Gryphon Ink

Nice review, looks like an excellent set. I'm not terribly interested in the superhero sets, but I might still buy this one. I think the reason they stick Spidey's name in the set name is mainly SEO. If you Google "Spider-Man toys" or "Spider-Man Lego", a product that's called simply Spider-Cycle Chase won't show up.

Keep checking, sold out at the moment doesn't mean it's gone forever. It could be back in stock tomorrow or the next day. I'd be shocked if they actually ran out of such a new set, especially over a week before Christmas.

Guys can, but has TLG ever done that? I don't remember seeing any male minifigs with the slope skirt piece, even when it would be totally appropriate (Gandalf, Dumbledore...) I believe this is something that TLG won't do, as it might raise questions of gender identity which every big toy company wants to stay far, far away from. I just find it annoying that TLG would think robes or dresses were appropriate attire for any flying species. Think about it, guys. How useful is a dress when you spend half your time flying?

There is an opportunity right now: the Fierce Flyer Creator set is a very pretty eagle, although it needs a minor mod to put studs on the back for easy riding, and I'd like to see someone come up with a better beak.

I hadn't seen that, so thanks for the link. That is a pretty damn awesome MOC, and proof that it can be done. Hats off to Nuju Metru. Somebody needs to give that man a job building Lego. I remain unconvinced that this is the way TLG will do things. Yes, yes, I'm more stubborn than a Dwarf, but I just don't think that's how they will handle it. The "set" is awesome, but $250 is still a good ways higher than the norm for standard retail sets. Ultimately this debate won't be resolved until TLG show us what they're doing. You and Nuju Metru have proven that a reasonable "full city" set is possible for a reasonable price, I just think the price, while reasonable, is not right for TLG's standard pricing tiers. I suggest we shake hands and wait for the next round of wild rumor-mongering.

It would be silly indeed, which is why I didn't say that. I said they would make a big flagship set of the battle. I just don't think they will do the city the way you are anticipating/hoping. I really think you're underestimating the expense of a big set that looks like the whole city. This is not an AT-AT or a modular house, or a single castle like Helm's Deep. It's a massive city built into a 1000-foot cliff. If they can make a minifig-scale set that looks even remotely like it and costs less than $300, I will be truly amazed. POTC: At World's End is estimated to be the most expensive movie ever, costing at least $300 million and possibly as much as $334 million to produce. AUJ's "official" production budget is $250 million, and there are a bunch of movies that cost more than that, especially if you adjust for inflation.

I hadn't even noticed there was a female croc in there. Never would have noticed her navel piercing. She looks pretty cool actually, but I'm vaguely disgruntled about the whole "piercings=EVIIIIL!" concept that TLG is so crazy about lately. The Mordor orcs all have lots of facial piercings, and so did a couple of the undead pirates in POTC. I guess the movies themselves are more to blame than TLG, but here they're perpetuating it in their own theme.

I really think TLG will just not even try to do all of Minas Tirith. As everyone has noted, even a $200 set would not do the city justice at minifig scale. It would probably look a bit ridiculous, and TLG are smart enough to not walk into that trap. It would be a lot better for them to only do the bits and pieces that they can do accurately, like the front gate. So my prediction would be that around the end of this theme, we will see a $150-200 "Siege of the White City" set that includes the gate, a couple of wall sections, a troll-powered trebuchet and a winged Nazgul. Behind the outer wall, one taller wall construction will suggest MT's signature "prow" shape to give it some depth and make it more playable, but it will not try to represent the whole city. Everyone will gnash their teeth and scream "but we need all of Minas Tirith", but I bet they could make this a set that we would all like. I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of a UCS set, but I don't think TLG will rush down that road just yet.

