jjr_2009

1. Koala Suit 2. Cat Suit --------------------------------------------------- 3. Snake Suit (recolored) 4. Axolotl Suit 5. Turtle Suit 6. Zebra Suit (new mold to be reused for the next Zodiac animal suit) 7. Mouse Suit (recolored) 8. Squirrel Suit 9. Lion Suit 10. Dog Suit (maybe a dalmatian this time?) 11. Frog Suit 12. Red Panda Suit

I'd say that a set based on that scene in Fantasia is highly unlikely, as that film (and that sequence in particular) doesn't typically get a whole lot of merchandise from Disney, outside of Sorcerer Mickey (and occasionally Chernabog). As far as licensed themes go, I think it's more likely that a unicorn could show up in the Harry Potter line. The only unicorn we see in the films is a dead one (R.I.P.), but a "live" unicorn with its foal, can be seen on the Forbidden Forest ride at Universal Studios. As far as unlicensed themes go, maybe a unicorn could show up in the Dreamzzz? One of the characters had unicorn pajamas in the very first wave of sets.

I can definitely imagine them making Edoras. It's a really iconic location and has a distinctive look to it. Lothlorien is much more of a long shot though, IMO. In response to the wider topic of the newly announced set: I still really like it, but there is just no way I am going to shell out that much money for it. I have the 2012 set, and I am still extremely satisfied with it. I might pick up a few of the printed/stickered pieces from this new set, as well as a couple of minifigures--but overall I am happy to pass on this one.

Not going to comment much on the price, because I don't think there's much more to be said. Anything over $100 is just out of my price range anyways, and I have made peace with that fact. I think a big part of why these new LOTR sets have sold well--while their previous attempt at the theme was more of a struggle--is that these newer sets are produced for and marketed almost exclusively to adults. The sets from 2012-2015 were marketed towards children, for the most part (the only exception was Orthanc). And while I would love to see smaller, more affordable LOTR sets, I think many adult consumers are stuck in the mindset that only large and expensive sets are valid as collector's items (which I think is kind of silly, tbh). My thoughts on this new set: I really like it, for the most part! I agree that the party tree looks rough, and that $270 seems to be on the steep side. But overall I think it's lovely. I love the fact that they included "spikey" grey hair pieces for Merry and Pippin after they set off the dragon firework--it's a great detail. I also just love the fact that we're finally getting more hobbits! I still have 9469 Gandalf Arrives from the line's original launch, and I recently acquired 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (without the minifigures). Those sets still look great, IMO and they fit better on my desk than this new one will. I'll probably just pick up a few of the figures and then maybe some of the printed/stickered pieces from this new release to "enhance" the one I already have. And to address the folks on here wishing that this came with the dwarves from The Hobbit: I agree that it would have been cool, but The Hobbit films weren't as well received as the LOTR films were, and--so far--I don't think there is a ton of nostalgia for them. I highly doubt we'll see those characters included in sets anytime soon.

I'm currently working on building the 2012 Bag End with used parts from BrickLink (I'm 70% there!). While I'm sure whatever the rumored set ends up being will be spectacular, I'm also sure it will be well out of my price range. I'm hoping there will be some cool prints or minifigs in the new set that I can purchase from BrickLink to compliment the old set! (I would particularly love to see a Bilbo minifig wearing his attire from his 111th birthday).

I think we'll definitely see more minifig-based Disney sets in the future, but I highly doubt it will ever match the output of the Disney Princess mini-doll theme. And that's okay in my book--as long as we get some minifigures! I think all of the previous Disney CMFs have sold relatively well (particularly the recent series) so I would expect to see those make a comeback at some point (probably not until at least 2026 though). I'd love to see them fill out a few character rosters (by giving us Meg from Hercules or Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty, for example) as well as feature films that haven't previously gotten minifigures (like The Sword in the Stone or The Jungle Book). There are also tons of Mickey & Friends variants that could easily be made.

Play features in licensed themes are tricky to pull off, because it's hard to include them while remaining (at least somewhat) accurate to the source material. But personally, I'm not a huge stickler for accuracy when it comes to Star Wars sets. It's LEGO! They have their own unique aesthetic! There are other companies I can go to if I want exact replicas of what we see onscreen. But again, I think this just comes down to personal preference.

I didn't check this forum for a couple of days, so I missed a lot of really fascinating responses! I do think it's important to remember that each of our experiences is subjective--so the fact that I didn't enjoy battle packs or midi scale ships when I was a kid, doesn't mean other kids didn't. I actually think it's pretty cool that--even at a young age--everyone has a unique perspective and experience. A lot of people have pointed out the fact of inflation--which is a valid point. It's a bit depressing, but it's basically inescapable in our current world. I think what really grinds my gears is that the Star Wars theme's sets seem to have increased in price more than sets from other comparable themes. But then, we don't exactly know what LEGO's licensing agreements actually look like, so it's hard to say what's really going on there. Others have pointed out the apparent decline in popularity of Star Wars. Unfortunately, I think there's something to that argument as well--at least for the adult market. While I have (mostly) enjoyed the films and shows Lucasfilm has made since the Disney acquisition, I know that not everybody has--and toy companies (including Hasbro and LEGO) seem to have noticed. It will be really interesting to see how the perception of Disney-era Star Wars changes as people who were young kids when the sequel trilogy came out start to grow up and have more disposable income. I could be completely wrong, but I predict we're going to see a rise in nostalgia for the more recent films, and the market will race to catch up. Lastly, a quick anecdote: I have three daughters, ages 10, 8 and 6. We watched the original trilogy together 2 years ago, the prequel trilogy last year, and this year we have been watching the sequel trilogy (we're watching The Rise of Skywalker this weekend). While they've liked all of the films (although not as much as they like animated Disney classics and the Harry Potter series), the sequel trilogy has held their interest a bit more than the previous films; they particularly like Rey, BB-8, and Rose Tico. Just this past weekend, my roommate (an adult collector of LEGO) let them play with his new Dark Falcon, and they had a blast. It did my nerdy Star Wars loving heart a lot of good to watch them sit there and play with a bunch of the Star Wars sets I have collected over the years. No matter what happens with the Star Wars franchise or the LEGO theme in the future, these stories will live on with future generations--and I think that's pretty cool.

