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We’ve covered some particularly awesome LEGO-inspired animation before, running from actual minifigure-brick stop-motion action to 3D-animated short pieces (such as the one made by official LEGO videogame developer Traveller’s Tales). Here we have something new and incredible to share, an epic reworking of a trailer for a now-blockbuster music biopic.
Bohemian Rhapsody from 20th Century Fox starring Rami Malek is a biographical film on the history of legendary rock band Queen, particularly its late front-man Freddy Mercury. It’s also the latest major example of cinematic critical dissonance, as viewers defied middling reviews to crowd theaters and watch it, leading to great box office gains worldwide.
Brickfilm Day is a YouTube channel that puts up some very impressive LEGO stop-motion fan animation work. And their latest production is a near-accurate rendition of the trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody. Recreations of sets, props, and minifigure character design are awesome, with SFX moving mouths syncing with the spoken dialogue.
We’re willing to bet that this LEGO stop-motion is good enough to convince anyone who hasn’t seen Bohemian Rhapsody, already in cinemas since November 3, to go ahead and see it in all its glory. In closing, we’ll include this side-by-side video comparison of the Brickfilm Day animation with the original 20th Century Fox trailer.
Those who are very new to the LEGO collecting experience may probably assume that the sets coming out would keep on doing so indefinitely. But no; the time will come when a certain set will be retired from the ever-changing product catalog, and the remaining units of that set stand a chance of becoming valuable.
It’s always advantageous to have advance word whenever LEGO decides to halt the manufacture of a set. A Holiday-issue LEGO product catalog has been shared with our fellow news source Brick Fanatics, one that included a two-page section depicting several sets described as “Retiring Soon”.
For our “dedicated collector” readers, brace yourself. Winter is coming for these LEGO sets below:
As we bid these sets an early adieu, we encourage those who like them but still haven’t gotten them yet even now, to finally take the plunge and make their purchases. Whether on Shop@Home or in LEGO Stores and retailers.
It’s without a doubt that LEGO Forma, a new product line being pushed by the company on the Indiegogo crowd-sourcing platform, has become one of the most hyped-up new offerings for the older portion of the total fan spectrum. Its 500-perk campaign goal, set back in late September, has already been broke several times over.
But all things come to an end, the Indiegogo campaign for LEGO Forma being among them. Tuesday, November 6 is the last day of crowdsourcing for interested AFOLs to get one of these nifty internal-mechanics brick-build that’s then covered up by brilliantly-colored skins to create fish models that move naturally lifelike via provided hand cranks.
As its final day comes, the number of perks claimed for LEGO Forma at Indiegogo is at the eye-popping amount of 6,674 or 1334% (that’s right, PERCENT) of the 500 goal. If that’s not an honest indication of how much this product line is anticipated, then we don’t know what.
LEGO expects to roll out the first Forma sets – Koi (81000), Shark (81001), Splash Koi (81002), and Ink Koi (81003) – some 2 to 3 months after the campaign. That means the claimants will get theirs on January to February 2019.
The LEGO Group’s presence in the Chinese region is felt even more, now that they have announced the release of its first-ever region-specific sets in China and the rest of the Asia-Pacific. The announcement was made during the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) which opened Monday, November 5, 2018. According to Niels B. Christiansen, TLG’s Chief Executive Officer, “These sets are special. They are the first sets we’ve created to celebrate Lunar New Year and the first time we’ve made sets for a specific country or region. We hope they bring a lot of joy to children and the young at heart during the new year.” These exclusive Lunar New Year sets will be available beginning January 1, 2019.
The LEGO Group’s CEO Niels B. Christiansen announced the arrival of region-specific, exclusive LEGO sets in China.
LEGO intends to release two sets: the first set depicts a Chinese family gathering together for a festive Lunar New Year dinner in a traditional home. The building, dubbed as Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner, features the uniqueness of Chinese architecture where the minifigures included in this set underscore the rich culture of the people of China.
The LEGO Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner set.
