Legos, anyone?

[M'Kyuun]

Your examples, David, are what I hope will be addressed as a result of the acquisition. If they only use it as a monitoring tool to look at trends and to solicit feedback without addressing some of the AFOL requests in the form of tangible product, IMHO, the acquisition was fundamentally pointless. Now obviously they won't be able to make every part requested, but I think if they look at the numbers, or they do something like IDEAS where suggested parts must meet a certain number of votes, or even a certain preorder goal, kinda like Hasbro Pulse's Unicron, then once a goal is reached, the part will see a limited exclusive production run. I kinda like the backing idea- if folks are willing to pony up, then it becomes much less of a gamble for LEGO, as limited runs are undoubtedly more expensive than a regular production run.

As for my personal wishlist, I'd love to see them reissue these wonderfully useful old hinges 4275 and 4276, especially if they were issued in a number of modern colors, especially light and dark bleys. I'd also love inverted versions of any number of hinge plates, also any number of slopes which do not at this time have an analog.

For addressing some of these exclusive runs, utilizing SohoBricks' capabilities might prove advantageous, provided their QC is up to snuff with the rest of LEGO's parts. Right now, LEGO doesn't even have a plan for them, but IMO, that would be a fitting function.

[David Hingtgen]

The old hinges---a million times yes, but I fear it'll never happen since they haven't made them in years and years.  I need white, yellow, red, and blue....

(I bought like two dozen in black years and years ago when I found some cheap---very glad I did, as I needed a bunch for an Executor MOC)

[M'Kyuun]

Concerning those old hinges, I'm sure you're right, but I hold out hope that the production of retired parts, with enough feedback supporting it, might move LEGO to give it consideration. It's worth noting that many of the set designers today are fellow AFOLs who turned their hobby into a profession, and I would think that they'd have a voice when it comes to the production of new or modified parts, and perhaps the resurrection of old ones if there is suddenly a platform available to them. All I can do at this point is hope.

So, I managed to get the new '89 Batmobile after about an hour or so's worth of refreshing and clicking the 'add to bag' button, and then again on the 'place order' button, and yet again on the Paypal return to merchant screen, which repeatedly failed to go through-  until it finally did. Frustrating, to be sure.  I'm in WA, so I started trying to get my order placed a few minutes after 9PM local (midnight on the east coast where LEGO is based in the US), and already the site was intermittent, and attempts to just get the Exclusives or Batman screen to populate were met with partial success. I think they grossly underestimated the demand for this thing, as they certainly did not bolster their servers to meet it. I really wanted that free System set that accompanies the large version, so I persisted, but man, it was a real PITA. Anyway, to those who want this thing, good luck, and I hope they still have the smaller set in stock, as, if my experience is any indication, demand is high and LEGO's bandwidth seems to be maxed out.

[Chronocidal]

So it seems the website assault is over?  I just went through the order process for the batmobile, and it was smooth as butter.  Even found out I had enough VIP points to get it for $99, so I'm thrilled.  

I didn't see anything about the smaller '89 batmobile, so that might be what the initial surge was about, but I was more interested in the big one anyway.

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Chronocidal

[Dobber]

I ordered the big ‘89 Batmobile last night along with the Saturn V for a Christmas present for my daughter. The Saturn V was on sale for Black Friday. That Batmobile is just gorgeous! I couldn’t resist it.

Chris

[Dobber]

Question for you guys, I have my order confirmation email but when I check the order status it doesn’t show up on their site. Is that normal?

Chris

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

20 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Question for you guys, I have my order confirmation email but when I check the order status it doesn’t show up on their site. Is that normal?

Chris

It's normal, just give them time to catch up.

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

It's normal, just give them time to catch up.

Thanks 

[Chronocidal]

Just got my shipping confirmation, batmobile should be here by the end of the week.  

Grats on that Saturn V set as well, that was a real bugger to pick up when it was new, and I'm glad they've kept up production this long.  I know there's a lot of competition, but I can't really shake the impression that it may be the finest set they've ever produced.

Edited December 3, 2019 by Chronocidal

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Just got my shipping confirmation, batmobile should be here by the end of the week.  

Grats on that Saturn V set as well, that was a real bugger to pick up when it was new, and I'm glad they've kept up production this long.  I know there's a lot of competition, but I can't really shake the impression that it may be the finest set they've ever produced.

