Lyichir

It just occurred to me that if you wanted to turn the ghosts from inferior versions of Ghoultar into more generic/distinct ghosts, you could probably make some interesting variety with some of the possessed minifig heads from the Hidden Side theme. I might try that myself. I'm not totally sure it would work (since the possessed figs have a bit of a different aesthetic), but it's worth at least giving it a try.

Good comparison. They definitely look different, though until both figures are released "in the brick" I suppose it's possible that the Wu image accidentally used a preliminary version or something. Also, looking at them side by side, it dawned on me how odd it is that Golden Wu's face and beard are gold while the other ninja have their typical hair and skin colors. The inconsistency sort of bugs me (though it's an easy fix to swap Golden Wu's head and beard for a more standard one).

Personally I can't help but hope for the garbage truck. Don't think a set that small has been approved through Ideas in quite some time, but the functionality is just so clever. The smaller size and lack of licensing could potentially make it easier than others to slot in between other releases, as well. ATLA is another one I'm hoping for. Yes, it bombed for Lego years ago, but not only is there a big difference between Lego then and Lego now, but the series has gone from "unconventional kids cartoon series" to "classic". I can't help but hope that the series' recent popularity upon being put on Netflix will make a difference. Gravity Falls is another one I'd like to see, though I'd see it as less likely given that Disney can be pretty finicky about which movies or series they're interested in licensing at any given time.

I've thought about that before and if they were to use an older headgear piece, the Prime Empire hoods could potentially work for that. Swap out the "face print" for something that looks more like a clear visor and maybe swap the "crest" above the eyeholes for a print resembling a headlamp and it could work fairly well. That said, a lot of recent waves have opted for entirely new headgear so they could potentially do something like that here too. Something dual-molded with a clear visor could be fun, or maybe even something with "traditional" visor attachment points. Scuba-type gear would also make for an interesting change from the typical shoulderpads/weapon holder. Though ideally it could use a new body wear piece that allowed for both air tanks and storage for weapons, perhaps with clips or something on the sides like old Aquazone headgear.

Ooh, a star fort! Very cool! I'd messed around on Stud.io to try to make a more "authentic" Imperial fort before but never got nearly this close to anything "complete". I love the sloping brickwork and the internal ramp. If I might offer a bit of constructive criticism, though, it looks like it might be a fairly repetitive build... I wonder if you could make it a little more varied, perhaps by adding some greenery growing on/around part of it, or an external pier, or making one of the sides show some damage from a pirate siege. As it stands the main gate is one of the only points of interest on the exterior, which feels like a missed opportunity for a model like this that looks like it could display best "in the round".

Personally Ronin appearing as a cameo in the gardens makes it feel less likely to me that he'd simply be "borrowed" from another upcoming set. I was just remarking in the show discussion topic (a bit off topic, I know) that I wouldn't mind a Legacy version of the Ninjacopter, which has always felt like a cool vehicle design but could do with a design upgrade. Plus it'd be able to give us a "Legacy 2" Zane and a new classic Pixal, which I'd love. Might be less likely for one of the summer sets though, because so far our only real info to go on is that if the other gold ninja are any indication, Golden Zane will likely appear in a set that otherwise doesn't have Zane, which means that unless the Ninjacopter were paired with Golden Nya, it probably wouldn't be one of the ones we're getting. It might be more likely that the two summer Legacy sets would opt for more of the "deepstone" ninja, though there's a chance that like earlier Legacy outfits those versions might be meant to stand in for both the Possession and Skybound seasons. That said, both of those seasons were fairly light on the ninja vehicles the Legacy theme tends to favor, making it possibly more likely to either draw from a different season (perhaps backtracking to something like the Ninjacopter or Ultra Sonic Raider) or to give us a villain-focused Legacy set for a change (like the Morro Dragon or Misfortune's Keep). Heck, they could throw us a curveball and give us something that hasn't been a set before like they did with the Overlord Dragon. I wouldn't mind!

