Swordy

THE ASLUME IS (soon to be) DEAD! On a non-jonkling note, let's go. Whether it's a D2C or a mini-modular, I'm glad to hear that something besides a redundant Batmobile is coming. Granted, there's a non-zero chance the only minifigures are Soup, Luth Lexor, and Man.

Yeah, I feel bad for you DC fans. It seems that the DCU have only nailed Superman; at least the DCEU had a decent Aquaman, Shazam and Wonder Woman. Worse than that is definitely the lack of LEGO Soup, though. (I'm a causal DC enjoyer—i.e. I'm familiar with only Batman—but I will gladly pledge my funds to whatever the next non-Batman set will be.) The ISB was hunting Invincible too? Huh, the more you know. /s I'll join in with everyone else and ask that you share pictures on Eurobricks—it sounds as grand as the Republic's army. Glad that you are soon to receive your prized AT-AT too—it's got to be second to the TIE Avenger in how much you've talked about it. That means he could probably die by the same thing twice. XD The way it's used as a storytelling device is interesting, I suppose. The Andor title card is one of my favourites. It's drawn out and boring visually, but that music hits every time. I'm fine with the Mandalorian's title card—even though it's formulaic now, it also started the formula, so it's hard to blame it in particular. I still say that Ahsoka's end credits ought to be moved up to the front. Even if it was another title card, at least Maul's logo had some motion animated in, although I abhor the generic font they used for the episode title (again, something I could go do right now in iMovie). Yeah, LSW has steadily become overpriced, but 2025 was the breaking point. 2026 has helped alleviate that feeling somewhat, but it's a long road that LSW would have to travel. Possibly…? In addition to most of @Mandalorianknight's list, I'd throw in the Twilight from TCW movie—accurate, sure, but still ugly as can be and a rather unnecessary minifig cast. As for the CTT, forgetting what I said about the size, at least it looks decent as a display piece. The build's stability is downright shameful, of course. The price is abhorrent. I will defend the LEGO Galactic Marines to the last breath, but that's just me. I guess the inclusion of the annoyance that is Ki-Adi-Mundi automatically makes the set hundred times worse, so maybe it is the worst? I suspect that the Yoda bust would look better in real life, where shadows can help hide the gaps within the eye sockets. I appreciate how it includes his lightsaber, making it into a kinetic display piece rather than a static head and shoulders like the Vader. I feel like the only one who gets what the designers were trying to go for with that ferris wheel; nonetheless, it is ugly and nonsensical. Agreed. Moving beyond the beautiful prints on the faceplate, it looks like the rest was slapped together by some Brickheadz designer. (Not hating on their game, of course.) It looks so squared and uninspired. I'd also vote for the midi-scale Kylo shuttle, another uninspiring build and definitely overpriced. There's a debate to be had over whether the 327th or Mando AT-RT is worse. Subjectively, I'll take an Imperial with the Shoretrooper helmet mold any day over a recoloured P2. Even despite my biases, I believe fans of the 327th didn't like the figures. On the other hand, Mando and Grogu were old hat long before they were shoved into every Mandalorian set this year, so the Mando AT-RT—at the same $45—features less unique figures on top of a smaller minifig count overall. On the other other hand, I like the turret build better, but on the other other other hand, a Construction AT-RT is fire and it'd be the sole reason I pick up the BP. To obtain the almighty Nubbs is worth any cost… (but seriously, I cannot understand why that set was priced like it was.) I remember trying to appreciate that build when I was gifted it… I think the minifigs were mostly excellent, but the build was pretty oversized in my opinion. (As soon as I was done building, I got to work downscaling it. I think I only lost one function, which was the wall of cheese slopes and I didn't mind since I could sprinkle them throughout the build instead.) Eventually I took everything but the yellow minecart apart and I've never once regretted it. (Subjectively, I still can't hear "I am what you made me," without cringing.) That might take the cake. The Grevious tax met, like you say, absurd overpricing, and the result was not pretty. I think we'd disagree on which details are important; a Venator is still recognizable without the open circle insignia, but removing all of the silver decals on Kylo's helmet would turn it into a vague black blob. As for the TIE windshield—or any windshield for that matter—it's more about convenient function; given every X-Wing and TIE are usually kid's toys, a single piece for removal when sitting the pilot inside is common sense. Conversely, a display piece can use more extreme techniques. (Moreover, I think they should given the point of a LEGO display piece ought to be more than "Hey, a LEGO-branded product," but a showcase of what is possible purely in the brick medium.) I also think that Breaaad on Rebrickable did a better job at creating Kylo's helmet, on top of avoiding any prints. (Granted, the piece count is 50% larger than the official set—but I think that can be pushed for at a $70 price point.) I vaguely remember there was a false rumor involving the UCS Death Star, but this seems pretty new as far as the SSD. Another reason I will regret lacking a spare $800. Wasn't there an issue with licensing too? I thought that Hasbro and Disney Parks wanted to keep TLG from selling lightsaber replicas—at this point, though, who knows what exactly John L. Ego is or isn't allowed to do. If I may wildly speculate, I wonder if the initial choice to run Yoda's lightsaber as a GwP is what locked them in. If I recall correctly, the helmets were a risky experiment into mass producing a display-only item for LSW, and only after a test run with the Sith Trooper and Vader busts. So I do wonder if TLG was hesitant to a new display item, tried experimenting via a GwP, and now chooses not to expand the line to retail—whether because of a lack of interest or lack of legal rights.

I meant that in the past yours were a lot longer than they are now, to the point I remember they beat mine a few times. Nonetheless, I agree that I am second to none… which is a blessing in that I somehow manage to articulate common reactions better, but a curse in that I suspect my lengthiness can scare away some replies. (Wow, glad I could aid you on your journey of learning English, then.) An inspiring message, my friend; at this point in my life, a decade seems like half a lifetime—literally, lol—so to hear that such a quality is achievable in a lifetime does give me hope. Thank you. Same. The LEGO Group would be best to go all-out, given these figs are likely once-in-a-lifetime. I know I've mentioned this before, but this is the same track I've been on for the past few months. I've found that endlessly seeking out reviews only hinders the surprise of the final product. If there's anything really important, I'll see it in these forums, but otherwise I know what I want, and I can modify it to be better. The only YouTuber I may still watch nowadays is JANGBRiCKS to see what discount I should look for. Indeed, and far be it from me to complain. Long live the Aslume. …what. So one random dude is more invaluable than anyone else…? That's hilarious. Does this clone have the memories of his past lives or is he constantly undergoing reinvention like Revan? The shows could be more clever about it, too. Like, insert it when some brings up the episode title or the main character's name, such as obviously—*title card* I'm not opposed to Parrying—it already has the y at the end too—although I'm still back at my name having become a verb, so I'll let it's etymology fly as free as a bird. Exactly. I don't even know if it was an exact third—I've messed around with the 2016 set on MecaBricks and it's such a bizarre model. Even half of the chamber would be an improvement, lol. I mean, I have been willing to make exceptions before—the U-Wing, for instance—but yeah, patience is key in this over-priced hobby. (Although I've also made the mistake of passing on the best deals in anticipation of a better one.) Yeah, it was shocking how little I wanted out of 2025. The clonemania and overabundance of buildable characters turned me off, but ultimately it comes down to pricing, I believe. If half of 2025 LSW had their MSRP cut by 30%, I probably would've been willing to buy more. Why, I would absolutely love to own Ahsoka's Interceptor, but I can't talk myself into Amazon's rollback of $36, much less the standard $45. On top of that the CTT was a poor excuse of an update. For a set (finally) called the Juggernaut, the build has the size and impact of an acorn nut.

