Swordy

$70 Imperial set is for sure a TIE Avenger, right? TLG speed-ran through the greenlighting and developmental processes based off the campaigns of @CloneCommando99, our brother in arms, and will in less than a year’s time deliver the set of our dreams—right? (After all, it only took them 5 years to deliver on MandR’s demands.) The $100 Rebel set is intriguing. My guesses are: B-Wing & A-Wing combo pack (the two RotJ ships together a year ahead of potential rereleases for the Y-Wing and X-Wing) Home One Briefing Room Playset (a remake of a beloved classic set that could finally reintroduce OT Ackbar and Mon Mothma) or, if I may lean into reckless speculation, a Y-Wing vs TIE Advanced? Although I could easily see a X-Wing vs TIE Advanced instead, for I believe the RtG TIE-Wing v X-Fighter retires at the end of this year. The Mando Speeder Bike is intriguing by price alone. That said, I look forward to price steadily increasing to $20 until when it’s revealed. I find the $60 AT-AT most interesting. $20 less than the Gingerbread AT-AT, while with that it loses its exclusive minifig. It’s presumably minifig-scale, but will it belong to the Starship Collection—for which it doesn’t exactly have the qualifications—or to a new line entirely? Billund is going to have fun with product marketing here. It just dawned in me—does this mean we won’t see an AT-AT playset… oh wait. If we got a UCS and playset Jango Slave 1, surely we can see two AT-ATs next year. (In fact, let’s expect doubles of vehicles every year! Two TIEs Avenger, two X-Wings, four Landspeeders!) I’m interested in seeing the Venator, but I likely won’t buy. Besides my lack of interest in non-minifig scale, it already looks to be overpriced, judging by price-per-piece purely. Grogu and BB-8 don’t interest me. The Clone Shock mech annoys me, if anything. (If it turns out to be a Kamino Shock, though… ) Cobb Vanth and Cad Bane is exciting! It’s 50% marked up from where it should be, but at least those two minifigs will be out there. Siege of Mandalore BP? I’m actually excited. 332nd clones only slightly intrigue me, but the Maul-Commandos is worth the price of admission, in my book. Can’t wait to see how they do them, and curious if they’ll reuse the Gar Saxon or Moff Gideon molds, or not at all. Regardless, I’m very much looking forward to this. The U-Wing, for sure. Most of the other sets this year, while wonderfully shaped and detailed, are ruined in my eyes by their price; but not so with the U-Wing. That’s not even mentioning the wonderful connection to Andor Season Two’s best episodes.

I don’t believe I have within me an essay of opinion on the new wave that wouldn’t come off as redundant. The negative reactions to this wave, which I do share, are starting to discourage my passion, and I’d rather not add my torch to the blazing dumpster fire. So I’ll try a scattershot approach of opinionating, reacting to nonspecific reactions to this wave. I’m consistently annoyed by the “Aayla’s lips aren’t pink” criticism. (Speaking of being polite online…) It’s splitting hairs when the argument is “The lips on a minifig have too much red in their pigment!” It comes down to subjective judgement more than objective criticism. Granted, these days, no minifig in LSW is without sin. Maybe we ought to stop caring so much about a little wrinkle or the eye colour and focus on the bigger issues… namely that the set itself is overpriced by at least $50 USD! In my oh so very humble opinion, the UT-AT was never going to work as a LEGO set. People complain a CTT is too repetitive within the LEGO catalog, yet that fact is exactly why so many recognize it over the UT-AT. Furthermore, the UT-AT is very uninteresting as a design. A hovering rectangle of a tank is much more boring than the tank with ten massive wheels. To those who say the Galactic Marines must have come with a UT-AT, I’d encourage them to be grateful they have Galactic Marines available officially from LEGO at all. It would be dumb of TLG to cater to the fringe LEGO fanbase; and should they decide to, TLG is more than in their right to charge whatever price they can fish out of that vocal minority. I’ll add this: If you want perfect clones, go to CAC; if you want cheap clones, go buy a knockoff. LEGO’s official minifigs, in this imperfect world, will never be both perfect and inexpensive at the same time. V-19 is a disappointment to me—minifigs aside, of course. The build is too blockly and weirdly proportioned, particularly in the two outermost wings. The function of closing the center fin has been poorly executed as well. While yes, it was better to not expect the splendid function from 2008 to return, why redo the set if it’s as half-baked as this? I want to look forward to buying the set, but it’s going to require a lot of modification in order so I can fully enjoy it. (Might as well be a Corellian Freighter, eh?) I feel the ARC-170 from earlier in the year was better rendered than the V-19, but because the ARC-170 has more passionate fans, for better or worse, the ARC suffered much more criticism and, frankly, nitpicking. (I could probably come up with a paragraph for each sentence in your post, haha, but let me try and restrain myself to just the topic of the Firespeeder.) Speaking as someone who tried and failed to build a Snowspeeder (I could never figure out the cockpit/windshield situation while still fitting minifigs inside)… yeah, the new windscreen is perfect—perfect, everything, down to the last minute details. That said, I dislike the gap created by the 3x3 slopes, and, again, as someone who tried recreating a Snowspeeder before, I’m disappointed in the lack of innovation elsewhere in the build. Jang mentioned in his overview video that the Firespeeder’s windshield appeared trans-orange in other renders, when clearly it’s meant to be trans-yellow, as per the front of the box. I also noticed the same about Sig Greebling’s lightsaber blade, leading me to believe it will, in fact, be a trans-yellow lightsaber. (Also, antidotally, it makes more sense that Siggy, as a guardian of the Cornerstone, would have a yellow lightsaber, given multiple examples throughout canon.) Wait, wouldn’t the Joe-average Snowspeeder be an Air Nation one already? Now, a Water Nation one, as in a submarine-speeder, would be mighty intriguing in my book. (Is it clear by now I’m ignorant of The Last Airbender, lol?)

