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Brickpicker Blog

Brickpicker blog articles on LEGO investing, news, reviews, evaluations, discounts and more...
Today, we are happy to report that our second book "The Collectible LEGO Minifigure: Values, Investments, Profits, Fun Facts, Collector Tips" is now available for purchase.  This was a fun book to put together since we were able to work with the Lego community to obtain fun photos of Lego minifigures in action. In the coming weeks, we will be announcing winners of the contest that we had when we first introduced that this book will be published.
The first review of the book has been published by Huw over at Brickset and he states that "Nevertheless, it is a fascinating book that will appeal particularly to minifigure collectors."
Here are a few screen grabs from the inner pages of the book.


Order your copy today!!!!

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I know that I am either supposed to be super excited by every new thing or super critical of them. Isn't that the way that fandom works? Love the innovation or hate the fact that it's not just like the stuff that I loved when I was 7. I'm cautiously optimistic about Rogue One. The Hovertank however struck me as a bad design. It's dull and boxy. It makes me think of nothing so much as a much more boring version of the Republic Fighter Tank. I got to thinking about it, and maybe I was judging it too harshly. So, I got one to build for myself and see if it turns out to be better than I expect.

REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 75152
Name: Imperial Assault Hovertank
Theme: Star Wars
Parts: 385
Price: $29.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 4 numbered baggies and an instruction book.

BUILD AND EXECUTION:
BAG 1: The first step is always to create the base of the vehicle. I assumed that the 4 axle holes here were for wheels of some kind. Invisible wheels to make it hover.

I like that they are placing the spring missile launchers so deeply into the build. The more recent sets have done a good job with hiding the boxy launchers and the tails of the rockets. This tank is a 2 seater.

With all the studs on front, I would expect some kind of decorative panel to be forthcoming.

We're creating more of the boxy shape. Sure, there's some slopes,but for the most part it is a box to store a couple drivers so far.

So, we add an upper hatch and a couple cannons. I feel like these cannons are underwhelming. 

In bag 1, you also create Chirrut Imwe (Sorry, I don't know how to make the fancy letters.) You also make his staff and his crossbow rifle thing that's not a bowcaster.

BAG 2: First, you create the hood, I guess you could call it the hood. It hinges upwards, completely obscuring everything. There's a slightly different technique for the grey round piece here. There's not a single control surface inside of this tank.
 

This appears to be the beginning of the drive system for the tank. In an effort to make it less boxy,they're just adding some square stuff to the sides.

I don't know if you can call this decorative or not. I guess it has assorted different shapes and colors, but it doesn't look terribly interesting.

I guess it looks better with the big side cannon.

You put together some kind of vented decoration for the front. You also add clear wheels so that it can "hover."

Snap the 2 assemblies together, and you are half done.

BAG 3: You start by creating a mirror image of the last portion of the build.

Everything is the same, but mirrored.

Just trying to show a slightly different set of images than previously. Note the gear, it's the trigger for the spring missile.

When you snap the assembly on, you realize how small the crew compartment of the tank is.

You also put together both Tank drivers.

BAG 4: Well, it turns out, this isn't so much a tank as a flat bed truck. So, we're going to build out the bed.

There's a lot of attachment points for stuff here. Instead of just leaving regular studs all over, they designed it to have the easier to remove jumpers.

Add some fins and the body of the hover tank/truck is done.

We build a storage container. It's fairly simple construction, but the space inside is incredibly small.

You can fit a pistol and a pair of binoculars inside and that's about it really.

Just attach the storage to a pair of jumpers, and you are ready to go.

REACTION:
I like that you can attach the rifle to the top like a .30 caliber on a modern tank. I feel like this set doesn't really remind me of a tank. The cannons on the side remind me of the Tank Droid, but that's just superficial. The design of the hovertank isn't terribly interesting. I had hoped that it would be more than a block of grey bricks, but no such luck. I don't really blame LEGO for that though. The production designers should have tried to get a little more style in.

Chirrut Imwe looks good. He's got a skirt and dual sided head and torso. He's got a stick and a fancy gun. He's got one hand that's a different color. The character has a sort of gauntlet on, so I guess that's why he has a white hand. Donnie Yen's character is supposed to play a crucial role in Rogue One. People who want all of the mains from this movie will definitely want him. He's not selling the set for me though. Maybe when I see Rogue One, my opinion of the wannabe Force user will change.
The Hovertank Pilots are just sort of there. To my eyes, the helmet is fine but not really necessary. The body decoration is well done, but not really a stand out. I'm again not blaming LEGO. The people working at Disney licensing need to have a longer talk with their production people to get them to make things look more interesting and playable. Sort of a riff on a Stormtrooper has been done and done and done. Make the tankers more unique.  


FINAL THOUGHTS:
As the cheapest Rogue One set, I expect it to be heavily purchased at Christmas time by all the relatives who remember Johhny likes LEGO and Star Wars toys. I would expect it to be ~$25 on Amazon in a year. It's going to be the most readily available set because of its price point.
I don't expect Rogue One toys to bean ongoing staple of the theme. Army builders will like this set for its relatively low price point and cheap utility vehicle as well as the pair of tankers. It will fit into many scenes, so I don't expect it to be a stinker that lingers like the First Order Snowspeeder. If this is the only way to get Chirrut, that should help the aftermarket. Unless his screen time is basically everything that's been shown in the trailer. I don't expect this set to be a longtime fan favorite though. Unless someone really wants Chirrut or has all the AT-ST walkers they can store, this set won't make it to the top of many later buyer's choice list.
EXTRA PIECES:
nothing too spectacular here in the extra parts.

Please take a look at the other Star Wars Reviews:
#75060 Slave I (click here) #75078 Imperial Troop Transport (click here) #75085 Hailfire Droid (click here) #75087 Anakin's Starfighter (click here) #75092 Naboo Starfighter (click here) #75094 Shuttle Tydirium (click here) #75100 Snowspeeder (click here) #75101 Tie Fighter (click here) #75102 Poe's X-Wing Fighter (click here) #75103 First Order Transporter (click here) #75109 Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure (click here) #75125 Resistance X-Wing Fighter Microfighter (click here) #75127 The Ghost Microfighter (Click here) #75131 Resistance Trooper Battle Pack (click here) #75132 First Order Battle Back (click here) #75133 Rebel Alliance Battle Pack (click here) #75134 Galactic Empire Battle Pack (click here) #75135 Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor (click here) #75136 Droid Escape Pod (click here) #75137 Carbon-Freezing Chamber (click here) #75139 Battle on Takodana (click here) #75141 Resistance Troop Transporter (click here) #75148 Encounter on Jakku (click here) #75150 Vader's TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing Starfighter (click here)
Last year during the Force Awakens Force Friday push, @Fcbarcelona101 wrote about the new LEGO offerings. I wanted to take a quick look at the new offerings for the new Star Wars prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars story. Oh yeah, that's right, it is a prequel. I know that a lot of people don't want to hear that word associated with Star Wars, but it is what it is.
 
The first thing I would like to discuss are the Constractions or constructible action figures. There are 3 of them for the Rogue One release. As far as it goes, I'm not convinced of the long term viability of these The first series has started to disappear from shelves, but I don't think it's due to demand. On the other hand, I have seen my kids get really excited for these, so there issome market for them. I just don't think of them as being worth the time or space needed to let them mature. All of the figures in this line are $24.99, which is actually $5 more than the base figures of the same type from last year.
The first offering is the hero Sergeant Jyn Erso figure 75119.

Help the Rebel Alliance take on the Empire with this buildable and highly posable Jyn Erso figure. Featuring a blaster rifle with spring-loaded shooter, wheel-operated arm-swinging battle function, and detachable back-mounted truncheons, this durable figure is just the thing for recreating intense battles from the movie, Star Wars: Rogue One.
Buildable and highly posable Jyn Erso figure features a blaster rifle with shooting function, an arm-swinging battle function and detachable back-mounted truncheons. Load the blaster rifle and fire the spring-loaded shooter. Place the truncheons in Jyn's hands and turn the wheel to take a swing at the enemy. Move the limbs into any battle pose. Sturdy and durable design for intense action play. Play out exciting hand-to-hand battles with this skilled soldier from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. This figure offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 7-14. Figure stands over 9” (24cm) tall. First of all, does it bother anyone else that they are calling it a blockbuster 3 months before it's been released? Anyway, as the hero, I am sure that there will be some demand, but the human figures from this line always look a bit questionable. It has inherent action features which seem to limit poseability because the wheel to create the swinging arms doesn't keep them rigid enough to display with arms up. I am sure it could be modified, but why bother? It's never really going to look more human.
Next is the Imperial Assassin Droid with the heart of gold K-2SO 75120

Infiltrate the Empire with buildable and highly posable K-2SO. This former Imperial security droid features a single/double-arm-swinging battle function, tough-looking decorated head and armor elements, and is extra tall for an even more impressive figure. This durable droid is perfect for dangerous missions against the Empire.
Buildable and highly posable K-2SO figure features single/double-arm-swinging battle function, tough-looking decorated head and armor elements, and an extra-tall frame. Activate the single/double-arm-swinging battle function. Enter battle with this ominous looking buildable figure. Move the limbs into any battle pose. Sturdy and durable design for intense action play. Play out exciting hand-to-hand combat with this exciting droid from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. This figure offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 9-14. Figure stands over 11” (29cm) tall. If there's one character from this movie that fits this style, it's K-2SO. Like General Grievous from last year, the odd angular, skinny limbs serve to enhance instead of detract, like with the human figures. If there is a winner to be found here, it's him. I guess it will all sort of depend upon the reception of the character once the movie is out in theaters.
The final constructible figure is the Imperial Death Trooper 75121

Defend the Empire’s elite with this buildable and highly posable Death Trooper figure. Featuring a blaster rifle with spring-loaded shooter, blaster pistol with holster and imposing decorated armor elements including a pauldron with attachable ammo pouches, this durable Death Trooper is ready for action.
Buildable and highly posable Death Trooper figure features a blaster rifle with spring-loaded shooter, blaster pistol with holster and imposing decorated armor elements. Load the blaster rifle and fire the spring-loaded shooter. Unholster the blaster pistol and get ready for battle. Move the limbs into any battle pose. Sturdy and durable design for intense action play. Recreate amazing battles with this menacing character from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. This figure offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 8-14. Figure stands over 10” (26cm) tall. The armored figures are more excusable than the human figures. Angular plates can be excused for angular armor plates, but it's still kind of awkward to see weird ball joints and gaps. I think that this one will have larger appeal than Jyn, just because some people will want more than 1. Will that translate into greater demand post retirement? I feel like that's not going to materialize in a truly meaningful way.
With the Constraction distractions out of the way, let's take a look at the system scale offerings. In my opinion, if anything is going to hold future gold, it will be in this selection. Minifigure collectorsthat want all of the named characters will need to get almost all of the offerings. The ragtag Rebel crew is scattered across 4 of the 5 Rogue One sets. Unlike the Force Awakens sets from 2015, the majority of these new sets have predominately original designs.
Imperial Assault Hovertank 75152 which retails for $29.99

Help Chirrut battle the troopers patrolling the streets in their Imperial Assault Hovertank. With a rotating and elevating turret gun with dual spring-loaded shooters, elevating side guns, opening two-minifigure cockpit, storage container and ‘hover-look’ transparent wheels, the Imperial Assault Hovertank is the ultimate urban patrol vehicle. Includes 3 minifigures.
Includes 3 minifigures: Chirrut Îmwe with his fabric cloak and 2 Imperial Hovertank Pilots. Features heavy-armor detailing, transparent wheels, rotating and elevating turret gun with dual spring-loaded shooters, storage container and opening two-minifigure cockpit and elevating side guns. Fire the spring-loaded shooters to repel the rebels. Give it a push and see it “hover” across the floor. Weapons include a bow, staff and 2 blasters. Also includes electrobinculars Recreate fantastic scenes from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 8-12. Measures over 3” (8cm) high, 7” (20cm) long and 5” (14cm) wide. This is a boxy little vessel. It's going to be the most common buy for kids who are receiving Rogue One sets for Christmas this year. I'd expect grandparents who know nothing about Star Wars to pick this one up because it is the cheapest. Depending upon how interesting or popular Donny Yen's character is, this may be a prize winner. If nothing else, 2 new troopers will make army builders happy.
AT-ST Walker 75153 which retails for $39.99

Join the hunt for rebels aboard the AT-ST Walker, featuring posable legs, wheel-activated turning top section, opening cockpit and top hatch revealing a detailed minifigure interior, dual spring-loaded shooters and elevating guns at the front. Includes 3 minifigures.
Includes 3 minifigures: an AT-ST Driver, Baze Malbus with his heavy blaster and a Rebel Trooper Features posable legs, wheel-activated turning top section, opening cockpit and top hatch, detailed minifigure interior, dual spring-loaded shooters and elevating front guns. Weapons include a blaster pistol, blaster rifle and Baze's heavy blaster. Accessory elements include Baze's backpack and the Rebel Trooper's helmet. Recreate fantastic scenes from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 8-14. Measures over 9” (24cm) high, 6” (16cm) long and 5” (13cm) wide. The last time that a system scale AT-ST walker was released was 2007's 7657. Fans of Endor and those with the Ewok Village have been wondering when this classic vehicle would again appear. Of all thesets, this will have the most immediate demand from Original Trilogy fans that want to complete scenes. This set could easily go with Assault on Hoth or Ewok VIllage. Of course, it's also going to fit into Rogue One collections. Strangely, Wal-Mart reduced the cost on this set to $32.83 and Amazon and Target quickly matched them. THis makes an already anticipated set, even more in demand.
TIE Striker 75154 which retails for $69.99

Play out iconic sky battles with the amazing TIE Striker. With large adjustable wings, minifigure cockpit with top and front access, an opening rear storage hold and dual spring-loaded shooters at the front, this amazing model is the perfect opponent for any rebel starfighter. Includes 4 minifigures.
Includes 4 minifigures: TIE Pilot, Imperial ground crew, Imperial Shoretrooper and a Rebel Trooper in Endor outfit. Features large adjustable wings, a minifigure cockpit with top and front access, opening rear storage hold and dual spring-loaded shooters. Weapons include a blaster pistol, blaster rifle and a double-barreled blaster (E-22). Accessory elements include electrobinoculars and a comlink. Recreate fantastic scenes from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 8-14. Measures over 2” (6cm) high, 16” (41cm) long and 9” (24cm) wide. What a strange looking TIE Fighter. I'm not really a fan of this design. This set has no named characters, so it will either be popular as an army builder or unpopular because none of the characters are hard to find. I feel like it's a bit expensive. I'm not a fan of ground crew in sets, because honestly, who wants to play with a guy that refuels the starfighters?
Rebel U-Wing Fighter 75155 Which retails for $79.99

The amazing U-Wing Fighter has all the details you would expect from an authentic Star Wars model, including 4 big engines, an opening minifigure cockpit with transparent lower observation window, opening side doors with pull-out stud shooters, dual spring-loaded shooters at the front, rear storage hold and huge wings that sweep back to create an even bigger model. Includes 5 minifigures.
Includes 5 minifigures: a U-wing Pilot, Bistan, Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and a Rebel Trooper. Features 4 big engines, an opening minifigure cockpit with transparent lower observation window, opening side doors with pull-out stud shooters, front spring-loaded shooters, rear storage hold and huge sweep-back wings. Weapons include 3 blasters and 2 blaster pistols. Also includes extra ammo. Recreate fantastic scenes from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 8-14. Measures over 3” (10cm) high, 17” (44cm) long and 7” (20cm) wide with wings closed, and over 14” (38cm) long and 25” (64cm) wide with wings open. THis set appeals to me, but it also leaves me a bit cold. There are aspects of it that hit on the parts of my brain that were formed in the late 70's/early 80's. I think it's because it reminds me a bit of Buck Rogers in the 25th century. The ships in that show were designed by Ralph McQuarrie who also did preliminary designs of all of the original Star Wars ships. This ship does seem to fit in with the aesthetic of A New Hope. However I prefer starfighters and this appears to be a troop ship. THis set does have the main character Jyn Erso, and I love the blue flight suit for the pilot. The addition of another alien head mold and another main character will also buoy this set up. I think this ship will be pretty well sought after in the future, as long as it has a significant presence in the film. I doubt this is the last time that we're going to see a Jyn minifigure though, so don't bank all your money on her presence.
Krennic's Imperial Shuttle 75156  which retails for $89.99

Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle is an intimidating Imperial starship. Featuring huge folding wings and opening front and side panels, this amazing model also has an opening minifigure cockpit, detailed hold with seating for 4 minifigures, a rear ramp with blaster storage, dual spring-loaded shooters and retractable landing skids. Recreate epic space battles from the epic movie, Star Wars: Rogue One, or create your own. Includes 5 minifigures plus a Droid.
Includes 5 minifigures: Pao, Director Krennic, Bodhi Rook and 2 Imperial Death Troopers, plus a K-2SO. Features huge folding wings, opening front and side armored panels, opening minifigure cockpit, seating in the hold for 4 minifigures, rear ramp with storage, dual spring-loaded shooters and retractable landing skids. Weapons include 2 blasters for the Imperial Death Troopers, Krennic's blaster, Bodhi's blaster pistol and Pao's blaster rifle. Accessory elements include special combatbackpacks. Recreate fantastic scenes from the blockbuster movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 9-14. Measures over 17” (45cm) high, 9” (25cm) long and 22” (56cm) wide in flying mode, and over 12” (33cm) high, and 7” (18cm) wide in landing mode. This set seemed to have the highest degree of pre-release hype for an original design. While the AT-ST was more anticipated by long time fans of the series, the villain's ship seemed to garner a fair proportion of discussion. With the inclusion of 2 Death Troopers or so many named characters, there are many reasons for minifigure fans to buy this set. Many have spoken of how this set hits the right notes that Kylo Ren's Command shuttle failed at last year. With this being the highest price point of the Rogue One labeled vehicles, it's going to be a purchase that will be made for holidays or birthdays. To me, the design is a little uninspired, but it is better than Kylo Ren's shuttle at least.
The Death Star 75159 closes out this list. The retail price of this monstrosity is $499.99.