I definitely can see that; your posts often rival mine in length, and to that I commend you. I only wish I had the candor of your people (as exhibited by yourself and those I've read on the Stone Wars blog). Perhaps I ought to learn German, lol. Food old, you say? Perhaps you should avoid the expired and moldy delicacies, then… ;) Allow me to steal your idea and share my top three for 2027: General Skywalker, Luke Starkiller (Duel), and Zam Wessel (honourable mention to the Maker) Which reminds me—some point soon I need to photograph the Soup mech praying to his father Jor-El in a non-descript forest… for reasons, obviously. I didn't know this was r/LEGOtearjerk. Why, thank you. Likewise, it's always good to see your posts on Eurobricks. To be fair, Project Hail Mary is a monumental motion picture, and definitely the definitive cinematic highlight of 2026 so far. (Although what else can beat it? Maybe Duuune, but I have yet to see those films.) It's also difficult to distinguish the movie given Disney—in their infinite wisdom—decided to add two words to the series' title and call it a day. If anything, the marketing push leading up to the movie felt like a hype train for the newest season of the Mandalorian. Fair enough, lol. Although I suppose I might be equally as hyped for a Admiral Piett or Pelleaon as I would for Mara; a shulp gitto is a shulp gitto. It's fan4stic, Man. You know, I always think of the Ahsoka end credits as the opening titles. There's been something of a trend in pop culture to cut down on theme songs/opening credits. but those theme songs I have encountered stick with me more than any specific episode of the show—which, in fact helps bring the show to mind more often. (Not to mention that the opening titles of Ahsoka are dreadful; it's 30 seconds of gongs and woodwinds underscoring a pair of fonts in a sequence I could do in iMovie.) At least we got an opening crawl. Wow, you actually managed to Swordy me. There is indeed so much joy in knowing there will be something that's exactly perfect for yourself and your collection. It's the opposite of the feeling I described with Smart Bricks; still, very much a first world problem, lol. I would love to want to the '27 Bespin Duel, but alas! The 2020 Celebration display was my very first set to have Darth Vader (I started collecting LSW at the end of 2019), so not only do I already own those two characters but I have a sentimental basis towards the model too. I hope so too; a bit of Bespin architecture would be more fun than simply another freezing chamber. Although a combination of room where Vader throws Luke out the window and the lead up to the catwalk can easily use up 718 pieces, so I think we are likely to get a souped-up chamber with white shirt Han (again). Either way, though, I'm looking forward to it! Ah… So similar to how Maul's speeder can be rolled into the cockpit of his Infiltrator and the construction-figure Iron Man could be shoved into the Hulkbuster, we'll see a $700 TIE Avenger that can fit Maul's Mandalorian Starfighter into it's canopy (which itself is piloted by Lady Kast and Jade). Brilliant, brilliant… My strategy with purchasing sets is usually to "wait until the last minute to buy or ask for the sets I want," so some of the years are still pending. I could specify between gift or purchases but I suppose it doesn't matter. Let me go from '23 onwards… 2023: the Ghost, E-Wing, T-6, Rex's and Cody's helmet, the Boba Fett mech, Spider-Tank, and 501st Trooper BP 2024: Captain Rex MiFi, Boarding the Tantive, Paz vs Gideon, Jedi Bob's Starfighter, Sith Infiltrator, the Oynx Cinder at 30% off and two of Ambush on Mandalore and Duel on Peridea each; hopefully I can score the Dark Falcon sometime soon 2025: U-Wing and Plo Koon JSF; looking to pick up the V-19, Gingerbread AT-AT, and UCS Slave 1 2026: For now I was gifted the Vader bust; on my wishlist are Cobb Vanth's speeder, Siege of Mandalore BP, NR X-Wing, Imperial Shuttle and the Sandcrawler So it seems that 2027 may be as big of a year as '23 and '24 for me—if not larger, given those Starfighter sets are likely to end up on my radar as well and we have no word about the summer/fall wave. Aww… thank you, you're too kind. I'll do my best to live up to those words. :) Hang on—you just made me realize that we don't have the McQuarrie trooper rumored for next year. Well, that's a blunder if I ever saw one: choosing another alternative Luke over a trooper-type that, outside of it's own novelty, is highly-requested by TBB and MSL fans. So I definitely hope the SW design team finally opens the memos from F1 and LotR and, yes, totally do include a minifigure, as it'd be even more insulting to have a display set but not a figure. Beyond the Stormtrooper, I'm aware of, Yoda who looks like a granny, the Snowtrooper which isn't all that different other than a yellow V, and Boba Fett, which has technically been done before (although there might be a concept of his helmet with exposed tubing that would be interesting).

I am Vegetable. I am the Nitro Pepsi. I am… Swordy. (To be fair, without your raving over John Walker's character I probably wouldn't love the character like I do now. So it becomes a symbiotic circle between the Gungans and the Naboo.) Strangely I'm comfortable with the $100 price tag, but I definitely agree that more could've been included. Two of the figs in the leaked image appear to be reuses. That said, I recall the previous Final Battle sets having a similar number of new prints (4 for Civil War and 6 for Endgame). All of them up until now have had inaccurate reuses for the pure sake of "budget", and maybe one or two new figures at best, so this one not having only one slight inaccuracy and four brand new figs is certainly plus. AND—unless my youthful eyes and those spare pixels deceive me—BUCKY'S BACK TO THE BLACK HAIR AND THAT UGLY FACE PRINT. I still hold out hope we'll see those teams completed next March, in which case I'd rather a deluxe Doom and everyone, however late they show up. I realize I may be too optimistic, though. Right, he shouldn't. …yet he does. Perhaps Doom shows some telepathic powers? Are there any mind-readers on the Avengers whom I'm forgetting? Other than the obvious rule of cool, why? The most interesting part of the Wolverine character has been Hugh Jackman for me. I'd prefer to see the character evolve outside of one actor, but I understand why they wouldn't. I'd say the only reason Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have stuck around in public consciousness is moreso due to their other iconic roles (Gandalf and Picard, respectively) than those performances. (In all fairness, Patrick Stewart was born to play Charles Xavier. I suppose I disagree that Ian McKellan is 100% Magneto, although I admit I only know that version from DoFP.) I wasn't big on the Evan Peters as Quicksilver, so I don't feel so bad that he won't make it around. I fully see your point that Feige would only bring back actor with whom he has a relationship; my argument is that Fassbender sold the character onscreen each time, so he'd be my personal choice. I only say McAvoy since him and Fassbender already have an established chemistry (not to mention they're old enough to be distinct from a 20s-age cast but young enough to have longevity), but otherwise I feel not as strong about him. I was shocked to learn how hated Dark Phoenix is after first watching it. I won't argue it's a great film but I enjoyed it thoroughly. As for the X-Trilogy, you may have convinced me… I am interested in the Wolverine movies, so I'd definitely give that one a watch too. I have heard of the Rogue Cut; it's not available on Disney+ so I haven't given it a watch yet, and like you said it'd appeal moreso to the 2000s X-Men fan. I have a hairy memory of seeing the full movie on YouTube, so perhaps that'll be the route I take. Based off the most recent leak, it seems that LEGO went for the brighter colour scheme this time. I'm glad since that works perfectly for most fans. Interesting and disappointing for comic/X-Men '97 fans (of which I'm one). There are several alternate hair options for Nightcrawler (such as one from Dreamzzz) which may work for a quick fix, but you're right that it won't be perfect. I hadn't realized that neither in the comics have scales; goes to show how influential those films were, lol. I liked the Doomsday trailer well enough. I've probably rewatched it ten times already. It doesn't make me any more hyped for the movie since I know for a fact Marvel Studios will fool me into garbage when they can. (I dare not even bring to memory the title of that abomination last February.) Seeing everyone together in the same room is exciting; very late, but better that than never on a massive crossover. The Gambit vs the Ten Rings fight (Shang who?) was probably my favourite moment. The cinematography looks gorgeous—that shot of Doom prior to the Marvel Studios logo in particular. There are a couple of scenes and easter eggs that give me something to chew on, but like I said my excitement and expectation for this movie remains the pretty same.

