Brickset news archive: April 2012
-
Pics of new HERO Factory sets
Posted by Huw, 29 Apr 2012 13:53. Filed under New sets.
I'm not a big fan, but I know a lot of you are, so enjoy this image of four of the forthcoming sets, sent to me by m4rkiz.
14 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1663 views
-
Summer sets hit the shelves
Posted by Huw, 29 Apr 2012 05:44. Filed under New sets.
It seems some summer sets are on the shelves already in Germany. The hospital has been purchased by Cwetqo over on Eurobricks who, bizarrely, has posted a picture of the back of the box but not the front. We haven't seen a large picture of the front yet, as far as I know.
And, also in Germany, the Monster Fighters have been spotted on the shelves in Cologne, which really is very early given they are supposed to be out for Halloween.
Hopefully we'll get some decent pictures of them soon.
24 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1306 views
-
BTTF reaches 10,000 votes overnight!
Posted by Huw, 29 Apr 2012 05:31. Filed under Cuusoo.
Thanks to everyone who voted -- it reached its goal at 00:30, less than 2 hours after my post below.Now, all that's needed is a license from Paramount and some new minifig parts/prints for Marty and Doc.
Until now Cuusoo sets have't featured minifigs, or at least have just had 'stock' ones thrown in, but this will require new ones. Of course they don't necessarily need to be in their 'western' outfits as shown in the picture, but I think they'd need to have new face prints if nothing else. I'd be surprised if Cuusoo has a budget for this, but I guess we'll see...
34 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1339 views
-
BTTF on Cuusoo: just 97 more votes needed -- vote now!
Posted by Huw, 28 Apr 2012 17:43. Filed under Cuusoo.
Until recently, this Back To The Future model at Cuusoo has been neck-and-neck votes-wise with the modular Western town we've been promoting heavily.Now, as I write, the DeLorean has leapt ahead and now just needs 97 more votes to reach 10,000!
It's a great model of an iconic vehicle from one of the best movie trilogies ever made so let's see if the Brickset effect can push this to 10,000 overnight. When I get up tomorrow (it's 22:45 here now) I want to see that this has reached the goal.
If you haven't supported it yet, and you're over 13, VOTE NOW!
(thanks to the Brickster in the forum for prompting me to write this)
42 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1082 views
-
LEGO Batman II to be revealed at The LEGO Show
Posted by Huw, 27 Apr 2012 16:59. Filed under Events (UK).
The LEGO Show team has announced that on Monday 7th May, Jonathan Smith from TT Games will be giving us a special exclusive!
TT Games are the company behind the great LEGO videogames - starting with LEGO Star Wars and now including Indiana Jones, Rock Band, Ninjago, Pirates of the Caribean and Harry Potter. On Monday, Jonathan will be giving an exclusive demo of their latest title - LEGO Batman II.
For the first time - in the world - LEGO Batman II will be on public display showing real playable action and even talking minifigures!
Jonathan will be demoing LEGO Batman II and answering your questions at 2pm on Monday 7th May at The LEGO Show. To check out all the exciting things planned for the weekend, make sure to look at www.thelegoshow.com, or follow us at Facebook.com/legoshow or twitter.com/legoshow. Tickets are available from only £7.00 on-line, where you can save 25% and beat the queues!
11 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)881 views
-
A new survey from LEGO
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 27 Apr 2012 12:45. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Yesterday, LEGO contacted Ambassadors for the various LEGO user groups asking them to encourage their LUG members to complete a lengthy new online survey. The company appears to be particularly enthusiastic to maximise the number of responses this time round, so if you’re aged 13 or over then please take the time to complete it if you can. They estimate completion time to be around 20-30 minutes, and the closing date is 17th May.LEGO have promised to share the topline findings from the survey with the Ambassadors once they have analyzed the data (approximately end of June 2012) and I’ll post the results here when I get them.
You'll find a brief message from the LEGO Community Team plus the survey itself at the links below. Thanks for helping !
30 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1236 views
-
First unwatermarked images of 2H2012 Star Wars
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2012 14:35. Filed under Brickset.
Grogall has done it again: he's uncovered the first unwatermarked images of the boxes of the second-half of 2012 Star Wars sets. You can see them all at Hoth Bricks.Some of them excite me very much, particularly Jabba's Palace, but others are less interesting. However, as we know, LEGO will make them all essential purchases simply by including exclusive minifigs in each one.
They launch in August in Europe, although I suspect we could see them as early as June in some regions.
35 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2099 views
-
Harry Potter Characters of the Magical World minifig revealed
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2012 14:10. Filed under Miscellaneous.
BrickJournal has revealed the exclusive minifig that comes with this book. It's...Harry Potter in a suit.
Frankly I think it's a bit boring. However the book won't be. The photography will be top-notch, up to the usual DK standards, and I know that without even seeing it because I contributed several hundred images to it :-)
The book blurb reads "Meet the minifigures from the LEGO[registered] Harry Potter' Magical World. "LEGO Harry Potter Characters of the Magical World" is an exciting character encyclopedia featuring every minifigure and creature from the LEGO Harry Potter range of toys.
"From Harry, Hagrid and the Hungarian Horntail to the first ever reversible LEGO minifigure heads and the glow-in-the-dark figures, there's an exclusive Harry Potter figure minifigure to collect.
"Each minifigure has a full-page profile, full of fascinating Harry Potter facts and never before seen photos. It's the ultimate guide for Lego and Harry Potter fans."
It's to be published on June 1st and you can pre-order at Amazon:
23 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1317 views
-
'The Winchester' has been rejected
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2012 07:55. Filed under Cuusoo.
Today, the Cuusoo team has announced that LEGO will NOT be making 'The Winchester' from Shaun of the Dead, the reason being given, in the annoucement that:"...we have decided that – good though the model is – the film Shaun of the Dead contains content that is not appropriate for our core target audience of children ages 6-11."
The 'no' decision comes as no surprise to me, to be honest, although I would have loved to have seen it made.
You can read our previous discussion on LEGO's dilemma whether to release or not.
However, there is some good news over at Cuusoo: the Eve Online model, right, has just hit the 10,000 mark, thanks to mention on the Eve Online Facebook page, I believe.Personally I think the model is crude, blocky, too covered in studs and not enough greebling, particularly compared to other models of spaceships that grace the pages of the likes of Brothers-Brick. However, the craft is an interesting shape so I fully expect LEGO to be able to take the basic design and make something more appealing.
Now let's see if we can give the Modular Western Town one more push and get it to the magic 10000!
86 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1879 views
-
Monster Fighters microsite live at LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 24 Apr 2012 13:57. Filed under LEGO.com.
The web team at LEGO has been busy preparing microsites for the summer releases. The Monster Fighters site went live this week which, as is usual before the sets are actually released, is a bit light on content. I believe the sets are due out in August in the UK, so the appearance of it is either very early or an indication that they'll be available before that. (thanks Gandalf1)The Lord Of The Rings site has been up for a while, but is actually hard to find unless your country at LEGO.com is set to United States. It currently has bios of all the characters in the sets, but not much else.
