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Blocks Magazine Issue 46 Features Kessel Run Millennium Falcon and Other LEGO Star Wars Solo Sets

As you already know, Disney Lucasfilm’s second Star Wars Story spinoff Solo ended up a major flop in the box office after the promising performance of its predecessor Rogue One. Some say it was affected by bad fan reactions to The Last Jedi. Be that as it may, the movie still boasted magnificent machines that have made its way to become official LEGO sets. And these sets are the focus of the latest Blocks Magazine Issue 46, marked for August 2018 but available earlier as is the fashion. For their August issue, the centerpiece feature of the month is the LEGO Star Wars Kessel Run Millennium Falcon (75212). This and several other Solo tie-ins will go before the Blocks crew who will tell readers which are worth the buy, and which ones are better off forgotten.

In addition, Blocks Magazine Issue 46 also features an interview with some of the designers behind these latest LEGO Star Wars sets for an inside look on how the Solo LEGO sets were conceptualized, including the famed Kessel Run Falcon. Here’s what Blocks Magazine has to say about their latest issue.

Can you have too many Millennium Falcons? Of course you can’t, so this month we welcome the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon to planet Blocks, accompanied by the fleet of Star Wars sets that hit the shops at the same time. We don’t just review the sets, though – we also talk to the designers behind the new wave for the inside story.

We’ve recently been to LEGO headquarters and heard a lot about the direction the LEGO Group’s heading, and it looks like we’ve got some exciting times ahead. But learning from history is also important and that’s what Daniel Konstanski does this month as he explores the LEGO family tree. Do you remember Aquazone? He does, and there’s a lesson under the waves.

Of course, we’ve also got the regular features about technique, buying, showcasing and much more, so enjoy the August issue and don’t forget to get in touch, especially if you’ve been building.

Other feature articles on on Blocks Magazine Issue 46 include their analysis of the LEGO Creator Expert Roller Coaster (10261), a look back on LEGO Aquazone from the ’90s, tips on creating micro-scale vegetation, and an update on their ongoing recreation of the Rope Bridge setting from The LEGO Ninjago Movie.

Blocks Magazine Issue 46 is now available for online subscription, and for more information, be sure to visit their official website right here.

New LEGO Store Opening in November at Greenville, South Carolina

True, LEGO products can, if no immediate option is available, be purchased online. But sometimes, there’s just nothing that beats being able to walk into an actual LEGO Store in search of that particular box set or polybag across store shelves and bins. The LEGO clearly understands this, and that’s why they continue to give considerable amount of time and effort to open brand stores all over the world.

Greenville in South Carolina has had a few nice appellations put on it by national publications: included in CNN Money’s “Top 10 Fastest-Growing US Cities”, and 3^rd in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Best Small US Cities” just to mention a few. But soon, LEGO fans in the area, particularly in Haywood Mall, will love it more for the fact that it’s getting a branded LEGO Store.

LEGO Group Senior Director Leslie Jenkins said in a statement that the upcoming Greenville LEGO Store will look to enhance the brand experience through… the same stuff other LEGO Stores already do: a calendar of hands-on family events, catchy store design, and the promise of getting a wide variety of products.

“Children and families will be able to experience first-hand and hands-on the creativity and imagination that goes into LEGO building and be inspired by the over 4 million LEGO bricks that are in the store at any given time,” says Jenkins, referring to the aesthetic of the new LEGO Store, which she describes as “kid-chic” with play areas.

The LEGO Store will be located at Greenville’s Haywood Mall, and is expected to open for business this coming November. It will be the 94th LEGO Store in North America.

Source: WSPA

Tel Aviv Hosts LEGO Exhibit Featuring The Work Of LEGO Certified Professional Sean Kenney

Is it just us, or is the city of Tel Aviv in Israel trying to establish itself to be the most LEGO-crazy place in the world? We recall back in January, when the year was still new, that Tel Aviv’s resident LEGO enthusiasts collaborated with the city government to erect a brick-built tower that, for a time, was the tallest LEGO structure of its kind in the world. Now, the Tel Aviv Port complex is playing host to a LEGO Exhibit where all the works are done in LEGO, and they’ve even got a LEGO Certified Professional (LCP) on board, one of only 16 in the world, to display some of his artwork over there.

