Toys R Us Mini Hobby Series announced!
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO has released a series of Bricktober sets via Toys R Us recently, now limited to the Asia Pacific region and sometimes Canadian stores.
A new range has arrived this year, dubbed the Mini Hobby Series. These six models represent popular hobbies and the first is available from today, although only in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia at the moment. In addition, four will be released in Canada, beginning on September 28th.
You can view all six models after the break...
Similar to the Bricktober sets from last year, these may also be available via the LEGO Insiders Rewards Centre in the future.
Do these hobby-themed sets interest you? Let us know in the comments.
62 likes
43 comments on this article
Man I miss Toys R Us here in the US
I miss Toys R Us here in the UK
On my Birthday!!!! But not in my country :(
I misread "Baking" as "Banking" and was very confused for a second.
where is playing with LEGO as a mini hobby set?
@LegoMKB said:
"Man I miss Toys R Us here in the US"
Aren't they back, exclusively inside Macy's department stores? I know ots not the same, but it's something .
Toys R Us, another victim of private equity management. It seems like some cartoonish plot out of the 1980s, greedy businessmen literally destroying childhood dreams so they can add more millions to their piles of billions.
Only it’s not a movie because there wasn’t a skateboarding race down a mountain that saved the business at the very last possible second.
Otherwise we in America could be enjoying these lovely LEGO models…
Toys R Us comes around every so often to say "AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM NOT DEAD!"
I like these little babies!
Huh. They remind me of the supplemental builds (e.g., vehicle, console, robot character, etc.) in many of the LEGO Dimensions video game fun packs, a few years ago.
Stupid corporate exploitation in the United States. We'd have a Toys R Us still if corporate raiders hadn't gutted TRU for personal profit and loaded it up with debt.
At the moment TRU here in Malaysia have a special offer where you can get the full set of six mini sets plus a display stand as a gift with purchase with a spend of RM 1050 = about £182.50. Not bad really.
@Zoniax said:
" @LegoMKB said:
"Man I miss Toys R Us here in the US"
Aren't they back, exclusively inside Macy's department stores? I know ots not the same, but it's something ."
Have you been to one of these Macy’s toy departments? I’d say the Macy’s Toys R Us sections are a shell of their former self, but they’re more like a cut off pinky fingernail of their former self. I want the warehouse-sized toy store with aisles and aisles of floor-to-two-story-ceiling of toys of my childhood.
I'm going to say that I don't *really* miss TRU. They definitely had a markup going on their toys that put them over what Walmart/Target/Amazon were charging. If it weren't for their occasional free mini builds, I'd have had much less incentive to go there. Also, most TRUs I went to in their final years tended to be dirty, outdated-looking, and often understocked on what I was looking for. (Also, my kid is now out of the house, so I don't really have a kid anymore who can cover for an adult reason to go get a free build.)
The private equity thing killed them, but shifts in the toy market didn't help them any either.
I like the bowling alley one especially.
@iookjj said:
"where is playing with LEGO as a mini hobby set?"
Agreed. I’m also looking for the diorama of a Lego collector surrounded by sets on display while they type a strong opinion on the internet. :p
I prefer the ones they had last year, they included minifigs which are must for me. I see these ones just as parts packs so I'll pass. Oh, I miss the days when TRU had an exclusive minifigs pack each week during Bricktober!
Does Singapore actually have enough room for camping? How about race car driving?
@Librarian1976 said:
" @Zoniax said:
" @LegoMKB said:
"Man I miss Toys R Us here in the US"
Aren't they back, exclusively inside Macy's department stores? I know ots not the same, but it's something ."
Have you been to one of these Macy’s toy departments? I’d say the Macy’s Toys R Us sections are a shell of their former self, but they’re more like a cut off pinky fingernail of their former self. I want the warehouse-sized toy store with aisles and aisles of floor-to-two-story-ceiling of toys of my childhood.
"
Yeah, one of the largest is near me in Chicago, and it's quite different. They do carry a lot of Lego, and other name brand toys, but they're missing all the proletarian stuff that made Toys R Us relatively accessible when it was a proper store. The Macy's departments are only licensing the name "Toys R Us," there is no meaningful continuity between the two entities.
TRU was never really big here in Germany, and it never existed at all when I was a child. Therefor I don't miss it. Can't even remember it being a thing in the UK when I was there in the 80s and 90s.
