MonkeyCrumb

Failure to announce at an official Toy Fair works just as well as a "cancellation" order. But they have had reps online and I remember reading here from a rep who had said when Harry Potter, Alien Conquest and that recent Dinosaur line was cancelled. Instead of using the space to advertise the next wave of sets, they used it to advertise the upcoming video game.

The biggest mistake Lego made with the Planet sets was not making one with a Cantina Band Member. I would have bought at least 7 myself, and I know many others would have bought multiples.

While everyone is complementing your builds, I also wanted to point out and complement you on using the original Sarlacc and not the CGI Beaked SE version! Great work!

Here's another issue: The critics are saying DoSmaug is vastly better than the first Hobbit film. Will this translate to better sales, and if so, would Lego prefer to do more DoS sets over LOTR? That's a question that remains to be seen. But what really gets me is all the Doom and Gloom surrounding a lack of announcement from a company that is NOTORIOUS for keeping secrets until just before release! Sure we get leaks, but Lego does not intend for the information to get out until THEY are ready to release it. Patience! And don't panic until Lego officially says there won't be any more LOTR.

Brilliant! The only thing I'd change is to give Santa a wine bottle instead

Shhhhhh!!!!! Don't give people ideas until I've bought my ton of extras first! (pssst...notice how the chest printing doesn't show any "skin" color? He could easily be used with robot, yellow OR fleshie heads! :) )

First, the head proportions are necessary to maintain safety standards while keeping the likeness intact. The head sculpts are determined by the rights holder (Fox) and Lego is forced to accept their final say on what gets made and how they look. Second, this is a genius move to bring more Lego fans out of their Dark Ages and into the fold. I applaud Lego for trying something different. Third, CMF really needed a break, so the designers can rekindle their artistic juices. The series was running a bit out of steam, and things were being stretched out into "opposite versions of previous CMF's" CMF's aren't going away, they are just on vacation before advancing to the next grade and coming back even stronger! I'm thrilled Lego is doing something different, and I'm more than happy to pick up Simpsons set(s) and figures. I'm far more eager for these than I am Lego Movie figures, and even those have a few great figures in them.

You know what's better than paying over $100000 for a portable xray machine? Spending that money on just buying the minifigures blindly! Because once you spend the money on the machine itself, then you have to buy the film and pay for developing costs! That's going to cost more than the figures. I'm guessing OP is an x-ray tech and used these in his calibration tests at work.

What's wrong with revisiting Mos Eisley Cantina or Cloud City? How many new and original sets are you expecting form 30+ year old movies that have been represented by Lego for over a decade?? Personally, I'm all about rehashing older Minifigures in need of updates (Greedo! Tuskens & Jawas) and rehashing sets that would get us new minifigures (Cantina, Cloud City) along with said updates. Unless you want the unrecognizable-to-the-general-public background ships, practically everything OT is going to be a rehash at this point. Care to share your list of never-been-done sets?

All this whining reminds me that we still have people whining about how Lego isn't just plain bricks anymore, and how sets take away too much imagination. Fanboys will whine about everything if it's too different for them I LOVE these new minifigures. They look fantastic, and I'm buying tons of them. For those that feel like they are in the minority for likining them, you are not alone, it's just a hard core group that keeps trash-talking them. If a theme doesn't catch my eye, I don't whine and trash-talk it, I move on to something else. Why does every single release need to appeal to YOU specifically? How many Simpsons fans will these figures bring out of their Dark Ages, or into Lego to begin with? If you don't like Chima, or Ninjago, or whatever, WHY do you need to incessantly whine and complain like Lego exists to ONLY make products that appeal to YOU? I think Lego CMF Simpsons is a genious move for Lego from a business perspective. It will bring in a bunch of new fans. New fans are best for everyone, because it keeps the market fresh and strong. But if you don't like something, just move on and quit whining. If you can't deal with the evolution of Lego, just get a basic tub of bricks and get off the internet, since it didn't exist when Lego was created. Lego evolves and tries new things to keep itself in business. I'm not a Duplo fan, but I don't whine when they announce a new set.

