This Custom LEGO Dun Deardail MOC Is a Cool Trip to the Past

How long has it been since we last featured a LEGO MOC of a castle? One that comes to mind is our feature of a MOC by Mark Erickson of Theramore, the doomed castle town from Blizzard’s hit MMORPG World of Warcraft. This new LEGO castle MOC we found is not massive, but very historical. This history-inspired MOC was the creation of Brick to the Past, a UK-based LEGO building group that specializes in making large-scale, research-accurate historical structures out of LEGO. Their most recently completed project is the meticulously studied, custom LEGO Dun Deardail MOC, inspired by the ancient hillfort with the same name established in Scotland around 2,500 years ago.

Over in Glen Nevis, on the hill of Sgorr Challum, there stand the remains of an ancient hillfort given the name Dun Deardail. Brick to the Past expert builder Dan Harris created the sprawling LEGO Dun Deardail MOC on commission from the Nevis Landscape Partnership of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.

Harris began his commission of Dun Deardail in December 2017 by reading what he can about the ancient hillfort, which was said to have been destroyed in a fire so hot that some of its stone portions melted. Work began on the LEGO version January, and wrapped up last month.

The custom LEGO Dun Deardail MOC can be seen on display at the Glen Nevis visitor center, Fort William. Of his MOC, Dan Harris remarks, “It’s great to be able to display at one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations and I hope that the model will encourage people to get out and explore the real hillfort.”

Source: BBC

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus Boasts Cincinnati’s Great American Tower in Miniland

The days are counting down to the grand opening of the newest LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus in Ohio. Already the management has opened the mini-theme park to a hard-hat tour for press and local officials, and will officially open it earlier still for guests availing of its annual pass.

Now, local news has brought word of more attractions at the new LEGO Discovery Center: a new Miniland theme zone, where replicas of famous buildings and landmarks are sure to be found. One unique brick-built addition for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus is a well-known Ohio skyscraper.

This is the Great American Tower at Queen City Square, found in Cincinnati. Opened in 2011, the tower has 41 aboveground floors (with no 13th), 3 underground levels, and 26 elevators. It’s also recognizable because of its rooftop “headdress”, recalling either the tiara of the late Diana, Princess of Wales or the Chrysler Building’s spire.

Resident LEGO Builders for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus (LDC) worked 236 hours to recreate the Great American Tower, using 23,532 pieces. LDC Columbus GM Jacob Kristensen says, “We’re excited to have the tallest building in Cincinnati represented in our MINILAND and we can’t wait for you to see the iconic Great American Tower, and more landmarks, made entirely out of LEGO bricks in MINILAND Ohio.”

Other Ohio landmarks in the LDC’s Miniland include the Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Columbus’ own COSI Discovery Center. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus opens to annual pass-holders in September 21, and to the public September 28.

German Teen Arrested for Having a LEGO Machine Gun

Every now and then, we come across some weird stories that relate to LEGO, whether with its retailers, or with the people who play with them. They can range from a case of brick theft with a stolen Duplo statue head in Gloucestershire, to getting in trouble with the law because of a dangerous-looking brick-build. Earlier this week in Ludwigshafen, Germany a teenager was arrested by local police because of LEGO. The reason: he had built a submachine gun out of LEGO bricks that – a LEGO machine gun – when seen from a distance, looked terribly like the real thing. Anybody would panic at that.

So when the 19-year-old “suspect” looked out the window of his house with the LEGO machine gun in his hand, neighbors immediately contacted the authorities, seeing as Germany has some of the strictest firearms laws in the world. That was reinforced by how quickly the police responded to the suspect’s address.

There they found the man with another companion, aged 23, and some LEGO bricks, some of which went into building the machine gun MOC in the teen’s hands. Regardless of the true material being discovered, the poor suspect is now under an official investigation, because the prop weapon he made was in the unfortunate shape of a firearm prohibited under both the German Weapons Act and the larger European Firearms Directive.

