With COVID and its successor strains no longer the world-stopping menace of recent yesteryears, tourism-entertainment destinations are long thriving again. The same goes for LEGOLAND theme parks around the globe. Guests are back, additional park sites are being constructed and new attractions are opening in current LEGOLANDs. Still, nothing can quite match, perhaps, what Germany’s LEGOLAND in Gunzburg, Bavaria has got planned. This was announced by their official website, as told by German LEGO news source Stone Wars. Said attraction looks to be planned as the new centerpiece of LEGOLAND Deutschland’s Mythica themed area. They’ll be getting a roller coaster.
And it’s not just any roller coaster either. The LEGOLAND Germany press release specifies it as a wing roller coaster. This design has the main coaster body support two wings of passenger seats, left and right of the tracks. The seats will also be suspended, leaving nothing under the passengers’ feet for even scarier thrills. LEGOLAND Deutschland is confident in their new addition because a wing coaster already operates at Italy’s Gardaland. It and the LEGOLAND parks are all under the overall umbrella of Merlin Entertainments Group. The unorthodox seating could also influence the coaster’s aesthetics, to fit with the fantasy elements of area Mythica.
At present, construction has only barely begun in Gunzburg, with just the boarding area and the first hill constructed. But when finished the ride will take guests as high as 17 meters and as fast as 15 meters-per-second. LEGOLAND Germany expects their Mythica wing coaster to open sometime in 2023.
It took some doing, but now news of the COVID pandemic has been mostly relegated to the back-burner. With the improvement of conditions barring new strains, the world is powering back to some normalcy. And what better way to confirm this than seeing public attractions like theme parks back in full swing? That includes LEGOLAND parks across the world, with many hyping new spectacles as they’re built, sometimes LEGO-literally. Motor-headed fans are sure to love 1:1 scale LEGO-brick recreations of famous cars by pro design-build teams. One such vehicle is even now promoting an upcoming attraction over at LEGOLAND California.
According to The Brick Fan, LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad has unveiled a life-sized LEGO Ferrari F40 as an interactive attraction. It was made out of over 358,000 LEGO elements by a design team working over 3,000 hours (development-building). The 1:1 brick-car will promote the soon-to-open LEGO Ferrari Build and Race attraction on LEGOLAND California, this May 12. Being an interactive display, visitors will be able to sit inside for photo-ops. It looks forward to the Build and Race area, where LEGO fans can brick-build their dream supercars. Then they could test their creations and race their LEGO Ferraris digitally against one another, in pure fun.
While not mobile like the LEGO Bugatti Chiron years ago, this Ferrari F40 in LEGOLAND California’s still pretty cool. At the very least it’s more realistic than the dragon-taxi promoting LEGOLAND NY last 2021. This attraction skews more to the AFOL scale of LEGO fandom, which is quite considerate too. Park-goers can look ahead to May 12 to check out LEGO Ferrari Build and Race.
The battle to contain the COVID pandemic and its successor variant strains continues to this day. While that’s going on, the world also struggles to bring life back to a sense of circa-2019 normalcy. This may be seen in the world’s many major theme park destinations like LEGOLAND. No pandemic’s stopping Merlin Entertainments from building new LEGOLANDs like in China, or adding new attractions to existing LEGOLANDs. Case in point: LEGOLAND Windsor has been busy with a new addition, a brick-shaped building, right next to their Miniland. Brick Fanatics reports that the park has finally revealed their upcoming new attraction.
This spring of 2022, LEGOLAND Windsor is looking forward to introduce to their visitors: The Brick. This building, shaped like its name, apparently copies an attraction found at LEGO House in Billund: the Brick Pit. That means a facility filled with thousands upon thousands of LEGO bricks, inviting guests to come and build freely. “Let your imagination take the lead in your creativity and immerse yourself into a world of play.” So goes LEGOLAND Windsor’s promo blurb for The Brick. It certainly sounds like a fun place for families to build LEGO together, if the promo graphic is any indication.
