They tend to throw most of the marketing at the next big in-house thing. That means the movie next year. This year it was Chima, last year it was Friends, before that Ninjago.

2015 will probably be the big SW pitch with the movie coming out and Rebels in full flight.

The Microfighters Turbo Tank will definitely put more plain Phase II clone out on the streets but I'm not sure if it'll help drive prices down. The price for set would have to be $4.99, which I find extremely doubtful.

I believe that the micro sets will be $9.99 in the USA.

I believe that the micro sets will be $9.99 in the USA.

If that's the case, then I would pass. For a few dollars more, you can get the BP w/ 3 more minifigs and a comparable small vehicle.

Just checked the online official lego store. The Endor Battle pack seems to be officially discontinued. It is no longer listed in the store and had no price when you click on it. It still is on the regular lego website however. My guess is the new BPs are right around the corner to release day.

For people concerned with the lack of advertising, don't be worried. My guess is since Lego BPs do so well, they dont need to advertise for them; they are almost an impulse buy. I would only see advertising for the larger sets that need to attract people to the stores. Also, has anyone ever seen an ad for a BP? I never have except in the catalog.

Chowren Toys has got word that there will be a UCS Sandcrawler (75059) being released next year. Thoughts on that?

http://www.thebrickfan.com/breaking-lego-star-wars-ucs-sandcrawler-75059-rumors/

And there is a video posted on Hothbricks about the Kashyyyk trooper set, with demonstration of the new blasters (in French):

http://www.hothbrick...ters-en-action/

The boy who purchased the set said that they shoot almost a meter in distance.

Edited December 11, 201311 yr by Spyderlord

Chowren Toys has got word that there will be a UCS Sandcrawler (75059) being released next year. Thoughts on that?

http://www.thebrickf...r-75059-rumors/

How reliable are the sources over there?

Seeing that video review, the Scout helmets are still laughably large, but they don't look too terrible. The speeder also looks very nice; sure it might be a miniaturized version of bigger vehicle, but it's a heck of a lot more cohesive than a lot of the dumb builds we've seen in battle packs over the years.

The blasters seem to work very well. I get why people, as AFOLs, dislike them, but they seem to shoot with plenty of force and should be a ton of fun, unlike flick-fires which are nearly impossible to operate and just fall limply to the ground anyhow. Could LEGO have included regular moulded blasters as well? Maybe. But these still look like a cool new play feature that really isn't too intrusive. (The only downside is a LOT of lost studs.)

How reliable are the sources over there?

Chowren Toys has never been a news source, but I see them as reliable. They're a legitimate LEGO retailer, which means they should have some inside knowledge.

Seems plausible, except for the set number It'd make sense if it was a regular release, but UCS sets always have numbers starting with 10xxx Of course TLG might change that tradition (even tough there's no need for such a change and the other 2014 D2C releases still follow that tradition) but that seems unlikely to me. Something's definitely wrong here, it's either the price, the set number or the entire rumour

Edited December 11, 201311 yr by Lego-Freak

Hmm, a UCS sandcrawler eh ?

Well it would be minifig scale as it's a huge multistorey mining ore processing plant that can move.....guess C3-PO and R2 will come with it, but also I guess that we'll have to wait quite some months before it's totally confirmed.

Chowren Toys has got word that there will be a UCS Sandcrawler (75059) being released next year. Thoughts on that?

http://www.thebrickf...r-75059-rumors/

Interesting, although the set number seems a bit odd as most UCS models have a '10' prefix However, the price suggests that it should be a decent size, time to get saving!

Seems plausible, except for the set number It'd make sense if it was a regular release, but UCS sets always have numbers starting with 10xxx Of course TLG might change that tradition (even tough there's no need for such a change and the other 2014 D2C releases still follow that tradition) but that seems unlikely to me.

Not exactly. The Simpson Family House set, which is a D2C set, is set number 71006.

Not trying to stir the pot but how often do you see LEGO officially advertise sets before they come out? For me seeing all the box art and seeing the sets on various websites is enough. Seeing the animated advertising isn't going to make me want a set any more or less. That seems to be geared more towards the younger fans. The only time I see the actual advertisements is when I'm in toy stores or when I come across them on the LEGO website.

