Albert Balanza, Author at The Brick Show

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Video Game Promises Unique Side Missions and a Collectible Minifig

We mentioned in one of our post last week that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” now has an official LEGO console game which will be launched via Microsoft’s Xbox One. Knowing that previous LEGO Star Wars video games can be pretty straightforward, that is, it tends to be solely dependent on the original movies’ plot and storyline, TT Games promises to have a different take on the latest movie from the galaxy far, far away. This time, they’re throwing in some side missions – six of them to be exact- that explores some of the character’s back stories all leading to the events that transpired in The Force Awakens. These are six optional missions that pop ups after completing story missions based on the film or once a certain amount of gold bricks has been collected by players.

One of these missions tells how C-3PO got this red arm replacement. This is not revealed and explored yet, except in a comic series but were hopeful that the genius writers from Lucasfilm will come up with something that could be way cooler than the plot in print.

Another mission that Game Informer hinted on involved certain dangerous creatures known as the Rathars which were captured aboard Han Solo and Chewbacca’s new freighter, the Eravana. The Rathars are ravenous creatures rumored to be responsible for the Trillia Massacre. The game will explore how these Rathars were captured and ended eventually into the hands of our timeless galactic duo.

If the side missions are not enough to get you excited and placing your pre-order, LEGO sweetens the deal by offering a Deluxe Edition that includes a rare and exclusive 30605 Finn (FN-2187) minifigure polybag bundled with the Season Pass for the game. Available both for PS4 and Xbox One, ‘LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will be available on June 28 this year.

This LEGO Paper Airplane Folding Machine Can Actually Make One – And Launch It

A custom LEGO Paper Airplane Folding Machine? Why not.

We’ve seen a lot of cool stuff lately on the different ways LEGO bricks can be used to make things easier: from dispensing tasty, chicken legs and nuggets, to dispensing toothpaste on a brush.

These LEGO MOC contraptions were meant to make things easier for us human beings in a funny, unusual way. So when someone thinks, “Hey, let’s build a LEGO paper airplane folding machine,” it’s kind of hard putting it in the right context. Not at least if you’re going to build as a tribute for a major electronics think-tank firm, and the one who’s doing it is a name that will appear on your screen when you Google, “World’s Best LEGO Robotics Designer.”

This Custom LEGO Paper Airplane Folding Machine is a Marvel on Its Own

Truth be told, building a paper plane factory around the LEGO Mindstorm project is not exactly a novel idea. The idea was spawned already by a YouTuber that goes by the name ‘Hknssn’. Using more than 7,000 LEGO Technic and Mindstorm parts, she (he) showed that building the LEGO paper airplane folding machine and being able to launch its product at the same time, is indeed complex rocket science. That was almost four years ago and as they say, technology eventually caught up.

In a similar vein, Arrow Electronics launched its campaign ‘Five Years Out’ with the expressed goal of encouraging innovation among young minds. What better way to do it than with the help of the creative minds behind promotions and marketing firm, Elevation Digital Media and the brilliant engineering and design skills of Arthur Sacek – and yes, it was his name that came up when Jon Stevenson, Director of Production for Elevation Media, Googled the flashy title.

Gizmodo has a pretty neat round-up of Sacek’s work including a Lego Pinblock animator, a copy machine, and a 360 degrees Milling Machine but none have been as wonderfully complicated as the LEGO paper airplane folding machine that can turn a single piece of paper into a flying contraption, and even launches it the end of the assembly line.

The mission-inspired video excellently pictured Sacek’s machine, and the spirit of innovation behind Arrow’s work. You could almost feel that you’re part of something greater than yourself, as you listen to JFK’s ‘Why We Choose To Go To The Moon’ speech… OK, let’s put a break on the nostalgia, shall we?

Using multiple LEGO Mindstorms intelligent bricks, and quite a bit of custom code, Sacek’s design looks far more streamlined and reliable than the one we previously mentioned, both in aesthetics and the final output of this custom LEGO paper airplane folding machine.

Arrow Electronics shared some of the behind-the-scenes action in the making of this LEGO masterpiece, showing how some parts of the paper airplane folding machine were designed and assembled. However, as it seems, Arrow and Sacek are a little keen on guarding and revealing their ‘trade secrets’, so it’s wise not to expect any instructions or building guides. Perhaps we’ll have a better chance with Hknssn – if we can get in touch with her (him?).

