Brickset news archive: February 2012
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Cute polybags out for Easter
Posted by Huw, 29 Feb 2012 11:48. Filed under New sets.
Two new Easter-themed polybags have been found in a LEGO brand store by Brickset member Humberto: this cute brace of ducks and an even cuter 40031 duck and bunny.
Update: these can now be ordered at shop.LEGO.com.
15 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1196 views
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20% off 2012 Star Wars sets at Argos
Posted by Huw, 28 Feb 2012 13:40. Filed under Shopping (UK).
Argos appears to be having a bit of a sale at the moment, with 20% off this year's Star Wars sets and various discounts on older sets. Check it all out here, and remember, Brickset gets 25p for every reservation made through the link! (Thanks AnseltheCat)
13 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1130 views
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At least 25% off LEGO at Outer Rim Trading Co.
Posted by Huw, 28 Feb 2012 10:17. Filed under Shopping (Australia/NZ).
It looks as if there will be some bargains to be had in Australia in March:March Madness sale begins March 1 at Outer Rim Trading Co.
- 25% off RRP on all licenced lines including Star Wars and Super Heroes
- 35% off RRP on everything else store-wide excluding Gift VouchersFind out more on the site's promotions page.
9 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)887 views
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February 2012 Community Survey
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 26 Feb 2012 19:33. Filed under Miscellaneous.
It's that time again.... LEGO is requesting your feedback to help them better understand the LEGO fan community. The survey, which you can find at the link below, is shorter than usual in preparation for a more substantial survey in March, apparently.....
23 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)993 views
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First unwatermarked images of Lord Of The Rings boxes
Posted by Huw, 26 Feb 2012 03:54. Filed under New sets.
German LEGO blog The Brick Time has posted photos of four of the boxes on flickr that were taken at the NY toy fair (If I've understood the Google translation correctly). It looks as if they have been around for a couple of weeks, but they've only just been brought to my attention (thanks Snowtrooper119).
(Update: I've just realised these are perspective-corrected versions of images in the fbtb flickr stream.)
21 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1214 views
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New City 'battle' pack
Posted by Huw, 25 Feb 2012 14:07. Filed under New sets.
If you need extra troops to fight that raging forest fire, you can now buy this firemen battle pack in LEGO brand stores for $14.99, which seems a little steep for 4 minifigs.
But, buyer beware: "Components made in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico and China" so you may end up with Chinese made figs, although given the number of sources this may not be the case.
Thanks wiredforsound for the news.
37 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1560 views
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Toys R Us reveal Marvel Super Heroes sets
Posted by Huw, 24 Feb 2012 14:37. Filed under New sets.
ToysRUs.com has provided us with the first official images of five of the Marvel Super Heroes sets, 6865-6869. Some of the pictures are a bit small but you can just about make out how cool they are going to be. We can at last see who Captain America is avenging on his cycle (some mean robotic-looking guys...)
Thanks to lmasters123 for alerting us!
69 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2023 views
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Another Statue of Liberty
Posted by Huw, 22 Feb 2012 14:17. Filed under New sets.
This polybag is the third Statue of Liberty model to be made, following on from the much sought-after 3450 [1] and Factory set 5526. It seems as if it could be the hardest one to get hold of though. Toys N Bricks is reporting that it will soon be available in the Rockefeller Center LEGO Store in New York. Let's hope it also makes an appearance elsewhere for the sake of polybag collectors worldwide :-)
[1] Check out the prices for 3450 at BrickLink -- they are astronomical! I actually have one, un-built, brand new in bags but without the box which was way too big to transport when I moved house 6 years ago. I guess that knocks $1000 off the value :(
46 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1400 views
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Sydney’s revered opera house immortalised in LEGO bricks
Posted by Huw, 21 Feb 2012 11:32. Filed under New sets.
The Architecture Sydney Opera House has been officially announced today:
BILLUND, Denmark – The Sydney Opera House™, a masterpiece of late-modernist architecture that is admired internationally and treasured by the people of Australia, has had its famous sculpted curves recreated by LEGO® Architecture.
Sydney Opera House was created by Jørn Utzon, a young Danish architect who understood the potential provided by the site against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour. The massive concrete sculptural shells that form the Sydney Opera House’s roof appear like billowing sails filled by the sea winds. Utzon envisaged it as a Gothic cathedral that people would never tire of and ‘never be finished with’.
The LEGO version of the Sydney Opera House seeks to capture the essence of this grand building in a small scale. The LEGO Architecture range, which now features 13 models, uses the iconic LEGO brick to interpret the designs of iconic architecture around the world. Like the other models in the range it was created by Adam Reed-Tucker.
Sydney Opera House is not only a building with great beauty but it has also become known throughout the world as a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country. “For us it was an obvious choice to include it in our collection, both because of its significance in the architectural world and its importance within Danish Architecture,” says Daiva Staneikaite Naldal, Senior Business Manager LEGO Architecture.
Since its opening in 1973 over 45 million people have attended more than 100 000 performances and it is estimated that well over 100 million people have visited the site. It is one of Australia's most visited tourist attractions.
