I have a history of bad titles. My favorite is Renee the Tree Hugger and the Wooden Cow-suit of the Labyrinth versus the Rockstoner Sugar Cartel. That one was a keeper. Faces only Lovers could Love is pitiful too though....
Blogging: When someone creates a webpage sharing their thoughts/activities under the false pretension that someone might actually care.
So, I'm going to share my thoughts on LEGO news. That way when I write reviews, I don't digress and ramble on and on....
As most of you know, K-Mart kindly messed up again, so we have some nice pictures of three of seven (three of seven) Ninjago sets for release next year. My first impressions were that the sets themselves were pretty good, but that the minifigures weren't.
Now that they've sunk in...the sets aren't even that great.
I didn't like Ninjago's first year too much. Nya and Wu were cool figures, and the other regular minifigures weren't bad, but I hated the skeletons (except for Krazi c: ) and their vehicles weren't my favorite. The fire temple though, that was marvelous. The dragons I liked too.
The next year of Ninjago was better. The minifigures (both the ninja and villains) I liked very much (at least most of them). The sets could have done with more architecture, but the snake vehicles I liked.
This entire year reeked of being rushed. The ninjas' costumes (the exception being Lloyd) are my favorites, and the stone army still beats skeletons. The sets though were just a huge letdown, especially the light temple which is mostly a facade.
Small hiatus. Everyone assumes the worst, even though they didn't care for 2012/13 Ninjago and aren't willing to try something new. What? Talking animal warriors? That is so ridiculous. I'm not going to spend any money on that. Ninjago is much more realistic....
Anyway, back to this year. Still not as good as 2012. Again, it reeks of being rushed. It probably was, since it was supposed to be cancelled, but LEGO is good. (See the ramble below the Ninjago one. ^_^) The ninja vehicles we have seen thus far are just retooled versions of older ones (Kai's is Jay's plane, Cole's is Kai's mech, Lloyd's is something from a building book, and Jay's is the ultra-sonic raider). I the nindroid figures are good, and Cyrus Borg's (get it, Cy Borg?) vehicle I actually kind of like. Hopefully we'll see more in other sets, because some of these have parts that'll make for a pretty good Cyborg from DC Comics' Teen Titans (Teen Titans, not Justice League). The ninjas' costumes are good too, but the bandanas look too small with some of their large hairpieces. It looks okay on Lloyd, and Nya might look okay with it too, but I just don't like it.
So, the sets we've seen don't get a pass from me other than the OverBorg Attack, which does just barely. I'd give that one a 3.5/5, judging just from images.
Also leaked today was the most bestest thing ever, and....
Is she a chick that fell from outer space?
Or is she real, with a tender-warm embrace?
Batgirl...Batgirl! Batgirl...Batgirl!
(Robin is depressed because even Batgirl has her own theme song. Heck, I'm pretty sure even Poison Ivy has one....)
It's no secret how much I love Batgirl/Oracle/Barbara Gordon and it looks like we're finally getting her. She's not perfect (lilac hips?), but I am sure that she'll look even more amazing with a purple cape. I hope they aren't cheap and use black. Two-toned would be cool, like Elrond was recently. I'm not sure the last time I was excited for just a single minifigure...usually it takes a stack of images of a bunch of figures or sets.
The DC line might finally be getting on track. Next year we'll be getting Batgirl and Flash, Nightwing and Green Lantern are rumored, and I am seeing easy ways to make Cyborg and Green Arrow. (Those last two don't count, but it's hard to make convincing purist customs sometimes, so opportunities are good.) Now, if we could at least get Martian Manhunter....
...on the other hand, we are still getting slightly retooled variants. CGI Batman, racing Riddler, and crime lord Joker.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/10029548916_d6e43420ef.jpg
I only say crime lord because of the hat, the only notable change. I do like this minifigure, maybe even more than the recent one, but it's unnecessary. A more welcome variation than Riddler, but it's a waste of a spot. They should have done something more exotic,like what we know as "tropical" Joker, or used a different character, like Mad Hatter. There are other characters who need a new variation more direly than Joker too. Two-Face probably makes the top of that list. Riddler would be close too, but they already messed that up.
Feel free to upload that image. I just haven't because of the ugly watermarks some people feel they need. Actually, don't. All rights are reserved according to Flickr. Even Wikia wont' let me deeplink it because of that. This is fair because they own the news after all. I get wanting to be credited as the original source, but it's isn't reporting to get the news out. It's reporting to get your name out.
Oh, and there is some Star Wars guy there too who has been changed even less than Joker, but just enough that a bunch of diehard AFOLs are going to need a couple dozen to replace the "outdated" ones. This is why I don't follow Star Wars.
The uploader also says that he has Ninjago, Chima, and implied more DC figures (at least Batman and Batgirl).
Okay, another small update. First of all, that Star Wars figure isn't new. It appeared in Palpatine's Shuttle a few years ago. I apologize for that.
The man or woman kind enough to illicitly obtain Batgirl and take images has also uploaded this unwatermarked photo. Interestingly enough, the Joker/Clone one above is a cropped version of this. The people who watermarked it didn't actually take it. Also note the Chima figure, Crawley from this year....This is why I don't like this branch of the hobby. People like, um, drama queens, who seem to be into it more for attention from 12 year-old boys than an actual appreciation for the hobby.
Also, this image makes the CGI Batman look bad. A New 52 version would be nice, since we have that for Batgirl, Flash, Aquaman, and supposedly Nightwing.
