Brickset news archive: February 2013
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Series 3 Star Wars Planet Sets Spotted In Big W (Australia)
Posted by jpmanalo, 28 Feb 2013 21:44. Filed under Shopping (Australia/NZ).
The Series 3 Star Wars Planet Sets have been spotted in Big W Stores and are available for AUD $14.86 each. The sets are also available from the Big W website for the same price.
15 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1369 views
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Land Rover Defender Achieves Review Status, i.e. 10k supporters
Posted by glenbricker, 28 Feb 2013 10:49. Filed under Cuusoo.
The Land Rover Defender, thanks to a surge of support from LEGO fans and tweets from Land Rover getting their own fan base informed, has achieved the 10k support required to enter the Spring review. This is by far the most technically complex build to achieve the 10,000 supporter mark.
Continue reading Land Rover Defender Achieves Review Status, i.e. 10k supporters
18 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2973 views
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Everything you wanted to know about minifigs but were afraid to ask
Posted by Huw, 28 Feb 2013 10:49. Filed under Miscellaneous.
As you may recall, Dorling Kindersley is publishing a book about minfigs, LEGO Minifigure Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle, later this year.The authors have asked for your input:
"As one of the book's features, we are hoping to create a themed spread which features interesting questions to LEGO about their minifigures, and it would be brilliant if you could help us with any questions that you might have!
"Questions could be about something that you've always been wondering about minifigures, such as how they are made, their history or any quirky facts you would like to know. If you have any ideas it would be great if you could get back to me by Wednesday [6 March] if possible. Please note that we can't guarantee that LEGO will answer all the questions, but we hope it will make a nice feature in the book. "
You can contact Ruth Amos (ruth.amos [at] uk.dk.com) directly with your questions, or leave a comment here and I'll collate them.
53 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4258 views
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30221 Fire Car available with magazine in Poland
Posted by kempo81, 28 Feb 2013 05:31. Filed under Shopping (Europe).
The March copy of Scooby Doo magazine in Poland comes with a free copy of set 30221 Fire Car.Thanks to mastaczajnik for the heads up!
4 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1486 views
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Series 3 Star Wars Planet Sets Spotted In Walmart Canada
Posted by fuelbreak, 27 Feb 2013 22:04. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
It appears Walmart Canada is just starting to stock series 3 Star Wars planet sets.
I found them on the West Coast in Kelowna, the web site does not show their availability however.
13 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1680 views
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Polybag News: Star Wars Umbarran MHC Spotted At Chapters Canada
Posted by fuelbreak, 27 Feb 2013 21:58. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
For those of you looking to collect all the Star Wars polybag sets, the Umbarran MHC has been spotted in Ottawa, Canada at Chapters. It was priced at $4.95 Canadian.
Thanks to Brickset member Shaase for the heads up. Much cheaper than the current Ebay prices.
UPDATE: It appears that if you spend $30 on regular priced LEGO products at Chapters, you also get one of these (or a different polybag free.
6 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1549 views
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Series 10 minifigs revealed by Argos
Posted by Huw, 27 Feb 2013 07:26. Filed under New sets.
Argos has listed series 10 minifigs and has provided this image showing them all, including the 'golden' chase figure.
Thanks to Teamladd who posted in the forum earlier. There is a higher-res image available at Argos, but unfortunately it's viewable only through their Flash zoomer. I haven't been able to locate the URL of the image: maybe you can...
Update: Murphquake has cracked it, and the hi-res image is now on flickr.
There's no word on release date, but they'll be priced at £1.99 again.
151 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)54419 views
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Win BrickArms parts in Hispabrick's competition
Posted by Huw, 26 Feb 2013 10:51. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Lluis from Hispabrick has asked me to bring a competition to your attention:BcP Juegos BRICKARMS Contest
BcP Juegos, along with HispaBrick Magazine, give you a chance to win some fabulous minifig accessories from BrickArms showing your talent in a contest.There are two competitions which involve building a small vignette which must include at least 1 BrickArms part:
Minifig contest : A minifig with accessories, on a base of 6x6 studs maximum.
Display contest: Maximum 16x16 studs. No height limit.Find out more on Flickr, post your entries and see all submissions so far in this Flickr group.
Good luck if you enter!
5 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1668 views
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Ask a LEGO question: a new StackExchange website
Posted by Huw, 26 Feb 2013 10:26. Filed under Miscellaneous.
There are hundreds of LEGO fan sites out on the Internet and dozens more are launched every month. Many tend to be 'more of the same' and regurgitate content created by other, more established, sites. However, every now and then a new one comes along which brings something new to the table, and looks much more interesting. LEGO Answers is such a site. One of the moderators there is Brickset user ambo100, and this is what he has to say about it:"LEGO® Answers is based on the popular Stack Exchange Q&A site, which also hosts Stack Overflow, the Q&A site for 'professional and enthusiast programmers'. The Stack Exchange format encourages questions and answers from a audience of experts and enthusiasts.
"The site so far has been running for just over year and is still in a Beta stage. We're looking for like-minded individuals to vote, add, improve and share content. Questions range from storage and shopping to techniques and programming."
Having taken a look just now, there appears to be some useful and interesting discussions going on, such as What is the smallest LEGO component?, How does LEGO handle the breakage of Hero Factory sockets? and Are all the Magnet minifigs now glued on and how should I remove them?. There's even a question which was prompted by something I wrote: Why does LEGO state the number of parts on US boxes, but not in Europe?
Go and check it out: I think you'll find it worthwhile visiting. I've added it to my RSS reader and will be keeping an eye out with interest and may even chip in from time to time.
1 comment, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1722 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 26 Feb 2013 01:22. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of four new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
1 comment, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1366 views
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Land Rover Defender: 835 support in 7 days? And what is really on Cuusoo?
Posted by glenbricker, 25 Feb 2013 12:55. Filed under Cuusoo.
The Land Rover Defender Cuusoo project is an amazing technical achievement.The Spring Deadline approaches and it needs your support, or it will just have to wait another three months.
Plus hard numbers in a high level overview on what kinds of projects are actually on Cuusoo.
Continue reading Land Rover Defender: 835 support in 7 days? And what is really on Cuusoo?
