The_Chosen_1

The turtles themselves look ok, but I HATE how they're calling it "Ninja Turtles".

So, are the Rebels sets the only ones being shown off at the Nuremberg Toy Fair?

Not a bad idea at all - it gives kids a bad guy to fight against.

Only one page of the retailer catalog is devoted to LOTR, so it could be that it simply shows off last summer's sets. But that would seem odd and outdated...

YES!!!!! No more cartoony Clone Wars-style faces!!

Rebels keeps looking better and better! It's so great that the creators are paying such close attention to the influence of Ralph McQuarrie, and an overall "used universe" aesthetic. This fall can't come soon enough.

This featurette, moreso than any of the trailers, really showed off the sense of humor that Chris Miller and Phil Lord are bringing to the table. Can't wait!!!

That image is actually not for the film. It's been around for a some time. On the other hand, this image surfaced earlier this week. It's a Halloween costume from a licensee, but it definitely gives an idea of the direction they're going: http://www.superherohype.com/news/288467-new-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-movie-character-design-teased

Galadriel is confirmed to be coming in a Hobbit set, so that's one less major minifigure that the theme will be missing.

Ordered another Council of Elrond and Mirkwood Elf Army.

Very well done, indeed!! I've supported the project.

^ That's true, but Lego would have been in quite a predicament if Saruman was exclusive to a $200 set. I do agree with everything Deathleech mentioned, though. It's just puzzling to me why Lego decided to make certain characters, but leave others out. If the theme ends without Faramir, Eowyn and the Witchking (which seem like the 3 most important remaining characters by consensus), I will be extremely disappointed.

This is so awesome!!! (Though yes, I agree that leaving it a surprise would have been cooler. Still very welcome news, though!!)

Thanks for sharing!! All of the sets look fantastic. What great additions to last year's sets.

I can understand them not making minifigs of the extremely minor characters (i.e., most of the ones TheBear mentioned), but the common consensus is that leaving out Wuher, Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan is just wrong. And I agree 100% with that.

Yes, I'm very curious to hear some kind of official word. One way or the other, it would just be nice to know. Aside from their current ones, I can't think of a single other licensed theme that Lego could ever do that had as much hype and speculation going for it as this one did. It's like a giant feast that's missing a few delicious side dishes - wonderful, but ultimately incomplete.

I have to admit, Lego has made some rather odd minifigure choices with their Middle-earth sets. We've gotten (or will be getting) Mouth of Sauron, King of the Dead, Twilight Ringwraith, and pirate of Umbar, but haven't gotten Faramir, Eowyn, a normal Witchking, or old Bilbo. That's the complete opposite of what I was expecting when the line started!

Why discount the idea though? Are you saying that if you had the choice between the two, you'd pass up a D2C Minas Tirith for a smaller version?

If the designers really knew what the fans wanted, they wouldn't have entirely left out Gondor at a point where the future of the theme is in question. Just my $.02. Edit: Just realized this is the Hobbit thread. Can't keep up with the deluge of Middle-earth posts today. But the point still holds!

I really hope Lego includes a bear version of Beorn in the BO5A set too; but if they'd don't, at least there is a great alternative: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=bb538c01pb01

I agree with Deathleech on this one. I will be more than satisfied with a molded Smaug, as long as he's considerably larger than the current Castle version. To include him in a D2C set, as was mentioned, could waste an opportunity for a more necessary set (*ahem* Minas Tirith *ahem*) to be produced.

^ Right. IIRC, we don't currently have a shield mold that's anything like that. But if Lego were to make one, it's definitely one that could be reused for future Castle sets.

^ I know Marvel has that: http://marvel.com/comics/unlimited?utm_source=marvel_homepage&utm_medium=open_html&utm_content=learn_more&utm_campaign=mu_homepage_promo Not sure about other publishers, though...

^ Not everyone shares your opinion. Plus, kids (aka Lego's largest consumer base) are huge fans of the prequel era. It won't be going away anytime soon. Diminished due to other new content, yes. But disappearing from Lego's palette entirely? Not likely.

These are my exact thoughts as well. Such a missed opportunity not to include such important Cantina characters.