Legos, anyone?

[M'Kyuun]

Except, this isn't a UCS set, but an Ideas set, which do have limited runs. However, they have done multiple runs of previous Ideas sets, and given the popularity of this beast, IMHO, LEGO would be wise to keep this project available for a longer production run. Of all the Ideas sets thus far, aside from the Classic Space inspired Exo-Suit from a year or so ago, this set seems to be selling better than its predecessors. From reviews I've read and watched, the model exceeds expectations, and anyone enamored of the early US Space Program would be rewarded by having this on their shelf or coffee table. I've asked my wife to procure a copy for me for my birthday next month; she is not an internet savvy person, and generally distrusts all online retail sites for fear of having her card info stolen, not to mention she procrastinates worse than anyone I've ever met when it comes to buying gifts or sending cards, so given the rabid sales of this thing, I'll have to do some diplomatic prodding to get her to order the thing for me posthaste. Chances are, I'll end up ordering it for myself, as usual.  For today, however, I'll be working on the new Ultimate Batmobile set from the LEGO Batman Movie. It's yummy.

[snakerbot]

It's listed as "Temporarily out of stock" now, instead of "backordered". So, uh... hm. I hope it comes back so you guys can get yours! And there's a part of me that wants to get another so I can put the S-IVB onto a custom S-IB stage to make a Saturn IB, and then just use the rest of the S-IC and S-II stages as parts fodder. It would be cool to have a full collection of NASA launch vehicles with the Atlas and Titan II, but those are a bit small and probably won't benefit from having the extra Saturn parts. Maybe I'll end up just bricklinking the whole thing.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah.. I'm grabbing two at the first sign of a restock, I forwarded a link to someone as a "this would make a great gift idea" thing, but they didn't know there was any urgency to get it.

[technoblue]

Mm. I think patience will be rewarding in this case. 

Everyone who missed the Saturn V pre-order is jumping on getting a copy now. I went looking for one on impulse at my local brick and mortar LEGO shop Friday, but they were sold out when I got there. Once the release week madness dies down, I think it shouldn't be as difficult to get. 

[M'Kyuun]

I agree. New stuff always sees a mad rush at the onset, and once the fervor fades, availability resumes to normalcy. That said, my wife and I took a trip to TRU this morning hoping they'd have it in stock, but they didn't. Non-plussed, I wanted to see if Barnes and Noble had the Making of the LEGO Batman Movie book, as it gives insight into all aspects of creating the movie, and I dig that sort of thing. What I didn't expect was to see the Saturn V sitting there on the floor in their LEGO section. It was the only copy they had, and it came home with us. So, I rest easy with it in-hand, my wife didn't have to brave getting it online, and , bonus, we actually got it for less than MSRP due to our B&N membership. As it's a b-day gift and that's not until next month, I get to look at it for a month before building it. Fortunately, I have other diversions:

While at TRU, I picked up the new MClaren 720S Speed Champions set and a newly released City cargo set. I also wanted to let folks know that, at least for now, TRU online have the Saturn V at MSRP with free shipping. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=125641126

[technoblue]

Thanks for the tip, @M'Kyuun! Although the TRU link was inactive by the time I looked at it, I was at B&N today looking for a couple Timothy Zahn novels, including the new Thrawn and your story was fresh on my mind. I went to the LEGO section on my way out and noticed the same thing. One Apollo Saturn V box  sitting next to the other LEGO sets. I picked it up and bought it with my books. Now I have another rainy day LEGO project to look forward to. 

[M'Kyuun]

Glad I could help; you've been quite helpful to me over the last few days, so it's especially pleasing that my story led you to getting the set, too.  BTW, I also saw that new Thrawn book by Zahn. I read his trilogy way back in the 90's, and found the character intriguing, a very different take on a villain. Recently, Thrawn has made an appearance in Rebels, and they've kept the character pretty true to the books, so I guess Zahn saw an opportunity to expand Thrawn's story. I'll likely check it out from the library when they get a copy. Anyway, glad you got your Saturn V!

