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[sorry to remain off topic but there doesn't appear to be any "news" lately . . .] . . . It never ceases to amaze me how some commentators on this forum seem to think that their opinion, being only one in the many MILLIONS of collectors of Lego WORLDWIDE, is of any interest or consequence to TLG. If they make a set and it sells well in a short space of time then clearly there is a market for that set. No company is going to say "Well, they didn't seem to like that one. . . Lets have another crack at it and see if we can sell a few dozen more. Oh, BTW, I got a DVD out at the weekend and saw what they call the OT? Gosh, isn't it dated compared to the PT. Goodness knows I wasn't even alive when the OT came out but they do seem to make a fuss about it on the Forum saying PT is despised and OT is adored. . ." Well, here are some fun facts. In each trilogy, the first film of the trilogy (A New Hope and Phantom Menace) grossed the highest of the three films for domestic (US) and worldwide markets, with the second film doing the least well, and the third film still some way behind the first. Domestic (US) opening weekends for the PT films were $64M, $80M and $108M respectively . . . yeah, they were all obviously failures. Star Wars A New Hope is nearly 40 years old, a true classic, and a defining moment of cinema without a shadow of a doubt. I still get hairs standing up on my arms and neck when I hear the 20th Century Fox theme and a little bit of wee escapes when I first see that beautiful Star Destroyer rumbling across the screen . . . but in all that time, after every anniversary and re-release to the cinemas, it still hasn't cracked the $1Billion threshold (unless you adjust for inflation). Phantom Menace did that in the first two years, I believe. So, when people 'bang on' about how unpopular the PT is and why are TLG still trotting out those hated sets . . . consider for a moment that you are but a handful of (highly vocal, to be sure) people who share this view, and no company, however successful, is going to waste money and resources on a product that is doomed not to sell. And please don't ever speak on behalf of "AFOLs" . . . "People are 'I am' sick of reissues, reissues of sets AFOLs 'I' don't like and reissues from a film AFOLs 'I' don't like...", because we like a great many things that you, as individuals, do not. [Happy for a moderator to remove this now that I've had my rant. ]

A great many people seem to be assuming that the figure you saw (wich we now cannot see so cannot offer valid counter argument) was the genuine release article. I've mentioned before how people seem very quick to comment on or critique something that hasn't officially been released yet so potentially is not an actual release item. For all we know this minifig could have been mocked up from available pieces in the fectory before being smuggled out and the reason for the 'black' head is that whomever smuggled that piece did not know or did not have access to the the correct head. . . Just a suggestion. Bravo Tariq. Finally, someone else who recognizes that TLG has many more millions of customers who, if they can keep the minifigs out of their mouth (or their dogs mouth) long enough, are still unlikely to appreciate the subtleties of screen accurate design less than whether it will sink in the fish tank/fit inside Dad's prize scale Bugatti model/melt in the microwave/look better with policeman legs and a fireman hat. . . Hands up all those who think TLG will fire someone if enough of you complain on this forum about poor helmet design? Ever considered that TLG wanted the images removed precisely because they were a bad representation of the 'finished' product? Though it is more likely that they were removed because it was an accurate model (apart from the head) which, if they haven't seen Phasma without a helmet, they may still not know which 'face' will best suit. . . Also, consider that Boba Fett never took his helmet off in the OT, so until Jeremy Bullock turned up at conventions to do signings, hundreds of people probably passed him in the street not knowing he had played such an iconic character. So many reasons why the head could be black in that picture, and all people seem to want to do is express their disappointment. . .

I had a friend in Atlanta GA who used to go to the Lego store in the Mall of Georgia to look for sets for me when G1 Bionicles were out. Often there was a month or so betweeen UK and US releases (sometimes they got them before us and vice versa). But what also used to happen was they would get, for instance, Skull Warrious in the Winter/spring release, while we got the Toa, then in the Fall release they got Toa and we would get the Skull Warriors. I wonder if they will go back to doing that? [incidentally, I did a good eBay trade at that time selling Vezon & Kardas sets to US buyers about 4 months before they were released in the US.]

