The Brick Show

LEGO to Offer the Iconic LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina (75205) All Over Again in 2018.

We can thank the first Star Wars film for introducing us to the spaceport of Mos Eisley on the planet of Tatooine. That location – and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s description of it – would respectively define and name the narrative trope known as the “wretched hive” (of scum and villainy).

And yes, Mos Eisley is such a memorable place in the greater Star Wars story (for all that it was only relevant one time in one film of the entire saga), that it has been replicated by merchandise and toys over the years. LEGO has also done its share in immortalizing Mos Eisley.

Word is that in 2018, LEGO will be rolling out a new play set depicting yet another take on Mos Eisley and its most memorable setting of the Cantina, the set being numbered 75205 as later on confirmed by Brickset. The ~~last~~ first LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley set that came out was back in 2003 with set 4501, a year after the release of Episode II – Attack of the Clones. It was later followed by 2014’s iteration of the Cantina with set 75052, with 615 pieces to boot. Here’s a shot of these previous sets:

Details on the differences among these versions of the LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina sets are few, but one alteration given is that the 2018 set will swap out Luke Skywalker’s familiar landspeeder with the mushroom-shaped Ubrikkian 9000, a background vehicle from the original film. If the name sounds alien (which it is), then take a look at this screen grab from The New Hope.

The LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley (75205) will retain three minifigures from its previous sets: A Stormtrooper, Han Solo, and Greedo the bounty hunter (whom Han originally shot first and not in self-defense). The fourth and new minifigure will be the Cantina’s barkeep Wuher.

It’ll be great looking forward to playing out that scene with “crispa” Greedo all over again when the new LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley (75205) set comes out next year. Thanks to Rebelscum and Hothbricks for the tip.

Renault Sport’s 40th Anniversary Event To Feature Life-Sized LEGO Model, Workshop and Several Rare Sets.

LEGO has been partnering with real-life brands for so many decades that it has become old hat. Speaking of old hats, Renault Sport has been in the racing scene for four decades now, ever since Groupe Renault established it back in 1976 by combining their sports-car and competition departments at Gordini and Alpine.

Renault Sport has overseen their parent company’s official motor racing participation, especially in Formula One, for 40 years. In commemoration of this milestone, just one decade short of a golden anniversary, Renault has contracted the services of a LEGO Certified Professional who is a trusted partner of The LEGO Group.

The result is three sets of Renault Sport race car models made entirely of LEGO bricks. Note however that, outside of being designed by a LEGO-Certified Pro, these are not official LEGO sets with appropriate numbering. Still, they’re made out of bricks that are as LEGO as they can be.

Renault Sport Formula One Team RS17

828 pieces; only 100 sets made available.

Renault Sport Formula One Team RS17

110 pieces; only 1000 sets made available.

Renault RS2027 Vision

Concept vehicle model for Renault’s 50^th anniversary, 375 pieces, only FORTY sets made available to retail for €375 each.

All these rare sets will only be available for collectors at the Altelier Renault event in Paris on Saturday, December 9. The said event will also showcase a life-sized RS17 model made out of 300,000 (official) LEGO bricks.

In addition, there will be a LEGO workshop where attendees can assemble their own custom micro-scale version of said RS17 model. You can find out more from this preview video (in French).

Toys ‘R’ Us To Close a Quarter of their UK Stores by Spring Next Year.

We gave it a brief mention lately, but it’s come to our attention that this very pressing development where LEGO product retail availability is concerned, has not been touched by us here at The Brick Show. Toys ‘R’ Us has been a major distributor among retail chains carrying LEGO brand, so its current state warrants coverage.

Anyway, earlier this week on Monday, December 4, Toys ‘R’ Us announced its intention to close up to 26 of its retail stores in the UK, a move that could have significant repercussions in the country’s general toy retail scene. Those 26 branches after all, are a fourth of the UK’s total, and with them 800 jobs would be lost.

