BrickPrick

Ah, I see... they made it worse, then. The astonishing algorithm always struck me as rather aggressive, so I hardly noticed any difference. Haha, while this wasn't my intention back when I joined Eurobricks and picked this particular Cad as my profile picture, I quickly adapted to that in anticipation to his glorious release. Like sure, why not... let's make this a game. Speaking of which, I actually switched back to Bane for this special occasion... just for this single day. Since then I'm back to the long lasting misery that is Boss Nass. In hindsight, I should've picked Zam Wesell or someone even a little bit more realistic.

Isn't that how algorithms are supposed to work? Like keep recommending you content you might be interested in, regardless of followers and subscribers? Those digital terminators all gonna get us... the future is now! Besides, wasn't this guy among (if not) the first to make claims about a Cobb Vanth's Speeder set? I remember being initially excited, going back to disinterest when I heard the source, only to return to excitement when more reputable sources in here backed this rumour up. Woah, look at you now rocking this all new white fancy pancy look... What's cooking, good looking Mister @Mandalorianknight?

Ha, they're truly running out of names for Star Wars, aren't they? Are you watching us now, dear leakers? Give us a sign! Typically, it would feel too soon for some more concrete summer wave infos. But since we got first details sooner than we were probably expecting, strategically placed leaks to damage control the BS sets and all, the wait for some clarification feels now more overdue than it actually is. Would be just nice to know what else is on store this year beyond the accompanied M&G sets. With some certain delays, the impact the BS sets have had on the production pipeline is clearly more present than we were anticipating or hoping for. The question remains... how much?

You see, I've got the tendency to jump from once specific thing to kinda generalizing a specific topic from one sentence to another. Like I have already moved on to something else on the inside, but appear to be still be at the same thing on the outside. So when @BrickBob Studpants touched on the point of environmental reasons, I wanted to elaborate on this further. Now if you were under the false impression that I was still talking about the chrome parts, when I was trying to talk beyond that, I totally get that slight misunderstanding. I know my occasional jumpy "writing style" can be quite confusing to others and I need to work on them transitions every single day. Obviously still got a long road ahead of me, but I always intend to do better in the long run. Okay, now that little campfire story is out of the way, your explanation of the possible effects from chrome parts being merely a byproduct of the production process is pretty interesting. I wasn't aware of this at all. Thanks for the information. From my experience, it has to vary by region, yes. I watch many US YouTubers unboxing their sets full of plastic bags, whereas I usually got the newer "paper bags" for the same sets. In the last couple of years, I definitely had more of the latter than the former. Like at least for Lego Star Wars, for the better part of this decade, it was always either "paper" only or a mixture of that and plastic. I can't recall when I had the last bags purely made of plastic.

Yes, like I said, they've encountered problems when it comes to separating the bricks from each other. As for the other thing, that's why I called them "fake paper bags"... they are not purely made out of paper, you know? They appear to be at first, but they are not, are they? Harkening back to the topic of what seems to be on the outside, but actually isn't on the inside. Go get a good feeling on the latter and tell me this is not plastic or something similar. And if it's both paper and plastic, it's actually harder to get rid off, as you can't separate one from the other. But chances are I'm totally wrong on this one.

Really? But they just did a Maul Mech! Yes, of course. When somebody's health is on the line, little kids as part of your core audience no less, I would trust Lego to do the right thing. While they definitely can be a cruel company, a quite greedy one at that, they ain't exactly the personified devil. And I don't think we live in a "any publicity is good publicity"-world anymore to allow unnecessary risks. Like Lego is clearly smart and experienced enough to know when to abandon ship. Though anything that goes beyond chrome parts, like in favor of some planet's well-being, well... I wouldn't bet on their conscientiousness. It's too often they only care about saying what sounds good like many other big corporations. Making it seems like they are really committed, but they are not. I only remember their green initiative of making plants pieces with actual plants. The aforementioned actual big one, like using a whole new material for all of their parts, didn't come to fruition just yet.

Yeah, that's probably it. Though I usually have to chuckle whenever the climate crysis comes up as a reason for big companies to change up their production pipeline. What's absolutely reasonably on the outside, isn't actually executed on the inside. They say what they have to say, act like they care, but they ultimately don't. Like those fake paper bags they've been using for quite some time now. That's just window dressing. Though I must hand it to Lego... they are trying to make a real difference with turning their bricks more economic-friendly by moving away from oil and replace it with renewable plastic materials. It's just they are facing a lot of issues in the process. Like the new bricks are either too easy or tough to separate. It wasn't. Jury's still out if it will receive any set coverage.