LEGOLAND Windsor is already open to visitors, if filled with many safety regulations against the pandemic. It also means that guests to the park will primarily hail from within the UK for the moment. We wish them fortune and health safety for when The Brick opens in the spring 2022.
Monkie Kid has got to be one of the best new theme lines introduced by LEGO in recent years. A new adventure spun off from the classic Chinese novel that isn’t “Dragon Ball” all but guarantees popularity in Asia. Not for nothing does the animated series tie-in boast multiple Asian-language dubs. Aside from Japanese and Korean, “LEGO Monkie Kid” has a Cantonese dub and two for Mandarin. While the theme and show have a growing global fan-base, Asia looks to be its main stomping grounds. That would explain why the under-construction LEGOLAND Shanghai has plans for a Monkie Kid area.
First announced this past November 6, LEGOLAND Shanghai is one of three LEGOLAND resorts planned in China. Merlin Entertainments, LEGOLAND’s owner-operator, announced the start of construction on their official website. Soon to rise from Jinshan, LEGOLAND Shanghai has the honor of getting the first Monkie Kid themed area. As expected of the source material, this zone will feature Chinese architectural styles and natural landscaping. Through the LEGO Monkie Kid’ fun medium, young visitors to LEGOLAND Shanghai could also connect to their Chinese heritage. We may well expect attractions and walk-around cast featuring MK and his friends, plus their many antagonists.
The groundbreaking ceremony of LEGOLAND Shanghai involved the unveiling of a giant LEGO brick. This monument represents the symbolic first building block in the construction of the new resort. Merlin Entertainments CEO Nick Varney and LEGO Executive Chairman Jorgen Vig Knudstorp were VIPs alongside Shanghai’s Deputy Mayor. LEGOLAND Shanghai plans to open sometime in 2024. LEGO Monkie Kid on the other hand is promised to release new sets next year. Its animated adaptation should also have a third season underway.
The LEGOLAND theme parks have weathered the global epidemic that started in 2020 with some poise and dignity. They closed when mandated and resumed operating whenever circumstances and regulations allowed. For LEGOLAND New York, originally set to open in June last year, the pandemic dealt a heavier blow. Not until this May until July that the theme park in Goshen, NY could finally welcome its LEGO-loving guests. And they’re certainly making up for lost time. LEGOLAND New York has been busy promoting itself over the past few weeks. Their latest impromptu attraction is a life-sized fusion of a New York symbol with a LEGOLAND icon.
As detailed in the LEGO Group’s official Twitter page, professional builders have assembled a 1:1 scale brick-built photo-op spot. For the most part it looks like a LEGO New York City yellow cab. Then you notice the LEGOLAND Dragon head on the hood and tail on the trunk. The whole thing was built out of 95,410 LEGO bricks. A professional building team took 370 hours to assemble it. It was recently unveiled on the streets of NYC as an ad for the theme park. By now it’s back in LEGOLAND New York as a new park attraction piece.
It’s easy enough to pose for photos or videos in this LEGOLAND NY Yellow Cab/Dragon brick sculpture. The right side of the “vehicle” is actually wide open, allowing easy access for tourists to sit and pose. This is sure to become a prime photo-op spot at the theme park, which most recently opened its Hotel last August 6. If conditions are cool then a day trip to LEGOLAND New York can cost a minimum $67.99 via online booking. It’s better than the $89.99 price if buying a ticket on the day itself.
July has been traditionally Comic-Con month, and with the onset of the global health crisis brought about by this pandemic, the traditional in-person San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is postponed until 2022. Similar to what it did last year, SDCC is still going online and with the LEGO Group being confirmed as one of this year’s Comic-Con@Home online exhibitors.
Though this second Comic-Con@Home edition has not yet released its list of virtual panel schedules, some news outlets have been publishing the event’s online shows and programming. Needless to say, more news will probably come out in the next couple of weeks considering that the virtual fan convention is scheduled to happen between July 23-25, 2021.
