NoOneOfImportance

I'm going to be blunt. No kid under 15 (and that's generous) has that much care about Dex, much less wants a $40+ set based around him, and that's the age group LEGO would target the set at, unless for some very strange reason they made it a diorama, which at this point, given how few dioramas they are seeming to make a year, they wouldn't do. And at this point, LEGO has made 3 Mustafar Battles (2005, 2012, 2020). It's not like they haven't represented some of these scenes. When it comes down to it, LEGO makes what will sell, sometimes at the expense of other things that could. There's a reason why most Star Wars sets are vehicles, rather that creatures like Varactyl (Boga), or why every Slave 1 is Boba's (because Boba is frankly FAR more popular and in public eye through stuff like his show than Jango, who got killed within an hour of his first appearance and then got his ship repainted). It's not because the alternative wouldn't necessarily sell, but it's because LEGO has 25 years of evidence of what sells best, and they lean into that. We can sit here and say that everybody wants a Water Buffalo (someone will get that reference) but that doesn't mean that LEGO is going to make something that just the fraction of the community on EB is clamoring for when they have enough research and not enough reason to make it. It's been 10 years... Wow. I could definitely see a redone $50 Poe X-Wing for the anniversary (I don't think they'd do this if X-Wings were still $90ish) with him and Finn, or maybe a ST diorama for the anniversary based on the Starkiller duel or something, but they will definitely play it very safe no matter what they choose.

Agreed, though I would also argue that there is a lot in the PT that wouldn't make good kids sets. For example, I don't really want a scene of "your kiss still haunts me," and LEGO isn't going to make a set of "Anakin kills all the CIS and younglings." While adults may think they are great for figs, etc., I don't think LEGO wants those sitting on shelves next to young jedi adventures (no matter if they branded those scenes 18+ or not).

Feel free to make it your signature if you want. I want variety. And the only real variety we get now are what shows we get content from. LEGO only does really care about clones at the moment, and I'm rather tired of it. Are they all perfect? No. But they've done some VERY well done figs in the style they are using right now (like it or hate it), and they've made almost everything people have campaigned to get for a while now - Rex P2, Cody P2, Venator, Gunship (new type), UCS Gunship, etc. - even legions like the 187th. No one can say they don't care anymore. Even if the design isn't your cup of tea, beyond the few inaccuracies, no one can say they don't care about the figs either. The 2013 ones were NOT all better, and if they released now, people would be complaining that LEGO failed them because Kenobi was in the 75021 cockpit on the box art and Padme didn't have leg printing, much less the clones. I understand that we went a while without many clones, but there is a balance. Right now, we just get Mando, Clones, and maybe a system OT set occasionally...

Yep. You can dislike something without it being a personal offense (though that's all people seem to want to make it anymore). See my post from earlier, but no one can reasonably say LEGO doesn't care about the Clones/PT anymore. Heck, we're getting VERY few system OT sets anymore comparatively, with most builds going towards either shows or the PT/CW (and I'm not a fan of that as someone who wants to build up Imperials who aren't Snowies). LEGO has made some of the largest amounts of PT content since 2013 era (and a lot better sets than that timeframe too). People are farrr too blinded by nostalgia from that era anymore, and the sets coming out now are (in my subjective opinion as someone who doesn't work for LEGO) much better than those of that timeframe, with much better figs (despite a missing kama or two).

While I love the diorama sets and wouldn't complain about having more of them, a part of me is glad that there is one less to get this next year. There has just been so much for 18+ Star Wars that I collect, and next year seems like a little bit of a lighter year for that so far.

Brickmerge listed the set as 8+, and as such, it can’t be one of the diorama collection sets. It could still have diorama in the name of the set, but it won’t be part of the black base series.

This is my biggest issue with battlepacks anymore. We used to get solid representation for both sides (whether by a single pack (2012) or two opposing packs), but since they transitioned to a single pack per wave, we are left with situations like a Snowtrooper pack and no regular retail available Rebel opponents, or 501st specialists and 332nd troopers with no droids to oppose. As much as we got tired of them, I would LOVE to see a new Homing Spider Droid or Droid Gunship right about now. Actually, let's do the investigation, shall we: Currently, there are (not including UCS), five Clones/Droids sets available/coming up (all Clone-focused). If you purchased all of these sets (1x each), you would have: 3x 332nd Troopers 2x Shock Troopers 2x 187th Troopers 3x 212th Troopers 1x Clone Gunner 4x 501st Troopers 1x 187th Commander 1x Commander Fox 1x Captain Vaughn 1x Commander Cody Which brings us to a grand (army of the Republic) total of: 4x Commanders/Captains and 15x Clone Troopers To fight these Clones (and their AT-TE, Fighter Tank, Gunship, Cannon, and Swamp Speeder), we have... 5x B1s and 1x Dwarf Spider Droid...

