If one is to ask LEGO, they would say that theirs are the only true building-brick construction toy brand in the world, with every other company manufacturing any toy blocks with an interlocking-stud system being in violation of their original brick patent. LEGO has crusaded against such copycat toy rip-offs in China this year and previously. Now they have a new target in the U.S. in the person of Zuru Toys.
LEGO is taking exception to Zuru Toys, a company with a wide variety of products for kids that has recently rolled out two construction-brick lines, Max Build More and Mayka launched just this October. The Denmark-based global toy giant is filing a restraining order from their US HQ in Connecticut to keep MBM and Mayka products off the shelves of toy retailers such as Walmart.
In their RO filing, LEGO points out that not only do the Max Build More and Mayka toys from Zuru have the telltale LEGO-brick interlocking studs, plus similar-looking human minifigures, the deliberate marketing of MBM as having more brick pieces at affordable prices than LEGO sets is a “fair-play” violation.
In LEGO’s words, the cheaper rates for Max Build More brick products can do “irreparable harm” to the reputation of more expensively priced but high-quality LEGO sets, and also trigger consumer confusion during holiday shopping by exploiting their desires for bargains. Lastly, the toy giant is also playing the “copyright infringement” card on Zuru’s “inferior” products.
For their part, Zuru Toys has sent word via their representing attorney Thomas Dunlap of Dunlap, Bennett & Ludwig that LEGO’s complaint and restraining order filing is being reviewed by his clients, pending a response.
We’ve waited several months on end to learn what the subtitle would be for MCU’s Avengers 4, the conclusion to the finger-spanning-ly tragic Avengers: Infinity War last April. Now, we know it’ll be called Avengers: Endgame, bringing Phase 4 of the MCU franchise to an end nearly a year to the day after the last one, on April 2019. Seeing as the MCU, and Marvel in general, are quite popular subjects in licensed LEGO sets, it was inevitable that not only the company itself but its solid fandom would start paying tribute to this long-awaited monumental superhero film. And they’re doing it through these fan-made LEGO Avengers: Endgame trailers.
Two particular versions of these painstakingly produced fan-made LEGO Avengers: Endgame trailers using real LEGO bricks and minifigures have now garnered attention over on YouTube. They’re both the work of stop-motion LEGO animators with longtime channels on the video-sharing platform.
First off, we have this all-natural no-frills interpretation courtesy of Bricky Studios:
And then we have this enhanced brick-rendered trailer from Huxley Berg Studios, which blends the plastic actors and sets with some rudimentary but appropriate special effects to blow minds:
That’d give Brickfilm Day’s Bohemian Rhapsody trailer a good run for its money in effects-blending. Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame is set to premiere on April 26 next year. For comparison’s sake, we’re linking the official movie trailer here for you.
When Guinness Book of World Records featured LEGO sets in its 2019 edition, nobody might have expected them to offer a giveaway of one of those sets to those who answered a trivia question on their website. Then, it just ballooned as one by one the eight prominent “record-holding” LEGO sets from the 2019 book were promoted in the contest. Now, the Guinness World Records official website is holding one more trivia contest. On the line is the seventh – and probably the penultimate – LEGO set to be given away, not a record-holder itself but based on one iconic recorded event: the LEGO Creator Expert Wright Flyer (10124).
The rather uncommon LEGO Creator Expert Wright Flyer (10124) set is a model build of the historic Guinness record-holder of the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air powered aircraft. As anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of history knows, the Wright Flyer was built by the Wright Brothers Orville and Wilbur, who flew the pioneering airplane near Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903.
Once again, the contest is valid only for Guinness website visitors from Canada, Ireland, and the UK. They just need to answer the trivia question on the LEGO Wright Flyer info page and add their contact information. The submission deadline will be on Friday, December 14 at around midnight GMT.
Designing a system of plastic bricks and pieces that can be assembled, stand up to semi-rough handling, and yet still be disassembled without too much effort is an art mastered by LEGO. It’s these qualities that put LEGO above many inferior copycats. But even this well-established toy brand has off days too. Since the start of 2018, there have been LEGO owners who have noticed that some bricks and building elements of a particular range of color have been, well, less robust than their fellows. They would either snap apart or crumble into fragments when tried to attach to another brick. And these primarily happen amongst reddish brown bricks.
A Common Problem: LEGO Reddish Brown Bricks Are So Brittle!
