Toy Fair 2015: Star Wars

[Hapori Tohu]

It's time for more Toy Fair 2015 coverage! Based on your feedback, today we're looking at Star Wars, a theme that's entering its sixteenth year in 2015. With a new movie coming out, there's sure to be a lot of hype around this line, not to mention the constraction figures! Read on to check them all out!

 

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[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

My only memories of the Skyhopper are from the bonus Tatooine racing level from Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Don't go too high!

 

Anyway, I just see these sets as an appetizer while we wait for The Force Awakens sets. Hopefully that movie provides us with a lot of new, memorable vehicles and locations that will translate well into LEGO. And hopefully they avoid the temptation to give us another Millenium Falcon, though the last large-scale model came out in 2011 so they'll probably think enough time has passed in order to give us another. Even so, Disney's plans for Star Wars should provide enough material to avoid too many repetitions in the future.

 

Hopefully.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Vorahk1Panrahk2

[Bfahome]

Ooh, Vader has a lot of neat license markup filling out his torso. Didn't think there would be that much. I might want to get him if I wasn't waiting on Grievous.

[believe victims]

Nice to see Vader's torso is well-done; he might actually be worth his hefty price tag. I was going to say I'm unsure on the gunmetal armor pieces, but lookng it up it appears he does have sort of gunmetal armor on his shoulders and chest, so it's actually authentic.

[tomdroidser]

Yes! We now have another caped constraction set in Vader! So looking forward to obtaining him when he's released.

 

-Tomdroidser

[xccj]

So $20 is the low point on Star Wars constraction sets, eh. Bet Grievous is the uber expensive one. They look nice, but if they really want me to buy em, some of the unshown ones will need a bunch of recolored elements. (Like tan.)

 

[Iblis]

I'm not a fan of Star Wars, but I think most of these sets are great.

The Constaction sets though...

 

I really don't think CCBS is suited for such ..."realist" styles, it's kinda hard for me to pin down what exactly, but even the Vader set looses its appeal to me because it doesn't look fun to build ^{(or good to MOC with)}, and it otherwise looks like a really dodgy action figure.

 

I'm sure they'll sell well, Doctor Who, Joss Whedon, My Little Pony, Oprah, Star Trek, Star Wars, & Twilight, all have a following so 'strong' that pretty much anything the put out will sell.

 

Theses Constraction sets aren't utterly terrible, but I really don't see the appeal beyond Fans need bones?

I mean I guess it 'could' help with normalising CCBS, making it feel less unusual, bringing it closer to the 'acceptance' an action figure might have, but I really feel like it could do the exact opposite...

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I'm surprised at how many sets were based from The Phantom Menace, since a lot of Star Wars fans hated that movie. But that doesn't mean the sets were bad, because they looked great. 

 

I'm definitely the most excited for the constraction figures. I've said it before, but both Vader and Luke look really cool. I can't wait to see what Grievous looks like!

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

I'm surprised at how many sets were based from The Phantom Menace, since a lot of Star Wars fans hated that movie. But that doesn't mean the sets were bad, because they looked great. 

 

The Phantom Menace gets a lot of flack, but personally I think there were a lot of great design elements for it. I'd even go so far as to say that some of the vehicles from that movie (mainly the Naboo Starfighter, MTT, and Droid Control Ship) can stand right beside other iconic original trilogy ships like the X-Wing, Millennium Falcon, and the Death Star. As much flack as I give LEGO for contiuing to churn out repeats, I can't exactly blame them. Those vehicles are cool, and probably more well known than ships strictly from the animated series and video games (like the Wookie Gunship).

Edited February 16, 2015 by Vorahk1Panrahk2

[Tamarutoe]

I remember seeing the final duel as a set years ago in the Lego magazine, it was a tiny, tiny thing, probably less than a hundred pieces between the two models. It's cool how much more Lego is putting into sets now, even if it costs $50 more.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Tamarutoe

[Shadow Destroyer]

I'm not a huge fan of the consraction sets, and will probably hold off on buying them until I get to see how later sets will look. I don't want to cimit to a line unless I know what I'm getting myself into first...

[fishers64]

I'm mildly dissapointed that the other set weren't on display, but I suppose that's just the way things go.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

My biggest complaint is the Disney logo on the boxes. I am still coping with Disney buying Star Wars. Wait... this means that Princess Leia is now a Disney Princess!

 

NOOOOOOOOOOO

[Iblis]

My biggest complaint is the Disney logo on the boxes. I am still coping with Disney buying Star Wars. Wait... this means that Princess Leia is now a Disney Princess!

 

NOOOOOOOOOOO

 

Hey just hope they upgrade her to Queen! You'll never see her with the Disney Princesses in official stuff then!

^{*cough*@Kida*cough*}

[Bambi]

Looks like a good year for Star Wars sets, minus the constraction ones..

