Lyichir

Your post is generally really, really good, but I thought I'd point out that of the considerations you mention, this probably isn't one of them—remember, Lego no longer uses pre-dyed granulate, and as such what colors they can produce depend more on dye colors (which they're unlikely to have any shortage of), and on what colors of parts they're already producing (since Lego puts a hard limit on the number of different elements they can have in production at a time, meaning a set that requires 50 brand-new recolors will be less likely to pass than one that only needs three, regardless of which specific color is needed).

It's possible, but to me it looks more like the classic antenna. On that note, I wonder... are we absolutely sure that these sets use Trans. Fluor. Reddish Orange for the knights? The teaser pic makes the "laser" weapons look far more yellowish than that color would, as if they're Trans. Bright Orange or even an opaque shade of yellow instead. I know this is a painted artwork rather than a picture of the actual sets, limiting how much we can glean from it, and I'd be happy whichever color it wound up being, but it's definitely something to consider.

Yes. He's a designer for Lego who designed the 2015 Gali set, among others. See also: http://www.coroflot.com/mbetteker/portfolio

To be honest, if the figures use the dual-molded mini-legs, I could see those as being quite useful. The dual-molded legs and arms are still new enough that there currently isn't a whole lot of color selection for folks who have customization in mind.

Not quite. No one HAS to grow out of Lego. But people DO all the time. Even these days, kids who "graduate" to being AFOLs make up only a small percentage of the kids who played with Lego in childhood, while others move on to other interests. That said, it's not like Lego loses significant sales due to those kids "growing out" of Lego, because there are younger kids "growing into" Lego all the time as well. That's a big reason why we see repeats of things like police stations or pirate ships or X-Wing Starfighters all the time—sure, longtime fans probably still have their original copies, but for a large portion of Lego's audience will be experiencing those subjects for the first time.

Here ya go.

I doubt it's Ice—that'd probably be saved for a winter month. Earth, Jungle, and Water are possible... Earth might tie in best, considering October's tendency to be associated with all things dark and spooky.

Slimer's confirmed, eh? Maybe the ghost containment unit will have a function to allow him to pop out when it's shut down! That'd be a nice feature for a big set like this, I think.

There have been plenty of non-traditional minifigures in the past (going all the way back to the classic skeleton), but apart from Maggie, none have ever been included in a blind-bagged Minifigures series. But I suppose her inclusion indicates that non-traditional figs like Pluto have potential for future series, at least as long as they're simpler than the traditional three-part minifig instead of more complex.

It's worth pointing out that in all the CMF series we've gotten, the minifigures have always had a standard assembly of head, body, and legs (even when those legs are changed to things like a snake tail or the head is replaced by a monster head). As such, I seriously doubt a figure like Pluto (or any other character with a non-humanoid posture, like Simba or WALL-E) would be included in the series.

If you didn't use the instructions, how can you be sure there are parts used in the others that aren't used in the original? Many of the Dimensions models feature parts that are hidden or obscured from some angles. I'm going to go ahead and try building all three models on LDD to check whether all the parts are shared, but considering every one of the models I have built does feature the exact same selection of parts for all three models I can't imagine the Flying Monkeys are any different. EDIT: Yes, I can verify, all of the parts used in every version of the Flying Monkey are shared with one another, and there are none that go unused between different versions. It's possible you missed the gold fez on the basic flying monkey, which is attached to the underside of the spyglass piece on its back.

Yeah, I can see how I phrased that badly. How about "AFOLs need to stop making everything about themselves"? Because it's a serious problem within the community.

It's not that out of the ordinary. Most constraction themes (Hero Factory, Bionicle, etc.) start out with a team of six, and while they weren't all heroes in the first year, Legends of Chima also started off with six main factions (each with one "main" character to represent them). Six is a nice even number—when my family was originally collecting Bionicle, it certainly helped that we could split the sets between the three of us evenly (with each of us getting two out of every six sets), unlike with Exo-Force (where we split the sets more unevenly, with our little brother getting most of the robot sets and Aanchir and I splitting the human sets between the two of us).

You're joking, right? The original X-Wing's wing system (like most other aspects of the original Star Wars sets) was awful. I'd trade mine for one of the newer ones in a heartbeat if I could. Having the four wings be able to move in unison (as opposed to clicking into position individually) seems amazing to me, as I'm sure it does to a huge number of other FOLs both young and old.

