Lyichir

Simply gorgeous—especially the way the dark brown roof innately suggests coffee before you even look inside~

Shoot, looks like he'll have the ordinary cape if that pic is legit and accurate to the actual released fig. In the movie he has the robe from the CMF Graduate and Judge, in the same Dark Azur with glitter of his cape from other sets. No staff either, but at least that's easily buildable with existing parts.

The Parisian Restaurant also has a number of brand-new printed elements, some of which might never see use outside that set. That could contribute in part to the price (a fact worth considering by people who insist that Lego should universally replace stickered elements with printed ones). It also includes a decent number of new molds, which could add to the up-front price (even in the case of molds that will be useful in the future like the 2x2x2/3 curved slopes or the "bowl" elements). Price by weight is a much better metric than price-per-piece, but it's still not a perfect indicator of a set's cost to produce or its overall value. There are a lot of considerations we can hardly fathom when it comes to any given set's budget...

Absolutely not. Lego releases new parts each year, and they do range from incredibly useful building elements to less useful specialized parts. However, all of these parts are useful in their own right and Lego would be foolish to limit themselves to existing parts, especially when a new part might actually be MORE versatile than an older variety. On a more business-related note, new parts often serve as a "hook" that get kids to buy sets. For instance, many AFOLs may consider recolored Olive Green or Flame Yellowish Orange basic bricks to be the most valuable parts in Chima sets, but I can guarantee that the animal-based minifigs and unique weapons play a big role in sales. The sets aren't worse for including these specialized elements, but a kid with a smaller collection isn't necessarily going to analyze how many recolored parts are in a set to decide what to buy. They'd sooner go to the next aisle where the Mega Bloks sets promise brand new parts and figures.

PEDANTRY ALERT!!! Eris' head has never been Sand Blue. It's Light Royal Blue (Bricklink's Bright Light Blue), a very different shade. Sand Blue is like Medium Blue but darker and grayer. Light Royal Blue is like Medium Blue but significantly lighter. I do agree that the red torsos look better on some figs than on others, but I think they all look decent enough.

The Ninjago sets definitely aren't reappropriated Space sets. They have pretty much the same aesthetics as previous years of Ninjago sets have had, lack the splitting functions that were the core of the Galaxy Squad vehicles, and most importantly wouldn't have any reason to be swiped from another theme—the designers have had longer to focus solely on this year's Ninjago sets than they've had for any other year of sets, since there was no second wave of Ninjago sets last year. So why retrofit other designs for a different theme when they've had longer than ever to develop something brand new? Maybe you could make a case for the Chima sets (especially the wave one sets with the bugs), but even then it's far from a given—it's far more likely that they simply decided to move from the previous year's jungle animal motifs to "creepier" jungle animals—bats and spiders and scorpions, oh my! And the summer sets are completely different, with a fire vs. ice theme, but using animal vehicles clearly designed for Chima. Perhaps one or two sets used unused designs from Space themes—after all, Mark Stafford, a designer for both themes as well as Space, has admitted himself to taking inspiration from unused Power Miners designs in themes like Atlantis. But it certainly wasn't an across-the-board reskinning of other set designs.

In a lot of cases such a thing is done not to up part count, but rather because 1x3s are already used elsewhere in the set (or that bag, in larger sets), and 2x3s aren't. In that case, it's cheaper and easier to increase the number of 1x3s than to add a new part. Another, more consumer-side benefit is that you can do more with two 1x3s than with one 2x3. This applies especially in Creator sets, Technic sets, or Lego Movie sets with multiple models—the B-model might use the two 1x3s as a 1x6, or a 1x3x2/3, or in completely different parts of the model.

I don't think this counts as a traditional licensed theme. Like Galidor, the TV show is co-developed by Lego (with the character designs being based on the sets in this case, rather than the other way around).

A different face than most other sets—Emmet's face in this set is the same as the one in Cloud Cuckoo Palace and the Piece of Resistance polybag.

