Since it is the last day of the year, I thought about doing one of those retrospective/countdown things for LEGO released in 2012, so I bring you...
ghostmind's Top 5 LEGO Sets of 2012
6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle
Released around the time of the Avengers movie, this set offers a lot of action and excitement from the movie, with Thor, Iron Man and the Black Widow engaging Loki and a Chitauri warrior. While not a perfect translation of the Avengers aircraft, the build is surprisingly complex and detailed, which you quickly learn while assembling the cockpit. In all a great swooshable set that is largely faithful to the source material.
10225 R2-D2
When I first learned that LEGO was releasing a UCS R2-D2, I was lukewarm, having not been impressed by the Yoda and Darth Maul busts of previous years. How wrong I would be when TLG released a designer video showcasing the little droid, and then finally getting it in my hands. It was a great build and even better model, and now R2 has a permanent place in my home office, where I think he'll stay for years to come.
10227 B-wing Starfighter
I was looking forward to this kit the moment that I first heard it rumored. Like many, I have an odd obsession with the starfighter that only has a few minutes of screen time in Return of the Jedi, but like many who learned of its sheer firepower while playing the B-wing expansion for the old X-Wing PC game, I knew that this ship was something special. The build was truly unique in that I always felt that I was constructing on a large scale, and that cockpit... The B-wing has also earned a special spot in my display, where it earns the appreciation of visitors to its magnificence.
10228 Haunted House
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect LEGO to make this kit. A two-thousand-plus piece modular in one of their one-off annual action themes? Never happened before. Yet here it is, and it outshines the annual modular offering, with its originality and style. With calls back to the Addams Family and the Munsters, this "Monster Fighters" set (notice there are no "Monster Fighters" in the set?) is one of the highlights (and biggest surprises) of 2012.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering
2012 saw the introduction of both the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit to LEGO. While most of the offerings so far suffer a bit from 'playset-syndrome' there have been a couple of stand-outs, the smaller "Gandalf Arrives" set from LotR and this set from The Hobbit. Building Bag End was a joy from start to finish, and the end-product is a great little recreation of the Hobbit-hole from both trilogies. With its only knocks being the use of stickers in stead of printed pieces, this set demonstrates that not every set needs to be a battle scene, as some of the best moments in the movies show as well.
Then all i will be missing is Gandalf the White which unfortunately won't be as easy to procure i bet.
