vexorian

The plumes and the helmets from BF and the preliminary pic of Series 4 don't look that similar... I don't think it can be proven that it is the same mold beyond thinking that both bricks represent the same thing. The plumes in the link actually have a whole different shape so I don't really know if the BF link was updated or something. I then hope BF and BA stop producing new items if they will cry idea theft whenever TLG makes something similar, seeing as to how they keep making whatever they hear being requested among fans, I would not like LEGO getting blamed for stealing ideas from BF whenever they decide to make a item that is very requested by fans. Hoplite helmets were around far earlier than BF and BA. Plus seeing how BF and BA get ideas from LEGO fans and LEGO does as well, this is in no way shocking. What's probably very shocking would be BF and BA thinking that they came up with ideas that have been around for ages among fans, publicly stating their interest on such items everywhere...

For Example? But it wouldn't really be significant (or crossing a line) unless LEGO started selling copies of the custom. Ideas are silly, silly things and not anyone's property. Playmobil does not own the idea of making an Egyptian theme. A custom does not own the idea of a gun. In regards to inventions, you do not care about the idea but more about the how it was executed. This is the reason software patents are a ridiculous concept. Megabloks in this case is not using LEGO's idea, but an actual exact copy of a brick design that was in the past patented by LEGO. But the patent expired and this is complete fair play. In fact, the intention of the patent system is to encourage inventors to sharing their ideas, first giving them a monopoly over them but then, when the patent expires, allowing everyone else to use the patented thing.

DLuders: HALO is indeed fantasy sci-fi military which is something that Star wars and other themes have had for long. The reason TLG will never do HALO is different, HALO is a game for kids older than 13, and that's a no no for LEGO. -- Aren't technic bricks a little overrated? I mean the ones that are greater than 1x2 , TLG is still using 1x1 and 1x2 stud-technic bricks, we also now have the 1x2 cross stud technic brick as well. I think that using the 1x1 and 1x2 wherever an axis needs to be put yields the same result as larger bricks, or even better because then your MoC won't have holes everywhere... IP is such a vague term that brings this sort of confusion. THat's the reason we need to specifically talk about : copyright, trademarks, and patents. In LEGO's case, they have held patents on old brick designs. Including the original LEGO brick, then subsequent things like the technic brick, the gears and stuff. While these patents are active, it is illegal for companies to use bricks that are exactly the same as those patented in those countries. I think that TLG has new patents on many of the new elements, at least I remember seeing talk about some of them. Thus while megabloks are now able to use the system bricks and many pieces released a long time ago like the technic brick, they are probably still unable to use things like the cheese slopes. Likewise, megabloks and KNEX, for example hold patents on many of their elements, which sucks because some of megabloks' bricks are very useful. Patents are not supposed to be about ideas, but about how they are implemented, and as such patents include the "how". Megabloks making a horse minifig may be seen as they "stealing the idea" from LEGO, but that's the same as thinking that LEGO making centaur minifigs would be a steal of custom maker's ideas. That's ridiculous, in the world of patents, it is not stealing unless the actual shape and the way it functions is copied. And that was true, megabloks would have been illegal years ago while the patents lasted. Because it is TLG's invention. They owned the patent for the first interlocking brick, and then they added patents of their own. (To the interlocking bricks, they changed the size to have nice proportions and also added slope elements, that's the LEGO system, and interlocking + slope bricks was a great innovation over other building toys). Copyright, I think would refer more to set designs, this is something that makes bootlegs completely illegal because they reuse designs (instruction booklets) that are copyrighted to LEGO. Trademark applies to names and logos and things that identify a salesman, I think the ruling was fair. Else goodyear would be able to ban competitors from making wheels, and things like that. Megabloks were not using the brick as an advertisement or tried to steal LEGO's identity (at least I don't think they did?) This is a LEGO fan site, not a construction toy site.

I just wanted to say that I think the 3.0 heroes and villains are already more of a mature product than slizers, or around the 3 first years of bionicle for that matter.

I think it is not the main CGI pic but one showing details. Else the Alien would be inside the UFO.

I see things that have been in use by LEGO for years. So much time that maybe whatever IP LEGO could have had on that had probably expired already. Competition is a great thing. But let us avoid using a name like competition to describe the selling of a clone product with 10% the quality at 50% the price.

