LEGO News Archives | Page 205 of 413

LEGO Ninjago Legacy Lloyd’s Kendo Training Pod (853899) Revealed and Available Now

Quite recently, the now long-running LEGO Ninjago line has introduced a “Legacy” subtheme celebrating how many years the franchise in all its various forms has entertained the fandom. As part of the Ninjago Legacy product release, a new minifigure character pod has been made available for collectors at year’s end. Following in the steps of previous LEGO Ninjago pods, there is now a Lloyd’s Kendo Training Pod (853899) just released on LEGO Shop@Home. Like its Ninjago-themed product brethren, the pod has been stylized with a lenticular character face, in this case, Lloyd, and also includes his minifigure plus accessories for kendo training, such as weapons and slip-on armor pieces.

Thus far, four LEGO Ninjago pods have been released, the first being a tie-in to 2017’s The LEGO Ninjago Movie: Kai’s Dojo Pod (5004916). Of the other three, one – Zane’s Kendo Training Pod (5005230) – has been a promotional item thus far, while Jay’s Kendo Training Pod (853758) and Cole’s Kendo Training Pod (853759) are both still conventionally available on LEGO Shop@Home.

The Ninjago Legacy Lloyd’s Kendo Training Pod (853899) is priced at $8.99 and has 25 pieces inside its container pod. It’s a great tribute to the longevity of LEGO Ninjago.

Where to Find The LEGO Movie 2 Benny’s Space Squad (70841) Other Than LEGO Shop@Home

It’s finally New Year’s Eve now, and the latest year-end gift shopping activities would be winding down now. Well, except perhaps for the LEGO buyers and collectors. There are lots of new sets debuting January first after all, and even several of them that were actually released early, like the tie-in sets for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Chances are, almost all the LEGO Movie 2 tie-in box sets that we previewed at the beginning of the month have been available since last week. There are a few exceptions though, like the adorably retro Benny’s Space Squad (70841) that throws back to classic-era space-themed LEGO minifigures like Benny. It’s appeal to AFOLs is unmistakable considering that this is the first time LEGO is re-releasing these classic Space minifigures.

This set is only on back order at LEGO Shop@Home, but some diligent searching online can turn up some early appearances for Benny’s Space Squad (70841). Amazon has it, and while it won’t be in stock until January 9, it’s still sooner than Shop@Home; but there are other, still-earlier listings.

For instance, both Target and Barnes & Noble have the set already available, certainly online and at some of their stores. Thankfully they have a zip code search so you can ascertain if your nearest Target or B&N stores have set 70841 already in stock.

The LEGO Movie 2 Benny’s Space Squad (70841) features the 80s LEGO spaceman/Master Builder Benny and his identical (but differently-colored) teammates Kenny, Lenny and Jenny. The film itself premieres February 8, 2019.

RUMOR: Possible New LEGO Star Wars Yoda Statue Coming Late 2019

I have to say, the LEGO Star Wars line has been hitting some high notes with some of its set releases being buildable figures and statues. Articulated, ultrabuild figures of recent years may have had some tough luck in appealing to wider LEGO Star Wars fans, but brick-built figures such as the ‘highly polarizing’ LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230) may seem to have gained some following regardless of our relative displeasure towards it. Somehow related to this, we now have a rumor (first we covered in some time!) about their being a new LEGO Star Wars Yoda statue in the works, depicting the old, wise Jedi Master. This would make it an update on an already-released LEGO Yoda set from 2002 – a LEGO Star Wars UCS Yoda (7194) no less – but more evolved in design.

By evolved, we mean it’s been rumored that the new LEGO Star Wars Yoda statue will be similar in style to the aforementioned LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230). There will likely be some movable parts for this new brick iteration of Yoda, maybe an articulated arm that could hold either a cane or a lightsaber.

But that’s merely speculation right now. And of course, all LEGO-related rumors we discuss here on The Brick Show will be considered as only rumors, until LEGO itself makes an official statement to confirm or debunk these. The LEGO Star Wars Yoda statue is said to release in late 2019, perhaps just in time with the planned tie-ins for Disney’s epic conclusion on the Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: Episode IX.

SPOTTED: New LEGO City Sky Police Jetpack (30362) Polybag

The year 2018 is about to come to an end, and with the first day of January 2019, a lot of new LEGO sets will be launched for everyone. Well, that was the default arrangement were it not for some early releases of those same sets in, say, the UK. So in the US, LEGO fans will have to wait for January 1 to get their hands on some of the most impressive LEGO City sets ever conceptualized, with subthemes pertaining to firefighting and law enforcement against tech-savvy crooks. And following the reveal of the nifty LEGO City Fire ATV (30361) polybag, we now have another polybag that we can add to our collection: the new LEGO City Sky Police Jetpack (30362).

As with the 2019 police-themed sets’ premise of high-tech crime-fighting, this 33-piece polybag has a jetpack-wearing cop taking on a robber stealing money with a drone.

