LEGO Ideas Archives | Page 43 of 50

LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) May Be The Most Expensive LEGO Ideas Set That You’ll Buy

For most AFOLs, LEGO may have seemingly bombed at the New York Toy Fair in terms of the relatively disappointing reveals that they had over at their booth, but it doesn’t mean that LEGO news isn’t getting more and more exciting. Though LEGO has already announced or teased on the arrival of the LEGO Ideas TRON: Legacy Lightcyle (21314) sometime next month, there is still one particular set that LEGO has completely placed under wraps for a considerable time now. Though it was quite disappointing not to see the much awaited LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) set at the NYTF, it looks like we virtually have our piece of relevant information about this upcoming set.

It only took two weeks before Lendy Tayag (who goes by len_d69 over at LEGO Ideas) to garner the necessary 10K votes in 2016 for his then LEGO Ideas Voltron project, but the journey of becoming an official LEGO set – from the LEGO Ideas Design Team and eventually on store shelves later on -took almost 2 years. I remember how excited I was upon hearing that this project was eventually announced as the next LEGO Ideas last August. However, the long wait seems to be harrowing, especially considering the fact that it was preceded by three other LEGO Ideas sets: the Women of NASA (21312), the Ship in a Bottle (21313) and TRON: Legacy Lightcycle (21314) – an indication that there were some significant road bumps along the way that delayed the release of LEGO Ideas Voltron. Some rumors suggest that it was because of licensing issues, while others hint on the technical refinements needed to make the set sturdier and more articulated. Needless to say, there was, at a certain point, a cloud of doubt whether the set will still see the light of day among LEGO stores.

However, a rumor is now circulating over LEGO forums that seem to suggest that the wait might be finally over. Reddit user IAMXX has disclosed that LEGO Store inventories have been updated (supposedly within the EU) to reflect a certain IDEAS set tagged as 21311 VOLTRON, with a price point of 179.99 Euros. That gives us a rough currency conversion of $199.99 USD, making it, if rumors are true, the most expensive LEGO Ideas set ever. If such is the case, setting aside additional cost for licensing fees, we can assume that this might also be the largest LEGO Ideas set with the most number of pieces as of to date. As of now, the title of being the largest Ideas set in terms of pieces belongs to the Old Fishing Store (21310), coming in at 2,049 pieces and retailing for $149.99 – significantly lower than the $200 price point that the LEGO Ideas Voltron is rumored to have.

Though I am aware that not all AFOLs are into Voltron, and not all will also find themselves picking up this set, I certainly feel that this next LEGO Ideas Voltron will be a sure winner and a certain hit among fans of the franchise. I for one has closely watched this set’s development since it first garnered the traction of being noticed as a LEGO Ideas Project. Now that it has been turned into an official LEGO set, the excitement of seeing this built is something that I will certainly not miss. I just hope that my wallet will not hate me for this.

Since we still have the launching of the LEGO Ideas TRON: Legacy Lightcyle (21314) next month, we can have a good guess that LEGO might be saving Voltron for a San Diego Comic Con reveal sometime in July.

LEGO Ideas TRON (21314) Coming In April

Following in the footsteps of the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313), we now have confirmation that the next LEGO Ideas set will be available sometime next month. If you recall last November, the LEGO Ideas Review Team had announced that the Disney inspired TRON Legacy Light Cycle project of AFOL siblings Tom and Drew of BrickBros UK, is the next official LEGO Ideas set. Tagged as set 21314, this upcoming Ideas set is based on Disney Picture’s 2010 film TRON: Legacy. As typical of LEGO, information has been scant as of to date with regards to how the LEGO Ideas Team will modify this set to capture that iconic light cycle bike.

After three months since its announcement, it looks like LEGO has been teasing about the set’s release date as found in the March and April 2018 Italian LEGO store calendar. Italian LEGO fan site Mattonito was able to grab a copy of the said store calendar, and opted to share some of its pages, including the cryptic announcement that teases on the arrival of the LEGO Ideas TRON (21314) sometime in April. Other than its official name and set number, no further details were given regarding its price or piece count as expected from LEGO’s way of revealing new sets. Here’s an image of the announcement and its written in Italian, so it will be better if you have your Google Translate app on hand.

Will be updating you soon once more information comes in, so be sure to keep in touch with us. Thanks again to Mattonito for the heads up.

