Rumors Say Viking Longship Among Planned LEGO Creator Sets for 2022

LEGO Creator has had a fruitful, set-laden year for 2021. They released sets ranging from flowers to vehicles. There are the 3-in-1 sets that got the building imagination going. And lastly, the Creator Expert sets have been blowing lots of minds this year. Who can say no to more (detailed) vehicles and structures like FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou (10284)? This September, year 2021 comes to its home stretch. That means more LEGO set release news become frequently for next year. So it is that The Brick Fan is sharing what they heard is in store for LEGO Creator in 2022.

The details they got for the planned Creator sets include the names, numbers, number pieces, and (European) pricing. And some items don’t get all that info. For the Creator sets with number of pieces listed, none appear to be Creator Expert-sized. Of the remaining three, one is an Expert possibility (a building). Another seems to herald the return of a classic LEGO-original kiddie theme: Vikings. Of the rest, at least one seems fit to be a Creator 3-in-1. In fact, let’s not keep you readers waiting. Here are the supposed upcoming 2022 LEGO Creator sets:

  • Off-Road Buggy (31123) – 160 pieces, €14.99/$17.71
  • Super Mech (31124) – 159 pieces, €9.99/$11.80
  • Forest Mythical Creatures (31125) – 175 pieces, €14.99/$17.71 (betting this will be a 3-in-1)
  • Supersonic Jet (31126) – 215 pieces, €19.99/$23.61
  • Speedster (31127) – 258 pieces, €19.99/$23.61
  • Dolphin and Turtle (31128) – 137 pieces, €9.99/$11.80
  • Majestic Tiger (31129) – 755 pieces, €49.99/$59.05
  • Submarine (31130)
  • Townhouse/Noodle Shop (31131)
  • Viking Longship and Sea Serpent (31132) (return of LEGO Vikings, perhaps?)

So we have several vehicles, animals and a building up there. Pretty good rumors, if you ask me. And it would be great if they get confirmed by LEGO eventually. But until they are, keep your grain of salt handy.

LEGO Teases a New LEGO Super Mario Set

LEGO Super Mario has got to be one of the most successful “new” licensed IPs to get LEGO representation. While fans have been building Mario-themed stuff for years, it wasn’t until 2020 that LEGO and Nintendo made things official. Since then, the new sets have just kept coming. With a battery-powered buildable LEGO Super Mario character as a centerpiece, the new line has captured fans from multiple generations. And the blitz is not quite over. Back in July, there was talk of a Princess Peach Castle set becoming a direct-to-consumer release later this year. A new teaser has rekindled the speculations, setting the stage for the imminent arrival of what could be a new LEGO Super Mario set.

Well okay – the 22-second teaser on LEGO’s official Twitter page mentions no castles. It’s really just a dramatic camera pan on a shadowed brick-built Super Mario question mark cube. The ending with the text “We’ve got a ‘?’ for you” does make the mind-gears spin.

Is LEGO going to reveal that Princess Peach Castle (71395) now? Is the 3D presentation of the question mark cube cluing that the next set homages one of Nintendo’s later-gen/3D “Mario” titles? Or is the upcoming set…just that featured brick-built cube? It would be an epic anticlimax if that’s the case.

German LEGO news site Promobricks does have a theory that sort of combines some of the above possibilities. They posit that the set does depict Princess Peach’s castle, but as part of a larger environment: the Mushroom Kingdom. Next, the design of this Mushroom Kingdom takes after Super Mario 64, the hit 1996 Nintendo 64  Mario game. Promobricks even has a possible price tag of $169.99 for whatever LEGO’s been teasing. And since many upcoming LEGO releases are scheduled for October 1, this too is the proposed date. Will this LEGO Super Mario prediction pan out? We’ll see next time.

