Faefrost

I think the LotR theme has a great deal of potential. But looking at the initial offerings in this first wave, I do have some concerns regarding their choices and stylings/aesthetics. Especially if they are as expected targeting an older 12+ and adults range. The sets being offered seem to have a similar issue with some of the potc non ship sets. they are trying more to portray scenes rather than places or distinctive things such as vehicles. This results in some somewhat schizophrenic sets that end up as a couple of oft repeated minifigs, some half walls and scenery and maybe a big monster thingy. over in the Star Wars line, the Hoth Wampa cave is a neat interesting little set. it works because the rest of the line is all vehicles or distinct places. A whole line of Wampa caves simply wouldn't work as well. And that is kind of what the first series of LotR seems to be. Of the initial offerings, the only one that jumps out as a true show stopper. The perfect Lego LotR kit, is Gandalf in his little cart. It sings of everything we want. But Orc Attack? Helms Deep has some potential, but still feels a little off from what we can see. Not one thing or another yet. We want a nicely detailed Bag End, a full building Prancing Pony, a 900piece Rivendell. For smaller sets please something a little more than a few figs and a partial wall. That's what sort of suq'ed with some of the potc sets. Woohoo it's got 2coaches and 2walls of an inn. Bleach! And I hope they shake up the colors a bit. While middle earth is more earth tones on film, please back away from the grey bricks just a tad. Shake up the scheduled offerings to at least toss in some green and brown themed sets, so it all doesn't feel the same on the shelves.

1. The Diskworld- a great theme in the castle/kingdom/lotr/hp sort of genre. So many nice humorous medieval buildings and fantasy scenes. anck Morpork, Lancre, city watch, dwarves etc and strongest of all Unseen University, with a full assortment of the faculty. 2.a classic sci fi theme. Stuff like classic Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Maybe a nice huge JuipiterIi play set from Lost in Space. Etc. put some classic ships in minifigs scale in the same range as the star wars stuff.

Hello all. I'm a newcomer here. A recent returner to the cult of Lego. Not much to say. Just getting back into it as a stress relieving hobby. Mainly looking at SW subjects. But have been branching out into some more medieval themes. Thank you for all the wonderful lessons and inspiration that I have found around here.

I just got really lucky and stumbled on this set in a Barnes &Noble bookstore in Georgia at list $69 us I love it. It is the perfect compliment for the MMV. (the Harry Potter Hagrids Hut seems to blend well with it as well). Just an outstanding set. PS while probably a year late, the round white pieces are bags of milled flour. You put them in the hopper near the millstone and can tip them out. Not a particularly exciting feature, but different.

It was probably a combination of several factors that others touched on here. While Pirates was Legos best selling theme by 1999 it was probably trending down a bit. There was less interest following some Hollywood flops, etc. Lego was getting the SW license and needed to go full bore at that. This means that they needed to direct their experienced production staff and manufacturing resources at SW. A companies capacity is not infinite. Sometimes a project must be cut to free up people for something else. you only have so much run time on the injection molders, etc. Finally retail shelf space is finite. Lego long ago learned the lesson of having too much self competing product out at once. They needed to make a hole in the shelves to fit SW. Pirates, because of all of the above had the misfortune to be that hole. It was a business and resource planning decision. And by all accounting the right one. By shifting their A class resources to SW they probably saved the company long term, and grew it such thst the Pirates themes could eventually come back.

Great review! And you might be surprised by this set. I was skeptical before buying it on a lark. after handling it and building it I honestly feel like it is one of the best sets of the year. It just hits that perfect point of a really cool nicely made fighter (in decent colors for once, and one that has been vastly improved over previous versions), mixed with some really neat play set pieces, and some incredibly distinctive and unique mini figure variants that all come together to perfectly portray a moment in the story. In my office this fighter sits on the little table next to my desk so I can pick it up and swoosh it around while I talk on the phone with clients. The X-Wing, Tie fighter, etc are almost all in the bookshelf on the other side of the room, barely getting any love. (The other Swooshable fighter next to my desk is the new General Grievous one. Just a phenomenal kit.)

I have both sets. Honestly it will depend on what you are looking for. I absolutely love the Anakin Jedi Interceptor. It is probably one of the best single sets of the past year or so. The fighter itself is really well done and well refined. Plus it comes with a lot of play value in the additional figs and pieces to recreate the Mustafar fight. Just an A+ effort from TLG. The Tie fighter, it will depend on what you are looking for? It is hands down the best "Tie" anything Lego has put out. The shape is better. The colors are right. It is really sturdy and swooshable. And it has some unusual minifigs. But it also lacks some of the fun factor of the Jedi Interceptor. It's a well executed but slightly duller kit.

That is fantastic! (Now if only I had a large enough library to build one... or the space to set it down once built... minor details all) In the movies the Jedi Temple is a fairly dull place that they mostly just walk through or sit around in... well up until the point where the main character starts killing all of the children. (something that I suspect that Lego does not want to implicitly put on the box as a "play feature") But! There is that whole series of CW episodes where the bounty hunters steal a Holocron from the temple. Lot's of kid oriented play possibilities there. Hatches, passages, ventilation shafts, hidden secret areas of the library, exploding droids, etc. and the possibility of some neat new Minifigs. (I vote for a Jocasta Nu and maybe finally a Robonino?) And we know Lego has given this story some thought as it shows up in the BH Assault Gunship. (granted it showing up there is completely and utterly wrong...)

Can we hope for something that works well in either environment? Say a really nice "prancing Pony" set done in the style and quality of the MMV? I mean we really do need a good watering hole.

Hmmm? How about some things that would work well both for CW and EU if not minor mention in the movies. - How about Bossk's "Hound's Tooth" with a decent mix of Bounty Hunting figs? (Bossk, 4-Lom, Zuckas, teenage Boba Fett, the Green and Pink chick, etc). Make it big enough to put it in the $60-$70 dollar range so it has a decent amount of interior space for figs and captives. - To go along with the Bossk theme a battle pack of Trandoshian hunters with a hover platform (from the CW eps Padawan Lost and Wookie Hunt) and a matching/opposing Wookie Battle pack of some sort. - Or how about a Luxury Yacht 3000 / "Lady Luck"? fig it out either in the BH assortment from the CW episode, or even better in some mix involving Lando. Do a really nice interior on it. For non ship playset type sets, - The long begged for Ewok Village - A Jedi Temple playset. So many possibilities there from CW or the movies.