Reenact amazing scenes from the Star Wars saga with the Empire’s ultimate planet-zapping weapon—the Death Star! With over 4,000 pieces, this fantastic model has a galaxy of intricate and authentic environments, including a superlaser control room, Imperial conference chamber, hangar bay with moving launch rack and Lord Vader’s TIE Advanced with space for Vader inside, Emperor Palpatine’s throne room, Droid maintenance room, detention block, trash compactor, tractor beam, cargo area, turbo laser with spring-loaded shooters and seats for the 2 Death Star Gunners, and 2 movable turbo laser towers. This fantastic set also includes 23 iconic minifigures and 2 Droids to ensure hours of Star Wars battle fun.
Includes 23 minifigures: Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Imperial Navy Officer, Imperial Officer, 2 Stormtroopers, 2 Death Star Troopers, 2 Emperor's Royal Guards, 2 Death Star Gunners, Death Star Droid, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO, Han Solo, Han Solo (disguise), Luke Skywalker (Tatooine), Luke Skywalker (disguise) and Luke Skywalker (final duel), plus R2-D2, an Imperial Astromech and a Dianoga trash compactor monster. Features a superlaser control room, Imperial conference chamber, hangar bay with moving launch rack and detachable TIE Advanced with space for Lord Vader inside, Emperor Palpatine’s throne room, Droid maintenance room, detention block, trash compactor, tractor beam, cargo area, turbo laser with spring-loaded shooters and seats for the 2 Death Star gunners, and 2 movable turbo laser towers. Weapons include 3 Lightsabers, 4 blasters, 3 blaster pistols, 4 blaster rifles, 2 force pikes, 2 Force Lightning elements and a bowcaster. Load up and fire the turbo laser’s spring-loaded shooters to keep the rebels at bay. Maneuver Lord Vader’s TIE Advanced into position and prepare for launch. Battle the Royal Guard in the throne room and then take on Palpatine himself! Help Leia escape from the detention block and swing to safety with Luke across the chasm! Will Obi-Wan shut down the tractor beam and help the rebels defeat the Empire? Can you spot the Dianoga trash compactor monster? Recreate other unforgettable scenes from the classic Star Wars films. The perfect addition to any LEGO® Star Wars collection. This set offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 14 and over. Measures over 16” (41cm) high, and 16” (42cm) wide. Technically, this set is not a part of the Rogue One line up. However, the official launch was slated for the same day, and a lot of the plot of Rogue One seems to indicate a connection with this battlestation. What can one say that hasn't been said about this set many times before? I for one was never convinced of the long term viability of 10188. I felt like it had been released for far too long, and this set has put the nail in its coffin. I would think that all of the back stock of 10188 will serve to keep prices for this set down as well. This set will probably remain a flagship of LEGO Star Wars for more years to come, so proceed with caution.
For promotions, LEGO offered Darth Revan and after he ran out Admiral Yularen. If the Admiral's value wasn't already in the toilet, I'd say you'd start having a hard time selling it. Although, I think customizers will have more interest in using him to make a Thrawn figure now that he's on Rebels. Poor Revan's going to sink and his value's probably going to exist at about 50% of previously at best.

Toys R Us was offering the First Order Officer minifigure. I don't know that there was a ton of demand for him before, but expect it to be severely reduced now.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I think it's a nice selection of sets. I regret that there are none of the smaller impulse buy sets like last year's Rey's Speeder or a battle pack. The inclusion of mains in most of the sets and the lack of duplication of minifigures will make buyers need to buy multiple sets or a package of all the sets in order to get all the characters that they want. The hype of a new Star Wars movie will be there, but will not be as big as that for The Force Awakens. Just the fact that there's already been a full year of new Star Wars will damp down enthusiasms. Unless this film is bad, we'll probably see better gains on these that TFA,because I just think there will be less of it.
I think that the Shuttle and the U-Wing are going to be the premium sets from this line, but the AT-ST will be the fastest seller on the aftermarket. With the fact that Disney is making a new Star Wars film every year, the companies that license the Star Wars brand will be constantly releasing new sets to keep up. Who knows when/if all of these sets will be remade. We may see reissues down the road, but I feel like it's going to be on a slightly longer timeline. Unless they make a sequel to this prequel, some of these will be thin on the ground in a couple years. That all sounds somewhat positive, but the glut of new Star Wars products may quickly cause people to forget these sets. The best you can hope for is the announcement that some of these characters or ships are appearing in Rebels or a future spinoff.
I look forward to building a few of these and writing reviews. Until then, "May the bricks be with you."
I don't know about anyone else, but I like looking at bulk lots and playing a guessing game about what might be there. Sometimes I can figure it out and come out well, other times I am left scratching my head wondering what other people are seeing that I am not. I usually assume that it's a modular building and shrug it off as my lack of experience with them. However I don't have to shrug it off, I could educate myself.
I begin my analysis by picking out a desirable set. In this case, I have chosen 10190 Market Street. Market Street was made in 2007 and retailed for $89.99. This set was significantly cheaper than any of the other modular sets when it was released. The lower retail cost is probably due to its smaller size. It is 1248 pieces, including 3 minifigures. Market Place was the only modular building set that was not released under the Creator imprint. It was instead released under the Factory imprint. LEGO Factory is the imprint used for a series of sets that were created in LEGO Digital Designer by fans and submitted to LEGO for approval and eventual release.

The original LEGO.com description:
Add Market Street to your LEGO town!
Designed by a LEGO fan, this realistic LEGO Factory exclusive features interesting colors and details like spiral staircases, awnings, removable balconies and a terrace roof. The modular construction allows you to put it together in different ways and to enlarge your LEGO town or city as your collection grows!
Combine with set 10182 Café Corner to expand your LEGO neighborhood! Designed to minifigure scale! Includes 3 townspeople! Build each floor separately and put them together to complete the building! Top three stories lift off to reveal inner rooms and staircases! Street base measures 10" x 10" (25.4 cm x 25.4 cm) and the building stands 13"" (33 cm) high! Realistic features include opening doors and windows, gate, street light, striped awning, fruit to sell at the market and more! The set comes with printed building instructions which are also available online at www.LEGOFactory.com/buildinginstructions.
In the most recent update of the Brickpicker price guide we see that this set has risen in value to $1461 for a new copy and $631 for a used copy. For an unopened copy that's more than 16X the original cost of the set and even the used copy is more than 7X. I don't know if that used price includes instructions or a box. As we all know, the sets cannot be rebuilt out of just random parts that you find in your kid's LEGO bin. It takes a certain selection of parts, and that's what you or I would look for in a bulk lot to see if this set is present. If you were to buy this set broken down, you'd probably want to check out specific expensive pieces to make sure they were present. If you were thinking of building this set from scratch, what pieces would be the key pieces? I'm going to separate the parts into 3 groups. The first group is the most common pieces in this set. That doesn't necessarily mean that these pieces are common, just that they are the most numerous  in this set. To that end, I will list the parts that occur 19 or more times in this set.  The second group are the rare or expensive pieces. Any piece or minifigure that sells regularly for more than $1 and/or appears in less than 10 sets will make up this group. The third group, are the rest of the pieces, I'm not going to talk about them. There are lots of places including Bricklink and rebrickable.com that you can get a complete inventory, this article is focusing upon the highlights.
If you decide to try to gather the pieces to build this set, you'd be looking at 1239 individual pieces (If the minifigures are treated as a single piece.) Those pieces can be broken down by unique color/part combinations, or elements. This set is made up of 184 elements. When I take an average used price of all elements, I get a total of $366.62. That's not actually that bad considering the cheapest used set I can find is $499. However, one should take into account that most sellers are only going to have a portion of the pieces that you need and each additional order is going to increase your expenditure. Also, as I mentioned, I used the average price, savvy shoppers could find many of the pieces cheaper, but you'd have to make a determination of whether it makes most fiscal sense to purchase a part for more if the seller has more parts that you need or for less from a seller that might not have anything else that you need..
I always have a hard time labeling this section, most numerous, most occurring, most common? I'm going with most common. Anyway, Let's take a look at the pieces in Market Street that you need 20 or more of. We have 13 different elements that occur 20 or more times. I will list them from most occurring to least. I apologize for the times when the image is not the exact part/color combination. Sometimes the image was not available in the right combination. The part will always be correct if not the correct color.
The most commonly occurring piece in this set is 82 Medium Blue 1x4 Brick. Element 3010 averages $.11 and the cheapest seller at the quantity you need is also at the same rate. This piece appears in 54 sets.

The next most occurring piece is Dark Blue 1x4 Brick, element 3010. You need 79 and they're going to cost you about $.27 each. Actually one seller has the quantity that you need for $.21. The price difference is probably due to this part being available in fewer sets at 46.

Medium blue is a dominant color in this set. You need 65 1x2 bricks in that color. Appearing in 89 sets, element 3004 is going to set you back about $.05 each, or somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.25 for all of them.

Averaging close to $.06 (which to me is weird because I have a ton more of these than the previous piece.) Element 2877 shows up in 164 sets. You need 44 light bluish grey 1x2 brick modified with grill.

Dark blue 1x2 bricks cost a little more, averaging $.18. Element 3004 appears in 48 sets. this set require 38 of them.

You need 37 medium blue 1x1 bricks. It appears in 66 sets. Element 3005 averages $.05.

Tan 1x1 tiles appear in this set 29 times. Element 3070b appears in this color in 89 sets. It averages about $.08 each.

You need 28 1x1 round plates in light bluish grey. It appears in 428 sets and element 4073 could cost you as little as $.01 each.

Light bluish grey 1x1 tiles appear in this set 26 times. Element 3070b appears in this color in 161 sets. You're most likely going to spend about $.05 each

Appearing in 153 sets and averaging $.10 is element 3069b. For this set, you need 26 tan 1x2 tiles.

Anyone who loves tiles has to be really excited for this section. Our next part is Dark Bluish grey 2x2 tiles. you need 24 element 3068b. THis part averages $.15 and appears in 217 sets.

It's deja vu all over again. Dark bluish grey 1x1 tiles appear in this set 22 times. Element 3070b appears in this color in 148 sets. You're most likely going to spend about $.07 each

Our final part for this section appears 20 times in this set. The white Window 1 x 2 x 3 Pane appears in 64 sets. Someone has plenty of new element 3854 for $.05 each.

Between these 13 different elements, (~7% of the set) we have 520 pieces (~41% of the set.) If you take the average value of these pieces you're at about $58.64.
Thankfully, there are no stickers. No one really likes stickers it seems, and they tend to cost more than anyone really wants to spend in these expensive sets.
I'm going to split the minifigures from the individual parts that make up the rare/expensive pieces. For the purposes of this article, the rare/expensive label will be any part that is a part of 10 or fewer sets and/or costs more than $1.50 on average. The parts in this section will be listed from most expensive to least. We have 11 parts that meat these criteria.
Our first part averages $24. Element 73435c01 appears in 6 sets. You need 1 light bluish grey Door 1 x 4 x 5 Right with Trans-Clear Glass. We explored this piece in the Cafe Corner. You might be able to find this part in a partial Krusty Krab set for less than $20 though.

You need 4 white Hose, Flexible 8.5L with Tabbed Ends (Ends same color as Tube.) The average for element 73590c02a is about $12. You may want to try looking for Alien Fossilizer 6854 which sometimes sells in the $7 range. This part is found in 4 sets.

When I wrote about the Cafe Corner, I also talked about element 3308. Dark Blue Brick, Arch 1 x 8 x 2 appears in 5 sets, and you need 5 of them for this set. Each one of these is going to run about $6 each.

I feel like I need to issue a warning about element 4095. Light bluish grey Bar 6.6L with Stop Ring (Patio Umbrella Stand) might be replaced by element 63965. A $6 part could be substituted by a shorter $.12 piece. Thankfully, you only need 1. This part appears in 21 sets including 10179 Millennium Falcon which is why such an undistinguished part is so pricy.

The counterpart to our earlier door is light bluish grey Element 73436c01. The Door 1 x 4 x 5 Left with Trans-Clear Glass appears in 5 sets (including the aforementioned Krusty Krab.) It averages $6 each, probably cheaper because it is not in the Cafe Corner. You need 1.

Dark bluish grey Baseplate 16 x 32 is part of 23 sets. Most of those sets are fairly large. You need 2 element 3857. It averages a bit more than $5 but several sellers have a large quantity for less than $4.

You need 10 Window 1 x 4 x 3 Train with Shutter Holes and Solid Studs on Ends. It appears in 14 sets including 10173 Holiday Train. Each element 6556 averages $5.

Element 2039, White Lamp Post, 2 x 2 x 7 with 6 Base Flutes is almost a staple of the Modular theme. It appears in 21 sets and runs about $3.60, you only need 1.

I'm sort of confused why there's an Exo-Force hairpiece in this set. I guess, it would look interesting as a houseplant, or maybe Mr. Greenjeans wears it on the weekend. Anyway, you need 1 Bright Green Minifig, Hair Angular Swept Back. This part appears in 8 sets and is part of 3 minifigures named Takeshi. Element 53982 averages $3.50, despite the fact that Takeshi can be found for less.

You only need 1 element x39c02. The black Door 1 x 4 x 6 with 3 Panes with Trans-Black Glass appears in 9 sets and you can get it for $2 or less used. (New, this thing is over $11.)

So, I guess this set might double as a Harry Potter set? The black Owl Large, Rounded Features is found in 10 sets. Element 40232 is actually in mostly Harry Potter sets (8). On average it sells for about $1.50.

 
So the minifigures are unique to this set. How unique are they? As we saw with the Green Grocer, all of the minifigures shared parts with other pre-existing figures. We'll look and see if the same holds true here. Before I get into the breakdown, let me share with you a bit of trivia that I read. This is the only modular set that uses faces that are not the basic smiley face. Each of these minifigures has an individual personality.
Our first minifigure is twn045. Dark Blue Jacket, Light Blue Shirt, Dark Bluish Gray Legs, Square Glasses, Dark Tan Female Hair. I'm going to call him Roger. Now Bricklink says that his shirt is light blue, but I think it's white paint on top of dark blue plastic. I think it's supposed to be a white shirt. You're going to be able to get him in the $6 range. When I price out the parts though, I'm looking at about $2 in parts.

I'm going to call the next one Wendy. I have no reason for it, but I hate referring to the figure as Medium Blue Jacket, Dark Blue Legs, Reddish Brown Ponytail Hair. Wendy is not a number, she is a human being, so don't call her twn044 either. Wendy's not a cheap date, She's going to cost you about $17 on average. What makes this figure so pricey? I made a mistake when I wrote about Cafe Corner when I said that twn040 had a unique torso print. It's definitely not unique since it is shared by 8 minifigures. That's actually a lot of minifigures to share a part with. However, those minifigures all seem to be part of somewhat expensive sets. You won't find the torso piece for less than $12. (Keep your eyes peeled for twn024 which seems to sell for less than $10 frequently if you want to grab the torso for cheaper.) The rest of Wendy's pieces are less than $1 total.

