Blondie-Wan

I'm seriously hoping - jonesing, one might say - for both more Indy adventures, and more Indy LEGO sets. I do think that if / when the franchise continues on screen, the theme will be revived; it's just a question of whether and when the series continues. In keeping with revivals of themes for returning franchises, do note it's now known there will be a Toy Story 4. LEGO and Disney are pretty tight these days, and LEGO already has molds for most of the major characters; should we just assume this theme will come back? Did it do well enough that LEGO would want to bring it back if there was sufficient new media support (i.e., obviously not a new short or TV special, but a major motion picture)? I for one would certainly think and hope so... I don't think this is the case with this particular license, for at least a couple reasons. First of all, it's the fact it happened as an Ideas project that meant there'd be only one set at first, and they could always look at that and see how it did to see if it was worth expanding upon (as with Minecraft), rather than just assuming from the outset it would or would not launch a whole theme. Secondly, while Ideas projects that get accepted are subject to redesigning to make them work as sets, they don't alter the fundamental, core concepts of those projects, and the four characters were all essential, core elements of the initial proposal. The idea of the Ectomobile and minifigures of Spengler, Stantz, Venkman and Zeddemore - all four characters together along with the car - is what people voted for, and if LEGO just arbitrarily took two of them out, they'd be changing the core concept of the set from the one people voted for. They won't do that.

I might be the only one who'd be fine with (and indeed, find entirely appropriate) a whole calendar themed around The Star Wars Holiday Special. Not that I expect it to ever happen... Things (well, minifigures, mainly) I'd really, really love to see in an Advent Calendar (principally because I want them, and find it unlikely we'll get most of them in sets otherwise): Beru Lars C-3PO (chromed, with current print design) Biggs Darklighter (Academy Cadet outfit from deleted scenes) Zuckuss 4-LOM Jaxxon ... and/or the requisite "army builder" types: Cloud City Security Guard Jawa Imperial officer Mon Calamari Rebel officer / technician

So I've gone ahead and done Day 1 for both calendars (2012 & 2014), and of course both first-day builds are blue & gray vehicles we were introduced to in Episode I (and yes, I know the AAT wasn't that color in that movie, but still). A little more same-day diversity would be nice, but then I imagine LEGO's calendars can't take into account fans who do multiple years' calendars together (and there are surely other fans who actually prefer such superficially similar, complementary builds together). Anyway, we're off!

Thanks for the review, and extra special thanks to everyone involved in providing the interview, especially Tara and WhiteFang themselves. As usual this is another knockout series, and once again I plan to get at least one of each figure. Unfortunately I just can't get as many of each as I'd like, and ever since I accidentally wound up getting just one of the Series 8 minifigure I wanted more of than any other character from the series (combined with just trying to allocate more of my money to other themes and sets), I haven't gotten nearly as many minifigures from the last few series as I have from the first six or seven. But somehow I've managed to get at least one of each from all the numbered series (save for Series 10's Mr. Gold), and I plan to continue with these. I'd really love to find these a little early, as there are a couple minifigures in this series I'd like to put in my fiancée's Christmas stocking.

Moe himself might happen, even if his bar doesn't. Given the fact the TLG is not only doing The Simpsons at all but also The Big Bang Theory, it's kind of hard to be sure exactly where the brand fit line is drawn these days. There are still things we can of course be sure they'll never do, but I'm not sure Moe is on that list.

Looking sweet!

They make sets based on male heroes all the time, and though most of the licensed properties they do are male-heavy, they certainly include female heroes. Now there'll be a movie with a central female heroine in a megafranchise they're already doing; I don't see any good reason for them to make a big point of avoiding doing sets for that one.

What makes you think so?

Yes, I have mine for this year, as well as an unopened second copy of the 2012 one; I plan to enjoy both of them over next month. I never did get a copy of the 2013 one, alas, but I have two apiece of both the previous years' ones, as well as the single copy of this year's.

