Building Instructions Archives

Serve Some Snowballs Christmas Cookies for a Cozy, Minifigure Holidays

If you’re still thinking of adding more fun to your Winter Village MOC, then why not throw in some snowballs and Christmas cookies on the side? And what better way to do it than to install some vending machines for your minifigures to burn some cash?

Where to get these, you may ask? Just head over to our official storefront to pre-order your Custom LEGO Snowballs and Christmas Cookies Vending Machines powered by Build Better Bricks. Yep, they really do exist in minifigure town or whatever your imagination can creatively conjure. The Brick Show Shop is currently running a pre-order promo on these two, where you can have them at marked-down prices for as low as 25% off.

Snowballs Custom LEGO Vending Machine

35 new and authentic LEGO pieces | $19.99 | Release date on December 15

Made with all the minifigure conveniences in mind, these custom LEGO vending machines are just the right size for your minifig’s cravings for some classic ol’ snowball fights or some scrumptious, sweet Christmas cookie treats. Made with new and authentic LEGO parts, these custom LEGO mini-builds also come with high-quality printed instructions.

Christmas Cookies Custom LEGO Vending Machine

35 new and authentic LEGO pieces | $19.99 | Release date on December 15

Since they are made from brand-new LEGO pieces, don’t be fooled by the amazing editing skills of our designer – these vending machines were rendered in such a way that they looked very worn out and used. The demands for minifigure snowballs and cookies were quite off the charts this season, lol.

This pre-order sale will run starting today until December 14 so be sure to grab this opportunity while supplies last. And though this year’s winter village set in the form of LEGO Icons Holiday Main Street (10308) may be temporarily out of stock, you can still grab some of the best LEGO winter village sets over at Amazon such as last year’s Santa’s Visit (10293) and 2020’s Elf Club House (10275).

LEGO.com Offers Free Alternate Building Instructions for Galaxy Explorer (10497)

The 90^th anniversary of LEGO brought with it a series of brick-sets evoking popular themes from its decades-spanning past. The medieval aesthetics of Lion Knights Castle (10305) throws back to LEGO Castles. The blocky contours of Galaxy Explorer (10497) hearken back to the simple builds of old-school LEGO Space. Even the iconic LEGO spaceman minifigs are at the controls. By now Galaxy Explorer is fully available following its August 1 launch. Longtime LEGO builders or more recent fans by way of the “LEGO Movies” would certainly snap this up. And would you believe it; LEGO can make the experience better.

Brick Fanatics shares with us this neat extra treat or two, courtesy of LEGO, for the Galaxy Explorer set (10497). The Building Instructions portal at LEGO.com features two official alternative builds for the already cool-retro brick-built space vehicle. The alternates turn Galaxy Explorer into close approximations of two oldie LEGO Space sets. With the instructions you can turn the Explorer into a Space Cruiser (924) or Spaceship (918). These alternates slim down the Explorer and also swaps the cockpit between two-seater or solo. Only the pieces from Galaxy Explorer (10497) are needed to recreate 918 or 924, which is brilliant.

Both alternate building instructions for the Galaxy Explorer can be downloaded at LEGO.com free. We’ve already linked them to the names above. Of course, you need to have purchased the actual set 10497 to make use of these PDFs. That’s pretty much the point.

Add Some Golfin’ Fun With This Custom LEGO Arcade Set

Well, President Business will surely love to go back to the arcades with this one. If you’re a long-time fan of our custom LEGO arcade sets, you may want to add this one to your collection. Inspired by the iconic golf arcade game series from Incredible Technologies, you can now throw in some “Golden Tee” fun together with your LEGO minifigure collection.

Coming in at 50 authentic LEGO pieces, this latest offering from our official storefront, The Brick Show Shop, is the latest addition to our custom arcade series. The Golfin’ Tee Arcade Custom Building Set is our playful brick rendition of the top-rated classic arcade game first released in 1989. And since the game itself has evolved throughout the years to include other modern gaming platforms, we thought, why not let our minifigures join in the fun as well?

For $23, you’ll get 50 authentic LEGO pieces, high-quality stickers, and a premium building guide to flex those building skills. If you’re building your latest LEGO City MOC or arcade center, you should definitely not miss out on this one.

Check out the rest of the product details for this custom building set, and if you want to purchase this right away, click the add to cart button and you’re all set!

Here’s How To Build Your Own Custom LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime!

LEGO has just announced its latest LEGO set in the form of one of the most iconic Autobot in the franchise. And though we need to wait until the end of this month to get our hands on it, builders can start building their own custom LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime even sooner with these neat building instructions from Build Better Bricks.

If you’ve been following our articles here in TBS, you’ll notice that a significant portion of our blogs is dedicated to the unique creations of the LEGO fan community. And as a fan of Generation 1 Transformers, I’m just excited to see this official LEGO version of Optimus, together with other brick-built renditions of some of the most memorable characters of the G1 era. Talk about having Soundwave and Devastator in all their LEGO glory and you’ll get the picture.

And this time around, Build Better Bricks is giving us a treat by letting us create our own custom LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime while we wait for the release of the official LEGO version on June 1.