I want to call this guy Mr. Greenjeans. I know, he's got on overalls instead of jeans, but I don't have something for green overalls. Wilbur? Anyway, ovr032, Overalls Green with Pocket, Green Legs, Light Bluish Gray Male Hair is the cheapest of the three. I thought Roger was boring, but Mr. GJ is super dull. He's in the $4 range. His parts are about $2.75 with the torso being responsible for $1.75 of that.

If you feel like your set's not complete without instructions, you can find a set, but it's going to run you about $200.

I was unable to find data for the box having been available anytime within the past 6 months. I can't make an accurate estimation of the value.

 
If you would like to discuss this set, please join the conversation.
 
All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, and the LEGO Group.
If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:
10123 Cloud City
7181 UCS TIE Interceptor
10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle
10182 Cafe Corner
10019 UCS Rebel Blockade Runner
10185 Green Grocer
I remember that there was a weird point in the 90's when second string comic characters suddenly became popular. Inexplicably, guys like Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer and Moon Knight picked up in popularity and no one could explain it, so we all just sort of went along with it. Ever since then, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Ghost Rider. Possessed stunt rider Johnny Blaze or geeky teenager Danny Ketch transforming into the spirit of vengeance and riding a flaming motorcycle while flailing away at bad guys with chains of fire really warm the memory box. I never tainted my memories of those fantastically bad years of reading comics by watching that Nick Cage atrocity, so maybe that's why I have fond memories still. Anyway, I heard that there's a new Ghost Rider in the upcoming season of Agents of Shield. What a perfect time to release a set with Ghost Rider, except the one in the show drives a Dodge Charger and not a motorcycle. That's a disappointment. At first blush, this set looks cool, so let's get into it.

REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 76058
Name: Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-up
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
Parts: 217
Price: $19.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 2 numbered baggies, a sticker sheet, a comic book, and an instruction book.
 

BUILD AND EXECUTION:
BAG 1: We start off with the minifigures because the instructions tell us to, and because honestly, that's where most people would go immediately anyway. (apologies to anyone reading this who doesn't want to read my dialogue, but I think that the Super Hero sets are infinitely more amusing if you make them talk.)
Hobgoblin: Hey Spider-Man, coming to my party later?
Spidey: What the? Dude, you need to moisturize, maybe get a little eye drop action,

Spidey's got his new web net in this set, along with the new piece used to allow him to shoot it out in front of him. You begin building Hobgoblin's glider. I don't think he's got a special name for it, but since he's just a ripoff of Green Goblin, we'll call it the Hoblin Glider.
Hobgoblin: That was incredibly hurtful. Now, I'm not going to let you play with my new drone.
Spidey: I'm getting out of here before the FAA cracks down on that unlicensed drone. Oh, crackers, that wasn't the button for swinging webs.

The Hoblin glider is actually starting to actually look good for such a small build. The use of the sloped piece and the teeth to make its horned "face" actually carries through well.
Spidey: Well, dukes, I caught myself. It turns out my arch nemesis is gravity and the wrong button.
Hobgoblin: I'm going to illegally modify my drone so I can ride on it.
Spidey: But, that voids the warranty!

you finish off the Hoblin Glider with a couple flick missiles and a couple spoilers. In my opinion, it looked better in the previous stage. Now, it just looks bulky.
Hobgoblin: Ha ha ha ha ha, you said that I could never do it.
Spidey: I literally never said that.
Hobgoblin: What have you ever made in your miserable life webhead?
Spidey: Well, while you were messing around with that thing, I made a web teepee.

Now, because the Hoblin Glider is so small, you've got to pad the build with some environment, just not too much of one. Let's have a street corner. We almost never, errr sometimes see these sets with street corners, so let's start with a sidewalk.
Hobgoblin: I should kill you foryourimpertinence!
Spidey: That is literally the dumbest reason anyone has ever had for trying to kill me.

I find amusement in dumb things sometimes like the newspaper vending machines. The red one is for the classic Daily Bugle which has a sticker showing the current headline as "Spider-Menace."
Spidey: Spider-Menace? What's Jonah's problem? I've saved his life dozens of times. He even almost thanked me once.
Hobgoblin: Where's the fly button on this thing?

What is a street corner without a traffic light? Well, in the world of LEGO,it's a missed opportunity. I like the inclusion of the black streetlamp piece. The stickers on the street signs place this street corner firmly in New York, or anywhere else that has a Bleeker and Second Ave.
Hobgoblin: I did it! Rise, RISE my Hoblin Glider!
Spidey: Why can't I have a real villain instead of a lame Halloween costume? Hey, Gobby, you're going to get in trouble flying an unlicensed craft in the city.

The trash can just has some random trash and the newspapers have 2 different sticker decorations reflecting which newspaper it is. I really dig the pumpkin head and wish I could get a bunch for a Halloween display.
Hobgoblin: You knowwhat happens when a spider catches fire? The same as everything else. HA HA HA HA HA
Spidey: TIme to be a jumping spider and bounce before that idiot's drone modifications blow in his face.

BAG 2: Again, we start with the minifigure.In this case,it's Ghost Rider.
Ghost Rider: The souls of a thousand bureaucrats cry out for vengeance at the voiding of a warranty. I must ride.

You start forming the motorcycle much like any other. I made a big deal about pink pieces in Batman's motorcycle before.Interestingly, Ghost Rider has a big yellow piece in the middle. Yellow makes sense if you go with the flame motif. Moreso than the all black Batman.
Spidey: Ghost Rider Motorcycle Heeeeeero! Riding along with his head on fire! Where's your motorcycle?
Ghost Rider: I summon my mystic mount from the depths to once again ride for vengeance.

Most of these super hero motorcycles (and Ninjago for that matter) have a big bulky block right in the middle. It's what you build everything else onto.
Spidey: So, do you have the burning, itchy feeling of dandruff and dry scalp?
Ghost RIder: You have no idea what this feels like.

I like the decorative aspects of this build. THe multiple stacked fins and Trans orange pieces really sell it to me.
Spidey: This is a cool flame chain that you have here. Where did you get it?
Ghost Rider: Each link is forged from the soul of a criminal that sought to evade justice,but has since been sent to Hell.
Spidey: So, not Home Depot?

I like the appearance of that Nexo Knights pentagon. It gives a more unique shape to the chassis. Looking at the picture though, I feel like I needed to angle it differently.
Spider-Man: So, it takes a while to summon your mystic motorcycle.
Ghost Rider: You might want to put that chain down, your gloves are starting to smolder.

Yet again, I find myself second guessing the motorcycle wheels. I feel like this installation might cause it to ride too low. I was right on the Ninjago set, as I had to flip a wheel when my kids played with it. The bottom of the cycle has 2x2 rounded bottom pieces to allow it to glide easier. That tends to tell me that the designer also felt it would ride too low. THis was also the first time that I noticed how big the tire was.
Spidey: Wow, that's a big tire. Can you get those at Costco, or are they custom order?
Ghost Rider: I use them to drive up buildings, or squash those deserving vengeance.

The front wheel seems pretty tiny by comparison. I'm actually slightly underwhelmed by the appearance here. It seems somewhat puny.
Spidey: Hey GR, I thought that your mystic motorcycle was a bit more flame-y.
Ghost Rider: FLAME ON!
Spidey: Wrong hero.

Once you attach the flames, it does look a bit better, They fill in a bit of the skinny struts.
Ghost Rider: Commence conflagration.
Spidey: I wish I had some marshmallows to toast.
Ghost Rider: The flames of vengeance are really good at roasting hot dogs too.

REACTION:
As far as this set is concerned, it's not a bad deal at $20. The inclusion of Hobgoblin makes sense when you consider that he's a demon possessed bad guy who has been literally twisted into a hobgoblin. Ghost Rider is a demon possessed hero that rides a motorcycle (or Dodge Charger.) The fact is, Hobgoblin's just lame. He's a dumber version of Green Goblin, and I am sick of this Spider-Man. I couldn't be happier with Ghost Rider, but I felt like the design of the motorcycle was lacking at points.The thing that bothers me the most is that the wheels and tires are standard black. The wheels of the classic motorcycle and even the new Dodge Charger are usually depicted as flame. I would be a lot happier if the wheels and tires were at least orange, or red. I'm not a fan of street corners. I'm wishing that they had made it something different, Maybe a wall that you could stick Spidey to.
You may remember that I say the same things about all Super Hero sets. I keep saying how they always have a fire extinguisher, and based on the amount of flame in this set it needs one. This set, however, does not have one. Most SH sets have a truck, motorcycle, helicopter or plane. Obviously this one does have a motorcycle. I'm only at 50% for this one then. 

For the minifigures, I'll start with Spider-Man. This is the same boring Spider-Man that we get in almost every set. It's not even the one with the 2 tone legs. He's going straight to the extras bin. Hobgoblin does have 2 tone legs and he has 2 faces. The front and back printing is nice. With a cape and a hood, he's got a lot of accessories. Ghost Rider has anew headpiece with an attached flame. His torso has nice front and back printing, but his legs, arms and hands are all basic black.



 
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As a $20 set, and a super hero set, I wouldn't lay a lot of stock on its future growth. Ant-Man and the Wolverine Chopper Showdown seem like the exceptions. I kind of doubt that this set has a short shelf life with the big Spider-Man push recently. On the plus side, I highly doubt that Ghost Rider will make another appearance anytime soon. Look for it to drop to about $15-$16 in the summer. I wouldn't buy a lot early. For a personal collection, it's a good set. If the appearance of Ghost Rider in Agents of Shield sparks renewed interest in this character, or if he appears in one of the upcoming Avengers films, I can imagine interest in this set causing a bit of a spike.
EXTRA PIECES:
I am including the Super Jumper as an extra piece, because I dislike the piece so much. It's got an extra piece that fits in the hand. It's a fairly new piece.

 
If you like Super Hero sets, please check out these other reviews:
76049 Avenjet Space Mission
76065 Mighty Micros Captain America Vs. Red Skull
76022 X-Men Vs. Sentinel
76044 Clash of Heroes
76037 Rhino and Sandman Supervillain Team-up
76047 Black Panther Pursuit
76050 Crossbones Hazard Heist
DC Mighty Micros
76053 Batman: Gotham City Cycle Chase
76052 Classic Series Batcave
76051 Super Hero Airport Battle
Star Wars fans love stuff that made short appearances in the films. I remember as a kid how much I enjoyed my Empire Strikes Back AT-ST walker and the adventures my figures went on in the Twin Pod Cloud Car. I also remember my cousin's Darth Vader's TIE Fighter. I couldn't have one because I already had a TIE Fighter. Vader's TIE wasn't as much background as those other 2 examples, but it wasn't a major ship in the movie. It had a few minutes of screen time in a New Hope and then basically never appeared in a film again. It served as the template for the TIE Bomber, but that was hardly the same ship. This was Vader's ship. It wasn't a standard TIE, and what kind of havoc could the Dark Lord of the Sith wreak in it?
Last season on Rebels, we saw Darth Vader destroy pretty much every rebel ship that he came across single handed. I think that's what all of our kid minds assumed would happen if he cut loose in his special TIE. Don't get me wrong, Vader's TIE had an important role in a New Hope, it just wasn't a very long one. Fans love it all the same, and why not? It was different from the plain vanilla TIE Fighters that were getting blown to bits by guys like Porkins and Pops. It was Darth Vader's ride. You just know that he was back there on the Death Star on weekends changing its space oil and checking the space spark plugs.
This ship is always going to be a fan favorite. The LEGO version is a nice looking ship (if reportedly a little fragile.)

 
The Brickpicker price guide shows that Vader's TIE Advanced was selling for up to $738 for a new copy or the most recent high for a used set was $416. When I total the average used price for the parts that make up this ship, I get $598. Unless you already have a fair proportion of the pieces, I couldn't recommend going the route of buying the parts to build your own. I guess if you enjoy the hunt or like the slow process of restoring parts from a myriad of sources to one whole, then go for it, but be aware that with all of the parts orders, you're probably going to be up near new set range. I have heard that you should add about 12% of the parts cost to account for shipping. If you want to see the complete parts list check out Bricklink or Rebrickable.com.
In 2006, the LEGO Group released this set for $99.99 and it contains 1212 pieces. Since that time it has increased in value and has become a highly sought after collectible. I spotted chunks of this set in a bulk lot. I wish I could find the pictures, because it's always satisfying to spot something so cool in a box of junk. If you were to find one of these in a junk box, what would you have to be on the lookout for? What are the parts that you need the most of? What parts  are the keys, the expensive pieces that make this set a going concern instead of more bulk to deal with? In this article, I will be looking at the parts that appear in this set 20 or more times. I will also investigate the parts that appear in 10 or fewer sets or that cost more than $1.50 each. First, we'll look at the most common parts in this set. (In this situation, common refers to most numerous in this set.) Of the most numerous parts, we have 16 distinct elements. Those elements account for 425 of the set's parts (more than 1/3 of the set) and $31 of its value (less than 10%.)
The most commonly occurring part in this set is the black Technic, Pin with Friction Ridges Lengthwise WITH Center Slots. Element 2780 is a super common piece, appearing in 1754 different sets. It's so common that for the 56 parts that you need, you're probably going to only spend less than $1.25 all told. 

We need 32 light bluish grey 1x8 tiles. Element 4162 appears in 153 sets. You're going to get them for about $.21 each.

30 black 1x8 plates are next. This part appears in 516 sets. It's easy enough to find element 3460 for $.04 or less.

The dark bluish grey 2x4 plate is found in 557 sets. At $.02, you can grab all 30 element 3020 and not break the bank.

There are 29 light bluish grey 1x6 tiles in this set. Bricklink shows a $.13 average for element 6636. It appears in 237 sets.

I'm just going to say it now, there's not a lot of color variation in this set. The next part is 29 black 2x8 plates. It's part of 591 sets and element 3034 averages $.08.

Averaging $.05 each this set contains 24 Black Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger On End. Element 44301 appears in 103 sets.

Also averaging $.05 element 44302 appears in 114 sets. The black Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers On End is present 24 times in this set.

Also requiring 24 is element 2555. The light bluish grey Tile, Modified 1 x 1 with Clip averages $.05 each. It is present in 210 sets.

Black 2x6 plates run average of $.06 each. Element 3795 appears 23 times in this set. You'll find this piece in 826 sets.

There are 175 sets that contain Light Bluish Gray Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Door Rail. Element 32028 averages $.07 and this set contains 22.

22 light bluish grey 2x3 plates are a part of this set. They average $.08 each. You'll find element 3021 in 413 sets.

At the lower limit of my criteria, light bluish grey plate 1x10 appears 20 times in this set. Element 4477 appears in 119 sets and averages $.17 each.

You need to make sure that you have 20 element 4274. Light Bluish Gray Technic, Pin 1/2 averages $.03, but you've probably got a bunch of these hanging around if you bought the 529 sets that it's a part of, since they always include at least one spare.

Dark bluish grey 1x2 plates appear in 566 sets. you need 20 element 3023 and I bet you can get them for $.03 or less.

The black element 3020 that appears in this set is found in 1194 sets. I see that 2x4 plates are available in quantities equal to or greater than the 20 for this set at $.01 each.

 
I want to break the sticker out of the rare and expensive parts because as a sticker, it has elements that are not a concern for standard parts. Is the sticker applied or is it on the original sheet? Is it wrinkled or flat? This will generally cause a huge shift in values. You have to be careful with stickers. There's a lot of fakes out there and I'm definitely no expert in pointing out the fakes. I'd recommend reading and participating here.
Bricklink shows that you can find a sticker attached to the "plaque" assembly for about $40. If you want a new, unused sticker sheet, there's some available for about $90.

Looking at the rare/expensive parts, We've only got 10 that meet the criteria that I set forth. These are the parts that appear in 10 or less sets and/or cost more than $1.50 on average.
When looking at the expensive parts of a set, we're going to start with the one piece that will make or break your set. Because it is unique to this set, element 2598pb01 qualifies as rare, but the paint decoration on it also contributes to scarcity. A lot of people would probably notice if the lines on their Windscreen 10 x 10 x 4 Canopy Octagonal with TIE Advanced Pattern had a scratch in the paint or trans clear part. It averages $160 used.

