Mail Day! 2012 LEGO Star Wars Sets Arrive

A nice package arrived in the mail today, a package from Barnes & Noble with some new LEGO Star Wars sets, and a package from Amazon. In total I received:

  • 9492 Tie Fighter (two of these)
  • 9490 Droid Escape
  • 9489 Endor Rebel Trooper & Imperial Trooper Battle Pack
  • 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

I’ll be posting reviews soon. Here’s a photo of the loot:

2012 LEGO Star Wars Sets

 

Review: LEGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

Here is a look at the LEGO set #6857, Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape. At $39.99 retail, this set delivers a lot of value, especially for a licensed set. You get five minifigs, all of main characters in the DC Batman universe. $39.99 is also a nice price point for kids – a big set, but not breaking the $50 barrier.

Here is what you get: the set, minifigs, accessories, manual and sticker sheet:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

A look at the setup:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

I don’t plan on keeping this set displayed, so I didn’t bother applying the stickers, though they are pretty cool:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

Starting with the minifigs, we have Batman and Robin. As usual, nicely done. I am not a huge fan of cloth capes on minifigs, so I haven’t opened those up yet:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

Back printing adds a nice level of detail:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

Then we have the “bad guys.” The Riddler, Harley Quinn, and The Joker. Each looks great, and most of the figs have double-sided faces:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

The joker’s hair is rather squared off. Some back printing as well:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

The funhouse. Without the stickers it looks much less impressive:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

The little car that rides on the tracks – really well done:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

On the rails:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

The Batcycle:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

A side view, showing how far out the rails extend:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

The main structure has a lot of gimmicks – the hammer that swings down, the floor that moves, a trap door and other features:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

It’s not especially deep, but it definitely gets the job done. I am glad they kept it functional and basic in order to keep it under $40:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

Not much to see here:
EGO 6857 Super Heroes The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape

All in all, a great value for the money!

Review: LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Today we are looking at a set I was highly anticipating: LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack. It’s funny how a single minifig can create such a stir around a set. At $12.99, battle packs are often a great deal for the money, and a nice way to army build. This year, LEGO took a different route with battle packs, mixing good guys and bad guys in the same set. To me, this increases playability for kids who can only afford one set. Nice move LEGO.

The box cover:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The contents:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Here is the main highlight of the set, the Elite Clone Trooper. The amount of detail is really astounding, with a new helmet, tons of custom printing all the way down to the feet, plus other accessories. Really, one of the nicest minifigs LEGO has produced:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The backpack:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The new printing on the ARF trooper is very nice as well. I love this design, so I am glad LEGO is continuing to do new printings of it:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

From the back:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Typically, battle droids aren’t considered as “valuable” as regular minifigs. These are new molds, the Commando Droids. They look fine – with some nice detailed printing on the head. I suppose LEGO put all of their effort into the Elite Clone Trooper, which is why they didn’t include 4 proper minifigs:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Dark red pieces, including 4 visors:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The inclusion of the extra visors allow you to turn regular clones into a battalion for the elite trooper to command:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The rest of the parts, nothing very special here:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The cannon:
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Doesn’t seem like a fair fight, does it?
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

The cannon is a nice design, about what you would expect for a set of this size. Very usable in lots of scenarios.
LEGO Star Wars 9488 Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack

Overall, I really like this set, and will be buying multiples to build up a liitle Elite Clone Trooper army!

Review: LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

I was excited to get my hands on one of the more impressive looking sets to come out of LEGO’s first wave of 2012 Super Heroes sets: #6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex. While the set is one of the smallest of the series, with 207 pieces, 3 minifigs and a retail price of $19.99 – it really does everything incredibly well.

Every element of this set has loads of playability, and you can instantly see this set being used across other Super Hero sets as well.
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Here are the pieces sorted out. The manual is small and formatted as a comic book. Some dark purple bricks, lots of green, some neat clear elements, and then loads of gray and black:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

The minifigs are a real standout. First up is Wonder Woman. From head to toe – she is all custom for this character, and they capture everything better than I expected for such a blocky minifig. The leg printing really sells this – the stars came out perfect:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Finally, a LEGO Superman. They did a great job here. The curl is a nice touch:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Lex Luthor is fine. I always wonder if they experimented with creating a “bald” headpiece that would round the top of a minifigs head. He doesn’t read as a specific character – this figure could easily be used in any City themed set:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

I assume the parts that came in this pack are the Chinese made elements:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Not surprising to see Wonder Woman’s legs, lasso, and hair in here. Superman’s hair was a surprise though.
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Here are all the joints that give the armored suit it’s mobility. I’m not used to many of these pieces, I assume they are standard fare in the Hero Factory lineup:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

These pieces have that cool metallic finish to them, like gunmetal:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Lots of clear pieces, including the bright green elements, and that greenish clear tube:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

“Do you hear something?!”
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

Don’t…. turn… around…
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

I tried to warn you…
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

In the clutches of Lex Luthor:
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

This battle could go on all night…
LEGO 6862 Superman Vs Power Armor Lex

The armored suit is really well done, with lots of unusual ways of using the bricks. It’s very posable, and has lots of nice touches such as the moveable fingers, the gun, and the overall look.

For $19.99, I think this set has tons of play value, and a chance to get three main characters in the Super Heroes lineup. Highly recommended!

2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

I found some pleasant surprises at Target today. First up was a stash of the LEGO holiday gift card packs. These were in a wagon that an employee was using to restock shelves. They were super hard to come by during the holidays, and I was surprised to see them:

2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

It was nice to finally see the 2012 Star Wars sets on the shelves. Unlike at Toys R Us, Target is kind enough to charge MSRP. Here we have the new Elite Clone Trooper battle packs, Endor battle pack, Droid Escape, Geonosian Cannon, and Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

TIE Fighters and planet sets.:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

The new X-Wing Starfighter:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

They also had a couple Super Heroes sets in stock:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

Still some old Harry Potter sets:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

More Harry Potter LEGO:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

This is the only discounted price I saw, $15 for the Imperial V-Wing Starfighter, which normally retails for $20:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

I ended up with these sets. I had a $10 gift card from ebates, so I grabbed Superman vs Power Armor Lex, as well as two of the Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Packs. The latter has been hard to come by, and on eBay they are selling at $20 and up:
2012 Star Wars LEGO Sets Arrive at Target

LEGO Sale at Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart evidently rolled out a big toy sale today, and there have been widely varying reports from all over the country as to how Wal-Mart prices LEGO. Some stores have great deals on sets, 50% off. Others have nothing on sale. Many have a mix. Some have the sale items clearly marked in the LEGO aisle, some in a special sale section by the garden area, and many requiring you to scan each item to see if it is on sale. These reports come from the forums at ToysNBricks.com and Brickset.com.

I headed over to my local Wal-Mart, and below is what I found. On sale was a single LEGO set, the big 1600 piece XXL box. It was at the same price Wal-Mart used as a promotion around Black Friday: $15. It was shoved in an odd location, with no sticker on it or the shelf:

Much of the LEGO section had empty shelves, with even older sets priced at full retail. The Star Wars section has tumbleweeds:

And they are promising the 2012 sets to arrive on Feb 10. I wonder why they bother waiting. Toys R Us and Target both have these sets available for sale:

The still had quite a few Harry Potter sets:

Plenty of full price Alien Conquest and Pirates of the Caribbean too:

More Harry Potter, and even Log Cabin:

It sort of surprised me to see Friends separate from the regular LEGO section:

The have a bunch of the new CITY sets:

Plus Dino and Cars: