Author: bluephotographs800

LEGO Disney Sets for “Encanto” Revealed

Disney’s latest animated film, “Encanto,” is due to premiere in cinemas this coming November 24. It revisits Latin America through the magical Disney storytelling lens since 2017’s “Coco,” set in Mexico. Now “Encanto” will take viewers to Colombia and introduce the Madrigal Family. Their family members are blessed with various magical powers due to the house their ancestor build. Only Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) possesses no abilities among them. But when the Madrigals’ magic begins to fade, Mirabel might be the only one who can save them. It’s an interesting premise, right? Soon LEGO Disney fans can play the movie out with these official set tie-ins.

First heard as rumor late in October, LEGO now officially lists three “Encanto” sets online. One is based on the magical house of the Madrigals. The other two are portable sets that pack up into book-shaped cases with door designs. Being LEGO Disney sets, characters from the movie are rendered in either mini-doll or micro-doll forms. And they’re all so cute, wouldn’t you agree? All sets are due to launch next month, on December 1. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at them:

Antonio’s Magical Door (43200)

Age 5+| 99 pieces | $19.99

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  • Bring movie-based role play or creative fun home with this special LEGO® ǀ Disney Antonio’s Magical Door (43200) set. Play starts with unlocking and opening the door!
  • What’s behind the door? This 99-piece buildable toy features an opening ‘door’ with a working lock, key on a key chain and a center build, sticker sheet and play starters to make imaginative stories.
  • Featuring Disney’s Antonio and Mirabel, plus Chispi and Parce LEGO® figures, this set is made for imaginative adventures on its own or combined with other Encanto or Disney sets (sold separately).
Isabela’s Magical Door (43201)

Age 5+ | 104 pieces | $19.99

 

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  • Give any child lots of movie-inspired play options with this unique LEGO® ǀ Disney Isabela’s Magical Door (43201) set. The fun begins with unlocking and opening the door!
  • What’s behind the locked door? This 114-piece set features an opening ‘door’ with a working lock, key on a key chain and a center build, sticker sheet and lots of play starters for imaginative play.
  • Featuring Disney characters Isabela, Louisa and Mirabel, plus bird and butterfly LEGO® figures, this set is made for imaginative adventures on its own or combined with other sets (sold separately).
The Madrigal House (43202)

Age 6+ | 587 pieces | $49.99

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  • Give a Disney fan a magical house full of color and surprises with this special LEGO® ǀ Disney The Madrigal House (43202) set. The adventure starts with opening the box!
  • Discover who lives inside! This 587-piece set features 3 levels, a spinning weather vane, flipping bed and waving shutters, a unique sticker sheet, plus plenty of accessories for endless stories.
  • Featuring Disney’s Abuela and Mirabel mini-doll figures, an Antonio micro-doll figure, plus Chispi and butterfly LEGO® figures, this colorful, 3-level set is made for creative fun.

Rumor of LEGO Creator Expert Vespa (10298) for 2022, with Tie-In GWP (40517)

LEGO boasts a multitude of product lines and themes featuring vehicles, for their gear-headed collector customers. What set theme to choose depends on how you like your fave rides depicted in LEGO bricks. Do you want small and speedy Speed Champions? Do the mechanical details in LEGO Technic  sets fascinate you? Or do you favor the artistic quality of Creator Expert releases? The third line has wowed us with Porsches and Camper Vans and Pickup Trucks this year alone. What might the Creator Experts teams have in store for their faithful collectors next year? Fancy another two-wheeled LEGO vehicle building project?

Brick Fanatics got this rumor courtesy of brick_clicker on Instagram. Their post details an alleged new set releasing early next year, for the Creator Expert/LEGO for Adults/18+ line. It will be a scooter build depiction of Italy’s iconic Vespa luxury brand, numbered 10298. brick_clicker pegs its launch sometime in early 2022 for the price of $100 (or $99.99 more likely). Also included, apparently, is another Vespa-themed promotional set numbered 40517, releasing at the same time. Brick Fanatics believes it to be a GWP. The setup is similar to the Creator Expert Camp Nou (10284) with the GWP Barcelona Celebration (40485). It’s rumored to repeat with Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

With that info out of the way, we must now close with the disclaimer. This tidbit is a rumor and should remain so until LEGO eventually confirms or debunks it. But that shouldn’t discourage collectors from hoping that it’s real.

LEGO Announces New Super Mario Sets Based on “Luigi’s Mansion” for 2022

On their first introduction, the LEGO Super Mario sets came across as being niche franchises for some LEGO collectors. Over time however, the surprise interactivity of these sets thanks to the brick-built main characters have won over fans. Hearing Mario and Luigi exclaim in their Italian-accented voices whenever players ran them over the sets was awesome fun. Initially the LEGO Super Mario sets presented generic settings based on the various Nintendo games. Lately, the trend shifted to referencing specific game titles like “Super Mario 64” with the Question-Mark Block (71395). This LEGO reveal follows suit.