Agreed. I don't see why you would want there to be more advertisement for SW sets and they really don't need it. It's friggin' Star Wars! Even without any new movies, shows, or games out to generate interest, it's still one of the most popular toy lines out there. And yes, Lego never does much of a marketing push unless it's for their own themes which need it to get popular. With licensed themes like SW, the demand is already there and there are online shops that do the HD picture leaking for them, so they don't even have to try. Besides, what's wrong with The Lego Movie?

Hype is overrated anyway (yes, I realize how paradoxical that sounds, but it's true).

Not exactly. The Simpson Family House set, which is a D2C set, is set number 71006.

Sorry, I meant the recent SW UCS models!

I've just checked the conversion rates and if the $300 RRP is correct that's about £185. Even accounting for the tracks (10144 had 272), I can't see the part count being much above 2000 which would be rather dissapointing to say the least. I'll reserve judgement until I see it, but I'd prefer something in the 3-4000 range, otherwise it could just be a slight upgrade on 10144.

I'll reserve judgement until I see it, but I'd prefer something in the 3-4000 range, otherwise it could just be a slight upgrade on 10144.

What would be wrong with a slight upgrade on 10144? That set came out ages ago and was already massive to begin with. With the newer UCS X-Wing to go on, it looks like LEGO is fine with producing new versions that are roughly the same size as the original, just with newer and better building techniques. I don't think a LEGO sandcrawler really needs to be much bigger than the previous version, and it's overdue for an update even at that size.

What would be wrong with a slight upgrade on 10144? That set came out ages ago and was already massive to begin with. With the newer UCS X-Wing to go on, it looks like LEGO is fine with producing new versions that are roughly the same size as the original, just with newer and better building techniques. I don't think a LEGO sandcrawler really needs to be much bigger than the previous version, and it's overdue for an update even at that size.

Perhaps I was being a bit too harsh, but the old version dissapointed me. It was quite fun to build (I've owned two of them) but it could have been a lot better with a little Technic input....A hybrid between 8043 and 10144 would be very interesting but I can't see it happening at that price point.

Sorry, I meant the recent SW UCS models!

I've just checked the conversion rates and if the $300 RRP is correct that's about £185. Even accounting for the tracks (10144 had 272), I can't see the part count being much above 2000 which would be rather dissapointing to say the least. I'll reserve judgement until I see it, but I'd prefer something in the 3-4000 range, otherwise it could just be a slight upgrade on 10144.

The one in 2005 had 1669 pieces, so I agree it could be an upgrade at about the same size, considering that part count of other redesigned sets are the last years, and always have been slightly, a bit bigger.

I do hope it comes with the Lars' Homestead though!

A hybrid between 8043 and 10144 would be very interesting but I can't see it happening at that price point.

That would be amazing! :)

I'd love to get a new Sandcrawler (and new Jawas).

But 299 for 1600 parts would be quite expensive. Even for a UCS set!

Edited December 11, 201311 yr by Robert_88

A UCS sandcrawler would be great. I'll reserve judgment till I have it in my hands though.

_{I'm not really into Jawas but if they included some Tusken Raiders, Luke's Farm, some Sandtroopers etc I might get interested...}

_{I'm not really into Jawas but if they included some Tusken Raiders, Luke's Farm, some Sandtroopers etc I might get interested...}

I'd love to see some Jawas! ... As well as the Tusken Raiders, Luke's Farm, and some Sandtroopers.

I am in fact rather hoping, and would prefer, it will not be a (real) UCS set, but an update of the 10144.

A system (play)set under the 10xxx UCS flag. Just like the former one, the Ewok village, Death Star and Cloud City.

Because a) it will maintain the price "acceptable" ; for being called a real UCS it should be something similar to Marshal Banana 's thus unpayable ;

b) a big brown box, just for display might indeed be a bit boring ;

c) an update is overdue. It is true that the crawler doesnt receive that much screentime in the movie, nor has it key role, but it has a unique design, and some even more obscure vessels already had their 27th rehash..

d) a sandcrawler is still one of the biggest gaps in my OT system collection ;

thank for the pics, can't wait to buy them