Yeah, as far as I'm aware, Lego is pretty much done with using chrome pieces. But like you said, if they can do something similar for one theme, how hard would it be to apply it to another? I think they totally can. It's more about prioritizing the right things. Like I don't think anyone would be that mad if a proper colored ship came at the expense of, say, a single minifigure. Yep, it's a peaceful life. The next Lego Star Wars Magazine comes with the new Phase 2 Pilot. While I don't need another one, it's a great inclusion for anyone who didn't buy the ARC-170. In this instance, I will pick up one for family.

The way we go about it, getting anything directly from Lego is strictly reserved for shop exclusives. Preferably to break the highest May the 4th threshold for the GWP. Everything else is deep discounts on Amazon and there are always sets to catch up to. In retrospect, General Kenobi definitely became my number #1 Lego Star Wars 2025 minifigure. Edging out my other favorites such as Plo Koon, Lama Su, Jango Fett, Clone Cadet etc. And I too feel fairly confident the Delta will be among the sets that'll make this year. And if it's not the most detailed Anakin minifig they've ever done, we'll riot. Ha, while I'm not that old already, like not quite as old as you are, I honestly felt exactly this way when I was writing it. Oh well, here's hoping I won't have to do that longer than just a few years time. Some actual leaks for finally some good fu**ing food might help to keep me in check as well. I don't think it's guaranteed at this point. Like you said, it may very well be the GWP for the UCS set or just not the highest tier for the May the 4th GWP. I mean, there was some fair share of miscommunication going on just last year, when the Kamino Training Facility was first said to be an Escape Pod, so the actual GWP must not be set in stone just yet.

Please stay away from those Lego Croc abominations. The more I think about these compatible BS sets, the more of a lose-lose situation I can see. Buying any of those individually won't let them stand on their own. Like was countlessly reiterated in here already, the actual astehtics are designed too much around the megablocks brick. Even the better looking models are not as good as their system scale counterparts. And while buying one of those starter sets lets you actually use these play features and is a little less problematic in the sense of impacted design, it's still awful when you have to pay a minimum of 70 extra bucks to make that happen. So pay less, get Frankenstein. Or pay more and get a little less Frankenstein. Like I initially said... it's LOSE-LOSE. The eight BS sets costs you a total of 640€, by the way, so a nice smooth 80 euros per set on average. I would expect these price points from 18+ sub-themes like the Starship Collection or the Dioramas... But not for something that is clearly targeted for kids. So Lego truly dropped the ball there. Like it was painfully obvious from the very get-go, it's just about finding new creative ways of raising prices again to pick up even more money out of unaware parents pockets. It's filthy. It's greedy. And I will never stop to speak up my mind about it for as long as this stuff exists.

Okay, so I'm not sure how this whole thing is exactly working, so here goes nothing... If we assume you shove $250 down Lego's greedy throat to actually get the Einstein brick from the TIE Advanced, then get Han from the Falcon to actually use him in the Cantina... is that even adding value in terms of play? I mean, have they implemented some additional interactions for cross-over characters in mind? Or is it something they may patch in later for the assist app via some firmware updates? Yeah, I got the obvious joke. You know my stance regarding more leftover Gulp Shitto's and I stand by it. Just feels a little bit odd to expect these weirdo characters when Lego can't even nail the more expected ones. I too think Ben should have been replaced with Han. And the former, may the maker have mercy with me, should have been replaced the Gonk Droid in the Landspeeder. Ha, that's not the first time I had to google what character you're actually referring to. For some reason, I always assume this is some Star Wars mega monstrosity.