The second LEGO exclusive Lunar New Year set celebrates the iconic Dragon Dance which signifies the Chinese belief in a bountiful year ahead. It features a Dragon Dance team composed of several minifigures in vibrant red colors and dragon printings, led by a costumed minifigure very much the same as that of the Piggy Guy from the LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 12 (71007). It was the perfect choice of a minifigure to be included in this particular set, considering that 2019 is marked as the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac.
The LEGO Dragon Dance set.
We have no further details about these exclusive Lunar New Year sets, except for these images that were officially released by TLG. The funny thing is, these images bear confidential watermarks and were shared publicly by TLG themselves. In any case, these are pretty nice sets considering that these are the first-ever region-specific sets that LEGO made. So for LEGO fans and collectors that are outside of the Asia-Pacific region, the secondary market will be the only avenue for getting them commercially.
Much hype perhaps has been made of LEGO and its various measures to achieve sustainability in their operations and their products, from sustainable power for infrastructure to the introduction of sustainable manufacturing materials like plant-based plastics, now used to make LEGO’s plant pieces and elements, and more in the future.
Not just LEGO, but fellow well-established toy brands like Hasbro, Mattel and more are focused on the ideal of sustainability being part of their name. But according to BioBuddi, a toy company in the Netherlands, the big names in toys are not as dedicated to attaining sustainability as smaller toy brands like themselves, for instance.
BioBuddi manufactures early-age educational toys that are also made out of sustainable plastic materials made out of sugarcane. Their product history as such has recently earned them the American Eco-Excellence award, and they have plans to expand their market to 20 countries by next year.
With their entire range of toy products already made of renewables, BioBuddi is of the opinion that similar approaches by major brands such as LEGO haven’t been as thorough as smaller companies. “Guys like Hasbro, Mattel and LEGO – if they are not responding quickly enough to this change, they will lose their market share,” remarks BioBuddi general manager Job Nijssen.
As can be recalled, LEGO’s timetable for transitioning their manufacturing materials to sustainable plant-based plastics has a deadline of the year 2030. For the moment the new plastic has only been utilized in LEGO plant pieces, and the Plants from Plants (40320) special box set.
Never let it be said that American pop-culture franchises have a monopoly on licensing for LEGO products. One look at specific lines like LEGO Harry Potter is enough to prove that generalization wrong. Another big franchise originating from the UK that had gotten its LEGO limelight was BBC’s Doctor Who.
In past years, two incarnations of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor – Matt Smith as the Eleventh and Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth – got official LEGO minifigures, whether as part of a now-retired LEGO Ideas set or as a franchisetie-in for the now-cancelled LEGO Dimensions online game.
The Thirteenth and current Doctor, portrayed by Jodie Whitaker, has yet to get a LEGO rendition. But on the fifth episode of her ongoing series, “The Tsuranga Conundrum” which aired on BBC One November 4, she had a line of dialogue that referenced the toy brand in a nice shout-out.
In that episode, The Doctor was asked perhaps one likely query given to all her incarnations about just what sort of doctor they all are. When a medic in one scene asked if her Doctor title is one for medicine, The Doctor quickly rattles off her various “fields of expertise”, in this order: “Medicine, science, engineering, candyfloss, LEGO, philosophy, music, problems, people, hope, mostly hope.”
Jodie Whitaker has the great honor of playing the first known female regeneration of The Doctor in all the decades of their collective adventures. Her show, the 11th series of the Doctor Who revival, airs every Sunday on BBC One.
A listing on global retail giant Amazon has the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary (71042) set being discounted 25%, going from $199.99 to $149.99 as a result. This is not third-party but a sale by Amazon itself, so one can count on earlier delivery than the 1-3-month shipping.
The LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary (71042) depicts the living monstrous shipwreck haunt of the undead pirate and Jack Sparrow foe Captain Salazar, as he, his crew and pet zombie sharks (and the Mary’s masthead) pursue Jack and his companions Henry (Turner) and Carina across the mysterious seas.