Element 44357apb03 was a part that I thought for sure could have appeared in another set. Light Bluish Gray Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) with SW TIE Advanced Hatch Pattern is uniqueto this set though. I believe that since it is a smaller element that is the reason that it can be had for $60 used.

Appearing in 2 sets including 8636 Mission 7: Deep Sea Quest the 2 Light Bluish Gray Wedge, Plate 8 x 12 (Boat Bow Plate) are a little more accessible. I guess that's why element 47405 at an average of $34 each. (The black version is only $.49)

The light bluish grey Cockpit 10 x 10 x 4 Octagonal with Axle Hole only appears in this set. Element 2618 can also be found in light grey and dark grey (Dark Grey was in the UCS TIE Interceptor.) In the bluish grey, this piece comes in at about $30.

THe primary inventory of this set says that you need 9 element 4095. Light bluish grey Bar 6.6L with Stop Ring (Patio Umbrella Stand.) The inventory also shows that it might have been replaced by element 63965 at some point. A $6 part could be substituted by a shorter $.12 piece. I am not sure why or when this is appropriate to substitute, so be sure you note it if you resell yours. This part appears in 21 sets including 10179 Millennium Falcon which is why such an undistinguished part is so pricy.

You need 8 of element 2413. The light bluish grey Wedge, Plate 4 x 9 without Stud Notches appears in 11 sets including 10143 Death Star II. They average about $3 each. Watch out for someone substituting the similar element 14181   which can be found for about $.30. That is an incorrect part and is recognizable for having the notches.

The light bluish grey Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 10L / 8.0cm appears in this set alone. You need 8 element 75c10 in this color. They run $2.50 each, watch out for the Dark Grey ones that are about $.30 each.

This set also has 2 of the longer element 75c14. The light bluish grey Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 14L / 11.2cm also only appears in this set and also cost about $2.50 each. Again, be careful of the dark grey part which again are about $.30.

The dark bluish grey element 3703 appears in 37 sets. You need 2 Technic, Brick 1 x 16 with Holes and they average about $1.60 each, but you'd probably be able to dig a couple up cheaper.

The instructions tend to run in the $50-$60 range. Obviously the instructions are available online, but a lot of people like to have them to complete their sets. Right now, there aren't any instructions available on Bricklink or Ebay, so you'll have to keep a lookout if you want them.

The box is even harder to find if you need that for your set to feel complete. One has sold on Bricklink in the past 6 months and it was $76.40. There's none available on Bricklink or Ebay at this time.

If you want to talk about this great set. talk about it here.
All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, and the LEGO Group.
If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:
10123 Cloud City
7181 UCS TIE Interceptor
10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle
10182 Cafe Corner
10019 UCS Rebel Blockade Runner
10185 Green Grocer
REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 76067
Name: Tanker Truck Takedown
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
Parts: 330
Price: $29.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 3 numbered baggies, a sticker sheet, and 2 instruction books.

BUILD AND EXECUTION:
BAG 1: We
Hawkeye: Hey Cap, I'm here for the big fight.
Captain America: Oh, great Hawkeye, we're early, so you can help me set up.

Captain America: Now, if we work together here, we can raise this up quickly.
Hawkeye, why do you even need my help, Mr. Super Strength?
Captain America: Because the Super Soldies Syrum didn't give me 4 arms.

Captain America: Are you sure it's a good idea to store our flames next to the fuel drums?
Hawkeye: Sure, I put out fire extinguisher there too. If anything happens, we'll be prepared.

BAG 2:
Spider-Man: I'm here for the fight! Ha ha, caught you arrow dude!
Hawkeye: Gross, I got some of this stuff in my mouth!
Cap: Look, Sidey, we get to the fight early to set up. Without that, we won't have lots of stuff to wreck. We're not ready to punch you yet.

Spidey: Oh man, sorry about that Katniss. Let me help you out.
Hawkeye: Wait, did this stuff come out of you?
Cap: When you two are done playing around, I think we should get started, everyone else will be here soon.

Spidey: my webs are a super strong polymer that is flexible and adhesive, but breaks down within a few hours so that the city's not just constantly covered in webs. Plus, it's cherry flavored, so can double as a snack.
Cap: That's very impressive son, but for now we've got to finish this truck.
Hawkeye: Unless you can spin a truck out of that stuff and save us the time to build it.
Spidey: Uhm, nope?

Spidey: Hey, you guys want to hear something funny? I'm not even old enough to have a license yet.
Hawkeye: Great, I've got underpants older than this guy.
Spidey: You should probably change them.
Cap: Can I just be put back in the ice?

Cap: Hey Spidey, help me lift this so Clint can put the wheels on.
Spidey: Hey Merida, can you get a move on? This thing isn't as light as it looks.
Hawkeye: It's lighter than your mom.

Spider-Man: That's not cool man, my mom's dead.
Hawkeye: She probably just left because she didn't like you.
Cap: Geez Clint, give the kid a break.

Spidey: You probably can't tell because of the mask, but I hate you.
Cap: Hawkeye, how long are you going to carry those lights around while we're doing all the work?
Hawkeye: Oops! You noticed that huh?

Hawkeye: All right, if you guys can lift these, how hard can it be?
Cap: Careful Hawk, lift with your legs.
Hawkeye: Eep!
Spidey: Ha ha!

Spidey: You know, I think Tony Stark has a robot or something that can put this thing together faster. Gotta bounce!

BAG 3:
Vision: I don't understand why Tony told me to come here early.

Vision: There appears to be a lot of things that were put together wrong. I think Mister Barton must have been involved.
Hawkeye: Hey metal man, what did you mean by that?
Spidey: He meant that you're bad at your job Speedy from CW's the Arrow.
Cap: Because Speedy's a female archer?
Spidey: Yup.

Vision: Alert! There is a fire due to Mr. Barton's ineptitude.
Spidey: Don't worry, I'll smother it in webbing!
Cap: Are you sure that stuff's not flammable?
Hawkeye: I hope it is.

Spidey: AAAAAHHHHH! IT BURNS!
Cap: I've got the fire extinguisher.
Vision: I'll use this cover to smother the flames.
Hawkeye: I don't feel so good, are you sure those webs are edible?

Hawkeye: I'm dying because Spider-Boy shot poisonous webs into my mouth.
Spidey: Listen Dorkeye, I eat that stuff all the time,and I'm fine.
Vision: I believe that you are fine because you have mutated spider genes and can process elements that Mister Barton cannot.
Spidey: I thought that Dorkeye's mutated Dork genes could handle it.
Cap: Come on Clint, suck it up. I've seen you pour Twizzlers in a bowl with cherry cola and call it cereal.

Vision: I don't know why I deal with these people. Not a single one of them is logical.

REACTION:



FINAL THOUGHTS:
EXTRA PIECES:

If you like Super Hero set reviews, please take a look at the following.
76049 Avenjet Space Mission
76065 Mighty Micros Captain America Vs. Red Skull
76022 X-Men Vs. Sentinel
76044 Clash of Heroes
76037 Rhino and Sandman Supervillain Team-up
76047 Black Panther Pursuit
76050 Crossbones Hazard Heist
DC Mighty Micros
76053 Batman: Gotham City Cycle Chase
76052 Classic Series Batcave
76051 Super Hero Airport Battle
76058 Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-Up
I don't collect modulars. I don't build modulars. I hear about them a lot though. When I do hear about them, one set seems to be spoken about more than any others. The Green Grocer pops into conversations about modulars seemingly more often than any other. Whether it's the difficulty in getting the Sand Green pieces or how good it looks, or how expensive it is, it's a popular topic of conversation.
Wait, you might say. If I have no experience with this set, why should anyone want my opinions about it? Well, that's a fair question. I'm not really going to be presenting my opinions about the set, about its looks or the difficulty level of building it. Instead, I am providing analysis of the parts. I get curious when I read about an expensive set and want to know what makes it something unique. Many people have totes and bins of parts laying around. Most of them wonder why they couldn't just build the expensive sets with what they have on hand.

When the Green Grocer was released in 2008, it carried a retail price of $149.99. This is actually a fairly reasonable price considering the high piece count and size of the set. I would expect closer to $249.99 based upon my experience with Star Wars and Super Hero licensed sets. However, Modulars seem to fall into this price range though, so not really a surprise. What may be a surprise to some is the current cost to acquire this set. A used copy can be found in the $600-$700 range. Depending upon your patience or your need for the box or instructions, you may pay more. Looking at completed auctions on Ebay, some people have paid as much as $850 for a used set. If you insist on new, you're going to be spending more than $1000. Usually the prices are closer to $1200-$1300 for a new copy on Ebay. The Brickpicker price guide shows a similar range as does Bricklink.
The Green Grocer is a large set, the piece count, as listed on the box is 2352 (2335 if you go by the piece count on Bricklink which incorporates the minifigures.) Many LEGO buyers have more extra pieces than that laying around, but it is not an insignificant number. I would think that your kids would notice if you took that many pieces from their collection. Random pieces are not going to build this set, however. There are around 300 different elements (depending on whether you include the minifigures in your count or not.) An element in this situation refers to the unique part/color combination of the parts. I am not going to analyze every single part for this article. Instead I will focus upon 2 types of parts. The first type of part that I will analyze are the parts that are most numerous in the set. I've found that while I may have some of the parts for a large set, I rarely have the quantity needed of certain pieces. The first segment will include every element that you need 25 or more of. The second segment are the more specialized pieces. There are pieces that are expensive and there are pieces that are rare. Usually there is a correlation between the two. I will be listing all of the parts that cost more than $1.50 each and/or appear in 10 or less sets. Some pieces may qualify as both most numerous and rare, I will only list them once, making sure to note that they are to prevent bloating.
If I take an average sold price for all of the pieces including minifigures, but excluding box and instructions, I get $713. This is our base cost and only goes up when we think about the multiple orders needed to complete the set and the shipping charges that will be added on. Unless you already have a half completed set or know where to find most of the parts cheap, you're better off just buying a complete set. If you like the challenge though, don't let me dissuade you.
So, of our parts that appear 25 or more times, we have 25. Many of them are common pieces that won't cost much individually, but may be a significant cost when you factor in how many you need. Some parts though are expensive and numerous. Most images below will represent the part/color combination that is being talked about. In some cases I couldn't find a good image that matches the exact combination, so the image will represent the part but not the color.
The first part in the list actually belongs in both categories. Kind of a bad start if you are thinking of building this on your own. You need 56 sand green Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Groove. Element 4216 appears in 2 sets, this one and 10217 Diagon Alley. This set requires more than twice as many of this piece. It averages $3 each, but to get the quantity you need, you'll be about $3.50 each. You're looking at $170-$200 just for this before shipping.

Significantly cheaper and easier to find, element 3069b occurs 55 times in this set. Light bluish gray Tile 1 x 2 with Groove appears in 305 sets and averages $.10 each,although several sellers on Bricklink have the quantity required for $.08

The sand green 1x3 brick appears 54 times in this set. Element 3622 appears in 9 sets. Be thankful that you are not making Statue of Liberty because you would need 220 of these. They average about $.30 each,but to get the quantity you need, you're probably closer to $.38

Back to common pieces, you need 51 element 3023. Light bluish grey 1x2 plates occur in 600 sets and may be found in the quantity you need for $.03 each.

Did I hear someone say that they wanted more rare parts that you need a lot of? Well I thought I did. Coming in at an average of $3.50, you need 50 element 3008. Sand green 1x8 bricks appear in 5 sets. The Statue of Liberty only needs 25 of them and UCS Yoda only needs 2.

It's quite a roller coaster here. Element 3062b occurs in 232 sets and averages $.05. Although, you can get the 46 Light Bluish Gray Brick, Round 1 x 1 Open Stud for$.02 or $.03 each.

Sand Green 1x4 bricks appear in 16 sets including some fairly recent Ninjago ones. You need 41 element 3010 and they're going to cost you about $.34 each.

I've been hearing so much talk lately about how much value the magical cheese slope adds to a set. This set must have a lot of value since it has 40 Light Bluish Gray Slope 30 1 x 1 x 2/3. Element 54200 appears in 260 sets and can be easily found for $.03 in volume.

I wonder what kind of a grocery store stocks black skeleton legs. This set has 37 element 6266. It appears in 53 sets and costs about $.12 each.

Next, we need 37 light bluish grey element 3070b. Tile 1 x 1 with Groove in this color appears in 160 sets. The average Bricklink price is $.09, but there are plenty available for less.

Light bluish grey 1x6 tiles are next most prevalent. You need 36 element 6636 which appears in 234 sets. You can find all that you need for $.09.

Element 3024 appears 36 times. Light bluish grey Plate 1 x 1 is in 226 sets. There are sellers that have the quantity that you need for $.02 each.

Just in case you were missing the sand green bricks, we're back with element 3005. The 1x1 brick appears in 24 sets and I think it appeared fairly recently in the pick a brick walls. This caused the price to drop significantly to around $.07-$.08 each. You need 35 of them.

You need 33 tan 1x2 plates. Element 3023 shows up in 331 sets. Several sellers have the quantity that you need for as low as $.01 each.

Appearing in 403 sets, you need 32 element 3004. The light bluish grey 1x2 brick costs an average of $.07, but can also be found in volume for as low as $.03.

Tan 1x1 plate element 3024 occurs in this set 29 times. This piece is in 126 sets. It averages $.08 but you can find all you need for about $.04.

Much cheaper than the earlier sand green version, the light bluish grey 1x8 brick can be had for $.27. Element 3008 appears in 107 sets. You need 29 of them.

29 light bluish grey 2x2 corner plates follow. Element 2420 is going to cost you about $.07 each. It appears in 186 sets.

464 sets have the light bluish grey 1x4 plate. You need 28 element 3710 for this set. They average $.08 each.

The next most numerous piece in the set is the white 1x2 tile with groove of which you need 28. I see a lot of these available in the $.04 range. 649 sets have element 3069b.

I expected element 3009 to appear in more than 191 sets. You need 28 light bluish grey 1x6 bricks for this set. You can get what you need for $.12 each, while the average is $.16.

Medium blue seems like a rare color. You need 27 1x2 tiles in that color. Element 3069b averages about $.08 and can be found in 56 sets

Element 3070b is called for 26 times in this set. 246 sets have 1x1 black tile with groove. You'll be able to find them fairly easily for $.04.

26 light bluish grey 1x1 bricks are next. You should be able to get them all for $.03-$.04 each. 288 sets have element 3005.
 
The last part to make the cut of most numerous is element 4216. The white 1x2 brick modified with groove shows up in 31 sets. It's only going to average about $.08. You need 25.

We've already seen the largest proportion of the parts cost of this set. Sand green pieces are not common and this set has a lot of them. For the rare/expensive section, I run into only 11 pieces that fall within the criteria that I set. As I mentioned earlier, I am not going to repeat the parts listed earlier, so this is what else is noteworthy. Of the remaining parts, only 11 fall within the bounds of costing more than $1.50 and/or appearing in 10 or fewer sets.
The most expensive piece that I found was element 4035. This part appears in 6 sets including 6990 Monorail Transport System. You need 4 White Window 1 x 2 x 3 Train that average $4.60 each.

This next part is really fairly common. It is part of 76 sets. At $4.50 each the Green Baseplate 16 x 32 is not cheap, but won't break the bank like the earlier sand green pieces. You need 2 element 3857.

The next piece, I like and you only need 1. Element 2039, White Lamp Post, 2 x 2 x 7 with 6 Base Flutes is almost a staple of the Modular theme. It appears in 21 sets and runs about $3.60, although some can probably had for cheaper.

For about $2.40 each, you need 4 dark red Slope, Inverted 75 2 x 1 x 3. Element 2449 appears in 11 sets including 10196 Grand Carousel.

Also requiring 4 is element 6005. The Brick, Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top in blue is part of 5 sets and averages $2 each.

The Dark bluish grey Door Frame 1 x 4 x 6 Type 1 Element 30179 is posted as being a part of this set,but an alternate is give of element 60596. I honestly don't know which one is more proper, but the primary one costs almost 6x as much as the alternate. $2 vs.$.30. You need 5.

The set is called the green grocer, so here's another sand green piece. 7 Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Base are going to cost you about $1.95 each. Element 3937 appears in 6 sets.