Thanks! That’s awesome to hear about the Saturn V set. Looking forward to getting these sets and building the S5 with my daughter. She’s got the real space bug this past year, I want to help develop that. The Batmobile looks amazing and couldn’t resist it. I really want that new big Star Destroyer...but I can’t justify $700 to myself! Lol. Hope they ship soon, got my receipt email yesterday but my order still doesn’t show in their system so I assume it hasn’t shipped yet. 

[Kelsain]

3 hours ago, Dobber said:

 I really want that new big Star Destroyer...but I can’t justify $700 to myself! Lol. 

Yeah, my 6 yo son saw that in the catalog and put it on his Xmas list. And I had to be all "Buddy, we all love you; but it's never gonna happen..."

[kanedaestes]

Oh I can’t wait to build this. 

[Chronocidal]

4 hours ago, Kelsain said:

Yeah, my 6 yo son saw that in the catalog and put it on his Xmas list. And I had to be all "Buddy, we all love you; but it's never gonna happen..."

I would love to get that eventually, but I've got far too many other things demanding my wallet's attention at the moment.  I still have the original UCS Star Destroyer, and would love to see how they've improved the construction from that messy monstrosity.

Or maybe I can pool my Amazon credits like I did for the Bandai PG Falcon a couple years ago...

Edited December 3, 2019 by Chronocidal

[M'Kyuun]

It's been many a year since I had mine built, and unfortunately, I had it displayed near a wall where the baseboard heating was located and it actually caused some of the structural Technic beams towards the nose to soften and bend. It's been in storage since about 2008, and I'm not sure how much of it I would have to replace . However, I do remember how arduous the build was, even moreso since I lived in a small apartment and basically built it from the bags all still nestled in their big box. The entirety of the lower fuselage panels were held in place with magnets, and a slight jarring would cause them to come undone. the engines were made of big tires, and many of the wedge plates and slopes available now didn't exist. So, having watched the designer vid, and by looking at pics, much effort was put into making it a much more solid build, one that can be picked up and moved with relative ease, which wasn't really the case with the original. Moreover, many of the smaller details have been picked out using new elements which are more accurate. The engines are now entirely brick-built, with additional details that weren't possible with the original. If it's a set you really want, the new one, by all estimates, is far superior to the original. Bear in mind, when the original came out, LEGO still didn't have much experience with large production models, and at the time, the Star Destroyer was the largest ever produced. So, in a sense, they were on terra incognita, but I think they did an admirable job given what they were trying to do. However with eleven years and much, much more expansive experience with large complex models, and a palette that offers far greater options to the designers, the new SD outclasses the original by a wide margin.

Man Kanedaestes, I'm jealous of how quickly you got your Batmobile. Mine's due on Friday, which still isn't too bad, but with a set like this, sooner is always better. I'll be getting the same three sets, and I can't wait-- but I have to. I'm thrilled that they made a System compatible version to go along with the large, but I wish they hadn't resorted to making it an exclusive, as it's still one of the most popular Batmobile designs ever, recreated by countless fans on Flickr and elsewhere, and IMHO, should have been made available as a wide release so everyone had a chance to get it. I hope it'll happen at some point, as I'd probably pick up another copy. The one positive is that it'll likely be easy to replicate through Bricklink.

I appreciate that LEGO made a new cape/cowl piece that's specific to Keaton's Batman, but I wish they'd made the cape out of the soft material that they've been using of late, only make the cape wider to replicate the Movie look. It would have made the Batman figure that comes with the large Batmobile more serviceable with the smaller Batmobile. As it is, the cape/cowl piece need to be removed for him to fit, which kinda defeats the point. It's a minor, but fair, gripe, but at the end of the day, I'm just glad that both of these sets have finally been produced, and that they turned out as well as they did.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, the sturdier construction is mostly what I'm after in the Destroyer, but at the same time, there's always that niggling voice in the back of my head going "look at all those gray plates.."   I have fun building military aircraft, and these big sets always are a treasure trove of good elements.

I am a little sad that they seemed to be out of the mini-Batmobile set when I sent in my order, but that was probably what caused the initial website hammering when it went live.  I'll live though, and I'm probably a terrible person, but I'm already thinking of how else I can use the parts, and wondering whether that canopy would be a good fit for a large-scale BTAS Batwing.

The most recent Batwing set should be a good companion for the smaller Batmobile though, it's really similar to the 89 movie version.