Received the Darth Vader bust as a birthday gift. The shaping in person is better than I expected. My only modification I made was giving away the extra Vader minifig and taking out the stack of six 2 by 4 bricks. Looking at it now, I think that $40 USD is the most I'd pay for it, but it's a worthwhile display piece and certainly a great gift for the LSW in your life, as it was for me. Now, given the busts give a home to lonely figures, I'd be curious to see if someone built head-and-shoulder busts for the 25th anniversary figures. (Perhaps ignoring the coughing baby, lol.)

I am trying to write shorter these days… doesn't help that I skip Euro-town for a month (I'm not kidding… how is it always an exact 30 days???) and of course am required to share all my thoughts and reply to decade-old conversations when I return. I agree with your assessments of everyone here, and CloneCommando's description of you. I'll start with the replies then cap off with some general thoughts on the latest news. (It feels bad that I have to call out my segmentation like this… but as has been established, I am very [S]wordy.) It's been a minute, but I do recall the original rumors called them both out as playsets—at most it'll be a hyrbid of the diorama and playset concepts. [Just referenced the new rumors, and yep, sure enough.] If they are supposed to be dioramas I suppose two figures makes sense, but that only highlights the issue with the diorama concept to begin with that they are self-limiting (in my opinion needlessly so). I guess my view is that if a JSF included a third figure at that price before, they could do it again—and especially a fanfavourite villian would help the JSF fly off shelves (pun half-intended). TLG know their own costs better than we, I suppose. Agreed on all points. Now it's been confirmed that Gold Leader is included, and while they could do a Red Jammer anyway, they'll probably play the hit exactly like they have before. (Regardless, it's LEGO, so anyone can rebuild it to match the QT-KT droid for all anyone cares.) I had forgotten that particular set. To my understanding, the RoS Y-Wing was designed in-universe to mimic the rugged Y-Wings of the Rebellion, so that polished-greebling is represented there rather than truly messy mechanics and wires. Very true. I would counter that as for myself, I don't even think about the Acolyte all that much. It's a dark stain on a shirt called Star Wars which I've worn for so long, the imperfections have stopped registering to me. As for M&G, I have yet to watch the film, so I don't have any thoughts at all. I hope an actual story is developed for these characters going forward, because I'd rather revisit the show than watch less-meaningful filler. Well, ended up that all we got is Gold Leader, lol. (Not even Porkins… that's it, I'm calling in the Blacktron strike force.) Thank you for explaining the lore. I wish I had more to say other than that's… fantastic. Which is a shame given that the whole purpose of a show whose title is a character… is the entitled character. (Which points to a larger issue where they should go back to the pulpy titling of the episodic films… but anyway.) I did like Ahsoka the White, and perhaps Dawson can win me over eventually (she is no Ashley Eckstein, though). Agreed. There are some prints online that make Vader look more black (for instance the photo assigned with the leak on Instagram), but navy blue would not only make him more accurate but more novel in general. Luckily, it seems they've done the best of both scenarios by offering up both the female and hallway-fight Starkillers. Despite being (I believe) the first to mention her, she's probably my least desirable concept fig. Artoo will be the most boring, although I appreciate how C-3PO's concept art offers a very 50s-sci-fi design. Now the news: Out of all the things I've predicted over the past two years on Eurobricks… WHY THIS ONE??? I think we'll see the three will be the hero starship, the landspeeder and a buildable Grog—erm, character/droid. Mia Goth's character might show up along Gosling's starship, and I doubt we'll see more than Ryan and the kid in the landspeeder. Remember when Star Wars movies were guaranteed six at minimum sets? Demolition Dummy remembers… I'm in love with the buildable Boba Fett. I'd much rather that the price had been the same as 76344 Iron Man from January, but a discount or May 4th promo can help overcome that. The UCS SSD would've been a dream set of mine a few years back… alas, I was gifted the UCS ISD since then, so I feel my need for grey triangles has been fulfilled. The figures look very nice, of course—that Bossk especially—although I've already collected previous iterations of everyone but Zuckess so I'm content. The 2027 Y-Wing is a must now that it's known Mon Mothma and Luke Starkiller (let's go!) will be included. Midi-scale Death Star II is a dream come true. Maybe they'll throw us a wild bone and include Galen and Krennic. Contrary to seemingly many on the forum, I'm looking forward to the SW theater—to fill out my growing LEGO City and represent my love for SW, yes, but also because the Palace Cinema has been a white whale of mine for years, and this might prove an obtainable alternative. The BTS set with George Lucas and pink shorts guy is possibly a Day 1 purchase; price and budget pending, as always. The theatrical A New Hope poster may be my favourite poster of all time, so I look forward to its execution into LEGO. I'm disappointed that the highly desirable McQuarrie Vader will be exclusive to a set I don't otherwise want… such is collecting. Am I reading correctly that we'll see Bespin Leia, Lando, and Han next year? This is splendid—perhaps the LEGO is listening. (If so, might I suggest the TIE AVENGER piloted by Mara Jade, Maul: Shadow Lord sets including an extra figure of Mara Jade, Darth Plagueis dueling Mara Jade, Jek Porkins with his diet instructor Mara Jade, and an upscaled figure of Mara Jade piloted by the one and only Mara Jade.) As of now, I plan to at some point or another pick up the Y-Wing, Cloud City with Lando, George Lucas Tribute, SW Movie Theater, Midi-Scale DSII, and Anakin's JSF. (That Ewok Village and Bounty Hunter pursuit better come… )

No Gambit is disappointing, no Invisible Woman is strange (given the post-credit of FF), but the lack of John Walker is a tragedy worthy of the Greeks. It's also intriguing how the Sentinel and Quinjet swapped prices… I'm now less interested in both, but while a $60 Quinjet sounds like straight garbage, a $100 Sentinel display does sound epic. I still plan to pick up the latter along the way. The *New Avengers Tower sounds pretty great. Glad we have Flamed-On Torch confirmed. I imagine it'll be overpriced, but hopefully it looks stellar. Interesting how Doctor Doom is included in every set; I presume that's the method by which TLG has decided to spread the costs for a figure with arm and leg printing alongside a new mold (who isn't Spidey or Iron Man, of course).

I hope that's because they plan to bring back Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as Erik and Charles in the soft-reboot post-Secret Wars. (At the very least, Fassbender deserves to be brought back, since he managed to make each X-Recast film worth the watch. Although I just read something about him taking a step back from Hollywood, so maybe that's not possible anymore.) I thought the rest of the cast were too juvenile in talent. I've never seen the original X-Trilogy, and honestly I'm a bit unsure about ever seeing them. I did work my way through the four X-Recasts; didn't like First Class, absolutely loved Days of Future Past, hated Apocalypse, and thought Dark Phoenix was pretty decent but incomplete. (Two hot takes sandwiching two cold ones, lol.) All I'd want to see from LEGO FoX-Men is a set of the DoFP Sentinel with Magneto and Hugh Jackman. Given the recent rumor, though, it seems I've spoken too late. I love the concept of the Sentinel set! I can't imagine the sentinel itself will be sizeable, given the extra builds said to be included. Perhaps it'll be akin to the X-Mansion build, just with a muted colour palette? As for the minifigs, I expect Doom will be roughly the same as the Bust since the costs are shared there. Mr. Fantastic will have a new torso, likely no leg printing. Magneto doesn't need leg printing from the leaks I've seen, and the mold for his helmet is there if Erik even uses it in the movie. Likewise Thor won't need leg prints (and even if he did, we know he won't). Mystique's design might call for leg prints, given the blue on her collarbone and sides would need balancing out, and hair-wise I could see the live action Bo-Katan piece being reused. No clue about Nightcrawler—I think I saw a design with plain black trousers, but maybe not. They might use the Dreamzzz hair for him given how much volume it seems to have. More than anything, I'm glad that TLG seems to have taken the complaint with Galactus's price and, while choosing to not lower it, have decided to package more characters (that aren't exclusively reprints) into the set and even gone as far as to build out the scene for them. I hope the set lives up to my expectations. A Dark Avengers Quinjet? Count me interested, most interested. I do presume it's a New Avengers quinjet… although I hope it's not in place of a New Avengers tower. Regardless, I'm really excited about Thunderbolts* sets at last. I hope the Quinjet is an enough intriguing design to complement the '23 model I have on my shelf. New Avengers or Dark Avengers, I await news of the full minifig lineup.

