Galaxy Explorer

I think this new Hoth set will be a great companion to the latest Echo Base. Combining the two will give you a great cast of characters, a snowspeeder, trenches, TWO Tauntauns, and the base itself! While this all sounds great, I believe LEGO is giving us this as an appetizer for something later next year that rhymes with AT-AT. As for the winter wave, I am excited for the A-Wing, Rancor Pit and ATOC Battle pack- just not an EU fan, which is fine, since it will save me some cash. Besides, 2012 was a great year for OT fans, so I'm pretty satisfied.

TRU usually has "Buy one, get one 50%" or "Buy two, get one free" so basically you're saving around 25% either way. When you check out, always give them two similarly priced sets first so you get the proper discount. They should know to do that- It's not right paying $150 for Helm's Deep and getting Gandalff Arrives for eight bucks when you're also buying a Jabba's Palace.

Today I was at the LEGO store at Water Tower Place, and select sets were 20% off. I saw the Y-wing, Hoth Base, and the Podracers from Star Wars, Red Cargo Train, Police Station and Police Truck from CITY, Kingdom Joust and Mini-modulars from Exclusives, and series 8 minifigs and Star wars Avent Calendar were 50% off. I picked up a Joust set for $96, plus an extra 10% on a scratch off card and got the free holiday set and two pick-a-brick boxes- not as good as last years Emerald Night for 30% off, but I'm not complaining. Happy shopping!

I was there last night hoping there would be unadvertised sales like last year, but there was nothing. And 40% off of a TRU mark up isn't really a big savings. I guess I got spoiled from last year- they even had the new CITY 2012 sets. In general, this year's Black Friday sales were underwhelming. Either I've become too greedy or retailers have become too stingy.

I was at Water Tower Place last weekend and they had just about every current set for sale- Haunted House, B-Wing, Winter Cottage, you name it. This is a good time to get everything you want- holiday shopping down there can be a pain! And don't forget double VIP points all month.

All of these sets look very good! My dilemma is the fact that if I buy into this new wave, I will have every fire station produced since 1979 (excluding Town Jr.) At what point do I say enough is enough and enjoy what I have. CITY is by far my favorite theme, and I look forward to every new wave year round, and usually end up purchasing most of the sets. My storage space is limited, however, and the boxes are stacking up. I think this is one of the stronger Fire themed offerings. I really like that there are actual things on fire! It's cute that LEGO made sure the house was abandoned and boarded up before burning it down- had I been in charge there would be a family being rescued. The Fire Station looks like an updated version of the 1994 Station, which is a good thing. It's nice to see a full building and three vehicles in one set! A Police theme three years in a row does seem frustrating, but at least they are all variations on the theme itself (City, Forest, Night Patrol) You can add on without too much repetition, although I'm fully prepared for a new Police Station next year.

Sorry, I was at that store a week before you posted this, but I don't remember seeing them. I go out there about once a month so I'll be sure to look for new things!

I think the Jedinews article is saying there will be a Jango Fett ornament based on the film, not a LEGO representation. It clearly states the Yoda ornament is LEGO based. Plus, looking at the last few years of Winter releases for Star Wars, the top-off price is usually $60-$70. The Rancor pit clearly occupies that slot and there is no way you could convince me a Slave 1 from Episode II would be $60 or less, considering at the least there will be Jango minifig along with a young Boba. Don't get me wrong- I would LOVE a blast of Episode II sets and an $80 or $90 pimped out minifig loaded Jango Fett's Slave 1 would make a great summer release!

I think the best way to do a Geonosian Arena would be a DTC style set, like the Dropship, Joust, or Diagon Alley. 10-12 Minifigs and a decent main structure. The second part could be the pillars and beasts. With the current selection of moulded animals in the Star Wars line I believe the arena beasts would also be molded, therefore making this set rather expensive. However, I think if done properly it could be a fantastic set. Imagine getting this in March 2013 and then a new Republic Gunship in the summer wave! Now with the 30th anniversary of ROTJ next year I hope it gets a big flagship set. Specifically, I would like to see a new Imperial Shuttle. Although a Tyderium with rebels on board would be nice (great opportunity for a Prune Face Minifig) I would rather have one with an Imperial cast of characters: a great opportunity for a Jerjerrod minifig and most importantly, an Imperial Dignitary!

Wow! I remember reading that article and gawking at the pictures of all the incredibly detailed models that were built. Specifically a picture of an airport with jets taxiing around comes to mind. I was amazed how detailed everything was to the point where I had trouble believing it was actually real LEGO. I think that specific issue must have come out around 1978 or 1979. My best friend in elementary school got that magazine and had that issue at his house. World was a great magazine- I loved the back cover with the nine close-up photos of objects that you had to guess what they were.

I voted for red since it seems like the most common- I remember the first few Classic Space sets I got all had red minifigures. When I finally started getting the white ones I held them in higher regard and were usually the ones in command. They, however were demoted once the black figures showed up- I thought the black ones were really cool. For some reason I always associate the yellow ones with driving. I guess because their first appearance were in vehicles. I regarded the blue ones as Commanders since they were pretty rare, although I have quite a few these days. But yes, red is the color that jumps in my mind when I think of Classic Space Minifigures. And the colors I see when I think of Classic Space in general are blue and grey!

