Darth Caedus

All signs point to staggered and intermixed waves, with December 2012/2013 covering Hobbit 1 and Hobbit 2, while Summer 2013 will continue to bring out things from the original trilogy (tower of Orthanc highly likely due to photo evidence). It's going to be a Hobbit focus though for the foreseeable future, given that Summer 2014 is the release of Hobbit 3 and will therefore have sets from The Hobbit 3. After the new trilogy is done, depending on how long the license stretches (I give it 6 months to a year as a safe bet), we'll probably get a third rush of classic sets. So Summer 2013 is likely the first wave we have to look forward to for original trilogy sets.

They have them at mine, but for MSRP. The theory is it's some kind of glitch or lumping in with the other LEGO clearances Walmart has going - 30% off all POTC, for instance.

Just watch eBay and Amazon - the latter discounted HD to 97 bucks the other day, and it could drop there again. I got mine on the former, a random $99 buy-it-now that just had a bashed up box. And people are saying some Walmarts have it for $84.

This makes me lol - it would be cool to see a book fan like you assemble and photograph a "Book-Canon" Fellowship (different hair colors, weapon styles, etc.)

Agreed - I'm picturing the Aragorn in black and it would be indistinguishable from the Nazgul, which is counterproductive.

I think a great set for Wave 3 would have a large, impressive Barad-Dur and a bunch of minifigures from the last stand at the Black Gate. Call it The Battle For Middle Earth and include the Olog-hai, Elessar, the Mouth of Sauron, Gandalf the White, Gondor Pippin and some Mordor Orcs; and make Barad-Dur a conservatively built but towering, impressive brickbuilt monstrosity with the ultimate play feature of - pull pins to Destroy Sauron! In a perfect world, we'd have the teams behind Cafe Corner and its ilk reassigned to do modular sections of a to-scale Minas Tirith. One can dream.

Not saying it needs the hill - it would have been better as just the arena at the top, so they didn't have to waste pieces on a random trapdoor and could more impressively recreate where all the action happens on the weatherTOP of Amon Sul. The palantir is a nice little easter egg, but there is too much weighing against it. Also, I stand by the exclusion of Merry - besides the campfire, which is not the Attack on Weathertop, the other three hobbits are literally shoved out of the frame. It's a scene about Frodo, Aragorn and the Ringwraiths - Sam would have been more appropriate, Merry and Pippin are shoved apart almost as comic relief. I do apply the same criticism to the lackluster MoM, and the generally pointless Orc Forge (too many play features, not enough substance and not enough minifigures and armor - they took what worked in the Dwarves' Mine and compressed it too much), but Shelob's Lair is Shelob: The Set - meant to recreate the battle in the open area outside the lair, not the tunnels themselves (especially for $20). Similarly, Helm's Deep keeps a consistent, appropriate color scheme and recreates all the important areas of the battle for the pricepoint they had available - the wall, the culvert, the keep, the interior, the siege ladders, the gate, causeway and Toss Me spot. I'll accept the point on Helm's Deep Aragorn needing chain mail, but the existing minifig really fits neither - the tan pants are inaccurate, and the figure should be greener and more ranger-esque.

Seriously guys? THIS is Weathertop: A gloomy, eroded, imposing shadow of an ancient watchtower-fortress. A debris-riddled circle surrounded by towering statues and encroaching ruins. What we got was a mishmash of tan and grey with a few weak arches and an unnecessary interior, 170 pieces too small, a complete missed opportunity for Twilight Nazgul, a crappy Aragorn minifigure identical to the Helm's version, and only two Nazgul out of the desired 5. It's very cramped and quite flat - fine for a $30 set perhaps, but not a $60 purchase. Merry could have been shunted to the Mines of Moria (add another couple Goblins and buff the price to $90 if that's what it takes), which was equally unimpressive (Balin's Tomb? More like Balin's Door and Wall!), only surviving by its strong character selection. The 'watchtower' looks like some kind of bastard child of early Harry Potter sets - like The Forbidden Corridor crunched into Sirius Black's tower. Gut the terrible interior, lose Merry and add another Nazgul, and cut the price to $39.99 - that would have made it a set worth buying!