It’s weird to see myself get excited about seeing the full Rogues Gallery of Batman again… when DC is still a current, ongoing theme. It’s one thing for LotR fans to get excited about getting the full Fellowship in a set like Rivendell, since those fans have been without anything for so long. All these characters in the Arkham should’ve been released in the past three years. I’d like to see a new Batman in Arkham, particularly in a comic grey. Obviously, the budget ought to prioritize the villains first, but I don’t believe the black and yellow movie Batman would fit in a comic-based set. I expect to see characters like Catwoman in non-prisoner attire, actually. I’m ignorant of how Arkham works, but to my understanding Catwoman’s cowl is apart of her suit, so either she’d be without her cowl—at which point why call her Catwoman—or she is breaking into Arkham. (Correct me if I’m wrong on both accounts, though.) Pleasantly surprised by a seemingly minifig-sized Killer Croc. Always preferred the look of the ‘06 Croc than the bigfig for myself, so this gives me hope we could see him in another set soon. Speaking of which… I want Superman and Supergirl movie sets first and foremost, yes, but since LEGO and WB are adamant about “Only Batman sells,” I’d also love to see remakes of the ‘06-‘07 wave to commemorate 20 years of LEGO Batman/DC. They could use the new characters from the Arkham as launching points to bring back all the original characters as well.

A bit late to this discussion, but nonetheless, I’m gonna wager it is the same face print, wrinkles and all. Something about the “smiley” face on the V-19 leak spoke to me as older than the recent AotC or RotS faces. Unfortunately there’s not a lot such a series could provide for most fans when we have received wonderfully detailed minifigs from the show and could continue to in future sets. Sure, Jack Black in Star Wars would be neat for Jack Black fans, but there’s already I Am Steve. Maybe a Muddy/Battle-Damaged Mando, but I think a Mudhorn set would be far more appealing. That’s a good point. The Imperial Landing Transport has always been a neat vehicle and equally neat set idea. Like @TotoMagnus, though, I’d prefer Cobb’s Speeder. (Chapter 14 really fell flat the last time I watched it, while Chapter 9 still has remained strong from its premiere until now. One of the main reasons I’m optimistic about the Mando and Grogu movie.) The Sandcrawler is a weird one for me personally. It feels it should be iconic, but I hardly remember it. When I think of A New Hope, I remember, in order, the Falcon, Death Star, TIE Fighter, X-Wing, and Y-Wing before I remember the Sandcrawler. That could be just the difference in generations of fans, or maybe a different preference, or maybe representation in marketing by Disney. Still, I’m anxious for a new UCS Sandcrawler as well. A new UCS Falcon then would be too early, I feel. Yes, the upgrade after ten years would be most impressive, but the current word on the earliest when the current Falcon will retire is 2026, a year shy of when you propose a new one should release. (At any rate, after building the Falcon this year, I don’t feel it shows it’s age one bit, minifigs aside.) If the Death Star had a period without a UCS set, I believe the same can be true of the Falcon. My proposal for a new UCS Falcon is 2030 for the 50th of Empire, since it has a far more prominent role in that film. Obviously, the crew included wouldn’t have to be regulated to just Episode V, just like the 2017 Falcon wasn’t regulated to just the Ep IV crew, if that’s a concern. You’re right. TLG will celebrate the franchise as a whole by ignoring its most iconic movie. That can only mean they’ll do another wave of clone mania, which can only be a good thing, right? Yippee! On a serious note, I believe a balance can be and ought to struck between repetitive remakes and gatekeeping new collectors. We’ve had a minute since several previous remakes, so I hope those are what we see next year and the year after. If 2027 saw the same X-Fighter V TIE-Wing builds with a bland OT lineup, I’d be with you on wanting something more unique. On the other hand, kids ought to have the chance to buy Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing, which isn’t the case at the moment. Despite my unlearned stance, I believe there’s a better way to do this LSW business than what’s being done at the moment.

