Retro Brick Reviews

Actually, judging by the announcement showing Hogwarts with the exact same appearance as in the movies, it seems like this series is going to use the exact same designs as the movies, just with different actors. Because this is nothing more than an attempted cashgrab. The movies are incredibly iconic (arguably moreso than the books), and this is the easiest/laziest way to capitalize on nostalgia for them.

That's going to be quite a shock for all the mothers whose only exposure to HP was watching the movies with their kids. (Same goes with how Voldy was conceived, lmao). The more I think about it, a lot of the stuff WB cut from the original movies was probably for good reason...

Iirc they actually tried to get one greenlit about a month ago, but none of the Trio were willing to be in it because of Rowling. So this reboot is plan B.

I think the theme is over after this, and probably the HP franchise as a whole. Regardless of the franchise's recent floundering and Rowling's... whatever she's been up to (I stopped paying attention for my sanity), it's pretty inarguable that these eight movies are one of the most beloved film series of all time, and certainly the most beloved of the 21st century. (Heck, this forum is discussing the sixth year of an extremely popular toyline based on a film series that ended in 2011.) Even outside of just LEGO, HP merch is incredibly popular, and the movies are literally the main attraction at the Universal theme parks - sacrificing all of that for a reboot that seems to exist only for short-term profit is just an absurd decision. I really doubt the new series will pick up steam. A lot of HP fans are pretty much done giving money to Rowling and are content to stick with enjoying the books and movies they're nostalgic for, others are going to refuse to watch it because they live in a parallel universe where everything is "woke" or whatever buzzword there is now, and of the remainder I think most Potter fans like the movies and won't be clamoring for a reboot - in general, something like a Marauders spinoff seems much more desired by fans. Between the inevitable backlash for rebooting it, the fact the OG movies are still popular, and the fact that Rowling is a walking controversy machine, I just can't see this series doing well and I'd be very surprised to see it make it to Deathly Hallows.

My planned pickups are: - Yavin IV Rebel Base: It's a set I've been dreaming of since I first got into LEGO, and I think the size of the set is perfect for what it is. Having a ton of minifigs certainly doesn't hurt either (especially if we get one or two new ANH side characters we've been missing). - Coruscant Guard Gunship: I know this is a controversial set for some, but even if it's far less iconic I personally much prefer the paintjob of this iteration, and in general variation in LSW is great (both variation of individual ships and color variation across the line as a whole). Also, those minifigs SLAP, in particular I'm excited for Palpy and the new Shock Troopers. - Mandalorian Fang Fighter vs. TIE Interceptor: The Interceptor is one of the cleanest playscale ships they've ever done, and I think the minifig selection is excellent. Enough said. - Tenoo Jedi Temple: Obviously a very silly set, but it has a lot of great prints and some amazing minifigures. Definitely one I'll pick up if I can find it for 20% off. - Executor Super Star Destroyer: A gorgeous display piece that's very large for the price and will go great with the Nebulon-B Frigate from 2020 (one of my favorite Star Wars sets). That's probably it, though I might also pick up the LEGO Holiday Special set if it looks nice and has a good value.

Yeah, but it's pretty embarrassing when the $50 playset from a couple years ago does a better job than the $240 adult display model.

I mean, looking at how LEGO did C-3PO between the UCS Landspeeder and the diorama, I could see LEGO making the arm printing standard among rebel pilots starting with Yavin and keeping the double-molded legs exclusive to the X-wing (which I wouldn't mind because I don't love how they look).

2-3 pilots of unconfirmed identity, however we know one of them will be from Gold Squadron because of the included midi Y-Wing. If we get 3, my prediction is Evaan Verlaine (she was in Rogue One and canonically flew with Gold Squadron in the Battle of Yavin, plus she adds another girl to the set), Red Leader Garven Dreis (memorable character we've never gotten before, has a scene in the base) and then either Wedge or Biggs.

Okay? But if the book and the show don't contradict one another (and they don't), there's no reason to assume the book's figure of 144 is inaccurate.

I know the topic has moved past it, but I really love the new Fang Fighter vs. TIE Interceptor set, that TIE has to be one of the sleekest LSW sets yet, it looks perfect. That said, can someone explain what's so wrong with the minifig selection? It has an awesome Mando reprint (which is great for people who don't have his head and aren't interested in any of the other sets with the new helmet), a gorgeous new blue and silver Mando, a second copy of that great TIE Pilot update, and a coop generic astromech (something we don't see nearly enough if anymore). I mean, would it theoretically have been cooler if it had Thrawn or Gideon or someone? Sure, but I can still think of LSW sets with way worse selections at a similar price, and honestly some of you have been acting like this minifig selection shot your dog and bedded your wife, and I just don't see the issue.

According to FluffySky6 (the guy who leaked all the upcoming Star Wars prequel sets), the Sonic sets are going to include minifgs of Sonic and Tails (duh) as well as a large molded figure for Robotnik. No word on what era they're based on or if there will be multiple, but regardless I expect Robotnik to appear in the $50 and/or $100 sets, due to the poor price per piece in comparison to the other sets.

Is it possible that the red set is actually the unknown larger Ahsoka set and not the Gunship?

Agreed on that. Ironically enough the Sonic series also put out their April Fool's joke today... which is a hilarious visual novel that's been the highlight of my day.

That's fair, I know it was that way with TOMY's line for rights reasons but I forgot that the Jakks Sonic merch was also classic-only for the first six months. I suppose it's seen as the more generally popular version to test the waters of a toyline with (similar to how new Star Wars merch lines usually focus on the Original Trilogy at first).

