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    • jaisonline
      Rumors, rumors and more rumors.  Additionally 2016 sets have been named with numbers by just2good on his YouTube channel. 
      Many of the sets below have a MSRP of more than $75 so we should expect at least medium sized builds for playsets and large or combo packs (dual builds) for vehicles such as Vader's Tie Advanced which now is rumored to include 2 ships for est. $100. The unknown Star Wars sets could be more The Force Awakens and Rebels sets or a new Star Wars sub theme which as Lego Droids for example.  Maybe another UCS style set? The Capt. Rex and Clone sets seem priced high to me given where we are in the Star Wars film / TV universe currently.   Expect these to cost less.  
      Regarding investment potential, the set intrigues me immediately.  This will be just the 3rd refresh of the ship (excluding the UCS one).  The last set (8017) retailed for $29.99 and has more than tripled in value since 2009.
       ************** DETAILS *************
      All prices are estimates.
      DC
      76054 Scarecrow: Fearful Harvest  $70
      76055 Killer Croc: Havoc in the Sewer  $90
      10724 LEGO Juniors Batman and Superman vs. Lex Luthor  $20

       
      Marvel
      76057 Web Warriors Bridge Duel  $100
      76058 Ghost Rider Team-Up  $30
      76059 Doc Ock’s Tentacle Trap  $60
      76067 unknown Captain America: Civil War set. Could be on of the 3 I wrote about yesterday.

       
      Star Wars
      75145 Anakin’s Podracer $45
      75147 ?
      75148 ?
      75149 ?
      75150 Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced  $100
      75151 Clone Turbo Tank  $100+
      75157 Captain Rex’s AT-TE Walker  $100+

      source : https://www.youtube.com/user/just2goodEurobricks
       
       
    • jaisonline
      Dorling Kindersley's first Lego Star Wars dictionary of sets was published in 2009.  The 2nd edition with recent sets hit the book stores in 2014.  It now appears a 3rd edition is planned for this year if the Brickset latest "new" inventory is correct with this new ISBN value (see picture below).  
      These DK books are a wonderful visual guide to practically every Lego Star Wars and exclusive set with concise information and photographs.  As a special incentive, 1 exclusive minifigure have been included with each edition to-date (both had a Luke Skywalker "A New Hope" variation). 
       
       
      The 3rd edition should highlight the latest Ulimate Collector Series (e.g. Slave 1, Tie-Fighter), initial The Force Awakens and various other sets and items.  I do hope this new edition gives "justice" to more sets than the 2nd edition.  That had articles and facts that seemed "rushed" when compared to the 2009 1st edition.
       

       
      While the minifigure included within each edition have not appreciated much in value, the real investment is the book itself.  They have been great reference books to read alone or better yet, together with a young Lego builder or another someone special.  
      Source : http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Books/subtheme-Dorling-Kindersley
       
    • jaisonline
      A Polish online retailer have posted images of 3 upcoming Capt. America Civil War sets.  The sets appear to contain a nice array of vehicles, play sets, minifigures and a brick built version of gigantic Ant-Man. Some Marvel characters such as Black Panther and Crossbones will finally make their minifigures debut.  It also appears The Quinjet gets it's third remake since 2012 while other minifigures are refreshes or carryovers from previous sets. 
      While unsure of their investing potential at this time, I do think most of these sets will be highly popular.  
      Source =
      http://www.extraklocki.pl/katalog/klocki-lego-super-heroes/marvel/3,9,id,desc/?
       









