Faefrost

Not true at all... We have a Stormtrooper. He would appear to be an underpaid overworked pedestrian Stormtrooper, who as of this reveal seems to be all be himself against this teaming horde of juvenile delinquents, ravenous bug eyed purple monsters Jedi terrorists and a pile of rabid Wookies... Which kinda makes him sorta the real hero here doesn't it? The lone cop standing against the street gangs and hipster pink Mandalorians with explosives. The one lone candle of order against a sea of darkness and anarchy. Hmmm? I shall call him Phil!

The only reason we have The Hobbit and LotR movies is because JRR sold them himself back in the 60's. The rest of the family isn't about to do that while Chris is still alive.

Have we ever seen Thor wearing a helmet in any of the movies? I know he carried one briefly in the first Thor, but that's pretty much it isn't it? I think the Hulk bigfig would be hard to change at this point. He's become kind of oddly iconic. He is the first bigfig to be as cleanly and clearly identifiable as his minifig counterparts. I'm also going to make a wild assed assumption that the Hulks shiny new uniform purple stretch pants will get torn up at some point in the movie. Hulks pants always get torn up. It's been kind of a running gag in Marvel for the past 50 years or so. Kind of like the way all the other heroes stupidly or conspiratorially fail to notice the skinny white nerd dude holding up a pair of badly ripped purple pants, beating feat down the back alley after any hulk battle.

As does the CMF Evil Dwarf beard.

This has always been my problem with the SDCC figures. I have no problems with exclusive con or trade show figures. But the marketing people need to understand what the key defining points of certain product lines are. I view the I Love NY T shirt Yoda as an absolutely perfect con giveaway. It's neat. It's unique. It certainly has value to someone who went to the con. And it is so far removed from the core product line of the Star Wars line as to not be part of it. But for the Super Heroes line, the colorful characters are the core product. Each and every one of them is some bodies favorite. And making any of them, even some fairly obscure variants, exclusive, ultimately harms your core product line. It's a different product model for SH than it is for SW or Harry Potter or LotR. It doesn't help that most of the SH fan and customer base have been trained and driven over the years to be not simply collectors, but fairly completist collectors. About the only thing worse Lego could do would be to license a Pokemon line, then only ever make 1000 Pikachu's.

There are some amazing tricks they can come up with to steal from retail stores. Especially if they have manager privileges. The most basic is have a partner and sell it to them, but scan it as a different item. So a $20 set rather than a $399 Deathstar. The registers and computer reflect a legit sale and you see the sale taking place on camera. (If you ever wonder why some stores check your receipt at exit? It isn't because they think you are packing the cart with freebies between the register and the door. It is to look for this.) I've heard from what I would view as a trustworthy and knowledgable source, that the reason we no longer see grab bags at Lego stores, and the reason only some stores now have damaged box tables, is someone worked out a scam where they would "oops" or damage big expensive desirable sets, split the parts into the grab bags, and sell them to a friend. Apparently it was not a small or isolated thing. So now stores can no longer process damaged goods themselves. Anything damaged gets sent back to regional to be processed, and then pallets of the damaged stuff get discounted out through certain larger stores.

technically those are "fake clones" But to clarify Clones = companies that are making compatible Lego style bricks but are making their own designed sets with them. Megabloks and Kre-o are clone brands. Fakes or Counterfeits = Companies that are making somebody elses IP without permission. Star Wars minifigs are counterfeits. Super Heroes are counterfits, even if they are ones Lego has not made yet. Completely copying Lego's Ninjago sets and box art is counterfeit.

It may not be a theme. It may just be one nice D2C ship. I think they are just squeezing something out to keep interest alive because the PotC movie and license got delayed.

