NoOneOfImportance

It's also possible that some of these connection points are also just for customizability. For example, you could put the tower at the very end, or in the middle, or at the front. Just more variety for kids if desired.

The dark object is likely the common-room circle thing outside of the great hall. The stairs can be seen on the other picture with Quirrel that leaked.

Well, sets were revealed, folks

I'm very curious about this, especially since the only diorama we got this year was a midi-scale setup. I know a lot of people complained on the figure-based dioramas that they should have just been regular playsets, and I have to wonder if this is LEGO's decision based on that - release dioramas of midi scale scenes alongside midi ships, and save fig-based locations for playsets... But only time will tell if this is actually the case. I am one of the biggest proponents of the dioramas, but even I wouldn't complain if they disappeared in favor of more non 18+ sets again. And when LEGO puts a solid $25-ish set in as a GWP, it further reminds me how far we have fallen from the huge cheaper playset spring waves of 2017 to now.

Is there any indication that the X-Mansion will even be a modular? For all we know, MARVEL modulars are done, and the X-Mansion is just a big location set

This is easily a 10,000 piece model, so... no? No one is paying $1,000 for that set, at least not enough to be a product LEGO sells. There is NO way that LEGO is testing how BTAS items will sell by releasing a $300 niche art set.

It is certainly possible that it's a licensing situation. Maybe Burt Ward just cannot be produced as a minifigure at this time.

Just changed the name. Mods, if something needs to be changed with it, happy to do so.

To my knowledge, no reputable leakers have said a fell beast is coming in the set. It's just speculation with the Nazgul included.

Personally doubt LEGO will call this MBS. It's a UCS with some inevitable interior areas, similar to the Falcon with it's lineup of figs.

There is no indication that LEGO put much into Marvel at all. We have a few mediocre small sets, an overpriced X-Jet, and a summer wave that sounds good on paper. That's all. Heck, Harry Potter could be better than everything listed. We just don't know yet.

Why are we retreading this again? If Marvel goes down, that doesn't make DC more popular. It's not a see-saw with one license on each end. If Marvel goes down, and DC isn't popular either, we just don't get many sets from each.

I'm mixed. I think it's certainly the best infiltrator we've gotten in a lot of ways, but even the best version has a lot of issues... Especially the middle ridge and the fact that the top of the cockpit is too low..

To address the first point, I think that sales of one or the other would certainly be impacted some, but at the same time, for kids who just really want the fig, they are going to be far more easily persuaded by (and far more easily buy) a $13 microfighter than a $60+ Y-Wing. If this was a situation where an exclusive selling point fig from a $170 set was in a $13 set, that would be one thing, but a $13 set versus $60-$80 set isn't going to impact sales of the other as much (as something like Cad Bane from the Justifier being in a microfighter, etc.). And I would agree. Some of this comes from me not being as much of a TCW fan as others (just never watched enough of it), but at the end of the day, I'd much rather have another Anakin Y-Wing than a blue one that rarely shows up. The figs that would be more of a draw for people will be or have been in cheap sets of late (Ahsoka, Rex, etc.), and while characters like Jesse would be cool, I don't think that fig justifies creation of an $80 set (of something barely seen).

Marvel and DC shows/movies exist together across multiple streaming platforms. Disney Plus doesn't have any DC due to licensing, but otherwise I believe any of those would have DC, Marvel, or some mix.

Simply put, no. Batman and other DC heroes can certainly be done for kids - see the $45 Batmobiles we get for kids for LEGO DC. They just don't have faith in DC to carry big sets beyond Batman related ones, etc. etc. (See prior discussions for the past 46 pages since this thread has little to discuss)

I don't have a problem with them throwing these characters into these sets. I just have a problem with it taking away from another figure that could be there. The Tantive and R2 sets (and heck, every 2019 anniversary set) had the anniversary characters as a bonus, not the "fourth fig slot" in their respective sets. Even the Dropship $20 set had the 4 troopers and then Han. For $70, why couldn't we have had literally any other TPM fig thrown in to pad out the figure lineup, even if it was just R2?