    • jaisonline
      Lego recently issued their Designer video for this new set.   Enjoy the video and try not to get slimmed.  Please share your thoughts about this set in the comments section.
      Note: Amazon and other online retailers don't seem to have this in-stock yet.  Lego's own Shop web sites does have it in-stock though. Links are below for purchase.
      LEGO: USA | UK | CAN
       
    • jaisonline
       
      Looks like Lego has some interesting events and introductions planned for the first two months of 2016.
      Some highlights...
      The "massive" (using my Liam Neeson voice) 75827 Ghostbusters HQ is now on-sale along with the 10251 Brick Bank. Series 15 LEGO Collectible Minifigures are on-sale starting Feb. 1st. Various polybag and promo items based on money spent.  Themes include Nexo Knights, Elves, Disney Princess and Friends. Events for children include monthly builds, club meetings and a neat minifigure swap with employees. One build event includes a Star Wars Snowspeeder. Double VIP points for the 21006 Architecture White House set during the weekend of Feb. 13th (U.S. Presidents’ Day weekend). New themed sets such as Star Wars The Force Awakens and Super Hero are available.  However, there have been reports of some sets such as the 75137 Carbon Freezing Chamber not being available or in very limited soick in the U.S. Last but not least is a new Exclusive set which lands Feb 17. Most Lego informative web-sites believe it will be another Star Wars UCS set (Assault on Hoth perhaps) or a revised Batcave?  I bet we'll get a sneak peak during the 2016 Nuremberg or NY Toy Fairs. Please review both calendars for more information especially exact dates.
       
      Jan.

       
       
      Feb. *

      *note:  Feb calendar image from thebrickfan.com
       
    • jaisonline
      US-based online retailers now have the latest Lego Star Wars sets in-stock.  Each set looks to be fun builds with neat features and desirable minifigures.
      Battle on Takodana 75139 , $59.99
      This 409 piece is Lego's first attempt at creating a scene from Maz Kanata's castle.  Lego is usually "hit or miss" with playsets and set 75139 is probably a "miss" with regards to the castle itself.  A small portion of the castle's entrance can be built including the main door and wall that contains a falling tree.  The banner above the door is a nice touch and screen accurate although it should be one of many.
      Included minifigures are Finn, Maz Kanata, unmasked Kylo Ren  and 2 First Order Stormtroopers.  Ren and Finn's lightsabers are among the included accessories.  The set is the most affordable method of obtaining Finn and Ren minifigures.  Both Maz and this version of Ren are exclusive to 75139.

      http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017B1BTD2/?tag=brickpicker-20
      http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=jfOcdvfTNg4&subid;=&offerid=115554.1&type=10&tmpid=2294&RD_PARM1=http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Battle-on-Takodana-75139
       
       
      Resistance Troop Transporter 75140, $69.99

      Set 75139 contains 646 elements.  4 minifigures are included: Princess Leia, Admiral Ackbar and 2 Resistance Troopers.  Although not mentioned in the film, Troop Transports are built using parts from B-Wings (and it shows nicely).
      This set is a nice addition to owners of the Battle on Takodana since it's film's key appearance is on that planet.  Leia and Ackbar are exclusive.  At 12" long and 4" deep, this set is well sized and perfect for swooshing.
      http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Resistance-Troop-Transporter-75140/dp/B017B1BTXW//?tag=brickpicker-20
      http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=jfOcdvfTNg4&subid;=&offerid=115554.1&type=10&tmpid=2294&RD_PARM1=http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Resistance-Troop-Transporter-75140
       