Traditionally, LEGO has always been an exhibitor in this world-renowned fan convention, with plenty of new product reveals carefully timed during these events. And now that LEGO is back as an online exhibitor, it’s interesting to see how the LEGO Group will go about with its presentation. With the successful launch of its very first, and very own online LEGO fan convention in the form of LEGO CON 2021, we can most likely expect additional product reveals at Comic-Con@Home. Details are sketchy as of this time on the most likely candidates for any of these set reveals, but I’m crossing my fingers that it might be related to the next LEGO Star Wars UCS set presumably the Republic Gunship. The iconic transport from the Star Wars prequels was voted as the fan-favorite during last year’s LEGO Ideas voting campaign. It’s just speculation at this time, but since LEGO skipped on having LEGO CON as an opportunity to reveal this year’s LEGO Star Wars UCS set, I guess Comic-Con@Home 2021 will be the next best choice.
SDCC’s virtual event is just around the corner so we can expect more news to come in during the next several days. Stay tuned.
While most of us may not have the luxury of visiting the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, LEGO has now taken the extra mile of allowing virtually anyone with an internet connection to have a look at the inner workings and activities inside the famous Home of the Brick. The LEGO House is still closed as of to date no thanks to the raging pandemic(it’s slated to reopen on June 22 ). But this setback did not hinder its team to provide something unique and innovative to all LEGO fans who would love to pay a virtual visit – all at the comfort and safety of their homes.
Starting June 11 until September 1, the LEGO House will offer five virtual tours, focusing on the history and legacy of the LEGO Group since its humble beginnings in 1932 until the present.
Participation in these virtual tours is FREE, which will only require you to sign-up via their online registration form. You also get to choose your preferred time based on the virtual tour’s two predefined time slots. Bear in mind though that these 60-minute tours are in CEST so you will need to plan ahead accordingly.
There seems to be no deadline on until when you can register, but I suggest that you still register promptly if you would like to participate. Here’s a brief description of what to expect from each of these LEGO House virtual tours. If you already registered, and then be sure to check your inbox for the access link to join.
The Beginning of the LEGO Group, 1932 – 1946
June 11, 2020 at 10AM CEST | June 11, 2020 at 2PM CEST
Please join us for a guided tour in the LEGO House History Collection covering the beginning of the LEGO Group. The tour will touch upon the background of LEGO® founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen and how he started the company as well as cover the ups and downs he had to endure in the company´s first years of existence.
The LEGO Group – Consolidating Plastic, 1947 – 1961
June 25, 2020 at 10AM CEST | June 25, 2020 at 2PM CEST
Through a guided tour in the LEGO House History Collection, you can learn about a crucial period in the history of the LEGO Group. The gamechanger happened in 1958 when the LEGO brick was introduced, but many other activities in the late 1940s and up through the 1950s contributed to creating the foundation of the company we know today and we are here to tell you all about it.
The LEGO Group – Expanding the LEGO System in Play, 1962 – 1978
July 9, 2020 at 10AM CEST | July 9, 2020 at 2PM CEST
Go on a guided tour in the LEGO House History Collection and learn more about how the LEGO System in Play was expanded up through the 1960s and 1970s. We will cover the introduction of movement and role play, talk about the background for creating the first LEGOLAND Park, and much more. We will even touch upon who the first CEO/Managing Director to come from outside the owner family was…
The LEGO Group – Introducing New Ideas, 1979 – 2001
August 13, 2020 at 10AM CEST | August 13, 2020 at 2PM CEST
Third-generation owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, and the new ideas he introduces, plays a huge role in this guided tour in the LEGO House History Collection covering the first 22 years of Kjeld at the helm. We will look into the introduction of storytelling, how we change the appearance of the minifigure, the introduction of our first brick-built IP products, and more… Come join us!
