Ever since LEGO made the impossible possible by recreating the Bugatti Chiron into a life-sized brick construct with working Power Functions engine, the concept of a large LEGO car as an attraction for special events has become popular. That would explain why a life-sized LEGO Speed Champions Porsche 911 Turbo was found at the WeatherTech Raceway recently.
The racecourse, located at Laguna Seca in California, played host to a special event by Porsche on Friday, September 28, called “Champions in Racing”. That was where they unveiled the limited-production new-age Porsche 935. But another car that drew looks wasn’t even a real vehicle.
Part of Porsche’s display in partnership with LEGO is a nearly life-sized LEGO Speed Champions Porsche 911 Turbo, part of a dual-set with the 911 RSR (with set number 75888). Unlike the aforementioned Bugatti Chiron model, made of the same kind of LEGO Technic pieces as the official set (42083) but more, the 911 Turbo was not only immobile but not even made of actual LEGO bricks.
In addition to the Speed Champions upsized Porsche being made available for photo-ops, LEGO also included a LEGO build zone, where kids could construct to their hearts’ content while the grownups watched the race on the WeatherTech Raceway with the actual new-age Porsche 935 participating.
Just to make things clear, the 935 that raced at WeatherTech Laguna Seca was based more on the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Only 77 units of this 935 were produced and all will be going to the carmaker’s VIP customers.
While quite a number of new LEGO Branded Stores are on the verge of opening across the US this coming November, but out west across the Pacific, one particular flagship store has opened in what can be considered LEGO’s newest frontier: the second LEGO Brand Store in China will now cater to LEGO fans in Shanghai, making LEGO’s branding and presence even more felt in this side of Asia.
While LEGO has long been a rising presence in the Chinese retail scene, thus far it has not got on the branded store bandwagon with other international markets of the iconic toy brand. The one LEGO Store in the country before this was in Disneyland Shanghai. Finally, that has changed with the opening of this next LEO Brand Store in China.
Outside of the theme park and right in the urban center of the city itself, China’s second LEGO Branded Store finally opened its doors to eager shoppers in People’s Square of Shanghai’s Huangpu District. Occupying two stories, the new flagship has an attention-getting general design theme: The Future of Shanghai.
LEGO China General Manager and the LEGO Group Senior VP Paul Huang, was pleased to welcome families and shoppers saying. “Our store brings more opportunities for Chinese children, parents and LEGO fans of all ages to explore the many different LEGO products and experiences while enjoying a truly unique and high-quality engagement with the LEGO brand.”
Among the interactive features of the LEGO Store Shanghai are free-play Future City building tables featuring customizable brick-built skylines of future Shanghai, “Immersion Portals” for LEGO City and Ninjago with 3D experience booths, and even a rare Mosaic Maker machine for creating personalized mosaic portraits (40179), priced at 999 Yuan ($145).
Not only will the new flagship LEGO Store be a boon for Chinese LEGO buyers, it can also be a major draw for tourists to Shanghai who probably haven’t made plans to go to Disneyland.
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.
Once upon a time during my younger years, or more specifically during that time where I first encounter the joy of playing with LEGO bricks, I stumbled upon the idea of using my humble stash of 2×8 LEGO pieces as a sort of dominoes to topple around the house. It was a magical moment for a 7-year old (except for my older siblings who used to step on an unassuming LEGO piece) who just discovered the many ways of playing with a LEGO brick other connecting them to create builds. I guess this is also the idea behind this latest collaboration between expert domino builder and YouTuber Lily Hevesh of Hevesh5 and LEGO’s Rebrickulous team in coming up with this impressive LEGO Domino Course, but of course in an entirely grander and much more awesome scale: using 13,000 LEGO dominos in all! Well, that certainly dwarfs my bucket full of bricks. Watch the video below.
That was simply, “Wow!” It took Lily and her team a total of 300 plus hours and a total 73,000 LEGO bricks to create this mesmerizing LEGO Domino Course. In fact, this is not the first time that Lily created a domino course using LEGO bricks. However, this is the very first time that LEGO actually collaborated with her making this feat a one for the books.
The LEGO Domino Course is actually made up of several sub-sections using a variety of techniques and builds. Lily also shared some of the different tools and techniques that she used like using a brick-built template to properly align the columns and the use of safety gaps. For a behind-the-scenes look on how Lily did it, watch her video below.
Now, let me see if I can make one my own LEGO Domino Course without hurting some feet along the way.
New York Comic Con is fast approaching, and we can expect LEGO to make a huge splash in this year’s NYCC celebrations. Similar to last year’s LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 panel at NYCC 2017, we can also expect Warner Bros Interactive and TT Games to be actively involved in the celebrations at the Javits Center starting this Thursday, October 4. We know that this latest LEGO video game title from WB and TT Games will have astellar voice cast and a huge roster of playable DC villains, and this time around the LEGO DC Super-Villains NYCC panel will go out in sharing more details about this exciting, DC baddies inspired game.