I spoke with the MK Lego store this morning and they confirmed that they were given authorisation to put them on the shelves 'early', starting yesterday (Monday). So it looks like UK Bionicle collectors are in for an early treat. She also told me that sets from the "Hobbit" and "Ultra Agents" lines will be in the Summer "sales" in July.

If they have Stormtoopers disembarking from the troop carrier to the strains of "Blue Monday" in the background . . . you'll know you saw it here first. Well played Jedi-Bendu.

Okay . . . so, where in the UK are you picking these up from? Which shops? I have a TRU, Smyths and Lego Store all within 30 minutes drive from home or work. Point me in a direction, please. :-)

Again, you miss the point. This is a Lego forum, not a Star Wars character discussion forum. Who plays whom in the film should be completely irrelavant here. [sorry to drift off topic again.] If anything, it is Spartan-esque . . . and it's still isn't even that. I'm not at all surprised that it is PLG in colour (as I predicted a few days ago). It is more stable (as people have pointed out re flaking of the chrome pieces), and therefore more easy to mass manufacture (I would imagine that chrome figures have a higher rejection rate at the QC stage), but it does leave the door open for a limited chrome polybag figure (again, as I predicted) maybe next year.

You are partly right, of course, but consider that if this was simply a "news" thread and not a deep discussion thread, the posts would [or should] be limited to factual, Lego related news only. If you look back through several pages you will see that the discussions and speculations wanders wildly off topic of 'known' sets (there is, after all, a "future sets you want to see" type of thread elsewhere) and into the lore and rumors of the film itself. For instance, the Captain Phasma discussion. If gender was never discussed then there would be a nice 'surprise' for people when they eventually saw the film, I'm sure. Respecting people's right "not to know" is just good ettiquette, when the discussions can be purely about what we see and not involve filling in any background detail. But back to the point of this thread. Thanks Lego Freak for the comparison view of the shuttle. This is definitely one occasion where the new set is a marked improvement over the old (with a price point to match). I agree with the observation that the ramp is set too far back, but if you remember from the film, the ramp was also bloody steep. I was surprised that the Emperor didn't need a stannah sair lift to get on and off, and Vader probably had to have dents polished out of his helmet on a couple of occasions because of the clearance under the cockpit nose. . . [it can't be a spoiler if the film is over 30 year old! ] And thanks to amazingbricks for the Sith Infiltrator box image. That set is kinda growing on me again.

So far only the Skull Grinder calls out to me - Skull Scorpio, not at all (which is a shame because the combiner model with Grinder/Scorpio looks very good). I'll ned to see what the next wave looks like before deciding to commit to G2 Bionicle. I had collected almost the entire G1 line before I had to part with most of it, and was delighted with the inital Toa characters (apart from Onua). I'll wait to see them in person in September in the MK Lego shop before I decide whether to budget for them this time round.

Well, clearly not everybody. And I appreciate the point that Fuppylodders and Robianco make about people not using "spoiler" tags enough. I have tried hard not to learn too much about the new movie in case I hear enough to stop me wanting to see it. I stumbled across the information by accident and wondered why, in all the posts about "not enough female characters" and several posts and sub-threads about Captain Phasma, I don't recall a single person mentioning gender. So maybe it wasn't unreasonable to assume that not everyone knew - hence I adopted the "spoiler". Perhaps you misunderstood, you should re-read my comment in context. I am happy to see and take part in discussions about likes and dislikes. I'm still new this forum and am used to a different kind of forum ettiquette elsewhere. This thread is titled "Lego Star Wars 2015 Pictures and Rumours" so I come here looking for . . . well . . . pictures and rumours, I guess (and anticipating a fair bit of fun speculation too). There are other threads that deal specifically with likes and dislikes of themes or models. My point is that we still haven't actually seen or held the live products so why are we criticising them so readily? Honest question. For instance, I was not a fan of the Microfighters range at all (even told a Lego loving friend that I thought they were pointless and just a marketing ploy). But then I happened to build one and enjoyed the subtle build design so much that I collected the entire series, and I hope they continue to make more. And you are quite correct in that there has been a lack of respect for people's views, here and in other threads. If I have inadvertantly been a party to that then I appologize to anyone concerned. It seems to me that in the last week or so there has been an increase 'personal' viewpoints. Maybe because there is not so much new news. The last 'significant' discussion I recall was about the leaked images of the instruction book, which centred around speculation on what it could be. I was critical, I admit, of the design shown on the cover as it did not seem to be a fair or accurate representation of the image of the 'Shuttle' vessel (without being too specific) we had seen in posters and the teaser clip. That, in my opinion, was a fair use of criticism as it is objective and impersonal.