Sean Kenney, based in New York, has graciously accepted the invitation of Tel Aviv Port to be part of their LEGO Exhibit, which will be running all summer. It’s also the first time his work has been displayed in Israel. Kenney spoke of how his love for LEGO started as a child, with his building skills and projects becoming better and more complex with age.

“I am always excited to bring my work to fans around the world,” remarked Kenney on his Tel Aviv LEGO Exhibit. “We have to do a lot of planning and logistics not only to create the sculptures but also to transport them and install them.”

The Tel Aviv Port LEGO Exhibit is roughly divided into two sections, one being Sean Kenney’s display area and the other reserved for interactive LEGO activities for guests. The event’s coordinator and promoter, Lior Kamali, collaborated with Kenney to bring his LEGO work over, and as a LEGO builder himself, Kamali conceptualized the interactive activities.

LCPs like Kenney are recognized for their skills by The LEGO Group in Denmark, and are considered informal business partners. Thus, Kenney and the Tel Aviv Port exhibits have no official connections to LEGO Park Holon and The LEGO Group.

Here’s How To Make Your LEGO Classic Box Into A Brick Vacuum Cleaner

Do any of you still remember April Fools’ Day 2018? There were some choice zingers of fake LEGO-related news that came out that Sunday; we even put a spotlight on several of them. One April Fools’ joke from LEGO themselves involves a brick vacuum cleaner that automatically sorts the pieces it sucks up. It may have been a fake then, but it was an idea worth trying to make real.

Now, this do-it-yourself Brick Vacuum Cleaner cobbled together from knickknacks doesn’t have the brick-sorting figure of the LEGO hoax news, but YouTuber mister fixit The King of Random has crafted a tool that might just be the best gift for mothers with children who play with LEGO, thus sparing them from the proverbial pain of stepping on an unassuming LEGO brick.

For his demonstration unit, TKOR took a big yellow LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box (10698), attached two spare plastic vacuum hoses on opposite ends of the lid, set up a mesh air hole and a clear plastic window on one side, with the plastic lid made airtight while closed with a proto-putty seal.

From there, it was a matter of attaching one hose to an actual vacuum cleaner and using the other hose to suck up LEGO pieces. The bricks then end up inside the LEGO box, prevented from going further, up the other hose into the vacuum, by a sturdy mesh barrier.

Sometimes, fakes can be made into reality with some ingenious tinkering; kudos to The King of Random for this ingenious device.

LEGO Harry Potter – Harry’s Journey to Hogwarts (30407) Polybag Spotted In Target Stores

Late last month, we got confirmation that there’s a LEGO Harry Potter polybag that’s coming out under the new Wizarding World line rebranding. Said little set is a nostalgic recollection of The Boy Who Lived on his first train trip to Hogwarts (barring the anachronistic uniform the Harry minifigure’s wearing). Back then there was no exact date given as to when the LEGO Harry Potter – Harry’s Journey to Hogwarts (30407) was going to become available following its reveal. Later information had it that the little set would come out in August, but they may already be on shelves somewhere.

There are now reports that somehow, several polybags of LEGO Harry Potter – Harry’s Journey to Hogwarts (30407) have been found at Target stores. This hasn’t been verified since set 30407 shares a similar DPCI number with several other LEGO polybags, thus frustrating anything but a dedicated search of Target’s inventories.

LEGO Harry Potter – Harry’s Journey to Hogwarts (30407), as we might recall, contains one Harry Potter minifigure with wand, bricks and elements to build one handcart carrying luggage and cauldron, a spell-book, and a cage for Harry’s snowy owl Hedwig. To those who’re interested in sweeping their nearby Target stores for this polybag, we suggest looking at the checkout lanes.

Thanks to The Brick Fan for the tip.

Bahrain Plays Host to LEGO SHOWS from August 22-31

Needless to say, LEGO is one of the most globally recognized brands around, even outside of its usual toys market. And The LEGO Group is boosting this recognition by establishing long-term, tangible presence in countries around the world. We’ve seen this in the multiple LEGOLAND theme parks and Discovery Centers they’ve opened nearly everywhere. For those places that have none of the above yet, LEGO has also been able to reach them with periodic shows. The latest location where LEGO SHOWS will be presenting for the benefit of children and families will be in the Middle East; to be precise, they’re going to Bahrain.