Interiors are useless for display, but I really have to wonder why the human sets are more likely to have small UFOs than the mother ship set... After inspecting the HQ, it has really grown up on me. If the final version has transparent yellow windshields and cockpits, I might get it.

fbtb comments and high res pics of them. Optimus looks very cool, but no, they don't transform, and I don't like the minifigs either (it does not even make sense that they are there...). http://www.fbtb.net/2011/02/16/kre-o-and-the-elephant-in-the-room/ It is a LEGO clone, by clone we do not mean bootleg, but it is a product that mimics what LEGO have been selling for years and even use the same brick sizes, and even rod sizes touting compatibility. At least two people in this thread have seen Hasbro bricks before and we agreed they were megabloks quality. Unless they surprisingly did something to their plastic, then it is safe to assume that they had sticked to megabloks quality, specially seeing the prices. fbtb also confirmed that the blocks in the new sets have that sort of look... It would be suicidal for Lucas Arts to stop giving LEGO their license unless Hasbro bricks somehow manage to magically capture most of LEGO's marketshare (and I mean worldwide) as opposed to just making GI-Joe / Transformers sets that little to nobody has heard of. Until then, Lucas Arts giving the SW construction license to anyone other than LEGO might even cause lawsuits from stockholders. In fact, it seems like Hasbro are not interested in that and are just doing these sets because they noticed that there is a demand for them and they do not feel like every licensing any other toy brand with them. I've seen no evidence of that. I think the clone brands alone already do a great job scaring licenses away from them. Take Disney as an example. -- Anyway... Lower quality bricks don't complete a collection, it makes it worse.

LEGO is about creativity. New waves should bring new designs and concepts and not a immense amount of new molds. That's something I didn't like with Bionicle, a lot of redundant weapon and armor molds. Adding molds for the sake of molds is not improving the line.

Maybe they are the Alien defense force but every single agent is an Alien defense unit. Each alien defense unit has the gun barrels and armor to make it and doesn't afraid of anything.

Maybe they just liked unit more. It is too bad the smallest impulse doesn't have an Alien gun, it would have been great for army building, oh well. The agents' gun is awesome though, it will be perfect as well for making new sci-fi weaponry (my new-found hobby).

uh. It seems that the designs underwent a seasonal rot from the 2010 waves. These ones are really more playmobil-like and less impressive. Too bad the 2010 ones really did not arrive to this town (that I know of) was planning to try getting some of them because they were interesting. These ones really are not.

Although I like the mothership, the price and lack of figs makes me think that getting 2xabduction and 2xtripods will give you much more value than 1xmommyship, 1xabduction and 1xtripod for 10.0 less dollars! Or I may get the jet copter set instead, the merging foo fighters are just a great feature. It is like all those vintage UFO reports in which the lights merge into one or split into two. It is sad that in order to get the really cool aliens - The cyborg and the emperor you would need to buy the most expensive sets.

Video of the mechanism: It is clever, and cool. -- The mothership's bottom: --- The emperor: Almost makes the mothership worth the price, almost. --- ADU Agent: That's a nice gun.

New speeder (Ewok's attack): I like it that it is very different from previous versions, it also seems closer to the real kind than ever. Too bad the rest of the set is a... tree and two ewoks, would have loved this speeder in a scout trooper battle pack (Maybe in the 30-th anniversary for return of the Jedi...) Dathomir Speeder: That's ...just silly, although I guess we can blame CW for the silly idea. Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator: I really see no reason to have Padme and the naboo general in it, other than justifying a higher price, I guess. The star fighter looks ok, albeit generic. 7962: This is awesome, Zebulba's podrace looks just great and realistic. Zebulba does not look like a fairy, we get the strange two-legs alien, and Anakin's pod race is fine. Republic Frigate: Looks like it will be a large, expensive model with little to show for, except for maybe Joda, but there are going to be much better chances to get him... Millennium Falcon: It is so great there is a Millenium Falcon with great minifigs, albeit I would have prefered C3PO and R2D2 instead of Vader, to complete the whole MF crew, but Vader is not half bad. This is one of those sets that anyone will be able to recognize, so it is going to be great for display. And it looks like it will also be fun to build. However, I can only imagine that the price will make it an unrealizable dream for me. In fact, the largest SW sets don't even arrive to my retailer, so I don't think it will even be available. First thing I would buy if I win the lottery.

shift+F5 or ctrol+F5

I found the tank from 7261. No, nothing else, no minifigs, no box, no instructions, no speeder, just the tank. At ~51.0 USD I really liked the sight, but I'd like to know if you guys would go for it, because well, the price is not that low and lack of figs makes me sad.