The prior version of Bespin Duel was a display set and even half the price. Duel on Mustafar in 2005 had only two, but that was because those were the only two we knew were going to be on Mustafar. Meanwhile Duel on Mustafar in 2020 was $20 and, again, only two figures but at half the price of this new version. It was interesting to look back on the pricing of Jedi Starfighters; a trend of price increases that's very similar to today until it dropped back to $20 in 2018. At least back in TCW era we got more builds and/or minifigs with each price increase (Plo Koon's SF being the exception); whereas just in 2022 we got a $30 SF with three all new figs (considering R4 as a fig for the sake of it), only to now expect a reused R2 and a hopefully deluxe Anakin. It's better than $45 for an Interceptor, certainly, but still feels stingy. The trouble is we get tons of Anakins and Obi-Wans, and while we certainly need those characters to return regularly, I'd like to see a different cast each time to interest me in collecting. The lack of minifgs offers no suggestion of imaginative play too. I imagine an all gold or black greebles and gold banner box-art with the "Star Wars at 50" logo as seen on StarWars.com. The McQuarrie figs seem like a novel way for TLG to celebrate and only that. The approach for branding this 50th anniversary seems pretty straight forward and formulated, for better or worse. If they play the hits, there's no risk of failure, right? This movie has nothing going for it nostalgia-wise, and even with Ryan Gosling, who knows how it'll perform critically and financially. It's an untapped era… and the two previous times that happened in Star Wars were the Mandalorian and the Acolyte. (Ugh, I feel bad breathing those two in the same sentence.) For the former, it got one set—a redundant remake at that, and as for the latter, obviously it didn't perform well, and I think TLG avoided a shelf-warmer with that one. We'll see the set potential of Starfighter upon the trailer release, so I'll hold my tongue for now. Always glad to be of service. Same. The increasing price per piece paired with skrinkflation… I already feel priced out of new LEGO across the board. (Call me crazy, but I might hop over to LEGO Minecraft.) There's a couple of decently-priced sets, but they're increasingly few and far in between—and generally niche too. I might turn to the secondhand market, providing they are more reasonable. I guess I had expected some Death Star figs or a Shlup Gitto Rebel. I wouldn't mind a new Y-Wing pilot, especially if it's one seen onscreen in ANH. My thought was that we hadn't seen Biggs or Wedge in a minute and (thus I don't have them and I'm just greedy) so that'd be nice. In every economy. Everywhere. All at once. (Legit, I thought up until now that Potential Man was a riff off Henry Cavill's Soup. So this is a whole canon with which I'm unfamiliar…?) The Rebels Crew, perhaps; Ahsoka had the most unnecessary change in my opinion considering she was better off mentally in Book of Boba than in Ahsoka. Hera seems toned down in personality, Chopper is of course Chopper, I forgot about Zeb since he wasn't in the show but he is indeed perfect, and I don't know how you felt about Kanan, but to me he just felt… dead, you know? Of course, the Y-Wing would need to be bigfig-accommodable… in fact, we'd need a whole new line of remade starfighters that can fit a new lineup of SW bigfigs. Obviously the first wave would be a TIE Advanced with bigfig Vader, a Millenium Falcon with a new canopy for bigfig Chewbacca (Han stays the same)—strike that; why go for all that effort when they can instead slap a "Smart Play Compatible" on the box and call it brand-consistent? Long live the Aslume. Agreed. At least the grey version of the MTT made some people happy… I think this Sandcrawler could've been brown and nobody would crying that it wasn't grey. I mean, I wasn't going to say it outloud… but what are the chances LEGO just recolours the current Vader mold? Well, McQuarrie did a particular artpiece that featured Jedi Han Solo, Zebbacca, and female Starkiller (Luke wasn't renamed Skywalker until the day of filming). I don't remember if Leia was included in any concepts during that stage. There's one black-and-white sketch that was adapted into Rebels, so maybe LEGO could go for that? Good point about Starkiller being highly merchandised over the years. It'd certainly be odd if TLG didn't go for him now. I've been noticing how many recent D2C's have a random single figure included, so I think you're on point. I believe TLG (after years of court battles, lol) has realized that the minifig is their one instant distinction from their brick-competitors. There's honestly not much difference between a brick from Billund or not, but the minifig has gained its status as a legitimate collectible. So with Ninjago versus Star Wars, it's almost as if an action figure company has both licensed and original characters on shelves; obviously the licensed has better recognition, so the non-licensed line has to offer better value for each figure and/or bundle those figures together. I was envisioning this Endor BP as a 327th BP without the extra droids to "boost" value when I wrote what I did. If regular BPs go up to $30, though, then I think the world ceases to function as we know it. I kid, I kid… but seriously. Agreed. We have yet to see the builds, and I remain pessimistic about the value those will provide. Nonetheless, this manages to play both the familiar hits while varied across the five fanfavourite shows and films. (Even the up-scaled Luke and Vader art don't sound too bad.) If I was a new collector, I'd be overjoyed, and even as a collector since 2020 who has all but one of these playsets, I still look forward to how they'll be executed. The new Y-Wing and Mustafar may win me over, for all I know.

Welp, that's disappointing. I went from being excited over the prospect of fresh minifigs alongside iconic playsets… to now deciding which sets to grab on discount or pass altogether. The set selection is certainly wonderful, but now I question whether everyone of these could've been priced ≈20% cheaper if TLG was going to skimp out on minifigs. The prospect of quality over quantity is moot; I sincerely doubt we'll see arm printing on the likes of a Princess Leia or Obi-Wan, and I don't believe additional anniversary figures should ever count towards a set's price. Anakin's Starfighter hurts most of all. Go ahead, rub it in my face, those who said Dooku wasn't going to happen… With only one unique figure, the set verges on overpriced for me. Depending on the accuracy of the Anakin figure (at this moment I doubt whether they can bring themselves to do the red and blue), I'll likely buy when it goes on sale. The Y-Wing, like @Mandalorianknight and I were last discussing (last month ), is an essential aspect of any ANH celebration—I'm glad that was proven right.The minifig selection is the worst case scenario in my eyes, though; it's only saving grace would be if Wedge or BIGGS(!) is the second Rebel pilot (we can't have a ANH Y-Wing without Dutch, right…?). Thank you for bringing it up (I think you were first too); my dream LEGO Y-Wing has been the Red Jammer for it's history behind the scenes as well as the epic colourway. In this case and this case alone, the build will absolutely make or break this set for me. Speaking of which, I'm intrigued to see how the greebling will be accomplished this go around, what with all the new odd pieces at their disposal. The Endor BP at $30 is outright disgusting. BPs have been envisioned as cheap ways to obtain a lot of characters, and no amount of superlative bricks which can be provided in a more substantial fashion elsewhere will make up for the price increase. Otherwise, I quite enjoy the fact that Endor rebels are back; perhaps some Ewoks should've been included too but I won't wade into that discussion. The Mustafar Duel at $40 and Bespin at $80 sounded very intriguing at first. After learning that the characters of each will be limited to the participants of said duel only makes me A) skeptical of anything exciting build-wise and B) lament the loss of $20 duel sets. The worst part is that both of these include the concept art figures—TLG are playing their cards right, I suppose, but it turns the celebration into a gimmick. MiFi is overpriced, but decent to see one. No thoughts on the Vader art or Upscaled Luke other than "Wait and see," which I presume is more positive than anyone else. That's true, and a bit worrisome. Given Starfighter is an unknown commodity, I wonder if TLG will limit it's exposure to 3 sets—if that. As for the lack of clones; also true, but I believe that reveals the flaw in TLG's strategy. All clones one year, then next-to-none in the next doesn't create balance, but a wave of complete interest then total disinterest. (Not to mention all of these sets retire at different rates anyway.) I'd rather see a little here, a little there than spurting out a repetitive wave laser-focused on one era. At some point, people will complain about the lack of P2 clones (they already are, in fact). Some of these 2025 and 2027 sets could've swapped spots and I think world peace would've been made. Oh yeah, and the Sandcrawler and AT-AT were revealed while I was gone. To put it briefly, I love them both. Even despite owning and preferring the TESB variant, the new AT-AT still proves to be rather tempting. I'll definitely buy the Sandcrawler for the fact that I don't already have one, the build finally accomplishes the perfect playscale model of this vessel, and I needed Kuiil and the Mudalorian yesterday. Potential Man in a Fant4stic meme? In this economy? Agreed there. Felt like everyone but Ezra had their personality sucked out of them—and only because Paul Eman Esfandi is quite possibly Ezra himself. I always thought too that Sabine took Ezra's request of protecting Lothal to heart and would've stayed there forever—unless Ezra could be brought back. Good thing that LEGO knew ball then. A D2C Trench Run in '27 would be incredibly cool. I doubt if TLG'll ever go that far for an anniversary besides their own, although I see a nonzero chance of it happening. Excellent point; I was being a little too greedy about extra Rebel pilot minifigs. At any rate, getting all of Red Squadron via one set would be an unbelievable dream come true. Hang on, strike what I said about Biggs(!) or Wedge. It's Porkins in the 2027 Y-Wing or we raid Billiund. I might do the same. Even in the Mando episode, it still looks brown to me; it's this and Doc Ock's grey coat that make me question the LEGO designer's eyesight. (I kid, I kid… but seriously.) Regardless of the circumstances surrounding them, I am beyond hyped for anniversary figures. Most anticipating Darth Vader, the Stormtrooper and maybe Starkiller (see below). I'm expecting new molds for each and all of these characters, unique lightsaber blades, arm prints and dual molding—the works. I am curious whether we'll see Luke Starkiller (as seen in that iconic original concept art with him facing Vader) or the female Starkiller as seen in art alongside Jedi Han and Zebacca. I pled for the former, but for reasons of inclusion I'd understand the latter.