Though the UCS model won't affect me personally, I agree with this sentiment. Nobody expects Lego to use any chrome parts anymore; these days are long gone. But come on, you can use some more appropriate colored pieces that even remotely resemble those to give it that shiny look. Definitely not too much to ask. They were literally riding the highway to hell with this one. I applaud their entitlement to accuracy. Yoda, just having made the jump from a dumb to a smart figure and now even taller than he already was, should channel his inner ogre and scream "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP?!" Anything out of the ordinary, really! But when you can't even include Han Solo for Greedo to make any sense in the set at all, it kinda feels strange to ask for more than that. Like they couldn't even nail the basics for this one! We should be at #Day 279, good sir. Okay, I've got just two more things about TBOBF Cad Bane. Firstly, I am somewhat positively surprised how the face printing turned out. To print a lighter shade of blue on a pitch black head could have turned out horribly wrong, but it didn't. That's not a given as Lego tends to cheap out on such things, but yeah... it's looking pretty good. And secondly, my only gripe with this otherwise phenomenal figure is the knee area. It's just missing that one stripe for the, uh, ammunition belt, or whatever it's gonna called. Both the Skywalker Saga and Black Series version have it, this official Lego minifigure unfortunately doesn't. Alright, I'm gonna go off anyone's hair with my ramblings now. Time to move forward again. And with that I mean (more or less) constructively criticizing everything related to Smart Slop Stuff.

Oh, I'm sure this set will pair quite nicely with some of the M&G offerings. Even if not, it will definitely do well with some good discounts. We were lucky enough to instantly get it at a much more reasonable price point. The speed at which Amazon DE slashes those euros off of LSW products has been greatly increased as of late. No need to wait more than just a few days anymore. And hey, having now inspected General Kenobi with my own eyes... Holy moly, what a magnificent minifigure all around. Yes, I thought this way since the first high-res pictures popped up. Yes, I joined your quest of wanting a General Skywalker next ever since. And yes, I intend to celebrate this particular minifigure upon leaks with you. But yeah... seeing it in person always hits different. As far as the Lego Star Wars quality standard goes, it could hardly be any better as is. Amazing... Every word you just said is right. Yep. From an parents perspective thinking about getting those things for their kids, might as well just to make them suffer, these optional sets are not problematic per se. Like you said, you get one of the three starter sets and you are good to go for the optional stuff. But as standalone sets, I don't see compatible sets standing on their own feet. There are just too many drawbacks to make them functional as your average system scale sets. Especially from an astehtics standpoint, which I feel has been greatly increased lately for what this aspires to be. There must be many tiny pieces, I suppose. Oh, the set is most definitely overpriced. Like I was shocked how light the box was. Not that long ago, this would have been your typical 20/25€_ Duel set. Anything above is pushing it to the limit, but not surprising nowadays. To accommodate the higher price tag, a small side-build, maybe for a less oversized Speeder, and a third figure, like that deputy dude, would have been in order. But yes, the two included figures are the clear standouts... which unfortunately, Lego was aware of as well. As assumed, the brand new TBOBF Cad Bane is the best version they have ever done. Though it was a close call for me. As TBB Bane is no slouch either. It even has some areas, the legs and the back, that I prefer over the other. But yeah, the long awaited addition of arm printing ultimately edges it out ever so slightly.

Two more things about the BS line-up... Firstly, if Luke's Landspeeder is like your most appealing looking set out of the whole bunch, you are in knee deep trouble. Here's hoping the actual commercial performance will reflect that sooner rather than later, so we can be done with this nightmare fuel. And secondly, giving Yoda mid legs is super stupid, regardless of reasoning. As he already is too tall with short legs to begin with! On a widely different note, I almost forgot my annual meme for newly obtained highlight minifigures. Started with Plo Koon, followed by Saw Gererra and then Jango Fett, may I now present to you... Where are you, Cad Bane? You're here! You're not getting stabbed by good old righteous Boba and seemingly left for dead, because in the "no one's ever really gone" era of Disney nothing is set in stone anymore, which I may or may not perceive as a cheap excuse to be able to constantly bring back fan favorite characters at will. You're here! You're right here, and you're ready to fight! Last but not least, inspired by the honorable @Mandalorianknight, here's how my tiny dream come true is casually displayed on the big grey baseplate™. Two down, two to go!

Well, thank you. Given the BS Cantina's design originates straight out of hell, I wholeheartedly applaud Lego for their honesty in terms of nailing the perfectly fitting piece count. Likewise, I still stand by my point that even the "optional" sets are not working that well as standalone releases, because the aesthetics are compromised too much to make space for all this BS.

Yep, the additional three+ weeks for today's occasion have been very well worth the wait, as expected. Of course, if this brand new Bane had launched any other time than January, this set would have been one of these rare signature day one™ purchases. But alas... very happy. And according to my current gut feeling, whenever I look in the sky from now on, I shall see the iconic twin sun rising. And thank you, man. I appreciate your empathy.