This Custom LEGO Finding Dory Build Is A Promising One

This custom LEGO Finding Dory managed to enter the LEGO Ideas platform and needs your support!

Thirteen years ago, Disney and Pixar introduced to us what could be the most famous of all sea creatures ever rendered in CGI. ‘Finding Nemo’ was hailed not just for the good, and family values that it offered but also for the technical feats that Pixar accomplished during its time.

Set in the colorful underwater world of corals, squids, turtles, and sharks (remember the oath: ‘fish are friends, not food.’), Finding Nemo has set a milestone in computer-aided animation. This year, a long-overdue sequel is now slated to hit the big screen and this time, the one missing might prove to be a little bit difficult to find. ‘Finding Dory‘ is Pixar Animation Studios latest 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure released by Walter Disney Pictures.

This Custom LEGO Finding Dory Aims to Become the Next Official LEGO Ideas Set

Following the timeline of the original 2003 hit movie ‘Finding Nemo’, Dory, the forgetful but ever-reliable Blue Tang fish, suddenly recovers her childhood memories. With the help of her friends, Nemo and Marlin, they set off to find the ‘Jewel of Monterey’ with the hopes of reuniting Dory with her family. And what better way to celebrate the release of this recent underwater adventure through a custom LEGO Finding Dory build over at LEGO Ideas.

Custom LEGO Ideas Finding Dory Features

To help out in the search, LEGO Ideas contributors BuildFiend and Nunki-psi, came up with their replica of our colorful threesome sea friends. With 228 supporters and a lead time of 263 days, the duo hopes to garner 10,000 nods of approval from other LEGO supporters in order for their creation to be noticed and hopefully produced by LEGO. Their original creation includes:

Nemo with a stand on a coral reef vignette (and a little shrimp!)
Marlin with a stand on a coral reef vignette (and a transparent jellyfish!)
Dory with a stand on a coral reef vignette (and Squishy!)

All builds are playable with each having a nice display piece. All of the characters’ fins (yes, even Nemo’s ‘lucky fin’) and eyes are moveable and poseable, including Marlin’s mouth. With a total brick count of 611 pieces, their proposed Finding Dory build is a pretty great compliment for the upcoming movie. Check out the rest of their photos below.

LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens Video Game Coming June 28, 2016

For those who are excited about its arrival, the LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens video game is now officially slated to be released on June 28!

It is bound to happen: Microsoft’s Xbox has announced on its website the release of yet another LEGO Star Wars video game, and this time it claims that “The Force is strong with this one.” Riding on the recent success of its two-billion-dollar movie counterpart, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if LEGO announces the release of the LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens video game to keep the force moving.

LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens – What You Need to Know

Developed by UK-based TT Games, the LEGO Star Wars line-up has already made a distinct brand for itself, with endearing features and gameplay that are all too familiar to the fans of the series. True to its form, it promises the same light, but exquisitely challenging game modes, immersive shooting action, and of course, tons of virtual bricks to collect and to build ships and props from the Star Wars franchise.

Typical LEGO Humor and Star Wars Action Rolled Into One

Not to mention the comedic antics of their minifig counterparts that are sure to draw laughter from children and adults alike. Xbox players may choose to follow either the light or dark side of the force by taking the roles of Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, Kylo Ren, Han Solo, and the rest of the characters from the movie. I guess it is safe to assume that we’ll be seeing all of the characters featured in the game’s cover art at some point in the game.

Watch the video game’s trailer below:

Though all of these may sound standard fare for all LEGO-based video games, Xbox promises a different take on the LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens storyline. This time, the game will feature “exclusive playable content that bridges the story gap between Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” as mentioned on the Xbox website.

This is sure to gather more interest among gamers as they’re treated with unexpected twists and turns during the transition from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Feature-Rich Games Modes

But the best promise of immersive gaming experience may actually come from the various game modes that come along with LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens. For the first time ever, TT Games introduces the Multi-Build and Blaster Battles modes in the game’s line-up.

