Author: bluephotographs800

Ninjago Season 9 First Episode On Cartoon Network To Premiere In August

Since May, LEGO has been hyping the 9th season of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu on Cartoon Network, with a rather dramatic trailer that illustrated the dire circumstances of the main characters, separated between two worlds with an ascendant Lord Garmadon about to cement his rule over all. The thing is that nobody knew then when Ninjago season 9 will premiere.

At first, the announced Ninjago panel for SDCC 2018 didn’t offer any clues on the show, and even floated speculations that the ninth season might be the last, with the wording of the panel’s official description. But before the panel played out on Sunday, July 22, one of the LEGO Ninjago series’ co-creators finally dropped a hint about Season 9.

Tommy Andreasen went up and revealed that “Hunted”, the latest season of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjiztu will premiere next month on Cartoon Network. Specifically, it will begin on August 11.

Just as a refresher: Ninjago season 9 – “Hunted” sees Lloyd and Nya trying to fight an increasingly futile rebellion against Lord Garmadon, with most of their friends banished to another dimension filled with dragons and dragon-slaving tribes, where they must try to survive and find a way to get home.

Perhaps Andreasen’s dropping of the start date for Ninjago season 9 on Cartoon Network will whet fans’ appetites for what other things will be revealed about the show and its future direction in the panel proper. You can count on us to deliver the goodies when they come to light.

SDCC 2018 Teasers Reveal DCEU Aquaman Actor Jason Momoa Will Also Voice LEGO Version in The LEGO Movie 2

San Diego Comic Con has come and gone, and boy that weekend that passed by was one of the wildest yet since the event came to prominence because of superhero movies. DC and Warner Bros. didn’t fail to disappoint fans with two movie previews, one being Aquaman starring Jason Momoa.

We already have info down on the upcoming LEGO DC Super Heroes Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095) set that directly ties in to the said movie (featuring a Momoa-as-Aquaman minifigure), but that apparently wasn’t the only place we’d find the Hawaiian actor where LEGO’s involved. We’ll be hearing him reprising his role in an eagerly-awaited film.

We know The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is coming out next year. Some little teasers shown by the Warner-DC panel in SDCC’s “hallowed” Hall H last Saturday (July 21) apparently tip off the fact that a LEGO Aquaman will be among the loads of characters present, and he’ll be voiced by Jason Momoa.

The DC superhero minifigures in the LEGO movie sequel already have some notable stars voicing them like Will Arnett as LEGO Batman, and Channing Tatum as the voice behind LEGO Superman. But Warner-DC seems to be trying to pull some performer synergy with the DC Extended Universe with the Momoa casting for LEGO Aquaman. Even Suicide Squad’s Margot Robbie is taking over from The LEGO Batman Movie’s Jenny Slate in voicing for LEGO Harley Quinn.

Jason Momoa
This brick-built LEGO statue of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman majestically stands at SDCC 2018.

Aquaman of the DCEU premieres on December 21, but already the iconic underwater hero who can talk to fish has been getting plenty of love at SDCC 2018. There was also a brick-built LEGO statue of him (portrayed by Jason Momoa, naturally) on display there, while the LEGO Super Heroes Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095) arrives August 1.

As a parting treat, here’s  Aquaman’s first official trailer.

LEGO Posters for Marvel And DC Comics Available At SDCC 2018

There’re just so many things happening at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con which has started this Thursday that trying to get all the panels, events, exclusives and everything else straight could take a good long while. Even if we’re just primarily covering the LEGO scene at SDCC, there’s still a lot happening just with them. We’ve already covered the LEGO exclusives for SDCC in past articles, as well as the limited-quantity advance releases [hello, LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311)]. But there are still more awesome stuff that will be handed away to attendees that brave the crowds and long lines such as these pretty neat LEGO posters.

Spotted by Parks and Cons on Twitter, these two promotional LEGO posters from the two pillars of American superhero comic books, Marvel and DC are such sweet finds. Interestingly, the original renditions of these posters both commemorate milestone anniversaries for these publishing brands.

The Marvel-inspired LEGO poster is part of the gold-hued set that was released to celebrate the First Ten Years of Marvel Studios; particularly this LEGO Marvel STUD10S poster is the hero group shot with the tagline “More than just a Hero”. The DC LEGO poster on the other hand is a salute to 80 years of Superman, with little images which homage iconic scenes from his comics, films and so on, until the current DC Comics run where Superman is also “Super-Dad”.

SDCC guests who would drop by at the LEGO booth could have their choice of a poster for the first decade of the most moneymaking superhero film studio, or a poster celebrating eight decades of the definitive superhero of all. You can also ask for both, though I wonder now if LEGO has enough of them in stock to last the who Comic Con weekend.