[M'Kyuun]

One of the most positive attributes of the Star Wars license in general, and these large capital ship sets in particular, is, indeed, the amount and variety of grey parts they offer to the intrepid MOC builder.

When you ordered your Batmobile, did you at least get the free Christmas tree? I hope so. To the System '89 Batmobile, which was supposed to be a promotion lasting about a week or so, I hope it sends a clear message as to the demand for it, as I believe that it was a huge motivating factor for the madness that ensued on the 29th. In reading comments on other LEGO boards, many folks were more interested in it than in the large set, which, to be fair, makes sense as it fits in with the rest of their LEGO Batman collection. Too, a lot of folks don't have room for these larger display pieces , so the smaller version is more desirable. I personally wanted both, so I endured the onslaught and the intermittencies until I was finally successful. I think, however, that LEGO should have been far better prepared for the massive demand on their servers and site; since they obtained the Batman license in 2006, there has likely not been a more anticipated set than a System scaled '89 Batmobile, which I firmly believe was the actual motivator behind the extreme demand on opening night /morning. I'll say it again- I despise exclusives, and this set in particular should never have even been considered to be an exclusive, given its popularity. I think LEGO, and the fans, would have mutually benefitted from the System set's wide release, and I hope the amount of demand and subsequent depletion of stock of the smaller set on opening night sends a clear message to LEGO, and they make the thing available to all eventually.

As to the large Batmobile canopy piece, it does indeed correspond to the basic shape of the Animated Series' Batwing canopy. Worth a shot.  Y'know you'll have to post some pics of that, right?

You mentioned how much the current System Batwing set, and too, the current Batmobile, resemble their relative '89 counterparts. I wonder, especially in regards to the Batmobile, if that was a purposeful design choice knowing that the actual '89 System set was going to be an add-on exclusive, and they wanted to put something similar out there for mass consumption. Homages, if you will. It's bittersweet consolation, if so. I have both of those sets, and while they're both pretty well done, and do indeed hearken to the '89 Batman designs, the Batmobile is close but certainly no cigar. I think the Batwing skews much closer to the source.

I hope, since the '66, the '89, the live action BvS/JL, the Beware the Batman Batmobiles and the Tumbler  have all been done in System scale, that the BTAS Batmobile is next on the list to receive official set treatment. I just love the look of that car, and it'd be another dream set realized if they did.

Edited December 4, 2019 by M'Kyuun

[Chronocidal]

Between the two UCS Millennium Falcons, the original Star Destroyer, Snowspeeder, Y-WIng, B-Wing, and everything else I've picked up, I imagine I've got enough gray plates to make a few decently sized aircraft. 

I did get the Christmas tree set, so that at least went through alright, but LEGO continues to muff their releases by misunderstanding demand in a huge way.  It's baffling to me that they can claim the System Batmobile as an exclusive extra included with the larger one, and then run out the small one while still having plenty of the larger version.  You're right though, it really is dumb that they made the set with a much wider appeal an exclusive.  They should have manufactured them in equal numbers.  If they were that low on stock, they could have just issued vouchers during the full promotional period, but I imagine it's one of those "while supplies last" caveats.

I'm not all that miffed though.  The little set is a fun idea, and a nice quick build, but it's something I could also probably easily build on my own.  The ideal case I see for that set pairing would be if a parent bought the larger UCS version, and could give the smaller version to a child to build alongside them, so they have their own more play-friendly version.

I have yet to pick up that recent Batwing, but I'll probably grab it next time I make a trip to walmart.  I do think the wings could be shaped better, but that's partially an artifact of the plate angles they're limited to.. and I still firmly believe they need to widen the variety of those, as well as re-introducing the classic Space-style ones with the notched corners, to allow for true continuous edges.

I'll have to dig into my brain for the ideas I had for a large scale Batwing years back... I don't think I ever made a true TAS design, since I believe I stretched and stylized the fuselage quite a bit, almost to where the design was a cross between the TAS and Batman Forever design, which my younger brother had the toy of.  The giant TAS version available recently is a lot chunkier than I remember being in the show.

[M'Kyuun]

Trying to capture that curved edge is the challenge with the Animated Series Batwing, but I've seen a few MOCs that pulled it off pretty well using slope bricks. Brick becomes heavy pretty quickly, though, in a large MOC, so I can understand wanting to use plates. I feel you with those old notched wedge plates- really useful. However, there are quite a few new wedge plates that have come out over the last couple years, and a couple new 2x3 wedge plates that come to a point next year (take a look at the section around the cockpit). Been wanting something like this for a long time, so I'm pretty pleased to finally see them.