These sets look nice but nothing that really tickles my fancy I must admit.
Moving on.
Nice mini builds. My favorites are the bowling & the camping in a tree. Probably could make either from parts I have. I really like the claw vacuum pictured above the race car the best, but it's not a set.
Not that I would have a chance to get them anyway, but these feel like they would be cute for free in-store builds but I can't imagine making a purchase just to get one, let alone collecting the full set.
Absolutely interested. Racing in particular but others as well.
In one way, having 4 of 6 sounds worse to me than having none at all. In another way, I get 4 of 6 so that's something. Still trying to acquire the other gaps from previous years.
Wish they would have a theme related minifigure with each set though as that would complete the display piece
These are silly 4+ side builds with zero value, that one can part out if really want to. Nothing to see here.
These look rather cute... Perfect 'Insiders' Rewards for next year.
I wish TRU in the US participated in these. I'm "near" the full TRU store in NJ, but honestly probably wouldn't make the trek out for more than 1 or 2 of these.
Toys R Us. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time.
@kingalbino said:
"I miss Toys R Us here in the UK"
I don’t- Smyths is miles better.
@MeisterDad said:
"In one way, having 4 of 6 sounds worse to me than having none at all. In another way, I get 4 of 6 so that's something. Still trying to acquire the other gaps from previous years."
The other 2 will probably become available at some point in the Lego website as VIP rewards.
@Zoniax said:
" @LegoMKB said:
"Man I miss Toys R Us here in the US"
Aren't they back, exclusively inside Macy's department stores? I know ots not the same, but it's something ."
At least based on the nearest Macy's, TRU was better left unresurrected. What we have is an insult to anyone who experienced TRU in the 1980s - 2000s. It carries nothing that can't be found elsewhere for a significantly cheaper price.
The Arcade Gaming and Bowling ones are really the only ones I'm interested in. I do find the Car Racing one interesting from the perspective of it bring the only one to have a side build.
@Ridgeheart: Well, you know, that's just like your opinion, man.
@M_Jibril: I think some people out there do consider banking a hobby.
Cute, but not something I'll weep over missing. Still, it's kind of nice to know that Bricktober continues somewhere.
@DaBigE:
To be fair, TRU _never_ sold LEGO sets that you couldn't buy elsewhere at a cheaper price, except for the odd polybag and 7848. Everything else you could walk in and buy would have been available direct from TLG without the TRU "discount" added.
I’m into all that stuff except for car racing. Might be fun to MOC these.
As far as TRU and prices, the TRU stores around me always did price matching. I just went to the Service Desk to check out, had my phone ready, and showed them the cheaper price at Target or Wal-Mart and they always matched it. In fact it wasn’t even an issue.
I was surprised more people didn’t know it was their policy.
@blogzilly said:
"As far as TRU and prices, the TRU stores around me always did price matching. I just went to the Service Desk to check out, had my phone ready, and showed them the cheaper price at Target or Wal-Mart and they always matched it. In fact it wasn’t even an issue.
I was surprised more people didn’t know it was their policy."
I did, _but_, they couldn’t price-match and apply a promo at the same time. If you price-matched, you wouldn’t qualify for the GWP, or the BOGOHO offer, or whatever.
@WemWem said:
"Toys R Us, another victim of private equity management. It seems like some cartoonish plot out of the 1980s, greedy businessmen literally destroying childhood dreams so they can add more millions to their piles of billions.
Only it’s not a movie because there wasn’t a skateboarding race down a mountain that saved the business at the very last possible second.
Otherwise we in America could be enjoying these lovely LEGO models…"
Some are available in America, just not in the United States of America. ;)
Toys R Us was awesome back in the 80s and 90s (I assume the 70s too; I just never saw one until the early 80s) because those were the halcyon days of play, and TRU was there to sell us the stuff for which we begged our parents.
I miss TRU and Bricktober, but these sets aren’t doing anything for me. I liked last year’s, and I miss the minifigure packs.
@SrEddieO said:
"I miss TRU and Bricktober, but these sets aren’t doing anything for me. I liked last year’s, and I miss the minifigure packs."
I liked last year’s too, better than these I’m afraid, and why 6? It’s been 4 each year… why change that now?
Will these be added to the database?
@huw @capnrex101 will these be added to the database?