Though we can give credit to that teen for building an impressive, closer to real-life LEGO machine gun, I can just imagine his regret for his lack of good and sensible judgment on this one. The lesson of this story: mind your local firearms laws, and make sure your brick builds won’t be mistaken for anything that could get you in trouble with the police. Perhaps settle for a less conspicuous build next time – maybe a brick-built gun like the featured image above, will do.

Source: Deutsche Welle.com

More Updates for LEGO Ideas – LEGO Rebrick Closing

The end of June was something of a new start for LEGO Ideas, the brand’s very own platform for inspiring builders to send their custom brick creations in the hope that they may become official sets. It was marked with a new website design, a new logo, and new guidelines. All these changes to the LEGO Ideas platform looked plenty impressive when it went live. But as it turns out, the redesigns were merely the beginning. One major new update to Ideas is the integration of another LEGO platform which will eventually lead to LEGO Rebrick closing down this month.

While it was launched only two years ago in 2016, LEGO Rebrick has proven very popular with plenty of participation in all its contests. Still, in an effort to streamline its online platforms, and with LEGO Rebrick closing, this means that the site’s content will now be a part of the LEGO Ideas Contests page.

Here’s a list of what to expect from the platform, according to the LEGO Ideas blog:

  1. A new Staff Pick feed that shows both Product Ideas and Contest Entries
  2. Lightboxes are back! This isn’t new, but it’s useful and we missed them after they were removed in the last release.When you click an image in an idea or entry, it will open a lightbox and you can view it full screen within your browser window.
  3. Improved look for Contest pages including a full-width header and less visual clutter. Check it out on the Voltron Scene contest.
  4. New Notifications menu you can find by clicking the bell on the top menu. Customize your alerts in Settings.
  5. Color-coded flags for news feed items. Product Idea flags are yellow, Contest Entries are blue. We’ve also added a tool tip for context when you hover over them.
  6. You can now disallow followers in Settings.
  7. One Contest entry at a time. You can enter contests as many times as you want, but you can only have one awaiting a moderator approval at a time. Quality over quantity!
  8. More Visible “Submit Product Idea” link, so you can more easily find it on a mobile device.
  9. Improvements to Ending Soon timer for product ideas on the Discover page. If there’s less than a day left, it now shows hours and minutes.
  10. Minor Terms of Service update changing language to better support Contests.

Finally, LEGO Rebrick will close for good on September 14. Sad as it may sound, we just hope for the best for this new direction that the LEGO Ideas platform is taking.

Bricklink Teases the Launch of the New AFOL Designer Program

Bricklink has announced earlier today that they will be partnering with LEGO in recognizing some of the unique work and designs by the AFOL community. The LEGO fan community has been a driving force in promoting creativity in using the LEGO brick throughout the years, and it’s but fitting that LEGO recognizes the effort of these talented MOCers and builders. Our resident master builder Tyler Clites, even had the distinct honor of being invited inside the LEGO House in Denmark to showcase some of his best MOCs so far. Thankfully, the LEGO Group is now expanding this recognition program to include other LEGO builders under its new and exciting AFOL Designer Program.

According to Brinklink, it will be the platform of choice in hosting the Adult Fan of LEGO or AFOL Designer Program once it kick-starts on September 12, in line with the continuing celebrations of the LEGO brick’s 60th anniversary. However, it looks like to be a temporary arrangement and hopefully LEGO themselves will host the said recognition program later on. Here’s the announcement from Bricklink.

Today is such an exciting day at the BrickLink office because we finally get to reveal a very special collaboration with none other than the LEGO Group. We’ve been bursting at the seams because of how long we’ve had to keep this program a secret! Now that we’ve all had a minute to scream and catch our breaths, let’s get into the details.

What is the AFOL Designer Program?

This program celebrates creativity by realizing unique AFOL designs with truly original themes. What better timing than to kick it off in the year of the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick? For a limited time, BrickLink will be hosting the AFOL Designer Program. We are honored to help highlight your creativity and help make your designs a reality.

Where can I get more information?

An official announcement and more details about the program will be revealed Wednesday, September 12th. Mark your calendars!