LEGO Ideas Moments In Space Winning Build May Seem To Be Based On An Existing LEGO Set

If you recall last month, the LEGO Ideas Team launched a contest that pools the best original ideas for the next Gift With Purchase (GWP) set through crowd voting within the LEGO Ideas community. Dubbed as LEGO Ideas Moments in Space, the contest seeks out the best build that may be adapted as the next GWP set to be offered sometime in 2019.

Exactly a week ago, a Grand Prize Winner has already been declared – the Cosmic Rocket Ride! (Coin Operated) by mjsmiley. This winning entry garnered the highest score amongst 1,000 and so entries with the following criteria in mind:

Overall coolness and originality: 25%
Most inspired details: 25%
Relevance to contest theme: 25%
Best use of LEGO elements: 25%

This is no easy feat, considering that mjsmiley’s creation bested more than a thousand other entries. The contest also gives special mention to 10 runner ups, and in case you’re interested to see these entries, just head over to the LEGO Ideas blogsite. Now I have to say that I really appreciate how mjsmiley’s Cosmic Rocket Ride turned out. From its color scheme, minifig scaled-build, crank play feature that allows the Rocket Ride to move, and its overall simplicity, in these aspects, this set is an absolute winner. Needless to say, it’s not hard to imagine how this nice, little cute build can become the next GWP set.

However, as it turned out, not everyone shares a common understanding if this is indeed an original work or not, especially for one keen AFOL, who spotted the apparent similarity of mjsmiley’s Cosmic Rocket Ride! to an already existing LEGO set. The case (or set) in question is the Rocket Ship Arcade LEGO Manager Exclusive set given away to attendees of LEGO’s annual Brand Manager Retail Conference back in 2016.

Rocket Ride 1 — A portion of the building instructions of the Rocket Ship Arcade LEGO Manager Exclusive set from 2016.

Rumors were rife when Brickset forum member Bumblepants called out how similar this winning entry is to that of the Rocket Ship Arcade. Now to be fair, there are still notable differences between mjsmiley’s work (who also goes by the name Mark, as I got to know his first name through one of his comments in my previous article) from the ground up: we have a slightly different base with plenty of modifications to make it more attractive, a relatively different color scheme (though there is still the conspicuous red and yellow pieces), and an over-all different rocket design.

But considering how samiam391 feels about it – the original uploader of the instructions for the LEGO Manager Exclusive set – he believes that someone have definitely benefited from his humble contribution in the forum. It should be noted though that samiam391 does not claim ownership for this set, for what he did was to only share the existing instructions to the Brickset community in the hope that others will appreciate this set as much as he does. To quote,

It would definitely seem that someone abused the gift and used the instructions for their own personal gain to win a contest.

If they truly did rip off the instructions then I hope one day they are challenged by their conscience.

It’s a shame, but life is much too short to get upset about it. At the end of the day, I’ve probably distributed close to 200 copies of the instructions and will continue to do so for as long as people request them. The true joy for me in all of this is getting to help my fellow AFOLs and friends add a fun little model to their cities. Keep building!

Now, I am not the one to judge the intentions of people particularly in a case like where a winning LEGO entry seems to have been called out for allegedly plagiarizing an existing work. Giving the benefit of the doubt to the designer and creator this LEGO Ideas winning entry, then one can argue that perhaps mjsmiley REALLY does not know that such a set exist, which leads to the possibility that this fan-made set is completely original. Perhaps it’s just by sheer coincidence that his entry is very similar to that of the LEGO Managers exclusive… so, what could be the odds about that happening? As I said, I am not in the position to pass judgment whatever mjsmiley’s motives are, but it certainly raises questions on how “original” an entry should be. Will simply replacing a part here and there from a copied work will already qualify it as an original work? Were the panel of judges of the LEGO Ideas Moments in Space contest aware of an already existing set that may look strikingly similar to what they have chosen to be as the winning entry? These questions may likely pass off unanswered.

Since LEGO has already made the announcement and will unlikely retract their decision for any reason, I guess only time can tell how much of the Cosmic Rocket Ride build will be modified or retained once the final design is revealed sometime next year.

So what do you think LEGO fans, do you believe the LEGO Ideas Moments in Space Grand Winner is 100% original? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

LEGO Ideas Stitch May Finally Become A Reality!

