Star Wars Advent Calendar...

legoDad · April 2011

Just saw this on Brothers-Brick. Probably most of you have seen this but if not, here it is...

LuciusMalfoy7 · April 2011

Obviously the draw is the Santa Yoda here... I think this was on Brickset a few months ago, actually.

legoDad · April 2011

^Ahhh, a few months ago, Dangit...I'm so behind all the cool stuff...

prof1515 · April 2011

Actually, I think the TIE pilot and R2 unit are more of a draw since the former was only briefly available in the horribly overpriced TIE Defender and the latter only available in the Star Destroyer and Death Star. The Yoda may be exclusive to this calendar but it's useless as anything but a novelty.

Yellowcastle · April 2011

Maybe I'm alone on this, but I had no qualms in buying the black Astromech keychain and just cutting the chain off. :o)

legoDad · April 2011

Is the third model some kind of 'chair' for the Nute Gunray fig?
I wish they made the tree bigger so the little micro ships can go under it like presents. Here's the McQuarrie Lucasfilm Xmas Card '81 they got the idea from...

LuciusMalfoy7 · April 2011

@legoDad - Yes, I believe it's supposed to be his mechno-chair. All members of the Separatist Council have them, as they can communicate with each other using them (you can see this hologram effect in use in Episode I.) They're actually very uncomfortable to sit on. Coincidentally, Nute Gunray's was lost in a raid on his palace on the world of Cato Neimoidia just prior to the events of Episode III. It was originally to be in the film, but was probably cut for time.

Crackseed · April 2011

As I'm still relatively new and back from the Dark Ages, is this a set that's sold at a certain time of year?

paul88 · April 2011

First time *I've* seen it, so Thanks :) I'll definitely be getting this if I ever have the chance. Very impressive micro models....Imperial Shuttle most of all.

GV357 · April 2011

@crackseed advent calenders usually sold around the holiday season ... usually a castle and city theme. this is the first (i think) star wars advent though.

georgebjones · April 2011

@Crackseed - they are also very difficult to get the last couple years. I would recommend picking one up if you see it.

atkinsar · April 2011

^ that's not been my experience. I've picked up all four of the previous 2 years calendars at half price a few days into December on S@H (UK). However, I do doubt they'll be as quick to discount this one, and I can't wait to see the price, my guess...£34.99/$34.99!!

prof1515 · April 2011

The calendars haven't been difficult to obtain if you order from Shop-at-Home. Why anyone with access to Shop-at-Home bothers trying to find limited availability items like that in stores is beyond me. You might save the cost of shipping but you also risk not finding it at all before it's gone.

georgebjones · April 2011

I remember last year not being able to get them from Shop-at-Home or the LEGO store midway through November. I know the UK has different distribution than US on some things, maybe this is one of them.

Crackseed · April 2011

Thank you for the information - I'll have to keep an eye out as we get close to that time of year :)

madforLEGO · April 2011

Also I have seen 2010 Advent Calendars for City at TRU recently, like about a month agio (for last year, not for 2011)
So other places DO get them, but I can see quick sellers on eBay trying to hoard the SW ones and sell the Yoda's for the cost of the calendar (which would be dumb but people probably would pay, especially if the calendar gets sold out right away)
In my experience they only make so many calendars each year and when they sell out they sell out.
My gripe is the lack of 'quality play' with these newer City and now this SW calendar. Tons of little mini models. Which would be OK, if they were not charging 35 dollars (USD)for a calendar.. Sorry, but If memory servers me correctly the earlier calendars were not this expensive and had a lot more minifigs and what I would call useful accessories for those figs... Now I'm not expecting to build a Lego minifig house from one of these, but I like the idea of getting 1 fig and 2 accessory type mini sets for each fig (roughly).. and City went away from that formula (mercifully the Kingdom calendar did not last year, but I have a feeling it will this year) Again, if they are going to treat the calendars this way then they should at least drop the price down to something more manageable, like 20-25.. still expensive but Lego would get their pound of flesh still.

atkinsar · May 2011

The calendar prices really have been spiralling out of control. That's why I always wait until the first week of december to buy them, they seem to discount them pretty quickly in the UK.

A Collectible Minifig calendar would be cool, with a random CM from any series behind each door.

burakki62 · May 2011

^a collectable minifig calendar would be really kuhl, I really like that idea.

