Swordy

I believe you and I may have a fundamental disagreement. I see LEGO as a way of modeling, overcoming its blocky limitations through willpower and imagination. I choose LEGO because of its ability to be rebuilt. The models which have impressed me the most are those whose designers challenge my perception of what I can build, and excite me for what I can create on my own. LEGO sets will always have visible studs; that’s a given due to the medium of the brick. That doesn’t necessitate an overwhelming amount of studs, though, and such studage which isn’t done artfully. I believe this is the case with the Renegade. As for the case of retro sets as a whole, LEGO has evolved so much since those sets hit shelves; thus, I believe these retro remakes (for they are remakes, not reproductions) should reflect that fact. If someone wants a retro look, then he could easily buy an older set, or swap out the tiles for plates. I’ll clarify my stance: it’s not the fact there are visible studs with which I take issue; rather, it’s the amount of unnecessary studs. (Galaxy Explorer strikes a better balance, I feel.) I believe more care could’ve and should’ve been taken for an 18+ model in 2025, that’s all. To be clear, I don’t seek absolute, studless perfection. I also don’t want to see LEGO regress without calling it out.

I was deceived by a lie… we all were… Here I was, believing Blacktron’s return would be triumphant—glorious! A sleek, agile craft which could reign terror and convert all worlds to wearing black leather! Alas, the redesigned Renegade design was approved before I took control. I suspect some of our Blacktron II brethren had a say in the increased amount of yellow, a less sleek in favour of being “true to our industrial character from the 80s”. Bah humbug, I say! I would’ve forfeited my position as majority shareholder had I not realized that soon, LEGO will begin producing Blacktron troops once more. Such soldiers will be in greater production than the Demolition Dummy ever was. Soon, I will amass an army which will conquer—not through official builds, but through imagination! Yea, imagination, which shall give birth to custom vehicles, more sleek than anything that has come before! LONG LIVE BLACKTRON! (/s I mean no ill will toward those who like and have defended the Renegade’s design. This is meant to be more hyperbolic and satirical.) I’m genuinely starting to wonder if 2022/23 was the peak of LEGO. Longtime designers seem to be stepping out, quality of builds have diminished, and prices continue to rise. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe 2022 was a peak, and perhaps one to which we can reach again. I’m not sure if the timing will work out for LEGO to return to the heights it reached, though. AFoLs may move on, kids and general public could become disinterested, and if all of that is so, we may not see a 190th anniversary. Long live the Aslume. “Look up” would explain the recent drone activity, right? Perhaps they’re going to project the trailer onto the moon? Two (hundred) units ready, with over a million well on the way. I think you outta commission a custom decal or something for your Green Lantern clone. Something about the 2022 minifig not matching up with TCW animated style is bugging me. Just my thoughts.

I feel very disappointed about the set. No matter how rough the original sets were (they were produced in the 80s, of course they look unpolished), Blacktron has always spoken to me as cool, sleek, black. That mostly comes from the minimalist, all-black design of the original Minifigures. It’s stealthy; it’s cobbled-together maybe, but not unpolished. Regardless of any of that, I feel that this set wasn’t given as much love as the Galaxy Explorer, a set which, seemingly, was entirely born out of the designers’ love for Classic Space. (Space lost the 90th anniversary vote, yet we got the GE alongside Lion Knight’s Castle.) The Renegade, on the other hand, looks unrefined; a first draft. It comes down to the amount of visible studs, the overwhelming amount of yellow (which doesn’t even align with the original model’s colourway), and the very basic build of the structure. Compare all of that to GE, which not only perfectly replicate the original, but did so with much more sophisticated design. A couple black tiles and slopes, and a few SNOT techniques, would’ve gone a long way, in my opinion. The build looks better when displayed like it is on the back of the box, and that alone is convincing me to not skip the set for the issues I have. (There’s several MOCs online that do a better job at capturing Blacktron, in my oh-so-humble opinion.) I do terribly miss the retro box art, though. $100 feels fine. It looks comparable in size to GE, but missing the fourth minifigure and lacking the display value of the 2022 model. If I can grab it at $90 and a couple black tiles and plates to swap out some of the obnoxious yellow, then I’ll be a happy camper. It is exciting that Blacktron is back on shelves (in my life time, no less)! What’s more exciting, though, is that soon I’ll be able to army build Blacktron on PaB. Clone Armies can go take a hike; I need a couple hundred of the coolest looking baddies this side of the Federation lines.