Summer 2025 Predictions (Realistic) Yoda's Jedi Starfighter Microfighter (TCW) - feat. Yoda - $12.99 Chewbacca Mech feat. Chewbacca - $15.99 Rey's Speeder (Episode VII) feat. Rey, BB-8, Teedo - $39.99 First Order Stormtrooper Helmet (Episode VII) - $59.99 The Razor Crest - Starship Collection (The Mandalorian) - $69.99 Endor Bunker (Episode VI) feat. Han Solo (Endor Fatigues), Princess Leia (Endor Fatigues), Scout Trooper (x 2), Wicket - $99.99 Death Star Playset (Episode IV) feat. Luke Skywalker (Stormtrooper Disguise), Han Solo (Stormtrooper Disguise), Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Death Star Gunner, Stormtrooper, Imperial Officer - $169.99 Summer 2025 Wish List The Ghost Microfighter (Ahsoka) - feat. Hera Syndulla - $12.99 Sandcrawler Microfighter (Episode IV) - feat. Jawa - $12.99 Geonosis Arena Battle Pack (Episode II) - feat. Geonosian Warrior, Super Battle Droid, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti - $24.99 Kijimi Workshop (Episode IX) - feat. Babu Frik, C-3PO (Red Eyes), Poe Dameron (Kijimi Disguise) - $34.99 Sebulba's Podracer (Episode I) - feat. Sebulba, Pit Droid (x 2), Watto, Kitster - $49.99 Bounty Hunter Pursuit (Episode II) - feat. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Zam Wessell, ASN-121 Assassin Droid, Jango Fett - $99.99 Jabba's Palace Playset (Episode VI) feat. Jabba the Hutt, Han Solo (Jabba's Prisoner), Princess Leia (Bounty Hunter Disguise), Chewbacca, Bib Fortuna, Duros Pilot, Gamorrean Guard, Sy Snootles, Jawa, Yak Face - $169.99

I was recently at Walmart and (of course) decided to take a trip down the LEGO aisle. It's always fun to spot new sets or to snag a good clearance deal. But sometimes I like to try to think about how "kid-me" would have viewed the current offerings. I know I would have LOVED the newest LEGO City sets--especially the Jungle and Space subthemes. Harry Potter would have had my attention, with all of the detailed minifigures and buildable structures. I would have been all about the fanciful creatures and colorful builds of Dreamzzz and Ninjago--and the builds of Animal Crossing and Friends would have appealed to me as well (the figures a bit less so). But I know that "kid-me"--a massive Star Wars fan--would have been really disappointed with the Star Wars offerings. So many of the sets I saw at Walmart would have been either well out of my price range (like the Dark Falcon or the The Onyx Cinder) or just wouldn't have appealed to a kid who liked to tell stories with his LEGOs (buildable helmets, mid-scale ships with no minifigures, smaller sets with zero named characters and only nameless troops). It just seems like the theme isn't really trying to appeal to kids anymore. I know my thoughts and experiences are subjective, so I'd be curious to hear how others on this forum feel. Would the current Lego Star Wars offerings appealed to you as a child? Or if you currently have children, do the current sets appeal to them? Do you think LEGO is focusing too much on adult Star Wars fans? Or is this just me allowing my personal preferences to cloud my judgment?

I always love getting our first peek at unlicensed CMFs! I actually think it's a fairly strong series--a little something for everyone. My favorites are the Beastmaster and the Cupid. I also love the new cockatoo mold. I just know my kids are going to be wild about the Plush Collector, the Hamster Suit Kid, and the Cat Lover!

I have zero basis for this, but I wouldn't be surprised if the larger Maleficent dragon just got delayed a bit--maybe a 2025 or even 2026 release.

I'm more of a casual DC fan, so I really don't have much skin in the game here. But gosh--this new wave of sets looks soooo bad when compared to the new wave from other themes. It really makes you wonder what's going on internally. Are sales down? Is WB greatly restricting what Lego can do with this theme? What happened to all of the creative energy the theme had back in 2015-2017?

this would be a dream come true! although I could never afford such a set haha Jabba's palace has always been one of my favorite locales from the SW films--and I love specially moulded alien pieces!

I know I'm probably in the minority with this, but I wish LEGO would release sets with a greater variety of named characters--as opposed to so many that focus on various types of clone troopers / stormtroopers. I've been playing through LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga again, and it just reminds me of how many of these characters have either never been released as minifigures, or have been released once many years ago and now go for insane amounts of money on the aftermarket. Here are some of the characters I would love for LEGO to release (or rerelease): Boss Nass Zam Wesell Queen Amidala (any of her Phantom Menace costumes) Aayla Secura Count Dooku Lando Calrissian (Bespin attire) Kit Fisto Babu Frik