What do you think of the microsites? Do you take the time to explore them and play the games and watch the videos, or do you, like me, just head for the wallpaper download page and ignore the rest?
50 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1445 views
-
The Complete LEGO Figure Catalog
Posted by Huw, 24 Apr 2012 10:37. Filed under Set review.
Christoph Bartneck has been busy of late. Hot on the heels of the three minifig books he published earlier in the month is this new title, The Complete LEGO Figure Catalog, that deals with 'non-standard' figures.
Its just-over-100 pages covers LEGO 'people' (for want of a better term) that are not minifigs, which includes 4 Juniors, Belville, Bionicle, Duplo, Primo, Scala, Technic and, probably of most interest to us here, Fabuland.As with his other books, each figure has been given a number in his nomenclature system, which you can read more about in my review of the first minifig book. This, and the BrickLink number, is given underneath each image, along with a price guide in US$ for new and used figures.
This is the first page of the Scala section. I felt a bit 'dirty' after looking at pictures of the dolls with no clothes on :-)This is a unique reference work and if you're a collector of even just one of the themes covered, it is worth getting hold of a copy.
Paper copies of all of Christoph's books can ordered from Amazon:
There's more information about them, including links to order electronic copies, at the official website, minifigure.org.
6 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2326 views
-
Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors' Guide, free chapter!
Posted by Huw, 24 Apr 2012 05:49. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Gary Istok (istokg in the forum) is the world's authority on the history of LEGO and its products, as anyone who's read his posts in the forum will attest. He's just finished work on the second edition of his Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors' Guide 1949-1990s, published on DVD, and it's now available for immediate worldwide shipping from his BrickLink store for US$30.My copy is on order so I can't fully review it yet, but I have seen some sample chapters and they are excellent. Gary has agreed to make a sample chapter available, exclusively through Brickset, so you can judge for yourself the quality of the information and images, some of which are from this site.
- Download the sample chapter, LEGO Trains 1980-91
If you have any interest in LEGO products [1], particularly those made during the early years of the company (which are not covered here at Brickset, yet) this is an essential purchase. Expect to see a review here when I have my copy.
[1] so that'll be everyone reading this, surely!
21 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2312 views
-
AFOLCON announces the Thursday Keynote - Mads Nipper
Posted by Huw, 23 Apr 2012 07:53. Filed under Events (UK).
The AFOLCON organisers are pleased to announce the second Keynote session on the first conference day, Thursday, will be Mads Nipper, the Executive Vice President, Markets and Products, and member of corporate management of LEGO Group.Mads Nipper started in the LEGO Group in 1991 as media consultant. During his career within the company, he has primarily worked within the marketing and product development area. During the years 2001 – 2004 Mads Nipper was the managing director for LEGO Central Europe responsible for marketing and sales in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In 2004 he became overall leader of the product development and marketing area within the LEGO Company.
Mads Nipper was in 2006 appointed Executive Vice President for Markets & Products, and is thus globally responsible for product development, marketing and sales to retailers. At the same time, he joined the Corporate Management, LEGO Group.We're excited to welcome Mads to the AFOLCON speaker team. His experience with the LEGO Group will bring a unique insight to the convention.
Tickets for AFOLCON are now sold out. However, tickets to The LEGO Show are still available. The LEGO Show is open to the public on the 5th, 6th and 7th May. Tickets cost just £29 for a family of four when booked online, saving you 20% and any queues! For more details, go to www.thelegoshow.com.
0 comments (Commenting has ended on this article)879 views
-
Zellers Canada Liquidation Stores: All LEGO 30% off
Posted by fuelbreak, 22 Apr 2012 17:51. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
Just a reminder to all of you watching the Zellers liquidation phases across Canada, stores in the liquidation phase are now marking all LEGO at 30% off.
Use the following link to find a liquidation store near you.
11 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1914 views
-
Tracking your collectable minifig collection
Posted by Huw, 22 Apr 2012 08:43. Filed under Brickset.
Following suggestions in the forum, we have added new entries to the database to enable you to track your collection of collectable minifigs more efficiently.
You now have the option of tracking them by individual figure, by complete set, or both. And, if you have sealed boxes of them, you can track them too.
The request was made, I believe, because including all 112 CMFs in your collection individually can over-inflate the total number of sets you own, which can be an issue if you have a small LEGO collection.
Big thanks to bluemoose for adding to the database and scanning the boxes!
19 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1534 views
-
Sydney Brick Show 02-03 June 2012 - Registrations open now!
Posted by jpmanalo, 20 Apr 2012 21:31. Filed under Events (Australia).
Attention Aussie fans of LEGO! the Sydney Brick Show is coming! The show will be at the Powerhouse Museum on Saturday 02 June and Sunday 03 June 2012.
Exhibitor Registrations and Saturday Night Reception Registrations are now open for the Sydney Brick Show.
Proceeds from the Saturday night reception will be given to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in support of the inspirational work they perform everyday!
More info available on the Sydney Brick Show website: http://sydneybrickshow.com.au/
0 comments (Commenting has ended on this article)758 views
-
Round-up of the latest LEGO-related iOS apps
Posted by Huw, 19 Apr 2012 14:14. Filed under Software/Games.
There's been something of a surge of LEGO related apps in the Apple AppStore lately, and I haven't been able to keep up with them all. Here's a quick round-up of the best.
LEGO App 4+ is an official LEGO app with, it has to be said, a bit of an undescriptive name.It's very simple to play and designed for kids of, er, age 4+. Basically you drive a vehicle along a rolling landscape picking up 1x1 round plates. As you progress through the game you are given more sub-assemblies to build your vehicle from, some of which are quite amusing.
I actually quite enjoyed it, despite being at least 10 times the target age. It's certainly worth every cent (it's free) and it looks great on an iPad.
LEGO Super Hero Movie Maker is new this week and lets you make movies on your iPhone. I haven't tried it myself so I'm hoping someone who has can tell me if it's any good. Unfortunately it's not a Universal app, so doesn't look good on an iPad, although I believe it does work if you have a iPad 2 or 3 with a camera.
LEGO Minifig Creator 3D is an unofficial app that lets you customise a minifig, then view it from different angles. You can choose leg and body colours, heads and hats and hair. It's fun for 5 minutes, but I'm told by the developer that he has big plans for it so maybe future versions will be more involving, and have some practical use. It costs 99c/69p and is iPhone only.
I have left the best until last: A World of Bricks is a free universal app written by Brickset user Cyril in France that makes use of the Brickset public API to provide a very quick and efficient way of searching and browsing for sets and then viewing official LEGO instructions on your iDevice.The iPad is the ideal device for viewing instructions while you've building and this app simplifies the process of finding and flicking through them. It's incredibly quick, looks fantastic and is easily the best iOS app I've seen that uses the Brickset API. Download today! (Please note that you need to search for 'AWOB' for this app).
