jindianajonz

I think Disney has announced that the new movies won't necessarily follow the Extended Universe continuity, which makes sense because otherwise everything will already have been spoiled. Although my number one pick for a UCS model is still a Mos Eisley Cantina, I think there has been a dearth of Prequel USC sets in the line- we've only had the Dropship/AT-OT, the Jedi Starfighter, and the Naboo fighter. I personally like the playset/minifig scale UCSs better, so I'd actually enjoy a Jedi Temple- plus it would be a great excuse for Lego to release some non-Clone Wars style jedi that have so far only appeared in Clone Wars sets, a la Palpatine's Arrest. But since it is not nearly as iconic as some of the other locations in Star Wars (really, the Jedi Council Chamber is the only location I can picture in my head from the movies) this idea would certainly carry some risk in terms of how well it would sell. I can't see it being above $250. I'd love to see a Senate based set with a variety of Senators- Senator Padme, Bael Organna, the Spiky Blue Vice Chancellor Whose Name I'm Forgetting- though I could also see this set being done on a smaller ($50-ish) scale with a couple of senate pods and the center podium. But if they did do a UCS scale set, it would be a great way to get more mileage out of the more obscure molds that they've made (Weequay head from Jabba's Sailbarge comes to mind) As for non-minifig scale UCS vehicles, I think the prequels are very tough to design from- the stuff that is iconic is just too big to do in a larger scale- would anybody really want a $250 Republican Gunship that is too big to fit minifgures in? The sets available in System scale are already an ideal size for the gunship, the AT-TE, the dropship, and the AT-OT. I suppose the Episode 3 Jedi Interceptors may make decent UCS sets, but since the old Jedi Starfighter was difficult to move, I don't see these being very likely. An AAT may be a good option, or perhaps an ARC-170 or some podracers. Though I still think the smartest move is the rumored Slave 1 with parts to make it either Boba's or Jangos, and hopefully with Jango, Young and Old Boba, 4LOM, and Zuckuss minifigs!

I just bought one a few days ago from Amazon, it was only 30 cents over RRP.

Hello! I would also like to join the reviewer academy. I have a lot of Harry Potter and Star Wars sets and would love to help fill some gaps in the review indices.

From what I recall, those early sets included a cardboard piece to make up the background of the scene. I don't think they were meant to be for girls; i think the colors were merely to make them interesting- the "sets" were really just a few pieces with some interesting accessories; if they had been done in more typical colors, they would have been quite dull. I think the brightness really goes a long way towards making their world seem more "magical" Another question, since we are asking about early Harry Potter sets- one of the Hogwarts Castles (I think either the one with the clock or the one with Umbridge) featured a bed that had a blue... thing... underneath it. Does anybody know what this was supposed to represent? EDIT: It is indeed the one with Umbridge, and can be seen sticking out of the foot of the bed in the pictures from Matn's review

So anyone have any good recommendations on how to de-clonewars-ify the clone wars exclusive characters? I'd love to find an official alternate head to swap in on Ki Adi Mundo to make him match the traditional lego figures, but browsing through bricklink doesn't turn up any obvious contenders in light flesh. What are some good heads that can be used on other clone wars characters, like Aayla Secura or Luminara (I know she has a figure in Wookiee Catamaran, but the light up lightsaber figures don't have removable heads)

Having rewatched the prequel trilogies recently, I don't think they are nearly as worthless as people make them out to be; indeed, there are quite a lot of things that exceed what was done in the original trilogy. Chief among these being the world building; the prequels exist in a much vaster and more fleshed out world than the originals ever did, where the closest thing we saw to a civilization was the militarized death star and some run down rebel bases. I also think the stuff that happens in the Geonosian Arena is some of the best action the series has (wheres are heroic trio vs 3 monsters set, Lego?) I also think that the prequel trilogies work very well conceptually if not always in execution. If you can mentally gloss over the terrible dialogue and acting whenever Anakin is on screen (both as a child and adult) and the stupid physical humor (Boss Nass shaking his head, Jar Jar doing almost anything) they are actually pretty good movies. Hell, even Jar Jar wasn't nearly as annoying this time through (probably because he has much less screen time than the even more terrible Anakin) Also, I've recently started watching the Clone Wars series, and found it to be quite great. The episodes can be inconsistant at times, but they are almost always enjoyable at the very least, and one of the episodes (the assault on Geonosis in season 2) is probably the most exciting action scene of any Star Wars medium that I've seen. I think this series has spurred my desire for AT-TEs and Gunships more than the prequel trilogy has (even if I can't stand the Clone Wars Lego faces!)

The funny thing is, I was literally pressed up against the box of the AT-AP when it was unveiled at SDCC (trying to get my raffle ticket for a super hero fig) and couldn't have cared less about it, but now that I look at it more and more it's probably the set I want the most. I'm thinking this has more to do with my recent rewatching and subsequent appreciation of the prequel trilogy than anything else. I agree that the Royal Guard's faux-sabers look weird, but I'm guessing their are ways to MOC it- a 6L grey bar with a painted tip would probably be perfect, or even a 4L antenna attached to a lightsaber hilt would at least distinguish it from actual lightsabers. Still curious about the police gunship and tri-fighter!