I just found out something today, so sorry if this is old news to everyone else, but for those who bemoan the lack of female minifig characters . . . I think TFA may be the answer to your dreams in one more way than you initially realized. . .

I kinda have to agree there. There seems to be quite a bit of critisism flying about for sets we haven't even seen yet. I'd like to see more positive "news" in this thread. Talking 'smack' about a particular product or line ought to be in a different thread. I, for one, am hugely looking forward to SW constraction figures, as I have been ever since Lego released Bionicles (if not before) as it opens up some great possibilities for truly awesome scaled MOCs. Imagine a constraction Scout on a scale Speeder Bike, or a constraction scale AT-ST . . . . . . Dammit! . . . now that's two more to add to my MOC list. . .

I notice, also, that they are using the same armour shape for the greaves as for Jango Fett and Commander Cody. I hope that "when" they make the OT Stormtrooper they will have the decency to make two types of greaves - one with and one without knee plate. The rest of the armour (apart from the forearms) looks like it would translate straight acrossto an OT Stormtrooper (though the chest printing will undoubtedly be changed).

Very nicely done and beautifully lit for shadows. And nice use of the arms for scroll-work (?) in the ceiling.

Firstly, Christopher Lee was nearly 80 when he first appeared as Count Dooku in AotC, so I'd say he looked bloody good for his age. And to your second point, I started a new thread about these figures nearly two weeks ago (before someone kindly(?) moved it into this thread) detailing all 6 figures in the first wave and asking for suggestions of what people would like to see in the next wave. Jango Fett has long since been revealed. So yes, this is a second wave figure. The image is clearly a rendering though, rather than a photo of the actual figure, so there may be some textural changes before the final release. Oh, and as to Duke's 'erudite' comment, see my point above (there was a seperate thread but someone moved it into here) - and there is another forum theme for Lego action (or "Constraction") figures of all types which already includes threads for Star Wars Constraction 2015 and the 2016 figures. So, as long as you stay here you are less likely to be offended. . .

Not so sure they will all be Ep7 figures. If you look at this September's releases you have Luke and Vader (both arguably Ep6), and Obi Wan, Grievous, Jango and Clone Commander (Ep 3 or Clone Wars). Although, yes, there is a nice new film out, it would do a great disservice to the OT not to also produce an original Stormtrooper in the Jan16 release. . . . The detailing on that helmet almost looks too good to be true. . .

Given the standard/trend for releasing six of these beauties at once, I wonder what the other five will be?

Okay. So what else is going to be released at the same time as this figure in Jan 2016? Surely there will be news soon of the other 5 (?) figures?

. . . It's a shame. . . I had been really looking forward to a new Sith Infiltrator. I recently picked up a second hand 7961, which I have yet to build. But this one leaves me with the same strange feeling of disappointment that 7663 did when I saw it. The combination of sloped wedges and studs mean it has neither the smooth nor 'classic' look (I have no problem with studs). Depending on the price, I will probably wait until I see it on offer next year. I'm not in a hurry to buy this one. Still hoping for a UCS version though.

That's an excellent suggestion. It would have to be something like printed front and back on a pearl light grey body, but that is such an important figure in the cannon. Seriously, well done JonnyRainbow. If it was included in a set with young Anakin, Qui Gon, Obi Wan, and the much needed Shmi* then it could make a solid Ep 1 play set - such as the spectator scene at the pod races, with a moving observation platform. A little late in the day to be current (and no doubt there will be those that will shun it because it's from the PT) but it would package the two 'missing' characters nicely. Either that or released as a Polybag limited figure. [*I has been commented on elsewhere that there has not been a Shmi character released, which is odd considering her importance to the storyline - and instead we get obscure (and non speaking) jedi or councilors, or 101 variants of battle droids/clone troopers/stormtroopers. . .]

