Fives

Finally, the day has arrived! Lets begin! UCS TIE Fighter: While I will not buy this, I must say I am very impressed. Its not that theres anything especially new or exciting about the TIE, just that LEGO has once again done such a stellar job with the UCS line. Death Star Final Duel: This is the best set of the wave by far, in my opinion. They've captured the essence of the scene so perfectly, and the minifigs VADER IS PERFECT! That new helmet is so perfect and amazing! My only worry is that, from the pictures, it looks more like the rubbery plastic rather than hard ABS plastic, but I doubt I'm right. Luke looks great, and its damn nice to see they've done away with the weird 2014 face. However, I will say that the 2014 Luke face, I think, actually looks better for ROTJ Luke, because he looks far more aged in ROTJ compared to his appearance in both ANH and ESB. Its also a nice touch that LEGO gave Sheev a new face print. The one from the book doesn't have an expression that doesn't show teeth, so thats nice. Definite buy. Flash Speeder: Its nice that we're finally seeing this vehicle again after so long, but it feels too little too late. Sure, its cool having some new Naboo Guards and a proper Captain Tarpals fig, but with all the new stuff coming out with Rebels and The Force Awakens, these prequel sets kinda feel like white noise. However, the set itself looks great and has some fantastic play value, and of course its a great companion set for all the other recent Trade Federation sets of late. Naboo Starfighter: Pretty much the same review as the speeder. Shuttle Tydirium: Like the Final Duel, this is a definite buy. The ship itself is huge and splendiferous, but THOSE FIGS Han looks great, the Rebel troopers look stealer, but Leia steal the show for me. Not only do we get a new face print (which looks great), she has a cloth poncho! Makes me wonder what she looks like underneath (don't be cheeky ) Assault Carrier: Trash. Pure Trash. The only figures that would even be of any kind of draw to the set are Sabine and Kallus, which are both variants are already existing figs. Sure, that astromech is neat, but who cares! And the ship itself just looks so bland. Sure, its not like the ship looks pretty in the show anyway, but it just feels lame. I'm glad I didn't have high hopes for this one! Buildable Figures: Now THESE are cool. Its already obvious that the characters with skin showing will not translate as well as Vader or Fett, but that doesn't change the fact that these sets breathe some new life into LEGO Star Wars. I always loved the buildable figures LEGO has done over the years (I got really into the Knights Kingdom figs when I was younger), so seeing Star Wars get the Bionicle treatment is fresh and exciting. I likely won't get many of these, but it makes me smile because these will be a smash hit with younger kids. At least I hope so.

Seeing how good a job LEGO has done with the Death Star Final Duel set, I think its now time for them to attempt the Duel of the Fates as a set. They could easily place the door in the middle of the set, and have one side be the hangar and the other side the big pit where Maul and Qui-Gon die. They could try to add some of the other aspects of the location, such as the energy beam room or the red ray shield doors, but I fear that it would make the set a little too large. However, if it were done as a larger set we would have a chance for more figs. Anyway, sorry about that bit of wish-listing. So other than the pic of the Final Duel, was there any other news from the UK Toy Fair?

I think the printed robes works only with certain characters. For instance, it makes sense with Ben since he doesn't really do much without his robe, meaning that we don't need multiple versions or a removable cape. However, characters like Qui-Gon or any other Prequel era Jedi should have a cape to represent their robe, which allows for people to choose whether they want the fig to be wearing their robe or not. Printed robes is cool for some figs, but by no means should it become a replacement for the existing capes. It should just be another option LEGO has at their disposal.

WOW! That Final Duel set is AMAZING! Plus, it seems that every fig has at least one new thing: Vader has his helmet, Luke has new torso printing, and Sheev has new face prints! This is the perfect set!

Ok, so lets resurrect this near-dead thread! I've been thinking about how two of the upcoming sets, the Final Duel and Shuttle Tydirium, will finally give us updated versions or completely new versions of some important Oridge Tridge characters (Vader, Endor Han and Leia), and it made me realize that there are still quite a few Original Trilogy minifigs that we either don't have or desperately need updated. Its a list in progress, but here it is: A New Hope Leia: the last time we got Leia in her classic white dress was in the 2011 Falcon, and since then we've seen such a development in the detail of figure prints and whatnot, so it seems like its about time for LEGO to do away with that old torso print and give us something more detailed and accurate. Bespin Luke: again, this is another figure that has had such a limited amount of representation in LEGO form and its time we see him again. Bespin Lando: I think everyone agrees that this is one of the most needed Oridge Tridge figs that we need. Just do it, LEGO. ESB Yoda: Sure, we've got a fantastic Prequel-Era Yoda thanks to the 2013 Duel on Geonosis set, but we haven't seen an ESB Yoda since the days of the sand green head. Scout Troopers: We need a complete redesign of the Scout troopers to match with the new Stormies and Snowies. Plus, LEGO could use the fantastic Kashyyk Trooper helmet mold Thats my list for now. I guess the reason I'm craving these figures so much is because I'd love to see a fully updated and detail collection of Original Trilogy minifigs to stand side-by-side with the upcoming The Force Awakens figs. The Prequels are covered, but a up-to-date collection of all the most crucial characters would be amazing, and really make the upcoming generation of characters feel right at home next to the current figures.

