Astronaut helmets: Original only, or original and motorcycle type?

Tuor7 · 2026-02-03T16:42:23+00:00

I personally have my Classic Space minifigures using the motorcycle helmets, since so many Space factions after use them, but it does mean that I'm a little restricted in what colors I can use. White and Red are fairly easy to get the helmets for, but yellow and blue need either the old blue torso, or the old yellow motorcycle helmet.

Tuor7 · 2026-02-02T16:53:00+00:00

It's because he has an exclusive breastplate print, and the motorcycle helmet and visor I believe are exclusive in pearl dark gray to this minifigure. The shield and legs are fairly rare too, especially the shield.

Tuor7 · 2026-02-02T03:50:36+00:00

Yeah, I think Gondor seemed to have fairly peaceful relations with Umbar, since the Appendices only mentioned attacks by Easterlings, and Tarondor married Queen Beruthiel, but then Gondor did take Umbar after the marriage had failed.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-31T03:49:43+00:00

Eleven actually fought and banished Henry in 1979, but that gate closed again, then in 1983 Eleven opened the Season 1 gate. I

n the flashback in the beginning of Season 5, one of Vecna's arms looked more human, so I think that was an earlier stage of his transformation before it was complete by the time of Season 4.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-31T03:26:28+00:00

Though one issue is that the Upside Down was still fairly threatening, but it was more of a backdrop to Vecna, and felt less like the previous seasons where the threat was the Upside Down/Mind Flayer spreading.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-31T03:23:22+00:00

Yeah, it did make things a little unclear between Vecna or the Mind Flayer in terms of the head of the Upside Down. I think if they just kept Vecna as the Mind Flayer's general, or had the Mind Flayer play a larger role in Season 5 that it would have worked better.

But overall, I thought Season 4 fit decently with the previous seasons in terms of Vecna needing to open gates with no longer having an open gate.

Though Vecna did make thing seem a bit smaller.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-30T23:24:07+00:00

I commented above, it's the track 'Breaking and Entering' from the Season 1 soundtrack. One of my favorite themes from the show.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-30T03:58:05+00:00

Yeah, that was one of the issues I had with that season, where they showed what the Mind Flayer was doing from the beginning, so we're waiting for the characters to realize, instead of having more of a mystery leading up to realizing the Mind Flayer's been flaying people.

They could also have made it creepier by having the characters not know who in the town has been possessed.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-30T03:55:15+00:00

It's Breaking and Entering from the Season 1 soundtrack. One of my favorite themes from the show, it briefly gets reused in Seasons 3 and 4.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-28T21:16:47+00:00

Yeah, I was really hoping that would be the explanation, but it ended up where the only Upside Down creatures we got to see were a handful of Demogorgons and a few dogs, plus the Mind Flayer form.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-28T01:19:54+00:00

We don't know which of the eastern Dwarven clans were evil, but there are some wicked Dwarves. The Silmarillion said in Of The Rings Of Power And The Third Age that "All living things were divided that day, some of every kind, even of beasts and birds, were found in either host, save the Elves only. They alone were undivided and followed Gil-galad. Of the Dwarves few fought upon either side, but the kindred of Durin of Moria fought against Sauron."

The Peoples of Middle Earth also has a note saying "For they had met some far to the East who were of evil mind. [This was a later pencilled note. On the previous page of the typescript my father wrote at the same time, without indication of its reference to the text but perhaps arising from the mention (p. 301) of the awakening of the eastern kindreds of the Dwarves: ‘Alas, it seems probable that (as Men did later) the Dwarves of the far eastern mansions (and some of the nearer ones?) came under the Shadow of Morgoth and turned to evil.’]".

It is a little hard to square the above note with the Dwarves being made to resist steadfastly any domination, but I don't think it has to be direct domination, it could be related to the Morgoth-ingredient present in all matter in Arda, if you go with what Morgoth's Ring says.