I could see a small wave of legacy The Mandalorian sets next year to coincide with the movie, similar to the NWH legacy sets. I hope that means we wouldn’t miss out on any necessary movie sets due to “spoilers,” though. (Soon enough we won’t get a set with the main character in the initial wave to avoid spoiling the movie. ) Cobb Vanth has been a favourite of mine for a long time, so I’d be thrilled to see him come next year! While a krayt dragon would be epic, I’d prefer just his speeder at $11, or even his plus Mando’s speeder bike for $20. We need a winner in the under $25 department.

So, in looking at the 2bricks build, I realized I hadn't used his design in the first place! Instead I had used Rossco311's design, who was inspired by 2bricks. The (free!) instructions there should answer your question. I agree. It does compromise the silhouette of the character a slight (he leans a half-plate more forward than he should), but he looks perfect next to Cassian and family.

That wasn’t my point. It was that a CTT with Galatatic Marines would sell well regardless of price. Cranking up the price on a clone set isn’t a stretch when hundreds a year spend upwards of double, yea, triple a retired set’s original retail value. Regardless of how the aftermarket works, it is a sample of the most financially devoted LSW fans, and TLG isn’t ignoring it any more. (Who’s to say they never were?) It’s marketing research in real time with actual potential consumers. A test implies risk. There is not much risk here, in my oh so humble opinion. At the very least, TLG makes most of their money off the initial Day 1 buyers and the people who don’t want to miss out before it retires. The clearance deals in between are managed by the retailers and out of their pocket, not TLG, who’ve already made their money. (I’ll a bit unsure on the specifics of that last sentence, regardless my point still stands.) The current pace? As in exponentially increasing the number of CW sets released? OT resurgence… to think those words would ever have to be uttered. (Not directly toward you, but toward the archenemy of THELEGOBATMAN as per the DC Thread, LEGO.) People who would think this year to be the worst, as you say, are those who’d more likely than not value variety in a lineup. The PT is underrepresented—not that it’s undeserved, since the OT literally has the Star Wars—and whose representation would have more interesting aspects like various new minifigs as opposed to but a handful, or fresh new vehicles under various factions and groups compared to, say, re-releasing a set from a few years back that’s the significantly downscaled version of the current year’s UCS set—not to point fingers or name names, mind you. Other sets this summer fall into that same category, which I feel is born of creative bankruptcy than ingenuity. What other reason? Is there an anniversary of which I am unaware? It’s probably the 16th anniversary of Season 3 of TCW, isn’t it? I expect Aqua Droids and those Hydro-Clones to accompany the celebration, then. Otherwise, it’s concrete proof that LEGO hates their fans. Complaints pay for the armies about which they complain. It’s a symbiotic circle that is shared between the Gungan LEGO Group and the Naboo Clone Bros. Ha. All you haters out there, belittling the $50 X-Wing for being too small, too skinny, that Artoo sits too high… Well, hot take: 75218 < 75301. (I realize they’re the same size, yes—which is why the 37-44% cheaper model is vastly better for kids and adult collectors alike.) Word. Seconded. ‘Nuff said.