I was not expecting prelims! Such a treat! Here are my thoughts: Naboo Starfighter: Overall, it is a pretty decent set. While the build of the ship looks pretty similar to the past two iterations, I have a feeling this one will tighten up any flaws the last one had in terms of sturdiness and structure. The set also has a surprisingly good selection of figures. However, it just doesn't appeal to me. Flash Speeder: Again, like the Naboo Straighter, I have no intention of buying this set, at least for now. Nonetheless, its so nice to see the Naboo having more of a representation. Of all the factions in Star Wars, the Naboo Royal Guard is the one that has had the least representation over the years. Its a bit of a breath of fresh air to see this as a set once again, and the minifig selection is pretty great as well. Imperial Shuttle Tydirium: Wow. This set looks incredible! I never got the UCS version of this ship, so its really nice to see a System scale one again. Its considerably bigger than I was expecting, which is nice. And the minifig selection is perfect, although it would've been cool to get Pruneface. Death Star Final Duel: I couldn't be happier with how this looks. Its EXACTLY what I was expecting in terms of design. It makes so much sense that the designers would use the basic structure of Palpatine's Arrest and just apply it to the Throne Room. While the three windows kinda look a bit bulky and strange, I feel like once we get a better look at them from the NY Toy Fair coverage, it'll look much better. Shame there isn't a finished version of the new Vader on the box, but I expected that with the prelims.

I was wondering if anyone knows where the Most Wanted LEGO Star Wars Characters thread went? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Was it removed by the admins?

I heard that Kylo Ren was gonna be on all the Star Wars packaging this year.

It sounds like the Final Duel and Tydirium sets are exactly what I was hoping for. These are gonna be amazing sets. I'm so happy that the new Vader helmet is two pieces. It sounds as it is very similar to how I'd imagined them making it work, with a neck brace going around the whole neck, and the mask being attached. Then again, I may be reading it wrong. We'll know soon enough come NY Toy Fair.

That poster says 2014, not 2015

Has there been a confirmation that the new Vader helmet is two parts? All we've seen of it is that promotional poster, so I'm just confused about how quick people are assuming its a two-piece mold. There is no proof.

On New Years Eve, I picked up a bunch of the new sets, along with a couple of this past summer's sets: Imperial Star Destroyer, Mos Eisley Cantina, Azure Angel, TIE Advanced Prototype, Ezra's Speeder Bike, two Imperial Troop Transports and two Shadow Trooper battle packs. Its been a good Christmas season

Very interesting news. There is a lot of information here to cover. First, I find it tremendously interesting and really fantastic how LEGO has decided to break up the summer releases over the course of many months. In the past, they'd dump roughly 10 or more new sets all at once around the beginning of August. And it worked well. But seeing as how The Force Awakens (and Disney's overall plans in general) have thrown a wrench in how LEGO used to release sets, I'm glad with the solution they came up with, and I sense that this is the sort of pattern that we'll be getting for the foreseeable future. What I'm really happy about with this release pattern is it gives us more than enough sets to cover the material of new movies and shows, without having to give up the chance to release a handful of Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy sets each year. My guess is that the pattern will proceed as such: June sets are from the PT/OT, September sets are for the new film, and all other sets coming after that are based on Rebels (or whatever show happens to be popular at the time, since Rebels will only last 3-4 seasons and we'll be getting a new show based in the Sequel Era shortly after). I really like this pattern, because it gives us a much wider selection of products over a longer stretch of time, which is just nice. Ok, now that I've covered that, here are my thoughts on the June sets. Personally, the only sets I'm interested in are the Death Star Final Duel and the Shuttle Tydirium. While I'm very pleased we're finally getting a new Flash Speeder after so many years, it just isn't memorable enough to warrant a place in my collection, especially with all The Force Awakens stuff coming out a couple months later. And the Naboo Starfighter really doesn't catch my eye at all. The Imperial Cruiser is one that I'm completely undecided about. Until I see pictures and minifigure selection, I'm gonna say its a pass. Now, onto The Force Awakens sets. So we're getting seven sets (seems appropriate since its Episode VII), and we have a new Millennium Falcon and X-Wing Fighter confirmed. Those confirmations alone are extremely exciting! I have really high hopes for the Falcon. I have the 2011 version sitting on my shelf beside me as I type this, and it really is one of my favourite sets to come out in recent years. But, it does have its flaws. I see this situation much like the 2006/2014 Star Destroyer comparison. Both sets are fantastic for their own reasons, but in my opinion, the 2014 set helped really iron out some of the kinks and overall improved the design greatly from the 2006 predecessor. My main hope for this new Flacon is that they'll find a way to seamlessly include a carrying handle, like what the new Star Destroyer (and most of the newer larger ships) has. The X-Wing will obviously be a huge seller for everyone, kids and adults alike. I'm really excited to see how they tackle the interesting X-Foil design on the new ships, and if they'll finally do away with the annoying elastic bands and give us a more sturdy way for the wings to open up. My guess is this set will also include Poe Dameron in his X-Wing pilot flight suit. As for the other five sets, I simply just can't wait till we start getting more info so we may be able to figure out what sets will portray what scenes. I'm really hoping that at least one of the smaller sets has one of the new lightsaber wielding villains, preferably the Chrome Stormtrooper Inquisitor character. I expect Kylo Ren to be in one of the more expensive sets. Lastly, those mysterious sets that come after The Force Awakens sets, I believe those will be more Rebels sets focused on season 2 of the show, which is exciting, but as of right now I'm not that concerned about those. Overall, I feel like this will be one of the best years for Star Wars LEGO since 1999. I've never been more excited for new sets ever before this!

