Lyichir

I'm a little curious about a plane as well—especially considering that the pre-fab City jumbo jet parts don't seem like they'd be all that conducive to haunted features, which could perhaps suggest a more unusual build. Of course, it's possible that like the train, it doesn't offer much of an interior and could instead be a smaller plane and airport combo (which might do better as a way to position the set in a stable, predictable arrangement, like with train and station set). That said, we also can't necessarily assume for sure how those figs are meant to be unlocked. It's possible that next year might feature some sort of Hidden Side minifigure packs that offer figs and perhaps a small base without a full-sized build (offering a more low-budget option for unlocking new content for the app, sort of like the Nexo Power packs from Nexo Knights' second year).

Not really? Like, yes, it is product placement. But billions of movies have similar product placement and nobody bats (heh) an eye. And the only places where it was noticeably prominent was in the service of some decent jokes (i.e. Batman's Bat-Computer having the same voice as one of the most well-known consumer grade "digital assistants").

I would think... low? When I think of iconic automobiles, the Ford Escort certainly isn't anywhere near the top of my list. Not an insult to its quality—I'm sure it's perfectly serviceable—but it just doesn't have the iconic, instantly evocative nature of cars like the Beetle, Aston Martin, Ferrari F-40, or Mustang.

Possibly? Though I think the main purpose of that gap might be to let light in to the transparent head piece from behind to illuminate the face (similar to the "eye stalk" of many Bionicle figures that makes their eyes "glow" when lit from behind). As a side note, thinking about that also made me consider how cool many of these ghostly figs and features might look under a blacklight... the Spring Yellowish Green parts might not glow, but the Trans. Fluor. Green parts certainly would. On a side note, I'm considering using in MOCs is the hair piece for Beetlejuice from the Lego Dimensions set, since the color matches and it could add a bit more variety if I were to make some custom possessed townsfolk. Though on the other hand I'm not sure whether the going price on that hair piece from a single fig would be conducive to that on Bricklink...

Superman probably IS less popular. Even if he's just as recognizable as Batman, you can't say the same for his supporting characters and villains, unlike Batman's well known "rogues gallery" and supporting cast. On top of that, Superman is not as "toyetic" as the unpowered Batman—unlike Batman, Superman doesn't really have any need for a wide variety of vehicles and accessories, making the potential variety of products that he can be a meaningful part of that much more limited.

^Saw that review but was disappointed that it omitted possibly one of the most interesting functions of the set, that being the sidewalk/patio that opens up like a giant mouth.

That's quite neat! Almost makes me want to see a Technic set of a really vintage car like that... most Technic sets focus on newer vehicles and technologies, but the gearing and suspension you've put into this show that classic cars can be just as complex and interesting.

Isn't this a good thing for people who prefer to swap from yellow figs to fleshies or vice-versa? I know I've seen complaints about figs that do have a printed skin tone on the torso when it's an outfit style that doesn't need to show skin.

MandR Productions on YouTube has a review and speed build video of the Paranormal Intercept Bus. Lots of fun easter eggs including a Rock Raiders logo sticker on the back of the bus as well as the unreleased computer game Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui on one of the computer screens inside!

It's this. Lego has transitioned to using sugarcane-based polyethylene instead of petroleum-based polyethylene. So chemically, there shouldn't be any meaningful difference in how it biodegrades (or rather, doesn't). The point isn't to reduce the end-of-life impact of Lego's products (which thanks to their resilience and reusability is always going to be a less substantial impact than plastic goods that are meant to be "disposable"), but to reduce the environmental impact at the start of production (namely, the extraction and refinement of fossil fuels). Not to mention the future cost savings by switching to a renewable resource before the non-renewable resource that they have mainly relied on has the chance to become more scarce.

I believe at SDCC they said there would be a few animated specials. Which sounds more like the four-episode Ninjago Pilot from 2011 than the full series order that subsequent themes like Legends of Chima and Nexo Knights got.

The numbering is definitely in line with past GWPs. I just HOPE it's August... it always bites when a theme-specific GWP shows up after you've already gotten all the sets you want from the required theme. One thing I'm curious about is whether this set will have app integration of any sort. The boxart being like the other sets might seem to suggest that, but it seems to lack the dials, markers, and similar physical features the other sets have to allow for more involved gameplay integration. The possible existence of promotional sets that lack the theme's main gimmick is sort of a mixed bag—it'd certainly open up the potential for sets of a wider range of sizes and price points (possibly even including smaller sets like polybags), but with how much emphasis they've put on the app, sets and figures that you can't use with it might be sort of a letdown.

I dunno, the varied colors and different colors for limbs reminds me not unpleasantly like plush toys such as Beanie Babies. Also, I might be wrong, but it looks like that curved rainbow tile matches the colors of the two tiles from Trafalgar Square, which should allow for some neat patterns!

Fourteen sets in a wave is also not at all atypical for a constraction theme—Bionicle in particular frequently had waves of six small sets, six mid-sized ("canister") sets, and a few mid-to-large sets. The numbering could certainly hint at a constraction theme.

