ArrowBricks

If we are talking about 30th anniversary figures, I’d like to think we get a Yaddle or Yarrael Poof if we haven’t got them already. Holding out hope that Pablo-Jill appears in a set, but I’d take him too.

2. No, this didn’t happen. 3. I had to keep trying to delete the message, requote the message, delete parts of the message I didn’t want to quote and repeat 4. I think the text disappeared, but can’t remember

@CloneCommando99, point I’m making is that they release lots of remakes for the Bounty but the size is still top tier. One Piece has started from a large scale, arguably for a theme catered towards children and young adults. Star Wars caters for adults in display models only.

For whatever reason, I have never got on board with a Star Wars CMF. For TPM, Sio Bibble aside, I could see all of those characters finding their way into a set in the next 10 years. Granted, AOTC is more difficult but I cannot say I’d want a Jamillia, Elan Sleaze, or Cliegg.

Another aspect of the downscales that I don’t think gets spoken about enough is that no other theme - popular, mainstays, new - are pursuing downscales, let alone so ruthlessly. Ninjago’s Destiny’s Bounty, Harry Potter The Main Tower, One Piece sets, are just some examples. Are downscales the product of an increasing license fee? @Kaijumeister I’d love that to be the case! P1 Rex would be brilliant. The buildable character/droid influx is rather strange, because you’d have thought they could elongate this sub-theme for 1-2 years if they released 2 sets each year (which we would all agree is enough). When I think of the long-term vitality of the theme, there’s not loads and loads of new ideas and sub-themes I can think of, especially since the last 5-7 years has seen such an increase in different styles of sets (helmets, diorama’s, mid-scale ships). @MKJoshA - not sure if it’s just me, but since the update on site, it’s been really difficult to post messages when using the website via iPhone. You quote a message and click the button to submit the message and it never works. I’d take that any day of the week, atleast the value would feel better. Plus, I’m getting a worthy model. I actually appreciate the release of the Jango Slave One this summer. I cannot afford and do not want to spend the money for the UCS version. Why wait another year? Correct imo. I like it. Really want a Sail Barge and Venator at a more affordable price whilst still feeling premium. They’ve really lost this market for sure. It’s hard given the price increases. Number One rule with LEGO Star Wars is that it most likely doesn’t make sense.

Bingo, me too. But perhaps a little cheaper, maybe the £220 price point.

That is a story for another day. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t mind a new Coleman Trebor soon enough. I’ll convert you to my side, soon enough! I agree, it worked well for really common ships we see year-in-year out. I really don’t know why they haven’t moved to the Sequel Trilogy for their X-Wings, Tie’s as I think they’d sell well given the lower price point. Smaller ships, bigger prices, worse quality. That’s how I characterise the vast majority of the sets. Heck, we even got the wrong Bib Fortuna mould in a $500+ UCS set, so what hope do the smaller ones have! That being said, I do like the summer wave from what I can see so far, except the prices. If the MTT and Turbo Tank were £120, maximum then I would say they are good sets. The bigger question is why LEGO are currently pricing (or unable to price them any less at RRP) well beyond the price per piece - which I argue is a good benchmark for understanding value. I always use the Elite Clone Trooper BP as the case study for new moulds, and the corresponding very low price point. The MTT doesn’t have enough big pieces and new moulds for such a price hike, and the decision to use brick built wheels surely would have balanced with the new Bacara, Galactic Marines regarding the Turbo. When LEGO inevitable up-scale the sets again, it will make the return that ever bit sweeter. I just can’t help think they lost millions with their decisions in the past 3-4 years.

Hard to disagree with this - well put. Fingers crossed! I do think it’s reliant on having 1 or 2 good figures included for these to sell e.g. Separatist Leader, Tactical Droid, exclusive Jedi/Clone etc etc. They’d have made a lot more, if they got the figures nailed though. They lowered the ceiling, considerably.

Sadly, Jango’s Slave One was never going to be like the 2019 version. It pairs nicely with Obi-Wan’s JSF. MTT looks good, Turbo Tank looks ok if you can get past the downscale. V-19 feels a bit empty…maybe it’s lacking a Republic insignia. Sadly, I am not impressed by the Ewok which is a shame. Satisfied with the other sets, and I can see myself buying a few which is always a bonus.

Thank you, greatly appreciated. I did try and make the predictions as realistic as possible. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see a buildable Commando Droid/Tactical Droid, though.

Ayy, my B1 prediction was right! Happy to hear there are 3 Galactic Marines, although we haven’t seen them yet, ha! The Snowspeeder sounds really good, I hope it looks it too. The V-19, Slave One, and MTT are the ones I’m most excited to see. If I think they’re 9/10 minimum I’ll purchase them. Sadly, the Turbo Tank sounds like a rubbish set otherwise I’d have been interested. I can also see myself going for the Buildable Ewok, again if it sounds as good as it looks - I think it will translate really well.

Turbo Tank has more than 4 figures, confirmed by carterbricks04 via legominecraft_goat. I would speculate a couple of battle droid, maximum.

I will change concerned to surprised. I believe it’s an inferior product, but I do think the reason is to enhance play and longevity for the figure.

Not sure they need actual fan feedback to work out the pupils is a bad decision, as is the lack of cloth. I’d be a bit concerned at anyone that thinks it’s the best decision.

My 2026 predictions. Death Star Troopers Battle Pack £20 - includes Storm Troopers Endor Rebel Forces Battle Pack £20 - Rebels and Ewoks Corporate Alliance Tank Droid £35 - Kashyyyk Luke’s Landspeeder £35 - Sandtroopers with new pauldron piece 4+ Anakin’s Podracer £25 Rebuild the Galaxy Microfighter £15 Buildable BB-8 £80 Buildable IG-88 £100 Buildable L3-37 £120 Mandalorian & Grogu Mech (IG-11) £15 - Season 3 Phase I Clone Pilot Helmet £80 Shore Trooper Helmet £65 Lando Skiff Guard Helmet £60 Mid-scale Hammerhead Corvette £45 Mid-Scale Resistance Bomber £65 - red version Mid-Scale Imperial Shuttle £70 Clone Z-95 Headhunter £45 - Wolfpack Troopers Darth Vader’s Tie Advanced £45 Rebel GR-75 Transport £150 Imperial AT-ACT £180 - Rogue One Mandalorian & Grogu movie sets: AT-RT £20 Downscaled N1 Starfighter £40 £65 - Zeb £90 - Villain set (Embo?) £160 - RazorCrest (?!)

The new moulds give me hope more generally! TK StormTroopers, Commando’s, ARF Troopers, AT-RT Driver. Many options, including Plo Koon’s excellent new mould which gives me hopes for Jedi redesigns and new moulds altogether.

I was just about to post the same! Let’s hope it meets my new, high expectations.

My wallet-buster wave - I am a huge Prequel fan, sorry everyone! 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Troopers £25: Phase II 187th Battalion Clone Trooper (x3), 187th Battalion ARF Trooper Imperial Science Division Troopers £25: TK Stormtrooper (x2), TK ShockTrooper, Imperial Commando Republic Falchion Tank £65: Plo Koon (Insignia), Commander Wolffe, Phase II WolfpackTrooper (x2) Phase 1 Clone Pilot Helmet (AOTC) £70 Imperial AT-AC £75: Dr Hemlock, Omega, Echo, Imperial Commando “Scorch”, TK Stormtrooper Buildable General Grievous £120 Naboo Royal Starship £130: Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon-Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ric Olie, Captain Paneka, R2-D2, R2-B1 Venator-Class Republic Cruiser £200: Anakin Skywalker (Insignia), Captain Rex (Phase I), Phase I Clone Trooper (x2), Republic Officer (x2), Medical Droid Jabba’s Sail Barge (w/Skiff) £220: Jabba the Hutt, Bib Fortuna, Luke Skywalker, Nysad, Barada, Brock Starsher, R2-D2, Max Rebo

I am happy to hear the Commando Droids are returning, it should make the MTT better value.

This is a fair point. Intrigued to see where the value is with 900 pieces and likely £150. Seems to be some value in the new cloth/pauldron and obviously new moulds for the helmets, but definitely not in bigger pieces with the wheels being brick built. I can’t comment if it would be 300+ pieces given I have not seen the set - I would like to assume there’s a lot of smaller pieces inflating the value proposition, though… All fair points/observations. I will reserve final judgement for the AT-ST; I hope I’m pleasantly surprised! I just don’t like the idea of it likely having 1 figure and being advertised as 18+ and displayable, only. It will be too big for figures, essentially. Ships that are too large is subjective, I guess. In my mind, a Turbo Tank cannot be adequately done in this current climate at £140-£150. U-Wing is a good example. Agreed with the Milano example; the Tantive IV from 2019 is another illustrative example - a Sail Barge would work wonders here, as would a Turbo Tank. My guess re. Flagship pricing is two-fold: - UCS Death Star - more ambitious moulds for figures Yes, so I will be careful not to complain too much. If it’s not scaled, the inclusion of figures won’t make sense. I think that’s where I am at with it. Yes, I absolutely would expect price increases! Problem is, I am not advocating for UCS techniques, scaling, advertising etc. I want figures, play features, scaling that feels like (and ultimately are) the flagship sets. If the Turbo Tank and the MTT had another 300 pieces each, and cost £180 or so, that works for me. The Star Destroyer is solid, just for me, the value isn’t there due to the size. It doesn’t feel worth the price, but I can completely appreciate that’s my own opinion. However, I do think what they’re doing with the buildable droids is phenomenal. The battle droid with STAP is a perfect display piece. It exists as a display piece, which is by far the best angle to take.