“Sydney Opera House is thrilled to partner with one of the world’s leading toy manufacturers to produce the Sydney Opera House LEGO Architecture set,” says Sydney Opera House’s Commercial Development Director, Andy Lown.
“Sydney Opera House strives to take people on a journey from the ordinary to the extraordinary, whoever and wherever they are, and this licensed range is a great example of how we can deliver our brand to a global audience. We’re delighted people from around the world can now build a LEGO brick replica of the House.”
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. For more information about LEGO Architecture visit http://architecture.lego.com/
The LEGO Sydney Opera House™ will be available for purchase from March 1 in LEGO brand retail stores, LEGOLAND Stores and online at http://shop.lego.com/ . The product is designed for ages 12+ and will include a content-rich booklet with facts and history of Sydney Opera House™. Recommended retail price is $39.99 or €39.99
44 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1508 views
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Festibriques à la chapelle Saint-Etienne Beaune 21200
Posted by Littlebricks, 19 Feb 2012 11:22. Filed under News (France).
Une quarantaine d’exposants, tous passionnés par la marque Lego, exposeront les 3 et 4 mars à la chapelle Saint-Etienne Beaune 21200 qui, avec ses 250 m², deviendra un espace entièrement dédié à la petite brique légendaire. Initiée par l’association beaunoise Festibriques, cette exposition, très familiale, présentera notamment la grue en Lego la plus haute du monde (6,30 m) de Bastien Garinot. Parmi les différentes surfaces organisées autour de thèmes aussi variés que la marine, ses bateaux et ses pirates, Star wars, le médiéval et ses châteaux, etc. Deux endroits seront offerts aux enfants pour qu’ils puissent goûter aux joies de la brique et de ses possibilités imaginaires. Sur toute l’exposition, des jeux de pistes permettront aux plus perspicaces et aux plus observateurs de gagner de nombreuses boîtes de jeux. Après une exposition à Châtenoy-le-Royal (71) où Festibriques a rencontré un grand succès, l’association a choisi le retour vers sa ville de prédilection, dans un lieu plus intimiste. INFO Exposition Festibriques, samedi 3 mars, de 14 à 20 heures, et dimanche 4 mars, de 9 heures à 17 h 30. Entrée : 2 €, gratuit pour les moins de 4 ans.
14 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)721 views
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Buy One, Get One 50% Off at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 18 Feb 2012 22:56. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid Sunday 2/19 through Saturday 2/25, Buy One, Get One 50% Off ALL LEGO construction sets and board games. And by ALL, Toys R Us is excluding Friends, Mindstorms and Star Wars. As always, be sure to buy similarly priced sets to maximize your savings. Additionally, try and find those sets as close to MSRP as possible. While this is no easy task at Toys R Us these days, there are some deals to be had. In store for example, I'd look at pairing the Robbers' Hideout (4438) with the Dynamic Duo Funhouse (6857) which will result in nearly 16% Off MSRP. Online for example, I'd pair the Grand Emporium (10211) with the Fire Brigade (10197) which will result in 25% Off MSRP.
UPDATE: The sale is live now (12:05am EST) and they are allowing 3 BOGO discounts per transaction. Additionally, the Star Wars sale from last week is still live so you can use those sets to help get to the Free Shipping threshold.
57 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1382 views
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Is this 4207 'Car Park/Garage' ?
Posted by Huw, 17 Feb 2012 03:43. Filed under New sets.
Roving Brickset reporter Warren Elsmore is at LEGOWorld in Copenhagen and took this picture of what might be the set 4207 that's listed at Amazon.cn. It's certainly plausible, isn't it! (via Twitter)
118 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3635 views
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Future Exclusives previewed inadvertantly in Town Hall designer video
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 17:33. Filed under New sets.
The video's been pulled for re-editing, but the cat's out of the bag already...FBTB has posted screen captures of the 'offending' scenes, including these close-ups of the sets in question: 10225 R2-D2 and what is believed to be 10228 Haunted House, which is probably scheduled for an October release.
68 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1919 views
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Win tickets to a preview of the Star Wars Miniland at LEGOLAND Windsor
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 13:46. Filed under Brickset.
Here's your chance to see the Star Wars Miniland Experience at LEGOLAND Windsor before anyone else!We have teamed up with LEGOLAND Windsor Resort to bring you an opportunity to win one of two pairs of tickets to the pre-season preview event on 10th March.
All you have to do is answer one simple question on the competition entry form before midnight on 26th February (next Sunday).
The competition is open to residents of the UK only, who are able to make their own way to the park on the day. See the terms and conditions on the entry form for more information.
Myself and bluemoose will be there, taking photos for Brickset. The winners will be welcome to meet up with us if they'd like to!
23 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1087 views
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And the winners are...
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 13:46. Filed under Events (UK).