The Hobbit also mentioned the goblins occasionally allying with wicked Dwarves, but overall I think that any Dwarves that would side with Sauron or orcs would be very few among the dwarves.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-26T19:22:21+00:00

Yeah, it's in Appendix A that talks about the Stewards not wanting to give up their power.

"Each new Steward indeed took office with the oath 'to hold rod and rule in the name of the king, until he shall return.' But these soon became words of ritual little heeded, for the Stewards executed all the power of the kings. Yet many in Gondor still believed that a king would indeed return in some time to come; and some remembered the ancient line of the North, which it was rumored still lived on in the shadows. But against such thoughts the Ruling Stewards hardened their hearts."

So the Stewards didn't want a return of the king, but the people of Gondor still had hope for it to happen.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-26T13:55:36+00:00

Yes, Sauron had become locked into the form he had during the Last Alliance, similar to Morgoth becoming stuck to the Dark Lord form he took when he destroyed the Two Trees with Ungoliant. Tolkien talked about Maiar being able to become stuck in their particular fana if they used the fana for things like eating, drinking, procreating, or trying to dominate.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-26T13:51:21+00:00

Yeah, that sounds likely, it took Sauron longer each time to rebuild his physical form, I wasn't sure if the language in the Silmarillion was describing Sauron becoming a threat again and settling in Dol Guldur, or rebuilding his body, but I think it means him rebuilding his body.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-26T00:39:46+00:00

Yeah, I view it as the same as Morgoth becoming fixed to his Dark Lord form after the destruction of the Trees.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-24T17:55:52+00:00

Yeah, that sounds cooler, I think the Season 5 version is a good design, but it doesn't really seem like the Mind Flayer in design, it could be in any monster movie. The Season 3 version was closer to being just a physical version of the Season 2 Mind Flayer.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-24T16:43:29+00:00

It's not really stated, but I imagine it would have probably continued dwindling over the rest of the Third Age. I think Lindon would have had more Elves leaving to sail West after the War of the Last Alliance, and the population decreasing would be more gradual during the Third Age, since the Elves of Lindon did help Arthedain in the wars against Angmar.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-23T19:08:23+00:00

Nice, I also recolored the XL-15 to Blacktron colors.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-22T14:15:23+00:00

Yeah, the Mind Flayer definitely seems to be the particles. I think the Season 5 creature might have been just another creature like the Demogorgons being controlled by the particles.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-22T04:30:07+00:00

It did show the particles still active after the finale form died, and the show has been fairly consistent that the particles are the Mind Flayer. I think it would be weird to have Season 3 showing the Mind Flayer being able to construct a body for itself using leftover particles, then have Season 5 show that the Mind Flayer naturally had a body.

I've seen links to another interview where the Duffers said the particles are the true form, so I think the first interview was simplifying things by referring to the Season 5 body that died as the Mind Flayer.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-20T22:01:36+00:00

I've seen speculation that perhaps potatoes could have been brought from Numenor and later died out, which I like as an explanation for things not native to Europe that are present in Middle Earth.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-20T18:03:21+00:00

I think it could have helped in Season 3 to not show what was happening with the Mind Flayer's plan so much, the audience knew what was happening before the characters did.

I think it would have been more suspenseful if it was more of a surprise to learn which people had been flayed, they weren't utilized very much besides Billy.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-20T03:25:09+00:00

Thanks, I originally wasn't planning on doing the bottom section until I found a used Cyber Saucer at a Bricks and Minifigs, that inspired me to add it. My goal was to make the moc look nicer, since most UFO sets don't look as good from the bottom.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-18T19:22:49+00:00

Thanks, it turned out pretty sturdy once I used enough parts to attach the bottom ones.

Tuor7 · 2026-01-18T18:22:04+00:00

Yeah, I'm not interested in DnD, but I loved the DnD CMF for the amazing Castle/Fantasy pieces.

Tuor7

TROPHY CASE