Swordy

I ended up receiving the 2024 Sith Infiltrator from Santa after all. Glad to add my first Phantom Menace set to the collection, especially since I love TPM’s design language best. (LEGO, please do more with Episode I.) I did make a couple modifications to the ship and minifigs—Maul’s pupil-less eyes and the Sharpie had a moment—which makes me all the happier with my Christmas gift.

Well, no, that’s Watts Goblin (as in Jon Watts, the director of NWH). Raimi Goblin in his Power Rangers armor is exclusive to the 2002 Spider-Man, and as goofy as that version is, it’s a wicked cool design at that. “Don’t take money… don’t take fame… don’t need no credit cards to ride this train… it can be hard, sudden, and a little cruel sometimes… but it might just save yours and all of NYC’s lives… that’s the power of love.” XD Obviously that was a joke suggestion, but it is a surprisingly wholesome moment from the MCU, which can’t count for nothing. I’m gonna leave this discussion as it was between you and MandoKnight, but I don’t believe “non-superpowered” is the correct way to describe a man wearing the firepower of a tank on him. Moreover, Cap’s goal was to keep Tony from killing Bucky, thus the main objective was to get rid of the potential killer’s only weapon… which so happened to be the wearable tank. All that said, to your point, I have never thought about how exactly Tony got home from Siberia, and considering that T’Challa potentially recovered Tony then turned around and aided Steve, T’Challa might be the MVP of the Infinity Saga. Spider-Man 3 is considered the worst of the Raimi trilogy (I’d disagree) and AoU the worst Avengers movie (on which I’d very much agree); quality of films doesn’t seem to be a factor so long as there is merchandise to be made—coincidentally, that seems to be a major factor in these films’ lack of quality. Good call; I adore the original Doctor Strange film, yet I hadn’t considered the potential therein. (Perhaps a minifig version of Dormammu would be used? The scale would be off but it would provide more than just the Weird Doc and a floating head.) I had considered the Battle on Titan, but I do believe, what with its scale, that battle should be reserved for a “Final Battle” set instead. Leg printing is a must—particularly with the NWH Goblin in mind—but arm printing would be above and beyond any Raimi fan’s expectations. Considering that Tobey still lacks arm prints, though, I do doubt we’d see anyone else from those films get as much detail. Love to be proved wrong. I’d actually prefer the World Fair/Times Scare battle so we could have an updated minifig of MJ (maybe even Harry for the first time), plus that scene has a better aesthetic in my eyes. Of course, additional minifigs would compromise the detail of said GG, nor would we have a battle-damaged Spidey mask, so I can see the point there. Nonetheless, however, would TLG really produce a set based off that tragic of a death? LEGO Marvel is in a brighter position than in the past few years. Paired with what you already stated poetically, however Doomsday will pan out, I remain optimistic for the potential upcoming sets to come out of it, and BND is looking more and more promising. To my knowledge, the torso Ned uses is a reuse from either LEGO City or Peter Parker in the Bugle. The arm/torso configuration is different, though. (I certainly wish Ned had been given a unique dark blue torso instead of a blatantly inaccurate red one—but hey, at least it wasn’t, like, two years of waiting for those characters.) I see, and comparing some of the set’s pieces with other GR-cycle MOCs online, I do see promise. I may wait for a discount since it seems smaller than I had anticipated, but I’m nitpicking at this point; it’s a fine bargain at $10. Certainly. With retrospect, I will retract my comparison of it and CA:TFA; the latter was a true and successful adaptation of the comics and Cap’s character while perhaps not entirely succeeding as a film, whereas FF:FS is perhaps the vice versa. With First Steps, I believe the proper characterization is there, but perhaps only if you read outside material (i.e. comics) into the film, whereas The First Avenger presents the proper characterization without question. I’m still working out my opinion on the movie. I do believe that aspect of Johnny is in the movie. The line “Johnny loves women” does hint toward that, but I would critique First Steps in that it tells us instead of showing us. Possibly a simple outcome of the rigorous editing process—not to deny it is a fault, of course. Interesting to hear that. Perhaps the goal to redeem the Human Torch character went so far as to downplay the other characters. The more I think about it, all four of the FF needed to have that heart-to-heart talk that only Johnny had. The other three were too antagonistic to Shalla Surfer on Galactus’s ship for any of their characters to shine through. Yikes… that sounds rough. Not a fan of things TV-MA, but Daredevil is a favourite character of mine. (Not an unpopular opinion, I imagine.) I was initially excited to see if Disney could adapt the Netflix Daredevil into a TV-14 rating, and though the move to TV-MA was saddening to me, my hope was that it could only hold the same integrity if a more mature rating was given (something, something, complexity in television equals gore*). Sounds as though Born Again proved to be neither a jumping point for new fans or satisfactory for established fans such as yourself. That sounds about right for Doomsday, but I’m saddened to know that the film will revolve around my least favourite FF members. At least I liked most, if not all of the Thunderbolts/New Avengers. The Samvengers have never sounded intriguing to me, and the most I hope for from that team lies solely in the Russos knowing better about fight choreography than anyone working on BNW. (All I wanted was some new tricks with Cap’s shield, and I didn’t even get that.) You really hate that beret, lol. It’s stupid, sure, but I do appreciate that he now has a distinct silhouette from Red Guardian as well as two Captains America in a movie filled to the brim with superheroes. Obviously, his original U.S. Agent attire is far more ideal. First Steps wasn’t an origin movie, though. It sought to show the Fantastic Four in their prime, when everything seems to be going right for them until doomsday comes a-knocking. (No, not that Doomsday!) I don’t know if Ben’s grim mental state would have gelled as well with the movie’s storyline as the other three. I could envision a storyline with Ben discussing his monstrous appearance with Alicia that could later on connect to the Shalla Surfer story arc (sorta like I had mentioned earlier). At least Ben would then have had something to do; he just doesn’t have a critical/memorable role to play in a storyline where brute force means nothing. I’m more hyped for BND sets than Doomsday sets. We’re more likely to get classic Spidey villains than classic X-Men, I think.