I hope they expand past the "Princess" theme to give us Lilo & Stitch!

Dorayaki, again as I stated, it's a lot of work for people to come up with a list of things, post the licensed here, and go back out into another forum and find the thread to post the other part of their list. It's expecting a lot of work if you hope to have people participate. Furthermore, you're being too strict, especially when you came down on someone for posting a hair piece from Lego City that could easily fit into a Hogwarts MOC. If you want to move the entire thread to the Special Theme forum, then by all means that would work fine. But otherwise, you're splitting the hairs too fine. I think the yet-unmade donuts from the Lego City video game would work great in every licensed MOC, even Star Wars.

Castle sets already exist next to LOTR/Hobbit. Do you see them expanding even MORE Castle to take their place? Also, Lone Ranger is done, and will likely be clearing out the space for the Lego Movie sets. Do you expect a summer Lego Movie wave 2? It would take the place of wave 1 sets on the shelf. Hobbit 2 *just* came out. We *just* got full pics of the Hobbit 2 about a month or so before they released them. They've already announced a Hobbit Lego video game. Chances are very, very high about a 3rd wave of LOTR to fill in the gap for the summer. Relax people! Until we know for certain that it's 100% cancelled, expect to see more LOTR Lego, even if it winds up in a hybrid mixed wave of part Hobbit/part LOTR sets. I highly doubt that the Hobbit 2 sets that *just* came out is going to be all we get until next years Hobbit 3 sets.

Wow. WAY too much Doom & Gloom here!! Okay, first off, there's a retail game regarding real-estate. There's only just so much shelf space available at Target, TRU, etc. I know Lego has it's own aisles, but the space on the shelves is important. Lego paid a lot for the Hobbit/LOTR license. There will be 2014 3rd movie Hobbit sets. So, Lego will want a "refresh" or new wave to take that shelf space in between now and the next Hobbit film. That's what they've been doing, and a small assortment of even 4 sets or so will fill that gap in between Hobbit movie releases. LOTR is not, and never was, meant to be a better seller than Star Wars, City, etc. It is meant to both recover the cost of the license, keep interest in Middle Earth products, and not give up that real estate space to a competitor. MegaBlocks, Kreo, etc would all love even just a few inches of shelf space in the Lego aisle. I guarantee we'll see Middle-Earth based products that are new and in-between this current assortment and the next movie. Whether it's LOTR or Hobbit based remains to be seen, as possibly they are hoping that Hobbit 2 does better than Hobbit 1 in sales, in which case more Hobbit 2 sets can be made, and I'm sure they have a 3rd LOTR wave waiting in the wings just in case. We might get a hybrid release of both LOTR & Hobbit sets mixed together, who knows? After Hobbit 3, I'd expect LOTR to be done with, but I'd love to be wrong. Maybe a 2nd wave of Hobbit 3 might get made, but we'll see. I do expect to see at least a trickle of LOTR sets here and there if Hobbit dominates sales. As for comparing Alien Conquest 2, that's not even the same ballpark. Lego owned that property, didn't have much cost to recoup by scrapping/transforming it into another line, and could choose to replace it with a different property. Monster Fighters was a very strong seller, yet was a one-and-done wave. I fully expect a summer wave, and I really expect it to be LOTR, because it's a place-holder for the already paid-for Hobbit 3 license. Also, notice how there's minimal "doubling up" on figure releases? Hobbit 2 is almost all new with just the same Hobbit (main character, so no surprise), and a Gandalf who had very few different "looks", and one repeat character, Thorin, who's in a totally new outfit. None of the other dwarves were re-released, it's as if they are trying to get us as many new figures as possible, and give us new army-builders at the same time. There's a strategy at work here, and it's not the absolute best, but I think it works great for the most part, since they still need to balance and give primary characters as well for the kids.