31 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5108 views
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Image improvements continue
Posted by Huw, 25 Feb 2013 10:01. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a quiet few days for news, but I've been busy behind the scenes scanning my instruction covers. I've now done all the sets I own that were released prior to 2000 (that came with instructions), which is some 566 new scans. Shortly, I will make the full-sized 150dpi scans available, too.That's all well and good but I still need your help! There are loads of sets I don't own and that we don't have an image for, or don't have a decent image.
To make it easy for you to see which sets in your collection we need scans for, I've created a couple of queries:
- Sets I own, released before 2000, that need a better picture will show you, as its name suggests, all the sets you own that we need a better picture for.
- Sets I own without an image will show you sets that we don't have an image for at all.
So, if you (a) find sets on the lists (b) have a scanner (c) have time, please send me some scans! Ideally they will be
- Of as-new or lightly creased instruction covers, or polybags
- Scanned at 150dpi, with descreening enabled (I use screen ruling 175dpi fine print on my Epson), or if they are small, scanned at 240 or 300dpi.
- Saved as JPGs at a quality of 90% (0.9)
If you have a few to send you can email them (huw at brickset.com), but if you'd prefer I can share a DropBox folder with you, which makes transferring large files much easier.
Thanks to everyone who's started to send theirs through: I have a slight backlog but I should get them uploaded soon.
While you're going though your collection, I'll crack on with 2000 onwards...
29 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago.11918 views
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Knight and Castle Building Set: Last few remaining
Posted by Huw, 23 Feb 2013 05:18. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Jason at Chowren Toys has been in touch to say he's had a good response to the February offer, and still has a few Bricks & More 5929 Knight and Castle Building Set, priced at just $7.50, left."This set comes with 144 pieces and 1 castle minifigure. US MSRP is $9.99 and is available to Brickset readers at 25% off retail. Please use the promo code: 5929BrickS to receive the discounted price of $7.50.
"The limit is up to 12 per person while quantities last. As with previous promotions the more you buy the average shipping per items goes way down. A quick consideration about shipping: If the rates seem high please note USPS just increased their rates by about 10%. Although we do charge a very small handling fee, any overcharge due to shipping calculator limitations will be refunded to you. In order for us to control and limit quantity, you will need to register an account in order for the coupon code to work."
At $0.05 per piece, that sounds like a great deal. Click here to place your order.
2 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2058 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 23 Feb 2013 01:20. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of four new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
1 comment, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1650 views
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Four more stores to open in the USA
Posted by Huw, 22 Feb 2013 06:50. Filed under Shopping (USA).
The LEGO retail store expansion shows no sign of slowing down this year. Four new stores for the USA have just been announced:Danbury Fair, Danbury, CT
West County, Des Peres, MO
North Star Mall, San Antonio, TX
Fashion Place, Murray, UTI'm told that the latter will be the first in Utah.
Thanks to Xarquar for the news.
87 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4852 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 22 Feb 2013 01:21. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of six new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
1 comment, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1541 views
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30255 'Crawley' available on magazine cover in Denmark
Posted by Huw, 21 Feb 2013 14:04. Filed under Shopping (Europe).
News just in from two sources in Denmark:"Wanted to let you know that 30255 is included in today's kids magazine "Anders And" (Donald Duck) in Denmark. The magazine is 24 DKK."
"On the cover it mistakenly says that there is a Chima DVD included, this is not the case, and a flyer inside the magazine reads that it will be included at a later point, instead 30255 Crawley is included."Thanks grums and Frank for the news.
11 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2466 views
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LEGO group delivered strong results in 2012
Posted by rocao, 21 Feb 2013 11:51. Filed under LEGO press release.
The LEGO Group has just released their annual report for 2012, and as we would expect, they had a very strong year. Here are highlights of the report as directly reported by them:
"In 2012 the LEGO Group increased its revenue by 25% to GBP 2,549 million – nearly triple the sales of 2007. This represents the fifth consecutive year in which the LEGO Group delivered year over year revenue growth in excess of 15%.
Key facts from the LEGO Group’s annual report for 2012, which was published today:
- The year's operating profit increased to GBP 866 million against GBP 660 million in 2011, an increase of 40%.
- The operating margin increased to 34% from 30% in 2011.
- The year's net profit increased to GBP 611 million against GBP 484 million in 2011.
- The revenue increased by 25% to GBP 2,549 million against GBP 2,181 million in 2011. In local currency (i.e. excluding the impact of foreign exchange changes) revenue increased 20% year over year.
- The net cash generated from operating activities was GBP 680 million against GBP 430 million in 2011.
- In 2012 the Group paid GBP 208 million in corporate income taxes.
More than 60% of the LEGO Group’s sales are new launches every year.
“As a consequence we have huge demands on our development & supply processes. Year after year, we must be able to predict what will capture the interest of children and deliver this in relevant LEGO products – and in 2012 we succeeded,” said Jørgen Vig Knudstorp."
The best-selling product lines, in order, were 1) City, 2) Star Wars, 3) Ninjago, and 4) Friends.
Sales of Friends was much better than expected and even with doubling their original planned production, they state that they were unable to fully meet demand. Since Friends was targeted at a new demographic, it's logical to infer that it played a large part in sales growth, and the image of Olivia's House adorns the LEGO news release, just like I've done here.
Though Ninjago was ranked third, the statement that over 60% of sales are from new launches sheds some light on why they seemed to have scaled back and invested heavily in Chima for 2013.
The investments in facilities closer to their core markets in North America and Europe were considered to have already contributed to execution success and TLG is continuing that trend in the future by closing packing operations in Billund and focusing on moulding and engineering at that site.
Asia is called out as being a prospective engine of growth. It will be interesting to see if LEGO is able to succeed in that potentially huge market, and whether or not they'll need to change some of their approaches to product and marketing.
You can view the highlights here and the full annual report here.
32 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3905 views
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Improvements to set images underway
Posted by Huw, 21 Feb 2013 10:59. Filed under Brickset.
In response to criticism in the user survey that some of the images of older sets are of a low quality, I've embarked on a project to replace many of them.
I'm going to work through my personal collection of some 2200 sets (about 1/4 of all non-'Gear' items) and re-scan the instruction covers. Today I started with the sets I own that were released in 1990 (not many, to be honest) and I'll work my way forwards in time. 1990 includes the excellent space subtheme M-Tron.
I'm going to scan at 150dpi, resize to fit the available width for the main picture, and make the full size scans available under the additional images tab. Obviously it's going to take some time!