I think we're all in agreement about those minifig choices. It makes the most sense, and LEGO likes to have aa many of those 'NEW' signs next to figs as possible. I decided to watch Return of the Jedi, and I realized how perfect it would be if the Final Duel set was done in a similar fashion to Palpatine's Arrest. That set flawlessly captured the essence of Sheev's office, while still maintaining a ton of playability and fun features, all within a very sturdy and unique build. They could easily use a similar construction method to create the throne room, with the only major difference being the throne would need to be raised enough to allow room for where Luke hides from Vader.

I feel like we should get some new figures. We already have Kallus and the Inquisitor. Maybe one of them would be fine, but we need some new figures to make this set really awesome. EDIT: I just found this bit of info about the New York Toy Fair http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2015/01/the-force-awakens-toys-will-not-be.html No Force Awakens stuff. Even though this is exclusively geared towards the Hasbro toys, I bet that this will affect LEGO as well. Just as long as we get to see the new Vader, I'm happy.

I just realized how perfect the Yularen torso is for making a custom Thrawn.

Wow, I love that we're getting ANH Yularren and not the CW version! Awesome! This may be the first May the 4th promo I actually make an effort to get. Is it usually with a purchase of 75$?

Same. The Echo Base sounds amazing! I love the fact that we're getting a lot more Oridge Tridge this coming year. Updated versions of the OT characters are very welcome so as to prepare for a complete collection along with the TFA sets.

If the 'wolf' codename actually means that the sets are Rebels, then me and my wallet are very pleased! That leaves me with only two sets I'm genuinely excited about, the shuttle and the duel, and of those the duel is the most important. It always makes me tremendously happy when LEGO makes sets directly based on the duels from the films. Sets like Palpatine's Arrest, the first Anakin's Jedi Interceptor set, and the Duel on Geonosis are some of my favourites for that precise reason. And the duel on the Death Star II has always felt under-represented in recent years. Sure, the scene is in the Death Star set, but thats just a small portion of a huge set. There hasn't been an affordable, up-to-date version of this scene (which can be argued as one of the most important parts of the whole Saga) since 2001, so this is the best news since they announced LEGO Lord of the Rings. I know I'm kind of just ranting, but I haven't been this excited for a set in a very long time. August can't come soon enough!

I bet we'll get a new Padme, and hopefully Boss Nass. Probably a Droideka or two.

Maybe LEGO decided to make the summer wave smaller so they can release a more full wave for The Force Awakens. Either way, I'm glad there is only one set in this list that I need to have. The Tydirium I'll likely pick up at a later time.

The London toy fair doesn't allow anyone to take pictures, but we'll still likely get some descriptions of what people see. Nuremberg and NYC allow pictures pretty openly, especially NYC. By that time, we'll hopefully already have a full set list. EDIT: demitri, is that a full list or something? Whats with all the wolf stuff?

Oh my poop, I completely forgot about the toy fairs. The next few months just got way more exciting!

It just dawned on me that two of the three sets just2good has reported on are based on Return of the Jedi. It seems that for the last wave of sets before The Force Awakens are likely gonna be centred around the 6th film so as to keep the climatic conclusion of the Oridge Tridge fresh in the minds of kids, so that the transition between waves is more seamless. Or maybe I'm just reading into everything too much

That final battle on the Death Star has caught my eye the most. Likely it will be based on the duel from ROTJ, and hopefully will be done in a similar fashion to the Duel on Geonosis set, with the build being the throne balcony, the area underneath where Luke hides, and the catwalk that Luke falls from. We'd get Luke, Vader, the Emperor, and perhaps a couple Royal Guards. I've always wanted a proper full set based on this scene. This is tremendously exciting. The Imperial Shuttle will hopefully come with Han in his trench coat, Leia in her poncho, and perhaps a new Lando. Exciting that we're finally getting a new shuttle, but whatever set that has the new Vader helmet is my top priority. I'm guessing the Imperial Assault Carrier is from Rebels, probably the ships that carry four TIEs. Likely this will be a nice stockpile of Imperial figures.