Concerning the smaller '89 Batmobile set, LEGO has made the instructions available.

[Dobber]

My large Batmobile and the Saturn V arrived yesterday....along with the bonus Christmas tree. Looking forward to getting to work on the Batmobile and can’t wait to give the Saturn V to my daughter on Christmas. That thing looks amazing!

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

Of the many sets I've built over the last 40+ years, the Saturn V stands out , both for the subject matter but also for the build experience. There were so many neat solutions employed to achieve the shape, as a large cylinder is difficult to do with LEGO. The fan submission was smaller than the production, and used existing 'macaroni' shaped bricks , which work ok, but limit size and offer limited stability since they essentially have to be stacked. The real beauty, though is how it achieved the look and functionality (splits into the requisite stages and also has room at the top for the LM within, with the Command and Service Modules capping it off)  in  a beautiful model that a kid can build for themselves. It's one of the crowning achievements of the IDEAS program.  I hope your daughter enjoys it. (You too).

I'm a little disappointed that neither the STS orbiter nor the NASA SR-71 submissions made production. Both would have made for nice companion pieces for the Saturn V, as well as offering cool build experiences, I think. Alas, not to be. However, there is another avenue through Bricklink, as they were selling MOCs, with LEGO's blessing earlier this year, and now that LEGO has acquired Bricklink, I hope they allow that to continue.

[Chronocidal]

I was flat out heartbroken that the Shuttle wasn't made, especially after the ridiculous speed it hit 10k votes.  I've worked out the orbiter myself to build, but unfortunately, the tank and boosters require a whole bunch of rare, or even nonexistent elements.

I think what actually killed that one was the fact that it did rely on those old notched angle plates for the wings, which I have not seen in any set for years at this point, as LEGO has ditched that design entirely for its more modern types with the notched edges for stacking.  

Funny enough, one of the weaker points of that shuttle was actually how thick the wing had to be, due to those non-stackable notched wings.  It really needed entirely new elements that could do both, so you could stack up the colored layers of the wings properly, and still form a blended leading edge.  The version I built up needed a middle layer to the wing so the un-notched edges of the older wing plates didn't collide with the studs on the black underside layer.  I did make that middle layer gray to mimic the leading edge of the actual shuttle, but in a perfect world, it would have stuck out one stud further, to match the leading edge of the black layer.

  

The other thing it was missing may have actually been recently developed though.  I haven't seen this element in anything but the newer Harry Potter sets, but we finally have a tapered transition piece that matches the slope of the old 1x1-to-2x2 cones, which makes a much better booster nosecone than the combo used on the original IDEAS submission.

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by Chronocidal

[wm cheng]

I love that Saturn V - best kit ever!  Its such a pleasure to build.  Took a chance on the China knock-off lego on the LUT and it came out great.

 

You could get the Shuttle in cheap China knock off lego here - I'm very tempted, but it doesn't come with the stickers which I believe are key.

https://www.welightbrick.com/collections/new-arrival/products/nasa-space-shuttle-saturn-v-scale-designed-by-kingsknight

And its not like these Chinese firms are ripping off Lego as they refused and passed up on making these MOCs.

[Chronocidal]

25 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

I love that Saturn V - best kit ever!  Its such a pleasure to build.  Took a chance on the China knock-off lego on the LUT and it came out great.

You could get the Shuttle in cheap China knock off lego here - I'm very tempted, but it doesn't come with the stickers which I believe are key.

https://www.welightbrick.com/collections/new-arrival/products/nasa-space-shuttle-saturn-v-scale-designed-by-kingsknight

And its not like these Chinese firms are ripping off Lego as they refused and passed up on making these MOCs.

Ok, that is really interesting.  I'm glad they're actually producing them, but I would be very curious to know whether the original designers are contributing to these designs, and getting a cut of the sales.  The images are direct copy/pastes from the IDEAS site, as is the text, but I wonder if they had designer assistance with the instructions, or if they are reverse-engineered.

I'm still really hesitant to buy copycat bricks regardless though, so I'd still rather get an official release, particularly because no amount of stickers is going to be able to substitute for a pre-printed nose section.

The potentially bad part of this though.. I was under the impression that you weren't necessarily restricted from re-submitting an IDEAS design.  The existence of these knockoff kits, even if the original designer isn't involved, might very well kill off any chance we have of ever seeing an official version.

