LEGO News Archives | Page 68 of 413

LEGO Makes “Matrix” Teaser on IG; LEGO Matrix?

The end of this year sees the thought-unlikely return of a film/media franchise that ruled that late 90s-early 2000s. December 22 sees the release of “The Matrix Resurrections,” the distant fourth installment of “The Matrix.” Keanu Reeves returns as Thomas Anderson/Neo as he once again enters a mind-bending adventure that questions one’s perception of reality. It’s shaping up to be another Warner Bros. hit, and could potentially reignite fan interest in the franchise-setting. What does this bit of entertainment news have to do with LEGO? If you check the toy brand’s social media you’ll find them riding the hype bandwagon.

According to Brick Fanatics, the official LEGO Instagram account just posted an epic reference to “The Matrix” December 21. It was an image of two hands, one with a blue brick and the other a red brick. If you’ve watched “The Matrix” you’d know this to be a sendup of the red pill/blue pill dilemma. You want to end your playtime with the blue brick? Or would you rather see how deep the LEGO pile is with the red brick? Is LEGO just indulging in some cross-company promotion? Or are we seeing the promise of a new licensed-IP theme line?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LEGO (@lego)

Indeed, many of the comments on Instagram interpret this post as the announcement of LEGO Matrix tie-ins. Best-case scenario, not only would “The Matrix Resurrections” be referenced, but the original “Matrix Trilogy” too. Time will tell however if the commenters were spot on, or if wishful thinking made them think too deeply. We can only wait for how LEGO follows up on this one-off promotion.

McDonald’s Franchise 1955-1969 Gets into LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage

When it comes to American fast-food chains that have been known worldwide for so long, McDonald’s easily comes to mind. Considered one of the pioneers of modern fast-food restaurant service, McDonald’s stood out from the rest thanks to iconography. Foremost among the chain’s symbols are the so-called Golden Arches. At present the phrase means the stylized yellow “M” logo. But in earlier years they meant the actual gold-colored arches decorating McDonald’s restaurants since the 1950s. That original aesthetic is brought back to brick-built life in a product idea by adammark. His work is the latest 10-K supported LEGO Ideas submission.

The “McDonald’s Franchise 1955-1969” gives a nostalgic look at a piece of global Americana from earlier times. This McDonald’s building is a walk-up burger stand where motorists can park, order their burgers and drive off. Said building, and its roadside sign, sports the telltale golden arches identifying the franchise.

Ideas member adammark sought to make the 50s-60s design as authentic as possible. The interior reflects the “Speedee System” layout including burger grill, soda fountains, beverage multi-mixer, condiment lazy Susan and more. Five McDonald’s employees operate these facilities: two cashiers and three cooks.

But what’s a restaurant without customers? That part’s covered too, with adammark providing three patrons on two vehicles. A grizzled farmer grabs his midday snack on his pick-up truck. Two high-school sweethearts enjoy their burger date aboard their convertible. If that wasn’t era-authentic then we don’t know what is.

In summation, “McDonald’s Franchise 1955-1969” provides a new building to slot into a LEGO City neighborhood. The added two car mini-builds are a sweet bonus as well. This work by adammark totally deserves its 10-K support. Now we have another strong contender for passing the LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage.

LEGO Finally Makes Spider-Man Art Print (5007043) Available on VIP Rewards

Back in September, LEGO teased a series of art prints that could be availed of through their VIP program. Of the four prints, three depicted the Disney Princesses Rapunzel, Elsa and Belle. The fourth was a LEGO Marvel art print featuring Spider-Man. Following the reveal, the LEGO Disney Princess prints got packed into a special set bundle (5007204) for LEGO.com UK. That was in addition to being available on LEGO VIP’s Rewards the normal way. But for some reason the Marvel Spider-Man art print didn’t follow them to the latter as intended. Was it cancelled?

The Brick Fan says no. Be informed that the LEGO Spider-Man Comic art print (5007043) can now be redeemed at the VIP Rewards Center. If you need a refresher, this print shows LEGO Spider-Man rescuing J. Jonah Jameson from the super-villain-besieged Daily Bugle. Yep, it’s pretty much an artsy rendition of the epic LEGO Marvel 18+ set, Daily Bugle (76178). Considering what transpired this past weekend, we might understand why LEGO held off on launching this print with the Disney Princesses. It neatly piggybacks on the premiere hype of the MCU’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which released on December 17.

Even better, LEGO VIP members only need 450 VIP points to redeem this print from the Rewards Center. We’re talking 200 points less than for the Princesses’ art prints. About the only shortcoming we might find is that no LEGO bundles for the Spider-Man print and Daily Bugle (76178) exist. The aforementioned LEGO Marvel set is also temporarily out of stock at LEGO.com at present. But hey: LEGO-Marvel fan? Are you VIP program member too? Then what are you waiting for? Get this sweet print.