No. He wears the grey elven cloak for over 2/3 of the trilogy, as does Samwise. You can grab both in Shelob's Lair, a great little set for the pricetag. The green-cloak Frodo is from Weathertop, the dunce of Wave 1 (inflated price, terrible build, ugly overall, paltry minifigure selection). If you're looking to get the iconic characters of the trilogy, I would recommend the following: Gandalf: Gandalf's cart is the cheapest set of Wave 1 and has some good parts, and the minifigure is almost complete (just grab a spare Highlander sword to use as Glamdring). Gandalf the White will only appear as an exclusive, or at the earliest in Wave 3 (Summer 2013) given that Wave 2 is Hobbit sets. Frodo: The Grey cloaked Frodo in Shelob's Lair has two good faces for Frodo's standard expressions - resolute and freaked out. It also comes with Sting and the ring, so you've got the full package. Sam: The only option is the Shelob's Lair Sam, and it's his best moment in the trilogy anyways. This will be the best version they can make, as he comes with the Phial as well. Merry: The only option is Weathertop, so I'd go to eBay if you really want his Fellowship version. However, the most iconic version would likely be his Rohan armor, which will likely appear in a WitchKing on Fellbeast set - a memorable beast and scene, so I would wait til Summer 2013 when we have the first chance of such a set appearing. Pippin: The option option is MoM, and it's not a bad figure - but I personally am hoping for a Guard of the Citadel outfit, his coolest appearance. However, his scarf is prominent on the MoM version, making it a solid buy. Boromir: We're only likely to get the MoM version, and it's a great one, complete with his shield. Aragorn: The current version in Weathertop and Helm's Deep is the worst figure of the Wave 1 hero minifigures, with odd colors and lackluster printing. If you're only interested in getting one version of the character, I'd hold out for a Black Gate version with the Gondor armor - but you'll probably have one anyways, since most LOTR Lego fans buy Helm's Deep. Legolas: HOLD OFF. Legolas is going for absurd $15-20 prices on eBay and is guaranteed to appear in The Hobbit 1, 2, and 3, and I would bet a large sum he will appear in ANY elf/barrels out of bond/battle of five armies related set. His costume will hardly vary from the current version, and he'll likely be cheaper after several appearances in Hobbit sets. I'm holding off on him and keeping my Fellowship at 8 until December. Gimli: He only has one outfit and appears in MoM and Helm's, not super difficult to get, might as well grab him now. The figure needs some modification to truly look like Gimli (brown hands for gloves) but otherwise it's the one and only. Eomer: I doubt there's a single LOTR AFOL who doesn't have at least one of these at this point - Helm's Wall is the most attractively priced set in Wave 1 and the minifigure is spectacular. Buy. Theoden: The best printing in Wave 1. However, if there is a WitchKing vs. Eowyn set (one of the iconic scenes of the films, so highly likely), 99% chance he'll be included along with Merry and a Fellbeast, which would be 30-60 bucks depending on the Fellbeast's size. So you could wait until Wave 3 or later. Haldir: I doubt we'll get a Lothlorien version, and his Helm's Deep armor is cooler anyways. Gollum: A fun bonus in Shelob's Lair, no reason to skip him.

The Framingham Massachusetts Walmart still has 5 Black Pearls for $69.00 each. A solid set, not worth 100 but a bargain for that price - for the minifigs alone, almost. Davy Jones is incredible, and going for $20+ on the secondary market!

Walmart is discounting all POTC, scored 3 Black Pearls today for $69.00 USD apiece. They still had 5 of them there - Framingham MA Walmart if anyone still need POTC. Built one of them, a nicely put together ship, great masts and minifigs if a bit sparse on the decks/cabin. Keeping the other two in storage.

The titles of the trilogy are reported by Theonering.net to be THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES So no Lost Tales stuff in there, but we can expect a buttload of Dwarves - Thorin's company and Iron Hills alike, meaning, Billy Connolly minifig. Almost guarantees a Laketown set of some kind.

They have large groups of them in Battle for Middle Earth and it's a glorious sight. The perfect Gondor Army Builder pack would have a Gondorian Warrior, Gondorian Archer, Gondorian Knight (with non-evil-eye black NewHorse) and a Guard of the Fountain Court, with a small trebuchet.

