LEGO Pop-Up Stores To Be Introduced in the US Starting This Year

The LEGO Group has announced a new retail concept store to hit US stores this year. Dubbed as LEGO Pop-Up Stores, this initiative will offer a new different shopping experience as compared to that of LEGO Brand Stores. In fact, the very first Pop-Up Store already went live last Friday in Manchester, Connecticut. According to the LEGO Ambassador Network, the LEGO Pop-Up Stores is an experimental marketing approach that allows LEGO fans who does not have access to any local LEGO Brand Stores to experience the same, though there are notable differences. So, how are they different? According to the blog post:

Whats the difference between a Pop-Up store and a typical LEGO Brand store?

  • Yes, you will be able to earn and redeem LEGO VIP points at Pop-Up stores.
  • There is nota Pick-a-Brick wall or Build-a-Mini station.
  • There are noLEGO Brand store Passport stamps available at Pop-Up stores.
  • There will notbe monthly minibuild activities or other in store events.
  • The product prices will bethe same at LEGO Brand and Pop-Up stores including any sales.
  • Pop-Up stores will tryto offer the same gift with purchase promotions.
  • Pop-Up stores will have new employeesbut also at least one experienced employee from a local LEGO Brand store.

Though these differences may seem easy to overlook and the initiative is of having a sort of “make-shift” LEGO Store is a welcomed gesture from the LEGO, I hope that they will find a way to offer the same gift with purchase (GWP) sets in all Pop-Up Stores as well.

Furthermore, since this project is still in its experimental stages, each of the six LEGO Pop-Up Stores to be opened across the US will be transient, operating only in a few weeks. A sign outside the store will remind customers and LEGO fans how many days are left until the LEGO Pop-Up Store wraps it up.

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So what do you think of the concept behind the LEGO Pop-Up Store? Do you think it will take off? What other things or activities do you want to see in the store to make it more appealing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Dinosaurs Fossils Skeletons – Natural History Collection Qualifies for the 2018 LEGO Ideas Third Review Stage

Earlier this month, the LEGO Ideas Team has officially announced the second set of qualifiers for this year’s Second 2018 Review Stage. From space exploration to a deliciously looking candy vending machine, this set of LEGO Ideas project qualifiers will now soon be joined by our very first LEGO Ideas 10K qualifier for the Third Review Stage. The Dinosaurs Fossil Skeletons – Natural History Collection LEGO Ideas Project proposal is based on the famous dinosaur fossils of the Natural History Museum. This LEGO Ideas project features several custom LEGO dinosaur fossils mounted on brick-built stands.

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The LEGO Ideas Project Proposal, Dinosaurs Fossils Skeletons – Natural History Collection by Mukkinn.

The Dinosaurs Fossil Skeletons – Natural History Collection project proposal is the very first entry for the Third 2018 Review Stage. Read on for the set’s description courtesy of its creator, Mukkinn.

Dinosaurs Fossils Skeletons – Natural History Collection

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Set presentation:

Did you ever dreamed to get your own Dinosaur Museum?

The collection “Natural History Museum” is giving you the chance to build and expose on your shelf the most famous and majestic creatures who walked on earth !

Don’t miss the opportunity to amaze your guests with these impressive and realistic reconstitutions of various Dinosaur species!

Set features:

Triceratops Fossil Skeleton and his exhibition base
Stegosaurus Fossil Skeleton and his exhibition base
Dilophosaurus Fossil Skeleton and his exhibition base
Brachiosaurus Fossil Skeleton and his exhibition base
Plesiosaurus Skeleton and his exhibition base
Parasaurolophus Skeleton and his exhibition base

Another LEGO Ideas project qualifier is almost at the end of its 10K finish line, with just 400 and more votes needed to qualify. The Chemical Plant by Ymarilego might soon accomplish this goal at the end of this last quarter, so will keep a close eye on this one as well.

New LEGO xtra Playmats Arriving at shop.LEGO.com

LEGO will be rolling out its first wave of LEGO xtra Playmats this October. If you recall, this collection of LEGO playmat accessories first came in to view last June after the reveal of the LEGO xtra polybag sets and minifigure accessories. The announcement of the LEGO xtra theme had a warm reception, especially from those who are into serious LEGO City MOC building. Though I really don’t think that the LEGO xtra Playmats will cater to all LEGO enthusiasts, it offers a lot of play opportunities for younger LEGO fans, and perhaps will be a nice additional element for certain vignettes. Whether you’re next inspired build will be minifigures on the road, a stroll in the grassy park, or an ocean-filled adventure, the LEGO xtra Playmats has it covered.

