Late last month, we shone a spotlight on a promising submission to LEGO Ideas, based on the rockets used by the SpaceX private enterprise. On this second week of June, we got word that a SpaceX-themed Ideas entry got the needed 10K support for review. This…is not that previously-featured submission.
It’s no surprise that other members on LEGO Ideas have the same, well, ideas on what they want to submit to the platform. Aside from the Matthew Nolan/Valerie Roche tandem that conceived the rockets of “SpaceX – The Ultimate Collection”, there’s khehmeyer who focused only on one: the SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
This particular MOC was submitted to LEGO Ideas only this early February, roughly the same time as when a real Falcon Heavy rocket took off on its maiden launch. The details are exquisite, with the removable rocket stages and boosters with the trademark SpaceX re-entry features like the landing struts.
In terms of what’s on top, khehmeyer gives the option of having a Dragon astronaut crew capsule or the cargo delivery capsule. Unfortunately the included payload is only a satellite and not Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster like in Nolan’s entry. Still, the whole package is meticulously yet easily put together.
With the LEGO Ideas 2018 First Review Stage already underway, khehmeyer’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy becomes the first 10K submission to be listed for the Second Review Stage. We’re looking forward to what else will make the cut. One must wonder when the SpaceX Ultimate Collection submission might have its day.
Disney and LEGO have been partners is the development of tie-in brick and minifigure merchandise for all ages, from this year’s Disney Princess sets to more recent BrickHeadz, plus the major subsidiary franchises of Marvel and Star Wars. Even their theme park landmarks get love in the form of some impressive scale model sets.
One member of LEGO Ideas decided to take LEGO’s official LEGO models for Disney theme park buildings to their logical conclusion by, well, building a scale model that incorporates a number of the most memorable structures in the Disney resorts from both Coasts. Builder Brickproject_7540 calls it the “Disneyland Map”.
As seen on the layout, this LEGO Ideas project is a rough theme park layout that’s a partial mishmash of landmarks from Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, plus one from Disney’s Hollywood Studios from Walt Disney World. The result, interpreted in about 2,200 bricks, is both familiar and new.
The component areas of this LEGO Disneyland Ideas entry are Disneyland Park’s Main Street USA, the Fantasyland with Sleeping Beauty’s castle to the back, paths to the left and right leading to Tomorrowland’s Space Mountain and Frontierland’s Big Thunder Mountain respectively, and then the extra locations of the Mickey Wheel from nearby DCA and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror from WDW’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Brickproject_7540 acknowledges the fantasy nature of this theme park layout; he even gave it the misspelled name of Dinseyland since it’s not yet sanctioned by the House of Mouse. Still, if the set does manage to get 10K support, and be lucky enough to pass review afterwards, then maybe Disney might deign to green-light this Ideas build enough to grant it the brand name.
We’ll have to see if it achieves that goal; though if you’re on LEGO Ideas and like the set, then visit Brickproject_7540’s entry page for the project. He even provided a 360-degree virtual tour of the set for any visitors’ enjoyment. It could give the Space_X Collectionentry a good run.
From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the Universe, comes a legend…The Legend of Voltron, Defender of the Universe! A mighty robot, loved by good, feared by evil…and very late in coming, or at least its LEGO Ideas set is. It’s been over a year now since it passed review, but there’s still no sign of it anywhere.
The latest word we’ve had of anything concerning the LEGO Ideas Voltron set was the reported updating of LEGO Store inventories in the EU, information that included its alleged set number (21311) and price tag (€179.99/$199.99). Nothing else followed since.
At least, until this new update of sorts came from, of all places, the South Korean news website “!T Chosun”. Their article said that an official for LEGO Korea leaked that the LEGO Ideas Voltron will be released in their country August 1, the first date ever given for it.
But if this report is factual, they why did it take so long for the set to come out after passing review? The LEGO official had an answer for that too. Apparently LEGO then needed to get a license from Voltron franchise owner World Events Productions, to begin their manufacture.
