I was so ecstatic about finding the 2013 LEGO Minifigures Series 9 blind bags yesterday that I forgot to post all of the other photos I took while visiting one of my four local LEGO Stores (yes, I know–I am a lucky man). While there weren’t any new LEGO 2013 sets in the display cases, virtually every LEGO set being released in early 2013 (besides Legend of Chima ones) was on the shelf and ready to be purchased! I didn’t take photos of everything, but here’s some of the highlights:

One thing I was not expecting to see on the shelf so soon was the recently-announced LEGO Star Wars 75014 The Battle of Hoth set! They had plenty of stock of the LEGO Star Wars The Battle of Hoth 75014 set in stock at the store, so I had a chance to see it in-person and check out the suggested retail price. As I was dreading, the set (which is a store exclusive in the United States) has a $49.99 price-point at the official LEGO Store. That means that it’s going to likely be $54.99 when it turns up at whatever U.S. store has it as an exclusive (possibly $59.99 if it’s an exclusive to Toys R Us). For that price, I’m definitely going to wait for a sale before considering picking LEGO up.I also got my first glimpse at the LEGO 75004 Star Wars Z-95 Headhunter ship with General Krell minifigure! While I am not a big enough spaceship fan that I even knew that the Z-95 Headhunter ship existed, I absolutely love the Clone Wars Umbaran story arc that features Pong Krell. I usually don’t buy the $49.99 and up Star Wars ships, but General Krell and the 501st Clone Trooper minifigures included make this set a must-buy for me.

Besides all of the LEGO Star Wars 2013 action, I also had the opportunity to check out the entirety of the LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sets on the LEGO TMNT wall! My wife would kill–kill–me if I bought up a bunch of sets days before Christmas, but I couldn’t resist seeing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles LEGOs in person and planning out which sets I’ll be buying first after the start of the new year (Hint: It’s the Turtle Lair Attack.)!

Finally, all four of the LEGO Superheroes 2013 sets were also on display. There were a ton of the LEGO Spider-Man sets available (including ample LEGO Daily Bugle sets), but the Batman sets were selling out quickly. They only had three LEGO Superheroes Tumbler Chase sets left, despite only having stocked them that morning! Maybe it’s because of the popular of the movie The Dark Knight Rises, or maybe it’s just because the set and its Bat-Plane are super-cool, but LEGO 76001 is definitely a hot commodity at my local store.

I picked up the LEGO Star Wars AT-RT 75002, Rancor Pit 75005, and Republic Trooper vs. Sith Troopers 75001 sets and will be reviewing them all starting next week.

If you don’t have a LEGO Store in your local mall, don’t fret–all of the LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sets are available from LEGO Shop At Home right now, and the rest of these sets should be available there in the next few weeks!