The LEGO Group – Crisis and turnaround, 2002 – 2019
September 1, 2020 at 9:30AM CEST | September 1, 2020 at 2:30PM CEST
In this guided tour in the LEGO House History Collection, the theme is very much ups and downs, as we will look into our crisis and turnaround and some of the contributing factors. We will also touch briefly on more contemporary topics such as collaborating with our AFOL community or setting up our sustainable materials center.
If you have plans of visiting any of LEGOLAND’s nineteen (19) Parks and Discovery Centers, then be sure to check with their own LEGO Store for this year’s first park exclusive building set. It has been customary for LEGOLAND to offer a couple of limited-edition sets that sees the park’s main attractions rendered in brick form. And for the start of this year, they are offering the LEGOLAND Fire Academy (40393).
Like those before it, the LEGOLAND Fire Academy (40393) is based on the park’s Fire Academy attraction where visitors can ride a fire truck and shoot down some make-believe “fire hazards” over windows and buildings. To bring home a piece of this park attraction, then you may want to head over at the LEGO Store inside the park. The LEGOLAND Fire Academy (40393) comes in at 221 pieces with 3 minifigs, and you can purchase this set for $17.99.
It’s a pretty straightforward consisting of a fire truck, a two-story building facade, a stud shooter-equipped water cannon, and a mini-map. LEGO Customer Service has uploaded this set’s building instructions if you want to give it a try recreating this set using your own LEGO pieces. I guess the only limiting part will be the newer Dark Stone Grey Botton Wagon Assembly which is also available in the LEGO City Barbecue Burn Out (60212). Of course, you can opt for other similar color variants that are more readily available. Check out this parts list and see if you can complete all the required pieces.
As we literally count the days before we say goodbye to 2019, LEGO has now given us a glimpse of things to come with their January 2020 LEGO Store Calendar. Those who are looking forward to the majority LEGO 2020 sets – ranging from the City, Technic, Ninjago and Creator themes just to name a few – that will launch at the turn of the year, you’ll be glad to know that LEGO is throwing in a good number of promos and freebies to watch out for. You may download a copy of the calendar right here as we breakdown each of these freebies.
Free LEGO Turquoise (853380) or Purple (853379) Keychain
Promo period: January 1 – 12, 2020
From January 1 to 12, every single-receipt purchase of any LEGO product or merchandise equivalent to $35 USD or more, will entitle you to a free LEGO Keychain either in Turquoise or Purple variants. It’s not really that much, but I like the vibrant colors of these 2×4 bricks and I wouldn’t mind having them as part of my usual gears and accessories.
Free LEGO Year of the Rat (40355) Seasonal Set
Promo period: January 13 to 26, 2020
Following the tradition of seasonal Chinese New Year sets, LEGO now releases its 7th promotional set based on the Chinese zodiac. Last year we saw LEGO offering the Year of the Pig (40186) set, and for 2020 it is the adorable Metal Rat’s turn to have a LEGO set dedicated to it. Those who will opt to make their LEGO purchases from January 13 to 26 equivalent to $80 USD and above will get the exclusive LEGO Year of the Rat (40355) set. These seasonal freebies are usually highly sought after so expect these to have a rather short period of availability.
Free Collectible LEGO Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Collectible Minifigure (30624)
Promo period: December 6, 2019 to January 31, 2020
Following the subtheme of the LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Edition sets, this limited edition LEGO Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Collectible Minifigure (30624) does not come together with the aforementioned sets and is only available as an exclusive freebie from December 6, 2019 to January 31, 2020. For every single-receipt purchase of any LEGO Star Wars sets amounting to $40 USD, you’ll see this relatively rare minifig added to your cart. Since this has a longer promo period as compared to other deals, then we can somehow hope that LEGO has stacked up on this anniversary collectible.
Free Exclusive LEGO Hidden Side Drag Racer (40408)
Promo period: January 24 to February 9, 2020
Fans of LEGO’s new spooky-fun theme will be glad to know that LEGO is throwing in another freebie following its Newbury Juice Bar (40336) exclusive promotional released earlier in September. The LEGO Hidden Side Drag Racer (40408) will be added to your cart automatically for every LEGO purchase worth $45 USD and more made between January 24 to February 9, 2020. This has a lower qualifying purchase as compared to its predecessor. I really can’t figure much about the build based on this image, but I’m sure we’ll get better images soon.