If you've noticed, Lego's plans had largely been revolving around the previously posted (and aborted) attempted effort to get 3D versions of the trilogy in theaters. We started with Episode I, then even though Lucasfilm cancelled Episodes 2 & 3 in 3D, Lego still followed the planned release dates/pattern. This is in terms of the PT, since they were not about to abandon the OT for three years since it still sells better than PT merchandise. BUT because of this I feel they were holding back on their "A+" efforts for the OT, and are just in the past year or so going back to their original intent of just releasing the good stuff without "holding back" for the 3D theatrical releases. The love that ROTJ has gotten in the past year (to coincide with it's 30th anniversary) has been fantastic! But, what's next? Do we continue the release order pattern? Do we get a deluge of A+ Episode 4 stuff next? It follows their plan of getting Ep1,2,3, then 4 out, but we just got quite a bit of Ep4 with the TIE, Y-Wing, Droid Escape wave. I think ToyFair 2014 in February will tell, and I suspect we'll get a strong OT push, and I think it'll be ESB's turn at bat next. Cloud City definitely needs some love! We need an updated Classic Lando for sure, and some Bespin Guards.

Don't forget the Easterling! That's a fantastic looking LOTR minifig that needs to be made, preferably in a cheap army-builder set :) As for Well of Souls Indy, that's an easy custom from available pieces! Dorayaki, I'd be happy to see this thread cover both licensed and nonlicensed. It would be great to view it all in one thread since the overall theme is unmade designs we've been shown. There's a ton of Ninjago figures that haven't been made. I'd rather people just contribute what they think of when they are thinking of it, instead of making them back out to the other thread to cut their replies in half, potentially risking forgetting something. That's asking too much and is a bit of work..

Excellent review White Fang! (as always :) ) Now, this entire series was validated in my eyes, personally, simply by including Abraham Lincoln. The rest of the set could have included awful figures and I still would have been thrilled just by getting Lincoln . In fact, I like the "break" from the traditional CMF's with the Lego Movie just because it's giving us a few characters I never thought we'd get. Also, I never knew I needed William Shakespeare in my collection, but now he is at the top of my list! We now have the greatest printed tile in the history of Lego, "To Build, or not To Build". I want to include it in every City MOC I ever do know, because it's just so darn perfect!! I actually expect this wave to do very well with the fans of the movie, which I really expect to be very good. 1: Calamity Drone - Meh. Too much reuse too soon from Lone Ranger's Stagecoach set. Well made though. 2: President Business - Not appealing to me on design alone, but again I'm sure the movie will help. Personally not a fan of the brick hair 3: Hard Hat Emmet - A bit too similar to the set version. But the hardhat with hair and the printed tile makes getting a few extras worthwhile 4: Wild West Wyldstyle - Too similar to the set version, really don't need more than one for myself 5: Abraham Lincoln - Oh Yeah!!! Winner of the series for me! I hope we continue to get more historical figures in future waves. I'm getting several Abes :) 6: Mrs Scratchen-Post - Well made, but too similar to s11 Grandma to get me too excited 7: Scribble Face Bad Cop - Likely to be a great character, like the new helmet most of all. The scribble face is a neat gimmick 8: William Shakespeare - Well done, I'm buying a lot of this one! That printed tile is worth it alone :) 9: Gail the Construction Worker - Sad they didn't take this chance to upgrade the jackhammer, otherwise a winner! getting a few of her 10: Larry the Barista - new coffee cup???? and a new hair piece? Put me down for a bunch! 11: Velma Staplebot - I like the new hair piece, I'll get a few 12: Taco Tuesday Guy - Is his dish plate new? Otherwise the color scheme seems less intricate than the previous CMF version, but I'll get a few 13: Where's My Pants Guy - What!?! No back shirt printing?? What a wasted opportunity! This could have been the best "army builder" 14: Wiley Fusebot - OMG!! Without White Fang's review, I wouldn't have known that was a raccoon skin hat! I'm getting a ton! Love it! 15: Panda Guy - Awesomesauce!! Also buying a ton, but the inclusion of the miniature panda toy is the icing on the fabulous cake! 16: Marsha Queen of the Mermaids - My least wanted figure, the colors make her look too out of place with my other mermaids. Just one for me. I'm now officially excited for this wave. Thanks again White Fang!