With only a third of the parts needed to build the actual LEGO Optimus, B3’s custom brick rendition of Prime only requires less than 500 LEGO pieces to put together, making it a great way to jump back and reminisce about the G1 Transformers era without investing too much in new LEGO parts.

While B3’s version of the Optimus’ G1 version may not be at par with the actual 10302 set in terms of scale, this original creation from LEGO Masters Champion Tyler Clites still boasts some nifty features like 24 points of articulation, full transformation to his Semi Truck Mode, and his iconic ion blaster and Matrix of Leadership accessories. Do take note, however, that Build Better Bricks only offers the building instructions to create this custom version of Prime. You’ll have to provide the needed LEGO parts.

And if you want to give this a try, B3 is offering the building instructions to this for a minimal amount of $8. You’ll get high-quality instructions in PDF format, a parts list, and stud.io file that lets you easily import the model into Bricklink to get the parts you need if ever some of them are not available in your collection.

Let me know what you think about this B3 offering, and be sure to visit their website to know more about their custom LEGO Transformers build. While you’re at it, make it a point to see the rest of the custom LEGO builds that B3 has put together.

Alternative Build Ideas for LEGO GWP Vintage Taxi (40532) on Rebrickable

Late last January, LEGO launched a GWP set that went with its New Year 2022-released Creator Expert Boutique Hotel (10297). It was a cool-retro Vintage Taxi (40532) that came with a buildable roadside taxi stop. Pairing it with the Boutique Hotel building somewhat nailed the setting as a European-Parisian locale. But for those who feel the Vintage Taxi design is too old, never fear. A builder from LEGO MOC website Rebrickable has seen plenty of potential in the GWP set’s component pieces. He has a multitude of building options for 40532 to share, using only the pieces inside the set.

This nifty feature is shared to us by Brick Fanatics, which caught wind of Rebrickable member Keep on Bricking’s work. He has an astonishing 16 alternate build instructions for the LEGO Vintage Taxi (40532) set. You think the vehicle’s early-mid-20^th Century aesthetic is too old for your own neighborhood build? Why not redesign the cab into a convertible? How about a sports car or SUV? Keep on Bricking even made a mind-blowing Batmobile build, using only the 163 pieces of set 40532. These alternate instructions are sure to pique the Master Builder in many LEGO collectors/players. Just check out his page on the Rebrickable website.

We’ve taken a look at Rebrickable quite recently before too. That was with Viv Grannell aka toastergrl, creator of the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog (21331). She offered some alternate building ideas for the set’s buildable characters like Doctor Eggman.

LEGO Harry Potter Hermione’s Study Desk (30392) Polybag Surfaces

The LEGO Customer Service portal has been updated to include a new set of building instructions pointing towards a new LEGO Harry Potter polybag. A LEGO Harry Potter Hermione’s Study Desk (30392) polybag has now surfaced, thanks to the said entry listed over at LEGO.com.

To be exact, the building instructions for this new polybag offering are not actually uploaded yet. Instead, a set placeholder and product image is now made available on the portal. The new polybag features Hermione in her early years at Hogwarts, featuring what seems to be a new minifigure torso print. Aside from the miniature study table and accessories, it’s nice to see that LEGO is also throwing in a collectible Wizard Card tile piece that they began introducing with this year’s LEGO Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Commemorative sets. This is a more cost-effective way of gathering these special tiles if you’re the completionist kind of LEGO collector.

Details are scant with regards to this polybag. However, my best guess is that this LEGO Harry Potter Hermione’s Study Desk polybag might be available as a promotional item or gift-with-purchase set sometime in September. If you recall, it was also around this time last year when LEGO offered a similar freebie in the form of the Harry Potter and Hedwig Owl Delivery (30420) polybag.

I’ll keep you posted once more information comes in, so be sure to bookmark our page for future updates.

Weekend Builds: Create Your Own Custom LEGO Nintendo Switch

LEGO and Nintendo fans have plenty to look forward to this summer. After giving us a glimpse of things to come this summer for the LEGO Super Mario theme, why not consider making your very own custom LEGO Nintendo Switch courtesy of LEGO master builder and artist, Tiago Catarino.

Shared over his YouTube channel, Tiago was kind enough to show us the building process, and even the parts list, in creating his video tutorial. And if LEGO perchance has seen Tiago’s video already, then it might be high time for TLG to consider offering an official LEGO Nintendo Switch set. It’s just fitting, in my opinion, considering that LEGO already took the effort and time to offer us a beautifully made LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System (71374).

One of the cool things about Tiago’s build is that it features detachable joycons similar to what you have in an actual Switch. His custom LEGO Nintendo Switch can also be modified to become a Switch Lite by swapping the colors for the joycons. Then it’s up to your imagination to fill in the screen with whatever video game scene you will fancy.

02 custom lego switch — This custom LEGO Nintendo Switch Lite from Tiago comes with a pair of detachable brick-built joycons.

01 custom lego switch — And just by swapping colors, you can come up with a LEGO version of the original Nintendo Switch.

