LEGO News Archives | Page 179 of 413

LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street Project Finally Reached 10K Support

To have a LEGO Ideas submission that we’ve promoted here on The Brick Show and seeing it getting that necessary 10K support is certainly exhilarating. When it does happen, we’re sure as happy as the creators themselves for this outstanding feat. This one also happens to match two prevalent themes in the latest Review batch. What’s expected to be the LEGO Ideas Second 2019 Review Stage is full of either building sets or TV settings. And the LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street product idea by Filipino builder Ivan Guerrero (aka bulldoozer21) covers both. It’s both an apartment build and a location for one of the world’s best-known children’s shows.

If you recall, we first covered this product idea back in November of 2017. A follow-up on its support-gathering progress was posted early last month. By then it had over 8,000 supporters with over 200 days left for completion. By April’s end, it achieved the goal it took over a year to reach.

Perhaps interest on Ivan’s project was sparked anew by his updated design (leaving it at 55 short of 3,000 pieces). And Maybe it’s because Sesame Street is celebrating its 50th birthday this 2019. Whatever the case, the LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street is now lined-up for the First 2019 LEGO Ideas Review Stage.

Still, even if it did make it past the Second 2019 Review Stage, it probably won’t be until later this year. And then production and release might not be until 2020. Considering that, this set’s situation might be similar to the LEGO Ideas Steamboat Willie (21317). It was created to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90^th Anniversary in 2018, but released the year after instead.

Are you excited to see the 123 Sesame Street product idea as an official LEGO Ideas set? Let me know in the comments below.

New LEGO Office Campus in Billund, Opening 2020, to Feature Giant LEGO Brick

As everyone who reads LEGO news knows, Billund in Denmark is LEGO-topia. The corporate town is the heart of the global toy brand, with related tourist attractions (LEGOLAND and LEGO House) alongside the headquarters and offices of The LEGO Group. It’s also, like other communities, a work in constant progress.

By that we mean that LEGO is currently overseeing the construction of a new office campus for their Billund workforce. They also seem to be following the convention of major companies with their new campuses, like Apple, in making sure the structure and facilities have a theme tying things together.

“There’s a massive brick outside.” Says my colleague. Sure enough there is a truly massive 1×4 on a truck… #justbillundthings pic.twitter.com/HgVxGQlI0V

— Mark John Stafford (@LEGO_Nabii) April 29, 2019

Senior LEGO Model Designer Mark Stafford cheekily shared details on the décor for the new LEGO Billund campus. On his Twitter page he posted the image of a truck hauling what appears to be a massive yellow 1×4 LEGO brick. However it might be installed on the buildings, set to open 2020, it’ll catch many eyes.

It’s just like The LEGO Group to design their workplaces to be fun tourist attractions themselves. The most recent place where they’ve done this is with their new Middle East offices in Dubai. Opened just this February, the place looks like a museum-playground, a place to work and have fun.

LEGO Promotes Star Wars Tantive IV Set (75244) with Stop Motion Video Evoking “Rogue One” for Kids

It may not be on an epic scale as the humongous UCS Millennium Falcon set (75192), but this year’s big LEGO Star Wars ship build, the Tantive IV (75244), is getting plenty of well-earned attention. While it won’t become available until the May the Fourth “Star Wars” celebration, LEGO has had time to do a nifty promotion for the set.

Said promotion is in the form of a stop-motion video, “Escape from Scarif.” Narrated by a young LEGO fan as a “Star Wars battle story,” said video is a vignette of the Tantive IV (75244) from the climactic battle of the 2016 spinoff “Rogue One.”

Anyone who’s seen the film, a direct prequel to the original “Star Wars” film (now “Episode IV – A New Hope”) would recall the Tantive IV escaping with the Death Star plans and Darth Vader in pursuit. But this snippet shows an additional scene that makes the whole harrowing getaway more fun in a LEGO way.

Since this is LEGO, a toy brand primarily aimed at children, the gorier details from the “Rogue One” action sequence are excised. Rather than slicing and dicing, LEGO-Vader just Force-pushes his opposition. And when the Tantive’s hyperspace drive falls apart before they reach light-speed, LEGO-Leia reassembles it Master Builder style.

Interestingly, the video uses the tagline “The Greatest Battles are Built by You.” This paraphrases the title of a contest on LEGO Ideas for MOC-ing a LEGO Star Wars battle scene. The Tantive IV (75244) is a prize there too, and the contest period ends May 4, with the winners to be announced May 29.