Summer 2012 - Summer 2015 was the implication. If we get a 3rd Hobbit movie, it could run longer if sales hold. My source said that the Helm's Deep and Mines of Moria kits were quite successful and in "the top 10" sellers.

My source at a local LEGO store revealed that the license for Lord of the Rings is for the next four years, with two waves per year - when questioned, he confirmed that the line is not planned to mimic the quick demise of Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones.

Don't listen to the haters Deathleech, you hit the nail on the head. Putting a hard to get fig like Theoden or Boromir in a polybag would not affect sales of a big set like HD or MoM whatsoever. If someone's just after the minifigures, they're going to go straight to Bricklink, and Lego never sees a dime. Lego realistically puts out about 3+ polybags for a line every 6-12 months - making them one of many desirable MFs from a large set increases sales of the polybags, it doesn't hurt sales of the big ticket items. Instead of the polybags of lame Bag End Frodo and poorly equipped Uruk-hai, we could have had a Boromir and Moria Goblin. Mines of Moria retains its special exclusivity with the massive Cave Troll, Legolas and Pippin, and armybuilders and Sean Bean fans can get what they want. What should really happen is the polybag characters should be put to a vote among the VIP members, just like the CMF 5-figure Greatest Hits set. Picture it - a new wave of LOTR hits, and Lego lets the VIPs vote on a favorite character. The new polybag hits within a couple months. Badda bing badda boom. We know Lego wouldn't do it, but they'd make a killing and earn countless respect points from the massive AFOL legion.

Indeed, make sure not to buy anything that's not a Daily, Flash or Community Deal. Otherwise you get ripped off. Given the 100 euro price for "Bag End" I'd say that's an unreliable source.

Looks like Warwick Davis technically ties for 1st place with Molina, but since he's in makeup for all his minifig appearances - Ewok Wicket, Goblin Flitwick, Rodian Wald, I don't count it. Lego Wald

And here I was worried there would be nothing to army build! That's the fun of the CMFs and while I won't be purchasing Spartan/Roman levels, there are far more figures in here than I would have expected to strike my fancy. Old Timey Businessman: Classy with a cool bowler hat, will grab 1 or 2. American Footballer: Yeah, don't care. Red Cheerleader: Appreciate the demand but no interest. Alien Queen: Disappointingly stupid. The cape is worth buying 1 - complements the Sorcerer's Stone Dumbledore body to make the ultimate Lego Pimp. Conquistador: Would have preferred a musket or pistol, but the rapier is fine. Golden armor is no new mold but looks nice. Probably 3. Evil Robot: Cool enough to grab 1. Lederhosen: Pretzel for cheaper than Bag End, and useful components, especially the hat for Forestmen. Fairy: Talk about disappointing. Bland and disjointed, an epic 0/10 uberfail by Lego. Easily in the top 10 worst CMF ever. Could have had an epic Fairy like in the sketch designs but this? Ugh! Looks like bad cosplay. Cowgirl: Worth it for 1 lasso, otherwise too hokey. DJ: Nice hairpiece. A good one for City freaks, probably nab 1. Not my focus. Man Bat: Epic Win! Surprise of the wave. Cooler than the MF Manbat and a definite armybuilder. Unleash the Vampire Hordes. Diggin' it. Want half a dozen at least. Old Timey Diver: Thank you Lego for giving us the diver we want. Let the Bioshock MOCs begin! Grabbing at least half a dozen for steampunk compatibility. Pirate King: Gold Cutlass and Gold Hook. Yes Please. 2-3 minimum. Skiwoman: Haha no. Sports figures...the bane of the CMF. Santa: Never had an issue with the other Santas but it's a free beard and satchel. Perhaps 1. William Shakespeare: Awesome, unexpected. Grabbing 3-6 at least for that awesome neck fringe. Opens up an entire century of MOCs. All in all, probably going to get more of 8 than 7. Hope 9 gets back to what makes CMF shine with some good historical military figures. A Saladin-style Arab warrior, a Mongol, a Maharajah and a Terra Cotta soldier, perhaps? Orient represent.

Pretty sure that is EXACTLY what Lego is doing - after these 1000, they will never appear again.

