PenPlays

News ahead of today's investors meeting. 3DS sales dropped 61% this year due to a lack of big titles (surprised?) E3 will be Legend of Zelda focused. The NX will be a no-show. Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are the next Nintendo App games. The NX (name still unofficial) will release in March 2017. The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be available for NX as well... and has thus been delayed until 2017!! Zelda 2017 will be the only title Nintendo will have available on the E3 show floor. What is going on here!?! First we get another delay, then we're told the NX will be an E3 no-show, and to top it all off Zelda 2017 will be the only playable game? Is there even going to be a digital event/press conference!?! Please let there be an Amiibo line on the way!!! Also, have some new Link art for the new game

That's Sensei Yang. Possibly, as Toy Fairs do not show off minifigures for store exclusives. Also, to chime in with an opinion on the Kryptarium Prison Breakout, it has 4 unique minifigures, one of which is inaccurate (Soto needs a hook). Other than that, the set is somewhat lackluster compared to what it could of been. It's a prison after all.

Unfortunately on the list of... Ghost weapon... thingies?... the blade that Morro is holding isn't listed. I suspect see a similar release for product for the Winter 2017 wave as we are seeing this Summer. And just in case I hadn't already spoken my thoughts, I need that Lighthouse in my life!!!

Samurai Mech It's the original modern Mecha. It's also the beefiest in recent memory, and takes the cake as one of the most stunningly stylized sets of the entire line. And yes, the alternate version of the Samurai Mech in the Titan Mech Battle, the Mech-enstein, absolutely pales in comparison.

I've noticed some wonderful details on these sets Just a few I've seen: Kryptarium Prison Breakout's Stone Warrior has correct colors! Sadly Soto no longer has a hook. Titanium Ninja Tumbler appears to have an escape vehicle or turret of some sort. Rock Roader uses those old right angled pipes on the side as well as the old train hubs in a new color. Salvage M.E.C. is probably the worst of this wave, which is unfortunate since it's a mech. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad set but. They really did make it look like it was salvaged. New Ronin outfit, and Skullkin, but that's all it really has going for it. The Green NRG Dragon is a very strong set, but not too many details that are special aside from the big-fig arms in the shoulders. I also find it weird that the prominent members of the Crew of Misfortune's Keep have the Stone Soldier shoulder armor. Makes them look tougher, but I liked their epaulets. The Lighthouse Siege is probably the strongest set of this wave. Excellent Minifigs, colors, and design. It's not extremely exciting in the details department from the outside, but I can't wait to get a closer look within. Ultra Stealth Raider looks so impressive on its box. It's large size is impressive, but I just want to see all of them disconnected. Nothing extremely exciting, detail-wise, but Kai and Jay's bikes have different colored spring shooter ammo. The Samurai X Cave Chaos has introduce the "Samurai X Symbol" into the sets. It appears that Samurai X will no longer be represented by Nya's Phoenix, which is fine in order to differentiate between the two. I also like the "Mistake-Tea" logo on the bike. I also hadn't realized that Jay has a new face!

It's a shame they all have copyright marks on them... But holy moly that Samurai X Cave looks great. Certainly better than what I was expecting. I like how all of the vehicles are consistent with the Samurai X color-scheme. I also love that the Cave is spacious enough, not only for battles, but to fit the Bounty in as well. It also appears that the center portion of the model shifts forward in some sort of way. I wonder what it does.

I have converted to Deepstone. Although the stylistic merging with the black of the Kimonos were nice, the strength that the Deepstone Armors present in their design is very noticeable. It shows off the disparity of the Ninja to keep from possession, but also shows that, despite being Ninja, they know when things are dangerous, and will equip themselves accurately for the situation. I'd also say that the Deepstone variation of Samurai X is better than the 2014 variant. It's traditional, yet comes off more menacing than even the original Samurai X armor gave off. It also improves on the Deepstone design, as gunmetal gray stands out oddly compared to the black shoulder panels. Gold Wu is still perfect.

I've changed my vote. Nadakhan is my new favorite Villain. I mean all that I've stated above makes Pythor an incredible character, but not only is Nadakhan cunning and deceptive, he's downright ruthless. Whether it's loyalty or love, Nadakhan is steady for the course, even to the point of absolute obsession. What is fantastic about Nadakhan is that not only is his power limitless at circumstances, but the fact that he deliberately has fun by twisting peoples wishes is just incredibly devious. However...

If they were there. They would have been found already. Seeing as most European websites aren't listing the sets among their June releases, I'd assume that images will be scarce until June.

No. It would be canon in the movie universe, yes, but thankfully that doesn't effect the TV show, or if I recall what the Hagemans said on twitter a while ago correctly. EDIT: Come to think of it, I'm not quite sure where that info came from... It's a completely different story though, so I would only assume that the TV show, and the Movie are unrelated.

My point was that it seems like, especially in kids, people only look at the minifigures. It was meant to tease, as are most of my negative sounding and sarcastic posts. All I see is stuff we've seen for a while now. Well, except this, which I found at random. I'm almost jealous... Almost...