10243 Parisian Restaurant was unveiled today, and the Frenchman in me loves it. The rest does too, though. I probably won't get it, because I'm too cheap/poor and I don't really have room for the modulars. I'm looking forward to more views, and I'm interested in where else that scooter may show up.
The Friends penguin leaked a week ago and nobody here noticed.[1][2] I think it looks pretty good for a Friends animal, but the eyes still seem a little too detailed.
The rest of the Ninjago sets were mistakenly revealed today. A Hobbit set was too, but naturally it was the one we've already seen (the boxart is glorious though). The sets are still pretty uninteresting, though I see a few parts of note. It also looks like we are getting another female character, which is good. The show may even pass the Bechdel test one day. Also, as campy as it is, I kind of like the Evil Wu concept now that there is a Good Garmadon, so long as it isn't permanent.
The Robot Dragon is actually pretty cool, but not something I want.
More images should leak soon, so they probably won't.
Two more bits of news today, and if you know me at all, you'll know I'm excited. First up, three new Friends sets were unveiled. Mia's lemonade stand is one of the best sets that Friends has presented thus far. The other two are good too considering the range, but they seem too centered around the included animal, and that lamb is scary.
Secondly, Nightwing leaked just minutes ago. It's not exactly how I would have designed him, but I love the personality. Batgirl will also be joining the new sizeable LEGO Bat-family next year, which also includes Commissioner Gordon, Robin, Catwoman, and off course, Batman. Only Huntress and Alfred are missing (by my standards).
Again, fingers crossed images will leak soon.
More leaks, and I wish we didn't get them. So, The Simpsons...the theme nobody asked for (realistically) but we are getting anyway because FOX said pretty please and added some zeroes to a piece of paper.
Yep, this is the direction I want LEGO going in.
I will admit that they could have done much worse (don't even get me started on what Mega Bloks and K'Nex are up to) but these are just special....
This new low ABS diet is doing Homer wonders....
Terrible. Just terrible...and this is coming from somebody who actually doesn't mind the Toy Story and SpongeBob minifigures (though the latter are really off in a lot of their coloring).
At least this will be one CMF series I won't mind skipping....
Time to update, I suppose....
The DC steamroller set is coming with at least one Joker henchman, probably two. I was hoping for Mad Hatter, Anarky, and/or Killer Moth, so this is a missed opportunity.
Something I am probably forgetting goes here. TLM names? I don't really care. MODOK in Marve? Ew. HF minifigures? I heard that a week ago and didn't say anything here because I didn't think anyone would care...I do, but I probably won't get a chance to pick any up.
Also, tiny Hobbit pictures today. [3] [4] [5] Hopefully something more substantial leaks soon, but it's nice to have something small to tithe us over. The sets look better than the first Hobbit wave (with the exception of Bag End). I'd rather spend money on fortresses than spinning trees with flame catapults. I might even get that elf set if the price and minifigures are right....
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But my LEGO's on CUUSOO
So vote me maybe?
Today a total of 8 CUUSOO projects which made it to review over the course of three periods were rejected, including:
- Thinking with Portals!
- Purdue Pete
- Space Troopers!
- Andy the Android
- The Legend of Zelda
- Mini Shop Series
- Batmobile
- League of Legends
- The Land-Rover Defender is still under review
And the Exo-Suit was passed. CUUSOO has stated that they have stopped giving the reasons for failure, which is unfortunate, but most of these are pretty obvious, especially Legend of Zelda and the Batmobile. I look forward to seeing the Exo-Suit turned into a set, (though keep in mind that there is no way it will look as detailed as it does now).
Introducing...a section header[]
Nifty, huh? I'll probably give it to the rest of the updates later, when I'm not feeling so tired and my fingers aren't so numb I can barely type (it's cold here).
You tried hard LEGO, and came so close, but in the end all your pics are belong to us! >:D
Extremely preliminary pictures leaked today for several themes, including Batman, Spider-Man, Princesses, Chima, Hero Factory, and Ninjago. Ninjago is uninteresting and nearly identical to the final images (I still think that were rushed).
You can find them here.
The Penguin set looks good for it's size, Man-Bat set looks good even as a preliminary (other than Nightwing's glider thingy), and the steamroller set is strange. It seems to include Damian Wayne...who I don't care for, but better than a repeat. So many other heroes and villains I would have rather had though....
Spider-Man sets are yucky, uninteresting, redundant, or a combination of the three.
Junior sets aren't for me. I might get the Batman one though, depending on price and how different Robin is.
Princesses actually looks amazing other than the mini-dolls and Cinderella's carriage. I'm no too fond of Merida's set either, but otherwise these might be my favorite castle sets ever.
Chima is uninteresting for the most part. Maybe it'll look better with nicer images, but some of those Legend Beasts are especially nasty (that gorilla....)
Hero Factory's minifigures are nice, and constraction prelims aways look much worse than they actually are, but I'll probably skip them. Too much stuff coming out next year.
So, mylist for next year is definitely the DC stuff (as always) but then I'm not sure where it'll go. The Princess sets are my favorites, but the mini-dolls could be a dealbreaker. On the other hand, Hero Factory's minifigures sweeten it. There is also that OverBorg set I'm still interested in and...agh. Just give us final pictures already. >:O
Man-Bat[]
Not too different from the MF one. In fact, I think they tried too hard to differentiate it. The face looks good, but he needs to shave his chest. I would have preferred the lab coat or even an albino version to this (I actually like the idea of an albino Man-Bat). I'm not even sure if it's the design so much as the color. Still though, at least he's new.
I'm not sure if he found it, but NighthawkLeader/NightblazeSaber/NovaFlare brought this to my attention