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Some quick observations: The time twins are DEFINITELY different ages. One has red eyebrows and a smartphone with earbuds, the other has grey eyebrows and an hourglass. The new Samurai X's face reminds me of Ekimu's Mask of Creation, lol. Lots of great stickers in the Dragon's Forge, including one of Kai's lion spirit and Nya's phoenix spirit on the chimney. The chimney's core rotates to reveal an alternate sticker with Nya's symbol, but I don't know if it has other stickers on the other sides.

Nice that the new Zane's full torso and legs are Silver Metallic. On the original Titanium Zane those parts were all Medium Stone Grey (with Silver Metallic head, hood, arms, and shoulderpads to balance them out), but here that would look a little jarring since his head and hood would be the only remaining Silver Metallic parts. It seems like the new Nya will have more or less the same color scheme except with Dark Azur instead of White and Titanium Metallic instead of Silver Metallic. The new prints for the back of Zane's torso and head are quite nice (the back of his head echoes the similar print for Echo Zane this year). The alternate face with PXL interface on the heads-up display is no longer there, but by now the old titanium head has been in enough sets that it shouldn't be a problem to interchange the heads if you want to use that face. Hopefully in the future there will continue to be allusions to Pixal in the sets (like the sticker in the Titanium Ninja Tumbler set) so it doesn't feel like she's been forgotten in the physical toys. Zane's new asymmetrical smirk isn't an expression I'm used to seeing on him in the show, but it still feels very authentic. While that is true, the gray-haired twin also has a receding hairline, which makes it seem like he is intended to look older rather than just having an unusual hair color.

If anyone's interested, I finally found a text-free version of this summer's Elves key visual! It makes a great cell phone background. I wish LEGO would put more illustrations like this up as posters and wallpapers on LEGO.com! Summer 2016 LEGO Elves Key Visual by Scott Barnick, on Flickr

I don't think making Space sets conflict-based is any kind of obstacle to the designers, as plenty of other conflict-based themes tend to do just fine, and it doesn't seem to result in lower-quality set designs. Even a lot of the older Space themes had a conflict element to them (Blacktron vs. Space Police, Spyrius vs. Futuron, etc), it's just that the different factions were generally split up instead of having multiple factions in the same box. I think the "multiple factions per box" thing actually is a positive step for LEGO in general, as it broadens the number of stories you can tell with a single set. Kids can still play with the factions individually as they please, but they no longer have to buy multiple sets to create a fight scene or chase scene. It's sort of similar to how in LEGO City, police sets now generally include a crime to stop and fire sets now generally include some type of burning structure to put out, instead of just one "faction" of characters and their vehicles. Or how recent Bionicle sets generally include a bonus mask for the character to hunt down instead of making you buy separate mask packs for bonus masks. It's a story-starter, essentially. A LEGO Space TV show could be interesting, though if it's aimed at boys it'd probably have to wait until Nexo Knights ends. Now, what I'm curious about is the potential for a girl-oriented sci-fi theme. LEGO has had great success with LEGO Friends in the modern-day sphere and LEGO Elves and Disney Princess in the fantasy sphere. Girl-oriented sets have only just now entered the sci-fi sphere with LEGO DC Super Hero Girls, but it'd be great to see LEGO try and introduce their own original IP in that category. Mind you, it wouldn't specifically have to be a Space theme — other sorts of sci-fi themes like a steampunk or spy theme could also be neat. But I feel like a Space theme would come closest to delivering what people in this topic would like to see. Speaking of spy themes, don't forget that Ultra Agents was designed as a "post-Space" spy theme (even using Solomon Blaze from Galaxy Squad as one of its core characters). I know that may not be any comfort to people who want actual astronauts and spaceships, but if LEGO was worried that the two themes might be in conflict, that might help explain why the current Space hiatus has been longer than usual. I certainly don't think there's any need to worry that LEGO or their customers have given up on the idea of LEGO Space.

According to Brickset they're exactly the same part. 99498 is the part number, 88004 is the set number for an individual servo motor.

I'm kind of surprised you say that since Nya's face in Battle for Ninjago City was an utterly generic LEGO City face. Personally, I think her best recent faces have been the alternate faces for Samurai versions of her, like this one from last year or the one from this year's battle pack figure, since they both include her dimples. That said, I don't think the current face is awful. Just not as distinctively Nya.

It probably depends heavily on whether the unrevealed sets are based on a specific movie or series. If they're, say, Episode 8 sets, then Darth Vader's probably off the table. But if it's another wave of assorted movie characters like the first wave, he's more of a possibility. Personally, though, I would hope for more new characters in the next "assorted" wave.

