Classic_Spaceman

While they do look more Mass Effect than some of the classic themes do, CS ’24-‘25 is no more realistic than something like Mars Mission. IMO, it just looks like Futuron if it were designed in the 2020’s instead of the 1980’s (and with blue swapped for orange).

I am in!

I doubt that they will, though I disagree that Vader can use a rubber cape! I do like the reuse of the Asgardian cape for Magneto, though, since it fits his classic costume better than a cloth one would.

After the theme ended, we got nothing for M:Tron aside from a couple of Easter eggs on modern-day Minifigs' torsos (and far fewer of them than Classic Space and Blacktron got during the same time), so IMO M:Tron is more alive now than ever before in the 21st Century! As far as parts for future sets go, trans-neon green's demise is reversible, and even if it never returns, that vibrancy can be replicated in new sets via lime or neon yellow; for magnets, we could see something like the 2020 ones come back (themselves a revival of magnets after around a decade of their absence!), or they could be replaced with various claws and clamps (as with the Powerlifter).

An update:

And it is $80, right? Based on it having a similar PPP to the command rover, I think we can assume it will have a Technic frame as the core, both for durability and to allow for of swapping modules, and that it will be around the same size. For the overall structure, I suspect that there will be a cockpit module, an engine module, and a central body (with interior) that makes up the bulk of the build. I am hoping that there will also be attachment points on the sides of the body section, to allow pods to connect. Two cockpits and engines would be really nice, but I doubt that will happen at 717 pieces - Maybe two of the set can be combined into a large ship with dual cockpits and engines, as well as an expanded interior and more side pod attachments (if those are included)? This would only work, however, if the ship has a delta shape with large enough 'wings' to allow for more than just a central rear attachment point (I am thinking of a combination of the SP2 and SP3 command ships for the shaping).

The new Ultimate Wolverine does look good, but he feels more likely to appear as a book Minifig than in a regular set. I think that LEGO is trying to balance the fact that hero mechs sell better with kids than villain ones do (characters like Joker, Harley, Thanos, etc aside) with a way to increase play value and provide a “battle in a box” with each set. That said, two Minifigs per mech makes these sets a better deal (especially since Lex and Ultron look great and have a number of new prints/recolours!) - I am actually looking forward to seeing what LEGO does with the mech line going forward (since they obviously are not going anywhere). Maybe a Wolverine mech vs. Sabretooth? Black Panther mech vs. comic Klaue? Sentinel mech vs. Cable? Spider-Mech vs. Rhino? Wonder Woman mech vs. Cheetah? Mr. Fantastic mech vs. Doom?

Instead of just doing Rebels vs. Empire again, the Sequels should have made the good guys the New Republic (rather than the ragtag Resistance) and the First Order a neo-Imperial insurgent group that grows in power over the course of the trilogy (similar to the Separatists in that respect). The FO are clearly intended to be Empire fanboys, but they are too well-equipped from the start to feel realistic (especially since Palpatine only shows up and provides resources in EP.9 - Having him be a presence throughout the trilogy (as many suspected he was after TFA, given the holographic ‘strings’ on Snoke!), even if only known to the audience, would have helped soften his “somehow” return). Additionally, I am even OK with Starkiller Base and the destruction of Hosnian Prime (as I can buy that the FO finished a secret Imperial project on Ilum), but this should have been moved to the second movie in the trilogy, in order to act as the turning point in which the First Order becomes a full-on threat to the NR. For EP.9, I would have liked to see some planets (perhaps ones that suffered the least under Imperial control?) have defected to the First Order and the Galaxy descend into a “World War” of sorts between the equally-powerful New Republic and First Order. The heroes can still get a win by taking out Palpatine and Exegol (thereby preventing him and the FO from gaining absolute control), but the First Order should not have been defeated; a better ending would have the NR and FO in a stalemate after Palpatine’s final defeat, which leads into a “Galactic Cold War” era for the next trilogy.

What constitutes “Minifig-Scale” also depends on how Minifigs look beside the model and how they fit inside it - Some Speed Champions vehicles look too large because Minifigs seem short in comparison, while starfighters can feel too small simply because Minifigs’ unique proportions can be difficult to fit comfortably into a cockpit!

The one chrome part to rule them all. . .

