Fives

I'd love to see an updated Vikings theme. That was one theme that I got a few sets from, but wish I'd gotten more. It would be cool if they made it more realistic in the sense that they use more earthy tones and colours, much like LOTR. If they made it too colorful like Castle, it just wouldn't feel right. It'd be cool if the factions were only distinguishable by the war paint they wear. Also, having heroes for different clans would be cool. Like, have three factions, each ruled by a family (one blonde, one dark haired and one redhead), and these families are feuding for gold and such. Create a small story with named characters, and you've got yourself a brilliant theme. It would also be interesting to see a new Viking helmet mold with shoulder length hair attached at the back. Still have the horns, but add some hair so it doesn't look like all the warriors are bald. I would totally be on board with a new theme like this.

I for one am very excited about this new Sandcrawler. Just from that one picture we have, it looks like a really great set. I missed the first set, so it'll be good to have a new chance to get this in my collection. My predictions for the minifig list is this: Owen Lars Beru Lars (I just really think this would be a nice fig to have, but it may not happen) C-3P0 (new leg print) R2-D2 3 Jawas Luke R4-D4 Protocol Droid (like in the upcoming Yoda Chronicles set) Assorted brick built droids.

I doubt it because the hilt is too pirate like.

I'm sorry, what?

I think I'm gonna jump in on this BP discussion. I for one agree with everything you've said here, Deathleech. LEGO was handed such an amazing opportunity with this license, and they squandered it by not making the proper choices for sets and releasing small waves. If LEGO had poured half as much effort into this theme as they do Star Wars or any other popular theme, they likely would've been far more successful. However, I feel like all of these unfortunate choices that seem to be LEGO's doing may not be wholly their fault. We all know that the development of the Hobbit Trilogy has been unorthodox and quite disorganized. LEGO was given this project when it was originally two films, so obviously they started planning for that. Then, it switch to three films, which threw a wrench in the already existing layout for the theme. They did a marvellous job handling it, but there is no doubt that a lack of source material (images from the film) and the fact that many reshoots were done for the second film caused the DOS wave to feel a little slapdash. Now, given this, there still is no explanation for the strange set choices made for the LOTR waves. The first wave was perfect, except for the fact that there were no battle packs. The next wave felt like such a huge waste of potential. Firstly, why did they cut down the wave size from 6 sets to 4? Unless sales were absolutely horrid and they couldn't pour as much money into a sinking ship, there is no sense behind that decision. And the fact that they put the effort forth to make Orthanc shows that LOTR must've been in a good standing sales wise if LEGO expected a D2C to be profitable. So if the sales were going well, why chop the wave almost in half? Also, keep in mind that many of the first wave LOTR sets started getting discontinued quite quickly after their release, or at least sooner than sets from most other themes. Were those sets not selling well enough? Who knows. Whatever the issues behind this theme, Bps likely would've sold them all. I don't want to just say the same thing as Deathleech, but it is true that people, when given the chance, love to army build to a certain extent. And sure, there are many tiers of army building within the AFOL community. Some go hardcore and collect factions by the hundreds, others are content with 10 or 20 of a faction, while some just want a few of each group for their collection. I sit in the middle section of this scale. I have altogether nearly 50 Servants of Sauron (Uruks, Mordor orcs, Gundabad orcs, along with some custom Corsairs and men of Harad), while my army of Free Peoples stands at roughly 30, give or take a few (and these number are not including named characters). My numbers would be far stronger if I had a cheaper way of obtaining soldiers. 7 UHA sets, 4 MEA sets and 20 Mordor Orc keychains were my way of building up my forces. Yet, if I had had access to $12-15.99 BPs based on all the major factions (Mordor, Isengard, Gundabad, Elves, Rohan, Gondor, Iron Hills) I would've likely spent just as much if not more money on smaller, grunt central sets rather than larger army builder sets with one named character. Whatever their reasons, there seems to be only one logical explanation for the lack of LOTR and Hobbit battle packs: the license agreement. Something in the license agreement must say something about making sets without named characters. Maybe there is some weird part of the agreement that states Games Workshop holds the right to army building kits, since their game focusses far more heavily on large groups of grunts, whereas LEGO is a building toy. Who knows. All I can say is that we will likely never see any LOTR BPs, which breaks my heart. It would be extremely generous if, after the license is done, LEGO gives us the reasons for the unfortunate life of this theme.

