I am not really familiar with all the conventions and conferences that LEGO organizes to bolster its managerial workforce, but this piece of news, courtesy of The Brick Fan, warrants a second look. LEGO organizes a yearly conference for its LEGO Brand Retail (LBR) Managers, with this year’s event held somewhere in Atlanta. Similar to the perks of being a LEGO Store Employee which comes with a free holiday gift, LBR Managers also seem to be entitled to a freebie in the form of a super rare LEGO collectible minifigure.
Now, if you’ve been following our blog for quite some time now, then you might be aware that we have featured several ultra rare collectible minifigs at some point here in the Brick Show, including the unbelievable price tags that go along with them. This time, another mind-blowing, crazily expensive, exclusive minifigure has popped up over at eBay with a price tag of not just one or two grand, but a whopping $6,000 USD! The LEGO Brand Retail Manager’s 2017 Conference Exclusive Magician Minifigure features a minifigure replica of the LEGO Brand Retail Manager in a magician’s getup, a top hat, regular hairpiece, and a rabbit accessory. It also comes with an instruction to assemble a 121-piece, Rabbit in a Hat build.
It is simply mind-boggling how these costs and figures are determined – it’s kind of hard for me to imagine anyone paying $6,000 for a LEGO minifigure made out of ABS plastic. But I guess if you’re a LEGO minifigure purist that has the cash to burn, then paying six grand will not be an issue. If you also notice, the same eBay reseller has also listed for bidding last 2016 and 2015’s exclusive LBRM Conference commemorative minifigs featuring the 2016 Orlando Zack and 2015 Houston Zombie set – both set up for bidding at $6,000 each.
What do you think, will these ultra rare minifigures land a spot on your most wanted minifigs list? Let us know in the comments below.
If I will come up with my own list of the Top Ten Coolest Jobs in the world, then being a LEGO Store Employee will surely sit in the top 3 spots on my list – the second and first being a LEGO Master Designer, and LEGO Senior Designer respectively. Having the coolest job in the world also follows that you are entitled to some of the best company perks and gifts that may be offered, and those working under the umbrella of The LEGO Group surely know the perks.
It has been customary with LEGO to share the Yuletide cheers among its employees during the holidays by giving a uniquely designed LEGO set that each LEGO Brand Store employee is fortunate enough to receive. Last year, we saw the LEGO Store Employee Gift 50 Years on Track (4002016) as the perfect holiday gift for those who are privileged to work inside the premises of the LEGO Store. The 50 Years on Track (4002016) set, coming in at 1,141 pieces, represents some of the best-loved LEGO train sets that the company designed in the span of 50 years. It was an absolute microscale masterpiece that only LEGO employees are very fortunate to have.
This 2017, it seems that LEGO is still keeping the tradition of sharing its blessings in the form of an uber-exclusive set that LEGO Store employees can expect. Similar to last year’s 50 Years on Track, the first images of this year’s LEGO employee gift have been spotted over at eBay. Listings for the LEGO Store Employee Gift Nutcracker (4002017) have been quite numerous recently on the secondary market, with some selling for as much as $300. Coming in at 732 pieces, this year’s LEGO employee gift seems to borrow some design ideas from the recent LEGO holiday promotional set bearing the same name – Nutcracker (40254). Here are some images of set 4002017 posted over at eBay and Instagram.
The LEGO Store Employee Gift Nutcracker (4002017) sits as the next holiday gift that LEGO has offered to its ever-reliable store employees since 2010. However, I have to say that it could be the least appealing as well. By far the best gift that LEGO designers came up with was last year’s 50 Years on Track set which also happens to be the largest employee gift set made up of more than 1,000 LEGO pieces. I also couldn’t help but notice that the box art and design could have been improved further to make it more aesthetically appealing. I am not really sure if I’ll bring myself to like that coffin-looking box for our little tin soldier.