I disagree. The only exclusive pieces are Wu's torso, Mrs. Castillo's body, and the sign; while nice to get, none of those really fit into traditional Castle settings, and the rest of the set is an easy PAB purchase. The Space one was even more accessible, as the only exclusive elements were one printed part and the purple CS torso with purple arms and hands already attached. Obviously, I would love for this set (and similar sets!) to be available for purchase somehow, but I am not really seeing this as a "personal F-U" to fans. In fact, I see this as a sign that LEGO is internally recognising the importance and popularity of the classic themes - Last year's set was Space, and we got a full Space subtheme in City the very next year (which is continuing into 2025, and we are getting with something to do with Blacktron!); not only is this set Castle, it also recognises classic themes like Space (robot) and Adventurers (Johnny Thunder) alongside modern themes like Ninjago (Wu) and Dreamzzz (Mrs. Castillo)! Am I saying that this is a pattern, and that we will get City Castle next year? No. What I mean is that LEGO clearly recognises the classic themes as being significant and important, which bodes well for more classic-inspired or remake sets in the future!

Ah, OK. 👍

I honestly doubt it - Only a Human could be as weird and unhinged as turtle/@RiddlerDC is!

The cape just looks like BTAS Batman’s in dark blue, so that will definitely show up in a future set.

We have a fur collar piece, so printing on an obviously-fur cloak is not really different.

Better pics are out; the Minifigs seem to be other characters in Castle costumes, with Wu as Majisto (new, exclusive, torso print), Mrs. Castillo as Willa (new, exclusive, body print), Johnny Thunder as a Forestman, and the cyber drone robot as a Black Falcon knight. The updated version of the YC shield has a gold border, while the shield in this set does not appear to have one ; this is a minor difference, but it does make the TMoP set’s shield look more like the original piece.

I am personally hoping for fur printing (wavy lines to simulate texturing).

I am realising that this mystery bit around the collar could also be a chain clasp for the cloak (as the falconer had). Majisto’s cape appears to be BTAS Batmobile Batman’s, while the Johnny Thunder Forestman has Loki’s cape. I am not sure what the Mrs. Castillo body is from, though it may potentially appear in a 2025 Dreamzzz set (maybe for an evil counterpart, as the other characters have gotten?); Majisto's legs seem to be from Jay’s Legacy suit, despite that part being out of production for the past few years. The Black Falcon looks pretty standard (I can see a blue torso, PDG legs with blue print, and PDG arms with black hands - Nothing new here), though the head print is difficult to make out - Maybe the Ninjago Wolf Mask warriors’ head? IDK about this one. For the exclusive elements (“The Magic of Play” sign, and possibly the Yellow Castle shield), I am assuming stickers like last year. I do hope that we get instructions/better pics for it, though, since this is a really cute little magic shop (reminds me of the numerous low price-point classic Castle sets) that would fit nicely into a medieval scene!

From additional leaked images of the Series 27 Wolfpack beastmaster: - Scar over the left eye (not visible in the first image). - Sword is a reuse of the Tournament Knight’s, as most suspected (the first image made it look potentially new). - Torso is new; it looks like padded leather with the Wolfpack crest in the centre, and either fur or chainmail poking out from under the collar. Arms are single-moulded from what I can see, and any printing that may be on them is covered by the Minifig’s posing. - Legs are dual-moulded and printed, with a belt printed on the hips (rather than on the torso, as seen in the MTS). - Arms and the top half of the legs (bottom are brown boots) are either black or PDG; it could just be a factor of the render and/or image quality, but the legs seem to be a different colour from the hood (which is definitely black). Both colours make sense, as black works for fabric (as in the MTS torso) and PDG works for armour. - Cape is a new element, which looks more like a big fur pelt than the traditional Superman-style capes. If there is printing, it is not visible in these images. - The wolf is light grey and decently large (standing to a bit above a Minifig’s waist, and wider than dog moulds). Overall, I like what am seeing!!