Interesting descriptions. I imagine the "desert" will be Mirage Saloon (it's the only desert level the Tornado appears in), and I'm curious what the $60 set will turn out to be (my money's on Stardust Speedway). Odd that they use the word "platforms", considering the ball gimmick I imagine they'll be fully modular segments rather than individualized platforms like the Mario sets. It's a little disappointing that from this it seems the first wave is exclusively based on the Genesis games, but it does make sense. Not only does that make this first wave more cohesive with the Ideas set, but also because the majority of molds for Genesis characters could be reused for their modern counterparts, whereas the same doesn't go in reverse with the much larger modern cast.

As a huge LEGO fan and Sonic fan I'd just like to clarify: Sonic, Super Sonic, Shadow, and Metal Sonic all have different head/quill shapes and would require different head molds (Sonic has 6 downturned quills, Super Sonic has 6 sharply upturned quills, Shadow has 4 quills that turn down and out and two that curve lightly upward, and Metal has a completely different design with three triangular points out the back). SEGA has never allowed any official merchandise (action figures, plushies, etc) to reuse the same head molds/patterns between those characters, so I doubt they would start now. The only exception to this is that in the two Sonic Adventure games from 1999 and 2001 Super Sonic's quills were much more similar to Shadow's, but no merch has ever been made of that design and considering that this first wave is seemingly Genesis-based I imagine if we get a Super Sonic it'd be based on that appearance, not Sonic Adventure).

I think someone said yesterday (and I agree) that it could be that, since the film's plot is mostly shrouded in secrecy (*cough* TIME TRAVEL *cough), Lucasfilm is having LEGO hold off releasing the DoD sets until July or August, after the film has already hit theaters so as to not reveal the story. It would explain why we haven't heard anything on them yet, if they're trying to keep them under wraps like whenever they do spoiler sets for Marvel flicks.

Bilbo... The 77014 is still in your pocket.

Eh, we found out that three awesome sets are 100% getting a full release, are coming April 1, and are priced much more affordably than any of us had thought. I'd call that accomplishing at least a little bit.

Please do. I honestly doubt anyone on the Customer Support team knows much more about the set than we do, but I'd still be interested in seeing these messages.

When I first went on LEGO.com this morning, it was never mentioned in the description for 77015, only the other sets (as 77015 doesn't advertise the rest of the line like the other sets do). Not saying it definitely won't be removed from the other set descriptions, just that it's been the better part of a day and they still haven't done diddly.

It's mentioned in the "specifications" description for 77012 and 77013 - ironically enough the opposite of what @strangely said

So, uh... remember last week when I said "at least next week the reveal will finally give us answers"? Yeah, that was optimisticc, wasn't it? I'm glad to hear about the good prices on the three sets we're getting, but the Temple of Doom situation continues to stymie me. If their goal was to imply the set is just delayed, they did a terrible job of it considering that LAN members are taking their statement to report on the set being cancelled. If their goal was to confirm that the set's been cancelled, they did an EVEN WORSE job of it considering the vague wording of the statement, the references to it in set descriptions, customer service being left high and dry, etc. I mean, considering they told LAN members to use the ToD leaked picture when reporting on the set being cancelled, it honestly seems they were trying to make sure as many people know about the set and are as disappointed and mad as possible! And that was when it hit me. My friends, what you are about to read is almost certainly entirely false. It is the final desperate grasp of a man who is running on 85 minutes of sleep and has taken a lethal amount of copium over the last few weeks . There is a 99% chance that nothing I am about to say is remotely correct. But, dare I say that trusting in 1% chances is what life is all about. So sit back, take a sip from your nonexistent LEGO Holy Grail, and allow me to learn you something. ahem *puts on tinfoil hat* So, flash back a few months. LEGO decides to shelve the 77014 Temple of Doom set - we know this to be the case because it's been confirmed the set wasn't shown at Nuremberg Toy Fair. We don't know why it was shelved - a structural flaw, doubts on how well it would sell, Lucasfilm not thinking the minecart sequence is an "iconic scene" (which is absolute bullsh!t), LEGO not wanting to release a set based on a movie that features outdated and offensive stereotypical depictions of white women, etc. The reason doesn't really matter. Whether the set was just delayed or outright cancelled is equally irrelevant. All that matters is that it was decided the Temple of Doom would not release on April 1 with the other sets. And then the leak happened, and everyone got various levels of hyped for a new Temple of Doom set. And then we learned the set wasn't coming, and there was backlash from all fronts: LAN members, hardcore fans, even randos who just wanted a cool Indy LEGO set. And LEGO saw it all. Now, let me tell you something about the LEGO Group. Do they care about the fans? Sure. Do they care about making a good product? Of course. Do they care about sticking to their internal rules and values? On occasion. But there is one mistress the LEGO Group follows above all others: MONEY. LEGO's only real goal is to release products that sell. And they know that releasing a set that fans demand results in a massive windfall: Just look at the 501st Battle Pack, or the AT-TE with Cody. And here is a fan uproar bigger than either of those. What I am proposing is that, regardless of what happened behind the scenes with 77014 originally, LEGO now has full plans to release the set in some form in time. They saw the backlash to the rumors of the set's cancellation and are now intentionally stoking it so that in a few months when they announce the set they can claim they brought it out "because of fan demand" and make an absolute boatload off of it. It's the only explanation that makes sense - why their statement is so ludicrously vague and nonsensical, why the set is still referenced on the site, why Target's computers show there's supposed to be a set between 77013 (IP4-2) and 77015 (IP4-4) even though they didn't go up on the site until after the ToD would have been shelved, why customer service wasn't given any info, why LAN is being told to use the leaked picture to show off the cancelled set, everything. (Or maybe LEGO is just incompetent I dunno )

I don't know if we should immediately jump to incompetence rather than thinking this is further evidence it could just be delayed. This wouldn't be the first time a LEGO description makes reference to the name and number of another set not yet revealed.

Really? I'll barely need the top of a bookshelf.