Oh boy, things are getting better and better with LEGO Ideas! After almost one and a half year since our Master Builder Tyler posted his own rendition of Disney’s lovable little blue alien as a LEGO Ideas project, my personal wish finally came true. If you recall way back in October of 2016, Tyler (who goes by the name Legohaulic over at ideas.LEGO.com) toyed with the idea of rendering Disney’s Stitch in a custom set and see how fans will react if it is submitted as a LEGO Ideas project. I have previously shared my thoughts and comments about this, and true enough, it turns out that I’m not the only who share the sentiment and admiration for this particular project, with 10K supporters who gladly gave their vote to see this project become a reality.

So it is with much excitement that I share with you guys, and for those who believe in Tyler’s work, that his LEGO Ideas Project Stitch is now one of the candidates for the First 2018 LEGO Ideas Review Stage! As one of the very few MOCs who tried to capture Stitch in all his wackiness and emotive expressions, Tyler’s original creation stands out by highlighting Stitch in his many forms, disguises and antics, including this not so threatening version of Stitch in his red alien costume.

Tyler’s creation joins the roster of other LEGO Ideas projects that qualified this year’s first LEGO Ideas Review Stage such as the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano (Smoke Squadron), SR-71A Final Flight, and Treehouse. I understand that LEGO Ideas has already changed its policies regarding how projects may or may not be approved depending if it already has an existing line or license with LEGO. However, we still do not have an official LEGO set (save for Stitch being included in the LEGO Disney CMF series) where Stitch is included as a minifig, so I really hope that LEGO will make this one happen. If it does, then LEGO Ideas Stitch, and Voltron: Defender of the Universe, will surely be day 1 buys for me.

Featured MOC: The Skull’s Eye Schooner Ship in a Bottle.

The LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313) is generally opined to be one of the most awesome sets to come out under the LEGO Ideas process and labeling. It’s certainly one of the most photogenic and fit for shelf-top display. But while there’s a lot of praise, there’s also criticism.

One major sticking point for LEGO builders who got set 21313 is that the ship inside the bottle, the Flagship Leviathan, isn’t quite as massive as its name implies. From there came a new plus point for Ship in a Bottle: its versatility in having a different vessel mounted inside it.

We already covered one impressive MOC that replaced the Leviathan with a slightly miniaturized LEGO Pirates Skull’s Eye Schooner (6286). But other builders have decided to take a different tactic by enlarging the default Leviathan ship with additional parts instead. Brick Fanatics rises to the challenge again, with a ship enlargement plan.

Our hats go off to their builders for the very eye-catching results. Brick Fanatics went out of their way to both use common LEGO pieces and elements, while still trying to put in as much detail to the expanded Leviathan as it grew. Let’s go over the new embellishments next.

From the ship’s bow comes the addition of a LEGO microfigure as the Leviathan’s figurehead. Next are the two doors that lead into the ship’s foredeck. Interestingly, no LEGO model ship has ever featured interior-access doors like these. The ship’s enlarged rear now has stained-glass/transparent windows, rear deck, and flag.

Ultimately, the larger Flagship Leviathan was able to fit inside the bottle display with just one build modification, necessitating a different rearrangement of the top “glass” plates to accommodate the different placing of the mast-tops. Once, again, we thank Brick Fanatics for sharing this MOC, and we hope to get a chance to feature more from them in the future.

Newest 10-K Passer on LEGO Ideas: KevinTreeHouse’s “Treehouse”

The Brick Show has been following up on the LEGO Ideas platform in some recent updates, bringing you word whenever a particular fan submission has garnered the first step on its (not always completed) journey to official set status. We haven’t been disappointed yet with the project submissions reaching 10,000 votes of support.

Our last featured 10K-passer on LEGO Ideas was a sweet model of the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane submitted by JustOneMoreBrick. This new entry is in a way more impressive, in that it’s a structure with a natural component; in other words, a tree-house. And this one’s an absolutely brilliant build.

Created by LEGO Ideas member KevinTreeHouse, this Treehouse set is both new and familiar to the eyes. There’s a tall tree, with a ring of three distinct tree house structures over halfway up its trunk, connected by a pathway that also leads to a spiral staircase to the ground.

KevinTreeHouse’s backstory for his build has it to be the emergency home of a family of three (man, woman, child minifigures) who got lost or stranded in the wilderness. They build the 3-cabin structure (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom) and settle in for a rough life, with four pets for company.