[technoblue]

28 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Glad I could help; you've been quite helpful to me over the last few days, so it's especially pleasing that my story led you to getting the set, too.  BTW, I also saw that new Thrawn book by Zahn. I read his trilogy way back in the 90's, and found the character intriguing, a very different take on a villain. Recently, Thrawn has made an appearance in Rebels, and they've kept the character pretty true to the books, so I guess Zahn saw an opportunity to expand Thrawn's story. I'll likely check it out from the library when they get a copy. Anyway, glad you got your Saturn V!

Thanks again. It is most appreciated. 

OT: I've been having fun watching Thrawn develop in Rebels. I agree that they appear to have done right by Zahn's original characterization of a highly calculating, intelligent tactician. I do wonder if Disney has any plans to bring Thrawn beyond Rebels to big screen Star Wars films. That would be something.

[M'Kyuun]

3 hours ago, technoblue said:

Thanks again. It is most appreciated. 

OT: I've been having fun watching Thrawn develop in Rebels. I agree that they appear to have done right by Zahn's original characterization of a highly calculating, intelligent tactician. I do wonder if Disney has any plans to bring Thrawn beyond Rebels to big screen Star Wars films. That would be something.

Yes it would.

On the topic of LEGO, I built the Ultimate Batmobile, and what a cool set. It breaks down into four vehicles, all of which are cool on their own, and it even comes with Alfred in a mask and cap. Gotta build the Batwing set now. Good stuff. I've also been paging through the making-of book for the LEGO Batman Movie, and there are any number of concept drawings, cg models, and actual brick-built models, some of which may become sets, as they are pictured alongside other models that have already been released. I hope.

Edited June 5, 2017 by M'Kyuun

[technoblue]

12 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

On the topic of LEGO, I built the Ultimate Batmobile, and what a cool set. It breaks down into four vehicles, all of which are cool on their own, and it even comes with Alfred in a mask and cap. Gotta build the Batwing set now. Good stuff. I've also been paging through the making-of book for the LEGO Batman Movie, and there are any number of concept drawings, cg models, and actual brick-built models, some of which may become sets, as they are pictured alongside other models that have already been released. I hope.

Nice. How is the combining gimmick? Do the four mini vehicles lock solidly together to create the larger Batmobile? It looks fun with all the mini figs.

I've been browsing the LEGO Shop...tempting myself back into even more brick building.  I'm late to the party on some of these, but I'm already building up a very pricey wish list. The last time I was buying LEGO sets on a regular basis was when LEGO first introduced the Star Wars line, back in 1999/2000. Since then, I've been picking up the odd set here and there, but I haven't been keeping up with LEGO like I was. Time to keep track of it again. 

Edited June 5, 2017 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

There's soo much to keep track of now- LEGO have expanded, and continue to expand, their product lines and themes, adding the odd licensed theme here or there along the way. In a way, I kinda miss the old 2003 time frame a bit, as there were probably only a third of today's sets on shelves at any given time, which made it easier on the wallet. But, then again, I like having all these options, and now that LEGO has been steadily hiring AFOLs to be designers, we're seeing many more interesting and complex techniques being employed, especially in the sets geared towards older, more experienced builders. I'm learning the value of patience, as most of these sets eventually get marked down, some significantly, at Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers. I've got enough unopened sets to keep me busy for awhile, not to mention I need to get off my butt and build something to take to BrickCon this year. So much to do....

Concerning the Ultimate Batmobile, it breaks down into a smaller Batmobile, a tank, a motorcycle, and a small Batwing. All but the Batwing have physical locking mechanisms. The Batwing has an area on top of the tank where it sits very snugly. It won't move unless you physically pick it up or roll the whole thing over. It's really a brilliant bit of design, and all the detail put into the engines on the Batwing, the headlights on the Batmobile, all the rotating bits and pop-up rotary cannons on the tank, etc, make it a fun and striking model when complete. The minifig assortment is cool, too, although the inclusion of the Wizard of OZ Wicked Witch and two of her flying monkeys (each with its own facial expression) is an odd choice in a Batman set, but kinda goes with the precedent set by The LEGO Movie for inclusion of all LEGO's licensed lines. Referring back to the Making-of book, there are a plethora of minifig designs and concepts, some of which were used and others that weren't. I'd love to see some of them realized in future waves. One in particular is Egghead, who was played by the late great Vincent Price in the 1960's Batman. There's a fully realized minifig of the character in an egg-shaped mech, all completely brick-built in the book. There are pics of it floating around on the web. You can also check TheBrickfan.com, as they have scans of some of the pages in the book. Hope the info's useful. Cheers!