“With Multi-Builds, use available LEGO bricks to open up new paths, then break them apart and re-build them again to open up another! And another! During Blaster Battles, use your surroundings as cover to stand against the First Order,” as Xbox describes it. We hope that the Blaster Battles will also include network-based, free-for-all, and coop gameplay.

Well, we can dream all we want, but in the meantime, we just have to wait for around five months before we can actually grab a copy and pound once again on our controllers. For now, this teaser video might give us a laugh or two. I guess even under his intimidating mask, Kylo Ren may have a chuckle or two when his lightsaber’s hilt needed several taps before he could get it to work right.

Availability and Release Date

LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens is scheduled to be released on June 28, 2016. The last LEGO-based game to be launched recently was Marvel’s Avengers on January 26.

LEGO Unveils First Minifigure in a Wheelchair in LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134)

LEGO has just introduced more diversity in its set with the introduction of the LEGO City Fun in the Park 60134.

A few days ago, LEGO released what could be its first person-with-disability minifigure. It was spotted by Promobricks at the Nuremberg, Germany, and London toy fairs, photos of which were posted on their blog site and shared with the website.

The LEGO City Fun in the Park 60314 Set Adds A New Exciting Character and Accessory

The first-ever minifigure on a wheelchair is part of the newest set, LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134) City People Pack, and also includes an ice-cream vendor, cyclist, picnickers, and a host of other minifigs in a new park scene. The said PWD minifig depicts a young, cool guy donning a beanie and a hoodie together with his companion dog.

LEGO City and Diversity

It caused quite a stir across social media because as we said, it’s a first for a LEGO – and a good one too. The sighting of this new minifigure is significant since the company has been bombarded recently with accusations for its lack of diversity, and stereotyping.

LEGO in fact received a barrage of criticism from educators and activists, for releasing an elderly minifig with a wheelchair as part of the Duplo line which caters to toddlers and preschool-aged children. According to its critics, the introduction of such figures in a toy system intended for very young kids reinforces the stereotypical image of elderly people as unproductive members of the larger society. But this new LEGO City may seek to undo that.

LEGO City Fun in the Park 60134 Introduces Our First Wheel-Chair Riding Minifig

Now with the introduction of its first-ever, wheel-chair riding minifigures in LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134), The LEGO Group might receive its needed PR boost. #ToyLikeMe co-founder Rebecca Atkinson, who spearheaded a petition at Change.org, managed to gather 20,000 signatures which lobbied Lego to include people with disabilities minifigures in its sets. This could be a second milestone with regard to the issue of sensitivity and diversity among toy manufacturers, the first being with Mattel’s release of new body types for the world’s most famous doll, Barbie.

According to a written statement by Atkinson, “The whole issue came as a bit of a shock to me, because you can get tons of LEGO superhero figures, pretty much any kind you want. And there are disabled superheroes! But I looked it up. They do not have official LEGO Professor X figs or Barbara Gordon/Oracle figs. They don’t even have Stephen Hawking!” Though as the brick company claims, the LEGO system offers endless possibilities in coming up with figures that can be customized by any child to approximate his environment, it is the company’s official acknowledgment that activists were seeking.

The #ToyLikeMe organizers took this as a very positive gesture, and joyfully wrote on their campaign page, “We’ve got genuine tears of joy right now … LEGO has just rocked our brick-built world!”

“It’s pretty momentous, even though it’s just a little toy. It’s about the message behind it, which is far, far bigger than a little one-inch-tall plastic guy.”, Atkinson said.

LEGO will begin to offer this unique minifig through their LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134) City People Pack beginning in July of this year. For now, check out this video from Promobricks regarding set 60134 as they spotted this during the Nuremberg Toy Fair.

The featured image above is courtesy of Promobricks.

This 65,000-Piece Custom LEGO Concorde Will Amaze You

If you somehow broke your heart with the impressive 120,000-piece model of a sinking Titanic broken in half, which we reported earlier last week, then perhaps you’ll be equally amazed with the incredible details of yet another LEGO masterpiece from Australia’s one and only LEGO Certified Professional, Ryan McNaught.

This Jaw-Dropping Custom LEGO Concorde Set Clocks in at 65,000 Pieces!