That’s right. Not only does this tree house submission have minifigures, the tree cabins (looking like something out of Swiss Family Robinson or Return of the Jedi) are spacious enough to accommodate them, with furniture and equipment to spare. All in all, this set comprises of over 2,600 individual pieces.

With the passing of KevinTreeHouse’s Ideas build thanks to its 10K support achievement, there are now three sets waiting for the LEGO Ideas First 2018 Review Stage. Aside from this and JustOneMoreBrick’s Blackbird model, there’s also the Brazilian-built Embraer A-29 Super Tucano (Smoke Squadron), submitted by Alex Paschoaletto.

LEGO Ideas Moments in Space Crowd Voting Is Now Up!

Last month, LEGO Ideas embarked on a different kind of contest where the next LEGO exclusive Gift With Purchase (GWP) set will be determined amongst a pool of fan submitted builds. The LEGO Ideas Moments in Space contest have opened the doors to the LEGO community to be involved in the selection of the next GWP set that will be offered in all LEGO Stores, LEGOLAND and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, and of course, at shop.LEGO.com. The period of fan submission has already ended last February 9, and crowd voting is now up, with 5 days left to cast your votes among 1,000++ entries. The timetable for this contest is relatively short, where a Grand Prize Winner, and 10 Runner-Ups will be announced on March 2. The Grand Prize winner gets to bring home 10 of the most sought after GWP sets such as the VW Mini Beetle (40252), London Bus (40220), and Snowglobe (40223) just to name a few.

Needless to say, choosing from a pool of 1,051 entries is no easy feat, so allow me to share six of my most favorite choices from the bunch. From the looks of my choices, it is no secret that I have a sort of a penchant for the classic LEGO Space series. Check these LEGO Ideas Moments in Space GWP hopefuls in no particular order. Clicking on the links below will bring you straight to each entry’s voting page.

Classic LEGO Space Microfighters by TROLLFACE_DUDE

This classic LEGO Space Microfighters model is a fusion of two LEGO themes: Space and Microfighters, and is inspired by LEGO Classic Space and Blacktron.

Classic Space Hangar by ThomasW

This set contains a part of a space hangar in classic blue and grey. Inside the hangar is a classic spaceship with three minifigures, and a platform that can be made out of lightbricks for an added special effect.

Our Place in Space by Scarlet Fantastic

Celebrating the contributions of Galileo Galilei in our understanding of our place in space, this set shows Galileo as he stands atop the Earth, poised with his telescope as the planet spins, whilst rotating around the sun – which also happens to be an excellent play feature. It comes with a minifigure and a series of Technic gears.

Every Journey Begins With A Dream by ThomasW

I’m a sucker for small, vignette-type of builds, and this one designed once more by ThomasW is a clever offering with a clear, inspirational message. It features a build with two adjacent scenes: A young kid playing with a little rocket and dreaming to become an astronaut, while the other one is an astronaut walking on the moon and finding a small toy rocket. This one will surely get my vote.

Cosmic Rocket Ride! (Coin Operated) by mjsmiley

Coming in at 115 pieces, this retro themed space rocket ride brings back fond childhood memories and fantasies of space travel. In the back of the base is a crank that you can rock back and forth, giving the ride an authentic motion. Or you can turn the crank completely to give the rider a more high flying exciting time. When resting on display, the rocket can be left with a hopeful skyward tilt.

Classic Space Returns by callock

This micro spaceship is based on the 1980s classic space color of gray and blue, with the mix of old and new pieces. The hangar bay has a classic space logo and rotation platform. Total piece count is about 230.

So what do you think of this selection, brick fans? Who among the 1,000 plus entries do you think will represent our next LEGO Gift With Purchase set? Let us know in the comments below.

The LEGO Disney Castle (71040) and LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) Now Back at LEGO Shop@Home.

Two of the most sought after, gargantuan LEGO sets are now back at shop.LEGO.com – but you have to be quick though, since you know how these things turn out eventually. 2016’s largest set – the LEGO Disney Castle (71040), and the brick buster of an Ideas set, the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) – are both back for retail over at shop.LEGO.com. The Disney Castle (71040) comes in as a direct-to-consumer set which, like any D2C set, can prove to be very popular. In fact, the LEGO Disney Castle managed to bag the Specialty Toy of the Year awarded by the Toy Industry Association Inc. Click on the image below to head over at shop.LEGO.com’s page for the LEGO Disney Castle (71040).