For the parts list, be sure to check first the last few seconds of the video and see if you have the necessary parts needed to build this custom LEGO model. Special thanks once again to Tiago for sharing his creation.

If you like this custom LEGO set, then you might be interested to take a look at some of the custom LEGO video game consoles offered at our official storefront at The Brick Show Shop. It’s a trip down gaming history with our collection of custom LEGO sets from the good ol’ days of console gaming. Be sure to take advantage of our Memorial Day Weekend Sale where all items are for sale at 20% off. Happy building!

LEGO Trains 40th Anniversary Set (40370) Listed at LEGO Shop@Home

Well, this one flew right off the shelf pretty fast. LEGO Shop@Home has briefly listed the LEGO Trains 40th Anniversary Set (40370) and it was just sold out in a matter of minutes.

If you recall, this set has been launched as a gift-with-purchase (GWP) set during the first quarter of the year as part of LEGO’s 40th-year celebration of its Trains theme. And for a very limited time – which I surmise depends on its availability – the LEGO Trains 40th Anniversary set was made available for sale for $19.99 over at LEGO Shop@Home in the US. And as expected, in just a matter of minutes, this commemorative set was instantly sold out.

There’s was no particular product description mentioned on its product page as of to date, except for the same details that were mentioned when it was posted as a promotional item back in March. LEGO has not released any statement yet if we will still see this set back for sale, or if it is really only a one-time deal.

For now, in case you still missed out on this collectible set, you may just want to try and build one of your own since LEGO has posted the set’s building instructions online. There are no unique pieces as it seems, save for the stickers and the exclusive train operator minifigure that comes with it. Here is the set’s parts inventory if in case you want to check if you have the necessary parts available.

Let me know in the comments below if you managed to get this one, and share your impressions about this LEGO Trains commemorative set.

LEGO VIP Weekend Offering: the LEGO 2×4 Teal Brick (5006291)

Here’s another incentive for those who will be making their next LEGO purchase this weekend. The LEGO 2×4 Teal Brick (5006291) is another LEGO freebie that can be yours when you make your next qualifying purchase of any LEGO products worth $200 and more. You better be quick though, because similar to the seasonal LEGO VIP exclusive, the LEGO Charles Dickens Tribute (40410), the LEGO 2×4 Teal Brick will only be available from November 21 to 22, 2020, or while supplies last.

If you recall, this display set is very much the same as that of the Buildable Red Brick (5006085) which was offered to LEGO VIP members as a pre-Black Friday promo from last year. In fact, you can even recreate your own collection of buildable bricks using the instructions that we also shared in that post. There are some minor differences in terms of pieces between that of the Red Brick and the Teal Brick, but whatever is the case, you can surely tweak with these parts and see which is possible using pieces from your own LEGO collection.

Aside from these great freebies, LEGO purchases that you will make during the weekend both in-store in all LEGO brand stores, and online at LEGO Shop@Home, will also entitle you to double VIP points. Just be sure to sign up as a LEGO VIP member to enjoy these perks. We just have to wait and see if somehow these freebies will appear again during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.

LEGO Harry Potter Book of Monsters (30628) Officially Revealed

It looks like we’ll be building the official brick version of this iconic Harry Potter creature (or thing, whichever you may want to call it) any time soon. This time around, LEGO has just revealed the LEGO Harry Potter Book of Monsters (30628), together with its official building instructions.

The reveal came via LEGO Shop@Home’s kids’ section where we get to see this long-overdue LEGO HP set. If you recall, news about this set came out mid-October, with the LEGO Harry Potter Book of Monsters initially spotted as a gift-with-purchase (GWP) set in a brochure found in a LEGO Discovery Center Store in Shanghai, China.

lego harry potter the monster book of monsters 30628 banner — Image courtesy of the Brickfinder.

Details regarding its international release were scant during that time, and now, LEGO HP fans, in general, will be glad to know that we will be seeing this official brick-version of the Book of Monsters anytime soon. Other than these official images, we only have its published building instructions in the US as proof that this set is just around the corner, perhaps as a GWP set as well.

The LEGO Harry Potter Book of Monsters (30628) set comes in at 319 pieces and comes with a Draco Malfoy minifigure. It measures almost 5 inches in width and comes with a pair of wheels at the bottom that allows it to move around while making its jaw mechanism move up and down similar to how it is seen in the movies.

Again, there is not much info on LEGO’s website as of this time but I can bet my bricks that this will be a substantial GWP set, perhaps in line with a LEGO Harry Potter promotions that will launch as part of LEGO’s Black Friday sales. If you wish to give it a try and build your own version of this set, then you may download the LEGO Harry Potter Book of Monsters building instructions right here, and see if you have the parts needed to come up with this cute brick monstrosity. However, be advised that you have to settle for a sightless brick critter considering that the official version has stickers for its eyes and title.

Thanks to Brick Fanatics for the heads up, with additional info from the Brickfinder as well. I’ll provide you with more updates as new info comes in, but in the meantime, you may also want to check some of the LEGO Harry Potter sets that are rumored to be released in 2021.