-BrickLink Team

It’s still a bit sketchy on how the AFOL Designer Program will be different from the LEGO Ideas platform, or previous LEGO Rebrick contests for example. Stay tuned here on the Brick Show when the big reveal is unveiled on September 12.

 

LEGO BrickHeadz Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald (41631) Set Officially Revealed

A new LEGO BrickHeadz duo will soon finally find their way from the MACUSA to your nearest local LEGO store. The new LEGO BrickHeadz Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald (41631) dual-pack has been officially revealed via LEGO’s Facebook page earlier today. Numbered #76 and #77 respectively, this dual-pack set comes in at 247 pieces and will retail for the same price of $19.99 like other previous LEGO BrickHeadz dual sets.  In my opinion, these are one of the best LEGO BrickHeadz sets that I’ve seen so far, with a very accurate brick rendition of their hair and clothes while still retaining that particular BrickHeadz vibe.

It is a welcome surprise that the LEGO BrickHeadz Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald (41631) set is slated for an early release of October 1, ahead of the film’s November 16 release. Check out LEGO’s press release for more information, courtesy of The Brothers Brick.

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This LEGO® BrickHeadz™ 41631 Newt Scamander™ & Gellert Grindelwald play set is fun to build using colorful LEGO bricks that recreate all the iconic details from the Fantastic Beasts™ series, including Newt’s waistcoat, coat and detachable case, plus Grindelwald’s different colored eyes. Both come with detachable wands and stand on a buildable collector’s baseplate for easy display in your home, office or anywhere you like.

Buildable Newt Scamander™ & Gellert Grindelwald LEGO® BrickHeadz™ construction characters feature decorated eyes and authentic details from the Fantastic Beasts™ series, including Newt’s waistcoat and jacket, Grindelwald’s different colored eyes and 2 wands.
Each LEGO® BrickHeadz™ construction character comes with its own buildable collector’s baseplate.

Have fun growing your LEGO® BrickHeadz™ collection with other characters from your favorite movies, TV series, games and comics. Fantastic Beasts™ toys measure over 2” (7cm) tall without baseplate. Baseplate measures over 1” (4cm) square.

LEGO to Pursue Sustainable Material Changeover Despite Possible Adverse Effect on Profit

The business situation for The LEGO Group has been rather touch and go over the past year or so, despite the sheer volume of new building sets and related products that are always being released. Recently they have, in the span of mere days, announced both their intention to change over and pursue sustainable material by 2030 and a report of recovering profits and stable revenue for half of 2018.

It was after the release of that report on LEGO’s financial results for H1-2018 that CEO Niels B. Christiansen reiterated the company’s goal of transitioning from traditional plastic to plant-based alternatives on all product bricks and pieces. He also noted that he is aware of how this ongoing development could bite into their profit margins.

“I’m not even sure that we currently yet can live up to the quality that we want,” Christiansen noted. “But it’s an agenda that we want to drive and an agenda that our owner is behind. We want to become a leader on this.” He speaks of course of LEGO’s owners, the Kirk Kristiansen family, from which the directive to move on to sustainable materials for brick production came from.

Already LEGO manufacturing has gone with bio-plastics for all plant pieces on new and upcoming sets, including the special Plants from Plants (40320) package; only time will tell when they would completely pursue sustainable material use and to begin transitioning the rest of their bricks and elements in the process.

LEGO sales in the US have been heavily affected by the closure there of once-titanic retailer Toys R Us. Only improving figures from European markets ensured that the first half of this year resulted in an even keel for revenues.

LEGO BrickHeadz Witch (40272) Now Available at LEGO Shop@Home

Last month we caught wind of the new, Halloween-themed seasonal LEGO BrickHeadz Witch (40272) set with all the trappings of her nature: broom, cauldron and a weird-looking tree. Its first images were from a sighting of the set at the shelves of the Copenhagen, Denmark LEGO Store.

Barring that super-early availability of the LEGO BrickHeadz Witch (40272) on LEGO’s home country, the most likely time for the set to become available in all major markets would have been sometime in October in our estimate. But what do you know; it may be a Halloween set, but LEGO has made Christmas come early.

