Deathleech

The problem with this is that if everyone does the same then no one will know if a store is bad or not. Everyone seems to be so afraid of retribution when they leave negative feedback that no one does it anymore. Trust me, I am just as guilty of this. When a store is genuinely bad though the negative feedback needs to be left to warn other shoppers. I placed another order about a month ago. The store was in Canada and I am in the US. That same week I placed a few other orders and one other was also in Canada. Well I got all those orders within a week but am still awaiting the one from Canada. He has been very quick responding but I am wondering where my package is. I didn't pay for tracking (here is the US you get free tracking even on the cheapest mail services if you use USPS) so there is no tracking number. I am thinking of asking him for the receipt so I know there is at least SOME proof he sent the package. I know sometimes customs can keep a package forever and I know sometimes there can be unexplained delays. They are rare but do happen. I sent out over 300 packages selling on eBay and twice I had people ask me where it was after not receiving it in a few weeks. I send them the receipt and tracking number showing I sent it and the tracking usually shows like processing at a facility several days or weeks earlier and then no more info since then. I am trying to wait as long as possible to see what happens but am getting nervous at this point as tomorrow will be a month exact.

Ya, I keep all the boxes, even multiples for the same set. I probably will need to get rid of them sooner or later as my Lego collection grows (just came out of my dark ages a year and a half ago or so). I like the boxes because they generally have nice art and IF I ever re-sell the sets should increase the value. If I have the room right now why not keep them?

It does seem a little odd to have rather minor characters on the cover, especially when one was never in the Hobbit book and the other was never even in any of Tolkien's work. You would think they would of picked some of the dwarves or maybe Smaug? All well, I guess they figure people love themselves some elves.

So it looks like your favorite theme is Pirates? Space? No...? Maybe Castle?

I will probably just try to get the polybag alone off eBay for a reasonable price. If not, all well. I can easily live without this poly as it contains nothing at all new. No new print or anything.

I just recall reading that with action figure lines, toy companies generally try to steer away from the female characters because they never are as big sellers as the male action figures. I would assume the same is true with Lego, but to a lesser degree. Obviously females are going to be wanted in City sets because the sets are trying to imitate real life and there are just as many females as there are males in the world. Lego sets generally have a few minifigures as well so it's not just buying a single female character, it's buying a few males and females. However, if a kid is presented with a set that has 2 different male cops, or a male and a female cop they are probably going to pick the former since they themselves are males. They also might feel pressured into it because they don't want their peers seeing them playing with female figures, that wouldn't be considered "masculant" in our stereotypical society..

I know next to nothing about the GotG theme but it looks interesting and something that might appeal to me. One question though... Who are the Sakaraan? I tried to do a search for them and next to nothing came up except a picture of some bug like creatures. Are they some new race for the movie? I saw the Hasbro picture of one of them and it looked incredibly dull. Like a bland Cobra Trooper in black. We can't really see the Lego minifigure version because he is driving the ship? Does anyone more familiar with the GotG story have more info on these guys?

Ya, Brickset says they came out July 27th in the UK but June 7th in the US, over a month and a half sooner. However, for all the Hobbit waves they were released within a day of each other in both regions and were near the movie release so I don't see why Lego would change things for the last wave?

I don't think so. I just checked Brickset and so far the past two Hobbit waves have hit both areas within a day of each other.

Yup, it's already at 230 million in just two weekends. I think they are already in talks about doing a sequel?

This, this, and THIS! I looked up the Friends Heartlake News Van set on Lego's site to see the specific details. This article paints a very sexist view when the actual set isn't nearly as bad. At first I thought the cake story was a bit sexist (women always portrayed baking?), but after seeing the set I recognize Lego was trying to invent a story that could actually appear in the set itself and be reported on. What else is Lego going to make the breaking story about and still be able to show in a $25 set? Someone robbing a convenience store and shooting the clerk? A dog drowning? A sports team winning a big game? All of these are either inappropriate for children, or would require to many pieces to properly portray in a $25 set. I mean sure they could have someone rescuing a cat in a tree or something, but even that would require a fairly large tree build, an extra minifigure, and the cat. That adds at least $5-10 to the set cost. As for the rest of the description, I suppose Emma looking her best is a bad thing? Sure the set has lipstick and a brush, but it also has a news desk, what appears to be a video feed in the van, a big light, a computer, and a weather display. Absolutely none of these other things are mentioned in the article nor are they sexist in any way. I think the set actually does a pretty good job of imitating a "real" news team in a smaller condensed set. News crews often cover silly stories like the worlds biggest (insert food item). And this is the worst of the Friend's sets? Really? As for Lego's other themes, sure they could try to appeal to girls more, but I think Lego knows it would hurt their current sales with boys. Little boys generally don't like girl figures in their sets and the inclusion of more could hurt the sales with the market they already have a tight grip on. Why jeopardize that to make the set slightly more appealing to females (and may not even help that much)? I mean if adding a female fig to a City Police set makes its sales drop 5% with boys, but only increases it by 1% with girls, that's not a very good trade off for Lego is it? Lego is just following the trend and making Friends sets that appeal to girls while not hurting their other themes' sales with boys. Lego is just conforming to what our society has created and it obviously is working for them what with the boom is Friend's sales. I can't blame them for trying to make money.