Your crossed fingers will produce the Bat-Penguin, which is the standard Batman fig but with a recoloured cowl and Shang Chi head. Actually, never mind. My speculation has now willed the Bat-Pen into existence instead, which will be advertised alongside the Duck Boat but sold separately.

That new Doom looks incredible. Great to see LEGO Marvel implementing more arm and leg printing this year. I doubt that trend will continue past these Avenger-movie years, so I'm glad to be here as it unfolds. I hope this figure shows up at least twice within the next year and a half. The shoulder pad element would work great for Mark I Iron Man, and that hood in dark green is exactly what the comics Doom needed, in my opinion.

You could say that halving Maul only doubled his potential… or you could choose not to and save some groans at the dinner table. I can see that. Maybe there is potential after all… I still hold that Dave won't desert Sabine and Ahsoka to another galaxy, but maybe that's precisely what he's doing. I do wish there had been more outward conflict between Ahsoka and Sabine over the latter's conflicting Mandalorian and Jedi values, because Ahsoka quickly dismissing it fell flat for me. Thank you, then. The only OR characters I'm attached to is Darth Malgus (because coolest Sith design ever, am I right?) and my random fanfiction characters from that era, lol; so anything is fair game. Indeed, and so my quest as the Thunder Lord will continue… whenever I can think up a remixed line. (I don't know how Clone Commando does it every day.) Same. Seeing how Maul was handled in his show, it makes The Bad Batch (aka Omeeega's show) look even worse. BIGGS! While I'd love a definitive ANH X-Wing like you've described (especially after rewatching ANH on Monday), given we have a "smart" X-Wing that supplies the characters and a NR X-Wing that supplies the peak of X-Wing design, I'm willing to hold off for the time being. A definitive Y-Wing is more of a must for me—Y-Wings in particular feel directly tied to Episode IV, whereas the X-Wing have become the mascot for Star Wars overall. Of course, we do go back to the question of whether LSW '27 should celebrate 50 years of ANH or of the Star Wars franchise. On the topic of collecting Red Squadron… what about a Yavin IV D2C with the every Red, Gold, Phoenix and Blue Squadron seen onscreen at that location—as well as the Rogue One crew. The Trans-Neon-Green Lanterns face off against the bleak Blacktron… Brickest Night 3: Return of the King? Thank you, good sir. Long live the Aslume! That set managed to have so much appeal for being a mere OT remake. (Yes, a remake 20 years in the making, but a grey ship nonetheless.) Agreed. Dodanna's inclusion in the '21 X-Wing is one of the main reasons why I enjoy it so much—build aside. Iconic main characters need be included, but adding background or minor characters helps round out the world—especially as the price point/amount of iterations climbs higher. How about a Star Destroyer with Pellaeon? A TIE Defender with Pellaeon? A hologram room with minifigs of those Imperial warlords including Pellaeon? An Admiral Thrawn bust with Pellaeon to accompany Thrawn? A $350 replica of Pellaeon's mustache? And how did I forget to mention Mara Jade?! Seconded. Additionally and off the topic of LEGO, after my recent rewatch of ANH and the Battle of Yavin, I'm once again asking for a Rogue Squadron movie starring a recasted Wedge. X-Wing action never gets old. That sounds intriguing. How will they accomplish the model at a presumably miniature scale? Guess we'll see soon enough. I'm probably most looking forward to full pictures of the Sandcrawler. Wrong colour aside, it does look well done from the outside, so I'm curious how the interior was handled. Plus, there's the Mudhorn and Blurg from which to expect horror. Ears… Mickey Mouse has ears… so 400 Mickey's fearing for their lives from the Dummy in a TIE Avenger should do. Alternatively, there is the line from Avengers about "Power at 400% capacity"—how about that?