Of course, I may be wrong in all of these since I am just giving my initial impression based on how the box art looks like rather than seeing the actual build. I just hope that we can have some kind, LEGO Store employees that will share how this gift looks like when it is finally built.
Thanks to Bouwsteentjes for sharing the above images.
LEGO has been partnering with real-life brands for so many decades that it has become old hat. Speaking of old hats, Renault Sport has been in the racing scene for four decades now, ever since Groupe Renault established it back in 1976 by combining their sports-car and competition departments at Gordini and Alpine.
Renault Sport has overseen their parent company’s official motor racing participation, especially in Formula One, for 40 years. In commemoration of this milestone, just one decade short of a golden anniversary, Renault has contracted the services of a LEGO Certified Professional who is a trusted partner of The LEGO Group.
The result is three sets of Renault Sport race car models made entirely of LEGO bricks. Note however that, outside of being designed by a LEGO-Certified Pro, these are not official LEGO sets with appropriate numbering. Still, they’re made out of bricks that are as LEGO as they can be.
Renault Sport Formula One Team RS17
828 pieces; only 100 sets made available.
Renault Sport Formula One Team RS17
110 pieces; only 1000 sets made available.
Renault RS2027 Vision
Concept vehicle model for Renault’s 50thanniversary, 375 pieces, only FORTY sets made available to retail for €375 each.
All these rare sets will only be available for collectors at the Altelier Renault event in Paris on Saturday, December 9. The said event will also showcase a life-sized RS17 model made out of 300,000 (official) LEGO bricks.
In addition, there will be a LEGO workshop where attendees can assemble their own custom micro-scale version of said RS17 model. You can find out more from this preview video (in French).
If you recall, we mentioned a particular LEGO Star Wars promotional that is supposed to launch this December, as mentioned in the LEGO December Store Calendar. Most fans of the LEGO Star Wars theme (including myself) were looking forward for the Darth Vader Pod (5005376) that is supposed to launch starting December 15 and until January 14, 2018. This is expected to be the 5th promotional pod offered by LEGO, that will be made available for a minimum receipt purchase of $60 of any LEGO Star Wars sets.
However, most of us was a bit wondering when the LEGO January Store Calendar came out with no mention of the same abovementioned promotional, especially considering that it is supposed to be running until the first half of January 2018. There were speculations that the collectible Star Wars pod was eventually cancelled, and as it turned out, The LEGO Group (TLG) has finally put the issue to the rest by giving out a press statement on the matter. According to TLG, the pod itself did not conform to its strict, quality standards and must eventually cancel the release of the LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader pod. Here’s the official word from the company:
Star Wars Pod No. 5005376
We have to inform that as part of our internal quality screening process, we have found that the Star Wars Metalized Pod 5005376 does not meet our strict standards. As you know, we take the quality and safety of our products extremely seriously, and so out of an abundance of caution we have decided not to launch the Star Wars Pod.
We are committed to continuing support for our Star Wars promotion, and will offer consumers 10% off across all LEGO® Star Wars products from 18th – 24th December 2017, excluding the Millennium Falcon product (75192).
They did not mention in detail what is the particular source of concern, but I assume it probably has something to do with the suitability and safety of the materials used in making the pod. I am particularly interested in how LEGO worded the name of the pod, giving emphasis on the pod’s ‘metalized’ feature. Does it have something to do with the metallic coating or color used on the pod, we don’t know for sure.
However, LEGO reassures fans that even though the Darth Vader promotional pod is discontinued, the 10% discount on all LEGO Star Wars sets (except for the still elusive UCS Millenium Falcon 75192) will still push through from December 18 to 24, so hope you’ll find solace in that.
This piece of news may have been floating around lately, especially considering that a leaked image of its checklist has surfaced as early as the first week of November. Nevertheless, nothing beats the crisp, clear images that LEGO has shared over social media regarding its highly anticipated LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigure Series 2.
