AFOLguy1970

I will give it a greater than 50% chance. The good news is that it should be fairly easy to mod it into a normal TIE as long as the cockpit globe is reasonable.

The odd thing about Rebels to me is that apart from the stormdroopers, the other minifigs seem compatible with non-Rebels sets. I can especially imagine some of the alien species in a Cantina scene. Lego does not seem to limit the army building potential in Star Wars, they simply decide which minifigs they want to present as army builders. Like LN-01354 indicated, there is really a void of common type troops, especially the classic stormtrooper, sandtrooper that appeared in the movies. I hear mentions of an Endor Battle Pack, but the problem is that it is discontinued. Whether I missed the boat by ten years or one year, I still missed it It would be far easier for me to build an army of Death Star gunners or Royal Guards than it would be to get the stormies. The OT stormie will command a high price on Bricklink because ISD and Slave I are the only way to get them. My hope is that the summer 2015 wave will have at least one inexpensive way to get them before the new movie comes out. Once that happens, likely OT sets will be few and far between. You nailed it. If the Rebels stormtrooper was the only version they ever made, even I would be OK with it. It is the knowledge that there is something better and more movie accurate out there that kills it for me.

What about the people (kids and adults alike) who are either just now getting old enough to appreciate Star Wars or who have recently come out of a dark age? I am scrambling to save money to get the Millennium Falcon, and maybe a Sandcrawler or a Death Star before they get discontinued. They are among the most iconic vehicles/scenes in the movies. Don't get me wrong, I am all for new things. Apart from the Rebels stormdroopers, many of the sets look good. Yet, it would be great to have a version of classic X-wing, MF, TIE fighter, etc. available for purchase currently or in the not too far future. If Lego went down the road of not redoing a ship or scene because it has already been done, I would have no chance of getting a classic vehicle or scene at a reasonable price. Eventually, the OT sets would be things like Aunt Beru's kitchen, BoShek's starship, a snaggletooth battle pack, space slug, and a UCS Yavin IV temple/ceremony room.

If Lego could do #3, all will be forgiven.

Haha! Look, matey, I know a dead parrot (Lego LOTR line) when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

It might have something to do with the good quality photos and availability of instructions for each set. Many people base their decisions on whether or not to buy a set based on the photos and possibly the instructions. So already, they likely have a favorable opinion of the set, otherwise why purchase it? On some of the polls, if I do not like the set based on appearance or some other information, there is a tendency not to give it a rating. Of course, there have been some exceptions. I did not purchase the Santa Workshop set, but gave it an "average" rating based on the review and photos.

I hear you regarding play features. However, there is one exception that might be fascinating: a printing press. Imagine if you had a production line that actually moved product in its various stages. An old fashioned newspaper building might be interesting. It seems like there was supposed to be some announcement today, and apparently the FB "reveal" of Slave I was it.

I am going to save some money on this wave. The Tusken on T16 looks good. That and maybe the Shadowtrooper battle pack will do it for me, although I may get the TIE prototype in case I have to MOC my own classic TIE fighter if Lego releases no more in the OT version.

I saw that as well concerning the alley and the pool table in the "bar". This makes me think that the building(s) could go deeper back from the street than the typical set. FB, TH, PR, and PS all had space on the back side. Maybe this one will extend all of the way to the back to allow for space for the bar as well as the detective office. Perhaps the building across the alley will be the crime scene. Having an alley would mean that the buildings would have to be less than 16 studs wide from the street side. That certainly would not allow much room for an interior unless you did extend to the back. The pool table will likely be about the same size as the ping pong table in the FB. Besides that, you would need room for the "bar" itself. Funny thing is that I was actually in the process of designing my own pool table for a vignette and later on down the road as something to use in a building. Cannot wait to see how it compares. Would love it if they used a round printed black 1x1 tile for the 8 ball, but that might be too much trouble. Someone also suggested the alley could be covered, but I am skeptical, because that would make the alley inaccessible and hard to view, although that would allow the buildings to be joined at the second floor. Another thing I might expect is the deterioration effect by mixing the masonry brick pieces (maybe in a new color?) in with the smooth wall kind of like they did with the PC. Speculation is fun, but I hope it will be soon to see where they are going with this.