German LEGO Catalog 2022 Technic Sets Revealed, Plus Addition from Hungarian Edition

There have been so many new upcoming LEGO sets revealed in the German product catalog from last week. Said catalog, first shared online by German LEGO news source Stonewars, featured the 2022 offerings from various theme lines. We featured “Harry Potter,” LEGO City and Ninjago sets from there, and that was just a portion. Upcoming products for LEGO Technic were included too. Now, as the LEGO catalog becomes available elsewhere in Europe, even more reveals have popped up. The edition of that catalog for Hungary for example, puts another LEGO Technic set in the spotlight.

Still from Stonewars, we have word of the LEGO Technic John Deere 9620R 4WD Tractor (42136). As stated earlier, word of this set (banner image) came from the Hungarian version of that European-release LEGO catalog. Apparently it shares the same March 2022 release as the other recently-revealed Technic sets. Not much else is known about the set. Apparently however, its steering wheel piece is in tan, a color it never had before. It also fits right in design-wise with the rest of the early 2022 LEGO Technic product launches. We’ll do a late enumeration of these other ones from the German catalog last week below:

2-in-1 Tele-Handler (42133)

€9.99/$11.29

All-Terrain Vehicle (42139)

€74.99/$84.71

App-Controlled Transformation Car (42140)

€129.99/$146.85

All $ prices are our direct conversions.

LEGO Harry Potter’s Summer 2022 Set Numbers Rumor

It can be really amazing when one looks at the scope of how many new sets LEGO rolls out yearly. Last week we got a peek at some upcoming items for 2022 in a Germany-released product catalog. Among those LEGO sets for next year are new additions to the “Harry Potter” theme line. But those products are only the ones earmarked for an early-2022 launch. Did you think that was all the LHP for the coming year? There are more Wizarding World wonders to come beyond what that German LEGO catalog showed us. A German LEGO news source tells so.

Promobricks would have it that nine new LEGO Harry Potter sets are sure to arrive in summer 2022. No names were given from their source, only the set numbers and possible pricing (US$). From the prices however, Promobricks hypothesizes a potential 2022 Advent Calendar and one direct-to-consumer (D2C) set. That latter possibility draws from the fact that it’s supposed to cost $469.99 like other D2C LEGO products. Further theorizing on their end posits that this 3-digit set might be an addition to last year’s Diagon Alley (75978). In any case, here are the possible LEGO Harry Potter sets next summer:

76400 – $ 19.99
76401 – $ 49.99
76402 – $ 79.99
76403 – $ 99.99
76404 (Advent Calendar 2022?) – $ 44.99
76405 (D2C?) – $ 469.99
76406 – $ 49.99
76407 – $ 89.99
76408 – $ 119.99

Note the set numbers are 764xx, contrasting the earlier set releases numbered 7639x. Then again, without official word from LEGO we must first regard this info as rumor. Let’s wait and hope for their confirmation to follow.

New LEGO Ideas 10-K-Supported Submission: “Stargate” by CaptainMutant

LEGO Ideas is an idea platform for proposing sets featuring franchises that are not yet LEGO-licensed IPs. And sometimes, you can judge from Ideas how much the LEGO fandom, or at least the Ideas membership, want something. Check the date of submission for a product idea. Now take note of the date when it received 10,000 supporters. The shorter the gap (for a licensed IP submission), the greater the fan demand especially if LEGO hasn’t already. If this latest addition to the Third 2021 Review Stage is any indication, builder fans want LEGO Stargate.

The “Stargate” franchise began in 1994 with an MGM sci-fi action film. It spun off into a 1997 MGM Television series that aired on Showtime, then Sci-Fi/SyFy a full decade. Top-secret military adventures using an ancient “Stargate” portal, connecting worlds across the galaxy, proved a hit with audiences. LEGO Ides member CaptainMutant, channels that hype into a brick-built love letter to the franchise.

This product idea depicts the Stargate device on its mounting within USAF Stargate Command in the Cheyenne Mountain complex. Given that the “Stargate SG-1” series will turn 25 years old in 2022, getting 10-K support for this build makes for perfect timing.

In addition to the Stargate itself and the entry ramp, CaptainMutant’s product idea includes a buildable vehicle and minifigures. We have Col. Jack O’Neill, Capt. Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and rebel Jaffa Teal’c. They’re joined by Daniel’s pet cat Schrodinger and the MAL probe. The latter was added to the submission by CaptainMutant to celebrate 5-K support. And let’s not forget the Go’auld Jaffa invaders at back.

Additional props include tools for each Stargate operative and a Naquadah generator. Looking at this build, one can’t help but express support for a LEGO Stargate theme. This could be the beginning.

New Upcoming “Spider-Man: No Way Home” LEGO Polybag: Spider-Man Bridge Battle (30443)

So, by now the latest MCU film “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has been in cinemas since Friday last week. You’ll get no spoilers here, this being a LEGO news site after all. What we can share however is news relating to the MCU in terms of merchandise. We’re talking of course about the LEGO tie-ins. Yes, the set tie-ins have been around since seemingly forever by now, with LEGO.com listing them back in July. Still, with the actual movie’s premiere, there must be something new appearing in its wake. We know because Brickset reports that there is one new item.