I could definitely see a 3-in-1 Creator castle making a nice set. Creator has plenty of different types of modern-day buildings, after all, as well as fantasy sets like Red Creatures. Of course, it'd no doubt be smaller than a typical flagship LEGO Castle set, since those are generally designed for a $100 price point and the Creator theme's biggest 3-in-1 set was the $90 Cafe and Bike Shop. But the idea of making each build a PART of a castle that can then be combined into a larger castle is not outrageous. There's even sort of a precedent for that, what with many of the mini Creator trains building different train cars that can be combined together if you buy multiple sets. However, I do think it's worth noting that a Creator 3-in-1 castle probably wouldn't deliver everything LEGO Castle fans have been clamoring for. Creator 3-in-1 sets tend to have very few minifigures (two or three at most), and introduce few new printed elements. Animals in the Creator 3-in-1 line tend to be brick-built, meaning the chances of molded LEGO dragons or horses appearing is fairly slim. And as for the note about "classic smiley faces", that really only applies to the Creator Expert Modular Buildings — other Creator sets especially the 3-in-1 sets tend to use more modern and varied faces. As for the Creator Expert line, it's true that category follows pretty different rules than the 3-in-1 line. So a Creator Expert castle could be bigger and offer more figs, more new prints, and more molded animals, along with a more "adult" building experience. With that said, there's nothing aside from branding that would really make a Creator Expert Castle set much different from other Castle D2C sets like Medieval Market Village and Kingdoms Joust. Although it WOULD be interesting to see what a proper castle might look like at a Creator Expert building level and price point. For Space, a lot of the same thoughts apply. Creator has had sets that could be considered space and sci-fi, like last year's Future Flyer or next year's Exploration Robots, and Creator vehicles are popular, so there's no reason to think they COULDN'T make sets with subject matter like spaceships, moon rovers, or moon bases. But the size, number of new prints, and number of minifigures in 3-in-1 sets might still leave Space fans wanting. The idea of a Creator Expert space set is more intriguing, because unlike Castle and Pirates which have had D2C sets of their own, the closest we've had to LEGO Space D2C sets are the Shuttle Adventure/Shuttle Expedition and of course the licensed spaceships from the Star Wars UCS line. The Star Wars UCS line is probably a major factor in why there hasn't been more sci-fi D2C. But if there were a Space-related D2C set (whether with Creator Expert branding or not), I'm sure it'd be well received by the LEGO Space fan community.

I have her posed sort of badly in those turnaround photos, but rest assured that she can stand straight — I've had her standing on the floor for a little over a day just to make sure there are no serious balance issues. I don't think I've ever had anybody ask me for permission to draw one of my MOCs. Be my guest! I do like having all three colors of petals, but I agree that the color distribution could use work. My options with the petals were limited somewhat because I only have 16 petal pieces (four green, six red, and six blue), and I've been having some issues with my checking account I'd like to get resolved before making any new BrickLink orders. Originally I was going to have the entire torso use one color of petal, but those plans fell through when I realized the upper back would require two petals rather than just one. Next time I make a BrickLink order I do hope to get more of the petals so I can play around with the color distribution some more. Part of my motivation with the headdress was to make the head appear larger than if I just used a basic mask, and to extend the petal motif to the head. The shape was also sort of inspired by Alexandrite from Steven Universe, albeit without the long hair trailing behind. Inverting the petals is an interesting thought, although testing it out now, I'm worried that angling them so they don't obscure the face from side view makes the petals on the sides of the head look too much like giant ears. And yes, the physique is definitely a bit exaggerated. I don't take offense at that. A curvy, busty look is what I was going for with this MOC, though I did try and distribute the volumes enough that it didn't feel too unbelievable (i.e. not just filling out the chest and thighs while leaving the neck, arms, and abdomen rail-thin). Thank you for your feedback!

Considering that LEGO City Undercover is one of the best LEGO video games, I'm not complaining! Having the original game on more systems also boosts the chances of an eventual sequel IMO, which is pretty cool (I'd love to see a sequel that introduces co-op gameplay and plays on "buddy cop" tropes). I'm really glad this IP is getting another day in the sun!

Nice! I'm noticing Wu and Garmadon are wielding those collect-them-all whatsits from the new sets. Source is here. There's a download link but it doesn't work yet. Probably just a bigger PDF version of this same image. Surprised though that we're getting Hands of Time teasers before the Characters page is even updated with Day of the Departed characters. Makes me wonder if that page will even GET a Day of the Departed update…

The Pineapple has been in three Friends sets, starting with Heartlake Juice Bar. I hadn't really thought about parts like that in terms of their Pirates applications but it's good of you to bring that up! The catamaran is also generally a nice build for Polynesian island settings even if its parts are not extraordinarily rare. And that set has a new sea map that might have some versatility? In terms of other 2017 sets with parts that could be useful in Pirates contexts, the Creator Beachside Vacation has a nice generic hammock which could be useful for naval vessels. The new Ninjago sets don't have anything quite as piratey as Destiny's Bounty or Tiger Widow Island, but Destiny's Shadow has canoes in Olive Green for the first time. And the Star Wars Battle of Scarif set has the "finger leaf" piece making its debut in the same color.

