jdubbs

Which is no different than what happened when Landino or Ninja or MandR or whomever said outright "the next UCS might be an Imperial Shuttle". It might be, it might not. Being specific about it didn't stop people here from talking about it for dozens and dozens of posts, many of which assumed the rumor — despite being explicitly identified as such — to be fact.

I'm not contradicting myself. I'm saying that (all) new molds cost money — more than reusing an existing mold — and the fact that there haven't been new molds of a certain type in Star Wars D2C sets in the past doesn't mean there can't be, ever. People love to look at what's come before and dream up new "rules" for what can and cannot happen in the future... deciding that because they haven't seen new minifig molds in a Star Wars D2C thus far, it must therefore be because LEGO (or, if you really want to get wackadoo, Disney) won't let them. While that might conceivably be the case (well, not the Disney part), it's just as likely that it hasn't happened yet because it hasn't needed to happen yet. Are new minifig molds expensive? No doubt. But they also appear in lots and lots of Star Wars sets, at all price points — from the $40 Pasana Speeder to the $160 Millennium Falcon — so if you're trying to say that the development costs are so incredibly, prohibitively high that they can't be included in a $200+ set, well, I don't see much evidence to support that. And, while there may be special costs associated with minifig molds, there are other costs specific to molds like canopies, such as needing to actually be compatible with System (interlocking with a bazillion different other parts, versus slipping over a torso neck), having to work in translucent plastics, etc. Finally, if you actually tally the new molds the Star Wars line got each of the last 3-4 years — admittedly, with the exception of 2020 — it's been more than other comparable lines like Marvel or DC Superheroes... so I don't think Star Wars fans have the best standing to cry poverty in this regard. He didn't hint at a Cantina set. He hinted at a Cantina minifig. A fig that could show up in any number of different ways... A polybag gift-with-purchase. An exclusive pack-in for a DK book, or a video game. A $40 Cantina bar set. A $350 Cantina D2C. A ComicCon exclusive clamshell minifig. Hell, even a CMF.

The initial tooling costs may be more, yes. But my point is they both affect the set’s budget. And a hairpiece can easily be reused dozens of times over, juatifying that expense over years and years, versus a specialized part like the Slave 1 canopy which has, to date, only been used in one other set I believe? If that? Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t happen ever. It just means it hasn’t happened yet.

A-Wing, X-Wing, and Slave 1 all included new canopy molds, off the top of my head. I'm sure there were others. A new mold is a new mold. Costs the same to LEGO whether it comes in the form of a minifig part or elsewhere.

Plenty of Star Wars D2Cs get new molds.

I would quote you back the next line of dialog but it's just "Grahhh!!"

There is some validity to what you're saying. LEGO Star Wars is clearly operating on a smaller budget this year than in the previous 5+ years. Fewer new molds than is typical (5 or so this year, about half what is typical), reused prints, and fewer System sets. (No April wave this year, whereas we would normally have seen 7-8 new System sets then). I think where your argument loses traction is in attributing that drop in budget/molds/sets to the AFOL-targeted sets like the mosaic and the helmets. As I'm sure others have pointed out, LEGO tries new things every few years, whether it's the action battle sets last year (resounding duds), the Brickheadz the year or two before that, or the constraction figs in years prior. These came and went without impacting the regular sets we received along with them, so it's unlikely there is a correlation between this year's experimental off-shoots and the drop in quality/quantity of System sets. Will the helmets fare any better? Time will tell. Given their success so far, it's safe to say we will be receiving more of them. The Mosaics are a separate line entirely, with their own internal code name (Zebra) and their own design team. With only one of them devoted to Star Wars, and how dissimilar they are to System sets in build, I think it's safe to say no System sets were sacrificed on the altar of that Sith mosaic. As for what the future holds, expect next year to look a lot like this year, in terms of the number of sets/waves and the makeup of those waves. This seems to be the new normal, like it or not.

I think the only stickers you would miss are the large ones on the wings. But I'm also not sure the ball turrets would look that great without their prints... those go a long way to selling the dome pieces as the turrets. I guess it would depend what print they had instead.

When I put it on a figure with a chin-strap print on the head, it looks marginally better. But it still feels really big compared to the old helmet. I like it well enough too, but the old one didn't bother me. I feel like they are equally inaccurate, just in different ways, so it's a bit of a tossup. I standardized all my stormtroopers on the new helmet mostly because I don't see them reverting to the old ones, and eventually the old helmets will be hard to come by.

I don't see it happening. The rebel pilot helmet was almost universally scorned, and never appeared again after its introduction in the X-Wing, despite several sets it could have been used in. While there are some people such as yourself who dislike the new stormtrooper helmet, it hasn't received nearly the same backlash. It's also appeared in multiple sets over the last two years, the most recent being the forthcoming Advent. Pretty sure it's here to stay.

It gets very expensive, very fast. Once you start down that path, forever will it dominate your destiny...

