strangely

I feel like maybe they had designed this batcave for something else originally and then decided to tie it in with the Flash movie and as such threw in a few Burton Batman elements. Also, it baffles me that spinning the chair is advertised as a feature.

I really like the batcave itself, but the facade seems like a pretty big waste of money.

Having some time to actual look at all the pictures, here are my thoughts on the sets: Expecto Patronum: I actually really like the design. I never really expected it to be trans, and I actually like the solid color choice they went for. Harry's arm printing is a welcome surprise and I'm impressed by how much it improves the figure. I still won't be going out of my way to buy this set (as I usually skip the statues), but I could be tempted during a sale. Battle of Hogwarts: I like the great hall entrance, but not the rest of the build. I feel like trying to make it transformable into two separate builds led to the overall build being kind of weak. I do think the 'destroyed' configuration on the back of the box looks the best of the configurations. The minifigures look good, but Bellatrix and Molly's faces really bring down the minifigures for me. The lack of trolls and spiders is disappointing, it makes the battle seem very small and unimpressive. Quidditch Trunk: The design is clever, being able to operate one of the players by pulling the trunk handles is neat. However, the trunk gimmick for a second year in a row really makes me dismissive of this set, it just doesn't do much for me. Dobby: Looks great, I would never buy it though. Weasely's Wizard Wheezes: I didn't care for it when it leaked, but it's grown on me. It's different enough that it doesn't really compete with the DA version, but still good enough that I would be tempted to buy it if I didn't have the DA version. Lavender's design is still a pretty big fail. I get not making a new hairpiece, I know there's a budget, but I think there were better options available. I also feel like I would have preferred Hermione instead of Romilda Vane. Hogwarts Express: This one was the biggest surprise for me. I had zero interest in it, but after seeing better pictures, it's really grown on me. I actually really like the updated train engine, it looks way better to me. Hogsmeade station is really nice too, the overall design hits the nostalgia hard for me, so I think I might pick it up if I see a sale. The minifigure lineup is a bit on the unexciting side, and the passenger cars are too cramped, I feel like a couple studs wider would have been perfect. I think so far for 2023 the theme is still good, but I think it has lost a little bit of ground. I feel like gimmicks are taking over more and more every year. The banners were okay, but actual builds of those rooms would have been better. The trunk idea was cool once, but I feel like trying to jam an entire Quidditch pitch into one was a mistake. I also feel like the minifigures are kind of lacking. Molly and Bellatrix using old faces is disappointing. They finally gave Molly skirt printing, but somehow skipped Bellatrix. Lee Jordon's hair choice would have been understandable if not for them introducing a much better option in the Dreamzzz sets. Hermione's hair in the room of requirement was lazy too, they could have used Autumns hair from the Friends sets. I sometimes wonder how they decide which characters they'll go all out for and which ones they'll slap together and say 'good enough'.

If you google the set number you can find it pretty easily. It is ridiculously cramped inside and the trolley piece inside looks really funny to me. The lifestyle photos show a little bit more interior for BOH, there's a table with teacups visible and a stickered wall panel that looks like the great hall walls.

That makes more sense. I was wondering what those sections were as they were too flat to be the corridors that surround the courtyard. That definitely helps improve my opinion of the set. Seems to be a fireplace on the left. So I'm guessing it's supposed to represent the interior of the great hall.

I've found them at Walmart and Kohl's so far.

I think you're right. With the reintroduction of the Alice hairpiece and her inclusion in the treehouse, it would make sense for a minifigure set to be in the works. Too, I think it would be weird not to include her in the lineup given how well represented all the other 50's animated movies are (Cinderella has two minifigures so far, Sleeping Beauty has three and Peter Pan is likely to have three given the new Wendy Hairpiece and the unrevealed set, so Alice in Wonderland only having the Queen would be strange). Cinderella's Carriage would be welcomed. I've thought the minidoll versions were okay, but there's definitely room for a new and improved version of it.

I thought so too, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up in case the head and torso are just one piece.

I meant underperforming more so than failing, I've amended my original post to reflect that. My point is that they've had a fair share of projects that haven't lived up to expectations and haven't been the runaway successes that they could/should have been and I attribute it to exhausting existing franchises and not giving them the development time they need to actually tell those stories right. I will say I actually believe The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan remakes seem like a positive course correction, it seems like Disney has put a bit more effort into those remakes and I think they actually might be hits. I wouldn't mind more Lego sets for them if they live up to expectation.