I agree that the Grand Emporium was the right choice, and it looks like you caught it just in time. Even if it ultimately does not end up being your favorite, you will probably come to find out that you would have regretted not buying it while still available at regular price. It is a nice building with lots of windows, a fun billboard, a chandelier, and other pleasant details.

I am surprised the official Lego store actually let them go early, even though Toys R US and some other places offer them. Did you pay regular retail price, or did the 5th avenue store charge more like Rockefeller Center does?

That project would definitely qualify as a SHIP. My heart says first class, but my wallet says steerage.

My 7 old year will soon be happy to see that he will have this for December, but it is going to be a lonnnnnnnnnngg two months. Maybe, we should just hide it until December when the package gets here.

Kicked off double VIP points month with a City Advent Calendar and a Star Wars Advent Calendar for the boys. I also bought $5.10 worth of Pick-a-Brick to get the total just above $75 to trigger the free shipping. If I only got the two calendars, I would actually have paid more! Now, it is time to wait a couple of weeks, and then get the Lonely Mountain.

For some reason, really bright colors to not seem to associate with the image in my head of a detective agency. In the modular world, it seems like there has been a good effort to provide a variety of colors among the models. We have things like sand green (GG), Dark Red and Sand Blue (PS), olive green (PR), dark orange (TH), tan and green (GE), grey and dark red (FB), tan and dark red (PC). I would naturally assume the new one will not be one of the above color schemes. Nougat would be great, and I would not mind the mild yellow color either. With October a day away, perhaps we are getting close to the video reveal we are all waiting for.

The Tusken is now the figure I am most looking forward to in this wave. A molded head should not be too bad. It worked well for the Bith musicians and Greedo. The T-16 looks interesting enough to get one. Having a special molded womprat would be nice, but it would not be a dealbreaker not to have one. Besides, did they ever actually show a womprat in the films?

It is not that I want to see Lego fail. Even though I cannot stand the Rebels stormtrooper, that does not mean I want Lego to lose money off of it. If kids like it, then great. What frustrates me as a huge fan of OT is that there is a better version of stormtrooper out there that for some reason Lego refuses to produce in a set less than $130. Now, we get a new wave, some having Rebels stormies, but not one OT type to be found. It is doubtful Lego would produce an OT stormtrooper BP alongside the ITT because it would be too redundant for them. The appearance of a rebel stormie battlepack pretty much says to fans of the OT that we can forget the hope of having the OT version in a battlepack. That is probably what causes a lot of the frustration. We get cheap imperial red guards, Death Star gunners, have different ways to get imperial officers, but it is impossible to get the most iconic and numerous faction of the Imperial force: the stormtrooper. The stormtrooper is as recognizable a symbol of Star Wars as Darth Vader. When I see Halloween costumes, Darth Vader and the stormies are always available. Judging by the posts, the demand on Bricklink, and the universal recognition of these guys in the movies, they are apparently highly sought after. It would be just as cheap for Lego to make an OT stormie as a rebel one. Why wont they do it? If the only version of stormtrooper Lego ever made was the frownie in Ghost, I might be a little more interested in getting ITT, because in my mind that is as good as it gets. But knowing that every version of this guy produced by Lego is more movie accurate than the frownie, it is simply impossible to think of it as acceptable. I would have bought about 3 or 4 battlepacks if it had been OT, but will instead have to settle for the two I got in the ISD.

That got me thinking. I am actually amazed Lego did not take the opportunity to build the multilevel rollable siege tower the orcs use in the assault on Minas Tirith. It could have a collapsing feature and a door that opens it reaches the wall of the white city. Steps would lead up from the bottom, and perhaps it could be pushed by a troll. I am fairly certain that kids would love this and it would be appreciated by those of us who are a little older. Imagine the siege tower and a section of the wall with Gondor soldiers and a functioning catapult.