Link to the image : http://i.toynewsi.com/g/albums/2011_Toy_Fair/LEGO//IMG_2106.jpg I think it is just hotlinking protection or something. That mechanism is clever. I for one, was not expecting nano technology or anything fancy. And I think TLG stopped doing magnets too long ago (not to mention that this way, it should work with any minifig without adaption, or at least behead the fig, whatever works best.) I also think that there may be some rotation mechanism involved.

I found a hair-less Joker and an explorien droid in the local, giantic flee market, they weren't as inexpensive as I usually get the minifigs in there, but they are still a nice buy (Joker for 3 dollars is ok, even hairless, and I can get the hair).

This beast: http://popculturenetwork.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20110213082407683 whatever it is called, it looks so nice!, my only qualm are those black armor pieces on top of the silver torso, but otherwise I think this one really beats most of Bionicle's beasts, specially if we consider only the ones that came post 2003. Edit: Oh, and his red headed buddy: http://popculturenetwork.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=2011021308235536 . that's just great as well, I specially love the exo-force arms. These guys give me a Zoids vibe. I never liked the actual Zoids show, but I loved the designs of the mechs.

Wow, does anyone else get UFO/insectoid vibes from the aliens' torsos? Edit: In fact, I really think the aliens are intentionally a UFO remake/homage. The first think I thought of when looking at ( http://popculturenetwork.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20110213084835520 ) was this: ( http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6900-1 ) It seems the mommy ship has more functions that meets the eye. I think the only human set I am going to get is the one with the buggy and the small ship. The buggy is fine and has some cool pieces, but the small ship is very cute and reminds me of the smallish ships of old. The copter is cool, but I will pass, I just don't think I will have enough money so I'll prioritize on the aliens' sets.

Still a clone brand. Fame in the making of other toys does not make this endeavor less of a clone product. I've seen Hasbro bricks before, I think I still have them if I didn't give them away among all the other clones I had in Christmas (not sure when I got the Hasbro bricks specifically). They seemed better than the worst megabloks years and slightly lower quality than the best megabloks years. The yellow one in the OP looks good design-wise, the optimus prime in a post bellow looks kind of silly. I have honestly never seen hasbro brick sets in a retail store, all I ever found was the used bricks mixed in few of the used LEGO bulks I buy weekly.

Are the bags in that set numbered? If not, then maybe there was a whole missing bag. Where did you get the set from? I heard many stories about retailer employees vandalizing sets like that.

I think it would be possible to have a light up torso that moves light to the minifig head. I also think the Alien's heads are large enough to house a light and battery (I am thinking of the Piraka light eyes, which are not much larger than the Alien's heads). But I see no hint that the aliens have such feature. We have seen the boxes, and I am sure that the boxes would tout that feature as the ultimate good thing if that was true.

It is precisely because I love LEGO that I complain about prices when I find them high. Every cent spent on a set is a cent you won't get to spend in other new sets, vintage sets from the internet, loose minifigs or used bricks. And some of us buy 2 or 3 of the same set due to the need for bricks, which triples the exceeding cost. And we are AFOLs, some with partners that will ask you for justification for that ninja set you bought being really worth 120. Of course, we could just not buy it, and that's what at least I am going to do (although I live on a place that receives many of the disposed sets that are returned to stores for ridiculous reasons, so I may find the temple at a reasonable cost, albeit opened, so maybe I will get it). Well, to be honest I was not even planning to get it anyway seeing how NinjaGo is not my priority this year (Alien conquest, Hero factory, Creator, Atlantis, Collectable figs, too much goodness) . But 120 USD sets a bad precedent. That's the cost of UCS licensed sets and is very close to the AFOL buildings. I also think that most kids are unable to get things above the 100.0 from their parents. So, you would have to wonder who in his sane mind will buy it for that price. And if nobody buys it, then that's a harm to LEGO, and we don't want to see it happen. I also have to put into question your claim that most of the posts are focusing on the price. Perhaps most of the posts that appear after the price tag was found. But otherwise, I think most of the posts talk about the most recently found information.