2nd half of 2017 LEGO Highlights from the New York Toy Fair

February 22, 2017 | 11

The New York Fair kicked off last weekend and it’s traditionally one of the first events in the year where we get a really good glimpse of what LEGO is coming in the second half of the year. The Nuremberg Toy Fair (check out my post on Nuremberg here) is kinda like a teaser one minute trailer, whereas the New York Toy Fair is like the full length 3 minute trailer of all things LEGO.

There was a LOT of cool stuff on show at the 2017 New York Toy Fair such as the unveil of the new Pirates of the Caribbean ship, The Silent Mary and our first look at the super-exciting LEGO Minifigures Series 17 – both of which I’ve already written about, so you can check out those posts to get an idea of how excited I am by them.

For the most part, the second half of 2017 (these sets should be available come June-ish) looks like yet another strong showing from LEGO.

I daresay that 2HY 2017 is shaping up be a lot more exciting than 2HY 2016, so I do have (very valid) fears about the state of my finances later in the year, what with so many spectacular sets vying for my hard-earned money.

After a pretty quiet (apart from LEGO Batman Movie) first half of the year, it also makes sense that LEGO would save their best designs for the second half of the year given that people tend to buy most of the LEGO in the year during the Christmas shopping period.

Here are some of the highlights from the New York Toy Fair, and what my corresponding thoughts. Special thanks to The Brick Show for permission to use their photos. Go chuck them a Like on Facebook (where you can see more photos) or subscribe to them on Youtube.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-man’s Homecoming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe may just well be one of the most anticipated movies this year that’s not Star Wars Episode VIII. The two sets that were on show at NY Toy Fair were incredibly underwhelming. The biggest of the bunch, 76083 Beware The Vulture has all the main characters in the show (including a mystery blacked out minifigure), so this seems like THE set to get to get the new minifigs.

Until a proper trailer drops, I don’t really know what to make of Vulture, but the truck seems kinda boring and uninspired. The mystery minifigure is quite intriguing, and I think it’s the unannounced character played by Donald Glover.

I’m a big fan of Donald, so I can’t wait to get what will be the first of many Childish Gambino minifigs.

The second set is pretty bland, it looks like a City/Juniors set with Spider-Man shoehorned in.

Disney Princess

What caught my eye was 41145 Ariel and the Magical Spell, which features the part from The Little Mermaid where Ariel trades in her voice for a pair of legs. I’m a big fan of the Minidoll version of Ariel, so having a minidoll Ursula is a really nice prospect as well.

The set looks like a lot of fun, with recognizable settings from the movie.

Friends

Friends is just going from strength to strength, and the second half of 2017 has Heartlake City’s finest off to a Snow Resort for some winter fun.

I like to think of the Friends Snow Resort sets almost as an extension of LEGO’s Winter Village theme, just with more pastel colours. The set designs look fabulous, as are the Minidoll designs with their Winter outfits.

41323 Snow Resort Chalet in particular looks like it could instantly find a place in any LEGO Winter Village without much modification. The unique designs and settings of the Friends Snow Resort sub-theme makes me confident that these sets are going to sell incredibly well. 

Oh and the little snowy critters are also super cute as well!

Apart from all the Wintery goodness, LEGO also showed off 41318 Heartlake Hospital, a massive glass building that will make LEGO City inhabitants sick with jealousy.

The LEGO community have been practically begging Billund for a decent LEGO Hospital – while there are some obstinate fans that refuse to acknowledge the LEGO Friends theme, the Heartlake Hospital makes for a decent stopgap measure for your LEGO City’s healthcare needs.

DC Super Hero Girls

The second wave of DC Super Hero Girls on show were pretty decent, but the flagship set 41239 Eclipso Dark Palace features a really bad-ass design AND a Flash minidoll!

For a theme that has girlified Super Heroes, Eclipso’s Dark Palace sports a really foreboding design that wouldn’t look out of place in a regular Super Heroes set, which is nice.

Oh and we also get Wonder Woman’s invisible jet which is WAY more awesome looking (despite the girly flourishes) than the previous Invisible Jet from Gorilla Grodd Goes Bananas.

LEGO City

With more detailed photos of the new LEGO City Jungle set, I’m convinced that these are going to be wildly popular in the second half of 2017. From the box art, it sure looks like the vehicles are Bright Light Orange, as opposed to Yellow, but I can’t be 100%.

