pranas

One night a year C-3PHO-HO-HO rockets from one side of the galaxy to the other, delivering toy lightsabers, LEGO sets, and action figures to all the good boys and girls. Naughty children get Bantha poodoo. Happy Holidays, and good lucky everyone! Fingers crossed! And thanks CopMike for doing this every year.

Here we go, my ideal X-Mas tree. One that you decorate together. Happy holidays, everyone! And good luck!

I think we'll see Rogue One sets for years to come, just nowhere near the level we are seeing now (which makes sense that we're getting an onslaught of them now, they DO have a movie to promote after all) . Overall Star Wars is timeless, no matter what the source material is. I have a feeling these spin-off movies are going to, hopefully, be just as timeless. I mean, it's ALL part of the cannon. Heck, we're still getting sets from a movie that is about to turn 40 years old, even if they are mostly remakes at this point (or remakes of a remake of a remake in some cases). So I think going forward we will probably see a random re-make of a RO ship or a never before made RO set here and there once every few years. After all, every few years we get a new generation of kids who get exposed to LEGO and Star Wars for the first time. In 10 years those kids will be watching RO for the first time and might want a LEGO U-Wing of their own. Want to see how timeless these spin-offs of the "main saga" are when making LEGO sets? Look no further than last year's random Anakin Skywalker's Custom Jedi Starfighter, based off the Clone Wars shorts from 2003! I don't think anyone was asking for that ship, or expecting any sets to ever be made based off those shorts, but LEGO must have had a spare slot to fill and dug deep into the cannon to try and offer us something new. So if they can pull material for sets from that far back and from something a lot of people might have even forgotten about, I think these future spin-offs have a fair shot at sets long after the movie has premiered. So going forward I think RO sets will still make an appearance, it'll just be pretty rare.

Woohooooo! I'm the lucky winner of a Prize C Manatee! Now to keep checking back everyday to see what I'm actually getting. Hoping it'll either be a Star Wars pack or some of those oh so sweet Batman '66 figs. But hey, no mater what it ends up being, it's free minifigs! And there ain't nothing wrong with that! Once again, thank you CopMike for putting on this raffle year after year! You rock! And congrats to all winners so far and good luck to everyone still waiting.

pranas_eurobricksxmas2016 by Pranas Naujokaitis, on Flickr There's a reason Santa doesn't visit Hoth anymore... Here's my entry this year. Good luck everyone!

eurobricks_xmas2015 by Pranas Naujokaitis, on Flickr My last minute entry! My ideal tree is a tree decorated with lights and the bones of your enemies. Happy Holidays and good luck everyone!

Possible figs using existing molds that I think would make sense in the Kwik-E-Mart: Bart (maybe syrup-only Squishee tripping out variant?), Milhouse, Chief Wiggum, Nelson, Krusty in a robber's mask (from when Sideshow Bob framed him), or Marge (maybe in her long-sleeved coat from the episode where she shoplifted). Would love to get new molds like Manjula, Jasper, Jimbo, Dorph, Kerney, Apu's brother, etc. but I don't think LEGO will go overboard on new molds like that. I mean, if the rumored series 2 list is right, Snake's head mold is exclusive to this set, and when was the last time TLG used an exclusive mold in a D2C set? Also at $200, I'm wondering how the Kwik-E-Mart is going to compare to the Simpson's house in size and number of parts. I mean, the store should be smaller in size then the house, right? So either LEGO jacked up the price per piece ratio because they now know that the fans will pay, the rumored price is wrong, or there is a lot more to the set then just the Kwik-E-Mart building (maybe an extra vehicle like Marge's car or something).

D'oh! How could I forget Martin? If we are getting any new kids in this series, I have a feeling he'd be a good bet.