The LEGO xtra Playmats contains 11 LEGO elements per pack and will retail for $7.99. The nice thing about these packs is that they come in sets of two, with each Playmat having back-to-back prints and measuring 9 inches each. There is no news yet if the LEGO xtra Playmats will include additional themes in the future such as the timeless Castle, Space or Pirates theme (perhaps it’s the AFOL in me who is hoping), but it will really be cool if LEGO will offer those. For now, be sure to visit shop.LEGO.com every now and then to check when these playmats are available, or just click the following links below.

LEGO xtra Road Playmat (853840)

$7.99; 11 pieces

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Set up new roads and cruise around your city!

 Stretch your imagination and playtime with the help of this LEGO® xtra 853840 Road Playmat pack, featuring 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a shovel play-starter element to do some digging on your roads. The double-sided pieces let you create 4 different settings. Combine and use the LEGO xtra accessories with any LEGO sets, to enhance children’s play in any way they can imagine.

  • Features 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a shovel play-starter element.
  • Playmats each measure over 9” (25cm) square.

 

LEGO xtra Sea Playmat (853841)

$7.99; 11 pieces

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Catch some sun, sand and surf at the seaside!

 Expand your playtime to the beach with the help of this LEGO® xtra 853841 Sea Playmat pack, featuring 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a crab play-starter element. The double-sided pieces let you create 4 different settings. Combine and use the LEGO xtra accessories with any LEGO sets, to enhance children’s play in any way they can imagine.

  • This pack features 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a crab play-starter element.
  • Playmats each measure over 9” (25cm) square.

 

LEGO xtra Park Playmat (853842)

$7.99; 11 pieces

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Take a break in the park with a little help from this LEGO® xtra 853842 Park Playmat pack, featuring 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a snake play-starter element. The double-sided pieces let you create 4 different settings. Combine and use the LEGO xtra accessories with any LEGO sets, to enhance children’s play in any way they can imagine.

  • Features 2 laminated, double-sided playmats with printed graphics, 2 buildable connectors and a snake play-starter element.
  • Playmats each measure over 9” (25cm) square.

LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230) Now Officially Up at shop.LEGO.com

As early as last month, news has started to come in regarding the availability of the brick-built version of the most polarizing avian species in recent Star Wars lore. Love them or hate them, it seems that LEGO has already reserved a soft spot for The Last Jedi’s Porg, and has kept its availability under strict control since the infamous leaks of the LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230) came out earlier this year. Now that The Last Jedi’s luster is starting to diminish, followed by the equally received Solo: A Star Wars Movie, I guess LEGO has no more reasons to hold back.

Recently, LEGO’s servers have been updated to now include official images of the UCS-like LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230) set. Now listed at shop.LEGO.com, this particular Porg will be available to LEGO Star Wars fans starting October 1. The set will retail for $69.99 and comes in at 811 pieces. Read on for the full product description and some official images.

LEGO Star Wars Porg (75230)

Price: $69.99; Pieces: 811

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Build and display your very own porg!

Own an unmistakable character from Star Wars: The Last Jedi with this LEGO® Star Wars 75230 Porg! This faithfully detailed Star Wars toy includes intricate feather detailing, authentic colors and an opening mouth and flapping wings when you press the tail. The set also comes with a display stand with decorative fact plaque and extra porg mini build, to form the perfect centerpiece for your LEGO collection.

  • Features authentic detailing, an opening mouth and flapping wings.
  • Also includes a display stand with decorative fact plaque and an extra porg mini build.
  • Porg without stand stands over 7” (19cm) high.
  • Display stand measures approx. 2” (6cm) high and 1” (3cm) deep, and over 4” (11cm) wide.
  • Relive fun porg adventures from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

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LEGO Star Wars 2018 Advent Calendar (75213) Now at 15% Off At Walmart

Christmas has come early indeed when LEGO made available its 2018 Advent Calendar sets in the usual representative franchises – City, Friends and Star Wars – as early as September. That alone is already well and good, but the advance LEGO-themed Holiday celebration just got even better thanks to a new sale. We know the LEGO Star Wars 2018 Advent Calendar (75213) is priced at $39.99 in shop.LEGO.com and $49.99 in Amazon. Well, Walmart has gotten the “drop” on both by offering the set at $34.99, 15 percent off. Now that this discount on a LEGO Advent Calendar is known, other retail chains might follow soon.