"Big Bang" themes existed before Ninjago and will continue to exist afterward. Few of them have aspired to match Ninjago's current longevity (which was something of a fluke, since like Nexo Knights and Chima it was not originally intended to exceed a three-year lifespan). But that doesn't mean that the model isn't successful. (also, how are the monster truck and bus in Hidden Side not "wacky and silly looking vehicles"?)

That’s sort of the main conceit of the theme, isn’t it? The app you use to detect and fight ghosts in the sets is meant to be analogous to the apps the characters in the theme are using. Awesome key visual, by the way!

I wouldn't necessarily assume that these are all part of the same wave. Based on the purported origins of the leak (internal Lego data leaked by an employee), for all we know these leaks could represent a wide range of release dates, which would explain the number of sets as well as the inconsistency of how finalized the names and part counts of the sets in question are.

They also pair fairly well with the ghost faction of Ninjago’s “Possession” wave, the parts from which I hope might give me a head start if I want to put together any Hidden Side MOCs.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the codenames probably mean nothing whatsoever. The whole point of them being codenames is to obscure what they actually represent. Hidden Side's codename was "Banana", after all, which had very little to do with the theme on any non-abstract level. So no use in assuming that these themes have to do with zebras or leaves or whatever. The set numbers, number of sets, and the specific licensed IPs called out in the rumored Zebra set names are more reliable hints.

What if the increased part counts come from alternate body options in each set? So, for instance, a given car set would include the parts to make the car in either red or blue?

The app is actually probably a big part of the reason for so many location-based sets. From the looks of it, the sets seem designed to isolate and secure a main "subject" that features the "markers" for the app to recognize occupying the same space in relation to one another. For vehicle sets like El Fuego's truck, or the bus, this means that the smaller builds (the bike/outhouse) seem like they don't feature markers recognized by the app at all, since they can't be secured to the main build. For others, like the shrimp boat or train, the location sections seem designed to secure the vehicles in a fixed location (on the rocks/clipped to the bumper on the tracks, which in turn is secured to the station). In general, these constraints seem to favor vehicles that are either large and bulky as the main focus of a set, or very small side-builds like the one in the diner. Locations generally seem to work a lot more easily as the focus of a set thanks to being able to have a fixed floor plan with all components anchored in place. That said, I certainly wouldn't mind more haunted vehicles in addition to locations!

Honestly I think even just sticking to ghosts has the potential for some great variety. After all, even the possessed townsfolk we have so far have features ranging from just crazy hair to extra arms to wings to tentacles. I could also see antagonistic humans added to the mix, such as perhaps a villainous scientist who allies with the ghosts against the ghost hunters (a la Danny Phantom's main antagonist Vlad Plasmius). And outside the realm of minifigures, there's plenty of potential as well—as an example using the fairground idea, it's not hard to imagine a ride sort of like the fairground mixer that turns into a giant spider, for instance. I'd worry that expanding beyond ghosts could make the theme lose its focus a bit. That said, I'd have to see. As a fan of "Trollhunters" on Netflix I was a bit skeptical when that show branched off from fantasy to sci-fi with the alien-focused spinoff "3-Below", but having just finished the final season of that it significantly surpassed my expectations.

It's definitely great! Although if you wanted to make the grapes look slightly more grape-like, the "ice cream scoop" element is coming out in dark purple in a summer Friends set. Up to you whether the slightly higher degree of detail is worth changing it in your eyes.

Not sure what you mean by "fanservice". Not every theme is reliant on a "sensible" backstory. In fact, more traditional themes like City, Pirates, Castle, and Space often do perfectly well without any sort of highly involved lore. Power Miners had what it needed: enough of a story frame to contextualize the set designs and the conflict therein. And the sets are where it truly excelled, far moreso than the overly simplified late '90s builds of Rock Raiders. Power Miners sets, in contrast, had an emphasis on functionality that is almost unparalleled even years later. And for that matter, I think you could even argue that in the realm of characterization, Power Miners lore might be even better than Rock Raiders. While it didn't have an opening videogame cutscene to define the backstory, what it did have was character bios that gave the characters (both the humans and the monsters) personalities rather than just roles defined by their designated specialties in the game.

I meant fans who get them at the con itself... the people it's designed for. Believe it or not, not EVERYONE who goes to Comic-Con is a scalper. There are in fact people who win figures they like and leave happy. This is tiresome and utterly predictable. Before this figure was announced, it would've been easy to assume that Barb's appearance as a minifigure would remain limited to a printed image on a sticker in the Stranger Things set. After all, she's a fairly minor character who only appeared in one season of the show—even if another set were made it would more likely focus on settings from subsequent seasons and starring characters like Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, rather than a character whose only appearances in the series were tragic and not especially family friendly. Now the figure does exist, albeit for a select few, and people lose their heads in anger over something that, if not for this release, might not have existed at all. It's dumb and yet it happens literally every year when some obscure Batman variant or whatever gets released. But if you really want these exclusives to stop happening, continuing to make a stink about them is probably the best way to do it. For me personally, I think it's kind of selfish to throw a tantrum over something you can't have and potentially make it go away for the people who do get to enjoy it.