Category: Movies

The LEGO Batman Movie has taken the box office by storm, and if you think you haven’t had your fill of Batman mania yet, then it’s nice to know that there is one more set that is pretty interesting to have. The LEGO Batman Movie – Movie Maker Set (853650) aims to bring out the creative, stop-motion artist in everyone. News about this set has been around for quite some time, and now that we have the following official images, we can now take a closer look on how the set is intended to be used and played.

The LBM Movie Maker set consists of 152 pieces and features a build where you can snugly mount your smart phone or any similarly designed digital camera. It also comes with a Batman minifigure (how many Batman minifigs are out there by the way) and a nifty, transparent minifig stand for that added special effect. The set also comes with a base that is attached to the camera stand for a more stabilized shot at varying angles. If you’re into amateur brick-built films, then this set is a must-see.

There is no news yet of when it will be available in the US via in store and online, but since these images were already uploaded via LEGO’s servers, hopefully, we’ll get more info about its release date by the first week of March or any time soon.

Previously, we looked into the possible names of the latest LEGO CMF Series that was revealed during this weekend’s New York Toy Fair. The LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 17 (71018) is one of the 300 new sets/items that LEGO has promised to reveal during the NYTF. However, TLG still seems to be leveraging on the excitement of the Toy Fair by holding back on its reveals to the general public. The sets from LEGO’s third cinematic offering, The LEGO Ninjago Movie, has been revealed at NYTF but as it turned out, any kind of video recording or photography is not allowed.

Fortunately for us, Jason and the kind folks from BZPower were there to capture the excitement of the Toy Fair for everyone’s enjoyment. Though prohibited to take photos, BZPower was kind enough to describe some of the LNM sets on display, having as reference the trailer of the film. You may want to watch the trailer one more time to have a good grasp on what sets we can expect from this theme.

First off, the minifigures that were reported to come with the LNM sets are:

• Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya. According to BZPower, they look exactly like their versions as shown in the LEGO Ninjago Movie trailer.

• Lord Garmadon and Master Wu. Both characters are given a ‘rebooted’ version, though it is not mentioned if they will both be appearing in a same set or each will get their own. Lloyd’s mom and Master Wu’s sister-in-law, Koko, is also said to make an appearance in a particular LEGO set.

• Other minor characters which include several citizens of Ninjago City, and Garmadon’s henchmen.
• Not-so-ordinary minifigs such as baddies wearing sea creature costumes similar to Shark Suit Guy, and headgears that looks like a crab, octopus and puffer fish of sorts.

• The LEGO Ninjago Movie collectible minifigures (71019). Though there has been varying reports about the actual number of characters included in this set, it is more plausible that the said CMF will feature 16, never-before-seen minifigures.

On to the sets. If you recall, we featured last month a list of possible set names rumored to be included in The LEGO Ninjago Movie theme. The list initially appeared in Brickset and Pricevortex, but for some reason was removed afterwards. Let us see if we can compare the descriptions provided by BZPower to that of what we know regarding the set names. Please bear in mind that this is my own theory, and we hope to confirm this once the official images roll in before August.

• BZPower confirms that the host of enemy ships at the start of the trailer gets an official LEGO set. These flying ships resemble something like a giant manta ray, with a predominant gray color. Perhaps these manta-like ships will be included in the Ninjago City Invasion (70620).

• It was also confirmed that Lloyd’s impressive green dragon will also be having a building set of its own. We’re not sure of what set this might belong to since Dragon’s Cove (70611) and Ninjago City Invasion (70620) are both likely candidates.

• Kai’s mech as seen in the trailer, reminds me much of the LEGO Ideas Exosuit (21109), but on a whole new level. We can only surmise that this is Kai’s Blazing Breaker (70614), though it may not look exactly like the one used by Kai in the film since it was scaled down a bit. However, if LEGO will consider making a UCS-like set of Kai’s mech, then I will not be surprised if this will be LEGO Ninjago’s best set ever.

• Cole’s one-wheeled mech was not on display at the time. We’ll just wait later on if this is one of the fourteen LNM sets that LEGO has been keeping under wraps before they become officially available in August.
• The four-legged, spider-like mech piloted by Zane was also reported to be coming as an official LEGO set. BZPower was a little unsure though if this set can be considered as the final version of Zane’s four-legged ride.
• The ship that flies in the background of this screen grab was said to belong to Jay, and as far as the report goes, the actual set is a very close rendition of the one seen in the film and may perhaps bear the set name, Jay’s Electro Waver (70606)
• Destiny’s Bounty gets a reboot for The LEGO Ninjago Movie, and is believed to be grandest version of the ship as of to date.

As a final note, it was also mentioned that there will be smaller, ‘non-vehicle’ playsets to be offered under the LNM theme. Their overall design, as BZPower points out, “were well done and probably some of the best Ninjago sets we’ve gotten to date”. We’ll be looking forward to seeing their official images in the next few months. So what do you think about these sets? Do you think they have the potential of bringing the world of LEGO Ninjago on a whole new level awesomeness?

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is slated to hit theaters on September 22.

We’ve reported that Star Wars Force Friday II has been confirmed, where Disney and Lucasfilm have partnered for the second time around with leading manufacturers to create an awesome Star Wars experience for fans across the world in preparation for the theatrical debut of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Though this huge promotional is still seven months from now, the legion of Star Wars faithful is already looking forward to the event.

To add to the excitement, Episode VIII director Rian Johnson recently shared a tidbit of a teaser to whet the appetite of those looking forward to see what’s in store in the 8^th instalment of the gargantuan movie franchise. We saw that Rey will be sporting a new look in The Last Jedi, and this time it’s the iconic foot soldier of the ominous First Order that will get a bit of a rehash. Johnson took it to Tumblr to share this photo of the new First Order Stormtrooper that will make their debut in Episode VIII as you can see from the image below.

Frankly, at first glance, there is not much of a difference between this newer version of the Stormtrooper to that of 2015’s version in The Force Awakens. It may not be noticeable for the casual observer, but a hardcore SW fan will be quick to point this out. Movie news website Slashfilms compared images of the 2015 and 2017 First Order Stormtrooper and noticed some very subtle differences between the two, particularly with their helmets. The one on the left is the Stormtrooper from TFA while the one on the right is from the upcoming TLJ.

According to Slashfilms, “It’s barely noticeable, but the black nose ridge that runs arches across the lower part of the helmet [of the Episode VIII Stormtrooper] appears to be slightly thinner than the older design. The eyes are slightly more triangular as well.” Other than the helmet, there seems virtually no difference between the rest of the trooper’s armor and accessories. The sleeker helmet design from the latter seems to give a more, villainous and indifferent look to these apathetic foot soldiers.

If you recall, the LEGO minifigure version of the First Order Stormtrooper as they debuted in The Force Awakens has a helmet design which is very similar to the image above.

Now, the question in every LEGO Star Wars fan is, will or has LEGO included these minute details in its upcoming Star Wars The Last Jedi sets? Other than the new look that we saw from Rey, will the First Order Stormtrooper be getting the same treatment? Though it highly unlikely that we will know the answers at the LEGO Booth in the New York Toy Fair, our best bet of confirming this is when Force Friday II begins in September.

So what do you think brick fans? Is this something that you’ll look forward to among the upcoming LEGO Star Wars The Last Jedi sets? Let us know in the comments below and join in the discussion on our Facebook page.

Credit: Slashfilms via ITM.