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendars such as these have always tended to be a showcase for new franchise characters to be rendered as minifigures, as well as micro-builds of some already-released larger vehicle model sets. The 2018 set (75213) is no different with its selection:

  • Open a door every day to reveal 24 different LEGO Star Wars themed gifts.
  • LEGO Star Wars Advent calendar features 5 minifigures and 3 figures.
  • Models include a landspeeder, The Arrowhead, Republic Fighter Tank, Naboo Starfighter, Twin-Pod Cloud Car, General Grievous Starfighter, Blaster Cannon, Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter, Imperial Troop Transport, TIE Fighter, AT-ACT, Zeta Class Cargo Shuttle and an Imperial Speeder Bike.
  • Characters include Rose, Rowan, General Merrick, Battle Droid, Death Trooper, Rathtar, Guavian Security Soldier and an IG-88 droid.
  • Weapons include a blaster pistol, 3 blaster rifles, 2 blasters and a Lightsaber.
  • Also includes a festive-themed moisture vaporator and a snowman, plus extra ammo studs.
  • Collect all the gifts and play out your own desert and ice-planet adventures on the included foldout playmat.

LEGO Ranks First Among Europe’s Most Reputable Companies for 2018

In this day and age, the public’s perception on anything and everything can come a long way towards the formation of opinions. Statistically gauging the reputation levels of businesses, organizations and even nations has been the work of the private research and advisory agency the Reputation Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Recently, the Reputation Institute conducted a survey to determine who among Europe’s most reputable companies is considered first among the countries of the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. A total of 87,000 general public respondents from those nations provided the data mined by RI.

According to the Reputation Institute’s “RepTrak” rankings, Denmark’s The LEGO Group is the company with the highest public reputation in the EU5. It’s followed on the list by German industrial firm Bosch GmbH and Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex. The response to the survey on reputation is a measure of an everyday person’s “emotional bond” with a company that is quantified.

The RepTrak survey is the RI’s standardized framework that “reveals how this deep connection can drive supportive behaviour such as the intent to purchase, likelihood to recommend and willingness to work for the company” according to the Institute’s press release.

For completion’s sake, we will now include a Top 10 list of Europe’s Most Reputable Companies in 2018 as compiled by the Reputation Institute.

  1. LEGO
  2. Bosch
  3. Rolex
  4. Sony
  5. Samsung
  6. Canon
  7. Michelin
  8. Walt Disney Company
  9. Adidas
  10. Amazon

LEGO’s stellar corporate-level reputation according to RI is due to “commitment to building a strong corporate brand, investment in corporate social responsibility and a deep sense of purpose to drive greater levels of engagement among its key stakeholders.” Despite some hiccups in its recent earning reports, LEGO does just that.

Blocks Magazine Issue 48 Now Available and Features LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311)

It looks to be that time again for another major LEGO fan community magazine Blocks to unleash its latest issue. Last month they gave a lot of focus and attention to the details of the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (42083), which recently got an incredible life-sized drivable brick-built replica. For its October 2018 issue, Blocks Magazine Issue 48 is going for the big stars in current LEGO sets, and you probably can get no bigger these days than the impressive LEGO Ideas Voltron: Defender of the Universe (21311), released August 1.

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There’s really no set by LEGO quite like the Ideas Voltron (21311), which not only comprises five fully poseable lion robot models, but is able to combine them into a similarly articulated (and sturdy) large robot. It’s been the darling of serious LEGO collectors since early appearances at 2018 SDCC.

Aside from their main feature review on LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311), this latest issue of Blocks will also have their two cents on the Mad Max-esque LEGO Ninjago Dieselnaut (70654), and MOC guide for a miniature of the LEGO Creator Aston Martin DB5 (10262).

Finally, they have previews of the latest upcoming BrickHeadz, a licensed-franchise rivalry retrospective on Star Wars and Harry Potter, and so much more in store. Interested fans can get their own copy of Blocks magazine issue 48 (print or digital) by visiting their official website.

Brickset and Fairy Bricks’ Bikes to Billund Charity Ride Starts Friday

Back in August, a team of four was assembled by LEGO-donating charitable organization Fairy Bricks to undertake a grueling journey for the sake of fundraising. Their goal is to journey from London to LEGO House in Denmark covering the land journey by bicycle: the Bikes to Billund charity cycle ride.

That time has come at last. This Friday, September 21, the Bikes to Billund Team has begun their trip from the Leicester Square LEGO Store in London, to Harwich and their ferry towards Rotterdam, and finally their main cycling leg through the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark to arrive in Billund.