Also today I added a complete set of high quality scans of Adventurers sets that Nori kindly provided.
Maybe this is something YOU can help with. Do have a large collection of instructions, a good flat bed scanner and, most importantly, time? If you do, please get in touch. In particular I'll need help with Castle, Town and Pirates, given that I own hardly any of them.
36 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2526 views
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Worst polybag ever?
Posted by Huw, 20 Feb 2013 08:13. Filed under New sets.
Having read that the polybags first seen in Sweden had been found in Danish Netto stores, I thought I'd try and track some down whilst in Copenhagen.Normally Google Maps can be relied upon to find the location of specific stores in strange cities but on this occasion it was useless. The nearest one to my hotel was apparently 2 miles away. But, I had time to kill so I walked to it, only to find when I got there it was not a 'proper' Netto but a small food-only store. Being close to the city centre by this time, I walked into town, and on the way stumbled across another small branch. Still no joy.
Later that evening, I met up with Chris, wiredforsound, in the city and told him of my failure. He then said that there was a large Netto right next to the place he was staying, just 10 minutes from the hotel! So, on our way back home, we took a short detour to this branch and arrived just before it closed at 10pm. We found three solitary, lonely, polybags left: three 30183 Little Car, and, according to a shelf stacker, no more out the back.
Now, I like a polybag as much as the next Brickset administrator but, really, it's pathetic isn't it!The windscreen in particular is terrible and to make it worse there's a white plate in the middle underneath, making it look very un-uniform.
It fills a gap in my collection, but other than for that reason, I really can't recommend you take the trouble to track this one down. It's rubbish -- no wonder it was the only one left in the store!
63 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4688 views
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LEGO World Copenhagen report, part 3
Posted by Huw, 20 Feb 2013 04:37. Filed under Events (Europe).
In this final part of my LEGO World report, I'll cover the Fan Zone and other aspects of the show.The fan zone was managed by Svend Erik of Byggepladen, the Danish LUG, who I had the pleasure to meet and who was a great guy. It was housed in a massive annexe to the main hall that was about half the size of the main hall at the STEAM museum at Swindon where GWLS is held. Large though it was, looking at the map in the programme, it accounts for less than 10% of the total floor area of the show.
Most of the exhibitors were Danish or Swedish but I also met Norwegians, Germans, Irish and even Warren from Edinburgh who was there with his microscale Olympic park.
11 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)6632 views
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Sun Promotion - LEGO Lucky Dip
Posted by kempo81, 19 Feb 2013 11:48. Filed under Shopping (UK).
The official announcement regarding the heavily discussed next Sun promo is now available here on their website. It is as we all feared - a lucky dip! Below is the tag line from the Sun.ATTENTION all LEGO heads, we have got another fantastic offer to keep you smiling - FIVE FREE Toys (P&P applies).Thanks to Simon for the news!
32 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5392 views
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TheBrickStop: a website to trade LEGO bricks & instructions on KickStarter
Posted by Huw, 19 Feb 2013 10:25. Filed under Miscellaneous.
A week or so ago a project was launched on KickStarter which aims to create a new LEGO parts trading website.It could be argued that there is a perfectly good platform already for buying and selling LEGO but, it has to be said, it is a little dated, and unfortunately has suffered from a lack of investment and development recently.
I would also argue that to the new or casual LEGO buyer, working out how to actually use the existing site is very daunting. It's OK for you and I who have been using it for 10+ years but imagine if you stumbled across it for the first time today, what would your opinion of it be?
It's also incredibly difficult to perform certain tasks on the site, like take a list of parts you want, perhaps to make a model that someone else has designed or to reconstruct an old official set, and then work out the most efficient and cheapest way to buy them. Or find out what the cheapest minifig available is. Or know, before you place your binding order, how much the seller is going to charge for postage and other fees. Sure, they can be done, but it's hard work. The site is extremely functional for sellers, but not so much for buyers and, surely, that's the wrong way round.
TheBrickStop aims to address these, and other issues. You can read the proposal, and watch a video about it, on its KickStarter page.
One of the features they are proposing is to have zero selling fees. That sounds great, doesn't it, particularly if you're a seller, but it does of course mean they'll need to raise revenues in other ways, mainly by selling advertising it seems, which for everyone else could soon get annoying (that's why you all love Brickset, right, because it has very little advertising!). It also means that the site itself won't be able to operate an affiliate scheme and thus probably won't get marketing assistance from established sites, like Brickset, which could result in a very slow takeup of buyers and sellers.
Needless to say, there is some concerned discussion going on at the other site about having a competitor, but from what I can gather they (at least, those that are vocal in the community there) are largely dismissive and are planning on resting on their laurels, safe in the knowledge that they have a huge user base, a mass of data, and a well established website, all of which will take some beating. That sounds a bit dangerous to me...
Competition in any marketplace is a good thing, so although I have a few reservations about the proposals, I welcome this initiative and I encourage you to read the proposal and pledge your support if you do too.
I'd be very interested to hear what you think about it in the comments.
128 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)10705 views
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LEGO World Copenhagen report, part 2
Posted by Huw, 19 Feb 2013 03:59. Filed under Events (Europe).
Yesterday, in part 1 of my report, I described the LEGO Production area of the show. Today I'll cover some of the other displays and activities provided by LEGO, as opposed to AFOLs (which I'll cover tomorrow). I could be here until next week describing it all, so I'll just mention some of things I found most interesting.The main hall was divided into about 20 zones, each of which featured some sort of display or activity, usually correlating to a LEGO theme, for example Chima, Friends, Star Wars and Mindstorms.
In most cases, part of each zone was used to showcase the current products in the theme and for large display models, but most of the space in each was a building area, either on tables, in a pit or just on the floor. The vast quantity of bricks in them was mind-boggling.
15 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7485 views
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Iron Man 3 sets in the shops already
Posted by Huw, 18 Feb 2013 13:58. Filed under Shopping (USA).
The movie isn't released for another two months but Brickset member zsgraak has found the three Iron Man 3 sets on the shelves of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Chicago already, and purchased 76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle.
I don't know exactly when they are supposed to be available, but given the fuss that was made last week when pictures were available at Barnes and Noble, I suspect not yet.I guess we'll find out whether the 'Brickset effect' causes them to disappear suddenly; then we'll have our answer.
