Classic_Spaceman

While I do agree with the criticisms of the MTS, I feel that the set is suffering for our having actually seen the prelim. Looking back over the prior Castle Icons sets, many of the same issues show up. The blacksmith ($180) had only two animals (dog, horse) and five new printed elements (BF torso and legs, blacksmith torso, sign, and horse); the LKC ($400) had seven animals (cow, two horses, bird, lamb, two bats, and a frog), 17 new prints (LK torso and legs, LK Lady torso and legs, Forestmen torso, peasant male torso, peasant female torso, eight shields, and two bardings (I am not counting the Yellow Castle crown shield or cow as new prints, as they were reuses from City or CMFs)), and a pack of cloth elements (a cape and two different flags). Also, in both of these sets there is only one printed piece that could realistically have been a sticker - The blacksmith’s sign. Comparing this to the MTS ($230), the seven animals (two birds, kitten, goat, squirrel, frog, and bat) and eight new prints (four unique peasant torsos, tax collector’s torso and legs, Wolfpack torso, and oval Lion shield) seem in-line with the pattern already established. Additionally, the MTS has far more patterned elements than either of the previous two did, so LEGO going with stickers here when they did not for the blacksmith makes sense (though is disappointing nonetheless). That said, I do think that the lack of at least a horse, a second goat, a second guard, an adult cheesemaker (perhaps reusing the dark green female peasant torso from the LKC), and 1-2 more printed shields (LKC reuses) makes the set feel oddly sparse. This would have been doable, and even if the price were increased to $250, the set would feel more substantial and worth the price as a result.

I certainly hope not, though I do find it suspicious that we have not gotten any new information beyond the initial description. What was the original source of the rumour?

Ah, I was looking at the small, blurry, image on the back of the box.

It is, actually!

There appears to be an interesting piece of lore on one of the screens in the science lab (the one above the bed) - It seems to be a TV with a soccer player on it, but the player in-question is a Minidoll rather than a Minifig! We have gotten LEGO City/Heartlake City references in Friends and City respectively, but this is the first indication (that I have seen, at least) that 'figs and 'dolls actually coexist within the same world (as opposed to there being unseen Minidoll City and Minifig Friends themes).

This looks excellent! The lack of a robot and inability to reconfigure the wall sections are minor disappointments, and the use of stickers for all new (non-Minifig) patterned pieces really bothers me (I was hoping for some new printed consoles). Other than that, though, I like it! The spacesuit alien is adorable (nice detail that it wears a helmet inside the base), the trans-black quarter domes are very useful, and the structure overall lends itself to being modified and used in multiples to create a large base. I also appreciate the design-language consistency in that the wheelchair-accessible hoverbike has a similar design as the polybag one. That is what I was thinking as well.

While I am not a fan of the buildable figures, I really like the brickbuilt detailing on Gobby’s suit; LEGO could have used stickers or even prints, but the tiles do a good job of representing the armour’s segmented plates.

It looks like a vertical sliding door similar to the main base’s, and there may be a second screen on the other side of the door (the image is cropped, so the edge of that segment is not visible). Something else that I noticed - The wall segments appear to be connected via clip and bar bricks instead of traditional hinges. This means that the airlocks can be rearranged to create more uniquely-shaped complexes (when combined with multiples and other sets)! Most sets have side-builds, and nearly all of the City Space ones do (the Interstellar Spaceship is the one exception, and even that has a small drone-jetpack), so I expect that there are a few bits that are just out of view. Maybe a robot and a small rover? 🤔 One thing that is a bit unlikely but that I would like to see is an exo-suit of some sort for the green guy; a wheelchair is fine for inside the base, but there is nowhere for him to put a life-support pack or equipment (and I have no idea how he would be able to navigate over the rough terrain!).

I think that there will be a module included, as two airlock pieces can be seen connected on the right side of the image, but given the overall structure and $35 price tag, I suspect that there is not much more to this set than what we currently see. I am honestly fine with that, though, since it makes the set easy to modify and expand the overall facility (sleeping quarters module, mess hall module, etc). Those plants appeared in the landscape side-build in the command rover, so maybe the frogs are meant to be blossoms? That or space frogs.