Designer Video for LEGO Star Wars UCS Republic Gunship (75309) Pulled Following Fan Outrage at Franchise Terminology

This year saw the release of yet another masterpiece in the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series. The UCS Republic Gunship (75309) is a beauty indeed, with splendid details, poseable features and two minifigures included. Its completed form would look right at home inserted in battle scenes from “Episode II – Attack of the Clones.” “Star Wars” fans voted for the vehicle to become the next LEGO UCS. The same designer that created the UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) helped conceptualize this set. Only this time he appears to be in hot water with “Star Wars” purists due to 75309’s design video.

As told by Brick Fanatics, the designer video for LEGO Star Wars UCS Republic Gunship (75309) has received fan backlash. Posted this past weekend, a month after the set’s release, it featured LEGO designer Hans Burkhard Schlomer. Schlomer designed both the UCS Republic Gunship and the Millennium Falcon (75192). But his choice of words while discussing how 75309 came about led to immense criticism from “Star Wars” fans. They took offense when Schlomer described the gunship as coming from the “Original Trilogy” instead of the “Prequel Trilogy.” The pointed comments at this, and other statements by Schlomer, led to LEGO ultimately removing the designer video.

The incident comes across as a sobering lesson. While LEGO and “Star Wars” have successful partnership for many years, there’s still some friction between two fan bases. And the more purist elements of “Star Wars” fans still get upset at what they perceive as erroneous references to the franchise.  It’s too bad, given how the LEGO Star Wars UCS set at the heart of this issue is gorgeous. Nobody knows if LEGO will bother to put up a new version of the designer video. If not, then that’s the end.

Set Update

By this writing, the UCS Republic Gunship (75309) is temporarily out of stock at LEGO Shop@Home US. It’s got 3,292 pieces and priced at $349.99.

LEGO Ideas Official Set #37: Fender Stratocaster (21329) Revealed

Earlier this week another crop of product ideas were finalized for the latest LEGO Ideas Review Stage. Not long after, the attention shifted from product hopefuls to the latest official release. The 37th in order of production, here is the LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster (21329). Created by Ideas member Tomas Letenay from Slovakia, this set passed the 2020 First Review Stage in September that year. After several months of finalization, the product is finally listed on LEGO Shop@Home, awaiting an October 1 release. In splendid design ingenuity, 1,074 pieces assemble to create a replica of one of the most famous electric guitars. Take a look.

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Just as impressive as the LEGO elements that go into this Ideas build, are the non-brick extras. The Fender Stratocaster set (21329) comes with a brick-pattern fabric strap to go with the guitar. The guitar strings are sturdy threads. There’s also a bonus sticker of the Fender logo LEGO-ized, great to stick on anywhere. Don’t try it on the completed set though; it’s too small.

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LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster (21329)

1,074 pieces | $99.99 | Coming soon on October 1, 2021

Create your own brick-built 1970s Fender® Stratocaster™ guitar and 65 Princeton® Reverb amplifier with this LEGO® Ideas set (21329). Recall the legendary musicians who have played a Stratocaster® as you recreate its iconic curves and add authentic details such as the posable whammy bar, pickup switch and tuning pegs. The buildable amp has removable panels for easy viewing of the motherboard, reverb tank, speaker and other interior details, plus rubber cables to connect it to the guitar and footswitch.

Striking centerpiece

This set includes bricks to build the guitar in either red or black, guitar picks in 4 colors and an elegant, foldable stand for the guitar model to complete a delightful display piece. There is also a sticker with the Fender logo made from LEGO bricks for you to attach to your real guitar or amp.

Cool collectible

This building kit is part of a collection of LEGO sets for adults. It’s a top gift idea for guitar players, Fender fans, music lovers and keen LEGO builders.

  • Recreate a legendary guitar with this wonderfully detailed LEGO® Ideas build-and-display model (21329) of a 1970s Fender® Stratocaster® guitar and a buildable Fender 65 Princeton® Reverb amplifier.
  • The guitar features a posable whammy bar, pickup switch and tuning pegs, six strings, Fender® logo stickers, and a textile strap. The bricks included let you build the guitar in red or black.
  • The amplifier has removable panels for easy viewing of the motherboard, reverb tank, speaker and other interior details, logo stickers, plus connecting rubber cables for the guitar and footswitch.
  • Includes a foldable display stand for the guitar, model-scale guitar picks in 4 colors, plus a sticker of the Fender® logo built from LEGO® bricks to put on your real guitar, amp or wherever you want.
  • Guitar measures over 14 in. (36 cm) long, 4 in. (11 cm) wide and 1 in. (3 cm) deep. This LEGO® display model makes a cool gift for guitar players, music lovers and Fender® Stratocaster® guitar fans.

