voltio

Sgt. Voltio to Adm. TK: Understood, sir, my squad and I will arrest the traitor before he escapes. Stormtrooper: "Sergeant, the traitor may try to commandeer a fighter or shuttle." Sgt. Voltio: "Negative, Sylp would not have the requisite training to pilot a ship. Check the escape pod banks. Set your blasters on stun, our superior officers will want to deal with him personally." [Voltio and 6 troopers quick-march to the escape pods. Two corridors later, they discover Sylp trying to conceal himself behind a bulkhead.] Voltio: "It's over, Sylp. (to soldiers) FIRE!" [sylp collapses] (to squad) "Take him to the brig, and keep him under constant guard."

[sgt. Voltio is undergoing training with new communications equipment during the journey through hyperspace. Suddenly, he notices an odd signal (Lord Sylp's defection transmission) emanating from elsewhere aboard General Casewindu's flagship.] Voltio: "Strange, that's not an Imperial encryption protocol. It looks unauthorized." [After further analysis, Voltio sees evidence of subterfuge) (to Admiral TK): "Admiral, it appears that someone aboard the General's ISD is attempting to send an unauthorized transmission. I believe it may be a rebel action, and intend to send in my squad in a search of the ship to investigate."

When I was growing up, my parents bought me a few MB and Best-Lock kits, so I still have some clone bricks floating around. Since there are so few parts from those old sets left, the ones I find take a quick trip to the trashcan. I have no qualms about this, since the number of bricks involed is far too few to give to charity. If I were to find, say, a ProBuilder set laying around, I would give it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. On a side note, that Wikipedia entry on NeoShifters is pretty funny. It's as though an uber-fan or MB employee wrote it. I'm no fan of Bionicle, but I will admit that some elements from it are useful in MOCs or sets, like the nicely articulated dragons from the Vikings line. By contrast, NeoShifters seems poorly compatible with other MB themes, from what Deinonychus has observed.

I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on the sustainability of the USA's low savings rate, but I can provide perspective on the first part of your post. It is true that demand for Lego products in America has increased in 2006, and even more in 2007 (a quick internet search for "lego profit 2007" turns up numerous articles to this effect). But based on my personal experience, the "numerous discounts" are harder to find now than in the past. Kmart, Target, and Walmart no longer hold 50% off Lego sales (Kmart's biggest Lego sale of 2007 was 33% off, and only for a few hours on the day after Thanksgiving. Target and Walmart did not have any.) True, discontinued sets sometimes turn up for over 50% off, but finding deals like these on desirable sets (not, say, minifigure-scale Bionicle) is rare. I also disagree with your contention that buyers on Ebay are willing to pay more than MSRP for current Lego on Ebay. We have all seen the intense appreciation of some discontinued sets, like the 7666 Hoth Base or 4501 Mos Eisley Cantina, for example. But when most Lego sets are available, that is, not discontinued, they sell for MSRP or less on the secondary market. For example, I won a brand-new 7661 Jedi Starfighter on Ebay that cost me $40 including shipping. MSRP for that set is $50. And while some people are willing to pay $200 for a 4504 Millennium Falcon that has been discontinued, those people likely make up a relatively small portion of Lego's customer base. Most parents who see Lego in a store would not pay those prices, and Lego would lose market share to MegaBloks or another cheaper toy. The empty shelves production at that time. Also, stores are pretty chaotic during the holiday season (Nov-Jan), and stphenomenon is/was mostly a supply-chain or seasonal issue, IMO. I saw a lot of empty shelves in early 2007, but TLG was in the midst of outsourcing ocks of most good toys are depleted. And, I believe Lego IS a "premium toy" in America. Even though it is comparatively cheap here, compared to Europe (I feel your pain, and sympathize :-( ) , other toys/gifts are far cheaper. For example, for the price of the latest City gas station, a parent could also buy a giant Hotwheels toy car track set, a Nintendo Wii video game, or a very nice pair of Reeboks or Nike shoes. During the latest "made in china" quality scare, many parents viewed Lego and Duplo as safe, trustworthy alternatives because of their premium image.