The way I see it (as a non-Pirates fan), there are two main directions you could go with a new Pirates theme. The first way would be as a small-scale theme like the recent Castle theme or the 2009 Pirates theme. Essentially a one-year theme, perhaps with the sets remaining available for a year or so longer. You could make a theme that is plenty iconic that way but the scope would have to be limited. Such a theme wouldn't have a lot of room for more than two factions, let alone subthemes. The second way (which I think would be preferred by Pirates builders who want an ongoing theme) is to model it a bit more on themes like Ninjago and Chima. This would allow for an expandable theme that could last a good three years or more if sales can support it. There are a couple aspects that I think would be necessary if you wanted a theme like this. The theme would have to have a story. Not just the typical barebones plot of Castle or City, but a real developed story with discernable characters (who would make the sets more "collectible" and give kids characters to relate to) and overarching goals (simple treasure and plunder would not do for this; you would perhaps want a set of treasures that could somehow unlock or direct the pirates toward a greater bounty). You want the factions to be distinct. One of the merits of past Pirate themes is that there was no clear "good guys" or "bad guys" and if that could be maintained it would be wonderful. But regardless of the morality of the factions, you need them to contrast with one another. If the Imperials are clean-cut then the Pirates have to be more raggedy. If the Imperials are presented as monolithic then the Pirates have to be more diverse. And if the Imperials are Bluecoats then the Pirates (or at least their captain) should wear red. Don't limit this to just the fig design—you should be able to tell just by looking at the ship set which faction it belongs to. The theme would have to be expandable. In the original Pirates theme, the theme was expanded by introducing new factions. That could still work for this theme, but since sets are replaced more frequently these days you couldn't feature new factions at the expense of old ones. You'd want to feature the same Pirate crew from year-to-year, so the same characters kids grew to love could be maintained. And you'd want to make sure each year of sets stood out compared to the old ones. So, for instance, the crew would likely need a new ship the second year, and it would have to differ thematically—perhaps the treasure the pirates found the first year could be used to bling out their ship (and their attire) the second year, or perhaps the treasure they found was cursed and their ship becomes darker and spookier. The expandability of the theme would not be too much of a factor in the initial pitch, and in fact you'd want to make sure the first year is self-contained and iconic in case that's all the theme could support, but you also want to leave room for thematic escalation (new, more fearsome foes, a new look for the heroes, and so on). These are the two most important aspects I've seen in successful ongoing themes like Ninjago or Chima or Exo-Force or even Bionicle. Zaniness can help when marketing to kids, but I think a dynamic story with compelling characters is far more important. And the ability for the story to keep going is essential if you want the theme to continue.

What kind of collection do YOU have? I certainly don't have the quantities of most of those brown and tan parts, and I'm sure Bricklinking the parts for this set would cost well over 300 EUR. And you're not just paying for the parts—you're paying for the amazing design work that went into making this model look so good. I don't see any useless bricks in this, either—I've been sketching the set out on LDD and so far every part seems to be useful either for giving the right look or reinforcing the set so that it doesn't fall apart when you look at it, let alone move it. Honestly, your comment sounds like a lot of the ignorant comments I hear from non-FOLs about Lego sets; seeing the only value in the figs and insisting that you could make the rest yourself.

Personally, I prefer matte silver to chrome in most cases. I'm sure part of why Lego does less chrome these days isn't just cost, but also that the new parts are probably more kid-friendly. As a child, I used to have a nasty habit of sucking on Lego parts, and when I did so with chrome elements it'd wear away the chrome finish (which was probably bad for me as well as for my bricks!).

Pretty sure it's just set up differently. The way the leaf sections are hinged allows for a little bit of movement, and some configurations are going to look better than others.

That ejector seat looks amazing and makes me feel a lot better about the Ultra Agents theme (since one of the best parts of the previous Agents theme was that every set was packed to the gills with hidden play features). I wonder if there are similarly subtle features of any of the other sets that we've missed?

