Most read articles published in the last 3 months
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Hi-yo, Silver! We have some Lone Ranger sets to review!
Posted by Huw, 18 Mar 2013 09:48. Filed under Set review.
The LEGO CEE team has kindly sent us some Lone Ranger sets to review ahead of their release in April, so myself and others in the Brickset team will be bringing you reviews over the next week or so.Today I take a look at the smallest set, 79106: Cavalry Builder Set which consists of four minifigs including the Lone Ranger and Silver (pictured left), a cannon and a few other bits and bobs.
Continue reading Hi-yo, Silver! We have some Lone Ranger sets to review!
57 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)27840 views
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Review: 10240 UCS X-Wing Starfighter
Posted by Huw, 01 May 2013 03:36. Filed under Set review.
In a few days time, the highly anticipated UCS X-wing will be available. LEGO has graciously provided us with a copy to review ahead of its release.This pictorial review will consider its design, construction, the completed model and will also compare it to the original 2000 UCS X-wing which I reviewed last month.
Since the start of the Star Wars licence in 1999, an X-wing has always been part of the product line-up and this is, I believe, the 9th version. We've had three mini versions, four minifig-sized ones and, with the release of this set, two UCS versions. You can view them all in the database.
52 comments, latest one posted 18 days ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)25839 views
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Dot code for Mr. Gold
Posted by Huw, 05 May 2013 11:25. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Eric2008 found a Mr. Gold in Rochester, NY and has sent this image of the dot code which those of you still hunting high and low for one might find useful.
76 comments, latest one posted 16 days ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)21898 views
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Mr. Gold on eBay
Posted by Huw, 16 Apr 2013 03:02. Filed under New sets.
Two Mr. Golds have been offered for sale on eBay by the same seller in Germany:
Lot 1| Lot 2
. The asking price is €999, which is about $1300.
This proves why it was a misguided decision on the part of LEGO to produce the figure in such limited numbers and distribute them as they are doing. All it will do is enable third-party sellers to profit massively should they find one whilst at the same time annoying loyal customers and minifig collectors.
In other series 10 news, I'm told that they can be ordered from shop.LEGO.com in Switzerland and that the official release date in the USA, when they'll be available in Target, is May 1.
(Thanks Luke, lifelislegos and Ben for the news).
176 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)20539 views
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Mr Gold's turning up in North America
Posted by Huw, 20 Apr 2013 03:31. Filed under New sets.
It seems Mr. Gold may not be so hard to find after all. Overnight, two people emailed to say they'd found them in the USA and Canada. Mike, who sent this picture, writes "Series 10 Minifigs have appeared in at least one Wal-Mart in Canada (Southwestern Ontario) and I was lucky enough to find a Mr. Gold! Ending up buying ten bags in total - I was feeling for some specific ones and then felt his top hat. My lucky day!"Another Mike sent a photo of his and just says 'Found Mr. Gold, GA', which might indicate Georgia, I've asked him to clarify.
Meanwhile, if you're not willing to leave it to lady luck to find one, there's still a Mr Gold on eBay
located in the USA, which ends today. Current bid is $1200, with a reserve of $1400.
There are rumours that in the UK, some branches of Argos are selling series 10 already, although they are not due out until 1st May. (Catalogue number is 911/0520). Good luck tracking them down; let us know if you find them.
175 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)19706 views
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10237 Tower of Orthanc press release
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2013 09:58. Filed under New sets.
10237 Tower of Orthanc, Ages 14+. 2,359 pieces.
Build the The Lord of the Rings™ trilogy must-have model!
US $199.99, CA $249.99, DE 199.99€, UK £169.99, DK 1699.00 DKK
Finally, collect one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic buildings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Tower of Orthanc! Build all 6 highly detailed floors filled with fascinating movie-related details including the attic, library, alchemy room, Saruman’s throne room, entrance hall and dungeon. This exclusive model stars in some of the most iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings movies. Swoop down with the Great Eagle and rescue stranded Gandalf the Grey from his tower-top prison after his defeat at the hands of the white wizard, Saruman. Build the powerful, tree-like Ent, with poseable limbs and cool swinging arm function, then attack the Uruk-hai and Orc Pitmaster while Saruman and his servant Grima Wormtongue take refuge high in the tower. The Tower of Orthanc is a must-have model for any The Lord of the Rings collection! Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf the Grey, an Uruk-hai and the Orc Pitmaster.
- Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf™ the Grey, an Uruk-hai™ and the Orc Pitmaster
- Features 6 highly detailed floors with lots of functions, including a folding staircase, LEGO® light brick palantir, opening entrance doors and a trap door
- Weapons include 5 staffs, knife, sword, shield and a long axe
- The attic features a folding staircase, the 3 staffs of the missing wizards, the 2 keys of the Two Towers, 2 maps and an Uruk-hai helmet, shield and sword
- The library features 2 books, 2 torches, 2 maps and 2 skulls
- The alchemy room features 2 torches, a bomb (being produced for the Battle of Helm’s Deep™), 2 potions, bottle, skull, gunpowder keg, pot, cauldron and a long axe
- Saruman’s throne room features lamps, 2 bookcases with 3 potions, map, letter and the powerful palantir with a LEGO light brick
- The entrance hall features opening doors, trap door, 2 large banners, chandelier, statue and 2 axes
- The creepy dungeon features a chain, 2 bones, 2 skulls and a rat
- Buildable Ent features poseable limbs for holding a minifigure and a cool swinging arm function
- Attack the tower with the cool buildable and poseable Ent!
- Swoop to the rescue with the Great Eagle!
- Activate the LEGO light brick and make the palantir glow!
- Set the trap door and banish unwanted guests to the dungeon!
- Prepare the bomb for the Battle of Helm’s DeepTM!
- Swing the Ent’s arms to smash or grab things with the poseable fingers!
- Measures over 28" (73cm) high, 8" (21cm) wide and 6" (16cm) deep
- Ent stands over 9" (23cm) tall
Available for sale directly through LEGO beginning July 2013.
There are more pictures in our flickr stream. I'll get them added here ASAP.
101 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)17005 views
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14ct 'Mr Gold' minifig found!
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2013 05:15. Filed under Miscellaneous.
There's discussion in the forum about someone having found a real 14ct gold 'Mr Gold' minifig in a box of series 10 minfigs in Hungary, and something about a ticket for a LEGO factory tour.No, I didn't believe it at first either, but it appears to be true. Check out the thread in the forum.
25 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)12518 views
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Series 11 Minifigures identified by Amazon
Posted by Huw, 15 Apr 2013 04:00. Filed under New sets.
Amazon.fr
has listed the series 11 minifigs and provides a description of them which, roughly translated, is:
"With 16 new figures in Series 11 Special, the LEGO collection continues to grow. Each figure is packed in a bag 'mystery' and accompanied by special accessories, a base and ask for a booklet. Inspired by movies, sports, history or everyday life, this collection includes: a scientist, a female robot, evil, a jazz man, an elf, a policeman, a Bavarian woman, a waitress, a scarecrow, a barbarian, a welder, a mountaineer, a grandmother, a warrior tiki man and gingerbread."
(Thanks Damien for the news).
32 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)12235 views
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Confessions of a Serial Polybag Collector - Part 3
Posted by atkinsar, 01 Apr 2013 02:37. Filed under Miscellaneous.
Forgive me Brickset readers for I have sinned, it has been over three months since my last confession. Did I say these articles were going to be monthly, what I meant to say was of course quarterly. Life sure does have a habit of getting in the way sometimes, I have been utterly consumed with family, Brickset commitments, work and my LEGO room project (notice how I actually put the most important thing last). I wish I could say the end was in sight, but it isn’t, so I’d better just stop complaining and get on with it.Wow, what a crazy few months in the world of polybag collecting! With the ushering in of 2013 we got a sneak peak at some of the 2013 polybags that we could look forward to. This is always an exciting time for polybag collectors, since these are often just descriptions at this stage rather than pictures, we can use our imaginations to conjure up all sorts of great little sets we’ll be keeping them in their bags. It’s also an anxious time, where and when exactly will these polybags be available, how will I get hold of them and most importantly, exactly how much is this going to cost me??
In particular I think the Star Wars polys thus far revealed look excellent, with not a rehash in sight which is always welcome news.
A lot of these polybags have now been released somewhere or other in the world, and it’s been as challenging and fun as ever tracking them down (which is a great part of the appeal for me). This job is made so much easier by you guys sending us in news of sightings, so a big thank you for that and keep it coming.
I have made some great contacts and friends through this hobby, and in particular through my collecting of polybags which really seems to bring the best out of the community in my opinion. I’ve had countless offers of help from all over the world, with people going above and beyond what could reasonably be expected. I’d like to think that I try to repay this kindness and I’m a big believer in what goes around comes around, so if I haven’t repaid your kindness yet, I will I promise! What can I say to you people other than a massive thank you, and know that your help is always appreciated.
So what can you expect this month? As well as the regular features, I’ll be taking a look at what it means to be a completist and what this has to do with the Ninjago theme. I had planned to review 30243: Umbaran MHC but Huw somewhat stole my thunder on that one on that one, so instead I’ll be reviewing two little owned Creator polybags: 30184: Little Helicopter and 30185: Little Eagle. You can still read my review of 30243 though as I've published it on Brickset.
There’s also another competition, and this time around I’m not going to make you work very hard at all to enter, read on to find out how you can enter and what you can win.
So grab a hot drink, if past experience is anything to go by, this may be a long one.