Android user? Don't despair, there's a Brickset app in the pipeline. Stay tuned for more news!
21 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1897 views
-
Store calendar confirms May offers
Posted by Huw, 19 Apr 2012 12:06. Filed under Shopping (UK).
The UK May store calendar has been published and it confirms the minifig offers for May which are good in-store and online:
- May 4-5: Free TC14 with £50 Star Wars purchase
- May 16-31: Free Hulk minifig with any £50 purchase.
The MMMB model is a tulip. View the calendar here.
21 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1056 views
-
Unadvertised Star Wars Sale at Toys R Us Canada: UPDATE: This Sale Is Over
Posted by fuelbreak, 18 Apr 2012 19:52. Filed under Brickset.
Big thanks to Brickset user Maaem for spotting a killer spur of the moment deal at Toys R Us Canada:
BOTH General Grievous Starfighter (8095) and Emperor Palpatines Shuttle (8096) are on for 31.87Can.
Before the Sale they were 69.99 and 79.99 respectfully, making it more then 50% off. My local store never even had sale signs up yet, but the price scanner reflects the sale. Hurry on down for a chance at a great deal staff may not even know about yet.
UPDATE: Sale ended, it appears lack of stock on original sale items spurred Toys R Us to offer other promotions to "fill the void." Either way this sale is now over.
12 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1275 views
-
Lord of the Rings to be unveiled at The LEGO Show
Posted by Huw, 18 Apr 2012 17:48. Filed under Events (UK).
More news hot off the presses today:The LEGO Show is pleased to announce a world exclusive. The new LEGO Lord of the Rings will have their public premier at this year's LEGO Show.
Initially shown at this year's Toy Fair in London, The LEGO Show is proud to announce the first public showing of the entire 2012 range of LEGO Lord of The Rings sets. All 7 sets from the new range will be on display, which will not be available to buy in the shops until later this year.
These new sets have been eagerly awaited by LEGO fans, not just because of the iconic nature of the sets. A number of new pieces are being made available in these sets for the first time, including a new horse and of course, LEGO minifigures representing all the key characters from the book and movies.
The LEGO Show is the largest LEGO event in the UK. Throughout the show visitors will be able take part in a series of special building workshops, or try the massive play area to build their own creations, and have the chance to meet real LEGO Designers & see what they like to build when they're not at work! The LEGO Show is the only show in the country to feature LEGO designers direct from Denmark and LEGO certified professionals.
There is also a LEGO cinema, a LEGO museum and amazing creations built by Adult Fans of LEGO from all over Europe -- there is a lot to see and do! Visitors to the show will also get the chance to be part of a world record as the show attempts to break the record for the largest ever built LEGO mosaic.
The LEGO Show is open to the public on the 5th, 6th and 7th May. Tickets cost just £29 for a family of four when booked online, saving you 20% and any queues! For more details, go to www.thelegoshow.com.
7 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)841 views
-
Collectable Minifigure Series 7 Spotted in Canada
Posted by fuelbreak, 18 Apr 2012 11:37. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
It appears there has been an early sighting of Series 7 in Calgary Alberta at a store called Discovery Hut.
As per usual, Canada usually lags behind the rest of the world on such releases but this is hopeful.
I have created a Roll Out map for this series so please add to it. Everyone is invited, not just us Canadians.
NOTE: a Google account is needed to add locations to the map.
18 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1285 views
-
Walmart reveals Sopwith Camel
Posted by Huw, 18 Apr 2012 10:48. Filed under New sets.
Walmart has revealed the LEGO Exclusive Sopwith Camel on its website, somewhat earlier than LEGO intended it to be announced.
It's priced at a shade under $100 and the description reads:
Relive a classic era of aviation history with the Sopwith Camel biplane. This set lets you recreate a detailed replica of one of the most recognizable British single-seat biplanes ever to have graced the skies. Features include a realistic rotating propeller and engine cylinders, a hinged tail rudder, realistic tension wires, functioning wing ailerons and tail flaps that can be controlled from the cockpit.
- Detailed replica
- Rotating propeller and engine cylinders
- Hinged tail rudder
- Functioning wing ailerons
- Tail flaps can be controlled from cockpit
LEGO has asked Eurobricks to remove the images, but I have republished them here because they originated from a legitimate source and are not watermarked. No word on release date yet, but I suspect it'll be June/July.
(thanks to the ever-observant grogall for uncovering it)
47 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1919 views
-
LEGO Big Ben celebrates Victorian London’s greatest landmark
Posted by Huw, 18 Apr 2012 10:20. Filed under New sets.
Hot off the press...
BILLUND, Denmark – Big Ben, one of the UK’s most recognizable buildings and a global symbol of Victorian London and the Gothic Revival style, has been recreated as the latest set in the LEGO® Architecture series.
Big Ben, officially known as the Clock Tower, has stood at the north-eastern corner of the Palace of Westminster in London for more than 150 years. It was designed by the unlikely team of Classical architect Charles Barry and Gothic Revival pioneer Augustus Pugin and completed in 1859.
Big Ben is the fourteenth model in the LEGO Architecture range, which uses the LEGO brick to interpret the designs of iconic architecture around the world. It is the first model to be designed by Rok Zgalin Kobe from Slovenia who joins Adam Reed-Tucker as a LEGO architect.
“The most challenging in creating this model was representing the richness of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture in a scale usually more appropriate for modern or contemporary architecture of smooth surfaces and clean lines,” said Rok Zgalin Kobe.
Charles Barry won the competition to build the new Palace of Westminster in January 1836. His initial designs were without the clock tower that would become known as Big Ben. As his own style was more Classical than the increasingly popular Gothic Revival, Barry asked for assistance from Augustus Pugin, a leading light of the movement that left its indelible mark on the Victorian era around the world. The design of the interior of the palace and the clock tower are thought to be his work.
LEGO Architecture products features well-known buildings, and the work of important architects Aimed at inspiring future architects, engineers and designers as well as architecture fans around the world, the range contains a booklet featuring step-by-step building instructions that is prefaced by exclusive, archival history, information and photographs of each iconic building, its design origin, its architect and its architectural features.
The LEGO 21013 Big Ben is available for purchase from June 1 in LEGO brand retail stores, LEGOLAND Stores and online at http://shop.lego.com/. The product is designed for ages 12+ and includes a booklet with facts and history about Big Ben. Recommended retail price is $29.99 or €29.99.
For more information about LEGO Architecture visit http://architecture.lego.com/
28 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1623 views
-
3 new polybags now at Toysrus.com
Posted by Matthew, 15 Apr 2012 10:19. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Three new 2012 polybags are now listed for sale on the Toys R Us website in the USA. Of the three, only the Batman jetski has had limited availability, now all three can be ordered for $4.99.
