Algernon

The new Ninjago sets look pretty nice - I like them better than the "snake people" subtheme. That said, I'm wondering how this will pair off with Legends of Chima. They seem to overlap in quite a few ways, at least in terms of aesthetics.

With all the other 2013 themes getting pictures now, I've got my fingers crossed for an announcement about Galaxy Squad... although I have a small suspicion that this will be a summer theme.

I think this has been pointed out before, but it really bears repeating: even if the prototype catalog that's been described showed the figs with ADU helmets, that does not preclude new molds for the space marines. LEGO uses placeholders all the time.

That's awesome. I love seeing IP2K get some love. I'd love to see some interior shots.

That's great and all, but not everybody cares about army building. I'd rather have a consistent color scheme and build up a fleet of military space vehicles.

I have nothing against the ADU helmets... I'm just tired of them! 3 themes is enough!

The lack of CMF armor is a real shame. What was the point of even making that mold? The multiple colors are also a bit of a surprise, I can't remember the last time LEGO did that. Brick-build insect ships make me think it's gonna be more "insect" and less "ship". I'm gonna have to temper my expectations a bit with this news... it's sound less like insectoids and more like NinjaGo in space.

Well, looks like I'll have to eat my own words. I'm actually much more intrigued by this theme after reading that. It could almost be interpreted as a subtle societal commentary... although that may be a stretch.

I think you're talking about the premise of various LEGO themes, which is obviously quite important, as it is almost always reflected in the design of the sets. What strikes me as somewhat superfluous are the more detailed storylines that LEGO seems to have grown fond of - as in your examples, Exo-Force and NinjaGo. What fun is there in re-creating things from somebody else's imagination? I have the same problem with licensed themes. BIONICLE I might call an exception, however, since for the most part the story was actually quite original and LEGO actually went to the trouble of establishing a universe. It did overstay it's welcome, in my opinion, but I can understand why one might be interested in the BIONICLE storyline. It's things like Exo-Force and Dino that I just don't get. Good robot VS bad robot. Humans have to capture dinosaurs because of... science. These themes seem to have intentionally kept things vague in order to allow for some imagination on the customer's side of things. I just don't feel that it's necessary to know the backstories of each individual minifigure. Of course, that's just my opinion, I'm not judging if there are people here who dig on LEGO storylines. I also might absently read the character biographies for the dino hunters, but it's not going to have a big impact on my opinion of the theme!

I'm agreeing with Oky here. LEGO storylines have never been anything to write home about and definitely seem to follow certain patterns. And does it really matter anyway? I'm not buying LEGO sets for expert penmanship.

I wouldn't worry. LEGO seems to use the CMF series as a testing grounds for new Minifig molds. Monster Fighters is a good example. I'd bet money that we'll see some variation of the Galaxy Patrol fig in use on the human side of things.

My projections based on this list: 70700: Alien vehicle at lowest price point, likely to include a Space Marine minifigure to do battle with. 70701: I'm guessing this one is a Marine stunt fighter, since the German name uses the word "jet". I'm guessing a $15-20 price point. Could be cool. 70702: Definitely an alien vehicle, and although it may be a stretch with so little information, I'm guessing it will be similar in spirit to this. Note the word "Moskito" in the German name. I'm expecting a $20-30 price point with a small, throwaway Marine vehicle and a large alien flier. 70703: This one is anyone's guess. Could be a ground or air vehicle. Let's just hope it's a Target exclusive and not TRU. 70704: I'm convinced this one is a Mech. The German name is "Robo Specialbuggy" which seems to imply a walker of sorts. Also, it's clearly a human vessel, since it vaporizes vermin. Space marine mechs? Heck yes! 70705: I'm equally convinced that this one is going to be the theme's large capital ship, intended to stand toe-to-toe with the Space capital ships of old. Obviously, I am PSYCHED to see this one! I'm expecting a $99.99 price point with a smallish throwaway Alien vehicle and a gigantic Marine "commando shuttle". This has a lot of potential to kick megablocks - I'm excited. I'm wondering what the color scheme will be. I hope the Marines are red like that Cuusoo project.

It also took me a minute to notice the size of this beast. Holy cow, incredible. Awesome to see more battlemech MOCs around here. I'd love to see more from you!

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how LEGO manages to pitch the Marines as the good guys. If this theme is indeed Marines VS Insectoids 2, how the bloody hell do the Marines get off killing aliens on their own turf. Mars Mission was a stretch, but I have no idea how this is gonna fly.

I think you're right, and let's all hope it's as good as the Galactic Enforcer!

So... Galaxy Squad is Insectoids? Or is it just Space Marines VS. Insectoids? That seems random. It's almost like a direct sequel to Alien Conquest, but set a couple hundred years in the future. As always, I'll withhold final judgement until I see pictures. But this is surprising news, and not necessarily the best I've heard all day.

And even the Chima pictures were massive flukes, since they came from an Ebay auction that ended in July. I highly doubt that we'll be seeing any pictures (prelim or otherwise) until much closer to Christmas. That said: I can't wait! A "Space Marine" theme has so much potential for greatness that I can only imagine the possibilities.

I would kill to see this built with actual bricks. Incredible job sir.

You people must have amazing eyesight or really clear monitors.

That's disappointing news for fans hoping for a grand return of classic Space-oriented sets, but it's still an intriguing idea and I'm curious to see how it's executed. I liked Agents OK, (I preferred Alpha Team) but I'm not usually the type to amass a huge amount of action-oriented sets. More "Spacey" themes like Mars Mission and Space Police III were more up my alley. A more sci-fi blockbuster approach could still be cool but my expectations are tempered by this news. Prepare for another 8-page debate as to whether this theme qualifies as "Space" or not.

Gets a pretty big "meh" in my book, but then I wasn't a huge fan of Ninjago either, so I guess these types of themes just aren't up my alley. I bet we'll be seeing a lot of them, too, given the success of Ninjago (strange that LEGO would replace it so soon, now that they've established the Ninjago universe so well). Of course, I'll re-evaluate my opinion when I see official pictures of the complete line, but for now this is gonna be off my radar. Also, that is one CRAZY Ebay fluke. Wow.

This is definitely exciting news. Lets hope that, if this proves true, it lives up to Space standards... they tend to be very high.

Fantastic review of this instant classic! It's got such charm, I don't know how I'll be able to resist nabbing this set. How have you gotten your hands on it already? Has it been released?

I'll have to agree with you there... the coffin far isn't all that exciting. However, I DO like the other promo! Looks like I'll be shelling out some pretty pennies in September.

What.