The Brick Fan reports that this past weekend LEGO unveiled their new upcoming LEGO Super Mario sets. The focus now goes from “Super Mario 64” to the GameCube-originating “Luigi’s Mansion” (2001). That means it is now Luigi’s turn to shine from his bro Mario, using these three “Luigi’s Mansion” sets. Combine them with the original Mario and Luigi Starter Courses for some hilariously spooky adventure. Now get a load of what to expect down below:

  • Lab and Poltergust Expansion Set (71397) – $29.99

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  • Entryway Expansion Set (71399) – $39.99

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  • Haunt and Seek Expansion Set (71401) – $79.99

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These LEGO Super Mario Luigi’s Mansion sets will become available next year, January 1. Look forward to poor Luigi getting his pants scared off in brick form, 2022.

Roundup of LEGO Sets Releasing November 1 (And Those Available for Preorder)

The first day of the month always gets most of the LEGO release dates. This November first of 2021 is no exception. LEGO certainly packed a lot of goodies to become available on this date. You want the Ideas set for one of the most famous 1990s holiday movies? It just launched. One major LEGO release for the iconic “Dark Knight” trilogy goes hand-in-hand with the first sets for “The Batman.” And one of the new largest LEGO sets ever designed…just opened up preorders. But hey, the Titanic will launch in brick form a week from now, so don’t fret.

In summation, look forward to these sweet November 1 releases:

LEGO Ideas
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LEGO DC
Batman (Dark Knight Trilogy)
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The Batman

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Preorder these next sets now. Shipping for this one starts November 8

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Shipping for this following set on the other hand starts December 4.

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Enjoy LEGO shopping this November!

Seasonal LEGO Polar Bear & Gift Pack (40494) Now Available

With the end of the year fast approaching, LEGO seasonal stuff is coming out of the woodwork. For the Yuletide seasonal sets, this year we got a Penguin (40498) and Santa’s Sleigh (40499). And that does not even include the Creator Expert Santa’s Visit (10293). All of them look plenty awesome for display on a surface. But LEGO’s dabbled in buildable hanging decorations too, which is just appropriate for Christmas celebration. As The Brick Fan would have it, a certain seasonal set was supposed to be released last October 1. It wasn’t. LEGO only listed the set as available online recently.

The LEGO Polar Bear and Gift Pack set (40494) gets you two Yuletide hanging decorations, available at Shop@Home. A brick-built polar bear head and Christmas present await, with a blank tag on the gift and string for hanging. At just under 10 bucks you can’t ask for more affordable LEGO decorations in the Holiday season.

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Polar Bear & Gift Pack (40494)

Age 7+| 142 pieces | $9.99 | available now

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  • Add a little LEGO® magic to the holidays with the LEGO Polar Bear & Gift Pack (40494). This seasonal building set features a cute polar bear with a red and green scarf, plus a buildable wrapped gift with movable ribbons, golden stickers and a “With love to” gift tag. Attach the included string and hang these colorful builds from your tree or wherever you wish to add a seasonal LEGO touch. Makes a perfect stocking filler for kids and LEGO fans of all ages.
  • The LEGO® Polar Bear & Gift Pack (40494) features a polar bear with scarf and a buildable gift with movable ribbons, golden stickers and a “With love to” gift tag, plus string for hanging each model.

UK Game Retailer Doing Early Preorder Fulfillment of “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga”?

To say that the “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” videogame is one highly-anticipated title is an absolute understatement. WB Interactive and TT Games have been hard at work with this since teasing the title back in 2019. The pandemic caused its release to be delayed. Scammers even tried to exploit the hype bandwagon. Gamers, starved for any info, jumped on the brief display of the game’s file size on Xbox Store. And even legit retailers are so pumped with anticipation that they’re charging their customers’ preorders way too early. Considering the release is next year, they might have erred.

According to Brick Fanatics, UK-based retailer GAME has commenced fulfillment procedures for preorders of “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.” Customers in the UK who preordered at GAME received billing emails for the title. These notices also indicated that their copies of “Skywalker Saga” were already packed for delivery. Anybody who has been following up on “Skywalker Saga” knows that’s just bunk. This LEGO game at best only has an estimated release window of “early 2022.” Why did GAME suddenly move to fulfill its preorders? Perhaps the retailer’s systems got glitches, if the emailed notices were auto-generated. It would be even more embarrassing if GAME’s premature fulfillments were human errors.

“LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” adapts all “Star Wars” trilogies in the most massive entry of this game series. It will release multi-platform on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, the Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. So far, retailer GAME has not released any explanation for their early preorder fulfillment notices.

LEGO Ideas Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Contest Announces Winners

Way back in September, LEGO Ideas held one of its biggest contests yet .It was a LEGO Harry Potter competition in celebration of the line’s 20th anniversary.  Participants were invited to create a commemorative “Harry Potter” build with the number “20” located/hidden in their work. This contest saw plenty of submissions, but there can be only one winner and a couple of runners-up. While the entry phase ended in October 6, judging still took up the better part of a month. But finally, the LEGO Ideas staff has made their decision. We’re sure you probably agree with their choices too.

