Tyrant

I'm sure some of this has already been said but I will voice my support if nothing else. If the current line were to continue, I would like to see the following: -A large fortress for the Dragon faction -Some type of civilian set that isn’t just a rehash of something we have had in the last few years -A jousting set -A ship and port set -A smaller ship for whichever faction doesn’t get the larger ship in the above set In general I would like to see the following sets and design ideas: -Stop having the evil faction ruled by wizards. Give them a King and Queen. They can keep the Wizard, just give us real rulers. Likewise, the good faction can have a wizard too. I would be okay with both factions getting Jesters too for that matter. -Stop making one faction blatantly evil. -If we are just going to repeat factions, start repeating the others like Black Falcon and Forestmen. -We need more ships -Both sides need actual castles -There need to be civilian sets. They can either be neutral and then added to either side or they can make different ones for each side -There should be more than 2 factions -A large, highly detailed castle (similar the SW UCS sets), but with figures, would be nice. Given that it would be on the expensive end, I don’t believe it needs to belong to the current “good guys” -We need some way for older factions to get barding, oval shields, and more detailed figures -More individuals beyond the royalty would be nice. Nobles or knight captains for instance -In the vein of the above, smaller keeps/forts for the nobles or knight captains -A neutral town assembled building by building like the winter sets

I have 11-12 Uruk Hai Army sets. Looking over my lists it looks like I only paid retail for 2 of them and that was part of an order to get a promo figure from TLG. I sold the extra Eomer figures to make up some of the money. As for the Mirkwod set, it will ultimately depend on how easily I can get rid of the extra Thranduil figures and if I can get them on any kind of sale. I plan to get 3-4 right now, and more if the situation is right. I like the elves and the orcs (though I do agree that they should have hair and that armored elves would be nice at some point) and I can use most of the parts. Likewise with the Dol Guldur Ambush if I can find them cheap or find a way to offload the extra Beorns then I will geta number of them as well. I like that this wave will give us yet more variety for the orcs and elves. I just wish there was a cheap set with Moria Orcs.

At TRU using their Buy 1 Get 1 Half Off sale (plus getting 2 $10 gift cards by splitting it up into two purchases) I got 4 Forest Ambush sets and 2 Gatehouse Raids. Then at KMart's additional 50% off clearance sale I bought 2 Uruk Hai Army sets for $14 each (and sold the Eomer figures for $3.25 each further reducing what I had in them) and 1 copy of Attack of the Wargs for $23.50 (I also sold the Dwarves and White Warg to split that cost in half again). I am hoping to get the Tower of Orthanc this month during double points.

I voted for Generic, but I agree with SerenityInFire that a mix of the two might be possible. Named Kings, Queens, Wizards, etc. are all something we have had in the past so we know they work. If we had more sets (like we could possibly have if the line had a cartoon or something to help push it) then we could add a few named knights, lords/nobles, merchants, etc for each side while still having the nameless legions. I could see an approach more in line with LotR or Star Wars where you have named characters and the massive armies and not just a few named characters from both sides fighting it out.

I agree with a lot that has been said here. I think the internet has helped kick start this increase in creativity (from TLG and from AFOLS). Now everyone can compare notes and come up with new ideas to show off. Together with TLG taking an interest in the fan communities I think the improvement of sets was bound to happen. I know that I had no tremendous interest in the Lone Ranger sets before I saw them, but now that I have the Mine looks great and the Train might be a purchase for me too.

I mean the average set sales of one line vs the average set sales of a different line when I say set by set. Probably not the best wording, but what I mean is that they look at SW and see that SW sets sell x number of units on average and likewise whatever-other-theme-you-want sells y number of sets on average. My point being that there is a measurement that I consider it fairly likely to be the one used when comparing lines where the number of sets available becomes less of a factor. Otherwise, sure, the larger series should have higher sales. I take it either you haven't seen the Ninjago Will Return poster or that has been found to be a fake and I am as of yet unaware of said find.