LEGO BrickHeadz Witch (40272) 40272 alt3

What we mean is that as of this week, the LEGO BrickHeadz Witch (40272) is now listed on shop.LEGO.com as available for purchase. Comprising of 151 pieces to form the main witch brick-built figure and her spooky props, each set is retailed at $9.99.

40272 alt2

Spook your friends with a LEGO® BrickHeadz™ Halloween Witch!

Say “Double, double toil and trouble!” and add a touch of sorcery to your celebrations with this scary LEGO® BrickHeadz™ 40272 Halloween Witch. Check out her pointy nose and hat, detachable broom, cauldron, bone and pumpkin. This spooky construction character also comes with a buildable collector’s baseplate with a seasonal calendar and BrickHeadz logo for display in the home, office or anywhere you like.

  • Buildable LEGO® BrickHeadz™ Halloween Witch construction character features green skin, decorated eyes, pointy hat and a detachable broom.
  • Also includes a buildable cauldron scene with a bone element.
  • Each LEGO® BrickHeadz™ construction character comes with its own buildable collector’s baseplate featuring a seasonal calendar and BrickHeadz logo.
  • Have fun growing your LEGO® BrickHeadz™ collection with other characters from your favorite films, TV series, games and comics.
  • Mash up your LEGO® BrickHeadz™ construction characters to create supercool hybrids or your own amazing characters.
  • Stands over 3” (9cm) tall without baseplate.
  • Baseplate measures over 4” (11cm) wide and 2” (6cm) deep.

LEGO-IKEA Team-Up Encourages More Play at Home

It had been one of the most unusual bits of LEGO-related news that came out in June, when the globally renowned Danish toy company announced a collaboration initiative with the Swedish-Dutch king of ready-to-assemble furniture IKEA. The reason given for this LEGO-IKEA team-up was for increasing environmental sustainability in their products, but no clarification was given.

The only line said by LEGO and IKEA on the products they’re working on together was that they’re (obviously) geared toward children. A LEGO-IKEA team-up would go towards “encouraging more play at home, and allowing children to be more creative, to experiment and to dream”.

LEGO is only one of several companies that IKEA has forged collaborative efforts with lately. There are also deals made with audio brand Sonos, luxury house Byredo, and shoe and athletic wear giant Adidas. They’re said to embody having the quality of major brands while making them also IKEA-level affordable.

While this is rather old by now, here’s a teaser by IKEA on the products they’re collaborating on with LEGO, posted on Instagram. It’s a short scene of children playing with LEGO Bricks and an IKEA stool. These products will start coming out in 2019 and years beyond, to be found at IKEA’s children’s sections.

Source: BHG

LEGO Harry Potter Collection Coming to Xbox One X October 30

Way back in July, we got our very first hints of a return of two of the most famous LEGO Harry Potter video games in compilation, as the LEGO Harry Potter Collection. Both UK retailer Argos and the Game Software Regulations Board of Taiwan confirmed it coming for the Nintendo Switch. This week, new information on the LEGO Harry Potter Collection re-release was revealed. Aside from the Switch it will also be on the Xbox One X. Furthermore, that version’s release date of October is earlier than the Switch version’s November. And if that’s not enough, it’ll look even better too on-screen.

Here’s what the re-release blurb says:

The LEGO® Harry Potter™ Collection brings LEGO® Harry Potter™: Years 1-4 and LEGO® Harry Potter™: Years 5-7 remastered! This compilation unites the creative prowess of LEGO and the expansive world of Harry Potter, with an exciting journey full of spell-casting, potion-making, puzzle-solving, lessons, dueling and much more for players of all ages to enjoy.

 

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Any old game getting a re-master on the Xbox One X would mean a visual overhaul into 4K graphic resolution. The above is one of the screenshots released for the LEGO Harry Potter Collection on Xbox One X. Notice the smooth renders brought about by ultra high-resolution.

The LEGO Harry Potter Collection combines the earlier titles of Years 1-4 and Years 5-7 into one massive package of adventure through the story of the Boy Who Lived, told in LEGO by Warner Bros. Interactive and Traveller’s Tales. Catch it for the Xbox One X this coming October 30.