Then I shall once again embark on my glourious purpose: to campaign for Deathstroke in the 2025 Batcave, and with him, a cool-as-Dealpoopl ally. LONG LIVE BLACKTRON! Ha. I don’t read comics. I go to sleep listening to Guns and Roses. Why does that dude look exactly like the light nougat version of Series 8 Businessman? (A minifig of which I suppose younger I was trying to armybuild, yet only made it to two.) I sense some additional lore is afoot… GI Robot wouldn’t have allowed a Naz—I mean, “Fighter Pilot” in 2023 in the first place, so I don’t think he has yet. (If he did interfere, it’d have to be the canceled Temple of Doom set, but I think we can chalk that up to Marvel Studios wanting a potential Temple of Doom in Doomsday and didn’t want audiences to be confused. This is my theory and I’m sticking to it.) To be fair, how relevant has the Red Skull been the past couple years? The fact that he was made when he had minimal exposure in the 2020 Avengers and What If…? speaks to how eager TLG is to feature him.

Since when has LEGO cared about anniversaries, though? In the grand scheme of things, does America’s 250th Anniversary even compare to the 90th anniversary of when Ole Kirk spilled coffee on his shoes? /s I find that the decline in sales for Advent Calenders is but a microcosm of LEGO as a whole. When consumers vote with their wallets and choose not to buy, how does TLG respond? Maybe advent calendars as a Christmas tradition are declining, thus less sales. Maybe people are choosing other products, given the wide diversity of calendars nowadays. Maybe it’s the price. LEGO’s calendars have always been the best, but are people willing to shell out a huge premium for that? Your country is younger than the Byzantine Empire, if I recall correctly.

That’s a first. 1,000% agree. I’m so tired of seeing people defend this online. Did Kaecilius, a one-off villain in a Marvel movie, have a pot belly? Why should Thrawn, an iconic Legends villain who will be featured in numerous shows and movies, have one? It raises too many questions: What has he been eating? Where, if how, could he get all that food? Does it count if you aren’t a human yourself? Why isn’t he fit from training with proto-DK troopers? How can his uniform fit that belly? In my opinion, his announcement of his return should’ve been the Chimera single-handedly destroying a fleet of New Republic cruisers in the Outer Rim. As much as I genuinely love Ezra’s “I’m home” moment, I would’ve preferred a scene instead where Hera enters the briefing room to see a hologram of three or so cruisers being beaten by a crippled Star Destroyer. That’s how you would introduce Thrawn to the galaxy, as well as a live action audience. Along with that… I firmly believe that, after Sabine’s Force push moment, Ezra should’ve been shot in the back by Thrawn himself. Again, it makes Thrawn terrifying with his masterful chessboard manipulation, it cements Sabine’s lesson to forgo attachment when it compromises her galaxy, and it also makes Ezra’s sacrifice in the Rebels finale that much more impactful. I was basing PG Dealpoopl’s catchphrase off of some late game TV Spots where Wade’s colourful expression is obviously cut down to just “Let’s go!”. (I find it hilarious that, on the other hand, Wolverine’s “Let’s go” sounds completely natural.) That comment strangely feels pointed, but I can’t figure out why. It’s almost as if you want a proponent of Legends to defend the Vong as a part of Star Wars. Huh. Well, as you were. …alternatively, an exact 1:1 Ewok Village in 2025? Probably just a huge buildable Ewok, though.

Thank you for making me feel the tiniest bit better. I think they could slip Deathstroke into an 18+ set and get away with it, like the Punisher or Blade in the Daily Bugle. My thought on him being included in the Bat-Cave was that they could use his real name instead (sorta like calling Sabra Ruth Bat-Seraph, although I understand it’s not an equivalent situation). See, and Hal Jordan isn’t nearly as cool as Deathstroke, yet he’s been made multiple times. I mean, while we’re on the topic, what’s with the dinky masquerade Hal wears as a mask, anyway? John Stewart is so much cooler. (I’ll give a nod to Simon Baz for commitment to the wrestler aesthetic.)