We can likely expect this LEGO polybag to show up on retail, though having it be part of a promotion isn’t out of the question either. The City Sky Police Jetpack (30362) will certainly look spiffy next to other upcoming 2019 LEGO City sets with tech-cops facing tech-criminals: Sky Police Jet Patrol (60206), Sky Police Drone Chase (60207), Parachute Arrest (60208) and Diamond Heist (60209).

New 2019 LEGO Sets Released Earlier Than Expected at LEGO Shop@Home in the UK

In the lead-up to the Holidays we at The Brick Show we’ve been able to look at the cream of the crop that is the initial series of 2019 sets across LEGO’s primary theme lines and licensed properties. From the girls of LEGO Friends to the soldiers of LEGO Overwatch, there are new 2019 LEGO sets for any bona fide LEGO fan of whatever theme that suits their fancy.

Of course, AFOLs (who may have forgone Holiday sales to save up for the start of next year) must have been tightly wound up waiting for December 31 to become January 1 so they could start lining up for the new sets. Apparently, LEGO UK had other ideas and moved the new 2019 LEGO sets and their release date… one week in advance, before 2018 closes.

That means LEGO Shop@Home in the UK now has an insane number of new sets to offer for online shopping in the post-Christmas blitz. It’s going to be a pain on many wallets and piggy banks, but fans do seem to find ways. Here’s what’s on now for British LEGO fans for 2019, available one week early:

LEGO City (covered here, here, here and here)

Sky Police Jet Patrol (60206)
Sky Police Drone Chase (60207)
Parachute Arrest (60208)
Diamond Heist (60209)
Air Base (60210)
Barbecue Burn Out (60212)
Dock Side Fire (60213)
Burger Bar Fire Rescue (60214)
Fire Station (60215)
Downtown Fire Brigade (60216)
Fire Plane (60217)
Desert Rally Race (60218)
Construction Loader (60219)
Garbage Truck (60220)
Diving Yacht (60221)
Snow Groomer (60222)
Harvester Transport (60223)
Police Patrol Car (60239)
Kayak Adventure (60240)

LEGO Technic (covered here)

Cherry Picker (42088)
Power Boat (42089)
Getaway Truck (42090)
Police Pursuit (42091)
Rescue Helicopter (42092)
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (42093)
Tracked Loader (42094)
Remote-Controlled Stunt Racer (42095)
Porsche 911 RSR (42096)

Now, this doesn’t mean that LEGO fans in the UK get first dibs on all 2019 LEGO sets. One theme did get early availability for the US too. But that’s for another update.

Display at Madrid LEGO Exhibit Criticized by Israeli Diplomat in Spain as “Anti-Semitic”

There have been several instances around the world when LEGO was used as a medium for impressive diorama displays: the anniversary of Australia’s Parliament House, the recreation of an ancient Scottish fort and other historic or artistic exhibits. Sometimes these displays are positively received; other times they could draw controversy. The latter became the case during the Madrid LEGO Exhibit, entitled as “I Love LEGO” building exhibition held this week at Gaviria Palace in Madrid, Spain. One display, a diorama of soldiers accosting a village, was slammed by an Israeli diplomat to the country as having anti-Semitic undertones, despite the exhibit description being a dramatization of anti-Nazi reprisal actions post-WWII.

Titled “Operation Vengeance”, this diorama at Gaviria Palace’s “I Love LEGO” event supposedly captures an event wherein armed soldiers attacked the town of Priuli, northern Italy in 1945 due to it being home of Nazi sympathizers during the German occupation.

The minifigure soldiers attacking the townspeople, plus their transport truck, were emblazoned with Israeli flags, something Assaf Moran, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Spain, called out this Tuesday as a historical fallacy.

According to Moran, who visited the Madrid LEGO exhibit, the soldiers who took part in the 1945 attack on Priuli shouldn’t be wearing the flag of Israel because it didn’t exist until 1948; most likely these anti-Nazi soldiers should have been in British uniform. In addition, Moran decried the imagery of “Israeli soldiers” pointing firearms at civilians, Nazi sympathizers or otherwise, as misleading to the public, portraying Israel as a “violent and aggressive nation”.

Following this protest on behalf of the Israeli embassy, the event organizers of the Madrid LEGO Exhibit had the diorama altered to remove the Israeli flags therein. The I Love LEGO exhibit remains on Gaviria Palace for visitors until February 24, 2019.

SPOTTED: New LEGO Movie 2 Mini Master-Building Emmet (30529) Polybag Found in Walmart and Target Stores

From box sets to polybags, if it’s tied into The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part coming early in 2019, then it’s getting a big push as they roll out prior to the film’s premiere itself. Among the polybag tie-ins already available is the nifty Mini Master-Building MetalBeard (30528) 3-in-1 set, and it’s already joined early by one more addition. Just as the LEGO Mini Master-Building MetalBeard (30528) has been located online in eBay, a similar 3-in-1 polybag has been spotted in real life at major retailer shelves. This is the Mini Master-Building Emmet (30529) polybag, featuring LEGO Movie’s main character.