This is so right - it's all about price, price, price. Castles are great, but we need more minifigures in cheaper sets. The Helm's Wall set is the priciest a battle pack can be while still being passable - useful for expansion and half a dozen quality minifigures, all armybuilders - but more 4 minifigure packs at the $13 price point is the ideal. That way, the castle lovers can still have large, pricey, fancy models and the minifigure zealots can build to their heart's content - and the centrists are happy too. Star Wars skirted the collectible clause by putting in throwaway vehicles into the battle packs, no reason it can't work for Lord of the Rings - instead of vehicles have small bits of terrain. We really should have had an Amon Hen battle pack with that little throne place and assorted Uruk-hai - terrain that is specifically Lord of the Rings while still being minifigure-heavy. However, Uruk-hai have been released in plenty already, what with the upcoming polybag, the Orc Forge, the Helm's Wall and Helm's Deep itself. So if we want to keep the 60, 80 and 130 dollar slots free for the Castle lovers, what kind of $12.99 battle packs would work? Some brainstorming, superior ones marked *. *The Last Alliance Minifigs: Noldor Swordsman, Numenorean Swordsman, Mordor Orc Swordsman, Mordor Orc Spearman Equipment: Noldor - Elrond's weapon, Numenorean - Gladius and shield with 2nd Age white tree, Orcs - crude sword and Uruk shield, spear. Possible terrain: mini catapult, rock with lava, Orc barricade Host of Moria Minifigs: Moria Goblin Archer x2, Moria Goblin Warrior x2 Equipment: Bows, crude swords, Uruk shields Possible terrain: Moria Archway (buy three to recreate "I have no memory of this place") *Lothlorien Forest: Male and female Elf armybuilder, what's not to like? Minifigs: Galadriel, Celeborn, Haldir - Forest Robes, Lothlorien Elf Archer Equipment: Celeborn - Elven Knife, Haldir - Elven Bow, Lothlorien Elf - Elven Bow, Quiver Possible Terrain: Mirror of Galadriel, Trees Amon Hen Minifigs: Lurtz - Armored, Uruk-hai x3 Equipment: Lurtz - Bow, quiver, Uruk-hai - swords, shields, armor Possible terrain: Amon Hen Throne *Grishnakh Attack: Simultaneously an Orc, Uruk and Hobbit armybuilder. Minifigs: Merry, Pippin, Grishnakh, Ugluk Equipment: Merry & Pippin - Elven Cloaks, Grishnakh - crude sword, Ugluk - Uruk Sword Possible terrain: Fangorn Trees Warg Battle: A Warg piece would surely be reusable in Hobbit sets. Minifigs: Sharku, Gamling, Legolas Equipment: Sharku - Crude sword, Warg, Gamling - Horse 2.0, shield, spear, Legolas - Elven Bow Possible terrain: Rocks, Grass. Ithilien Ambush Minifigs: Faramir, Ranger, Haradrim Archer, Haradrim Spearman Equipment: Bows, Quivers, Spear Possible terrain: Trees, Rocks Osgiliath Siege Minifigs: Madril, Gondorian Warrior, Gothmog, Orc Warrior Equipment: Madril, Gondorian: Gladius and Gondor shield, Gothmog - spear, Orc - crude sword and Uruk shield Possible terrain: archway, rubble *Uruk Battering Ram: Fills in a missing element of the Battle of Helm's Deep. Minifigs: Lothlorien Elf Archer - Armored x2, Uruk-hai Berzerker, Uruk-hai Equipment: Bows, Uruk Swords, Uruk Shield Possible terrain: Battering Ram *Paths of the Dead: Even if it's not translucent, they have to be able to do ghostly-colored pieces - a sallow teal-white at the very least. Glow in the dark as an ideal. Minifigs: King of the Dead, Oathbreaker Horseman, Oathbreaker Spearman x2 Equipment: Ghostly Swords, Shields, Ghostly Horse Possible terrain: Throne *Guardians of the Citadel: Recreates a simple, crucial location with great armybuilding figures. Minifigs: Guard of the Fountain Court, Pippin - Armored, Gondorian Warrior, Denethor Equipment: Gladii, Spears Possible terrain: The White Tree