This sad news is inevitable in the breakneck changes that have been wrought to how retail in the world works these days. Toys ‘R’ Us grew in the days of “warehouse-style” chain stores, in stark contrast with today’s online shopping revolution. The only comfort to be had is that the actual closures won’t happen until the spring of 2018, so doing Christmas shopping is still on.

Toys ‘R’ Us UK is owned by the larger, US-based TRU company, but is run separately. Their managing director Steve Knights has noted that the firm’s British business has been operating at a loss of seven out of the past eight past years leading to financial woes with creditors. They plan to present a company voluntary arrangement proposal (CVA) for the creditors to vote on by December 21, enabling Toys ‘R’ Us UK to pay their credit even as they continue retailing.

In that way, Knights said, TRU can cut down on their store space rental obligations and thus help to change over to a new business model that will be more consistently profitable.

We’ve covered several recent LEGO Events done at UK Toys ‘R’ Us stores before, so while the end of some of them is still far off, it leaves a sad undercurrent for something that seems so inevitable. And the other LEGO retailers have been taking advantage of the whole thing too.

LEGO Wins Its Very First Case Against Knock-Off Brands in China.

Since the very first LEGO production line began its work in China a couple of years ago, the unholy work of Chinese knockoff brands have also increased exponentially. Thankfully, China has given the LEGO brand the legal protection that it so rightfully deserves when the Beijing Higher Court passed a ruling early in November, that designates the LEGO logo and brand as a “well-known trademark”.

As a result, it looks like LEGO finally has leverage against all counterfeit brands that originate from the Asian giant. Yesterday, LEGO has just announced that it received a favorable decision from China Shantou Intermediate People’s Court, indicating its first landmark victory against LEGO knockoff brands. According to The LEGO Group, this decision in favor of TLG against BELA Products in which the latter has infringed upon the copyrights of LEGO, has strengthened its resolve to pursue legal remedies against other counterfeit brands that proliferate in the country and other parts of the world.

Additionally, the Chinese court also decided that the LEGO Group should enjoy the protection under Chinese anti-unfair completion laws for its unique designs and aesthetic aspects, which BELA violated when it marketed its LEGO Friends-like sets. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but we are definitely not happy about it. Take a look at some of BELA’s ‘flattering’ approach of imitation.

Here’s LEGO’s complete press release regarding this legal triumph.

THE LEGO GROUP WINS CASE AGAINST MANUFACTURERS OF BELA PRODUCTS IN CHINA

The LEGO Group has received a favorable decision from China Shantou Intermediate People’s Court in September holding that certain BELA products infringed upon the copyrights of the LEGO Group and that manufacturing and selling of those products constituted acts of unfair competition. It is the first time the LEGO Group has filed and won an anti-unfair competition case against imitators in China.

The case was filed against two Chinese companies, which had been manufacturing and selling products that were almost identical to LEGO®products. The decisions come into effect in November 2017.

The court decided that the two Chinese companies must stop copying the packaging and logos of LEGO products in the future, as this constitutes copyright infringement. The court also decided that the LEGO Group enjoys protection under Chinese anti-unfair competition laws for the distinctive and unique appearance of certain decorative aspects of its packaging across particular product lines (in this case, LEGO Friends), which serves the purpose of making consumers immediately recognize and associate the products with the LEGO Group.

Peter Thorslund Kjær, Vice President, Legal Affairs in the LEGO Group, said: “We are pleased with the ruling by Shantou Intermediate People’s Court, which we see as a strong indication of the continued focus on proper intellectual property protection and enforcement by the Chinese courts and responsible authorities. We think this is very important for the continued development of a favorable business environment for all companies operating in the Chinese market.”

“We will continue our efforts to ensure that parents and children are able to make informed choices when they are buying toy products, and that they are not misled by attempts by irresponsible companies to make toy products appear as something that they are not.”

The LEGO Group takes the protection of its intellectual property very seriously and takes the necessary steps to ensure that its copyrights, trademarks, patents or intellectual properties are not being violated.