Continue reading Confessions of a Serial Polybag Collector - Part 3
223 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)12115 views
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Mr. Gold found in the UK
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2013 03:42. Filed under Shopping (UK).
Series 10 figures are starting to appear in shops in the UK now. Ron emailed last night to say "Just been to Smyths in Kidderminster (West Mids) and they had series 10 out! Brought myself a whole box, so fingers crossed for the elusive Mr G..."Two hours later he sent me another email with this picture "And look what I just found!!"
While we wait for LEGO to get their official Mr. Gold page online you can keep track of sightings in the forum and read about some of the (questionable) lengths other people are going to to try and get hold of one.
Whilst I do not blame people for doing such things (I probably would given the opportunity), the whole Mr. Gold affair (shall we call it Goldgate? :-) ) is very distasteful and I hope LEGO is having serious regrets about the whole thing. What with retailers going through their stock before putting them on the shelves, retailers letting others go through their stock before putting them out and ridiculous sums being paid on eBay, it seems to be backfiring disastrously, bringing out the worst in people, and the chances of kids getting their hands on them are going to be virtually nil. (rant over!)
93 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)12012 views
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Series 10 minifigs hit the streets in Hungary
Posted by Huw, 20 Mar 2013 05:20. Filed under New sets.
Benjamin in Hungary has his hands on series 10 minifigs already, possibly obtained from KockaMania.hu and has posted these scans of the collectors' sheet and information about 'Mr. Gold' on flickr.Hopefully it won't be too long now before they start appearing everywhere.
Update: See KockaMania's flickr-set with close-ups of every series 10 CMF!
79 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11947 views
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Review: 79109 Colby City Showdown
Posted by Huw, 21 Mar 2013 09:57. Filed under Set review.
Continuing on with our exclusive reviews of The Lone Ranger sets ahead of their April release, today I take a look at 79109 Colby City Showdown, which sits in the middle of the range in terms of size and price.It features a bank and sheriff's office/jail, five minifigs, and a whole host of interesting features and parts.
44 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11830 views
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Review: 79110 Silver Mine Shootout, part 2
Posted by Huw, 20 Mar 2013 09:26. Filed under Set review.
What is it with mines? Not only has LEGO made dedicated mining themes Rock Raiders and Power Miners, and also mining City sets, but it seems that every licensed theme contains a mine or underground cavern of some sort, from 7199 Indiana Jones Temple of Doom to 9473 Lord of The Rings The Mines of Moria. We've also had 7036 Dwarves' Mine and in the original Western theme the bandits hid out in a gold mine in set 6761.So, Silver Mine Shootout joins a rapidly growing collection of such sets, and having built it, it's clear that it shares design similarities with many of its predecessors.
Before reading this, be sure to read part one of the review first, which covers the minifigs.
39 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11655 views
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Review: 79107 Comanche Camp
Posted by Huw, 19 Mar 2013 09:11. Filed under Set review.
Hi ho Silver away
Ride into tomorrow today
But who was that masked man you say?
That was the Lone RangerSince building the cavalry set yesterday I can't get the camp and slightly cheesy pop song Quantum Jump, The Lone Ranger from the 1970s out of my head...
Anyway, on with todays's review of 79107, Comanche Camp, the second-smallest set of the theme which features, among other things, a teepee and three minifigs.
30 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)11540 views
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Exclusive sets for 2013
Posted by Huw, 29 May 2013 02:26. Filed under New sets.
Grogall has posted a list of three exclusive sets that'll be coming our way later in the year on Eurobricks:
10234 Sydney Opera House €279.99
10235 Winter Village Market €89.99
10236 Star Wars Ewok Village €249.99It will be interesting to see how the Opera House turns out given the design of the building. The small scale Architecture one wasn't too successful, was it?
The Ewok Village must be pretty substantial for that price; lets hope it's not full of Endor models we've had before, such as speeders and AT-STs, but instead really is the village part.
101 comments, latest one posted 16 days ago.11457 views
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Review: LEGO Inside Tour, part 1
Posted by Huw, 05 Jun 2013 04:00. Filed under Miscellaneous.
I've always wanted to do a LEGO Inside Tour, so as soon as the 2013 tours were announced, I, along with DrDaveWatford and Caperberry, booked up to go. (It's important to do it 'as soon as' the tour is announced because on the tour we learned that within 20 minutes of the application time starting, all places for 2013 had been allocated!)
So, what is an inside tour and who's it aimed at? LEGO has been organising them since 2005 and nowadays runs three a year. Essentially they are a tour of the production facilities and other LEGO attractions in Billund, Denmark, which is of course the birthplace and home of the LEGO company, plus LEGO activities in the evenings.
40 comments, latest one posted 7 days ago.10732 views
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Iron Patriot minifig with pre-orders of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes at WalMart
Posted by Huw, 30 Apr 2013 17:16. Filed under New sets.