In celebration of Andor for its two seasons of spectacular storytelling, I brought together official and purist figs alike for a little photoshoot. B2EMO - inspired by 2bricksoffical's design, just made two bricks shorter for better scaling Bix Caleen (from S1) - head from Echo, Marvel CMF S2, although any other warm tan female head would probably be better torso (flipped around) with tan arms and medium noughat arms for her gloves legs from AT-ST Kaltoonian Raider Brasso (from S2) - head from Bucky, Marvel CMF S1 torso with medium blue arms Legs are just plain ol' dark blue. To borrow the phrase, cheers. The Timekeeper (the MVP of Andor) - headgear head from Infinity Saga Thor torso (flipped around) legs, olive green Upon a passing thought of what Dedra would look like with dual molded legs, I looked to Hugo Strange from the LEGO Batman Movie CMF S2. Dedra and I are pleased with the results, although the same can't be said of the poor doctor. Syril–and Gilroy–love their French berets. (CMF here.) Conversely, I'm not altogether thrilled with Syril in the specifics of his pieces (the torso [flipped around] is truly the only unique aspect of the figure), but I feel it captures the spirit of the character from S2 well, albeit loosely at that. Here's all them together:

One Piece is the favourite newborn in the LEGO family, like Fortnite last year and Pokémon next. They pour all their love into a new market to grab the IP’s fanbase and the core AFoLs as well. Marvel had plenty of love at first too, but since TLG knows they can still sell as well with a cheaper budget, they do so. Then the theme has fewer sales, and they’re “justified” in lowering the budget and raising prices. Fortnite’s sets this year haven’t been as well received as those last year due to a slightly less exciting lineup, and I believe the same will be true of One Piece in a year’s time. Let’s be honest: the FF set would’ve sold the same number of copies whether Mr. Fantastic had stretchy arms or Human Torch was flamed on or not. The FF in LEGO form is the appeal, and that’s as much as TLG delivered. To me that speaks to the staying power of Marvel and the Fantastic Four as much as LEGO’s brand.

Maybe, but none of them had to put up with the classic line, “Hyperspace isn’t like dusting crops farmboy. Put in the wrong calculations and we could go through a star or a supernova or a gas giant or a black hole or a moon or a not-moon-but-space-station or a gas giant or a giant gas or General Grevious’s lightsaber collection or the Rainbow Bridge or Krypton or Starkiller Base or the White House or a celestial being in the Indian Ocean or GET OFF MY PLANE, and that’d end your trip real quick, now wouldn’t it?” I do agree with the surrounding statements, though. The only reason I can offer for why we’ll likely get Commander Doom in 2026 over Nemik is the rule of cool. Not just that clones may be cool-looking than some of those characters—they’re not cooler than Kanan, though—but that clones are “cool” among a fringe of loyal LSW fans. (Also, the minifig designers could be scared to go outside of the clone template after everyone and their mother rips any and every minifig design to pieces; that might explain why we’ve seen a push toward consistency over integrity to the character… but I’m just spit balling.) I don’t believe this is a test at all, because it’ll work. TLG knows the market, and knows how many will pay full price regardless, whether it be the over-eager fans or the wannabe YouTubers. Fear (of missing out) will keep the customers in line (to the LEGO store). Discounts may come later, but at that point TLG will have made more on the front half from those diehards who’d want the set in the first place. “Swallow the hard pill now and get better later” approach, huh? It still tends toward imbalance. This is a good year for but a small portion of the community, and the same will hold true if we get all OT sets next year. As much as themed wave are neat idea, they’re only good if they were juxtaposed to another favourite era early in the year. At this point, with so many sets avaliable, a feat like that would be a near impossibility, so variety is necessary. I argue this wave doesn’t offer much in the way of diversifying the current LSW portfolio/sets on shelves right now. I’d love some legitimate PT sets. Anything is better than more TCW sets.

Lip service more for TLG's diversity in their CMFs. The Series 26 had an equal distribution, for instance. I for one find the practice wholesome as much as it is sadly corporate. Granted, this series only a third are women, but the movies themselves have more male characters than female protagonists, so that's understandable. For the first 48 hours of staring at the images without looking to this thread or anywhere else, I thought the figure was a man from some shot in the movie. Then I finally looked here for reactions as I was writing my post to then, and only then, realize it was a Spider-Woman. So, in effect, one of the four female minifigs shouldn't count since the one place informing you its a woman is the pamphlet. No, I'm not complaining about the gender of one specific background Spidey or any of them. I'm complaining that this figure was included likely for diversity sake–since obviously they couldn't include FF or Bombastic Bag-man or even Metro Boomin' Spider-Man for the 1% of us who'd care for that reason–and yet the diversity is nonexistent in the figure itself. It's like calling something... oh, I don't know, a bacon cheesecake and yet there's no cheese.

