storskogen

Beyond the Brick is already out with a review of the Imperial Light Cruiser. I like it includes two mini TIE Fighters with transparent printed tiles for the cockpit!

I had exactely the same thought. It seems the wings can be easily swapped, as they are connected with technic pins only. It would look excellent displayed in landing position with the wings showing the their nicest side rather than the antistuds. A simple mod to add the landing gear would also benefit the look.

You are not alone! The Mandalorian Starfighter looks excellent, especially when the wings are displayed in horizontal position. The side with antistuds doesn’t look that great as expected, but it is still good in my opinion. Happy it has landing mode and hosts two minifigs. At that piece count and price it could not have been better.

I had slightly higher expectations for the ITT. I think the ITT seen in season 1 (which can hold 3 stormtroopers per side) is more iconic that this one from season 2. Moreover, with 3 stormtroopers provided in the set it would be more useful to be able to transport them rather than having on foot. The ITT from season 1 is also very similar to that appeared several times in Rebels.

They really look like good custom figures. Does Lego do printing in the vertical part of the hip piece (where the legs are connected)?

Totally agree! I was also skeptical in the beginning, but I am now very satisfied with the new X-wing which is better proportioned with other ships of similar or bigger size). In fact, this made me buy the new TIE Fighter for May the 4th, as now I think the Solo one is far too big. I do plan to widen the connections between cockpit and wings to have a Rebels version.

This must be the real reason why two speeders have been included in this set.

A higher res picture of Tatooine Homestead has been published (confirmed GWP with SW purchases over $85). Nice to see some depth and elevation. Still, Endor and Hoth were nicer and in scale with each other.

Thanks! Good to know in advance and plan some purchase on May the 4th. Do we know which 2021 sets will be released by then?

I apologize if this was discussed earlier. In the news thread there are 2 GWP listed: 40451 - Tatooine Homestead (May the 4th/UCS R2-D2) Imperial Star Destroyer GWP - Imperial Officer - 396 pieces Is it confirmed that Tatooine comes only with the UCS R2-D2? This would be disappointing, as the previous GWP (Hoth, Endor, DSII) came for all SW purchases. What about the ISD? Is it also May or later in 2021?

It seems quite nice, much more depth than previous sets (and probably piece count). There should have been only three of these, Tatooine, Hoth and Endor. No sense in making (an ugly) DS2. I guess they wanted to cover A new hope, and now that the OT is covered they can move to something else... unless they decide to make the same for the PT and ST.

As much as I would like (a lot) to get a TIE Bomber I agree it’s a stretch. If a minifig-compatible TIE Bomber was released today it would be smaller, in line with the recent TIE Fighter. The TIE Bomber in the magazine is large, very similar to some MOCs, and showed with the older and larger X-wing.

I think this became the rule rather than the exeption. Pictures/renderings from Lego are often taken from weird or unattractive angles.

The Scout Trooper Helmet is in my opinion the best helmet so far. From hi-res picture on Brickset I see some gaps on the bottom and top of the visor. It's probably a static helmet, but it might still be viable that the visor can be flipped up! This would, however, require to have for instance black bricks/tiles to simulate a black Lego head... or the facial expression of an angry clone

I guess it’s a limitation of this set hosting three figs only. Since Luke and Vader chill in the back, a pilot was needed in the cockpit. For that purpose, an existing fig was probably enough. What makes this set attractive is that it’s a Lambda shuttle, and it’s affordable.

Brickset review of the Imperial Shuttle includs a nice comparison with the previous models: https://brickset.com/article/57839/review-75302-imperial-shuttle I never noticed the use of different window elements for the cockpit. The new shuttle uses a bigger one which seems more accurate. That is what, in my opinion, was a bit off from the Tyderium. I might considering modding it as the new one.

Indeed. The new model almost remind me of the old 7166. The Tydirium is superior in any way.

Thanks for sharing this, useful to see such comparison pictures before considering to buy new sets. Looking forward to a similar comparison between the new and the old Shuttle.

Normally, I tend to upgrade the sets as new ones are released, as long as they are superior (very often). I finally got the new X-wing and I am very satisfied (just few mods needed), in fact more than with the previous ones since it is scaled better to other rebel ships. I cannot say the same for the Lambda shuttle or the Slave 1, where previous sets where already very good. Those are bigger ships compared to smaller fighters and, as such, less suitable to be scaled down. I also have the Tyderium and, looking at these new images, I wouldn’t consider buying the new shuttle. If I hadn’t one, as an AFOL, I would still prefer to bricklink the old one. However, it is appreciated to see an effort to produce and release sets which are finally more affordable to anyone, still looking good.

I meant that an even smaller scale (MBS like) in the $50 range would make sense only if Mandalorian-based rather than OT-based.

Totally agree. An OT Slave 1 doesn’t make any sense, especially after an excellent (partially even better than the UCS one) playscale set was recently released. The UCS was minifig scale, the most recent one was downsized to playscale. A new one would make sense only in light of the popularity of the Mandalorian, and probably aimed at kids/younger audience who do not own a previous version and felt in love with the ship by watching the Mandalorian.

Just read that 75309 D2C ($349) is rumored to be the Republic Gunship and 75313 D2C ($799) is rumored to be the Death Star II. This makes sense if true. The Republic Gunship may be a real UCS, larger and more detailed than previous playset models, as many wanted. The Death Star is probably one of the most widely recognizable things in the SW universe and, due to its size, maybe the only one which could justify the rumored piece count (11,000).

This MOC is about 15,000 pieces and is minifig scale with no interiors. I’m almost afraid $800 wouldn’t be enough even for a Lego set.

And shipping in 60 days!!! At least they are not exclusive and will possibly be available elsewhere. Still, rather annoying for those looking to use some VIP points and maybe get the current GWP.

Interesting the technique used to access the interiors by lifting back the central wing. Accessing the interiors was a bit difficult on the 2015 version.