Friends Skateboarder 30101 - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12851498&searchURL=true
Batman Jetski 30160 - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12851499&searchURL=true
City Race car 30150 - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12849401&searchURL=true
Via ljames28 in the forum.
47 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1768 views
-
Free LEGO dice with LEGO Games in Holland
Posted by Huw, 15 Apr 2012 06:08. Filed under Shopping (Europe).
The rare golden dice polybag set is being given away at Intertoys in Holland when you buy any of the LEGO games.I believe this is the only set that you can make a normal 1-6 dotted dice from. It fetches silly money on eBay so it'll be worth snapping one up if you can. (thanks Roel)
21 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1320 views
-
Collectable minifig gallery updated with S7 -- and now available in the USA!
Posted by Huw, 15 Apr 2012 05:54. Filed under Brickset.
I've upated the collectable minifig gallery with the series 7 minifigs.Hopefully I'll find time to add galleries for the Super Heroes and other new themes, and update the others soon too!
It appears that at last, S7 figures are available in the USA: Bastcastle emailed to say "Just picked up all of series 7 collectable minifigs at my local Toys R Us. Is this the first US sighting? They are in South Portland, Maine. Had 6 boxes today." Happy hunting!
40 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1247 views
-
TOYS R US Canada 50% Sales
Posted by fuelbreak, 13 Apr 2012 14:13. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
Starting Today (April 13-19) at Toys R US, Canada
The following sets are priced at 50% off:
Republic Swamp Speeder, 20.87
Cad Bane's Speeder, 31.87
Off- Road Fire Truck and Fire Boat, 26.87
Power Boat Transporter, 24.87
When I went into my local store, there were also a few other sets at 50% off, like Cars 2 Big Bently Bust Out (8639-1), that were not in the flyer.
7 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1211 views
-
LEGO to release Olympic Team GB minifigs
Posted by Huw, 13 Apr 2012 09:21. Filed under New sets.
Note the lack of a question mark in the title: LEGO IS releasing a set of Olympic collectable minifigs and we have a picture to prove it!
Here's all the information we have about them:
I am very pleased to announce that with the much anticipated arrival of the 2012 Olympics to the UK, LEGO is now able to add to this experience with it its very own series of Limited Edition Minifigures.
- A special edition licensed LEGO Minifigures Olympic edition
- 9 characters representing athletes in Team GB colours
- Developed for the UK market and exclusively available in the UK
Grab the picture while you can, I may be asked to remove it at any time.
(thanks to Redbullgivesuwind again!)
202 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)16544 views
-
LEGO set to release Olympics minifigs?
Posted by Huw, 12 Apr 2012 17:07. Filed under Miscellaneous.
I don't normally run news stories based on rumours but this one has cropped up from a number of sources, so it's looking as if there may be some truth behind it.It appears that LEGO is to release a series of minifigs to tie in with the London 2012 Olympics.
The story broke in the forum yesterday, and is based on information given by LEGO to several UK retailers who have then discussed it with customers.
It's said that there will be 6 figures including a judo team member, swimmer, archer, and a runner. I have no idea if these will be a UK exclusive, although it might make sense if they are, or whether they will be 'blind packs' like the collectables, but if I had to guess I'd say it's likely that they will be.
Excited?
(Thanks to Redbullgivesuwind and everyone who has contributed to the thread in the forum)
29 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1354 views
-
4442 Glider Review
Posted by Huw, 12 Apr 2012 08:11. Filed under New sets.
Those of us that ordered this set from Virgin Atlantic at the weekend, have now received them. Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK has unboxed his and built it already. You can read his review and see pictures in the forum. Is that a new torso on the female minfig? (edit, no it isn't but it's a nice one :-) )
If you're in the UK, you can order these directly from Virgin without flying anywhere for £15 + £3.50 P&P. Order seven or more, and the postage will be free :-)
If you're not in the UK, why not join the forum and hook up with someone who is and get them to ship you one?
11 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1622 views
-
Mining pictures unearthed
Posted by Huw, 12 Apr 2012 08:04. Filed under New sets.
Brickset member Vidiator has found the first unwatermarked images of the City Mining sets, that are due out in the summer. It looks like there's a lot of playability in them and I think they will be popular. Little (and big :-) - LCG) boys love diggers and trucks!
27 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1549 views
-
And the winners are...
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2012 16:30. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you to everyone who entered the LEGOLAND ticket competition. There were 369 entries, of which 340 got the answer right.Thje correct answer was C. The weight of the Palace of Naboo model at the Star Wars Miniland Experience at LEGOLAND Windsor is 63kg, which you could have found out at LEGOLAND.co.uk.
As usual, I asked my daughter to pick random numbers and I have 8 winners. Rather than post names here now, I'm going to email winners first because, as you will recall, entry was restricted to residents of the UK (LEGOLAND's stipulation) so I will need to confirm they have a UK address to which to send the tickets.
Update: the lucky winners are:
Rishi Thaker, Phil Layland, Michelle Wilson, Noah Mills, Steve Taylor, Rod Jones, Richard Orriel and Margaret Mitchell.
Congratulations to you all. Stay tuned for more exciting competitions in the future!
25 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1097 views
-
6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2012 10:25. Filed under Set review.
To conclude my mini-reviews of the Marvel sets, here's a quick look at 6868 Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout.This is the second largest of the Marvel sets. It consists of four minifigs, a SHEILD jet plane and some sort of laboratory. The laboratory no doubt adds some play interest to the set but I have no idea what it's supposed to be or what happens in it. Maybe that will become apparent in the movie.
For me however, the minifigs and jet plane are far more interesting although it's perhaps disappointing that the only unique one in it is Hulk.
The minifigs are Loki (his 3rd appearance, presumably he's the baddie in the movie?), Thor, Hawkeye and Hulk. To call Hulk a minifig is a bit misleading though, as he's double the height of regular figs. He's made in China (the polythene packaging gives that away) and consists of 5 parts: his legs/torso/head are one part, his arms and hands make up the other four. As with the vast majority of Chinese parts such as these, the quality is top-notch.
The jet plane is very reminscent of the Agents sets, in particular the dark blue and yellow colour scheme. It's actually a very nice model in its own right, and certainly very swooshable. It has a mechanism built in to jettison the cockpit: maybe to re-enact a scene in the movie? I haven't photographed the lab. as my setup can't handle large models such as that, so you'll have to look at the official pictures instead.
So to summarise, this is a nice set but the duplication of minifigs with other sets is a little disappointing.
And to summarise the reviews of the Marvel sets, which one do I think is best, having built them all? I'd say 6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown because it's only £20/$20, the three minifigs are all very cool and unique to the set, the helicopter is great and, well, it has the best minifig in it: Wolverine...