[Dobber]

3 hours ago, wm cheng said:

I love that Saturn V - best kit ever!  Its such a pleasure to build.  Took a chance on the China knock-off lego on the LUT and it came out great.

 

You could get the Shuttle in cheap China knock off lego here - I'm very tempted, but it doesn't come with the stickers which I believe are key.

https://www.welightbrick.com/collections/new-arrival/products/nasa-space-shuttle-saturn-v-scale-designed-by-kingsknight

And its not like these Chinese firms are ripping off Lego as they refused and passed up on making these MOCs.

Wow...that looks amazing with the Launch Tower and pad! I may have to look into getting that. You guys got me really happy I took the plunge on the Saturn V. I think she and I will have a lot of fun building it together.

Chris

Edited December 5, 2019 by Dobber

[Dobber]

Question, is the site listed above a decent place? I’d like to get that LUT and that Star Destroyer. Also are the parts good? I never bought an MOC before and I definitely don’t have spare parts or can afford purchasing them from a brick sale site.

Chris

Edited December 6, 2019 by Dobber

[no3Ljm]

 

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/old-trafford-manchester-united-10272

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by no3Ljm

[M'Kyuun]

After about five or six years of tinkering, and with renewed commitment in November to have at it again, I finally finished what is for me a bit of a dream 'valk' from the Macross pantheon. It's fully transformable, no parts-forming necessary. Hope you guys like.

 

 

[Bobby]

OK

THAT. IS. SO. COOL.

WOWSERS!!!

--

Congrats on your years long effort...it is beautiful!

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Wowsers indeed-lovin the hands!

[M'Kyuun]

Thanks, guys. 

I thought the hands were kind of weak, personally, but LEGO offers few options, and this seemed the best one that would still offer a modicum of poseability of the digits. I wish the hinges were grouped closer together, but it is what it is. LEGO is all about compromise. Anyway, I greatly appreciate the kind words.

I was happy to get it to stand on its own without a stand. It has that big backpack and those little odd shaped feet- I wasn't sure, but to my surprise, it stood fine the first time I tried.

Sorry for the poor quality pics; I'm a better builder than a photographer, unfortunately. Too, my mancave is poorly lit, my camera's old, and my filing cabinet cum photo booth sits directly under my Transformer shelves, so all the way around, not the optimum situation for photography.

[no3Ljm]

Yowza!   

 

[Mazinger]

13 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

After about five or six years of tinkering, and with renewed commitment in November to have at it again, I finally finished what is for me a bit of a dream 'valk' from the Macross pantheon. It's fully transformable, no parts-forming necessary. Hope you guys like.

Incredible @M'Kyuun. Well done.  Shows your mastery of LEGO engineering, no doubt built on top of what you learned from building your transformable Monster.

So impressive.  Bravo sir, bravo.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Mazinger

[Bolt]

13 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

After about five or six years of tinkering, and with renewed commitment in November to have at it again, I finally finished what is for me a bit of a dream 'valk' from the Macross pantheon. It's fully transformable, no parts-forming necessary. Hope you guys like.

 

 

Amazing work! Love it

[M'Kyuun]

Deeply appreciate the compliments, fellas. It was a labor of love in the truest sense...it nearly took a few 'test flights' across the room before I was finished. Really wish LEGO would invest in making some better joints.

Anyway, I've had a sweet spot for the Variable Glaug for a while now, and I was a bit dismayed in my search for inspirational images that, aside from the excellent custom model, which incidentally appeared here on Macross World fifteen years ago, and any number of colored copies of Kawamori's line art, little else exists. Not even Experten, who is no stranger to making garage kits of lesser known valks, has made one. Glad I could do it a little service. I'm taking this guy to Bricks Cascade, a LEGO convention in Portland, OR, at the end of February/first weekend of March. The Mecha coordinator is familiar with Macross, so I'm pretty excited to show this thing to him- most people walk right by my stuff, as they don't recognize it, and often don't realize they transform unless I'm there to tell them, so it's nice to have at least one person who knows what it is I've built.  I won an award last year for my Monster, and I can't help but feel he had something to do with that. It's not the reason I do what I do, but a little validation in the form of more LEGO is always welcome.

Anyway, just want to say thanks once again to all commenters for your wonderfully kind words. Most appreciated.

[David Hingtgen]

Any plans for a custom Moaramia minifig?