I've noticed a couple of mentions of Ninjago being retired. I was pretty sure it will have sets in 2014, and it has 2013 sets, so what retirement?

I believe Troop Builder sets akin to SW would sell for LotR. At the end of the day, the battle in LotR are on a greater scale (in terms of the number of soldiers) than the ones in SW. The Battle of Hoth is (I believe) the largest ground battle in the OT and it doesn't involve that many soldiers. The Battle of Geonosis is (again, I believe) the largest ground battle in the PT and we can't even see large chunks of it (due to dust) but we can see that it is "big". For Hoth I got the impression that we are looking at hundreds or very low thousands (assuming we somehow can't see 99% of the battle). The Battle of Helm's Deep, on the other hand, has an army in the tens of thousands on one side. The battle of Pelennor Fields has hundreds of thousands assaulting the city. The scale isn't even close. So, if battle packs can sell for the series that really doesn't have that huge of battles then I think it's a no brainer for the one that is known for, among other things, the large scale battles. As for kids, as a kid my Cobra figures outnumbered my G.I.Joe figures by a pretty sizeable margin and I had multiples of the Cobra generics I liked, just like the show. With LEGO, it was Pirates where I built up a sizeable number of one type of figure (Blue Coats, then Red Coats) as a kid by purchasing the smallish sets over and over. If TLG thinks only AFOLs will buy them, make them in such a way that they are attractive to AFOLs and then make them Exclusives (and presumably a more limited run).

True, but do we know if they mean Star Wars and City sets outsold the other themes on a set by set basis, or the total lines? If it's set by set, total numbers of sets in the series matters less.

I think the sets look okay. The Kingdoms sets were better, but these aren't terrible IMO. I like the look of the figures. The dragon emblem is different, but I like the look of the Dragon soldiers and I always welcome more printed euro armor. I also like the Lion/Crown figures. There seems to be a nice mix of figures for that side and I like the color scheme. Honestly, for me the only major disappointment is that the bad guys are lead by a wizard again. I guess an actual King or Queen is too much to ask for the "bad guys". I also really like that keyhole piece. The sets themselves are okay with me. I like the sturdy looking gatehouse on the castle and the overall design looks decent. Not great, but decent. I buy most of the castle sets for parts these days anyway, but I do build them once to see them and then I consider keeping them as is, modifying them, or dismantling them. Would I have vastly preferred new Black Falcons, Forestmen, Wolfpack, or new old style-esque Crusaders? Absolutely. I just don't think I had any real reason to believe that was going to happen. I am surprised they keep using Dragons and Lions/Crowns. Since they are reusing them this much though, I would find it curious if we don't see remakes of the other factions down the road.

As much as I want the Black Falcons back, I agree that they (and any other faction) would need to be revamped and not just the same old figures/shields. I would prefer they keep the core emblem of the black/white falcon but add detail like the new figures/shields. The one we got in the Joust set is improvement enough for me if they nake more of them (not that I would turn down further improvement).

I do hope that this rumor pans out. It's not out of a lack of interest in LotR. I have all of the LotR sets with some in multiples. However I do think the two can exist side by side because they really aren't that similar in several ways that matter. The number of actual castles and castle like structures that LotR could spawn is quite small, and I believe that number is made smaller by scale issues (Barad Dur is depicted as taller than any real world building, for instance). Helm's Deep is one of the few that vaguely looks right at minifig scale. Orthanc isn't a problem because it's essentially just a big, black tower. Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul are whole cities though. Barad Dur is gigantic. That doesn't leave a whole lot. I think the potential issue with Kingdoms was the increased focus on civilian sets. That is an area where the two could conflict because the potential Rohan civilian sets wouldn't be all that different. So, I would think a returned Castle would either continue Kingdoms (potentially without the civilian component), be a reimagining of the 80s Castle series (likely minus Forestmen), or be remade with the focus on actual characters akin to Ninjago.