23 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1800 views
-
LEGO VIP Members: Pick-a-Brick Promotion April 10 & 11
Posted by yellowcastle, 10 Apr 2012 09:24. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid Tuesday April 10 and Wednesday April 11, VIP Members will get a large Pick-A-Brick cup for the price of a small Pick-A-Brick cup. This offer is valid April 10-11, 2012 only for VIP Members at the LEGO Store. Offer is not valid with any other VIP offer. Customers that have signed up to the VIP Program by phone or at a LEGO Store will need to have registered online first at VIP.LEGO.com in order to redeem the offer. Offer not valid at shop.LEGO.com, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers or LEGOLAND Parks. Offer is not valid on the monthly Pick-A-Brick model. The LEGO Company reserves the right to amend or cancel this promotion at any time without prior notice.Thanks to sidersdd for the reminder. This information is via the April 2012 LEGO Store Calendar (U.S.)
20 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1366 views
-
AFOLCON/LEGO Show news
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2012 08:41. Filed under Events (UK).
Hot off the press from the AFOLCON orgainsers...
With only 4 weeks to go, the news from AFOLCON and The LEGO Show is starting to come thick and fast!
Announced over the weekend are some special events for The LEGO Show - the largest LEGO event in the UK! On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the team have announced some special talks available to anyone who is at the show.
On Saturday 5th, Adam Vaughan will be giving a talk to the public about LEGO Friends and the design process that they've been through - for the last 4 years. On Sunday 6th, Mark Stafford will be answering the most popular question he gets - "How do you become a LEGO designer?" and on Monday, well, there is going to be a session on Monday at 2pm - but that one's still under wraps! It's very, very, exciting!
The LEGO Show team also announced some special sessions for those adult fans attending over the weekend. 2 special AFOLCON sessions will be given on Saturday and Sunday evenings, at 5:30pm. If you can't attend the AFOLCON days, this will give any AFOL the chance to hang out with other attendees, meet all the LEGO employees that are at the show and listen to some special announcements. The first of these to be announced is that on Saturday evening, Signe Lonholdt will be giving us the inside info on 'ReBrick: behind the scenes'.
So, what are you waiting for? Tickets are selling fast, so to guarantee entrance to The LEGO Show, go to www.thelegoshow.com to buy your tickets in advance. You'll save 25%, skip all the queues and guarantee your entrance to the largest LEGO event in the UK!
6 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)791 views
-
6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle - - the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 08 Apr 2012 06:30. Filed under Set review.
6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle is the largest of the Marvel sets and comes with five minifigs: Loki, who's the same as in 6867, an alien foot soldier, the same as the one in 6865, Thor, and two unique to this set: Iron Man with a different torso to that in 6867-1, and Black Widow.Thor is certainly very colourful, what with his blonde hair, red cape and dark blue clothes.
Black Widow pilots the Quinjet, apparently, and she appears to be kitted out in a flying jumpsuit.
This Iron Man has different torso and leg printing to the one in 6867, which you can see below (or here)
In addition to the 5 figs, the set consists of the Quinjet and this contraption which looks like some sort of flying chariot with Loki on the back.Update: I was going to post some pictures of the Quinjet but 18000pieces has done such a good job in his pictorial review at Eurobricks that I won't bother, I'll direct you to his review instead.
28 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1903 views
-
Marvel Super Heroes now available from shop.LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 08 Apr 2012 03:58. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (US/Canada).
If you're in the USA or Canada, you can now order the five Marvel minifigure sets from shop.LEGO.com.
If you drooled over the minifig pictures below, now's your chance to get your order in, and help Brickset while you do so!
15 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1300 views
-
Virgin Atlantic also has LEGO Glider promo set
Posted by Grahame, 08 Apr 2012 03:38. Filed under Brickset.
The LEGO Glider set 4442 is now showing in Virgin Atlantic's 'retail therapy' shopping catalogue, priced at 15 UK pounds.
See the catalogue here: https://www.retailtherapyshopping.com/products/toys
Note that home delivery is available for everyone within the United Kingdom; there is no flight requirement.
17 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2209 views
-
6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown - the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 08:12. Filed under Brickset.
Wolverine is surely one of Marvel's best-loved Super Heroes, probably as a result of Hugh Jackman's portrayal of him in the X-Men movies. It's great, therefore, that LEGO has released a Wolverine set in this first wave of Marvel sets, even though (as far as I know) there isn't a new X-Men movie out this year.6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown features 3 minifigs: Wolverine, Deadpool and Magneto, a helicopter and a motorbike. I'll hopefully get to build the 'copter later today.
I think it's a great representation of Hugh Jackman although the hair is perhaps a little too pointy in the corners. His blades, that attach like those in the Prince Of Persia sets, look suitably vicious. The yellow jump suit appears to be reasonably accurate, if the Marvel directory is anything to go by (and I guess it should be!)
Magneto looks great in red and purple, and features a new helmet.
Deadpool is pretty cool, too. He comes with two ninja swords (not shown) in addition to this Alien Conquest blaster.I am not a Marvel expert by any means but having researched the characters in the Marvel directory, it looks as if LEGO has done an excellent job of representing them in minifig form.
Update: I've put photos of the helicopter on flickr.
33 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1719 views
-
6865 Captain America!
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 05:15. Filed under Set review.
My wife is at football again (Southampton vs. Pompey away) so I should have time to crack open a few more Marvel sets today.6865 Captain America's Avenging Cycle is the smallest and cheapest (£12) of the Marvel sets. It comes with three figures, an 'avenging cycle', and some weaponry and contraptions for the baddies. The box doesn't give them a name so I have no idea who they are!
As you can see, the standard City police motorcycle is used in the set and when stood next to a minifig it becomes apparent just how ridiculously over-sized it is, what with the handlebars level with his head! Nevertheless, once CA is on it, it doesn't look too bad.
LEGO is to be commended for making the two baddies totally different: different colour bodies, different torso and leg printing, and different heads, which are printed on front and back.
The weapons and flying contraption round off the set, and are pretty good being made from gold, tan and dark tan pieces.It's expensive at £12, but being the only set with Captain America in it, this is a must-have.
15 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1541 views
-
The other Iron Man
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 04:15. Filed under Set review.
I'm not a big fan of these Hero-Factory style figures but I thought I'd buy one to see if they were any good.
I don't have any recent Hero Factory models so I don't know how these compare with them, although I suspect many of the parts are the same. However I do have one of the Ben 10 maxi-figs and I can say that this is far, far better than those, both in terms of parts quality and quantity, and the actual build.I think this is a pretty good representation of Iron Man, given the parts available. The big, bad, kick-ass weapon on his shoulder is pretty good, too.
I'm not sure I'll go so far as recommending this set, but if you're a fan of these big figures you will like this one.
29 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1635 views
-
6867 Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 14:47. Filed under Set review.
While I had my camera set up to photograph Iron Man I thought I might as well shoot the rest of the set.The main reason for buying this set, and I suspect most of the Marvel sets, will be for the minifigs, as it certainly doesn't disappoint in the minifig department. As well as Iron Man we get Loki and Hawkeye, too. Loki's helmet is excellent and Hawkeye has what I believe is a new hair piece and a new style of bow.