To me, CMF Simpsons is incredibly exciting news! There are far, far more figures I want compared to sets. And they can still make sets! So it's not an "either-or" situation. And what if this line really takes off? I would love to see MORE waves of CMF Simpsons, i.e wave 1, 2, 3, etc, to incorporate more characters and the awesome variants (Treehouse of Horror series, please!), and if there were any way they could throw in some Futurama, I'd be thrilled! (not likely, but a fan can dream, right?) As for all of the teeth-gnashing people are doing, calm down please! TLG has mentioned backing off on how many waves of CMF they do in a year, this could be seen as a way to break up the lull between releases. IIRC, TLG has NOT officially called this wave 13, only the fans have! This could still be an independant wave mixed in among the actual releases. So until TLG officially calls this wave 13, please calm down. CMF Simpsons aren't replacing the regular CMF's any more than any other product they release is. As for the figures themselves, I hope they are full 3d sculpted heads with noses. There was a blocko(?) series released about a decade ago by another company where they were cylindrical heads with printed faces, and they looked awful! SO, assuming the minifigs will be all new headsculpts, that put's the cost to manufacture higher than usual, due to minimal part reuse with at least the first wave. As we all know, TLG always plans ahead! (Hmmm, didn't we just get a new Saxophone in wave 11? Someone was thinking ahead!) Plus they did mention there will be more if sales warrants it. NOBODY has mentioned a price increase, so let's not freak out unless it's confirmed, okay? I also believe, as others here have mentioned, they plan to keep the same pricepoint because it really does help sales. I suspect TLG is investing in new molds now because they plan to do more with the license down the road. I think they'll just take less profit on this wave instead of raising the price. And as someone else mentioned, The Simpsons currently has around 5million to 8million viewers per episode. That does not include me, or a lot of other fans, who aren't currently watching the show but who will still be excited to buy Lego Simpsons. Simpsons Lego sets are far, far easier to customize compared to the minifigures. I'm far happier that the emphasis is on CMF, because I can MOC a Simpsons playset far more convincingly than I can a Simpson-style minifigure. I really think TLG's strategy is the wisest way to go about this. I still hope to see more playsets eventually, but the CMF's is where my main interest will be. That said, I really, really hope we get a Lego Simpsons Video Game out of this!!

Remember Dot Matrix printers? That's where we're at with 3D printers right now. I expect the finished output to *look* nicer as the years go on. But there will always be physical limitations as to how much stress these printed pieces will be able to tolerate. Even if/when you can print a brick that has the same tolerances as Lego, the composition of the material will likely not give you the same clutch power as an injection-molded Lego. Furthermore, what happens when this brick is at the bottom of a larger build? It will likely crack, sooner rather than later. 3D printed Lego will be less of a thorn in Lego's side than MegaBlocks, Kre-o, or any other competitor. And it's likely that 3D printed bricks will be *lower* quality than even Megablocks due to the differences in layer-built vs injection molded pieces. The real magic of 3D printing in regards to Lego will be with Minifigures. Helmets, accessories & backpacks, etc, don't need to be subjected to the same kinds of stresses as a brick at the bottom of a build. Mass-adoption of 3D printing will be more of a threat to Brickarms than it will be to Lego. But for Lego fans, the sky will be the limit on Minifigure customization! There are so many Star Wars aliens that Lego is never likely to make, and we will be able to flesh out our Cantinas & Jabba's Palaces with every alien design possible. It won't be as effective to do an entire figure from scratch, but it should work well enough to add weapons, helmets, hairpieces, or heads with torso coverings similar to how Chewbacca or Ewoks are made, or other nonstandard alien heads similar to Alien Conquest. And what happens when people start expanding their armies & custom figures? They're more likely to add more bricks for walls, scenes, etc, which will in turn wind up as more sales for Lego. They'll buy tables for their Cantina Aliens, more walls for Jabba's Palace, and so on.

As long as it's HEAVILY packed with Ewoks! I don't doubt that there will be a few versions of our heroes included (Leia, etc) but an Ewok Village needs a bunch of Ewoks! Hopefully there will be a supporting Battle Pack style set to add more Ewoks.

