BrickPrick

Deliver me a delicious dish. Something both fresh and healthy. Rather than shoving the same fast food in the microwave over and over again. Then we are talking.

It's a good thing i ain't got no megaphone, because it might not be interesting to everybody. And not like i haven't been telling this a couple of times already, but... I am sick. And i am tired. About modern Lego Star Wars Clone Troopers. Given that i came back to this hobby in the late 2010s, i was obviously very excited when Lego brought them back in a big way this decade. Lego actually spacing sets out helped a ton in keeping the excitement going through the years. But nowadays... that's impossible! No need to search my feelings, i know it to be extra cloni cannoli. I look at something like the 327th Battle Pack, even at a much more reasonable price point and think to myself... "can i get it now? Sure. Am i in any rush to do so? No." You start to feel incredibly indifferent about these things. So sooner or later just makes no difference to me anymore. Still wanna see some missing legions to see the Lego light of day, but yeah... I kinda became world-weary of those white dudes with their colored stripes. It's time to stop! It's time to stop, okay? No more! Think of the children... oh wait. -_-'

Haha, now that's the crossover i didn't knew i wanted. @CloneCommando99, @Mandalorianknight and @BrickPrick together at last. Not gonna lie, i feel honored for this welcome cameo surprise. Lovely seeing that dazzling Duros on there. Good thing i didn't change my profile picture just yet. Anyways, thank you. Here's to many more memes... just not too many.

Yeah, i know when and where he showed up before, hence my above average rating. In hindsight, saying it "would probably be nothing to write home about" for anyone collecting Lego Star Wars longer than ~2017, was addmittably an exaggeration on my part. I might have been too much in @BrickBob Studpants mode then and there. But, of course, there can be a middle ground and thus, many people don't have a Tarkin minifigure, regardless of when they started to collect this theme. Thanks for pointing out my short burst of ignorance. Okay, so by your definition, Tarkin being merely an average addition checks out. Since he is that rare of a fig to get, i would still give him the edge as above average. But even if not, the chances of a new minor character showing up in the TIE Advanced is in the realm of possibility. I mean, we had Sloane in the TIE Bomber before. Could see something similar happening for the Advanced. So yeah, it will land between average or above average.

I would already consider someone like Tarkin as above average and this is the figure i had in mind as well. Of course, for everyone collecting the theme any longer than me, this would probably be nothing to write home about. Just think these sets offer some room outside the ordinary.

Yep, this dedication is quite the effort. Always enjoy reading through his postings, even though i don't get all the references. And i think he absolutely is prepared for the long run. Seems to be holding his own very well so far. I could imagine staying away from this forum for a couple of months and the first thing to come across again would probably be "day 200+ of TIE Avenger requesting" like business as usual. This man is on a mission and I'm here see him succeed. I hope the TIE Advanced will at least come with some above average interesting minifigures. Something we don't get every day.

How dare you thinking i could forgot about any of those characters just because i haven't mentioned them in my simplified list? The way i see it, we would be lucky if Lego was to turn even half of these characters into minifigures in such a set! Your dedication for the illusive TIE Avenger is kinda crazy, by the way.

Yes, that would be a great choice from Lego... also a very convenient thing for them to do. As they already have like half of the minifigure line-up figured out from the 2023 play scale set. Just need to add a few named characters like Mon Mothma, some more rebel pilots, Glup Shitto's like the honor guards and they are good to go.

You may now place your bets whether the TIE Pilot will be the already existing UCS version or the dumped down play scale one. As much as i would go with the latter, especially considering the highly questionable quality standard of the $1000 Death Star minifigures, given Lego's tendency to give away superior figs in GWP's, the former wouldn't surprise me at all.

Interesting thought. Addmittably, a Slave 1 Microfighter replacing Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter, as great as it is, would have been a wise choice. The latter could have paired perfectly as a play scale set with the ARC-170 instead. Although three years in the making, you can make the same argument with the Slave 1 complimenting Obi-Wan's Delta 7, just not as fitting due to different scales. But yeah, a Microfighter would have still quenched my thirst for a Jango Fett minifigure, while also making space for something a bit more meaningful. Even though, as things stand, it still is a very relevant release to me. And i stand by my point... If you were to cut down the overblown 18+ and buildable slop by at least half, i doubt anyone would even care enough to question the existence of this Slave 1. Most of the discussions would probably just revolve around the form factor.

