The LEGO Mosaic Maker is one of the most eye-catching and rare LEGO treat that any fan of the brick can experience. And though its end result is the LEGO Personalised Mosaic Portrait (40179) which is only composed of 1×1 plates, a 48×48 baseplate and generic brick separator, each boxed set is somehow unique in itself because it comes with the customer’s portrait photograph interpreted in LEGO tiles.
The machine for LEGO Mosaic Maker is somewhat huge and also complicated, that there are less than ten of them around the world. But a LEGO Store here or there has slowly been getting its own machine in recent months. And its Japan’s turn to have their very own.
Indeed, the LEGO brand is already ubiquitous in Japan, and the inclusion of the Mosaic Maker makes it even closer to the hearts of LEGO fans in the region. In fact, in just weeks after LEGO set up a Mosaic Maker machine in their second branded store in China, another store unit was opened this week at the Yokohama Landmark Plaza.
Like its regional counterparts, the LEGO Mosaic Maker in Japan functions the same way: visitors have their photo taken in a booth, and the machine renders the image in five colored LEGO 1×1 plates to be tacked onto a large baseplate. It’s a visual feast as you wait for your picture to be printed, while the boxed set of mosaic pieces is slowly dispensed.
Pricing in Japan for the LEGO Mosaic Maker falls reasonably around big LEGO set prices in the country at ¥10,455 (US$93). This is still somewhat lower as compared to the US debut of the machine which cost at $129.99 a pop. That’s two significant Asian markets that now carries the exclusive set. Where else will it be showing up next?
The LEGO Store November Calendar in China has made its way online, and it gives us a glimpse of our next limited edition, seasonal gift with purchase (GWP) set just in time for the holidays. Bouwsteentjes has shared an image of the said calendar, and with it comes the reveal of the LEGO Christmas Box (40292).
As you can see, there are also other familiar promotions such as the rumored microscaled LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley (40289) which we will talk later on, and the LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame (5005359). However, the most noticeable and appealing of all is the new LEGO Christmas Box (40292). Similar to the concept and design of Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures (75952), the LEGO Christmas Box features a holiday-themed vignette cleverly hidden inside a gift box. The build itself has a removable lid and opens at the middle to reveal a cozy, indoor holiday winter scene.
Being a limited edition promotional gift with purchase set, it should be expected that limited quantities will be available once this is offered at the end of the month. I’m not quite sure if it will also follow the same time frame in the US and the rest of the world, but you can bet that it will come in limited quantities.
If we read it right, the LEGO Store November Calendar from China also mentions a specific number of the LEGO Christmas Box sets that will be given away. If that is the case, then better expect that this set will surely go out fast.
I love the idea behind a surprise build, similar to the recently announcedLEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book (21315). It’s those little surprises that make a LEGO set extra special, even more as it comes as a limited edition, seasonal set. I just hope that LEGO will upload its official images soon so we can have a better look.
So what do you think about the LEGO Christmas Box (40292)? Do you think it’s worth the trip to your LEGO Store or that additional purchase online? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
LEGO has just uploaded its LEGO Store November 2018 calendar, with all its related promotions and events, giving us a glimpse of what to expect next month. Truth be told, there’s nothing much to expect from your local LEGO brand store next in November since its noticeable that gift-with-purchase (GWP), or promotional sets are lacking for this month. And though it wasn’t mention in this LEGO Store Calendar, I’m still counting on the rumorthat the annual LEGO Bricktober minifigures will be made available in LEGO Brand Stores anytime between November and December, so we’re keeping an eye on that.
I guess LEGO, would like to focus more on its Double VIP points and Black Friday deals which kind of makes up to the lack of GWP sets during this month, however, there’s still the usual Monthly Mini Build (Ice Dragon) so that’s something to look forward to as well.
Check out the LEGO Store November 2018 calendar below for a more detailed look at the upcoming events at your local LEGO store.
November 1-30: Double VIP Points for the Month of November
Starting November 1, LEGO VIP members can avail of Double VIP Points for selected LEGO sets, either at your local LEGO store or via vip.LEGO.com. We’ll keep you posted what these sets are once the information becomes available.
November 6-7: The Monthly Mini Build is an Ice Dragon (40286)
In order to sign up, guests must have a registered LEGO VIP email address. If you do not have one, you can create one for free at shop.LEGO.com/VIP. This event has limited space. To reserve a spot, visit shop.LEGO.com/Minibuild-Registration starting October 15. Due to safety and build experience standards, builders must be between the ages of 6-14 to participate. The mini model must be completely built inside the store. Registration is on a first come first serve basis and quantities are limited.
November 23-26: Black Friday Deals
Be sure to check with your LEGO Store for the coolest discounts on select LEGO sets beginning Black Friday (November 23) until over the weekend. We’ll try to inform you about the LEGO sets that’ll go for sale once the info becomes available.