I don't believe the Fell Beast will be molded, but if it is I'm sure the set will be more expensive than you're thinking. TLG generally don't, at least in the last few years, put unique molded creatures in sets that small. Looking at Dino 2012, the cheapest sets featured the tiny one-piece dino and the rather small pterosaur. The raptor, which really wasn't that much bigger but was more substantial and a bigger draw for dino fans, was in the $30 set. And that was without any really special minifigs adding to the value (although the set itself was pretty cool!) Now, for this set you've got at the very least the Fell Beast, the Witch King, and Eowyn in armor. Merry would probably also be included. A unique, very special creature and at least two really hot minifigs. If the Beast is molded, I would bet that TLG would want that set to run for at least $40. The problem with that is that there's no construction. The fight between Eowyn and the Witch King takes place in the middle of a flat field littered with corpses. I think they would solve that problem by making the Fell Beast brick-built, something like a Ninjago dragon. And then you could put it in a $20-30 set, similar to Shelob Attacks. Either that or they will just not do this scene at all. I hope that's not the case, though, because I want that scene even more than I want Minas Tirith.

Agreed that this is all wild speculation, but if we really get Kingdoms Part 2, and one of the sets is a Dragon Castle, I would be ecstatic. I loved Kingdoms, and my biggest beef with it was how horribly outnumbered the Dragons were. Those guys needed a real base, and even though I played around with modding the Prison Tower, I never really got it looking like a major base to rival the Lions. Like Faefrost, I always imagined the Dragons were a group of people who had been ousted from their lands by the Lions and had taken to banditry and guerilla warfare against the Lions. So I wouldn't expect them to have the same kind of castle the Lions had, but some kind of big hidden lair in the mountains or the deep forest. Now, with the rumors flying around here, I'm almost convinced that TLG will give me exactly the kind of base I'd imagined. I almost hope it isn't true, because I just won't be able to afford all the Lego I want in 2013. But if it is true, any Dragon sets released will immediately go to the top of my wish list.

It's not really a special set, they just put those labels on this and Barrel Escape when the filmmakers announced they would split the book into three movies instead of two. The Mirkwood scenes were originally going to be in the first movie, hence their inclusion in this wave. Now they are in the second movie. TLG already had the sets designed and didn't want to lose them, so now those sets are "Trilogy Preview Sets". They should have a shelf life exactly as long as the others.

All of the names in this theme are incredibly generic and non-descriptive. At least Star Slicer gives you something of a hint at the set's identity - it's the one with the big slicing arms. Vermin Vaporizer? Bug Obliterator? I can't even remember which one is which.

Does that mean that the rumored "Dragon Mountain" set is actually a Dragon Knights base? I'll be in my bunk.

This is sort of true, but one of the most frequent complaints about Middle-Earth in general is the almost complete lack of female characters who aren't giant ugly spiders. Let's face it, JRRT did not give us many heroic female characters. Even Arwen didn't do half the things she does in the movies. She was a pretty boring character that existed purely as a love interest for Aragorn. I'm glad they changed her, and glad they invented Tauriel. Someone has to lead the Elvish forces in the Battle of Five Armies, and since JRRT didn't bother to describe the Elves at all, they might as well make that someone a woman. Also, she makes an excellent minifig.

That's gorgeous work, Teazza. I don't know that it would really qualify as "Architecture". But really very beautiful.

All the time, but it's funny because I had the exact same problem earlier today with those two exact sets. They are great. And they don't cost much. But they're not what I should be buying right now. If I'm going to buy Lego at all, I should be saving up for one of the numerous big sets that I really want. Especially considering those two sets are going to be around for at least another year... To be honest, I often have to attempt to buy a set two or three times before I buy it. Sometimes I'll actually have the set in my hands, start walking towards the checkout, and turn around to put it back. Mind you, I do this with other things too, like video games and movies. I guess it's because we never have enough money, and I feel bad about spending money frivolously. I want to be super sure that I can afford the item and that it's something I really REALLY want. It really sucks when you buy a Lego set that doesn't live up to your expectations, and a day later you find that you really need that $40 you just spent.