Appearing in 4 sets, the reddish brown Tile 1 x 4 with Viking Snakes Pattern seems like an odd choice to me. Just because the other 3 sets it appears in are Hogwarts or Viking ships, it would seem out of place in a grocery store. You're going to spend about $1.75 each for the 3 element 2431pb043 that you need.

No fears of crazy cat ladies in this set,you only need 1 white Cat Crouching with Black Eyes, Eyelashes, and Nose Pattern. Element 6251px1 appears in 14 sets and will cost you about $1.60.

Just like the other door frame, the white Door Frame 1 x 4 x 6 Type 1 Element 30179 is posted as being a part of this set,but an alternate is give of element 60596.  The difference in rarity is 10 sets vs. 76 and $1 vs. $.22. Whichever way you go, you need 2.

(Note: While you also need black doors and the same parts are listed as primary and alternate, the cheaper, easier to find version is listed as primary. That is why I am not listing it here.)
 The last piece on my list is element 3003. You need 3 Dark Green 2x2 bricks which can be found for $.05 each. It appears in only 8 sets.

As a subset of the Rare/expensive parts, I'd like to take a look at the minifigures. Each of the minifigures is unique to this set. How unique are they? I mean, sure these figures only appear in this set, but are the parts that make them up also unique?
Our first minifigure is twn073 descriptively known as Plain White Torso with White Arms, Sand Green Legs, Reddish Brown Female Hair Mid-Length, but I'm going to call her Jane. She's plain Jane, no torso printing or unique head and the only part of her that is vaguely rare are her legs. Bricklink says that she sells in the $6 range which I think is crazy because her parts are half that cost.

Next up is twn072 Overalls with Tools in Pocket Blue, Reddish Brown Hair Female Short Curled Ends. It seems like the only way you can tell these townies gender is by their hair. We're looking at a figure which sells in the $7-$8 range. What makes this minifigure expensive is the hair. It only appears in one other set 5378 Hogwart's Castle and is part of a $60 minifigure Professor Dolores Umbridge. The hairpiece sells for about $5-$6 by itself and the rest of the pieces wouldn't cost $1.

I'm going to call this kid Boy Scout. twn074 is described as Shirt with 2 Pockets No Collar, Reddish Brown Short Legs, Red Cap, Red Bandana (10185), hence why I call him Boy Scout, the other one is a mouthful. Coming in at $4-$5, this figure is not terribly expensive. The most expensive portion of this figure is the torso. Coming in at $2 it's not a very expensive piece and relatively common since it is shared by 8 minifigures, the only thing that bumps the price is that one of those minifigures is sw103 Luke Skywalker (Cloud City). (most of the other figures that share the torso part can be had for less than the cost of the torso.) Otherwise, his parts all tally for less than $1.

The last guy, I'll call Jim. I have no good reason to, but he looks like a Jim to me. Jim has Suit Black, Top Hat, Sand Blue Legs (10185). The mayor of townie town twn071 sells in the $4 range. You're looking at maybe $2 in parts if you decide it's easier to buy his pieces separately. His Torso is the most expensive part, coming in at about $1. Jim's a good guy, just not terribly exciting.

 
It's interesting to me that there's not a single unique piece in this entire set. Every piece can be found in at least one other set. There are no unique prints or even a sticker that would make the pieces stand out.
If you feel like your set is not complete without instructions, you can find them, but they're going to cost you about $75-$100. Be sure that what you are buying is a complete set of all 3.

 
If you feel that you need the box it's going to cost you another $100 or more.

 
This article is by no means a complete inventory of the set. It is only meant as an a analysis of the parts of the set that will make it the most difficult and/or expensive to complete on your own. In some cases, it is useful to have an idea of which parts make up a set if you are purchasing a bulk lot or evaluating a used set. If you want to see a complete inventory check out Bricklink or Rebrickable.com.
There are some people who make changes, substituting parts to make this set cheaper for themselves. We are not going to discuss those substitutions here, this article is only to understand what makes up a set as originally released by the LEGO Group.
Check out this article written by @Ed Mack in 2012 and see if it has performed to his expectations.
If you want to talk with others about the Green Grocer discuss it here.
 
All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, and the LEGO Group.
If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:
10123 Cloud City
7181 UCS TIE Interceptor
10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle
10182 Cafe Corner
10019 UCS Rebel Blockade Runner
Remember the first time that you saw Star Wars? Remember the feeling as the small rebel ship blazed overhead pursued by the massive Star Destroyer? It was so unlike anything we had seen before. When people talk about iconic Star Wars vehicles, they talk about the ones that appeared in all of the original trilogy; the Millennium Falcon, the X-Wing, Star Destroyer and TIE FIghter. The very first image though was of a ship that only had minutes of screen time. Despite that, the Rebel Blockade Runner was burned indelibly into the consciousness of fans.

You may not know, the Blockade Runner was modified from the original design of the Millennium Falcon. Just a little trivial trivia for you there.

Though never specifically stated on film, it was called the Tantive IV and belonged to the royal family of Alderaan. In 2005's Revenge of the Sith, a second Blockade Runner was shown, and since then several more have appeared in Star Wars Rebels.
Released in 2001, with a retail price of $199.99, this was an expensive early addition to the LEGO Star Wars theme. It was more expensive than any other Star Wars set to that date. It cost twice as much as the UCS TIE Interceptor or the first Millennium Falcon and 1/3 more than the UCS X-Wing and Darth Maul. According to the Brickpicker Price Guide the current market supports sales of this set for around $1300 new in box or more than $750 used. This set is almost 4x the original cost in used condition.

When I looked at the parts from this set, I realized that it contained a large number of old grey pieces. Because of the switchover to newer bluish greys, you should be aware that someone might try to pass off the more prevalent "bley" pieces as opposed to the correct and rarer old grey. A lot of pieces in this set are unique to this set or rare (appearing in 10 or fewer sets) mostly because of the grey switchover. When I do a summary of parts, getting them at average market value, you'd spend close to $1000 for all the parts that you need before factoring in the shipping of multiple orders.
I'd like to first discuss the pieces in this set where you need a larger quantity of each one. We're going to look at all the pieces that you need 20 or more of. I would like to stress at this point that this article is in no way a complete inventory. This article is a survey of the notable parts, whether they are expensive, rare or you need an unusually large number of. For a complete inventory, please consult the bricklink set inventory.
The most prevalent piece in the set is 59 black 2x2 round plate with Axle hole, Element 4032. This is a part that appears in 464 sets. The number needed for this set is almost 2.5x the amount required for the set with the next highest count. You can get these for $.01 each but most of the volume is in the $.02 range.

Next, you need 52 light gray round 4x4 corner plates. Element 30565 is only found in that color in 5 sets. It averages $.30 on bricklink. Most people on Bricklink don't have the quantity you need though.

We've also got 52 element 30562 white cylinder quarter 4x4x6 for all of the engines on the back of this thing. They'll run an average of $1 each. This part appears in 12 sets.

Element 4286 White Slope 3x1 is next. You need 41 of them. You can get all that you need for $.02 and it appears in 219 sets.

Appearing in 33 sets, and easily obtainable in the quantity you need for $.05 or less, you will need 34 element 2412b dark grey tile modified 1x2 w/ grille

The 1x2 plate modified with jumper stud element 3794 appears in 177 sets in light grey. You can easily get the 32 that you need for $.03 each.

I would classify this next piece as rare. Appearing in only 4 sets, element 2476b red Plate Special 2 x 2 with Pin on Bottom, Small Holes in Plate and Locking Fingers on Underside appears in this set 31 times. Thankfully, despite its rarity, they only average about $.09 each. Only 3 bricklink sellers have them in the quantity that you need as of this writing, so you will likely need to include them in a lot of orders.

30 light gray 1x4 bricks with 4 studs on 1 side, element 30414, are next. It appears in 21 sets and averages $.40. There are no sellers on bricklink currently who have the quantity that you need for less than $.80 though.

White inverted slope 2x2 is a super common piece, appearing in 346 sets. You need 28 of element 3660 that you can probably get for $.02 each.

28 light grey 1x2 plate element 3023 are pretty common. They appear in 501 sets and even though they average $.05, you can easily find all that you need for $.02-$.03.

You also need 28 light grey 1x1 tile modified with clip. Element 2555 appears in 91 sets. You can get all that you need for $.03

I really thought that element 3001 was more common than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's still common, appearing in 669 sets, but I expected it to be over 1000. Anyway, you need 24 red 2x4 bricks. You're doing something wrong if these cost you more than $.04 each.

22 round 2x2 light gray bricks are next. Element 3941 appears in 99 sets. You should be able to get all that you need for $.08 or less.

Element 3666 in light gray appears in 218 sets. You need 22 of these 1x6 plates. I see a lot of them on Bricklink for $.05-$.06

I assume that people call the 2x2 round corner brick a macaroni piece because of its shape and not because they like to eat it with cheese. You need 22 white ones and Bricklink says that element 3063 appears in 68 sets and averages $.12 each.

The dark gray bar 4L or lightsaber blade/wand appears in 25 sets. You need 22 of them and bricklink says that you can get them for about $.63 each. element 30374 is a $.04 piece.

22 is a prevalent number for this set. You need 22 1x2 plates modified with grill in light gray. It appears in a modest 131 sets. element 2412b

Breaking the pattern, you need 21 element 3937 light gray hinge brick 1x2 base. This is a part that appears in 135 sets and can be found for $.05 or less.

White modified 1x2 Bricks with Grill(e) occur in this set 21 times. Averaging about $.05 element 2877 appears in 99 sets.

The final piece to make this list, squeaking in at 20 occurrences, is Dark Gray tile 1x4. Element 2431 appears in 36 sets. (The Dark Bluish Gray alternative appears in 267, so watch out for the more common cousin.) While it can be had for less than $.10 the cheapest seller currently with the full quantity that you need is $.11 each.

Before discussing the rare parts, I would like to take a moment to talk about the stickers. There are certain pieces that require stickers, those pieces may be had for a fraction of the cost without stickers, but most would consider a set incomplete without them. The sheet of stickers itself is rare. If you can find an unused sheet, it will probably run you $100 or more. To buy the pieces with stickers, you'll possibly spend more than that extra. I do not advocate for either tracking down an expensive sticker sheet and using it, or finding the pieces with stickers applied. That seems like a personal choice to me. I am, however, going to caution you about the reproduction stickers that are available. You must educate yourself on what to look for in regards to those fakes.

The Bricklink inventory doesn't show all of the stickered parts as counterparts, I can only assume that it is because some of them go across multiple pieces. That makes it a lot more difficult to acquire all of the stickered pieces.

Now, as far as rare and/or expensive pieces I was surprised at how many somewhat inexpensive rare pieces are in this set. We've already seen a few in our overview of the more numerous pieces. I'm going to skip over all of the stickered alternate pieces and just concentrate on the ones without. This list will concentrate on pieces that appear in 8 (or fewer) sets, or that cost more than $2 (or in many cases, both.) This leaves us with 23 elements. (One part got bumped because it appears in 2 brand new sets.)
The single most expensive piece in the set is element 2440 Light Grey Hinge Panel 6x3. It seems like they are so rare that people can kind of make their own price. Only 3 have been available on Bricklink in the past 6 months and one sold for more than $200. The others sold for $50-$60. The stickered version sells for about $110 but is equally as rare. Thankfully,you only need 1. There is not a light bluish gray alternative for this part, but beware of someone trying to swap the Dark Bluish Gray piece instead.

RInging in at about $20 each, there are 2 Dark Red round 8x8 tiles element 6177, This part is also unique to this set.

I am going to take a moment to acknowledge a cheap piece that is also fairly rare, that is 2 white round 8x8 tiles element 6177 which only appears in 3 other sets. It's entirely possible to get what you need for less than $.50 each. Sort of surprising the difference in price for basically the same piece.

Element 2418b has a long, cumbersome name. You need 4 white Windscreen 6 x 6 Octagonal Canopy with Axle Hole. Each of these will set you back more than $20. Currently available stock on Bricklink places them in the mid $30's. This part is unique to this set and fairly rare in any color.

Appearing in only this set, element 2903 in dark red Wheel 61.6mm D. x 13.6mm Motorcycle appears 11 times. It seems like you'd be lucky to find them for much less than $16 each.

Also requiring 11 quantity is element 2515 Wheel Hard Plastic Large (54mm D. x 30mm) in light grey. This wheel is not exactly common in any color but it is most expensive in this color. It has dipped as low as $10 each, but averages closer to $14.

White Slope, Inverted 45 6 x 4 Double with 4 x 4 Cutout appears 6 times in this set. Element 30283 appears in this color in this set only. It averages about $6 each.

Slightly less rare, in that it also appears in Set 6478 Fire Fighter's HQ white Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger Vertical End and 2 Fingers Vertical End element 30386 occurs in this set 16 times. It averages about $6 but, only one seller on Bricklink seems to have the quantity that you would require.

It's kind of sad that a piece that only appears in 4 sets starts to seem common. Tan Hinge Tile 1 x 4 element 4625 should only cost you about $5 each, but will probably take you multiple purchases to find all that you need.

There's an overlap with the Cafe Corner here with element 2362b. (This piece is not exactly rare appearing in 25 sets, but breaches the threshold of expensive pieces.) White Panel 1 x 2 x 3 - Hollow Studs appears 4 times. It's probably going to cost you $3-$4 each.  

Appearing in 15 sets, element 3961 is also not exactly rare. However, averaging about $3 each, you need 11 light grey Dish 8 x 8 Inverted (Radar). So, that's not exactly cheap, especially considering that at this time, no single merchant on bricklink has all that you need.

For about $2 each, you could get 2 white Plate 6 x 16 aren't terribly hard to get. Element 3027 appears in 10 sets. It doesn't seem like you'd have a hard time finding a seller with the required number.

Back to rare pieces, element 2356 appears in 4 sets. White Brick 4 x 6 is only about $1.50 and you only need 1.

I am sure that the only reason element 4150px18 is easily found for $1 or less is because it is found in the fairly inexpensive Imperial AT-ST set 7127. You only need 2 light grey Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Hatch Round Pattern.

You need 6 dark grey Dish 4 x 4 Inverted (Radar) with Star Wars TIE Hatch Pattern that is only available in 3 sets including the UCS TIE Interceptor. Be very careful not to purchase the dark bluish grey element 3960px4 which is much more common. You'll probably spend about $1 each on these.

Who likes a telephone? I know I like a dark grey Bar 1 x 3 (Radio Handle, Phone Handset) as much as the next guy. element 6190 appears in 4 sets in dark grey. Be sure not to get the much more common dark bluish grey. The 2 that you need can be found for less than $1 each. (It's also used in the UCS Snowspeeder and TIE Interceptor.)

The Rock Raiders HQ sometimes has 8 black Support 4 x 4 x 5 Stanchion, Plain Studs element 2680b. For this set, you need 2 and they show up for about $.50 each. I think what keeps the price down is that most people probably think that it's the same as the more common element 2680.

Blue Brick, Modified 2 x 4 x 2 with Studs on Sides appears in 3 sets and averages less than $.50 each. Element 2434 appears 4 times.

This set and the 4709 Hogwarts castle both require 2 element 2577. The dark grey Brick, Round Corner 4 x 4 Full Brick appears in 3 sets and is easily found for less than $.20.

You need 11 dark grey Wheel Wagon Huge (43mm D.) (It's yuuuuge.) element 33211 appears in 3 sets and is also under $.20 each.

You need 8 white Brick, Round 2 x 2 Dome Top - Blocked Open Stud without Bottom Axle Holder (boy that's a mouthful.) Element 553a appears in 6 sets and might easily be confused for 3 other versions of the 2x2 dome. It's less than $.10 each.

4 sets contain white Slope, Inverted 45 6 x 4 Double with Recessed Center. You need 1 element 30183 and it will only cost you about $.09.

The last item in my list is a fairly inexpensive piece at $.04 each. element 30526 appears in 7 sets and you need 5 dark grey Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with 2 Pins.

As one might expect, most of the hard to find pieces are the old grays. Newer pieces in the new grays are usually available, and someone might substitute them in to your set if you buy one from a shady seller. Also, a lot of the white pieces (and grays) may yellow with exposure to light. There are methods to try to remove that yellowing, and if you are concerned about those methods, you might have difficulty securing a truly white/gray version of this ship. You may wind up paying a premium for that.
If you're a stickler for instructions and boxes, they're going to cost you. Instructions are availableon Bricklink. They start at $75.

The box is even harder to find. It also has a variant. If you want a box you may have to decide between a full color box or a black and white one. If you see a black and white box, it is not necessarily a fake. Some of the boxes were released that way.