Already the trip is proving to be a genuine endurance challenge, considering that European windstorm Ali has just passed through the UK on Wednesday and Thursday. But the cycling team were determined to start their ride on schedule, so we wish them best of luck.

Meanwhile, the fundraising campaign portion of Bikes to Billund seems to be proceeding smoothly; the sponsorships pledged so far helped Fairy Bricks to raise over £6,000 in donations as of this writing. While the donation drive will last until December, everyone who donated before the time the bike team arrives in Billund will be part of a raffle, with several winners who will receive customized MOC models of the Fairy Bricks charity van, called “Daenerys”.

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For those interested in keeping tabs of the Bikes to Billund team on their way to LEGO House, you can watch their progress on our fellow LEGO news source and online set guide Brickset, via their official Facebook and Twitter.

More Info About The LEGO Movie 2 Sets Revealed by Amazon France

As we close in towards the end of this quarter, more and more info seems to land on the internet regarding the LEGO Movie 2 sets prior to the sequel’s theatrical debut on February, 2019. We had a full reveal of the new Wasteland Batman costume a few days ago, and it is expected that this Mad Max-like version of the Dark Knight will eventually make its way as a minifigure in any of the upcoming LEGO Movie 2 sets scheduled for next year. And speaking about new LEGO sets, Amazon France is on the lead again in giving us more information about these upcoming tie-in sets.

This year’s San Diego Comic Con also saw the reveal of three LEGO Movie 2 sets, with an expected release date of early January. Other than these confirmed sets, it looks like we will have additional 9 sets under the film’s belt and more as we count weeks before the rest of the reveal sometime late December or January. As consolidated by Price Vortex, we now have additional info on these sets’ piece count and expected retail price. Here’s what we have so far.

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It is interesting to note that its very likely that there will be a LEGO BrickHeadz single and dual sets under this theme considering that there are sets listed above that are within the price range of 9.99 and 19.99 Euros. Another point of interest is set 70840 which seem to be the largest among all the listed sets so far. Amazon FR shows that this set’s box packaging measures at 58.2cm X 17cm X 48 cm.  (LxWxH),  which is very similar to that of the LEGO Movie MetalBeard’s Sea Cow (70810) D2C set clocking at 2,741 pieces. We can safely guess that set 70840 may perhaps be the largest direct-to-consumer set that LEGO has in store for The LEGO Movie 2.

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Based from the looks of it, LEGO is posed to release a huge collection of tie-in sets that can rival those from the first film. Not included in this listing are polybags and other LEGO Movie 2 gift-with-purchase sets. We’re surely off to a good start in 2019. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is scheduled to open in cinemas in the US on February 8, with more LEGO tie-in sets to be revealed at the end of this year.  Remember to subscribe to our blog site and stay tuned here in The Brick Show!

LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame (5005359) Official Image and Details

Since the LEGO Store October 2018 Calendar has been released earlier this month, we now have an idea on various promos that LEGO fans can expect next month. From October 15-31, the LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame (5005359) will be offered to LEGO customers and fans for a minimum single receipt purchase of $75 and more.

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The LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame (5005359) is similar to the Marvel Superheroes and LEGO Batman Movie frames that LEGO released back in 2016 and 2017 respectively. And now thanks to the LEGO Certified Store in Hongkong, we now have a better look at this new LEGO accessory.

According to LCS Hongkong, this new minifig collector frame is available today until October 18 for a minimum single receipt purchase of 1,000 HK dollars, or roughly equivalent to $127 USD. That’s a rather steep price for a LEGO promotional set in my opinion, considering that with a little patience, this collectible frame will soon be available in the US at the middle of October.

Furthermore, the LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame (5005359) comes with a 32×32 gray baseplate and several LEGO pieces that serve as minifigure stands that can display up to 16 minifigures. Perfect in displaying any of LEGO’s CMF series. To sweeten the deal, LEGO throws in a never-before-seen exclusive minifigure that comes in a summer outfit and lifesaver. There’s also a 2×2 tile with the LEGO logo printed on it, which is quite a rare piece usually found only on LEGO’s gift-with-purchase sets.

minifig LEGO Minifigure Collector Frame 5005359

Perhaps the only downside for the Minifigure Collector Frame is that it is made of black cardboard instead of wood or light plastic, and there’s no cover of any kind as well. It comes with a kickstand if you prefer not to hang it and have it displayed on your desk or corner table. In any case, this is still a great gift-with-purchase set that will be valuable in displaying your prized LEGO minifigures.

Be sure to keep tabs with shop.LEGO.com in the US and watch out for this promotional beginning October 15.