CLONE WARS OBI-WAN. I've been waiting for this figure since I watched TCW a couple years back, and my oh my does he looks spectacular. The detail all over him... he looks perfect. Ventress in purple is welcome as well. The front of the V-19 looks ugly (the dark red sections should be more closer to the white protrusions in height) and the wings are too thick (2 studs ought to have been the maximum if at all). Hopeful that the wing mechanism is still in place. Yep, sums up my thoughts better than I would've. Oh yes... I needed only one look at that, that thing for it to haunt my dreams and nightmares alike. When I heard the name "Force-Burner" in the leaks, I started thinking about the story implications of such a title... then I saw the flame paint scheme and realized it's just a hot rod. Windscreen looks perfect. What was once a dream has become an exciting reality for any Empire fan. However, I'm disappointed that we still receive the same winglet pieces and the same blaster elements. It's not an 18+ set, no, but a bit more complexity in the design would've been appreciated. The gap between the 2x4 and the 3x3 wedges in the front is unsightly. Somebody called? My mind jumped to the LEGO Batman Movie aesthetic, actually. Funny that they reversed the play functions, installing canon-accurate weapons at the area closer to the cockpit, then throw stud shooters down at the end. However, I'm hopeful it's just the weird wrapped angle from this catalog photo. Looking between the Starship™ and the leaked photo, this model is looking exactly like a recolour of the 2021 set. I'm going to need better photos of the Turbo and MTT before I can even have a judgement on those sets. Nonetheless, it's good to have confirmation on the figs and how they look.

Sad to be late to share in the excitement–or lack thereof, as the case may be–in the Spider-Verse CMF leak. All I can say is, in the words of PG Deadpool, LET'S GO! I wish the CMF had shared representation between the two Spider-Verse films, as opposed to being solely focused on Across. This is definitely true of Miles and Prowler; both are neat variants, but I would've rather them in a Beyond set instead of here. Gwen also seems unoriginal at best, and lazy at worst; if the mold was in production for this CMF, why not move it up to the Bodega, then allow for the CMF figure to have greater creative liberty? Earth-63 watercolour stylization or 1610 casual attire, as I had purported, would've been better appreciated. Of course, though, I'll still buy the figure for that hair piece, and the Bodega for Jefferson and Spot–so TLG has played their cards well. I'm madly in love with the rest of the figures, though. The selection is still weird–for the last time, why no Jessica Drew–but all the same are well done as CMFs always are. Instead of going through each one or keeping my statement short and sweet, I'll list the figures in order of priority for myself. Disclaimer: as a huge Spider-Verse fan, it's liable that I purchase all of these. Spider-Punk Spider-Man India (I'll need an extra of these top two to give to my family members who are fans as well; besides that, these two are arguably the best of the series overall.) Spider-Man 2099 (The face print looks remarkably similar to the character.) Prowler (That helmet mold is sweet!) Peter B. and Mayday (Peter's face looks off, somehow, possibly in the eyebrows. On the other hand, Mayday does not disappoint.) Spider-Gwen (The dual-molded shoes irks me. They're sneakers, not army boots. Anyway, I love that photo of Miles and Gwen.) Web-Slinger (Surpisingly, I like this guy a lot. Unfortunate that the horse is too small.) Spider-Byte (Sure, why not? She's a neat variant and has a role in the movie.) Charged-up Miles (Again, a neat variant and somewhat memorable. Might have preferred a battle-damaged look, though, and of course his "What's Up Danger?" suit would've topped this entire list.) Cyborg Spider-Woman (the pieces are more interesting than the sum of them. Far less inclined to get this figure and the next two than the previous figs. Also, how in the world does the figure convey it is a woman? At this point it's mere lip service.) Werewolf Spider-Man (Surprisingly not too bad. Werewolves are not my thing one bit, but it's well executed.) Sun-Spider (This is the most unnecessary figure in this CMF. Walmarts and Targets across the globe will be filled with this figure for how boring and unmemorable this character is. What gets me most of all, though, is that TLG didn't bother with dual-molding the legs.)

