Rocketbilly

By being a retailer Seriously though, the images we see from the retailers catalogue are most often taken by a well connected AFOL who was lucky enough to be allowed to look at the catalogue during a visist to a store. They usually don't actually own the catalogue themselves, at least as far as I'm aware. I think there was a situation recently where an AFOL either had a copy themselves or borrowed it from a retailer they were friendly with, but most of the time I think it's just a case of a lucky fan taking the opportunity to share a sneak peak with the rest of us and taking pictures during that brief window of opportunity.

Usually when we get leaked pics from the retail catalogue the action figure themes tend to turn up last. A lot of AFOLS don't realy care for action figures and sometimes even focus on Star Wars or licensed themes entirely - which is why the Superheroes and Star Wars forums are discussing the names of sets taken from the catalogue and the rest of the themes have nothing. The names came from the same catalogue, but whoever leaked the information was obviously biased towards other themes, which is a shame but just how it is. We'll get our pics eventually though, I don't remember a year recently where we've not seen the retail catalogue leaked completely.

There's always a chance that he'll be an exclusive. I Think he'll be exclusive to Tesco. Sure they've not got any of the Summer wave of HF yet, and only a few of the other themes but I imagine they'll have a proper restock soon and get more of the summer lines in. It might be that the UK just hasn't taken a shipment of this particular set yet. As far as I'm aware, when a set is exclusive to TRU there's some sort of label on the box that shows that. When Tesco have an exclusive, there's usually nothng to indicate that on the box.

I can't find Speeda Demon in the UK either. I thought it was only a probem here as I've seen people from other countries with copies of this fine set. How odd. Maybe they've just not released him yet?

Great MOC! I honestly think this is one of the best tumbler MOCS I've seen, at least from a playability perspective. Sure, there are a lot of Tumbler MOCS that look more like the Tumbler, but they're either really big and out of scale or really well detailed but look incredibly fragile and while I can still appreciate them, I have to say your effort is better in my eyes. It's not as angular, but I really like the smoothness and you've captured the shape and feel perfectly without it looking like it'd fall to pieces if you so much as coughed in the same room as it, and the scale is superb. Very nice work!

This is really very nice, I like it a lot. The colour scheme is great, very fresh. I love the simplicity of the front cockpit and the trans green domed area in the middle is great. I also really like the general sleek feeling of this ship. Very well done!

Why thank you Whatever happens, though, I can't see LEGO just completely leaving out Furno and possibly Rocka, too. They just seem like the main characters to me, the ones that LEGO intends the kids to relate to most - also we seem to have been following Furno from the beginning as a rookie, to a fully fledged Hero. I don't know if LEGO class him as a "Veteran" now like they originally did with Bulk, Stringer and Stormer but I'm sure he's got a little bit further to go yet. Maybe he'll make an appearance as an XL set. Ideally, I'd like next years sets (at least as far as heroes go) to include at least two new rookies, Nex and Evo and then Furno as a larger boxed set as part of the Winter wave, then then maybe more new rookies and one or two existing heroes and then Rocka as part of a boxed set, perhaps with a vehicle. I suppose it depends on how LEGO decide to organise the waves. But then again, LEGO could just stick with the established Heroes, and while not as exciting as new characters, would stil make sense, and I'm confident in the designers to make them appealing still.

Perhaps in the final wave (and its assosciated comics/novels/cartoon) we could see Stormer retire or get promoted or something, leaving Furno to take control of Alpha team or a team of his own and then he could take command of the new rookies. I think it would help with taking the series full circle. But yeah, if it does end next year then I don't suppose having new Heroes would be as necessary than if the theme was set to continue indefinitely or even for just one more year of sets.

I think that if the theme continues into 2013, then we'll need some new Hero characters. Maybe we could have Furno and Rocka as the "veterans" (since they seem to be the "main characters that LEGO seems to push more than the other Heroes) and then introduce some new rookie heroes to keep things fresh. We already have limb/armour pieces in some exciting new colours. That way we get to keep some familiarity with the previous waves but also get some refreshing new characters with new helmets and colours. I suppose if they go with a theme that spans both of the years waves then thee could be a larger amount of returning heroes to go alongside the newer ones, though I'm still not out of the habit of teams of heroes larger than six members (with the odd "special" member, like Takanuva)

Very nice ship! I really like the design of the cockpit and how it opens up, and the colour scheme is great. The rear strut is nicely constructed too and has a really interesting texture and I love your use of the transparent blue antenna pieces.

