Lyichir

Sort of like a combination of the existing short chain piece and the base of the similar tassel piece from Ninjago. Cool!

Just built the Young Dragon Riyu set while catching up on the last episode of the previous season of Dragons Rising! The set is fantastic—I love how good the shaping is and the amazing color scheme. It's probably my favorite small dragon build so far in the theme. I hope this isn't the end of Riyu's growth, though—I can definitely see the potential for him to become an even bigger dragon! As for the show, I continue to be impressed. The characterization is great and the visuals are definitely better than they've ever been. One thing I'd noticed that this last episode reinforced is how trans-coded Sora feels—not in that I think the character herself is necessarily trans (that would be cool, but I don't think Lego's brave enough to make something like that text, at least not yet), but in how I feel like trans people could relate to her in multiple ways (her cute cat-ear aesthetic and pink/white/blue color scheme, the way she chose a name for herself, and the way her parents continued to trust dubious authority figures over their own child's experience and sense of self). The way her parents essentially dismissed the video that exposed the Empress's evil as well as her subsequent breakdown as "fake news" felt very pointed and topical. Looking forward to the new season of the show as well as getting more of this year's sets (I've already picked up Egalt the Master Dragon but will probably wait until the new season debuts to build him, and there are plenty more still on my wishlist).

Love this! The monorail base looks really accurate and the sandy base like you'd see in the old boxart really brings it all together into a satisfying and compact display piece.

Another really cool space MOC! You can definitely tell it was inspired by those Technic sets, but you've done a great job converting it into a fully enclosed, full-featured rover. Love the way the cockpit separates, and the way those batteries are enclosed!

Very neat MOC! I've been hoping to start seeing people come up with MOCs for this new Space theme. I'll admit it's a little boxy (with very little wing structure to speak of) but the shape is nice, remarkably compact and seamless. I could imagine this being some sort of escape pod or something along those lines.

I thought the previous tiger looked pretty good—definitely looked at least as much like a tiger as minifigures look like people. A new mold could be cool, but if the new one uses the same mold it'd be cool if it uses regular orange or reddish orange instead of the yellowish orange the previous one used.

Y'know, with a big store exclusive a part of me wonders if it might feature any of the main kids in their regular clothes (possibly with some sort of transformation feature). That sort of thing might not fit in the regular sets that well, but from my experience that sort of more niche thing is more likely to appear in something like a store exclusive (for example, the plainclothes ninja in some of the Ninjago City sets).

I mean, there's a HUGE cross-theme space theme going on right now. Nothing about Dreamzzz prevents a sci-fi theme, any more than themes like Ninjago or Monkie Kid prevented Dreamzzz from launching alongside them. Multiple themes can, and do, coexist.

I don't know why you're assuming Dreamzzz will be around 4-6 years even if it doesn't sell, most "big bang" themes of that sort begin with around a three-year plan (see also Chima, Nexo Knights). I also don't know if your assertion that Dreamzzz doesn't sell is even all that accurate. Lord knows it's not the first time people have assumed that of a theme with good, but not exceptional sales (again, see Chima, Nexo Knights). And when a theme REALLY struggles—like Vidiyo or Hidden Side—Lego typically doesn't hesitate to cut it off even earlier than that.

This might sound a little cynical, but it makes sense for Lego to reveal/release the big expensive D&D set before the CMFs. If the big set is revealed first, it will be the only option for people who are into D&D, to either buy outright or save up for it. If the CMFs launched simultaneously, there's a higher chance that buyers might start with the cheaper option and maybe be content with that.

I'm probably not gonna get the BTAS diorama since I don't collect superhero stuff much, but as a fan of the artstyle of the animated series (including the really distinctive looks of its architecture and scenery) I love that they made a set focused on that for a tribute set.

Very cute! I like the way the 1x2 round plate you've used for the mouth creates a dimpled grin!