Let's go! The V-19 sounds more promising day after day. I bet you a trip to Billund that the saber mold was resurrected for Ahsoka S2 in '26 and then moved up to this year. Whatever it takes... (TIE Avenger included.) Also includes a stand like the 2021 model. Given that a good hundred pieces are going toward the cart and likely to "over-detail" the ship, I'm beginning to believe this set will be the blue colour-swap of the '21 Starship™ that many speculated on and wishlisted for all those years ago. (I specifically remember MandR complaining multiple times it wasn't a Jango's Slave 1 since it would've lined up with the anniversary in the year following. An MandR wishlist set among a wave of MandR's wishlist–well, except for the UT-AT.) Fascinating how my opinion is slowly morphing. At first I was intend on ignoring this set's existence. However, if it does scale perfectly with the '21 Starship™–a set which I happen to own–and it does include a Prequel minifig I'd love to have, I'm more interested than I was a couple of months ago. Of course, if it does match up with the 2021 Starship™, the obvious Bantha in the room would be that price.

With the torso, helmet, and pauldron in view, I think it's safe to say that the Star Corps trooper looks well done. Curious to hear from a diehard 327th fan how he would feel about the complete minifig, aside from the overpriced set, of course. To be slightly repetitive from a previous discussion, posting individual crops of a single render is annoying. This isn't a factory leak; this is a screenshot. The pose of the minifig lines up with that of the "real life size" render; I'm skeptical how someone with that kind of access is able to leak this out without TLG knowing... unless TLG are contributing to the leaks. *insert tin foil hat emoji here* Only six in the MTT? Is this a joke?

Leaking just torsos is one thing—annoying at that—but new helmet molds are always cool to see, in my opinion. Not to mention none of these have been crops of renders, so that implies that we’re getting info alongside the sources, and of course that’ll be piece by piece. Gives us something about which to talk. (Yes, it gives these accounts free advertising, but being leaked in real time has it own risks.) Galactic Marines can take a hike—this is about to be the best clone of 2025. Glad to see P1 getting a smidge of the love it deserves.

Sure, but that Imperial Crosshair still disappoints me to this day. It was just one year too early, unfortunately. Maybe we can compromise? Has TLG ever tried colour-changing minifigs like those mugs at the gift shop? I know, right? I hate how much I want a LEGO set just after seeing a movie or show. It’s why I’m saving up to buy Rivendell even though I have yet to see LotR, for I’m very certain by the time I do, the set will be long since retired. I tried explaining this to my friend but he interrupted and said “First world problems.” Absolute jerk, he was. Keyword: alive. Maybe if she wore full-body armor instead of gym clothes all the time she’d still be the most attractive Jedi alive. (Not that she ever was…) That’s been my issue with these clone-centric sets. (Here I go again with another rant.) Everyone poured hate on the Jedi & Clones BP to the point that I could see TLG course-correcting all their CW sets to focus on army-building potential. As a result, we see far fewer unique minifigs because of the frankly overused complaint “it lacks army-building potential,” even though a majority of people will buy one, possibly two. For me, and I’m sure for plenty of other LEGO fans as well, a lineup of ten unique minifigures/characters excites me far more than identical troopers (Blacktron excluded). As our Blasphemous Sponge keeps bringing up, Wat Tambor would have been a great addition to the MTT, but instead the budget is diverted toward army-builders. It’s important to recognize that TLG can make more money the army-builders (less unique pieces to funnel money into, more multiple purchases by those crazy YouTubers). At the same time, for myself it hollows the fun out of a set. What’s the exciting thing about three identical pilots versus a Plo Koon and two pilots, beyond “screen accuracy”? I’d make the argument that those who really care could buy off of Bricklink, but then TLG doesn’t make as much money that way, when instead they can pad out the ARC’s lineup at minimal cost and For the argument that TLG ought to throw in more unique characters alongside duplicates… Sure, that’d be great. Unfortunately we don’t live in a utopia; there is an arbitrary number of figures per size of set that we as LEGO fans have accepted and for which are willing to pay our money so long as value can be seen. They have established and we have accepted that more minifigs means a larger price. What needs to happen instead is more unique figures, thus more unique characters. I argue that would excite not only myself, but a large percentage of potential customers as well. The (glorious) AT-M6 from 2017 included all unique figures. Now it’s common and even welcomed to get multiple of the same figure, in the name of screen accuracy. These are toys meant to represent iconic films, not just different factions in the SW galaxy. Armies are the backdrop to the main protagonists in the films, but now TLG treats the main characters from the OT, the PT, and even TCW as chance sightings amidst a sea of identical, white-noise clones.