No idea. In some countries they might not be either — in the United States, the first-half 2015 and 2016 Ninjago sets were all March releases.

Nice review! I especially appreciate the pics of the new cockpit piece. It's also used for the new LEGO Nexo Knights battle suits, but this is our first real look at it from all angles. Specialized or not, it's profoundly efficient, and a brick-built solution with all the same connections would either be much more fragile or much less compact, so I think it more than justifies its existence. My other interest in this set comes from the new hand piece, which is a great design. I kind of wish that the Nexo Knights battle suits were designed to use this hand piece rather than the bulkier CCBS fist pieces.

A fearsome, curvy LEGO Bionicle/Hero Factory villain I built this week. She stands 42 modules/33.6 centimeters/13.25 inches tall and has 26 points of articulation. Her name means "poisonous rose". Check out the Flickr album for more photos! Feedback welcomed!

If LEGO were to release it in a non-chromed color they would probably have to create a new mold for it. LEGO uses different molds for chromed and non-chromed parts because the chrome layer adds a slight thickness that would throw off the tolerances and make the connections too loose if the same parts were released without that additional layer.

Agreed, my first impulse upon seeing it by itself was thinking it would be a good piece for the feet of walkers. I'm kind of surprised that the Nexo Powers attach by four studs each rather than by a single stud like on the normal-size shields, but that might make it more useful as a building element since you'll be able to attach things more securely to the space where the powers normally go.

The weapons aren't quite a first for the theme — 41176 had a sword and shield, 41179 had a crossbow, and 41180 had a shield and catapult! I agree that we are seeing an increase in conflict play scenarios, which is probably in part due to the greater number of enemy characters.

Exciting stuff! Naida's Gondola is a nice smaller set, though its play features are nothing too exciting. Naida's new costume looks great, and it's the only of the new elf costumes we really get to see in great detail since these pics generally seem smaller than many of the pics we've gotten for other themes. Each goblin seems to have some sort of dispatch from the Goblin King (marked with his eye insignia). The little shop in "The Capture of Sophie Jones" is quite nice, and makes good use of that new curve piece from the Volkswagen Beetle. The purple squirrel is cute though we have had a squirrel in the Elves theme before. I guess he sells acorn butter? The return of the little gold acorns is a nice touch, as is the new portal. Sophie is a cool new character but would be more distinctive if she were more visibly younger than Emily. The Goblin King's evil dragon is quite fearsome indeed! Lots of great Spring Yellowish Green parts in that set, including CCBS shells. The goblin king is a neat design and his crown is similar to Ragana's, though it is somewhat curious that he's not as colorful as the other goblins. Maybe an elf usurper? Great use of the Nexo Knights pyramid piece on the crystals in this and other sets. Aira's Airship is fantastic, and I love the curvy gold railings that meet at the prow of the gondola! There seems to be a pretty cool function with the dragon wings on the sides. Cool recolors for the dragon wings, boomerang, crossbow, propeller, and more. The new art vine/railing piece is fabulous! The set as a whole feels delightfully steampunk and art nouveau. It's also cool that Emily now has a new piece for her amulet! Previously it's just been printed on her torso. The Goblin Village is fantastic. Their little houses are a much different style than the previous elf buildings, and are just as charming as their cobbled-together machines in the smaller sets. The goblins themselves are adorable and packed with personality. This set has two great new animal recolors (a cat and a lizard). The environment is also really distinctive and different from past Elves environments, with venus flytraps and spooky Earth Blue trees with red thorns. I love that one of the goblins has a guitar, as I've been wanting the Elves theme to include more musical instruments for some time! Overall, I think all of these sets are on my wish list, at least until we find out about the summer sets at New York Toy Fair. I'm super excited for both these sets and the corresponding Netflix series! Ninjago has actually had more four-legged dragons than two-legged ones! Counting next year's Dragon Forge set, there have been nine four-legged dragons in Ninjago, seven two-legged dragons, and five no-legged dragons (mostly mini dragons and the smaller ghost dragons from the 2015 "Possession" wave). Two-legged dragons might more accurately be described as wyverns, but regardless of what LEGO calls them, I appreciate the variety they offer.