LEGO Star Wars Promotional Darth Vader Pod (5005376) Cancelled.

If you recall, we mentioned a particular LEGO Star Wars promotional that is supposed to launch this December, as mentioned in the LEGO December Store Calendar. Most fans of the LEGO Star Wars theme (including myself) were looking forward for the Darth Vader Pod (5005376) that is supposed to launch starting December 15 and until January 14, 2018. This is expected to be the 5th promotional pod offered by LEGO, that will be made available for a minimum receipt purchase of $60 of any LEGO Star Wars sets.

However, most of us was a bit wondering when the LEGO January Store Calendar came out with no mention of the same abovementioned promotional, especially considering that it is supposed to be running until the first half of January 2018. There were speculations that the collectible Star Wars pod was eventually cancelled, and as it turned out, The LEGO Group (TLG) has finally put the issue to the rest by giving out a press statement on the matter. According to TLG, the pod itself did not conform to its strict, quality standards and must eventually cancel the release of the LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader pod. Here’s the official word from the company:

Star Wars Pod No. 5005376

We have to inform that as part of our internal quality screening process, we have found that the Star Wars Metalized Pod 5005376 does not meet our strict standards. As you know, we take the quality and safety of our products extremely seriously, and so out of an abundance of caution we have decided not to launch the Star Wars Pod.

We are committed to continuing support for our Star Wars promotion, and will offer consumers 10% off across all LEGO® Star Wars products from 18th – 24th December 2017, excluding the Millennium Falcon product (75192).

They did not mention in detail what is the particular source of concern, but I assume it probably has something to do with the suitability and safety of the materials used in making the pod. I am particularly interested in how LEGO worded the name of the pod, giving emphasis on the pod’s ‘metalized’ feature. Does it have something to do with the metallic coating or color used on the pod, we don’t know for sure.

However, LEGO reassures fans that even though the Darth Vader promotional pod is discontinued, the 10% discount on all LEGO Star Wars sets (except for the still elusive UCS Millenium Falcon 75192) will still push through from December 18 to 24, so hope you’ll find solace in that.

LEGO Explains Changed Looks LEGO Friends Girls in New 2018 Sets.

For collectors of the young girl-oriented LEGO Friends series that have seen our major 2018 set image reveal recently, some may have observed a few changes to the minidolls accompanying the sets in question. These minidolls, larger and more detailed than the standard LEGO minifigures, and depicting unique LEGO-original characters, have been noted by analytical eyes to be a bit… off from the usual depiction of the main LEGO Friends characters: Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie of Heartlake City.

Then:

Now: (look at the girls on the upper-right of the box)

As it turns out, the altered looks for Andrea and her close circle was an intentional move on the part of the main LEGO Friends design team all the way from LEGO HQ in Billund, Denmark. They even released an official statement to give a detailed explanation for the changes.

LEGO officially released a statement regarding the new looks of the LEGO Friends characters, as reported by The Brick Fan. The changed appearances are LEGO’s take on the evolution of the Friends line, its associated characters, and even the play sets that represent the world they live in. While their personalities are the same, the passing of time has evolved the way they looked.

And it’s not like they came up with the alterations on their own; LEGO also took into consideration KFOLs (or Kid Fan of LEGO) of the LEGO Friends theme for their ideas and feedback. This is all to make the Friends universe a bit more like the real world that the children who play with the sets live in.

Truth be told, this design philosophy isn’t unique to LEGO Friends. Other LEGO themes have taken that idea to heart as well. LEGO City Pickup and Caravan (60182) set, for example, has a 3-minifigure family included: mom, dad and son. Word from LEGO is that they are the same family from a seasonal LEGO City Christmas set, where the boy was still a baby. That’s kind of cool if you’ll ask me.

Amazon UK’s Free LEGO Gift Sets, Good Until December 19th.