      Both sets are great additions for Star Wars fans of all ages especially children. I would recommend these two sets for AFOLs, builders but not investors.  
      In my opinion, either set will to be remade in 2-4 years and / or the included exclusive minifigures (e.g unmasked Ren, Maz) will be in other sets. I also think the minifigures in the Transport won't have too much demand other than Leia. Finally, Star Wars playlets since the late 2000s haven't been solid investments.  
      At the end of the day, I ask myself if buying sets (as investments) are worth the storage space. I doubt these 2 will be. 
      note: all prices above are suggested retail.
    • Jeff Mack
      Both Ed and I would like to thank each and every one of our members and guests for allowing us to have the best year ever. It was an amazing year of new opportunities and expansion. We launched new products and hit milestones that the two of us joked about hitting not too long ago. Brickpicker just celebrated its fourth full year of existence and we couldn’t be happier that early in our fifth year we are oh so close to registering 55,000 members.
      Because of the success we have had, Ed and I were honestly blown away when I received an email through our contact us form that I honestly thought was a joke at first. I couldn’t believe that someone was contacting us to write a book. I remember messaging Ed saying “Hey, you want to write a book?” Ed laughed until I did a little more research and learned that this was indeed a real inquiry. We really didn’t know what we were in for, but in November, our book The Ultimate Guide to Collectible LEGO® Sets: Identification and Price Guide was released and we are both very proud of the end result. The publishers of the book have been pleased with it’s success and invited us to write another about minifgures which we are inviting the community to help us with and be part of. If you haven’t been to the site in awhile, please read the following post and see how you can be part of the book.
      If we head back to the beginning of 2015, we launched a major new product called Brick Classifieds. Brick Classifieds is a LEGO marketplace that has been in the works for years and had many different versions as our thoughts of project changed over and over. Was it going to be more like eBay, more like BrickLink, maybe both and maybe neither. In the end we decide not try to reinvent the wheel but just create something that was pretty simple. Overall it is more of a mix of eBay and Etsy. In case you have not visited Brick Classifieds or were not even aware of it, it is a FREE marketplace. List your LEGO products for FREE and if you sell something, you keep all the profits (not including Paypal fees). That isn’t too bad right? I am very happy to say that like most new sites as they hit their first year in business, it is finally starting to get noticed and business is picking up. New vendors are signing up regularly, sales are happening daily and the feedback I am getting is very positive. Give it a whirl and post your items or buy from the 500+ vendors that are already selling on the site. You have nothing to lose!

      Throughout the year, Brickpicker itself is always being tweaked and updated. The forum received a major upgrade that is never very easy and always has a few hiccups, most of which should be behind us now. The upgrade, while a pain to perform, was necessary for growth and expansion in the future. The forum mobile app is catching up now and just released a new updated version on iOS with an update to Android coming as soon as next week. We launched a very popular Stock Tracker that checks major retailers relentlessly to let us know when hot sets are back in stock via Email & SMS and our Target Inventory Tracker is probably one of the most used features on the site.
      Where do we go in 2016? Who knows, but the sky's the limit they say. If you asked us a few years ago if we would have more than 7 million visitors with over 20 million page views, I would have said you were nuts and tell us another joke, but that has become a reality which I guess we need to try and top now. I can tell you that a major focus will be on revamping the Brickfolio. That is a necessity that is long overdue. Mobile expansion for both Brickpicker and Brick Classifieds is on the list as well. There will be more announcements throughout the year on a few other projects we are working on, but we are not ready to jump into any of that just yet.
      So one last time, we would like to thank all of you for being part of the Brickpicker family. We would especially like to thank our mod team for keeping an eye on the site when we can’t. If you are a member that hasn’t check in on the site in a long time, visit us again and see what you have been missing, there is always something fun or crazy going on in the forums. It is the place to be!!
      HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
      ED & JEFF MACK
    • justapilgrim
      With the new year come a slew of new Lego sets included a new theme: Nexo Knights. Rumor is, that the Chima line is retiring and the Knights are to take its place. The Nexo Knights are not really a throw back to the Classic Castle sets, but they are not true Steampunk themed either. At first I absolutely hated the idea, but the theme is growing on me. Sets in the theme range from the 1140 piece Fortrex to these small 75 piece sets. The 75 piece Ultimate Robin is what I wanted to look at today.
      At MSRP $9.99 I was really curious on what one would be getting for their money. At first glance it looks like a glorified minifigure, but priced higher than a traditional polybag and double that of a Mixel set, I really wanted to know what I am getting for my money. The sets come in cardboard "boxes" that are a lot different than traditional lego sets, similar to some Hero Factory and Bionicle, but overall, not very practical, and not easy to open without destroying the packaging.
      Inside the packaging are two unnumbered bags and instructions. Although small, the instruction book is pretty hefty for just 75 pieces.
      At first glance, the minifigure has great coloring, a lot brighter than I thought it would be, and cool printing. The armor has a little cutout in the front for his "emblem" that is pretty cool. I am not sure why, but Robin apparently is a juvenile and comes with the child non movable legs. I believe the shields and the armor are new lego pieces, as this theme will introduce a fair amount of new molds. The downside to this is that, a lot of the new peices are not MOC friendly and won't have many practical uses outside of this theme.
      The main part of the build is his armor. It is pretty simple build and has two of the longer shooters that attach to his back. The completed armor reminded me of Mechwarrior, and getting upgrades. In Lego form it is kinda cool, but very impractical. Tried as I might, I couldn't get him to balance without attaching him to the stand that is built in the second part of the build. I think it isn't very possible with the smaller legs and the giant unbalanced shooters on Robin's back.
      To finish the build, the remaining pieces are used to make a sort of a stand for Robin. To the left are his helmet and some chicken, off to the right are more shooters and another shield. When it was all completed, I was a bit confused. It don't fit in well with my minifigure display, and it isn't really a "set" either. I tried as I might to figure out why Lego priced this set at $9.99 and the only reason I can think (other than more money) is from the Nexo Knight Powers that can be scanned into the app. To get the full effect I did download the game and play a few levels. At appropriate time I was able to scan in the three "powers" that came with this set. Worth it? No, not at all. Adding three powers in game isn't even worth the typical $0.99 game add on that consumers have gotten used to. In the in-app previews it appears scannable powers will be appearing in Lego magazines, on TV and a host of other places. I seriously doubt kids are begging mom and dad for these so they can be fully decked out in game (it appears that there are at least 65 powers that are upgrade-able). 
      In conclusion, I believe these are headed to clearance bins everywhere, as the $9.99 price tag is just too much for what you are getting. For investing, stay away for a while. To build, I personally like other options out there including the larger Nexo Knights sets.


