Vindice

It would be nice to get an Elf battle pack but you never know, they may one day have a set from the last alliance. You've got plenty of opportunities to get good figs including Sauron in that set. The film deviated a lot from the book when it got to the battle at Helm's deep in the inclusion of Elves, so it is possible TLG wanted to hit a bit more of a balance between book and film and have a small representation of the Elves. There should be more men there so I think they've got it just right.

Don't forget that David Hasselhoff also played him!!

Do we know if these marvel sets are out in April or May? I suppose logic would dicate an April release to put it between both the DC waves, but i've just booked a stay at the LEGOLAND hotel Windsor for mid May and if those marvel sets are there my eldest boy is going to perform open-wallet surgery on me!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Phantom (Billy Zane tyle)- SLAM EVIL

I have a very simple solution for you that requires great sacrifice on your part...............buy the Batcave too!

Really nice review! Bought this set for my eldest son the other day as we've just turned his room into a dinosaur room with hanging vines, dinosaurs and lots of plant life and wall stickers so it fitted in nicely. I loved the set. I mainly buy licensed sets so I was not sure on this one initially but I am now a convert. just a shame there won't be anymore for a while.

To a certain degree yes, that's what i'm basing my list on. Personally, having been a massive comics fan since the 80's I'd love to see many more but I'm thinking of what the majority of people would perceive as being recognisable. After I wrote my last post, I asked my wife to name 5 super villains. Her answers in this order were:- Joker Green Goblin Penguin Doc Oc Lex Luthor Her answers were based up on recent movies and smallville. Penguin obviously was vividly portrayed in batman returns and i think that is still pretty fresh in peoples minds.

i'm not knocking the villains in Superman and Flash etc but when i think of supervillains I think of The Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Magneto, Venom, Doc Oc, Dr Doom, Sabretooth, Juggernaut, Apocalypse, Sandman, Carnage, Green Goblin, etc The only Superman villain that springs to mind quickly is Lex Luthor and he is pretty bland in terms of visuals. I think TLG will establish this range with eye catching and well known characters first and then if this is successful you can delve deeper into the other characters.

This is awesome! Well done, mate you inspire us all!

Agreed, that would be a very good idea.

I think this is an excellent point! I have heard people refer to "thos lego kre-os or lego transformers" too. Be a shame if they get TLG a bad rep when it's not even their product. TLG have had a go at LEGO transformers. I don't think the results were very good or marketable. I don't think it will ever get too bad, remember Hasbro and TLG need to co-exist peacefully. With the issue over TLG cutting into Hasbros SW profits both companies are probably just doing a bit of saber rattling from time to time.

Sorry about the poor taste in my humour, i've been feeling controversial today. i agree that TLG will focus on Batman. It's because of the amount of colourful personalities you have and the number of villians. From a comic book standpoint only Spiderman and the X-Men can really compete with that.

The issue is not one of production ability (which in China is actually very high) but of Quality control. China is a huge country and it is very difficult for any company that manufactures there to keep good control over the quality of the materials being used. For all their skill and initiative the general companies in China are not fond of record keeping and what may be in the plastic moulds one month could change to a cheaper alternative the next month without anyone keeping a close eye on when the change occurred. If TLG can keep an eye on that (much easier said than done even if it is their own manufacturing plant)then the issue may not be too pronounced. Bear in mind that one of TLG's principle markets now is USA and Americans go nuts over what's contained in their plastics. Probably another reason you don't see too many clear pieces.

I was watching Flash Gordon the other night and it would be awesome in LEGO. The current space rocket would fit in very well for their trip to the moon. Having said that, the costumes for the women make Princess Leia's slave girl outfit look pretty tame. "Prepare her for our pleasure!!!" - Ming the Merciless

Is that a good thing? Wouldn't you rather the figure come from a country that is used to producing low quality platics than a country who only produces Tequila??

