One of the most anticipated theme extensions of 2014 is the fall expansion of the LEGO Minecraft theme. While the Minecraft theme was previously limited to micro-scale sets such as The End and The Village with tiny micro-figures, the line is shifting to the more traditional LEGO style to close out 2014. While details about the exact release date for the new Minecraft LEGO sets in the United States has been murky until now, the online LEGO Shop has now cleared things up by announcing an online release date for the theme. But if you’re looking to buy the LEGO Minecraft minifigure-scale sets in stores, the crystal ball is still looking rather cloudy…

It had been long-rumored that the six minifigure scale LEGO Minecraft 2014 sets would appear on LEGO Shop at Home on November 1st, 2014. And, as it turns out, that actually did occur. There’s just one caveat–while you can see the sets and all of their specifications, you can’t actually buy the sets yet.

But while none of the new sets are actually available for order at this time, LEGO has at least finally cleared up exactly when you will be able to do so: the official release date for the half-dozen sets comprising the first wave of LEGO Minecraft Minifigure scaled sets will be Sunday, November 15th 2014.

That seems like a very straight-forward release date, but it’s complicated by conflicting reports I’ve gotten from my local LEGO Stores. While the employees at one of the LEGO Store locations near me have said that they’re certain the LEGO Minecraft Winter 2014 sets will also be available at the official chain stores on 11/15/2014, two other LEGO Stores have told me that they will not have the aforementioned sets until 2015, with the sets being online exclusive until the end of the year.

I discussed the new wave of LEGO Minecraft sets in-depth earlier this fall. The six sets that fans are waiting for the release of are:

• LEGO The Cave 21113
• LEGO The Farm 21114
• LEGO The First Night 21115
• LEGO Crafting Box 21116
• LEGO The Ender Dragon 21117
• LEGO The Mine 21118

In general it’s pretty rare to get conflicting information from different LEGO Store locations (as they’re all receiving their intel from the same place), so it’s really a baffling scenario. As of yet, I haven’t heard any reports of the fall 2014 LEGO Minecraft sets leaking into stores early, which gives credence to the notion that the sets will be online exclusive until 2015.

Additional evidence toward this conclusion is the fact that the November 2014 and December 2014 LEGO Store Calendars make no mention of the new Minecraft sets, which would ordinarily be featured on the calendars if LEGO was expecting the sets to be available in-store during those months.

While the four previously-released LEGO Minecraft Micro World sets are still in-stock online via online retailers, no store other than the official LEGO Shop has posted information regarding the upcoming sets. I’ll post an update once more information regarding these sets comes to light, but for the moment, if you’re planning on picking up any of the upcoming LEGO Minecraft sets with minifigures this holiday season, I’d definitely advise going through the online LEGO Shop to do so when the sets become available on November 15th.

What are you hearing about the fall/winter 2014 LEGO Minecraft sets at your local stores, LEGO fans? Has anyone seen any evidence of these sets actually arriving in stores in the U.S. before the end of the year, or will this hotly-awaited wave of Minecraft toys really end up being exclusively available online until 2015?