Sounds interesting. Maybe it's Lego's next attempt at an MMORPG again? I understand they're releasing another and we've not heard details yet - or have we? I'm a little out of the loop on this. Even if it is a game, there's no reason LEGO couldn't make sets to accompany it.

Great review! Very interesting, well worded and thorough. These little sets certainly look very nice, and I look forward to being able to get one or two of them. I think you're right about those minifigs, they don't look printed to me. Possibly stickered, which is a shame but I suppose it makes sense since the sets will be hard to find and obtain I expect.The little leaflet is also lovely, I like how it can function as a starting grid. When you pay for your fuel and go to buy your set, do you get to choose the set you'd like from the full range, or just get given a random set? I'd be interested to know

No problem! Yeah, as impressive as Star Wars sets tend to be, you get a lot less in my opinion to redeem them in a non-AFOLs eyes than you do in something aimed towards adults. But hey...it's Jabba the Hutt. How could she be mad when she sees his big round eyes?

Tough call. I've been there myself, and it can be frustrating. Is this the first time you've spent such an amount on LEGO? One thing you could consider is perhaps instead of buying a "kids" set from TRU, go online and buy a Modular building from S&H and then show it to your mother, show her all the details and the advanced building techniques and then maybe she'll be a little more accepting of your hobby. I suppose since this is the "which set should I buy?" thread though, and not the "dealing with parents" thread, I'd say the Grand Emporium, if you can find it. Not sure if it's retired or not. Good luck whatever you choose!

Very nice little scene I too have recently surfaced from a Skyrim binge so I can really appreciate the little details here. It looks very good and very accurate. I really like your use of the flag piece (I think) that's a great use for that part, espcially how it comes out of the window piece like that. Great work!

No, I wouldn't say so. Maybe post one pic here but this thread is for discussing the current sets, not for MOCS and the like. I'd say just post a new topic in the forum and link to it or something. I don't see the harm of one picture of the modified set as it's semi-relevant and I'm sure I've seen a few other members post one or two pics of set mods in here, but it's best not to stray from the topic of this thread too much. But yes! may the best man win indeed - though I imgagine you'll get a significant head start over me at least as I wont be getting the set for some time. But when I do and if I get round to it then I'll certainly attempt to take photos to share. Good luck!

I will only get two if I can afford it Besides, it'll be a while yet before I'm able to buy any expensive sets, yet alone duplicates...AND the challenge "rules" did stipulate that it was to be the pieces of one set...soooo...I say go for it, would love to see what you come up with.

I think the wheels are a bit too large to work. Probably a bit thin, too. Well, something like you describe could be easily made from the parts of the set, but would you also want it to look good and also be able to stand? because if you're attaching those wheels to a humanoid figure, the chances of it being able to stand by itself without some sort of stabiliser are fairly slim - unless you posed him with one wheel at an angle, of course. Might look a bit odd. ANYWAY! I hope somebody accepts your challenge because I'd like to see it too! I might attempt it when I get the set too - I'll be getting two copies, hopefully so I'll have the pieces to MOC with straight away. My plan was to get two sets - keep one assembled but use the other one to make another bike with - I'm going to switch out the purple wheels for the Dark Bluish Grey ones, replace all the purple with black or silver liftarms and change some superfluous details to make it my own. IF I take your challenge and like the results, I'll have to buy a THIRD bike because I wont want to destroy the Umbra-alike MOC

Yeah, though the name of the theme is preliminary I can't see it changing too drastically. As you said, Atlantis was know as "Atlantic" (though I seem to remember it having a k instead of a c? - whatever, not that big a deal) and I also think Monster Fighters was known as something else too. These slight variations, whilst obviosuly different, end up being very similar so I think we could still get a good idea of what the name will be called - not that it makes sense, of course! I'm expecting "Polar Express" or "Polar Xpress" - the Extra X just seems obscure, Even to something that'd appeal to kids. The "preliminary" name might also be some sort of mistranslation, as there's no guarantee the leaked catalogue or wherever the source of this information comes from was originally presented in English. One idea I did have for this theme would be if each set had a vehicle....and that each vehicle was designed to attach to another...that way, each set would combine into a larger, train like vehicle....the Polar Express. Of course...that's a little bit copyright violate-y so I can imagine "Xpress" would be the name. But still. Ridiculous concept, I know but it could work...

