FBTB.net

Thanks to WookieWarrior9's post on our forum, some more details have come out regarding the license's 10th anniversary set that garnered some discussion. According to the post, the voting phase to choose the set will be held at Toys'R'Us.com from May 10th to May 18th. The final set will be available for sale September 2009. Stay tuned for more details.

Here at FBTB we like to know what's on your mind... at least, what's on your minifig neck posts. We not so recently were given a new head sculpt for Kit Fisto:


And he came with some expected pros and unexpected cons. On the one hand, new sculpt! On the other, the softer material is an odd though understandable departure from the ABS standard. So we ask you, the good viewers of FBTB, "Do you like the softer rubber minifig heads?" Feel free to drop by the forum to discuss this further.


Last weeks poll, "What do you think about FBTB expanding it's coverage to more licenses?" generated some interesting results...

• It's time we demonstrated the full power of this station. Go for it! - 292
• I've got a bad feeling about this... how about just a couple licenses? - 221
• Stay on target! Lego Star Wars forever! - 452

Seems that over half are in favor of opening up to more than just Star Wars scoops, but only about a third of you out there are ready for anything. Good to know, and we'll definitely take this into consideration. In the meantime, how about popping into the forum and keeping the feedback flowing?


Oh, and if you hadn't quite caught on... Captain Solo just got keys to the front door, so expect a light sprinkling of the Don on your future news coverage. I'm honored to help out and hope I won't disappoint.

- Don Solo, of the FBTB forums.

The next stop in the U.S. whirlwind tour of the R2-D2 building event is The LEGO Store at the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, CA from Friday May 16 through Sunday May 18. Same details before: help a Master Model Maker build an 8ft tall model of R2-D2. You can enter a drawing for a $50 gift card (to the LEGO store presumably) and you can also pick up $5 dollar off coupons while you're there. Certificates of Achievement will be handed out while supplies last. The Master Model Maker on hand for the event will be Steve Gerling who will gladly sign autographs and have his picture taken.

As reported on our forum, you can download the instructions (pdf) for the MINI V-19 Torrent from LEGO's web cache. Like the previous mini sets, the release status is still unknown.

As posted below, this round of Lego Ambassadors is being chosen by the fan communities. Communities can pick up to 3 members for consideration: 1 will be chosen by Lego for the role.

The staff decided Mike (Count Blockula) would be one of FBTB's nominees, and we leave the task of filling the last two spots to you folks. Head on over here to the forum to suggest members for the job!

The current cycle for the LEGO Ambassador program is drawing to a close and the program is now accepting nominations for the 2008/2009 cycle. This is different from previous cycles as any individual could submit an application. For the next cycle, any club or group can nominate up to 3 people and each club or group is limited to one representative to the program. Another big change is that any one ambassador can serve two consecutive terms but can serve multiple times. You can read all the nitty, gritty details in the post in our forum.

Now Accepting Nominations for 08/09 LEGO Ambassadors

Today we present an important poll, and one we'd like you to consider seriously before voting. What do you think about FBTB expanding it's coverage to more licenses? Let us know what you think! Talk about this in the forum!

And the results of the last poll, where we asked you "What has been the biggest oversight minifig in the LEGO Star Wars product line?"
With a majority vote, the Tauntaun takes the win (or is that a lose?) Come on Lego! Through two waves of Hoth sets, you've missed the chance to produce a Tauntaun.

The rundown:
Tauntaun - 915
Queen Amidala - 566
Aayla Secura - 240
Spirit of Obi-wan - 194
Figrin D'an - 78
Ugnaught - 34

Just a reminder that you can now order 10186 General Grievous from LEGO S@H for $89.99 plust shipping and handling right now.

This weekend, starting on Friday May 2 through Sunday May 4, you can meet Master Model Builder Dan Steininger at the Northbrook, IL LEGO Store. He'll be on hand during the LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 building event. All participants will get a free Certificate of Achievement (while supplies last) and a special offer at the LEGO Store. I have no idea what the offer is, but in addition to that, you'll also receive a $5 dollar off coupon (I think the minimum purchase is $25) and you can enter a drawing for a $50 gift card. The times for the event are Friday 11-7, Saturday 10-6, and Sunday 11-6. You can contact the Northbrook LEGO Store at (847) 291-9520 if you have any questions or need directions. So tell your friends and neighbors!

You may have seen some pics, but I just got the official word about this set. 10186 General Grievous weighs in at 1,086 pcs and will cost you $89.99. It seems to me it would actually fit in quite naturally with the large-scale Technic figures from a few years ago, but is more of a hybrid between that and regular System parts. It is a Shop@Home exclusive and you'll be able to order the set from LEGO Shop@Home starting May 1, 2008. Click the image for an ultra-high rez version.

Here at FBTB.net, we've often been acccused of running polls specifically for The LEGO Group as market research. That couldn't be further from the truth. The polls we run are strictly for our own curiosity and any notice that The LEGO Group takes on our poll is strictly a beneficial side effect. This week's poll, however, we really hope they take notice. And for that, we are going to run this poll for two weeks.

The LEGO Star Wars line is now 9 years old, and over the years they have fulfilled just about every wish. Yet, there are a few gaping holes that we feel need to be addressed ASAP. Here is your chance to pick the biggest oversight that LEGO has committed and let them know about it. While we can't guarantee that anyone over there will actually stand up and take notice, we can at least gather the data and hope for the best. Which will you choose? The severe lack of any Queen Amidala figure despite her being in the LEGO Star Wars logo? How about a Tauntaun? Or everyone's favorite Jedi after Kit Fisto, Aayla Secura (which can, incidentally, make an easy Oola custom). Me, I picked Tauntaun. How can they release a Kaadu, and no Tauntaun? Tsk tsk...

Last week's poll question asked: What has been your favorite feature introduced into the LEGO Star Wars line? Your answers were as follows.

• LULS (light-up lightsabers) - 79
• front & back minifig torso printing - 158
• arm & leg minifig torso printing - 148
• (creepy) animated series-style minifig face printing - 32
• new blaster / rifle weapon molds - 588
• flesh tones - 161
• Jar Jar - 71

It was a no brainer that the new weapons won by a landslide. I blame Mike for the skewed poll.