I went back and forth between saying "the LEGO Group, who have betrayed us," or not (ultimately I decided I just couldn't hear "the LEGO Group" in Maul's voice). Props to the show's writers; it's a whole lot better than Kenobi's "I am what you made me." To be honest, I've been running with that theory about Sabine's abilities since you mentioned it, I forgot that it hadn't been canonized just yet. I do think one can read that from the show's events; we'll see when they make it back to the main galaxy. We'll see. Do you recommend the Darth Revan novel? Obviously KOTOR is an easy recommend to any gamer… sadly, I'm not a good gamer. I'm still firmly in the post-RotJ era with my Legends reading; I'm just curious what to plan for if/when I delve into the Old Republic era. "Darkness rises, and light to met it." I see it; if the Force is bent toward the dark, then it gives power to the Jedi in order to meet said darkness. Although I do believe that since the Force exists in all living things, likewise all living things have access to Light or Dark depending on their choices. In essence, there should always be Jedi, since Jedi are guardians of the light which is the Force of all living things. There will always be evil to fight, albeit I think the Sith being destroyed should limit the extent of that evil. Right… yeah, Two-Boots is a tricky one. Maybe the AT-ST pilot? But that's for sure a stretch, especially since the majority of his helmet is blue. (I really do hope for MSL sets.) I see. That's nice, then, having the knowledge they were going to end the season with Devon in effect becoming Darth Talon. I was questioning whether they would or not until the moment the old man was thrown under the bus. XD The moment was nonetheless gratifying; hats off to the show for that. Excellent. Ah yes, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen… By the way, when you do get around to watch AoS, I highly recommend watching CA:TWS when it comes up in the chronology. There are tie-ins to other movies throughout the run, however I do think it's special how TWS enhances AoS while AoS somehow even enhances TWS. I hear that. I like what you say about intentionality, and like you say there will always be selfish people who will try to possess power in the name of whatever prior empire. I think there can be a difference between the Sith constantly returning, throwing the Force out of wack, and the Neo-Imperials who pirate the galaxy and create war—which tips the scales toward the dark but never significantly imbalances the Force in my view. Basically, in my view, the end goal of SW is a constant elevation of light side. Is that like our world? Well, from a secular view not at all, but given that the Force acts as a proxy for all religions, I'd propose that SW likewise would end in some form of paradise. I don't know if I like "undoing" balance. If Anakin is supposed to be the answer to a longtime prophecy (which he fulfills in a roundabout, tragic way), then that suggests finality. I know we have Disney canon to reckon with now; in which case I'd call Palpatine's brief return the aftershock of killing the final Sith, not necessarily a sign of more dark uprisings to come. Just my two-cents, of course. Disney would sooner cross Star Wars over with the Avengers than ever consider George's philosophy about his universe—and naturally everyone has a different idea of George's intentions. Thank you. Of course, all credit for the parody goes to… you guessed it, John L. Ego (and maybe the writers for MSL… as if I remembered Amanda Rose Muñoz's name). Crusaders… Lion Knights are also called Crusaders… It's naturally we take up this title, then, given their antagonistic relationship with the Black Falcons aka Blacktron. The Tower of Fate, which floats atop the ground… like Blackwell Tower, the secret rocket ship that was the start of a base on the moon, aka Blacktron Headquarters? Has our jonkling gone too far that we've been asking for the ultimate Blacktron fortress? Or have I finally fallen off my rocker? Of course… Luigi is the same one from Super Mario Bros, so he likely has access to the tube system we see through Nintendo's games—AND LEGO CITY, the major of which being Mayor Corncob! The only one accessible to the public has been the one connecting downtown to Liberty Island, but of course there have to be plenty of others (how else does fast travel work?) and it's highly likely that, thanks to Brickheadz Joker's 2x2 brain, a tunnel to the outside world has been established. Naturally, Mayor Corncob, by order of Blacktron and Brickheadz Joker, would keep the Real World Portal secure in Luigi's Pizzaria. Of course, business at Luigi's can never be too high, which is why Mayor Corncob, to discourage casual pizza enjoyers, outlawed pepperoni (which is advertised everywhere, including costumed figures, but never seen being sold to customers). (To all the sane people reading… Maker have mercy on you.) A sad day for all Imperial and OT fans. I'm surprised the Bomber lasted this long, but nonetheless saddened to see it go. Not the least bit upset. The meme merely reveals that I am the avatar of our glorious TIE Avenger. But what about the resale value of my 2020 Bespin Duel? Not that I will ever resell it… but it's the thought that I could that counts. /s Yeah, I would've liked a regularly release version prior to this zany one. The larger issue at play is the lack of Cloud City sets as a whole; if these iconic character-outfits weren't released exclusively in one of the most expensive playsets per their time, we wouldn't have as much to grieve over the turn in rumor. This Christmas set will somehow be the most accessible playset that remotely brings up the 3rd act of Empire. If I hadn't obtained the Bespin Duel six years ago (which… wow) I'd be greatly disappointed. I do wish the Vader wasn't merely a sweater-variant. It's a cool sweater, don't get me wrong, but it will be a bit hard to read as Christmasy. Depending on whether Luke is Christmasified too (which'd only ruin it further for any fan without a standard Bespin fatigues), I may just skip this set and keep to my annual tradition of planting a knockoff Santa Vader (handing out a replacement hand, of course) atop the aforementioned Bespin Duel of 2020.

"To those who have betrayed us, play well." Swordy, Thunder Lord; Chapter Two: Sinister MOCing (Folks, I'm no CloneCommando when it comes to crusading—probably because of the lack of English blood in my veins.) Looks like the AT-AT drivers have transitioned back to the white/LBG colourway, which I appreciate. I think we can also assume that any and all snowtroopers in the AT-AT will be sans-mask—probably an easy assumption but just something to note. Struggling with the head-build, but that might just be due to insufficient coverage throughout the video. The build overall looks different enough to be a pleasant experience for even an owner of any previous AT-AT. I agree, I will always give Ahsoka props for feeling the most StarWarsian; much more than Andor or even Mandalorian. I just can't ignore my issues, and if those issues are ever resolved, then my opinion will improve. I don't know if it'll be like the Prequels in that further analysis helps it over time, and my issues on a macro-level (the dialogue, lol) don't entice me to revisit. Anyway, wrong thread. XD We can move this over to the Media Discussion if you're welcome to it. Yep. My idea is that the Sith eventually conquer the whole Old Republic, and the Jedi scatter into hiding. Once the Sith are in charge, though, their desire for conquest turns toward one other and the Sith Empire splinters into dozens of pieces, each amassing technologies for various planet-killer weapons. They start to wipe each other out one by one, then Darth Bane kills them all and establishes his Rule of Two. Once the Sith disappear, the Jedi and old allies of the Republic emerge and begin rebuilding what was lost, leading to the Galactic Republic of the Prequels. [My explanation for why the Old Sith Empire isn't truly a Galactic Empire is because the Old Republic wasn't necessarily galaxy-wide; the Sith gained a little more territory than the Old Republic, but the Galactic Republic manages to unite the whole known galaxy.] (I mean, that is what happened eventually, right? Given I've seen no one actually wield the Force. Jokes aside, that is an interesting concept. There does need to be some finality to the Force at some point—if the dark side reemerges after destroying the Sith, when is the Force ever going to be in balance?) I hadn't considered a helmet for Janix cops since most are sans-helmet in most of their scenes. Maybe—and this is a stretch—the black helicopter pilot headgear with a trans-brown visor? Looking at pictures online, I think that Syril torso would only work well for Lawson and a couple of in-office officers; the riot gear is a completely different ballgame, and now I'm realizing your initial dilemma. For minifigs, yeah I can't argue there. I do prefer the connivence of going in-store over the indecisiveness of buying an unseen prospect online. Plus there's something exciting about seeing a lot of old LEGO together again, so I like supporting for that reason alone. So, was the spoiler that Not necessarily one-dimensional; just that his one-defining trait was introduced right when the plot needed it. I guess their motivation was foreshadowed in Chapter 3ish, but it was weird to put a face and a name to it so last minute. (Dew it. The very first episode of S1 is garbage—uncharacteristically for this show—but from there the show builds and builds over its run into something awe-inspiring. Probably one of the most smartly written TV shows I've ever seen. S1 and 2 are better in hindsight, but it was S1 that got me to fall in love with the core cast. S3 & 5 are spectacular, while S4 is most definitely the peak. Points if you enjoy the Phase 1 era of the MCU, since it carries those vibes.) Well, there's quice for four, and fifice for five. I'm so glad you asked, and no I did not just make this up. I've felt the same way several times in the past… and that is usually when I pulled away from watching reviews altogether. I'll watch a review if I'm contemplating adding the set to my to-buy list, or if I need an extra boost of motivation before or after purchasing (I get buyer's remorse bad, lol). Besides that, "It's all just noise." Nowadays reviews feel more like pushes into the social media algorithm rather than genuine enthusiasm. (Not the case with a lot of blogs, to be fair, but the same feeling you described still lingers.) I do think reading/watching reviews is helpful for informing a new fan's tastes on LEGO in general, helping him find the balance between objective and subjective value. For the seasoned fan, not so much, I think.

Yep, Lamda is an instant must-have. Moff Gideon looks even better than in the Light Cruiser, Pershing and the pilot are great figs, but that shuttle looks gorgeous. The only concern I have is that the top fin and wings are too short, but besides that the layering and detail is immaculate. As I said, I'd need to sunbake the AT-RT Driver helmet to perfection first. Shaping looks spot on. Maxi-Vader is fine. I think the lens reflection on the helmet is a bit too cute, but a worthy effort on avoiding a soulless look. As for the shaping of the helmet… I may be too picky, but I feel like they never get it exactly right. This time the helmet looks like it lacks width for how tall it is, making Vader look like nothin' but a hound dog. The brickbuilt lightsaber is fun; I want a trans-neon green one next.