All of the other figures in that set look great, so I will be forced to buy Luke anyway (it's a kinda OCD thing) if I already have five out of six in this first wave. Thinking about it, this range could be huge. Emperor Palpatine, Yoda, Dooku, Darth Maul, Ashoka, Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Han Solo, Chewie, Leia Princess (Tantive IV)/Hoth/Slave Girl . . . (perhaps not before the watershed), Anakin - Pre/Post Dark Side, Padme, Magna Guards, Scout Trooper, Droidekka, Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Genoshans, C3PO + R2D2 (twin pack), Boba Fett, Lando Calrisian, Darth Malgus, Revan, Sith Warrior, . . . Even if they only released 6 new figures a year there are strong candidates for maybe 4-5 years of figures.

Thank you! Exactly what I've been trying to say. "Lego" fans will always appreciate a 'good' set, despite any ridiculous personal bias or prejudice for the source material. I am sure that there are lego fans and collectors out there who, like me, appreciate the artistry and design of a model more than what it represents. I am more Sith than Jedi, but I will still buy 'good' sets representing the spacecraft of Rebel scum. . . . . .

I don't know if you are basing this on marketing information from TLG, but again I make the point that if the set is good and interesting people will not care that it is PT rather than OT. I submit that Lego is bought as much by Lego enthusiasts as by film enthusiasts. I mean, how many people who buy SW Lego also buy lego in other genres/themes? UCS purchase interest will, of course, be more on OT sets as that is where the majority of UCS sets have come from (only 4 of the 23 'UCS' models have been from PT). The first UCS set was the TIE Interceptor . . . and how much screen time did that ever get? I had to think hard about that the first time I saw it on the shelves. Why wasn't it a normal TIE Fighter - to perfectly complement the X-Wing? The third UCS ship was the Tantive IV, though admittedly it is the first SW ship we ever see, it has less screen time than most others. The B-Wing fighter, though iconic in it's design, has far less screen time than the Jedi Interceptors and is individually less important than the Sith Infiltrator, or even Count Dooku's Solar Sail ship. . . IMHO I think a UCS Jedi Interceptor could look amazing! . . . Hear me TLG Designers? *This is the next UCS ship design you are looking for* #JediMindTrick

Another great tip. Thanks Fuppylodders.

Because, according to a Lego Designer quoted elsewhere in this theme, there are usually only up to two UCS sets issued in any Lego series, and Star Wars gets the significant majority of all UCS sets anyway, there are limited opportunities to issue sets from across the film spectrum. On the one hand, while I agree with Fuppylodders that the PT is less appreceated than the OT, I disagree that people would shun the sets as a result. I didn't buy the Jedi Starfighter because I just didn't think it was at all impressive. Very dull in fact. Likewise, I'm not interested in the UCS SSD, but because it is a bad representation. Admittedly, my own MOC of the Executor would be hard to pitch as a UCS kit, but it could have been done a lot better. [Perhaps I should just go ahead a prove it at some point.] But I would leap at the chance of a good Venator UCS model. However, Lego are up against some very tallented MOC builders and there are some excellent Venator models out there already, so I'd say they missed the boat on that one. Elsewhere I've suggested a Sith Infiltrator, but that was before I head about the new model this year - so no chance of that then. But I would go for a UCS ARC-170, or a Jedi Interceptor (which would necessarily be in a different scale to Minifigs because it is already a compact vessel). . . . You could also argue that Slave 1 was a PT ship. Of course, the beaurty of a UCS Jedi Interceptor is that you have two featured in the PT franchise, one red(ish) - Obi Wan, and one yellow - Anakin. Design the ship once then release it in the two colours . . . I can feel my credit card sweating and cursing me for even tinking it.