Ma-ker rest ye A-FoLs, let not prices give you dismay, Remember our TIE Avenger was born on Andor Day, To save us all from clone’s power, when LEGO was gone astray, O TIE-Ding, Avenger, and Joy, TIE Avenger and TIE Joy, O TIE-Ding, Avenger and Joy… (My parodies get more nonsensical as LEGO’s lack of sense about the TIE Avenger is further revealed. Not May, not August, not January or March? Not even the GwP for crying out loud?) Absolutely love that the Darksaber will the May 4th promo. (It is probably my favourite lightsaber, right next to Luke’s RotJ saber.) However, the more pressing matter to me will be the distribution of VIP points; I would’ve gladly spent more than my budget would’ve allowed so that I could obtain the Clone Cadet GwP, but upon seeing neither the Oynx or the Sith Infiltrator on double points, I opted out. A set idea so nice, it had to be said twice. ;) I do agree, even if the Rebel-style Stormtrooper BP would like to speak up. Additionally, the mention of an Imperial transport also reminded me of the lack of Miggs Mayfield. So fine, two more Mando sets from older seasons would be most welcome. Wholeheartedly agree. In fact, most of the recent anniversaries, aside from maybe RotJ’s 40th, have felt underwhelming or bloated. Discounting Brickheadz, which is it’s own budget(?), we almost never get new or long-gone characters from the films. The sets are either buildable or generic. I don’t believe RotS got it’s due this year since the only “anniversary” sets leaned more Clone Wars, which is much of the same with the previous years. Funnily enough, the best RotS anniversary sets (like a midi-Invisible Hand or Venator) released in every year but ‘25, it seems. TPM, like you said, suffered from big opportunities missed, and the anniversary sets aside from the overdone Infiltrator (the ship showed up for, what, 17 seconds in one quick scene?) were only buildable sets with no new prints. The fact that the Gungan head mold was brought back this year but not utilized for a normal Jar Jar… is more accurate, actually, but a shame since we don’t have his iconic disguise on shelves. RotJ felt the best done, yet the minifigs were lacking in several areas and the new prints created were wasteful updates that brought nothing new to the table, in my opinion. 2022 is best left unspoken; the lack of attention that TLJ’s five-year anniversary received is downright shameful. /s Could be. Depending on how the sequence is executed in the film, I’d be equally interested in both. I find that the trouble with a Petranaki arena is that it involves the less “iconic” or “cool” aspects of the Battle of Geonosis than a Republic Gunship or AT-TE. Those both already supply the purpose of providing the minifgs from that third act without new molds for the creatures required. Additionally, a Petranaki Arena would be a rather expensive set, and so TLG potentially risks price-locking the three main characters of the Prequels. The question would come down to how much of the actual arena is included—moreover, don’t we all really want a Coleman Trebor and Count Dooku battlepack instead? Given the low piece count of the larger, I’m unsure if the AT-AT will be in the May wave at all. The previous AT-AT was around 1300 pieces, and arguably just big enough to play out Mando’s infiltration and takedown. Maybe a smaller AT-AT could work, but that’d be too similar to the midi-scale one I think. My personal theory is the gladiator arena and the New Razor Crest™ for the $70 and $100 sets, respectively. That said, I adore AT-ATs, so I’d far prefer to be proven wrong in this case. If the same guy who did the buildable Iron Man did a Mando, I’d be interested, actually. If it follows suit with an exclusive Mando, it’d be great to finally get arm printing on Beskar Mando too./s (I hope I’m using that correctly…) I’m sure the big guard robot will be in the summer wave. I could see the Y-Wing then too, although the New Hope anniversary might override that potential. We will surely have a set with Zeb next year too, although I could see him appearing in a Ahsoka S2 set instead. The speeder with Anzellans and Grogu are guaranteed to be the next BP, right? Honestly, I’m more shocked than the Spider himself that the AT-RT hasn’t been confirmed yet. I would have chosen that over a Mando speeder for $10, but hey, this is the same Lucasfilm that didn’t allow a Light Cruiser until nine months later, or a Luke Skywalker V Dark Troopers until one year and three months; combined with the short shelf-life of recent sub-$20 sets, I predict the AT-RT with Mando and Grogu will come squarely on January 1st, 2027 when the bell strikes one.