It could be, but the handle looks nothing like that in the movie. Plus, her sword doesn't have as much of a curve in it.

I think voice actors should count, because they are as much performing that character the same as someone physically in costume on set. Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are all added to the list with one fig each thanks to GOTG.

Why thank you! I'm not surprised by LEGO making new weapons for these sets. Star-Lord's guns will likely be reused in future sic-fi themes, and Gamora's sword may be a one-off kinda piece, or it could be repurposed in the future. As for the Sakaaran gun, if you take a look at some of the pictures on the Brickipedia page for the Knowhere Escape set, you may notice that the gun (located at the top of the tower attached to the bigger turret) seems to have the same handle as the LEGO Movie SWAT rifles. The bigger blue and grey bit could be a new piece attached to the gun, which is kinda clever. http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/76020_Knowhere_Escape_Misson

And after taking a quick look at the Mutt fig next to that blurry image of Quill, it looks like the same piece. Kind of a shame that we don't get a new male hairpiece, but its also nice to see that hair in a new colour.

I kinda see how you could get that from he image, but that sword is way too big and Orcish for Gamora. Her sword is far more sleek and sic-fi looking. I know my LEGO pieces when I see them. She has a new sword.

That never even crossed my mind, but for sure that would be a delight! I'm hoping that we get both Owen and Beru, along with a pitcher of blue milk!

I doubt it. The blade looks too wide. It doesn't resemble any of LEGO's current swords, so my only guess is a new mold.

I wasn't aware of that. The basic knives would be perfect. As far as new weapons go, I'm particularly interested in Gamora's sword. I have a feeling that it could be fantastic as a one handed Elf sword for LOTR characters.

I found the image of the Milano Spaceship Rescue minifig line up. Its rather blurry, but you can discern a decent amount from it. http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140217220001/lego/images/a/a3/76021_Minifigs.png From what I can see, Quill's hair is new, as well as his guns. Actually, it kinda looks like everyone has new weapons except Ronan, although Drax's blades look like old molds. Overall I think Quill, Gamora and Ronan are the stand-out figs of the set, due to their new molds and weapons. Its a shame we didn't get better pics of the other sets from the fair as well.

That trailer was awesome! I have a very good feeling about this movie, and can't wait to see it! It seems like LEGO has done a perfect job with their set and fig choices. They've gotten good at managing all the various IPs they now own thanks to Disney, and are especially clever at given the fans the essentials that they want without focusing too heavily on one movie or franchise. Three sets is perfect because it easily gives us all the important characters, and probably highlights all the most important scenes as well. I just cannot wait to get my hands on a Nebula fig. SOOOO EPIC!!! Also, I thought I'd mention that I found a blurry close up pic of the Milano box fig line up. It showed Quill with a hairpiece (I couldn't tell if it was new or not) and two guns that looked like they could be new molds. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the picture again, but if anyone else knows what I'm talking about, please link it here.

So seeing as Guardians of the Galaxy is slated for release on July 31st, would it be reasonable to expect the sets to be released in May or June? I'm extremely excited for both the movie and the sets, and plan on buying all of them as soon as they come out.

Now that I think of it, it won't be till winter 2016 that we start seeing a lot of Ep 7 sets, because the movie comes out in December 2015. So Rebels will likely be the main focus for most of 2015. Hopefully there'll be an imperial BP with two Stormies, a grey Imperial Officer, and a Scout Trooper (perhaps with updated helmet prints, or a new helmet altogether), based on the Battle of Endor.

Hopefully, but keep in mind that by next winter, Ep 7 will be the main focus of the designers, so the Bps will likely focus on factions from the new film.