As revealed on their contest winner announcement, the grand prize went to LEGO Ideas 10-K member Ivan “bulldoozer” Guerrero. The creative mind behind LEGO Ideas Sesame Street (21324) created “Legacy,” depicting Harry before the Mirror of Erised. For your perusal:

lhp20 legacy buldoozer

The runners-up presented a common theme for many entries on this LEGO Ideas contest: Hogwarts Castle. Gitto-Negron Workshop gave a creative twist to the motif in their “HP20 – Magical Cabinet of Characters” as seen below:

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PedroPRS.AFOL meanwhile submitted a straight castle micro-scale build with a number-20 flag on the steeple. He calls his creation “Hogwarts is My Home,” like so:

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Buldoozer got to receive the most recent LEGO Harry Potter 20th anniversary sets as Grand Prize. Gitto-Negron Workshop and PedroPRS.AFOL for their parts won Hogwarts Icons – Collector’s Edition (76391) and some Limited Edition Minifigures (6232944).

Singapore Scientists Test Using LEGO for Re-Growing Coral

How long has it been since we looked into special-interest news involving LEGO, but not necessarily involving The LEGO Group? Here’s one interesting tidbit courtesy of BBC. Usually when LEGO and the sea are mentioned together, one thinks of LEGO pieces polluting the ocean. The nightmare of plastic pollution remains very palpable worldwide, even if LEGO is taking steps towards greener materials. There’s no way LEGO can benefit oceanic life-forms like coral reefs, can they? Well according to researchers in Singapore, some throwaway LEGO bricks can be repurposed to save corals. The island of Singapore has reefs that need saving.

According to the report, scientists from the National University of Singapore found an ingenious method of re-growing corals. Since these creatures need to attach to a solid surface underwater, why not use LEGO bricks? Their research teams scour the reefs outlying Singapore for breakaway pieces of coral. They attach these to LEGO pieces attached to string, and leave them in lab aquariums where they would grow. The grown coral fragments can then be taken back to Singaporean waters for transplanting. The LEGO-piece aquarium growth setup was tested for its utility in vertical farming, growing more coral in limited aquarium space.

Singapore’s usage of anything on hand to salvage their coral reefs is understandable. Their island nation’s waters are home to a third of all 800 coral species worldwide. Their reefs suffered in decades past due to land reclamation. So the usage of LEGO pieces to aid in vertical coral farming is commendable. One hopes the idea works, and probably be looked at by other coral conservation efforts around the globe. A LEGO Ideas submission in the Third 2021 Review Stage might jive with this initiative.

Possible LEGO Ninjago Comic from Skybound Entertainment?

The usual media adaptations for toy brand franchises nowadays tend to be TV series or maybe movies. But sometimes they go for more traditional avenues in print media. LEGO is a notable example, with their multitude of picture books courtesy of publishers like D-K. Then they have also made inroads with comic books. In fact, there are hints towards a new partnership between LEGO and Skybound Entertainment. Now you might be wondering, “The company that handles ‘The Walking Dead’ is doing a LEGO comic?” That seems to be true, if a tweet from a LEGO animated series show-runner is indication.

Brick Fanatic brings us this interesting Twitter post courtesy of Tommy Andreasen, co-creator of LEGO’s “Ninjago” animated series. Andreasen shared the announcement of Skybound Entertainment for their Skybound Xpo, happening this Friday, October 29. The promotional text explicitly mentions Skybound producing their first LEGO comic-book title. Andreasen will also be part of a panel for the event alongside “Ninjago” Producer, Story and Entertainment Manager Tommy Kalmar. On his tweet text he made mention of “exciting #Ninjago news.” Does this confirm that Skybound’s upcoming LEGO comic book is based on “Ninjago”? I guess we’re waiting for more news this coming weekend.

Late Designer Video for LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Icons (76391)

LEGO Designer videos long have been informative sources of information on the development of many major LEGO sets. When a notable set is released, a designer video is bound to follow. The timing however has grown in variation these past few instances. LEGO’s latest video covers a certain LEGO Harry Potter 20th-anniversary set already long released. Shipping delay issues in the Americas notwithstanding, the Hogwarts Icons – Collector’s Edition (76391) has been available since September. So why did LEGO provide a designer video for it only this week? Whatever the reason, it’s available here now, and we thank The Brick Fan for this nice heads up.

Marcos Bessa, LEGO Design Master, serves as our host for the LEGO HP Hogwarts Icons – Collector’s Edition (76391) video. A set designed for this LEGO theme’s 20th anniversary makes epic call-backs to several items from the book/film franchise. Bessa takes us through the set’s elements, from Tom Riddle’s Diary, to Hermione’s potions tray and the magnificent brick-built Hedwig. Let’s not forget the accompanying three golden minifigures commemorating 20 years of LEGO Harry Potter. And yes, filling your name on the blank for your Hogwarts admission letter is an exciting experience.

Potter-fans take heart. The LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Icons – Collector’s Edition (76391) remains available on Shop@Home. Picking it up now also guarantees your gift-with-purchase of the Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms (40452) modular mini-set. Note that this promo lasts only while there are supplies left, or until November 7, whichever comes first.