Ki-Adi-Mundi

Hehe, very nice ones, Oky and Big Brick!

Well, for about 20 bucks, i will take the calendar for sure. It's a mix, not everyday can be an astounding highlight the whole world has been waiting for. If it were even possible to build something mid sized with the parts included, i'd count the calendar as a safe bet and quickly to be sold out. Only one thing does bother me: We already get a glimpse at christmas but still don't know anything about the contents of 7879 (Hoth Echo Base) which is scheduled to be released in Octobre. I really long for some info. One reason is that 7749 (Echo Base) is available still but pretty costly already. I foresee a disappeareance from the primary market soon. If there were no turret and no Taun-Taun in 7879, i would try to make a quick grab for 7749 and swallow a horrifying piece/price value (at least in my country). But honestly spoken i would prefer to avoid getting the old rebel hats/glasses. Does anybody know what 7879 is about? Please...

A big thanks to commanderneyo and grogall! Every bit of news is highly appreciated. It's very good to see planned release dates for some sets verified and to get a glimpse at the calendar. Will be the first time in decades that i wish to get one. What is the expected price in $ oder €?

Sounds reasonable. Kind of resemblance is there. The only other pretty rough similarity i can think of is a http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/A-9_Vigilance_interceptor It originates from a comic - from one of the few i can live with.

I agree except for the value statement. 50 $ are good value, yes. Today's retailer prices of 70 to mostly 80 EUR [which in effect isn't far from being twice the price in $] is no good value IMO.

Thanks for this excellent review! You could almost seduce me into buying this set which never stood on my agenda. Now i know that it's better than expected in regards of how one can make a show out of it. I won't get it but your review is great.

Well, i do partly agree. I haven't 6212 yet and do not plan to getting it (unless i stumble across one special offer). Given the age of the design one gets led to believe that a redesign is just around the corner. For this i do wait and will then almost certainly buy it. It would just be sad to get the old by now only to see a better redesign a year later. Especially if one already has the included minifigs via other sets. But more generally spoken, 6212 isn't bad the way it is. It is a good set. While the value (bricks/price) isn't any good in Europe, the model does still offer a lot. An already good design for the most iconic SW vehicle which is also featuring a bunch of key character-minifigs of the Saga. I'd say 6212 is the perfect starter set and also appetizing to get more. It would become even more interesting if there were some worthy OT adversaries around the corner. I am not speaking of EU thingies.

Your guesses sound quite ambitious (big and expensive sets which make their economic success bit of a risk) but reasonable. And btw. - i hope that you will be right. On the other hand it is not that likely that new Boba and Han in Carbonite (main reasons to get a Slave I) will be included in another set this soon. A good model of the Ion Cannon would significantly increase the number of parts, thus increasing set size and price. To be honest i don't think that TLC will give us such exclusive super minifig combinations in just one set respectively. I like the idea of course. For the Hoth Echo Base i really hope for a gate and stuff. A set to combine with the AT-AT and ending up with a good recreation of the Battle of Hoth. The old base goes for 150 EUR - way out of value for a set with so few bricks'n figs. I made an exception by overspending for the Calamari Cruiser. A few very special goodies are necessary to persuade me into doing this...

With TPM 3D being published next year, some PT sets are to be expected. OOM battle droids in the design the trade federation would be a first guess (especially security with red and command with yellow torso). Personally i do hope for more OT sets. As for possible BPs, i would love to see a rebel set (1 commando, 2 rebel scout troopers and 1 'rebel friend') would be nice. The empire might counter with 2 stormies, 1 sandie and 1 army trooper (sunglasses). Apparently i missed 2008's BPs which have become a rarity already.

This might be pretty right. Well, i do not want to delve deep into a topic that probably is forbidden on these boards but it is pretty safe to say that there is a huge difference between a soacial relationship and the ability of actually having kids together... Interbreeding apart from near-humans was ruled out in the past. Apparently this stance of the SW creators might be subject to change. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hybrid

Ah, thank you for the reply. Those were just ideas to get substitute models and modify them to fit the needs. The older TIE models have a bad colour scheme while the Defender does finally fit the bill. It only is an EU object... As for the shuttle - the older ones are way out of value and the UCS is it, either. I prefer models with an interior as said in a different post. Uh, i am surprised about this. According to the official canon only very few races in the SW universe can interbreed. A mix of Twi'Leks and humans is entirely new to me and certainly a renunciation from what SW has always been.

Umm, i'm considering to get a TIE-Defender. For modification/display purposes: Is ist possible to change the wing design that the ship looks like a TIE-Interceptor (fixed, opposing solar panels) with the parts of the set or is it necessary to add parts from other sets? And just as we are at it: Looking at Palpy's shuttle it seems as if the wing design - with a little reconfiguration on top and sides - could be changed so the ship looks roughly like a Lambda-shuttle. Is this assumption correct?