Look, Darth Vader just got one for himself.

If someone is offering you a deal that may be too good to be true, talk about it here. 
If you want to talk about this great set join the discussion here. 
If you want to discuss the differences between the UCS set and the later System version, do it in this thread.
 
All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, and the LEGO Group.
If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:
10123 Cloud City
7181 UCS TIE Interceptor
10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle
10182 Cafe Corner
After a very cool August LEGO build at Toys R' Us (See below picture of my son Max and his creation), they are following up with another quality and FREE LEGO build(s), this time on two dates...
September 17th between 12-2 PM...Disney Princess Cogsworth character September 24th between 12-2PM...Disney Princess Lumiere character Now I know they are "Disney Princess" characters and some little boys might not want to build them, but I think they are pretty cool and it might be worth a try getting your little tough guy to the local Toys R' Us for a free LEGO set.  
***Thanks to Elkkthunder for the original heads up...
 

Toys"R"Us will have their latest in-store Lego building on Saturday August 27.  Like similar past events, it begins at 12PM and it's suggested to arrive early with the kids. 
Personally, it looks this build should be fun for Lego fans of all ages.

For more info inlcluding store locations, please visit the link below.
http://www.toysrus.com/shop/?categoryId=4311963
TRU's fine print : *Event intended for ages 6-up. Parental supervision required at all times for minors. All giveaways and event materials available while supplies last and distributed to participants only. Limit one per customer. Quantities limited; no rain checks."
Blocks magazine Issue 22 is now in the hands of subscribers, and will be on shop shelves Thursday 21 July.
It’s a LEGO Star Wars extravaganza, with an exclusive, in-depth look behind the scenes of the new animated series The Freemaker Adventures. With unique access to the team working on the new show, we cover the LEGO animation production process like never before.
Inspired by the new show, five top builders have built their own Uglies — amazing mash-ups of existing Star Wars ships. As well as Star Wars mini-builds and a look at how the LEGOLAND Death Star was made, we review the latest official releases.
It’s not all Star Wars of course, as Blocks celebrates 30 years of an absolute cinema classic; Aliens. We chat with the Arvo Brothers about their Alien Project, build a Loadlifter and showcase the beautiful work of Andrew Francis.
To get each issue of Blocks delivered to your door — before it arrives in shops – visit www.blocksmag.com to set up a subscription.

The next 2016 SDCC Lego minifigure giveaway has been released via Twitter.  According to this tweet from Lego, the next Lego DC Comics minifigure promotion will be the Atom:

This great looking minifigure represents the DC Comics character from the Legends of Tomorrow TV series.  It appears the minifigure also comes with an exclusive Palmer Technologies printed base that really complements it nicely.
What are your thoughts on this DC Comics Lego exclusive giveaway?  Let us know in the comments section below.

 
Brick fans, brace yourself for the newest San Diego Comic Con giveaway reveal: according to this USA Today article, Lego will be introducing a new line of collectibles starting in 2017 entitled Lego BrickHeadz.  It appears this new theme recreates cute, stylized versions of our favorite Super Heroes in Lego form, similar to Pop! Vinyl Figures.
At San Diego Comic Con, there will be four limited edition "preview packs" that attendees will be able to purchase for $40 each.  They are:
DC Comics

Batman & Joker

Superman and Wonder Woman
Marvel Comics

Iron Man and Captain America

Doctor Strange and Black Panther
No further news has been provided on what the new 2017 BrickHeadz retail offerings will look like or which characters will be provided, but I would guess these characters will all be available at retail. 
What do you think about this new theme?  Please give us your thoughts in the comment section below.
 
 
I've built both the A-Wing and Darth Vader's TIE Fighter before. Neither build had previously done a lot to excite me. I remember building 7150 TIE Fighter and Y-Wing back in 1999. That particular build colored my perception of Star Wars LEGO for the next decade and change. I also built 8017 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter which was miles better and 75003 A-Wing Starfighter. None of them really excited me enough to keep. I wish I had held onto them in order to compare and contrast, but that's the breaks. I didn't really need another Darth Vader or another Sabine Wren without her helmet. It feels overpriced. The original retail for 75003 was $24.99 and 8017 was $29.99. But their piece counts were 177 and 251 respectively. This set is more than 270 pieces more than both of those combined. Is it worth $35 more?

REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 75150
Name: Vader's TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing Starfighter
Theme: Star Wars
Parts: 702
Price: $89.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 7 numbered baggies (numbered 1-6 with duplicate bag 6) and a bag containing stickers and a pair of instruction books.

BAG 1: Instruction book 1 is all about building the A-Wing. When you begin construction of this fighter, it's different from previous versions of the ship, or most of your average Star Wars ships. You create a tile platform below a set of railing. It's pretty obvious that something slides here, but what and why? 

This segment appears to have be the part that slides. I'm not sure if it's the impeller or impelled.

It appears to be the lever. The base of the fighter appears to be the platform that the upper section slides upon. You may notice that more of the body shape is being filled in, but it's quite a few steps before it looks like the end product.

It's sort of hard to see here, but there are a pair of spring missile launchers underneath the front. The slide appears to be part of a completely hidden feature to launch the spring missiles. I like that it's unobtrusive. I actually couldn't picture what an A-Wing looks like at this point in the build. I had to pick up the box again to try to make it out.

Underneath of the chassis is a pair of rubber bands. This prevents the top from sliding on its own and launching the missiles by accident. I like that the slide feature isn't loose.

And here's the end of bag one. It's not much yet, It's a lot more complex than the last A-Wing that I built though. 

Bag 1 also contained the 2 hero minifigures, Sabine Wren and an A-Wing pilot.

BAG 2: I like that the details are green. I get a little tired of the white grey and red of most of the Star Wars universe.

You expand the body and fill it in. It really begins to bulk up from here on out.

You add slopes to continue shaping it, but to me, it still doesn't look like the ship I remember.

 
Bag 3: I love these new wing pieces. I love the way these engine pods look. You guild them out separately.

You snap the engine pods on. They pivot somewhat which is kind of offputting, but look great.

Make a duplicate/mirror image engine pod. attach it in the same way with a hinge.

You make the gun pods separately. They seem a little large to me.

The guns rotate, reminding me of the old Kenner A-Wing. It looks great to me. The action feature is nice in that it is hidden. There's no dial or lever or hole. For a smaller build, it had a lot of stickers.

BAG 4: You begin the build of Vader's TIE Advanced. You also begin Instruction book 2. As you can see, there's 2 spring missile launchers fairly early in this build. Since you can't really do round, of course you use slopes.

There's a lot of random colors that will be hidden in the final build. I don't really understand why there's tiles in here. Vader's got a comfy seat and a Battle Droid torso to steer with.

You have to frame the TIE Fighter because the TIE Advanced has a lot of extra bulk.

It looks like the tile is there to let you slide a sideways slope on.

Youngish Tarkin and Vader inhabit bag 4.

BAG 3:  I'm going to call this section the Hyperdrive. Maybe it's the shield generators. What kind of Star Wars geek am I that doesn't know what this section is for? Anyway, it's the part that sticks out from the back, making it obviously different than most TIEs. That's what makes it advanced. Maybe it's just the advanced stickers.

Where 8017 used various pieces of kibble (or greeblies if that's your thing) this one has a couple stickers. Sort of disappointing from a build perspective.

It's kind of hard to see here, there are 2 technic pieces that act as triggers for the spring missiles.

You fill in the body shape and snap on a couple rounded hatch covers. I like the forward hatch a lot better than the old style cockpit piece. The upper one is larger and more detailed than before too.

 
BAG 6:
there's 2 different attachment points for the wings. There's an axle hole in the center to hold the axles sticking out of the main build. You also have a post attached to the wings that slot into the ship.

Filling in the back of the wing was actually kind of fun. I liked the variety of pieces used to match the shape.

Grab the second bag because there's a X2 at the end of book 2.

Snap the wings in place and put the spring missiles in. Vader's TIE is complete now.

REACTION:
The individual builds are satisfying. I think that they look good and represent the vessels well enough. The size of Vader's TIE seems a little puny.It really seems that, for the cost, they could have made it a bit bigger. I honestly liked the puzzle aspect of putting the inside of the wings together. Remembering how flimsy the first TIE's wings were, this is a definite improvement. Plus, no blue.
The A-Wing is satisfying in the build, but doesn't necessarily look to me like what I think of . The cannons are bulky, the body is stubby and not too sleek. But, when I look at pictures of the Rebels A-Wing, it's all accurate enough. When I thought that it would work well enough for an original trilogy display, it's going to be a bit off.
Ok, so I'll talk about value for money. $90 is a lot for 2 smallish ships. The price per piece is high and there are no large pieces to offset the cost. The number of minifigures is low for the price point. For $90 we're overpaying for a few unique minifigures and a couple of redone ships. $65 or $70 seems more in line with what you get. If it weren't for coupons and discounted gift cards, I'd feel really put out by the cost of this set.

Vader's the same as the Death Star Final Duel with the white head and the 2 piece mask. I didn't review that set, so I'll say what I would have said then. The design of the helmet causes it to tilt up ever so slightly, so Vader appears to be looking up. The head in white seems a little goofy to me, but that's a personal thing. I understand it entirely, but neither of these are changes that excited me.
Tarkin really reminds me of the 12th Doctor. Probably because of the hairpiece. The tan costume is a weird choice. I don't think that he's even depicted in that color in Rebels. Kind of a fail for me from top to bottom.
The female A-Wing pilot looks good. She's functional as far as troop building, and since her body isn't decorated to be obviously feminine, you can head swap to fill out any number of aliens or others.
Sabine Wren is almost entirely different than the previously released version. I think the body deco is better on this one and the black sleeved arms is better than the flesh arms in the previous versions. I hate the hairpiece used. I wish she came with her helmet. I'd rather have a Mando helmet than that ugly hairpiece any day.



FINAL THOUGHTS:
At $89.99 this should be a pass, unless you're hardcore. I don't know how long after retirement it will be before it even reaches MSRP. This set should be clearance fodder. OT purists will be disappointed that they took liberties with the designs. I expect that there will be discounts for a while. I just don't see huge potential on a set that was way overpriced from the beginning.
EXTRA PIECES:
Most of the extra pieces are exactly the ones that you would expect. I didn't picture the brick separator, but rest assured, there is one. The lower part of Vader's mask has low utility.

Please take a look at the other Star Wars Reviews:
#75060 Slave I (click here) #75078 Imperial Troop Transport (click here) #75085 Hailfire Droid (click here) #75087 Anakin's Starfighter (click here) #75092 Naboo Starfighter (click here) #75094 Shuttle Tydirium (click here) #75100 Snowspeeder (click here) #75101 Tie Fighter (click here) #75102 Poe's X-Wing Fighter (click here) #75103 First Order Transporter (click here) #75109 Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure (click here) #75125 Resistance X-Wing Fighter Microfighter (click here) #75127 The Ghost Microfighter (Click here) #75131 Resistance Trooper Battle Pack (click here) #75132 First Order Battle Back (click here) #75133 Rebel Alliance Battle Pack (click here) #75134 Galactic Empire Battle Pack (click here) #75135 Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor (click here) #75136 Droid Escape Pod (click here) #75137 Carbon-Freezing Chamber (click here) #75139 Battle on Takodana (click here) #75141 Resistance Troop Transporter (click here) #75148 Encounter on Jakku (click here)
After The Force Awakens was released, I looked at the available first wave sets and felt something was missing. To me, the Luggabeast conspicuously absent. Sure, Unkar Plutt was missing, but I wasn't really missing him. When I heard that this set was coming, I got excited. When I saw the preliminary images, I cried out as loud as any other about how bright the blue was. Upon further research, I saw that the blue was right. The Luggabeast shown in the film had a lot of bright blue, but most of it was heavily scratched and marred. It's hard to have the mottled look in LEGO, so they simplified it by going blue. I think it's time now to review and see how well LEGO accomplished the feel of Jakku. 


REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 75148
Name: Encounter on Jakku
Theme: Star Wars
Parts: 530
Price: $59.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 5 numbered baggies,2 plastic "sails" and an instruction book.

BUILD AND EXECUTION:
BAG 1: The first thing that you do is start building the body of the Luggabeast.

I just want to point out the new parts 2x2 wedge in dark azure. There's a lot of dark azure pieces on  this build. Many of them are rare or unique.

You round out the bottom of the beast It's fairly blocky, but I think that fits since the creature looked half mechanical and half organic.

I guess you could call this the saddle?

Bag 1 ends with only half a luggabeast. You do get your Teedo, but he only wants this set for spare parts.

BAG 2: Introduces the new leg molds. You jus t peg some random kibble on them and slot them on, nothing really fancy, so I didn't show that.

Now you build the basic shape of the head. It doesn't look like much now, but you're going to just slap some decorative panels on it anyway.

More medium azure here. Check out the decorated piece.

Use a couple whips to represent hoses or cables or something.

Finally, you slot the head on. There's not really a lot of interesting techniques here. I think the end result is fine, but nothing in it to really excite.

BAG 3: So, we're building a structure. No matter how big of a structure it is or if it is even a full one, we need a foundation. If it's a Star Wars structure, you need to build in stuff like slotted bricks and levers from the beginning. After all, you have to have play features, right? 

I'm not sure if that's a counter to transact on or a table to clean junk on, either way, it's just more there to provide visual appeal than serviceability.

I like that you use ladder pieces over the windows to create a security gate effect.

A wrench appears, so it must be for taking apart junk to get to the good bits. Plus, now we have a hidden pistol.

Unkar Plutt's base  of operations is a ramshackle affair, probably made out of a crashed ship or cargo crate. If we're going for a junk heap, well it's looking pretty good.

BAG 4: We start another part of the structure, this time with a lot of slopes. It's interesting to me how much Dark Orange is used in here. This is a color that I don't feel like I see much of.

Another window, this time with the typical bar arrangement. Maybe this is where you receive your meager portions. (meagre for British and Canadian readers.)

Snap the 2 structures together with a hinge. You can see where Unkar keeps his riches. Lots of past date ration pouches in that safe.

Finish up your walls and you can close up shop. I didn't really look to see what it looks like with Unkar in there. It seems pretty small, but if he's anything like the owner of the comic shop I used to go to, he never moves and only needs a small area.

This upper platform isn't used for anything, except maybe to provide shade under the glare of Jakku's sun.

Bag 5: I'm not sure if we are creating a walkway or a waiting area. It looks a lot like a disused Egyptian explorers set.

You put together an arch, you can see some of the junk that wasn't good enough for Unkar Plutt here.

Snap your new creation onto the previous larger structure. Notice the Battle Droid legs, those are supposed to be there.

Look, more Battle Droid parts. There's even another arm in that box on the left. Actually that torso in dark orange is not common. You also attach the sail/awning, Unkar Plutt doesn't want anyone to suffer heat stroke. Our heroes Rey and BB-8 are here too.

REACTION:
I like the way this set looks. I'll keep it together on my shelf for a while. It definitely represents the scene(s) in the movie. Is it accurate? Weeeeell, more or less. It's more the parts your brain fills in than the specific details that put you in the scene. I'm amused by the Battle Droid parts scattered all over. I would have thought those junkers would have rusted out long before. This set contains a lot of colors that you don't normally see. There's a lot of medium azure, a lot of tans and dark tans and some dark oranges. I would think that even if you didn't want the set for yourself, it's a good parts warehouse.
I actually really like the Luggabeast. If nothing else, I am pretty glad that I got the set just for that. I might modify it a bit at some point by throwing some light grey or tan pieces on the blue, but overall it looks very satisfying.

The minifigure selection is good. Rey and BB-8 both are reissues. These figures have both appeared in several sets, Rey in 3 and BB-8 in 4. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if fatigue starts to set in on them, especially now that their keychains have also been released.
I thought for sure that Teedo was portrayed by a little person. I thought that this figure should have short legs. With that having been said, this figure looks nice. The decoration is well done even if it does remind me of a Tusken Raider figure that I had as a kid. The head is a nice new mold. But Teedo is not the star of this set.
The star of this set is Unkar Plutt. Actually, he's not my favorite looking of the four. He is however the minifigure that is most wanted. The head/body piece is well executed, except I feel that the paint job is too simplistic. The character doesn't look like anything so much as a blob with eyes. Maybe that's an accurate representation of the character though.