We also mentioned before that LEGO seems to be stepping up in opening more LEGO brand stores across the US just in time for the holidays. Furthermore, the introduction of the LEGO Pop-Up Store concept is a much welcomed one by AFOLs and LEGO fans in general, especially at locations where there’s no LEGO brand store yet. The LEGO Store November 2018 calendar now mentions several LEGO Stores opening in the country. Be sure to check with stores.LEGO.com to learn about their opening dates soon.
LEGO Brand Stores
Ross Park Mall, PA
La Plaza Mall, TX
Haywood Mall, SC
Lakeside Shopping Center, LA
Westfield Galleria at Roseville, CA
Crossgates Mall, NY
Oxmoor Center, KY
Dadeland Mall, FL
LEGO Pop-up Store/Workshops Locations
The Mall in Columbia, MD
Galleria at Tyler, CA
The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, CT
Woodbridge Center, NJ
Perimeter Mall, GA
Smith Haven Mall, NY
Lastly, LEGO is extending the brick-building fun to children who are yet to experience the joy of playing with LEGO bricks. Throughout the month of November and up until the holidays, the LEGO Group will be launching the #BuildToGive 2018 Holiday Campaign.
The idea is for every ornament built out of LEGO bricks either at home or in a LEGO Store, the LEGO Group will donate one LEGO set to charity. An image of this ornament must then be shared on social media platforms with #BuildToGive. The goal is to reach a total donation of 500,000 LEGO sets equivalent to 5 million USD. That’s a ton of LEGO bricks to share around and spread the fun.
The month of November also marks the re-release of the LEGO Creator Expert Vestas Wind Turbine (10268) so this is something to watch out for as well. Though it is a bit pricey as far as the general sentiment of the LEGO community is concerned, the Vestas Wind Turbine (10268) is undoubtedly one of the best LEGO Creator Expert sets there is.
Be sure to stay tuned here at our Brick Show blog for the latest happenings and events in the world of LEGO. Just click on the subscribe button below to receive real-time updates.
Back in May, we reported on one of the earliest sightings that we had about one of the best micro-scaled builds that LEGO came up with so far. The Micro-scale LEGO Brand Store (40305) was an impressive micro-scaled set that manages to fit several key LEGO store features in such a small build.
We also mentioned that this LEGO Brand Store (40305) set is already being sold as a shelf product – no promos needed – at LEGOLAND parks in Billund and Malaysia, but that it was expected to become available in regular LEGO Stores in the US eventually. As it seems, the wait is finally over.
LEGO fans in the US have reported to fellow LEGO news source The Brick Fan of their own sightings of the LEGO Brand Store (40305) in real-life LEGO brand store shelves across the country – the flagship locations for now, but from this we can surmise that they’ll be everywhere soon. In addition to this, the set is now listed via shop.LEGO.com’s regional portals (UK for example) which hints on the possibility that it will be offered soon in the US as well. As of this posting, the LEGO Brand Store set is yet to appear in the US portal of LEGO Shop@Home.
Priced online at $34.99, the LEGO Brand Store set (40305) is made of modular sections that can be rearranged to one’s likes, and has brick pieces to make a Pick & Build wall, Build a Mini stand, cash register and even a wall-mounted ATM. Two minifigures (customers) are also included.
The US is LEGO’s biggest market, bar none. That’s what many would say accounting for the massive number of branded LEGO Stores in the country now – more than any other individual nation. And they just keep on increasing, as will be seen soon enough just over a month from now. Greenville, South Carolina; Metairie, Louisiana and Albany, New York have LEGO branded stores set to open sometime this November, adding to the near-hundred number already open in North America. And they’re not the only ones. Louisville, Kentucky has one too, and it’s first LEGO brand store is opening at the same time as the others.
Oxmoor Mall in Louisville will soon have the honor of being home to the first LEGO Brand Store in the State of Kentucky. It will open at the mall space formerly occupied by the local Coach store, according to Oxmoor spokesperson Lindsay Kahn.
“We are very excited to introduce Kentucky’s first LEGO to the market,” says Kahn. “They are an iconic brand and will be a great addition to our mix of tenants.” It’s a boon to Louisville LEGO fans too; before that, the nearest LEGO brand stores to the city were in neighboring states.
With this, the month of November really is shaping up to be “New LEGO Store Month” in the US, further cementing the toy brand’s prominence in the country while picking up the slack from the loss of longtime retail partner Toys ‘R’ Us. They also make for a great prelude to the future opening of LEGOLAND New York in 2020.