Thank you all for entering the competition! There were 397 unique entries of which 342 got the answer correct. There are 1.5 million LEGO bricks in the new Star Wars Miniland experience at LEGOLAND Windsor which could be found out at http://www.legoland.co.uk/Explore/Whats-new/In time-honoured fashion I asked my daughter to pick 2 numbers at random between 1 and 342 and she said 189 and 57. So, the winners are....
Jason Parnaby and Chris Button!
Congratulations guys, get in touch this week at huw@brickset.com with your snail-mail address and I'll get the tickets sent to you.
11 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)685 views
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Last chance to win tickets to LEGOLAND Star Wars preview
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 13:46. Filed under Events (UK).
Here's your last chance to see the Star Wars Miniland Experience at LEGOLAND Windsor before anyone else!We have teamed up with LEGOLAND Windsor Resort to bring you an opportunity to win one of two pairs of tickets to the pre-season preview event on 10th March.
All you have to do is answer one simple question on the competition entry form before midnight on 26th February (today!).
The competition is open to residents of the UK only, who are able to make their own way to the park on the day. See the terms and conditions on the entry form for more information.
Myself and bluemoose will be there, taking photos for Brickset. The winners will be welcome to meet up with us if they'd like to!
3 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)703 views
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10224 Town Hall press release
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 09:08. Filed under Brickset.
It's a busy day for press releases! Here's the official announcement of the Town Hall (at last!)
2,766 pieces, US$199.99, CA$249.99, DE €179.99, UK £149.99, DK 1499 DKK
Keep the wheels of commerce turning with the authentic Town Hall!
This classic 3-storey town hall building is the latest addition to the LEGO® Modular Buildings series. This highly-detailed model features large entrance-way columns and coat of arms, a tall bell tower with clock and a large skylight giving a view inside the building. On the ground floor, the large hall, tax office and auditorium are perfect for servicing the town’s citizens.
Take the working elevator up to the secretary and mayor's offices on the second floor, furnished eloquently with desks, chairs, paintings and even a frog sculpture. There’s even a balcony for addressing the town's citizens. On the third floor, a spacious meeting room features a large conference table, chairs, globe and plants. Includes 8 minifigures: mayor, secretary, bride and groom, press woman, janitor and 2 children.
- Includes 8 minifigures: mayor, secretary, bride and groom, press woman, janitor and 2 children
- Features painting, desks, chairs, sculpture, lamp, conference table, globe, plants and bench
- Functioning elevator with space for 2 minifigures and ladder access to roof
- Bell tower features bench and maintenance ladder
- Roof features skylight with view inside the building
- Measures 10” (25.5 cm) wide and 20” (50 cm) high
- Address the citizens from the balcony!
- Combine with other LEGO® Modular buildings like the 10218 Pet Shop and 10211 Grand Emporium!
Here's the designer interview. See if you can spot what might be the UCS R2-D2 and the rumoured Haunted House near the start!
Update: The original video has been removed but someone has helpfully re-posted it. It should play below now.
99 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2299 views
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LEGO® Minecraft™ Micro World details unveiled
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 07:58. Filed under LEGO press release.
The set was unveiled today. Here is the official picture and press release:
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BILLUND, Denmark –The LEGO Group and Mojang have released purchase details and pictures of the LEGO® Minecraft™ Micro World today.The new set, which was the first to receive 10,000 votes of support from users on the global LEGO CUUSOO idea collection platform, will be available for purchase in summer 2012, but can be pre-ordered from today, exclusively through Mojang retail partner Jinx.com for $34.95/€34.95/£34.99 at http://www.jinx.com/LEGOMinecraft. The sets will also be sold in select LEGO brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop from summer 2012.
“LEGO Minecraft Micro World is designed to celebrate the essence of the LEGO concept and the Minecraft gaming experience,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, Head of the LEGO New Business Group. Each set features four cubic modular vignettes that can be connected to recreate the Minecraft experience in LEGO bricks. One Minecraft block is represented as one 1x1 LEGO plate with a tile on top - not a perfect cube, but the best approximation at the chosen scale.
LEGO Minecraft Micro World includes two of Minecraft's most iconic characters, Steve and a Creeper, represented as "Micro Mobs." The model presents a standard for building a Minecraft world that can be configured any way the builder likes.
The surface of the modules comes off to reveal mines and hidden resources beneath. Fans can build their own landscapes, stack cubes on top of each other, to build the world of Minecraft as they wish.
The product was developed in collaboration with four LEGO fans: Chris Malloy, Michael Thomas, Kyle Tingey, and Bjarne Panduro Tveskov. These fans developed concepts alongside LEGO designers and helped shape the product into its final version.
Upon seeing the physical model the first time, Mojang founder Markus “Notch” Persson exclaimed: “Woohoo!”
LEGO CUUSOO is a website where LEGO fans can submit their ideas for new LEGO products and collect votes to make their ideas become a reality. They can also vote for other users’ ideas. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com.
Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product.Mojang will donate the 1% proceeds from LEGO CUUSOO to charity.
For more on the co-creation process for LEGO Minecraft Micro World, see the LEGO CUUSOO blog at http://legocuusoo.posterous.com.
