Lynx

Can anybody guess when the 2016 micro fighter set names may be revealed? I think a black X-Wing and Kylo's shuttle are solid bets, but I also think their early reveal could affect the sales of any 2015 containing the same hero/ villain.

Comparing the colour of the villain ship's posterior exhausts with those seen of the shuttle in the trailer (red vs yellow) may provide another hint that these are two different crafts altogether - and we may not need to worry about the perceived lack of wing functionality.

Thanks for your reply, Jim!

Thanks for the great review, Jim. I cannot make out the stickers of the dejarik board and hyperdrive units. Are these printed pieces? Overall, I just compared it to the older model (thanks to Jangbrick's review of 7965 - whom I also think as the best LEGO reviewer out there). Contrarily to my initial thoughts, the improvements are dramatic: + the ship's overall shape is flatter and thus more accurate + the exterior colour scheme makes it look more interesting and gives more character to this unique transporter ++ the mandibles are incredibly more detailed, and those new slopes leading to the main hull look so much better than in 7965 - not to mention the brick-build ports! +++ the dejarik board and lounge! Wow, so much better than the 1980s seats - in spite of my dislike of too many stickers ++ hyperdrive units - so much more texture and colour all around! = the main computer terminal. I actually really, really liked the 7965's, and although the stickered version might be more accurate (plus the seat is great!), the printed bricks provided more texture = the posterior - I'm really glad the designers stuck with the blue tube! + the beds/ resting area - cheese slopes improve the beds, and all the clutter gives this ship more character + the cockpit - still not ideal, but the backdrop certainly looks better than before to me + the sliding plate for the two figures at the turrets - the flat edge looks better, not yet sure about that red control stick - the escape pods - I liked the elevated outside better in 7965

The largest set has some nice interior improvements over its 2011 predecessor! I really like the brick-build seats, and the dual hyperdrive appears to have more texture (although it might just be a sticker). I'm curious to see whether the posterior was altered - I liked the 2011 design a lot. Still a certain day-one purchase for me, and I'm looking forward to attempt a slight mod by including the iconic archways. The lead villain craft is also growing on me. I think the visuals at its front can be drastically improved upon by simply swapping the flat, black, studded 8x1 brick with a smooth 8x1. The troop carrier's rear looks fantastic!

Looks great! Would like to add C3PO to my collection (Artoo feels so lonely without him). Highly doubt the polybag will make its way to Australia, unfortunately.

Martini26, a link to the back of all boxes has been shared just a few posts prior to yours.

I really wonder what you have seen, then.

Many thanks for sharing the pictures! My initial thoughts: X-Wing: really like the colour scheme but agree with anybody noticing the unfortunate wing design; already own a LEGO X-Wing; extremely unlikely purchase Rey's Speeder: loving it, certain purchase! Falcon: looks great, never had a MF, will purchase on Force Friday, looking forward to seeing the interior Snowspeeder: not at all what I expected, interesting look, great figures, possible purchase Kylo's shuttle: still not a fan of the unicoloured, stud-studded wings; Kylo's helmet is nice and if he has the mask printed on the head, I actually like his design, possible purchase after the movie FO transporter: the ship is actually pretty nice looking for a block-shaped landing craft and the figures are amazing, very likely purchase TIE: it may be blasphemy, but I never liked the TIE's design and consequently never had a LEGO version; the crew figures are the ugliest in this wave; highly unlikely purchase

Thank you, I do.

Thanks for your willingness to share your insider knowledge in advance! I'd be very interested in reading about your challenges and how much or little material you received from Disney to work with. We already speculated about the potential problem of having early concept arts, which were then changed at a later stage (e.g. based on blurry instruction booklet images , Kylo Ren's shuttle appears to differ from the movie trailer). I'd also love to read first-hand comments about the Falcon's design overhaul, challenge of the new X-Wing design, and if it's refreshing for the design team to design completely new ships. Thirdly, if you could give some insight into the minifigure selection process (whether related to Disney and movie spoilers or business considerations), I'm sure many would love to read it! Finally, assuming you're the designer of the UCS Slave I; that's a fantastic model!

Any of the biconical figures qualify for the worst, in my opinion. As for brick-build sets in the classical sense, I don't like the look of the new Flashspeeder.

Thanks very much for sharing, guys! Those trooper ALL look absolutely fantastic to me. Sleek and modern - yet still unmistakably reminiscent of the traditional look! Really looking forward to the first MOC armies of all three types with some New Order officers and Phasma in it. Really? That's very disappointing not to have the Falcon's First Mate in the cockpit.

Thank, GuyDudeMan27! I'll leave the decision with our mods, then. I'd certainly like the badge.

I cannot find my percentage. I followed the hint on page 1 to look up 'my profile' but can't find it there, either. I think I *might* qualify, but I'm not sure as I've been most active in the Historic Themes forum initially. Any help would be appreciated.

No reason to apologise! And I certainly didn't mean to offend you - sorry if you misread my comment as such! I'm really looking forward to seeing the interior. If I remember correctly, the new set contains 80 or so more pieces than the last version. I don't think there are that many more used in the exterior, so I'm really hoping for plenty of detail inside.

Yes, it has been mentioned a few times.

I don't really understand why the clear has been replaced with red. I suppose it adds contrast, but I might change it to clear for accuracy. Obviously, I don't know if the movie version has undergone more modifications warranting the colour change. I'm also completely going to Star Wars after the end of Lord of the Rings. I hope to sell my Hobbit sets (I was so disappointed by the last movie that it spoiled the entire trilogy for me) with the exception of Bag End. Hopefully, that will get me some coins to buy Episode VII sets!

Just noticed that the rear stabilisers on the Falcon look much better (imo) in the 2011 model, compared with the new one. I wonder why this was changed for the worse. Has anybody owning the 2011 Falcon an idea if there were any problems with those flat triangular pieces? On the other hand, the front 'mandibles' are dramatically improved by having those hollow round pieces and textured slopes. The other obvious difference is that the middle canon is one stud lower, which gives it a sleeker, more accurate look to the movie model, I think.

I think the bottom stud looks out of place. I'd have preferred to have a little hole* in the bottom sphere, which could then be connected to a single stud. *somebody may know the proper term for it --> opposite of a stud, pretty much The wings could look really weird when closed. You can see a groove at the bottom wing's back edge, in which the top wing will probably fit. In a closed position, we'll see the underside of the bottom wing and stud side of the top wing as one surface.

I'm slightly worried about the X-Wing's look in the resting position - won't the wings have the back half with studs up and the front with studs down? I hope that won't look ugly!

So it is the black X-Wing, as speculated! This makes my purchase far more likely. :) And the Falcon was my most anticipated set in a while, as I didn't buy the 2011 model (or any others). At first glance, it looks incredibly similar to its predecessor. I think there might be more dark grey pieces, which gives the ship a nicer texture, in my opinion. I'm slightly disappointed that the large gaps in the exterior haven't been improved on but hope that the ship's belly was modified to cover some of the uglier exposed pieces from 2011. The minifigs all look good - although nothing can be said about the pirates(?), yet. BB8 looks more 'stud-y' than I'd hoped for (almost like four spheres, instead of two), but I suppose that was expected if the bottom wasn't going to roll around uncontrollably. Can't wait to build my first LEGO Falcon on September 4!

Stunning! And I love the idea of putting such a display into a glassy table. It takes care of limited space and dust alike!

Thanks for sharing! I'm really looking forward to seeing people's MOCs once the battle packs are released! And I'm hoping for a custom cape for Cpt. Phasma - instead of a simple black one.

SPOILER WARNING Image of C-3PO from The Force Awakens movie