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Music-loving LEGO fans will surely do anything to possess a brick-built scale copy of this iconic musical instrument. Mark another must-buy product on your calendar this October 1; don’t forget.

First Trailer Out for “LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales” Coming October 1 on Disney+

Last month, Disney+ revealed an upcoming “LEGO Star Wars” animated special. It’s themed for Halloween and asks the question: Do “Star Wars” and “horror anthology” go well together? Well, there was a short “Star Wars” young-readers horror-novel series in the 1990s, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, Lucasfilm and LEGO are about to demonstrate how mixing a Galaxy Far, Far Away with “Tales from the Crypt” is not only doable, but hilariously fun. That’s because the first trailer for “LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales” is out. And now LEGO animated series and “Star Wars” fans are laughing their heads off.

Why shouldn’t they laugh? Check out the trailer below, as posted on the official “Star Wars” YouTube channel. It’s a gloriously chaotic comedy with just the right amount of scary. It starts with Resistance Pilot Poe Dameron (Jake Green) crash-landing on planet Mustaphar. He and his trusty droid BB-8 then stumble upon…Castle Vader, former citadel of Darth Vader-turned-Sith-themed luxury hotel. Thank Graballa the Hutt for that. Poe, Graballa and his mechanic Dean (Raphael Alejandro) then meet Vanee (Tony Hale), former servant of Vader. He basically apes the Crypt-keeper and the Midnight Society in sharing three spooky tales of the Galaxy.

“Submitted for Your Approval…”

Tale 1 sees Ben Solo (Christian Slater) being recruited by the First Order. He becomes Kylo Ren and goes around…bullying droids by playing catch with their heads alongside his Knights. Tale 2 recounts how Darth Maul got his cybernetic lower body…and his struggle to master moving with it. The third tale takes canon off-track when Luke Skywalker wishes on a preserved monkey/Wookie-paw…and becomes an Imperial pilot. As Vanee tells these tales of the Sith, something dark begins to stir within Castle Vader. Even Emperor Palpatine (Trevor Devall) couldn’t miss it.

Packed with signature LEGO animation physics, quirky adventures and shout-outs from various horror films and anthologies with some sweet parental bonuses, “LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales” is going to rock the LEGO fan’s Halloween viewing list. Catch it on Disney+ streaming this coming October 1.

Malaysian Retailer Has First Images of LEGO Seasonal Santa’s Sleigh (40499)

Seasonal LEGO sets can be counted on to pop up just ahead of the seasonal holidays of the year. And seeing as this is now September, some new seasonal sets celebrating one major holiday at year’s end are expected. LEGO Seasonal Halloween Owl (40497) came out in August, with Seasonal Penguin (40498) expected in October. Another yuletide-themed seasonal set numbered 40499 has also been rumored. Rather than the buildable cute animal of previous seasonal products, this one is a vehicle build. If you connected “Christmas” and “vehicle” together, then good guess. Santa’s Sleigh is possibly coming up, with images revealed.

Brickset.com was rather reluctant to feature this set, even with the crisp-looking product images. That’s because they found it on a Malaysian online retailer called Mr. Brick Hunt. No release date was given, but they price LEGO Santa’s Sleigh (40499) it at 269.9 Malaysian ringgits. That’s about $65.5 in exact conversion. It sounds like a reasonable price range, at least.

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Looking at the set itself, Santa’s Sleigh looks like a pretty solid and varied build. The red sleigh has a driver’s section for Santa, a rear bin for his toys, and even a slide-out trunk. The Santa Claus minifigure himself has his Christmas list in hand. His cargo of presents includes a teddy bear, a pair of skis, a guitar and probably more.