After a majority of the year without any announcement by the LEGO Group about the problem of brittle, reddish brown bricks, the LEGO Group finally released their official statement addressing the oddities found in these LEGO pieces. Furthermore, they’ve also added that these quality issues are solved.
LEGO Group Apologizes for the Brittle Reddish Brown Bricks
It’s possible that the issue didn’t escalate into something ugly because many owners who encountered the problematic reddish brown bricks were smart enough to go to LEGO Customer Service with their concerns, and received replacement bricks. The LEGO announcement not stating specific sets affected by inferior component bricks was also a positive step.
Anyway, here’s the LEGO announcement:
The LEGO Group has been working hard to address reported issues with Reddish Brown bricks becoming brittle and breaking under use.
The issues have been identified and we are happy to announce that they have been fixed.
The fixes were put in place earlier this year for the LEGO colours 154 (New Dark Red), 192 (Reddish Brown) and 308 (Dark Brown).
We waited until now to make the announcement, as we wanted to be 100% certain all issues had been addressed and fixed.
If you, at any time, have a LEGO element which doesn’t live up to the standard you’d expect from us – then please don’t hesitate to contact Customer Service and we will send you replacement parts.
We are terribly sorry for the inconveniences this has caused our loyal LEGO Fans across the World.
It’s December now, and thus merchandise themed after the Holidays are starting to dominate the shopping scene. The same goes for LEGO, with a variety of Christmas-themed sets already available online and in stores. They also have licensed collaborations with other companies such as Hallmark, which is introducing a line of LEGO-themed Christmas tree ornaments. For this year, Hallmark is proud to present its 2018 Hallmark LEGO Christmas ornaments for hanging on a Christmas tree or anywhere else needing some “bricky” holiday cheer. Both ornaments are shaped as large LEGO minifigures, each taken from two hit LEGO films, the LEGO Ninjago and LEGO Batman Movies.
The LEGO Batman Movie ornament depicts Joker himself, with his long, purple coattails and shark-toothed grin. His LEGO Ninjago Movie counterpart is Lloyd, dashing to action with his trusty sword in hand. Both Hallmark ornaments are just over two and a half inches tall, just the right decorative ornament size. Read for the full details on these new, 2018 Hallmark LEGO Christmas ornaments.
The LEGO® Batman Movie™ The Joker™ Ornament
Laugh your way through the holidays with The Joker™. With his shocking green hair and perpetual grin, he longs to take over Gotham City™ as Batman’s greatest enemy. Build on the excitement of “The LEGO® Batman Movie™” with this Christmas tree ornament that’s fun for fans of all ages.
Artist crafted by Jake Angell, this Christmas tree ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. Dated 2018 in copyright.
With unparalleled artistry and exceptional detail, each festive and collectible Keepsake Ornament is made for years of celebrations.
From preserving precious memories to commemorating special milestones and interests, there’s a Hallmark ornament for everyone on your gift list.
Hallmark has been your family-owned creator of greeting cards, gifts, gift wrap, ornaments and more for over 100 years. We take deep pride in helping individuals connect in just the right way.
Plastic Christmas tree ornament is lead-free and measures 2.52″ W x 2.64″ H x 2.44″ D.
THE LEGO® NINJAGO® MOVIE™ Lloyd Ornament
In the LEGO® NINJAGO® MOVIE™, young Master Builder Lloyd Garmadon (aka The Green Ninja) and his friends are on a quest to defeat the evil warlord Garmadon—who also happens to be his father. Bring home our Christmas tree ornament of the unforgettable hero to delight kids, LEGO® fans and aspiring ninjas of all ages.
Artist crafted by Jake Angell, this Christmas tree ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage. 2018 in copyright.
With unparalleled artistry and exceptional detail, each festive and collectible Keepsake Ornament is made for years of celebrations.
From preserving precious memories to commemorating special milestones and interests, there’s a Hallmark ornament for everyone on your gift list.
Hallmark has been your family-owned creator of greeting cards, gifts, gift wrap, ornaments and more for over 100 years. We take deep pride in helping individuals connect in just the right way.
Plastic Christmas tree ornament is lead-free and measures 1.9″ W x 2.46″ H x 2.79″ D.
These 2018 Hallmark LEGO Christmas ornaments are both priced at $15.99 and can be purchased directly from Hallmark, or Amazon where discounts might be possible but not yet announced. If you prefer Christmas shopping in the traditional way, then Hallmarks stores also have them.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is still some over two months away from cinemas, but anticipation is already up thanks to the trailers, and the reveal of the tie-in sets being released in 2019. But it’s not just the brick sets; the film has more merchandise than that.