Banana pancakes? Can’t believe you changed your profile photo a second time in under a year; let alone that I was here to witness it. Had a dream of me watching the 2025 Fantastic Four film. It was basically the Fantastics on Ice. Afterward, I said to myself, “This has gotta be one of my favourite Marvel movies.” Is there any interpretation I can pull from this?

It’d be great if we got three sets for each Captain America film next year. Along with the airport battle, maybe a brick-built motorcycle set with Stealth Suit Cap and the Winter Soldier, and a car for Red Skull with Cap and Peggy? I know I’m being too optimistic here.

As a huge fan of Thrawn, I thought he was okay in Ahsoka. Nothing can beat Lars Mikkelsen’s terrifying performance, but I felt his brilliance wasn’t on full display. (At the very least, place a sniper or two inside the hanger so that if, however unlikely, Ezra, Sabine, or Ahsoka manages to get aboard, they won’t make it long. If all hands were needed to get the Chimera up and running so that no troops could be on standby in the hanger, that should’ve been better communicated, I feel.) He needed to be outstanding, and unfortunately he wasn’t. Nevertheless, I’m not overly upset about it, nor will I call Ahsoka garbage. It’s not the greatest, no, but it brought in fresh designs and visuals (especially Peridiea :P) as well as the live action debut of several of my favorite animated characters (and the E-Wing; did I mention live action E-Wings?). Writing was so-so, though, and I hope S2 improves on that point. I believe that redundancy, in TLG’s view as well as that of the average consumer, depends more on visuals than on the purpose of each fighter. We currently have a X-Wing and an E-Wing on shelves, and soon the ARC-170 in the E-Wing’s stead, when all three fighters serve a similar purpose in combat. I don’t believe TLG would release two X-Wings back to back nowadays. (Yes, I know they did; I’m also sure TLG learned a valuable lesson then which they practice today.) I’m not crazy about Republic vehicles overall (I much more appreciate the handmade artistry of the X-Wing or Y-Wing), but I enjoy the V-19 for its unique look and mechanism. It certainly makes for a fun toy—a sentiment I feel stretches throughout all of the GaR designs. That’s just my opinion, though. The scariest part is the likelihood of that becoming true. Surprisingly, that applies to both statements. Am I about to be hyped for a UCS set of the lesser paint job of my favourite ship in Star Wars? OH YEAH. In the words of a PG Dealpoopl, let’s go!

Actually, I had no clue about that last part. Yikes! Here I was, playing as him in LEGO DC Super-villains, thinking he was the most blatant “I’m an extremely cool anti-hero with guns and swords” and yet still finding him to be an extremely cool anti-hero with guns and swords. I retract all my previous statements. (Except that he looks cool.)

It started as a LEGO DC thread, and it still occasionally relates to LEGO, DC, or even LEGO DC in the rare instances when we go on-topic. It’d be weird if the 2024 thread was missing from the Licensed tab for any other theme. I understand the sentiment if it’s getting annoying. It’d feel like a bit of a demotion for me personally, but I wouldn’t care all too much. Why would the family-friendly company LEGO choose the horny Man over the cooler Deathstroke? Are they stupid?

Okay, but hear me out: Deathstroke in the 2025 Bat-Cave.

Anti-Venomized Groot

Nah. I was just a sales representative for Blacktron merch an operative for the Blacktron corps until last night. I sent your Moon Knight alter ego around to buy me a large percentage of Blacktron shares, making me a majority shareholder. I’ve since forced everyone else out and made myself Supreme Leader, because that’s how economics work. Gentleman, that was what you call sarcasm. Clearly, they can’t be real. Don’t worry, man. Since he’s black, your dog’s been conscripted into the Blacktron Corps. Now, that’s definitely no reason to go to war at all, historically speaking.

Should I mention what happened to your dog? Oh, nothing. I hope to see this forum still active in March 2025. What is this character development of which you speak? There is no development; there is only Paul. Is it, though? Yellow skin? Check. Cool looking armour? Check. Big feather that makes you stand out? Check. Grinning from ear to ear right before your execution? Check. No Pedro-stache? Oof, that makes it inaccurate.

True, but if I wanted toy cars themed around superheroes (or just neat-looking cars in general), I would go to Hot Wheels. If I wanted action figures, which I equate to mechs, I would go to Hasbro. I go to LEGO for the builds and minifigures; when neither are as interesting or outstanding, respectively, as they could be, I question the set’s value. Where will Iron Man put his car once he’s done chasing down the heroic Red Hulk? Where do the mechs go when the heroes are finished in them? A simple question becomes an exciting playset. (Sounds like something you’d see when you translate the German Stone Wars to English, lol.) I’m exaggerating, yes, but fans of the brick like it when things connect. It’s the fact that all of these car sets in the past few years are released with no relation to one another that creates the feeling of repetition. If this was LEGO City, there would be some sort of headquarters (playset Avengers Mansion, perhaps?) or separate vehicle to interact or coincide with these cars as well. The interaction between otherwise completely random elements is what LEGO is founded upon; the lack thereof shows that next to no fore- or afterthought is being given. Again, I find what you say to be true. LEGO sets aren’t made for me directly, and so I try and respect that fact. More effort, more thought, more creativity, could be made, whether provided by executives overseeing finances or perhaps given by the design team themselves (I hate to insinuate blame onto them, though, because they seem entirely enthusiastic about LEGO superheroes).

Guys! I just found out that I must be Khonshu! Why haven’t I used my powers to further Blacktron’s cause? Why haven’t I simply taken over Blacktron? Am I stupid? Sometimes the most dangerous are the ones who know they’re crazy yet chose their insanity anyway. Like me. As a kid, I thought that dinosaurs couldn’t be real. So, I told my mom that scientists must have buried their bones and then “discovered” them to make more money. As if! They’re definitely not an invention of the past hundred years. Anyway, I stopped believing that nonsense a long while ago.

(I am? Blimey, I guess I am.) The Mara Jade minifigures had to be stolen and taken to the Blacktron vault; she’s too dangerous to have in mass production. There is only one Mara Jade. (Seriously, though, I do fancy myself a serious writer, albeit a hobbyist at that. Words matter to me, and yours I highly appreciate; thank you.) You should go, I don’t know, steal all those Bucky minifigs and hold them ransom until TLG gives him arm printing. Fair points. You and Lyichir are right as far as licensing being a hindrance as well as a blessing. I believe that if mindsets and priorities shift, then those hindrances become minimal. I don’t know if it is that the design team is in a creative rut as much as they’ve not been given freedom to play around. People themselves aren’t formulaic; corporations most definitely can be. If a car themed around a superhero sells well, then the corporation decides to double down on that. (Which leads back into my previous comment that TLG should focus on what sells better, but I digress.) Ninjago itself is formulaic, with two Kai mechs across two years, as you mentioned. (If I recall, one of those mechs is significantly larger than the other, which leans the character into both markets.) Dreamzzz doesn’t seem formulaic so far, although we are seeing some vague repetition. I don’t know what TLG, with what they know, believes is the answer. What sells will sell—even if poorly done, I suppose. I can only say that I believe more effort (born out of creative freedom) into themes that are in themselves profitable will make more people happy and more willing to spend money on their product.