The availability of the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) set was a kind of a roller coaster ride last year. Since its initial debut in June last year, it only took just a little over a month before supplies of this highly popular set started to dwindle. The frustration of not getting this aesthetically lovely set has been sharply felt by the LEGO Group that it prompted them to release an official statement regarding Saturn V’s availability and to finally put to rest rumors regarding its untimely retirement. If you have missed out on the opportunity of owning this set when it was first released almost a year ago, now is the best time to place your order. Similarly, click on the image below to go to LEGO’s online store and see if you can still bag this beauty.

Again, I couldn’t help but underscore the need for you to act fast since these sets may once again be temporarily out of stock anytime soon. Currently as of this posting, both the LEGO Disney Castle and Saturn V sets are on backorders, and will be expected to ship in February 25. In fact, you’ll have a better chance of bringing these sets home than the still out of stock, UCS Millennium Falcon (75192). Alternatively, you may want to check out on Amazon, though the prices may not be as friendly though.

Replacing the Leviathan Ship in LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313) with Trimmed-Down Skull’s Eye Schooner (6286).

It’s been said before and we’ll say it here again, the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle, set number 21313, is one of the most impressive products yet to be produced in the line. It’s so intricate and “antique-looking” enough to earn a place of honor on a shelf-top.

One other awesome characteristic of the Ship in a Bottle (21313) is the fact that it’s highly customization-friendly, especially in terms of what you’d like to display inside the bottle. Several builders have already noticed this and decided to replace the default model flagship Leviathan with some other ship or vehicle.

Daniel Konstanski of Brick Fanatics has decided to put his own unique spin on the Ship in a Bottle (21313) by mixing it with one of his favorite LEGO System builds, the beautifully retro Skull’s Eye Schooner (6286). From the box picture alone, you know it’ll look great inside the display bottle for sure.

There is one problem, however: the default dimensions of the LEGO Skull’s Eye Schooner (6286) are too long and too tall for the Ship in a Bottle (21313) set to contain. Daniel solved that problem by scaling down the hull size by removing some bricks from the default build and adding elements that maintain the model’s original shape and color scheme.

Next, the sails were replaced by smaller LEGO-brick reproductions (plus reduced in number) and the rigging was done away with. Once completed, the shrunken Skull’s Eye Schooner (6286) was able to snugly fit in the 21313 display bottle, snugly enough to not require the Leviathan’s stabilizing tiles at the bottom.

Once finished, the result is as seen in the top image. It’s a beautiful and smartly assembled MOC that will certainly inspire other owners of the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313) to start experimenting with what’s inside. Visit Brick Fanatics for more photos of Daniel Konstanski’s Skull’s Eye Schooner in a Bottle.

LEGO Ideas Project SR-71A Final Flight Hits the 10K Support Mark.

Even as the latest LEGO Ideas release, Flagship Leviathan – Ship in a Bottle (21313) continues making waves in stores, the mechanics of having fan submissions being processed for a chance to become an official LEGO Ideas set continue unabated.

There may not have been any passers in the latest Ideas review round just last month, but there are always new and more submissions to the LEGO Ideas website that are competing to get noticed enough to get the prized 10,000 supporters mark that would put them up for a future review. The latest to hit that milestone’s a historical vehicle.

LEGO Ideas member JustOneMoreBrick must be very pleased to have hit the 10K support milestone for his submission, SR-71A The Final Flight. It’s a spectacular brick build of the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird supersonic reconnaissance plane with NASA livery, depicting the last active aircraft of the line before its retirement.

For some added backstory, the Lockheed SR-71, introduced in 1966, was a cutting-edge image of the Cold War from the previous century. Used by the US Air Force for spy work, it was retired by the military in 1998, with two units retained by NASA for flight testing until 1999.

That last retirement year, specifically October 9, 1999 was the last time a Blackbird took to the air. JustOneMoreBrick’s design of the aircraft in LEGO is awe-inspiring despite the near-uniform black color scheme (barring NASA white and red). The details are exquisitely rendered and it even has a pilot minifigure.

The LEGO SR-71’s mechanical gimmicks include adjustable tail-planes, retractable undercarriage (landing gear), and cockpit for the minifigure. LEGO Techies will definitely love it. It’s still a ways off before we see SR-71A The Final Flight included in a batch of 10K Ideas entries for review, but at least its spot is secure.