Darth Caedus

Rey's Speeder FO Snowspeeder FO TIE x2 Poe's X-wing Kylo's Shuttle Falcon Transporter is gonna sit on the shelves the longest I think due to high price and low desirability compared to all the other sets, so I'll wait for October 1st to grab that and some Constractions.

Nope. Disney didn't pay 4 billion for one measly sequel trilogy and a couple spinoffs. Star Wars follows the same path as Marvel now: from one film a year, ramping up to two films a year, and three if they can sustain it down the road. Which they most certainly can. Star Wars has been in purgatory for a decade, and hasn't had a beloved movie since the goddamn Soviet Union. This doesn't stop with Episode IX. Episode X, XI, and XII are guarantees - the only question is how many spinoff films and tv shows and Netflix partnerships will fill the gap between IX and X.

+1 to fred67, a high-value trade that could not have gone smoother!

Kylo is of course not Vader status not in terms of actual place in the canon, but in terms of marketing, sure he is. He's plastered over every piece of TFA merch. As for Vader in small sets, all those examples don't count: Advent calendar is a gimmick version, 2009 is shortly before the SW line truly entered its 'modern' phase, and the classic Final Duel I and Vader Transformation are ancient history when lego still allowed major characters to be purchased for less than 10 bucks. (Nothing captures the dramatic shift in minifigure policy better than the 1999 Jedi Duel where you could score Quigon and Maul for 6 bucks to the 2015 Infiltrator where the only option for those figures is 90 dollars). As stated above, gimmick versions don't count - holiday Vader is cute but not acceptable for any kind of diorama, actual play, or insertion in another set. But I couldn't blame you for hunting down Kylo on bricklink or ebay. $120 is a lot to lay out for what is now clearly an inaccurate-to-the-movie design based off concept art. Honestly though, your best bet is to think the opposite way: just buy a Command Shuttle on release day, keep the Hux and Kylo and sell off the ship and other figures over the course of this holiday season as all the sets sell out, and you'll quite likely make most or all of your money back in the flurry of people rushing to get their hands on the new sets. This is the real bottom line. May 26 2017 is the Episode VIII release date, and that means we might only have ONE more TFA-heavy wave before it. Don't believe me? Watch: Sept 2015: TFA kits Jan 2016: mixed wave, a couple midrange TFA kits which will likely hit the many characters left out Spring/Summer 2016: likely half a dozen sets like summer 2015, probably a mix of mostly TFA with perhaps a Rebels s2 kit. Sept 2016: Rogue One wave. Jan 2017: Additional Rogue One sets along with other assorted small stuff, battlepacks, microfighters, etc. as we see in Jan 2016 Spring 2017: Episode VIII sets. And then if there's any other sets that year, they'll be more Episode VIII stuff. So, really not a ton of time to dwell on Episode VII. And the short turnaround guarantees zero remakes of any of these Sept 2015 sets, and low likelihood of major characters repacked into smaller kits - not enough time will have elapsed. Best case scenario I'd see a Finn/Kylo $80 kit, and maybe Hux, Phasma, and BB8 pop up in $30ish sets.

I've analyzed this extensively over the the 2016 thread, but this is exactly the wrong tack to take. Lego's days of constant remakes and rehashes are done - new movies and TV every year guarantee the majority of sets will be based on new material. Additionally, Lego has a very clear policy of never letting the biggest bad guys leak into smaller sets. Kylo Ren is Vader status and will be treated the same way - Vader is, at the cheapest, in an $80 set, I'd guesstimate a similar cutoff for Kylo. Finn will probably pop up cheaper down the road, but Phasma is less of a safe bet. But Microfighters? Don't count on it. Lego has indicated they have no desire to put in any kind of named villain in a Microfighter with the Series 3 TIE Prototype - it would have been the perfect time to release a cheap Inquisitor, but instead it is just a TIE Pilot. And that's a one-season villain from Rebels. Kylo is leagues above that in importance.

Updated! More Wants, a few things checked off.

