Rolyat24

That’s great news! I loved the movie-era of masks with two parts, they just made the ninja feel more sleek. Hopefully we’ll get a lot of different upper and lower parts that we can mix and match over the next few waves.

What makes you think the mask is in two pieces? From what I can see I can’t really pick out any details from the mask.

It looks like the snakes could be dark blue and dark green. Would those be new colors for them?

There’s also this one which hasn’t been seen since 2013 or so. It might look more like a viper, but it’s also pretty stylized due to appearing originally as a weapon in Ninjago.

Thank you! I may just pick one up that I like the most and fiddle around with it to see if I can make it work in an 8x16 layout. I love the common rooms but really have no desire for the banner aspect.

Has anyone built one of the banners yet? I’m thinking about MOCing them into modules for Hogwarts but am curious how the paper/cardboard inserts work. How are they held in place? Would they fit between two bricks? Ideally I’d like there to be room to add an exterior layer on the back side.

Are you referring to the initial Promobricks video (where set names were revealed)? I thought the descriptions from that were mostly speculation. If there’s been a more recent update, I’ll have to check it out. I thought that Promobricks teased having descriptions a few weeks ago, but as far as I’ve seen nothing has come from it other than a vague description of the new microscale Hogwarts.

It’s been hinted that one of them is the Durmstrang ship, but nothing has been confirmed by other leakers

I finally broke down and bought Diagon Alley. It’s been out of stock in the US since November and just went on Backorder. I’m thinking I may hold off on building it until Gringotts is revealed. If the two of them are really incompatible, then I’m not sure I’ll want to keep it. Now just to find enough space for even the one set!

I know it’s not all that early, but the Hufflepuff House Banner can be ordered online from Walmart in the US. As far as I know, the other sets aren’t available yet. Link from Facebook: here.

How exciting, to see a summer set so early (and seemingly complete!) I’m looking forward to seeing what the mechs look like combined, as that could make or break this set for me. I love that the theme is branching out and still finding ways to make the obligatory mechs and dragons and temples new and exciting. I can’t pass too much judgement on the minifigures until we’ve seen more photos. The villains look interesting but might feel a little too generic. I’m also not sold on the new ninja masks but again, it’s hard to tell at this resolution. Since the magazine leak was legit, is anyone curious about what’s going on with the Kai/Lloyd heads in those pictures? They appear to be black with powered-up eyes. Could be interesting!

Go for it! If it’s only a few more pieces, don’t let your previous work go to waste! And post the results here if you finish, I’d love to see it. Personally I haven’t bought any Crystallized sets yet, so for me it’ll be relevant for awhile longer.

Hmm, well this is certainly interesting. I do like the idea of seeing a more “complete” Hogwarts than either the D2C microscale or various modular minifigure-scale sets can convey. At the same time, I wonder if it’ll be too similar to previous sets and too expensive to be very popular. I for one can’t exactly justify a third scale of Hogwarts and will likely pass on it. This highlights what I think might be an issue for HP as a theme moving forward: there simply isn’t enough content to churn out sets that feel new every year. For now, there’s a great mix of sets for newer fans who may have missed stuff in the past and still exciting new content for older fans. But in a few years, I doubt I’ll be the only one who simply doesn’t want a 4th Hogwarts Express or a 6th Great Hall. The question then is whether or not LEGO can continue to draw in new fans every year. I expect they probably will, and the rest of us will have to adjust our spending accordingly.

Allegedly Promobricks says we could be seeing pictures of the summer wave soon? It feels so early but maybe they want to generate some hype for the new reboot. Edit: I can’t read, it’s descriptions, not pictures. Still, can’t wait!

I wonder if this means we’ll actually see a new Hogwarts system this summer? A set of this size and potentially named something like Hogwarts Castle and Grounds could imply a new “starter” set similar to the Chamber of Secrets. Unless you just mean it’ll be a set based on some part of Hogwarts/grounds with a more specific subject tba. I’m excited to see what this is (and what part of the castle grounds are so important to include in a set) and I’m also now 99% sure we’ll see the Durmstrang ship too!

It looks like the next VIP add-on pack (Spring Fun, rumored to be available in March) will include at least one each of the white rabbit, white lamb, and blue bird, as well as several bee and ladybug tiles. Fun that the lamb will come in one of these, even if it’s only one!

