Algernon

I agree. LEGO seems to favor small groups of specific named characters lately. It works for things like NinjaGo or Power Miners, but for an epic intergalactic struggle, I much prefer faceless heroes and villians. Feels much grander (which is what Space has been missing in recent years).

It really has. Life on Mars, Mars Mission, Space Police 3, and Alien Conquest all lacked the classic sci-fi qualities that the 90's Space sets had. None of them actually took place in the final frontier; rather, futuristic versions of real-life locations. It just didn't feel very epic. With Galaxy Squad, there's a whole wealth of imaginative possibilities. It's much more exciting! The wait for hi-res pictures is getting unbearable!

Think about NinjaGo... most elaborate original IP LEGO's done in years. It was hardly "serious". I don't care much about the story, personally, but I've got no objection to a more fleshed-out universe. I'm just glad to get a true Space theme again!

He mentioned that he has not heard of any plans to continue Galaxy Squad beyond the initial release. It's probably better to keep our expectations low; "one-and-done" themes appear to go over well with LEGO's marketing team.

That's not necessarily true. LEGO might have been trying to turn Atlantis into an "evergreen" theme and build some demand for it, which was ultimately unsuccessful. Bionicle was loosing steam for years before they nixed it. Even Galidor had a second wave. I'm not too surprised to hear that World Racers and Atlantis did poorly, since there's not really a whole lot to make them stand out. Toy Story does surprise me though.

Holy smokes! It might not be a very clear picture, but that looks extremely promising! I'm not crazy about the color scheme, but the design itself looks VERY nice. This just shot up my expectations 100-fold. What feature is implied with the arrows, though? Transformation? Or is it just the different sets? Also, it appears that the purple container will indeed be on multiple bug ships. That pretty much confirms that it will be a play feature of some sort. EDIT: Check out that logo. Looks awesome. I don't think I've been this optimistic about a LEGO theme since Space Police. Algernon is pleased. EDIT 2: I think I can see what the arrows are trying to show. The smaller ship on the top can dock with the ship on the bottom, which can dock with the land rover. Interesting... a little odd, but I guess LEGO is pretty fond of modularity with the big capital ships. Looks awesome. I'm guessing this is the Bug Obliterator.

... obviously ...

Well, the insectoids themselves have zero propulsion save for wings, so I'm guessing LEGO is asking for suspension of disbelief on that front. Seeing as wings would be absolutely useless in a vacuum. I'm guessing a container for captured marines, but time will tell.

I would not be at all surprised if LEGO has taken some inspiration from the Cuusoo project, since there are noted similarities and LEGO has expressed it's enthusiasm for the idea. This bodes ill for the project, since there would be an issue with overlap if it is approved, but at the very least we're getting some kind of Space Marine theme. A couple of observations: - Purple pod on the back of the large Insectoid ship. What's the function? There's definitely some kind of play feature involved here. - Alien figs remind me strongly of Twitch. - If you look closely at the last panel, you can see the smallish outline of another vehicle type. More ship-like this time, presumably insectoid. Looks like we'll be getting some nice variety then. I appreciate the return of a sinister, potent alien threat (AC was a little tongue-in-cheek). And I absolutely love the Galaga vibe, as I said before. Definitely looking good so far.

Absolutely loving the Galaga feel to this. I hope we get treated to some real pictures soon.

If you think this is a legitimate concern then you don't have a very good understanding of business and licensing. LEGO owns a license to Star Wars, and we have no idea how much power Disney will have over that license. LucasFilm as an entity still exists, and I imagine that many of the same people still run it. There's also the question of why Disney would ever do that. LEGO Star Wars makes lots of money, it's been a boon to LEGO for years. If Disney is interested in anything, it's merchandising.

This reminds me of an enemy that I'd see in a Mega Man game, so I love it! Personally, though, I'd ditch the minifig head. I like it better as an automated camo bot.

This is just going to have to be a MASSIVE question mark for now. On one hand, Lucas leaving the series can only be a good thing at this point. His influence has driven this franchise into the ground. On the other hand, I'm not sure that I have much more faith in Disney. The Marvel thing turned out okay, but that could easily just be a fluke. Their animated movies have been pretty lackluster. Of course, there's also the question of whether or not we even need any more Star Wars. Very unexpected news. I'm interested to see how this turns out.

Not strictly true. Last year LEGO was very good at avoiding leaks, and we didn't get any pictures until a month before the sets arrived.

Thus far, every vehicle seems to be based around some kind of animal. I think a Raven helicopter would be pretty cool and consistent with the overall theme. And I agree, the Ravens are great. I hope for more than just these small vehicles for them.

To me, the Lion Quad is the lamest set in the line, but to each his own! For the Croc thing, I'm hoping for $14.99, although you may be right since it does include two minifugres. Time will tell.

This sounds like speculation to me. A lot of that doesn't add up. First of all, LEGO has never priced anything at $33 in it's history. It'll either be $29.99 or $34.99. Second of all, the Croc "buggy" looks quite a bit below the $19.99 price range to me.

I think a dragon faction would feel a little out of place, since the other factions are all based on real animal species. A bat faction would be cool. Or an insect faction, but that might overlap with the upcoming Space theme (according to rumor).

Agreed - I get what they're going for, but I'm kind of on the fence. The probable high price point doesn't help much, either. Once we get some hi-res photos I'll make up my mind. My little brother really likes it.

I am not surprised that this theme is a "one-and-done", but look on the brightside: we should be seeing some great sales after Halloween!

I guess I'm not a very good LEGO Star Wars fan. This wave has interested me more than any previous waves in recent memory.

As always, it's not my desire to purchase these sets that will ultimately determine how many of them I pick up. Money is gonna be a big factor, and there are some other themes I'm interested in as well. But of what we've seen, I'm definitely partial to the Wolf Tracker, Raven Glider and Falcon Airplane (no idea if these are the real names). I like the smaller Croc set, too. I still don't really "get" the Croc boat. It's kind of cool, but it seems a little all over the place to me. The only thing that I like about it is how it reminds me of K. Rool's helicopter from Donkey Kong (which was mentioned earlier in the thread). Definitely don't get the appeal of the "Speedorz". Besides the minifigs, anyway.

It's not even similar to Megabloks compared to past LEGO themes. The fact that the lion head is brick-built should make the difference pretty clear.

Here's what Megabloks have been up to lately, just to lay these comparisons at rest: Megabloks is barely even a construction toy anymore. Legends of Chima uses a ton of classic LEGO parts in new colors and a small handful of new molds. They aren't even in the same ballpark and I think everybody knows that. Seriously, every time a new theme comes out, people start clamoring about Megabloks comparisons, but I have yet to see LEGO come up with something that's even close. Besides perhaps Galidor.

I legitimately like these sets a little more every time I look at them. They're brilliant! That minifigure looks great, too. It's good to know that we're going to get normal minfiig heads underneath the headpiece. LEGO's really pulling out all the stops for this theme.