It's hard to say how likely Borg Tower is, but failing that I would LOVE a Ninjacopter revamp. Not only is it a really unique-looking vehicle that could do well with an update, but updated versions of Rebooted Zane and classic Pixal would be a dream come true.

I guess that's one of the places we differ then... I am a huge fan of the Ninja vehicles, which have gotten consistently better over the years while having strong design language tying them together (and to their respective characters). Part of what excites me most about the prospect of an underwater wave is that undersea vehicles like submarines are one of the only "vehicle types" that hasn't really been explored in Ninjago sets before—not even for Nya, the character most themed around water. If it really bothers you that Ninjago is going to do what other underwater themes have done before, you can probably at least take solace in the fact that after this year Ninjago probably won't have a dedicated wave with that theme again—Ninjago rarely repeats a major setting change or design theme like that, leaving the door wide open for a completely different underwater theme in the future. With that in mind, half a year of underwater Ninjago sets doesn't feel like that big an imposition.

None of those non-Ideas sets were. Conspiracy theorists just like to pretend that Lego "stole" them from Ideas.

I could have sworn I had seen information about who the main designer for that set was but I can't find it for the life of me. I know it was not Nick Vas; IIRC it was a separate designer who was originally working on it independently (not as a set) and was approached about turning it into a set design. But god knows where I read that or if I'm just imagining I did.

I don't think that that can be extrapolated into an overarching "rule" with a sample size of only one Ideas set with the 18+ branding so far. It's entirely possible that some Ideas sets may end up getting different treatment depending on their size, complexity, and subject matter.

It wouldn't really make sense to delay the release until the actual date of Chinese New Year—that wouldn't allow people time to purchase the sets in advance to display or give as gifts on the holiday itself. It's the same reason why other seasonal sets like the Winter Village sets typically come out well in advance of their respective holidays.

Eh... not really? It was a refresh of the TV series (something that happens all the time with other kids' series), but it maintained the same continuity. Can't help but get a little tired of the griping about Ninjago supposedly eating up space for other action adventure themes, especially since when others like Legends of Chima, Nexo Knights, Hidden Side or Monkie Kid come around, people complain about those too. If anything I'd argue that the action/adventure themes we've gotten since Ninjago has been around have often tended to be more wholly original than those older ones that mostly functioned as reimaginings of older themes (often well-designed ones, but nonetheless retreading old ground). And heck, I remember those getting complaints for not being ENOUGH like the themes they were homaging (why doesn't Pharaoh's Quest have Johnny Thunder? Why isn't Power Miners dark and gloomy like Rock Raiders?). By remixing those kinds of themes under the Ninjago umbrella, at least the fanbase of that theme (bigger than any of those other themes can lay claim to) can continue to be satisfied with new content, while Lego's other original themes can explore new ideas and new audiences.

I like the look of it. Personally I prefer brighter colors in general, and the new version seems to have adapted many of the details of the original submission without looking as much like it'd fall apart if you looked at it wrong. I might have to see more pictures of it before I decide whether I want it or not, though. There's a lot on my wishlist in the new year and despite looking good this initial picture alone doesn't "wow" me the way Barracuda Bay did.

The existence of a new polybag makes that unlikely. The next wave could possibly be releasing later in the year, though.

Personally I'm hyped for an underwater wave—I'd conceptualized one years ago, and if it finally gives Nya more of the spotlight as Ninja of Water, all the better. Same goes for the "Hydro Bounty"—every iteration of the Bounty since at least the second one has been pretty amazing, so an underwater version is unlikely to disappoint. I'm curious what the villains will be like. Personally I'm hoping for some cephalopod-themed baddies, but there's a ton of different directions they could go with it. I would bet that some of the sets will use the new windscreen piece from the Legacy Boulder Blaster, which always struck me as probably having been designed for a larger wave of Ninjago sets.