For instance, there’s going to be a series of themed LEGO watches also tying in to the sequel for the surprise hit 2014 film. Even better, these watches will come out before this year ends, in late December. They’re manufactured by theme-watchmaker Clictime, a certified LEGO licensee for 18 years.
Thus far there have only been three variants of these Clictime LEGO watches, each depicting a prominent LEGO Movie character in both the face and as a minifigure ornament molded into the strap. We have Emmet (above), Lucy Wyldstyle and Princess Unikitty (below) available for franchise fans who want more stuff than another LEGO set.
Clictime already has a wide selection of LEGO watches for collectors, including series for LEGO City, Friends, Ninjago, its movie version, and The LEGO Batman Movie among so many others. The LEGO Movie 2 for its part will be premiering on February 8, 2019 with its tie-in sets also releasing around that same time frame.
It’s become quite the acceptable medium to honor some famous person or other who has earned an achievement in his or her career by having a life-sized statue of them made out of LEGO bricks. It’s simply a natural development from building LEGO figuresoffavorite characters from any franchise.
Quite recently, the Dallas Cowboys also commissioned a LEGO statue to be put in front of their team headquarters at The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Said figure is none other than their former player and now-ESPN color analyst for Monday Night Football, tight end Jason Witten.
Twitter first became aware of the LEGO Witten statue the week before, when the first posts came up November 23. Needless to say, it’s become an additional tourist attraction and selfie magnet in the Cowboys HQ. No info was shared as to who built the figure for The Star, but its construction fits the styling of past sporting-figure LEGO constructs.
LEGO or otherwise, having such an honor done for Jason Witten is well-earned. He spent all 15 years of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys after all, from 2007 to 2017. In that time he established himself as one of the best tight ends in the league with 68 TDs and 1,152 receptions over the span of 239 games.
Nobody knows if the real Witten has gone on to see his LEGO rendition yet, but the brick-built statue remains at Cowboys HQ in the Star for all future visits.
Cyber Monday is almost over, and you still have time to enjoy tons of savings at The Brick Show Shop before the day ends. Get your TBS fix and other high-quality custom LEGO builds and pieces for as much as 40% from their original price – that’s almost half of its original retail price slashed off. From top-sellers such as our hugely popular custom LEGO vending machines, arcades, and uniquely printed custom LEGO pieces, you’ll never run out of resources to finish that MOC you’re working on.
Take a Look at These Super Saving Cyber Monday Deals at The Brick Show Shop!
As a LEGO fan, you might also want to show your passion for the brick in unique and clever ways through this selection of Brick Tees starting at $9. It’s Cyber Monday, so we’re putting these high-quality shirts on discount as well.
Custom LEGO Shirts
AFOL Mac and Cheese TeeAFOL I’m A STUDThe official Brick Show ShirtBrick Chick Ladies Shirt
Remember, these deals are happening only for today so better hurry before time runs out. Just click on the images below to bring you directly to the category of your choice and use the coupon code CYBER upon checkout to avail the 40% discount for ALL of the items listed in The Brick Show Shop. Happy shopping!
Custom LEGO Vending Machines and More at The Brick Show Shop!
At this rate, Guinness World Records will end up offering one copy of each LEGO set featured on their 2019 Edition Book of Records. Now we have Guinness trivia contest number 4 and the prize LEGO set’s a bit more monumental in scale this time.
By that we mean GWR is giving away a LEGO set of the Eiffel Tower, which originally carried the record for tallest man-made structure (beaten by the Chrysler Building in 1930) and to this day, the record holder for tallest iron structure (300 meters, excluding a 1950s-era 24-meter TV antenna).
Judging from the LEGO build photo in the Eiffel Tower’s Guinness 2019 entry, this is probably the 1:300 LEGO set (10181) and not the more abstract-looking LEGO Architecture version (21019). To win it, any Guinness website visitors from Canada, Ireland and the UK can go to the Eiffel Tower info page and answer the trivia question to the right, plus their name, address and email.
Eligible entries must be sent before the deadline of Friday, November 23, 11:59 PM GMT.
Everything is becoming more awesome, especially right after the official trailer of The LEGO Movie 2 has just dropped over the Internet. And finally, we now have official images of nineteen – yes, 19 – new The LEGO Movie 2 sets known so far.