I like to see this set as a much needed 2002 remake first and a no-brainer 2021 recolor second. In my own biased ways, I'm glad about the play scale set releasing in the same year as the UCS one. Could only have so many blue Mando minifigures that weren't called Jango Fett. Also a sucker for these more obscure inclusions like Lama Su to complete the core collection of the Skywalker Saga. So yeah, personally find it really exciting. The constant concern about the limited amount of available set slots is understandable, but before i think about cutting the Slave 1, i would name like ten other 2025 releases for the chopping block.

Oh shoot, i didn't even think about adjusting for inflation. Well, that's even better then. The Slave 1, albeit too small for what it should have been, is definitely among the more reasonable priced sets of the summer wave, alongside the V-19. Like you don't have to wait ages in order to get a good deal for those.

I've been in a bit of a drought as of late. In Germany, we say Sommerloch. So Lego kinda takes a backseat, while other interests shine through and demand more of my attention again. But seems like i didn't miss all that much in terms of official Lego Star Wars news. Which, as i could tell, had a certain effect in a lot of these forums postings. Not really. It only made me get but a fraction of the newest releases in the same year, which always causes playing some catch-up for the sets of the last year. Other than that, i only got recently retired stuff when i returned from my near endless dark ages. So i catched up on quite a few sets from ~2015/2016 in like 2018. Since then, i only get the occasional minifigure. Yeah, i can definitely relate to this as well. Like 99% of my collection is based on the 75000 product line, so everything from 2013 going forwards. Which matches rather well minifigure-wise. In terms of sets, though... it ain't as easy due to obvious size differences. Like displaying the Rogue One TIE Striker from 2016 to every other modern TIE variant from the 2020s does look super silly next to each other. I would say more like five to ten bucks. Besides the additional minifigure, Lama Su being reasonably worth five bucks, the new Slave 1 also comes with a good 100 more pieces than the 2021 one. Which isn't exactly apparent when directly comparing both very similar looking main models, but you definitely see the difference in the side builds. The Kamino cart build is much more substantial and thus a more sturdy stand than whatever the last one was. I say, that at least counts for another five bucks. While applying the so-called holy grail of ten cents per piece, it would be ten bucks. Ultimately leaving the price gap at only five bucks.

Well yeah, i take that TPM Padme off your hands, Lego. Pretty please? Alright, thanks in advance and have a nice life.

Some compromises need to be made in the context of them having a pretty tight budget. The designers all visited PR school as well and say what they are supposed to say. Of course, they won't straight up tell you "we would if we could", blame their bosses and express their true feelings towards this. They are seemingly and simply not allowed to go above and beyond for many sets. I doubt that anyone would question Lego's huge profit margins and that they happen due to some unreasonable cost cutting. As a consumer, yes, i'd say either stop with the blatant penny pinching or at least stop with the constant price hikes. But that's mere wishful thinking that doesn't come to fruition as long as people keep buying even the bad stuff.

I think the people who actually design the sets really can't afford such things. At least not without compromising other aspects. While the higher ups who get to decide the overall budget constraints probably can, but don't. I remember one of the designers was interviewed about the lack of dual moulded legs for the new young Boba Fett in the UCS Slave 1. And he said that they prioritized some design aspects of the actual ship over that.

Ha, why am i not surprised you are jumping at my neck again with one of your essays. I don't feel like returning this favor of yours right now, so my short answer is: i know. I know this is not what most of you guys (critical of clone craziness) want when demanding more OT sets again. That was more of a rhetorical question on my part, when replying to a provocative posting. And i still agree that the ongoing overload of various gimmicky formats is the true cause for this theme going in a questionable direction. Otherwise, we would have better balance all around, so these TCW/PT things wouldn't have to be considered anything like an "Extravaganza", it would be just one side of the coin. And i know how this whole thing works in terms of catering to new customers vs. established ones, the former is heavily priorized by TLG... or any big business for that matter. As Lego, much like Star Wars, is a generational thing. Just because something is generic and boring to us AFOL's at a certain point, that obviously ain't the case for a younger, inexperienced target audience. New kids always grow up, get to see Star Wars for the first time, so they understandably want to play with a cool looking Rebellion or Imperial ship just as much as we wanted that in our younger years. Ha, no, I'm not counting anything in this regard. The "37" is my deliberate exaggerated way of saying "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?". It used to be 10K back in the day, but i felt like that was a bit overkill. So i settled down to 37. Though the other number probably wouldn't have caused any confusion for you, i suppose. Anyhow, you still remember our little debate about whether or not the upcoming Tiny Turbo Tank was constructed as a test balloon by Lego? Now that we know all the bells and whistles of the whole thing, you still stand by your point that there is no risk involved releasing such a set in this condition, while also asking for this amount of money? And therefore, in your book, it never could have been a test ballon in the first place? And to be clear... You didn't sound picky to me at all. Because what you were telling me is true... from a certain point of view.