This is exactly what I am advocating for. These wouldn’t ever exist in the current structure, bar the Venator, but I think we can push the envelope on that more given the figures etc it’s probably $170, minimum. Would you want it the same size as the Star Destroyer? Think I have done my wallet buster wave before, but I like the name and it’s an excuse to do it again!

Well they definitely aren’t $180. Interesting point about the AT-ST. I can’t comment fully as I have not seen it, but it does sounds like it’s a displayable piece, no figures etc. Is it an 18+ set? Either way, not sure we really needed this set… There is space, $170-$230 is a huge window. Just because a UCS set fits in that window too doesnt mean what I am suggesting can’t either. The UCS TIE interceptor is $230, X-Wing $240, FireSpray $300. Lego got the Dark Falcon right last year, that’s the sort of set the Turbo Tank and the MTT should be. The Star Destroyer last year should have been just that little bit bigger. Figure wise there’s a little left on the table and I don’t think anyone of us would complain if it’s was $170 if it was bigger, Cal had the Poncho and an extra Stromtrooper. The Ghost at $160 is near enough perfect, minus the figures. Again, that’s the standard. In my world, the 2013 UCS Ewok Village would become what I am talking about now. It’s not a UCS set, but it’s a playset, with amazing figures and detail. Unusually overpriced at the time vs £.

I’ve never said I do not want the prices increased. I want sets that feel worthy of their price point, and I want sets that bridge the gap between the high-end system scale playsets and the UCS sets. Price-wise the gap is huge, quality wise it’s even bigger. I define quality in all the areas you will, including size. Hence, if the downscales continue to exist, especially for the larger sets, I need a new type of set that is larger, has better functionality, and better figures. I’d still need a strong level of detail. You’ve seen in the future Star Wars thread I’m not against downscales per se, but I am if there is now no viable alternative. Perhaps my illusion of value, is size. But I would also feel less aggrieved by smaller sets if I felt the quality was there - figures, moulds, functionality. A lot of that is a 8/10, maximum.

More downscales… The Fortitude £119.99, 900 pcs - Resistance Pilot (x2), Finn, Jannah, Beaumont Kin, BB-8, Resistance Soldier (Orbak) First Order Transport £74.99, 550 pcs - Sith Trooper (x3), Sith Jet Trooper (x2), Finn, Jannah First Order UA-TT £54.99, 500 pcs - First Order Walker Driver, First Order Snowtrooper Captain, Lieutenant Barok, Poe Dameron, Zorii Bliss Geonosian Starfighter £29.99, 160 pcs - Geonosian Pilot, Winged Geonosian, Luminara Unduli Polan 717 Jedi Transporter £69.99, 650 pcs - Jedi Master Indara, Jedi Master Sol, Jedi Padawan Torbin, Jedi Master Kelnacca Z-95 Headhunter £39.99, 350 pcs - Phase II Clone Pilot, Phase II 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper (x2) Millenium Falcon £139.99, 1050 pcs - Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, Garindan, Sandtrooper (x2) Emperor Palpatine’s Shuttle £59.99, 500 pcs - Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Clone Pilot, Medical Droid, Commander Thyre Republic Attack Shuttle £69.99, 550 pcs - Adi Gallia, Phase II Clone Pilot, Anaxes Clone Trooper (x2)

I did type out a much larger response than this, but thought better of it. I can think of many, many sets 10-15 years ago that met all these requirements, hence I do strongly believe what I am asking for is certainly realistic. For 2025, my options are buy a Slave One at £260, a Death Star at $1000, or some displayable buildable droids and/or helmets. 1 is extremely expensive, 2 are designed to be mainly displayable, and 1 realistically meets most of my requirements detailed in my previous post, albeit still expensive. A downscaled Turbo Tank and MTT doesn’t satisfy me, and most would agree. Granted this assumes the figures match the stylistic choices of the past few years, which would be disappointing, and they are in fact downscales. The flagship system scale sets are getting smaller whilst UCS sets are getting larger and more expensive, leaving a big gap in the market for folks like myself. Ultimately, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable with my requests. There’s a gap, and it’s widening. “but how do they draw improvements from that” - I think you answered your own question in your own post. Stop producing naff downscaled sets - which such a decision ultimately feels like is designed to increase sales of increasingly pricier UCS sets.