This is an excellent point but a tricky proposition. In the "modern line" (2009ish onwards) Lego is heavily averse to playsets for SW and when they do make one it's always iconic scenes: Final Duel, Palpatine's Arrest, etc. One of the biggest bombs of all time was the Home One playset, remember. The issue with Dagobah is that I think it's one of the SW locations whose appeal has waned heavily over the years. I think it's perceived by a lot of younger fans as a more boring part of the story - it was definitely one of the crappiest levels in the Lego SW II game, and it hasn't had a real set since that Yoda's Hut with X-Wing a decade ago. There's also the issue of minifigures. A Dagobah set can only have Yoda, Luke, and R2. That limits it sizewise, since you can't have a huge set with so few figures, especially ones who have been available in many cheaper kits now. You can expand the figure count by putting in a ghost Obi-wan, but we don't know if Lego can mold that yet (they seem to be getting closer if Ninjago's translucent pieces are an indicator). You can also spice it up with a Vader, but the set now needs to be $80 because Vader has to be restricted to expensive sets. And what do you put in a set like that? Either another X-wing (yawn) that takes up the majority of the piececount, or just a Yoda's hut, terrain, and a likely lame attempt at a dragonsnake (the thing is never seen in full, so it has no iconic look).

I'm not worried about Bespin because we'll surely get another kit from Bespin in the next year or two, there's SO many locations there that you could make. Personally I'm hoping it turns out to be the rumored 500 dollar Feb set. Though I was mapping out some concepts for a 500 mega-playset with tons of figures and places that would also work great would be the Theed Palace (so many unmade Episode I figures), the Geonosian Arena or Jedi Temple (Jedi galore), or a huge Jabba's Palace or Mos Eisley Spaceport (more than enough characters to fill out a 500 dollar set in either location). Though Bespin would actually be a great battle pack - a door with a terminal, 1 Bespin Guard, 2 Ugnaughts, 1 classic Stormtrooper with heavy blaster damage/scoring (a long-needed figure and a perfect place to put it since a lot of Stormies get shot up there). Killer BP too - kids get cute Ugos and some dynamic characters, casual adults love Empire, AFOLs get all the Ugos they can devour, and Lego saves money by getting away with a battlepack with 2 shortleggers.

Early Clone Wars sets are kind of an anomaly, and for the most part there were more misses than hits. The overpriced V19, the Magnaguard Starfighter - there's a clear progression where it's obvious Lego picked up on the fact that these bigger ships/vehicles could never sell that well on their own with just the pilots that would have come with them in the canon, so we saw the beginning of the trend that now is the rule: sets packed with additional desirable characters not directly relevant to the vehicle. You never see big $50+ sets with 1 or 2 figures anymore. Bossk with Slave I, Kit Fisto with ARC-170, Watto with the 2015 Infiltrator, the list is huge. In fact, you can see that this is a definitive policy shift. The last non-UCS set to be $40 or more with 2 or fewer figures was the 2010 TIE Defender, now half a decade old. All mid-range and larger sets must have at least 3 figures, this has clearly become a rule for the Lego SW design team.

The blocky-in-context originals definitely shouldn't really be considered for this type of discussion, since it was an entirely different era of Lego and a very distinct aesthetic. However, I think most under-$20 kits from the entire course of the line don't merit inclusion either, since by and large they are just excuses to sell minifigures, not sets in themselves. Their goal is usually never to be stellar, just to keep Hasbro from litigating. The "worst Star Wars set" award has to go to, in my opinion, something that was large enough to be an actual set, and something where they sincerely attempted to make a certain vehicle or scene and failed abysmally, entirely through their own fault (not, for example, like the simmering Kylo Ren Shuttle debacle, where changes since the concept art seem to be the culprit, not Lego).

The new Vader is not worth buying on its own, the set also gets you the unique DSII Luke minifigure, and the Palpatine who is also unique to that set (unless you got the Dark Side book, but that's very hard to find for most people). Makes more sense just to get the set, it's a great set.