Thanks for saving me from the fate of making a double post... Personally prefer to don't do those at all. And yet again awesome meme material, by the way. Haha, the Cad's finally out of the bag! Having already admired this beauty for quite some time, actually holding it in my hand as we speak, I can comfortably confirm this figure meets my high expectations. Will compare it firsthand to the TBB version later, but would be shocked if this one doesn't end up being my new favorite release of the character, even if not by much. Like this is definitely the best Bane they have ever done. Now I need to get this minifig off my chest, though... literally.

I just got gifted the V-19 Torrent Starfighter plus Cobb Vanth's Speeder and could hardly be any happier right now.

On a slightly more excessive yet exclusive note, the Cad Bane summoning has been successful and the cycle is now complete. 0 days until I will be building up bad boyo Bane... definitely.

The former is our best bet right now, as the price point looks pretty spot on. Which is why the latter is even more like a pipe dream. There's no way Lego will charge significantly less for a potential TIE Avenger than they have for a TIE Bomber. Same here. Just when I thought Lego has found their footing in regards to the May the 4th GWPs again, they are about to turn the table yet again. However, since this might as well be just for the occasion, this return to brick-built only stuff may not indicate a whole new direction altogether. Except they decide to keep it that way for next year's 50th Star Wars anniversary too, but who knows. In any case, I prefer these GWPs with an actual minifigure... with or without some bricks. Any human being capable of even some rational thought would say this is just too much. Unfortunately, this is Lego we are talking about. It seems to be just the right amount of stupidity. So it will probably happen.

Yep, this would have been my bet as well. Although owning everything is much easier for The Lord of the Rings than it is for Star Wars, it must still be an impressive display. Given your enormous private collection, have you ever considered to get some commercial usage out of it? Less selling some of it and more like for presentation purposes. Or is that not something you would be ever interested in and rather keep your private collection as such?

Ha, you know I already had the honor of asking you this, so now I will ask you again for this theme: how many LOTR sets do you own; is it the majority again?

Ah yes... Emmasaurus. I made her laugh out loud once. She even dropped an f-bomb out of nowhere. Having already seen their marketing efforts to some extent, they sure paid a pretty penny for all that stuff. Hope it's gonna be worth it for them. Yes, my first out of the box Cad Bane minifigure even! If it wasn't for my dark ages taking forever, I would have absolutely gotten him way back in the 2010 Clone Turbo Tank or his Speeder. Or even his other TCW version included in 2013's Starhooper set. But now it's ~99% finally happening and it will be glorious. Oh man, just how oversized is it gonna be this time? You can all say what you want about the 327th Battle Pack, but the Bob the Builder esque AT-RT being downscaled again was a step in the right direction.

Yeah, that's right. We don't know whether the second season of Ahsoka makes it this year or not. I also wouldn't say that the missing support of TBB has much barring on Maul getting some sets or not, since we already acknowledged that he plays in another league entirely. Though at the same, I wouldn't be shocked if Lego treats it the same as Tales of the Jedi/Empire/Underworld. As in most people just watch the thing in a single sitting and be basically done with it. Though I was just reading it will release two episodes every week to conclude the show on May the 4th, so the episodes won't be available all at once. That's right. We only knew that Maul was due for this year. So yeah, depending on Disney's communication with Lego, it might have been too late to work on at least a single set in time. Though they used to often get the memo comfortably beforehand, it might work differently for movies compared to TV shows. As the former is usually dated way ahead of release, while the latter is much closer to it. And I would say that Maul is THE most popular prequel villain there is. It's like the equivalent to Vader from the OT.

Oh really, they are back to adding main characters to Battle Packs? Joke aside, given Lego misses next to no opportunity to put Maul in the spotlight, I wouldn't be surprised at all about a single tie-in set. Though I'm not sure about the likelihood for this year, if there won't even be some Ahsoka 2026 sets, but we'll see. Yeah, I'm under this impression as well. I mean, with the Bounty Hunter Pursuit, Bespin Duel and Ewok Village we've already got three episodes covered. Maybe they are truly offering something from every main movie for the 50th Star Wars anniversary. That's at least what I would prefer. Upon thinking about it further, as much as I would still like it to see it being released this summer, having a Bounty Hunter Pursuit remake next year is... acceptable. After all this time, half an eternity, what's just one more year.