I've seen this sentiment repeated a lot. The problem is you wouldn't be paying 100 more for one more like the Cuusoo version. You'd be paying 1000 if not 2000 more. That thing was a tank, and would dwarf every single Star Wars or Lego set, UCS included. And good luck fitting it on a shelf; it'd need its own table. Personally I love the new set, and wish I could afford it. The plate-based walls are beautiful, adding texture and complexity to what would otherwise be a literal box on wheels. The play features look great and make the interior wonderfully accessible, and the build looks very suited to adult builders (while still being accessible to younger kids). The new figs look excellent (as do most updated versions of the classic figs). It makes me wish I hadn't ever unboxed my old Sandcrawler set—I'd be happy to sell that piece of crap to any of the people who prefer the old one just to get enough for a down payment on this beauty. Then again, that's how I feel about most of my old Star Wars sets that have been refreshed in recent years—as the adage says, hindsight is 20/20. All I have to say about the UCS-versus-exclusive debate is that I think AFOLs tend to get too hung up on terminology, especially when it can help them justify having what would otherwise be an incomplete collection. While this does significantly change the status-quo as to what is UCS and what isn't, I foresee sets like this selling a great deal more than the old UCS based on their quality and mass appeal, and having the label will boost that even further among resellers who care more about the label and what it supposedly signifies than the contents and quality of a set.

American Republican? If so, cut yourself some slack. While there are indeed Republicans here in the states who might make similarly violent and racist threats (due in part to this country's two-party system consolidating right-of-center average joes with far-right extremists), the party as a whole is fairly diverse and mellow compared to the English Defense League, the apparent source of these threats. The EDL is a hate group through and through. A shame they'd extend that hate to an institution as wholesome as Legoland.

This about sums up my opinion. Obviously it being the "best year ever" would be subjective and wouldn't apply to all builders (after all, this year offers no dedicated Castle, Space, Western, or Pirates themes, even if The Lego Movie offers bits and pieces of each of those). But for me personally, budgeting has been a serious challenge even this early in the year. There are plenty of sets this year (such as some of this year's Friends, Chima or Ultra Agents sets) that I feel would be surefire purchases for me if not for the excellent showings from Ninjago, Hero Factory, and of course The Lego Movie.

I don't know how effective a Lego Movie Advent Calendar would be, but I had a couple other ideas for a slightly different Lego Movie Advent Calendar after you suggested it, and thinking of The Lego Movie and Christmas gave me another, non-set idea. It'd be great if either the folks who made The Lego Movie or a good BrickFilm studio like Paganomation could make a CGI or stop-motion "Lego Movie Christmas Special"! My concept (which would be far from the only option for such a short) would have Emmet and friends wrapping a present for Finn or The Man Upstairs using President Business' "relics" and the recipient opening the gift Christmas morning. A Christmas special would be great not only because it's a fun theme, but because Lego could use such a short to renew interest in The Lego Movie (and by extension the Lego Movie sets) right before the biggest toy-buying holiday of the year.

I found a bug with part 14740. When the second-from-the-back studs are covered it makes the studs third-from-the-back disappear as if they were covered. See here, on the bottom left.

Blowing on them doesn't actually help. In fact, the moisture in your breath can damage the connections over time. The only reason it seems to help at all is that it forces you to remove and reinsert the ball joint, which can fix any loose connections caused by not inserting the ball joint properly in the first place. (in case you couldn't tell, this is satire.)

I don't know why we haven't seen minidolls in LDD yet. I can only imagine one reason why they might be deliberately withholding them, that being that the way LDD is programmed would allow for "naked" minidolls. I can imagine kids and their parents being upset by that, not to mention activist groups which have shown opposition to the Friends theme in the past. An alternative reason could simply be that the complex printing on the torsos could just be taking longer to program. In any case, I'd definitely like it if minidolls were added to LDD. There should be an update arriving some time this spring, so we can only hope that those show up at that point alongside new parts like the Mixels joints.

According to the Aanchir I have sitting next to me, the cape looks to just be standard Bright Blue (classic blue) with potentially a bit of variation due to it being a textile element.

None so far and I didn't see any in the summer sets. It's possible, though.

Well, I just found a link to Lego's Press Guide from Toy Fair. Not a lot new to be gleaned from it, but I was surprised to see that the second Lego Movie wave isn't due out in August, but rather, two months earlier in June. I imagine this may be to tie in with the DVD release. And that's only three months away!

Yes. They pushed this one ahead to take advantage of the anniversary.