Rex is releasing in the UCS Venator in October, as known :)

I don't think the price per part for the 18+ necessarily means anything. LEGO is sporadic with PPP ratios in sets. For example, Marvel is supposedly getting a 350 piece X-Jet for $90 in the same wave where there is a 347 piece $35 Spiderman set (both right after a 420 piece, $90 system Marvels set). It could be pretty much anything at this point.

What about this isn't cool? We haven't gotten a UCS Interceptor in YEARS, and it's a great vehicle people love. An X-Wing was a great idea, even if the execution wasn't perfect, and the Landspeeder turned out really well, and was appreciated by a lot of people despite not being hyped up initially.

It's a $70 Podrace... It'll definitely have to be midi-scale if it's in diorama format (see Trench Run).

The real battle pack was the friends we made along the way, am I right?

To extend that: No Cody in $350 UCS: people complain Rex in $650 UCS: people complain 2013 Rex can't use rangefinder: people complain 2023 Rex can use rangefinder: people complain You can have nitpicks without turning it into a grievous offense every time you subjectively don't like something.

Agreed on this mainly. Though I would argue Coulson is FAR better than how they massacred Happy. Civilians (stretching that, but you know what I mean) just don't work for detailed CMF figs as well as someone like, say, Talos would have, or Falcon Cap, etc..

The ship and figs are... fine. But not $90 good. I may Bricklink Kamala to go with the Avengers Tower and call it a day. I just don't understand why they keep making such overpriced and/or undesired sets (like buildable figs).

Price is perfectly good for the piece count and scale (30 in tall). The wall to the right is based on the universal setup, and the idea is that you can display Gringotts as an inverted corner (it really isn't meant to be displayed between the buildings in a straight line...)

I'd lean towards an updated MK45 and/or 43 since it's an AOU heavy set more than anything else, but time will tell.

Well... I wasn't planning on getting 76210... But now...

I could see 3PO from the Landspeeder (or similar to it with the dual-moulding) coming in a set down the line, as dual moulding is becoming more common, but I do think they'll stick with the Compactor 3PO for a bit (which is still a great fig).

Thoughts on these (well, two of them): Super excited at the premise of a new "diorama-esque" series for Marvel, but the Endgame set just feels... Off? While I like the idea of it in concept, it just feels too cluttered. And if you're going to include the Shield and Hammer, put Cap, Iron Man, and Thor in the set. They are the main characters (no offense to those included) of the final battle, and to make a "diorama" set for that scene without the main characters is just disappointing, not to mention the lack of Nano-Gauntlet for $100. I do think the characters included are fine, and the Valkyrie and Wanda figs are well done, but it just doesn't work well for me (even if I am a sticker for dioramas and will likely end up with it sometime on sale). The NWH set is just such a mixed bag. Like people said, the lack of correct coloring on Ock and lack of better printing on Goblin/hood is just disappointing, but I do think the set is otherwise designed well enough as a battle scene for that part of the movie, and I'm sure it'll fly off the shelves, even at $110 USD. Definitely excited for it personally, but it probably won't be a day 1. On a different topic, is anyone else somewhat concerned about the future of this theme as a whole? LEGO has a LARGE number of sets on 20% sale on S@H, at least in the US, and I don't really see a lot of these sets, especially from recent movies, flying off shelves at all. All this lack of interest in MCU sets plus LEGO veering away to gimmick sets that have never really worked just makes me wonder where this will go...

I think after the mixed reception to Rebels initially and stuff like Rise of Skywalker and Last Jedi not doing so well, they've been more cautious unless they know it's something of particular importance or popularity, hence why we don't see many sets for Andor, but we do see more for a well established and desired set of characters like Ahsoka and the Rebels crew (now). If Andor was more popular, I'm sure it would get more sets, but it's still a mixed reception show, and the set they did make didn't seem to do well, so we'll see. There's also the factor of amount of other sets to produce at varying price points, as well as what concept art they even get.

Jedi Starfighters sell. That's the fact of it for the past many years, and for a while we were getting a Starfighter a year just because of that. Same with this case. While it isn't for a lot of us, it has Yoda and R2, which will sell it for enough kids.

This basically feels like superhero D2Cs of late as a whole (except the modulars). They are fine MOCs! BP, this, even the Hulkbuster, but they're terrible official sets for one reason or another.

Agreed on the budget end, just unfortunate to be missing such figures, and hopefully they make them in future waves. I do think that, considering the rarity of the figure overall, I wish they had released a new version, but it is what it is.

I'll do YOU one better! WHY is Gamora? But in all actuality, this theme deserved at least one more set with Gamora and High Evolutionary somewhere in them. I am guessing the lack of High Evolutionary in sets was likely either due to lack of concept art, or because of some particular request not to include him in this wave (no idea why this would be). The fact that he's not in any toy wave implies that it's likely beyond LEGO's choice.