In case you missed it, check out these official images and the names of each of these characters. It is also interesting to note that like other CMFs or collectible minifigures, most of these sets also include a variety of new pieces, unique and sometimes odd looking dual-sided face printings, and a well-balanced number of Justice League heroes and Rogues from Gotham.
I am personally excited to have my try with the Swimming Pool Batman and Tropical Joker minifigs; and if you’re excited for these TLBM collectibles as much as we do, then better start practicing how to feel them inside their challenging blind bags once January 1 comes in. For the meantime check out these images courtesy of LEGO’s official Facebook account.
Here’s another treat from Amazon. Last week, we saw the official images of the latest LEGO Marvel Superheroes Black Panther sets make their way online. This time, we are now given the chance to pre-order the sets as early as today, now that Amazon has released the Rhino Face-Off By the Mine (76099) and Royal Talon Fighter Attack (76100) for purchase, ahead of the film’s release on February 16. Click on the sets’ links above to know more about what Amazon has to offer.
What is interesting about Amazon’s listing is that it gives a bit of an info (without being too much of a spoiler) on what we can expect from some of the key scenes of the movie. We can now confirm that the rhino in set 76099 is actually a robotic one, and the crystals that it seeks to protect are actually made up of raw vibranium ore. The Royal Talon Fighter Attack (76100) on the other hand may hint at a certain capture mission against Ulysses Klaue and Killmonger where the latter is eventually captured and placed inside the Talon’s prison compartment. I guess based on the official trailer, this might eventually lead to Killmonger’s trial back in Wakanda.
Here are the rest of the LEGO Marvel Superheroes Black Panther sets’ official images, together with their product descriptions courtesy of Amazon. They are now both available for pre-order, and is slated for release on January 1, 2018.
Team up with Black Panther and Okoye in a Rhino Face-Off by the Mine against masked super villain Killmonger. This LEGO Marvel Super Heroes set features a posable rhino figure with stud shooters and a rail track with moving mining cart. Tip the mining cart or activate the rail track’s explode function to knock over the cart and spill the vibranium. This exciting set includes 3 minifigures.
Includes 3 minifigures: Black Panther, Okoye and Killmonger.
Rhino features a minifigure seat, posable head and legs, rhino horn elements and 2 stud shooters.
Mining cart features a tipping function and translucent-blue vibranium nugget elements.
Recreate epic moments from the Marvel Super Heroes Black Panther movie.
Rhino measures over 3” (8cm) high, 5” (15cm) long and 2” (6cm) wide.
Mining cart measures over 1” (4cm) high, 3” (9cm) long and 1” (3cm) wide.
Rail track measures over 1” (3cm) high, 1” (4cm) wide and 7” (18cm) deep.
Help Black Panther and Nakia win the ultimate battle against super villain Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue, with this awesome LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Royal Talon Fighter Attack set. The Royal Talon Fighter features an opening minifigure cockpit, 2 stud shooters and a rear prison compartment to trap a minifigure. The set also includes 4 minifigures with weapons to intensify the role-play conflict.
Includes 4 minifigures: Black Panther, Nakia, Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue.
The ancient mask-shaped Royal Talon Fighter features an opening minifigure cockpit, rear prison compartment to trap a minifigure and 2 stud shooters.
Weapons include Nakia’s 2 disc blades, Killmonger’s flick missile shooter and Ulysses Klaue’s ultrasonic robotic hand.
Also includes Killmonger’s mask element.
Recreate epic moments from the Marvel Super Heroes Black Panther movie.
Royal Talon Fighter measures over 2” (7cm) high, 8” (21cm) long and 6” (16cm) wide.
A few moments ago, I reported that LEGO has recently uploaded a new stash of building instructions for this month of December, including the last to be revealed LEGO Nexo Knights set, Lance’s Hover Jouster (72001). Brickset took the liberty of gathering them in one place so you can have a quick overview of what LEGO has made available on its servers. To our surprise, LEGO has also revealed its next seasonal, commemorative set to celebrate 2018’s Lunar New Year. This year, we saw the Year of the Rooster (40234) as 2017’s seasonal set, and for 2018, we have the Year of the Dog (40235) seasonal set to look forward to. Here’s how the set looks like based on its building instructions as uploaded by LEGO.