FBTB has reported that you'll get a free Iron Patriot minifig when pre-ordering console versions of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes from WalMart in the USA.Ace at FBTB vents his anger at the stupidity of making such a major character available only this way, and although I have now stopped collecting Super Heroes minifigs because so many of them are next to impossible to get hold of, I have to agree with him. Every Iron Man fan will want this. Why make it so hard to get?
(Thanks to everyone that emailed about this, I've been out photographing the new cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway at Southampton, hence posting it late. I mention this as a reminder that there is life away from LEGO and those that get wound up about this minifig or Mr. Gold should remember that!)
57 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)10525 views
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Review: 79108 Stagecoach Escape
Posted by DrDaveWatford, 25 Mar 2013 04:24. Filed under Set review.
It’s always exciting to get a sneak peek at a new set before it appears at retail, and I’m particularly pleased to bring you a review of Set 79108 Stagecoach Escape because out of all the Lone Ranger sets, it was probably the one that I was looking forward to the most, apart perhaps from the Constitution Train Chase set.
At 279-pieces, the Stagecoach Escape is one of the smaller Lone Ranger sets in terms of piece count, as it’s a sizeable jump to the next largest set in the theme, the Colby City Showdown set, which weighs in at 587-pieces.
32 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)10489 views
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Review: 5001121 BR Minfigure
Posted by Huw, 03 May 2013 14:47. Filed under Set review.
This might end up being the shortest review I've ever written; there's only so much that can be said about a 5-piece set!Nevertheless, given its quality, I felt it worthwhile posting a couple of photos and suggesting how you can get hold of one of these.
BR is a chain of toy stores with branches in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany. I believe this minifig with the store's logo (which can be seen on their website), has been produced to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
In many ways, it could be considered to be the 172nd [1] collectable minifig because it's very similar in terms of it being made in China, and having brand new -- and very high quality -- printing and hat, and comes with a CMF 4 x 3 plate to stand on.
It's a very desirable minifig and if you don't live in a country where BR has stores, I suggest you head to the forum marketplace topic and see if you can hook up with someone who has them to trade.
Thanks to Diggydoes in the forum who traded with me for this one!
[1] 160 series 1-10 + 1 Mr Gold + 1 Toy Soldier + 9 Team GB = 171
29 comments, latest one posted 16 days ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)10374 views
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10234 Sydney Opera House Unveiled
Posted by yellowcastle, 14 Jun 2013 21:05. Filed under New sets.
Set (10234) Sydney Opera House™ was officially unveiled at the Brickworld in Chicago tonight.Official Press Release:
”The famous Australian landmark is the latest structure to be added to LEGO® Creator Expert range. The set contains nearly 3,000 LEGO bricks, and will launch in September.
The LEGO Group is set to pay homage to one of the greatest buildings of the Twentieth Century when it debuts a striking new official Sydney Opera House model on 1 September 2013.
The construction skills of LEGO fans from around the world will be put to the test as they recreate the unmistakable rooflines and complex angled walls of the Opera House using advanced building techniques and a total of 2,989 LEGO bricks.
Scaling 28cm high x 63.5cm wide x 38cm deep, this authentic representation of the Opera House will even stay true to its iconic harbour surrounds with the introduction the LEGO Group’s largest blue stud baseplate ever along with an abundance of dark tan LEGO® bricks including the rare 1x1x2/3 stud and 1x2x2/3 stud slopes.
The Opera House model joins the LEGO Creator Expert product range, which has previously seen the likes of the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower and Tower Bridge immortalised in LEGO® bricks.”***********************************************************
Ages 16+. 2,989 pieces.
Recreate Australia's architecture masterpiece!
US $319.99 CA $379.99 DE 279.99€ UK 249.99£ DK 2499.00 DKK
Recreate one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings with the Sydney Opera House model Build the unmistakable shell roofline, waterfont forecourt and more with this authentic representation of Australia's most iconic building. Employ a variety of new and advanced building techniques to recreate the complex forms, angled walls and subtle detailing of the real thing! Collect lots of dark tan LEGO® bricks including the rare 1x1x2/3 stud and 1x2x2/3 stud slopes, as well as a 48x48 stud baseplate in blue for the very first time!
- Build this model of a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
- Includes hard-to-find dark tan LEGO® bricks, tiles and sloped bricks!
- Collect the 48x48 stud baseplate, available in blue for the very first time
- Sturdy construction allows the model be be handled and moved!
- Features advanced building techniques for complex forms, angled walls and subtle detailing!
- Measures over 11" high, 25" wide and 15" deep
Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning September 2013 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone.
The Official Designer Video can be seen here.
Additional images can be seen on our Flickr stream here. Though I have not yet studied the pictures, I'm initially very impressed. What does everyone think?
56 comments, latest one posted about 8 hours ago.10186 views