Regardless if M&G flops (which I doubt, but that's just a gut feeling), the audience number for that film will still be higher than Shadow Lord. SW animation almost always has a lower audience than live-action. Correct… and that choice requires a consequence, and that consequence requires a weapon: Thrawn. (Maul quotes aside, I'm still holding out hope for S2 to redeem my opinion of S1. I definitely prefer enjoying Star Wars, truly.) I can see a dark ages between the Old and High Republics being in order. Speaking as far as real world precedent, there's been several very ancient civilizations with tech that competed with Roman era technology (the name of the one escapes me… somewhere in India, I believe). Let's be real here too; the only media the High Republic claims are books, comics, and a show that felt more like the Prequel era than anything prior. There wouldn't need to be much retconning in my eyes. My personal thought–similar to what you said—is to explain the "modern" tech away with a Sith-induced dark age. Maybe there's an aspect of peacetime dismantlement too. Exactly, it's an issue with LEGO's core tech philosophy. I certainly shied away from beeping toys as a youngling. To be honest, I'm not sure what kid—old enough for LEGO, that is— enjoys toys with lights and sounds. So the solution to me, a complete unprofessional of course, would be for LEGO to stand out stronger and bolder with the audience that doesn't like tech during playtime. The adage "If you can't beat them, join them," doesn't ring true in this case; the one about water and oil does. It is fascinating that LEGO's "Adults Welcome" promises an escape from technology, while LEGO increasingly pushes technology into children's hands. True about the blackout Mandos. That's a fair callout about Syril too—I hadn't realized how expensive he had gotten. Still, the parts for Janix cops do exists, even if they are rarer than even the parts I had called unobtainable. He's an undeniably cool fig. It seems like the majority of Overwatch characters got a whole lotta love; I'll need to pay more attention the next time I visit my second-hand LEGO stores. Right on. I do agree he's a villain in the show, even more so in Star Wars as a whole. I was trying to speak from a literary standpoint, which speaks more to who is driving/opposing the plot than who should be considered an ethical and moral hero. This is one of the few cases where a main character in a SW is presented as evil and not already mired in tragedy from his actions. (Before anyone asks, no, I won't let this devolve into another "Rebels are or aren't terrorists" argument, lol.) So I agree; just trying to explain my point better. Huh. I thought you meant one leak that I saw accidentally, but now I'm not too sure, lol. All I've got to say is that I've got major hype for the finale. It's true what's been said; this show just gets better and better each episode. I really do appreciate the efficient pacing this show has; every scene services the fleshing out of these characters while never failing the plot's momentum. I can't help but agree about Kebris, though. It was frustrating his only development took place came when he had a role to play in the plot. This show's writing is simply spot on, and after binging (wait for it…) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I couldn't accept any less. The IG head looks like an action figure head or something from M*g*bl**ks. While I appreciate the effort into upgrading the IG look, I would've taken anything else. That's true as well. Now, if the Smart Brick actually blows up a LEGO TIE, I'd be equally excited as horrified. Lol, I appreciate it. I do dislike the term "clone slop," since LEGO has never been great at action figures—aside from Galidor. However, after seeing what Ninjago can cook up with their not-18+ sets, I'm finding myself disgruntled with the basic dioramas and repetitive helmet sets. It's all tacky to me. (I want to see if I can replace the black border of the Dagobah diorama with an organic base.) To be fair, most of these marketing decisions seem planned far out in advance. They clearly aren't listening—"NOBODY'S LISTENING"—and so I try to ignore it or find the positive (like, at least [LEGO] Star Wars is back in every day advertisement, which I'll take as a win). Oh, really nice deal, man. I'm one of those bozos who purchased the RC at $130, lol. So yeah, definitely a huge disparity in investment—which, if we're able to enjoy what we like, isn't bad at all. Yeah, Rebels isn't everyone's scene. I personally adore the show, and so reuniting the Rebels crew in my LEGO collection is one of my big goals; it'd certainly be a lot easier on my wallet if I wasn't a fan. *huffs down some rhydonium* OR MAYBE, MAYBE THE EWOK VILLAGE IS COMING LATER THIS YEAR? ALONG WITH THE BOUNTY HUNTER PURSUIT? AND A TIE AVENGER? I was gonna say I was conflicted about the advent calendars… then I saw the price. Shockingly, City beats out the Star Wars and Marvel calendars for me by a mile; better price, and better bang for my personal collection. That said, I am a Fandalorian at heart, and it's gratifying to see Moff Gideon return and Din receive an ugly sweater finally (because a sweater can't fit over Mandalorian armor while it could easily go over Vader's). Pretty sure if I would be uninterested otherwise. Depending on how the scene plays in the movie will determine my final opinion on the Hutt Droid Sentry (Bob?). Right now, I feel underwhelmed by yet another nondescript mech and a rather drab Embo minifig. I may buy on discount, in which case the build goes almost immediately into my parts bin. I'm a bit salty that it wasn't Rotta the Slayer Hutt.

You never know. At some point, Disney has to realize the need to pivot to KOTOR, and perhaps with a movie or TV show we'll see sets. Leia's "smart" too. It is annoying to see the logo on the back of the figs, especially since that's only helping resellers and collectors than kids, whom they promote as the target demographic. However, compromised or not, they are functioning minifigs of the iconic characters. The lack of separation between the torso and hip isn't great, but it's better than no minifig at all. Only short-cape Vader bothers me—a great deal at that—because it does compromise the look of the character. The prices and builds are the biggest concerns to me. I do have a theory about the compromised builds: The smart bricks are electronics and thus potentially prone to overheating, so it's probably wise for them to sit out in the open. Plus given not every set includes a smart brick, it makes sense that the brick can be swapped easily. The pricing of the sets still don't make sense no matter which way you pull at it, and even moreso if the target audience is supposed to be kids. The only market TLG could catch with those prices are the kids who already own a tablet, which will always be more entertaining than a plastic ship that makes generic sounds. Mando's helmet, UCS TIE Interceptor, Jabba's Sail Barge, buildable 3PO, brick-built Star Wars logo, and UCS AT-ST are all rumored for a 20% off discount. Other than that, I'm 90% sure that, except for every 18+ set, every other LSW set is set for 2x points, including the sets set for retirement in July and the most recent M&G wave. It's great news to me since I don't care for most of the 18+ slop anyway, although 2x points would've helped offset said 18+ sets' marked-up pricing. You have a deal. (I would parody "The Empire's betrayal must have consequence" line, but CloneCommando's done it already so I'll have to think up something else.) True, although you could just remove the armor piece. I don't mind the rust terribly, and the appearance in the show leans to me as shadowy rather than Vader black. To each his own, though; an updated Marrok would be maul-velous. Kast should be easy, definitely; I'm waiting for the Siege on Mandalore BP to go on discount first. True about the Nightbrothers; I find it awkward to use multiple Maul faces in the same group, but it can work. Both Lawson and the Crow are achievable, true, although I personally lack the parts necessary. If we're open to slight interpretation, I could see the Blackout Mandos using the old Durasteel Mando helmet; an actual Mando torso and legs in black doesn't exist but general black/gunmetal armor does. Janix police are tougher; they have the same colourway as Pre-Mor security, so maybe Syril could work? (Not like everyone has a bunch of Syril's lying around… I certainly don't.) Like I said, the inability to recreate Devon hurts the most—between her and Lawson, probably my favourite characters on the show. The problem with the Crow is, while that head is perfect, it's also from a 5-year old Overwatch character. (Am I just upset I don't own the figure? Probably. I'll do my best to track it down.) I'd classify Maul as the Sherlock-type of protagonist; not always in the open but always driving the plot. While Maul is a villain, he's also the title of the show, which does elevate him as the central focus, thus protagonist regardless of his questionable morality. It's hard say whether Lawson is an antagonist then; he's working against Maul, but who knows where he ends up by the end of this season, since he's clear about avoiding the Empire. To that end, the Empire would be the societal antagonist; like the French Revolution in Les Miserable, which isn't intentionally attacking our characters (other than Maul) but squeezes them to make difficult choices. As for Devon, again, it's unclear where she'll go by the end. I can see her as another antagonist to Maul alongside Lawson, or joining Maul by the end, making her journey to be from enemy to ally. What I love about this show is how it doesn't shy away from showing these villains as evil, but forces us to observe their actions and thought-processes anyway. It doesn't flip bad guys and good guys; just our perspective. Fellow 2020 Razor Crest owners unite! Curious if you're considering the new RC or not—I am ever so slightly, but purely for Zeb and the parts I can use to upgrade my current model. Oh, and of course, welcome to Eurobricks! You can see, it's our deeestiny, young Skywalker. What a way to make that Star Destroyer look small. XD Likely the worst offense about smart bricks to me. I remember listening to a Star Wars podcast (who are of the Kenner generation rather than LEGO) interviewing someone about Smart Play. The interviewee made the statement, "Well, add least Smart Play is adding to the portfolio as opposed to taking away." Immediately I thought, No, I got a bad feeling about this. Because shelf space is an issue; because the design and research into these sets are still a factor; factories around the world still have to produce these "smart" sets in addition to the others on the market. It makes a lot more sense that Smart Play would eat into this year's lineup. I still hold out hope for an adequate summer wave, but to say that Smart Play wouldn't take away from this year's lineup does, as you say, sound like a fever dream looking back.