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I actually think it's turned out better than we might have expected. I don't know a lot about Minecraft but it seems to be faithful to the concept and a fairly interesting LEGO set. However I suspect many of us could build something very similar from our own collections, though. The 6x6 standard that's been created may well form the basis for countless fan-created Minecraft modules and we might see whole Minecraft worlds being created as collaborative builds at LEGO shows in future, which would be cool.
56 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2300 views
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New site feature: control the reviews you see
Posted by Huw, 15 Feb 2012 05:48. Filed under Brickset.
I've added a new feature to the site in direct response to comments made in the annual user survey last year concerning the quality of set reviews.
It would appear that many adult visitors do not like reading reviews written by kids and teens and would like a way to filter them out or stop them being posted. I have no intention of doing the latter because of course kids and teens like to read reviews written by their peers and today's TFOLs are tomorrow's AFOLs and therefore important to the future of the site.
So, I've implemented a review filter which can be set on your profile page (when you're logged in). You can specify what type of reviews you want to see (for example those written by KFOLS, TFOLs or AFOLs) and, once you've done so, every page that displays reviews will only show those that match your preferences.
I acknowledge that many TFOLs write excellent reviews and as as result, they are gold-rated reviewers. Therefore everyone, regardless of their preferences, will see reviews by gold-rated reviewers regardless of their age. I'm hoping this will improve the quality of reviews generally, as more people strive for gold-rated status.
I hope this goes some way to improve the perception of the reviews and increase their usefulness. I look forward to your comments.
15 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)848 views
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News round-up
Posted by Huw, 15 Feb 2012 05:34. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Here's a round-up of news and site updates that don't really warrant separate articles:
- There's a strange entry at Amazon.cn which translates to 4207 Car Park. Mah4546 who told us about this wonders whether it's '6394 Metro Park and Service Tower re-imagined' as a result of LEGO's recent request for ideas for sets to re-release (more info in the forum). It certainly comes in a big box: 58x37cm.
- The LOTR microsite is now live at LEGO.com, featuring character bios (thanks Rockman Xtreme)
- I've updated the wallpaper repository with the latest ones at LEGO.com, including HERO Factory, Collectable minifigs series 4 and 5, and Technic 2011. It seems to me that LEGO is not issuing so many wallpapers these days. Many of the themes don't have any (e.g. Ninjago), or they haven't been updated for years (e.g. Star Wars). If you know of some I haven't added yet, please let me know.
- I've replaced nearly all the images of the Orient Expedition sets with new scans provided by WilliamH which means they are now a consistent size and quality. William sent them to me months ago, but I'd forgotten all about them until now!
9 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1187 views
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Reminder: vote for this Cuusoo model!
Posted by Huw, 14 Feb 2012 14:43. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Eight days ago we asked you to vote for this western-themed Cuusoo model. Nearly every other LEGO fan site did the same and almost two thousand of you voted. The model is now over 1/3rd of the way to getting 10,000 votes!If you haven't voted yet, read on and please do so...
The Western theme from 1996/7 was incredibly popular but also very short lived. Wouldn't it be great if it were to make a return? And wouldn't it also be great if it were to consist of modular buildings that were designed to fit together just like the current modulars?
This Cuusoo submission by Eurobricks member marshal_banana is exactly that and it looks superb. You can see more pictures at Eurobricks.
Brickset is teaming up with Eurobricks to see if we, the online LEGO community, can get it to LEGO Review status at Cuusoo by achieving 10,000 supporters. If the Minecraft community can do it for their chosen model, so can we!
All you have to do is go to the Cuusoo site and click on the big green 'support' button. If you don't already have an account there you'll need to create one but it only takes a minute or so to do.
This site gets 400,000 visitors a month, so if just 1 in every 40 of you vote for it, we'll reach 10,000 votes in no time. What are you waiting for -- VOTE NOW -- and let's see the 'Brickset effect' again in action! Remember, anyone 13 and over can vote.
21 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1125 views
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Problems with the site...
Posted by Huw, 13 Feb 2012 15:08. Filed under Brickset.
There's currently a weird database problem that's preventing parts of the home page from displaying. I've disabled the problem areas while I investigate. The rest of the site seems to be functioning normally, and I hope that I'll be able to resume normal service soon.
I apologise for the inconvenience.
Update: all sorted now, some rogue data got into the system that upset one of the database queries. I've taken steps to prevent it happening again :)
12 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)983 views
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“The Force” Remains with The LEGO Group
Posted by Huw, 13 Feb 2012 11:59. Filed under Brickset.
You might have read this press release elsewhere, although it seems to have slipped under the radar, what with all the Toy Fair coverage, which is kind of surprising given its significance:
"BILLUND, Denmark (February 13, 2012) – The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm Ltd. today announced renewal of the Star Wars™ licensing deal that, 12 years ago, transformed a construction toy theme into a global entertainment property with strong cross-generational, multi-platform appeal. Fans can look forward to LEGO® Star Wars product and content development for the next 10 years, according to the terms of the deal."
Read the rest at LEGO.com. Good news or bad?