If you're nearby and fancy grabbing them early, I suggest you do so ASAP.
Update: According to this page at Marvel.com, they are supposed to hit the shelves on March 7th in the USA. (thanks Carl)
32 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7886 views
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Red Squirrel by Vuurzoon
Posted by glenbricker, 18 Feb 2013 13:35. Filed under Cuusoo.
Most of us use LEGO to recreate inanimate fabrications of our lives and imaginations, like vehicles and buildings. The hard edges and angles of the brick lends itself to such acts. However some of us strive to recreate the organic out of the same pieces of plastic. Most of these creations are distant shadows of the originals, but some select few are able to click these lifeless brick together with such intuition and skill that they cause people to reconsider what is possible with LEGO. Perhaps that opening paragraph is a bit over the top, but I can't help but think such things when looking at Vuurzoon's Red Squirrel.
7 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2657 views
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LEGO World Copenhagen report, part 1
Posted by Huw, 18 Feb 2013 04:43. Filed under Events (Europe).
The fifth LEGO World to be held in Copenhagen has just ended. As you know I was there for two of the four days so I'm going to write a series of reports about the show which I'm hoping will persuade you to visit it yourself next year :-)First, some basic information about the event. It's held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, at the Bella Center, which is a couple of miles from the city centre, and a couple of miles from the airport. It's on the city's metro system so is easy to get to. The Bella Sky hotel is next door and there's a Danhostel within walking distance, which provides budget accommodation.
It's unique among LEGO shows in that it's actually organised by the LEGO company, their Danish regional office. (LEGO participates in other events, like LEGO World in the Netherlands, but they are organised by clubs or other companies) This obviously means that they have a large presence, and indeed fill a massive hall with displays and activities.
Byggepladen, the Danish LUG, work with LEGO and coordinate the 'Fan Zone' hall, in which AFOLs from around Europe display their models.
I'll write the report in three sections: this first one will cover one aspect of the LEGO display: the production area. The other two will cover the other LEGO company areas and the fan zone.
Acknowledgement: Some of the photos in this report are courtesy of Chris, wiredforsound, whom I met at the show. Photography in the production area was difficult as it was always very crowded.
26 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11243 views
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10232 Palace Cinema available now
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2013 11:08. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (General).
If you're a VIP member, you can now buy Palace Cinema from the brand stores and shop.LEGO.com. If you're in the UK you'll receive a free 30222 police helicopter polybag when you do so, and standard shipping seems to be free at the moment.
Please use these links to order: UK (£119.99) | USA ($149.99) | Canada ($199.99)
43 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5049 views
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UCS X-Wing observations
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2013 05:34. Filed under New sets.
I had the opportunity to examine the UCS X-Wing just after its unveiling at LEGO World. There was a large crowd jostling for position around it but I managed to grab a few photos.My first thought when I saw it was, why on earth did they make it white again? When I look at the picture at Wookiepedia I see grey. Am I the only one? I converted my original UCS X-Wing to all grey and it looks far better. (I still have it assembled in storage: I'll have to dig it out to photograph). Hopefully it will be possible to do the same for this one.
53 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)12769 views
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February offer at Chowren Toys
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2013 05:14. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Here's the February offer from our good friends over at Chowren Toys:LEGO Bricks & More 5929 Knight and Castle Building Set for just $7.50!
"This set comes with 144 pieces and 1 castle minifigure. US MSRP is $9.99 and is available to Brickset readers at 25% off retail. Please use the promo code: 5929BrickS to receive the discounted price of $7.50.
"The limit is up to 12 per person while quantities last. As with previous promotions the more you buy the average shipping per items goes way down. A quick consideration about shipping: If the rates seem high please note USPS just increased their rates by about 10%. Although we do charge a very small handling fee, any overcharge due to shipping calculator limitations will be refunded to you. In order for us to control and limit quantity, you will need to register an account in order for the coupon code to work."
At $0.05 per piece, that sounds like a great deal. Click here to place your order.
4 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1497 views
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Watford store grand opening details
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2013 05:07. Filed under Shopping (UK).
Legoboy has forwarded details of the grand opening event at the Watford store, which opened its doors just before Christmas:"Come to the LEGO® Store Watford Grand Opening from 21-23 February at The Harlequin Shopping Centre.
"Get a different Exclusive Limited Edition Free Gift only available to the first 300 purchases over £25 each day."
The dates, times, and freebies are as follows:
21st February, Thu: 9am-9pm -- T Shirt
22nd February, Fri: 9am-6pm -- Brand store model
23rd February, Sat: 9am-7pm -- Minifig pack
9 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2304 views
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New 'Battle packs' in brand stores
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2013 04:56. Filed under New sets.
jlbblue and murphquake have found new 'battle packs' in their local brand stores in the USA. 850617 features 4 policemen, accessories and a dog; 850618 contains 4 firemen and accessories; a third, not in the database yet because I'm waiting for confirmation of the set number, is a Ninjago one, containing blue and white Ninjas and two of this year's bad guys.
9 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2476 views
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60026 Town Square
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2013 14:35. Filed under New sets.
Okay, so I wasn't the first to post pictures of this new City set, although I haven't seen it pop up in any of the RSS feeds that I monitor, so it might be news to some of you. Set number 60026 Town Square is a somewhat strange collection of models that will be available as a 'market driven' product later in the year. That means it won't be available everywhere, probably just in one specific retailer per country. It will of course be available in brand stores and at shop.LEGO.com.
So what is it... well, most of what you see in this picture. A bike shop, a pizza shop, a statue, a crane, a bus and a street sweeper. I didn't think the gas station was part of it, but other sites are reporting that it is so I might have misunderstood. (Update: it's not)The picture shows two bike shops placed side-by-side and, I believe, a larger pizza shop than will be in the set.
The crane is hoisting the statue onto its plinth. I don't know whether it will come with enough baseplates for all the models; but it does look as if the square where the statue is, will be on one.
The bus looks particularly interesting; your city can never have enough buses!
Here's a good photo by wiredforsound that shows the sweeper and some new coloured bikes. The bike shop will be half this size.To my mind, the individual models don't really seem to form a coherent 'whole', but they will be handy to scatter around your city and of course make a great change from more of the same emergency services.
There are a few more photos on flickr.