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By the way, does that brown box in the back inset photo look like a Sleigh GPS? NORAD must have been giving Santa some up-to-date navigation gear. And it’s not a sleigh without reindeer pulling it. Set 40499 has four buildable reindeer with harness, probably just enough.

It’s a good bet that LEGO Seasonal Santa’s Sleigh (40499) is coming next month. Let’s keep our eyes peeled on October 1, when more new LEGO sets will be released.

LEGO Stores Mexico Provides Clearer Image of LEGO Mini Disney Castle (40478)

The Magic (in Mini form) is real. For Disney fans and LEGO collectors who feel the Disney Castle set (71040) is too big, they have an alternative. It comes in the form of LEGO Mini Disney Castle (40478), recently confirmed. LEGO even had an image of the box packaging in its official documentation. Of course, being found on a PDF, said image was too small and blurry when blown up. Luckily a better image of the set has surfaced, and from Mexico of all sources.

A big shout-out to Brick Fanatics for catching a recent social media post featuring the Mini Disney Castle. LEGO Stores Mexico posted it on their official Instagram page this past September 6. We get to see the fully-built LEGO Mini Disney Castle (40478) with its included Mickey Mouse minifigure. Superimposed on the picture to one side is the box. The promo image’s Spanish slogans translate: “Your favorite castle in miniature,” and “Look forward to it soon.” Gee, the photo tells more but the text keeps mum on further info.

What we know now

Thanks to the clearer image from LEGO Stores Mexico, we can at least discern some new details.  The mini castle, like its bigger 71040 original, sits on a black base. Some colors are different since Disney World likes to repaint their central structure once in a while. Finally, the Mickey Mouse minifigure is actually a bit different from the one with set 71040. The older version had yellow highlights on his tuxedo; this one doesn’t.

The 404 number on LEGO Mini Disney Castle (40478) has hinted that this would be a gift-with-purchase. LEGO Stores Mexico however commented on its IG post that it will launch at their stores. There’s a possibility that it could be both, depending on whether it was store-bought or gotten from LEGO Shop@Home. Again, we wait until LEGO gives more clarification.

LEGO Ideas 2021 Second Review Stage Ends with 34 Submissions for Review

With LEGO Ideas being a well-established venue for aspiring brick-builders to shoot for designing an official set, the number of submissions to the platform has only increased in recent years. In this Second 2021 Review Stage alone, 34 proposals passed the qualifying period before it ended this September 6. We had the sublime pleasure of featuring some of these winners of 10-K support for review. As expected, the batch is another blend of brilliant original creations and licensed-IP homages. Without further ado, let’s enumerate these hopefuls:

  1. Imperial Island Fort
  2. Movie Set
  3. Lifeguard’s Shack
  4. BTS Dynamite
  5. A-Frame Cabin
  6. Spaceballs
  7. The Costume Store
  8. Boston Dynamics Spot (1:4 Scale Motorized Model)
  9. Medieval Tavern
  10. Tavern Under the Snow
  11. Women of Computing
  12. Working Mini Golf Course
  13. Brick Walk
  14. Medieval Harbor
  15. Floating Island (Tensegrity)
  16. Scooby Doo Mystery Machine
  17. Aircraft Engine Workshop
  18. Airport Fire Truck Rosenbauer PANTHER 8×8
  19. Gamestop Classic Shop
  20. Traditional German Cottage
  21. Outer Solar System
  22. Knight Rider KITT and FLAG Mobile Command Unit
  23. Jaws
  24. Basement & Sewerage
  25. Nyhavn – Copenhagen, Denmark
  26. John’s Medieval Watermill
  27. Carl’ House
  28. The Nanny
  29. Minas Tirith
  30. The Apartment
  31. The Medieval Fortress (Castle)
  32. House of Time (Brick Show feature here)
  33. The A-Team Van and Crew (Brick Show feature here)
  34. Log Cabin

(Other Brick Show enumerated features are here and here.)