I wouldn't be surprised if that "curve" in the sidewalk might be connected to a staircase or elevator down to the "Old World" level, since the previous entries in the series have all included a way to travel between each level. It's possible that there's a different way down behind the other buildings, but something like that would definitely justify that sidewalk extension. Hopefully it is either connected to the Temple Island module or at least removeable from the corner module so that you can rearrange the modules to your liking.

I don't know, I think not having horizontal sections would be a bad thing. For me, I only currently really have the space to display the sets as a "row" along a wall. Having too many corners in that format could get repetitive fast and could cause collision issues in spots where features overhang the edge of the plate on non-adjoining sides. Heck, even if you display the sets "in the round" you would still need at least one more 32x32 horizontal section (or two 16x32 sections) to complete a full "block" of buildings. I also don't think the Docks displays too badly on its own (even if it lacks some of the grandeur of the original City), plus I don't think it's fair to assume that any future horizontal expansion would have to choose to trade elevation for width the same exact way it did. If anything, I would prefer to have variety and worry that without varying the orientation of sections, the series would run out of interesting things to do with corners twice as quickly as it would otherwise.

There's absolutely going to be a press release. That said, I'm not sure why it'd necessarily be expected today... it seems to me that it'd make more sense to be revealed "officially" on Thursday (New Year's Eve) or Friday (New Year's Day).

I have been thinking a little about mods for this set. The most obvious thing that comes to mind to do would be to restore the (sadly, recently retired) Trans. Neon Orange for the lanterns and some of the details in the "Ice Planet" Ice Cream Shop. However, I'm not necessarily 100% decided on that... having the set in hand I might end up liking some of that color variety.

I expect to arrange them in more of a row, with the docks in between, partly out of necessity based on the chest of drawers I am displaying the other two on already. I don't think it'll be a problem since the City and Docks already look okay together (it helps that the tallest parts of the Docks are on each end). I am curious how the shorter segment of the new section will flow with those... the catalog describes it as an island, so maybe it could be attached from the water border instead of between the other sections? I'll need more pictures to get a better understanding of it. On a different note, the possibility of additional sets in the future is another reason why I'm not too fussed about things like all six ninja not getting street clothes. There's plenty of opportunity for such figs to be released in the future, and to be honest I wouldn't have expected the set to go without a single ninja in quote-unquote "ninja gear", so the fact that we're getting such a variety at all (instead of, say, Legacy outfits for all of them, or the set not including all of the ninja in the first place) feels good to me. It would be nice if Skylor were included, but then again I could probably say the same about all sorts of Ninjago sets (she's such a fun character and along with Pixal is one of my favorites outside the "core cast") For all we know a Legacy version of Skylor could still appear in one of the other cheaper Legacy sets.

Not a specific location from the show, but if we get another horizontal section, I think it'd be pretty cool to get a beach. Sun and sand overlooked by both traditional beachfront shops and restaurants plus more modern shopping and maybe a fancy hotel. In the past I wanted more specific locations like Borg Tower or the school and warehouse district from the movie, but as time has gone on I've grown to prefer a more eclectic mix of subjects that aren't as monopolized by any one large building.

Well, personally I'm fine with the minifigure selection. We could hem and haw about who we wish was included but I like that it includes all six ninja (some in their suits and some in streetwear), plus what seems to be a good mix of secondary characters (Misako, Ronin, the Mechanic, Clutch Powers) and assorted civilians (including the very cute Ice Planet-themed ice cream man). The new picture also does a much better job conveying the set's contents than the weird angle from the blurry watermarked photo—here you can really see how central the "garden" section is (with a tree growing all the way through the second tier of buildings).

That’s two rows of tiles if you want it to meet. Personally, though, one of the things I like about the new roads is that they get rid of the odd 20-stud width with 6-stud curbs in favor of multiples of eight studs (which work more naturally with base sizes like those of the modular buildings).

Unlikely. Assembly Square is likely being retired to make room for another larger anniversary modular next year. Releasing two "main series" modulars in a year would probably be inadvisable considering that they'd end up cannibalizing each other's sales.