Well... wow. The trailer is tantalizing, as expected, but I still find myself an eesny bit apprehensive about the new movie. But at the same time, there's no movie I know of coming out in the next year that I'm more jonesing to see. Seeing my beloved Millennium Falcon with that rectangular antenna just feels wrong, somehow, even though I'm well aware there's a good reason for it. Hopefully I'll grow to love it in this configuration, but it's tough to imagine that even if this new trilogy is brilliant it'll ever hold as much meaning to me as the original. Ah, well. If nothing else, it pretty much guarantees new iterations of the Falcon from LEGO, though I'm sure I'll always be more interested in OT ones. Leaving aside the point that the UCS one could also be considered "System" (but I do get what you mean), not really, no. The second Falcon with minifigures was 4504, released in 2004 and around a couple years, and it had already been gone a little while when the mighty UCS set 10179 was announced and then released in 2007. That set's last production run was in late 2009, and stock remained in the channel until around mid-2010. The next minifigure-bearing Falcon after that was 7965, released in 2011 and still available now. With the Microfighter version, the midi-scale, various minis and whatnot, there have been times when there's been more than one available at once, but 10179 was never out with another, at least with minifigures.

That's just fantastic. I've just gone and become your 151st supporter. Best of luck!

Yeah, I saw the list at TheBrickFan. I actually am interested in those The LEGO Movie sets, and some of the other things. I dearly wish I were in a position to order something big, but I can't spend that much this year. I'll definitely get something, though. Mainly, though, I was wondering whether the brick-and-mortar stores were doing anything S@H isn't, such as those scratch-offs from past years. I'm trying to decide whether to run out to my closest store this Friday morning or just place an order online.

Alternately, they could do one or more sets at different scales, with minifigures of Ant-Man but no one else, instead incorporating larger-than-usual "prop"-type items, perhaps somewhat like some of the Toy Story sets. They could even do a mix of such sets, with some with a minifigure representing Ant-Man at "full size," interacting with other minifigure characters, others featuring him "shrunken", and having no other characters but larger-scale objects, and still others having him shrunken but also having other characters, depicting them with minifigures and him with a microfigure or statuette piece. That said, since Ant-Man is the second of two MCU movies next year and the first is Avengers: Age of Ultron, I could easily see them forgoing it altogether to instead allocate their efforts entirely to the higher-profile film, as they previously eschewed doing sets specifically for either Thor: The Dark World or Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But I suspect one way or another, the character of Ant-Man will eventually be represented in an official set, even if we have to wait until Avengers: Infinity War sets to get him.

Hey, all. Does anyone here know if the brick-and-mortar LEGO Brand Stores are doing anything special tomorrow, above and beyond the sales and promos available at Shop at Home? I know in the past they've offered random discounts on entire purchases, via scratch-off cards that reveal discounts after a purchase total is rung up, but I don't know if that's the case this time around, or if there's anything else I need to go for (I'd always love to go to the LEGO Store anyway, but I'd also like to have more time to do stuff with family).

Hey, no reason he can't be . __________________________ As always, I want them all, but some more than others, and some in greater quantities than others. My fiancée and I both are always fond of the people in costumes, and she's also something of a foodie and also just fond of silliness, so she's really looking forward to the Hot Dog Guy, while I as a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic am really jonesing for the Unicorn Girl. And speaking of jonesing, I'm also a huge fan of Indy, and I'm going to want to army-build the Snake Charmer just for the cobra alone (and the rest of the figure will do nicely in my LEGO cities). But again, really, I just want them all.

I don't think that's really the case, though, particularly given the line includes all sorts of purely fantasy characters. If they're included for kids to play and dream with, there certainly ought to be no limitations saying "sorry, boys can fantasize about being monsters and aliens, but girls don't even get to hold regular real-life jobs." These toys can be aspirational. Why not?

Good to hear she's a she; where'd you find that out? I personally disagree that barely over a third are "more than enough." Half of all people are female; why shouldn't half of minifigures? That said, six is still an improvement over past series, so that's something...