As for the star wars one, I was really excited when it was announced but I am sort of disappointed now. The mini builds are pretty neat but the minifig selection is poor, the R unit is okay [but I just got a key ring and took the chain out] but Nute Gunray? seriously? I was hoping for more key characters and now I dont know if I will get it.... its too much money for what it is.

atkinsar · May 2011

^ I like the micro ships, but you're right, the minifig selection is strange. Seems like they just chucked in whatever they had a lot of lying around.

SapmiSatan · May 2011

I think the minifig selection is pretty natural, we get a lot of spaceships, thus we get pilots for them. You might have noticed there are pilots from all the four teams, Rebels, Empire, Republic and Separatists. As for Nute Gunray, there are no minifigures of him in the new Episode I line, and the ship we've gotten him in previously is probably out of production by now, so he, and his chair-thingy, are nice additions to that line. As for Chewie and the extra Imperial droids, I think they are nice additions, I actually lost one of my Chewies years ago, so I need one to complete my displays. He's present at Hoth and the Death Star, but my Endor display feels a bit empty without him.

madforLEGO · May 2011

^ Well make Lemonade out of lemons is how the saying goes, BUT are you willing to pay the possible 40-45 (USD) for a SW calendar? Because I see Lego possible raising the price for a SW Calendar over the cost of a City or Castle Calendar by 10-20%.. because it is SW and Lego has been known of raising the price of Star Wars related sets over the normal production sets(City, Castle, etc).
I mean I hate to be a killjoy here, but the Calendars are already becoming over priced for what they are, and I cannot imagine the SW Calendar will be cheaper...
Oh well I guess I mean if they sell them they will make more.. They are neat and a long time coming, but I wish they had a bit more creativity with maybe figures not in sets for a while, like Jengo, or Greedo, or something? Something to justify the cost in my mind...

Ypres · May 2011

Better than I thought... but the price in Canada will become the biggest issue. Since these sell pretty fast I bet I won't have time to pick one out in the States.

Knightsword · May 2011

As for Chewie being in the calendar, its a throw back to the Star Wars Christmas Special that revolved around Wookie Life Day.

burakki62 · May 2011

@madforlegos: you've hit the nail on the head there. I was expecting to see some rarer minifigs to appear, not sure why. For some people the R unit will be a welcome addition but, like you, I would have liked a Jango or something similar. Or minifigs that might never make it into a regular set at all.

atkinsar · July 2011

Just seen the Star Wars Calendar come up for pre-order on Play.com for £24.99, amazingly they don't seem to have added the SW Tax on to the calendar price:

http://www.play.com/Toys/Toys/4-/20708819/LEGO-Star-Wars-Advent-Calendar/Product.html?searchstring=lego+star+wars&searchtype=TOYS&searchsource=2&searchfilters=s{lego+star+wars}%2bc{2317}%2b&urlrefer=search

drdavewatford · July 2011

Good catch, and cheaper than I expected......

Yellowcastle · July 2011

I think think this is a must have for anyone getting the SSD, despite not being to scale. Of course the fighters are so simple, you can probably just build them yourself...

andhe · July 2011

Hmm £1 a day, though for the figs that's probably not bad. Not really a star wars lego fan (well maybe classic trilogy) but the goes fig is worth getting IMO. Disappointed they'be done one instead of a castle/pirate one (or pharaoh's quest) rather than as well as.

ThisIsMyCup · July 2011

is the imperial pilot the one that came with TIE Defender or the newer one that came with the Imperial V-Wing??

andhe · July 2011

but the goes fig is worth getting IMO

Goes? I guess I meant Yoda... stupid predictive text!

oldtodd33 · July 2011

I think that Lego saw what the resellers were charging for the calendars and figured that they could get that price for them and cut the resellers out of the picture. For the most part I think it worked as most people aren't willing to pay more than that. I personally didn't see many resellers doing what they have done in the past. I know I won't pay any more than last years price for my three children, and I told them that so they wouldn't be disappointed when they didn't get them.

war44lock · July 2011

Hey its Christmas right? Why not a white Boba, a chrome vader, a chrome stormie and a black ARF Trooper? That would sell a few calendars. Even I'd buy one.

MinifigsMe · July 2011

Thanks for the heads up. I suspect the price is going to go up later since they have the city calendar listed for £17.99 and this has been 24.99 the last couple of years (city is 19.99 on amazon but no stra wars listed yet)