This is my main concern that if there are too many themes, then each one becomes watered down. Maybe someone in the TLG marketing dept says to a designer "Yes that set looks great but we are going to introduce yet another new theme and this will clash with that one" Pharaohs Quest, DINO and Atlantis could have all produced amazing sets on top of the great ones we already had. If TLG wants to produce more of their own "licenses" like they are doing with Ninjago (cartoon series and extra marketing) then they need to allow each theme time to grow in the market place and establish itself. Consider this, if LEGO Dino is a massive success and TLG stop it after 1 wave, one of the cheaper chinese made alternative companies will see the success of this range in the marketplace and maybe jump on it and soak up the big profits. What TLG would have done in this case is just lay the groundwork for other companies to come in and reap the rewards. Does this make sense???

The Angry one's statement isn't wrong at all! TLG put in a lot of effort because their market research supports the idea that the current trend is for better detail especially in licensed sets. My opinion is that the new figures are massively superior to the old Gamorrean guard and defiantely for Jabba. If TLG does not respond to market trends then megabloks or some other company will and if sales are effected negatively then we will all suffer.

To those people complaining about the amount of detail in the minifigs, while there are some that possibly do feel LEGO should be far more basic than it's becoming please remember that this is a license and everything is required to look as close to the original as possible within the design contraints due to a more demanding market than in years past. Also, I think we should all bear in mind that designing all these great toys for kids is someones job, and they have had to pour in countless hours and untold prototypes to get to this stage, so please spare a thought for them before we rip down their work. How many people would still want the old Jabba in the new Jabbas palace? The new gigs figs are outstanding.

A big well done to the designers! I really like thenew sets, minifigs look awesome and I think Jabba's place is very good. That Jabba mould is awesome!

There are some great comments on here from people. From a personal viewpoint I like seeing loads of LEGO available. But I am also a parent, and when I see my boys looking through a catalogue completely confused as to what sets to go for I see the other side too. Lego is expensive and while it is doing amazingly well at the moment, it will only continue in this position of strength if they adopt the correct market strategy. Is having a large amount of product lines running concurrently the best strategy? I guess in time we will find out. My concern will be that if parents get to the stage where buying Lego becomes too difficult (deciding on which sets to buy out of all the ranges) or they don't agree with it (some parents will not buy branded or licensed toys as it's too expensive) then they will pull the plug and if the parents do not spend their money then that will be bad for all of us! Good debate people!

"I stand corrected" said the man in Orthopaedic shoes I would like to see more of Dino. The good Dino manufacturers like Schleich and Papo don't really get into the main retaielr markets like Lego do and there are dozens of good Dino moulds waiting to be done!

Sorry mate, that wasn't clear. I meant the Collectible minifigs. Do you think there are too many waves coming out? For some of us we can afford to collect maybe most of them but they are aimed at kids and can they get 4 whole sets a year?

Hi guys, I was having an interesting chat with a friend the other day and we got to thinking. Are The LEGO Group producing too much Lego at the moment?? I know this seems insane because for many of us there can never be too much but my concerns are this. If TLG release too many lines, especially licensed, is this going to result in the lesser themes being cancelled due to poor sales? Are the smaller themes like Alien Conquest, Pharaohs Quest, Dino and Atlantis not being given a fair chance to succeed because parents have no more disposable money after buying Star Wars, Superheroes and Lord of the Rings?! I think each of those waves is capable of producing much much more if given a fair chance. Is there an over-saturation point of Collectible minifigures? I was interested to know if anyone else feels the same or sees other potential dangers. Or should we get more? Think carefully, what is good in the short term may work even against us AFOL's in the end!

I think if it sells as pants as PQ and Atlantis did then yes it will be a one hit. If its a good seller I'd expect more especially as it's Dinosaurs and kids love the Dinosaurs!

absolutely right, TLG must first and foremost look out for the little ones! And no i don't mean Hobbits!!! Playability is the most important feature and then get them hooked on LEGO and we all benefit for many years to come!