Ah yes, where have the good ole days of Disney gone? Back when you could marry a teenage girl on the first date and have a racial stereotype sing at the reception (they can sing that classic Disney tune "what makes the red man red!). Sarcasm aside, I kind of doubt being less family friendly is the reason for the issues they're facing. That theory doesn't explain why their adult content, like Marvel and Star Wars, have also been underperforming. I think it's more likely that cheapening the brand with heartless cash grabs (that are often just poor quality movies) is probably more likely the reason these movies are doing worse and worse. I mean even the failure with Lightyear makes total sense, they had already tried to do that spin off two decades ago and it didn't work so well then either. I don't think Lego has completely left them out, there are quite a few classic Little Mermaid sets out there. For those who don't like the remake set there's still a classic Little Mermaid Castle on shelves. I mean I get that it doesn't have minifigures, but technically a classic Ariel minifigure does exist. So it's not exactly like those fans have nothing.

I would argue the franchise has stagnated already. Harry's story has been told pretty well in the form of books (there's so many editions of the books too, illustrated versions with supplemental material, and all the online content), live action movies and video games. I don't think it's too much to ask to expand the universe beyond Harry's slice of the wizarding world. And I think skepticism in deserved in this case when you look at Warner Bros and Rowling's recent work. They don't inspire much confidence.

I think they'll definitely make sets for it. I just don't see that show doing well. The movies aren't that old, many of the actors are beloved (based on how the internet works, the new cast will almost certainly get dumped on and harrassed constantly), and a book a season sounds super tedious for some of those books. And that's to say nothing about the way Rowling has been phoning it in on every one of these projects for the last few years (hopefully they don't let her write any of it as her screenplay skills on fantastic beasts were abysmal). Why couldn't they just go forward with the rumored Hogwarts Legacy show? At least that would have been new.

I agree that the classic one makes more sense for this type of set. But I'll say the remakes are kind of rule defying at times. The Beauty and the Beast remake was middling at best, but ended up making over a billion in theaters and who knows how much in merchandising. I think the nostalgia of the original carried the remake and it's possible that'll happen again with the Little Mermaid. So from Lego's vantage point, it kind of makes sense to jump into the remake merchandising pool. Even if the movie sucks, they'll still likely sell a lot of toys. And based on the amount of large sets they've been putting out, it seems like Lego is confident there's a market for these price points.

I'm glad they did the remake rather than just giving us the CMF Ariel and Ursula again (plus I love the extra details the minifigure printing gets when it's based on live action source material). The overall build is a bit funky, but I'm betting this is one of those sets that looks better in person. I actually have a pretty good feeling about the quality of the movie remake, so I think this was worth the tie-in. I actually wouldn't mind if the upcoming Peter Pan set was based on the remake as well, the last trailer looked pretty good.

I suspect it's actually supposed to be the Great Hall entrance, which has a clock, and they've just mistaken it for the clock tower.

No, Grant and Hammond both have a hat band that's the same color as their hair, so being dual molded is not the reason it wasn't used in those sets. Maybe it was designed this way for a technical reason. I could imagine that there was perhaps a stability issue. Perhaps making the hair and band one piece with the rest of the hat molded around it made it less likely that the hair would potentially separate from the hat over time.

I wasn't able get the tomb set in store anywhere, but i did end up ordering it on Amazon for a Monday delivery.

I don't believe they are, I saw them on the Kohl's app too, though they're listed as out of stock.

Barnes & Noble has them in the US. Just picked up the last plane set they had in stock at my local store. The cashier said people had been buying them all day.

I mean, the Peter Pan remake got a set, so it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

I fully expect DOD sets will release at some point, just not until after the movie comes out. Disney takes it's secrecy pretty seriously. I mean for No Way Home the Lego designers were given one concept image of Dr. Strange's basement and some suit concepts and nothing else until after the movie came out. I imagine for the final Indiana Jones movie they're not going to take the chance of a Lego leak spoiling anything. I mean most of the Indy merchandise seen so far for this year has been based on the previous movies with the exception of a handful of overly generic action figures.

Perhaps this new cowl is supposed to be Batman the Animated Series inspired (hence the white eyes) and they're just opting to use it for Keaton too.

I thought I saw it in specifications, but I don't see it now. So perhaps I was mistaken or it was deleted, whichever.

It's interesting that it's mentioned on the 18+ set, but not the others. It makes me wonder if they might release it after all, but perhaps under the 18+ range.

But it doesn't confirm it was definitely being released either. There are plenty of instances of a toy fair product not making it to shelves in the end (for example the Fang figure from Hagrids Hut).