The set is bulked up with some sort of armoured jeep, which actually is pretty good, although I am not familiar with the Avengers to know whether it looks like what it's supposed to. 
The body is almost all built from dark blue, in fact there are around 50 dark blue parts in the set, so if you don't like the vehicle the set makes a good 'parts pack'.I'll conclude this short review by saying the set has surpassed my expectations and I look forward to building the rest of the Marvel sets, which the postman kindly delivered this morning, on Good Friday of all days. Stay posted over Easter for more mini-reviews and photos!
22 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1676 views
-
'Shirtless' Darth Maul polybag free at LEGOLAND Windsor
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 13:03. Filed under Shopping (UK).
We've been told that the 'shirtless' Darth Maul minifig that was given to visitors of the LEGO stand at the NY toy fair is now being given away with purchases of £20 in the Star Wars shop at LEGOLAND Windsor.This is sure to drive its value on the secondary market right down. I see some lots on eBay.co.uk are 'buy it now' for £90!
(thanks richardh for the news)
19 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2003 views
-
All the Marvel figs
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 11:51. Filed under New sets.
Like the DC sets, the Marvel ones also come with a comic inside. Here's a scan of the page showing all the Marvel minifigs, including those in the Spider-Man set. I think I'm right in saying that we don't know what that looks like yet, do we?Pardon my ignorance, who's the green guy in the middle?
40 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2516 views
-
Iron Man in all his glory
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 11:39. Filed under New sets.
There's been a lot of talk about Iron Man and whether he would look good with a normal minfig head and 'helmet' rather than a printed head. I took these pictures so that you can decide whether he's cool or not for yourself...
52 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1940 views
-
Marvel Super Heroes sets at Argos
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2012 04:01. Filed under Shopping (UK).
Argos is now listing the Marvel sets on its website, although you might have difficulty finding them. It's almost as if they don't want to sell them: they are not listed when you click on the Super Heroes image on their LEGO page but if you click on that link then search for 'LEGO Super Heroes' you'll find them. (thanks Obiron17)
Some branches of TRU are also selling them, although the outer boxes are apparently marked 'not to be sold until April 8th' so you might not find them in your local one. (from the forum)
Happy hunting!
14 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1223 views
-
Happy birthday, forum!
Posted by Huw, 05 Apr 2012 03:14. Filed under Brickset.
The forum is such an important and integral part of the site now that it's easy to forget that just over a year ago it didn't even exist. It was launched on April 2nd, 2011 after what appeared to be a April Fool's annoucement the day before.There are now more than 3000 members who, over the year, have started and contributed to over 3200 discussions. There has been over 3,500,000 page views from 152,000 unique visitors. But it's not just about statistics. There's a real sense of community in the forum which offers opportunities to interact with directly with LEGO employees and Brickset staff.
Here are some of the highlights, most important and fun discussions that have been going on:
- LEGO reached out to the community to help stamp out the eBay drop-shipping fraud
- Faulty batch of 10197 Fire Brigade sets, missing a bag of parts, identified
- Over 3100 posts in the Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value discussion make it the longest running in the forum
- A Petition to reissue Cafe Corner started, which prompted input from Jamie Berard, who explained why it was a bad idea and that it could never happen
- The Jambalaya exchange kicked-off in the US while the UK members began their own Pick-n-Mix exchange
- Great discussions about the collecting aspects of the hobby in How does everyone else store their collection?, Cleaning LEGO, Collecting boxes and LEGO catalogs
- Lengthy discussions about sales and deals on both side of the Atlantic at Walmart, Tesco and many other retailers
- Is there someone who's not into LEGO Star Wars?, What ships, characters, or scenes from Star Wars would you like to see in LEGO ?
- So what does everyone here in the forum do for a living?
There's also a lot going on 'behind the scenes', too:
- The integrated personal messaging system is used to good effect to set up trades with other members, and I think by now there must have been thousands of polybags sent back and forth between the USA and Europe as a result. I have certainly filled a few gaps in my collection.
- There's a fantastic team of moderators and administrators (yellowcastle, bluemoose, rocao, atkinsar, DrDaveWatford, Martin and Matthew) who have worked tirelessly to ensure that it is a fun place to be and I'd like to thank them for the great work they do -- I certainly couldn't do it all myself.
So, if you're not already participating (and you're over 16), come on and join us: you're missing out on one of the friendliest and interesting LEGO forums on the 'net. I hope to see you in there!
27 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1332 views
-
New minifig books
Posted by Huw, 04 Apr 2012 12:08. Filed under Book review.
Christoph Bartneck, author of the excellent Unofficial LEGO Minifigure Catalog that we reviewed last year has published three new books:The 2011 LEGO Minifigure Catalog
As its name suggests, this contains pictures and details of nearly every minifig released in 2011, all 415 of them. Christoph has sensibly decided not to re-issue the full catalog every year but to publish books like this annually so that you can keep up to date for a small incremental cost.
The format has been improved significantly and now all relevant details about the figures are included in the body of the book, together with images of the head and back. There is also a price guide for each figure, showing new and used prices in USD, as taken from BrickLink.
The Harry Potter LEGO Minifigure Catalog and The Star Wars LEGO Minifigure Catalog follow the same format. They cover every minifig in their respective theme, to the end of 2011. Both books are organised in chapters corresponding to the movies and within each chapter the figures are ordered by their number. That perhaps, is the only criticism I can make about the books: finding a particular variation of, say, Boba Fett, requires a bit of digging around. It might have been better to order the books by character name.
Notwithstanding this minor point, the books are excellent and well worth buying if you're a collector of either of the themes in question. The 2011 catalog is likely only to appeal to those with the full catalog, but these two stand alone as useful references in their own right. Highly recommended!
They can be ordered from Amazon.com. Only one of them is available at Amazon.co.uk at the moment, it seems.
19 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1678 views
-
3300003 Brand Retail Store
Posted by Huw, 04 Apr 2012 09:16. Filed under New sets.
There's a lot of excitement about this set on other sites at the moment and I've just received a press release from LEGO about it:
3300003 LEGO Brand Retail Store, Ages 7+ 280 pieces
Celebrate the opening of a brand new LEGO Store in your area with the new, exclusive LEGO Brand Retail Store model! Not available for purchase, this set is only given out to a select number of customers with a qualifying purchase during the Grand Opening Celebration. We are proud to announce 10 new locations in North America opening in 2012:
- Nashville, TN
- Victor, NY
- Vancouver, BC; Canada
- Wauwatosa, WI
- The Woodlands, TX
- Peabody, MA
- Overland Park, KS
- Elizabeth, NJ
- Seattle, WA
- Alpharetta, GA
Stay tuned for details on the Grand Opening Celebrations, featuring the new exclusive, limited-edition LEGO Brand Retail Store set and T-Shirts! For more information, please visit stores.LEGO.com. Offers will be available during the Grand Opening Celebration only, while supplies last. Phone orders will not be accepted, to qualify purchase must be made at store location.
