The Stud

That’s the reasoning Lego’s designers gave and I’m not sure if I really buy it. Fallen Order’s around the same rating as Overwatch, Square Enix Avengers, the Battlefront games, and The Force Unleashed; all of those have gotten Lego sets. Lego is just very inconsistent with their logic sometimes. A Mantis would have sold well if they released one when the game was still relevant, or if they end up releasing one when Fallen Order 2 comes out, and they can just slap the ‘ol 18+ label on there if they felt like it was too graphic.

I’ve kinda already talked myself out of getting the UCS Gunship, so this meh figure selection will just make it easier for me to pass on it. I’ll either just wait for the next System-scale one or just bite the bullet and buy the 2013 version. (Or the third option, the one I hope doesn’t happen for the sake of my space and wallet, is that I end up really loving the UCS Gunship in spite of its scale and figure selection and get it anyway.)

I still just want the Mantis from Fallen Order. That game did really well and if Lego can do something super obscure like the IT-S Transport at a $100 price point, I don’t know what’s stopping them from doing something based off of what is arguably the best received Star Wars game from the last ten years. Heck, with Marvel, they’ve done a ton of sets based off the Square Enix Avengers game, which fell hard on its face. Hopefully Lego will put out a set or two to tie in with the sequel whenever that comes out. I’d be happy with just the Mantis (with Cal, BD-1, Cere, Greez, and Merrin figures) and they can just throw Trilla in with a TIE Interceptor if they ever make a new one. The High Republic has a bunch of interesting character and ships designs, and with The Acolyte coming out in the next couple years, along with rumors of an animated show and video game, I have to imagine we’ll get something Lego related eventually. Maybe if The Skywalker Saga is really successful, they could even do High Republic DLC later on, though that’s a long shot.

I hate being negative about Lego, but to quote Syndrome: “Lame, lame, LAME!” The news of a Marvel Advent Calendar is exciting, but the Christmas Iron Man figure is probably going to just be using the Square Enix helmet which is meh. The rest of the figures are what’s going to sell me on the set in the end. Confirmation of a Disney+ set is nice, but we’re only getting one set with at least four(?) shows coming out this year? A lot of Avengers sets that will most likely just be more lackluster vehicles and minifigures. I imagine one of them will be a wonky looking Quinjet, unless that ends up being the D2C. The worst part is that the designs will probably still be based off of the failed video game, yet all we have to show for the critically acclaimed Spider-Man game, and the well-received spin-off, are two Comic Con figures? (I know that the lack of sets for that probably has more to do with the merchandising rights for Spidey belonging to Disney and not Sony, but you get my point.) The most disappointing thing to me is that we only have three Spider-Man sets, and I have a feeling that the 4+ one won’t even have anything to do with the movie. I just don’t get it. Lego will do entire waves dedicated to bad Spidey sets based off nothing in particular, but when they have the chance to do a bunch of sets based off of what might be the biggest Spider-Man movie yet? We’re seemingly only getting two sets that probably won’t be anything too substantial. I really hope we end up getting more, whether that be before or after the movie comes out.

I can’t believe the disrespect the box designers have shown towards my homie Jay. (Especially because his movie redesign looks almost exactly like me if I were a Lego minifigure.) The builds for the Cole and Zane sets were pretty lacking, but I think it’s pretty cool that the trans orange/blue/gray/yellow weapons in each of the sets have the Golden Weapons molded into them. That’s precisely why I haven’t been posting on here this week. Lego is supposed to be my escape from the toxicity of real life, but this AFOL community hasn’t really filled that purpose recently. The 2021 Star Wars thread has devolved back into complaining about a regional exclusive set from last year and in this thread, there was a fascinating debate about... ladders and stairs that weren’t included in the Gardens. Anyway, The Island looks pretty interesting. It’s kinda interesting that we’re seeing the same “Ninja travel through the jungle without Wu” angle from the movie, as well as the “Misako goes missing on an expedition on a distant island” plot that @Guyon2002 pointed out, combined into this special. Most of the sets seem to be present in the trailer with the only notable omission so far being the guy with TLBM Joker’s hair in gray. Hopefully it shows up on Youtube, because Cartoon Network sure as hell won’t air it for months in the US.