(via atkinsar in the forum)
85 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1377 views
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NY toy fair exclusive sets
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2012 17:19. Filed under New sets.
It seems that visitors to the LEGO stand were given a couple of freebies, including this fantastic Darth Maul. Let's hope he appears in a set sometime soon!Via FBTB.
Update: The guys at FBTB have done a great job photographing every little detail of every summer set and are uploading them to flickr. At last the photos we've been waiting for -- Thanks Ace!
41 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1290 views
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Series 6 Minifigures on Sale at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 12 Feb 2012 12:16. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid Sunday 2/12 through Saturday 2/18, you can buy two Series 6 Minifigures at Toys R Us for $5. This is roughly 17% off MSRP. So long as TRU continues to sell them at the inflated $3.49 price, this is probably the best we're ever going to see from our big box retailers. Should you choose to wait for another BOGO 50% Off, you'll end up paying $5.24 for every two. Thus I suspect I will be completing my S6 collection this week.
33 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1296 views
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Star Wars Sale at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 12 Feb 2012 11:48. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid Sunday 2/12 through Saturday 2/18, all Star Wars sets are on sale at Toys R Us. Most sets are only 10% off the normal TRU prices which in many cases won't even bring the sets back down to MSRP, let alone below. That being said, there are a couple of deals to be had:
- The Super Star Destroyer (10221), Death Star (10188) and Imperial Shuttle (10212) are 10% off MSRP and qualify for free shipping.
- The Geonosian Cannon (9491) is 23% off MSRP
- The Y-Wing (9495) is 16% off MSRP
- Anakin's Pod Racer polybag (30057) is 10% off TRU Price (TRU Exclusive).
Additionally, you receive a Darth Maul USB Flash Drive with a qualifying $35 purchase. As LegoFanTexas mentioned in the forum and for those of us that live near a LEGO Store, there's no rush to pick up a SSD, Shuttle and Death Star here. Between March 1 and March 15, the LEGO Stores and LEGOShop.com will be having another Double VIP Points promotion which will match the savings from Toys R Us. You will miss out on the Flash Drive though, and you'll need to buy in a LEGO Store in order to avoid shipping charges. But in a push situation, I'd rather give my money directly to LEGO.
7 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1182 views
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NY Toy Fair coverage
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2012 10:15. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Looks like the online coverage kicked-off while I was out shopping...I'll keep this article updated with links to photos and reports as and when I'm alerted to them.
- Action Figure Insider has pictures of pretty much everything, including Monster Fighters, Star Wars, LOTR and Marvel.
- The Brick Show will be posting videos over the next few hours and days on their YouTube channel. Currently there's a teaser video of The Mines of Moria up.
- LEGO Systems Unveils 2012 Collection at American International Toy Fair, article at MarketWatch.com
- LEGO Systems Introduces Most Versatile LEGO® DUPLO® Collection Ever, article at Virtual Press Office
- Sir Steve's Guide has loads of SW pictures, including an excellent one of Queen Amidala. It's a bit difficult sorting the wheat from the chaff at that site so head on over instead to Hoth Bricks which has republished the interesting ones.
Updated 19:00 GMT:
- More LOTR images at Comic Book Movie (shame about all the stupid ads all over them...)
- Super Heroes at the same site.
- 300 images at Toy News International
48 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1578 views
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Marvel.com reveals Avengers sets
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2012 10:09. Filed under Miscellaneous.
The Marvel sets have been officially unveiled today at Marvel.com where they've posted pictures of four of the expected five sets. There's still no sign of the Spider-man set and details have been omitted from some of the photos (like who Capn. America is 'avenging' on his cycle).Still, there's a lot to see and take in, so head on over to take a look then let us know if they meet your expectations.
(Thanks to everyone who emailed)
29 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2447 views
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NY Toy Fair starts today...
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2012 04:14. Filed under Miscellaneous.
... however we could be in for disappointment.The guys over at The Brick Show snuck in a day early and grabbed some photos from the LEGO stand. However, as you can see from this picture and others on their website it looks as if LEGO is displaying prototypes and not the finished models!
In this picture we can see a white Jabba instead of the lovely olive green, printed, one seen in Germany and many of the other images show unfinished minifig protoypes.
I can only guess that LEGO hasn't sent the models shown in Germany to the US and they are instead showing earlier versions already in the country. Wwe'll have to wait to see more pictures to see if this is the case of if the real ones are hidden away somewhere.
18 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1099 views
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German toy fair images and video
Posted by Huw, 10 Feb 2012 11:07. Filed under New sets.
There seems to be a lot of pictures and images surfacing this week from the German toy fair. I'm not sure why it's taken so long for them to do so though!Anyway,
- Hothbricks has pictures of many Star Wars sets, including of Queen Amidala (left) and Jabba's Palace.
- TechnicBricks has dissected a video of the Technic sets, including the tractor, helicopter and remote-controlled car, looking for new pieces and features.
- Smashing Bricks has rounded up most of the videos, including Friends, Ninjago and Monster Fighters.