Signed LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) Sets Available in Advance at SDCC 2018

SDCC 2018 is off to a grand start, and for attendees who are fans of both LEGO and the beloved 1980’s mecha icon, now’s their chance to come and grab a signed LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) set ahead of their official release next month. However, these sets come in limited quantities so expect some pretty tight competition out there for those who want a signed copy of the largest LEGO Ideas set to date.

As if collectors need no more reason to get a signed LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) set ahead of the crowd, the boxes on display at LEGO’s SDCC booth have been made even more special, because all of them have been autographed by creative higher-ups from LEGO Ideas.

The two signatures on every signed LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) set at SDCC belong to Samuel Johnson, Creative Lead for LEGO Ideas, and Designer Niek van Slagmaat. If you’ve been following us, you’d recognize van Slagmaat as one of the interviewees for the recent Designer Video for the Ideas Voltron set (21311). He even showed off the stocked shelves on his Twitter.

That’s a nice gesture from the good folks at LEGO Ideas who have finally managed to get to heavily-anticipated set out after a long wait, and a great boost on the collector’s value of every 21311 box sold at SDCC.

For those who won’t be at San Diego all weekend for the SDCC, they’ll get another shot at an early purchase of the LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) on July 23, if they’re a LEGO VIP member. Finally, the general release of this set for everybody will be on August 1.

LEGO DC Super Heroes Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095) Officially Revealed – Coming August 1

Over a year after the premiere of Justice League, Warner Bros. Pictures will then release the next installment of their DC Extended Universe, in the form of Aquaman starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson and more. With the year 2018 halfway through, there’s no better time to begin rolling out the tie-in merchandise. Of course that includes LEGO sets. The first LEGO DC Super Heroes set that is definitely tied in to the Aquaman movie has been revealed, and it’s called LEGO DC Super Heroes Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095). Set to come out in August 1, the set gives a first glimpse of what plot elements to expect from the upcoming DCEU film.

We can see the synergy with the live action portrayals in the minifigures included in this Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095) set: Aquaman sporting Jason Momoa’s awesome hair and dreads, and Mera looking like how Amber Heard appeared in her brief scene in Justice League. We also get a first look at film’s villain, Black Manta, to be portrayed in Aquaman by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, as well as his trademark Manta sub. Check out the set’s official images below including its respective product description.

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LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Aquaman: Black Manta Strike (76095)

235 pieces; $29.99

Join forces with Aquaman™ and Mera™ and battle Black Manta™ for the treasure in LEGO® DC Super Heroes 76095 Aquaman: Black Manta Strike, featuring Black Manta’s submarine, with an opening minifigure cockpit, 2 spring-loaded shooters, 6-stud rapid shooter and 2 engines. This set also includes a buildable underwater scene with 2 detachable treasure elements, 3 minifigures with trident, sword and Power Blast weapons, plus a shark figure to role-play battles from the Aquaman movie and create your own Atlantis adventures.

  • Includes 3 LEGO® DC Super Heroes minifigures: Aquaman™, Mera™ and Black Manta™, plus a shark figure.
  • Black Manta’s submarine features an opening minifigure cockpit, 2 spring-loaded shooters, 6-stud rapid shooter and 2 engines.
  • Underwater scene features seaweed elements and 2 detachable gold-colored treasure elements.
  • Weapons include Aquaman’s trident and Power Blast, Mera’s Power Blast and Black Manta’s sword.
  • The LEGO® DC Super Heroes Aquaman™, Mera™ and Black Manta™ minifigures are new for August 2018.
  • Role-play exciting underwater scenes from the Aquaman™ movie.
  • Black Manta’s submarine measures over 1” (4cm) high, 9” (25cm) long and 9” (25cm) wide.

The LEGO DC Super Heroes: Aquaman – Black Manta Strike (76095) is already up at shop.LEGO.com and will be priced at $29.99 upon its release on August 1.Warner Bros’ Aquaman film will premiere in cinemas before Christmas, December 21.

 

LEGO DC Super Villains Trailer At SDCC Features Character Editor Exposition by Harley Quinn

When WB Interactive and Traveller’s Tales flipped the perspective on their earlier LEGO Batman videogame trilogy by announcing LEGO DC Super Villains, they generated a lot of excitement from players at the idea of playing the bad guys from the start. There was even more hype when it was revealed that the game will feature the creation of original villain characters to serve as the player’s direct avatar and viewpoint. While this latest WB Games offering is going to get a lot of attention when LEGO showcases it at the now-ongoing San Diego Comic Con, a LEGO DC Super Villains trailer was also released that both frames the presence of player-created characters in the game’s story while showing off more about the editing process and its effects.

