Algernon

That doesn't necesarily mean he's the included minifigure in the set. Someone could have just tossed him in there, especially since he's included with the Hive Crawler, which is displayed on the same table. But it would be pretty funny if he winds up piloting the biggest GS vehicle.

Aye. The aesthetics of that thing aren't appealing at all. Disappointing, because I was looking forward to this set.

I'm LOVING the look of those. Absolutely awesome. So much better up close! The summer wave is gonna be good.

The Hive Crawler must look better in person - from what I saw it looked like a missmash of green. I'm excited to see better pictures of these.

That is fantastic for your first build since the 70's. It reminds me of an A-wing fighter, with a touch of classic Space sprinkled on top. I'm especially loving how smooth and the contours of the ship are. Great job.

The pictures weren't terribly clear, so you're not missing much - the only thing they really confirm is that we're getting an abundance of ground vehicles. I think Galaxy Squad might actually have the most ground vehicles of any Space theme... but don't quote me on that. It's disappointing that we're not getting any huge starships (my one true love) but I'm personally looking forward to the day I get to splurge at the LEGO store and pick up the Galactic Titan and Hive Crawler and pit the two behemoths against each other.

Just a fantastic set. One of these days I'm going to go on a LEGO Batman splurge and pick this up as well as the Freeze set for the complete picture. Thanks for this review!

I kind of passed this set by when it was announced, but looking at it now, I just might have to snatch it up. Mr. Freeze is my favorite Bat-villian behind The Joker, and although the minifigure isn't perfect it's still probably the best one we're going to get. My favorite part, though, is the Arctic Batman, which reminds me of this extremely cool artwork from Arkham City: The boat itself is actually quite nice, as well! I only wish 2012's Batman sets had looked as good as this year's.

To be fair, I was confused on that point to.

Keep up the good work Sci!

Wow. I would almost feel guilty not getting into Chima, since LEGO seems to be trying so hard to get me to like it.

I bought the Eagle Jet and smaller Crow jet the other day, and built them recently. I love them! The Eagle jet especially is majestic and very fun to swoosh around. And the figs... amazing. I think I'm falling for this theme!

On SALE? Must be a fluke. I'll order mine momentarily. edit: Bug Oblitorator is also on sale for $71.99. wat

The coolest part of this theme is that there's really a lot you can do with it. The Alligators could get an alligator mech, the Eagles could get a floating sky fortress, .etc. A Raven helicopter could be awesome if it was designed right.

Was LEGO Castle ripping off Tolkien? These comparisons are inevitable but really baseless. The idea of anthropormorphic animals with futuristic technology is absolutely nothing new. The art director can huff all he wants, LEGO wasn't drawing very much from his work.

All I can say is I envy your disposable income.

Holy lord, LEGO is really going balls-out for this theme! I don't think I've ever seen so much media for a brand-new IP from them. I mean seriously! Three games, a TV show, books, card games, collectables, and even more than I've probably missed?? That's insane! The sets look interesting to me, but they're not groundbreaking. Just kind of neat. I bet the kids will eat this up, though. It's hard to argue with tribes of lion warriors driving tanks and ATVs against alligator warships. It's cool to me and I'm in my 20s. I think they're taking a gamble based heavily on the success of NinjaGo. For their sake, I hope it pays off - I'm thrilled to see LEGO realizing the profitability of original IPs. I'm so beyond sick of licensed themes that I can't even summon the energy to complain about them. Chima might be a bit weird, but it's still a fresh idea. I REALLY hope to see those Gorilla tanks in set form. Those look ridiculously cool.

I love this idea, but it might be a little too controversial for LEGO. I hope I'm wrong!

I hope we get some new aliens in Wave 2. That along will be enough for me to collect them all.

A third wave is, unfortunately, unlikely, but never say never. As always, it will depend largely on how this theme sells.

You seem to have gotten a better look at it than I have!

Space Police 3 had the opposite problem. Virtually no ground vehicles to speak of. I don't mind, actually - helps to differentiate the themes.