According to a previous press release, the LEGO DC Super-Villains NYCC panel will give comic con attendees an inside look at the very first “villain-centric” video game that WB and TT Games collaborated on. Members of the panel will include Phill Ring (Executive Producer, TT Games), Ames Kirshen (Vice President, Interactive & Animation, DC Entertainment), Nyambi Nyambi (voice of Green Lantern), Grey Griffin (voice of Catwoman & Lashina) and Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clock King & Desaad). If you’re all set to go to NYCC 2018, be sure to add this event to your Comic Con itinerary. The panel will be convening on Main Stage 1D of the Javits Center on October 4 at 12:45PM.
Additionally, NYCC attendees will also have the chance to be one of the very first fans to try this latest video game title. For a hands-on, try-before-you-buy experience, you may visit the DC Entertainment Booth (#SC01) during normal show hours of NYCC’s weekend events.
LEGO DC Super-Villains will be available on October 16, 2018 for PlayStation4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch and PC. Pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition entitles you to a free, early access to the game’s Season Pass plus an exclusive, Lex Luthor physical minifigure.
I guess this is somehow expected. Like its predecessor, The LEGO Movie 2 is getting tons of attention from The LEGO Group, with a good number of tie-in sets slated for next year, some of which were already listed by Amazon France. Now LEGO news authority in Germany, Promobricks, have recently received their latest copy of this year’s LEGO Christmas Catalog and from the looks of it, we will be receiving a new wave of LEGO Collectible Minifigures just in time with the film’s release in February. If you recall in 2014, LEGO has also released a similar CMF line in celebration of the first LEGO Movie. With the Harry Potter and Wizarding World CMF hype starting to wind down, LEGO is now building on the momentum by teasing on the arrival of The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures (71023) by February 2019.
This particular page from the LEGO Christmas Catalogue hints on the arrival of a new Collectible Minifigures series, scheduled for February. It is reasonable to assume that this whole new CMF line will be dedicated to The LEGO Movie sequel since all eyes will be on this next big, brick-inspired animation film. We can also see another hint from LEGO set portal Price Vortex where the site listed The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures (71023).
If ever this rumor is confirmed by LEGO themselves, then we can assume that this will be a great CMF line to collect. The introduction of our TLM characters’ new designs following the events of the infamous post-Taco Tuesday, were received quite positively by LEGO fans. The minifigure characters that we see from the film’s trailer so far show a rather tough and Mad-Max style of design, so we can somehow expect that several of the character in this rumored CMF line will also sport a similar look. It will also be great to see the new Wasteland Batman minifigure included in this series.
Now that we’re counting the days before the New York Comic Con kicks in, let’s wait and see if LEGO has something in-store for us. The LEGO Movie 2 is scheduled to hit theaters in the US on February 8, 2019.
The Brick Show Shop is having a 2-day sale on all of the custom LEGO vending machines. Just enter code VENDING25 at checkout to saving 25% off all custom vending machines.
Just in time before the New York Comic Con kicks in next week, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has just released a new LEGO DC Super-Villains gameplay video clip that highlights some of the things that you can expect from DC’s greatest baddie. Adding to the huge roster of playable characters that were revealedrecently, we now have a glimpse of how the ruler of Apokolips will be like in this latest LEGO-inspired video game.
In this clip, you’ll see some of Darkseid’s in-game abilities such as flight, super strength, energy projection and use of alien technology. Brought to life by the haunting voice of Michael Ironside, Darkseid is bent in conquering the world using the nefarious Anti-Life Equation. The only question is how will our villainous heroes will be able to stop him.
Other than Ironside, the LEGO DC Super-Villains features a stellar voice-over cast, including Mark Hamill (The Joker), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Fred Tatasciore (Clayface, Doomsday, Killer Croc), Gina Torres (Superwoman), Brandon Routh (Shazam), Gilbert Gottfried (Mister Mxyzptlk), Mark Rolston (Deathstroke), and Scott Porter (Aquaman), among many others. And if you will be attending the New York Comic Con next week from October 4 to 7, be sure to drop by the DC Booth (#SC01) to have a firsthand experience on playing the LEGO DC Super-Villains. This latest LEGO video game offering from TT Games will be available across major gaming platforms (Playstation, Xbox, Switch and PC) starting October 16. Be sure to pre-order the Deluxe Edition to have early access to the game’s Season Pass and an exclusive Lex Luthor minifigure.
Read on for the full press release below.
LEGO® DC SUPER-VILLAINS REVEALS DARKSEID’S VILLAINY IN ACTION IN NEW CLIP AHEAD OF NEW YORK COMIC CON 2018
New A-List Voice-Over Cast Members Revealed Alongside New York Comic Con Details.