And that's likely. We are also missing a number of major settings and characters from Indiana Jones and Harry Potter. Not to mention vast swathes from PotC. (We have hope that PotC will return, but no guarantees. and if it does will it see a Flying Dutchman? or the missing crew?) The point is Lego will try and give us as much as they can, while they can. But each wave is a decision point. They typically will not give us another wave just to "finish all the scenes" unless there is some other underlying business reason to do so. And believe it or not "a bunch of AFOL's really really want it, and can't believe we would not do it!" is not as strong of a business case as you might think. Mostly observational. Just the kids seem to have no interest in Hobbit or LotR on the shelves when it sits next to Star Wars, Chima Ninjago, TMNT or Superheroes. There are a few exceptions. Bag End seems to delight kids. But many of the other sets are just Ugly Orcs in front of grey walls. That's not really doing it for the smaller kids. 10-11+ yeah, but I can't get past the way it seems LotR loses the whole 6-10 block for the most part. The movies are kind of scary for that age range. They aren't yet reading to that level. Some may like it, but it isn't the kid bait that some other themes are. And you can start to see the stores shelving practices reflecting this. You can also tell that the big back stores have not really been going back and restocking LotR and barely doing so with Hobbit. DVD release didn't exactly keep Harry Potter on the shelves. And that was one of their top lines for a number of years. And a rare retail male/female crossover line. And yet right after the last (delayed because of an extra) movie it ended and was replaced with LotR. Right now the one slim hope that I have been hanging onto is that LotR fills a certain "Literaray Fantasy" niche that they have done well with. And that they haven't had a replacement for waiting in the wings. Remember for Lego Harry Potter and LotR/Hobbit are all a pretty much continuous string of deals with Warner Brothers. Now if Warner Brothers suddenly announced a new "close enough" fantasy property to sort of slide in and fill the role you could almost guarantee a third hop to all of this. But what are the chances of that happening? http://www.escapistm...Movie-Franchise :look:

If you are just looking to discolor the sails for weathering effects, rather than paint or discolor the plastic try using pastel chalks to weather them. It's an old model railroad and plastic modeler trick. It's cheap and easy. And can be washed off if you don't like it. The only catch is it is for display models only and will not stand up to handling or play, unless sealed with a clear spray. http://modeltrains.about.com/od/modelrailroadtrains/ss/weatheringwithchalks.htm Tea works great for weather cloth like cloth sails. It's effects are generally erratic and unpleasant on plastic.

You will actively champion our cause... Or else! Yeah real classy approach there.

Which is kind of what makes them having The Collector as the SDCC highly sought after rare collectable fig so insanely ironic and meta. Normally I hate the very idea of the SDCC exclusives. I hate that they are locking down some bodies favorite character in such a way and for nothing more than pointless marketing. But by making the fig be "The Collector"? It's hilarious. It's twisted. It's not marketing fluff. It's an editorial statement. It's pure performance art. It's possibly the most darkly hilarious gag ever pulled on an adult nerd fan base. I can't believe that somebody didn't do this intentionally, giggling all the way. And really watching the Collectors talking about complaining about and trying to obtain the rare Collectable of The Collector to complete their collections is much more fun and far more entertaining than actually getting our hands on the figure itself. It's like staring into one of those infinite mirrors they still sell at Spencer gifts next to the dried up lava lamps. It's brilliant!

Castle and LotR really aren't that much of direct competitors. Lego probably just can't do the Fantasy Era stuff with LotR. But Disney is often a bear with non compete clauses. Lego would probably need to be a bit careful with any in house stuff felt to be dancing too close to Superheroes. Ultra Agents is most likely as close as they will get. Look up in the sky it's... Mail-Man?

Now that I think on it, it is kind of sad that Marvel Sort of wasted Jenny Agutter as the megablocks kicking SHIELD minister in CA The Winter Soldier. She would have been dead on perfect for an older Jan opposite Michael Douglas. Her hair, her build and frame. How she moves. And the simple fact that George Perez started drawing Avengers right after he did the Marvel Logan's Run book, and you can see some real clear carryover between the two characters as he drew them. His take on the Wasp drew a lot from his take on Jenny as Jessica. It would almost be like having Samuel L Jackson play the Marvel character that is drawn to look like Samuel L Jackson.

