Mr. Elijah Timms

I couldn't help but notice the $34.99USD pricetag for 278 pieces. I guess the days of the 10 pieces per $1USD ratio are officially history. Still a great set, though, and a must buy.

Dude, cut Lego a break-- if they were to produce a full scale airport it would likely take up an entire room of your house and require a credit application just to buy the thing!! Honestly, I think Lego, at least in most cases, does a pretty good job of finding the balance between including enough content and keeping the costs down. An airport could EASILY become a $250-300 USD set and probably be amazing, but in all likelihood they just wouldn't sell enough units for them to justify releasing it in the first place. Perhaps more of a modular approach would be the answer? Next year release the Airport Hangar? The following year a proper Grounds Crew, or maybe a Concourse?

Ahh yes, the Sandcrawler. I was quite surprised at a.) how big this thing was when finished (the pictures definitely do not do it justice) and b.) how long it took to build. Nothing was overly complex, but very very time consuming. If I recall correctly I had a day off and started this in the morning and had plans to do several things in the afternoon, and just didn't get to 'em all because of the big brown behemoth on my desk!! I remember getting the entire structure completed and thinking I was finished, then spending another half hour putting all the greebly details onto it. In terms of the larger SW sets (I do not have the Death Star or the RBR, fwiw), I find myself struggling to name the most successful of them all. This was an absolutely essential addition to the collection, but perhaps not my favorite. The minifig Star Destroyer just kills all in terms of size, but with regards to design and fun build I'll still take the 4504 Millennium Falcon over all other takers. BUT the Sandcrawler might have been the most tedious build, and that alone is a challenge in a good way. Good job on the review-- lots of ample pictures and details.

There was a time in my young life when building the most impressive Imperial Walker out of Legos was the most important goal in life. You have accomplished this goal, and then some. Life at its fullest. Congratulations, haha

Now that we've received a proper treatment of Hoth, there are two remainining environs from the Original Trilogy that need to be addressed: 1. As little as I am a fan of these scenes, we need a proper Ewok Village. Perhaps TLG should consult ACPin 2. Otherwise, the main focus should be series of sets based on the Mos Eisley cantina. Lots of figs, perhaps add-on modules, etc. My collection will not be complete until I have the full cantina band as minifigs!

Great review man-- there's a lot of great sets out there we've purchased as AFOLs, but there's no matching the attachment and history of a set you've received and enjoyed as a kid. The words Galaxy Explorer and Motorcycle Shop instantly come to mind for me... As an adult, I'm torn with the concept of Classic Town... There's something so simple and quaint and perfect about those little cars with all the studs on top, but at the same time I must admit if today's CITY line still looked like the classics, I doubt I'd have ever gotten into it in the first place. I'm relatively new to the City line but if not for the heightened design standards and SNOT compositions I'd probably still be sailing the high seas or in a galaxy far far away.

$79.99 USD / 3 minifigs (four if you count the new carbonite piece) = $26.67 per minifig (or straight up $20.00 each). That's a lot of cash for three little plastic men. Waves arms to keep from falling off the fence...

If I remember correctly, didn't Majisto have torso printing? Like a little belt and a pouch or something to that effect??? Conceivably, you could just use that torso with the new legs and have a super-detailed Majisto/blue wizard, and some clean blue body for whatever purposes you'd like. Sounds like a fair trade-off for such a small price.

Easily my favorite Aquanauts set... the design is strong and functional, and the aesthetics aren't sacrificed for playability. You can argue that the Sharks sets were cooler, but that's just because they were so very pirate-like. This set is definitely the highlight of the 'good guys' and definitely worth picking up if you have the chance.

Well, thanks alot CopMike. After all my steadfast reluctance, I'm beginning to fear I'll be buying the new set just for these guys. And I can't even tell if I'm happy or angry about it.