I guess there are two fundamentally different types of AFOLs, and I'm firmly in the minifigure camp. Licensed sets are the best sets, and sets are just vehicles to get more minifigures. Scenery exists to give minifigures somewhere to look cool. Lego is not going to be able to do justice to the massive LOTR castles like Minas Tirith - their Helm's Deep is a good build but still flawed. So I'm definitely most interested in scenes that give us new armor, weapons and characters - starting with the Last Alliance. Yes, please, that's exactly what we need - look at Lego's lame attempt at Weathertop, the only redeeming quality there is the Nazgul and Merry. And it's a terrible 60 dollar pricepoint. It's all about the price-to-minifigure ratio, and we're much better off with a 20 or 30 dollar Nazgul pack than a cheap, stunted tower that opens to reveal a ...weapon rack? Sigh. Since the fall will be ~6 Hobbit sets, I hope Summer 2013 will be LOTR once again and contain any of the following: Mumakil Battle Pack LEGO Easterlings and Haradrim would be dope. But to make a Black Gate set for the Easterlings would be either a waste of a castle-sized set, or some miniaturized door that didn't do it justice. So I suggest a pack that combines the two factions. Put it at a 30 or 40 dollar pricepoint, like the Helm's Wall or Orc Forge armybuilders of Wave 1. Minifigures: 2x Easterling, 2x Haradrim, 1x Haradrim Champion Set: Mumakil - Lego already has an elephant from the old Johnny Thunder line. However, this is really too small to represent the Mumakil, so a new, semi-molded, semi-brickbuilt model would be needed. Price: $30-$40 Last Alliance Battle Pack Minifigures: Elrond + some assortment of Isildur, Elendil, Gil-galad, or generic Noldor or Numenorean warriors. Set: Sauron (brickbuilt), rocks. Price: $20 Minas Tirith Showdown (From the Return of the King Extended Edition, if anyone still hasn't seen it) A large, brickbuilt Fellbeast is a great concept, since you can get nine of them to complete your Nazgul force. Including Shadowfax would be a blessing for cavalrybuilders, as it's a 2.0 horse in white. Pippin's Citadel armor would even contribute to the potential for multiple purchases. Minifigures: Gandalf the White, Pippin (Guard of the Citadel), The Witch-king (Armored) Set: Shadowfax, Fellbeast (brickbuilt), random archway or Minas Tirith house Price: $20-$50, depending on how huge and spectacular they make the Fellbeast. The Black Gate Now, this fortress does figure in two crucial encounters in the films, so if they were to make it, it should hit the Weathertop or Moria slot pricepoint. They'd have to scale it down a bit, but as long as it's several times the height of a minifigure, it could work. I just wouldn't want it with Easterlings - keep them in a more army-buildable set - but to recreate one of the best scenes from the Extended Edition. Minifigures: Aragorn (armored), The Mouth of Sauron, Gondorian Bannerman, Mordor Orc Sentinel Set: Brego, Mouth of Sauron's Steed, Gondorian Horse, The Black Gate Pricepoint: $60-$80 (on the high side if they chose to either include the troll's with their door-opener mechanisms, or the armored Olog-hai that Aragorn faces in the final battle. The Siege of Minas Tirith It would be an admirable effort if Lego went to the trouble of giving us a Minas Tirith 1st Circle wall section - but given that it curves, and would look dumb without the whole city behind it, I think it's better to abandon that dream. What we do know is that Lego loves making siege towers, since it's a simple, dynamic 'vehicle'. So we might as well exploit their penchant and get some great army building minifigres. Minifigures: Mordor Orc, Gothmog, Troll Driver, Gondorian Soldier, Guard of the Citadel Set: Orc Siege Tower, White City tower/parapet Pricepoint: $30-$40 Isengard Throne Room Lego flubbed up the 13 dollar pricepoint in Wave 1, giving us a 2.0 Horse and little else - Gandalf the Grey is cool but Frodo without sword or ring is quite underwhelming. They can rectify that in Wave 3. One gaping hole in Wave 1 was a lack of a Saruman minifigure, probably because they'll need a novel hair/beard combo to accommodate his long hair and beard. We could get an Isengard interior set with, at the very least, some cool spiky black pieces. Minifigures: Saruman, Grima, "Mordor" Orc (they're Isengard orcs to me, but Lego insists on calling them Mordor Orcs) Set: Throne, Palatir w/ stand, door if possible. Pricepoint: $13 As for the large 130 castle set, that's where I won't speculate as hard, because it's important for that slot to actually have a cool castle to sate the hardcore castle fans. Minas Tirith as a whole city is unworkable, but what about Denethor's citadel + the courtyard of the White Tree? They could also fully realize at least a good portion of Cirith Ungol at this pricepoint.