Oh I like that new one much better. The 2020 torso has always bothered me, something looks just a bit off. This new one, while maybe a bit more cartoony, definitely appears more consistent with LEGO’s usual graphic design.

I hope we eventually get more accessory packs for this theme. It’s been a few years since the last one and we still never got the much-desired Quidditch pack. Even if the upcoming trunk comes with two students from each house (which is rather unlikely) it would still be prohibitively expensive to form full teams of 7. Does anyone know if other themes have had accessory packs in recent years? I don’t keep up with Star Wars or Marvel which I think sometimes get them? Ninjago hasn’t had one in awhile.

To me, the existing microscale Hogwarts is the definitive LEGO version, and I’d be happy if that was the largest representation we ever get of the castle. Of course, if the theme keeps going for 5+ years, we’ll have to eventually see another large scale castle in some form. After all, how many more non-Hogwarts D2Cs can we realistically expect? If they ever did want to sell a larger minifig-scale Hogwarts, I would imagine it could be done in parts, with each year seeing a different section of the castle getting a D2C that could connect together. I’m picturing a roughly $200-300 set each for the Great Hall, Clock Tower, Astronomy Tower, etc. It wouldn’t be unlike the 2018 range except with a lot more detail. I doubt they’d go down this route at all, but I find that idea slightly more feasible than a $1000+ single set. And LEGO isn’t opposed to releasing sets like this, such as the modular buildings or Ninjago City buildings. Again, it’s highly unlikely, and personally I’d be fine if it never happened. But just an idea.

Hard to feel like the heroes really accomplished much if they have 15 motorbikes, 20 mechs, 40 dragons, and 5 battle ships fighting against a single medium-sized water snake and a chariot. Not that many kids would have that many ninja vehicles, but even looking one wave at a time there is very little balance.

Yeah, I think there definitely could have been more variety with the early villain vehicles. I think it’s especially noticeable with the Serpentine vehicles due to the bright colors and exaggerated snake head designs. If we were to ever return to having more than 1 or 2 villain set per faction, I’d definitely welcome more variety. I guess I’m not really lamenting the end of the design of those early sets but just the end of their mere presence and quantity. As a kid, I wanted the villains to have a large army and artillery of vehicles to match the heroes of my stories. I wonder if test groups of children care less about that today. Even today when displaying Ninjago sets, the villain factions often look puny compared to the large number of (well-designed and still awesome) ninja vehicles. Still, I love the villain sets we do get, so I can’t complain too much!

Part of me does really miss the earlier days of Ninjago that saw many more villain vehicles. After 12 years of the theme, many of the hero vehicles start to meld together, while villain-focused sets remain very distinct. Some personal favorites have been the Skull Truck, Garmatron, Nindroid Mech Dragon, Misfortune’s Keep, and Iron Doom. That said, we still do get a handful of villain sets that have been top-notch recently, they just tend to focus on locations rather than vehicles. But long-gone are the days of 5 different Serpentine vehicles sharing design elements, and that is a little disappointing.

Do we know if the Harry Potter Dots sets are due out in March, or are they being scrapped now that the Dots theme has been cancelled?

In addition to MLK Day in the US, today was apparently Appreciate a Dragon Day. So in some of my time off I built (and appreciated) Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon. And wow, what a great build! Definitely up there with the best Ninjago dragons, amongst the likes of Firstbourne and the Morro Dragon. It also got me thinking again about how we really have never gotten a large scale dragon for Cole. With the number of loose ends tied up with the most recent wave, I worry that we may not get a Core III, but if we do, my priority would be for a large earth dragon (and also a Titan mech for Kai or Cole). I assume Cole isn’t a popular choice for large sets due to the more neutral colors, but a large orange or green dragon could work well alongside brown and black undertones. Anyway, I’m looking forward to building Zane’s creature from this year and hoping for more Core in the future. Don’t forget to appreciate those dragons!

What on earth are we going to talk about in the 2024 thread if indeed both Gringotts and Donny’s Sock release this summer? Add in the Knight Bus, and I’m hard-pressed to think of another worthy D2C for the theme.