The new trailer is narrated by breakout favorite DC baddie Harley Quinn, who talks about how the LEGO Justice League in their world was “vanished” by the so-called Justice Syndicate, who immediately establish a reign of terror; the DC villains grouse at the Syndicate’s crackdown on their evildoings which Harley lampshades: “We’re the bad guys, and they’re the worst guys!”

This latest LEGO DC Super Villains trailer also gives us a glimpse on how the super-villains, falling in under the assumed leadership of Lex Luthor, are ready to expand their ranks to make an anti-Syndicate army of baddies. That, says Harley, is where the player’s character comes in: a formerly mundane criminal who, in the character creator, gets his own customizable costume, weapons and even super-powers, to help the DC Super Villains save the day for “real villainy”.

So much focus was given by LEGO and WBI-TT on the character editor of LEGO DC Super Villains that they even set up a stand-alone version of it for SDCC, where guests can dabble with the libraries for costumes, weapons and powers to make their own villain on the spot. Hands-on demos of the game can also be had, not just at LEGO’s space, but at the booths for Warner Bros. and DC Comics too. Perhaps that will whet players’ appetites for the official release of LDCSV on October 19.

LEGO Offers Online Tour of Their SDCC Booth and Displays Via Facebook Video

For all intents and purposes, with the start of Preview Night the 2018 San Diego Comic Con has officially begun. Many adherents of a wide variety of fandoms, not necessarily just comics, are congregating at San Diego for the event lasting into the weekend. LEGO too has a booth there. Of course, not everybody is going to be able to either make time or afford to be physically present for the SDCC. For these, especially LEGO fans, the LEGO Group has arranged for a guided online tour of their SDCC display area, for the benefit of those who can’t be there.

Hosting the online tour, which is hosted on LEGO’s Facebook page, is Master Builder Chris Steininger. We get to see some of the exclusive LEGO merchandise that can only be found at SDCC 2018 such as the Millennium Falcon Cockpit (75512), Aquaman and Storm (75996), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (75997). These sets are exclusively sold, and comes in limited quantities, at only SDCC 2018. There are also eye-catching brick-built statues of Ultrakatty, Thanos, and even Aquaman that we also featured before. Then there’s a showcase of the SDCC exclusive LEGO sets such as the recently-revealed LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) and LEGO Creator Expert James Bond Aston Martin DB5 (10262) available in limited quantities for a special advance purchase.

Other exhibits that SDCC attendees can interact with at the LEGO area include a photo-op section where fans can pose inside giant blister packs while costumed as Sheriff Deadpool or Black Lightning. Then there’s a standalone version of the character editor from the upcoming LEGO DC Super Villains videogame, to allow guests to try out the main character customization feature.

And finally, a life-sized Millennium Falcon cockpit will also take the center-stage, giving Star Wars fans a golden opportunity to sit on Han Solo’s pilot seat.

In just under five minutes Steininger and The LEGO Group has taken fans around the company’s own space in the larger SDCC area, and that’s something non-attending LEGO fans can be very happy and grateful for. Many might not be there from July 19 to 22, but they at least got their nice good look.

LEGO Brick-Built Statue of 13th Doctor Previewed Ahead of “Doctor Who” Panel for SDCC 2018

It looks like we were right. With the 2018 San Diego Comic Con right on everybody’s figurative doorstep, LEGO is laying all the cards on the table in terms of their exhibits for the event outside of the new set previews and exclusive items they’ve got for the dedicated collectors. Now, the iconic British sci-fi series Doctor Who has also had the honor of being officially interpreted in LEGO, even if it’s just that one LEGO Ideas Doctor Who set (21304) from 2015. And this time around, the series will have some brick-built representation for SDCC.

Doctor Who

As all Whovians know, there is a thirteenth incarnation now of the Doctor, a she even, to be played by Jodie Whittaker in the upcoming eleventh season of the show since its 2005 revival. LEGO master builder Brandon Griffith was tasked with building a statue of Whittaker as the 13th Doctor for SDCC to coincide with the show’s own Doctor Who panel for that event, and his completed work did not disappoint.

In fact, you can check it out here on this snazzy speed-build video how Griffith single handedly put together a life-sized LEGO brick-build of the new Doctor, a process that used 19,235 bricks in 20 colors, and 110 hours of assembly.

The LEGO statue of the 13th Doctor was done on behalf of BBC America for the SDCC Doctor Who exhibit. Jodie Whittaker herself and two costars, Tosip Cole and Mandip Gill, will join executive producer Matt Strevens and new show-runner Chris Chibnall for the panel right this Thursday, July 19, with Chris Hardwick as moderator.