The New York toy fair opens on Sunday and there'll be several of the major sites covering it so we are bound to get some better photos of the sets that matter, and actually taken by AFOLs as opposed to the press, which seems to be the case for most of the German ones.
Brickset won't be the best place to see the images first but I'll try and keep up and post links to them as they are published.
29 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1157 views
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LEGO Minecraft to be revealed at LEGO World Copenhagen
Posted by Huw, 09 Feb 2012 08:12. Filed under New sets.
Just had word that there's going to be a special unveiling of the third Cuusoo model, 21102 LEGO Minecraft Micro World, at a LEGO CUUSOO and Mojang special event as part of LEGO World Copenhagen next week, on the 15th Feb.
Unfortunately I won't be able to get there but I'm sure we'll see pictures online shortly afterwards.
43 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3141 views
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New LEGO store in Milwaukee (Wauwatosa), Wisconsin
Posted by Huw, 08 Feb 2012 15:51. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Here's some great news for those of you in Wisconsin from correspondent John P:"According to our local news LEGO will be opening a store in the Mayfair Mall in Milwaukee (Wauwatosa), Wisconsin. The article stated that construction would begin this week and the store was expected to open in May, 2012. This is the first store in the Milwaukee area (and the state as far as I know). "
You can read all about it via Google news. There's also a landing page at LEGO.com already. Any Milwaukeeans in the house?
38 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2286 views
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Free Anakin's Pod when you spend £15 on LEGO Star Wars
Posted by Huw, 08 Feb 2012 07:47. Filed under Shopping (UK).
The title sums it up... The offer is online and may be in-store as well. I will check tomorrow unless someone beats be to it. It seems to be available to buy separately for £4.99, too. The offer runs until 4th March.
Via FBTB.
10 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1213 views
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HERO Recon Team goes the way of Design By Me
Posted by Huw, 07 Feb 2012 14:07. Filed under LEGO press release.
We received a press release today about the closure of yet another of LEGO's online services:
"The LEGO Hero Recon Team will be going 100% digital in April, replacing the current physical ordering service with a new 3D version of the LEGO Hero Creator that will offer a better digital experience of building LEGO Hero Recon Team figures online.
"Unfortunately, that means that from April 11 we will take the last orders for physical Hero Recon figures. In its place, the digital building experience will be completely revised and concentrate on the strengths of the LEGO customization experience.
"As with LEGO Design byMe we have seen high traffic to the Hero Creator service, but only a small percentage of the heroes designed have been ordered as physical products to consumers. We are accepting the fact that most visitors prefer to build digitally and therefore improving the options available. Freed from the need to ship physical products, we can now offer a larger palette of Hero Factory elements, making even more building choices. From April Hero Recon figures will be able to go undercover wearing the villains’ masks, armour and weapons."
Reading between the lines, I suspect kids like playing with the designer but then find out that the resultant model is too expensive to actually buy, although to be honest I've never completed a model to see how much it actually costs.
Have you used it? Will you miss it?
26 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3867 views
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Festibriques la petite : 3 et 4 mars 2012
Posted by Littlebricks, 07 Feb 2012 07:08. Filed under News (France).
Festibriques la petite : 3 et 4 mars 2012 Exposition 100% Lego.
Elle aura lieu à la Chapelle Saint Etienne place Félix Ziem 21200 Beaune.
Plus d'informations à suivre http://www.festibriques.fr/home/
Obtenir une réduction lorsque vous achetez Lego, de la magasin Colruyt :) Ils vendent aussi de la série 6 minifigs.[Note from Huw: Please welcome our new French correspondent, Littlebricks!]
13 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)800 views
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LEGO Cuusoo: Vote for this modular Western model
Posted by Huw, 06 Feb 2012 14:43. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Minecraft fans did it, now it's YOUR turn!The western theme from 1996/7 was incredibly popular but also very short lived. Wouldn't it be great if it were to make a return? And wouldn't it be great if it consisted of modular buildings that were designed to fit together like the current modulars?
This Cuusoo submission by Eurobricks member marshal_banana is exactly that and it looks superb. You can see more pictures at Eurobricks.
Brickset is teaming up with Eurobricks to see if we, the online LEGO community, can get it to LEGO Review status at Cuusoo by achieving 10,000 supporters. If the Minecraft community can do it for their chosen model, so can we!
All you have to do is go to the Cuusoo site and click on the big green 'support' button. If you don't already have an account there you'll need to create one but it only takes a minute or so to do.
This site gets 400,000 visitors a month, so if just 1 in every 40 of you vote for it, we'll reach 10,000 in no time. What are you waiting for -- VOTE NOW -- and let's see the 'Brickset effect' in action! Remember, anyone 13 and over can vote.
138 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2260 views
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Ringing in the changes; time for a new Ambassador
Posted by bluemoose, 04 Feb 2012 12:12. Filed under Brickset.