Thank you! It's good to be back. This community here on Eurobricks is a rare breed of decency and civility on the internet, and I wouldn't trade it for nothin'. Trust me, when I think of one, I immediately remember the other. They both even out in terms of coolness factor for myself; one worked with Revan, the other fought Malgus, and both of them stand out regardless. But yeah, ultimately it came down to whichever one lacked a minifig. Lol, it's true. TLG have never been renowned for their tech, which may clue into why they're marketing Smart Play so much. Seeing but two OT playsets on LEGO.com just brings to mind all those mini-essays I wrote last year, lol, and the discussions we had then as well. For what they're worth, I'm glad the Smart Play sets have brought the OT trio back into sub-$100 sets—although there's nary a sub-$30 option in sight, which is still a shame since kid-Swordy could never afford most sets northward of $50. I don't know how kids make it these days. At least there's an easily accessible set for kids to buy immediately after seeing Mando & Grogu; my top wish for 2027 is for the same to be true of Starfighter and even the original Star Wars. The list of deals I found were at the usual place. Which I assume is understood as r/Legoleaks? (Rancor don't eat me.) My cynical heart can't wait for resellers in 10 years to upcharge sun-damaged versions of the AT-RT driver helmet, saying it's the "UNRELEASED 2026 LSW Shore Trooper helmet". I think so—apart from the newly-added robotic chicken legs, I'm fine. Oh right. I knew that, but I had forgotten that. Dew it. Dew it now. No, thank you for all the laughs and smiles you've brought us over the past year, man. And yeah, I'm glad to be back. Every week, I watch Maul: Shadow Lord. Every week, I turn aside to gaze upon my beautiful Shadow Lord collection. Every week, I am disappointed. Swordy, Thunder Lord; Chapter One: The Built Revenge Seriously though, physical merchandise helps me connect to new Star Wars in ways the actual show/movie sometimes cannot, so the lack thereof does sting. I'm so glad that we've had TCW Maul and Marrok in the past few years, because that does help tide me over; I can't imagine being a fan who missed out on those two figures. Even purist customs can't work completely here, since we've never had a pink/red Twi'lek headpiece, and pieces for yellow-skinned Zabraks and all-black Mandos are hard to obtain.

Beautiful work, my friend—on all three posters I missed! Seeing @legoturtletake on the Soup mech is a dream come true, and knowing that canonically me and Renny team up for half of Infinity War and Endgame brings a smile to my face. (I am confused what Synergy War Part II is.) No, no need. I feel that the less that film is mentioned, the better, lol. Although if you're in need of some wait time after Waiting Game, you could always do a retrospective Iron Man 2 parody featuring yourself, Mara Jade, @BrickPrick, Mara Jade, @BrickPrickagain (because he plays both Nick Fury and War Machine I now realize), and of course the lovely Mara Jade. I do believe it must be said once again: Congrats on one year of TIE Avenging! Why, last year feels like a lifetime ago, yet it's hard to believe you've crossed such a major threshold with this campaign. Of course, it goes without saying that if the LEGO Group doesn't immediately announce a TIE Avenger now, I say the might of Blacktron finishes… whatever war between England and Dane you like to reference so much, lol. Since Nat was translated to Mara Jade, perhaps Yelena should be someone like Bastila Shan? Anyway, what did I miss in LSW news? Darksaber GWP looks great, and the May 4th deals look much better than last year. Personally I'll have to pass, but glad to see the improvement. N-1 reminds me of the most recent UCS Y-Wing; I know it's considerably more massive than the last playset, but it doesn't feel much larger, more elaborate, more premium than the last playset. (The hotrod intake in particular is the same size, maybe even same sticker as the 2022 playset, which irks me greatly.) The splotch of metallic at the front and only the front throws off the look for me too. It can be explained away via in universe canon, sure, but speaking completely out of gut instinct, it feels cheap. Not to mention, should the Vader maxifig take the modern design, the maxi-helmet would more or less be an exact remake of the 2021 helmet, as well as an upscaled design from the bust. Overall, it'd be far too repetitive for the shelves—hang on, three buildable Grogu's are calling my name… Given that other LEGO Maxifigs have taken a liking to 80/90s era minifigs rather than modern equivalents, I believe it's possible. This isn't like Harry Potter where the original minifig designs are unrecognizable as their characters; with LSW, that Vader design still retains the character's visage, while having an iconicity and, like you say, a charm in of itself. The question is whether LEGO wants to pitch this to adult LEGO fans/minifig enthusiasts or to general adult SW fans. Previous maxifig entries would suggest the former, but recent LSW philosophies would suggest the latter. All we need do is sun-bake the helmet.

Not gonna lie, though, it is a really sick minifig. Arguably a lot cooler than T'chaka or rando Iron Man suit #68.

After the announcement that the Punisher special was arriving April/May, I started to have doubts TLG would touch the character. The R-rated violence and carnage for which the character is renowned has made a comeback, and I don't see BND changing that perception. Not to mention, these sets release between the TV-MA special and the PG-13 film (where we know that very character almost drops an F-bomb, because yes, he's absolutely an adult character). Do kids like violent characters? Probably. Should they like violent characters? Probably not, and TLG has stuck to such moral obligations, for better or worse, since they discontinued a toy gun back in the 50s. Nonetheless, it's very disappointing about Punisher. It makes me wonder what the Prisoner Transport is going to look like, since I had assumed it was more or less Punisher's battle van. Although given the piece count, that really doesn't make sense if the title is "Prisoner Transport;" on the other hand, how are they going to fill up 367 piece besides a 150ish City vehicle? Maybe it's a villain pack with Scorpion, Boomerang, and Tarantula? My personal interest was more related to expanding my gallery of Spidey rogues than getting an MCU accurate Punisher, as cool as it would've been. I mourn the loss of his battle van more than his minifig.

If this place devolves into absolute insanity again, my year will have been made.

Ha, I had a whole essay written up about my expectations for the minifigs of the Helicarrier, and shockingly, aside from TWS Falcon instead of Hawkeye, they went above and beyond my hopes: a new 2012-era Nick Fury, unique face prints for Maria Hill and Coulson, arm printing on a lot of these figures—including Cap, it looks like!—and even with Hawkeye I appreciate the level of detail put toward a niche costume. I'm genuinely impressed with this entire fig-lineup, which is a rare occurrence in LEGO Marvel. The build has grown on me over the past few hours. Compared to the original, it looks a lot cleaner and tidied up to make an overall better display. The photos on the box make it seem smaller, but compared to the figs in the lifestyle photos, I'm content. I'd prefer a price of $350 than $400—however, the original was, adjusted for inflated, roughly $480 USD, with a clunkier build and only two unique figures that weren't all that outstanding; additionally, TLG knows there is hype for this a reissue, so with all that in mind I understand the ever-so-slightly bloated price.