First pic of the science lab! I cannot tell if the quarter domes are clear or trans-black, due to the dark blue background. I really like the rock column that the lab seems to be built around and the fact that the structure unfolds, though I do wish that there were more research equipment besides 3-4 stickered screens. Two airlocks make this easy to connect with the other sets (and to combine multiples, as the set is only $35 IIRC), and the front door seems to be built similarly to that of the main base. Unfortunately no new colour (just green and dark blue reuses), but the spacesuit print Dreamling body is really cute, and I like the concept of one of the little aliens befriending the astronauts and working alongside them! That is really cute! No new canopies, but some clever reuses of the ones from the Mars base; I particularly like the curved module roof piece being used as a windscreen. Also, those wheels are back in production after a few years (new Clone Turbo Tank coming?), and the reddish orange recolour will come in very handy. I wonder if we will see some blue aliens show up in any of the City sets. 🤔

The CMF series sounds amazing! The only thing that I am disappointed with is that the heads have male and female alternate printing; I would rather get separate heads, so that they are more reusable and we (potentially) get more expressions overall. Also, it would be nice if the tiefling were red instead of orange, so that the Nexo Knights lava monster pieces can be used with the hair/horns piece (as it will presumably have moulded ears).

It would be unlikely for any other theme, but skins/characters are central to Fortnite, so there is a chance.

I was referring to parts that might be printed together at the same time, like the newspapers in the Daily Bugle.

Battle Royale is a game mode in Fortnite.

I think that this only works with flat tiles. 🫤

Lord Ras looks great! I am curious as to whether his stripes’ colour change is permanent (continuing into S3 and beyond), or if this is just a powered-up version.

This is interesting - The Source Dragons are sources of the essences of elemental powers, not the powers themselves. 🤔 I can see something like: Motion (Fire, Heat), Stillness (Ice, maybe Earth), Fluidity (Water, Lightning (maybe), Wind, Form), Durability (Earth, Fusion, Metal), etc. Light, Shadow, and Smoke are probably from the same source, and Nature and Energy probably share a source as well.

Source? The Valentine’s Day photo has definite 1960’s vibes, but nothing that explicitly specifies the time period.

Just dropping in to apologise for being absent for the past few days - I have had some serious family issues come up, which have taken my attention! 😬

Yes!! I knew Ras was from Chima! Based on his description, it seems like Chima is part of the Wyldness rather than the other way around. 🤔 BTW, according to Tommy Andreasen, there is a passage to other Realms located under the Forever Rock, so perhaps that is how Ras got to Imperium in the first place. Chima has been part of the Ninjago-verse since Possession. I believe that those are their tournament suits! The new shoulder armour seems to be the same one that Zane wears in the other display. I would normally be annoyed by the reused Island hairpieces, since the Ninja do not usually wear headbands, but I think that it suits the tournament theme. Lloyd and Sora both have the same two gold arms with printing; also, Sora’s gold arm was confirmed last year to just be armour rather than a prosthetic.

Not really, since the Christmas sets have all focused on the secular aspects of the holiday (Santa, etc); if we get a Nativity scene, that would be different! That was also a mausoleum (just designed to look like a mosque), but good point; I see it as being more similar to the Great Pyramid. Obviously not! I just meant that Notre Dame is still a place of worship for an actively-practiced religion. BTW, I feel like I should clarify that I do not have any issue with LEGO making religious sites; I just thought that it was interesting.

And Zanth in S1. Interesting theory! Considering that the Lloyd/Arin mech and Zane’s race car from S1 were not built specifically for the Ninja, I can see this happening. I think that LEGO is just trying to get as much use out of the baby Riyu mould while they can.

@Duvors You good?

I was referring to the religion being currently-practiced; the Great Pyramid of Giza certainly had religious significance during the time that is depicted in the set, but not anymore.

Good point about the Minifig budget, though are we sure that we are getting an X-wing vs. TIE set? I thought that was one of the fake leaks. 🫤 Regardless, I doubt that we would get Nien Nunb in an OT set, given the anniversary Minifig distribution.