In other words, yet another unneeded and heavily overpriced 18+ format to add to the Lego Star Wars theme. Yes, the root of the problem keeps on keeping on. That's what i was trying to tell you last time... Just replace the Star Wars logo with the Avenger... but leave Jango's Slave 1 alone. It's one of the saving graces for this year's summer wave. Not that i would ever deny Lego being lazy, but in this instance it sounds far too friendly and it doesn't do it justice. They pushed the principle of penny pinching to perfection with this one. Though good for you regarding the easy fix. So, they can yet again deliver what i would consider the real deal in a GWP, but not do that at all in the erigiously expensive set that precedes it? If you look up "greedy" on the internet, you may or not find the Lego logo representing this deadly sin. Ha, i would take that decent job as well. But to speak for myself, I'm at a point where i don't hype myself up for at least these huge sets. I don't expect to be blown away by those things by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, if anything, i expect to be disappointed. And occasionally, just like now, am surprised when this actually doesn't happen. Even though that doesn't change anything regarding the very high asking price. I knew it could never live up to that. Maybe there is an actual real life gold brick hidden in there? It would explain a lot in terms of Lego charging a thousand bucks. It might be seven years late to the party, but now you getting to know how a $100 play scale X-Wing feels like. Spoiler: it ain't that great of a feeling. Pretty provocative of you... i like it. And yeah, for how heavily the Clone craziness is critized in here and now that we get some more OT stuff again, i ask... Is the 37th X-Wing on paper really any better or interesting than TCW overload in practice? At least, a lot of these sets provide long requested remakes and something new to the table, as we have discussed numerous times by now! It already sounds like an excuse to yet again purposefully charge higher prices for what is supposed to be a medium sized ship. Formats adjusted, an X-Wing should never be more expensive than a Slave 1... period. To be fair, i reckon nobody will feel as defeated as you do. And i actually feel sorry for you, man. While it ain't over until it's over... things are not looking too hot for the Avenger in 2026. And u think the longer nothing happens, the less likely it is to materialize at all.

I'm not even the target audience for pricy UCS sets, but this should absolutely and obviously be the case. Not because of mere wishful thinking, but because there is no justification whatsoever if it doesn't happen. What better, more fitting opportunity than the most expensive set ever made to deliver the best possible minifigure versions? Especially when it's already available... It was questionable at best for the UCS Sail Barge, but it's downright infuriating and inexcusable for the Death Star. The audacity of Lego's penny pinching knows no bounds and has now reached a new low level. This is not even about cutting corners at this point. They teared down every wall for the whole house with this one. Well, i will definitely be running out of it, so i don't wanna push my luck too hard. That being said, how the GWP still got not leaked already remains a real mystery to me. The curtains have to be lifted on this one sooner rather than later... right? That's all i can offer for you right now.

This is what i would have to do. This is what i would never do. This is what i would like to do. This is what i would never have to deal with, because my dog is a good boyo who doesn't toy with things that don't belong to him. I like these "choose your own adventure style" kinda questions and answering to them.

Okay, yay, can't miss it! Shocking, right? We always knew Lego breaking into 1000 bucks territory is only a matter of time, but it probably won't be worth it. Yep, the modular approach could work rather well for the Star Wars theme, but Lego just won't have it. Why offering multiple sets in various sizes and prices, when you can make one huge set at an even larger price point? It's so good to be back again. And you summarize many people's thoughts, i think. Maybe some Lego designers argue whether or not our big blue planet is or should be flat as well? Joke aside, i get that there are obvious advantages in terms of displayability when you design it that way, but making a Death Star, out of all sets, a flat disk at double the price (inflation unadjusted) is certainly a choice to behold. The individual rooms depicting every famous movie scene you could ask for do look very nice, though!

