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LEGO Friends Heart Box Sub-Theme Rumored to be Released Next Year

One might think it really difficult for LEGO, a brand that is all about building things, to conceptualize sets geared towards girls, particularly of the doll-playing age. But they have done just that with their current LEGO Friends product line, so popular that it gets its own LEGOLAND themed area. When a brand’s particular subtheme is big with customers and name recognition, it makes sense to develop it further. And that’s apparently what LEGO’s planning to do, according to rumor, with Friends. They’re taking a one-off set of sorts like the LEGO Valentine’s Day Heart Box (40051) set from 2013, and making a LEGO Friends Heart Box versions of it.

This rumor, first caught by fellow LEGO news source Brick Fanatics, posits that the LEGO Friends Heart Box sub-theme will have five sets of buildable trinket boxes, including mini-dolls to keep in them. These LEGO Friends Heart Boxes will be styled after the five prominent characters from the product line, the coolest group of girl-friends living in Heartlake City: Mia, Andrea, Stephanie, Olivia and Emma.

That’s not all; there’s said to be an additional Heart Box set in this initial release, serving as the debut of a new Friends character. These Heart Boxes will be mixed in with other conventional LEGO Friends sets that will be arriving in January 2019.

As always, any bit of news we introduce as a rumor will remain so until confirmed or debunked by LEGO itself. We’re still waiting on further news about another girl-centric new LEGO theme, the iCreate jewelry/accessory line rumored since August.

Check Out These LEGO Batman Movie Sets at Great Discounts on Amazon

Batman Day may all be over, but the hype is still on. After the reveal of the new Wasteland Batman minifigure from the upcoming LEGO Movie 2, it looks like we’re getting a handful of LEGO Batman Movie sets now at great discount prices over at Amazon.

Whether to prep you up for the next big LEGO brick film in 2019, or perhaps you just missed out on them over at shop.LEGO.com now, is definitely the time to get these 2018 TLBM sets. Most appealing are the price cuts on the Bat-Space Shuttle (70923) and Batcave Break In (70909) which are at 13% and 22% off from their original prices respectively. Just click on the set’s name for more information over at Amazon. I also provided the set’s link on shop.LEGO.com just in case you still want to rack up on those VIP points.

Here are some 2017 LEGO Batman Movie sets on discount at Amazon in case you want to check on them, and have them added on your TLBM collection.

70900: The Joker Balloon Escape

Amazon: $11.97; LEGO Shop@Home: $14.99

70901: Mr. Freeze Ice Attack

Amazon: $15.89; LEGO Shop@Home: $19.99

70905: The Batmobile

Amazon: $57.18; LEGO Shop@Home: $59.99

70909: Batcave Break-In

Amazon: $78.00; LEGO Shop@Home: $99.99

70917: The Ultimate Batmobile

Amazon: $135.99; LEGO Shop@Home: $139.99

The LEGO Movie 2 Reveals Wasteland Batman Costume

In case you missed it, DC fans all over the world is now celebrating the Dark Knight’s annual Batman Day in honor of the Caped Crusader’s first comic book appearance in Detective Comics #27 way back in 1939. And to mark the occasion, the official Twitter page of The LEGO Movie 2 has posted an alternate costume of the Dark Knight that I hope will find its way in becoming a physical minifigure. Dubbed as Wasteland Batman, it shows how our hero managed to survive post-apocalyptic Bricksburg after the Duplon Invasion of Taco Tuesday.

I mean, every day is my day but I'm glad you've finally said it. #BatmanDay pic.twitter.com/KAkNVHuM9G

— The LEGO Movie 2 (@TheLEGOMovie) September 15, 2018

The LEGO Movie 2 has introduced a lot of changes to our minifig heroes when we first saw them in The LEGO Movie. Perhaps the most striking of them all is the ‘evolution’ that Unikatty went through – from being the ambassadress of joy and happy thoughts, to a full-grown battle cat that even other LEGO mechs will steer away from. We also Wyldstyle sporting a new desert wasteland look, while the rest of Bricksburg’s residents became like Mad Max extras. As far as we can see it, it is only Emmet that somehow managed to retain his cheery attitude and typical garb.

If you recall, we had our first glimpse of our revamped characters when the official poster for The LEGO Movie 2 first came out last June, and a partial Wasteland Batman was seen reflected on Sweet Mayhem’s visor, and later on in the film’s official trailer.

