Draykov

Well, pricepoint/mass produced pieces/etc...he does have to deal with a lot of restrictions. And I happen to like the mech. For $8, it's not half bad. But, if you check out the interview over on Brothers Brick (part 2), Mark mentions his involvement in the new space theme.

Saw this vid linked over at Brothers Brick. An interview with the Power Miners design team...kind of fun. :) The gent in the middle/right pane who designed 8957 Mine Mech and 8961 Crystal Sweeper is none other than Mark Stafford (AKA Nabii). He's also responsible for 3 sets in the new Space Police III line which proves there is a God. :)

That works for me...thanks, Mark. :)

Just to clarify though: how do we know? Where has this been confirmed from a reliable source? I'm not trying to be jerk, I just genuinely want to know because I haven't seen it stated unequivocally from a source I know to be reliable.

I'm inclined to agree.

Pencoin will have to forgive me since I don't know him/her nor his/her source of information. I, apparently, mistook some of what CopMike said on pg. 18 for sarcasm, but am reasonably confident that as an ambassador, he has good info.

My understanding is that retailers have a lot of data that suggests this formula sells and retailers in this day and age have a lot of input as to how LEGO approaches things. My take is this: the perpetual "grab and chase/good vs. bad" formula may seem patronizing and it may seem to underestimate the intelligence and imagination of the target demographic, but there is absolutely nothing that dictates that kids be stuck with what's given to them. It might be easier to break the mold by branching off into the occasional purchase of a Creator set or brick tub, but kids are not being force-fed anything. As someone who came out of his dark ages just prior to Galidor, I have no complaints. LEGO and their selection of sets have gotten steadily better and better since 2002. They've had a few slip-ups and growing pains (color change, manufacturing changes, etc.), but things are significantly better these days than they were 6 or so years ago when Star Wars was one of the only themes worth getting worked up about.

Just to reiterate what was said by our resident LEGO Ambassador/Swedish meatball back on page 18 of this thread: So, what I take from all that is: 1) The set pictured in the promo is 5973 Hyperspeed Pursuit. 2) Both the space-rod and SPIII vehicle are in the same set 3) That bad guy is Squidman As for all the "bickering" well...I guess it's unavoidable. I do think that if you maintain the expectation that LEGO can recapture your childhood for you, you're going to be perpetually disappointed. Their marketing department has stated repeatedly that "conflict play" is the most interesting thing to kids these days, so manufactured story-lines with more specific events highlighted in each set are not going way...it doesn't mean today's kids can't use their imaginations and it doesn't mean that we can't customize or MOC what we want to see using new pieces and figs that the LEGO Company is clearly using to throw us AFOL spacers a bone. I'm excited. I would be surprised if LEGO was using preliminary shots for a promo ad, but these pictures do give off a prelim vibe, particularly due to the presence of the TIE pilot torso. Time will tell, I guess.

Could be...either way, I don't care. I didn't realize the issue had already been disputed pages back in the thread, nor had I noticed Cop Mike's comments. That's what I get for posting before I've read. :) I'm just happy to have some new and interesting space sets. I just wish they'd find a way to incorporate the current CS torso in a new color like they teased us with in the Farm prelim shots.

I thought that at first until KDog pointed out (over at Classic-Space) the 1x2 gold tiles flying out the back of the space-rod...could be 5971 Gold Heist.

My very first LEGO set was 485 Fire Truck. I received it as a gift somewhere between 1979 and 1982. Once Space hit the scene, I was hooked for life.

You might be on to something there...but then again, who wants an army of identical pirates? :)

The LEGO site has .pdf instructions for 8398 NA (North America) so I wouldn't worry...it's just a matter of time. I'm going to agree, at least in the context of the City sets. City in general seems to have a longer life-span (at least on retail shelves) than a lot of other themes. It could also be that their smaller size makes them ideal for stocking stuffers, so you won't see the next "big" batch of impulse releases until Summer 2009 (i.e. leading up to next Christmas).

Here's a question...the article points out that "What is raising the ire of parents and business owners far and wide is what this will mean to clothing, toys and other children products made before February 10, 2009." How would anyone be able to prove that any Bricklink inventory is older than that and who is the burden of proof on? Are individual LEGO pieces going to subject to lead testing and labeling? This is a stupid law. I have no problems protecting the kids and all, but why are toys not subject to recalls in the past going to be subject to this piece of legislation (assuming that's the case). FYI: Ask a Question Regarding the New CPSC Reauthorization Legislation

This really doesn't seem so drastically different than 6211 ISD to me (how quickly we forget the gaping hole in the bridge section). I'm not sure what all the complaints are about. These minifig inside/miniscale outside sets are a compromise, so obviously there are going to be some less than ideal design concessions. It does seem a bit smaller than the ISD, but maybe it'll be cheaper (or at least not more expensive). I guess time will tell.

That might work depending on how the legislation is worded (edit: I guess this has passed already). Just make Bricklink accessible to 18 and over only. I'm not gonna panic just yet...

I've heard the same from a reliable source. Not sure if it'll actually be called Galactic Patrol, but my understanding is that it is some sort of extension of Space Police.

I reserve judgment for now, but that is a lot of lime. Thunderbirds are go! They have the potential to add to the spaceship engine palette a bit on the MOC front.

Not sure if anyone has addressed that question (if so, I missed it), but it appears to be the old Rock Raiders helmet in blue (which I think is pretty cool).

I received my September - October 2008 copy of the LEGO Club Magazine today. On the inside of the back cover, they reveal the Jan-Feb 2009 Brickmaster Exclusive. Not a bad rendition for 84 pieces.

Count me in and thanks for the opportunity! :)

It's possible. I think the only reason Red is missing his visor is because his original counterpart used the old style helmet that couldn't accommodate one at all...making this fudge of including the newer standard helmet more true to the original. At this point, the tanks are a mystery, but if yellow ones are available on LDD, it's no stretch to think they'd include red ones here.

Well, the tour description states: "At the end of the tour, guests receive a very special, extremely limited-edition LEGO model. We [cannot] tell you what it is, because [it is] different for every tour!" If semantics are anything to go by, I say this isn't it, given that a minifig pack wouldn't really qualify as a model. Personally, I'm pretty stoked about this. A minty fresh space guy (I consider the newer helmet an improvement) is a solid choice. "Vol. I" implies subsequent volumes. Lots of potential here. I would guess this ends up as a LEGO retail store exclusive with an appearance on Shop@Home at $9.99 - $12.99 (USD). I agree with the folks who have said a wider sample of themes would've been a good idea for the initial set...Castle and Pirates are sorely lacking here. I also like the notion of releasing packs that are theme specific...though from a marketing perspective, it might make more sense to mix them up to improve sales and appeal to a wider customer base...essentially, make a lot of people a little happy rather than making a relatively small group very happy. It's more profitable. Anyone who would assume vintage = old gray in this context is kidding themselves...same goes for those expecting the reappearance of retired molds. While I admit it's probably not the ideal mix of figs from most of our perspectives, it's still something to be pretty happy about.

No, I think you're right on the money about it being nose art. My guess is that this is a lot like the "rancor mouth" RGS that everyone loved so much from the Clone Wars cartoon. My best guess is that it represents nose art seen on an RGS in the new CG series. The SW universe does borrow some real-world phenomena in order to give it that "lived in" look everyone is always talking about (in this case, nose art as seen on actual military aircraft) but gives it a Star Warsy spin (in this case, a creature much like Salacious Crumb, which people recognize from Star Wars...it's not necessarily Salacious himself).