Category: Events

WATCH: Supanova ComicCon 2019 is Happening in Sydney

I guess everyone will agree that fan conventions are an awesome way to geek out and be proud of your inner child. It’s a rite of passage, a pilgrimage of sorts that ushers a true-blue fan in the higher echelon of one’s geekhood.  I should know, having covered much of our local LEGO fan conventions in the Philippines sponsored by the Philippine LEGO Users Group (PhLUG), and keeping tabs with LEGO’s upcoming sets as revealed during the renowned San Diego ComicCon (SDCC). Immersing myself in these fan conventions, and engaging with like-minded geeks, is a kind of life-changing experience. Now for our readers who are based in the great land down under, together with other Aussie comic book fans, it’s your turn to join the legion of the faithful who will flock the grounds of Sydney Olympic Park for Australia’s largest and grandest comic book convention ever. The Supanova ComicCon and Gaming will be held from June 21-23, 2019 at The Dome, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

Even though this is not much about the LEGO brick, everything is still pretty awesome with Supanova Sydney 2019. Hailed as Australia’s largest comic book fan convention, Supanova is held annually at six key locations in the continent, and they’re now setting camp in Sydney this weekend. Similar to SDCC, the 3-day convention is jam-packed with guests, artists, panels, cosplayers and exhibitors that you don’t want to miss. As an added treat to the whole family, kids ages 12 years old and below are free to enter with an accompanying parent or adult. Here’s the TV spot for Supanova ComicCon Sydney 2019 for more info.

Be sure to download a copy of Supanova’s Event Program so you can plan your 3-day visit ahead. With more than a hundred exhibitors, retailers, and artists’ booth to visit, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed. Be sure to have the Event Program with you since it will be your constant companion throughout the convention.

SUPA JUNE2019 SYDNEY

Speaking of planning ahead, you may want to encircle one particular exhibitor in your checklist if you wish to capture your Supanova ComicCon moments in a handy souvenir format. You may want to check out Whizzy Bits at Booth 9006 near the Battlecry LARP Arena located at the Exhibition Hall. They have this promo where they can have your favorite Supanova moment printed and captured on personalized pillows, mugs, tiles, phone cases and much more at great discounts. It’s a fun and creative way of bringing home the Supanova experience.

To top it off,  they’re offering discounts of up to 15% if you will like and follow Whizzy Bit’s Facebook page, so be sure to avail this promo as well. So to all our comic book and brick fans in Sydney, be sure to get your tickets for Supanova ComicCon 2019 this weekend and don’t forget to wear your coolest comic book costume. Now if I could only find my LEGO brick costume and figure out how to travel again to Australia… 😅

2019 LEGO Inside Tour LEGO System House (4000034) Exclusive Set Revealed

The first and second rounds of this year’s LEGO Inside Tour have already been concluded, and LEGO does not seem to shy away from revealing this program’s exclusive set. If you recall, the LEGO Inside Tour is a 3-day, one-of-a-kind LEGO fan experience where participants get to know the inner workings of the LEGO company, featuring an extraordinary exhibition of vintage LEGO sets as early as from 1934. Needless to say, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any serious LEGO fan. To top it off, every participant receives a LEGO Inside Tour exclusive set – and for this year, it is the LEGO System House (4000034) as revealed by LEGO itself.

LEGO System House (4000034)

I have to say that I find it a bit unusual for LEGO to make such a reveal via its LEGO Customer Services where the building instructions for the LEGO System House (4000034) has been uploaded. Furthermore, LEGO is quite adamant in reminding LEGO Inside Tour participants not to ‘spoil’ the experience to other registered participants by revealing the exclusive sets that they received. So seeing that the building instructions for this 2019 LEGO Inside Tour exclusive have been uploaded is quite odd.

Moving forward, the LEGO Inside Tour has produced some of its best designed exclusive sets. In 2016, we’ve seen the impressive LEGO Truck Show (4000022), followed by the beautiful LEGO House Tree of Creativity (4000024) in 2017. Last year saw the monochromatic LEGO Inside Tour LEGO Ferguson Tractor (4000025) set, and now we have another piece of LEGO history with the LEGO System House (4000034).

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The LEGO System House (4000034) is inspired by the inauguration of the System House in 1958. It is the brainchild of Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, where he envisioned an administrative building that will serve as a sort of command center for its international activities, a showroom for exhibiting its new sets and products, and as a place of inspiration to spur creativity. You may read more about the early history of the LEGO System House in this article from the LEGO Group.

systemhouse inauguration 1958 original
The LEGO System House during its inauguration in 1958.