This definitely is something I wasn’t expecting. I guess you could say it was a n-ice surprise. Controversy will be somewhat inevitable when it gets revealed to the general public. Including the iceberg or any characters from the famous movie would be a little on the morbid side, but I’m sure the ship itself will look fantastic. Titanic MOCs and sets from knock-off brands are so prevalent that it would be a waste for Lego not to capitalize on it at some point I suppose.

I wouldn’t say “Lego has lost their way” but I do think they make some pretty bad decisions. They’re not infallible and they do tend to be pretty out of touch when it comes to the internet and fan feedback. Still, I believe that they’re a more ethical company than most.

All of TCW and Mandalorian sets. Additionally, I’ll be getting the Bad Batch Shuttle, the Vader Meditation Chamber, and probably whatever the $30 set ends up being. There’s a big question mark next to the UCS Gunship and a “someday” for the R2-D2.

I posted in the 2021 Discussion thread what my dream for the mystery $30 Target Exclusive would be and I figured that I’d elaborate on it more here. Siege of Mandalore ($30): Comes with a remake of the 2013 Mandalorian Speeder since there really isn’t too many small vehicles that were used in the Siege of Mandalore. Additionally, it could come with a small Mandalorian speeder bike or even a section of the bridge that the final battle took place on. The figure selection would be Captain Rex (New! Could share helmet mold with Crosshair from The Bad Batch that allows for a rangefinder to be attached), a 332nd Clone Trooper, and two Mauldalorians (New!). And then maybe in 2022, we could get some of the sorely missing figures from The Clone Wars Season Seven and The Mandalorian in sets. I’ll modify some of my earlier set drafts based off what’s coming in the new rumor list: Clone Trooper Platoon Pack ($30): A very scaled down version of the Coruscant Police Gunship. It could come with two shiny Phase 2 Clone Troopers, two Coruscant Guard troopers, and two battle droids. MTT ($90): A rescaled version of the MTT, similar to the 2014 version. This one would have a gray and blue color scheme and come with two STAPs. Minifigures would include a new ROTS Anakin (with no dirt printing and no Sith or Pilot face prints and if I’m really dreaming here, a new hair mold reflecting his updated model in TCW S7), ARC Trooper Jesse (New!), a 501st Clone Trooper, and around the same selection of Battle Droids as the last MTT. AT-TE ($130): Updated version of the 2013, maybe modified to fit the new scale. The figure selection would be a new ROTS Obi-Wan Kenobi with no dirt printing, Commander Cody (New!), two 212th Troopers (New!), and two Super Battle Droids. Mandalorian Covert ($20): A small recreation of The Armorer’s forge from Season One. The figures would include The Armorer (New!) and the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian (New!) Duel on Calidan ($20): Since the Str Wars duel sets aren’t dead, then hopefully we get another Ahsoka themed set, but this time based off The Mandalorian Season 2. The build would be the small courtyard and figures would include Ahsoka Tano (New!) and Morgan Elsbeth or Spear Lady (New!) Imperial Dropship ($80): The build would be the Imperial version of the First Order Troop Transporter. Figures could include the new, repainted Boba Fett (even though his armor wasn’t repainted yet technically), Fennec Shand (the same one from Gideon’s Crusier?), three Imperial Stormtroopers, and an Incinerator Stormtrooper (New!)

I’m pretty satisfied with the AT-AT from last year (just built it a few weeks ago), so I don’t really have any desire for a UCS model. I’m really glad Lego is embracing the television side of Star Wars, as I’ve been saying that that’s where the future of the franchise is ever since Season One of The Mandalorian came out. It’s unfortunate that the Rebels sets were mishandled so badly when that was airing, but I’m glad Lego has learned their lesson from that. Hopefully they take advantage of the new Marvel shows this year!