Lego Fett has the right end of the stick here. I'd make a small addendum to the maxim I stated beforehand - secondary tier villains or heroes have a chance of appearing in a smaller set only after they have appeared recently in a big-ticket item - then immediately will return to big-ticket status. This explains all the exceptions to the 'no cheap villains' rule: -Boba popped up in the $25 Skiff only after Boba fans were milked bigtime with the then-unprecedentedly-expensive $80 Slave I. And sure enough, the Skiff is now long gone and ultimate Boba is back in the $200 Slave I (jury is out as to whether an inferior Boba will appear in the Carbon Chamber). Boba is also a unique example because to many - or I'd daresay most - fans, he is not a villain like Vader or Dooku or whatever. Boba is the King of Cool, a badass, an antihero, a rogue so awesome that his villainous alignment is irrelevant (and to those who still deify the old EU, he's an out-and-out hero). -Grievous is indeed not the coolest villain out there, mostly popular for his gimmicks (four sabers, gravelly voice) - and I say that as a onetime fanatical Grievous worshipper. And again, he already had appeared in the bigger-ticket Grievous Starfighter from Clone Wars, so it's understandable that he'd get a brief appearance in the Wheel Bike. Grievous also is not a big enough villain to sell mega-sets on his own - he is strictly second tier. The upcoming $35 Constraction figure stands outside this metric since it's A. not a minifigure and B. Grievous is uniquely suited to this medium, being cooler than all the other Constractions combined. -Lego Fett is also very correct about the important distinction to draw with Palpatine. The Tri-Fighter was a $30 set (not exactly peanuts) AND more importantly, it's CHANCELLOR Palpatine, not the Sith version we all know and love. And it's also his dullest Senatorial costume in the entire Prequel Trilogy. I am very glad the figure exists, but it's definitely not the dynamic Palpatine that people are ready to shell out big bucks for - Palpatine's Arrest Palpatine or Final Duel Palpatine show the validity of the No Cheap Big Bads rule. -Even Maul follows this rule. Though ironically he was the first to ever violate it in the classic Jedi Duel kit, in the modern line he's a textbook case. We had the pricey 2011 Infiltrator, then the brief interlude of the robot-legs Maul at the cheaper pricepoint, and now we've firmly swung back to the expensive Maul with the $90 infiltrator and new definitive movie Maul version. Another interesting thing to note here - ironically, robo-Maul was one of the coolest aspects of the old EU... when we were in the pre-Clone-Wars era, the time of Visionaries Maul. That was one of the all-time most loved EU one-off tales and became many people's personal canon for the character. However, by the time Clone Wars got around to making robo-Maul, it wasn't that incredible - Maul mostly gets defeated and outwitted, only becoming truly cool in the Mandalore arc. Robo-Maul in Lego also unfortunately just looked kinda silly. Bringing it back to relate to the 2016 Lego Star Wars, I'd bet my bottom dollar we'll see this hold true for all TFA Big Bads. Best shot at Kylo would be a snow-planet showdown with Finn for a Final Duel-range pricepoint, and even that is something I remain hesitant to predict. Hux is too visually dull to appear again so soon, even if the character turns out to be a cool guy. Phasma is already becoming a fanart icon and a fan favorite, the "New Boba Fett" to many - I rate the likelihood of seeing her for cheap just about as low as Kylo. Snoke of course will be expensive too, if they even make him at all before Episode VIII. There are also not that many slots for TFA in 2016. Lego gets three waves: the big January one, of which we know there are just 2 TFA kits, the Spring wave, which will at most have half a dozen more, and the September wave, which has to be all Rogue One. This. The last ten years will be more of an oddity in the future history of Lego SW, where we saw bigger characters get released in small, affordable sets, simply because they'd been done and redone so much it didn't make sense to restrict them to big-ticket tier items anymore. Now that time is done, and we've entered the era of new movies, where they will always be NEW Big Bads and heroes every year, so Lego can stick more strictly to the profitable, business-conscious model of cheap armybuilder battlepacks, medium range sets with a smattering of named characters, and wallet-busters with the visually iconic characters everyone is lusting after.

So these racers are normal minifigures???