Two More LEGO Harry Potter Sets from Now to Holidays: Knight Bus (75957) and Advent Calendar (75964)

Last week we got our first good look at the upcoming summer releases for the LEGO Harry Potter line. Some of these sets are recreations of powerful scenes from the books/films. Others are apparent additions to a larger Hogwarts School complex outside of the micro-scale set. There were also other accompanying sets that weren’t previewed.

Now, we have official images of two more sets for this popular theme. One’s releasing when the others do. The other is an advance for the 2019 Holiday season, still eight months away. So soon we’ll have the funny-awesome Knight Bus (75957) from “Prisoner of Azkaban” and this year’s annual Harry Potter Advent Calendar (75964).

Knight Bus (75957) – $39.99/£34.99/€39.99

403 pieces to make triple-decker purple Knight Bus; removable roof for top deck and movable side panel for other decks’ interior, with sliding bed; includes minifigures of Harry Potter, conductor Stan Shunpike and driver Ernie Prang

2019 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar (75964) – $39.99

305 pieces to create a variety of micro-builds to celebrate this year’s Yule Ball, Hogwarts-style; 24 gifts include seven minifigures, Hedwig owl figure, props for Hogwarts great hall interior furnishings, Holiday gifts, and a Hogwarts Express train; back of box has decorative backdrop for building advent setting
Available early as September 1

Official Images of LEGO Chinese Seasonal Set Dragon Boat Race (80103)

One thing notable about the regional-exclusive LEGO sets for the Chinese market is the number of minifigures included. It can be said as characteristic of China, where there are a lot of people. Whether it’s an extended family gathering for New Year’s Dinner, or a team of dancers, these LEGO sets evoke strength in numbers.

That character is at its strongest with the third seasonal Chinese LEGO set, the Dragon Boat Race (80103). As stated, it depicts a competition between two dragon boat teams witnessed by onshore onlookers and a contest judge. With five members to each boat plus extras, there are 15 minifigures total.

We first got to see this set thanks to images from an online Macau retailer. Its official release is on May 1 but for disappointed collectors bemoaning its market-exclusivity, worry no more. LEGO has announced a scheme to make regional exclusives released after a certain period to be generally available after 3 to six months.

While it no longer includes its earlier-released brother sets, LEGO Dragon Boat Race (80103) will surely fall into the first batch of exclusives to see wider availability. It’s certainly a nice set, a great commemoration for the June 7 date of the 2019 Dragon Boat Festival for which the race is done as a highlight.

We can also thank Brick Set and eBay for these official images with which we can finally see the finer details of this seasonal set.

LEGO Store US Promotions That You Can Expect During May the 4th

The months of April and May are said to be given over to large-scale Star Wars fan festivities. Earlier this month we had the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. And next Sunday, the global fandom will be welcomed again by a barrage of enticing Star Wars tie-in merchandise come May the 4th.

As one of the major brands making Star Wars merchandise, LEGO has always taken advantage of its celebratory fandom events. Whether it’s an exclusive set or a gift with purchase, leave it to LEGO to have something for the occasion. In fact, LEGO’s online shopping portal just put up their May the 4th specials for customers’ easy reference.

Here’s a list of what treats to expect from LEGO on May the 4^th 2019:

LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV (75244)

Regularly available on the day itself, but LEGO VIP members can get it earlier on May 3 over at LEGO Shop@Home.

Double VIP on Selected LEGO Star Wars Products

Yeah, speaking of VIPs they’ll have a chance to double their point acquisition on particular items; so if that 2x-point LEGO SW set’s not yet in your collection, enjoy getting it for the points.

The LEGO Star Wars Battle of Hoth – 20^th Anniversary Edition (40333) Gift-With-Purchase Promo

For a minimum $35 total purchase of LEGO Star Wars stuff, customers will get a special Art Print for the line’s anniversary. And for at least $75, LEGO will throw in a free Battle of Hoth – 20th Anniversary Edition (40333) microscaled set in your shopping cart both online and in-store.

And of course, we can’t forget the LEGO Star Wars 20^th Anniversary sets – that are available now at LEGO Shop@Home, along with other LEGO-themed Star Wars merchandise from alarm clocks to minifigure key-chains. These at least you can start with right now, before May the 4^th arrives.