67 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)15647 views
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I'm back from LEGO World with a rant...
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2013 12:00. Filed under Miscellaneous.
I'm back from my travels, and will be catching up on emails and news over the next day or so.
LEGOWorld was excellent and I'll be posting various reports over the next few days. All I'll say for now is that, once again, the LEGO City team added some 'Easter eggs' to their display and as a result I will be revealing a forthcoming City set that will be appearing later this year. It was so unexpected and different to most other City sets that I didn't spot it among the myriad of custom builds made just for the display: one of the City designer team had to point it out :)
Big thanks to atkinsar for posting the X-Wing annoucement at the right time yesterday in my absence. I was there at the unveiling and I'll be posting a few pictures and observations when I get time (but first I had better spend time with my wife, having been away for 3 days, right? :-) )
It was unfortunate that a Taiwanse site leaked the pictures ahead of time, and that they then appeared in the Eurobricks forum earlier in the day. It's even more unfortunate that another site republished them and, despite being asked by LEGO to remove them, refused to do so and has allowed personally offensive comments about the LEGO CEE team to be posted in response to the article.
It was perhaps also unfortunate that the CEE team broke the embargo as well: Jan published pictures on their blog some 45 minutes or so before 9pm GMT, which muddied the waters somewhat!
Reputable LEGO fan sites, like Brickset, are happy to work closely with LEGO and do as asked to maintain a positive relationship, to both sides mutual benefit [1]. But, there are some sites out there that seem more interested in first bragging rights in an attempt to boost their traffic and, presumably, affiliate revenue. I'll certainly not be republishing anything they post and sending traffic their way in future. Luckily the site in question is of little interest to the majority here, so it won't be a major loss. Personally, I'd advise you to steer clear of them.
I see Rich at BrickFanatics has had a similar rant about this very same thing :-)
[1] I got my knuckles rapped last night for posting the blurry photo of the confidential image that Sears.ca posted, which I was slightly take aback by, but I understand the issues now and won't be doing it again. It's OK to link to sites such as Sears that publish them (but not fan sites hosting scans from retailers' catalogues), it seems, but even blurring them out and posting as I did is not...
23 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4660 views
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Red Five Standing By - UCS X-Wing Revealed at LEGOWorld Copenhagen
Posted by atkinsar, 15 Feb 2013 16:00. Filed under New sets.
This evening, the latest LEGO Star Wars UCS set, 10240 Red Five X-wing Starfighter, was exclusively unveiled at LEGOWorld Copenhagen.
Here's the official press release:
10240 - Red Five X-wing Starfighter
Ages 16+. 1,558 pieces.
Build the ultimate LEGO Star Wars X-wing Starfighter!
US $199.99 CA $249.99 DE 199.99€ UK 169.99 £ DK 1699.00 DKK
Collect and create the most highly detailed LEGO® Star Wars X-wing Starfighter ever produced. This iconic starfighter is featured in many of the most exciting Star Wars battle scenes, including the decisive battle scene above planet Yavin. Recreate the moment when Luke Skywalker’s X-wing delivered the proton torpedo that led to the destruction of the Imperial Death Star! With 1,558 pieces, this realistically detailed model features opening wings and cockpit, a special display stand, data sheet label and R2-D2.
- Includes R2-D2 atromech droid
- Features highly authentic detailing, and opening wings and cockpit
- Includes 1,558 pieces
- Measures over 10" (26cm) high, 20" (52cm) long and 18" (46cm) wide
- Includes display stand and data sheet label!
Available for sale directly through LEGO beginning May 2013 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO Stores or via phone.
Huw is currently attending LEGOWorld Copenhagen and will add the pictures to the set details page as soon as he can. In the meantime, I've uploaded the pictures to Flickr and you can see them here.
Update: Here's a link to the designer video on YouTube, enjoy.
49 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8832 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 15 Feb 2013 01:22. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of two new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
3 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1875 views
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Announcing a LEGO Friends fan community
Posted by Huw, 14 Feb 2013 01:00. Filed under Miscellaneous.
The team running new Friends fan site FriendsBricks.com are using Valentine's Day to announce that the site is open for business:"We are a worldwide community of Friends fans: Our members are AFOLs, TFOLs, Parents, Sisters and Brothers -- some seasoned LEGO fans & builders, and some newly discovering the love of building through Friends bricks. Our core purpose is sharing creations, reviews & news.
"Since the January 1st, 2012 launch of LEGO Friends, Heartlake City life has been inspiring us. Stop by www.FriendsBricks.com and join in the Friendship! "
17 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2214 views
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Reminder: LEGO World, Copenhagen
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2013 06:50. Filed under Events (Europe).
LEGO World in Copenhagen begins on Thursday this week. I will be there Thursday and Friday. If you will be there as well, leave a comment and we can try and meet up.
20 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3153 views
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Review: 70700 Space Swarmer
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2013 04:10. Filed under Set review.
Galaxy Squad sets appeared in the shops in North America before Christmas but, as I discovered at the London toy fair, they are not going to be available in Europe until the summer, when all 10 boxed sets will be released.I am therefore very grateful to Jeff from BrickPicker.com, the LEGO price and investing guide, for bringing three of them over from the US for me when we met in London last week.
70700 is the smallest of the Galaxy Squad sets, containing 86 pieces, including two minifigs. It's $11.99 in the USA and I imagine it'll be £9.99 or so in the UK.
28 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7682 views
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LEGO Mondrian by NonoLeRobot
Posted by glenbricker, 11 Feb 2013 21:20. Filed under Cuusoo.
Though far from the most popular subject, Cuusoo has a fair number of projects dedicated to the concept of being art by recreating art. The most famous of these, in LEGO circles at least, is probably the small YELLOW project.
One of my favorite Cuusoo art projects though is the overlooked LEGO Mondrian, which uses the LEGO medium to expand the subject instead of just recreating it.
12 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2999 views
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Belkin announces licensing deal with LEGO
Posted by Huw, 11 Feb 2013 14:34. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Belkin, manufacturer of tech products including phone cases, today announced it had struck a deal with LEGO to make 'buildable' phone cases, initially for Apple products.I'm sure this will be a dream come true for many: those who are both LEGO and Apple fan boys, of whom there are quite a few on the Brickset staff :-)
I don't think this image is necessarily a picture showing what we can expect because it was taken at CES last month, before the announcement. But if they are anything like that shown, they'll be pretty cool...