The LEGO Group has announced a new retail concept store to hit US stores this year. Dubbed as LEGO Pop-Up Stores, this initiative will offer a new different shopping experience as compared to that of LEGO Brand Stores. In fact, the very first Pop-Up Store already went live last Friday in Manchester, Connecticut. According to the LEGO Ambassador Network, the LEGO Pop-Up Stores is an experimental marketing approach that allows LEGO fans who does not have access to any local LEGO Brand Stores to experience the same, though there are notable differences. So, how are they different? According to the blog post:
Whats the difference between a Pop-Up store and a typical LEGO Brand store?
Yes, you will be able to earn and redeem LEGO VIP points at Pop-Up stores.
There is nota Pick-a-Brick wall or Build-a-Mini station.
There are noLEGO Brand store Passport stamps available at Pop-Up stores.
There will notbe monthly minibuild activities or other in store events.
The product prices will bethe same at LEGO Brand and Pop-Up stores including any sales.
Pop-Up stores will tryto offer the same gift with purchase promotions.
Pop-Up stores will have new employeesbut also at least one experienced employee from a local LEGO Brand store.
Though these differences may seem easy to overlook and the initiative is of having a sort of “make-shift” LEGO Store is a welcomed gesture from the LEGO, I hope that they will find a way to offer the same gift with purchase (GWP) sets in all Pop-Up Stores as well.
Furthermore, since this project is still in its experimental stages, each of the six LEGO Pop-Up Stores to be opened across the US will be transient, operating only in a few weeks. A sign outside the store will remind customers and LEGO fans how many days are left until the LEGO Pop-Up Store wraps it up.
So what do you think of the concept behind the LEGO Pop-Up Store? Do you think it will take off? What other things or activities do you want to see in the store to make it more appealing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
LEGO will always have a home with so many retail chains, toy-specific or otherwise, around the world. But sometimes, they just need space all for themselves and their wide variety of products. That’s what the branded LEGO Stores are for, and they’ve been popping up all over the US lately. And so there is yet one more LEGO Store coming stateside, and it’ll be at the Crossgates Mall in the Guilderland suburb of Albany, New York. An official press release for the new LEGO Store in Albany promises all the familiar friendly features that defines the latest wave of the company’s branded stores.
Aside from the expected consumer play areas and interior design that’s great for kids, the Albany LEGO Store will have the now-standard “Pick & Build Wall”, the “Living Room” interaction area, and the circumferential “Brand Ribbon” that showcases already-built LEGO models interspersed with snippets of brand history and LEGO trivia.
Future guests will enjoy being able to get first crack at new LEGO sets being available right at the release dates, from early-age Duplo to licensed franchises to hot-selling lines like Ninjago, City and Friends. The LEGO Store in Albany at the Crossroads Mall will open in November, near simultaneously with other soon-to-come US stores like in Louisiana and South Carolina.
It is almost the weekends, and for those of you who are looking forward for that weekend build, this could only mean one thing: you can finally open this month’s next wave of new and exclusive LEGO Store D2C sets that you have just purchased today, thanks to your LEGO VIP membership perks. But before you do, be sure to wake up from this daydream and go out there and actually get your hands on the new LEGO Star Wars Betrayal at Cloud City (75222) and the holiday-themed LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Fire Station (10263). These direct-to-consumer sets are now exclusively available for early VIP access starting today at all LEGO brand stores and at shop.LEGO.com. Just click on the affiliate links below for more details.
Relive a world of unforgettable moments from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back or add your own fun twists to the story with this LEGO® Star Wars 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City set. The amazingly detailed set is divided into 4 sections, each depicting scenes from the classic movie. There’s a landing platform complete with Boba Fett’s Slave I ship, a detailed promenade, a dining room with seating for 5 minifigures, a garbage processing room with incinerator, and a sensor balcony for epic Luke vs. Vader Lightsaber duels. There’s also a carbon freeze chamber with a function to ‘freeze’ Han in carbonite, an interrogation chamber and prison cell, a secondary landing platform for the Twin-Pod Cloud Car, and so much more. Add an astonishing 18 LEGO minifigures plus 2 droids to the mix, and you have a set that Star Wars and LEGO fans of any age would be proud to add to their collection.
Welcome to the snowy LEGO® Creator Expert 10263 Winter Village Fire Station, where the firefighters are enjoying the calm of the holiday season. This delightful LEGO set features a 2-level, holly-adorned building with an upper-level kitchen, complete with a red telephone, table, fold-down bed and a LEGO light brick. Behind the large red fire station doors, you’ll discover firefighting equipment and a fire pole, while outside there’s an ice rink with a decorative firefighter statue, a decorated Christmas tree with transparent star and gifts, plus a bench and lamppost. This set also features a classic red fire truck with a turntable ladder, hoses, toolbox and deep-tread tires. Gather the family and bring the magic of the holiday season to your home with this festive LEGO Creator Expert set. Includes 6 minifigures, plus baby and Dalmatian figures, and a brick-built snowman.