Isn't that what the Battle of Saleucami basically is?

Is there any info on the Droid Tri Fighter the first post talks about? I'm curious as to what figures that will include...

I don't think the AT-AP is smaller. The body is pretty much an identical size (if the side panels are anything to go off of) and the legs look singificantly bigger, featuring a 6x6 round dish at the top instead of the old 4x4, and having a generally bulkier appearance. The only aspect that looks smaller is the roof, which uses plates in the new one instead of sloped bricks, but I think when the two are next to eachother this will be offset by the fact that the gun sits taller.

I thought the box art looks like Vader was in the middle of a fight and saw a penny lying on the ground. I like the new blasters; they are certainly more welcome than flick fire, in that they don't look nearly as out of place on sets. The Utapau troopers give a good view of the firing mechanism- a little grey piece that sticks out of the top. The cannon looks good but the tri-droid is pretty weak. Still, it's a battle pack, so that is nothing new. I just wish the parts included were a bit more useful- too many hinges and technic bits. If they dropped a super battle droid and added a clone to Battle of Saleucami, it would have been perfect. Or better yet, include a non-CW version of Ki Adi Mundo, Aayla Secura, or any of the other CW-only Jedi. I figure each jedi so far has a specialized "hat", so it only makes sense that they would want to reuse the mold, especially since the head piece is the only thing that really needs changing. Between that hat and rifle, the Nemoidian Warrior looks like he stepped out of the pirates line. Still looking forward to him, though. The Vulture Droid seems a bit large, I think I like the smaller scale used in previous models better, especially if it lowers the cost of the kit.

Was there a rumor that Plo Koon was going to be rereleased this year? I thought I had heard that, but I don't see him in the set rundown on the first page. Since I avoided most of the Clone Wars sets, I never picked him up and was hoping to get another chance to.

That's not true- the Death Star featured areas from both Episode IV and Episode VI, and I'm pretty sure there was another major liscensed set (Hogwarts, maybe?) that featured items/features/characters from a variety of movies that couldn't have canonically existed together. Heck, there's even a precedent for it in the Tolkien sets themselves- Bag End had the Dwarves and maps that were clearly from the beginning of the Hobbit, but also included Sting and Bilbo's book that wouldn't have been there until after the movies completion.

I'm going to reply, but it won't be speculation! A side room was my first thought as well, but seeing as there are no Technic holes in the rancor pit for an attached room, I am pretty sure there is nothing planned. I remember chamber of secrets had this problem as well- I remember trying to stack Hogwarts over Chamber of Secrets and having some building or piece of building (maybe the bathroom?) sitting awkwardly on the side.

Well, as I stated on the previous page, the most substantial similarities between the models seem to also be present in this building: http://anthony.atkielski.pagesperso-orange.fr/HauntedMansionSmall.jpg It only makes sense that if two lego designers independently use the same source material as inspiration for their build, they are going to end up with similar/indentical techniques. Nobody is "ripping off" anybody in this situation; I believe the designers statement that they just independently arrived at the same conclusion as to how to best reperesent some of the details of that building in lego.

First of all, I also think this is a beautiful model, and will definitely be buying it. Secondly, at first glance, that side by side comparison seems pretty damning. I think it was John that listed the details a few pages back, but the every-other-slope-piece thing under the roof, the grey column lining the edges, the slope pieces on top of the pillars, and the overall shape are all very similar. From what I could tell, very few of these specific features were contained in the Addams family, Bates, or Muenster houses. However, looking at this picture from Disneyland Paris of the haunted mansion, it seems that this building could be the source of inspiration for all of these similarities: http://anthony.atkielski.pagesperso-orange.fr/HauntedMansionSmall.jpg To me, at least, it is clear that the designers for both models were trying to convert some pretty specific details into Lego form, and there are not too many ways that one can do that. I think it is unfortunate that this discussion got so heated, to the point where the designer has stated that he will no longer look at MOCs. Lego and the AFOL community have a great symbiotic relationship; they definitely build on eachother and work well together, and if it gets to the point where Lego can no longer be inspired by outside sources, it will only lead to more stale lego designs.

Thanks Cecilie! Those are some really awesome vignettes! I was thinking about ditching the display case altogether and just building a vignette set like you did, and after seeing yours, I think thats the way to go! How did you do the disco ball for the disco dude vignette?

Yeah, I've seen the building contests (that's part of where I got the idea) but was surprised had how much more difficult it is to chop of a couple of studs in either direction. The main difficulty lies in the fact that unless you cram him up against a wall, the minifigure itself will take up 3x4 squares on his own. Maybe I just need to invest in some jumpers to make the most out of the space I am given...

Hey all, First time posting here. I finally completed my collection of collectible minifigures, and saw that Lego is planning on releasing a 16 (and 8) minifigure display case in the near future. It looks like each figure will have a 6x6x? space to reside, and I thought it would be cool to give each one his own theme. However, once i started, working on a 6x6 space ended up being a lot harder than it looked (especially with my limited selection of bricks to work with). I can't be the only one who had this idea; has anyone else started building vignettes to display their figs in once the displace case is released?