I think the Battle Mech could be part of a "kaiju and other giants" sub-theme in the CMF collection. It's perfect if you imagine that Lizard Suit Man and Gorilla Suit Man are actually supposed to be actors playing fifty-foot tall monsters. I don't think it's a coincidence that the first two CMFs of this persuasion could perfectly represent Godzilla and King Kong. So this guy, in my admittedly twisted imagination, is an actor playing a giant mecha. Who can fight giant monsters. All we need now is a Guillermo del Toro minifig, and we can brickfilm "The Making of Pacific Rim". On the other hand, it's totally possible that "Battle Mech" is a scrapped design concept for a Galaxy Squad robot, and I think it would work just fine for GS. Stands to reason that there is more than one orange robot design walking around Galaxy Squad Headquarters.

I'm really, really excited about this set. Of course it could be larger, and there is plenty of room for modding, but I think it's nearly perfect for a display piece just the way it is. Going to sit right between the Burrow and MMV on my shelf. Like everyone else, I am bummed about the stickers. Not only the maps, but the book! When I thought we were going to get a printed Red Book of Westmarch, I was instantly sold on this set. Still nice to have the book, but it being a sticker is not nearly as cool. The awesome minifig selection more than makes up for the stickers, though.

Totally. I don't know if the Creator design team planned it that way on purpose, but it's perfect.

Great review, Lord LOLrus. This set looks like a very good "backbone craft" to form the bulk of the insectoid army, and it's priced perfectly for that role. I like the fact that the ship and the "buggoid" are insectlike but not trying to be just like an Earth insect - this craft looks a lot more extraterrestrial than either of the big alien ships in GS, which just look like big cartoony insects to me. I figure if you buy this with a Swarm Interceptor, you've got a great sample of Galaxy Squad goodness, with more or less evenly matched forces and matching squad members. An awesome way to introduce Lego Space to a new generation this Christmas!

Yes. The sets focus on the same big events in the story that were big events in the other thing, that's all. Furthermore, we do not speak of that cartoon. Ever.

This set is nicer than I had first thought. The rotating cockpit adds quite a bit to its already considerable swooshability, and the fact that it's all compatable with ADU troops makes it very appealing. Not the most insanely awesome set ever, but very solid for this price range. I will go against standard AFOL customs and say I really like the hidden flick-fires. They don't stand out looking silly when they're not in use, and when they're needed they look great. The "splitting action" on this one is in the pits, though. Okay, the cockpit-fighter looks all right, but what the heck are you supposed to do with a non-rotating missile turret with a big Technic axle sticking out of its front? Very weak IMO.

It might console you to know that they weren't named that because of Wookiees. Ewoks are named after the Miwok, the Native Americans who lived in the area where the Endor scenes were filmed.

With those two new images, I'm officially falling in love with the Raven faction. The bigger raven flyer is amazing. They nailed the "naturalistic mecha" look, and the flyer is an excellent match for the Eagle flyer. Out of this whole theme, I may buy only the two big flyers. My daughter Raven is NOT going to be pleased that the ravens are bad guys!

I don't have the Death Star. I could never afford it. Every AFOL I know who has it says it is just about the greatest set ever. It's a bit like the MMV, nobody ever says anything bad about it. My point here, which maybe I didn't make properly, is that spending $400 on a single Lego set for a child is a massive gamble. To be honest, I just plain wouldn't buy my kids $400 worth of Lego in one go (if I had the money in the first place). I'd rather use some of it for Lego and some for books, games, clothes, and other things. But if I did have that money dedicated to Lego, I'd like to give the child some options. In my parenting experience, the kids don't necessarily want to have a main theme. They want this set from this theme and that one from the other. Both my daughters, ages 11 and 4, mix and match Lego themes in a single play session and don't much care what the original concept of the theme was. Olivia builds robots and goes off to do battle with Lucius Malfoy, hang out with the CMF Skater Girl, and ride the Ninjago Ice Dragon into the sunset. Elizabeth Swann spends her time on the patio of the Seaside House. Then they all have tea with a herd of My Little Ponies. But this is just my kids. YMMV.