Draykov

As the Sisyphus of sorting, I know how big a deal this is. Congratulations on 100% sort!

The beauty of LEGO is that pretty much any part can be useful if you try hard enough. :-) As others have said, I think the main motivation behind the increase in model size is to drive sales. Personally, I think the number of large parts in the palette is not so overwhelming...I think it's simply a matter of getting a return on investment on a part you made the mold for, so you might see a lot of it during any one production run. Parents are looking for more bang for their buck. Just looking at some Amazon reviews of LEGO sets makes me cringe. Some parents can't justify the price of a new LEGO castle and are perfectly happy to sacrifice creativity and instead spend their $90 on some single purpose, non-building toy. I've also seen comments about the "sturdiness" of LEGO toys...so I guess some parents are raising their kids to be ham-fisted destructo bots who don't have the motor skills to play with a LEGO set without demolishing it. Anyway, the number of pieces in sets these days don't seem to me to be too different from older ones in comparable ranges, but the set designs are often more spread out and less detailed to convince those parents that it's worth the high price tag.

I hope they can pull off the round shape effectively. While I was a big fan of the Cloud Car set, it didn't quite capture the sleek elegance of the film version of the vehicle, so I don't know how much more successful LEGO will be with the Techno Union/Magna Guard fighter (assuming that's what it turns out to be, which seems likely).

Good question! It seems to be to be a perfect balance of several variables: Versatility - LEGO is almost limitless in what you can do with it and how kids can play with it. Tradition - Everyone knows LEGO. It's been around for ages. The fact that people can pick up a LEGO set today and find a good helping of the same types of elements they played with 25 years ago or more (along with some new pieces that still retain a "LEGO feel") is a real catalyst for nostalgia. Quality - Some might argue that LEGO is slipping in this area lately, but some parents these days are passing their old collections (or at least their love of the brick) on to the next generation. That says something... Adorableness/Coolness - LEGO has produced some really lovable people in the minifig. The LEGO minifig has really helped kids to extend an already imaginative style of play. Bricks are great...minifigs are great too...slap in some accessories for the little guys and and continuous stream of new and interesting parts, and you've got something special. And the minifig and the bricks around him/her strike a very interesting balance of genuinely cool and cute.

I missed that bit of news. Do you have a source? It doesn't make much sense to me to shell out that money for a license and then not take advantage of the movie merchandising.

You building folks are getting spoiled. Cafe Corner, Market Street, a cool new Townhouse in the Creator line and the new anniversary set (10184) and you're complaining about a City theme that's not Police or Firefighters? ;-)

Well, with a giant morsel of OT goodness (10179) just recently thrown into the ring and all of the cross-promotion to be done for both the Clone Wars TV series and the Force Unleashed videogame, it's not too surprising. You never know what SW merch LEGO will slip into the mix later in 2008 though.

That'd be my guess...I've never heard of a Magnaguard Starfighter until now either.

Given the picture in the recent LEGO mag of the CG chopper and the "oops" list on the UK replacement parts page, it's looking pretty real...though I'm still a bit skeptical of the AT-TE/RGS in particular...they tend to slip into pretty much every rumored SW list ever. :) But there's also the fact that we've seen Clone Wars promos with LEGO V-19s flying around...all of this lends an air of credibility in my mind. It's kind of surprising to see minis back...I wonder if they'll be keychains like the current batch. And I'd bet money that if they're going to release a "SW Death Star" while the ROTJ version is still in circulation, it's going to be the playset everyone has been wanting...reminiscent of 6211 or 7665.

Not to take it too far off topic, but I'd have to say that honor goes to Black Thunder. ;-)

Based on what I've seen, I think it looks great. I've been sort of let down by LEGO's persistence at making small price point, one man helicopters, so to see a rescue chopper more reminiscent of the Sea King or Cormorant is refreshing. My guess, based on current trends and piece count, is that this will occupy the $39.99 USD price-point range in the States, though it might be a bit more if there's a motor included. As for the Coast Guard theme, there have been lists circulating on the NET about such a theme. Rumors at this point, but this picture lends some credibility: Coast Guard Quad Bike Coast Guard 4WD & Jet Scooter Coast Guard Helicopter & Life Raft Coast Guard Patrol Boat & Tower Coast Guard Kayak Coast Guard Truck with Speed Boat

Mmmmm...vanquilicious!

Not to detract from xenologer's find (or purplemongoose's work), but I think my favorite take on "neo-classic space" comes from Paul Hanson.

It'll probably start showing up worldwide fairly soon.

Thanks, guys. :) Done. Always nice to see a familiar face. :)

Hello Eurobricks! I've known about this site for a while, but because my "Euro" roots are a few generations removed (i.e. I'm American), I never bothered to register here. You might have seen me on FBTB, CS or chanced upon my Brickshelf/MOCPages galleries.