    • jaisonline
      Major Update below from the comments sections,  looks like the set will contain BB-8, Flametrooper, Poe wearing Finn's jacket (well, it's Finn's jacket now) and a 4th minifigure which might be Max Von Sydow's character Lor San Tekka.


      It looks like set 75102 "Poe's X-Wing Fighter" will be getting a wingman to help battle First Order Tie Fighters by the Summer of 2016.  
       
      Lego reviewer and insider Just2Good recently published information on two rumored Lego sets and a X-Wing set is among them.  A smaller Jakku-themed set is the other set.
      My thoughts...
      We can probably expect a white / light gray with blue themed X-Wing.   While the set # isn't known, expect the set to be named , "Resistance X-Wing” and it should be priced similarly to 75102’s $79.99.
      There could be 2-3 different groups of minifigures included.  It depends which planet Lego chooses to use as the setting:  Jakku, D'Qar, Starkiller Base (unknown ice planet name) or Takodana.  If Jakku, expect Poe and BB-8 to highlight the set. I doubt the latter will be the used due to set 75102 availability.  This new set more likely will include another pilot such as Greg Grunberg's character, Snap Wexley along with an Astromech Droid plus 1-2 other minifigures.
      source : just2good, http://youtu.be/kkEATHDl1K8
       
    • jaisonline
      Good news for Lego Ideas completionists and set 21301 fans, the Birds set is being heavily discounted by Lego store and shop at home web sites.  The latest US-based sale seems to be working as shop at home is now sold-out and inventory is drying up at their physical mall stores.  This is also a good sign this set is near retirement.

      I like this set's investment potential compared to most sets since Birds doesn't seem to be heavily hoarded by resellers and the production run seems limited like others in the Ideals theme.  While 21301 is not a flashy set, it's a fun build and looks great displayed.  The newly discounted price of $35.98 is also an attractive deal for a high quality set such as this.  

      My recommendation is two thumbs up for both investors and builders.  It also doesn't hurt that past retired CUUSOO / Ideas set have at least doubled in value from retail price.  There is also the possibility that future similar sets are released that have a new set of birds or small creatures that would make it a "series," thus more valuable and collectible.  We can only hope...
       
       


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