The wealthy island nation is cooking up a lot of special events in time with the festive religious occasion of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, this coming August. Among these, the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) had invited The LEGO Group to bring LEGO SHOWS to the country.

Yousef Mohamed Al Khan, the BTEA Director of Marketing and Tourism Promotion, announced that Bahrain is happy to welcome LEGO SHOWS as a family-friendly event as part of their Eid al-Adha festivities, which they hope will also bring visitors and tourist from their neighboring countries into Bahrain for the duration.

“By hosting such events,” said Al Khan, “the BTEA continues its efforts in achieving its long term strategy that aims to develop the tourism sector and position the Kingdom as the center for family tourism by hosting various events and festivals to visitors of all ages.”

LEGO SHOWS will be hosted at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center, running from August 22 – the day after Eid al-Adha – to the 31^st. Visitors can expect brilliant LEGO exhibits of statues, dioramas and plenty activities and challenges, themed after popular LEGO lines like Ninjago, City, Friends, Duplo and even licensed properties like Star Wars. LEGO SHOWS will run part of the time alongside Cartoon Network Live! Heroes Unite at the same venue.

LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) Official Product Description Released

Just a few minutes ago, LEGO Shop@Home servers uploaded several official images of the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) – a very impressive brick rendition of the most famous landmark in all of Harry Potter universe. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before LEGO updated its respective product page to include the set’s official product description.

Coming in at an impressive 6,020 pieces, this highly detailed LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) highlights some of the most memorable scenes from the Harry Potter movies. Read on through its official press release and product description to have a better grasp of the set’s play features.

The LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) will retail for $400 and will be available for LEGO VIP members beginning August 15, and the general public on September 1, exclusively at all LEGO Stores and shop.LEGO.com.

71043 Hogwarts™ Castle

Ages 16+. 6,020 pieces

US $399.99 – CA $499.99 – DE 399.99€ – UK £349.99 – FR 419.99€ – DK 3499DK
*Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.

Explore the magic of Hogwarts™ Castle!

Make the magic come alive at the LEGO® Harry Potter™ 71043 Hogwarts™ Castle! This highly detailed LEGO Harry Potter collectible has over 6,000 pieces and offers a rewarding build experience. It comes packed with highlights from the Harry Potter series, where you will discover towers, turrets, chambers, classrooms, creatures, the Whomping Willow™ and Hagrid´s hut, plus many more iconic features. And with 4 minifigures, 27 microfigures featuring students, professors and statues, plus 5 Dementors, this advanced building set makes the perfect Harry Potter gift.

Includes 4 minifigures: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw, with a buildable minifigure display stand.
Also features 27 microfigures: Harry Potter™, Ron Weasley™, Hermione Granger™, Draco Malfoy™, Albus Dumbledore™, Professor Snape™, Professor McGonagall™, Remus Lupin, Professor Dolores Umbridge™, Argus Filch, Lord Voldemort™, Bellatrix Lestrange, 3 students from each of the 4 houses, 2 chess pieces and the Architect of Hogwarts™ statue and 5 Dementors, plus Aragog the spider and the Basilisk figures, and a buildable Hungarian Horntail dragon.
Features a buildable microscale model of Hogwarts™ Castle, hut of Hagrid™, Whomping Willow™ tree and 5 boats.
Hogwarts™ Castle features the Great Hall with buildable ‘stained glass windows’, house banners, benches, tables, flaming torches and moving staircases; potions classroom with racks of jar elements; Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with assorted potion jars, gramophone and a closet containing a boggart; Chessboard Chamber with chess piece elements; Room of Requirement with assorted elements, including the Goblet of Fire and the vanishing cabinet; Chamber of Secrets™ with the Basilisk and Tom Riddle’s Diary; hidden Devils Snare room with vine elements; Gryffindor™ common room with fireplace and seating; Professor Dolores Umbridge’s office with desk, chair and pink furnishings; library with bookcase and desks; and Professor Dumbledore’s office with the Griffin statue entrance and Memory cabinet.
Hagrid’s hut features Aragog the spider and buildable pumpkins.
The Whomping Willow™ includes the buildable blue Flying Ford Anglia car in its spinning branches.
Also includes 5 buildable boats.
Take a seat in the Great Hall and feast with the Hogwarts™ professors and students!
Sneak your way into the Chamber of Secrets™ through the secret entrance and face the Basilisk!
Attend a Defence Against the Dark Arts class to learn how to protect yourself from dark magic!
Climb the moving staircase!
• Study for your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams in the library.
• Accessory elements include the Sword of Gryffindor™, Helga Hufflepuff´s cup, wands, potions, house banners, flames, a cauldron and 2 magnifying glasses.
• Microfigure accessories include 2 chess statues and the Architect of Hogwarts™ statue.
• Hogwarts™ Castle measures over 22” (58cm) high, 27” (69cm) wide and 16” (43cm) deep.

Available directly from LEGO Stores & shop.lego.com from 15th August, 2018

LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) Officially Revealed – And It’s Massive!

It’s finally here! LEGO Harry Potter fans rejoice, for LEGO has now updated their servers to include a huge stash of high res images of the much awaited LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043). Rumors were up in the air since last month on what we can possibly expect from this set, most noticeable is the speculation that the set will weigh in at more than 6,000 pieces making it possibly the largest LEGO HP set to date. However, the speculations can finally end since the Hogwarts Castle (71043), as predicted, indeed comes in a mammoth size of 6,020 pieces.

What is also interesting in this LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043) set is the fact that this is also the very first LEGO HP set to contain all of Hogwarts’ Founding Fathers (or parents for that matter in the case of Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw) in their respective minifigure forms.

I guess the downside of such a huge set is on how to keep the build in scale with regards to its characters. I think this is the reason why LEGO opted to have it scaled to nanofigs instead. Based on the images below, it seems that each part of the castle portrays a memorable scene from Harry Potter films, much like how LEGO did it before with the Disney Castle (71040)

The Hogwarts Castle (71043) is not yet officially listed in shop.LEGO.com or any of its regional portals. But we can be rest assured that they will be updated very soon to include their official product description so that we can have a better grasp at the set’s play features. For the mean time, let’s enjoy these images.

Build Your Own LEGO Hedwig Target Exclusive Via LEGO Digital Designer

If you missed out on Target’s exclusive LEGO Harry Potter Hedwig giveaway, then this is your chance to build one of your own. Thanks to the kind efforts of mc_survival_man (via Brickfinder), we now have a LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) file that can provide us with the details on how to build this cool LEGO Hedwig Harry Potter giveaway.

We must take note that this brick-built LEGO statue of Hedwig is given away to winners as assembled and glued all together, with no building instructions whatsoever which means trying to somehow reverse engineer it using LEGO Digital Designer is not an easy feat. Reportedly consisting of 1,202 pieces, this set may take around $134 worth of LEGO parts and pieces in order to build.

LEGO Hedwig target exclusive owl — Photo credits by the Brickfinder.

In may not look exactly like the original LEGO Hedwig statue, but considering how much effort was needed to figure out its design, a shout out and a word of thanks to mc_survival_man should be in order.

If you want to go ahead and make your own LEGO Hedwig, then you can download the LDD file which Matt (aka mc_survival_man) freely shares to the community. Many thanks to everyone who made this LEGO Hedwig model and LDD possible.

LEGO Ideas M&M’s Chocolate Candy Dispenser Project Gets 10K Thumbs Up

Here’s something that chocolate lovers and LEGO fans may want to watch out for. We now have our fifth LEGO Ideas project proposal to join this year’s LEGO Ideas Second Review Stage. The LEGO Ideas Ideas M&M’s Chocolate Candy Dispenser project by EDxAS is a virtual color feast of sweet proportions, which won the hearts of 10,000 LEGO Ideas supporters. This brick-built contraption from ElectryDragonite and Astonishing Studios began its 10K climb in 2016, and has now been officially recognized as the next qualifier for the 2018 Second Review Stage.

The M&M’s Chocolate Dispenser project features an innovative candy dispensing machine that uses a simple but very effective lever mechanism made of Technic elements. It is also launched in connection with M&M’s 75^th anniversary.

Here’s a video demo of how the dispenser works which is really neat actually.

The LEGO Ideas M&M’s Chocolate Candy Dispenser project joins the ranks of other 10K supported ideas that qualified for the next Review Stage such as the Space X Falcon Heavy, Space X – The Ultimate Collection, International Space Station and Steamboat Willie.