So is the Iron Man vs Ultron mech—and I believe the Spider-Man vs Anti-Venom too, but I could be wrong on that one. I see this as either A) the LEGO Group is seeing decreasing sales of mech sets, or B) TLG simply want to make mechs more collectible. I don’t see this as a failure of Superman in LEGO (a spoiling of Soup, if you will), but a mere casualty of the current release cycle of LEGO: overwhelm with new sets at the beginning of the year, overwhelm with retiring those new sets at the end. Regardless, I did my part; I bought the mech, I photographed the mech—why, I took the mech out to dinner. We’ll see soon enough if the sales numbers will influence TLG toward absolute Batman—er, absolutely anything besides Batman.

Usually my end-of-year purchases focus on retiring LEGO sets over newly-released (and likely less discounted) ones. In that case, I’ve already purchased the one retiring set I truly “needed,” which was the Oynx Cinder (I’d be personally remiss to skip Skeleton Crew’s one and only set) and the Milano from Marvel (purely bought for how cool it looks). I lacked the budget to purchase the Sith Infiltrator for Saw Gerrera, so I’m hoping that will be Santa’s delivery come the 25th. If not, I am likely, albeit begrudgingly, to purchase the rhydonium-fueled fellow on his own. The same will be true of the Desert Skiff with Nien Nubb (Sarlacc-wha?), although that set was skipped largely due to its still egregious price-tag. I’m late to the discussion of the official January ‘26 reveals, but instead of looking inward, I’ll excuse my tardiness on TLG and leakers’s ignorance of the American Thanksgiving celebration, but I have to celebrate that my beloved Cobb Vanth is finally a LEGO minifigure—and lovingly detailed at that! Chapter 9 being my favourite episode of the Mandalorian, this brings tears of joy to my eye. I would never purchase at $35, but I’m certain it’ll be heavily clearanced, at which it will make a merry addition to my collection. Actually, on that point… The fact that recent sets like Paz V Gideon: Dawn of Evil Lamp Post or the Kelleran BARC have been offered at high discounts does not bode well for future Mando sets. That said, I’m not terribly concerned with adding Jack Black or Lizzo to my SW collection; i.e. what more Mando sets do we need/will TLG make? I’m looking forward to movie sets, and for me a cheaper set with Kuill would help fill a sore gap in my collection, but that is all.