Neither did I, until I disassembled a Final Duel set I'd had on display for 3+ years. When I pulled the lightsabers out of Luke and Vader's hands, I was surprised to see an odd milky-gray plastic peeking through the damaged chrome. Like the Castle Greatswords, chrome lightsabers can flake even if used gently. I'd replace them, but they cost $1 each on Bricklink. For that reason, I think the shift to bley lightsaber hilts is better for the long-term durability of sets, and saves money for both the consumer and TLG.

I bought most of the original 2006 line at half-off, and was impressed by the high parts to price ratio and original designs. As others have said, however, some 2007 sets had fewer pieces than they ought to have contained, and the design/color choices were not as slick as in the first wave (Just compare a beautiful Striking Venom to a :-X Combat Crawler X2). I'm not surprised that sales sputtered, since my local Lego store is glutted with clearanced 2007 EF. My opinion of this cancellation really depends on what theme replaces EF. If Agents is the replacement (please, TLC, let it not be!), then I think that Lego is substituting a sure-fire failure in place of an established line that was starting to turn the corner, at least from a design standpoint, with the parts-rich and appealing Deep Jungle sets of this year. If, on the other hand, TLC launches a new, well-designed space theme that can appeal to kids as well as AFOLs in place of Exo-Force, then Sensei Keiken, Meca One, Takeshi, Ryo, Ha-ya-to and the rest were sacrificed for a good cause.

I'm shocked and amazed by your mods, Sinner! Now the Fiorano is better than the Super Car Mk. II. *wub* I always liked the looks of this set, but was disappointed that Lego didn't include more technical advances, as befitting a $110 USD model. I hope Lego looks at what you've done and gains inspiration for the next flagship Technic Ferrari, as I'm sure an RC FXX or F430 would be a sales success.

Excellent! These are exactly the kind of 'figure pack' that many fans, including myself, have been dreaming about for years. No more having to buy small sets with catapults (I have way, way too many already) to amass a faction. *y* $10 should be the max for these, considering that the 2008 SW battle packs cost $10 as well, have only one less figure, and include a vehicle.

Dropship Pilot to Sgt. Voltio: "Sergeant, we're coming in for landing. Has the power plant been neutralized?" Voltio: "You're clear for approach." [The Imperial Landing Craft touches down. Sgt. Voltio's troops board first, so that the ship's medical droids can begin treatment for radiation exposure, followed by Sgt. VBBN's soldiers.] Sgt. VBBN: "That's everyone, pilot. We're ready for departure." [The ILC returns to General Casewindu's Star Destroyer.]

I don't think that high-quality Castle sets of the late 70's, 80's, and early '90s can ever be called obsolete. I love the new Crown Knights, but there will always be a place in my heart for the sets I grew up with (Dragon Masters! *wub* ). What may suffer in popularity are the less popular Castle sets like KK1, KK2, and Fright Knights. To make room for Castle 2007, I sold my 6091 King Leo's Castle; it just could not compare in terms of minifigure selection, parts count, or realism.

I am not really sold on the Clone Wars-style face printings, at least not for human characters like Obi-Wan (or as he was hilariously described earlier, Conan O'Brien). But you're right; extra Obi heads aren't that expensive, and I happen to have an extra one from the 7665 Republic Cruiser. A quick head swap and he's fine. Since I've never seen non-cartoon versions of Asajj and Ashoka, I have no problem with their heads. Plo-Koon's is also OK from what I can tell. I can understand why Lego made this decision (aren't the Avatar and Spongebob lines done in cartoon style?), and since most of the CW 'figs look pretty decent, I'll probably buy most of this wave. *y*

Sgt. Voltio to Sgt. VBBN: "It's just as well that the second landing craft has not arrived. I'm at what's left of the power plant right now, along with my squad. We were too late for the cooling chamber, and an ancilliary reactor suffered a leak, but we have the blaze under control. We had already imprisoned the Mon Cal fire-response teams, so they could not arrive in time; we used emergency fire-retarding vehicles stored at a nearby warehouse." Sgt. Voltio to General Casewindu: "Sir, the power plant is beyond repair, but should not prove damaging to incoming landing vessels. Some of my men may have been exposed to radiation, so I am requesting a medical detail at the LZ at first opportunity."