I am thinking of what LEGO could do at a $70 price point, then adding that to the existing set - I am thinking extended walls (for more courtyard space), an enclosed Governor’s office, and larger interior sections (behind the gate and under the crane) so that the table does not have to be outside! Throw in a couple more Minifigs (two soldiers and one pirate) and improve the dock (expand it and use modern design standards rather than sticking so closely to the OG), and the set would feel more worth its price. Futuron (and Classic Space before it) was about exploration, until Blacktron showed up the first time! Also, I think that LEGO was trying to steer away from the SP3 xenophobia with the new aliens (since kids now do not automatically assume that aliens are evil!), so conflict, should LEGO want to add any, would need to come from elsewhere - And who does not love space pirates! That all being said, I realise that this is mostly hopium on my part, since I would really love to see the classic factions revived as evergreen City subthemes (especially since the core ones fit into the existing City archetypes). This is where we differ - I consider both to be Blacktron (in the same way that SP1 and SP2 are both Space Police), so the name could refer to B1, B2, or even a new B3 design.

It is difficult to make out details on the sets themselves (primarily the Tumbler), but these look pretty good! The Supermech is basically what I was expecting, though it appears to have a jetpack rather than anything to suggest a cape. The Minifigs also look good, though they are hurt by the lack of leg printing (especially Two-Face and Joker), and Superman should at least have gotten dual-moulded legs - Not all versions have the trunks, but but Superman always has red boots! I do like that he has a new torso, since it honestly would not have surprised me if LEGO just reused the old one. Lexavier is probably the most well-designed ‘fig of the wave, and he looks excellent; I do wish that we had gotten Dark Trooper armour to bulk him up a bit, and the transparent shoulders look a bit odd (I get what they were going for, but solid ones would look better). That said, since the shoulder armour is available in purple from PAB, I will probably just swap it out. Overall, the Supermech is a standout - Which could mean either good or bad things for the DC theme, depending on how you look at it! On to the Man sets, Joker looks good (printed legs would make him look better, but he can work without them), but I do get the complaints about Two-Face; I think the main issue is that TDK’s Harvey is a bit gruesome for LEGO, so he had to be toned down, which in turn made him look more awkward than horrifically scarred. I am still withholding judgement until I see better pics, and from different angles. Mister Freeze could definitely have benefitted from dual-moulded legs, but I like his overall design (something of a modernised version of his ‘66 suit), and it seems like 4+ Man has a new torso print! Still a black suit, but he seems to have armour plates rather than visible muscles (essentially the Returns suit to the usual 4+ sets’ ‘89 suit), as well as a split belt buckle design.

It would have, but I think people overall would be happier with the set if it were larger. At $215, Eldorado Fortress straddles the line between a large playset (such as we get in Ninjago) and an 18+ Icons set, which carries over into the size and detail level; if this were the flagship set of a new Pirates line, the model would be great, but as a nostalgia-based 18+ set, it falls short. Bumping the price up to $300 would allow the fort to be more substantial, while not losing many (if any!) of the intended buyers. Blacktron's overall colour-scheme (black, yellow, white, lime, trans-yellow, trans-neon/trans-bright green, trans-red), while technically not a true inversion of the CS '24-'25 colours (orange inverts to blue, lime inverts to purple, etc), contrasts well enough with the established 'good guy' colour-scheme to feel plausible for a criminal faction of City Space. Nothing has been stated either way; also, you are assuming that "Blacktron" refers to the Blacktron I and not the faction overall. We could be getting a "Blacktron III", for all we know RN!

My issue is not with the brickbuilt ‘baseplate’, but with the fact that LEGO did not size the model up the way that they did with the GE. As a result, it feels small and the interior is very sparse! Do we know anything else specific? Price, part-count, etc? Also, if we are actually getting multiple Blacktron sets, do you think that it will be an 18+ Icons set and a GWP? BTW, can you confirm that the Blacktron set(s?) will be part of the Icons line? With City Space taking a futuristic turn and continuing into 2025, I could honestly see Blacktron showing up in City at this point (maybe with City Space Police to arrest them?)!

Agreed! This shot shows that Gunn actually gets who Superman is! I love the vibe of just a regular country guy sitting on the front porch with his dog - Who also happen to be able to fly and survive in space! First, that implies that Gunn is loyal to Marvel as a company (not just that he prefers their characters/comics), and second, DC was doing a perfectly good job of blundering their cinematic universe on their own (so if Gunn really wanted to “destroy” them, he should have just let them keep on with what they were already doing!). Also, no Christ imagery thus far! I get where it comes from, but Snyder really overdid it to the point that it made Supes hard to relate to as a person. Our first two (official) looks at the character show him doing entirely Human things (pulling his boots on to go to ‘work’ on his day off, sitting on his front porch with his dog and looking at the ‘stars’). 👍

Fair!