I'm wondering if we might see it go on sale on Black Friday. That's what I am hoping for anyway. I've got a couple of them already but if it goes on sale I will get a couple more to combine into larger buildings.

I honestly don't think it was a mistake, but that's just my opinion. If the sets stated to be on sale will be on sale, I am probably going to get SW sets anyway. I have $100 in credit and with 20% off and free shipping the Super Star Destroyer isn't looking too bad.

I think everyone should just wait and see what happens. As I said several pages ago, I made 3 orders last year and got 3 Shadow Troopers but only 1 of those orders had any SW sets. My most recent order got me another one and it was not entirely SW sets (maybe not any, I have to look it up) and that was only a month or two ago. So, I would imagine their computer system won't differentiate between SW and non SW based on the past. Time will tell though.

To clarify, as far as I am concerned anyone who likes SW LEGO is a fan and degrees of fandom are pointless. I only brought it up and used that language because someone referred to some fans as "so called fans" which I find to be a highly insulting and pointless distinction. Just to clarify, I am not asking them to make it fair. I believe that is a fool's errand. Life is not fair. I am saying that calls for fairness are out of place because the proposed solution is (in my view) even less fair in an already unfair situation. For me, fairness doesn't matter.* I was picking apart the fairness argument, not saying I wanted some other system. I believe, for a promo, their system is one of the better ones I have seen. It's not like we have to try to get to Toy Fair to get this one... *I know that sounds cold but there is no truly fair way to do it so trying to make something that by it's nature is unfair into something fair is a waste of time and effort in my opinion. I'll try this again. If someone has bought everything they intend to buy that is presently available (or that will be available on the date of the sale), why are you okay with them being excluded when they are SW fans, the people you are championing? Note, buying everything they intend on buying is not the same as buying everything that has been put out and as hard as it is to believe, some SW fans have no use for UCS R2D2. I'm dying to know how you got that out of anything I wrote since I have not said that or implied it. The only thing that stands a chance of keeping me from getting one or more of these figures is if they sell out while I am in a midnight show of The Avengers (talk about poor timing). I have planned for the potential of what this sale could include for months. If I have any sour grapes it is the constant negativity brought on by me trying to help people and answer a question that was asked and still up for debate when I answered. Has anyone in this discussion said that they aren't LEGO SW fans?