Lego Star Wars is a cash cow. The license will never end. And why? Because it's very clear Mr. Lucas has plans to diversify and continue Star Wars not as a single storyline, but as an entire brand of entertainment that reaches into multiple venues to multiple audiences. Over the past 10 years Lucas has wisely created entirely new markets for Star Wars and will continue to do so. Many people never realized the genius behind the Prequels, where in some ways George bet the bank on the young kids to develop a new generation of 'collectors.' Say what you want about the movies themselves, but if they never happened, the SW-merchandising consumer base would not have the same strength it does now, or in 10 years for that matter. Sure, there will always be those of us who will buy SW stuff until the day we are old and gray, but there has been a conscious decision to skew younger-- so that the love of Star Wars and the resulting purchasing power doesn't die off with all of us 30-somethings who were there when the original trilogy shaped our imaginations as kids. I'll admit, I've been growing a bit disgruntled about it in some ways-- there's such a push on marketing to youth that it just interests me less and less. And Galactic Heroes or whatever it's called-- yes, I'm sure the collectability factor attracts adults, but this whole trend in toys today is a barely veiled attempt to build brand loyalty with kids so that they'll attach themselves to these characters for their entire childhood and beyond. If George Lucas, and toymakers in general, want to hit the home run, they have to create these new youth markets to ensure that multiple generations will 'buy SW stuff until the day they are old and gray.' It's smart business. But on the other hand, I LOVE that Lucas seems to be breaking off of the youth focus-- the news last week about the Robot Chicken comedy collaboration is GREAT news! Not because I'm a fan at all of Robot Chicken... I'm actually not. What's good about this is that it shows that Lucasfilm sees that the Star Wars brand can exist in multiple genres and attract different target audiences. The Robot Chicken crowd is clearly not going to go for Galactic Heroes, and vice versa-- but it doesn't mean that they both can't have their Star Wars cake and eat it too. The idea that Lucas will and might continue to develop his brand on different levels for different age groups is fantastic-- and should give us all hope. After the Clone Wars came out, I was sure that the upcoming Live Action TV series would be along the same lines... skewed a bit young, focusing on those who are interested in the Prequel storylines (no offense to them, it's just not my thing). If nothing else, the Robot Chicken news could mean that Lucas might be willing to develop Star Wars entertainment for a more mature audience. This is exciting, if only in theory! Ultimately, it's obvious that the Star Wars brand will not go to George Lucas's grave (forgive the thought), and will go on indefinitely with multiple TV developments and likely more movies, perhaps even a reboot many years from now (heresy!) just as the Star Trek universe has experienced so many years after its inception. And as the brand continues to evolve, there will always-- ALWAYS-- be toys to go along with them, and why on earth should we think Lego won't be around for the ride?? This stuff will always sell... I think the only thing that would ever kill the Star Wars-Lego collaboration is if Lucas & co. decided to launch their OWN toy company, their own brand of building toys, etc. etc. Otherwise SW Lego is in no danger. (Sorry if this rambled... but I hope it was entertaining if not thought provoking. I'd also like to say that I didn't mean to offend anyone who is into the Prequels or the Clone Wars. I've only ever collected the OT SW sets and the newer stuff has never been my thing-- but I'd like to deeply express that I have nothing against those who do and have no less respect for them. It's just not for me.)

Agree with Indiana Jones... just feels like it's a matter of time before TLC drops one of these in a big way! Nice design though-- your truck cab is very clean and stylized.

GREAT job, man-- this is what the farm should have been-- the house, the REAL barn, just a full farm setting and the people to go with it! Consider me impressed.

I guess it's a pretty safe bet there's a purist mentality at play with you folks? Personally, I'd shoot the Ben separate and just slap him in there on a separate, semi-opaque layer in Photoshop... but I certainly appreciate the dedication to the dying art of photography.

I'm all over this guy, as Lego Ninjas were pretty much during my Dark Ages. Thanks for the review CopMike!

AQUASHARKS RULE!!! I always wish I grabbed at least one more of these-- one is great, but a full wolfpack of three or four would've been awesome! Funny you should review this now-- I was just debating on whether or not to switch up some of those great Aquasharks heads with the newer City heads. Love this guy with the bangs, and that other Aquashark guy with the stubble that blends into his hair. Either way, thanks for the fun review.

Dude, that is INSANE!! I've been to the real Fallingwater, and this might be more impressive than standing outside of the real deal! Granted, no one outside of this blog would probably say the same, but my hat goes off to you... looks like a real labor of love!