The LEGO System House (4000034) exclusive set comes in at 947 pieces, with only a total of 80 sets made for this year’s LEGO Inside Tour. It also comes with 10 minifigures representing the sales directors coming from various European countries where LEGO operates, as represented by their respective flags.

So what do you think about this year’s LEGO Inside Tour LEGO System House (4000034) set? Do you think its a good call to have it as this year’s LEGO Inside Tour exclusive? Share us what you think in the comments below.

Special thanks to Brickset for the heads-up!

LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers Rumored to be the Next LEGO Promotional Set

To celebrate the launch of the LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) a few weeks ago, LEGO also threw in a sweet Make and Take Event at it’s Flatiron (NY) and Leicester (London) LEGO Stores. Needless to say, the LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers was a hit to LEGO and Netflix fans where in-store patrons get to build this iconic fort in the woods and bring them home at the same. Eventually, building instructions were released online showing how to recreate this 48-piece set less the two exclusive stickers of course.  Of course, if we will have our way, it will be nice to have this Make and Take promotional be available across all LEGO brand stores in the country. And thanks to a report by The Brick Fan, it might be the case

Castle Byers take away build from LEGO Stranger Things event. More photos and instructions at Imgur link. from lego

It was rumored that after the initial debut of both the Upside Down (75810) and the LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers, the latter will eventually be introduced as the next Make and Take promotional across LEGO Stores in the US. LEGO Stores are somehow mum about this, but according to The Brick Fan, registration for this event may actually start tomorrow, June 10. That’s good news especially if you’re a devoted LEGO collector. I know this set is relatively easy to make with all its parts readily available in your modest LEGO collection. However, if you’re a LEGO completionist and wishes to have the exclusive Castle Byers stickers that go with it, then be sure to check out with your local LEGO store to confirm this Make and Take promotional.

The LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) is currently available at LEGO Shop@Home retailing for $199.99 USD. Coming in at 2,287 pieces with eight (8) instantly recognizable Stranger Things minifigures: Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Joyce Byers, Chief Jim Hopper, and the Demogorgon.

LEGO Store Calendars Will Only Be In Digital Versions Starting This July

If you’ve noticed, I haven’t covered much LEGO Store-related news lately, particularly with regards to their monthly LEGO Store Calendars – the last one that I covered being the December 2018 Calendar. My primary source of information back then was at cache.LEGO.com which is somehow available to the public a few months ago. Now that LEGO has virtually removed advanced access to their monthly store calendars (save for the current month that is now available for download), the only means that we can know what is happening in LEGO Stores in advance is if you pay a visit at your local LEGO store and requesting for a physical copy. Now that may even change as well.

LEGO VIP members were recently greeted with an email from LEGO Customer Service saying that beginning July, LEGO Store Calendars will now go paperless. That being the case, those who are fond of collecting their physical copies of these monthly calendars may hold on tight to their collection. I know that LEGO means well with this move, considering their advocacy on environmental sustainability. I just wish that they will bring back early access to monthly LEGO Store Calendars as they used to so fans can have a glimpse of the events and happenings that are really important for them.

I’m also a bit apprehensive on the effects of this move on the promotions of LEGO’s in-store activities because there are still some LEGO fans that primarily get their info on the physical LEGO Store Calendars that are handed out to them by store staff and employees. Unless local LEGO Stores actively campaign and promote the paperless format of their in-store calendars, then LEGO fans and visitors may possibly miss out on the really important stuff.

One way to possibly go around this is to set up an information kiosk in every store. Instead of being handed out a physical copy, store visitors can browse a digital version of the store calendar right there and then. It will be nice to see an interactive digital board where all the in-store happenings are scheduled. Perhaps with a possible integration to your calendar app of choice so you can seamlessly add these events in your own personal calendar. Well, these are just my two cents about this but I have to say that it will be rather cool to see a digital calendar such as that.

