Algernon

I wish Exo-Force was like this set. I really like the aesthetics. Unfortunately, I doubt it'll be under $50. :/

I dunno exactly, I just know that's where the must-debated Exclusives will be revealed. Technically, the MST is an exclusive, so perhaps we'll be lucky! This is just around the time when we start seeing those sets.

I wonder if we'll finally get a look at that Max Security Transport at that event this Saturday.

And I did explicitly state that these pics aren't going to have an adverse effect on the company, but my point was that money will always affect what a company will or won't do, which affects the customer. You said that LEGO's financial health is of no concern to you. That may be true, but it would be incorrect to say that LEGO's financial health won't affect what you can buy from them, so you might not want to toss away their finances as completely irrelevant to your interests. As a company perhaps not, but the set designers are certainly more eager to design something aesthetically pleasing than marketable. But they have to add "action features", which can severely damage the aesthetics. In my opinion the inclusion of FFs and action features have completely ruined sets. Because they fall out a lot, don't go very far, and often severely detract from the aesthetics. I hate them with a passion.

I'd check that statement. The financial position of the company greatly affects what it decides to come up with. Lately, TLC has seen a huge focus shift to marketability; flick fire missiles (or some kind of shooting function) are literally on EVERY new action set, and even the City stuff seems to require some kind of function. We're seeing a more cartoony, kid-themed approach; Clone Wars, Power Miners, and Space Police are all very kid-oriented themes, although IMO Space Police has plenty thrown in for AFOLs. If LEGO had the money to sell what it likes and not what the kids do, there would be more focus on aesthetics, which is what AFOLs like us appreciate most. I don't think anybody here likes the flick-fire missiles, but the fact that LEGO's industry is becoming increasingly crowded means that they're here to stay. ...that's not to say that seeing some prelim pics a few days before official release is going to severely retard TLC's aesthetic principles, but my point is that as a customer of TLC you ARE affected by what kind of financial position they're in. Especially since you're a long-term fan.

Is our impulse control really so weak that we need somebody to completely cleanse the forums of spoiler pics in order to be surprised when they're officially released?

Eh, classic or not, I found those bricks more annoying than anything else. They look so out of place on pretty much every set they're put on. I've never found a use for them, either.

I missed them! Hell and damnation! When is the official release anyway? I'm quite curious about these. There yet remain some Space Police and Power Miners exclusives that we have not seen, as well; are they included?

I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure Squidman never said "exqueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze me".

Personally I like the cartoony baddies. It's nice to see that LEGO doesn't always take itself seriously. They are, after all, two-inch-high plastic people. It's hard to feel intimidated. The cartoony works for LEGO Space, too, since it's a retro sci-fi theme. I think it fits, although in this case there's a bit of a clash between the Space Police and the baddies. The Space Police are obviously supposed to be taken seriously.

Take that vile slander elsewhere you infidel! Oh, and that website is awesome. I'm so pumped for this line.

I have a hunch they'll be showing up soon.

Same here. I think it'll be soon. They were heavily advertising the summer sets in that mag.

Well, I have nothing against a Greek fantasy line. I think it could be very interesting and I've always been more of a fantasy person than a historically accurate person (in my opinion, a lot of the things we regard as "historically accurate" are incredibly difficult to prove so). I liked Vikings, mostly because it was so original and I think vikings in general are interesting. However I thought the beasts were a little lackluster. I hope that a Greek mythology theme has better looking "myth" models. Also, Greeks and Romans are rather similar in terms of culture, it's probably going to be one or the other. Not too hot on redesigns myself... but then I'm not really a city fan.

I agree. Mythology is a great theme for LEGO. Egyptian would be cool, but Johnny Thunder kind of covered that, and I think a Greek or Roman theme would be fresher. I wouldn't mind a full-fledged Egyptian theme, though, since Egyptian mythology can be very cool. I'd probably buy a LEGO pyramid.

Aww, lame. I was starting to enjoy the new 09 comics. Possibly the first time I've wanted to read those things since 2001.

I think a Greek fantasy theme would be AWESOME if done correctly. Or possibly Roman. But yes, there's still space for something new. Space Police will be our original sci-fi theme for 2010, so I doubt that we'll get ANOTHER new one. More likely it will be something modern, a la Agents. (but not Agents, obviously)

At least we get a new wave. One of my favorite themes, Rock Raiders, wasn't even so lucky. But I think Legomilk is probably right. At least one more wave of SP3, new themes are always a given, Disney is confirmed, and I think Power Miners and Agents will likely bite the dust. I wasn't terribly fond of either so I'm not too distraught.

Why isn't there a new Bionicle comic? I got my magazine but it was devoid of new Bionicle action.

I wish I had nabbed the Dino Attack T-I Typhoon helicopter when they were all on sale. Now they're going for over $100 used.

True, but two waves is two waves. I could be wrong of course. I have no idea how well PM is selling.

It's not so much the technic that bothers me, it's more the laziness in design. The technic rod that sticks out unnecessarily in the back, the crystal mounted on the side for some weird reason, the shameful excuse for an engine, etc.

This set is kind of weak in my opinion. The Granite Grinder is much better and it's only a few bucks more. Good review!

I don't see how it could be a homage. It's a Space theme and nothing about it has anything to do with Throwbots. I'm dying for a little news. I'd like good pictures of those two exclusives, I wish somebody would stumble across them soon. Maybe I should go do a little digging. On the plus side, the sets themselves will be out soon! I warrant they'll be appearing in a few lucky places mid-May and then will show up in full force mid June. Can't wait! I'll pick me up a Gold Heist.