BigEl

But its a fair point for Lego that makes sense. I mean they dont decide whats popular or even what crafts and designs get a lot of screen time. Also we only got 2 versions of the Lambda Class Shuttle and only 3 Millenium Falcons + 1 UCS. In the end I wouldnt complain if we constantly get better versions of those as well as other classics (UCS Snowspeeder Hype)

An interesting speculation to me is that the Death Star that will come out 2016 is actually going to be Starkiller Base (And the name "Death Star" is just a placeholder). Would make more sense to me since the Starkiller Base is now in the focus of the attention and we already have a version for both the first and second Death Star. Interesting bit of information you gave there cavegod. I mean in my opinion its long over due that they actually deliver a 2nd version of the UCS Falcon (especially since its such a wanted set and the the prices for the first one developed into absolute ridiculous terretories), its just tends to be unreliable when rumour announces it almost every year.

Another UCS Falcon next year? Based on what information? I mean that rumour exists now for several years already and nothing has happened since. A Re-Release would seem completely stupid since the old design is just bad in many aspects (Not even a real canopy for example), if they make a new one it would probably be updated.

Thats just a lazy excuse... Like the director/writer would care about coherent elements inside the universe on this level. And even if you would take it this accurate, its still no reason to not have any new versions of the B- Wing, Y-Wing, A-Wing, Capital Ships as well as all the TIE Fighter Variants (Bomber, Interceptor...) apperent. Actually would be way less likely to have solely X-Wings on one side and TIE Fighters and the other... And we are still not talking about completely new craft designs.... like there wouldnt be new ships in 30 years inside the universe...

Exactly! One of the reasons I am disappointed with The Force Awakens. There are not enough new and interesting Designs for ships and vehicles, not even close. The only one really standing out for me was Kylo Rens Shuttle... anything else, not so much. And then they only used recoloured Versions of TIEs and X-Wings for the supposed to be "big" fights...

One note-worthy mod already exists from Jangbricks:

You bring up a good point that I though about right after I left the cinema. Maybe our perspective on TFA will change over time with the trilogy complete. At least until then it will leave a bad taste in my mouth though. @Mahtion Im sorry, but I liked Episode 1. Why was it crushed so hard by critics? And give me a break with the overused JarJar argument. That is not nearly enough why the movie should be abysmal... I liked the pacing, the art-design, the great soundtrack, the scale of the events happening, exciting and tense scenes like the pod race, the escape from naboo etc., a very well intertwined Final Fight on multiple places. Even the dialog was okay, but do mind that I watched the movie in german, and to me the german versions of the prequels were a lot better than the english originals with much better writing. It is subjective of course, but still I think that Episode 1 gets smashed why too much by OT hardcore fans who just hate JarJar and therefore act like kids.

I think that is the case because they got the design information on the crafts like the Shuttle a looong time ago from Disney/Lucasfilm, so they would still have enough time to actually design it in Lego. Maybe at that point in time the folding wings werent a thing yet. If I recall correctly there are other Non-Lego Kylo Ren Shuttles, that have the same flaw, which would strengthen this theory.

ehhh.... correct me if I am wrong but aside from the laser cannon underneath the body and a different laser cannon for the small spider droid, this "new" spider droid set looks exactly like the last one. Sure, a new movie/realistic yoda minifigure is great, but in my books they actually made the spider droid and mini spider droid version worse by exchanging the great looking brick built laser cannons with the stud shooters Also, and that is really unfortunate, does it seems like they still havent fixed the extremely loose connection of the legs to the main body. If you look at the review of the last spider droid by Jangbricks, he will demonstrate how the frictionless grey pins just make this thing a nightmare to pose and play with...

Part 2: Finishing and Stabilizing the Head With my BL Order arrived, I was finally able to get to work on the head of AT-AT. First I recolorized the head appropiately by making the plates, guns etc. completely in light bluish gray while making the interior completely in dark bluish gray without any black, blue or white. Next up was to make the shapes final, by adding and moving some of the parts in the front and top as well as enhancing the side plates with better guns and more accurate detail. However, making the head more accurate, bigger and heavier came at a cost that I only realized when I was done. When you look at the fantastic Mod from Sourisnoire ( http://imgur.com/a/wpg1e ) you will see that the head weighs down quite significantly. I dont know if he changed anything with the original connection, but lego probably didnt make it with a heavier Head in mind. Its just one Long Blue Pin that holds the Technic Frame, which holds the entire Head. Even if this isnt that big of a deal I had my worries with the longevity of the construction and feared that I could get worse in time, so the next step was to reinforce the connection and minimize the weight/ hanging down. One of the compromises I took was to leave the Head open from the back, this could be reduced easily by bricks but just seemed to be not absolute necessary additional weight, since its an angle you dont look at that much. Now for the actual reinforcement I went for a very improvised brick-built variant. As you can on the pictures I simply built a frame around the neck under the front plates of the body and secured it with a 1 x 2 plate with doorrail directly at the actual neck. This reduced the hanging greatly and as a nice side effect it closed up the space under the neck a bit. The downside of this construction is that the neck itself cant move anymore and is fixed in position, meaning you can only turn the head the front a bit. Also I am not sure how much better/stable the construction will prove in the long run, since its just a very thin built with plates & brackets and also seems to rest on the round piece underneath, but for now it will do. By adding some slopes and replacing tiles with small dishes on the feet I also already started with the next part that is to come: The Legs. Until then, I would really like to hear your feedback and suggestions.