So I decided I'd hold off from commenting until most of the pics had surfaced from the NY Toy Fair. It always seems that FBTB gives the best coverage of the sets, so after taking a long look at the new sets, here are my thoughts: Rebels Sets The Phantom - A decent enough set on its own. I've always had a soft spot for compact one-man fighters (like the Jedi Interceptors), so this is really appealing to me. The ability to attach it to the Ghost is pretty cool as well. The figs are cool, although without any background on who they are, they'd be way less interesting. Ezra looks like a great representation of the character from the show, and overall seems like an interesting character. Same goes for Chopper. Very cool to see a smaller astro droid. The Ghost - I love the look of this ship. It has a very unique shape, yet still retains similarity to the Falcon. The set itself seems a little small. I would have preferred a larger version, with more of an interior, and more figs (at least an extra Stormtrooper). Speaking of the figs, I'm very excited by these characters. LEGO's has been smart and avoided the cartoonish eyes, which means this figs won't look out of place next to regular Saga figs. Kanan looks really cool. His hairpiece is particularly interesting. Hera looks kinda meh, but I'll probably like her more once I see the show. Zeb looks really cool, and I'm excited to fond out what species he is, and why he's so purple. The new Stormtrooper looks cool. They've tried to make him look cartoonish, but I'm not sure what they succeeded at. It still looks awesome. The Yoda Chronicles Sets Jedi Scout Fighter - This set instantly caught my eye. While the first Yoda Chronicles set looked kinda terrible (Jek's fighter just looked oddly proportioned and ugly), this ship looks just plain awesome! Its as if a set designer sat down with an 11 year old kid and they made a ship out of the random parts of a collection. It reminds me of my old attempts of making ships when I was a kid, with simple pointy wings and lots of slope parts around the cockpit. It has a very appealing look. The figs are also amazing. The Ithorian Jedi and Protocol droid are the standouts of the set, while the astro droid is cool, and Jek (sure, new outfit), feels like old news. I love how the Ithorian can easily fit into the Cantina and not look out of place. He isn't wearing any blatantly obvious Jedi robes, which is cool. The droid, like others have said, looks like it was stolen from the Sandcrawler. My only gripe is no printing on the droid's head. Sure, it may sound like I'm asking for too much, but when you look at all the detail being crammed into these new Star Wars figs, a few little rust stains on the new head couldn't have been too much trouble. Saga Sets Snowspeeder - looks better than previous incarnations, but I don't understand why LEGO seems to think Snowspeeders are white! For the most part, they are grey. Using grey for the bulk of the ship would look so much better. The figs look good. The actual jumpsuits seem to be the same as the most recent Hoth set, although the faces have more detail. It seems that LEGO is putting more detail on Luke's face, and it makes him look old. The new Snowtrooper looks amazing! B-Wing - A tremendous improvement from the 2006 version! Overall, it looks studier than the old version, and slightly larger. The figs are really what stand out. Nien Numb looks awesome, and its nice we're finally getting a plain Sullustian face. The other pilot (not sure what his name is) looks amazing as well. The technician also looks cool, and its nice to see the short male hair in grey. Cantina - Amazing! Streets ahead of the 2004 version! I love the fact that you can fold the building to make it more compact. The Landspeeder also looks awesome. Much better than the 2011 version. The Dewback is beautiful. Sure, its kinda of a static mold, but thats no big issue. The Luke looks good, but I'm not too sure about the white legs with printing. It looks odd. The Han is the same as the Microfighters version, which is awesome. Greedo feels a little lacklustre. The colours of his vest and sleeves/pants is good, but his head and hands need to be a bit more of a bright green. The sand green isn't very fitting. Ben looks good, but I'm undecided of the printed robe. While an interesting idea, it looks like he stole Aragorn's jacket and doesn't look like a Jedi robe. Also, I feel like printing the hood on his back is a wasted opportunity to reprint Wyldstyle's hood. Having that on the fig might make the fig look more complete. The Snadtrooper looks amazing, and it seems like LEGO has really got the looks of the Stormtroopers spot-on this year. They look far more menacing. AT-AT - I don't see too much of a change from the 2011 version. Except for certain details around the head, the build looks extremely similar. The new Snowtroopers look awesome. The new helmets are way better than the old ones. However, I feel like the distinction between a Snowtrooper and Snowtrooper Commander is unnecessary. No kid will really care, and I don't remember any distinction made in the film. It seems like a cheap way for LEGO to make us feel like we're getting more new figs. The driver looks far better than the old versions, as does Veers. Finally, we're getting some more distinct Imperial Officers. Star Destroyer - Epic! Such an amazing improvement over the 2006 version! The build looks way better, with the stability improved tenfold. Also, the removable top seems extremely sturdy, with the handle being a major plus. The interior is kinda lame, but the way the ship is built doesn't allow for lots of space inside. The figs are really what blow me away. The Palpatine hologram is amazing. The two Stormies look exceptional. The Imperial technician and Officer look good, but given the new caps, they are awesome. Very satisfying to see the new cap, but as someone else mentioned, its a shame that we didn't get a black one with the Microfighetrs Officer. Now I'm gonna give myself some extra space to discuss the new Vader, because this, at least to me, is a very large development. LEGO really went all the way with the detail of this fig. They improved his torso print extremely, along with giving him the much awaited leg prints he deserves. His new face, at first glance, is horrid, and looks nothing like Anakin. But after some close inspection, it is without a doubt the best incarnation of the character. Hopefully he has some printing on the back of his head with more burns and scars. So LEGO put all this effort into a new Vader, but we still have the old helmet? It makes no sense! You look at the advancements LEGO has made in their molds since 1999 and see what they are now capable of. They can cram a lot of detail into a very small piece of plastic. So give us a detailed, three-piece Vader helmet. The first piece is the breather, which could fit on like a beard around the neck. The silver and black breastplate that is always printed on could also be part of the breather, which would secure the piece and assure that it wouldn't move. Then, the mask could cover just the front of his face, and connect to the stud like any old hat. The helmet could then attach via a Tonto's bird style peg and hole to the top of the mask. All of this would make Vader way more detailed, up to par with most of the figs today, as well and make him taller (because we all know that the current Vader is notorious of being shorter than Sandtroopers or any fig that wears something around the neck, which look weird). Anyway, all I'm saying is that this was a missed opportunity for a complete overhaul on the Vader fig, and its a shame. Now, I have some final comments on the overall wave. For the most part, they are complaints. Firstly, it seems that LEGO is pushing the prices of Star Wars sets higher and higher each year, and its getting to the point of being unfair. $30 for the Phantom a small set with only two figs? What the heck! In any other theme, that would be $15-$20. Same goes for the rest of the wave. The ISD is $150, which just seems outrageous. LEGO is getting away with robbery with these prices. My second gripe has to do with the odd disconnect between the winter and summer waves, mainly regarding the new Imperial cap. What prevented LEGO from giving us a black version of the new cap in the ISD Microfighter? There seems to be no logic in LEGO's choice. Its also sad that now it seems LEGO is putting effort into leg printing on all the troopers, which leaves us with a bunch of AOTC Clone Troopers with plain white legs. A lot of army builders will be forced to Bricklink a ton of the new printed Stormie and Clone legs to make the older versions of the troopers fit in amongst the newer ones. It just annoys me. However, despite all my gripes with this wave, I am thoroughly impressed by LEGO, and cannot wait to get my hands on these sets. The Rebels sets in particular make me giddy with excitement, because with this show, as well as the new Trilogy and spin-off films coming our way over the next few years, LEGO Star Wars with get a complete reinvention, and it will all be amazing.