In my observation, I actually saw a few D&D boxes left over a few weeks into the current year alongside the Series 27. It was none of the more valuable characters, but that a few still hung around was intriguing nonetheless. F1 continues to clog up shelves. I’m fascinated that my stores haven’t clearanced them already, like they had with Series 26. Since someone else mentioned it, Spider-Verse isn’t hard to find in my area, but that only began to occur a month after release. I do expect this series to last as long as the D&D series did, given the equal crossover between LEGO and their niche IPs, respectively. Aftermarket prices will be a different story. Never have been a fan of the animal costume minifigs, and that opinion hasn’t changed upon seeing a whole series of them. If TLG had the actual animals alongside said costumes, then I would’ve been interested. (Although I believe all of these costumes have been included in previous CMFs, an inclusion would be nice nonetheless.) Series 29 is a normal series? Well, finally. I’d love a return to zany realizations of archetypes, like the first couple CMFs accomplished. I also hope for no Castle remakes this time, just to give those fans a stress relief. Is either wish likely to happen? Definitely not. No strong feelings on what the September ‘26 CMF should be. Another Marvel would be too soon, while I think another Disney would feel like too much. Another Looney Tunes or Muppets series, perhaps? I would love a Charlie Brown and Peanut characters series, although I’m not sure how non-Americans feel about Snoopy.

Nearly two hundred? Congrats in (TIE) advance(D) on a most impressive milestone. Where are you gonna go now? Ahem, I hope y’all don’t mind another cringy parody of mine. A reflection on how far we’ve come, if you wanna add a philosophical edge. Oh, once there was a way, to buy TIE-Homeward. Once there was a way, to buy TIE-Home. Sleep, little Avenger, do not fry, and I will sing an off-key lullaby… Andor slumbers fill your windscreens, shelves awake you when you rise, Sleep, O Commando, do not cry, and I will sing another lullaby… Clone, you’re gonna carry this weight, carry this ‘paign a long, long time… LEGO never give us Brasso, they only send us creature-creations, And in the middle of the clone nation, they break down. Clone, you’re gonna carry this campaign, carry this weight a long, long time… And in the end, the bricks you take, Is equal to the builds You make… I still like the ‘26 Maul-dalorians. I assume the visor is grey for the male because the hand-print is black too, thus the design would be less clear. The female then follows suit. I wish they’d stick to accuracy over internal design language just to keep the online crowd content; nonetheless I can totally understand and moreover accept their choice. I await Thanksgiving for official January set images from TLG. It’d be nice if more details about March leaked by then as well.

Same here! Just finished not twenty minutes ago. I’m in love with the movie, and I don’t care what anyone says right now! (Although please do reply because I’d love to discuss regardless.) Sixties-era space age is my absolute jam, so seeing the FF in that setting was delightful. As for the characters, I will admit the movie didn’t make me love any particular member more than I already did—nor did it lessen my love for them already, to be fair. Human Torch remains my person favourite (our common love for space did help endear me to him), and Thing is always fun. I don’t have much to give on Sue. I felt Reed was fine; he’s written better than he’s acted, I say. I’m pleasantly surprised how well Silver Surfer was handled too. I never was and still am not a fan of the gender swap, but that swap did give Johnny a motivation for his role, so I can see why it worked for this movie. Nonetheless, if you’re going to adapt the 60s comics, then why not adapt them as close as possible? Which leads me into my other issue with the movie: the lack of Alicia Summers is a sore loss. I do not care for this “Rachel whatever;” unfortunately. While I see the argument that person should be able to fall in love with Ben regardless of looks, Alicia’s display of compassion to both Thing and Silver Surfer could’ve been kept. The original comics have Surfer’s turn less out of well-timed guilt and more of empathy. The tie-in with Johnny’s arc made for a tighter story, perhaps, but then why have Ben conversing with Rachel at all, or visit that mosque(?) for Hanukah, other than world building? Mind you, the movie already does an excellent job at tying it’s world-building into the plot, so that dangling thread makes me wish for more. I like the obvious parallel between Sue and Shalla, and I wish that had been brought up. Music is swelling. The sci-fi aspects were wonderful—placed alongside the fantastical elements made it even better. The edit was both truncated but somehow natural. The effects were great, aside from that baby. The movie had the exact same tone as the D23 teaser, for which I fell head over heels. What can I say? I think the movie was fantastic. Oh, I know I shouldn’t have gotten giddy over the post-credit, but alas, I very much did. As for sets, a Baxter Building, Fantasticar, and Herbie would sure be nice. That said, I think I’m okay with the characters we have so far from the movie. The only movie-based figure I’d want would be baby Frank, and I have to guess that isn’t hard to do with already-available pieces. I rather have Silver Surfer and flamed-on Human Torch as seen in Silver Age comics, and I suspect/copium-induced hope for a partially-invisible MCU Invisible Woman and stretchy-armed Stretch in Doomsday sets.