A new Rex minifigure alone would turn this wave from a 9/10 to an 20/10. I was seriously thinking about biting the bullet and buying that one 2013 BARC set that goes for over $100 just to get him. A set with him, a 332nd Trooper, and two Mauldalorians would be a perfect $30 counterpart to the 501st set. Ninjago isn’t licensed though. Star Wars is not only a licensed theme but the most popular one at that. Even then, that Gamer’s Market set reused a lot of torsos and minifigure parts from City, Overwatch, and, well, Ninjago. Star Wars minifigure parts aren’t as interchangeable from a production standpoint. I guess this must be an unpopular opinion, but the Mandalorian Gauntlet fighter is one of my favorite prequel era ship designs. I’m super excited for this set, and not just for the awesome figures that come with it. If I was a MOC builder, I’d be buying multiples of it. I might anyway as a future investment. I’m conflicted on the UCS Gunship at this point. It’s one of my favorite ship designs in Star Wars, but I’m not sure if I want a massive $350 version of the ship. I’m really going to have to see it and the few figures that come with it to decide if I’m buying. This is shaping up to be my most expensive Lego collecting year yet, and I got a lot on my shopping list already.

Like @Lyichir, I grew out of a lot of my childhood Lego clothing items a long time ago, so I haven’t worn a Lego shirt in quite a while. I like a few of the shirt designs, but need to know prices before I decide if I’m buying any. I’m not even sure how often I’d be wearing these shirts, outside of trips to Lego Stores and Conventions. It’s cool that Lego is making an effort to do special things to commemorate the ten year anniversary of Ninjago, my favorite in-house Lego theme.

Right, I completely forgot about that.

I just realized that this is the first year in a while that we’re not getting any Anakin or Rey minifigures, unless one of them end up in the unknown Target exclusive. We’re also not getting any Luke figures this wave, but we still got three of him in the January/April waves.

MandR is usually pretty accurate with his scoops. The 501st set campaign and actual set rumors both stemmed from him. This honestly might be my favorite Lego Star Wars wave of all time. I loved last summer’s, but this is giving me just about everything I want from the theme I want right now.

Maclunkey, this sounds like a great wave if it pans out, especially because a lot of these sets are what I was theorizing on the wanted thread! An ITT, Bad Batch Shuttle, Moff Gideon’s Cruiser, and Mandalorian Fighter were all on my list. I’m just surprised we’re getting all of them! Hopefully 75316 is based off the Siege of Mandalore and we can somehow get a new Rex minifigure finally! That alone would make this a perfect wave. A Mandalorian Throne and Vault is something I thought that we’d never see. I figured that those two Clone Wars sets we got over the summer were going to be it, but we’re actually getting a new Clone Wars Maul! I’m assuming 75319 is another army builder set like the 501st, but I don’t know what other faction could warrant such a set. Maybe something for the Empire, but I don’t know. 75369 sounds pretty odd. It sounds like another random little playset like the Hoth Medical Chamber, but if it gives us the detailed Vader from the Bespin and Death Star 2 Duels, I’m not complaining!

I’m assuming that the Tatooine Homestead will be a microscale vignette like the Battle of Hoth/Endor/Death Star 2 sets that we’ve gotten over the last two years. Hopefully we eventually get a full sized version with an Aunt Beru minifigure. I’m planning on getting the Cantina, Imperial Shuttle, and maybe a few of the smaller sets during May the 4th (depending on whether or not Lego actually has stuff available), so I guess I’ll be getting this Homestead, however it turns out.

Yakface has confirmed that 75308 is some sort of buildable R2-D2 for $200. That will be the May UCS. Presumably, the $800 set will be coming around the time of the Falcon and Star Destroyer (September or October) and I assume that the Gunship will fall somewhere in between. It’s funny that this is confirmed today, since I was just thinking yesterday how a remake of the 2011 set would be great. This will go well with the recent BB-8/Porg/D-O sets.