Other than previously reported rumors regarding buildable LEGO Minecraft figures said to be released next year, more information is now available regarding other LEGO Minecraft sets slated to debut in 2019. Yes, Minecraft is one licensed theme that LEGO is still pushing forward next year, and thanks to online retailer Alternate, we now have an idea on what these 2019 LEGO Minecraft sets will be.
Though the Alternate website hasn’t released any images yet of these 2019 LEGO Minecraft sets, they’re listing included set descriptions of five of these sets. They’re originally in German so the following rough Google Translation may not be 100% accurate, however, it is enough to give us an idea on what to expect from them. It is interesting to note that the first three sets in the series refer to the buildable LEGO Minecraft “action figures” that can be posed in many different ways. The translated description also refers to these buildable figures as BigFigs, which I’m not really sure if this is what LEGO will call them in English. I’m thinking of something similar to this MOC created by LEGO Minecraft fan builder that goes by the name TheDudeWithACup back in 2011.
A fan-made, and highly articulated LEGO Minecraft Skeleton MOC.
Check out their translated descriptions below, with some minor editing as needed.
LEGO Minecraft Buildable Steve with Parrot (21148)
Pieces: 159; 14.99 Euros
This cool Minecraft model provide plenty of construction and fun – for example, this great, easy to build LEGO Minecraft action figure set “Minecraft – BigFig Steve with parrot”. Push the lever on Steve’s back to raise and lower his stone pickaxe. Grab your tame parrot and embark on a new Minecraft adventure. When you’re done, you can give Steve an epic pose, put him out on the base, and bring a touch of Minecraft magic to your room.
Buildable large LEGO Minecraft Steve action figure with articulated joints and mechanical right arm, as well as a buildable stone pickaxe and a Minecraft parrot. Every LEGO Minecraft BigFig character is equipped with an adjustment plate.
LEGO Minecraft Buildable Alex with Chicken (21149)
Pieces: 160; 14.99 Euros
This epic Minecraft models provide plenty of construction and fun – for example, this cool, easy to build LEGO Minecraft action figure set “Minecraft BigFig Alex with Chicken”. Push the lever down Alex’s back to lower the diamond sword, grab the chicken and jump into a new Minecraft adventure! When you’re done, give Alex a cool action pose, exhibit on the baseplate, and spice up your room in Minecraft style.
Buildable large LEGO Minecraft Alex action figure with articulated joints and mechanical left arm, as well as a buildable diamond sword and a Minecraft chicken. Every LEGO Minecraft BigFig character is equipped with an adjustment plate.
LEGO Minecraft Buildable Skeleton with Magma Cube (21150)
Pieces: 142; 14.99 Euros
The dynamic Minecraft models provide plenty of construction and fun – for example, this easy to build LEGO Minecraft action figure set “Minecraft BigFig Skeleton with Magma Cube”. Use the skeleton’s bow to fire arrows, poke his helmet up and down, and harass the upper world with the leaping magma cube. When you’re done, you can put this infamous creature in a scary pose and put it on the base plate so all your friends can admire it.
Buildable large LEGO Minecraft skeleton action figure with articulated joints, detachable helmet and Minecraft bow that shoots arrow elements. Also included in the kit is a magma cube to assemble. Every LEGO Minecraft BigFig character is equipped with an adjustment plate.
LEGO Minecraft The Last Battle (21151)
Pieces: 222; 19.99 Euros
Watch your cool new Dragonhunter armor, grab the Ender Pearl, potion and enchanted bow, make an epic journey to the end and get ready for the ultimate Minecraft battle. Defeat the flying dragon’s fireballs, defeat the Enderman, destroy the Ender Crystal, and defeat the Ender Dragon to claim victory in the final battle! Use the included code to unlock a dragon hunter skin in the Minecraft Bedrock Edition of the online game.
The set includes a Dragonhunter minifigure, as well as a Ender Dragon and Enderman figure. This Minecraft toy includes an endangered dragon toy with an Enderman figure and a Minecraft Ender portal with an obsidian pillar and a pop-up Ender crystal. The equipment includes an enchanted bow. The accessories include an Ender Pearl and a Potion. Also includes a code to unlock a LEGO Dragon Hunter Skins in the Minecraft Bedrock Edition online game.