The fact that the Titantium Series version looks the same implies two different craft to me. If not, it's just a case of concept art gone wrong, which happens - look no further than the Hobbit line. The Yazneg White Warg debacle, the Beorn set of no basis in theatrical or extended editions, the statue-ring in the Dol Guldur battle and outdated Necromonkey, Azog missing his final armblade in the BOFA set, Witch-King resembling the FOTR Weathertop version rather than the AUJ or definitely the ghostly BOFA style. Though in that last case, a blessing in disguise since it allowed fans to recreate a much more iconic scene than the crappy Nazgul stuff in the Hobbit films by just getting all five of the Weathertop Twilight Nazgul (or going all out and getting nine, which is what I did since normal Ringwraiths are ironically more expensive).

That is what I'm picturing. Though $80-90 is what I'd guess - use the Final Duel and Palpatine's Arrest as an ideological model, since that seems to be what Lego has committed to heavily when it comes to saber showdown sets (gone are the days of Qui-gon vs Maul on a speeder bike, alas and alack). It's a good model too - Palpatine's Arrest, though a bit undercooked, was still a popular set, and the Final Duel has been received extremely well.

Rules are entirely different for Middle-earth since it's a theme comprised solely of army-builders and major characters. There are really no tertiary characters in the Jackson films - just meat for the grinder, protagonists, and supporting roles. I think our best hope for a cheaper Kylo would be a medium-to-large set based on this apparent snowy duel that the latest split-second teaser is hyping up.

You're making the right call. It's very possible Kylo won't even be in the January wave. And Hux is a non-dynamic villain which makes him unlikely for a second appearance anytime soon as well. The exception rather than the rule. Iron Man 3's marketing was a deliberate false flag op, Star Wars just has a lot of secrecy around it. Most of the sets all make sense to what we've gleaned from trailers and tidbits, the only question is the whole Kylo's shuttle wing articulation mystery. Everything else looks on-point.

It's a very very uncommon exception to the rule. And they're always fleeting. The blue AT-RT was a late Clone Wars item, the Microfighters have a shorter lifespan that the bigger sets - you cannot find either of them in most stores now. Han himself is also not a Jedi, which takes a lot away from his 'icon' status to kids - still a beloved character, but it's that lightsaber folks crave. No ten-dollar Lukes to be found on the shelves. Gotta drop 30 bucks on a Snowspeeder for your cheapest Luke right now, and that set is barely around anymore. It's the villains which really pretty much never break this rule in the modern line - Maul, Dooku, Palpatine, Vader - all relegated to big ticket stuff. Sure, EVENTUALLY we'll probably see this trend crack - I could see Vader pop up in a $25 or lower set in the next half-decade, perhaps. But as far as the new movies go, you can be sure it will hold true. No way we see a Kylo or Phasma for 10 bucks at any point in the next several years. I doubt even Hux, the least visually exciting of the Big Bads, would slip into a small kit for some time yet. Unless a miracle happens and Disney helps Lego strongarm Hasbro out of the exclusive action figure license. Because that's the ultimate apotheosis of Star Wars Lego - a world where Lego is free to produce entire CMF series devoted to Star Wars. An entire CMF for the Cantina. An entire CMF for Jabba's palace. An entire CMF for the dang Attack of the Clones bar, it'd all fly, fly, fly off the shelves. Until then we make do with battlepacks, mid-tier starfighters, and big sets packed with exclusive characters. Such is the order of things. What I DO wonder is if Kylo Ren will appear in either of the 2 January TFA kits (Takodana or the Pirate ship). Pirate ship seems unlikely, figuring it'll be Maz there and retinue. Takodana remains a total wildcard.

hahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sorry. But this is never going to happen. Big iconic characters, especially villains, never, ever, get released in tiny sets, not in the modern line (last time Vader was in a cheap set was what, 2005?). Heck, the Inquisitor is a one-off, single-season villain - and they still didn't put him in his own Microfighter ship, even though almost everyone, kids and AFOLs alike, who needed the TIE Prototype probably has one by now, or will by Christmas. Kylo Ren, the mascot character for the new Star Wars movie? I'd be surprised if he pops up in anything less than $60 for the next few years at least. Better just bite the bullet and grab the Command Shuttle - you get Hux too, who seems to be a pretty important character. I would have preferred blue too at the Mustafar Green Starfighter style pricepoint (forty bucks for Tion Medon, Cody, G9). But let's face it guys - Obi's red fighter has tons of screentime in the big opening setpiece, and has not had a version in over a decade. It's high time we got one, especially since it's never had a set devoted solely to the fighter alone. Plus, it just means blue is next up in the roster for Lego to do, and the Jan 2016 wave is proof they still can't let go of those Jeedai starfighters (though I continue to fervently pray we'll one day soon see a black Vader starfighter as described in the Tarkin and Lords of the Sith novels).

Lego Natick is out of the Custom Jedi Starfighter IIRC, so I'd try one of the others. Always call first to check the stock.

More updates to inventory. Really would like to fill these holes in Star Wars and LOTR folks!

Grabbed half a dozen Gargoyles, 5 each of the Fly and Zombie, and 1-2 of all the rest (except the useless Witch). Still a fun series even if it's still the worst on record outside of the Shimpshons, can't wait for Series 15.

Ah, but remember - none of what you predict is going to happen. We will not have remakes of Episode VII sets because Lego will be far, far too busy doing sets for the other things not yet covered in Episode VII, and new sets for Rogue One, the Han Solo, Episode VIII, Episode IX, and all future spinoffs and Episodes which we know based on how Disney runs Marvel will within half a decade start to head towards the 2 films per year model. The last ten years from 2005-2015 have of course been a high time for remakes galore since there has been no new material outside of Clone Wars from which to produce new kits. This is no longer the case - and never will be again. The second great dark times of Star Wars is finally over, and the galaxy marches on.

The P2P ratio on these is a touch higher than normal, though nothing particularly shocking. It's the surge of large sets that has people reeling, but they're forgetting one critical factor: this is not just a Force Awakens wave, this is also the first Star Wars new movie wave in over a decade and the Holiday 2015 wave. Not only are many parents - the vast bulk of the customer base - going to be more willing to shell out for sets based on the fabled and ultra-hyped Episode VII, it's holiday time, and it makes no sense to release small, compact, cheap sets when people are looking to buy big Christmas gifts to put under the tree. It's an extremely wise business move from Lego to hold off on the cheap sets until next year (January brings small sets galore as we've heard, this is pretty typical of the Lego release cycle), and they can afford to push the envelope a bit more this year in particular because it's freakin' Episode VII. Your kid wants the hottest, coolest, newest Star Wars toys? Your cheapest option is going to be a little speeder (albeit still an awesome one) for 20 bucks, and the next tier up is the still-cool-but-least-exciting Snowspeeder for twice that. If a kid wants BB8, Finn, Poe, Kylo, old Han, Phasma, etc., it's going to have to be one of the bigger gifts - or biggest gift - under the tree. And I can't blame Lego at all for making it this way, especially since nobody in their right mind will be wasting Star Wars spending money on the turds that Hasbro is pushing out for Force Awakens. Their Force Awakens heroes and villains have the exact same articulation as the figures released in 1977 - it's some kind of sad, sick joke. I collected Hasbro 3.75" for years from childhood to adulthood but when they abandoned any semblance of articulation and opted to produce $10 Happy Meal Toys, all the money I would be spending there is freed up for SW Lego. If we weren't getting battlepacks in January, I'd be a little perturbed, but by all accounts we are, and a few more mid-range TFA kits besides. Which, with any luck, will mop up the missed major characters from the first wave (droids, Luke, Leia, Maz Kanata, perhaps Snoke).

I can believe it *maybe* for some of the retail stores like Walmart or Target, but I highly doubt this will be the case for Toys R Us, and you can bet your bottom dollar you're still going to be able to find all the rest of the 2015 kits at Lego stores. There's only 7 new sets coming in, that's hardly enough to push out all old merch.