I’ve been collecting Lego for my entire life and I haven’t noticed any notable decreases in quality. Sure, sets are getting more expensive, but the builds are becoming more and more incredible by the year. And I will say that I don’t entirely agree with a lot of TLG’s recent decisions (less detailed figures, over-emphasis on gimmicks, “18+”) but at the end of the day, I still think Lego is a more ethical company and makes higher quality products that a lot of other companies of their size. I am really disappointed by the lackluster manner Lego is revealing and releasing the Ninjago City Gardens though. I remember reading the press release for the original Ninjago City and being completely blown away. There weren’t any leaked images of the set beforehand and that made the reveal all the more triumphant. I’m glad that they’re at least doing stuff to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the theme (especially because I’m sure Cartoon Network will barely air the show at all, despite it being their longest running show currently), but I wish they’d do a better job at promoting it. I saw somebody on Instagram point out that their post about the new Hype/Ninjago clothing line is the first time they’ve posted about Ninjago since July of 2019...

Some of these sets have to be D+ based. Lego’s surely had enough time to make merchandise for Wandavision and Falcon/Winter Soldier at least with them getting pushed back an entire year. At least one set for each series would be a dream, but we’ll have to see. I agree that a few of these are probably based on MCU Spider-Man 3. Even though I think that the film itself is going to get pushed back to 2022, these sets are going to do well whenever they come out because Spidey sells. Perhaps my theory that the Daily Bugle will play a prominent role and be the flagship set for the movie wasn’t too far off?

@michaelbricksf0rever on Instagram seems to be teasing that a Bo Katan minifigure will be coming in a future Lego Star Wars set. Perhaps she’ll be in the speculated Arquitens?

I would honestly love it if this is what the CMF series turned out to be. The only thing I’d change would be to make the Captain Marvel figure based off her Endgame look and somehow work Ronin Hawkeye into the roster. This list gives all of the essential MCU characters to people like me who only started collecting Lego Marvel last year and it gives new versions of iconic characters to people who have been collecting for a while. More than a tad.

I’m reeeeally hoping we get more than twelve figures, but I’m happy that we’re getting a Marvel series period. Surely a Star Wars series could be on the horizon now, though probably not next year since Disney and Harry Potter Series 3 seem like likely candidates for the two licensed CMF slots. If I were a gambling man, and assuming that this is an MCU series, I’d guess that five slots are automatically tied to the core Avengers, excluding the Hulk since he’s a big fig. Some variants of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor would take up a few slots, and then Spider-Man is guaranteed a slot whether or not this is MCU based. That would be half the series if we aren’t getting more than twelve figures in this one. Hopefully the rest will be dedicated to glaring omissions from the theme, as well as maybe a few WandaVision or Falcon/Winter Soldier figures? The set numbers, prices, and piece counts don’t mean much to me yet, but hopefully a few of them are related to the Disney+ properties. I’m starting to doubt that Spider-Man 3 will be able to release this year, so I don’t know what that means for any sets that were possibly tied to that. Spider-Man sells no matter what, so they’d probably be okay to release several months before the movie, unlike Eternals which is an unknown property to most.

I see that Lego’s treating the NC Gardens as well as Cartoon Network’s been treating the show itself. The new list sounds interesting. It would be cool if these aquatic villains are modern versions of the figures from that decades-old, cancelled Seatron theme. The Fire Dragon sounds kinda out of place, but everything else seems like it’ll be cool to me! A Juniors version of the 2015 Bounty is especially intriguing to me, especially since the Possession version was a set I loved but never ended up getting back when it was out. Hopefully we get a full sized remake in a few years when Lego dies down on the Bounty variants. Also, 71739 sounds like a new version of the Ultra Sonic/Stealth Raider. I own and cherish the 2016 version, so hopefully this remake is distinct from that set.

I don’t want to repeat myself by talking how about how amazing the build is, so instead I’ll just mention how glad I am that they didn’t give the bland 18+ box to this beauty. Again, I don’t plan on displaying this one with the other sets. I already like how my Ninjago Movie shelf looks with the original Ninjago City standing next to the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon Temple and Destiny’s Bounty. I don’t want to move anything around, so I’ll start another shelf with this new set and some of the other Legacy ones.