Oh, man, just saw LEGO post them on Facebook - these are great! I'm still trying to get as many as I want of Series 12, and now I want all these plus lots of multiples. Agreed about certain figures' resemblances to Ming the Merciless and Burger King (which frankly just increases the appeal of both, for me). LOVE the fossil print on the Paleontologist's 1x1 round tile fossil. Looking forward to seeing the Fencer's face.

10194 - Emerald Night x2 10219 - Maersk Train x2 ... plus some of the licensed ones: 7597 - Western Train Chase (Toy Story) x3 4855 - Spider-Man's Train Rescue (Spider-Man) x1 4841 - Hogwarts Express (Harry Potter) x1 Do mine carts count? If so: 7599 - The Temple of Doom (Indiana Jones) x4

Too cartoonish for what?

That should be this part, initially used for moving minifigures around in Studios and Xtreme Stunts sets in 2002 and used in a few sets a year most years since then.

I was just coming to post about this set myself. It's quite lovely, and a nice new area for Ideas sets to get into - this is the first one that doesn't represent a vehicle, a pop culture license, or scientific exploration and research. Don't get me wrong - I dearly love all those things, and most of my favorite LEGO sets ever fall into at least one of those three categories (and I also have more than half the CUUSOO / Ideas sets already released), but this clearly establishes that other sorts of Ideas projects are also welcome, and can become official sets. I will try to get this one myself, though not being tied to a massively successful pop culture license, it might prove to be one of those Ideas releases that goes very quickly, never to return. I hope I'm able to get it in time.

Man, it's always tough keeping up with all the news and discussion around here - too many sets and themes! I'd seen something here earlier about a minidoll-based Elves theme, but today's the first time I've gotten to really go through the discussion and all. I must say, I'm looking forward to this, even if my wallet isn't. It depends upon the item, and how specific the design is to a licensed work. Some elements created for licensed themes (Elizabeth Swann's hair, Indiana Jones's fedora, whip and bag, lightsaber hilts and blades, Harry Potter's hair, Hermione's hair, Dastan's hair, Thor's hammer, etc.) have indeed been reused in themes other than the ones for which they were created; some even appear in the other themes prior to the licensed use they were clearly designed for (Princess Leia's Ewok village hairstyle, for example). Other pieces, however, are forever tied to the themes they're created for (Star Wars alien and protocol droid heads, various helmets, and bigfig aliens and creatures; Indiana Jones Chachapoyan fertility idol and Mola Ram's headdress; Marvel's Hulk bigfig, Loki's helmet, etc.). With the various hair / headgear elements created for The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings, it probably depends upon how elaborate the hairstyle is. Some of those braided dwarf beards and such are almost certainly tied to the license. But I'd bet some of the simpler hairstyles (like long straight hair with elf ears) are probably okay, at least in new colors.

Professor Frink! Huzzah! The theme can end after this, now that the greatest character ever from the show is being done. :D And yes, I certainly have to assume Patty and Selma would be done together in the same series. Or in a City set - oh, wait, silly me, what was I thinking? There aren't that many civilian businesses in LEGO City! Well, maybe there'll be a Slurpee machine in the next police station, as sort of a kid-friendly analogue to a ... That X-Wing - and indeed, the one before it, from a decade earlier - did indeed feature new cockpit canopy elements designed specifically for them (though the newer set's one is essentially a revised version of the one from the older set). The first one has indeed never been used again, but the new one was reused in trans-yellow in Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!!! from The LEGO Movie.

Different strokes and all that, I guess. To me, the Simpsons minifigures (minus the heads, of course) fit in with other "city"-type minifigures remarkably well. I honestly don't see how Nelson's torso and legs are any more or less cartoonish than typical ones from some other, "regular" minifigure, and frankly I could just as easily see someone complaining that the regular ones are more cartoonish (than the Simpsons ones) as I can see you complaining the opposite; both viewpoints are pretty much equally incomprehensible to me. But YMMV, of course.