LEGO has already announced three initial LEGO Movie 2 tie-in sets that will be released in January 2019. However, notably missing is the new Wasteland Batman minifigure that we saw frequently on the film’s early promotions. My best bet is that we will see this new version of Batman in a soon-to-be announced set. And in my opinion, this is perhaps one of the best costumes that our minifig Dark Knight has ever worn. I like how the large, half-tire shoulder pads turned out, including the tattered cape, and metallic bat logo in front. He also has his yellow utility belt piece first introduced in The LEGO Batman Movie, which is a kind of interesting choice given that in first TLM film, we saw him having a printed belt instead rather than having a physical counterpart.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is slated to hit US theaters on February 8, with several LEGO tie-in sets to be announced early next year, or late December.

LEGO Mobile Game Co-Developed with Tencent to Launch in China

Back when this year was still new, we covered an announcement of collaboration between The LEGO Group and Tencent in order to enhance the former’s online branding in China. Part of the directive is the co-development of videogames through Tencent’s Games division. This September, such a game is nearing launch, with a still to be disclosed LEGO mobile game.

This Wednesday, September 12, the Chinese micro-blog service Weibo was inundated with advertising from Tencent Games about their soon-to-launch new online mobile game that was co-developed with the Danish toymaker. It only mentioned the release date, but it served enough to drum up interest in China’s massive base of gamers.

Tencent Gaming’s ads go: “Today, we announce a piece of good news. After a strategic cooperation in January, Tencent and LEGO Group will unveil a co-developed game on September 19.” This title is slated to be the first of hopefully many LEGO mobile game and Tencent licensed games to China and perhaps the world.

It’s well-known that China is the current (and perhaps, now permanent) gaming capital on Earth. Its reported number of active videogame players is actually larger than the entire population of the US. And Tencent Games is also the biggest videogame company now, despite only owning developers with their own titles and not making their own.

LEGO’s Tencent game, set to be revealed next week, hopes to take advantage of a dearth of issuing new licenses for game titles in the country while the Chinese Communist Party tries to increase its control over the gaming market.

Aside from video games, the LEGO-Tencent team-up also plans to open a LEGO media section on the Tencent Video streaming platform, to host some of its wide library of animated TV and feature films and series.

Source: South China Morning Post

AFOL-Sized Red LEGO 2×4 Brick Costume from Disguise Now On Amazon

Just this week, we talked about costume label Disguise and their latest wave of officially licensed LEGO-themed costumes released well ahead of Halloween and made available on Target. Not only were the kiddies well-represented, Disguise even went as far as creating costumes that are just the right size for AFOLs. But apparently the Disguise LEGO 2×4 brick costumes on offer at Target were missing one color. Yellow and Blue were accounted for but Red was apparently missing in action. LEGO fans need not worry anymore, as an AFOL-sized Red LEGO 2×4 brick costume was found listed on stock at Amazon.

Much like its “brothers” the brick and minifigure costumes over in Target, this Red LEGO costume is made out of 100% polyester, and is put on with a hook and loop fastener at back. Its details replicate authentic LEGO bricks with the brand name printed on all of its studs.

Costumes such as these are all perfect for grownups like AFOLs due to its minimal-fuss design, just a one-piece top you can easily slip into. Much like at Target, the Red LEGO brick suit from Disguise is priced anywhere from $40 to $70, with lower rates available on certain options.

LEGO Makes Statement on Social Media Influencers Following Recent Backlash

With the rise of social media as a tool for online mass communication over the past decade or so, came the prominence of social media influencers, celebrities with large online followings who are then courted by major companies to advertise their goods, in return getting paid with cash or free products.

Even LEGO gets into this social influencers action, which is why The Drum, a marketing industry website, has called upon it and four other big-brand companies to say their two cents on the latest social media scandal of an influencer campaign gone wrong, according to comments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnIlqUShl31/

UK-based influencer Scarlett Dixon (@ScarlettLondon) posted an Instagram promo for Listerine last August 31, which was eventually bashed by critical commenters for its “obviously staged” and “fake” styling. One heckler even mentioned how they wanted Scarlett to “step on a LEGO” for her “forced acting”.

Steps on a Lego 😂😂😂

— Katie-Lou (@Bambicub) September 1, 2018

To this little bit of controversy, The LEGO Group’s Director of Social Media and Search Lars Silberbauer noted that such flare-ups don’t, as detractors claim, herald the death of social media influencers as an advertising force. Rather, the whole model is undergoing an adjustment period. Despite hiccups, he says “It doesn’t change the fact that millions and millions of people all around the world are following and taking inspiration from Influencers.”

