The next San Diego Comic Con (SDDC 2012) promises to be rich in novelties and The Hollywood Reporter Kicks off hostilities with the unveiling of the new minifigs from the LEGO The Hobbit range.

The announcements should follow one another in the days to come and we are entitled to a first visual of the minifigs of Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo and Balin which will populate the sets based on the film. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Released December 14, 2012).

The official release of sets based on the film is scheduled for December 1, 2012. Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the two episodes of The Hobbit, announced his presence at San Diego Comic Con (from July 12 to 15, 2012), probably to present a new trailer for the first part. LEGO will surely take the opportunity to reveal a little more about the next wave of sets based on the film. We'll know more by the end of the week.

The imagination and ingenuity of the fans having no limits, it was to be expected that a little clever would come across a piece of information in Google's cache.

Indeed, there is a mention of the two exclusive minifigs that will probably be distributed during San Diego Comic Con 2012 (SDCC) which is held from July 12 to 15. It would therefore be Shazam, as initially announced, and Bizarro, whose name appears on DC Comics web page, but which has since been withdrawn to be replaced by a more generic mention (...Exclusive LEGO Mini Figs, etc.).

We will be fixed soon, Comic Con begins July 12, 2012.

Now that the enthusiasm on one side and the annoyance on the other have subsided, we can calmly ask ourselves a few questions about this novelty which extends the list of references in the Ultimate Collector Series range.

First of all, you have to admit that the ship is quite successful. Of course, we can always discuss this or that detail, but overall this B-Wing looks like the machine we all know and the idea I had made of it. The rare MOCs of this ship had not really convinced me so far and LEGO, without revolutionizing the thing, offers an excellent compromise which satisfies me.

Not too many studs, well dressed fenders and on both sides, simple but harmonious engines, some basic features and other moving parts ... that's enough for me knowing that this model is primarily intended for exhibition and has not vocation to serve as a toy. After some thought, I even find the cockpit not that bad ...

And that is the whole debate: Has the Ultimate Collector Series ever been and is it still a range of toys? A priori, no. The price testifies to this. At this price, no one will buy this set for their kid at Christmas.

200 € is very (too) expensive. At this price, LEGO could have thrown in the box even an exclusive minifig, a B-Wing pilot, an Admiral Ackbar with a new screen printing, etc ... Because the debate on whether to putting minifigs in UCS sets is irrelevant. I read here and there discussions around the scale of the craft that would make the presence of minifigs stupid. But you find that the minifigs in the set 10221 UCS Super Star Destroyer were Executor-wide? False debate therefore, which does not change the problem. This set is expensive, and anything that can make the pill easier to pass, like a few minifigs, is welcome.

The comparison with set 10225 UCS R2-D2 on the part / price ratio is also irrelevant. It is not the B-Wing which is too expensive, it is R2-D2 which was offered at a more aggressive price than usual at LEGO, undoubtedly to target a potential clientele larger than that of the AFOLs.

But are we still dealing with pure and hard LEGO? Some argued that with € 200 you can afford a B-Wing model that is much more like. It's not wrong, but when you love LEGOs you have learned to do with shortcuts and approximations. The best of UCS or MOCs will never be on par with a mockup produced by a serious manufacturer.

It is true that the B-Wing is not the most charismatic of the devices in the Star Wars saga. But as I sometimes write on this blog, I prefer a new creation to yet another remake of something we already know in the LEGO range.

Collectors will not miss this set despite its very high price, it is a UCS, no doubt about it, it completes the range, and it has its place among the other creations offered by LEGO to adult Star Wars fans and LEGO. The others will offer themselves something else with their 200 €, a playset, a The Clone Wars set, etc ...

Below, the visual of the box provided by GRogall.

artist offers on its YouTube channel the video reviews of 3 of the current Star Wars polybags, namely: 30059 MTT, 30056 Star Destroyer and 30058 STAP. Below is the video of the 30059 MTT, and without going into ecstasies about this mini-MTT, I still find it a good face.

Note that it is possible to obtain the complete series of these sets on eBay, and in particular in Japanese format gashpon (Coin operated machines dispensing toys wrapped in plastic balls). EBay seller located in Germany requires about sixty euros (including delivery costs to France) to obtain the 4 balls containing the 3 sets mentioned above plus the 30053 Republic Attack Cruiser. 

It has just been officially announced by LEGO during the BrickFiesta event, as we had rightly assumed. a few days ago, and the set Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) 10227 B-Wing Starfighter is therefore making its entry with great fanfare into the LEGO Star Wars range.

I find it rather successful, and it corresponds to what I expected: It is massive, detailed, it gives off a certain impression of solidity and it is also rather faithful to the model of the film. Me, that's fine with me ... Apart from the cockpit which might have deserved a brick design rather than the simple canopy proposed here.

The official public price: 199.99 €, for a total of 1486 pieces, and with a date of availability on the LEGO Shop scheduled for October 2012. It's expensive, as usual with the Star Wars license, but you have to s' to do it is like that and it does not get better with the years ...

No minifigs this time around, just this ship whose wings can be adjusted in different configurations and whose gyroscopic cockpit (which seems to work moderately for that matter) is positioned according to the orientation of the ship. The dimensions of the machine are 66 cm x 38 cm in flight configuration and 66 cm x 43 cm in position on its base.

The cultural minute: This vessel seen in theEpisode VI Return of the Jedi  during the Battle of Endor was designed by Admiral Ackbar with the objective of eventually replacing the Y-Wing.  
I always wondered what could have gone through Ackbar's head to imagine such a thing, but it must be recognized that the B-Wing has proven itself thanks in particular to its excellent level of armament and this despite its maneuverability. rather limited and a reduced speed of movement. 
It is not me who says it, but all the encyclopedias which dissect the Star Wars universe. 

It should be noted that the B-Wing has already been produced by LEGO in a version System twice with sets 7180 B-Wing at Rebel Control Center released in 2000 and  6208 B-Wing Fighter released in 2006.