Could you provide a link to your topic? I'm trying to wrap my brain around how you could get four different minifigures to sit in a row in the front seat of a vehicle, and I just can't visualize it at all.

Crazy idea here, but bear with me: how about only buying the sets you like, and letting other people buy the sets they like? If you don't like these sets, don't buy them. But I'm sure other people will like them, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Angry Birds sets being made doesn't have any effect on other themes, so if you don't like these, I'm sure you can find something else to spend your money on instead. Trying to organize a boycott of a theme, based solely on disliking the set design or source material, sounds like one of the pettiest things I've ever seen an AFOL propose. There's nothing about Angry Birds that should make it any less appropriate for Lego than Star Wars, or the Simpsons, or DC Comics. This attitude of "I don't personally like this, so it shouldn't exist" in the community needs to go away.

The gun would have to be at least partly made of rubber based on the design—otherwise the front prongs (don't know the correct term) would be extremely fragile and likely to break, if not during the molding process itself then during play. It's the same reason why hairpieces with sharp details like those from Exo-Force (as well as some other parts like the CMF spear) use rubber—by making the part flexible, fine details that would otherwise have the potential to snap off can be added on. Of course, Lego has gotten better with overmolded parts that feature both solid and flexible parts (including the aforementioned spear), so maybe they should have gone that route with the portal gun as well... I can only guess at whether that'd be logistically possible with such a small part. Spare parts are not necessary—every alternate build uses only the parts of the original mini-build. To be honest, that'd be the only way to do it that makes sense, considering that extra parts could wind up anywhere by the time you decide to rebuild one of the models in-game. Also, for future reference, if you already have the last post in the topic, you can edit your additional thoughts into your original post to avoid cluttering the topic.

Probably not until next year. I could be wrong, but it'd be weird for them to launch the series before the respective sets are available or have even been officially revealed.

I went to Legoland Florida a few years ago, and went to Legoland Billund this year, so I can offer a few pointers. The Island in the Sky (Florida) and LEGOTOP (Billund) are great attractions to start out at. While they function differently, both are essentially elevating platforms that give you a 360° overhead view of the park and allow you to scope out your visit. A big part of all Legolands is the Miniland, the section devoted to mini-models of various world cities and locations. Legoland Florida tends to favor American cities (not exclusively, but most of the cities are from America), while Billund has more emphasis on mainland Europe. Both are great fun to look at, though kids can occasionally get bored (you'll want to make sure to engage their attention—there are plenty of funny scenes and interesting features that will appeal to kids, but if they don't know what to look for they might get restless). Also, miniland is outdoors, so if it rains, you should probably opt for other sections of the park (even if you have a raincoat or poncho, the models are just less appealing when covered in oversized raindrops). One of the most exciting exclusive attractions at Legoland Florida is the Lego Pirates Ski Show. Unlike other waterskiing shows, it features people in giant minifigure costumes on waterskis and jetskis. If you sit near the front, your kids can get a chance to "help" the guards capture the pirates by shooting at them with water cannons, but bear in mind that the pirates fight back with water of their own, so be prepared to get wet! Both parks, by the way, helpfully feature coin-operated dryers that you can stand in to dry off after going on water rides. The Dragon Coaster is a mainstay of pretty much every Legoland park. It's a fun roller coaster for kids—exhilarating, but brief, without many inversions or steep drops. If that's too mild for your family, the Lego Technic coaster is a step up from that with sharper turns and steeper drops, while there are also more relaxed coasters and rides for the young ones if the faster coasters are too much for them. The 4D theater at both parks can be both fun for kids and relaxing for adults who have been on their feet all day. When I went, they had a variety of shows, including ones based on Castle, Chima, and Clutch Powers, but the Florida location has since added a Lego Movie show that I'm itching to see whenever I make my next visit. Billund also has a similar theater, but considering they offer showings in both English and Danish, do make sure that the showing you plan to attend is one you'll understand. Legoland Florida was built on the site of Cypress Gardens, a botanical garden and theme park, and the gardens are still there and free for park attendees to explore. Like Miniland, this might be a bit dull for kids, but on the other hand it can make for a leisurely stroll after a day of excitement. Billund has a number of amazing attractions I haven't seen anywhere else. By partnering with Sea-Life Aquariums (another attraction owned by Merlin Entertainments Group), they have both an aquarium themed around underwater themes like Atlantis and Aqua Raiders, and live penguins at their arctic area! I also quite enjoyed one of their newest rides/attractions—a haunted house that features spooky Lego models in dimly lit surroundings, a mirror maze, and even a drop tower! Shopping-wise, both parks feature a discount shop for retired or damaged goods. I found that the Florida location's discount shop had a much better selection, with larger sets from themes like Star Wars or Technic available at great discounts. The selection at the Billund discount shop was much sparser. On the other hand, the Billund park's "Big Shop" (the main Lego store for the park) not only had a stellar selection of current sets, but also featured exclusive early releases of sets! They had all the summer Friends sets and the new Ninjago Airjitzu sets when I attended in May, a full month before they would be available elsewhere. In terms of food, there are plenty of places to eat at both parks. But for Florida, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Granny's Apple Fries! They only have that at the American parks, and it makes for a tasty snack or desert. I'd be lying if I said I haven't had a sudden craving for them multiple times since I last attended the park! That's all I've got for now. Hope this helps!