Insane? The Aslume is the place for you! Moreso that failure is the greatest teacher, as Rian—er, the Green Rubber Mooppet—er, Yoda taught in TLJ. This is a major misstep on their part, even larger than the time the LEGO set designers said that all yellow clones look the same. If the movie is just called Superman, thus the branding is Superman the character instead of the individual movie itself, shouldn’t the mech count toward movie merch? Obviously TLG should’ve either done a movie set or at least throw the movie suit in the mech, but it is LEGO Superman among this year’s DC lineup, which has been a novelty since 2019 onwards.

I might be hyped for the TCW MTT now. Commando droids would explain why there are only two true minifigs. On the other hand, I do fear that the CDs are compensating for a lack of B1s included/space for B1s inside. We’re meant to be going up, not down. It’d be crazy, but I can’t help but think about the Solitary Clone from TBB and imagine getting an Imperial Cody at long last, as well as an Imperial Crosshair updated with helmet holes.

Not at all–hang on, why is my bank account short $250 all of a sudden? Gasp! I hadn't realize LEGO City Undercover and Titlecard were a shared universe; omniverse, sure; shared multiverse, maybe. Now knowing the game and the show are along the same timeline... gives me something about which to think. If it is indeed the same Rex... Truer words have never been spoken. All hail Ant-Man the Dude.

I’m honoured, thank you! A secret camera? Oh, of course not, that’d be ridiculous. Although you reckon I should hold off on posting any more photography before I find a way to to sneak out of his place? Oh I almost forgot this one: U-Wing is one of the best SW sets, second to only the UCS Slave 1 Spray-Fire. (Then again, who knows? That UT-Turbo might blow us away. XP) For the whole company, though, there’s some pretty stiff competition—Tudor Corner, van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the T-Rex skeleton*, even the AoU Quinjet—and let’s not forget the Soup Mech! (Unironically, it might become one of my favourite sets from this year—the poses, the stories, the laughs… the Aslume incarnate.) Absolutely agreed on all but one count—the 4-6 episodes weren’t bad, just dense; without all that ground work we don’t feel nearly as much later on, I feel. It’s definitely better than S1’s nothin’-burger of a fifth episode. Hot take: That final walk Andor takes would’ve gone a lot better with Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive. That man ain’t just walkin’—he be strutting. Literally had about this exact idea for a potential Rogue Two—more or less on the Eurobricks communication, though. Kino? There are only two Kino’s: Andor’s Kino and Ninjago’s (O)Kino. Now I’m terrified. *Why has no one went out and bought the T-Rex to place Rex Fury in his place of honour atop? I would, but I still have the Bugle to buy… Don’t tempt me, though.

Those cartoonish, blocky creatures with green skin and black eyes as opposed to something like glowing eyes and decaying grey skin? I legitimately (as opposed to illegitimately) forgot about mentioning those, but I think my point still stands. CMF 14 was ten years ago, Monster Fighters from longer than that. Aside from those examples which are very cartoonish in nature, we haven't gotten a proper realistic zombie until the Zombie Cap and Night Trooper, two licensed examples and the former of which only available for three months. Andor is also PG-13. LEGO loves to take inspiration from and thus promote TDK, a film arguably on the same level as Andor and one I believe many kids would've be allowed to see, despite the countless comics they could draw from instead. If the case can be made that "it's Batman in a different suit vs Joker with messier hair," then the case can also be made for a set with "heroic figure Or-And taking down Imperials in black or white armor." I don't see TLG promoting Andor on the side of the box as betraying their values so long as the content within the box doesn't promote or imply the non-kid-friendly parts of Andor. Popularity, or more accurately cultural significance is king. Maybe, but these clone sets are predicated on kids recognizing that thing from that piece of media. Despite that, a RtG set would be more likely and probably a better solution all around. A darker colour to contrast is an artistic choice for a brightly coloured helmet; by the same virtue Vader should have a DBG helmet in order to have black contrasts. Dark green is what matches with the armor printed, and dark green it should've been. An alternate solution would've been classic green, in my opinion. TLG seemingly start pinching their pennies on Mandalorians after investing in the dark pearl grey jetpack for the Mandalorian Starfighter. From then on we've gotten reissues of the same colours of jetpacks that were around at the time. ('21 Bo-Katan and Paz aside, this applies to Mando helmets as well.) Another sign this year was secretly dictated by MandR and the Council of Clone Bros. I'm kidding, of course, although the complaints about clone accessories began about three years ago, so I don't think making a correlation is unwarranted. I myself couldn't care less, but I'm glad for all of you who are excited. This does give me worry that, in order to spread costs, we'll see nothing but clones for the next couple years.