Silberbauer also made mention that LEGO also entrusts some influencing campaigns to The Drum to hype their various LEGO products. And recently, the company’s put an ad out for a new Social Influence Manager to work on YouTube. All in all, despite the nightmare unleashed on @ScarlettLondon for her Listerine post, she and her fellow social media influencers still remain…influential.

It May Not Be Over 9,000 Bricks, But This Brick-Built Vegeta in Great Ape Form Is Jaw-Dropping

If you’re anime fan, than you will probably agree that Dragon Ball Z and its cast of high-flying, hard-hitting, and battle-shouting warriors (yeah, there ARE a lot of shouting in DBZ) has become icons of the anime world. The first season of the classic Dragon Ball Z series introduces us to the Saiyan race, helmed by the self-proclaimed Saiyan Prince Vegeta. His confrontation with Goku during the first season of DBZ gave us a glimpse of his Great Ape form which literally crushed the living lights out of Goku. And this time around, as his way of tribute to the Prince of the Saiyan race, Japanese Master Builder Moko gives his interpretation of a brick-built Vegeta in minifigure scale, and the result is simply awe-inspiring.

If you remember from 2 years ago, I featured Moko in several of my write-ups when he cleverly created his versions of a mecha-riding Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck minifigures, a custom LEGO Transformer Brick, and a LEGO Mechatrobot MOC. Now he is back and this time with a MOC that is grander in scale – in fact, at minifigure scale that makes a custom Goku minifigure seems like an insect in comparison.

Moko never ceases to amaze with his brick-building techniques. His attention to detail in creating this brick-built Vegeta is astounding. The circles around his eyes, the ‘patch’ of hair underneath his tattered clothes, and the smooth flow of his gigantic tail were created by employing ‘organic’ or life-like building techniques using unconventional LEGO pieces (i.e. the emphasis around his eyes were achieved using minifigure arms while the tail’s flexibility is recreated by joining several tire pieces). He even recreated Vegeta’s damaged shoulder guard at properly balanced proportions.

The level of skill and effort that Moko showed in creating this MOC gets even more impressive when you realize that this MOC is at minifigure scale and highly articulated in spite of its massive size. Its jointed parts from the hip down to the ankles allow a variety of lower body poses for this brick-built Vegeta. His hands are superbly designed as well, with Moko giving considerable attention on how to make it life-like as much as possible.

Moko also Tweeted this image to give you a better perspective on how big this version of Vegeta is.

両腕出来たので首と後頭部も作らないと pic.twitter.com/WrCLFdraT8

— Moko (@LEGOdouMoko) June 22, 2018

If you like this MOC from Moko, be sure to visit his blogsite for more custom LEGO projects. The site is in Japanese so be sure to have Google Translate ready.

Create an Amazing Family Moment With This Latest LEGO Ideas Contest

The new and revamped LEGO Ideas platform is back with another building contest to test you brick-building mettle. After the successful launch of its first contest (post-Rebrick), Form Your Most Imaginative Voltron Scene, LEGO Ideas has announced another MOC-building competition that draws inspiration from Disney Pixar’s super family. The LEGO Ideas Create an Amazing Family Moment encourages aspiring Master Builders to come up with their most super cool depiction of what day-to-day life is for the Parr Family.

Submission of entries has already begun, and will end on October 10. Winners will be announced on November 13 over at the LEGO Ideas website. Submitted entries must be able show a day in the life of the Incredibles family using either physical bricks or a digital build using LEGO Digital Designer (LDD). Three winners will be selected – a Grand Prize Winner which will bring home $500 USD worth of prizes, and 2 Runner-Ups with $200 USD worth of goodies each.

Read on for the rest of the details of the LEGO Ideas Create an Amazing Family Moment, and if you’re up to task, be sure to visit its respective Contest Page for more details about the contest rules before you submit your entry. The LEGO Juniors Incredibles 2 sets are now available at your local LEGO brand store and at shop.LEGO.com. Happy building!

Create an Amazing Family Moment

What’s it like to be part of a super family? It’s probably very rewarding and satisfying to use that super strength, elasticity, invisibility or super speed to help those in need around you! Whatever it might be, LEGO® Juniors want you to build and show us your idea of a day in the life of Disney•Pixar’s The Incredibles!

It’s time to share your ideas with the community. We look forward to your contribution!

ENTRY DEADLINE: Submit your entry no later than October 10th 2018 at 6:00 a.m. EST.

How it Works

The contest will consist of 3 phases:

Submission Phase – Build and submit your entry before October 10th, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. EST. We recommend submitting your entry 2-3 days before the deadline in the event we have to return it to you for changes.
Judging Phase – Our judges review the entries and choose the winners by November 2nd 2018.
Winners Announcement – We share the Grand Prize winner and two Runner Up winners here on LEGO Ideas on November 13th 2018!