I get it, I just think it's a poor argument. Absolutely nothing TLG does, short of going door to door handing them out to everyone who passes some kind of "SW LEGO Fan" test, will keep non SW LEGO fans from getting these from TLG. Limiting it to SW sets only accomplishes 2 things. 1) It channels all of the sales into SW LEGO instead of having be primarily SW with a scattering of other themes. 2) It ensures that people who have already bought their fill of the SW sets available for sale right now won't get one without buying more of what they already own or sets they don't want. 2a) In fairness, if someone is in this position and they don't want $75 of other LEGO sets then they are still effectively cut off. Limiting it to SW sets does not mean every fan who buys the sets via TLG will get the figure. In my opinion, it doesn't even increase their odds in any meaningful way. Either TLG made enough or they didn't. Either people will spend $75 just to get this figure (possibly several times over to sell them later) thus depriving some hypothetical future customer who comes along later before the promo ends of their chance or they won't. If people want it, be ready as soon as the sale goes live and jump on it. Problem solved. Bolded for emphasis. I spent $150 on SW LEGO this week alone and quite a bit more so far this year. Does that make me a "so called fan" just because I didn't wait until May? What exactly is a "so called fan"? That doesn't do anyone who bought sets before April any good now does it? Or anyone buying them right now who don't follow these types of things online? If they don't want the potential hassle then they should do it right or don't do it at all. I work in a job where I heavily interact with customers. What I want doesn't matter, if there's a problem they are going to tell me and I am going to attempt to fix it. TLG is a great company, but that doesn't stop me from calling them when there is a problem. That doesn't stop most companies and I believe there are also examples of TLG changing things once a problem has been identified. I also don't believe supply ever ran out as they were still giving them away a week ago. That's what I am getting at when I say anyone who didn't get one should contact TLG because they obviously still have them. It's obvious my argument is either being poorly communicated by myself or not being understood. I will try to lay it out. It is a promo. Since it is only available via a very narrow channel under certain circumstances for a limited time, it is by it's very nature not fair as the number of people who know about it and can take advantage of it are very likely a very slim percentage of the overall SW LEGO fanbase. I personally have zero problem with this. Some people think TLG should adhere to what their ad says and give it only to those who buy SW sets. Fair enough, though I disagree. I pointed out that in the past the bit about it needing to be SW sets was fluff and meaningless. This is a fact. An argument in favor of making it only SW purchases that centers around "fairness" is a bunk argument. It is already unfair. What is being sought is favoritism or even greater exclusivity, not fairness. I have no problem with that either, but call it what it is. True fairness would see this open for purchase by anyone and that is not what is being called for. Arguing that "true" SW fans would wait and spend the $75 in May is insulting. Limiting it to SW purchases will not limit it to SW fans. It will exclude fans that already bought all the SW sets they plan to buy before the next wave though. Tough luck for them I guess. They should've been more hardcore fans and waited. If anyone wants this they can be a super fan and make sure they place their order 1 minute after the sale goes live. If the argument that "anyone should've known that" is really going to be valid, then I say anyone should know that they need to jump on any online sale the moment it goes live. I'm seeing a lot of sour grapes and complaining here. I am trying to help and that somehow makes me the target for whatever this is supposed to be. I've got even more advice for anyone who really wants to be sure they get the figure but my last attempt at help met this negativity, so I guess I will keep it to myself because I don't appreciate trying to be helpful and becoming a target for people with an axe to grind.

I agree that it is great, but that doesn't change the fact that it is unfair. I can't walk into a Wal Mart and simply buy one. I can't get one for spending $75 on SW LEGO outside of their stores. It is unfair by any definition of the word fair, so throwing around the fairness argument makes little sense, which is my point. It is by it's very nature already unfair so it being a little less fair (though I don't see how) by being open to anyone who buys $75 worth of stuff from them on May 4th is a non argument. If anything it's even more fair by being open to a wider range of customers. I got your point. I'm saying they don't care or they would've done it right in the first place (or corrected it once they saw the problem). They want revenue. I imagine it doesn't matter a whole lot to them which sets you buy, so long as you are buying. Given the overall lack of sale pricing on SW across the board, I believe it doesn't need much (if any) help to sell. TLG is just doing the opposite of TRU. TRU says "All LEGO on sale" when they really mean "All older and less popular LEGO on sale unless we messed up and left something in the system or it just came out and we haven't caught it yet, and absolutely no SW". TLG is doing the opposite. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone is complaining about that.

You missed my point. Of course it is entirely unfair. It is a promo. That is the nature of a promo. Is the kid who buys an expensive SW set in Wal Mart (or Target, TRU, wherever) on May 4th with his saved allowance, birthday money, etc any less a fan? Is he somehow less deserving of a promo because he doesn't know about it or is unable to take advantage because he doesn't live near a LEGO store or can't order because all he has is cash? That's my point. A promo is about the right place at the right time and is exclusionary at it's very core. They don't care that it doesn't reach just SW fans. If they did, they would enforce their own rules. Hearing that some SW fans didn't get the promos last year isn't a moving argument because any of them that didn't shop directly with TLG didn't get one. Were I one of the people who placed an order but didn't get one I would be asking TLG "why not?" since they obviously have found more since then instead of jumping someone who is trying to be helpful (to Star Wars fans I might add). I posted to answer a question. If you have a problem with the way TLG conducts themselves, take it up with them. I have no problem with it and I imagine anyone else who already owns all of the sets they have for sale that they want to own feels the same way. They are still going to get my money on May 4th and they already got my money for SW sets, so what's the problem?