Back in November 2010, LEGO changed the qualifying criteria for their 'Ambassador' programme and on-line communities such as Brickset.com, fbtb.com, etc., were then eligible to qualify for an 'Ambassador' post. For a year or two prior to that, only regional LEGO User Groups qualified (i.e. those that existed in the real world), and prior to that LEGO picked individuals that were felt to be exceptional buiilders and 'key' influencers in the wider LEGO fan community. Just out of interest, Huw was one of the chosen Ambassadors right at the beginning!
So what is a LEGO Ambassador? That's a good question. The role has changed quite a lot since the programme first stood up; today it is mostly about being a conduit for information between LEGO and the fan community. It is a way for LEGO to target information at the adult fan community (e.g. passing press releases, asking for feedback, promoting the on-line questionaires, etc.) and for the adult fan community to be able to ask for information from LEGO. Unfortunately, much of what the fan community wants to know is information that the team in LEGO that looks after the Ambassador programme (the Community Engagement team, which also supports fan events, runs the LUGBULK programme, etc.) are unable to answer for commercial and other reasons. It also acts as a forum for Ambassadors to work together and discuss topics of interest across the world-wide fan community. There are currently over 70 Ambassadors, from all across the world.
In the early days of the Ambassador programme, the Ambassadors got involved in a lot of 'secret' projects; however, that stopped a few years ago and the Ambassadors now get no access to privileged information.
I've been the Ambassador for Brickset.com since November 2010 and over the last 14 months I've enjoyed the experience (despite the occasional frustrations) but have now chosen to stand down to give someone else the opportunity to represent the community here. Therefore, it's my pleasure to announce that fellow Admin DrDaveWatford has just taken over as the official LEGO Ambassador for Brickset.com and I'm confident that he'll do a great job representing the community.
If you have any questions about the Ambassador programme, ask away and one of us will have a crack at answering it!
22 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1225 views
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Pictures from the German toy fair
Posted by Huw, 03 Feb 2012 05:11. Filed under New sets.
As suspected, images are starting to surface from the German toy fair that started on Wednesday.The first gallery to be brought to my attention is at a Slovenian LEGO site, Kocke Klub where you can see overview pictures of the displays.
Looking at the images, one thing's for sure, LEGO spent way more time and effort on the display than they did for London!
I believe the show runs until Saturday and I suspect more images will appear online then. So, keep an eye out and let us know when you find them! (Thanks RJH)
Update: for some reason the source site has removed them: "Sorry guys. Because of stupid member who wrote some unreal comments on other forum, I decide to remove pictures. " Not quite sure what he's referring to, hopefully nothing to do with Brickset...
Update: Smashing Bricks has reposted the images and added a few more.
81 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1850 views
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Save $10 on LEGO City or Ninjago at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 02 Feb 2012 18:43. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid thru' Saturday 2/4, you'll save $10 on any total LEGO City or LEGO Ninjago construction set purchase of $50 or more at Toys R Us. Much like the other promotion, you're going to be hard pressed to find any kind of a deal here as every single set is significantly marked up right now. Shining examples are the Car and Camper, Fire Plane and Ambulance at 40%, 28% and 25% over MSRP respectively.
You'd be surprised to know that it is physically possible to save money with this deal but you have to choose wisely. The best I was able to do was pairing up the Robber's Hideout (4438) with a Space Moon Buggy (3365) resulting in a net saving of $4 off MSRP. Can anyone beat that? :o)
7 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1172 views
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Free Star Wars Polybag with Qualifying Purchase at Toys R Us
Posted by yellowcastle, 02 Feb 2012 18:24. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Valid thru' Saturday 2/4, Toys R Us is offering a free Anakin's Pod Racer polybag (30057) with any total LEGO Star Wars construction set purchase of $20 or more. You can also currently buy these both in store and online for $4.99 at Toys R Us. There is a catch though. If you haven't yet noticed, February has arrived but Toys R Us continues to maintain their excessive holiday markups on most LEGO sets. Shining examples are the V-Wing, Ewok Attack and Battle for Geonosis at 40%, 33% and 25% over MSRP respectively. At this rate, you would save only a net $1 off MSRP if you used the two new battlepacks to reach the $20 threshold. But for those like me who can't resist a new polybag, your best bet will be to pick up the Droid Escape (9490) or Geonosian Cannon (9491) as they are only marked up 10%. Here's hoping Toys R Us will fix their pricing sometime soon.
18 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)949 views
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Friends building event at TRU this weekend
Posted by Huw, 02 Feb 2012 16:47. Filed under Shopping (USA).
Head on down to TRU on Saturday 4th Feb between 12-2 and, if you can fight off all the little girls, you'll be able to build this lemonade stand and get a free Stephanie (5000245) when you spend over $20 on Friends sets. More information on this mailshot.(Thanks to engsnymph for the news)
28 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)991 views
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Gear is here to stay...
Posted by Huw, 02 Feb 2012 14:28. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you all for your comments and feedback about whether to delete 'Gear' from the database. There were some good arguments for and against but the case for it remaining was stronger so I've decided to keep it.
That's not to say that everything with a LEGO logo on it automatically goes in, though. I don't plan to add all the 'tat' (of the type you can see here) but I will be adding items of interest to AFOLs.