BURBANK, Calif. – September 28, 2018 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, The LEGO Group and DC Entertainment today revealed a new LEGO® DC Super-Villains clip that focuses on longtime Justice League nemesis Darkseid, voiced by Michael Ironside, as he goes toe-to-toe with the best of the bad, including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor and countless others, for control of the planet.
In addition to Ironside as Darkseid, LEGO® DC Super-Villains features a stellar voice-over cast, including Mark Hamill (The Joker), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Fred Tatasciore (Clayface, Doomsday, Killer Croc), Gina Torres (Superwoman), Brandon Routh (Shazam), Gilbert Gottfried (Mister Mxyzptlk), Mark Rolston (Deathstroke), Scott Porter (Aquaman), Julie Nathanson (Silver Banshee), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash), Tara Strong (Harley Quinn), C. Thomas Howell (Reverse-Flash), Cissy Jones (Lois Lane), Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), Wally Wingert (Riddler), Tasia Valenza (Poison Ivy), Tom Kane (Commissioner Gordon), Lex Lang (Deathstorm), Travis Willingham (Superman), JB Blanc (Penguin, Ra’s al Ghul) and Eric Bauza (Mister Freeze), among many others.
Get Hands-on in the DC Booth
Fans interested in playing as their favorite villain will be able to get hands-on time with the game at New York Comic Con 2018 next weekend in the DC Entertainment booth (#SC01) during normal show hours.
Meet the Team Behind the Game
Members of the LEGO® DC Super-Villains team, including Phill Ring (Executive Producer, TT Games), Ames Kirshen (Vice President, Interactive & Animation, DC Entertainment), Nyambi Nyambi (voice of Green Lantern), Grey Griffin (voice of Catwoman & Lashina) and Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clock King & Desaad), will give NYCC attendees an inside look at the first LEGO game to put players at the center of a villain-centric adventure packed with favorite locations and characters from across the DC Universe on Thursday, October 4 at 12:45pm on Main Stage 1D at the Javits Center.
Come as Your Favorite DC Super-Villain for a Meet-Up at the DC Booth
Additionally, NYCC attendees who are embracing their inner villain and dressing as their favorite DC rogues will have an opportunity to participate in the Villain Meet-up – with special guest Riddle – at the DC Entertainment booth (#SC01) on Saturday, October 6 at 12:00pm.
LEGO® DC Super-Villains will be available October 16, 2018 for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One X®, Nintendo Switch™ and PC.
Late last August, UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s revived one of its promotional partnerships with LEGO, the Create the World collectible card series. A new set of LEGO trading cards were introduced to put together in a new volume called “Incredible Inventions”. But a recent event threatens to put a damper on the LEGO collecting fun. Much like its previous edition, collecting the new LEGO cards consists of buying a minimum £10 shopping tag at a Sainsbury’s store to receive a 4-card foil pack. In Kent however, a mother returning from her local Sainsbury’s to discover a cutter blade in a LEGO card foil pack she brought home for her child.
“It didn’t look like it had been tampered with so when I got home I just put the card packs on the table,” recalls Kirsty Thorne to the BBC. “They were all playing at the table going through the cards and that’s when my son brought it to my attention.”
From her own examination the blade, a refill for a snap-off utility cutter blade, was simply placed in the pack with the four cards before sealing, possibly an industrial error. The fact that the blade was small enough to fit the pack meant it was not detected until somebody bought it.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s noted that the chain is aware of the cutter blade slipped into a LEGO Create the World card pack and are bringing the matter up with their supplier, though the consensus is that it was an isolated accident. Still, the Sainsbury’s store that Mrs. Thorne shopped from to get the card pack has returned her £10 shopping payment by way of apology.
The mother herself is simply relieved that nothing much worse happened, especially considering that her son had opened the foil pack with his teeth, risking injury from the included blade.
It began with a team of cyclists last week who set out to do something, not because it was easy but because it would be hard. Technically the real origin was with a fundraising drive initiated by the UK’s Fairy Bricks charity, though the real meat was the bike race spectacle and ordeal, from London to LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. The Bikes to Billund charity ride spearheaded by Brickset and Fairy Bricks started last Friday, braving the windstorm season to cross the sea and continue the trip along the European mainland towards Billund, Denmark. They finally arrived at their destination on Thursday, September 27.
Following a journey of 975 kilometers, the six-man charity bike team would be pleased enough to arrive at their destination without incident and on time. But more than that, they were welcomed at LEGO House by the big boss of LEGO, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen himself, who graciously posed with the team for a commemorative photo marking the occasion.
With their task completed, the Bikes to Billund cyclists will be staying awhile to participate in the slate of various LEGO fan activities in the country, such as Skærbæk Fan Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
In the meantime, the Fairy Bricks fundraising page for Bikes to Billund remains active, clocking now at about 33% of the charity’s goal. It won’t close until December, so generous LEGO fans who enjoyed following the whole Bikes to Billund experience can still donate now. Those who did donate during the duration of the ride now stand a chance to win several copies of Daenerys, the Fairy Bricks charity van.