Since we're dreaming here, pulling out all the stops. DC Movies Christopher Nolan's Batman: Batman Begins: Scarecrow R'as al Ghul (Gotham takeover - one side normal face, backside gas mask) The Dark Knight: Harvey Dent Two-Face The Joker - Purple Suit The Joker - Waistcoat The Dark Knight Rises: Bane - Vest Bane - Longcoat Catwoman Selina Kyle Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin: Mr. Freeze (Arnold) Watchmen (Zack Snyder) Night Owl II Silk Spectre II Rorschach - Suit Rorschach - Hobo Prophet Dr. Manhattan - Blue Dr. Manhattan - Suit Ozymandias Comedian - Flamethrower Comedian - Bathrobe Marvel Movie Universe: Iron Man 1 Obadiah Stane Mark I Mark II Mark III Mark III (damaged) Iron Monger Tony Stark (suit and sunglasses) Iron Man 2 Whiplash Whiplash - Armored Air Assault Drone Navy Assault Drone Army Assault Drone Marine Assault Drone Justin Hammer Tony Stark - Grand Prix w/ suitcase Mark IV Mark V Mark VI War Machine Thor HEIMDALL (#1 wanted Marvel Movie Universe Figure) Thor (Helmeted Asgardian) Odin Loki - Longcoat Sif The Destroyer Frost Giant(s) Captain America Red Skull - Human Red Skull - Red Skull HYDRA Trooper Captain America - WWII Avengers Nick Fury Coulson w/ Gun Bruce Banner Black Widow - Captive Thanos Marvel - X-Men First Class Erik Lensherr - Argentina (Michael Fassbender) Erik Lensherr - X-Men Suit (Michael Fassbender) Erik Lensherr - Magneto (Michael Fassbender) Charles Xavier - X-Men Suit (James McAvoy) Beast - X-Men Suit (Nick Hoult) Mystique - X-Men Suit (Jennifer Lawrence) Mystique - Blue(Jennifer Lawrence) Sebastian Shaw - Helmeted Emma Frost Azazel Havoc - Power X-Men Suit Banshee - Winged X-Men Suit X-Men 1 Toad (Ray Park) Sabretooth Magneto (Ian McKellen) Charles Xavier - Wheelchair (Patrick Stewart) Wolverine - Canada X-Men 2 Lady Deathstrike William Stryker (Brian Cox) Wolverine - Suited Cyclops - Suited Jean Grey - Suited Nightcrawler X-Men 3 Rogue - Suited Iceman - Suited Dark Phoenix Kitty Pryde - Suited (Ellen Page) Juggernaut X-Men Origins: Wolverine Gambit DC - Batman: Arkham City Batman - damaged Azrael Catwoman Victor Fries Mr. Freeze Deadshot Calendar Man Harley Quinn Harley Quinn - Mourning Hush Joker - Sick Joker - Healed Zsasz Penguin Poison Ivy R'as al Ghul Riddler Hugo Strange Talia al Ghul Aaron Cash Joker Thug - Tin Soldier Armor Al Ghul Ninja Tyger Guard Batman Beyond Batman Red Robin Nightwing DC - The Dark Knight Returns Batman - Old Robin - Carrie Kelly There are probably more general Marvel/DC characters as well, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Home from college this weekend and Series 6 had hit town so the army building begins :) Cherrypicked 4 cases in Toys R Us and about the same amount's worth in the Natick Lego store. Bought out every single one of their Roman Legionnaires (There were only about 1 or 2 left per case so I probably wasn't first to the plate, but I made sure to leave absolutely none behind) and a dozen of the Braveheart warriors. A good start to the army, but I'll be keeping an eye out in case it hits my local walmart as well, can't get enough of those Romans.

Best line ever. Been waiting for this since December 2001. BUY EVERYTHING