That Orange Thing

You're right about the fuselage length. I have been working on my own moc of the u-wing in the run up to its release as i think it's a bit chunky and the proportions off. From the blueprint I found online it shows the fuselage is about half the mandible/wing length and not 2/3 the length. I can see why the official set is designed that way though as it allows a good sized cockpit and troop transport area. Im also trying to tackle the engines that shouldn't have that huge gap between them and also come up with a more elegant way of attaching them to the fuselage. Of course the revelation that the wings folded back threw a huge spanner in my design ideas. Obviously these are prelim plans so these may be off too but after comparing it to images from the trailers I'd say its not far off and has that "feels right" look about it. If I get a moment tomorrow I'll try to put up a picture of my WIP.

Two Stormtroopers and a single Shore trooper/Death trooper would have been the perfect mix. Buy a few of those battle packs and you have a well proportioned army. I think army builders are always going to want more Stormtroopers than any other type because we have been starved of a good supply of them over the years and you never know when lego will cut you off again. I can only hope that the rebel battle pack comes with a good mix of all the new designs on offer in the RO sets. Having one each of the new helmets would be a good start.

To me it looks as though the colour difference in the shore troopers extends beyond the arms and into the printing on the torso. Once again the eurobricks forum analysing a blurry picture to the level a forensic expert can only dream of. More fun than seeing official crystal clear pictures sometimes.

I thought the white wookie mystery had been solved when another toy company released an image of him in a set. He's Moroff I believe.

Not just any white shirt Han, White shirt Han with new hair! Is that Weequay I see fighting on the skiff deck?

Just out of interest as we have lots of Aussies discussing their higher prices, are the Aussie $ prices shown inclusive of tax like the pound prices or like the American system where you pay additional tax on top of the retail price?

The decision to replace all the technic pieces with yellow and red is the most baffling thing here as it just looks bizarre to me but maybe lego are trying to inject some colour into their "bley" line. In a strange way I'm glad the figures don't wow as it gives me less reason to want this set or fork out large chunks of money on bricklink. I'm actually most excited the stormtroopers haven't evolved again, just throw a few of them in a battle pack and i'll be happy enough. Hans hair will show up again soon and maybe Leia and Tarkin will be in another set one day, if not, no huge lose.

Can't wait for that new princess Leia to arrive in cheaper sets. Looks really good.

It does indeed look like a lick of paint at this point. If i were to redesign aspects of the model I'd certainly concentrate on some of the more structural problems rather than cosmetic updates, such as a better central lift system, an updated lift in the hanger as mine was always twisting and not lining up properly and a far more stable laser dish that doesn't fall to pieces by just looking at it.

I think we all need to lower our expectations for this set if that picture is that disappointing. By all accounts they could put the new DS in that window, retake the picture and you would have a really good game of spot the difference.

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head there, it's way too soon to re-release the set. Imagine if the the old USC Falcon was being re-released instead of this, with updates using modern techniques and pieces to make it even more sleek, this forum would go into meltdown as that set has become so mythical and desired by us. But that is what we want as AFOL's. Lego will re-release the DS and it will sit on the shelf for another 8 years and sell very well, making a bucket load of money for lego. This was the smartest business decision they have made in a long time.

Think I'll give this a miss then as I own 10188. Maybe wait for figs to appear in cheaper sets and bricklink a Tarkin. I'm willing to buy expensive Star wars sets if i really want them, just seems lego dont won't me to buy them as the last two UCS have not impressed (given CM4Sci and others opinion on the new DS)

As it stands at the moment it is sounding like an update of the old DS. If that is true then the minfigs in this set could be a deal breaker for most. At that price every fig has to be done to the best standards possible by lego at this point, I'm talking about dual moulded legs, arm and leg printing, new hair pieces, new torso printing and dare i even dream about the side piping printed onto Hans legs. The ball really is in lego's court on this one and I hope they can really wow us but if they put out another underwhelming and pricey UCS i might just go back to superhero stuff as that is a lot more interesting and offers a bit more value for money. As an AFOL I just feel the Star wars line is pushing the loyalty we have shown given recent price hikes but no real leaps in excellence or desirability as a result of the sets costing more. Having said all that, this is all just rumour and hearsay so I'm still excited to see what is finally released.

Thats best thing about mocs or mods, people share their designs and we pool that knowledge to expand upon for the better.

Can't wait to see this finished. The cockpit looks fantastic and could steal the show on its own but the greebling and pipe work is some of the best I've seen, it subtle yet looks so organic. Great job.

As a Brit who's been to America a few times I have to say I've never seen a Tesco in America either. I did some Googling of my own and it turns out they opened some stores over there called Fresh and easy on the west coast but they are not popular or anything like what we call Tesco back home which is more akin to Walmart or Target. Sorry, this is not directly lego related but Tuggernuts sparked an interest to find out more and I'd hate it if he made a wasted journey to Tesco inc in Dallas who sell electronic and military equipment On a more lego related note it's a shame you don't get a minfig bonus with the game and those cannons do look nice.

Leia looks fantastic. Just thinking about the amount of new prints we could get in the new Death star is mind blowing. Even though I own the original, if lego gets the new version right i'd consider it a day one purchase. Just don't go Assault on Hoth with it, as in underwhelming build and minifigs. The original Death star gets so many compliments from people who have no interest in Star wars or lego, so the new one has a real legacy to uphold. I'm still a little worried what lego might actually give us though.

Why? he asked a lego related question that just happened to take "quite a turn". Is there a keeping fit whilst building topic for people watching soccer anyway? let the man have his two posts of fun

I'd go with the smaller sets as you don't need to concentrate too much so you can multitask between, drinking, footie and building. Personally, I like to set aside a block of me time so I can enjoy the build of the bigger sets without distraction.

I see. I know it has no back printing but I'm not sure how Tarkin is going to maintain the respect of the men dressed as a captain IMG_0815 by That Orange Thing, on Flickr

Really like it. Add the black boots legs from batman and he's almost there. Why not use the Tarkin torso from deathstar though? He'd have the correct insignia then.

Reading the OP i think the idea was to update your old minifigs with newer lego parts but I'm always happy to see what anyone comes up with, be it custom or updated.

There's a thread by junior shark on the front page of the star wars forum at the moment. There is also Bricks and pieces threads in the general and licensed forum i believe. Edit: They tend to list interesting and rare parts and not a full inventory by the way.

Such a tease. Is it an Academy of Carida set that has 8 stormies included?!

If i owned both Dengar's Id put the old head wrap and grey hips on the new version for starters, but seeing as i own neither i'll take whatever i can get from lego at this point. As for my ideal Dengar, his torso would be printed on light bley along with his head bandages, his arms be dual moulded with brown on top and light bley on the bottom and the legs have amour printing. But I think every arm/leg should be dual moulded or printed like all minifig update obsessives