For a closer look at the features of this new and exclusive LEGO Store D2C sets, you may watch this first review video for the Betrayal at Cloud City (75322) set, and a nice designer video of the Winter Village Fire Station (10263). Happy building!
While LEGO products have long been available for customers at general and toy-oriented retail chains around the world, the idea of a branded LEGO Store is a fairly recent concept. The first one opened in Cologne, Germany back in 2002, followed by the LEGO Store Milton Keynes in the UK in 2008.
Since the opening of UK’s first LEGO Store a decade ago, there have been lots of LEGO Stores in the United Kingdom, some of which like in London’s Leicester Square have risen in prominence over Milton Keynes. But the first and original LEGO Store Milton Keynes still draws a sense of nostalgia over fans, and as such will be slated for a much needed makeover. That explains the month-long closure of the LEGO Store there.
One other reason for the refurbishment of the LEGO Store Milton Keynes was to bring it up to date with the now-consistent style of all branded LEGO Stores across the globe. The store’s Facebook Events page assures customers that they’ll reopen October 4.
Needless to say perhaps, but The LEGO Group will have a grand reopening event for the LEGO Store Milton Keynes that will run from October 4, a Thursday, all the way to the weekend culminating on Sunday, October 7. And they’ve got freebies waiting for returning customers all those four days.
Until October 7, each first 100 customers of every day that spends at least £15 in LEGO will get a free goody bag. In addition, customers spending a minimum £125 will get a free exclusive LEGO Brand Store (40145) set which first appeared as a LEGO Brand Store opening gift-with-purchase (GWP) set back in 2014. To be exact, there was also a similar GWP set that were released earlier in 2012, with the LEGO Brand Retail Store (3300003). However, it is most likely that most the recent model will be given away once the LEGO Store Milton Keynes opens again, since the LEGO Brand Store (40145) reflects the design elements of later LEGO Stores.
LEGO has made it official: several LEGO VIP members in London may now become the very first proud owners of the massively cool, LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) ahead of the set’s global release on October 1. Posted as a Facebook event, LEGO announces the midnight launch of the famed 7,500+ piece set at London’s LEGO flagship store at Leicester Square. Here are the details.
LEGO Star Wars fans rejoice! The time to celebrate the arrival of the biggest ever LEGO set has come!
Come join us and become one of the first owners* of the brand new LEGO® Star Wars™ Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon 75192.
We will be opening the LEGO Store at Leicester Square on September 13th at 11:59 PM for the release of this epic set!
The first 100 people to purchase this set will receive a limited edition LEGO VIP card** entitling the bearer to exclusive VIP benefits in 2018.
You can even have your LEGO Star Wars set signed by the LEGO Designers Jens Kronvold Frederiksen and Michael Lee Stockwell.
Line up early to ensure entry, as space is limited. Looking forward to see there.
Though LEGO’s announcement of the Falcon’s first 100 sets being made available for the first 100 customers who will hold a vigil on the 13th, the post didn’t mention exactly how many sets will the store be able to sell on that day. Rebelscumseems to stumble upon an intel that suggests that the LEGO London Leicester Store will be able to hold stocks for 147 sets and no more, considering the sheer size of these sets and its box dimensions. Once sold out (which I reckon will be very, very quickly), the UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) will only be available again during its global release on October 1.
Another interesting bit of novelty that comes with the perks of being the very first owner of the UCS Millennium Falcon is the privilege of having your UCS MF sets signed by its respective designers. However, the lead designer for the 75192 Hans Burkhard Schlömer (who goes by the name BrickCommander over at Brickset) has confirmed that he will not be around during the signing.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of good things in store even if you missed out on meeting Hans in person. Being one of the very first LEGO Star Wars faithful to own the UCS Falcon also allows you to be the proud holder of a limited edition black and silver LEGO VIP Card – a fitting tribute to the world’s largest LEGO set. As The Brick Fan pointed out, LEGO released the very first Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon (10179) back in 2007 together with a Certificate of Authenticity. Now fast forward 10 years later, a set as grand as 75192 is also expected to land in LEGO stores with a sense of exclusivity. Though there seem to be no double VIP points offered during this period, being an owner of this exclusive black VIP card will entitle its bearer to special LEGO Star Wars promotions slated in 2018. According to sources, LEGO fans in the US who will purchase the 75192 until the end of this year, both in-store and online (given that there are still stocks left), will also be entitled to this exclusive LEGO VIP card.
LEGO fans in London surely have the larger share of the brick-built pie on this one, and the rest of us will have to wait until October to secure our own copy. We’re not sure if this midnight launch promotional on the 13th will only be limited or exclusive to the LEGO Store in Leicester Square – we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for more news on this side of the galaxy so be sure to bookmark our site and sign-up for our notifications.
