your own builds’ set themed around Zonai devices would be awesome.

The Workshops look great but definitely a pass for me. I’ve diverted my hype to the Temple Bounty. Not sure if anyone here follows the Brick Tap Discord server but some reputable leakers spoke of the Temple Bounty last week - the shaping is apparently more similar to TLNM’s version of the Bounty, somewhat like a less squished version of Metal Beard’s Sea Cow from The Lego Movie. It’ll also have the biggest interior of any Destiny’s Bounty we’ve gotten so far. Sounds exciting! A giant 2000+ piece Bounty set will be awesome, especially with no side-builds taking up pieces.

These dry seasons for leaks are always a slog to get through Agreed though, looking forward to getting some more granular details for the summer. Hopefully there are some positive surprises in terms of minifigures etc. we don’t yet know about. Does anyone think Lego will ever redo the B1 figure design? It’s done a good job to have lasted almost 3 decades but sorely needs an update in my opinion. The fixed leg piece especially makes them feel too static and wobbly compared to a dynamic figure.

What’s annoying about the constant Endgame battle sets is none of them really hit the mark and that first attempt in 2021 still remains the best. I remember being annoyed at how inaccurate Thor looked back then but compared to the shortcuts this theme takes now? It’s nothing in comparison. All of them compromise extensively on the minifigures and builds, and we get constant iterations of the scene because the Lego Marvel team can’t be bothered to put some actual effort in to produce a definitive set that represents the scene and its characters well. Last year’s large AoU set wasn’t perfect, but can anyone say it doesn’t capture the scene well? Not to mention: - Still no Ronin. - Still no Smart Hulk. - Still no helmeted Thanos. - Still no completely detailed Captain America with dual moulded arms / legs with printing (at this point, even asking for a movie-accurate costume is too much). - Still no accurate Thor. The list goes on and on - I wouldn’t be surprised if this summer’s Endgame expansion set just reuses the AoU Thor variant. Honestly as much as people rightfully lament the lack of character representation from that battle, I would be more than happy if they did a definitive Endgame battle set of the big 3 against a helmeted Thanos without any skimping on detail for the minifigures and a solid build. Heck, bolster it with some well thought out expansion sets to bolster the characters, portals etc. Even if it spans a few years. We know the designers are perfectly capable of creating desirable minifigures and builds in this theme, but it’s either laziness or extreme budget cutting at this point. Some of these sets look like have so little thought or effort put into them, yet they’re still priced as if they’re premium product. < Bee Movie guy ranting in courtroom.gif >

I always thought the Poe Dameron head from the Star Wars theme resembled Paul Rudd way more than Oscar Isaac. Shame that head was never used for Ant-Man. I was really excited for 76322 due to the prospect of finally getting an accurate Endgame Thor and a well done Iron Patriot Mk2, no way that’s happening anymore.

Yeeep, and Strange is the same Multiverse of Madness variant we’ve seen a few times now. At this point, it genuinely is pathetic how low effort some of these minifigure reuses are. They can bother to produce an accurate Endgame Cap in 2021 but not 2025? Is the budget for Lego Marvel really that tight? Or is it just a poor attention to detail? This set sounded so cool when it was first rumoured. On the plus side, a new Ant-Man is nice and it’s cool T’Challa’s head from the Marvel CMF is included here - the likeness of Chadwick Boseman is awesome. Printing Cap’s broken shield is also pretty cool. Hopefully the summer wave has some heavy hitters because this just isn’t it. I guess sets like this and the Civil War one are intended to let people quickly amass hero characters in one go.

Not surprised whatsoever that Spidey and Doc-Ock are reuses, Lego Marvel being Lego Marvel. Nice to hear that a possible new head for Tobey is on the cards though.

As much as Asajj would be significantly outnumbered, it would have been absolute perfection to get Anakin in his Clone Wars armour too to complement Obi-Wan. Maybe next year. In all honesty, a massive fighter tank build with a bigger interior etc. wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I know the UT-AT technically hasn’t been done by Lego before, but do most people really want what basically resembles an AT-TE without legs? Seems like a boring choice for a build IMO. Although saying that, it’s weird when relatively small vehicles get oversized and large ones get undersized in Lego form… It would’ve been so cool to get an updated Dooku and some Magnaguards this year

I’d love to get a mould like this, but can 100% see Lego thinking it’s too specialised just in case they want to include (living) Death Troopers in more sets down the line. On the topic of Plo’s head, I do hope Lego try to redesign his head completely rather than reuse the same overall shape and proportions, just in a less rubbery type of plastic). I’m all for resurrecting moulds as they were if the designs were solid enough like the ARC-170 pilot helmet, but don’t really think it applies to Plo. So far this year, the resurrected (R) / new mould list for minifigures seems to be: - ARC-170 Pilot helmet (R) - K2-SO head / torso (R) - Death Trooper helmet (R) - Plo’s head - Bacara’s helmet - Possible P1 Pilot helmet That’s a significantly small list all in all, especially for a big-budget theme like Star Wars.

PPP Ratio isn’t everything but it’s sad when these big summer sets don’t even break the 1000 piece mark, especially because it just shortens the build experience. Last year’s Dark Falcon and ISD were both over 1500 pieces which is quite a stark contrast. Really struggling to understand what the perceived value is in these sets, outside of more clone variants and Jedi we’ve already seen before (albeit 7-8 years). Still, will keep an open mind.