drdavewatford

Any sightings of this poly anywhere outside Scandinavia yet ? A very kind Bricksetter in Sweden sent me a couple of these, and it's a really neat little set. I expect it to turn up in a UK newspaper promotion eventually, and probably in Target or somesuch down the line, but for now it doesn't seem to have spread elsewhere. Nice for Scandinavia to get these first for once - enjoy, guys ! D. PS. Almost forgot - nice review ! I was impressed that the photo of the bag seems without reflections - I find this almost impossible to do, with or without use of a flash.

Late to the party, but I just wanted to commend you on the outstanding review - love the focus on the packaging as well as the contents, and the humour in your review. I picked this set up a couple of days ago and agree it's beautifully bolted together - the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. Cheers, D.

Congratulations, mb_bricks ! An excellent concept, with I think an excellent chance of passing the review hurdle. It also shows that the AFOL community can make things happen if they put their minds to it - Eurobricks, Brickset and other sites can take a big share of the credit for the 10,000 votes. I can't wait to see what LEGO will do with this.... D.

Thanks for the superb review, Rufus - much appreciated ! Having picked up R2 at AFOLCON last week I'm now looking forward to building him even more than I was before.... Any thoughts on how easy it'd be to invisibly motorise the model ? [EDIT : Just seen your reply above - "not very" would appear to be the answer to my question !] Cheers, Dr. D.

I'm not going to add to the criticism in this discussion thread - I actually like this Battle Pack a lot. Four different figures in the box, all of which look great as far as I'm concerned, plus a speeder and a tree with a gun emplacement. I was struggling to drum up much enthusiasm for the 2012 Star Wars sets, but having now seen the 2 new Battle Packs I'm starting to warm up a bit.....

Many thanks for the review. I love the presence of 2 factions in one box - how it should be IMHO, since this is a 'Battle Pack' after all. The cannon is worth having, and the minifigs are excellent. I don't mind paying a bit more if I feel I'm getting more in return, and this hits the spot - interesting content and excellent quality.

Yep - It's only going to be out a few days earlier than expected, so no big deal. Nice looking set, though - I've even gone and bought the Kingdoms Castle set in readiness.... D.

OK - I'm sold on this new theme ! Many thanks for the excellent review and photographs. Now I just have to wait for these sets to get to the UK.... Dr. D.

Sweet - excellent job ! I'd love to have a whole bunch of different droids at this scale; any plans to design a few more....?! Dr. D.

Go on then - cut off your nose to spite your face and never buy cut-price LEGO from Amazon again because the postal service didn't handle the package carefully.....ridiculous ! Either that or just ring them up and they'll replace it free of charge.... If you're in the UK and really want to complain then Argos and Boots are far more deserving targets - my last few consignments from those sellers were posted in poly bags and without any other protctection at all. In the end, whether it's LEGO shop@home, Amazon or whoever, and however well it's packaged, you're at the mercy of the postal service or courier. I agree it's infuriating when your precious cargo arrives damaged, but I've never been refused a replacement when that's happened. Dr. D.

Thanks, Rufus - a typically informative, detailed and beautifully presented review. I'm undecided about the primary design; the undersized wheels bring to mind a budget 70's convertible, and the whole thing has an unflattering dumpy look about it. I kind of wish that the racing car had been the primary model - even with the design and colour compromises it looks nicer to my eye than the convertible, so they could have done a really nice job on it had it been the primary focus of the set.... Another nice Creator set overall, however - it's a quality theme, and there are some more excellent sets coming in 2012 by the look of it. Dr. D.

That's excellent - well done ! Superb attention to detail. I think if it were mine I'd look to maybe extend it upwards and downwards a bit, and then spend some time trying to get a photograph which captures the mood of the original scene, basically via manipulation of the lighting. But the design itself is great ! D.

Can there be any other set in LEGO history with more play features than Set 10188 Death Star ? Possibly the best LEGO set ever, and it'll hold it's value at the very least if you ever decided to sell it.... Certainly gets my vote. Dr. D.

Thanks for sharing your interesting building technique - I'll have to give it a try ! D.

You're right - this'll be a Jan 2012 release. I got to see the set today at the Brickish Association Exhibition. Jamie Berard didn't design it but was attending the exhibition and did the grand reveal this morning. Lovely set ! There are a few photos of the set and some details about the build on my Gimme LEGO blog if you want to know more. I will certainly be getting this set...... D.

Cheers, Rufus - an excellent review, and superb crisp photographs. Just a pity that it was wasted on such an utterly pointless set..... It's bad enough when LEGO remake recent sets, but when the remake is almost indistinguishable from it's predecessor you have to wonder if the well of creative ideas is running dry. Prospective buyers would surely be better off buying a copy of the UCS version (Set 10026) from eBay - all that lovely chrome.... Still, I guess at least the minifig collectors will be happy. D.

I don't have a decent solution, but add me to the list of people who found the need to keep pressing the button a total pain..... presumably it's for safety reasons, or to stop the battery from being used up within 5 minutes, but it still makes the addition of a light brick completely pointless IMHO. And it adds additional expense.... D.

There's special software available to design these mosaics. Some of you may be aware of the huge SW mosaic which was a collaboration between publisher DK and LEGO built in the East End of London earlier this year. It beat the world record for the largest LEGO mosaic ever built, and you can see a time-lapse video of its construction below : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_pKPpqS9nI D.

In a word, no. TLG already tried the 'Legends' thing and it didn't pay, so I see no reason for them to make the same mistake twice. D.

These have been on sale in the UK for a while - I picked up the Stormie at a LEGO brand store 1-2 months ago, and Vader and Yoda versions were also available. There is also a Buzz Lightyear Mega Fig clock - I recently bought it from The Hut at 57% off RRP.... D.

Man, I LOVE your minis ! Both of these are beautifully designed and look superb. Keep 'em coming ! I remember Kyle Katarn from the old PC game Dark Forces years and years back; glad to know he's still around ! Dr. D.

As soon as you open the box the resale value falls. It would therefore be crazy to open it up just to check what kind of grey you have. Unless of course you plan to build it, in which case go ahead, and enjoy the set - it's spectacular ! Dr. D.

LOL ! You old misery, Pete ! For us mere mortals without the time, inclination (and skill ?) to MOC like you can this is a neat model. Although I certainly agree that it's overpriced.... Dr. D.

Just checked LEGO shop@home, and the SSD is showing as available in the UK and USA ! Enjoy ! Dr. D.

LEGO themselves use the image of the red 2 x 4 brick (3001) for promotional purposes, and recently failed in their attempt to copyright the image of the red 2 x 4 brick if I remember rightly. Dr. D.