Coming in at 155 pieces, it is interesting to note that since 2016’s Year of the Monkey (40207) seasonal set, LEGO seems to have been observing a common design for these Lunar New Year commemorative sets – each of them following a straightforward build, resting on a circular baseplate as pointed out by Brickfinder. Will this be a regular thing from LEGO? I guess only time can tell. The Year of the Dog (40235) may likely come as another LEGO Store promotional (a gift with purchase set) that comes with a minimum purchase amount of any LEGO set. I’ll give you updates as soon as more news comes in, and for the meantime, you may want to check out the parts list for this set below and see if you can build this little puppy using the LEGO bricks that you have.
A few days ago, LEGO partially unveiled a commemorative, promotional set that celebrates the 60th year anniversary of the patenting of the iconic LEGO brick. It’s kind of hard to figure out the details of this latest promotional set due to the rather grainy and pixelated image that we initially have. However, thanks to the recently released LEGO Store Calendar for January 2018, we can have a better appreciation of this set – the 60 Years of the LEGO Brick (40290) commemorative set.
Needless to say, this promotional set is expected to be very popular among LEGO fans and collectors in general. For a single receipt purchase of any LEGO products worth $125 and above from January 28 to February 14, buyers can get this collectible set for free. Any devoted LEGO fan will instantly recognize the appeal of this commemorative set since it represents decades of beloved LEGO sets that most of us grew up with. Coming in at 421 pieces, the set features four microscaled versions of the most popular classic LEGO sets. These include the Airport Shuttle 6399 (1990) from the classic Town theme, the Castle 375 (1978) from the classic Castle and Knights theme, the Black Seas Barracuda 6285 (1989) from the Pirates theme, and the Space Cruiser and Moonbase 928 (1979) from the beloved classic Space theme. Each micro build is set on vignette style, brick-built platform, with a 2×2 printed tile piece, bearing the set’s 60th anniversary logo.
Just for comparative purposes, I included the blown up images of these miniature models, alongside the original sets that they represent. They’re not official images yet of the 60 years of the LEGO Brick (40290) commemorative set, as compared to what LEGO usually uploads via its servers, but for now, it provides us a better look at these fine micro sets.
Airport Shuttle (6399) – 1990
Castle (375) – 1978
Black Seas Barracuda (6285) – 1989
Space Cruiser and Moonbase (928) – 1979
What do you think of this latest promotional set from LEGO? Are you excited to add this to your collection? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s never too early to make that 2018 LEGO wishlist, especially that the LEGO January 2018 Store Calendar is now available online via LEGO’s servers. With the promise of more than 120 new sets to be available by January 1st, LEGO sets the stage for this new line of offerings by highlighting 2018’s LEGO Creator modular set – the 1950s-styled Downtown Diner (10260).
Same as before, you may also download the January 2018 LEGO Store Calendar in high resolution PDF format, or you may check out its neat details below.
January 1: Get the Exclusive LEGO Creator Expert Downtown Diner (10260).
LEGO opted to reveal early on its next modular expert set coming in at 2,480 pieces and retails for $169.99. The Downtown Diner (10260) is a welcome addition to the growing number of modular sets that LEGO has been offering since the introduction of the Café Corner (10182) in 2007. The best part of this recent offering is that it doesn’t come with the usual VIP early access, so it is available for all once the set becomes available in-stores and online on January 1.
January 1-14: Free LEGO City Dragster (30358) Polybag With a Purchase of $35 or More of Any LEGO Product.
Earlier last November, we reported that LEGO will be releasing a great deal of polybags in 2018 which also includes the LEGO City Dragster (30358). Like any other City polybags, this mini brick-built Dragster will certainly look great in any Race Track MOC. This particular polybag comes with a racer minifigure and a cool red on black color scheme.