Source Engadget. Read the press release at Belkin.com.
25 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3480 views
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Sun promotion update
Posted by Huw, 11 Feb 2013 08:55. Filed under Shopping (UK).
More details about the forthcoming Sun promotion have emerged.Head on over to BrickFanatics to find out what the word on the street is.
Warning: it sounds like bad news :-(
32 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4953 views
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First videos from the NY Toy Fair
Posted by Huw, 10 Feb 2013 10:48. Filed under New sets.
If video is your thing, Jason and the Brick Show team have started uploading videos from the NY toy fair. Here's the first one, of the Council of Elrond, and here's the playlist where they'll be adding them throughout the day.
17 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3298 views
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New inventories added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 10 Feb 2013 09:32. Filed under Auto alert.
An inventory for one set has been added to the LEGO Customer Services site.See what's new on our new inventories page.
2 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1795 views
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First images from NY Toy Fair
Posted by Huw, 10 Feb 2013 08:55. Filed under New sets.
Toy Ark seems to be the first off the blocks with pictures from the NY toy fair. They've posted quite a few galleries already, which I've linked to below.Star Wars -- including Jabba's Sail Barge, left.
Friends
City
HERO Factory
Legends Of Chima
Lord of the Rings
Lone Ranger
Galaxy Squad
Castle
Unfortunately, they don't seem to know what's unreleased and what's already in the shops, so they are photographing everything. You'll need to spot the good stuff yourself. When you've done so, post the URL in the comments of anything that catches your eye.Update: more images at Figures.com.
Update: Using the box images from Figures.com I've removed the keystoning and added them to the database. This query will show them all (plus a few we already had).
116 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)22090 views
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Another Lone Ranger image: Stagecoach Escape
Posted by Huw, 09 Feb 2013 11:14. Filed under New sets.
Here's a picture of another Lone Ranger set, courtesy of Toy Ark, which is priced at $30. No further details have been provided.
Thanks BrickboxTV for the news.
52 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5103 views
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Constitution Train Chase revealed
Posted by Huw, 09 Feb 2013 04:02. Filed under New sets.
Overnight, Yahoo Movies published a hi-res photo of the forthcoming Lone Ranger set 79111 Constitution Train Chase.It will contain 7 minifigs: The Lone Ranger/John Reid (played by Armie Hammer), Tonto (Johnny Depp), Rebecca Reid (Ruth Wilson), Danny Reid (James Badge Dale), Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson) and Captain Jay Fuller (Barry Pepper).
The train looks pretty cool, perhaps more so than might have been expected. I'm surprised that it comes with a loop of track; usually that's left out to cut costs.The LEGO set description reads:
"The chase is on to save Rebecca and Danny from Butch Cavendish and his gang of henchmen onboard the speeding train, Constitution!
- Help Tonto to place the dynamite and blow up the water tower to stop the speeding train in its tracks!
- Ride to the rescue with the Lone Ranger alongside on his trusty horse, Silver.
- Jump aboard the highly detailed locomotive with 3 cars and dodge the gatling gun!
- Uncover the secret coal wagon hideout, blow the prison wagon door with the dynamite and escape to safety with Rebecca and Danny!"
The New York Toy Fair starts tomorrow so we should see a lot more news like this emerge over the weekend. Unfortunately there won't be any Brickset staff at the event but we'll do our best to keep you informed of where to look for the top stories.
(Thanks MrCurtis for the news).
41 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5926 views
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Zelda reaches Review status AND Cuusoo issues a new restriction on projects.
Posted by glenbricker, 08 Feb 2013 13:30. Filed under Cuusoo.
Legend of Zelda has received the 10,000 support it needs to be reviewed for production on Cuusoo making it the second Zelda based project to do so.This incarnation did not replicate (for the most part) the elements that lead to the rejection of the original, so its chances for production look good. Being on top of a total of over 22600 votes demanding Zelda related products.
Plus opinions on the new project restriction revealed in the Zelda Official Announcement.
Continue reading Zelda reaches Review status AND Cuusoo issues a new restriction on projects.
49 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8621 views
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40054 Beach Scene discovered on eBay UK
Posted by Matthew, 08 Feb 2013 11:38. Filed under New sets.
Brickset member nerick906 has discovered set 40054 Beach Scene for sale on eBay UK, albeit with a hefty price tag of almost £10. This is the first reported sighting of this polybag 'in the flesh', and we do not have any details as yet of its planned release date and pricing.
Seen this set for sale elsewhere? Let us know in the comments.
7 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2382 views
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The Leaning Tower of LEGO
Posted by Huw, 08 Feb 2013 11:02. Filed under New sets.
Brickset user Kez has posted a photo of a forthcoming Architecture set, the leaning tower of Pisa, on flickr. He hasn't indicated where it was obtained but it appears to be in a glass display case.There's no set number visible, but it might be 21018, which is slated for release this year.
16 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4235 views
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Swedish Polybag Promotion Spreads to Belgium
Posted by atkinsar, 08 Feb 2013 10:02. Filed under Shopping (Europe).
Remember the exclusive polybag promotion being run in the Swedish supermarket chain the COOP that we brought you news of in mid-January?Well Darth Brick brings us news that the promotion has now spread to Belgium.
The sets included in the promotion are identical to those being sold in Sweden and are available in the supermarket chain Colruyt priced at EUR 4,29 each.
Darth Brick speculates that they may soon be available in the toy shop chain Dreamland since that is owned by the Colruyt group, but there have been no confirmed sightings yet.
I wonder if we'll see this promotion appear elsewhere in Europe? Keep your eyes peeled when you're doing the grocery shopping.
Update: Information coming to light from the comments (thanks guys) suggests that these polybags won't be sold via Dreamland in Belgium but are on sale at the Netto chain in Denmark.
Update They are now available from Supermarket chain Colruyt France priced at Eur 3.99 Each
Continue reading Swedish Polybag Promotion Spreads to Belgium
13 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3438 views
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Iron Man 3 pictures published by B&N
Posted by Huw, 07 Feb 2013 18:21. Filed under New sets.
Barnes and Noble has published pictures and set names of three Iron Man 3 sets. They are:
76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle
76007 Iron Man: Malibu Mansion Attack
76008 Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate ShowdownYou can see more pictures at the B&N website here, here and here. They will be available on May 15, apparently.
