phanstasm

Do the European Star Wars instructions generally have a page that shows all of the wave's new minifigures like the US instructions? I watched all of The Brick Show's reviews of the European versions of the sets hoping that they would show that minifigure overview page. I was really interested in seeing finalized versions of the Sith Infiltrator minifigures, and learning if Qui-Gon came with his Tatooine poncho. Hopefully they will post a picture soon.

I don't remember seeing this posted, so I thought I would share this, sort of, behind the scenes look at color choice for select 2015 "Rebels" minifigures. On March 11 StarWars.com released a "Rebels" Costume Color Guide for four Imperial characters: the Inquisitor, Kallus, AT-DP Pilot, and Tank Transport Pilot. Interestingly, despite the Inquisitor and Kallus appearing to feature completely different colors, the guides label both as "Hexachrome Black." Moreover, though Kallus' uniform appears dark gray(?) to my eyes the guide lists the dominant color as "Black," just like his minifigure counterpart. http://www.starwars....e-for-imperials So, if you see odd color choices in minifigures compared to their finalized counterparts, it is probably the IP's styleguide that is to blame, not necessarily TLG. This still does not quite explain why Sabine's minifigure armor is red rather than pink, since Hasbro's Sabine figure is clearly adorned in pink armor. Maybe the styleguide for licensing originally showed red armor. That would be similar to the way Hawkeye (Marvel's "Avengers") features a purple color in the movies while his appearance on a lot of licensed merchandise features a red color.

I totally agree. In fact, I'm surprised that they didn't reuse the jester torso and legs. It's only appeared in one exclusive Super Heroes set (Fun House), so most people only have one. To me, it would have made more sense to redesign Ivy, since that design appeared in two Super Hero sets (Batcave and Arkham). I love that Ivy design, but I don't need three.

I don't think that's possible. Themes are assigned a production budget, which includes the cost to develop new parts. You could only shift production of the hair piece earlier for Harley if the development costs for the hair were factored into the DC Super Heroes budget.

How timely! Thanks for this great news, Sir von Lego. I was just going to buy the MTT (75058) today, mainly for the new Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. However, maybe it's better to buy the Naboo Fighter (75092) and this rumored Sith Infiltrator instead? Does anyone know someone currently at Toy Fair that could consult with a Lego representative, and ask about the Sith Infiltrator? I'd love to know if the set includes Qui-Gon. Thanks!

Another lovely model by Marcus Bessa! It’s very well built, and I’m very impressed by spinning turbines and the simplicity of adding power functions. Also, for those that can't afford it, I'm happy that most of minifigures are characters that come in other sets. It sounds like many people won’t be buying it because of the price, the size, or both. I have to agree. Since the model isn’t to minifigure scale anyway, I think I would have been happier if they dropped the price to $120, made a smaller Helicarrier that could fit on my desk (around 12 inches), and expanded that lovely minifigure display, perhaps by including something similar for Hydra. I would love to have a brick-built Hydra logo on the left (featuring a Hydra soldier, Red Skull, and Crossbones), the SHIELD logo on the right (featuring Fury, Hill, and a generic SHIELD soldier), and maybe Captain America posed in the middle by himself and in front of a brick-built version of his shield.

I appreciate that Lego tried to mirror the attractions of Jokerland to the villains, like Poison Ivy's vine tower ride and the Penguin's wheel of ducks. However, since we have both of those characters already (two of the Penguin, one in a recent and inexpensive set), I think some other villains would have been welcome. For example, Mad Hatter with a teacup ride, Deadshot/Sportsmaster with a shooting gallery, Music Meister with some sound brick thing, Roxy Rocket with a little rocket ship ride (something like the little rocket ship in the Hall of Justice in Lego Batman 3). The list of unused villains and related rides goes on and on. Still, it sounds like a great playset and I'm happy for the Teen Titans! Since we're stuck with the Penguin, I hope he's got a blue hat and coat like in the Super Powers toyline (http://www.actionfig.../sp/figure.html). I have a fondness for the look.

Thanks for the great info Just2Good! Since it's an expensive set, it would be great to see Jokerland include the monorail from "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." It doesn't have to be as complex as the monorail in set 6991. Also, if the tram led into a small observation retreat for Mr.J, that would be cool too. To keep the price down, it doesn't have to be large. A little room built on a 6 x 16 plate would be fine. Reference from "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." Click image for larger version.