Like I said back when we got our first grainy image of the set, so long as TLG got Cap, Iron Man, Bucky and Black Panther right, then I’d consider it a win. Iron Man is perfect, thankfully. Black Panther could’ve used yellow eyes like in 2016, and the overall design is perhaps too bright, but that’s nothing too big. However, Cap still reuses the AoU torso, and they messed up Bucky completely. Out of those four “updates,” I prefer the older versions of Bucky and BP, while I might as well use any version of AoU Cap. First of all, you’ve come to the wrong chat to make that claim, bub. Belittling the theme everyone here obviously appreciates isn’t a smart move. Just my two-cents. Which will sell better: an original IP whose sets are confusing to an average consumer, or an IP made up of the recent icons of Western culture? We as Marvel fans are just asking for better-executed minifigures and sets while we watch LEGO-original themes get high-priority treatment. Yes, LEGO Marvel and Star Wars will sell fine without extra treatment. However, some Marvel and Star Wars sets will warm shelves if the effort isn’t shown, while Dreamzzz sets still warm shelves despite the obvious amount of money put into them. Dreamzzz is a weird concept that is fun, yes, but confusing to anyone not in the know. If a simpler premise was taken, like Ninjago at its start, then a more successful theme could be made. It’s the fact that Chima, NEXO Knights, Hidden Side, Vidiyo, and now Dreamzzz have started with a mixed premise that those themes didn’t appear to general audiences. (Hidden Side comes closest to a normal theme, but the marketing on the set boxes confused people and undersold it, in my opinion.) Compared to Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Ninjago too, whose worlds and characters are already known before the product is bought. People like familiar faces, and that’s what those aforementioned themes have accomplished. Again, the only reason one or two of those sets warm shelves is because the average consumer or LEGO enthusiast doesn’t see the value in it. ($90 for a boring 496-piece ship with 3 unknown characters is a recipe for disaster that TLG would never let happen in their original IPs.) If TLG followed the money, I believe they’d divert funds into the IPs which sell better than Dreamzzz. That would raise sales overall, leading to higher profits. It makes more sense to me to put your efforts into what you know sells, and then expand out into the unknown with the same care and treatment. That practice builds trust and confidence from the customer over time that leads to more cash flow down the line. It’s a long term strategy which will pay off if TLG chooses to do it. Just my two-cents, of course.

I guess the Aslume did go out with a nuclear bang… and I was the one who helped bring it about. Now I have become De Ath, De S Troyer of Aslumes. 1999 Watto is perfection. Change my mind.

From Lucasfilms’ perspective, a celebration of 20 years of RotS would be too soon and repetitive, given they celebrated 25 years of Phantom Menace this year. 25 and 30 are more impressive numbers than 20 for the sixth Star Wars film released. As far as LEGO goes, I expect a couple sets from RotS to unofficially coincide with the anniversary, along with maybe one or two sets from TFA. AotC seems to be filling up any potentially anniversary-themed 18+ sets this year, so probably no RotS diorama or buildable figure. (I still have hope for a buildable Grievous someday.) I wouldn’t expect the August wave to be entirely RotS or AotC themed. I don’t even think there will be any more RotS sets next year.

So anything before dawn is darkest?

"The Marvel and DC threads will be reorganized into the first multi-IP Aslume, for a stupid and Jonkling society.” Love that movie, although I’m always distracted by those strange accents. Can’t put my finger on what nationality they’re supposed to be. European, perhaps? Off the top of my head, my favourites go as follows: Favourite animated movie: Charlie Brown Christmas Special Favourite live-action movie: Muppets Christmas Carol + Elf Favourite song: …I mean, I’m boring, but I really love Silent Night. Second pick would be It Feels Like Christmas from the Muppets. I’ll do you one better: I think it’s darkest at midnight too, right?

Just wanted to reply to this and this alone, just so it’s clear: I agree. That’s what fear produces out of a government. “All who gain power are afraid to lose it,“ is an apt quote, especially considering it comes from the man Palps himself. That’s how we acted in the early 1940s, sadly, and I see parallels to the Empire’s distrust of Wookiees and maybe most non-humans—a distrust born out of somewhat rational, somewhat irrational fear. Ah, I see. Thank you for clarifying. The Jonkling Strikes Back Hot take: I’m glad the Soviets stole the atomic bomb. If not, and America is the sole nation with the city-killer, I fear that the U.S. would’ve become like the Empire in Star Wars. The Cold War doesn’t exist without mutual agreed destruction. I’m not proud of them, per se, but I’m definitely grateful for the traitorous Americans involved in the Manhattan Project. (Benedict Arnold, on the other hand, was a slimy snake who’s only redeeming quality lied in his left boot.) If the 2025 wasn’t supposed to be a return to normalcy (only for the DC thread, thankfully), I’d second this completely.