FINAL THOUGHTS:
I don't think LEGO is going to be revisiting Jakku again anytime soon. They may get to it in 5 years or so. I just don't think there will be a lot of motivation on their part with new movies every year. Will that lead to it being worth more because it's not being remade, or will it languish because the scenes depicted are not super important? Either way, this set is begging to be paired with Rey's Speeder and, if you can swing it, the Unkar's Brute minifigure from that book. Look for discounts on Amazon.
EXTRA PIECES:
You get a lot of the small pieces that you usually see. Plus you get an extra sail thing. I'm not sure why you need an extra one, but there it is.

Please take a look at the other Star Wars Reviews:
 
#75060 Slave I (click here) #75078 Imperial Troop Transport (click here) #75085 Hailfire Droid (click here) #75087 Anakin's Starfighter (click here) #75092 Naboo Starfighter (click here) #75094 Shuttle Tyderium (click here) #75100 Snowspeeder (click here) #75101 Tie Fighter (click here) #75102 Poe's X-Wing Fighter (click here) #75103 First Order Transporter (click here) #75109 Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure (click here) #75125 Resistance X-Wing Fighter Microfighter (click here) #75127 The Ghost Microfighter (Click here) #75131 Resistance Trooper Battle Pack (click here) #75132 First Order Battle Back (click here) #75133 Rebel Alliance Battle Pack (click here) #75134 Galactic Empire Battle Pack (click here) #75135 Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor (click here) #75136 Droid Escape Pod (click here) #75137 Carbon-Freezing Chamber (click here) #75139 Battle on Takodana (click here) #75141 Resistance Troop Transporter (click here) #75148 Encounter on Jakku (click here) #75150 Vader's TIE Advanced vs. A-Wing (Click Here)
According to this Lego Ideas blog entry, the approved Lego Ideas Adventure Time set is nearly complete!  Here's a quick glance at the set:

The set will be number 21308, and include 495 bricks with an MSRP of $49.99.
Per the blog entry, seven brick built characters will be included in the set: Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Lady Rainicorn, Marceline, BMO, Gunter and Ice King.  Compare this to the originally approved Ideas entry:

Even though there are fewer characters, the ones in the approved set appear to be slightly more detailed than the original entry.
This new set is much different than the Lego Dimensions packs that are set to be released with Dimensions' second series.  They include Adventure Time minifigures and micro-builds, all shown here:

It looks like a lot of Lego Adventure Time is coming your way in the near future.  What are your thoughts on the new theme?  Be sure to comment below.
The Lego Group has revealed the first of their 2016 San Diego Comic Con minifigure giveaways: a new "Hydra-devoted" Captain America minifigure! This minifigure celebrates the heel turn of one of Marvel fans' favorite heroes.  More information on the giveaway can be found at Entertainment Weekly.
What do you think of the new minifigure?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

 
If Walmart's $139.99 TIE fighter sale wasn't enough, here's an even better discount.  Amazon.com has discounted the set by 37% to $125.99 for Prime members.
An additional $30 can be saved by using the Amazon Rewards Visa credit card during check-out.  

Click the link below for more information.
https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Star-75095-Fighter-Building/dp/B00X3301HI/?tag=brickpicker-20
 

 
For more Brickpicker information about this set and more Lego deals, please view the Forum topics below.

http://community.brickpicker.com/announcement/24-today-is-amazon-prime-day/
 
Hey Lego fans, boy does Brickpicker have great news to share today!
Walmart.com is throwing a "Throwback Thursday" sale like it's 2013.  Walmart's online website is currently selling the $199.99 Lego 75095-1 Star Wars UCS Tie Fighter set for only $139.99 with free shipping!  That is a 30% discount.  We haven't seen a sale like this for an Exclusive set in "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away".
Click the link below to save money on a fine Lego set.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/LEGO-Star-Wars-TIE-Fighter/42104274
Regarding the Investment potential,  the Tie-Fighter is an iconic Star Wars ship.  The ship's status alone will help it's Lego version perform better than even less popular UCS Set such as the 10127 B-Wing.  10127 is now selling for $300 on eBay.  This is not a bad price for a set which was heavily discounted in 2013 (many sets sold for $99.99 and $160 at retail). 

For more Brickpicker information about this set and more Lego deals, please view the Forum topics below.

 

 
Sometimes I get random sets if I find them cheap enough. Usually they are broken down for parts, and the minifigures are sold off to defray the costs. I don't usually think much about those sets if they don't fit in with the themes that I collect. My kids have taken to watching Ninjago over and over on Netflix. I happened to have a few Ninjago sets and let them have a couple. They love them. I thought I would take a moment to look at one of the remaining sets that I have. Are the builds fun? Is there more to it than I would expect? Well, I have reviewed a Batman set with a pair of motorcycles in it fairly recently. That should give me an idea of what to expect, similar size, similar part count and price point. I am almost expecting it to be the same set in different colors.

REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 70600
Name:Ninja Bike Chase
Theme: Ninjago
Parts: 231
Price: $19.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 2 numbered baggies, a sticker sheet, and 2 instruction books. Each book corresponds to a bag and a build.

BAG 1: There really wasn't much about this build to make it interesting other than the dude is flying on a rocket pack made from a garbage can. How menacing can that be. On the other hand, his sword is awesome. Really very happy with that weapon.

You may not be able to see that he has a clear collar piece that attaches to the jet pack. Only one of his bombs fits in the garbage can, and he can't really hold the other one.

Since you wasted so many parts making a lame glider jetpack the motorcycle has a simplified design. Batman wouldn't make a bike like this. Then again, he's Batman and Kai's a ninja that doesn't seem especially bright.

The decals on the sides are mostly obscured, but whatever, they're decals. I have to say tat I do love the big chunky tires, but I wish there was more to it. It really makes me appreciate the Batbike.

I didn't mention it before, but you also make a killer 5 piece sword in this bag. According to the LEGO site it's a "translucent smoke-colored Djinn Blade with ‘trapped Cole’ element brick."  Yeah, I don't know the story behind that but that's 2 nifty swords and a regular katana. Maybe that makes up for the lameness of this motorcycle.

BAG 2: It's time to tackle Nya's motorcycle. Her motorcycle starts out more complex than Kai's which makes me happy. It's also not a clone of the Batman bikes. So, again, happy.

It maes sense that Nya's bike would be more complex because compared to the other Ninjas, she's a genius. She's like the Batman of Ninjago, which I guess is why she's going to be getting her own Batcave soon. Note: complex doesn't mean more difficult or interesting. This bike is more pieces, but not really something particularly fun to build.

Ok, now you've got my attention. This girl apparently loves weapons. Her bike is decorated with or made out of 6 edged weapons. I bet all of her Barbies have scars.

2 things to note: First, I like the design of the fanned fins. the look is interesting and it wasn't a configuration that I would have thought of at random. The other thing is that the axles aren't pegged into anything except the wheels. This free floating thing means that it doesn't have any stability. If you try to race the 2 motorcycles, you have no idea which direction Nya will wind up going. There really should be some bushing to keep the wheels from shifting too much. Also, I felt that the placement of the axle brackets made the vehicle ride too low. I'm thinking of flipping at leas one set to give more ground clearance.

The final bike reminds me very strongly of a Speeder bike from Return of the Jedi. It doesn't really look like it, but it gives a good impression of one.

REACTION:
Well, that set wasn't enough to turn my mind around on Ninjago. It did make me feel a bit better about the Gotham City Cycle Chase though. With 2 bags and 1 instruction book per bag, you could easily (except for the stickers) divide this set between 2 kids. It's fairly inexpensive and it's not terrible for kids to play with. It's not really going to shine when compared to the amazing large sets in Ninjago though.

I wish the minifigures came with additional hairpieces. Nya and Kai desperately need to be able to be played with without masks. I do really like Nya's costume in dark red, but hate the azure mask accents. Kai is an angry young man with a scar. Both Ninja look good with their hoods on, but I'd just like a little more. The pirate's name is Sqiffy and honestly I feel like that says more than enough about the character. His costume looks dumb, he has a dumb name, and his expression looks more constipated than anything. 


FINAL THOUGHTS:
What can I say? People don't really invest in Ninjago. There's nothing about this set that calls out for it to be in demand later on. At this time, it's only about 3 months old and is already living with a 20% discount. Strangely, it's not actually currently being sold by Amazon. Every listing is third party. Could it have been only available for a short window to Amazon? I don't know how It works, but I would keep an eye out and see if it retires super early, if so, that might cause a loser to become a winner.
EXTRA PIECES:
Wow, for a small set, you get a lot of extra pieces. You get an extra Cole spirit token a sai, 2 katanas, Sqiffy's sword and an extra djinn blade. If that's not enough, there's enough pieces to make an extra bomb.

I loved the Captain America: Civil War movie. I loved the chance to get Giant-Man, Agent 13 and War Machine. I felt lukewarm about the chance to add another Iron Man and Captain America to my collection. Here was my chance to recreate the epic airport battle between 3 iconic super heroes and the 9 second-stringers that they brought along. (I say that with love since I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Hawkeye, Winter Soldier and Black Widow.) Wait, the packaging conveys so much depth of scene, but when you take away the graphic, what are you left with? Why couldn't Giant-Man have been released in a set similar to Hulk Buster? I need to look more in depth at this set to answer at least one question. 

REVIEW: SET DETAILS
Set #: 76051
Name: Super Hero Airport Battle
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
Parts: 807
Price: $79.99
BOX CONTENTS
Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box or, want to verify the box contents before beginning a build. For this set, there are 5 numbered baggies and a bag containing a sticker sheet, a comic book, and an instruction book.

BUILD AND EXECUTION:
BAG 1: We start this large LEGO set with probably the biggest let down. It's a tiny LEGO car that feels like it would be more at home in a $6.99 City set, or maybe a polybag. To add insult to insult, you have to apply 2 stickers within 4 steps. I can understand that they feel that a small vehicle adds some value, but not to me. Especially when it looks like the Mighty Micro's inbred cousin. 

It's a luggage mover, so it needs a trailer. Looks like someone jumped the gun and hitched the trailer without wheels.

What makes a tiny baggage cart even less useful? a launching mechanism designed to fling the bags.

I wanted to give you this view so that you could see the play feature lever that is soon to be hidden. You activate this particular play feature by shoving tiny Ant-Man into the mouse hole.

You may recall that I take a strange sort of pleasure from pointing out the ubiquitous fire extinguishers in every Super Heroes set. Well, here it is. Wrench and fire extinguisher. Clearly the only tools you would ever need at the airport.   

The entire front of the second level is missing, but with that lever set up, you can tell that it will be wall exploding time before too long. I guess it's fine that the luggage cart is so small since the people going to Wakanda, Socovia, and Bielund are only bringing briefcases. Iron Man and Agent 13 round out this bag.

BAG 2: I didn't do a great job showing it here, but you fill in the wall on floor 2 in 2 chunks. I'm actually somewhat pleased with how that was done. So far that's the highlight of an unexciting tower.

I was trying to show the computer screen stickers, but I don't think they really stand out, which is fine because they're just not that interesting anyway. I do like the window treatment.

It really does look like a very short traffic control tower. It's kind of undersized for a major airport, but really, no one is buying this set for the traffic control tower or the luggage cart.

Add some boxes from Stark Industries, Hammer Tech and A.I.M. as well as a gate, and you are done. Scarlet Witch and tiny Ant-Man round out bag 2. (You may be wondering why I am not talking about the characters. I'll get to them in the summary at the end.)

BAG 3: The bag that everyone was waiting for. It honestly took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at here. I finally realized that the angles corresponded to the angled torso of your standard minifigure. It makes sense, since we are building Giant-Man (I looked it up, it is hyphenated. Stan Lee liked his hyphens unlike DC creators that just made compound words.)

So, the Torso is not terribly complicated, you just need to add some bulk and attachment points while maintaining the roughly trapezoidal shape.

The legs actually require much more work than the rest of Giant-Man. I didn't take any pictures of the build process of them because I was actually enjoying the process. I love how they use the slopes to approximate the curves of the minifigure legs. By the way, yes there are 7 stickers shown here. Sadly, there's still one more to come for this character.

After the legs, the arms are way too simplistic and give a worse approximation of the smaller figure. Even the torso was more interesting to build than the arms.

The inside of Scott Lang's head. 

The face is printed. It's a good thing too, because I'd be pretty mad if I applied his face wrong. He's got a flip down mask. The mask is a sticker and for those of you with OCD I am sorry. I think I applied it upside down.

After you complete the front of the head, you still have to try to make the back round, or roundish I guess. Maybe more round adjacent? It's round like. Anyway, don't forget to tack on the "ears" of the helmet.

Ta Dah! Giant-Man. Just for giggles, they threw Captain America into this bag too.

BAG 4: Here, we begin the Quinjet. I could derail myself here by talking about whether it is necessary to release a new Quinjet while last year's model is still filling shelves, but I am going to hold off until the wrap up.

Strangely (to me that is) I realized at this point that I was actually liking the build of this Quinjet more than the 2015 version. It didn't have a big hollow body to accommodate a motorcycle and the techniques used were at least a little more varied.

When I see these long technic bricks, it says action feature. It also says wing stability.

Boom, action feature. Did I get something wrong though? Those stud shooters are facing backwards. No, it's right.

The round brick is actually a knob that will cause the stud shooters to pop out on the bottom. Hooray action feature!

I'd like to take a moment here to point out just how many pieces of Dark Blue are included in this set. I always like to see that color because I don't feel there's enough of it.

Attach your wing and you're done with this bag. Winter Soldier's a little miffed that it's not flyable yet.

Bag 5: I wanted to show off the new 2x2 wedge pieces that are used to fill in the internal structure of the wing.

A lot of pieces stack to give the wings their unique shape.

snap on the wing and add an engine.

lots of rounded slopes to shape the body of the aircraft. It looks a little squat though.

Don't forget wheels. You need wheels because LEGO planes don't really fly.

You extend the wings and add a hatch on the back with a rope. There's no depth to the hold area because of those stupid cannons. Why you need a rope is sort of beyond me. Everyone that I have seen exit a Quinjet just sort of either walks out or jumps out.

Slap on the cockpit cover and we're done. Don't forget War Machine.

REACTION: Giant-Man is definitely the star. If not for him, there would be very little point to this set. The Ant-Man micro figure is nice to have (especially since you get 2 of him.) I'm really kind of irritated by the inclusion of the Quinjet though. It makes sense in that it does appear in the movie that this set is based upon, but it was a very minor part of this battle. Marvel Super Hero sets suffer from a lack of iconic vehicles and for better or worse, the Quinjet is one of the few. However, there's still a Quinjet on shelves from 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron sets.
Too bad that almost every Super Hero set includes some version of a jet, a helicopter, a boat, a motorcycle or a jeep/truck and the horrible baggage vehicle would never suffice to fill the disappointing vehicle role. A lot of them also contain a disappointing partial building full of play features. I guess we get all the standard stuff. Disappointing plane and partial building to make the Giant-Man set an $80 set instead of a $30 one. I guess they needed to make it a big set in order to justify 6 minifigures. I would have preferred a regular plane that broke up into chunks that they could fight around. The Quinjet is the smallest one yet.

For the minifigures, let's skim past Captain America. This is the same Captain America that they have been making since Age of Ultron. He's in 4 sets at present and will be soon appearing in a fifth.
I talked about this Winter Soldier minifigure previously. Still love it though.
Onto the wholly new and unique. I spun the wheel and landed on Agent 13. Sharon Carter is a character that long time Captain America fans know and if not love then tolerate. To me, the figure looks bad. It's just a weird looking outfit that either needed to be wholly uniform or civilian. It comes across as a mismatch. Plus her hair should be more blonde than strawberry. Her inclusion seems like a knee-jerk reaction to all the #wheresblackwidow from 2015. They included another woman in order to bring the number in this sub-subtheme to 3. (Don't even mention Maria Hill.)
Scarlet Witch is a new costume including a cloth "skirt." The skirt makes the plain black pants somewhat acceptable. I'm not a fan of red eyes. Even though I tend to display my Super Hero minifigures with their scowl faces, I'm just not likely to with her.
Iron Man is Iron Man. He's different from all other versions, but not in an interesting enough way to make him stand out. I doubt I could successfully pin an Iron Man to a set without looking up the subtle differences.
War Machine is nice. I'm a lot happier with him than the silvery version released for Iron Man 3. all the kibble on his back overbalances him though. I hate the stupid giant stud shooter on his back. 
Not pictured here is Ant-Man. Ant-Man isn't really a figure in my opinion. It's a nice representation of the character, but it's completely non pose-able and the detail is low.


