RumPunchDrunk

According to Wikipedia, there's an episode of Ultimate Spider-Man in which So Spidey, Nova, DD, and Nick Fury (and maybe Iron Fist) in one set, Spidey, Venom, Beetle, and JJJ in another.

I would add the 2009 Pirates to the list as well. Somebody in an older EB forum stated TLG's new policy is perennial themes like City, Castle (well, when not preempted by licenses like LOTR), and Ninjago supplemented by single-wave themes -- 6-8 sets and we're out. It makes sense. If you're a KFOL and a particular theme doesn't grab you, just wait a few months and a new one will be on shelves. It's good news to me since it means Lego will cycling faster as they reboot old themes (Pirates, Adventurers, Dino) and add news ones (Alien Conquest). I think we'll see another Pirates line and another Jake Raines "Quest" within a few years.

A vampire's castle-slash-haunted house has long been on my wish list for TLG, either as part of a Castle line or some kind of licensed theme. And here we are! These photos are clearly preliminary. If you look at the corner of 9462, the mummy chariot, you can see the CMF mummy wielding a sword with the words "The Cursed --" The bottom word is covered by the watermark. The Cursed what? Horseman? Driver? It doesn't say anything about a "mummy." The CMF mummy is just a stand-in. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual figure ends up as a pumpkin-headed Headless Horseman type of monster. Overall I absolutely love the Hammer Horror vibe, with the '60s hot-rod vehicles. I think we can look forward to some shagadelic monster fighter minifigs.

Thanks for the very thorough review. With the cancellation of Disney's Lone Ranger movie, I doubt we'll see any Wild West sets for a long time, in which case I wish Lego would do another round of the Legends. I missed them the first time and I particularly would like to see the Western or Islanders sets again, if only for the canoes.

I was in WDW a few months ago and it struck me how perfect a Haunted Mansion Lego set would be. You could even make several sets: a big one of the facade and a few smaller sets depicting some of the interior scenes: the dining room, the graveyard, etc. I've seen some great MOCs online of the Mansion.

The good news is that with the Disney licensing agreement, historic-luvin' AFOLs can expect both pirates and western sets in the next couple of years. The bad news is that they'll be fleshies rather than the homegrown varieties we know and love. I know it's controversial in the pirate forums whether LEGO will or won't produce Pirates of the Caribbean sets but I can't see why they wouldn't in light of the Disney deal. Recall that at the same time when Depp announced he would return for POTC 4, he also said he would be playing Tonto in a Disney adaptation of The Lone Ranger. If LEGO made sets for a comparatively unknown property like Prince of Persia, they're sure as heck going to make sets for such well-established franchises as POTC and Lone Ranger, especially since many of the molds (tricorns and cowboy hats, flintlocks and revolvers, ships and horses) are already made. My belief is that in 2011 we'll see POTC sets (probably like Indiana Jones, with a mix of sets from the first 3 films plus some from the new one), in 2012 we'll see John Carter of Mars sets, and in 2012 or 2013 we'll see Lone Ranger sets.

Re: 8079: Homeboy is clearly an alligator snapping turtle that had one too many Red Bulls. For me the claws cinch it; snappers have enormous claws for digging. Also note the turtle on the key its carrying.

Then it appears that Powers's literary agent is confirming what some of us suspected: the movie will be an adaptation of the book with Sparrow filling in for the Jack Shandy character. In which case the villains will be Blackbeard, English sorcerors, loa (West African/voodoo spirits), and zombies. No skeletons; that was just for the cover art of the 1st edition paperback. It's a perfect match since the book clearly influenced the movies as much as the ride did. Even the Monkey Island creator said he was more inspired by "On Stranger Tides" than POTC the ride. If they stick close to the book, then it should be a great movie. And I'm hopeful for LEGO tie-in sets. I can't imagine with the licensing agreement that LEGO would sit back and allow Disney to give the merchandising to a competitor. I'm sure there are some exclusion clauses in the contract. Meanwhile, my advice: If you're a pirates fan and haven't read the book, beg, borrow, or steal it.

I'm with Klaus-Dieter. My evidence is the Pirate Advent Calendar. Last year's Castle Calendar contained minifigs from old sets but also two figs -- the wench and the jester -- that were included in sets released in the new year. In other words, they were previews. There was also the witch, which to my knowledge was unique to the Calendar. Compare that with the Pirates Calendar. All of the minifigs are from previously released sets (mostly Shipwreck Hideout). There doesn't seem to be any new characters or pieces; even the clamshell and sawfish are from much older sets. That suggests to me that LEGO hadn't determined or finalized the 2010 Pirates minifigs by the time they put the Advent Calendar together -- which says the new Pirates are still far off. My impression is that the new Pirates line was really just to commemorate the 20th anniversary and LEGO adopted a wait-and-see approach toward sales before moving forward on further waves. The fact that they're soliciting ideas means there will be another wave but I don't think we'll see it until April at the earliest. It's a shame. I'm ready to lay cash on the countertop for new Pirates. Assuming there *are* ruins in the Atlantis sets, then I may be spending my Xmas money on them instead.

As both an AFOL and a parent of two boys ages 7 and 4, what I'd like to see is: 1. More sets within the US$10-25 range. The big sets are great for birthdays and Christmases but my boys often use gift cards or gift money on the smaller sets. They also receive smaller sets as rewards for special events: teeth pulled at the dentist, a good report card, etc. 2. No stickers! Applying them can be frustrating for both father and son. 3. Two words: Ghost. Pirates. One of my sons' favorite sets is the Castle set 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack, particularly the skeleton captain with the gray beard and bicorne hat. TLG may be aware that Fisher-Price's Imaginext pirate line featured a pack of two skeleton figures, which sold so well that it spawned an entire line of skeleton pirates. Mega Bloks and Playmobil have them too. If LEGO were to make Pirate-themed sets like 7029 (a ghost ship, maybe a ghost island), I guarantee my boys would be on them like white on rice. 4. Jungle islands of all sizes with ruins and traps, like 6278 Enchanted Island or 6270 Forbidden Island. 6253 Shipwreck Hideout is one of my favorite sets because of the many action features. 5. A lighthouse. For pirates, imperials, or even -- heh -- ghost pirates. There's been watch towers and crow's nests but never a lighthouse. 6. Louisiana or bayou-inspired sets (maybe even as a modular New Orleans-style port town): gaslit docks, swamp shacks on stilts, voodoo witch doctors, alligators, and so on. I've tried this with my own MOCs but I'm terrible; I'd like to see LEGO's take on it. 7. More Spanish features and details, specifically breastplates and morions to make conquistador skeletons like the one in 7196 Chauchilla Cemetery Battle. Armada fans could use them on the regular imperial figures to make Spanish armies. 8. New heads for the imperials and torsos for the pirates, yes, but variety could be enhanced by adding brown/black minifigs to the mix (historically it's been estimated that pirate crews were often 25 percent non-European). This is something I'd like to see across the LEGO spectrum.