I'm quite excited by these characters. Sure, they kinda mimic the archetypes like Luke and Han, but they're also unique in many ways. I'm very excited to see what Zeb is like. Is he confirmed to be Bothan? Because he's really purple, and I don't remember purple Bothans being a thing. Also, I really hope that Ahsoka makes a cameo in this show. Even if she only appeared for a few episodes, it'd be interesting to have her interact with these characters, especially Ezra seeing as he's never known the galaxy without the Empire. It could prove a very interesting story arc.

So I'm not sure if this is old news, but there are a couple of short videos on starwars.com showcasing Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus. http://starwars.com It gives a bit more context on who the characters. They seem extremely interesting, and make the sets even more appealing than they already are.

Unfortunate news. At least we got the video game cover art which gives a sense of what Smaug will be like. That's better than nothing.

That Smaug looks AWESOME!!!!! I feared that it would the same size as the current Castle dragon, but from what I can see, he'll be decently larger than that. His head kinda looks weird, and I think its because he has a longer horn right in the middle of his horn crown, rather than the two longer ones in the movie that kinda look like ears. Also, I love how they seem to have incorporated a Hero Factory style ball joint where his wings connect. That will make playability WAY better! Bravo, LEGO! You've impressed me again!

Does anyone find it funny how Johnny Thunder is included in the upcoming Police chopper set, yet he didn't make any sort of significant appearance in the film? It seems that LEGO included him just to fullfill the wishes of so many fans for an updated Jonhnny. Also, it's a shame we're getting Robot Disguise Emmet, yet not the same for Wyldstyle.

That Bilbo is a gorgeous fig! Arm printing and everything! Sure, they could've chosen something better (Thror or Azanulbizar Thorin), but its still a great fig.