[Lorindor]

So I have been eying the Lego Nexo Knights sets for the longest time. Space and Castle Lego combined? That's just how I always ended up playing with my Lego as a kid, but here's it's a much more a literal combination. My mind just screamed "awesome!" when I first saw the space knight on a hover bike horse. And the theme is also shock full of references to all the Lego themes I grew up with. Nostalgia galore! I've been thinking to myself that I would have LOVED these sets when I was eleven. Then I realized I would still love them at age 27 and unashamedly bought a bunch of them!  So far, it's been so much fun.

Edited June 5, 2017 by Lorindor

[sh9000]

 

[M'Kyuun]

Watching vids like this just teases me, as I've got the Saturn V  set sitting here unopened in my man-cave, but it's a b-day present so I have to wait until July to build it (honor code).  It is cool, though, that Adam and co give sets like this some wider exposure than they'd normally receive.

Still no word on the Voltron set. I hope it gets made, and that LEGO getsan expanded license to produce other versions of Voltron.  Hopefully, it'll also give LEGO cause to expand their ratcheting joints palette.

[Kelsain]

5 hours ago, Lorindor said:

So I have been eying the Lego Nexo Knights sets for the longest time. Space and Castle Lego combined? That's just how I always ended up playing with my Lego as a kid, but here's it's a much more a literal combination. My mind just screamed "awesome!" when I first saw the space knight on a hover bike horse. And the theme is also shock full of references to all the Lego themes I grew up with. Nostalgia galore! I've been thinking to myself that I would have LOVED these sets when I was eleven. Then I realized I would still love them at age 27 and unashamedly bought a bunch of them!  So far, it's been so much fun.

Have you watched the show? My kids love it, and it keeps me entertained as well. They've done several throwbacks to the legendary "Golden Castle", aka the yellow brick castle from 1981-2. Complete with the old school crown on a purple background emblem.

Also, TONS of Monty Python references.

---

It's weird that they just released this Saturn V. I literally just got back from Legoland & Kennedy Space Center...

 

Edited June 6, 2017 by Kelsain

[Lorindor]

5 hours ago, Kelsain said:

Have you watched the show? My kids love it, and it keeps me entertained as well. They've done several throwbacks to the legendary "Golden Castle", aka the yellow brick castle from 1981-2. Complete with the old school crown on a purple background emblem.

Also, TONS of Monty Python references.

No, I haven't yet. The thing with kids' entertainment is that it sometimes can be unbearable for adults, so I've been on the sceptical side. I tried the app game once, but wasn't really impressed, but that was mostly due to the gameplay. But if you think the show is good, I might look it up. Thanks! 

[Kelsain]

4 hours ago, Lorindor said:

No, I haven't yet. The thing with kids' entertainment is that it sometimes can be unbearable for adults, so I've been on the sceptical side. I tried the app game once, but wasn't really impressed, but that was mostly due to the gameplay. But if you think the show is good, I might look it up. Thanks! 

The action follows the Voltron/Power Rangers dynamic; i.e.: bad guys fight good guys, situation looks grim, good guys activate magic/super/robot power, kick bad guys' butts with the same action-y music in every episode. This always happens in these shows, why not just go straight to the super/magic/robot power? The plots are pretty simple, and there's really not much character growth. Pretty much a kid show, but with enough stuff for the 40-ish Dads to appreciate as well. If you're a 90's kid, rather an an 80's kid like me, ymmv. Your childhood time was my non-lego period, so there may be other references that I'm missing as well. 

It took me a while to realize why Robin, a junior knight, had a chicken as his emblem. Then, I remembered:

While fun, it doesn't have the surprising depth and good characterization that Ninjago has. I'd been completely uninterested in that property for years, until my kids started watching it last year. (They REALLY love the lego shows, sometimes I think they forget that there are non-lego forms of entertainment) While the first season or so are kind of rocky & cheap looking, it really improves & I ended up hooked as well. Hoping season 6 comes to Netflix soon.

[Chronocidal]

The Saturn V set is back on backorder, go grab it! 