That is a gorgeous MOC! Personally, I'm quite happy with the switch from baseplates to standard plates. It opens up possibilities for sets to have more irregularly shaped footprints instead of conforming to a strict rectangular grid, and also as parts they're simply more versatile (easier to use for things other than a base). I do understand why many people are nostalgic for baseplates, though. Raised baseplates are a bit of an oddity IMO. They definitely make for some interesting builds, but most of the time they do that at an extremely high cost. As a kid growing up in the 90s, I usually wasn't buying sets this size for myself (they were strictly Christmas and birthday presents), so this didn't really faze me, but as an adult it's astonishing to learn that one of my childhood favorite sets, Neptune Discovery Lab was $90 — the equivalent of $145 in today's money! And the classic, beloved El Dorado Fortress cost $66 in 1989, the equivalent of around $131 in 2016 dollars. Prices like that for just over 500 pieces make sets like last year's Spaceport and Deep Sea Exploration Vessel or this year's Volcano Exploration Base seem like a downright bargain! In the past several years I've seen several sets that feature raised foundations without using raised baseplates, like Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle, Tiger Widow Island, Sir Fangar's Ice Fortress, Attack on Weathertop, and Temple of Airjitzu. I generally approve of this since it means more building, more versatile parts, less wasted interior space, and less uniform foundations than sets that use raised baseplates. It'd be great to see LEGO do more of this in the sorts of themes that once used raised baseplates extensively, like Castle, Space, and Pirates. But so far it's mostly been constrained to themes with a higher recommended age range.

Both of those are pretty good sets architecturally, and would probably go well with stuff you'd bought from 2011. The Lighthouse Siege is this year's other big architectural set. It's got a lot of traps and stuff but they're fairly well hidden. It might be a bit outside your price range, though. If saving up for the Temple of Airjitzu is an option, I'd recommend that. Brilliant architecture and light on gimmicks.

Fantastic MOC! I love the colors, and the rainbow stairs are an especially nice touch. I also love how all six buildings feel very distinct from the official modular buildings, but no less detailed! The riding camp is excellent as well — I love the colors of the barn and stables! Amazing work!

Great and exciting sets! Loving the swamp setting, the new "Hands of Time" logo, and especially the new banner featuring Kai and Nya! This is Nya's first time appearing on the top banner and she definitely makes an impression! The new ninja costumes are fantastic, using deeper hues for the main costume, black for the sleeves and shoulder pads, and the ninja's normal bright primary colors only for accents like the masks. It manages to feel very distinct from both the black-heavy costumes from fall 2015/spring 2016 and the brighter costumes from this fall and previous years. I get flashbacks to the "Metru Nui" years of Bionicle which used many of the same colors (Dark Red, Earth Blue, Earth Green, Dark Stone Grey, and silver). It's great to get Kai and Nya's parents in a set, and foreshadows learning more about them in this upcoming season of the show. Their forge is brilliant — the architecture feels very stylish, it's well furnished, and I love how it opens and closes up so neatly! Plus, that fusion dragon for Kai and Nya — wow! The Vermillion and their grimly-colored, wedge-like vehicles have a really unique aesthetic even if they're revisiting the "snake" concept for the third time. I'm curious to learn what their story role is. Like my brother I'm excited for what look to be copper pieces! The Destiny's Shadow is pretty sweet in its own right, taking many cues from Destiny's Bounty but this time in a smaller skiff rather than a full-size ship. I'm curious how those wings are held together under the sails. Dawn of Iron Doom is pretty interesting and seems like it'll be this wave's "final battle" set, with the bad guys using whatever this year's collectibles are to power that clock in the center. It includes hair pieces for those two baddies in the hoods, so I guess they're important characters. The biggest disappointment I have here is that some sets (especially the smaller ones) seem light on action features. But there's definitely space in the bigger sets that there might be action features I just can't see, so I look forward to seeing more pictures! Random observation: while Wu appears to use the same general design as the Day of the Departed version, he has a Brick Yellow (tan) hat — the first time his hat's been that color since 2012! The black shoulder armor is common enough that I don't really have a problem with it in this case… if it were an all new shoulder armor piece, or in an all new color, I might be more bothered by certain sets not including it. Generally in my collection I just try to collect the most iconic versions of each ninja costume — the Character Encyclopedias generally don't count figs with identical printing but different shoulder armor or headgear as discrete characters, and neither do I.

Nice mod! It's sturdy and posable but doesn't radically change the dragon's overall look. I sort of wonder what it would look like to replace the lower jaw with the original curved slope from the set plus this piece, which was introduced just recently. If you wanted to keep the studs in the mouth as teeth you could replace the curved slope with an inverse curved slope.

I've heard no rumors of a space theme for the first half of the year, but some past Space themes have launched in the second half so there's still the chance of a new Space theme we haven't heard of. In the meantime, some of the upcoming Nexo Knights and LEGO Batman Movie sets have parts that could be great for Space builders.