This 65,000-piece, 4-meter-long, custom LEGO Concorde model of an Air France Concorde plane will surely impress you as much as the LEGO Titanic MOC. This brick replica even has cutaway details that reveal the entire supersonic plane’s inner workings and intricate details. The model went on display at the recently concluded 2016 Brickvention in Melbourne, Australia.

Designed and constructed by certified LEGO master Ryan McNaught and his team at The Brick Man, this custom LEGO Concorde is a replica of what was once the flagship of Air France took 188 hours to complete, and is made of 65,000 bricks. From end to end, this custom LEGO Concorde model measures 4 meters. Check out some of these photos so you can have a better grasp on the sheer size of this model.

The right side of this custom LEGO Concorde shows the flawless curves of the plane using intricate layering techniques. McNaught added more realism by installing neat little LED lights for the plane’s engines. The sweeter deal is when you move over to the left side, where a cutaway portion reveals how things work inside this magnificent plane.

The details on the passenger seats are very impressive, with McNaught installing 60 or more of them. There are also provisions for fuel, cargo, and the inclusion of a neat pantry at the custom LEGO Concorde rear galley (wait, is that a croissant?).

You may visit Ryan’s Flickr page to see more of his newest favorite plane, and other cool builds.

Ryan McNaught is the only LEGO Certified Professional in the entire Southern Hemisphere and is known for building some uniquely Australian creations including the world’s largest LEGO replica of the Sydney Opera House and a Qantas Airbus A380 model. As of today, there are only 13 LEGO Certified Professionals in the entire world.

This Spectacular 120,000-piece LEGO Titanic MOC Might Break Your Heart

LEGO Certified Professional Ryan McNaught’s 120,000-piece LEGO Titanic MOC as it shows the legendary ship splitting in half, and sinking at the bottom of the ocean after hitting an iceberg is already technically impressive as it is. However, what makes this masterpiece stand out is not just the sheer size of it, but also McNaught’s use of minifigures that evoke empathy even through a toy that was designed for fun and play.

This LEGO Titanic MOC Is So Accurate That Its Kinda Hard to Take In

At a technical level, McNaught’s LEGO Titanic MOC is awe-inspiring. He spent around 250 hours building his masterpiece. He also used several light bricks, adding a subtle drama to this scale model. It also shows a degree of engineering ingenuity considering the manner in which the stern was able to be kept up. Most importantly, and perhaps what should not be missed, is the fact that this Titanic was built in proportion to the size of its minifigures.

Jan Dizon of The Tech Times vividly described how the minifigures were arranged to create a powerful emotional image. “Little LEGO men and woman are scattered throughout the ship and even in the water telling their own mini-stories of terror, and fighting for survival as the ship splits in half… there are minifigs hanging on for dear life. Four minifigs are working together to help their friend back up. One poor chap has a pile of ice that fell on top of him,” Jan reported.

While others marveled at the technical aspects of McNaught’s rendition, others were just uncomfortable with it. User comments at lego.gizmodo.com say that it was inappropriate to use minifigs to replicate such a tragedy. Others went as far as predicting that it’s not too soon that someone will come up with a Lego replica of 9/11. Though this is somewhat debatable – we just have to wait and see.

We surmise that it’s up to the person how he or she will look at it, but truth be told, McNaught’s creation will leave an indelible mark on those who will be fortunate enough to see it.

Thanks to LCP Ryan McNaught for sharing these images of his LEGO Titanic MOC. For the rest of his amazing LEGO creations, visit his Flickr page.

50,000 LEGO Bricks Used To Build This LEGO Renaissance Center MOC in Detroit

Our featured LEGO MOC for today is the LEGO Renaissance Center MOC, which took four professionals 300 hours to build.

Yes, this might be easily passed for another LEGO City project or another Architect set to dive into, unless we tell you that it’s made of 50,000 bricks and is 6 feet high. This brick-built replica of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan is just one of the 10 Detroit areas that will be on permanent display as part of the attractions of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan.

This LEGO Renaissance Center MOC, which took four professionals 300 hours to make, was unveiled before a crowd of LEGO fans and enthusiasts inside the Cobo Center, where the North American Auto Show is taking place.