---
I'll get the images uploaded here when I get home, but if you can't wait that long -- and have no hope of getting to one of the above stores -- you can downlaod the instructions from LEGO.com already (thanks to voyanuitoa for finding them!). It looks to be mostly made from common parts so you should be able to have a go at making it from parts in your collection.
49 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3543 views
-
Win tickets to LEGOLAND Windsor!
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 14:38. Filed under Miscellaneous.
We've teamed up with LEGOLAND Windsor again to bring you another exciting competition!Up for grabs this time are eight family tickets to the park, valid until November this year.
This is your chance to take the whole family to see the Star Wars Miniland Experience for free!
To enter, simply answer the question on the competition page. The competition is, unfortunately, open to UK residents only. The closing date is midnight UK time on Easter Monday.
17 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1154 views
-
Win tickets to LEGOLAND Windsor!
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 14:38. Filed under Miscellaneous.
There's still time to enter this great competition!We've teamed up with LEGOLAND Windsor again to bring you another exciting competition!
Up for grabs this time are eight family tickets to the park, valid until November this year.
This is your chance to take the whole family to see the Star Wars Miniland Experience for free!
To enter, simply answer the question on the competition page. The competition is, unfortunately, open to UK residents only. The closing date is midnight UK time on Easter Monday.
2 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1125 views
-
Sale now on at shop.LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 10:01. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (General).
New items have been added to the shop.LEGO.com sale in the USA and Canada, including most of the Alien Conquest sets, which have been reduced by about 25%.
The biggest bargain seems to be 853358, the Heroica storage box, which is now just US$8.48 -- a saving of about 75%.
Click these links to see all items in the sale: USA | Canada
9 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1052 views
-
Announcing Brick Fiesta, July 4-8 2012, Houston, TX
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 07:29. Filed under Events (USA).
- Meet LEGO Senior Designer Jamie Berard (best known for designing the modular building series). He will be hosting a presentation and a Q/A Session!
- As if that was not enough, LEGO will be unveiling an exclusive set at the event. This is a must-see!
- We have more than double the display space since last year.
- We are a small walking distance to the LEGO Store. Lego will have a special sale event with discounts for full BF2012 members!
- Jared Burks (fineclonier) will be at the event holding free minifigure workshops both days! In these classes attendees will Receive free figures and learn the basics to customizing a LEGO minifigure.
- Participate on a range of games that are sure to be a hit including the SUMOBot battles and a Heroica Tournament.
- Enjoy a great rate with the Westin Galleria, so this is a great chance to have a family vacation in a first-class location.
- Advance Westin Hotel registration prize drawing, ending 3/31/2012
- Advance Brick Fiesta membership prize drawing, ending 4/15/2012
9 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)781 views
-
Current shop.LEGO.com promotions
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 07:25. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (General).
Here's a round up of the April news and offers at shop.LEGO.com:
In the USA and Canada:
- FREE Reusable LEGO® Tote bag with orders of $99 or more. Valid April 1-30th.
- NEW Marvel LEGO Super Heroes sets available beginning April 8th.
In the UK/Europe:
- FREE Delivery on orders of 75 or more. Valid 1-15 April
- FREE Reusable LEGO Tote bag on orders of 75 or more. Valid 1-30 April
- Marvel LEGO Super Heroes sets launch April 1st
- Collectable Minfigures Series 7 launch April 1st
-
£20.00 off 3677 Red Cargo Train. 1-30 April.
Click on the yellow box in the menu to place your orders!
Update: Also of note this month for US stores:
Get a Large Pick-A-Brick cup for the price of a small Pick-A-Brick cup. Offer valid April 10-11, 2012 only for VIP Members at the LEGO Store. Offer is not valid with any other VIP offer. Customers that have signed up to the VIP Program by phone or at a LEGO Store will need to have registered online at VIP.LEGO.com first in order to redeem offer. Offer not valid at shop.LEGO.com, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers or LEGOLAND Parks. Offer is not valid on the monthly Pick-A-Brick model. The LEGO Company reserves the right to amend or cancel this promotion at any time without prior notice.
For those of us already in PAB box withdrawal, this promotion might help us transition. :o) (Yellowcastle)
5 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1120 views
-
Series 7 character bios now up at LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 07:08. Filed under LEGO.com.
The Minifigures microsite at LEGO.com has been upated with series 7 bios. I've grabbed the images and added them here. I don't yet have a set but when I do I'll photograph them for the minifig gallery. (thanks to skipper1101 and others who emailed about this)
12 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)606 views
-
AFOLCON keynote speaker announced
Posted by Huw, 03 Apr 2012 06:30. Filed under Events (UK).
Tormod has been with the LEGO Group since 1983. Starting off as a Marketing Trainee he worked in 7 different departments during the first two years. This helped him establish a good network to colleagues across the business. In 1986, he moved to LEGO Education and spent almost 10 years in various marketing positions. He started a “home learning” project in 1996 which led to the launch of LEGO Mindstorms. He then established a new department called “Community and Learning” in 1999 and has been working with LEGO user communities ever since.
The AFOLCON team is delighted to welcome Tormod to AFOLCON. For those of you who have been in the LEGO community for any time, you will know that Tormod has been central to the involvement of the fan community with The LEGO Group which has been no small feat!
AFOLCON runs on the 3rd and 4th May 2012 and is open to anyone over the age of 16 (16-18yr olds must be accompanied). Tickets cost £60 and include all session, an out-of-hours visit to the LEGOLand Discovery Centre and a goodie bag which includes 1Kg of LEGO. For more details, go to http://www.afolcon.com
--
If you're quick, the exclusive Brickset discount code BRICKSET20 can still be applied at checkout for a 20% discount. I *will* be there this year, my train and hotel are already booked, so I hope to see you there!
2 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)775 views
-
The 'May The Fourth' and Super Heroes promos revealed...
Posted by Matthew, 02 Apr 2012 18:59. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (General).
At last! The 'May The Fourth' promo for this year will be a Limited Edition TC-14 minifigure! Also from the May store calendar is this exclusive Hulk minifigure which will be given away with a $50 purchase between 16 and 31 May.
Via the forum, original source Eurobricks, I believe.
55 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2039 views
-
Seasonal and other direct to consumer sets for this year and next
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2012 13:50. Filed under New sets.