Perhaps a Mini Slave One wih Jango Fett minifigure and Kamino in the Planets line? that'd surely be a big seller. Not sure if LEGO would want to put a figure that would be a big selling point of an Episode II Slave One in a far cheaper set, though - but they've proven that they're not against including named characters in these sets, not just generic pilots ala Lobot.

Such wisdom! Yeah, it's true, though. I'm expecting this to be some sort of near future theme in which "heroic" humans attempt to get... ice crystals or some other such collectible artifacts as a group of adversaries, such as... mutant snowmen of doom attempt to stop them. Ok so something like that. Power Miners on ice, basically. OR it could be something slightly different. Why would it be called "Xxpress"?.... sounds like it could be kind of like a World Racers style competition, perhaps - two teams of explorers in cool vehicles compete to reach the pole or...something. Maybe that way there'd be elements of competition, but not exactly conflict, per se. Maybe call it "friendly conflict". Either way, I'm pretty sure this'll be some sort of action theme rather than a simple "exploration" theme. Here's hoping for some cool colourschemes, though. I'd love to see something in dark blue with lime and white highlights, or maybe dark green with white and blue. NO idea why, I expect the vehicles will be high visibility thoug. I'm hoping for trans-red or trans orange canopy pieces too. New monsters would be great, though whether they be minifgs like we had in Atlantis or new moulds like we got for Power Miners. I'm looking forward to this theme, anyway.

I don't know about that. Yeah, they're similar but not the same. I think LEGO will go the whole way with any upcoming Jango Fett figure and we'll get something with a lot of detail specific to him, not just a slightly recoloured Mandolorian - though of course they are very similar. Lego knows that minifgures are a big draw when it comes to selling sets so it's highly likely we'll get something special for him.

That's a good point, but LEGO aren't against releasing the same ship in different colours...sometimes only one wave apart. Well, they've done it with the Jedi Starfighters from the Clone Wars. It doesn't have to be exactly the same build as the last one anywway, obviosuly the colours would be different but I'm sure the action features and whatnot could be different too. After all, there'd be no Han in carbonite to make room for or anything like that. It could include deployable Siesmic charges or a better interior to accomodate a young Boba, too.

Perhaps not. I could easily see LEGO replacing the Hero Factory theme with another action figure based one. They could keep the basic pieces - the bones, the shells etcetera as they're fairly generic but could go in an entirely new direction completely and thus make it a new theme complete with new story. I could easily see, for example, a theme of medieval knight type figures much like the old Knights Kingdom action figures of years past. All would be needed, really, would be a new head that would allow the attachemnt of unique visors, some new moulds for things like swords and shields that would better fit in with the new theme and perhaps a few body parts that are less robotic looking than Hero parts as well as some armour attachments that look more medieval than high tech. They wouldn't have to even be human knights - some sort of elemental creatures with their own colour scheme or perhaps the idea that the figures were suits of "living armour" with each being powered by a coloured crystal or..something...I'm getting off topic. Point is, Ninjago has proven to be very successful for LEGO and, as far as I am aware, will be ending in 2013 with a new theme taking its place. I don't see why LEGO wouldn't try something similar. Of course, I do hope Hero Factory will continue, though I do think it needs some sort of new gimmick to make it fresh. Whether that means a new group of heroes with radically different colours to ones we've had before, or some sort of unifying feature that the sets share - perhaps a series with glow-in the dark bones and transparent cladding, or light-up features...another wave of ball firing figures might not be enough to keep the theme too fresh, unless of course the designs continue to be appealing - and I have great confidence in the designers at LEGO to do just that.

Very nice MOC. The way you got all of the mechanical workings to fit inside the little house is impressive. It's always nice and fun to try and MOC a childhood toy.