Dareth polybag is now available in the US!! I was able to pick one up Sunday evening at a US Toys R Us store. How to Buy At my local TRU you have two options. First, as shown in the US Toys R Us weekly ad, you can spend $30 and get a Dareth poly for free. Or, as with Rockett, you can buy the Dareth poly for $4.99. For More Info: You can see the promotion by visiting page 13 of the weekly US ad. Or you can see the page as an image here: http://akimages.shop...0_013_qz470.jpg Note: The promotion is calling the Dareth poly a "Ninjago Battle Pack." So, if you call the store ask about the "free Ninjago Battle Pack with $30 purchase." Most employees won't know what you mean if you ask for a "Dareth polybag." :)

Also, just to build off of what Venkefedo said: ... In a new video released yesterday, Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group explains the Inquisitor's non Sith status more: "He [the Inquisitor] is a Dark Side user but not all Dark Side users are Sith. In the same way, just because Ezra exhibits his Force abilities would you immediately brand him as a Jedi? [...] the Darksiders who are in charge of the galaxy, the Emperor and Vader, are spreading some of that power [knowledge] out, but they're not giving out the full abilities they have to this lower class of underling." Source (clip starts at 3:00, ends at 3:44): http://www.starwars....the-old-masters So Sith, like doctor, is an honorary title. A requirement is probably that it’s given by a Sith, like Venkefedo said. And like a doctorate, there are different ways you can get the title: * earned title = attain sort level of knowledge or undergo some trail (ex: Sith Master, like Palpatine) * honorary title= title given because of someone’s value, not necessarily because they have a level of knowledge or underwent some trial (ex: Sith Apprentice, like Darth Maul and Count Dooku)

Yes, the Inquisitor is definitely a Force user. In tons of pre-released clips and ads we saw him use a "Force push" to knock down Kanan. And as Daimar pointed out above, we see him doing even more Force stuff as the series goes on. What the Inquisitor is not is a "Sith." Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group: "So the Inquisitor is not a Sith. To be a Sith is more than just the look. He does tap into the Dark Side, [...] he doesn't get angry. His intensity is based on the purpose, the assignment." http://www.starwars....e-s-jedi-hunter

Wow, great job! The set looks so much better with the extra colors from your display. Even though the film uses blues and greens for the background, for the purposes of your photo shoot I like the colors you chose much more. They complement the set's spikes and tree foliage very well.

The Azure Angel looks really fun! I do like the build, but I personally would have tweaked the minifigure line up in both this set and the Hailfire Droid. I agree. Guess I'll have to keep using the Spooky Girl head from the CMF line for now. I just hope that they finally produce Ventress' lightsabers in metalic silver, like other modern lightsabers. So far that part has only been made in light bluish gray. Also, I would have liked to have seen some variation in Anakin, and had the battle damaged outfit he wore in the final battle with Asajj (and the gold hand, as Artizan pointed out). I guess it's nice to get that Anakin for those that couldn't pick up the Republic Gunship. And as others have pointed out, the minifigure assortment in the Hailfire Droid could have been better. If they didn't want to do a specific Jedi for whatever reason, they could have done an updated version of "Jedi Bob" from the old Republic Gunship set. That would have been funny!

This won't look right from every angle, but if you just want a blade in the hand area this is decent enough: * swap out Azog's hook for a hand * put this Prince of Persia piece over it (at least it's properly curved like Azog's) If possible, use a hand that's a similar color to the blade. Then they look more like a unified item rather than a hand holding an accessory.

Thank you, anakin066! It was great to see those two new sets (and other themes from 2015!!). Elsa's palace is a must-buy (great for Super Heroes, Chima, and so much more).

Wow, a Dareth polybag is an amazing surprise! Great job Lego/TRU!!! The trophy is the perfect accessory for Dareth, and the Nindroid is a great way to keep expanding the Overlord's forces. I'm really happy that they included the Nindroid hood as well. Overall, a perfect polybag in my book!

I think the designs of the Disney Princess sets, in terms of price and number of minidolls, can mirror the regular Friends line. Friends has some sets priced at $25 that include two minifigures, including one set that includes a male and female minidoll, the "Heartlake News Van." Maybe there's still hope for an Aladdin minidoll. I'm sure you're right, Dorayaki, and the only minidoll in "Auroa's Bedroom" will be Aurora. I just meant that if Lego was to put two minidolls in the set, the most likely choice for the second spot would be Philip, rather than the character I would like most, Maleficent. They could include another character that isn't a minidoll, like they did with Merida's bear brothers. But if they were doing a second full size minidoll, Philip is the only other character that fits the bedroom scene, and could be made at a low cost. Also, you're totally right that the best time to release a Maleficent minidoll would have been around the release of the film. Although, with "The Dark Knight Rises," Lego didn't release a set based on that film until about the time of the DVD release (DKR came out in July, DVD came out in December, set came out around December/January). Maleficient is the number one minidoll I'd like to see, and it would be amazing if she came in "Aurora's Bedroom," but I'm trying not to get too hopeful. It just doesn't seem likely. First, I'm not so sure that villain characters are even included under the Disney Princess license. So, if Lego wanted to make villains they might have to get an additional license (doubtfull). Second, none of the sets that include minidolls have ever come with a character that could really be described as a "villain" (unless the teacher in the school gives too much homework, and enjoys putting children in detention ).

