Star Wars and Super Heroes: LEGO at Toy Fair 2016

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to get a sneak peek at some of LEGO’s current and upcoming sets.

I braved negative temperatures and woke up way before dawn to take advantage of the invitation, and I’m really glad I did. LEGO’s 2016 Toy Fair pre-show preview featured a range of various interests; there were sets for the LEGO Dimensions video game, the upcoming Angry Birds film, “regular” sets to help build cities and worlds, and a line called “Elves” which had me salivating because anyone who knows me knows how much I love Elves. However, I spent most of my time hovering around the Star Wars and Marvel lines of products (and some DC ones, though that’s not really my jam).

Star Wars

LEGO’s new Star Wars products feature sets from the original trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the upcoming Rogue One, and a new animated series called The Freemaker Adventures, which will debut later this year. Many of the sets – especially those from The Freemaker Adventures – are still confidential, so I’m not allowed to post pictures. But I think collectors and aficionados will be pleased with them.

One of the most frequently asked questions in the past few months has been, “Where’s Rey?” as the popular character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been noticeably left out of a lot of toy lines. Well, LEGO has answered that question by including Rey (as well as the other new characters introduced in TFA) in a line of buildable characters.

There were six characters from TFA on display in this line (Rey, Finn, Poe, Phasma, Kylo Ren, and random stormtrooper). They were released in January and stand about 9″ (23cm) tall.

Rey will also be featured in a scene set due to be released in June. The “Encounter on Jakku” playset seems to center around Rey meeting BB8 and has both figurines, as well as Teedo (and his…um…horse, animal, whatever) and Unkar Plutt and his shop.

Another TFA set available in June features Poe Dameron and his X-Wing fighter. This set also contains BB8, Lor San Tekka, and a First Order Flametrooper. (I didn’t even know that was a term, but that’s pretty cool right there.) I can’t post any pictures, but let me assure you that Poe’s X-Wing is one of the coolest LEGO vehicles I think I’ve ever seen. I might have to buy this set JUST to be able to display that X-Wing. And rest assured, Poe fits comfortably in the cockpit – and there’s a space for BB8.

Two TFA sets are available now: “Battle on Takodana” and “Resistance Troop Transporter”. The Takodana set features Finn, Kylo Ren, Maz, and two stormtroopers, while the Transporter set has figurines of Leia, Ackbar, and two resistance fighters.

Some other things I was excited about from LEGO’s Star Wars line is the massive “Assault on Hoth” playset coming out in May. Featuring numerous figurines as well as a tauntaun, a snow speeder, and the ion cannon, this set will cost about $250. There is also a Star Wars advent calendar; to be released in September, just in time for people to start thinking about Christmas, the advent calendar contains 24 figurines, one for each day in December leading up to Christmas.

Marvel

There were several Marvel sets featured at the preview, but I’m 100% Captain America trash, so I’m going to focus on the three Captain America: Civil War sets that are due to be released next month. Between the three sets, pretty much every character is represented by figurine (in the case of Steve and Bucky, twice!). We even get a LEGO version of Sharon Carter! The “Crossbones’ Hazard Heist” set comes with Crossbones, Falcon, and Black Widow (on a motorcycle as she’s meant to be!). “Black Panther Pursuit” has Steve, Bucky, and Black Panther. “Super Hero Airport Battle” features Steve, Bucky, Sharon, Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and Ant-Man. Sadly there is no Hawkeye, because apparently LEGO lives to torture me.

Other Marvel sets included three Spider-man sets due to be released in August. These are still confidential, so I’m not allowed to post pictures, but one is a Spider-man/Ghost Rider team-up, one features Doc Ock, and the other is called “Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge”.

DC Comics

I’m not as big of a DC fan as I am Marvel, but there were two sets in particular that I really liked. One is a Batman vs. Superman set that is currently available, and the other is a sprawling classic series Bat Cave set that will be released in March.

The “Heroes of Justice: Sky High Battle” features Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor and includes a LexCorp helicopter and the Batplane.

The “Batman Classic TV Series: Batcave” set comes with Wayne Manor, the Batcopter and helipad, the Batmobile, and a whole host of figurines including four classic villains (Penguin, the Joker, the Riddler, and Catwoman). This set is going to cost you about $270, but just look at everything that comes with it!

Ghostbusters and Doctor Who

The last sets I want to talk about are the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot and Doctor Who!

“Ecto 1 & 2” features all four main characters from the all-female Ghostbusters as well as the car, a motorcycle, Chris Hemsworth, and a demon or something. This comes out in July and will cost about $60.

The Doctor Who set came out this past December and contains Eleven, Twelve, Clara, two Daleks, and a Weeping Angel in the TARDIS control room! This also costs around $60.

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That is just a taste of all the great products coming your way from LEGO this year. I wish I had a bigger apartment so I could buy everything, but it simply isn’t feasible. Still, if someone wanted to buy me one of those Captain America sets for my birthday in April, I certainly wouldn’t argue with you.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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