Ha, every time i question the pace of the current Lego Star Wars leak culture, something big gets blown out almost immediately after. Happened to the summer wave. Now happened ro the UCS Death Star. But yeah, this was some interesting timing for Eurobricks to take a break. Okay, for what it is, i actually quite like the new Death Star. For what it could or should have been, i don't know. For the actual price, it's definitely not worth it, but that was to be expected. In order to make entering four digits space price points more justifiable, the minifigures would need to be a lot more detailed than they are. For some of the lackluster stuff included, Lego should be ashamed for. It's an embarrassment of riches. But considering this truly ended up as a Master Builder Series set in everything but name, i take it as the final nail in the coffin that Lego abandoned the MBS label for good. Which i don't mind that much as long as the format is still alive and kicking. Even though it's now probably gonna be a while for the next big thing.

It became pretty odd indeed. Don't know what's going on anymore. There appears to be a shift taken place for LSW leak culture the last couple of years. To speak for my location, Disney actually charges extra money for their movies and this is the reason why some cinemas won't show their films on the silver screen. So, of course, i think along the mindset of why this greed wouldn't extent to some of their merchandise? Like i said, Lego Star Wars was already expensive before the big buyout, but in my eyes got even more costly since then. How much Disney factors into this, i don't know for sure. Just a mere observation on my part. Oh man, the Indiana Jones sets felt illegal for Lego standards. Like a different timeline altogether. It really brought you back to the 2010s of not having to wrap your head around discounts. Well, you got the classic Disney stuff, you know, all these different castles, which absolutely seem aggressive in their pricing to me. Even the Harry Potter theme (not Disney i know) started out relatively reasonable priced at first, but gotten much more expensive for every additional soft reboot. Not as excessive as Star Wars mind you, but it's getting up there. However, i gotta say, that I'm having a tough time comparing Star Wars minifigures to Harry Potter. Yes, the latter usually got way more figures, but that ain't too shocking considering the former are often more detailed. Just take a look at them legs... So you could see a quality over quantity scenario here. Fully aware that Star Wars figures got their fair share of issues too. Personally stopped to perceive that as a problem per se. That just became the sad standard to me. I accepted it. Like... it's Lego Star Wars. So nearly everything is overpriced to some extent, what little is left is an exception. Whatever good discounts you are getting is now the price it should have launched in the first place, which is clearly part of their marketing strategy... maybe we should ask Amazon about it. Doesn't prevent us from acting accordingly. So we are never getting something for full price. Always patiently waiting for the right time to make a move. And since this means you always play catch up to the last waves, you never run out of sets to get... you just space them out. Like, i was alluding to, you definitely feel that Star Wars is the big established Lego theme compared to others. Like @Mandalorianknight said... They charge a premium because they think they can get away with it... and enough people prove that they can. If their price hikes were to negatively impact commercial success over time, they would think twice about it. But that doesn't seem to be the case, so they got no reason to want to go home and rethink their life. I agree with your overall list of changes, but this one really got me. From my own biased point of view... just no. I know you would probably sell your kidney to get your hands on an official TIE Avenger, i want this to happen as well, but describing a set that hasn't been made since 2002 as unneeded is certainly a take. Of course, you could always argue what's two more years after over two decades of nothingness, but yeah. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth and i do not condone such blasphemy on your part. I am looking forward to more of your memes, though... but preferably not forever.

Yeah, that ain't exactly the worst idea in the world. While i don't mind some drip-feeding and teasing here and there to build up some additional anticipation prior to a bigger release, some more substantial leaks in a more consistent manner would go a long way. Yeah, it's hard to disagree with your points. What overall value you are getting definitely depends on the theme. This might be due to Disney being extraordinary greedy when it comes to their licensing, but i think Star Wars always takes the cake, even before the big acquisition. So Lego's clearly taking full advantage of the theme's popularity and huge demand. Especially now that clone craziness is back in full force, after what feels like a phase of the brands decline in general merchandising. We all talk about the ridiculousness of the 327th Battle Pack's price point. But considering there will probably be enough people picking up multiple ones right off the bat, does it even matter in the end? Lego might not be selling as many sets compared to their predecessors, but as they provide less value for much more money just a year later, they don't have to. So yeah, going from that, nothing is gonna change. I just hope they return to their senses and at least beef up their flagship sets again when charging top dollar for them. On a more positive side note, i really hope Kit Fisto is among the next batch of Jedi minifigures. With his head mould receiving the awesome Plo Koon hard plastic treatment.

Yes, we are. Wasn't trying to cause any confusion. Next time I'm gonna be less cryptic about it. Death Star plans have been weird and wonderful so far. At first, infos got drip-feeded to us, which culminated in next to nothing. Then, all of a sudden, we got close to the entire minifigure line-up all at once. Now we are back to utter silence again. I dunno... feels off to me.