It’s only a polybag, and despite being branded “Spider-Man: No Way Home” it actually references the preceding film. Spider-Man: Bridge Battle (30443) depicts Peter Parker/Spidey taking on a Stark Industries drone hi-jacked by Quentin Beck/Mysterio. It’s only the Web-head and the drone, with Spider-Man using the nameplate of London’s Tower Bridge as a shield. He’ll need it too, as the Stark drone packs a pair of stud-shooters and isn’t afraid to use them. Thus far, the polybag’s existence comes only from the LEGO.com Building Instructions page. Much like the other LEGO polybags revealed earlier, we know nothing else save that they’ll arrive in 2022.

Please do however enjoy the images of LEGO Spider-Man: Far from Home, Spider-Man Bridge Battle (30443). They’re courtesy of Promobricks, which has been helping out greatly with these 2022 polybag reveals. Now we can’t help wonder if more LEGO Spider-Man goodies will come by, even with all the big sets around.

LEGO Creator Skiing Santa Still Active In-Store GWP in UK, Europe Until Dec. 24

When it came to special offers in the vein of GWPs, the December 2021 LEGO Store Calendar was…sparse. Only one item was listed there, and only available in-store instead of online. That would be a Creator polybag with the figure of a jolly Skiing Santa Claus (30580). It could be earned free for every in-store LEGO purchase over $40, from December 1 to 14. Well, that promo period has come and gone since last week, at least in the US. As Brick Fanatics tells it however, Skiing Santa Claus is still around in Europe. And he’s staying until Christmas Eve.

Indeed, it can be seen as such in the Offers & Sale page of LEGO.com for GB. Creator Skiing Santa Claus (30580) remains active in-store GWP not just in the UK but Europe too. As with the now-ended US edition, the buildable figure polybag is earned with in-store LEGO purchases over 40. That’s in pounds or euros depending on where. It also goes hand-in-hand with the full seasonal set Santa’s Front Yard (40484). This similarly long-running GWP goes for both in-store and online orders over £170/€170. Both it and Skiing Santa are available right until December 24, quite appropriate enough.

New LEGO UCS AT-AT (75313) Video (For Help Disassembling the Technic Parts)

The LEGO star wars UCS T-AT (75313) was easily one of the biggest LEGO sets ever released. Just as huge was the promotional hype for it, from the shout-out-laden teaser to its official designer video. Designing a buildable vehicular set with just enough proper scale for minifigures takes lots of technical skills. Thus when it comes to a complex set like a UCS Imperial Walker, some problems might come up while building. Lots of LEGO builders online have been pointing out apparent design flaws for 75313. In response, LEGO released a new video addressing them, according to The Brick Fan.

LEGO Star Wars designer Henrik Andersen hosts this “Tips and Tricks” video for the UCS AT-AT set (75313). Top priority among the “problem fixes” addressed here concerns the Technic-piece components. Once put together, they’re hard to take apart or so the most common complaints say. Andersen presents some surprisingly sensible methods of getting those stubborn Technic rods out during disassembly. Building and rebuilding is part of the LEGO fun after all. The one-minute, thirty-second video also tacks in some “Star Wars” tech media trivia translated into 75313. Seeing that AT-AT leg motion replicated in brick-built form was quite the sight.

Anyway, the above video is definitely welcome news for early buyers of the UCS AT-AT (75313). For those who haven’t bought it yet, they’ll have a somewhat easier time now. Unlike the out-of-stock chaos of its Black Friday launch last month, the LEGO set remains available on LEGO.com right now.

“Magic Bookends” Gains 10-K Support for LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage

And now, let’s take a look at this new product idea on LEGO Ideas to gain 10-K support. It may be the last one to do so until around early January of the New Year. Why? We’ll get to that later. Anyway, this 10-K submission adds a new entry for the Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage carrying over to 2022. It also goes into a niche theme in a product ideas batch that’s dominated by building/structural sets. Even better, this product idea has a utilitarian function beyond looking like a beautiful brick construct. Here are the “Magic Bookends.”

At first glance this looks like a bunch of books made out of LEGO bricks. It might even draw comparisons to some play-sets that open from and close into book form. That must certainly be what its creator, Ideas 10-K Club member Brick Dangerous, wants you to perceive, but no. You actually take the build apart at the middle to put in some real books. The two halves keep them upright as bookends should. These Magic Bookends even include minifigures, elves that apparently turned the brick-built books into their houses. This is definitely a solid example of LEGO balancing art and function.

Still wondering why this LEGO Ideas submission may be the last for 2021? Well, the Ideas website currently has a popup notification regarding submission of product ideas. If these happen between Friday, December 17 and January 3, 2022 (a Monday), then they’ll run into “high moderation times.” The Ideas staff will be taking a Holiday break after all. They might not be able to vet new submissions and confirm 10-K support passers. That means some product ideas might just wait.