LEGO Minecraft The Pirate Ship Adventure (21152)
Pieces: 386; 49.99 Euros
Ahoy, sailor! Check out our new, cool Minecraft pirate skin and join Alex in exciting pirate adventures on a Minecraft skull island. Build an awesome pirate ship with gold decorations, pirate flag, catwalk, cannon and even a cute parrot. Load the ship’s cannons and help protect the turtle and its eggs from the roaming zombie. Then grab a map and compass, jump aboard the rowing boat and look for a nice fishing spot – or maybe the friendly dolphin will lead you to a sunken treasure? And if you need a change, you can easily turn this modular set into a great tropical pirate camp.
The set includes 2 minifigures: a pirate and Alex, as well as a Minecraft zombie and one each dolphin, parrot and turtle figure of Minecraft. The set also includes a buildable Minecraft island scene and a toy pirate ship with functioning cannons, golden ornaments, pirate flag, jetty and rowboat. The equipment includes a sword. The accessories include a map, TNT, a fire element base, 2 shovels, a chest, a treasure, a pirate flag, a water bottle, a torch, and a compass.
I suppose when the Holidays are coming, toy brands need to start thinking up new advertising campaigns to catch the imagination of children viewers, and through them the attention of their parents with their wallets. LEGO itself has already done theirs, and it’s a hoot to watch, start to finish. The new commercial, running about a minute long, was developed by LEGO Agency, the company’s newly-minted in-house advertising think-tank, and premiered last week on social media. It runs on the tagline that simply refers to the LEGO brick while confidently asserting that This is not a brick; and the punch-line is the colorful SFX-laden sequence proving those words right.
The ad follows no less than five families – parents (and one grandmother) watching their children play with LEGO – and going on a wild symbolic ride through the kids’ wildest imaginations.
We see a mom on the shotgun seat of a Police cruiser driven by her son in a high-speed chase. We see a boy flying an X-Wing with his freaked-out dad stuck in the astromech droid slot. Next we have a girl racing her granny on go-karts along city streets, only to stop and let a father and son pass the cross walk with their pet dragon. And then we have an Asian family running from a giant LEGO-built kaijuu. And all these wacky visuals happen while “The Blue Danube” plays.
That’s a mighty vivid illustration of how LEGO can fire up a child’s imagination, and to look beyond a LEGO piece and simply believe that this is not a brick. As LEGO Agency VP Remi Marcelli tells it, “is a celebration of the endless creative opportunities that the LEGO system in play provides…We hope it will engage and excite fans across the world, reminding us all of the importance of play.”
The LEGO Agency is the newest streamlining of all internal divisions that engage in advertising for The LEGO Group; many of those former departments have been around in the organization for decades, producing local commercials. The LEGO Agency, with 500 staff, is more globally oriented.
October ended last week, and with it the mind-blowing promo on LEGO Shop@Home that had been Double VIP points for everything. However, while that blanket double-points period no longer is, it’s merely reverted to having that “VIP point buff” on specific LEGO sets. And with November having started, that means there’s a new LEGO set or two that has been designated as worth double the VIP points upon purchase on Shop@Home for the rest of the month. That lucky set is one of the biggest releases of 2018, the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043).
That’s right – the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) is going for double the VIP points for this month until November 30. At $399.99, the amount of VIP points you would get for buying this now on Shop@Home is potentially staggering.
The LEGO Hogwarts Castle (71043) is one of largest sets ever designed, and it’s understandable that the characters included in it were rendered as nanofigures. Replicated details are the Great Hall and main castle structure, plus outlying landmarks like the Whomping Willow, Hagrid’s hut and the First-Year boats. There’s also an army of microfigures to populate the LEGO Hogwarts, as well as bonus minifigures of the school’s great founders.
To refresh your memory with the uberness of the LEGO Hogwarts (71043), if you haven’t gotten one of your own yet, be sure to check out its designer video. Purchasing the set this month will feel appropriate especially with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald premiering next week.