FINAL THOUGHTS:
Keep checking Amazon for a likely standard 20% discount going forward. Giant-Man might be released again, and if he is, this set will tank. People are less likely to buy a knock off Giant-Man, so he's who you need to keep an eye on for any future viability of this set. I think people are getting tired of Captain America and Iron Man minifigures and none of the rest are good enough to prop up this set. No one wanted a smaller Quinjet, and if they did, another one is probably just around the corner. People have been parting out this set already, they'll probably redouble efforts when the mark downs come. I anticipate rate of growth to be low due to the bloated cost from all the chaff that was included.
COMPARISON SHOTS:
I thought I'd give you a few shots to compare the Giant/Ant-Men and the size of the Quinjet.



EXTRA PIECES:
the only real piece of note is the extra Microfigure of Ant-Man.

If you like Super Hero sets, please check out these other reviews:
76049 Avenjet Space Mission
76065 Mighty Micros Captain America Vs. Red Skull
76022 X-Men Vs. Sentinel
76044 Clash of Heroes
76037 Rhino and Sandman Supervillain Team-up
76047 Black Panther Pursuit
76050 Crossbones Hazard Heist
DC Mighty Micros
76053 Batman: Gotham City Cycle Chase
76052 Classic Series Batcave
 
Convention exclusive. The two words many LEGO collectors dread to hear and several investors become giddy over. To some, these highly exclusive sets with their limited availability can be the Holy Grail of a LEGO collection. They are extremely hard to obtain, and can be very expensive unless you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
In recent years as the popularity of LEGO has skyrocketed, these exclusive sets have become even more coveted. Retailing for just $40, they can be found at conventions such as the upcoming San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and Star Wars Celebration. These sets are small with very low piece counts (averaging around 200) when compared to the price tag. Yet, for investors lucky enough to obtain them, they are instantly worth at least two to five times retail price.   For LEGO investors, convention exclusives are easy money if you're looking for a quick flip. Especially they can be obtained directly from the LEGO booth for retail price. If your investment style is less "fast money" and more "buy and hold" these sets have traditionally seen incredible returns within 1-2 years of the convention as supply dries up and the sets become harder to get.   As is often the case, what is good for the investor is often bad news for the collector. For a LEGO collector such as myself, it can be a frustrating, difficult, and certainly expensive to obtain one of these sets. For the average collector, a convention exclusive will ever make their way into their collection and will forever remain on their list of dream sets. One need only look back one year to the summer of 2015 and the convention exclusives released San Diego Comic Con   At SDCC 2015 there were three exclusive sets released, all retailing for $40. One from the Marvel superheroes line, "SDCC2015-1: Throne of Ultron," one from Star Wars universe, "SDCC2015-2: Dagobah Mini Build," and one from the DC superheroes line, "SDCC2015-3: Action Comics #1 Superman." Every year when these sets go on sale over the course of the convention, before some sellers have even made their way through the winding lines up to the cashier at the LEGO booth, resellers are already listing them on sites like eBay, and Brick Classifieds. 2015 was no different and both Throne of Ultron and Dagobah Mini Build were being listed on eBay for between $100-$120, thee times the retail price. A 300% return on investment is amazing for any LEGO set and after 12 months these sets are still holding strong in the same price range but the prices are slow starting to climb and will probably be near $150 by the end of 2016.  But what about the third set to be released? How did Action Comics #1 Superman perform? If you were an investor who got this set for $40 or even $100 you were jumping for joy! This was my personal favorite set of the trio, and unfortunately for my wallet, I was not in the minority. Initially Action Comics #1 was selling for $180-$250, few sets ever reach five times their initial retail, let alone reaching that mile stone before the ink on the receipt had dried and it didn't stop there. It seems that with this set the sky is the limit and recent prices on eBay reflect that. For those investors who braved the crowds and the lines at last year's SDCC Action Comics #1 Superman has become one of the most valuable LEGO convention exclusive sets to date and has recently started selling for anywhere between $300 and $600! An amazing feat for any set; but when you take into account Action Comics #1's "low" $40 price tag and a piece count of just 145 this set's performance is truly astounding. Both investors and collectors may ask: "When is the best time to buy these convention exclusives?" Or "How can I avoid paying astronomical prices on the secondary market?" Obviously the best way is to head down to sunny San Diego and attempt to buy the sets right from the source; but since that isn't an option for most people, I have found that buying the set within the first few days of its release from people looking to do a quick flip can get you the best deal. After that initial rush when the market isn't nearly as flooded with sets, patience is key. Auctions can be a great way to save some money as they usually end a few dollars lower than if you were to pay a set price. Hover with auctions you run the risk of not having the winning bid. If you do decide to use the "Buy it Now" option on a site like eBay, be sure you research the going rate for the set and look out for unreasonably high shipping costs.  If you watch the secondary market closely, eventually you might get lucky and find the set of your dreams for a steal of a deal. I was lucky enough to find my dream set, Action Comics #1 Superman, for just under $170 by catching the listing right after it was listed.   With San Diego Comic Con just a few weeks away rumors of this year's convention exclusives are starting to swirl. Will you be traveling to Southern California to brave the crowds and lines for your chance at owning one of these highly coveted sets? What types of exclusive sets do you hope to see revealed this year? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to Brickpicker for the latest news as we move closer to the convention. Never forget to clean the HTML code and double check your content before publishing an article!
According to a story by Andrew Paul, Contributing Writer to Comicbookresources.com, the next wave of DC Mighty Micros will be released January 2017, and include three new superhero/villain pairs:
Batman vs. Killer Moth

Superman vs. Bizarro

Wonder Woman vs. Doomsday

For more on this, check out the Comicbookresources.com story here.  Thoughts on the new pairings?  Please feel free to share in the comments section below.
 
Some people probably wonder if I'm averse to going outside the comfortable zone of Star Wars sets. There's a whole universe out there of LEGO themes and sets that have nothing to do with Star Wars or Super Heroes. Well, I wanted to start with the daddy of the modular sets, the one that began one of the most expensive (on average) series of sets out there.
LEGO Modulars are an offshoot of the standard Creator line. Introduced in 2007, this sub-theme consists of large, detailed buildings targeted at adult collectors. The retail price tag of the sets and the 16+ age range tends to discourage the younger collectors. The very first set in the line was the Cafe Corner. This set was designed by Lego's Jamie Berard.  It retailed for $139.99 and contained 2,056 pieces. Current Brickpicker Price Guide Value shows a value of about $795 used or $1700 new in box. The used price of this set is more than 5.5x its original retail. The original retail price per brick was a fairly reasonable $.07, while now the value of the used bricks averages much closer to $.39 each.
So, why not just make one out of the parts that your kid keeps leaving on the floor of the living room? I'm sure you'd love to save almost $800 plus shipping on this beautiful beast. The biggest problem are the parts involved. Not just any part will do. In a lot of cases, you're going to need far more of certain pieces than you are likely to have on hand. In other cases the parts involved are either unique to this set or in so few sets that the odds of you happening to have one are rare. If you were to buy a set used, you probably know what to look for there, but we'll take a look at some of those things so that people can be aware of what might have been substituted if the dealer is shady.
So, 2056 parts listed on the box. Of those 2056 parts, the number of different element/color combinations is 259 including the 3 minifigures. The color palette is 17 colors dominated by dark and light bluish gray with tan, white, reddish Brown and Black filling in most of the remainder. I don't know about you, but to me that sounds about like what I would expect from a big building.
Parts with Highest Occurrence:
I'd like to take a look at what parts are most common in the set. These would be the fundamental building blocks what might say. Each of these pieces occurs 25 or more times. I had to pick a lower limit and 25 was it. This article is in no way a comprehensive parts list for the set, it is an analysis of what makes this set unique. For a complete inventory, I suggest the Bricklink reference catalogue. (Apologies for when the images do not match the color in inventory. We are using the basic element picture to represent the item from the set. Please pay attention to the color listed in your inventory.)
The most common element in the set is Element 4070 Brick, Modified 1x1 with Headlight (Sometimes called an Erling Brick) in Reddish Brown. You need a massive 60 of these bricks. Bricklink shows an average of about $.12 each. Fortunately it's a fairly common part appearing in 109 sets.

The next highest number of pieces in the set is Element 3069b Dark Bluish Gray Tile 1X2 With Groove. For 51 of these at almost $.08 each, You'll spend almost $4.00 but you could definitely average lower since this piece is even more common, appearing in 268 sets in all

It's not deja vu, you need 45 reddish brown element 3069b Tile 1x2 with groove. This part appears in only 148 sets (I know, that's still a lot, but almost half as many as the previous entry.) so has a slightly higher average of just over $.10

If you liked the 1x2 tiles, you'll go nuts over element 3068b Tile 2x2 with groove. This piece appears 45 times in this set in dark bluish gray. It has an average cost of $.14 and is fairly easy to find, appearing in 209 sets.

Continuing the theme, you need 44 dark bluish gray 1x1 tiles with groove, element 3070b. This element appears in 141 sets and sells for about $.07 on average.

A brick (break) from the pattern is 39 dark blue 1x2 brick element 3004. This part appears in 47 sets and has an average bricklink cost of about $.19 each.

Element 4460b Slope 2x1x3 (Does anyone actually measure the degrees of slant?) in Dark Red appears 39 times. This piece appears in only 5 sets total and will cost you about $1 each. None of the other sets that contain this part have anywhere near the quantity that this set does. (This part should appear in the rare/unique section below, but I will be excluding the duplicate listing to avoid confusion. Just note that this part is both rare and the quantity required is high)

You will also need 36 each (that's 72 in total) of white and light bluish gray tiles with groove, element 3070b. White appears in 293 sets and light bluish gray in 151 and they average $.06 and $.08 respectively.

34 Dark Red Plate 1x1, element 3024, are next. It appears in 69 sets and has an average cost of $.08.

After that, we're looking at 30 dark red element 3004 Brick 1x2. These run about $.07 on average and appear in 75 set

I was thinking about how such a large set seems to have a high proportion of small pieces. How could you ever make something of any size with those. Well, here's something substantial, 29 light bluish gray 1x8 brick element 3008. This part appears in 104 sets and averages about $.27 each. You're looking at almost $8 there.

White Plate 1x2 element 3023 is next with a count of 28. This piece is super common, appearing in 1126 sets. You could probably find all of these that you need for $.01-$.02.

I'm glad that this next part is on the list. The standard bricks get sort of boring. 28 dark bluish gray brick 1x2 modified (log) element 3036 fills the need for variety. It appears in 93 sets and averages about $.05 each,

27 is a magic number for 1x1 plate element 3024  because you need that many each of trans red and light bluish gray. For trans red, it appears in 485 sets and is easily found for $.01, while light bluish gray shows up in 218 sets and sells for about $.06.

You will also need 25 reddish brown round brick 1x1, open stud element 3062b. It appears in 211 sets and averages $.04 each.

Up next I'm going to again combine two into one. You need 25 each medium blue and dark bluish gray brick 1x2 element 3004. Medium Blue appears in 87 sets while Dark Bluish Gray shows up in 277. Both average about $.06 each

In all, we have accounted for 625 pieces. That's about 30% of the set.
Rare and expensive parts:
Now that we have looked at the most numerous pieces in the set, let's take a look at the pieces that are hardest/most expensive to find. I am going to list these from most expensive to least expensive. (Note: Not every rare or unique part is expensive and not every expensive part is rare or unique. Just usually it is both.)
The most expensive piece in the set is element 73435c01 light bluish gray Door 1 x 4 x 5 Right with Trans-Clear Glass. Bricklink says that it appears in 6 sets, but I dispute that since it shows the same set with an altered box. So, 5 sets. It averages close to $25, but if you're patient, you might get it for less. Just, be careful of scratches to the glass.

Doors seem pretty pricey. The next most expensive part is a black Door 1 x 4 x 5 Right with 6 Panes, element 73312. It appears in one other set 4886 Building Bonanza. It's going to cost you close to $20

This next piece surprised me. Mostly I think of element 3680 turntable 2x2 plate base as a common, cheap piece. When it comes to light bluish gray though, it appears in 11 sets (10 if we ignore that same duplicate city airport.) You can't find one for less than $9 right now, and you need 4 of them.

Averaging more than $6.75 each, you need 4 Dark Blue pillar 1x1x6 solid pillar support, element 43888. This piece appears in 2 other sets 8894 Piraka Stronghold and 4981 The Chum Bucket.

There are 5 white 2x4x3 window frames in this set. At an average cost of almost $6.50 element 4132 makes the list of rare parts by appearing in 10 sets.

I remember that in the announcement video for 10235 Winter village market that they specifically pointed out element 3308 dark blue arch 1x8x2 as a rare piece that was in demand. You need one for this set and there's not a lot available for less than $5.50. It appears in a total of 5 sets.

I never thought that the light bluish gray trash can with 2 cover holders was a hard to find piece. It seems like element 2439 usually appears in dark gray or dark bluish gray. In this color it appears in 5 sets and will probably cost you $5.

You need 2 green 16x32 baseplate element 3857. It's not actually rare, appearing in 76 sets, but it is going to cost you about $4 each. (it is the only green piece in the set, maybe that's a definition of unique or rare?)

Again, not super rare, because it appears in 25 sets, Element 2362b panel 1x2x3 with hollow studs in white is here more because of the average cost. It averages more than $4 and since you need 20 of them, it looks like you are going to need to make a bunch of orders because the only people carrying that quantity on bricklink are charging significantly over average.

The white lamp post elment 2039 (2x2x7 with 6 base flutes) has appeared in every modular set. It was a trend started by 10182's Lego designer.  So, I can't really leave it out of my list. It appears once in this set. It's part of 21 sets and averages $3.50.

Appearing in only 2 other sets 8893 Lava Chamber Gate and 10187 Volkswagen Beetle, element 2339 is fairly rare. Dark Blue brick arch 1x5x4 continuous bow averages close to $3.25 and you need 2 of them.

Be careful with element 2546 dark bluish gray bird. It appears in 8 sets, whereas the older dark gray version appears in 29 sets. You can get the 4 that you need for about $1 each, but it'll be frustrating if someone sends you the older color by mistake.

Bricklink shows element 3747a tan slope inverted 3x2 without connections between studs as part of this set which appears in a total of 4 sets. It lists the more common 3747b as an alternate while rebrickable only lists 3747b. The more common piece appears in 16 sets. The rarer piece averages about $1 each and the more common one about $.30. I wonder if only early issued sets had the a variant. either way, you need 2.

You need 4 Dark Blue brick 2x2 corner element 2357. It appears in 9 sets. and averages about $.70 each. I always notice that Dark Blue pieces tend to be harder to find.

Minifigures and other stuff:
There are 3 minifigures included in this set. All of them are fairly plain, ordinary, nondescript figures using fairly common parts for the most part.
The older gentleman is the lowest valued of the set. He runs less than $5 on average.

Female #1 has a unique jacket patterned torso piece that makes her the queen of this particular set ringing in at more than $16 on average.

Female #2, who is the most boring looking of the 3, actually tops the old man by more than $1 on average. I think it's the hairpiece.

 
The average cost for all parts used through Bricklink is about $564. That's not terrible, considering the whole has sold for more than $200 more than that. Building one for yourself out of parts that you acquire may be more satisfying eventually, but may require far more orders and therefor more shipping than you want to deal with. All parts costs that I calculated are based upon bricklink's average and reflect only the average that these parts sell for, you may be able to acquire what you need for less in a lot of cases. If you want to add instructions or a box, your costs jump significantly, and your options are significantly fewer.
The instructions are in 2 books, and there are only 2 listings on bricklink currently that include both books. 

You're never going to cut down on the quantity of certain parts that are needed. It is possible that at some point one of the rare parts will be released in a new set, knocking the price down for a time. Hopefully having this list will help you to keep an eye out for the key pieces if they ever do show up in a new set.
The value of this particular set is unlikely to trend significantly downwards, unless there is a remake. Modular collectors who are just getting into the game will be behind the eight ball if they want to catch up. Demand's going to be there. So,if you can restore one of these sets from various sources for cheap enough, you may come out ahead if you tire of it for your own collection.
All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, and the LEGO Group.
If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:
10123 Cloud City
7181 UCS TIE Interceptor
10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle
 
Here are some Brickpricker forum topics that discuss this set.
 

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