I love this set SO much, I want to see more of it's kind (giant SW locations in one giant "doll-house" style playset)! That said, don't sweat the old-style figures! Swapping heads is easy! BUT, if you're continuing with Star Wars, the important part to know is you're going to be adding to it eventually! IF you've bought everything new from 2013, you've already got an extra Jedi Luke! There will always be refreshes of Army Builders in things like the Advent Calendars and Planet series, so TIE Pilots and Stormtroopers continue. Tarkin is necessary, and an easy head-swap to keep current! The torso print still holds up. You can buy the Endor Rebel & Imperial Battle Pack, use brasso to remove the beard print and you have a new flesh head for Tarkin along with another Stormtrooper and Biker Scout among other parts! (OR just get a new Lone Ranger Calvary Battle Pack for a smirking beardless flesh-head if you prefer, or even better get a Lex Luthor!) I know OP plans to buy this, so this is directed at anyone who's still on the fence about this set: GET IT! It's an epic set, a VERY fun build, and an incredible set to keep assembled and on display. Moreover, you WILL continue to add to it over the years when basic characters are updated IF you wish. The recent Millenium Falcon set had great updates to the core cast, and you know we get refreshes of them every few years. Hopefully we'll get cheaper sets with them, but they look great on the Death Star and with extras you can even update the Han & Luke Stormtroopers. This set has been around a long time, but DONT count on it being at retail forever! Get one as soon as you can, it's the crown jewel of minifigure-scale Star Wars sets!

So, any chance these will hit the Lego Stores before April 8th, so I can get double VIP points? And is there anything else scheduled to hit before April 8th?

TLG has really missed the boat with these. It should be all about the minifigures. These should be used to expand on sets already available. We have awesome Jabba's Palace and Skiff sets, so TLG should have put a figure in with a planet to expand these sets, like Ree Yees. Instead, it's more like getting the SAME stuff as the Advent Calendar with a hard plastic shell! The only sets I've bought were Bespin because of Lobot, and the Death Star, because that's the only set I would want for the planet (unless they do a DSII as a painted sphere) IF they want to do Army Builders, that's fine, but give us something we can't find on the shelves already! Give us Jawas, Tusken Raiders, etc., or else just unique minifigures. Otherwise, most of the mini-models can be built with our extra parts in our collections and the instructions off of Lego.com. Give us a better reason to part with our cash.

That doesn't mean they aren't taking AFOL's into consideration! I don't feel TLG is out to "screw" us. But I'm sure we are a consideration on a lot of decisions in recent years. They would be crazy NOT to consider AFOL's, as we are the end goal of many businesses - customers for life! My honest feeling is that TLG throws things into their sets to make us happy, NOT to make us feel cheated, *when the budget allows!* Do you think all the recent upgrades in minifigure printing is *just* for kids? Most of them wouldn't care as much about leg or back printing. But AFOL's do! TLG knows our complaints. But the biggest one we have is cost. And to give us a set with tons of new molds would be too expensive. I'd be happy to see new guns now with new rifles coming in later years if that's how it all comes out due to costs involved. And TLG giving us different colors of parts is a GREAT thing, not a scam! Do you want nothing but the same colors over and over? I don't, give me variety, as TLG is doing very successfully! Above all else, TLG is a business. I do not want to see them go out of business. If I have to suffer a bit now and pay a bit more later to get upgraded rifles, I'm more than willing to do so if it keeps TLG around. Because even then, I'll still be getting a bunch of bricks and minifigs with my purchases, it's not like I'm being cheated. I don't expect TLG to operate at a loss or at break-even prices. They deserve their profit, and I don't feel cheated.I really think they are doing their best to give us the biggest bang for our buck without outright gouging us.

I actually LOVE Lego's focus on more minifigures than better builds. Mainly because I already have a ton of bricks, and because the older sets have their instructions downloadable from Lego's website! You can get bricks anywhere, but you're more limited on where you get new SW minifigures! I'm also really stoked by the Max Rebo minfigure, but now I'm going to want Droopy McCool & Sy Snootles to finish out the band!