So what do you think about this decision of going paperless as far as LEGO Store Calendars are concerned? Do you prefer to have it this way, or do you still go for the feel of having an actual, hard copy? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Warner Bros and TT Games To Announce a New LEGO Video Game at E3 2019

It’s kind of hard to miss the fact that LEGO is on a roll as far as developing video games are concerned. After the announcement of two LEGO mobile games namely the LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed and LEGO Tower, it seems that a new LEGO video game is about to make its debut by next month. To be launched across multiple gaming platforms, the news was announced by long-time partner Warner Bros and TT Games, and the timing of the reveal couldn’t be better – the new mystery video game will be revealed just in time with this year’s E3 which will happen in Los Angeles, California from June 11 to 13, 2019.

The news was shared by Playstation fan site, Pure Playstation. Though the gaming titans made it clear that they will be a launching a new LEGO-inspired video game at E3, WB and TT Games are still mum on what this will be. There are likely candidates though, and the signs seem to point to a new LEGO Star Wars game since it has been almost three years since we had the LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens video game. And now that the Skywalker saga is about to come to an end with the final Star Wars installment, Rise of Skywalker, perhaps now is the best time to finish this gaming installment as well.

New LEGO Video Game

If you recall, TLG tends to gravitate towards completing its licensed video game sagas, similar to the movies and franchises they were based on. We have a LEGO Incredibles video game that features content based on the first and second films. The LEGO Marvel Collection likewise features all three previously released LEGO Marvel video games: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, LEGO Marvel Avengers, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. And of course, we can’t leave out the LEGO Harry Potter Collection combining all seven years of Potterlore in two convenient discs. Needless to say, now is the time for that long overdue LEGO Star Wars video game follow-up. Come to think of it, it was also in the month of June when the LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens video game was released, and it was in 2016’s E3 when the game was first introduced.

As much as I would like to see a LEGO Star Wars Video Game Collection, I have to say that all of this is just speculation from my part until such time that we actually hear from LEGO during next month’s  Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). For the meantime, we just have to patiently wait for the next two weeks. Thanks to Brick Fanatics for the tip.

 

Life-Sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron Ends World Tour at LEGO House

LEGO Step 1: Collaborate with Bugatti to create a Technic set (42083) of their Chiron sports car. Step 2: do major promotion of LEGO Technic by using its pieces to build a life-sized fully-mobile Bugatti Chiron. Step 3: Send the brick-built Bugatti on a European tour at test-tracks and car shows. Step 4: Make it into a cross-Atlantic tour instead.

And so, after months on the touring road, LEGO’s incredible life-sized masterwork is coming home, sort of. Following its stints in France, UK and US this Power Functions-driven Technic MOC has been transported to Billund. There it will be put on display at LEGO House.

The exhibition of the 1:1 Bugatti Chiron in Denmark’s Home of the Brick will be kicked off by an event. On May 16, car expert Christian Gau will perform an interview of the LEGO Bugatti building team. This includes the original design guys and the Czech LEGO builders who actually put the Technic pieces together.

Also included in the Thursday afternoon program was a LEGO car-build competition (naturally). Prizes were given away to the best short-notice design. The 1:1 LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron itself is on display at LEGO House in Billund until June 10. What happens to it afterwards hasn’t been shared by LEGO.

LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers Building Instructions Released Online

So, how’s that LEGO Stranger Things hype? It’s now a day since the late-night/midnight launch events in NYC and London where the LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) was a massive hit with everyone who saw it. And aside from the set’s official reveal, attendees of the respective events had a great time with the crowds, spectacle, and entertainment. Part of the activities offered during the launch of 75810 was a Make-and-Take event. Those who joined in got the opportunity to build a miniature of another famous landmark from “Stranger Things.” Who can resist the sight of a LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers mini-build, that little fort in the woods? Can anyone not be charmed by a LEGO interpretation?

A Reddit user has done LEGO and “Stranger Things” fans a solid by posting the LEGO Stranger Things Castle Byers Make-and-Take building instruction sheet. Like all M&Ts of the sort, the instructions are but two pages long. They should be easy to follow for curious builders who couldn’t be there for the actual launch events.

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Even if a LEGO fan needs to hunt down some parts listed online, he won’t need to spend much. A calculation done on the Reddit post claims the total for all bricks to be roughly $5 only. About the only details permanently missing from self-builds of LEGO Castle Byers are the label-stickers for the signs.

Back with the star of the shows last Tuesday-Wednesday, VIPs can get LEGO Stranger Things – The Upside Down (75810) now. The rest will have to wait until June 1. We also invite you to look back at the nifty and fun promo teasers LEGO presented before/after the set’s official reveal.