The ever-observant whung noticed several new sets listed at LEGO's replacement parts page last week:
40032 LEGO Witch
40033 LEGO Turkey
40034 LEGO Christmas Train
40035 LEGO Rocking Horse
40049 Mini Sopwith Camel
40050 Mini BMW
40051 DTC Seasonal Valentines 2013
40052 DTC Seasonal Spring 2013
40053 DTC Seasonal Easter 2013
40054 DTC Seasonal Summer 2013
40055 DTC Seasonal Halloween 2013
40056 DTC Seasonal Thanksgiving 2013
40057 DTC Seasonal Fall 2013
40058 DTC Seasonal Xmas1 2013
40059 DTC Seasonal Xmas2 2013
40076 Monster Fighters DTC GWP
41000 Jetski
41001 Magician
41002 Karate
41003 Foal
41004 Practice Stage
41007 Pet Parlor
41008 Pool
41011 Soccer
41013 Car
41017 Squirrel
41018 Cat
41019 Turtle
41020 Hedgehog
41021 Poodle
41022 BunnyThen today, he found a very intruiging sounding one: 30164 TT Games
Apparently they have now been removed...
33 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3515 views
-
HispaBrick magazine issue 13 out now
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2012 05:24. Filed under Miscellaneous.
A short while ago I was contacted by Lluis from HispaBrick magazine about contributing an article about Brickset for the 'Pillars of the community' series. The article appears in the latest edition, issue 13, which has just been published and which can be downloaded for free from the HispaBrick website.I have to confess that, prior to this, while I was aware of the publication, I hadn't read many of the recent issues. So to remedy this I loaded them onto my iPad 3 (on which they look stunning, BTW) and read five or so issues while on my cruise to Spain (which was appropriate given that's where it originates :-) )
Having done so, I have to say, it truly is an excellent magazine. It covers such a wide variety of topics, such as interviews with creators of great MOCs; AFOL event reviews; model instructions; in-depth technical articles about Technic, Mindstorms and LDraw; set reviews and, in this latest issue, 'A day in the life of Jørgen Vig Knudstorp' which is quite a coup!
I hesitate to say it, but in many ways it surpasses BrickJournal in the quality and depth of the material covered. To think that the whole thing is put together by a handful of volunteers and is published in Spanish and English, is quite remarkable.
I encourage you to download the latest copy then, if you haven't already, work your way through the back issues. It'll be time well spent.
7 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1366 views
-
April Fools!
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2012 02:45. Filed under Brickset.
As most of you guessed, a couple of yesterday's news articles were April Fools jokes:
- I will NOT be soiling the pages of Brickset with clone rubbish. The only way they will ever appear here is 'over my dead body' :-)
- LEGO will NOT be re-releasing the UCS Millennium Falcon, which is a shame, because I'd probably buy one this time if they did.
What other LEGO related AFs did you read on other sites? I found:
- BrickChicks calendar at The Living Brick
- LEGO to buy the LDraw parts library fo $5m at Brothers-Brick
Were there others?
40 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1474 views
-
'The Winchester' dilemma
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2012 14:26. Filed under Miscellaneous.
I'm going to revisit this story again...When news broke yesterday that this model had hit 10,000 supporters at Cuusoo, I was on a cruise ship in Le Havre on the last day of a week's cruise to northern Spain and France. During the week I had 25Mb of data per day while in port via my phone before it started to cost silly money. I was able to skim the site and the forum but not do much else. So, yesterday's post was a bit hasty but worth mentioning given the significance of the story.
I'm now up to date on this and as you will probably have read, thanks to Simon Pegg mentioning the model on a US chat show (which you can see on YouTube), within hours the number of supporters increased by some 5000 and hit the magic 10,000.
What happens now then, I wonder? Will LEGO make it or not?
Let's consider the themes of the model for a moment: zombies, comic violence, death and just as significantly in my mind, drinking and alcohol, which aren't prominently featured in the R rated movie, but they are nevertheless what pubs are associated with.
It can be argued that many themes feature comic violence and we've certainly had zombies and the undead before and LEGO has said in its comments at Cuusoo 'that the zombie theme does put this project at the edge of what we produce, however we recognize that the LEGO Group produces other products where themes of violence and death play a significant role' so I suspect they will be able to cross this hurdle.
But what about the pub itself? Fairly innocuous to most of us, but I know from conversations with a LEGO Certified Professional that LEGO does not want to be associated with alcohol and drinking, for obvious reasons. I think that their internal discussions about whether to make the model will consider this just as much as the violence aspects.
If it doesn't pass review, what would the decision mean to the Cuusoo platform? Maybe if models never stand a chance of passing review due to being against LEGO's principles, or being associated with a licence they could never acquire, they should be removed from the site early on. What do you think?
What message would a 'no' decision send out to Cuusoo contributors and voters? Discuss here or in the forum.
(I'm back on dry land now and normal Brickset service has been resumed. I'd like to thank bluemoose, yellowcastle, LegoCoastGuard et. al. for minding the shop in my absence).
77 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1561 views
-
Brickset to expand to include clone brands
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2012 06:52. Filed under Brickset.
I'm always looking for ways to improve Brickset and while on vacation last week, I came to the conclusion that a way to do this would be to include clone brands in the database, such as Megabloks, Kre-O, Cobi, Character, Best Lock and so on. After all, the site is called Brickset.com and not LEGOset.com, right?
Many of these brands have licences that are popular among adults (e.g. Megabloks HALO, Character Building Dr Who, and Kre-O Transformers) while others produce models that LEGO fans can but dream of, such as the military models made by Cobi.
I plan to start adding them in the next week or so. I hope you're as excited as I am about this -- I'm sure many of you own some of these already and I suspect once I add them here many more of you will start to buy them.
117 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2650 views
-
The forum is currently down
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2012 06:39. Filed under Brickset.
I've logged a support call with VanillaForums.com and I hope it'll be back up soon.
Update: it's back up now. If you're interested about the problems we've been experiencing, you can read more here.
10 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1097 views
-
LEGO to Rerelease Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon
Posted by yellowcastle, 01 Apr 2012 02:07. Filed under Brickset.
Billund, Denmark - In a surprising development, The LEGO Group (TLG) announced today that production of The Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (10179) would recommence later this month. Via a telephone interview with media outlets, Vice President of Manufacturing, Louis Friend said that, "(we) definitely keep an eye on the secondary market and it's just astounding how this set is performing. It just made too much sense to revisit." This announcement comes as quite a surprise to the community as this was one of the few sets ever that TLG had ever actually predicated its departure with a notice of discontinuation. Many collectors are sure to greet this news with skepticism if not animosity as the value of the first run sets is sure to drop with any rerelease. This response from the community, though, was not unforseen by TLG as Louis Friend made sure to point out in the news release. "We do realize what effect this could have on the aftermarket and we did not come to this decision lightly or quickly. That being said, and to quote Spock, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. I have been, and will always be, your friend," writes the VP.
62 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8225 views
-
Buy One, Get One 50% Off at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 01 Apr 2012 00:12. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid Sunday 4/1 through Saturday 4/7, "All" LEGO sets are Buy One, Get One 50% Off at Toys R Us. And by "All", Toys R Us is excluding Friends, Star Wars, Ninjago, Technic and Super Heroes. As always, try to pair sets at similar price points and with the least TRU markup in order to maximize your savings. Currently, most of the LEGO Direct sets are out of stock but keep checking throughout the week.
11 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2973 views
| 