Speaking of fair, what about the people I was answering earlier who already bought LEGO SW sets in excess of $75 this year and for whom there are not $75 worth of SW LEGO left to buy? It's a promo. By it's very nature, it's exclusionary. I tried to be helpful and answer a question that was being asked and I got grief for it. If I truly wanted 3 Shadow Troopers and it was limited to SW sets I would've still got them by buying $225 worth of SW sets split across 3 orders. Other people would still miss out. I believe it is in TLG's best interests for people to buy sets they actually want and not just sets that fit a very narrow category to get a promo and for that reason they won't make people buy only SW sets to get the promos. If fairness were their concern they would simply sell the figures. Their concern is sales, and as such, it makes sense for the promo to be open to all sets because the number of total LEGO fans is larger than the number of LEGO SW fans.

I don't know how it has worked for everyone else, but I have gotten the promo figures without spending that much on SW. I just got an order in today with a Shadow ARF Trooper and the only SW item I bought was a battle pack. Last year I ended up with 3 Shadow Troopers by breaking up a large order into 3 parts and 2 of them didn't have any SW items but I still got the figures and free shipping. So, unless they have changed something (and my order I just got points to it not having been changed) then I wouldn't worry about having to include SW items in an order.

I believe you might be right on the MVR (and maybe the others purely based on short shelf life) because it is one of the rare few civilian sets and has 3 unique figures. Also, for all we know, we might not see the gray horse or some of those animals elsewhere. I think (and hope) we will see them elsewhere, but you never know. I'm not meaning to sound like I doubt what you are saying, because I honestly don't doubt it, but where did you hear that they have that kind of clause? I know that they did in SW, but I had heard that they were able to renegotiate around 2003 or so to remove that clause. If that is true, I could see where they would try to avoid putting themselves in that situation again. Anyway, I was just curious about that point as I had not heard that that was the case before now. As for the exclusives, I have been wondering how the MMV is still hanging in there. I wonder if that means that they made a lot of them and are still working through their supply, or if it means that the set is selling like hotcakes and they just keep pumping them out? That aside, perhaps the meaning of the cryptic answer we got earlier saying Castle would continue means that they are going to keep making exclusives? Not just meaning to keep manufacturing the existing ones, I mean to keep making new, exclusive sets. Purely optimistic speculation on my part obviously, but it would explain what they meant and explain why they are keeping MMV.

Actually, you're right on this. At least for the alien and the haz mat guy. According to a post by Draykov about half way down this page on FBTB, there is a Brickjournal interview with Mark Stafford about Alien Conquest that makes it seem as if the Haz Mat guy, the Generic Gray Alien, and the upcoming Dark Blue Space Marine type guy all spun out of concepts that were initially proposed for Alien Conquest. I figure is this is the case with those figures, it isn't a stretch to think it happened with some other themes as well. I never would've thought of the lumberjack, but it makes sense now that you mention it. It would explain why we have a Mummy, a Pharoah, and a Cleopatra-type. Though the Mummy, along with the Vampire, the Zombie, the Mad Scientist, Frankenstein, and the Werewolf all spun out of Monster Fighter ideas. Or they might not have been sure they were going to go forward with that and decided to use the figure concepts.

What exclusive figures would be with Weathertop? I can think of one that should be, but so far doesn't appear to be. Beyond it, you have the Fellowship and some Wraiths. I have no doubt other sets will have the Fellowship and Wraiths.

If it is coming out, at this point it has to be an exclusive. That won't show up on Barnes and Noble because they don't get exclusives. It will likely be from TRU, but it is possible it will be with Wal Mart or Target. As for those prices, those are 10% off retail so they really look like this (all rounded up $0.05): Attack on Weathertop $50 Gandalf Arrives $13 Shelob Attacks $20 The Battle of Helms Deep $130 Mines of Moria $80 Uruk Hai Army $30 So it's probably best to not buy any of these at TRU where they will suffer the TRU tax and likely not be included in any sales for a while.