We’ve seen the multiform “modes” of the MetalBeard polybag (tripod walker, tricycle and sailing ship). Emmet, as typical of him, has a pile of LEGO bricks he can build into a construction crane, a car or a bipedal walker. It fits his everyman nature compared to the gritty aesthetics of his costars in LEGO Movie 2, as seen in trailers.

Already two big names in retail have been noted to have the LEGO Mini Master-Building Emmet (30529) polybag on stock for buyers: Walmart and Target. It comes in the $3.97 typical polybag price range, and has 49 pieces in all.

Time will tell what other surprises LEGO has for us as the year turns, all to hype up The LEGO Movie 2 on February 2019.

Amazon Australia Names LEGO as The Best-Selling Toy Brand During The Holiday Season

It’s now the post-Christmas period of the overall year-end Holiday season. As the days count down to the end of 2018, businesses and retailers start taking stock of their earnings even as they fire off some last-minute promo or other. And LEGO, according to Amazon Australia, was a major seller. The Australian arm of the global online retail giant Amazon has reported some new records in terms of online shopping following the major December Holiday occasions of Christmas and Boxing Day 2018. According to their estimates for the past several weeks, LEGO was deemed Amazon Australia’s best-selling toy brand overall.

To further elaborate, among the most sought-after LEGO products in the year-end rush that endeared LEGO to be the best-selling toy brand are sets from the LEGO Harry Potter and Star Wars themes, both licensed LEGO lines that have had major set releases in this year, including the massive Hogwarts Castle (71043) and the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon (75212).

And on Amazon Australia’s Boxing Day Sale event, the best-selling toy was the LEGO Minifigures Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Collectible Series (71022). It just goes to show how strong the LEGO fandom is down under. One can optimistically hope that the same goes for LEGO in other Amazon markets.

First Peek at LEGO Aquaman Design for “LEGO Movie 2”

As well-established in the original LEGO Movie in 2014, and its spinoff The LEGO Batman Movie in 2017, minifigure characters based on DC superheroes are prominent in the LEGO Movie-verse (given it’s produced under Warner Bros. which owns DC). We can certainly expect the usual LEGO DC characters when The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part arrives February next year.

One particular DC hero that viewing fans are interested to see is Aquaman, who recently headlined his own solo live-action film this December starring Jason Momoa. While his LEGO rendition was a blink-and-miss-it background cameo in LEGO Batman’s movie, for LEGO Movie 2 he’ll be front and center, and reimagined.

The official LEGO Movie 2 Instagram page just previewed the first image of LEGO Aquaman as redesigned to fit his current iconic look from Jason Momoa’s portrayal. It’s well known since the 2018 San Diego Comic Con that Aquaman voiced by Momoa himself will have an expanded appearance in the sequel. The interesting thing is, he might not replace the default LEGO Aquaman at all.

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Who doesn't 💖 #Aquaman?! #LEGOLovesAquaman #TheLEGOMovie2

A post shared by The LEGO Movie 2 (@thelegomovie) on Dec 20, 2018 at 10:00am PST

Seen in the short clip above, shirtless Momoa-Aquaman had just used the comic-accurate yellow-green costumed Aquaman as a surfboard. Having both variants in LEGO Movie 2 opens up lots of possibilities in future film installments.

The LEGO Movie 2 will premiere February 8 next year.

Asia-Exclusive LEGO Chinese New Year Sets To Be Released First in Malaysia

We’re quite sure that if you’ve been following us here on The Brick Show then you know about the incredible market-exclusive sets that LEGO is releasing in China and the Asian region: two artistic renditions of the traditional Chinese New Year celebration. While no info was given on whether these LEGO Chinese New Year sets would reach the West, we have word on where in Asia it may arrive at the earliest time.

As it turns out, Malaysia will have the honor of being one of the earliest Asian countries to offer the LEGO regional sets Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner (80101) and Dragon Dance (80102). Malaysian LEGO shoppers can start looking for these on the first day of 2019 at LEGO certified stores and local retailer Box of Bricks, likely at Sunway Pyramid and The Gardens Mall.

Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner (80101) and Dragon Dance (80102) have gotten plenty of attention for being the first LEGO sets manufactured for sale exclusively in the Asia-Pacific, and primarily in the country whose customs it ingeniously depicted therein: China.

For Malaysia, these two seasonally themed LEGO sets will be priced at over 250 Ringgit. The buzz they’ve generated in LEGO news circles will ensure fans in that country will form long lines to acquire one or both sets. As this writer might be finding himself in Malaysia either in late January or early February, here’s hoping they don’t run out of these treasures just yet.

Category: LEGO News