LEGO Lone Ranger sets looking good

When I first heard that Disney was doing a Lone Ranger movie, I felt that it would probably end up doing the classic justice. Say what you will about Disney, but they usually do things right in the sense that they end up making fun movies. At least with their first jump into a new world. The first Pirates of the Caribbean is easily one of my favorite movies ever, and probably would have stood up fine if it had not been for the seemingly pointless sequels. I also enjoyed John Carter quite a bit, even it was considered a flop. We are a Disney family though, so I realize my opinions may be a little skewed.

Of course, Disney has a strong relationship with LEGO. The past several years have seen several excellent sets come out that have been tied to Disney movies and early indications are that the Lone Ranger will end up being another strong entry in the line.

Images of the set leaked earlier this year through a promotional poster, but better pictures are starting to come out. The first is the train set for the theme, which will obviously be the flagship of the line. Images of the Constitution Train Chase are courtesy of the Yahoo! movie blog.

This looks absolutely fantastic. While it does not appear to include power functions, this is still a great looking train and it probably would not be too difficult to upgrade it to move on its own. Not only that, but you get a pretty large amount of track. I currently have no trains in my collection, but I can see myself adding this one. There's also a pretty good collection of figures included.

It looks like most of the main characters are included here and you should be able to set up a pretty cool train chase scene with just this set. It might be time to start stocking up on tan plates, just in case the western MOC bug bites me.

If you have not seen the other sets yet, here are images of the promotional flyer that leaked earlier this year with all of them.

 You can't get much more classic west than a stage coach and an Indian teepee camp. You can see my review of the Stage Coach escape here.

 A mine and some cavalry figs are seen here.

A nice little town setting and then the Constitution train in action.

The LEGO Lone Ranger mini-site says the sets are due out in April, so it could be as early as March when some retailers start offering these in stores or online. The movie is set for release on July 3rd, which puts it in line to try and grab the Fourth of July crowd in the US.

UPDATE: Amazon now has the Cavalry Builder (79106), Comanche Camp (79107), and Stagecoach Escape (79108) sets up for pre-order, with an expected shipping date of April 15, 2013.

UPDATE 2: All sets now available! Silver Mine Shootout (79110), Constitution Train Chase (79111), and Colby City Showdown (79109) are all now listed at RRP.