We first had a sampling of things to come with regards to these TLM2 tie-in sets when the first three of them were revealed just in time for the San Diego Comic Con last July. This time around, we can now clearly see how the LEGO designers in Billund explored and stretched the possibility of LEGO’s full range of sets, combining them in one sandbox of a theme. It’s like creative play in action and the outcome can never be more awesome!
I’m looking forward to most of these sets already: we have now have an idea where to find that new teal brick separator (if you’re the completionist type), and I can just imagine how many AFOLs will love to have their hands on that new line of space minifigures. And as expected, LEGO is definitely pushing forward for a more noticeable developmental approach in offering their sets, with a new 4+ and Duplo set included in the theme.
We’ll, enough of my comments. Let’s just feast our eyes on these new The LEGO Movie 2 sets which will be available to the public starting December 26, 2018. Be warned though, that some of these sets and their descriptions might be a bit spoilery about the film which slated to arrive in US theaters in February 8, 2019.
Emmet and Benny’s ‘Build and Fix Workshop’ (70821) 117 pieces | Ages 4+ | $19.99 USD
Specially designed for younger builders ages 4 and up, this playset lets kids use the tools to fix Benny’s Spaceship and Emmet’s Escape Buggy. Kids can “pump gas” into the vehicles and launch them into orbit, then use the spaceship’s buggy to explore new planets! Includes Emmet and Benny minifigures.
Builders can pretend to enjoy a drink and a snack with this fun building set featuring 3 buildable LEGO MOVIE 2 figures—Unikitty, Ice Cream Cone and Chocolate Bar—plus a tea trolley with teapot, coffee cup and cake accessory elements designed to inspire creative play.
Kids can raise their master-building ability to another level with Emmet’s Thricycle! This awesome building set features a minifigure seat, 3 vertically stacked rubber tires and foldout stabilizers. It includes a fuel station, with a buildable gas pump, catapult function and parking spot for the Thricycle, plus THE LEGO MOVIE 2 characters—an Emmet minifigure and a brick-built alien invader with a chomping mouth and rotating cyclops eye. Includes Emmet minifigure and buildable Alien Invader.
Join Lucy and meet the shape-shifting Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi for the first time with this fun building set that features a brick-built Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi in horse form with a rotating platform, plus 5 interchangeable face expression decorations for rebuilding the shape-shifting queen into pile-of-bricks form. Set also includes a buildable Banarnar character, Sweet Mayhem and Susan minidolls, and a Lucy minifigure.
Kids can build and rebuild THE LEGO MOVIE 2 shape-shifting star Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi in 15 different forms with this open-ended creative building box! This set has instructions to build each version of the shape-shifting queen, from a grumpy volcano to a happy butterfly or colorful rocket, and also includes inspirational ideas for young master builders to create their own shapes.
Kids can display their master building versatility when they rebuild the 3-in-1 offroader and Recon Rex-o-saurus into the Rex-o-saurus Quad or Execu-Rex-o-saurus. The offroader seats 2 minifigures and has a rotating rear turret with 2 stud shooters, while the Recon Rex-o-saurus features snapping jaws, posable legs, 2 stud shooters and a buildable removable gun (non-shooting) that can also be used as a minifigure weapon. Includes Rex Dangervest and Emmet minifigures and a buildable Plantimal character.
Kids can ride into battle against the alien invader with this building set. Ultrakatty features a minifigure cockpit, a posable head which can be rebuilt for 3 different facial expressions, and a posable tail and legs. This awesome building toy includes Lucy and Emmet minifigures, plus a brick-built alien invader with a chomping mouth and rotating eye, to recreate action-packed scenes from the film.
Pop-Up Party Bus (70828) 1,013 pieces | Ages 9+ | $79.99 USD
Kids can board the Pop-Up Party Bus and party on with Chad, Amber and Zebe. This fun building set features an opening cockpit for the Zebe figure, opening roof and sides for easy play, foldout loudspeakers, a LEGO light brick to light up the rotating dancefloor and a flip-up disco ball with translucent colored elements. Includes Unikitty, Chad and Amber minidolls and a brick-built Zebefigure.
Kids can escape danger by building Emmet and Lucy’s Escape Buggy, featuring seats for 2 minifigures, opening doors and hood, foldout arrow gun (non-shooting) and suspension. This fun-packed construction toy also includes a buildable base with an explode function, 3 minifigures and 3 buildable figures—MetalBeard, Star and Heart—with cool weapons and accessory elements.
