DarkLordSauron

And as far as TPM goes, yes, it is similar in story to ANH. So is pretty much every happy story that's ever existed (Lucas followed a VERY unimaginative hero's journey model). But TFA is so visually similar to ANH (Death Star/Starkiller Base? I mean, come ON... R2-D2/BB-8 being hunted down by the Empire... on a desert planet... the list goes on), it's so much more obvious IMO. Probably because Lego's going to put that in another set and they want us to buy that one too. And as far as the price debate goes from, like, two pages + ago, I'd just like to say that I haven't been commenting on any of the new sets because I have no intention to buy any of them. The only Star Wars sets I've bought in the last year are the AAT, that $40 steal (droid carrier) that goes with the AAT, and the droid escape pod because I have no interest in $50+ sets with ppp over 10c, ESPECIALLY if they don't have good minifigs. So that pretty much eliminates everything TFA. Nor do I want anything not from actual Star Wars (I'm looking at you, Freemaker Adventures).

No, I like PT because it is so different and adds new complex layers to Star Wars beyond Good Guys vs Bad Guys and growing up. But they were horribly written. TFA is a well made movie, but It's too unoriginal for my tastes. I think JekPorkchops hit the nail on the head as far as my opinion goes. Perhaps I was too hopeful for a new, creative, shall we say Palpatine-esque story in the new trilogy in the form of well-made movies. OT is great, but I don't want a new OT, I want something new entirely.

NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE WHO STRONGLY DISLIKED THE FORCE AWAKENS, eh? I hate it with a strong passion; it's far worse than the prequels, IMO. The whole movie is literally A New Hope revamped for the 21st century. I'd go into detail about why I feel that way, but there are plenty of articles online on the subject and that's not what this forum is for. Anyway, I'd put it far from the pinnacle of the entirety of Star Wars. But I also happen to like Episode I because I like the political side of Star Wars, so I know I'm definitely in the minority of fans. Point is, yes, there are those of us out there who didn't like tFA. (I'll be real pissed if Kylo Ren chops off Rey's hand in VIII.)

Would that be the AAT? Or is the one you're missing the AAT? (There is something here in response, by the way. I kept it white.) Overall, the builds for the Advent calendar look really good this year. I can almost tell what they all are. That random stud shooter? Is that supposed to be something?

Lego hasn't had a problem in the past changing designs of ships in the past. But yes, I see your point. They are pretty much the same ship. So why make another set for the same ship (but still different)? Lego had options for including Lor San Tekka in other sets. Kylo Ren's Command shuttle, namely. I wouldn't say it was worth $120. Had Lego wanted to, they could've included him there, but they didn't, I assume because they had plans for this set which will sell primarily for Lor San Tekka. Otherwise everyone would just buy Poe's. Do I think a Tuanul massacre set would be too gruesome for Lego? Yes... but all the little kids asking for any tFA set on the higher end of the price scale-- and getting it-- would've seen it in the movie, I'm sure. So... grey area. But I know a Jakku set with Kylo Ren, Tekka, Poe, and a few stormtroopers would have a far easier time winning me over than the one we're getting. Anyway, this set seems like it was made around Lor San Tekka. He's the selling point of the set for people not interested in a resistance X-Wing that has the same build as their Poe's X-Wing. If you really want another X-Wing, this is a good set. If you want Lor San Tekka... go for it. It just seems to me that Lego put no effort into this set and reused a design released six months earlier that they knew would still sell at least average for a character. Just my two cents. If you like the set, good for you. We all have different tastes. The minifigures look great, especially Lor San Tekka, Luminara, and Teedo!

First off, the resistance X-Wing. It is literally the same design as Poe Dameron's X-Wing as far as I can tell. I've been clicking back and forth between the two images and can't tell a difference, other than the colors. To be blunt, it's absolutely shameful on Lego's part; trying to entice fans to buy the same set twice. As for Jakku, a $60 price puts it back on the table for me. I'm not sure I really want a Jakku set... but we'll see. The A Wing looks nice. Too bad it's 4 figs for $90. The Star Scavenger is an awesome $50 set/build imo! Too bad it's from a Lego tv show, not canon. The other Freemaker Adventures set, the Eclipse Fighter, looks cool and has nice figs. For $30-40 (Do we have the price? Did I miss it?), it's certainly in my sights, despite being a Freemaker Adventures set. As for Rex's AT-TE... 5 figs in a $130 set? Really? It's not like the scene didn't have other pertinent characters that could've been added. It's a cool build, but for something from Rebels with 5 figs, probably not. Overall, I'm less than impressed. Jakku may now be my favorite set in this wave.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but everything except the movies, CW, and Rebels is no longer canon. Lego used to give us some old republic stuff, but they probably aren't allowed to now that it isn't canon.