If you're not a strict purist and don't mind spending some extra dough to customize your minifigs, Firestar makes a wide selection of really nice custom-printed Clone and Stormtrooper arms. Eclipse has started as well, though I don't think they have any for PT figs yet. Well, that's your opinion (mine too, in this case). But there are those who felt otherwise, and probably some who still do.

I would definitely agree that printing on the waist and codpiece would have improved the look, and lessened the "shock" (used loosely) of not seeing black there. But I maintain that some of this is down to "I'm used to it this way, so changing it to that way just looks wrong". Not unlike the Vader or Stormtrooper helmet transitions. 5-6 years in, and it seems like most people are used to Vader at this point, and even prefer it to the old one... whereas at the time it was introduced, there were some very vocal detractors.... too big, too cartoonish, looks like he's always looking up, etc. Change isn't often easy. The good news? It's easily fixable. Buy some black hip pieces on BL, and swap out the white for black if it bugs you. (I may actually do the reverse for mine, lol).

What I mean by "nostalgic fondness" is that, like it or not, what "looks good" to you is informed by what you've seen before... what you're used to. Depending on how old you are and when you started collecting LEGO, you've had 15-20 years with the black hips stormtrooper... that's not a bell you can unring. "Beside the point" to you, perhaps.... but I don't think you can unilaterally dismiss accuracy from the discussion, or from other peoples' opinions. You see the black hips as representing the gaps between armor plates; I've always seen it as a black thong. In part because — going back to accuracy — the actual costume cod piece and belt are white, not black. You're certainly entitled to your opinion. There are cases where I prefer a less-accurate option over the technically-more-accurate one, too... RotJ Luke's hair, for instance. That bulbous 30+ year old hair piece triggers me, and for that reason alone I swap them out, even though it's the closest match to his on-screen hair.

Revan was a fan's choice figure though, wasn't he...? If so, might've been harder for Lucasfilm to object to that one at least. But I think you're right... it probably boils down to what LEGO thinks would sell more than Disney/Lucasfilm helicoptering the line.

I think they would actively discourage it, at minimum. Confuses consumers as to what is (current) canon and what isn't, and could make it harder for Lucasfilm to deviate from EU/Legends in future shows/movies.

I'm not actually, but reading this post I could say the same of you... You're missing my point entirely. I don't like this wave any more than you do. I agree with all your criticisms of the wave, and suggestions for improvements. (You may recall that I warned this wave was going to underwhelm about 3 months ago). My only point, for the last time, is that the same sort of criticisms (valid, at least to some of us) get made of the OT, the ST, the anthology-focused waves. If you're primarily a PT fan perhaps you're not as attuned to them, but the PT is definitely not singled out — LEGO is an equal-opportunity shafter. You feel strongly about the PT, and the PT has been sidelined during the ST, and so maybe the slights made against those sets feel worse to you. But they're no different than what the OT (or even ST) fans feel when we get a bunch of sets that had potential but turn out to be a let-down... which happens all too often.

Sorry, I overlooked this and should correct a misconception. For the record, I was only hinting at the price of the fall UCS set, not its identity. (Though it is what I would expect a modern UCS Shuttle to cost!) There are a lot of people claiming this set is the shuttle... whether it turns out to be so... well, time will tell.

I don't think you should be satisfied. I don't think any of us should. But you previously claimed Disney/LEGO are "shafting" the PT, and dismissed these sets as examples of them showing the PT any kind of love. I'm saying this wave is evidence that they treat the PT just like all the other movies. You may wish for "better" sets, but there are others who are happy with these exact choices. For every PT fan that is annoyed at getting another Soulless One or Jedi Starfighter, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just like for every OT fan is who is annoyed to get another AT-AT, there is one happy to have a second chance at it. Just read the comments of the last few hours. Highly unlikely at this point. Sets that large ($100+) are either tied to upcoming/just-released media or something super-iconic, neither of which is true of this ship. It's not impossible, but I'm not holding my breath.

Greedo has a large presence in the scene and in the mindshare of kids who watch it, sure. But I could say the same thing about Walrusman/Ponda Baba. It's the first alien we really see in the movie, the first time we see a lightsaber in action, and it's pretty impactful for a kid to see a dude's severed arm lying bleeding on the floor. It certainly made an impression on me as a kid, and on my own kid when he first watched the movie. I'm just saying it would not kill them to cycle in some other characters now and again. When you're faced with buying your second and third Cantinas, trust me, you won't excited to shell out $50 for yet another Greedo. Not assuming that at all. But as an AFOL, if you really want a set that's not currently on shelves but was released 5 years ago, you have the option to find it on eBay or Bricklink or wherever. You don't have that option if the set never existed in the first place. There will likely never be an AT-ACT or a Fallen Order AT-AT, if they aren't released alongside their supporting media. That is the problem with constant rehashes.