Free Make-and-Take LEGO Creator Newsstand
Promo period: January 8, 2020
To celebrate the release of next year’s LEGO Creator Expert Bookshop (10270), LEGO Stores are offering a free make and take build in the form of the LEGO Creator Newsstand. I like the more compact design on this particular newsstand, which somewhat shows a marked improvement on what LEGO offered with the LEGO City Bus Station (60154) back in 2017. Similar to other in-store promos, this freebie will be exclusively available to those who will visit a local LEGO store to participate in this building event. Bear in mind that there are limited spaces available so be sure to sign-up in-store starting January 6. This activity is also intended for LEGO fans and participants ages 15 and above.
Free LEGO Lunar New Year Dragon Build
Promo period: January 23
LEGO celebrates 2020’s Chinese Lunar New Year with a free make-and-take build for younger LEGO fans. Visit your local LEGO brand store on January 23 to build a LEGO Lunar New Year Dragon to celebrate the festivities. Same as other in-store building events, this one also has limited space so registration is likewise required. Sign-ups will begin in-store starting January 6 and is intended for younger participants ages 6 to 14 years.
LEGO Star Wars Building Event – Choose Your Side
For the whole month of January, you may visit any of your local LEGO Store to build and try some of the latest LEGO Star Wars sets, and have it displayed together with your chosen squadron. It’s a great way to try some of these sets before you commit to purchasing them. And before you head out to your local LEGO Store, be sure to check out the upcoming 2020 LEGO Star Wars sets right here.
LEGO Creator Expert Bookshop (10270)LEGO Star Wars Poe Dameron’s X-wing Fighter (75273)LEGO Creator Townhouse Toy Store (31105)
San Diego Comic-Con 2019 has now come to a close, and for those who didn’t get a chance to see what LEGO has in store at their massive booth, our friends from Beyond the Brick was kind enough to share their first-hand account of the different happenings at the LEGO Booth at SDCC 2019. Check out their video below.
There is also the LEGO Comic Creation Station where you can create a minifigure version of yourself and be the star of your own comic book. You just have to answer a series of questions that determines the personality and looks of your minifigure avatar, and choose your own comic book theme. After a couple of hours, you can claim your own personalized comic book to bring home as a cool LEGO SDCC souvenir.
Video grab courtesy of Beyond the Brick.
Younger LEGO fans also had a blast at the LEGO Booth making their very own minifigure adventures. After creating their physical minifigures at the building stations, these young builders can place their customized minifigs to any of the numerous LEGO Brick Boxes for a fun minifigure scene and photo ops. Designed by Tristan Cain and other top-notch LEGO builders, these minifig scaled backdrops are based on several of LEGO’s licensed themes and other abstract concepts.
Video grab courtesy of Beyond the Brick.
There is also a handful of LEGO sets that were put on sale at the LEGO Booth which includes fan favorites such as the LEGO Jurassic Park: T.rex Rampage (75936), the LEGO Star Wars Droid Commander (75253), and the LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV (75244) just to name a few. On display are also a couple of soon to be released LEGO Star Wars sets, the LEGO Marvel Avengers Hulk Helicopter Drop (76144), and other LEGO SDCC 2019 exclusives such as Captain Marvel and the Asis (77902), The Dark Knight of Gotham City (77903), and LEGO Star Wars Sith Trooper Bust (77901). There was a bit of confusion when the LEGO Ideas Treehouse (21318) was accidentally placed on sale in spite of the embargo that was currently in effect. Needless to say, the set was immediately pulled out but not without any eagle-eyed LEGO fan making the first purchase.
Were you at the San Diego Comic-Con this year? Let us know what is your favorite LEGO Booth moment at the comments down below.