As I said after I saw them at the toy fair, and as you can now see, they are somewhat under whelming. The figures, as ever, look great but the rest of the sets are a little lacklustre, IMO.
Thanks to eagle-eyed dezslade for the news.
Update: Unsurprisingly, we've been asked to remove the images by LEGO. They are still on the B&N site, but probably not for long.
Update: They've been removed from the B&N website now. I hope you saved a copy!
62 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8039 views
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Bugdroid Achieves 10,000 supporters. Receives Official Comment.
Posted by glenbricker, 07 Feb 2013 14:22. Filed under Cuusoo.
The Bugdroid, the Android OS mascot, has received the 10,000 support it needs to be reviewed for production on Cuusoo. It took a while, but it has now gotten its official comment and it is moving into the review which will start on March 4th.
Given that the design is simple, direct, and economically scaled (especially in the color and parts budget), the big issues I see are market and precedent.
Continue reading Bugdroid Achieves 10,000 supporters. Receives Official Comment.
30 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4194 views
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Mini-review: 40052 Springtime Scene
Posted by Huw, 07 Feb 2013 10:00. Filed under Set review.
Spring is in the air...Actually it's still freezing in the UK at the moment, but LEGO brand stores have put this set, 'Springtime scene', out on the shelves to remind us that, hopefully, warmer weather is just around the corner.
40052 is the latest in the 40000 series of sets that are normally exclusively sold in LEGO brand stores and shop.LEGO.com. They are usually seasonally themed, designed for specific shops (e.g. in New York), or for special in-store offers.
This one is unusual in that it's the first seasonal one to contain minifigs.
11 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4077 views
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Sun promotion starting next weekend?
Posted by Huw, 07 Feb 2013 05:00. Filed under Shopping (UK).
We've heard a rumour from a normally reliable source that the next Sun promotion will start on Saturday 16th February.It's said to contain 2 Lone Ranger, 3 Chima, 1 Ironman, 1 City and 1 Friends polybag, plus one other if it's to run Saturday to the following Sunday.
As I say this is just a rumour at the moment. There's another one going round, reported by BrickFanatics, that suggests it's going to be some sort of 'lucky dip'.
Whatever, we might get the first concrete information this weekend by way of an advert in the paper.
33 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4903 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 07 Feb 2013 01:21. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of four new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
0 comments (Commenting has ended on this article)1464 views
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Review: 79104 The Shellraiser Street Chase
Posted by atkinsar, 06 Feb 2013 15:53. Filed under Set review.
There’s not long to wait now until the UK launch of the TMNT theme, and of all the first wave of sets, this was the one I was most excited about, so I was understandably pleased to be offered the opportunity to review it here for Brickset.
Having now seen the first fourteen episodes of the 2012 TV series (and having thoroughly enjoyed them too), I can tell you that The Shellraiser is yet to make an appearance other than in the title sequence. I for one can’t wait to see this baby in action, so I’m kind of hoping it will make an entrance soon and kick some Kraang butt.
This is the largest set in the launch line-up, at least in piece count (620), and will set you back a cool US $59.99 / GBP £59.99.
Now I’ll lay it on the line, I’m pretty certain this is a new mode of transportation for the turtles that has been freshly created for the 2012 reboot. I’ll be honest though, I’m not familiar with any source material save for the original cartoon and the latest incarnation, so all I can say for sure, is that it doesn’t appear in the original cartoon series, in which of course, the preferred mode of transport was The Party Wagon.
Well, The Party Wagon has some pretty large boots to fill, so let’s see what The Shellraiser has to offer.
Update: TLG have made some alternate build instructions available to the fan community (source: Brick Fanactics) so I thought I'd have a go at making the Hot Rod, which I think is pretty cool. Skip to the end of the review to see some pictures.
27 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)7942 views
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Steampunk comes to Cuusoo, Zelda and Bugdroid duking it out in their final Days!
Posted by glenbricker, 06 Feb 2013 12:29. Filed under Cuusoo.
Team Jigsaw, the team that brought you the amazingly presented Thinking with Portals project, that reached 10k in a few days, is at it again with Steam Rod. This time treating us with a high quality Steampunk set that many LEGO fans have been looking for for years.Update: Team Jigsaw's Gallery is now online with more pics.
Continue reading Steampunk comes to Cuusoo, Zelda and Bugdroid duking it out in their final Days!
22 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4550 views
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Video review enhancements
Posted by Huw, 06 Feb 2013 05:54. Filed under Brickset.
It's a quiet week for news, isn't it, so it's just as well I have the video reviews features to boretell you about :-)There are now over 1800 review links in the database, including over 220 by Artifex Creations, whose reviews are highly regarded by many.
To make it even easier to find and watch the videos, I've created an Index of video producers page, which lists all producers, a random video review, and a list of recently added reviews. The links on the page lead to an index of reviews by the producer, grouped by theme. Click on the image for an example.
The next job is to provide better link management tools for link submitters.
13 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1925 views
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YouTube video reviews update
Posted by Huw, 05 Feb 2013 05:18. Filed under Brickset.
Since I announced the new video reviews index yesterday, the response from video producers has been fantastic. All the major ones are on board and there are now some 1230 video links in the database, for 694 different sets.The most reviewed sets are 9516 Jabba's Palace, 76005 Spider-Man Daily Bugle Showdown and 76000 Artic Batman vs Mr. Freeze, which have seven video reviews each.
The breakdown of videos per producer is as follows:
15 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3157 views
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LEGO loves you...
Posted by Huw, 04 Feb 2013 15:49. Filed under New sets.
... well, at least, it seems to love some VIPs who've been sent this red-chrome minifig and a Valentine's card.
mmaldony emailed the picture and said "I received a Valentine's Day card in the mail today from LEGO with an Exclusive LEGO VIP Key Chain - #853303, item #4644591. The card says it is a thank you for being a valued LEGO VIP. It was sent from LEGO UK in Derby to my Austrian address."
Update: I've had it confirmed by the LEGO affiliate manager that these are being shipped to VIPs in Europe and North America, and most should begin arriving on 7th February.
Update 2 : We've been told by the folks at LEGO that not every VIP member will get one of these key chains - only "the most active and engaged VIP members based on a list of criteria including purchase frequency". So fingers crossed !