I have to agree with this. You would have expected something fresh instead of a rehash. Dont get me wrong, for a rehash/hommage its a good one, but for those of you who have already seen the movie: Imagine the movie without the star wars specific theme.... I just doesnt hold on its own as a Sci-Fi Movie to be great. In that regard you cant compare it to the OT, they are over 30 years old... It is defintiely not as good as Episode 5 or 6 for me. If it is better than Episode 1 or 3 could be debateble.

+1 I guess with a bigger scale they will also be able to get the main body section a bit thinner/less blocky as well as getting the front windows right (in red please!). Also after watching the movie those fixed wings are now just unacceptable I hope for an updated smoother version in a reasonable amount of time

The snow speeder was never in plain sight in the movie, you could see its silhouette but not really much more. I think the sets are actually not that bad. Its not Legos fault that some of the new designs really look uninspired and bland. With one exception that is Kylo Rens Shuttle. That thing was the biggest eye catcher in the movie. I instantly fell in love with its intimidating design and want a UCS version NOW

It was a 3 out of 5 for me. Too much copy paste compared to the originals while at the same time not enough new and original elements. Its more an hommage than a real new beginning and that was simply not what I was expecting. I have to say the first hour or so was phenomenal with great build up, but after that and a certain "reveal", the movie just kinda fell flat for the rest of movie with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 scenes. Also, and that was big leddown for me.... the Soundtrack was completely forgettable and the tracks that were a bit more present just took too much from what we already knew. At least in that regard the Prequels were a lot better! I think its best to compare it to the original star wars, with all its good and bad sides.

Wow, that is so impressive man. Looks like a perfect UCS Mini-Version (or even better)! Especially the greebling detail inside the front and rear holes I want those building instructions now!

Wait what? The canopy? Jesus Christ, so they pulled a UCS X-Wing on this ey? Seriously, the times when I go over my old Lego stuff from 13+ years ago there are close to no stickers on the old parts.... nearly all pieces printed. But nowadays it seems to be the complete opposite

Can someone tell me what those Lego Bricks are called, that are a quarter of a circle? Like the Brick 3 x 3 Modified Facet, just as a round piece? Are these even existing or am I just losing my mind, cant find this type of brick on bricklink

Will do! I still have to wait for my big bricklink order to really get started. I am fully aware that as of right now the "Mod" is not that spectacular

Agreed, looks much more on point. Also those Lego Skies always throw me off on the speeder spikes.... Looks like they were meant to be used on Ice instead of hovering

The last good one I mean I am not really someone who declares new versions are bad cause they are new. The newest realistic stormtrooper is absolutely the best one. But the actual newest one, the Rebel Version, well...

Tell me about it. The lego prices here in germany are absurdly high as well. I suspect that it will cost at least (!) 70 Euros here, maybe even more...

I see what you mean. To close up the view port on the sides, right? I actually wanted to go for the view port assembly that Maus/Sourisnoire did in his Mod: http://imgur.com/a/wpg1e Seems to be a good and practical option for the low amount of space.

Thats the Force Awakens Inflation for you. Will be interesting to see how strong bigger sets like the UCS Hoth Base will be affected by it. I mean we know a price, but no piece count yet...

One of the most impressive surfaces of all time.... it doesnt even look like Lego And the grebling around the engines is top notch!!

Reallly? I actually had the feeling that is was smaller than I anticipated when i built it up Well the vertical position of the view port is something that really grinds my gears. When I look at photos of the real head it looks like that the port would be positioned with 1 stud free space above it and 2 studs below it. Problem is that the scale of the head is a bit too small, position the port one stud down makes it seem too centered and adding another full row of studs down makes the front to big and too close to the cannons. Maybe I should try to use the 1 x 2 tile with a stud in the middle to get it inbetween the first and second row of studs from top to bottom.