I like the smoothness of it, but I don't understand how this is close to 600 pieces. It feels more like a $40 model than anything else.

I could honestly see it ending, or at least staying to one midi-scale version a year... But even so, I don't think there's any actual evidence this is true.

Is there any indication this is the last diorama?

Itavixbrix seems to simply repost info from others. Looks like his account started in February. I wouldn't necessarily take his posts as any sort of gospel at this point.

Personally, I don't like dwelling too much on the "what we could have gotten" argument. At the end of the day, they can make something different next year, and while there are certainly cool ideas that we "could have gotten," that would be just as true if we got a modular Gotham set as much as it is for this. That being said, DC does seem to be a testing ground for LEGO. I have a feeling that LEGO doesn't want Marvel and DC to have competing modulars, since it's a different sort of competition than between Icons and Marvel. It's certainly possible that once more of the Marvel modulars retire, then they may do something with DC, but right now, they are trying different things from it... ...And I think that's honestly really cool. If we just got modulars for DC, that would be fine, but instead we have a really unique Batcave box, a VERY well done (in my opinion) skyline, and a lot of great Bat Vehicles. DC may not get many sets, but at least on the D2C front, they get something kinda special and experimental many times.

At this point, Greekbricks, Brick Reporter, and Jedi News have posted it, none of which are consistently reliable for new leaks. Other than a figure leak, I don't think Greekbricks has been leaked something "original" since the Republic Fighter Tank. Also, the dimensions are just those from the survey, which stated it would be 83cm tall and 44 cm wide, which are the same dimensions with the inches rounded up. All of the rooms stated are just those from the Orthanc set or the survey (throne, dungeon, treasure room, etc.), and the survey listed Sam, Frodo, Sauron, and orcs as well. I would guess that the 12-15 is simply based on Rivendell's fig list, and not any new info. Oh, and the piece count and price leaked about two months ago between Brickmerge, Max Baute, FalconFan, etc.. Those aren't new either... So essentially none of this info is new or necessarily accurate. It's the same as the "leaks" of the X-Mansion fig list that is a direct copy of the survey leak proposed as brand new info.

DC does get new moulds. During the 2014-2018 era, when DC was getting lots of sets, they got a lot of new-designed-for-them pieces. The Darkseid Mould, Hawkman's helmet, Aquaman's (JL) hair, etc.... And then the TLBM happened, with even more moulds and printings. On a more recent note, the new batman cowl is a new-for-2023 mould. DC has enough characters who can easily use pre-existing moulds (Joker, Harley, etc.), so they don't need as many new ones as SW where there are new aliens in almost every movie/show release. @legoturtle I respect your passion for the theme, and a lot of others care about it in the same way, but at the end of the day, like I said before, LEGO makes what sells, and DC isn't doing that for them right now when compared to other licenses. They still make some cool sets, and if you are in the camp that like the shadowbox, then great for you (a lot of people don't, and that's okay), but you can't expect everyone to like it (the people who have any vague interest have already seen all the reviews, and they are set on it one way or another from those). Maybe a day will come when DC becomes incredibly popular again in the mainstream media, and maybe Superman will do that for them, but until then, until we get any inkling that LEGO is even doing sets for that movie (whatever thoughts are on whether they should or not), anything about wanting new moulds, etc. is just wish-listing to some extent, and that hasn't been worthwhile for LEGO DC in years. I don't even care that much about Batman, and I want this theme to come back. I want a solid D2C comics Batcave to get and enjoy for fun. I want more sets for this license, but I'm in the camp of people (in this forum and otherwise) who have come to terms with DC being what it is for now, and just waiting and hoping for something better eventually.

My guess is that the classrooms/areas don't individually have rock exterior, but rather there is rock exterior/framing that sections can slot into..