It all sounds rather reasonable at first glance, but having the news broken in a general news site in South Korea rather than a more LEGO-specialized source still raises some questions on its veracity. Right now we’re really antsy waiting for the big reveal, which will happen, perhaps, during the San Diego Comic Con next month.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
LEGO has rolled out its store calendar for July and it looks like we’re about to have an awesome summer ahead. Other than the usual freebies and gift-with-purchase items for this month, LEGO is also getting ready for other big events lined up for July such as the annual San Diego Comic Con. And rumor has it that next month’s VIP exclusives will saw the arrival of one of the most carefully guarded sets that AFOLs are so eagerly waiting for in a very a long time (myself included). Let’s take a quick look of what the LEGO Store July 2018 Calendar has to offer. You can also find a PDF version of this right here.
June 30 to July 8 – Free exclusive LEGO Beach Tote bag with a purchase of $199 or more. I can’t say that I’m thrilled with this freebie, at such a high price point as a gift-with-purchase item. $200 is too much to get a bag such as this, but nevertheless, I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re eyeing on larger sets such as the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (42083) or the LEGO Creator Expert Roller Coaster (10261).
July 9 to 15 – Free Party Banana Minifigure with a purchase of $35 or more. This one is a more decent offer, with a reasonable price point attached to it. Similar to previous GWPs such as this year’s Easter Bunny Hut (5005249) and 2017’s Iconic Cave (5004936), the Party Banana (5005250) is a mascot-themed minifig that comes in a clamshell box, a boom box accessory and an all new banana guy printing.
July 1 to 31 – LEGO VIPs earn Double Points on certain LEGO Creator sets. These sets are the most recent Sunshine Surfer Van (31079) and the Modular Winter Vacation (31080), both offered at $34.99. Promoting these sets fits practically well with LEGO’s theme for the month of July.
July 10 to 11 – VIP Monthly Mini Build is a BBQ stand. LEGO VIP members should register at shop.LEGO.com/Minibuild-registration beginning June 15 to qualify for this monthly mini build.
July 18 to 31 and July 23 to 31 – VIPs get Early Access to a new exclusive LEGO set during these dates, respectively. Rumors are rife among LEGO fan forums that we are about to see the release of the much-awaited, and long overdue LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) set. Speculations point out to the possibility that LEGO might take the opportunity at San Diego Comic Con to reveal the towering, and impressively designed LEGO Ideas Voltron set. A recent news outlet from Korea also points out that set 21311 will be available worldwide on August 1. This is truly an exciting month.
July 26 – Dream It, Build It, Keep It. – Come to any LEGO Brand Store during this date to receive one of four different mystery boxes of elements. Based on the rather grainy image of the box art, it looks like that this will be a kind of promotional gift for participating on this in-store event. Bear in mind that this is intended for children ages 5 to 14 and pre-registration is required starting July 1.
If you’ve already seen Ready Player One, then I’m pretty sure that you didn’t miss that big fight scene including the iconic Iron Giant – that endearing piece of 90s pop culture produced by Warner Bros. Back then, the innocent charm and appeal of the mysterious space robot quickly caught the hearts of children and adults alike. Up until now, the Iron Giant has remained a cult classic among fans, and has even caught the attention of devoted AFOLs and builders in recent years. You may, or may not be happy on how Ready Player One referenced the beloved metal robot (with some reviews criticizing the fact that Spielberg’s recent film only exploited these pop culture symbols), but seeing a brick-built version of the Iron Giant will surely put a smile on any AFOL’s face.
Back in 2016, in honor of this award-winning classic animation, I featured a particular LEGO Ideas Iron Giant project by BrettCUV that renders his love for the gentle giant using the best medium that we ever have – in LEGO bricks. I love the idea of having a LEGO Iron Giant set, and together with other 10K supporters we rallied to support this project. Unfortunately, it never passed through the scrutiny of the LEGO Ideas Team during the Third 2016 LEGO Ideas Review Stage. Needless to say, the thought of recreating this piece of animation icon is something that I wanted to see for a very long time.
If you’re one of those brick-building folks such as myself that couldn’t hardly wait to see a LEGO Iron Giant become a reality, then you might be glad to know that Build Better Bricks (or B3) gives you the opportunity to build this intergalactic space robot. Master builders Sean and Tyler now offer their latest creation – a 818-piece, custom LEGO Iron Giant. Check out the video below.