Kids can help Emmet and Lucy evade capture by Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship, featuring an opening cockpit for a minidoll or minifigure, retractable landing gear, disc shooter, a roll of stickers and an opening prison cell. This fun construction toy includes 2 minifigures, a minidoll figure and buildable Star and Heart toy figures to role-play action from the film.
This 2-in-1 building set features Emmet’s home which can be rebuilt into a rocket. The house toy opens out for easy interior play and has a detailed living room/kitchen and attic. Remove the roof and use parts from the water tower and barricade to create a rocket with spring-loaded shooters and adjustable engines. Includes Emmet, Lucy, and Rex Dangervest minifigures, plus buildable Planty and Warrior Kitty characters.
Open a world of master building adventures with this versatile builder box, featuring 3 buildable models—Emmet’s digger vehicle, house and construction mech. The digger has an adjustable front bucket to lift rubble elements, the mini-build house features an opening door and the rotating construction mech has a minifigure cockpit, 4 posable arms and 2 demolition balls. Includes an Emmet minifigure and a brick-built alien invader for endless role-play fun.
Give your young master builder hours of fun with this versatile builder box! This creative toy features 3 buildable models—Lucy’s motorcycle with a ramp, a rotating dance stage and the Unikitty spa with spa bath and washstand. Includes a Lucy minifigure and a brick-built Unikitty figure for endless role-play fun.
MetalBeard’s Heavy Metal Motor Trike (70834) 458 pieces | Ages 7+ | $59.99 USD
Builders can power into battle against Sweet Mayhem and Star with this fun set that features a built-in MetalBeard minifigure head, rotating turret with adjustable shooting cannons, adjustable shark shooter with snapping jaws, crow’s nest and flag and a huge front wheel. Includes an Apocalypse-borg Benny minifigure and a Sweet Mayhem minidoll figure with cool weapons and accessories, plus a brick-built Star figure to recreate action-packed adventures from the film.
Kids can team up with Rex, Emmet and the raptors against the Plantimals with this building set. The Rexplorer features 2 opening cockpits, spring-loaded and stud shooters, rotating engines, an opening rear compartment for interior play, and a removable speeder. Features 2 raptor figures with a brick-built mountable stud shooter and raptor skateboard, plus 2 brick-built Plantimals (including one with a trap function). Includes Rex Dangervest and Emmet minifigures.
Battle-ready Batman and MetalBeard (70836) 168 pieces | Ages 6+ | $19.99 USD
Builders can scuttle into action against Star with this action-packed Batman playset featuring the famous pirate MetalBeard in crabmech form, with a built-in LEGO MetalBeard minifigure head, opening treasure chest with MetalBeard’s internal organ elements, flip-down crow’snest with a flag and posable legs, plus a Batman throne with an adjustable ‘You’re Welcome’ sign. Includes 2 minifigures, a brick-built Star figure, and weapons and accessories.
Kids can join forces with Benny’s Space Squad for fun adventures in outer space. This action-packed building set features a spaceship toy with a minifigure seat and a lunar buggy with 2 minifigure seats. Role-play scenes from THE LEGO MOVIE 2 with this space toy for kids including 4 LEGO astronaut minifigures with assorted accessories.
Kids can make their own movies with this versatile building set, featuring a movie stage, camera stand for a smartphone device and plenty of cool action props! The stage features a frame with sliding, adjustable arms at the top to hold and animate props, characters and accessory elements, a double-sided backdrop with alternative scenes, plus a platform with built-in sliders to move characters around. Young film makers can attach the camera stand to any of the 3 special points on the stage for different angles and camera panning movements. This THE LEGO MOVIE 2 set also comes with action props like Emmet’s Escape Buggy and Rex’s Rexplorer, 3 minifigures, a minidoll figure, 4 brick-built figures and a raptor figure for creative play.
Emmet and Lucy’s Visitors from the DUPLO Planet (10895) 53 pieces | Ages 2+ | $29.99 USD
Introduce toddlers to the color and creativity of THE LEGO MOVIE 2 with this fun preschool building set. Little fans of Emmet and Lucy will love helping them defend against the easy-to-build alien invaders! Then mix all the bright and chunky DUPLO bricks up so young children can create more aliens of their own, developing imagination and fine motor skills on their journey to becoming the next master builder! Includes 2 LEGO DUPLO figures: Emmet and Lucy, plus 4 buildable alien invaders.