LEGO is willing to make Star Trek but not DC sets. Star Trek have peaceful combatants, but DC heroes are far from it. Only another part of Brickheadz Joker’s conspiracy?

You were saying? In all fairness, of course nobody could’ve expected a monstrosity worse than the ones from Ninjago. I’m baffled they even tried, much less succeeded at such an ugly set. Additionally, I hope Cobb Vanth’s hair isn’t the as-rendered medium nougat colour. His hair was, if anything, graying, and far from strawberry blonde. I guess I must be the exception, because try as I may, I missed the 332nd BP on clearance. (I’m assuming this is a mark-down beyond the standard 20%.) I never bought a 332nd BP as a result—after all, who needs a clone faction exclusive to a brutalist, grey planet? Still, I’m excited for the opportunity to get more 332nds alongside the cooler Maul-dalorians. Two Maul-dalorians and two Death Watch Mandos would’ve been more interesting, agreed, but I don’t mind yet another pair of clones, in this case. I recognize that I’m in the minority on that. Very much agreed, and I say that as a Din Djarin fan. A yellow N-1 should have been the call for the UCS set. There’s certainly no shortage of grey pieces to make the modification. Y’know what, I’d like to defend the ‘26 Mando’s speeder. I know it looks ugly and simplistic, and the older version is far superior in aesthetics and unique build. However, as someone with “play”ish experience with that speeder, I can see why the designer made the changes he did. The older speeder had a frustrating, albeit accurate, way of placing Mando in his seat: one would have to lean him back, flap his cape up or crease it, then place the handlebars in his hands—a function which was connected to the front mandible. As for this design, the front mandible is already locked in place, and its pilot is already sitting upright. The only and really unfortunate downside is that Mando can’t reach the handlebars, and that’s a shame no matter which way you look at it. Nonetheless, in my opinion, the ‘26 design is only more kid-friendly.

I just finished building the 2024 Milano. A marvelous build; an outstanding, huge presence on display; wonderful characters to boot… I’m real glad I got it at 30% off, but I would be willing to pay full retail since it’s that, dare I say, fantastic. I implore you—yes, YOU—to buy the Milano before it retires, if only for your own sake. To see a Spider-Man 3 set in 2026 is insane—for $25 no less! Agree that the figures look wonderful, but I want to call attention to the perfect balance this set strikes between display and play; literally a set (as in stage) for play. Definitely a Day 1 pickup. Iron Man Mk 3 looks excellent. I don’t buy buildable characters, but this one is definitely tempting. Ghost Rider Bike is a nice small playset, but I’m not a fan of GR’s face. (Wrong Johnny to flame on!) Torn if I want this for my ‘21 Daily Bugle as per my plan or if I wanna track down the older GR and then MOC his bike. Yeah, the Hulkbuster looks ugly, in my opinion. The waist is too narrow, while the shoulders are too wide; it looks like the designer’s frame of reference was the ‘22 D2C Hulkbuster. On the other hand, nice arm printing on Iron Man—AND A NEW FACE FOR TONY? Finally! I love the side with EDITH glasses (I’m assuming it’s the same head between the buildable Mk. 3 and Hulkbuster). Not a set for me, but I appreciate the innovations it brings. Daily Bugle looks great (really wish the D2C DB was done in tan). Mysterio is fire. Venomized Cap getting dual-molding but not regular Cap continues the cruel, cruel joke LEGO Marvel plays. (That black helmet will be great for U.S. Agent customs.) I’ll get Rhino in that $10 4+ set that’s rumored for this year instead. Still, it’s a respectable set on its own merits. Wolverized Venomine…it exists…