Edited February 18, 2015 by Bambi

[J46 Nui]

The CCBS sets are a tiny bit overpriced for their piece count, but they look good to me (I especially like that they look good from the back, which is a thing that CCBS has been getting better about), and their are a fair share of new pieces, so after my Bionicle and Ninjago purchases, I'll try to pick them up.

[Ektris]

Even more impressed with Vader with this closer look than I first was! He's bigger than I realized and has a whole lot going on behind the scene (really appreciate that under-the-cape shot).

 

Still not entirely sold on the unarmored/normal guys with just Luke to go off of, but Vader is such a must-have.

 

~|ET|~

[Xarok]

I'm not a fan of Star Wars, but I think most of these sets are great.

The Constaction sets though...

 

I really don't think CCBS is suited for such ..."realist" styles, it's kinda hard for me to pin down what exactly, but even the Vader set looses its appeal to me because it doesn't look fun to build ^{(or good to MOC with)}, and it otherwise looks like a really dodgy action figure.

 

I'm sure they'll sell well, Doctor Who, Joss Whedon, My Little Pony, Oprah, Star Trek, Star Wars, & Twilight, all have a following so 'strong' that pretty much anything the put out will sell.

 

Theses Constraction sets aren't utterly terrible, but I really don't see the appeal beyond Fans need bones?

I mean I guess it 'could' help with normalising CCBS, making it feel less unusual, bringing it closer to the 'acceptance' an action figure might have, but I really feel like it could do the exact opposite...

Yeah, the Constraction sets are kinda weird. Dark Vader is alright since he looks to robotic anyways but CCBS doesn't seem to lend itself well to realistic humanoid characters. Something about semi-realistic faces with that Lego texture seems off. Kinda reminds me of Galador.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Wow, how many times are they gonna redesign/rerelease some of these sets? What is this, the billionth Slave I set? At least the new Emperor showdown looks to be pretty extensive.

 

Constraction figs look intriguing.

 

-NotS

Edited February 17, 2015 by Nidhiki of the Shadows

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I just remembered- we've gotten technic Star Wars sets before. They were kinda constraction, but didn't use ball joints. I'll bet the 45 dollar one is a droideka. 

[Bfahome]

I just remembered- we've gotten technic Star Wars sets before. They were kinda constraction, but didn't use ball joints. I'll bet the 45 dollar one is a droideka.

 

We already know what the other sets will be from London ToyFair reports. We're getting Clone Wars Obi-Wan, Commander Cody, one of the Fetts, and General Grievous. My bet's that Grievous is the expensive one.

[Wazdakka]

I'm still waiting to see Fett and Cody - I feel like those kind of armored characters would be best embodied by the constraction parts. 

[Lyichir]

I'm still waiting to see Fett and Cody - I feel like those kind of armored characters would be best embodied by the constraction parts.

I would think robotic characters like Grievous would be even better-suited, frankly.

 

I am a bit worried by the character-intensive first wave, since it makes me worry that they'll stick with that for future waves and never offer generic battle droids or Stormtroopers.

[fishers64]

 

I'm still waiting to see Fett and Cody - I feel like those kind of armored characters would be best embodied by the constraction parts.

I would think robotic characters like Grievous would be even better-suited, frankly.

 

I am a bit worried by the character-intensive first wave, since it makes me worry that they'll stick with that for future waves and never offer generic battle droids or Stormtroopers.

 

There's going to be multiple waves of this? I got the impression that this was a one-off. 

[dotcom]

 

 

I'm still waiting to see Fett and Cody - I feel like those kind of armored characters would be best embodied by the constraction parts.

I would think robotic characters like Grievous would be even better-suited, frankly.

 

I am a bit worried by the character-intensive first wave, since it makes me worry that they'll stick with that for future waves and never offer generic battle droids or Stormtroopers.

 

There's going to be multiple waves of this? I got the impression that this was a one-off. 

 

Like most things Lego does, that's probably gonna depend on how well they sell. But this being Star Wars, I wouldn't be surprised if we do see more waves later on.

[Bfahome]

I don't think generic army-builder characters are that unlikely.  It makes sense that they'd want the first wave to be recognizable and popular, so they choose the classic characters (Luke, Vader, and Boba (possibly)) along with some more current characters (Obi, Grievous, and Cody).  It would help to establish the series better than characters like a B1 Battle Droid or a Stormtrooper.  If the current ones prove to be popular, then I feel like there's more room for the lesser-known.

[Jobber]

A Princess Leia figure would be nice, lol.

[Lyichir]

I don't think generic army-builder characters are that unlikely.  It makes sense that they'd want the first wave to be recognizable and popular, so they choose the classic characters (Luke, Vader, and Boba (possibly)) along with some more current characters (Obi, Grievous, and Cody).  It would help to establish the series better than characters like a B1 Battle Droid or a Stormtrooper.  If the current ones prove to be popular, then I feel like there's more room for the lesser-known.

Hopefully so. Stormtroopers, Battle Droids, and other troops might be generic but they're still iconic by virtue of appearing consistently across multiple movies. And I imagine they probably have more sales potential than characters like Greedo who, while named in the movies themselves, only appeared in a few scenes across the entire franchise).