Minas Morgul for me too. If we had the Witch King and Gothmog in another set I might be more inclined to pick Gray Havens, but as is I think Minas Morgul would give us more important characters.

I would think the original summer release for the film had something to do with things? Why they had the sets for October instead of July when the movie was going to be released is anyone's guess though. I agree, having the sets listed as an October release at the London Toy Fair then changing it not even three weeks later for NYTF was really odd. Why would they make a last minute change like that? Shouldn't that have been made MUCH sooner? Maybe the LTF just had old, incorrect dates listed or something?

Actually they have given us a no-name generic soldier every time we have gotten a pair of polybags thus far. It has been a no-name generic soldier and a unique character for each wave. The first LotR was a Uruk-hai and Frodo, the first Hobbit was Gandalf and a Mirkwood Elf Guard, the second LotR wave didn't get any polys, and the second Hobbit wave had the Lake-town Guard and Legolas. I think it's pretty obvious the most likely outcome for a third Hobbit wave set of polybags would be a main character and a generic soldier. I think the only thing we have to worry about is IF we get polybags this time, since we didn't with the second LotR wave (that would of been a perfect chance to give us a Mordor Orc with hair or Undead Soldier, and someone else we don't need like Aragorn).

Who knows. It has been kind of hit and miss what with the polybags since the second LotR wave didn't have any. Then again it had the big D2C Orthanc set and every other wave has had them soo... Personally I would LOVE to get an Ironhill Dwarf soldier polybag. It seems we won't be getting a $30 army build in the third Hobbit wave which is a HUGE disappointment to me. There really is no other place we could get Middle-Earth dwarves to army build with and the one option (Bo5A), Lego seems to totally be passing up. My first choice for a poly would be an Ironhill Dwarf Soldier and my second an orc since we have no real good way to army build them either as of yet. Of course I would much rather have a Mordor Orc poly than a Gundabad one...

Wow that looks great and might be my first Cuusoo purchase! I was a huge GB fan when I was little and this looks amazing. I just wish we could get the firehouse and some ghosts. Maybe if this does well enough...

That's Pirate theme, get that outta here! Just kidding... on a more serious note I always liked the way those ships looked. Very impressive indeed.

Generally that isn't very profitable when you are doing a license themes. You either have long stretches you aren't using the license but still paying for it, or you have to end the license agreement then buy it again later. Plus you don't have the momentum of hype from the previous waves. It's generally much more in Lego's favor to release everything they have in back to back waves. Honestly, at this point, I don't know what to believe. It seems like Lego is just dropping the ball left and right with their Middle-Earth themes which makes me think they don't care about them as much because they haven't been as profitable as other themes. Why have one advertisement that says the journey ends in 2014, and another that says it continues? Why plan for an October 2014 release and then change it a month later to December 2014? Why are so many sets based seemingly based on DoS (I think the answer to this question is probably the most clear.. they didn't want to mess anymore sets up and wanted to have the right source material to model them after), and most important why NO GONDOR SETS YET?!

It wasn't, but the likely hood of Lego releasing a LotR just two months after the Hobbit one was very unlikely. If the Hobbit wave was going to be released in October that would of only left Novemeber or December for 2014 release months.

Right, but the past two Middle-Earth waves have only been four sets each (and the one D2C Orthanc) and they were still six months apart. I would love a March release for the third LotR but I doubt anything sooner would be likely since that would be only 3 months or less between releases.

So now the 2014 Lego Hobbit wave is pushed back from October to December? Is that right? I was kind of hoping if we saw a third LotR wave it would be a January or March release, but if the third Hobbit wave isn't until December who knows. The third LotR probably won't be until summer 2015 at the earliest (if there even is a third wave)? I guess it makes sense though, to release the last Hobbit wave with the movie. It's just going to suck waiting a whole year for ANY Middle-Earth Lego sets

I thought it was a dream set... but still something Lego would realistically do?

You answered your own question... I had never even heard of them! I know there are tons of clone brands out there but I just wanted to pit the biggest two against each other.

Smaug looks pretty good, but if he was a molded piece I was expecting him to look almost spot on. The real issue I was worrying about is his size. It's hard to tell from the picture but he appears to be a decent size? I am sure Lego will give him a moveable jaw and we can already see the ball jointed wings so he will have tons of flexibility. Now just to see if he is a decent size or if he is super condensed to the point he looks silly. Actually they have always shown the second biggest set. Goblin King Battle and Dol Guldur Battle were the biggest sets when they showed An Unexpected Gathering and Lake-town Chase.

It was yesterday from a third party on Amazon. They probably sold out or raised the price since that is a steal nowadays.