The new creatures such as the Puma, Carnivorous Plant and Spiders look amazing, and I also really like the new Machete accessory.

The crown jewel of the LEGO City Jungle (bit of a contradiction there), 60161 Jungle Exploration Site looks like an absolute winner and is very high on my to-buy list. It’s got the perfect mix of structures, natural rock formations and vehicles to promise a ton of fun.

The Pumas and Jaguars also look sensational.

The LEGO Batman Movie

Nothing new that we haven’t already seen, but it was awesome to see the Summer sets in action, especially 70917 The Ultimate Batmobile.

The guys from FBTB have shot quite a number of videos on their Youtube channel.

70916 The Batwing looks huge – I was initially quite underwhelmed by the box art, but seeing it in action, as well as the wing folding mechanism made me feel a lot better about this set. Oh, The Batwing also gets a decent amount of airtime in The LEGO Movie, so I expect this should be quite popular with fans.

It’s a shame that the minifigure selection is a little on the low side for such a huge set.

The best video from FBTB is undoubtedly 70917 The Ultimate Batmobile in action. Just seeing the play features, which is the main draw of the set in action, how all the different Bat-vehicles combine to form The Ultimate Batmobile ala the Megazord from Power Rangers made me giddy with excitement.

I’m an adult and I’m already flipping out over this – I cannot imagine the feelings I would encounter if I were a 10 year old kid. This video has sold me on the set, and it’s going to be an insta-buy for me.

Star Wars

Courtesy of Rebelscum, we get a great look at the new non-Episode VIII Star Wars sets that are due in the second half of 2017. I’m very excited by the unnamed Bounty Hunter set (75167) which is a really budget way to get your hands on Bossk, Dengar, IG-88 and 4-LOM.

The box art is still a work in progress, so expect the minifigs to be a lot more detailed when the set is officially revealed.

75178 Jakku Quadjumper was also a nice surprise – it actually looks pretty unique and they captured the ship’s look quite well. Of course, the Quadjumper only made a really short appearance in The Force Awakens before being blown up.

In this video, you can see the exploding play feature built into the Quadjumper.

The “big” Star Wars set is 75180 Rakhtar Escape which features the weird alien thingy chasing Han and Chewie, as well as a supporting cast of Bala-Tik and two Guavian Death Gang Members.

There’s a “Tell that to Kanjiklub” joke in here somewhere.

I think it looks okay – it’s a little too busy for my tastes and the scene in the movie was the only one that really felt out of place. It’s probably going to cost an arm and a leg here in Australia for something that doesn’t seem like it offers a lot of value – both from a display and minifigure perspective.

My favourite set on show was the 75182 Republic Fighter Tank, purely because it contains an updated Aayla Secura minifigure which doesn’t have the cartoony Clone Wars look.

Aayla is one of my favourite Jedi from the Clone Wars and she looks absolutely magnificent here.

The Tank also has a pretty decent design and now that I have a newfound appreciation for the Clone Wars era – this will make a fine addition to my collection.

Another really fantastic set that should get Star Wars fans giddy is 75183 Darth Vader Transformation – a small set that looks to pack a whole lot of value. Getting Palpatine, Vader and Anakin Skywalker in a sub-300 piece set is just awesome for LEGO Star Wars fans.

Last but not least is the peek at 75532 Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike. Building on the success of the Star Wars Constraction Buildable Figures, LEGO are looking to introduce vehicles to the mix. It looks really great and if you’re a fan of the Buildable Figures like I am, you should be really looking forward to the Scout Trooper.

My only concern is the relatively high price of US$54.99. Not sure you’re getting your money’s worth with that crazy pricetag.

To check out more LEGO Star Wars photos from the New York Toy Fair, head on over to the album compiled by Rebelscum which has tons of more closeup shots and details.

Ninjago Movie

Photography of the LEGO Ninjago Movie sets were prohibited, but according to FBTB they looked fantastic. From what we’ve seen in the Ninjago Movie trailer, I have complete faith in LEGO’s design team and believe that the sets are going to blow everyone away.

Hearing all the good feedback from the NY Toy Fair only makes me all the more eager for the official unveil, whenever that happens.

That’s my thoughts on most of the LEGO sets shown off at the New York Toy Fair! It’s a really strong showing from LEGO, and it’s making me want the second half of the year to come even quicker.

What do you think of the sets shown off at New York Toy Fair? Let me know which ones are you most looking forward to in the comments!