 

Not that named characters don't present a fair share of opportunity. There are still a lot of main characters unaccounted for (such as Qui-Gon, Anakin, Chewbacca, Han, Leia, and Lando). Yoda and Darth Sidious or C-3PO and R2D2 would both make good co-packs. Heck, as hated as he can be, even Jar-Jar might make an interesting figure due to his lanky proportions and unusual color scheme. And if the theme lasts a few years they can always revisit characters they've already done but put them in new costumes (Luke in particular offers TONS of wardrobe options).

[Bfahome]

 

I don't think generic army-builder characters are that unlikely.  It makes sense that they'd want the first wave to be recognizable and popular, so they choose the classic characters (Luke, Vader, and Boba (possibly)) along with some more current characters (Obi, Grievous, and Cody).  It would help to establish the series better than characters like a B1 Battle Droid or a Stormtrooper.  If the current ones prove to be popular, then I feel like there's more room for the lesser-known.

Hopefully so. Stormtroopers, Battle Droids, and other troops might be generic but they're still iconic by virtue of appearing consistently across multiple movies. And I imagine they probably have more sales potential than characters like Greedo who, while named in the movies themselves, only appeared in a few scenes across the entire franchise).

 

Not that named characters don't present a fair share of opportunity. There are still a lot of main characters unaccounted for (such as Qui-Gon, Anakin, Chewbacca, Han, Leia, and Lando). Yoda and Darth Sidious or C-3PO and R2D2 would both make good co-packs. Heck, as hated as he can be, even Jar-Jar might make an interesting figure due to his lanky proportions and unusual color scheme. And if the theme lasts a few years they can always revisit characters they've already done but put them in new costumes (Luke in particular offers TONS of wardrobe options).

 

I agree about the troops still being iconic, I just doubt they'd give as much of a bang at the start.  I mean, as far as iconic goes, Darth Vader is probably one of the first things a good many people are going to think of when they hear "Star Wars".  I'm holding out hope for a Battle Droid set (either B1 or B2, maybe both!) because when I was younger I would seriously watch The Phantom Menace for that one scene on Naboo where they all get deployed from the MTTs.  I had a few of the Battle Droid action figures (they'd only last as long as the dog would allow them) and they were the coolest thing.  Also a CCBS B1 would mean I can finally try to remake Pohatu Mata, because tan shells maybe.  The B2 Super Battle Droids are pretty neat too and would make for some sweet recolors too.

 

But, uh, yeah.  That got away from me a bit.  But like you said, minor or one-off characters like Greedo probably won't be making an appearance.

 

If we do get more, I wonder how far they'll push the boundaries.  The only things I liked better than the B1 Battle Droids were the Droidekas, and a CCBS version of one of those would be super nice.

[believe victims]

If we do get more, I wonder how far they'll push the boundaries.  The only things I liked better than the B1 Battle Droids were the Droidekas, and a CCBS version of one of those would be super nice.

 

 

If they could do something like the original Technic version's auto-unfolding mechanism (though obviously less complicated) that'd be pretty cool. If nothing else, I'd want it to look good rolled up in a sphere. Since, unlike the Bohrok, it doesn't need to be a filled-out sphere, it shouldn't pose as much as a challenge for CCBS.

[Bfahome]

 

If we do get more, I wonder how far they'll push the boundaries.  The only things I liked better than the B1 Battle Droids were the Droidekas, and a CCBS version of one of those would be super nice.

If they could do something like the original Technic version's auto-unfolding mechanism (though obviously less complicated) that'd be pretty cool. If nothing else, I'd want it to look good rolled up in a sphere. Since, unlike the Bohrok, it doesn't need to be a filled-out sphere, it shouldn't pose as much as a challenge for CCBS.

I don't have high hopes for an unfolding mechanism necessarily (if we get these sets at all, that is), but yeah I would like it if they had some way to mimic their wheel forms, or "stored" forms in the case of the B1.  Seems like that would be the best kind of gimmick to give the sets.

 

Maybe we'll get a pit droid.  I had that TECHNIC set and while the function was neat the set was pretty useless otherwise.

[Jobber]

I hate to comment on topic from last month, but I gotta ask: does anyone know how big the Imperial Assault Carrier is going to be? And is it worth it?

 

At about 100 pieces less than the Imperial Star Destroyer and at the same price, it just seems sorta "meh" to me. I guess those mini tie-fighters make it even.

Edited March 10, 2015 by The Bone-Snatcher

[Black Six]

I hate to comment on topic from last month, but I gotta ask: does anyone know how big the Imperial Assault Carrier is going to be? And is it worth it?

 

At about 100 pieces less than the Imperial Star Destroyer and at the same price, it just seems sorta "meh" to me. I guess those mini tie-fighters make it even.

I feel like it was a little smaller than last year's Star Destroyer in length, but bulkier overall due to its shape.