So we now know for sure of seven of the figs (Willie, Dr. Hibbert, Prof. Fink, Snake, Smithers, CBG, and Patty), and it's safe to assume that where there is a Patty there is a Selma, which brings us up to eight. And then let's play it safe and say we're getting variations of all five family members, that gives us thirteen. So, any guesses on who the remaining three (or eight if we aren't getting the five family members) are? I'm wondering if any of the remaining figs will be kids, since none of the leaked ones so far have been. The only kids I could see getting the minifig treatment would be Sherri/Terri, Rod, Todd, or one of the bullies. And if we are getting the rumored Kwik-E-Mart set we're obviously going to get Snake and Apu in it (hopefully with some variations). Wonder who the rest of the figs in that set will be. My guess is that it'll probably include Homer, maybe with his hungry/drooling face. Would be awesome if they included Marge's car with this set to match Homer's car from the house.

It would be find of cool of they printed some battle-damage on just one of the small raptors or something as an homage to the original toy series. Or have the JP stamp on their legs like all the old toys did.

I gotta disagree. With the first series, I saw so many of my friends who otherwise don't really care about LEGO or haven't watched the Simpsons in years buy a lot of these. And it seems like most of them were interested in getting the core family first (or at the very least Bart and Homer) and then one or two of their favorite side characters in the series. The Simpsons House set (and the rumored Kwik-E-Mart set this year), yes, those are geared towards the hardcore fans. I mean, you'd have to be to throw down $200 like that. The minifigure series however is geared towards those casual fans, since it's only $4, which makes it a perfect impulse buy. The casual fan can throw a few bucks down and get a few little cool decorations for their work desk or whatever. I have a feeling TLG will take the same approach with the next series and rumored set. The core family in new variants and a few fan favorite characters in the minifigure line for the casual fans, and the set for the hardcore fans. And let's face it, a lot of us hardcore fans are going to buy all 16 of the minifigures no matter who they end up being. Heck, they could release a series of nothing but 16 Bart variants and I'd still end up getting them all because I'm a sucker like that.

I'll bet you dollars to donuts (mmmmmmmm...donuts...) that all five family members are going to be in series 2 with new variants. While hardcore Simpson/LEGO fans would rather have nothing but brand new characters/new molds, it just doesn't make sense, business wise, for TLG to do that. For starters they'd want to reuse as many old molds as possible to save money, so they'll give us the core family again and round out the rest of the series with new characters. And casual fans of the show are going to want the core family over side characters. As much as I want a Moleman or Bumblebee Man or Squeaky Voiced Teen, the casual fan would rather have a Homer or Bart. And casual fans far outnumber the hardcore fans, so you have to cater to them a little bit more to make money. That's just economics. But hopefully the variations of the main family will be enough to keep both the hardcore and casual fans happy. And yeah, it stings a little that including the main family again takes away spots for more obscure characters, but fingers crossed this series sells well enough that we get a third (and forth and fifth and sixth) series.

Excited for another D2C set, even if I was personally wishing for a small line of actual system sets. If we are getting a Kwik-E-Mart, it's going to come with Apu. No way they'd do that set without him. My guess, if they want to give us a variant of Apu, is they'll do him in his rarely seen Kwik-E-Mart uniform.

Broke down and finally got 75005 Rancor Pit a few days ago. The set itself, meh. But man oh man that Rancor! :wub:

I wouldn't mind a pattern of two or three regular CMF series and then one licensed CMF series. Too bad most licensed CMF ideas would be squashed due to other companies holding the action figure rights. But I'm sure if LEGO really wanted to do a CMF series bad enough, they could work out a deal with the company that holds said rights (or throw enough money at them) and be able to make a series. I wonder if the apparent success of the Simpsons line has made LEGO more willing to look at the future of licensed CMF series. My dream licensed CMF series would be Star Wars, superheroes, and even more Simpsons.

Picked up the Microfighter TIE Interceptor today. It pairs really well with the Microfighter X-Wing I got a few weeks back.