Yes, I'm aware of who LEGO is selling to, and pretty clear on why they make the decisions they do. My point was that this sort of thing — favoring rehashes of the same 20 "iconic" sets over doing new/unique builds — happens across all SW eras, not just the PT, which the OP seems to think is being singled out for abuse by some kind of Disney/Lucasfilm/LEGO conspiracy. But on the other hand, there is a balance to be had between appealing to new buyers (kids) and repeat buyers (AFOLs, TFOLs), and this is where I fault LEGO. Many times, LEGO clearly makes the choice to do a rehash because it is easy and cheap — not because they're trying to appeal to their base. Luke's landspeeder, for instance, has come out every ~2 years for the last 6-7 years. One of those could have easily been swapped out for a different speeder of some sort (Zam's, Lars family, green version) while still giving the core kid market another generic Luke Landspeeder before the market completely turned over. LEGO reuses Han and Greedo in the Cantina because it's easy — the mold is already there for Greedo, the figure already designed for Han — not because they feel the set won't sell to kids without those characters. (Substitute Luke and Ponda Baba/Evazan and you've still got a memorable action scene... but this time one that kids and AFOLs will happily buy.) They did the Ep 9 Falcon — uhhhgain, with the Solo version still on shelves and the TFA version only retired a year or so earlier — because it was cheaper to spruce up an existing build than it was to come up with an all-new build for some new ship. My problem with LEGO's approach to all this is twofold: 1) I don't think they're giving kids enough credit and 2) I think they're either underestimating the size of the AFOL/TFOL market, or taking them for granted. Take this fall's AT-AT... a (slight) improvement over the previous version, but still a rehash, that easily could have been something new(ish) — a Fallen Order AT-AT or a RO AT-ACT, for instance. Would it have sold any worse if it were either of these? If you buy into the idea that kids have $160 to spend on this set (which is dubious) would they really turn their noses up at it en masse if it weren't the exact version in ESB? And even if they did, how many more AFOL buyers might it attract if it offered something truly new? Yes I know it's ESB because of the 40th, and I know a lot of you are excited to get it because you missed the previous version, which is now insanely expensive. I'm just using it as an example of LEGO doing what is safe, rather than taking even a slight risk on something vaguely new.

I'm with you. If you look at the actual Stormtrooper costume, white hips seems way more accurate. I think people just have a nostalgic fondness for the black hips dating back to the first stormtroopers, and resist change, even when it produces a more accurate product. This is true of sets from all the movies, not just the PT. How many times will LEGO give us Luke's Landspeeder, when they could have just as easily done the Lars family landspeeder, or even the green version of Luke's from TPM? How many Cantinas will come with Han and Greedo, ignoring the dozens of other aliens in the scene? Did we really need a blink-and-you-miss-it Y-Wing and AT-ST from Rogue One (never mind how good they were) when there were sets like the AT-ACT and Cargo Shuttle that had never been done before? Why did we get a generic TIE fighter from Solo instead of the all-new TIE Heavy? Why yet another Falcon (admittedly, a superior version, but the fourth in 5 years) from Rise of Skywalker instead of Ochi's ship? I don't disagree that LEGO's choice of sets is mind-boggling at times. I do disagree that this is somehow a problem particular to the prequels.

The Vader that comes in the Death Star duel set has printed arms and new leg printing. If you go to Brickset and look at their complete set of images for the set, it is clearly visible there.

Bear in mind LEGO can't just make any set at any scale they want. Existing parts dictate what is possible... if the previous System-scale sets were slightly smaller than minifig scale (let's say, 90%), it's not like they can necessarily rescale the ship to 100%, or even to 110%. The sizing of parts (especially the round/curved parts and canopies/domes) will dictate what scales are possible. I would not be at all surprised if LEGO has to choose between making it System scale (which in this case is pretty close to minifig scale), or making it substantially larger. This is why I worry about the success of this set. I think a lot of people voted for it thinking they were going to get exactly what you describe: a deluxified System set, loaded with minifigs, priced at the low end of UCS sets. But the designer's concerns about supporting the wings and talk of working at UCS scale are fairly good indicators that he is designing something substantially larger than the previous gunships. So if/when it turns out to be ~150% scale, $350, and with two token minifigs, I think there will be a lot of complaining and maybe not so much buying. Of course there will be people who buy it no matter what (I count myself among these, lol). But will there be enough, is the question.

Probably, yes. In America, kids are insanely expensive until you can ship them off to kindergarten. Unless you're very lucky, no family leave to speak of (6 weeks... maybe... for one parent). If both parents work, you're looking at hundreds if not thousands of dollars a month in childcare/daycare/preschool. Not to mention the gear (strollers, carseats, cribs, bouncers, etc.) and replacing their entire wardrobe every 6 months when they grow out of stuff. It sounds like you had it relatively easy by comparison. I only know that in my (and my friends'/family's) experience, the reverse was true. I would be careful making assumptions about the contents of this set.