[Kelsain]

Just a tip for ordering on the Lego store website:

You don't have to wait for it to be IN STOCK to place your order. I discovered this when trying to hunt down the female scientist set. You can go ahead and order and they'll send it to you when it restocks. Only took an extra 2 weeks, but it beat hunting it down on eBay.

I wish I'd realized this while the Exo suit was still in production.

[Chronocidal]

Depends on the situation, I think.  You can order sets listed as "Backordered," and it'll just delay the purchase and shipping, but the Saturn V didn't even last 12 hours, and it's already listed as out of stock, with the only available option being "Add to Wishlist."

Glad I checked that last night before bed, and got an order in.  Guess if there's one benefit to Bandai's pre-order shenanigans, it's trained me well to keep pages on a constant refresh cycle.

[spanner]

I'd so love to pull the trigger on one of those Lego Saturn V kits but I really need to keep my focus on what I'm currently collecting. 

Yeah it would be very cool to have one of built and on display but do I really need it and how soon would the novelty wear off.. 

[M'Kyuun]

Well, collecting often necessitates prioritizing, esp on a budget. I stopped collecting Star Wars figures years ago- LEGO, Transformers (official and third party), and Macross are my buying mainstays. The Saturn V was a no-brainer for me, a lifelong LEGO space fan, and just a casual fan of spacey stuff in general.

Regarding Nexo-Knights, I started watching it when it first came out, but it didn't really grab me. I'm not a die-hard Python fan, but I've seen Holy Grail a few times, so had I continued watching it, I imagine I'd have picked up on the references. It's cool, too, that they reference the yellow castle- I like it when LEGO puts self-referential stuff in their movies, shows, and games- they've got a good tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. My wife and I are firmly hooked on Ninjago, though. It's a deeper show than standard fare- still full of action, powers, dragons, and technologies to keep kids' attention, but deeper relationship stuff, character development, and writing that is oft marked by a more mature tone. I'm glad they brought it back, as the sets and the show have continued to impress, and I'm looking forward to Lord and Miller's take in the Ninjago Movie.

Lastly, going back a few posts concerning the Ultimate Batmobile, I was mistaken when I said the Batwing doesn't lock in- it does, although I haven't looked to see what is actually locking it. I believe it's something under the wing catching onto the bat-tank portion when it's docked. Anyway, I picked it up and rolled it over- the Batwing stayed firmly in place. So, the whole thing locks solidly into one big vehicle, and yet separates very easily into its constituents. I built the large Batman Movie Batwing today, and that's a nice model as well. They did some nice engineering allowing the engines to swivel around the wing mounts for VTOL capability, and the wings themselves hinge downward 90 degrees. When backlit and held vertically, it looks like the Bat Symbol, albeit a bit stylized. Thus far, the LEGO Batman Movie sets I've bought have all been really fun, imaginative, and well designed. I'm looking forward to getting the rest, as well as the upcoming Ninjago Movie sets, which look to be very mech-centric. No such thing as too much mecha.

[sh9000]

Anybody else order the custom Lego Macross TV and DYRL pilot minifigures?  It will be a nice addition to the collection.

[mog_kupo]

Seeing this it makes me bang my head agains the wall for not gettin the Temple of Arjizu a while ago, thse two would make an awesome display

On sale semptember I guess at 299 USD

 

[Chronocidal]

That's actually a really good parts count for that price, but it's still a big purchase.

Far as Ninjago goes, I'm getting a steadily increasing feeling that Lego is trying to make its own "Samurai Pizza Cats."

[David Hingtgen]

14 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Anybody else order the custom Lego Macross TV and DYRL pilot minifigures?  It will be a nice addition to the collection.

What where?

[sh9000]

From Plastic Cretins.

[M'Kyuun]

Pretty neat.  I didn't PM him; is he just selling the shoulder pauldron and helmet, or the entire minifig? If he's doing the entire fig, I might have to get a little Hikaru for my VF-4.

Hadn't seen that Ninjago Movie set until just now- wow!  Indeed, that'll look splendid next to the Airjitzu Temple, but I'm going to have to clear some space for both of them to sit side by side. LEGO's killing my bank account these days...but so much goodness.

Edited June 22, 2017 by M'Kyuun

[Chronocidal]

Is it bad that I'm already plotting how to replace the fins on the Saturn V with ones that are the accurate shape?