Great MOC. What is the hinged dome from?

I always knew it. Them damn dirty hippy Wookies are Communists. Quick Alert the Media! Call Fox News! Somebody send in Glenn Beck.

Ummm not to spoil things for you, but to quote Monty Python... He got better. I don't know if its found its way to Germany yet but the "Agents of Shield" TV show is centered around Coulson. How and why he got better is one of the shows ongoing mysteries. I agree our best chance of seeing a Coulson fig does come from the cartoons. Just like we got Nick Fury in the Spider-Man set. Coulson appears in both the animated stuff, and now as a regular in the comics. Lego would not make an AoS based set, just not a good target market, and there is typically too much else that needs to go into an Avengers set. They are getting sort of crowded.

All I can find is a post where he seems amazed that he sold 3 figs for $1300 and he is amazed that what he is doing isn't illegal. Everything else seems to be variants of the same exact article linked in this thread from Brickfan and similar claiming an Allegation, but that nothing has actually been reported stolen. You didn't track him down you stalked and harassed. And all that probably would be while crude within boundaries of Internet standards, you then outed his real world employer on this board, on this thread. And subjected them and the guy with the figs to the wrath of the Internet. All because he has a few pieces of marketing fluff that you don't? You were "making him set the track right"? I honestly can't believe that you are making me defend an Internet SDCC minifig scalper. I really can't. But your approach crosses so many lines. I'll say it again. It is one thing to voice displeasure with Lego regarding show exclusives and how they are handled. It's quite another to grab the torches and pitchforks and go Chase someone down on the Internet. If it was in fact stolen than it is Lego and SDCCs problem to deal with. The total assessed or declared value of the materials that may or may not have been stolen is somewhere around $60 usd. They have no other valuation because Lego does not sell them. And above and beyond, these most likely have no impact on the actual availability of said Minifigs. Once again for the intellectually challenged Internet vigilante's and other merchants of outrage and affront. These are not product! These are not merchandise! These are show marketing giveaways. The same as mouse pads, pens, humorous squishy balls and on rare occasions t shirts. For any trade show the booth lead is pretty much universally given control of an extra 10% or so of the good stuff for discretionary purposes. Since the figures were in the wild before the shows doors open, chances are they were from that stock.

So let me see if I have this straight? Based on a picture that in no way indicates any actual illegality beyond the fact that this guy has something that you don't, you have; A. Contacted a shady manufacturer that does in fact routinely engage in actual illegality in order to further perform said illegality for you. B. Cyber stalked, and harassed the individual and threatened his apparent legitimate employment and livelihood. C. Proclaimed him as a heinous thief to the general Internet and identified his employer by name. Well done! The fact that you cannot see the ethical if not legal implications in all of this is simply breathtaking! The chances are you have now inserted yourself and meddled in this poor mans life because he simply did his publicly stated job well and efficiently and was rewarded for such by Lego's advanced team for helping them get their booth squared away. He was bribed or tipped if you prefer with marketing swag by the marketing people. This is a normal course of affairs for trade conventions. It is not illegal. It isn't even really that unethical unless convention center extortion is involved. These Minifigs are not product. They are not merchandise. They are created by the Lego marketing department as show Swag. Give away tchotchkes. As long as this guy did not in fact physically steal a case from the show floor (which we have not seen any indications of, and if he did he was the dumbest crook in history) than the matter is between him, and the people he provided a service for. (And yes having someone grease the wheels at a convention is a service that otherwise can cost thousands in grease.) As long as Lego gave out whatever amount of items they promised at the show, how many beyond that exist, and how they are used for discretionary purposes is really none of our business. Understand, writing TLG to express fan displeasure with the nature or mechanisms of their trade show exclusives is one thing. Personally I agree that it is an idiotic practice that does Lego more harm than good. Much the same as the vendors that show restricted comic con only footage or trailers. That benefits comic con. Not ?Lego or the movie company. But what you did really crosses some far far worse ethical lines. You sought or may have brought Internet Justice down on the head of a guy who probably just put in a very hard weeks work pre convention and was rewarded for it. Your jealousy does not equate to any proof of crime or wrongdoing on his part. Nor does your sense of entitlement give you any license to act. And just to brighten your day a little bit. You have harassed this guy and publicly called him a thief. Your avatar says you are from England. Have you ever looked at your own countries libel and slander laws, should he choose to take some action? Let's just say they leave you in a very very bad place unless you have some concrete evidence of a crime the rest of us don't have. But by all means. Carry on with the web justice.