70704 Vermin Vaporizer 506 pieces $59.99 USD 3 minifigures Ages 8-14 Next in my series of Galaxy Squad reviews is the 70704 Vermin Vaporizer, one of the most anticipated Space sets in some time. When it was first revealed, it drew many comparisons to the 6989 Mega Core Magnetizer. It remains to be seen if 70704 will live up to that classic, but the stage is set for LEGO Space's next knockout set - could this be the ticket? As I stated in my review of the 70703 Star Slicer, I am far from a professional photographer, so I don't have a dedicated LEGO documentary suite sitting beside my bed. I try to do the best with the technology I have, however. Who needs a tripod when you have a cell phone camera and bedspread? Only the best for you, my dear. * Edit: I noticed that the image hosting website I used appears to have lowered the quality of the photos somewhat. Sorry about that. With that out of the way, I present to you the Vermin Vaporizer! We'll begin, as always, with the minifigures. The Vermin Vaporizer comes with three minifigs: a squad hero, an android, and an alien. Firstly, we have the Squaddie. I know he has an official name, but since I'm a little too lazy to find out what it is, for now he'll be Joe. Our friend Joe sports some very nice printing. As of Winter 2013, he's the only green squad figure. I'm particularly fond of the respirator covering his mouth. A nice touch that appears to be consistent throughout the theme. Back printing as well! You can also see that he has a double-sided head. Personally, I hate double-sided heads. However, it works alright here since his head is fully covered by his helmet. Next up we have my favorite Galaxy Squad minifigure so far, the green android. This guy looks like he's curb stomped a few grubs in his day. I love the energy shield and trans-light blue weapon assortment. On the back, you can see his armor sports some connector points that go unused for now. I'm sure you wonderful little MOCers can find some ingenious purpose for them. Here he is without his armor. The torso printing is unique, even though you're not likely to see it. Wonderful attention to detail! He even has back printing. Absolutely phenomenal figure. Finally, we have the alien. This is probably the least exciting figure, as he appears in several other sets. Nonetheless, he's still a great little alien. You really need a side view to do this figure justice. Dude could be trying a little harder to improve his posture. Just for giggles, here's a side-by-side with the red alien that comes with the 70703 Star Slicer. I'm not sure which color scheme I prefer. They both look great. And now, on to the alien "scorpion". I'm not really that impressed by this model. It's wonky, poorly proportioned, and annoying to play with. The best thing about it is the Technic leg pieces it includes, which I haven't seen before. Next, we have this little buggy here. Nothing too exciting. Just your average day, cruising for b*tches in yo pimpin space kart. BUT WAIT! OUR HERO IS BEING DEVOURED ALIVE BY A ROGUE MOON BUGGY! As you can see, the scouting kart actually functions as a cockpit of sorts, and parks neatly into the canopy of the Vermin Vaporizer. The Vaporizer itself is a beastly vehicle, showcasing some very sturdy construction. Some splattered bugs on the windshield. Apparently, windshield wipers are too advanced for futuristic war machines. The Vaporizer has a nice look to it. However, I must confess that it seems a bit small to me. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but for $59.99, I was expecting more wow-factor. One cool feature is the laboratory imbedded in the rear of the Vaporizer. It seems intended to analyze those alien pod thingamaggigers (scientific term). As far as laboratories go, this one leaves a bit to be desired, but the fact that it's even there is a nice enough surprise. It's a cool touch. Here, you can see that the Vaporizer is easily defeated by flipping it over onto its back. Curse you, Insectoids! Now on to my favorite part: the mech! It's small, but it's attractive. LEGO's come a long way since Exo-Force. Though it appears to be topheavy, the mech stands up pretty easily. My only complaint is the lack of knees. I can understand the oversight for a model this size, but still. I would prefer that it didn't appear to be constipated as it walks. Unfortunately, the cockpit is pretty bare-bones. Nothing but a stickered cheese slope. And finally, the full monty! I have to admit that the set looks quite nice when it's put together like so. It seems much less front-heavy with the mech docked into the back. One possible low point is that the set gets much of its look from the stickered slopes along the side. If you don't apply stickers, your Vaporizer is going to look rather bland. In order to dock, the mech has to twist around 180 degrees. He probably does yoga. And finally, the whole shabang: MAN THE BUG SPRAY! I REPEAT! So, how does this set fair against all of the mounting expectations? I'm gonna have to be frank - I'm a tiny bit disappointed in 70704. It's kind of hard to put my finger on why. It could have something to do with the unexpectedly small size of the set - it's rather tiny for $59.99, even when compared to the Star Slicer. However, the Vaporizer is competently designed, and I can't really identify any outstanding issues. I'm just not floored by it. I was expecting brilliance, something to stand toe-to-toe with 7066, and the Vaporizer falls a tiny bit short of that revered status. I don't want to sound too negative, however. The set is still quite good. It's got a beefy, off-roader kind of look to it. The included mech could easily be it's own set. The minifigures are fantastic, including two highly detailed exclusives. The alien scorpion isn't the greatest throwaway vehicle we've had, but it's far from the worst. All in all, it's a good model, and I'd recommend it. I just don't think it's quite earned the status of modern classic. Minifigs: 9/10 Parts: 6/10 Price: 6/10 Design: 8/10 Conclusion: 8/10 Thanks for reading, folks!

Yes sir, it is indeed a sticker. Not many printed parts to be had here, unfortunately.

I think the Galactic Titan looks like a Solar Snooper on steroids: Which is probably why I like it so much. I'm still kind of feeling the lack of a big starship, but I like this. It's unique.