Also, I need to get my digital designer updated I think, and see if it's gotten any better with regard to moving parts.  My unfinished 1/32 VF-19 design is still languishing on my hard drive, and I'm getting a serious itch to design a large scale Cosmo Zero.

[wm cheng]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Is it bad that I'm already plotting how to replace the fins on the Saturn V with ones that are the accurate shape?

Also, I need to get my digital designer updated I think, and see if it's gotten any better with regard to moving parts.  My unfinished 1/32 VF-19 design is still languishing on my hard drive, and I'm getting a serious itch to design a large scale Cosmo Zero.

Really?  Are there fins that are more correct in shape?  I'd like to know as I just got my SaturnV delivered (It was supposed to be my father's day present

 

[Chronocidal]

There might not be any purpose-built tails that are better, but I think any shape besides the ones they used would be an improvement.

Here's the Lego version..

But here's the real thing.

I have half a mind to just wedge a few of these between the studs, and rework the sloped shapes making up the engine fairings.

Fins made from those will need to be made thicker to extend the plates to cover the correct area, but the leading edge sweep is much more accurate, and the trailing edge can be straight out.

The alternative to mounting plates that way would be using some tall sloped bricks, like the ones on the UCS Imperial Shuttle's wings, but those will need more of a rebuild of the fairings to center them... which now that I think about it, doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Edit:  Fiddling in the digital designer, I think this combo using a brick fin and a hidden click-hinge to position it just works better.  Won't know if this construction would work yet, but it should fit within the space of the existing parts that I can recognize.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Chronocidal

[wm cheng]

17 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

There might not be any purpose-built tails that are better, but I think any shape besides the ones they used would be an improvement.

Here's the Lego version..

But here's the real thing.

I have half a mind to just wedge a few of these between the studs, and rework the sloped shapes making up the engine fairings.

Fins made from those will need to be made thicker to extend the plates to cover the correct area, but the leading edge sweep is much more accurate, and the trailing edge can be straight out.

The alternative to mounting plates that way would be using some tall sloped bricks, like the ones on the UCS Imperial Shuttle's wings, but those will need more of a rebuild of the fairings to center them... which now that I think about it, doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Edit:  Fiddling in the digital designer, I think this combo using a brick fin and a hidden click-hinge to position it just works better.  Won't know if this construction would work yet, but it should fit within the space of the existing parts that I can recognize.

Damn you!!!  Now I can't unsee it

Please post it if you do the modification, can't wait to see the whole thing (now you need the ABCD fin stickers).  Just saw it built up in person at the local Lego Store this weekend and its amazing in person - so impressive already. 

[Chronocidal]

Not sure if the fin markings were permanent, they may have been assembly guides that got painted over.  That was just the best close-up of the fins I found.

Edit: Just watched one of the pad videos from Apollo 11, looks like the lettering stayed on, and the fins were actually silver, either painted or bare metal, and looked like they matched the lower ring on the engine fairings.  So, gray fins with letters are the way to go.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Chronocidal

[M'Kyuun]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 1:53 PM, Chronocidal said:

There might not be any purpose-built tails that are better, but I think any shape besides the ones they used would be an improvement.

Here's the Lego version..

But here's the real thing.

I have half a mind to just wedge a few of these between the studs, and rework the sloped shapes making up the engine fairings.

Fins made from those will need to be made thicker to extend the plates to cover the correct area, but the leading edge sweep is much more accurate, and the trailing edge can be straight out.

The alternative to mounting plates that way would be using some tall sloped bricks, like the ones on the UCS Imperial Shuttle's wings, but those will need more of a rebuild of the fairings to center them... which now that I think about it, doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Edit:  Fiddling in the digital designer, I think this combo using a brick fin and a hidden click-hinge to position it just works better.  Won't know if this construction would work yet, but it should fit within the space of the existing parts that I can recognize.

Nice mod- much more accurate to the real thing. I imagine the designers may have gone with something like this, but I think once they got to a certain point, they were shooting for the 1969 parts count, and this would have put them over. This is also, to date, the largest Ideas set, but it sets a nice precedent.  While your design mirrors the real fins, aesthetically, I kinda like the stock fins in the set. Herein lies the beauty of LEGO-always mod-able.

Eight more days til I get to open my copy. Looking forward to it.

[sh9000]

Cool Destroids and Glaug.