LEGO Midnight/Late-Night Launch Event for Mystery Set in London and New York this May

Launches of mystery LEGO sets in certain branded stores across the world aren’t exactly a common occurrence. So when LEGO announces one they still manage to work up some enthusiastic anticipation. That’s quite the feat too, considering this upcoming new mystery set won’t be seen until sometime later in May.

The first announcement of this mystery set launch was on LEGO’s official Facebook page. It’s set for May 15 next month, at around one minute after midnight to 3 AM (local time). The venue is the Leicester Square LEGO Store in London, a favorite location for these major product releases.

But wait, there’s more! Mere hours after the Leicester Square store announced its midnight launch event for this mystery LEGO set a follow-up came from across the Atlantic. The Flatiron New York LEGO Store will also be launching the set stateside. They’ll remain open after-hours on May 14, 9-11 PM.

But what is this classified LEGO set that they’re all hyping up so much? One likely “suspect” would be the long-rumored tie-in sets to the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.” The speculation kicked into high gear last March. By May, it seems all these circulation questions will finally be resolved.

Midnight LEGO set launches can be very cutthroat at the worst. The Leicester Square intro of the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75912) in 2017 led to a quick selling out of their stock. If this year’s midnight/late-night launch is for LEGO Stranger Things, how intense will it be?

Shanghai Police Raid Factories and Warehouses of Notorious Chinese LEGO Knockoff Lepin

Ask any knowledgeable LEGO collector what the global brand’s most notorious copycat might be, and one of the top answers would be Lepin of China. This brand in particular was a priority target of The LEGO Group in establishing their presence in a major Asian market. Already a major lawsuit has ended in victory for LEGO, cancelling Lepin trademarks in China and also the UK.

But the climax of this LEGO-Lepin struggle in China took place just last week. Police in Shanghai launched a raid on Lepin factories and warehouses in the city. Several people, including Lepin’s boss, were arrested.

The Shanghai Police related the events on their official page on Chinese social network Weibo. They posted a lot of photos too. Images consist of dingy warehouses with dusty Lepin boxes, crates of unattached minifigure heads and more. As stated, the head of Lepin, known only by his surname Li, was arrested with three others.

With assistance from police departments in Shantou and Shenzhen, Shanghai law enforcement uncovered 10 Lepin production lines, 90 brick molds, 630,000 finished Lepin sets, and 200,000 instruction sheets. The local authorities calculate the boxed Lepin sets to be worth 200 million Yuan/$30 million if they ever got successfully shipped out.

Lepin had not only been aping official LEGO sets these past years, they also are notorious for taking online-posted fan MOCs and turning them into their own “official” products. But with the Shanghai production raid, the nails are now getting hammered into Lepin’s figurative coffin. This great LEGO copycat could eventually become a sad memory.

Limited-Edition LEGO Model of Istana Presidential Palace in Singapore to be Revealed by President on May 1 Open-House

Limited-edition (and unnumbered) LEGO sets seem to be becoming a thing with Singapore. Recall that last month their LEGO Store in Changi Airport had an exclusive micro-build set of the Airport Tower. Next, LEGO Singapore offers 22 LCP-designed “Avengers: Endgame” Hero (minifigure) Display Station at a local Toys R Us.

But the piece de resistance will be coming this May 1, on International Labor Day. Singapore is celebrating the 150^th anniversary of the Istana, former residence of the British colonial governor that is now the Singaporean Presidential Palace and Prime Minister’s Office. On an open-house event during that day, Singapore President Halimah Yacob will be launching a special-edition LEGO set.

If you haven’t figured it out, it’ll be a scale model of the Istana in LEGO. While no images of this set have been shared, it has been stated that the LEGO model was commissioned by the Singaporean President’s Office as a commemorative item for the actual presidential palace’s anniversary.

Descriptions of the LEGO Istana limited-edition notes that it also renders the surrounding grounds and verandas aside from the main palace structure itself. Attention is pointed at the neo-Palladian architecture from its completion in 1869.

Sets of the model will be offered at the Istana open-house celebration Wednesday next week, when the presidential palace will be open to visitors from 8:30 AM to 6 PM Singapore time. Singaporeans and permanent residents can enter for free while others have a $2 entrance fee.

The LEGO Istana comes at $70 (Singaporean) each. All proceeds will go to charity via the President’s Challenge. This is another unnumbered Singaporean LEGO exclusive set that will be a collector’s rare prize.