Ah, I remembered it more cylindrical. Thanks for the correction.

Honestly, this was exactly what I expected from a Hoth set. There really isn't much else that you can put into a Hoth set other than more base interior or that giant cannon that shoots through the blockade. I'd love to know what everyone was expecting. I am in consensus with everyone else's frustration that this set is a compilation of all previous Hoth sets. But my frustration is directed more in the direction of Lego deciding that we need yet another snow speeder every year and a Hoth turret thingy every other year. I mean, no other scene in Star Wars-- in any licensed theme, really-- gets the kind of attention Hoth gets from Lego. Meanwhile we have yet to get anything Jedi-temple related. I just don't get how there is still a market for Lego Hoth. I mean, in the last five years there have been three snowspeeders (four, now), and seven Hoth-related sets, plus two AT-AT, microfighters, and the invariable microbuild/minifigure representation in advent calendars. Is it just me, or does Lego go a little overboard with Hoth? (It could certainly be just me.)

Who cares how a set is labeled by Lego? We all make our own judgments on how "good" a set is. UCS only really means the set is large and collectible. I'd say this one falls into that category. Besides, what did everyone expect? We already had images of the door. There are only so many other things in the Hoth scene that could go in this set, unless you were hoping for more of the interior of the base.

What do you consider a challenge, then? It looks like the door uses technic pieces to reinforce the build, there's a sphere structure... What more do you want? Lego sets come with instructions, after all... I don't consider any builds to be 'challenging', really, unless I'm working with just the image and no booklet.

Absolutely. Marketing middle earth anything to kids is a stupid sales decision: it's guaranteed not to sell to kids and it's frustrating the real fans by leaving out whole factions. But that's behind us now. I think our best hope is that Lego will realize the market they should've been pushing this theme in is the AFOLs, which, while they aren't Lego's intended audience, still are consumers in its market and their interest can be taken advantage of if Lego so chooses. Maybe they will indeed decide UCS-style sets are the way to go and give us a few. Of course it's highly doubtful. The theme was screwed after the second wave. Rivendell and the Black Gate were awesome ideas, showing Lego probably did do its market testing, but decided to just give us samples of these good ideas, rather than making the Black Gate the $100 set, Rivendell the $60, and scrapping a pirate ship, which, while cool, is clearly marketed towards kids, not LotR fans. Not saying kids can't be LotR fans; I was a big LotR fan as a kid, but the kids who are indeed LotR fans will be attracted to $60 Rivendell sets just as much as adult fans because it's Rivendell. Basically, I'm saying Lego tried to mainstream LotR at the expense of a third wave. Obviously Lego is now fearful of releasing more middle earth, given what is and isn't approved in ideas. There's just as much of a market for middle earth as there is any other ideas project, but Lego still avoids releasing more. Sad but true.

I'm Sauron. I live in the United States. I am a Lego enthusiast and have been since I was... well... since I was really young. I'm probably younger than most AFOL, and thus have gone through teenage stages of interest in SW, Ninjago in its early years, Chima (for a brief, brief time), until I really got into Lego middle earth... and then Lego decided to stop releasing LotR, and now I'm at a loss for good Lego products. Which is probably for the best, considering how much room my current collection takes up. I dabble in middle earth MOC-ing. I've made some small mocs for Gondor, Dale, Osgiliath, Orthanc, Tom Bombadil's house, Beorn's house, and random trees. I value minifigures above all else. I am currently extremely critical of Lego's star wars pricing, and that will likely be the bulk of my posting until a) I find the Force Awakens sets to be things I actually want or b) Lego makes the wise decision to release more middle earth sets. Maybe sometime in my dreams. Wow, Eurobricks has an impressive array of emoticons now at my disposal. I look forward to discussing Lego with everyone! For Gondor!

It's no longer on Brickset. That's a bad sign for it.

I'm no fan of tFA, but I will give it the credit of having a plethora of set-worthy ships and scenes. Why are Niima and another X-Wing the ones Lego decided to go with?

That sums up my thoughts about the whole 2016 lineup. Everything from tFA line was overpriced (except maybe the Millennium Falcon and Rey's speeder) IMO. And the sets over $60 are starting to outnumber the sets under $60, not including microfighters/battle packs. A $130 turbo tank just isn't worth it.