Doctor Who season 11 premieres on BBC One this October.

Watch Out For This 5,000-Piece, Brick-Built Model Of The Williams-Brice Stadium At Columbia’s BrickVerse LEGO Convention

There seems to be a rising trends of sorts with certain LEGO builders, in having their MOCs be detail-perfect renditions of stadiums and sports venues. Last month we featured one such make, of Miller Park Stadium in Milwaukee, complete with roof mechanism. This new stadium replica has no fancy mechanics, but is just as impressive. Next month Columbia, South Carolina will be host to the BrickVerse LEGO Convention, to be held at the Columbian Metropolitan Convention Center. As is usual for such events, the MOC displays will include recreations of notable buildings and structures, like this MOC of Williams-Brice Stadium.

Considered the 20th largest college football stadium in the NCAA, Williams-Brice Stadium is home to the South Carolina Gamecocks which play for the University of South Carolina (USC). It’s in honor of his alma mater that USC graduate David Robinson, with his son helping, assembled this scale model of the stadium using over 5,000 bricks.

Williams-Brice Stadium

Greyson Beights, founder and organizer of the BrickVerse LEGO Convention, was very much impressed with Robinson’s work saying, “When David’s stadium was brought to my attention, I just knew we had to have it at the event. It is an honor to be able to have the Lego William-Brice Stadium and its builder at BrickUniverse.” The con will be the first time the Williams-Brice Stadium MOC will be publicly displayed.

BrickVerse will take place at Columbia’s CMCC from August 11 to 12 and, like all LEGO conventions, will feature free building zones alongside the MOC displays, plus appearances and demonstrations from professional builders. LEGO fans around Columbia, SC can buy their tickets for BrickVerse here.

LEGO Reveals Another Marvel Superheroes Set Just in Time for SDCC 2018: the Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115)

Its look like LEGO is into mechs recently. Following last June’s reveal of the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Batman Mech vs. Poison Ivy Mech (76117), it will be joined by another exclusive set coming from the Marvel side of the fence, during this week at San Diego Comic Con. UK’s pop culture hub site, Gizmodo UK, reports that another pair of LEGO mechs will make its way to SDCC in the next few days: the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115).

Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115)

Just to be clear, these first 2019 LEGO Super Heroes sets will not be on sale during SDCC 2018, but will be available starting December 1. The Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115) comes in 604 pieces and will retail for $50 on launch day. It features the minifigures of Spider-Man, Ghost Spider (aka Spider Gwen), Venom and Aunt May. All of the LEGO Marvel superheroes minifigure included in this set comes with their own high-tech weaponry: Spider-Man and Venom with their respective battle mechs, and Ghost Spider with her hoverboard. As for the builds themselves, the Venom Mech is bulkier and more superior in design as compared to that of Spider-Man. It very well suits the intimidating character of my all-time favorite symbiote. In fact, Venom is one of my favorite anti-hero characters in Marvel, and seeing him with an impressive LEGO brick-built ride of his own is absolutely exciting. This is also the third time that we will see a minifigure version of Venom, which is quite different from his past renditions as seen in 2013’s Spider-Man: Spider-Cycle Chase (76004) and 2014’s LEGO Juniors Spider-Man: Spider-Car Pursuit (10665). The Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115) set also sees the return of Aunt May in minifigure form which we last saw from Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle (76057). This newer version of Aunt May comes with a different torso print, though the face print and hair accessory is basically the same. Finally, fans of Ghost Spider will be glad to see that she finally has an actual LEGO minifigure of her own. We already saw how great she was in LEGO minifig form as a playable character in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, and it was a good call on LEGO’s part to have her this time as an actual minifigure.

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Here’s LEGO’s press release and product description for the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech (76115). Thanks to The Brothers Brick for more info.

76115: Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech

Launching: December 1, 2018
Piece Count: 604
Age: 8+
SRP: $49.99

Stage an awesome mech battle between Spider-Man and Venom!

KEY FUNCTIONS:

  • Includes 4 minifigures: Spider-Man, Ghost Spider, Venom and Aunt May.
    Spider-Man Mech features an opening minifigure cockpit, poseable joints, shooter to fire tech spider or web elements, and a gripping claw with attachment points for alternative web elements.
  • Venom Mech features a minifigure cockpit, poseable joints, a long tongue, and gripping claws to grab minifigures.
  • Also includes Ghost Spider’s ‘hoverboard’ with 2 stud shooters and a translucent flame exhaust element, plus 9 assorted new-for-December-2018 web elements to customize your builds, minifigures and weapons.
  • Accessory elements include the Aunt May with ice cream.
  • The Spider-Man, Venom and Aunt May minifigures are new for December 2018.