How to Enter

Build your amazing family moment using LEGO elements or a digital building tool like LEGO Digital Designer. You’re welcome to use image editing tools, such as Photoshop, to enhance your photos/presentation.
Take up to five photos of your creation and submit them to the contest. Make sure to show off all angles and any features or functions of your creation.
Add a title and short description.
Upload your entry to the contest using the blue Submit Your Entry button found on the contest page.

Prizes

One grand prize winner will receive:

Movie posters signed by the filmmakers
LEGO Juniors Incredibles 2 sets (10759, 10760, 10761)
A $500 USD shopping spree on lego.com
Personal artwork created by Disney artists in a LEGO frame
A unique LEGO mosaic

Two runner up winners will receive:

Movie posters signed by the filmmakers
LEGO Juniors Incredibles 2 sets (10759, 10760, 10761)
A $200 USD shopping spree on lego.com

Life-Sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron To Go On a European Tour

Last month, LEGO was able to prove the impossible when it unveiled its fully drivable and life-sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron during the kick-off of the Grand Prix Formula 1 racing tournament in Monza, Italy last August 30. Powered by 2,304 LEGO Power Function motors, this fully functional LEGO vehicle patterned from its smaller counterpart, the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (42083), managed to churn out a max speed of 20 km/h. Though this seemingly impossible MOC is still a far cry in terms of speed as compared to the 420 km/h top speed of its original predecessor, the brilliant engineering that went through in creating this brick masterpiece is simply amazing.

this MOC. According to Promobricks, this life-sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron will go on a European Tour, which already started in Milan, Italy. It will make the following road stops at these locations.

Dusseldorf, Germany (Schadowplatz) – September 20-23

Munich Airport, Germany – September 28 & 29

Paris, France (Motor Show) – September 30 to October 14

Utrecht, Netherlands (LEGO World) – October 18 to October 24

Great Britain (exact place to be announced) – October 30 to November 11

Wolfsburg, Germany (Autostadt) – November 11 to December 12

There is no exact location yet where in the UK will this LEGO engineering wonder will make a stop, and I’ll keep you posted once new information comes by. I hope this build will eventually find its way to the US and the rest of the world – it serves as a reminder that with LEGO bricks, building for real, even what seems to be the impossible, can be a reality. For now, check out these images shared by Promobricks. Special thanks also to Francesco Frangioja for snapping these images.

The LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Station (10259) and Winter Holiday Train (10254) Available Again at LEGO Shop@Home

Just in time for today’s early VIP release of the LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Fire Station (10263), shop.LEGO.com now brings back two previously released Winter Village sets to add more Christmas cheers to your collection. In case you missed out on these, the LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Station (10259) and Winter Holiday Train (10254) are both listed again for sale at LEGO Shop@Home. Released in 2017 and 2016 respectively, it is rather unusual for LEGO to offer a Winter Village set that has been released two years ago. However, due to the positive reception of LEGO fans for these two sets since they ideally go together to create one complete Winter Village track system, LEGO decided to offer them again.

UPDATE: As of this posting, the Winter Village Station (10259) is now on Backorder at shop.LEGO.com.

So if you missed out on these two lovely LEGO Winter Village sets from two years ago, be sure to check them out at LEGO’s official shopping portals (and stay away from the fake ones) by simply clicking these links below.

LEGO Creator Expert Winter Village Station (10259)

Head for home with the festive Winter Village Station holiday set, featuring a snowy railroad station with wreath adorned lampposts and clock tower, platform, mailbox, green trees, snowy grade crossing with twin barriers and lights, and a beautiful, festively decorated bus with opening doors and a luggage rack with removable luggage and gift wrapped packages. This LEGO® Creator Expert model also includes a ticket counter with a timetable and a transaction counter window with room for sliding out tickets to travelers, plus a coffee shop with a serving hatch and a detailed interior with an espresso machine, cups, cash register and a menu. Includes 5 minifigures.

LEGO Creator Expert Winter Holiday Train (10254)

Gather the family for some festive LEGO® building fun with this charming model featuring a full circle of track, boarding platform with bench and lamppost, a Power Functions upgradable train engine with brick-built smoke bellowing from its stack, coal tender, flatbed wagon with a rotating holiday tree, toys and gifts, and a red caboose with a detailed interior and table. The train engine also features large and small red-colored locomotive wheels and the train is decorated with green wreathes, string lights and white tree elements. This LEGO® Creator Expert set includes 5 minifigures.