Ha-! How dare you… I’ve been using those dashes in my writing since 2020. I prefer them over regular dashes since they provide better visual clarity—plus it feels like I’m interjecting something in whilst passionately ranting about my preferred writing style. Messy, yes, but true to my thought pattern. Furthermore, I despise the thought of using AI in my personal writing process completely. (Here we go, yet another soap box moment for which nobody was asking…) The creative process itself, writing or otherwise, is innately human: the struggle of writer’s block before achieving revelation, the torture of a blank page before an explosion of worlds and character, the satisfaction of connecting ideas far apart into a cohesive theme, the realization of truths about our world and ourselves, the joy of challenging, of overcoming, of creating itself. Why would I give all the experience I have gained through pencil or keyboard to a heartless and spineless robot? I’d cheat myself as much as my reader. If only for that sole reason, I refuse to use AI in any part of my drafting process. (My only exception is that I have used AI to critique my manuscript for grammar and creative direction, and like any good artist I both listen to the advice and ignore it entirely based on gut feeling.) To be clear, I’m not offended by you asking, sarcastic “How dare you”’s or otherwise. When I found out AI use em-dashes too, I knew it was bound to come up sooner or later. However, I guarantee you that I never have used AI, and never will. The cost of using it outweighs any ease it would bring. ‘Nuff said. Glad to hear! Alas, terrible news for those of the Mara Jade Brigade. I figured the picture had to be old, but to hear “2010ish” still blows my mind. Helmet-hole-itis has afflicted you for too long. You know what must be done: update with the only helmet-hole-less P1 in existence… the droopy 2002 minifig. Yeah, I’d love that too. Then TLG could always return to HP in a rotation of a decade, which holds the promise of an always improving Hogwarts instead of needing a lackluster ‘21 system in between two “definitive” systems. (Apparently the ‘24 system will end up larger than the $400 D2C castle, and far more expensive, so I guess either HP fans have incredibly deep pockets or LEGO is stupid.) Nevertheless, TLG has shown preference for evergreen themes, likely a result of the 2003 bankruptcy. It seems ever since LEGO Minecraft became a hit success that TLG has been on the hunt for their next evergreen IP, Pokemon being the latest example. A Snap Wexley, perhaps? XD I think so too. The exponential increase of prices can only and will accelerate us to the point of disconnect between LEGO and their customers. In fact, I believe it’s already taking place. Dozens of people across the world have already enlisted without realizing… Nemik’s speech, etcetera, etcetera. Right, I had forgotten that, and wrongly equated “smart brick” with “smart minifig.” If all ”smart” aspects are distributed across the March wave, then who knows whether we’ll see “smart” figs repeated in multiple sets or even more than those currently rumored. I myself doubt we’ll see a downscaled Falcon, much less a “smart” one. Given the midi-Falcon is $85, and the years of trial and error to achieve the correct shape with LEGO wedge plates, I can’t see a playset that does all that the 2019 model can at any cheaper. If it does happen, by that point inflation will keep the price “consistent”. If the whole March wave is “smart,” then more likely than not the rest of the releases next year will be spared from “smart”ification. I disagree on Mara’s hair. It’s not the perfect shape, but few LEGO pieces are, and dark orange is a fine approximation when considering Shannon McRandle‘s portrayal. Above all else… it’s the exact same hairpiece I’ve used on my purist Mara for the past five years. Ah, yes, the “golden age;” from when clones didn’t use leg printing to when the 212th were yellow. The most ironic part is that if TLG fitted the P2 helmet for accessories during their “golden era,” then none of these complaints would’ve began in the first place. It’s the mistake from the golden era that’s messed up clones in the modern era. I mean, I’m always open to try new writing styles. “Here’s three very compelling reasons for a LEGO TIE Avenger: • It’s not a P-Wing, it’s a TIE Avenger. • It’s not from the Sequels, it’s from Andor. • It’s not the mother of General Hux, it’s the father of the TIE Interceptor.” Technically, though, gut instinct or memory isn’t a source that exists, thus I’ve been hallucinating sources for a long time… which causes me to question the nature of existence but I digress.