This is true. Back in the day many of those sorts of exclusives would be exclusive to both Lego stores and particular retailers (Toys R Us, Target, Walmart, etc.), but with the first of those out of the picture and direct sales making up a bigger part of Lego's offerings, I suppose two exclusive sets isn't all that many.

Sounds pretty good! A dinosaur robot for Cooper sounds particularly promising. Two Lego store exclusives sounds unusual... Maybe it's a compromise like the final wave of Ultra Agents, which had reduced availability (though hopefully without that reduction taking the form of regional exclusivity this time).

My first Animal Crossing sets came in (Nook's Cranny and the Maple polybag). Sadly while it was listed as available when I placed the order the Isabelle set is backordered now so might be a little longer. I've started by building the little polybag and it's very cute! Maple looks fantastic—I hope we maybe get characters like Bluebear, Cheri, or Stitches using the same head mold.

I think it's this one. Make & Take event for Lego stores.

Bowser train sounds exciting—in the games it's basically a full level on a train, which ought to offer some fun gameplay (especially if it's track-compatible)! Peach's Castle may be a smaller version but with any luck will have updated features that can be integrated into the previous one—maybe even another printed painting from SM64! New starter courses with updated figures is interesting. If being rechargeable is the only major change I can probably pass on them, unless the other contents are really essential (like if one of them includes Roy).

To be honest I think those kinds of sets are mostly just looked up to more by people who grew up with them (AFOLs of a certain age, overrepresented on sites like these). I've already started to see a shift toward more nostalgia for 2000s-era themes on the part of slightly younger AFOLs. That said, I also appreciate the nostalgic throwbacks to themes like Classic Space despite not growing up with them myself. But that's less because the themes and sets were inherently superior to later ones, and more because I appreciate the things that paved the way for later themes (and modern throwbacks tend to SIGNIFICANTLY improve rudimentary older set designs. And this is coming from somebody who DOES love themes like Dreamzzz, Ninjago, Friends, and Monkie Kid. I think fans of modern themes also tend to be significantly less cantankerous and dismissive of the things they personally didn't grow up with, so there is that.

The fact that the fairground sets have less of a constant presence/release schedule than things like modulars or botanical sets doesn't mean they won't continue to be made.

The science lab looks good! I hope those quarter domes are in trans black (it's a little hard to tell especially since these sets often have it look lighter on the box art, but it seems to match the lower windows). The little alien getting its own space suit is cute! One thing I hoped for from it doesn't seem to be there, though, that being a second type of green science droid (the other "factions" all have two but the only green one is the one from the other base). I still wouldn't completely rule it out since this one picture doesn't necessarily show off the full set all that well.

https://lego.bricksmegastore.com/products/lego-friends-space-research-rover Pics of the new Friends space rover! It's super cute!

https://lego.bricksmegastore.com/products/lego-friends-space-research-rover Pics of the new Friends space rover! Featuring another color of alien, the return of William from the space academy, and a SPACE PUPPY!

Yeah, I filled out the survey and made sure to note things that I'd be particularly interested in like practical upscaled accessories and more Lego artbooks. I also mentioned in regards to shirts how much I'd appreciate if Lego partnered with fan artists to come up with more creative, unique designs, like the video game t-shirts I like to get on sites like Fangamer.

I wouldn't necessarily say each needs a new mold—a lot of villager characters are pretty much the same shape—but there's definitely a lot that could use unique molds. Them including Julian (the only unicorn character) gives me hope they won't shy away from special villagers with more distinct features or accessories. A minifigure series would definitely be great. I also think a Toy Day-themed advent calendar could be a cool opportunity for this theme. To be honest, if they relied solely on regular sets they would barely scratch the surface of the number of unique villagers in the series. The latest game, New Horizons, has 391 total villager characters, not even counting special non-villager characters like shopkeepers or holiday NPCs. And the current sets only offer six of them!

The Isabelle/Fauna set definitely seems like a good one to start with. I'm hoping to get most of these eventually.