B3’s custom LEGO Iron Giant is expertly built using more than 818 LEGO pieces that are predominantly gray in color. Standing in at an impressive 13 inches tall, this highly articulated MOC comes with a total 23 points of articulation, allowing for an impressive number of movement and a variety of poses.
You can even add an optional Superman ‘S’ sign on his chest as you can see from the film. Alternatively, he can also turn out to be a seriously overpowered weapon of destruction especially with his blaster on hand.
This custom LEGO Iron Giant can be a hero……or a foe.
The 800-plus pieces needed to build this custom LEGO Iron Giant is estimated to cost at around $80 – a fair deal if ever LEGO will turn this to an actual set. Choosing the parts needed for this version of the Iron Giant, as well as any other B3 projects, are carefully selected to ensure that they are readily available when needed. Couple it with B3’s creatively fun building instructions, then making your own custom LEGO Iron Giant is a snap. The building instruction to make this project comes in at 115 pages, available in digital, PDF format. Build Better Bricks is now offering these instructions for $12, and is quite a bargain already considering the size of this brick-built Iron Giant.
If you wish to make this set, just head over to B3’s website and check out how to buy the building instructions for this custom LEGO Iron Giant. Your purchase includes the building instructions itself, a parts list, and a handy Stud.io file that you easily import to Bricklink.
Now, I just need to figure out how to put that dent on his head. Happy building!
It was at around the start of this year when the LEGO Ideas Review Panel announced the candidates for the Third Review Stage of Ideas submissions from 2017. Seven entries by Ideas members vied with one another to become the next official LEGO set to come out of the platform.
On the last day of May, close to half a year since that heads-up from the Review Panel, they have finally made their decision. There would be only one winner from this batch, and considering the submission’s similarity (and lack of licensed franchise attached) to an existing LEGO promotional set, its selection was no surprise.
The winning entry that’s going to become a LEGO Ideas set is “Pop-Up Book” by Jason “JKBrickworks” Allemann and Grant Davis. From the looks of it you can see the resemblance to the promotional set LEGO Creative Storybook (40291), set to debut by next month.
Compare the Creative Storybook (40291) set above, with the photo of the winning set at the start of this article, and you’ll see that JKBrickworks’ Ideas entry is just the LEGO promotional set but a bit bigger. The fact that the “pop-up book” mechanism reliably works is another positive point.
And with that, the 2017 Third Review Stage for LEGO Ideas has come to an end. The next 10K-Support bunch, with 10 entries this time, is now being scrutinized in the 2018 First Review Stage which started earlier this month. Chances are we’ll get a decision before the year ends.
For LEGO fans who like to keep up with LEGO Ideas, we’re currently in the middle of the First 2018 Review Phase. In the meantime, no word has gone out yet of any submission on the Ideas platform gaining 10,000 supporters. But there are some set proposals that warrant supporting.
Here’s a relatively new submission done by Ideas member Matthew Nolan, with additional input from Valerie Roche. It’s a branded set, carrying the name of a private aerospace service company founded by Elon Musk that’s been in the news in recent times: SpaceX. This set is “SpaceX – The Ultimate Collection”.
As its name implies, SpaceX – The Ultimate Collection is a giant multi-model set encompassing the most prominent space vehicles created by SpaceX Corporation, in a similar vein as the venerable LEGO Ideas Saturn V rocket (21309). But this package has two SpaceX rockets, plus a multitude of other tech options.
The two rockets on this collection are from SpaceX’s Falcon series, one Falcon 9 (Block 5 variant) and the larger Falcon Heavy, all of them with rocket cores that detach and land after launch, the gimmick that helped SpaceX make sci-tech headline news. The brick details are all remarkably accurate.
Aside from the Falcons, the Ultimate Collection also has the Transporter/Erector/Launcher (TEL) system to deploy the rockets. Then there are the optional components such as the Dragon 2 capsule, a satellite, and even Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster sent up to space. Sticker decals include SpaceX and optional ESA markings.
Nolan and Roche have only posted SpaceX – The Ultimate Collection on LEGO Ideas on the 10th of May, and already it’s garnered over 3,500 supporters before the month is even out. Should the trend continue, it might make it just in time to join a prospective Second 2018 Review Phase.