Excellent review, but mediocre set. Of the four in the wave, this is my last priority. Totally agree that the main reason someone would buy this is for the minifigs. Even among the minifigs, there are only two or three that stand out to me. Dain is the obvious star of the show. He looks good, but it is a shame that the plume is not removable. If Dain is the only one in the movie with a red plumeor mohawk, then that just made the army builder potential for Iron Hill Dwarves a difficult challenge. A setup using that helmet would be an expensive proposition on Bricklink since it only exists in this set. Thorin looks good with the crown, although I still wish he would have come in the Lonely Mountain set and give up his slot here for the sake of an Iron Hill dwarf. (Yeah, I know, the ship has sailed) Likewise, I wish Bard in this outfit would have been allocated to Lake Town and given his slot to a generic or other named Lake Town citizen. Azog is OK, but the difference is small enough from the Dol Guldur set that I could live without having both versions. Yes, I know he and Thorin will factor big in BOFA, then again Smaug factors big in Lake Town, but where is he in that set? I was hoping for Bolg, but in the back of my mind, kind of knew they would rehash Azog. The two orcs were expected, so no surprises. Legolas is the elephant in the room, as I would have to imagine that Thranduils role in BOFA is crucial, much more than his son. A generic elf soldier would have been met with equal satisfaction as Thranduil. Of course, PJ could have significantly altered the story where Legolas somehow saves the day and Lego knows something that we do not. Maybe he pulls out one arrow so sharp that it shoots through Bolg, Azog, the Necromancer, the Witch King, and Smaug in one shot. </sarcasm> Giving the set a 10/10 based on minifigs is generous IMO with this particular lineup. The ruins are average, not particularly good, but not particularly bad either. Some of the parts could be useful for other projects. With the likelihood that Dain, Thorin, and Bard will likely fetch a decent price on Bricklink, I might decide to buy one set for a few extra parts, but will not make up my mind until the other three are acquired. Again, great review!

I would agree that there is no need to have the thread at the top. Another thread covers the dream set ideas nicely. Other than that, there is really not much to talk about. It is far more common for a business to announce that they are initiating or continuing a product than they are discontinuing one. Yes, the line seems very incomplete, but I take heart in the fact that some people have created some good molds and prints for some of the key minifigs we are lacking. If there is a demand, then someone will fill it.

Brickshow really did a good review on the Lonely Mountain. They echo the thoughts of many that the set seems significantly overpriced, even when you throw in the Smaug factor. Despite the price, I will pick up one, because I could not imagine "The Hobbit" without the dragon, and Bricklinking a Smaug assembly will likely be very costly. I am hoping the hinges on the door with the key can easily be reversed, it is should open to the inside. There are lots of sand green and pearl gold pieces, so MOC or MOD potential looks good.

You might want to check out the 2015 pictures and rumor thread. There is a very spirited debate about the Rebels vs OT stormies and which sets will be getting which version. I have a definite opinion about each version, but have already stated such in the other thread with several others. About that, I will say no more.

Interesting perspectives on the Cantina. I certainly would not think of it as an overall army builder set. The dewback and sandtrooper for sure would be in demand, and I think there are many who would want to get more Bith musicians to expand the band. That then leaves you with Luke, Han, Obi Wan, and Greedo. I can see there being demand for Greedo, since he is not in any other active set. The mains, especially Han, are fairly common. Back to the ISD, while the price does not say "army builder", the minifigs certainly are ideal for it. Who would not want a horde of stormtroopers, navy officers, crew members, and imperial officers? The extra Darth Vaders would be fairly easy to sell. It is just a shame that we cannot have an OT battle pack with common grunts like stormtroopers, naval officers, snowtroopers, sandtroopers, etc. I especially do not understand why TLG is deliberately trying to avoid selling stormtroopers in the cheaper sets. The battle packs are mainly about CW or PT. While Death Star Troopers was nice, who really needs a horde of red imperial guards and Death Star gunners? OK, maybe if I had a Palpatine and/or a Death Star, they would suddenly become more useful. The minifig lineup in ISD is definitely the best one I have seen so far in my opinion, followed by the Cantina.

Indeed they are ugly, but that is the whole point. Orcs are supposed to be ugly. Ugly, yes, but appropriate in this setting.

I wholeheartedly agree. The feature of the modulars that has drawn me in the most is the outward appearance of a building from an earlier style of architecture. Of course, there have been some nice details on the interior, and I like the way that each modular "tells a story". However, it is certainly the style of architecture that carries the building. Many people have already demonstrated how easy it is to convert the business to something else. Take the Pet Shop for example, it is rather easy to take down the white and blue bricks that spell out "PETS" and the interior can quickly be altered to show no evidence of it being a Pet Shop. Lego could probably sell me a sewing machine store as long as the building itself is attractive.