Beyond the X-Wing and Advanced, no other “smart” sets have been confirmed. However, there are some suspects, specifically 75422 with 422 pieces at $70 and 75427 with 962 pieces at $160. Info for all unknown March sets: “It’s easy to see, I fit perfectly, in this wonderful, beautiful, simple… oh nooo…” I must also extend my condolences… Nah, I rejoice at the sight of Mara Jade on your profile picture. Of course, loved the old one, and it will be missed. By the way, how long did you use the CW SpongeBob avatar? Love to see the Maul-dalorians! Wonderful to see the handprint pattern in particular make a comeback. My only complaint is that they seem less vibrant than they should; Gar Saxon used primarily red, and while he’s supposed to stand out, he already does with the yellow visor. The BP will be an easy pickup for me—once it reaches $15ish. Somehow it’s a regular inclusion in the top five/six LEGO themes, and I have to wonder “HOW?” I for one would get bored with HP after one round of Hogwarts grounds. I have to assume either the Wizarding World fandom is that loyal, or the casual LEGO enjoyers remain intrigued. In the latter’s case, HP is not a sustainable IP for expansive imaginative play, yet the theme still captures the core principle of “play” better than LSW, perhaps because of that lack of subject-versatility. So, instead of mixing things up all the time, maybe LSW should go back to formula and make X-Wings and TIEs—or Interceptors and Vulture Droids—at affordable prices with the main cast. One of the absolute ludicrous decision TLG made in 2024–after coughing baby Leia—was taking their affordable, “birthday money” TIE and X-Wing, combining them, swapping out the main OT cast for OCs nobody knew, and worse yet jacking up the price by $15. (Mind you, that’s considering 75300’s inflated price.) Other examples: Ahsoka’s Interceptor could’ve been an excellent “gateway” set into LSW, specifically LEGO Clone Wars, (main characters, fun starship, smaller package) but we know how that went. I would pin the same criticism on Mando’s N-1 from ‘22 (an overpriced, oversized set), but I’m past the point of relevancy for that discussion. Castle and LEGO go well together. It combines block-based construction of forts and castles with the storytelling inherent to warring factions. I can see a similar trait with LHP; block-based construction of the main grounds with the story of wizardry. I wonder if LSW has the same inherent traits nowadays. “Rebuilding” a castle without the instructions is easy, but most modern LSW sets are too perfect that kids avoid playing rough with them altogether. The kids that love LEGO likely love the rebuild aspect, which is what LSW early on emphasized and designed their sets around. In 2025 you’d be hard pressed to find a child building their U-Wing into anything else because there are few, if any basic bricks included. (This is turning into an essay about the current state of LEGO as a whole, so I’ll leave it there.) I hope TLG will see that the core principle of LEGO—the cornerstone to the LSW galaxy, if you will—is the answer, not these new fangled smart bricks.

Fair, I haven’t paid close attention to LEGO LotR, so I hadn’t realized. …which means the bricks in the Rex MiFi are particularly worthless. That’s crazy. Probably. I hope my jokes remain in light fun. The last thing I want to do is cause a War of 2024 over my comments (assuming historians date the beginning of the war to my earliest replies to CloneCommando). Instead of dressing as the Native Americans, we’ll disguise ourselves as the THUNDERBOLTS! + Thor. The set has, what, 200ish pieces? If your theory about the Tusken proves true (which, again, I believe is a definite possibility), I could see a molded Bantha pushing the price to $35. That said, considering the Kelleran BARC Speeder, this set could just as easily be an oversized Cobb Vanth speeder and a moisture evaporator. Maybe the lamp post strikes back! Fair point. To me, the name of Spacetroopers is the main thing, so whether they look accurate to G-level canon (which I realize the irony given my comment on the Executor) or classic Thrawn Trilogy, I’d still be hyped for Spacetroopers. My preference is both versions simultaneously, but that’s incredibly unlikely. Nope, nope, no more than meets the eye on that comment. *presses the start button* Stud shooters, four-plus sets, SMART FIGURES! Oh my… I agree, however I believe it only works if the characters are in other sets as non-light-up versions. Then, people would have the ability to buy the figure in standard configuration and customize the character as they wish, yet that’d also mean a repetitive character lineup across the theme. Nonetheless, light-up lightsabers intrigue me far more. Maybe for 30 years of LSW? I don’t think so. I can see a total of four sets from these minifigs, unlike the six total sets that just feature clone minifgs. Those four OT “smart” sets I can see being: “Smart” X-Wing: “smart” pilot Luke, ”Smart” TIE Advanced: “smart” Vader, “smart” Palpatine, (Honestly these two could just as easily slide into the “Smart” X-Wing, but I’ll assume that the current word about the Advanced set is true.) ”Smart” Cantina: “smart” Han Solo, “smart” Chewbacca, “smart” Greedo, “smart” Farmboy Luke, ”Smart” Dagobah: “smart” Luke in Training, “smart” Yoda. There will definitely be normal figures to expand the play in each set, and I’m admittedly a bit doubtful that the Cantina could hold four “smart” figs along with other patrons, so “smart” Farmboy Luke might be in the inevitable landspeeder sold separately. Unless the Cantina is the $160 set, but that’s pure speculation at this stage. The point being, OT sets are making a comeback, welcome in my book, but this isn’t a full scale return, but a subtle swing in the pendulum toward balance. None of these OT sets—outside of a “Smart” Landspeeder with a cheap build—will be accessible to new, young SW fans; the same was true in 2024 and remains true in 2026 outside of an overpriced Luke Skywalker mech. We’ll see if “smart play” continues into the summer wave; if so, we could see a plethora of overpriced “smart” OT sets, which I believe will be unpopular with kids regardless of source material, or if not, a return to clones or Mando, which would be just as overpriced, very likely. I like the concept of these sets, but remain uninterested due to the “smart” aspect. The Cantina most of all intrigues me; perhaps Greedo will finally be given back his arm-printing, or Dr. Evazan and his compatriot could return from the MBS set? I will be thoroughly disappointed if Artoo-Detoo doesn’t come with “smart play”. He is literally a heavy computer that rolls around, who makes beeps, and interacts with everything and everyone.