Again, I wasn't trying to say I want them to actually look like people. But I DON'T want them to look like they generally did in the old CGI commercials, where they felt like emotionless machines for the most part. For a 30-second advertisement for the toys, that can be great! It's true to the actual toy designs and manages to look sufficiently awesome. But for long-form storytelling, it'll take more than that for me to relate to them as characters. A whole lot, if the animation style allows for it. That's why I said that an animation style that doesn't would be a disappointment after this year. Like you mentioned, TLR and the older Bionicle movies both managed to make that work with CGI, each in a substantially different way. The old set commercials, on the other hand, didn't. To be honest, that's why the more-story-driven-than-average Toa Mahri commercial didn't wow me as much as some of the others—my ears could pick up on a certain amount of emotional inflection to the dialogue, but there was a severe disconnect between that and what I was seeing on screen, which consisted solely of cold, emotionless robots fighting giant monsters. I can hardly imagine having to put up with that for an entire TV episode or movie.

They looked like real robots, that's for sure. But I'd rather they look like real people. Which isn't to say I want human actors or anything like that—I just want Toa who can show happiness, or sadness, or fear, or any emotion that allows the audience to relate to them as characters. That was one of the greatest strengths of the animation style used this year, and anything that fails to achieve that will feel like a downgrade.

I don't have strong opinions on keeping the current animation style vs. replacing it (I like it, but I could like another animation style as much if not more). But I seriously doubt I would be impressed if they did it in the style of the test animation video. That video had much of the simplicity of the current style, but none of the heart or emotion.

Some possible news on the new franchise front! Karen Strassman confirmed on her Facebook page that she provided a voice for Lego Dimensions. It's possible that she voiced a character for whom they didn't get the original voice actor, like characters from Ninjago or Chima. But she has also voiced actual Lego characters in media before—Natalie Breez from Hero Factory (unlikely, since that theme has been discontinued since last year) and Olivia from Lego Friends (a much more likely prospect). Of course, if she's doing voice work for a franchise that has not been shown yet, it's equally possible that it's for another future franchise. We don't know what sort of voice talent might be used for Bionicle or Nexo Knights in their respective series next year, so she could be reprising a role from either of those.

Not really? There's a co-pack of Luke and Vader that's exclusive to Toys R Us, but other than that these are regularly available.

Ninjago Fun Pack: Includes Ronin and Ronin's R.E.X. Elves Level Pack: Includes Emily Jones and... I'm not quite sure what else, honestly. The theme needs more time to develop and come into its own before it can be included but I sure want it to be included eventually. Team Pack: Includes Naida, Aira, an Adventure Ship, and a Pegasus Sleigh Fun Pack: Includes Farran and... something. Fun Pack: Includes Azari and... something else. City Level Pack: Includes Chase McCain, Chase's "Justice", and the Megafig Fun Pack: Includes Rex Fury and Rex's "Brute" Friends Fun Pack: Includes Stephanie and a Cool Convertible Fun Pack: Includes Mia and a Roadster Fun Pack: Includes Emma and a Sports Car Avatar: The Last Airbender Level Pack: Includes Aang, Appa, and Aang's Glider Fun Pack: Includes Zuko and a Fire Nation Ship Bionicle Basically anything: Like Elves, this theme needs to develop a bit more before it can be included. I know there's not a lot to work with in terms of vehicles/mini builds yet, but I want minifigs, dangit! I've had more ideas, but most of those are more about what could work than what I actually want. This list makes up more of my actual "wishlist".