I'm looking forward to all of those, especially Elsa's palace (perfect parts for Mr. Freeze MOCs). Ah, so close and yet so far from a Maleficent minidoll! If "Aurora's Bedroom" comes with any full-size minidolls, I guess Aurora and Prince Philip would be the most logical choices. Still, I would love to see a spinning wheel in the set. Auroa, Philip, and the spinning wheel would make for a complete scene: "The magic of the spinning wheel has sent Auroa into a deep sleep! Can Prince Philip break the curse with true love's kiss?"

Thanks for the exceptional review, WhiteFang! All of the minifigures are so charming! In the future, I hope we see the Hun cape in dark gray (for a DC Super Heroes Phantasm minifigure). I'm very happy to see the Battle Goddess, and that TLG is continuing to expand their range of Greek Mythology minifigures!

Wow, thanks so much for the great pictures, Carlos!!! I'm so glad to see that the Witchking in the set is better looking than the Witchking shown on the box two weeks ago. The one on the box had dark gray hands and boots. The light gray legs and white hands shown here work much better, the cape is amazing, I really like the pearl silver crown, and that face is great!

Exactly! Plus, if they're going to Sabine properly, they would probably want to make a new tool for her hair (not just for the shape, but also to more easily print the different colors of her hair). And: For just "Rebels," we got five new tools Summer 2014: Zeb's head, Kanan's hair, Chopper's body, Chopper's legs, and Ezra's helmet. For just "Rebels" in Jan 2015, we'll will probably have at least these three new tools: new Wookie head, Agent Kallus helmet, Imperial Inquisitor lightsaber. I'm sure Lego can and will do more than just those three new tools for Jan 2015. Also, remember what Hulk_Smash said about minifigures in the Tie Advanced: "The Tie Advanced didn't seem to have any one show, but there was probably one in the cockpit." That means he wasn't able to tell us every minifigure in every set. Sabine might still be in one of the Jan 2015 sets.

Thanks for the info and answering the questions, Hulk_Smash! A lot of those sound so fun! Hopefully Captain Tarpals is the other Gungan in the AAT, as others have said. If they could have put the 2014 Naboo Security Officer from the MTT into the set, it would have been perfect. To have two Naboo officers (one from MTT one from AAT) would have been great. Having just one doesn't really work.

Thanks Valezri! So it's this gray one? http://www.bricklink...3626bpb412&in=M Darn. Since the advent calendar comes with the new Luke head, I was hoping for the new Vader head. I guess this way they can keep the new head as a selling point for the new Star Destroyer. Actually, now that I think about it, the newest Vader head looks creepy (http://www.bricklink.com/ML/sw586.jpg?1), in a good way, but not friendly enough for a Holiday Advent Calendar. If a new print wasn't in the budget, then TLG probably did the right thing by using the old gray one.

75052: Mos Eisley Cantina 75053: The Ghost 75048: The Phantom I just rebuilt 2004's 4501: Mos Eisley Cantina, right before picking up the latest 2014 incarnation. Comparing the 2004 model to 2014's 75052: Mos Eisley Cantina, it's amazing how far Lego has come. Around that time, if I remember correctly, TLG was in danger of closing. I can't express how happy I am to see us in 2014/2015, with TLG in good standing financially, and more sets on the horizon!

Thanks for the hi-res link, Lego-Freak! I really like the set, I really want Smaug, but it's really expensive. I'll wait until a sale. I guess, as others have said, with some alternate heads and Fantasy castle dwarf helmets the minifigures in here are okay to use as a dwarf army. I think the dark silver arms would have to be swapped out for light silver to better match the Fantasy Castle helmets, but I really do hate popping arms off of minifigures. Do we know what the play feature is underneath the throne? If you look at this picture you can see a black knob sticking out behind the throne. https://www.flickr.c...in/photostream/ Also, I know it won't happen, but I would love Lego Shop at Home to offer a separate playmat to go along with this set. It could have lots of gold printed on it (like the floor in the box art). That would go a long way to improving the actual set for play and display. They've already made two(?) playmats for the Friends line, I believe.