There was one new LEGO Ideas proposal that recent received 10,000 supporters. That would be Ralf Ranghaal’s impressive Land Ahoy. It’s a brick-built age-of-exploration map of an island, with 3D terrain, model ship and compass rose. The design is also capable of being rolled up partway, like a real map on parchment.

This submission missed the 2021 Second Review Stage and will be the first on the Third Stage instead. It’ll be interesting to see which of these mind-blowing proposals on Second Stage will get the final approval.

LEGO Ideas Sonic Mania – Green Hill Zone Set Rumored to Come Out Next Year, with Some Changes

Just because a LEGO Ideas proposal got 10,000 supporters and passed a review stage for production, it doesn’t mean we will be seeing the fruits of that labor soon. LEGO Ideas member toastergrl first proposed her “Sonic the Hedgehog” set in early 2019. It gained 10-K support a year later and went into review. Then this February 2021 LEGO approved it as a new Ideas set. It’s now September 2021 and “Sonic Mania: Green Hill Zone” hasn’t made any further news. When is it coming out then? For now we only have some rumors according to The Brick Fan.

Details about the LEGO Ideas set themed after videogame icon “Sonic the Hedgehog” surfaced in Europe recently. First is the set name, 21331. Next is the possible retail price of 69.99 Euros, or $83.08 in exact conversion. Third is the expected release date, or dates. LEGO Ideas Sonic Mania – Green Hill Zone (21331) will be released either January 1, 2022 or in April. If both dates are valid then the New Year’s Day availability could be for the LEGO VIPs.

As for the set itself, the LEGO Ideas team may have made some alterations to toastergrl’s original design. That is their prerogative when turning an approved proposal into an official set. Apparently they’ve increased the scale of the environment but at the same time made things more “linear.” One feature of the original build was the versatility in connecting the environment pieces. How this will be translated into something linear has yet to be revealed. That is of course if these rumors hold true. Sonic ought to still remain a minifigure while Dr. Robotnik/Eggman and hench-bot Crabmeat are still brick-built. We really could use official word from LEGO about this. Chalk this one up for another speculation to verify later on.

Four Rumored Upcoming LEGO Harry Potter Sets for January 2022, Among them Two New Hogwarts Moments

LEGO Harry Potter’s 20th anniversary is such a momentous event for LEGO that its celebration could span a year itself. This 2021 alone saw the release of many impressive sets and extras from the line yet. And from the look of things, there is still more LEGO Harry Potter stuff to come whether in this year, or the next. For instance, Promobricks.de got word of a possible four more upcoming LEGO HP sets due in 2022. Two of them are new additions to the Hogwarts Moment sub-line. That means Potter-fan collectors could assemble a nice shelf-full of LEGO Harry Potter book/play-sets in no time.

The four rumored LEGO sets Promobricks discovered are Hogwarts Moment: Divination Class (75396), Hogwarts Moment: Defense Against the Dark Arts Class (75397), Hospital Wing (75398) and Hogwarts Suitcase (75399). The first two will apparently be of the same book-shaped play-set as the previous Hogwarts Moments. Set 75396 depicts one of Harry Potter’s least favorite classes as taught by Professor Trelawney. Set 75397 is of course the Voldemort-cursed Hogwarts subject, staffed mostly by incompetents and the secretly-malicious, with rare exceptions.

As for the two non-Hogwarts Moment sets, Hospital Wing (75398) appears to be another Hogwarts set-piece. Similar to Hogsmeade Village (76388), Chamber of Secrets (76389) and others, 75398 takes a castle location and expands it. And the Hogwarts hospital is famous for having Harry as a near-regular patient. The last rumored set is Hogwarts Suitcase (76399), replicating a Hogwarts student’s suitcase in brick form. Apparently this set is customizable in appearance to reflect different owners’ Houses, and has a working lock-and-key mechanism. These rumored sets are coming on New Year’s Day 2022, supposedly.