(Mods: Feel free to move this to the Future Simpsons Set topic if you don't think it deserves it's own) Ok, so the Simpsons CMF line was just revealed. Obviously a lot of characters are missing, but that happens when you have a cast of secondary and background characters that numbers in the HUNDREDS at this point. Everyone who is a fan has their "Aww why didn't they include [name of your favorite character]?" Ok, so, let's say this line sells really, really well and LEGO decides to do a second CMF series. What sixteen characters do YOU want to see in it? Here's my realistic wish list. 'Realistic' because from a business standpoint LEGO will want to include new variations of the core family members (and re-use their molds) so the line wouldn't be ALL background characters. I mean, I'd personally love a line of nothing but background characters, but your average consumer is going to want to buy characters they are familiar with, so more Barts, Homers, Marges, and Lisas. Left off Maggie since I think we've seen her two basic variations in the show already. 1. Bartman w/ cape and comic book tile or slingshot 2. Homer in his underwear and drool face w/ either can of Buzz Cola (no Duff ever in LEGO form, sadly), can of Gum & Nuts, or can of cat ear medication 3. Lisa in church clothes (couldn't think of a better Lisa variation, feel free to suggest one) 4. Marge in church clothes (again, couldn't think of a better variation, feel free to suggest one) 5. Comic Book Guy w/ comic book tile 6. Moe 7. Snake w/ gun and money bag 8. Cletus 9. Moleman w/ cane 10. Smithers 11. Willie w/ rake 12. Sideshow Bob w/ knife (or rake) 13. Dr. Hibbert w/ syringe and x-ray tile (or in a world without copyright issues: a MASH coloring book). 14. Sherri/Terri (would need to buy two of the same fig to complete the set) 15. Kang/Kodos w/ How to Cook For Humans book and ray gun 16. Bumblebee Man w/ small dog And who would have made the list if the four family members weren't on it: 1. Lenny 2. Carl 3. Mrs. Krabappel w/ test tile (Bart's from the episode "Bart Gets an F") 4. Martin Wildcard option: - Poochie w/ surfboard. Because it would be beyond funny if LEGO wasted a spot on him and fit the sarcastic humor of the show. It was tough narrowing it down and a lot of characters STILL got left on the cutting room floor. Honestly they could do ten series and there would still be characters left out. So, what would your hypothetical series 2 look like?

This might just be the first CMF line where I'll have to buy all 16! And of course it happens with the series that will be one dollar more expensive per bag! I love the attention to detail and references! Bobo the bear, Blinky, Old Man Yells at Cloud headline! As a hardcore LEGO and Simpsons fan, this is a dream come true! Now, I'm going to cross my fingers so tight that this and the house do well enough that we can get a full System line in the future.

Ooooor you can get a girlfriend who is super awesome and okay with you displaying (a select few) LEGO sets in the common areas. You might even get REALLY lucky and get a girlfriend who will get you some of those sets for birthdays and other holidays. I'm also currently running into the problem of lack of space. Apartment living will do that to ya. Basically my collection is divided into two display areas: my studio and the living room. Studio is mainly home to all my smaller to medium sized sets that take up random bookshelves, shelves, and desk space. Try to make little dioramas where I can. Living room is where the bigger and "classier" sets are. There they act as decoration and as conversation pieces when we have company over (sets like the Rebel Blockade Runner, the Simpson's House, and Bag End). Studio is starting to get cramped though (I do need to have some space left to actually do my job and draw). So my current solution is to start rotating sets out. Every few months I'll pick a few sets to take apart and rebuild sets to take their place on the shelf. There's a select few favorite sets that I won't ever take down. One nice thing about this approach is it allows me to revisit and rebuild old sets once in a while. Doing this has also been slowly getting me into MOCing, since I now have boxes of parts just sitting there. Good luck in figuring out your storage/display dilemma.