Forgive me if it's been said before, but to me I could really see a Simpsons license really taking off... I'm not a huge fan myself, but with all those characters, the 'collectability' factor could really go a long way.

GREAT job Tiger-- couldn't help but notice that there are no straight-outta-the-box sets here, only MOCs and/or altered designs. Is this by design-- do you only use MOCs in your town display? Or did you just choose to not set up the standard issue sets alongside your original creations for these pics?

Nice job-- and I really enjoyed seeing that I'm not the only one who enjoys giving names to their minifigs! For me it probably started after having all these individual Star Wars figs, each with their own name and unique qualities. Finally I was compelled to do the same with my Pirate crew, and actually it's where my login name comes from (haven't been able to take a pic of Mr. Timms, yet, but he's coming). Now that I've started with City, I've done the same, giving everyone a proper identity that gets rid of that 'tub of random generic people' feeling I get when I open the container with all the minifigs. The red tractor is driven by old man Jed Tucker. Nat Whitaker is the kooky ex-war hero who flies the yellow seaplane up by the lake. And of course, for whatever reason, all of my policemen have names whose first name start with the same letter as the last (Chief Barry Barrett, Officer Dave Dunst, Officer Larry Lewis, etc etc). I was sure I wasn't the only one, but now I know someone who does the same. Anyways, great job with the layout and must say my favorite part is where the surf meets the sand. Keep up the good work!

Agreed!! For me Hoth has been and will always be the most interesting environments in the SW universe.

Happy Monday everybody.... Quick question, and forgive me if it's been addressed before because I just couldn't seem to find it elsewhere, but-- Does anyone have concrete dates when the rest of the 2010 city sets will drop in the U.S.?? Tanker truck, Copter & Limo, Airport, Passenger plane, etc? Or even the trains?? I'm not the expert several of you are, but I do understand that by now the remaining big periods of release in any year are June and then pre-Christmas, correct? Does Lego have a standardized 'windows' each year when sets are launched, or is it more random and less able to anticipate? I guess I'm just starting to get anxious... I've only been into City for a few months and want to plan accordingly. Any info would be appreciated... thanks!

Great work, my friend-- the attention to detail is astounding, it's very hard to pin down what I like best. However, I will say that's the cleanest McDonald's bathroom I have ever seen.

This attempt at April Fools Day hijinx with Jango's Slave1 reminds me of one of the worst of Lucas's decisions when writing the Prequels, and forgive me if this is OT: Anyone else think it's lame that he actually gave Jango Slave1 in Episode 2? Or for that matter, how incredibly similar and unimaginative he is in relation to Boba? So now instead of the coolest, most badass bounty hunter in the universe who is shrouded in mystery and pure awesome, he's just some shlep who drives around in his dad's ship and takes the same job his dad did because that's what they do in Mandalore?? Are you kidding me? He's like some pool boy in East LA driving his dad's Camaro and following in the family business... If you ask me it's shameful. BTW do you guys know that the conceptual artist who created both the armor design for Boba Fett & Slave1 is none other than Wolfman and the upcoming Captain America director Joe Johnston?? A little trivia on a day otherwise muddled with falsehoods...

New Han Solo is the best part of that set... In case anyone forget, the Old Cloud City actually offered the wrong wardrobe for Captain Solo: http://www.brickset.com/minifigs/?m=sw045. Black Vest w/ Brown pants is actually what he wore in the second half of Return of the Jedi on Endor, after ditching the long camo coat (still wish they gave him that treatment for the Endor Bunker set). Technically speaking, this new torso is the only Han Solo OT wardrobe that we have NOT gotten from TLG. Worst part about these new sets is that all I want are the minifigs: True Hoth Luke, the Wampa Bossk, new Boba Fett, the new Carbonite deal, even the Med droid on the shuttle, and now this new Han torso. Speaking as a pretty thorough OT collector, the sets themselves are quite forgettable, and it's the minifigs that are the true draw. The only bad part about that is, I'm not going to drop $80 on a set just because of the figs, so they won't get my money....