Built the U-Wing over the weekend. My thoughts remain the same as when first revealed: as a $70 model of the starfighter, it’s fantastic. Sleek, elegant wingspan and a sturdily constructed hull make it easily swooshable. Cockpit is too shallow, and the lack of under view from the pilot’s perspective is disappointing. Troop capacity is abysmal—you can maybe sit K2, but adding anymore would require them thrown in there loosely—but if this is going on your shelf with your other Rebel fighters that won’t matter as much. This thing looks magnificent on display. Then again, sitting it next to the other starfighters makes it abundantly clear how small the ship is by comparison. Not that the set is too small for $70–I’d suggest waiting until it hits $60 or below if you’re not the biggest fan of Rebel ships or Andor, but $70 doesn’t feel terrible. No, this ship is criminally underscaled, and I hope that if we get a remake again someday that TLG finally gives this bird the size and scale it deserves. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic build, and one I don’t believe I’ll regret buying at full price.

As the crawl to the third episode in the Star Wars saga goes, “There are heroes and villains on both sides.” The advantage Andor has over Ep III is that the former has ten more hours with the same cast of characters than the other with its. Nonetheless, the complexities have always been there—especially with characters like Mace vs Obi-Wan, Dooku vs Grievous, even yet Vader vs Tarkin, Piett vs Motti, why just Lando Calrissian for the sake of it—but given the two hour length of each Saga film, generalizations have to occur. Saw is absolutely an anti-villian, to use such a phrase, and post-CW has always been depicted as such; that is not the least bit controversial. Syril is a flawed individual with a good heart, a man who wishes to live a life of conscience, twisted by a sinister empire… reminds me of another tragic villain in a previous Star Wars. Yes, they have, but TLG still remain hesitant toward zombies—ghouls, vampires, werewolves a plenty, but only a limited run CMF introduced the zombie. (Even the 3in1 Haunted House excluded them.) However, this case in SW is unique in that the zombies’ faces are covered, only the heads are truly zombified, and LEGO minifig heads aren’t all that scary anyway. (The previous zombie was Cap from, again, a CMF, right?) That’s a good point. However, parents themselves can be discerning enough to turn off Andor once he steps in the club on Morlano. (I’m still back at Twilight getting a set, albeit an 18+ one—what’s next, Firefly?) LSW:RtB seemed pretty keen on using Andor iconography (Tac-Pod and Narkina jumpsuits) so I wouldn’t discount the osmosis effect from the love people have for the show seeping into media kids enjoy. Regardless of that, something like the U-Wing works: a cool and well-known ship with fresh new characters from a beloved show. I know everyone keeps harping on the TIE Avenger, but that’s because it would work so well as an additional set. Meanwhile, I’ll continue campaigning for a playscale Fondor—a midi-scale version would lack in size and obviously minifig potential, in my opinion. Not sure what theater you were in that cheered for that cameo, because—correct me if I’m wrong—everyone collectively rolled their eyes when they showed up on the Moon of Kafeero. K2 is a droid who could make those calculations instantaneously. The fact we never see a ship enter hyperspace in-atmosphere was a deliberate choice in the OT, as is seeing the U-Wing escape Jedha in such manner. That’s your preference. Having a military militia is different from having military principle, especially when dealing with free-flowing, Force-believing hippies out in the jungle. As for your second point, I agree it’s an idoitic choice, but Draven is the only one who gives the order to Cassian to kill Galen, and Draven seems more brutal than the other Rebel leaders. I always assumed “ray shielded” could just as much mean a filter system. Proton torpedoes would be the only projectile slow enough to pass through, much like the AT-ATs on Hoth. At any rate, it was the vulnerable connection from the exhaust to the reactor core that was the weakness, not the mere existence of an exhaust port altogether.

I feel so uncomfortable about this photo that I'm just gonna drop this here and pretend like it never happened. On a real note, hope you enjoy @THELEGOBATMAN.