Unfortunately that is not exactly how their strategic planning would work. Everyone seems to think of this as some singular process. Lego must make the grand decision to make and properly cover all of the scenes and all of the movies. It does not work that way. They will not base a decision of whether to make more sets or have another wave on whether or not they have done Gondor yet. The questions of subjects or scene coverage will not come up or enter the discussion until the business case and decision has been determined to make more of anything. The question will be is there a good enough business case for a third wave. This will involve things like sales numbers and projections, interest from the merchants (which honestly I suspect is low. LotR is an AFOL theme which does better direct at Lego stores. TRU Walmart and Target make their money from kids, who really aren't that interested in the theme). Time remaining on license (see above) , and a host of accounting and financial determinations. Gondor and Witch King will be no part of these discussions. If the discussions turn out positive then design begins or continues and they talk about what to include in it.

Superheroes and Star Wars are the exception to the rule. They have grown to be such broad multimedia juggernauts that they are less current movie dependent. They are essentially self sustaining properties. This does not happen often. For Super heroes it is really only just starting to crest as such after 50 years of deep pop culture penetration. There are a few other IP Properties like this. Disney Princesses and Transformers could probably pull it off. Tolkien sadly cannot.

Because it is a licensed line. And licenses are finite and based on a start date and a finish date. They buy the size of license that they anticipate needing. But licenses do not set the boundaries for when they can make a product. They set them for the period they can sell the product. This is an important distinction. Once a license expires all remaining product must leave the shelves. All products, all sets have an anticipated life span including a minimum lifespan it will need to sell itself profitably. They will stop making new products in that licensed theme when the time remaining on the license starts to get within sight of those minimums. Figure regular retail channel product (stuff you would find at TRU and Walmart) has a 1 year expected life cycle for licensed themes. D2C sets look to mainly have a 2 year expected life cycle. They will not deliberately make a product that they need to pull from shelves halfway through its expected minimum shelf life. There are a few other issues with them switching to adult focused D2C sets. They get made and sold in much lower volumes than regular retail sets. 10's of thousands topping out around 100 to 200 thousand, vs retail which is hundreds of thousands topping out at several million pieces. Can D2C generate enough to justify extending an expensive license? Also D2C has production limitations that full blown retail themes do not. D2C exclusives do not have enough volume to permit new parts or molds. They also appear to have a much more limited "change budget" which allows for part color changes, printing, etc. So even with D2C we probably would not be able to get much of what we want. No Witch King head or Gondor helms under D2C. Which would have TLG asking is it worth the effort. Figure 5 years would be a pretty common time frame for a movie based license. Also remember that there are periods at the front and back that we do not see. Pre release and post during that sell down period. The license doesn't start when product hits shelves. It starts when they sign. We know the Middle Earth licenses began or were in effect in 2011. So the license probably ends at the end of 2015 barring other clauses, extensions etc. if the license ends by 2016 then fall 2014/winter 2015 will probably be the last sets released.

All of our magic speculation lists of what "absolutely positively has to be" in given sets almost never have any relation to what we get unless we get some solid piece of outside evidence.

I'm betting that the Rocket fig will be a S@H bonus with the usual $100 purchase some month soon.

I've found the Dwarves on War Ram's chapter? But it seems to have been accidentally glued into this World of Warcraft book? And all the Dwarves are Scottish for some strange reason?