A Closer Look at This Gargantuan LEGO Renaissance Center MOC

The miniature RenCen is one of 10 Detroit-area landmarks made of LEGO bricks that will be on permanent display when the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan located at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills opens this spring. “The landmarks were chosen through online voting last year and Detroit’s glass-and-steel Renaissance Center was the top vote-getter”, said Hayley Anderson, general manager for the Michigan LEGOLAND.

Derek Chock, one of the four professional Lego builders who built the model from computerized blueprints shared some details on how this LEGO Renaissance Center MOC was built. “All of it except for the windows are regular LEGOs which you can go to the store and purchase. The reflective windows are pieces of laser-cut mirrored acrylic”. Derek is with U.K.-based Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates the Michigan-based LEGOLAND.

The other Detroit-area landmarks slated to be built entirely from LEGO bricks include:

Spirit of Detroit sculpture

Belle Isle

Motown Museum

Fox Theatre

The Guardian Building in downtown

Comerica Park

Uniroyal Giant Tire

Michigan Central Station

The Heidelberg Project

Watch this short clip from the WCBD News 2 and tell us what you think.

Here’s How To Build Your Own Custom LEGO BB-8

This custom LEGO BB-8 is simple enough to be built at your own home using LEGO bricks that you may have lying around.

The latest addition to the Star Wars family of droids has already left a mark on the hearts of endearing fans. The non-human but adorable BB-8 droid, with its flair for the dramatic, quickly gained a following among the younger generation of Star Wars fans – not to mention a host of toys and other promotional memorabilia.

Since the last quarter of the year, the internet has been riddled with so many iterations of BB-8 either as toy figures, or actual working models, and this may be the first attempt to create this droid from actual LEGO pieces. Sure, we know that LEGO is quick to catch on to the LEGO Star Wars hype.

It even has a minifigure of BB-8 on one of its offered sets. However, it is yet to offer the actual challenge of building the iconic droid itself. So while waiting for LEGO to release such a brick-built version of the newest droid on the block, let’s take a look at this custom LEGO BB-8, and see if you can build one of your own.

How to Build Your Own Custom LEGO BB-8

One such fan took on the challenge of marrying his love for the Star Wars franchise and his love for the LEGO brick. Mashable’s Adario Stranger reports, “A Reddit user by the name of “hendrikdejager” recently posted his own LEGO version of the BB-8 droid on the site and it turned out pretty awesome. The mechanics of putting the Lego-made droid together are pretty tedious, which is why the maker posted a demonstrational how-to video (above) on YouTube on Tuesday”. Other than his video, this clever LEGO enthusiast also posted a detailed parts list for anyone else who wants to try their hand at making their own custom LEGO BB-8.

Watch this video and see if you can build one of your own.

This Custom LEGO AT-AT Took 6,000+ Parts and 26 Hours To Build!

If you’re the type that often complains while building LEGO models and sets out of the box, you might want to think again after watching this video. Peter Brookdale who goes by the profile cavegod2009 on Flickr, came up with a custom LEGO AT-AT which took 6,000+ pieces and 26 hours to build.

custom lego at at star wars — Image courtesy of Brick Vault

Peter also came up with other amazing customized creations such as the Imperial Tie Fighter, Sandcrawler, Imperial Shuttle, and A-Wing. Based on the retired LEGO AT-AT (75054) model, you can just imagine how massive this LEGO Star Wars project is, considering that LEGO first came up with the idea using only 1,137 pieces!

Building a Massive Custom LEGO AT-AT

Charlie from BrickVault took on the challenge of Peter’s design and personally ordered the 6,000 LEGO bricks from BrickLink. Filming himself and a buddy for a total of 4 days, they came up with a time-lapse video worth 26 hours of building time. Towards the end of the video, there were some modifications that needed to be done since they had a bit of a challenge in connecting the legs to the main body and making it stand independently.

custom lego at at star wars 01 — Image courtesy of Brick Vault

The exceptional attention to detail and smooth finish of this custom LEGO AT-AT owes it to what BrickVault calls the SNOT Technique making for a smoother appearance. This is not the same thing that you want to sneeze out, but is an acronym for “Studs Not On Top”.

This is one custom LEGO AT-AT that is definitely worth more than a thousand words. Check out BrickVault’s video below and tell us what you think about his amazing feat.