Official Box Image and Product Blurbs for LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar

Set to release this 2019 is “LEGO Jurassic World: Tales of Isla Nublar.” It’s a 13-episode 3D-animated LEGO micro-series following up on the “Jurassic World” LEGO prequel, “The Secret Exhibit.” To tie into the upcoming series, LEGO naturally has sets depicting the events of that show before it airs. We got the first images of these four sets way back in February. This time we have the official photos of the boxes of the LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar sets (from Dutch retailer Mister Brick) so you’d know what to expect from the labeling. Mister Brick also managed to publish the blurb for each set:

Dilophasaurus on the Loose (75934)

This LEGO® Jurassic World dinosaur toy set includes 3 mini-figures: Owen Grady, Hudson Harper and a park employee, plus a toy figure of a dilophosaurus that is new from June 2019.
The drone has a cockpit with space for a minifigure, 4 rotating rotors and a net cannon.
The market stall in the shape of a dinosaur head has a sales crate, 4 sticker posters, a flag and various other elements such as a shovel, a broom, a net, 2 hats and 2 popcorn boxes.
The dilophosaurus has adjustable jaws.
The mini figures of Hudson Harper and the park employee are new from June 2019.

Baryonix Face-Off: The Treasure Hunt (75935)

This LEGO® Jurassic World dinosaur set for children includes 4 mini-figures: Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, Danny Nedermeyer and Sinjin Prescott, plus a figure of Save the dog.
The off-roader can accommodate 2 minifigures and has storage space at the rear, a towbar for the trailer, a stone-built flashlight and fuel tank, plus a screwdriver element.
The trailer has a buildable antenna and various plant elements on the outside, a door that can be opened and a detailed interior with a buildable computer and bed, plus various other elements such as a coffee cup, a film camera and a frying pan.
The jungle section consists of a buildable palm tree, a hidden treasure chest with reveal function containing 6 precious stone elements and 2 gold ingot elements, plus various other elements such as plants and 2 fish.
The buildable, cast Jurassic World baryoynx dinosaur figure has jaws and an adjustable head, arms and legs.
Press the lever to reveal the treasure chest.

Triceratops Rampage (75937)

This LEGO® Jurassic World dinosaur toy set includes 4 minifigures that are new from June 2019: Owen Grady, Simon Masrani, Allison Miles and a tourist.
The Jurassic World egg-spinner attraction has 3 buildable seats in the form of dinosaur eggs for minifigures and a swivel function, plus an entrance gate with 2 flame elements, a waiting area with 2 gates, a waiting board element, a staircase to enter the attraction, garbage can with a lid and a signpost (to the Jurassic World gyrobol, the gift shop and the museum).
Turn the switch on the back of the egg spinner to turn the eggs.
The cast, buildable triceratops LEGO® toy dinosaur is new from June 2019 and has a movable head and legs.
Also including a fence that can fall over with a ‘Danger – High voltage’ board element and a fence with an information board about the triceratops.
Push the pole of the folding fence to play the escape of the triceratops.
The buggy has space for a mini-figure, removable wrench and walkie-talkie elements, plus a carrot on a long stick (to lure the dinosaur).

Rex vs. Dino-Mech Battle (75938)

This LEGO® Jurassic World dinosaur toy set includes 4 mini figures that are new from June 2019: Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, Vic Hoskins and Danny Nedermeyer, plus the 4 baby velociraptor toy figures Blue, Delta, Echo and Charlie and 2 bat figures.
The cast, buildable LEGO® Jurassic World T. rex dinosaur figure has colors that are new from June 2019, flapping jaws and an adjustable head, arms and legs.
The dinomecha has a mini-figure cockpit that can be opened with a detailed dashboard, folding jaws, an adjustable head, front legs, claws, hind legs and a tail.
The volcanic rock, made of LEGO® bricks, has lava elements, an opening function and a treasure chest containing various treasure elements: 11 gold-colored coins, 4 gold-colored bars, 1 gold-colored cup and 4 precious stone elements.
The toy boat has 2 bullet shooters, an anesthetic rifle and a storage box for ammunition with 4 ammunition elements. (the boat cannot float)
Accessory elements: the walkie-talkie from Owen Grady and the soft drink can element from Danny Nedermeyer.

The LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar will premiere some time in 2019.