It has been an event that’s been hyped so many times before in previous posts here on The Brick Show. For every instant that a new submission on LEGO Ideas achieved the coveted 10K support milestone, we reminded you of what’s coming. And finally, it has. The candidates are assembled.
As the LEGO Ideas Third 2017 Review Stage finally winds up its work and makes ready to announce a new official Ideas set (if any), the deadline for the First 2018 Review Stage has finally elapsed, automatically starting the assessment period of the 10K-supported Ideas submissions that made the cutoff.
To sum things up, there are ten entries on LEGO Ideas that got the support of 10,000 members on the platform, that’ll be included in the First Review Stage for this year. The Brick Show has covered most if not all of the lucky submissions that we’ve listed down below.
In a surprising turn of events, the last entry, a LEGO build of a BMW motorcycle, managed to get on the list despite BMW previously being included in a list of “restricted licenses” by the toy company. It can be assumed that restriction is no longer in effect.
Meanwhile, we still have to wait on the official announcement by the LEGO Ideas Review Panel as to which submission in the 2017 Third Review Stage will make the cut. Even further, there’s still no word as to the Ideas winner “Voltron – Defender of the Universe” set which passed review in August 2017. If LEGO is keeping the release date secret, the best time to reveal it would be on the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con.
It began in January, with the anticlimactic results of the LEGO Ideas Second 2017 Review, that is, the one where none of the entries passed. One of those failed submissions was a set recreation of one of the most iconic scene from Empire Strikes Back where Darth Vader declares “I am your father.”
Though the review panel didn’t elaborate further on the decision, a prevailing speculation was that said Ideas entry wasn’t approved because LEGO itself was already developing a new set based on the Cloud City, where the abovementioned scene happened. We haven’t heard much about this rumor since, until shortly before May 4.
In the last days of April, discussion on LEGO forum Eurobricks turned towards the still-rumored LEGO Star Wars Cloud City set following the leak of a new Boba Fett minifigure. This was expounded on by Eurobricks member Paperballpark, who has delivered good info on confidential LEGO projects in the past.
As Paperballpark theorizes, the new Cloud City is similar to the already-released Wars LEGO Star Wars Death Star (75159), a multilevel structure with exposed rooms for equipment-minifigure interaction (Luke-Vader duel scene possibly included). Rather than the spheroid Death Star, Cloud City will have only an upper hemisphere with support struts below.
LEGO has years ago released a more compact LEGO Star Wars Cloud City (10123) set with only a portion of the interior and not shaped like the whole thing. The rumored new version might have room for two LEGO vehicles, a la the Death Star’s (75159) TIE fighter.
May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day, saw only the release of theLEGO UCS Y-Wing Starfighter (75181), with no official peep on whether the much-speculated Cloud City is real or not. Paperballpark on Eurobricks is fairly confident it’ll come in the fall, and even provided its number (75222). Still, it remains rumor for now.
It’s starting to look like Germany may be trying to pull a turnaround where it comes to the trend of decreasing popularity (and sales) for LEGO in that country lately. They’ve already set up a “Make & Take” event there at local Toys R Us stores (German ones still operating).
Now, LEGO Germany is getting the drop on most other major markets around the world with the release of their promo flyerfor May-June 2018. One of these items is a limited-time giveaway set that might look familiar to those who’ve been keeping up with LEGO Ideas’ currently-running Reviews Stage.
Said giveaway is from the LEGO Creative Storybook (40291), featuring Denmark’s eternally remembered author of fairy tales, Han Christian Andersen. The design is a diorama shaped like a pop-up storybook, with Hans writing a story on one page while the other side depicts a scene from The Ugly Duckling.
There’s been no word yet on when the Creative Storybook (40291) will be made available for sale or promo giveaway outside of Germany. For now, the set is available to LEGO Shop customers in that country for every total purchase of at least €65. The promo also runs from June 4-24.
Meanwhile, the ongoing LEGO Ideas 2017 Third Review Stage also includes a submission called Pop-Up Book by JK Brickworks. It looks like a larger take on the LEGO Creative Storybook set. One must wonder if the similarity might preclude Pop-Up book from passing now, but the final decision’s still a ways off.