Well, i am fairly sure that an SSD features quite a bunch of tractor beam projectors. According to the old RPG (WEG, Imperial Sourcebook) an SSD has 40 tractor beam emplacements. The newer iteration, (wotc, Starships of the Galaxy) tells it to have 8 tractor beam batteries. Starwars.com does not offer precise data on the ship. In consequence, i am convinced to believe that arrays/installations near the bridge are sensors and the shield generators - as a specific SD design feature. Regarding the news on the UCS SSD, i followed the thread for a bunch of days but was unsure whether to post or not. At first, i could not believe into the boldness of TLG to create this huge ship - for most or at least pretty many people a dream has finally come true. After the source indication i believed the news and was evermore impressed. I congratulate TLG on this bold move. The set will undoubtedly become an unique alltime classic. Not only for hardcore collectors... Will i definitely buy this? Not sure on that. Spending an estimated 400 to 500 bucks on a single item is hard to swallow. If the ship will be cheaper by a feelable margin - chances do rise significantly. For as long as i don't know more details, i would not make a first (which most often also is a final) decision on something this big. Admittedly my interest would be appetized a lot if there were some interior with small details to admire and to recreate famous scenes. I' be a little disappointed if my unique Bossk would get a twin. A new figure (bounty hunter as so many others have said) instead would preferrable to me. Overall, i find it hard to say a final judgement this early. As a StarWars fan since a full two decades - it will be as hard to say NAY as to say YAY! BTW, an announcement on an UCS but still nothing on 7879? It was pretty clever a move on the part of TLG to spread rumors and deliberately leak out a pic to get us community into trembling motion. I love such kind of excitement and anticipation.

Umm, are they still working on it? I wonder that really nothing trickles through to the public. I also hope for a huge set and would not hestitate to pay 150 bucks if the set has 1300+ bricks, a nice mix of (new) minifgs and combines good features from sets we do already know but probably do not own yet. A pure interior scene would be less appealing to me than a combi.

Well, bluntly spoken there only few things imagineable that can make up for the majestic appearance of an ISD... If there were no ISD, the Venator would not appear that bad. It just sucks because of it's (better designed) brother. For 75 bucks, i would gladly take a Venator. While personally i don't like those features for flicking/tossing missiles/bombs around, it's perfectly understandable that TLG has them included in many sets. They add playability - and in essence a playability value a lot of kids might long for. I consider the Venator to be more of a toy than the (much more fragile) ISD. By the sheer exterior look, for recreating famous scenes or even playing inside the set, the latter is much better - i agree perfectly with you. I am really longing for a rerelease.

Good ideas indeed. I hope that it will be a big set like 'Battle of Endor' and will feature some outdoor features (gate/turrets) so it can be combined with other sets in a kind of diorama. I got 8038 recently and believe it to be one of the best sets TLG ever made. Hoth, too, possibly more adresses long time SW fans so i hope for a great set.

Just a question on something different: Can we somewhere look up selling numbers or any measurements of relative economic success of the sets? I ask this because i wonder that some sets become a bargain fairly soon (i got a Slave 1 today for just 60 EUR) while others keep a high price despite seeming to be widely available... Of course an ISD of 2006 is rare and a collector's piece today but 'Echo Base' (7749) for example still is pretty expensive atm. And it only has a mere 155 pieces... So how can we get a glimpse at what values the sets do have (... in the eyes of TLG/distributors...)?

Oh yes, i am totally with you. It's ages ago those sets about Jabba were released. Some eight years. It wouldn't be a far shot to have them updated with newer bricks, moulds and equipment.

Yes, you're right. So it must be something different. However, i'm still curious about the new Hoth set. Is it's announcement official? Strange that nothing has been revealed about it.

I'd love to see - Yavin Base (like the one in the visual dictionary) - a revamped Cloud City - a (rerelease of the) Imperial Star Destroyer without any particular order.

Well, could it be possible that 'Hoth Echo Base' might be the UCS for this year? It's the only set i cannot find any info on. Have not yet seen anything of it except for the blank announcements on brickipedia and brickset. The former even tells an item no.: 7879. Does not sound like a UCS but still we know nothing about this set, do we?

Thanks for this very good review. I like the two STAPs which do for a nice addition to any Sep army but the flag as a 'flight stabilizer' of the JSF in the rear seems to be the worst solution IMO.

My wording might not have been clear enough, sry for that. What i wanted to express is that this is the least favorable set i own, especially when comparing to other battle packs. To me, the others simply offer more. If you are a fan of the animated series, you probably like the set. Since i do not - i cannot seriously recommend this. This is my personal view of it.

That's truly a masterpiece. I especially like the lighting and the mirror-effect of the ground.

That's good to hear. In case of a difference - since the anniversary was 2 years ago i hope to receive the newer version.