208 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)14483 views
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Mining Truck on sale at Walmart Canada
Posted by fuelbreak, 04 Feb 2013 13:26. Filed under Shopping (Canada).
4202 Mining Truck, regularly priced at $49.99, has been spotted in Eastern Canada Walmarts for $20.00.
You can check availability at your local Walmart if you go to walmart.ca and select "check prices and availability" below the product image.
This sale seems to be nationwide in store.
Thank you Natedog for the news.
5 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1687 views
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Cuusoo of the Week: - MegaMan Project - by Alatariel
Posted by glenbricker, 04 Feb 2013 09:50. Filed under Cuusoo.
Projects based on games of all types abound on Cuusoo. They make up more than 5% of projects over 17 support. Though it likely shows my age, I desire none of these moreso than one of Alatariel's fantastic MOCs themed on MegaMan 2.
This is certainly one case in which I would not mind "Mega" getting mixed in with my LEGO. (Cue the groan...)
Continue reading Cuusoo of the Week: - MegaMan Project - by Alatariel
8 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3050 views
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Add your YouTube videos to Brickset set details pages
Posted by Huw, 04 Feb 2013 09:11. Filed under Brickset.
Many of you like to see, and indeed make, video reviews of sets on YouTube. It's not something I'm going to start doing any time soon, but in recognition of the increasing importance of the media, I've added a new 'Video reviews' tab to set details pages in which video reviews will be embedded.This is partly in response to suggestions made in the user survey, but also thanks to a request from the team over at YourCreativeFriends who wanted to 'hook up' with Brickset to gain more exposure for their reviews.
So, if you head on over to this page (opens in new tab) you'll notice the Video reviews tab at the bottom. I've populated the database with links to 70 reviews that YourCreativeFriends sent me, and for that set I've added a couple more so you can see how it'll look when there are multiple videos. At the bottom (if you're logged in) there's a form to enable you to add videos for the set you're viewing.
I suspect, in time, I'll add other ways to view the videos (like the recent reviews page shows newly added reviews) and also editing and deleting facilities. I'll also be contacting the major reviewers to make them aware of it, and to offer to bulk upload their back catalogue.
As always, LMK if you have an comments, problems, or suggestions.
Update: The details for all 330 of The Brick Show's video reviews have been imported into the database. Thanks Jason!
40 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4495 views
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German toy fair wrap-up
Posted by Huw, 04 Feb 2013 03:55. Filed under New sets.
The German toy fair has ended and over the weekend more picture galleries have appeared on the web.Joe Meno, who provided us with the first set of photos to be published, has uploaded more to his flickr stream. (thanks R4-G9)
Austrian site Spieletest.at has published videos and photos, including some of sets that we haven't seen before, and which were not shown at the London toy fair, such as this Grand Prix truck, 60025. (thanks Aanchir)
Take a look through the galleries and let us know what catches you eye.
The New York toy fair starts on Sunday, February 10th. Expect loads more pictures then...
31 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)16897 views
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European Amazon Shopper page now shows prices from Amazon.com
Posted by Huw, 03 Feb 2013 10:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've started to go through the suggestions made in the survey looking for quick-wins. Here's one that I've been able to address already:"Extend the Amazon European price comparisons to the US or all Amazon sites. As an American living in London, I am constantly comparing prices to judge which sets are worth the hassle and luggage space to buy there vs here."
If your country is set to the USA you will now see Amazon.com prices on the European Amazon Shopper page. Yesterday, they were visible to everyone but that prompted the following email:
"I am based in the UK, however I am now seeing the US Amazon listed in the EU Amazon Shopper. This is not only depressing (price wise), but since i don't think we can order from the US, I don't think it should be showing at all."
So now, hopefully everyone is happy :-)
16 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2520 views
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Charity auction for the Make-A-Wish foundation
Posted by Huw, 03 Feb 2013 04:53. Filed under Miscellaneous.
I've been asked to make you aware of a charity auction for the Make-A-Wish foundation, featuring a Technic car designed by Crowkillers."Up for charity auction is my all new custom built LEGO Technic 2013
Pittsburgh Steelers® black & gold themed super car."This model was constructed from over 1,800 brand new LEGO parts.
"The scale of this model is 1:10, 17.75" long x 8" wide x 5" high (45 cm long x 20.3 cm wide x 12.7 cm high)."The auction ends today at 14:00 PST. Here's the link to place your bid: Crowkillers Custom Lego Technic Pittsburgh Steelers Themed Supercar
. Happy bidding! It will be interesting to see how much it goes for.
Update: the auction has finished, it fetched $1,160.00 !
19 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2351 views
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Brickset user survey results
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2013 05:14. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you to all 1920 of you who responded to the survey: that's more than double the number of people who responded to the 2011 survey (which was run in November 2011), so it's given me some valuable feedback.As you'll recall, the survey consisted of quantitative questions (that you marked 1-6), and free text questions. The former were the same as those asked in 2011 (and in 2010 for that matter) so direct comparisons can be made to determine whether you think the aspects of the site that were asked about have improved or not.
41 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4422 views
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February shop.LEGO.com offers
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2013 04:06. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (General).
This month's offers are as follows. Click on the country name below for more details.
USA:
- Free City Police Helicopter polybag (30222) when you spend $35 or more.
- Free City Police Helicopter polybag (30222) when you spend $35 or more.
UK:
15 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2379 views
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Review: 70503 The Golden Dragon
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 01 Feb 2013 03:04. Filed under Set review.
Honestly, if you’d told me when the first wave of Ninjago sets appeared in 2011 that I’d be looking forward to building and reviewing two Ninjago sets in the space of just over a week then I’d have laughed in your face. It took me a while to warm to the Ninjago theme, but I’m now well and truly on board, with a growing pile of Ninjago sets to prove it….My first encounter with the 2013 Ninjago line-up was extremely positive, as you can read for yourself in my review of Set 70500 Kai’s Fire Mech. The question was whether Set 70503 The Golden Dragon would impress me as much…
12 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8970 views
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New instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huwbot, 01 Feb 2013 01:15. Filed under Auto alert.
PDFs of five new instruction manuals have been added to the LEGO Customer Services Building Instructions site today.See what's new on our new instructions page.
0 comments (Commenting has ended on this article)1478 views