January 8-18: LEGO City Great Vehicles Building Event.
Stop by the LEGO Store to help LEGO City. LEGO City Mountain needs great vehicles that will get the job done. Build your great vehicle and race it down a mountainous brick-built terrain. This activity is intended for ages 6 to 14 only.
January 9-10: VIP Monthly Mini Model Build is a Walrus.
To reserve your spot, simply register for the December MMB by visiting shop.LEGO.com/Minibuild-Registration starting December 15. The LEGO MMB is meant for children ages 6 to 14, and must be completely built in store.
January 19-February 13: LEGO City Mining Building Event.
Come back to the LEGO Store and help the LEGO City Mining Team against the crooks that are stealing the gold from LEGO City Mountain. Build your own mining vehicle and collect the gold before the crooks get it. Activity is intended for ages 6-14 only.
January 28-February 14: Free 60 Years of the LEGO Brick set with a purchase of $125 or more, while supplies last.
2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the patenting of the iconic LEGO brick, and to commemorate the occasion, LEGO has announced a special collectible set that every true-blue LEGO fan would love to have. We saw a glimpse of this set – though a rather grainy one – a few days ago, but this time, we can now appreciate it in all of its microscaled details. The 60 Years of the LEGO Brick (40290) set can be yours for free, for every minimum single receipt purchase of $125 or more. Valued at $25 and coming in at 421 pieces, this commemorative set features four microscaled versions of the most popular classic LEGO sets: Airport Shuttle (6399), Castle (375), Black Seas Barracuda (6285), and Space Cruiser and Moonbase (928). The box art of this set even features one of the earlier logos adapted by LEGO during its early years. Though the set’s availability is still almost two months away, I am already excited to see how this set will actually turn out once it is built.
Finally, other than the 125 new sets that LEGO promises to release online and in-store once January kicks-in, most LEGO fans will also look forward in feeling their way on each blind bag once the LEGO Batman Movie Series 2 of collectible minifigures arrives in stores. You may have noticed it by now that the 2nd page of the LEGO Store’s January 2018 calendar features are very first ‘official’ image of the said CMF series, after an image of its flyer/checklist insert has made rounds over the Internet. If TLBM still has a hold on you, then successfully collecting all 20 TLBM Series 2 minifigs is not much of a question.
A rather grainy image of January 2018’s LEGO Store Calendar has surfaced online, and has revealed what LEGO has in store to celebrate the creation of the world’s most iconic brick. 2018 will mark the celebration of the LEGO Brick patent and as it seems, LEGO will be giving away a commemorative set to highlight the occasion.
According to this portion of the January LEGO Store calendar, the 60 Years of the LEGO Brick Set will be yours for free for a minimum purchase of $125 or more. It’s kind of difficult, however, to figure out the official set number, name and piece count based on this blown-up image, but looking at what you can expect from the set, it is quite clear that it also thoughtfully celebrates the 60th anniversary of the brick by offering four microbuilds of LEGO’s most popular classic sets. These include the Airport Shuttle (6399) from the classic Town theme, the Castle (375) from the classic Castle and Knights theme, the Black Seas Barracuda (6285) from the Pirates theme, and the Space Cruiser and Moonbase (928) from the beloved classic Space theme. I’m particularly looking forward to the Castle and Black Seas Barracuda microbuilds, especially that it looks like each of them will come with a base of its own.
1990’s LEGO Town Airport Shuttle (6399).1978’s LEGO Classic Castle (375).1989’s LEGO Pirates Black Seas Barracuda (6285).1979’s LEGO Classic Space Cruiser and Moonbase (928).
Judging from the looks of it, and even in microbuild versions, these individual sets will be a must for LEGO collectors, especially for those who grew up with the LEGO brick. We don’t have enough details yet based on this image, but as soon as the official January LEGO Store Calendar pops up in sharp PDF formats, then I’ll update you accordingly.