Wow! What a great MOC of my absolute favorite starship of all time! I think the 1701-A is the most realistic Star Trek ship they have done. While I like all versions of the Enterprise, some of the more recent ones seem a little far-fetched in their capabilities (I've always had a hard time swallowing the Holodeck concept) Thank you for giving us so many great "movie" angles- I swear I heard Jerry Goldsmith's Enterprise theme playing. Your shuttlebay is great- none of the official model kits had one. Using line to support the nacelles is a great idea. I've tried building the A many years ago and the biggest roadblock was always the pylons. Just wondering- Do you have any plans to do the lettering on the hull? I don't know if I would do it in bricks as it might come out a little blocky. Plus I really like the font they use on starfleet vessels during the film series. It's called Star Fleet Bold Extended. Yes, "Get a life" Trekkie here! Again, beautiful job and I agree a Klingon Bird of Prey or Cruiser would look fantastic trying to get in a lucky shot!

Thank you for the great review! This is my most anticipated set of the year-I am a huge Classic Town fan and this set reminds me of Metro Park & Service Tower from 1989(USA) The car wash, lift, gas pumps and nice assortment of vehicles all updated and scaled up nicely for a modern CITY layout! Although I'm not sure if I would have included a security booth rather than a little shop or ticket booth near the entrance, I suppose kids will like having an officer on duty. I'm not opposed to the structure being too tall as I have tall skyscrapers in my layout, but yes, it will dwarf the TRU set! I'm really happy with the newer CITY sets and how nice they all look together and this one is no exception. Waiting impatiently for a US release!

Thank you for the nice review! This set looks really good and is a great example of why you shouldn't judge preliminary pictures! I really had my doubts at first but now I look forward to getting it. I like your comparison shot with the 2000 original which was my first LEGO Star Wars "let down." The new version is much more in scale and actually has functions unlike 7104 which is very static- the plank doesn't even move! The Minifig selection is pretty decent although in a perfect world I would have loved to see Weequay included as he was one of my favorite Kenner figures back in 1983. I missed the last Slave I so this will be my first pimped out Boba Fett, although I have the Cloud City version. I'm glad the Sarlacc has been improved- I like how the figures actually fit in its beak. All in all, this is one of my must-haves for the year!

Very nice review! I am a proud owner of both versions as well. I'm glad they used the same color scheme as the 1985 version. The only thing I can never seem to get used to is the double wheels on the front of the truck. I'm pretty sure they exist but it just looks odd to me. No big deal, though, and I love having this vehicle in my layout!

I love it!! X-1 Patrol Craft was my very first Classic Space set, and the first set I could put together without using the instructions. Is the front "laser cannon" piece the only original part carried over to your mini version?

What a great idea! As I am a Pop Music enthusiast I should have thought of this years ago! The Depeche Mode one is great but the Gorillaz cover is outstanding! I think if any actual band members saw these they would be really pleased- I know I would! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for such a great review! I too was amazed at the number of baseplates included in the Classic Airport sets. Could you imagine the cost of a CITY Airport with five baseplates? I bought this set back in 1993 shortly before it was retired. I had initially held back as I already owned the previous set (6392 Airport) However the new arched panels and tropical setting appealed to me as I was getting into Paradisa at the time. I loved how this set along with 6376 Breezeway Cafe brought palm trees into the Town theme. Thanks again- I hope you get an Airport Shuttle to go with your Jetport. They look great together- you won't regret it!

How can anyone say most of the sets released in the 90's were God-awful? That is Classic Pirate and Monorail territory! I could easily pick out 100 sets released in that decade that I would LOVE to own. While I realize the late 90's saw a massive amount of juniorization, we still had Adventurers and Star Wars to carry us through.

Thank you EVERYONE for these great new photos! I am liking the Parking Garage more every time I see it. The vertical support beam- new part? I've not seen it before but I don't collect all themes. I love all the signage even though they are stickers. I'll be interested to see how this set will look on it's own (baseplates or lack thereof, streetlight and or other scenery) I assume the petrol pump will stand free of the actual garage on a smaller base. I wonder if the security booth would look better on the first level by the entry gate- That way he could double as a cashier. Plus that would open up a couple extra parking spaces! All in all, this one is quickly becoming my "must have" of 2012. Jabba the Hutt and Helm's Deep beware!

I must say I am really pleased with CITY 2012 so far. While I was a little skeptical about yet another wave of Police and Fire, they are intended as add-ons rather than replacements, which is a great idea. I've had the Forest Police Station since Black Friday but I have no space in my current layout to accommodate it. The Robber's Hideout and Fire Plane are "must haves" as well. I have enjoyed collecting the "Great Vehicles" line- all of those sets are winners in my opinion. I'm generally pleased with the Mining theme since it's a new direction for CITY and won't be replacing anything in my layout. Although I was really hoping for a huge $100 Hospital, I'm sure the official one will be fine. I'll wait for really good pictures before judging too much. Now I am just blown away about the Parking Garage! This is the one I'm really looking forward to. Metro Park & Service Tower is one of my favorite Town sets of all, and it looks like this new set has the potential to become a classic. So my only problem is going to be fitting all these new sets onto my already filled up layout!

This evening I went downtown to the LEGO Store to look around and maybe get a few small things. On the sale shelf was a Death Star for 30% off due to a beat up box! I couldn't pass up a deal like that and since I'll be putting it together I'm not all that concerned about the condition of the box.

That looks great! Black Falcon's Fortress was my first Castle set ever, and still one of my favorites. Your MOC reminds me of the great photographs in the old product catalogs.

Very interesting to see those outlines of the starfighters. The UCS Death Star also had outlines of the B-wing, A-wing and TIE Interceptor on the box back in 2005.

Last night's episode of South Park had Stan celebrating his tenth birthday. Butters gave him a LEGO set. Specifically the 4x4 w/Horse Trailer! I thought that was some pretty good detail for a cartoon! Stan liked the gift, too. Butters was also seen playing with LEGO in the episode "You Got F***ed In The A**" I believe Matt and Trey have a love for the little bricks!