For each set, it's different. There are generalizations for each type of set though: For limited edition/store exclusive sets (Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfigher, Deep Sea Operations Base, City of Stiix, Pop Star Limo) They typically last around a year at maximum, unless they are slow sellers. Regular retail sets last about a year-and-a-half. This again depends on sales of the product. Exclusives (most D2Cs, Ideas) that sell at a moderate pace last about two years at minimum. If they really don't sell well or sell just enough to survive, they me around longer. Exclusives that really sell well (modulars, Death Star) have no determinable date. Now there are online storefronts too, which extend the life of most product beyond these generalizations. I also feel as if I missed something as well, and do keep in mind, again, that these are generalizations. The lifespans of these sets simply depend on the set you are looking at.

I think Lego will be taking a very cautious approach to the animal-motif direction in the foreseeable future...

Weird. This is honestly the first time I've heard of that. An embargo wouldn't make sense though, as it was in the wild in June, nearly 2 months (if not more) after the Rise of the Snakes TV season ended.

It's clear that production underestimated his popularity over NRG Cole and Spitta, causing them to produce less of NRG Jay and Fangdam. As the exact opposite was true, stock depleted dramatically. Due to his very small window of availability, that spinner has the highest resale price of nearly 400% above MSRP. To put it simple, I never saw NRG Jay available at any retailer when he released. To this day, that spinner set is the only "widely" produced set of the line that I have never held in my hands. When proper funds come my way, that will hopefully change.

Now... I am a bit of a hypocrite. I love minifigures, especially the Ninjago ones. NRG Jay remains the only minifigure that I'm having trouble getting my hands on at a reasonable price, but other than that, I certainly want one of each, but the sets are far more a bigger drive for me is all. Regarding that poly, though, I really wouldn't care for that Siren variant, as it's not completely necessary (if I really wanted her I could just bricklink the parts). The Samurai on the other hand... well, I love me some minifig scale robots. Speaking of which, look at this beauty! And of course, it's not readily available in my country.

For the sake of clarity All May the 4th events begin April 30th. These people will simply get access to it all (Hoth, poster, FO Stormie, 2x VIP points) an hour early as well as an exclusive set that will only be available during that hour for those who are invited that make purchases of $150+. It's not necessarily a launch party, as much as early access.

Which is most likely due to both years being at an 'in between' phase for the series (meaning less sets).

Did you know that the set actually comes with a vehicle that you can build? It's not like it's just the minifigures in there. Remember back when people cared more about the beautiful craftsmanship of the set, rather than the minifigs? Those are days I long for yet again. It would change how people look at Star Wars, Friends, Ninjago... on second thought, that would probably make Lego lose sales, as unfortunate as that sounds.

Depends on the wave. 2011: Winter- Ninjago Battle Arena (TRU), Skeleton Bowling (Target), Nuckal's ATV (Walmart) Summer- Lightning Dragon Battle (TRU) (I strangely recall that Mountain Shrine was also an exclusive 2012: Winter- Fangpyre Mech (Walmart), Spinner Battle Arena (Target), Fangpyre Wrecking Ball (TRU) Summer- All sets were widely available 2013: Winter- All sets were widely available 2014: Winter- Destructoid (Target) Summer- Both sets widely available 2015: Spring: Dojo Showdown (TRU) Summer: Chain Cycle Ambush (Walmart), Jay Walker One (Target), City of Stiix (TRU) 2016: Spring: All sets were widely available Summer: (Unknown)

... In December of 2011, when we saw the Rise of the Snakes sets, what happened? In December of 2012, when we saw the Final Battle sets, what happened? In December of 2013, when we saw the Rebooted sets, what happened? In December of 2014, when we saw the Tournament of Elements sets, what happened? In January of 2015, when we saw the Possession sets, what happened? In December of 2015, when we saw the Skybound sets, what happened? ...hmmm

Yup. The other exclusives are Jay Walker One at Target, and Chain Cycle Ambush at Walmart.

It doesn't help that the set is exclusive to Toys R Us (in the US). That's aside the fact that it's $5 more expensive there as well. Most people are better off getting it off of Lego.com, as it's normally priced there, and since it's over $75, you get free shipping as well.

So... I just had the absolute pleasure of building City of Stiix. It's huge! The build was absolutely nothing I would have expected, and I mean that in a good way. Each of the levels of the tower feel substantial, and all of the side add-ons from the windmill to the ghost boat are absolutely fantastic. The ghost color scheme with the brown mixed in works tremendously, and the set truly feels Gothic. Something that you can't tell just by looking at it is that the set is absolutely riddled with play functions, but each one is seamless in the overall design. The minifigure selection is also fantastic. There are some gripes though. The Ghost Boat lacks a steering wheel, which would have been a nice aesthetic feature. Nya's speedboat is odd, although it certainly has a Samurai X vibe. When it comes to minifigures, they could have made some unique ghosts for this set, as none of them are truly unique. It also would have been a lot better if Nya was in her Water Gi instead, as it would have complemented her speedboat much, much better. Also, this set is Ronin's shop. It has the sign and everything, except it has a serious lack in a Ronin Minifigure. All in all, City of Stiix is one of my favorite Ninjago sets. Ever. It certainly has earned a spot as one of my favorite sets of all time, and for good reason. It's unique, stunning, and, most importantly, fun to build. If you have not got this set yet, do yourself a favor, and get this set before it retires. You will not regret it.

Keep in mind that most of the revealed images so far are for themes that are likely to release within May/June. Ninjago has almost always been a late Summer theme (August), but I will remain hopeful.