Nay, my good man. The British tea is as black as the hearts of those in 1700s Parliament, who enslaved their subjects across the British Empire through exuberant taxation, while our freedom in American opened up the convection of tea as sweet as our liberty. (Maybe too sweet, even by our people’s standards, but all the same.) Now see, that’s a higher level of thinking. Most impressive. Yea, but, alas, BrickBob won. You overestimate TLG. The set will only feature Grogu, and the vehicle will vaguely look like Mando; a visual representation of the reality of Din Djarin’s character at this point. Call me out for my addiction to hopium, (that is a really dark joke come to think of it…) but I’m curious if Motti or Tagge could show in the Advanced. Granted, it might do TLG better to adapt the Conference Room in the $1K DS as its own diorama. I’d be down for just Tarkin in the Advanced—any more figs from the DS would make it the absolute dream set. I think that might be one too many smart figs in one set. I think “smart” Vader at least will be in the Advanced—particularly if both sets are meant to tie in to each other—and maybe a “smart” stormtrooper too. As much as these will inflate LSW prices beyond belief, I’m warming up to the idea of a “smart” Artoo that beeps or a Vader with breathing sound effect. Undoubtedly, though, they’ll include “storytelling” sounds and lights as well (specific quotes or sound effects during interaction) which is detrimental to play. I know as a kid I hated sound effects if they told me how the story was supposed to go, instead of enhancing my imagination. Of course, a Vader toy breathing on loop would only drain the batteries, and after the sound effects go away, the kid would play with the “smart” Vader as any other toy, no matter how expensive it was. What about that one poor deputy whom Cad shot through a dozen times? I demand he gets a figure! (Tusken is likely; I’m shocked we haven’t seen one since, wha, ‘22?) Once again, you overestimate TLG. The set will only include Mando, and the main feature will be the buildable Grogu overshadowing and enveloping the Mandalorian character; a visual representation of the reality of Din Djarin’s character thanks to Disney. Yep. Fives in the shock trooper mech, right? Lowkey hyped for the BP. I don’t mind 332nds on their own, but Maul Mandos are always fire. Looking forward to see how the figures look. I raise to you American sweet tea that has somehow foamed at the top! Either that or it’s root beer… I love spacetoopers. Their reveal in HttE was unbelievably epic. Has it? TIEs, sure, have been retconned in the Disney era, but technically the Executor hasn’t—unless you count video games, but those have always been considered lower canon than the movies (not to disparage the wonderful stories found there, of course). If we’re going to debate current over it’s adherence to Luke Skywalker’s character according to George Lucas, then why not the intentional decisions of ILM within G-Level canon? The LSW aftermarket is most of all overpriced, though. Figures from a mid-range set just four years ago can be sold for $35, as it is with Gar Saxon. Compare that to Captain America (Endgame), an exclusive figure in another mid-range set of the same lifespan, and a desirable figure for his accuracy to the source material unlike in modern sets, yet he sells for $7 at best. LotR might be in a similar boat, but those weren’t just figures from 12 years ago, but characters which have only been reproduced as of late in expensive sets, right? Desirable characters don’t matter in LSW; only desirable collectibles. The breadth of this theme is inaccessible to most newcomers. That does corrupt buying habits, thus corrupts the hobby, and thus does corrupt good discussion.