With The Simpsons House, along with the BttF set and the excitement I've seen so far for the upcoming Ghostbusters set (and not to mention the rise in the public eye brought about by the LEGO Movie), I've seen so many of my non-LEGO friends on Facebook and elsewhere posting images of these sets that they've bought and are having a blast putting together. I've even seen a few of them go out and buy more sets after that first one. I think LEGO has been really smart to start creating these small-batch sets based on these franchises that aren't really for kids (I mean, what kid today actually likes Back to the Future enough to want a $40 set?), and instead for 20 and 30-somethings that have a disposable income and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Some of them buy the one set and are done, others get pulled back into the world of LEGO and start collecting. I think LEGO has tapped a new market here, and found a new way to bring more folks into the fold, and they'd be smart to pursue it more. That being said, it gives me hope that there's a slim chance we might get more Simpsons sets. Either a whole range of System sets or another massive $200+ set. I mean, they'll already have the minifigure molds after the CMF line and we know how much LEGO likes to get their money's worth out of new molds. They'll probably still have the license. And the house seems like it's been selling really well. So as long as the CMF line flies off the shelves... I'm not going to hold my breath, but I think we have an actual chance at this line continuing! A slim chance, but that's better than nothing, right?

I want Poochie to be in the CMF line. Every time you open a new bag and he's not there, every one will ask, "Where's Poochie?" I know I'm (half) kidding, but it would be hilarious if they actually did that and pissed off all the fans by wasting a character spot on him. It would fit in with the show's sense of humor. My serious answer (in the form of a top five): 1. Grandpa 2. Kang and/or Kodos 3. Lard Lad 4. Moleman (complete with cane and BIG knife, or video camera and football) 5. Bartman (I know this one is a boring answer, but I had a Bartman action figure as a kid, so this one is for pure nostalgic reasons) I'd put Milhouse in there, but we know we're already getting him.

If Itchy is done as an accessory, he'll come with Scratchy for sure. But personally I think he's going to be a proper minifig. I mean, he needs minifigure arms to hold his mallet or club to beat Scratchy to death with, right? And from a business point of view, it makes more sense to split them up: If you get a one, it's going to make you want to spend more money and buy another bag to get the other and complete the duo. Why get $4 from you (ugh, hate the new price) when they can get $8? I think Itchy's tail would most likely be printed on his back instead of a new mold (a mouse tail would be just too thin and small to bother making a mold for). But what about Scratchy, think LEGO would give us a new cat tail mold? Anyone here into Chima who knows if they already have a mold there that would work as a cat tail? I too have been wondering if Maggie would be a CMF fig or not, due to her lack of wonky eyes in the house. If they didn't include her, that would be a huge blow to fans who can't afford to drop $200 to complete the family. I'm drawing a blank on what variation they could make of her though. Besides different accessories, what variation to the figure itself could they make of her using the new toddler body? The only thing I can think up is giving her sleepy eyes, and that's kind of boring. But then again, so are wonky eyes.

I always wondered why the licensed forum never had this topic before. Got The Simpsons House for Valantine's Day a few weeks back because I'm the luckiest man in the world!

I highly doubt Itchy and Scratchy (or Marge and Maggie) are coming together in one bag. They'll each count as a separate minifig and get their own bag. First off, we've never seen them put two figs in a bag before in the CMF line. The closest we ever got was "Where's My Pants?" guy coming with two sets of minifig legs. Secondly, do you really see LEGO giving you two minifigs for a price of one? No way. They want your money and they want you to buy every single one of these figures. I mean, it would be awesome to get two figs in a pack, but it's not going to happen.

I'm indifferent to DC and Marvel being split into separate topics, but think it would be a mistake to make Super Heroes it's own forum. It's not yet big or old enough of a theme to have it's own forum yet (the reason Star Wars gets a pass for having it's own section). If Super Heroes gets more years under it's belt and starts putting out 30+ sets a year like Star Wars does, then it can be it's own thing. Also taking them out right now would make the licensed forum a near ghost town. Ninja Turtles, Simpsons, and Disney Princesses are all really great themes, but they don't spur a lot of lively discussion like Super Heroes does. So until Super Heroes gets older and bigger and/or if LEGO starts buying more licenses and the licensed forum starts feeling overcrowded, keep Super Heroes where it is.