Sgt. Voltio to Sgt. VBBN: "This interference shouldn't be a problem; my squad is at the landing zone with the Mon Cal and Quarren captives, and we're only a few kilometers away from their location. We will quick-march to the LZ, and set off emergency signal flares to make sure the landing craft sees us." Sgt. VBBN: "Troops, move out!"

:-$ Thanks for the clarification. I will try to adhere to this advice in the future.

Sgt. Voltio to Gen. Casewindu: "Understood, sir. We have the rebels cornered inside the powerplant, so we should not be long." Voltio to his men: "Go back downtown and round up more civilians for our Imperial work crews. These rebels are nothing." [sgt. Voltio and Sgt. VBBN, along with VBBN's troopers, search the plant. Suddenly, a firefight breaks out.] Voltio: "Take no prisoners!" [a sheet of blaster fire crushes the Rebel irregulars. The plant is secure.] Sgt. VBBN: "These 'soldiers' were nothing more than a local militia." (to Gen. Casewindu): "The situation here is under control, General. We will round up as many local slaves as we can before pickup."

Chester FTW! *y* It has a friendly Lego-ish quality that Jimmy or Jasper don't have.

Sgt. Voltio to Sgt. VBBN: "Message received. Four of my troops and myself are on the way." (We commandeer two Clone Swamp Speeders, small anti-infantry repulsor vehicles) "Sergeant, we've arrived at your coordinates with extra firepower."

My mom's old cats never really interacted much with my Lego creations; I think I have only one chewed part, a black loudhailer. One time, though, Mom's big male tabby was sick, and spit up on my new Dino Research Compound. :-X

Back on topic... I'm fine with my younger cousins playing with 80-90% of my collection, but there are sets and minifigures I put away when they visit. For example, we've had a lot of fun playing with Alpha Team, Aquazone, and Adventurers, but they've never seen (and will not see for several years) my UCS Rebel Blockade Runner and 7190 Princess Leia. I'm sure that they have more fun with sets intended for their age group, anyway. *sweet*

To Sgt. VBBN: "We've reached the Mayoral Palace." (The palace is lightly guarded; my troops quickly dispose of the Quarren guards. They then place small explosives charges near a rear entrance, open the door, and enter) Stormtrooper: "Sergeant, the mayor and the assembly have retreated to the saferoom on the lower level, sir." Sgt. Voltio: "I have several Mon Cal civilians here. These Rebel species are weak; if we threaten to kill these prisoners, they will surrender. Mayor Thaneespi is likely watching us on palace surveillance as we speak, so it should not be long." Stormtrooper: "Yes, sir." (Trooper jabs a civilian in the chest with his blaster barrel. Seconds later, Mayor Thaneespi and her staff exit the saferoom.) Voltio: "We shouldn't have any trouble with her. Trooper, put restraints on these captives and send them double-time to the landing zone." [To Gen. Casewindu]: "Sir, I've captured the mayor and am en route to assist Sgt. VBBN. My prisoners will be under guard and ready for pickup at the coordinates embedded in this message."

Sgt. Voltio to Sgt. VBBN: I've sent my squad on patrol, and there appears to be little armed resistance in this city. We are nearest to the Mayoral Palace, so we will round up the mayor and his advisors there. If what we've seen is typical, you shouldn't have any problems with the City Assembly either. I will report back once the Palace is under control.

No, but 1996 corrupted the minds of thousands! (Imperial Armada was new for '96, no?) Either way, hilarious. Lego should be ashamed of itself! >:-( :-P

Sergeant Voltio to General Casewindu: "Thank you, sir. My men and I will arrive at Coral City and rendezvous with Sergeant VBBN there."

IMO, the set should include minifigures and be from the OT. Although I'm probably being premature, a minifigures-included Tantive IV that's larger and more detailed than the 7665 Republic Cruiser would be nice. *wub*

I know that US prices are a relative, heck, an absolute bargain when compared to anywhere else, but I still find myself passing on excellent stuff for want of $$$. There is not much space in a college dorm for Lego, and a $40 AT-AP costs the same as 100 packets of Ramen noodles. 8-|