LEGO Teases More About the LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) Tie-In Set

There’s no other way to describe it: LEGO has been a teasing teaser that teasingly teases lately. Yes, everybody’s on tenterhooks regarding their upcoming tie-in for Netflix’s Stranger Things, and LEGO sure know how to work build on the excitment with their teaser-filled promotional blitz. Eventually, the teasers are finally giving fans a trail of bread crumbs in deciphering the set’s details. The clincher in this case would have to be LEGO’s recent Instagram post of a familiar vehicle from the show. It’s none other than Mike’s good ‘ol bicycle (rendered in LEGO form), and seemingly stuck in the mysterious Upside Down realm which is already a give away on the set’s official name. The LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) is set to be released on May 15, initially available to all LEGO VIP members.

The upcoming LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) set has already been revealed to include some of the show’s most noticeable characters such as Dustin and the terrifying Demogorgon.  Additionally, it is also rumored that this is the only LEGO licensed set to be released from this theme, so it expected if Stranger Things fans will really look forward to have this one-off set. That’s too bad in my opinion, but if it’ll only be one LEGO tie-in, then it should be all good for all true-blue fans of the show.

We can expect LEGO Stranger Things The Upside Down (75810) set to make its debut at the Leicester Square LEGO Store in London on May 15. The LEGO Store in Flatiron, New York on the other hand, will have its own late-night event slated on the 14th.

With that, let’s wrap this up with some more LEGO Stranger Things teasers we’ve seen recently.

  • Mike and Eleven on LEGO Facebook

 

  • Leicester Square LEGO Store front, courtesy of Twitter user @NXOnNetflix

  • Something is Coming on LEGO Twitter

Tease Some More: LEGO Stranger Things Previews Just Keep Coming Ahead of Launch

As the 15th of May comes ever closer, things have been getting even Stranger. LEGO Stranger Things is the hot new upcoming licensed franchise for LEGO. It stands to reason that it’ll get a lot of attention in terms of promotion. Following the announcement of details for its London launch, LEGO now reveals how this will go in New York.

Lest you forget, ahead of the midnight launch of LEGO Stranger Things at the Leicester Square Store, its NY counterpart at Flatiron will have a late-night event of its own on the 14th. There’s also a new teaser on Twitter.

Rather than a mockup of an ostensibly 1980s LEGO commercial this teaser references a memorable still-life scene from Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” but rendered in LEGO. If you need help, the Morse-code caption reads “Coming/SE/Soon.” With that, we’ll now discuss what new details the Flatiron District LEGO Store has for getting the LEGO Stranger Things set.

We already know the event schedule of 9 to 11 PM (EDT) on May 14. Aside from being able to buy the new set, guests can participate in a “special building experience.” A LEGO mural is also on hand for selfies. Participants will also have refreshments while they hang out with fellow “Stranger Things” fans.

About the only thing the NY launch event lacks is the opportunity to have their LEGO Stranger Things sets signed. The lead designer’s over in Leicester Square. Oh well, at least the US is getting the hot new set early.

Signing Event for LEGO Stranger Things Sets Slated Next Week

LEGO Stranger Things: to say that is both weird and exciting as one thinks of the possibilities. The hit Netflix series is both a 1980s nostalgia trip and a scary cool coming-of-age story. It also becomes perhaps one of LEGO’s big-boy (age-wise) licensed franchises alongside LEGO Overwatch and the like. After building a foundation of anticipation with their first teases, LEGO is now ready to promote their LEGO Stranger Things sets. It’s no longer a secret that the theme will launch next week at the Leicester Square LEGO Store. New details have popped up about it though, as updated on the LEGO events page on Facebook.

For starters, not only will the LEGO Stranger Things line be introduced there at London, there will be autographs signed. By that we mean Leicester LEGO Store buyers of the new set can meet their lead designer, Justin Ramden. He’ll be on hand to sign.

One more thing: there will be a suggested dress theme for Londoner guests appearing at the product launch. As if you don’t know, it’ll be an Eighties party there on the 15th, with “tubular” refreshments on hand for all comers.

Collectors should save £179.99 for this LEGO Strangers set. Furthermore, only 400 participants will be able to buy the set at Leicester Square on launch day. Lastly, each buyer can only have two sets max per purchase, to leave enough for everyone on that day. With that, we’ll leave you with this curious “80’s era” LEGO commercial that we think is part of the promotion.