Today I've added the Moleskine notebooks that are coming out soon. These are high quality items that are bound to be of interest to many. You can order them from Amazon for delivery in May:
16 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1072 views
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shop.LEGO.com promotion
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2012 17:03. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (US/Canada).
No free shipping for you in the USA but you can get a free City poster on orders over $35 until the end of February.Click on the image and get shopping!
14 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1166 views
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shop.LEGO.com promotion
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2012 16:57. Filed under shop.LEGO.com (UK).
There are a couple of offers on at the moment:- FREE Delivery on orders of £25 or more until 15th Feb.
- FREE LEGO City Poster until 29th Feb. or while supplies last.Click on the image to take advantage of them!
3 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)824 views
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LEGO Muji sets
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2012 09:30. Filed under Miscellaneous.
We have mentioned LEGO Muji sets in the news several times before (here and here). If you don't remember, they originate from the trendy Japanese lifestyle brand Muji and consist of paper, LEGO bricks and a hole punch to make holes in the former so it can be joined with the latter.
I've always fancied seeing what they are like and, now, thanks to Brickset member iadams, I have three of the sets and the punch. Actually I've had them since October and he's been badgering me ever since to add them to the database :-)
So, I finally found time to do so today, and you can see them here. I've also added scans of the box contents inventory so you can see what's inside.
The three I have appear to be from the original series that were available only in Japan. Later ones are available from Muji.us in the USA and two are also listed at Muji.eu.
So, what's inside the box? Here's the contents of the one with the hedgehog on it. I've included the hole punch and guide in the picture but you need to buy that separately.There's a bag of pre-punched paper, the LEGO bricks in a ziplock bag, an inspiration booklet and, along the top, a card printed with the shapes needed for making the animals in the booklet.
One thing is clear: to get good results you'll need a very sharp knife, a steady hand and a lot of patience.
Because it looks too good to spoil, I probably won't ever make mine so I won't know how hard it is or whether I possess the necessary skills to do a good job :-)
10 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1487 views
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Latest news from the AFOLCON organisers
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2012 05:15. Filed under Events (Europe).
The team over at AFOLCON are pleased to announce a whole raft of LEGO speakers for this year's convention!Joining the already announced LEGOLAND master builder and LEGO Certified Professional, are Mark Stafford (LEGO Ninjago designer), Adam Vaugn (LEGO Friends designer) and Bjarke Schonwandt (Senior Manager, Consumer Perceived quality).
We're very happy to have Mark return for his second year presenting at AFOLCON. Last year he brought with him a whole host of test models that were used in the production process, and he's promised the same this year!
Adam will be giving his first AFOLCON session looking at the development of the new LEGO Friends line. Years in development, he'll be explaining how LEGO Friends is designed to welcome a wider audience to the LEGO family.
Finally, Bjarke will give you an exclusive insight into how LEGO manages the quality of the LEGO sets and elements. How do LEGO track what is good and what is bad? Most importantly, Bjarke is asking you to bring along any samples you have of what is not acceptable - the challenge has been set!
We still have a few more speakers to announce for AFOLCON 2012, not least our Keynote speaker -- more details on that soon, as well as details of our auction. We've just come back from Billund actually, with all manner of goodies. There'll be more details soon, but we will say this. It's *good* !
Once again, the organisers have offered Brickset visitors a 20% discount on the normal AFOLCON ticket price of £60. All you have to do is quote the code BRICKSET20 when you check out. This is a limited offer so order now to guarantee your discount!
If you have any questions about AFOLCON or The LEGO Show, you can ask in the forum where Warren will be on hand to answer them.
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 www.afolcon.com.
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 the queue and 20%. For more details, go to www.thelegoshow.com.
10 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)936 views
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AFOLCON news... 3 months to go!
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2012 05:15. Filed under Events (Europe).
News hot off the press from the LEGO SHOW and AFOLCON office:"We're very pleased to announce that the team behind the amazing Christmas tree in St Pancras station will be coming to the show. Both Duncan Titmarsh and Ed Diment from Bright Bricks will be at AFOLCON to talk about how you put together a 3 tonne LEGO tree.
"They'll also be showcasing some of their smaller works too - as big as our venue is, the tree just won't fit! For those attending the LEGO Show, Ed and Duncan will also be running special workshops where you can learn how to build like a pro.
"We're also soon be announcing the LEGO Designers that will be present at the show. AFOLCON attendees will again have a unique chance to listen and talk to LEGO Designers about how the products are developed. Last year, Mark Stafford brought never-seen-before prototype models of the Alien Conquest line. Who knows what's in store for 2012?
"Finally, if you live in the North of England, you're about to hear a lot about The LEGO Show - keep an eye out in the local press for us…. And if you'd like your 15 minutes of fame, then make sure you're registered for AFOLCON and we know what you're working on. We might just make you famous… for a while ;-)"
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 www.afolcon.com.
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 the queue and 20%. For more details, go to www.thelegoshow.com.
5 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)796 views