LEGO buyers and collectors in the UK may be pondering the reality that one of the brand’s major retail outlets is being reduced, now that Toys ‘R’ Us is closing a number of its stores in that country. This development however is inspiring other outlets to take advantage and make the most out of it.

In what could be an effort to attract LEGO shoppers who would lose access to a closing Toys ‘R’ Us store near them, Amazon UK is launching a one-two punch combination of a promo for customers shopping for LEGOs on their platform. This is the ‘freebie for minimum purchase’ thing.

Their first offer is a free LEGO Batman Movie Catwoman Catcycle Chase (70902) set for a minimum £50 worth of any kind of LEGO products. Amazon stateside has already been offering the Catcycle Chase and other sets tied to The LEGO Batman Movie at reduced prices since way back in mid-November. Check the rest of the promo mechanics for these freebie right here.

The other freebie is for fan-boys of The Force who would buy at least £40 worth of LEGO Star Wars sets; they’ll get a free LEGO Star Wars Imperial Trooper Battle Pack (75165). Both offers are good until December 19 only. UK buyers need only visit Amazon UK for details.

LEGO Star Wars Sand-Speeder (75204) Set Now Available to Order Stateside.

You’d recall last month that we covered how certain LEGO Star Wars sets that were supposed to come out early next year, 2018, had come out even earlier by showing up on Target. Apparently, since the cat is out of the bag now, LEGO’s decided to make it available officially.

By that we mean that (for US customers at first), the LEGO Star Wars Sand-Speeder (75204) set is now available in the listings at shop.LEGO.com. The new shipping date for this piece of merchandise that ties in with the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi film is on December 18.

Speaking of the movie, none of the trailers that have come out thus far have hinted at a planetary location where the heroic Resistance might need to use Sand-speeders. There’s a question then if the vehicle is based on some other Star Wars media or simply a Snow-Speeder (75144) recolor.

The LEGO Star Wars Sand-Speeder (75204) comes with two Resistance minifigures, a (presumably) First Order desert droid, and blaster bolt props spring-fired from the vehicle’s cannons. No new international release date has been given for the set, but it’ll likely be a shared exclusive between Shop@Home and local retail chains.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi comes out in US cinemas on December 15, three days before the shipping date for set 75204, which now joins several other LEGO sets based on the hotly-anticipated movie that will be coming out both before and at the heels of the film’s premiere.

Official Set Images for 2018 LEGO Duplo Sets Revealed

With the year coming to an end at last, there’s no better time for companies to start hyping up what they’ve got in store for their loyal customers next year, in 2018. That of course includes LEGO, and what images they have released of their 2018 sets, both original and licensed IPs, have blown fans away like they always do.

Now that many of the sets comprising regular-sized LEGO bricks have come out, it’s time now for LEGO’s Duplo brand to show off their latest upcoming treats for children of the 1½ -5 age range. Like their (smaller-sized) “big brothers” at LEGO, these Duplo sets also come in original flavors and licensed franchises; in the latter case, this batch has sets that Marvel and Disney fans will love.

My First Puzzle Pets (10858) – Learn About Colors

My First Ladybird (10859)

My First Race Car (10860)

My First Emotions (10861) – Learn About Emotions

My First Animal Brick Box (10863) – Learn About Animals

Large Playground Brick Box (10864)

Fun Creations (10865) – Endless Creativity

Farmers’ Market (10867)

Farm Pony Stable (10868)

Farm Adventures (10869)

Farm Animals (10870) – best paired with the above Farm sets

Airport (10871)

For Duplo’s Marvel Superhero Adventures line:

Spider-Man & Hulk Adventures (10876) – featuring Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Sandman

For Duplo’s Disney Princess line:

Belle’s Tea Party (10877) – also with Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip

Rapunzel’s Tower (10878)

A big thank you to The Brick Fan for the info.

The LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigure Series 2 Now Officially Revealed!

This piece of news may have been floating around lately, especially considering that a leaked image of its checklist has surfaced as early as the first week of November. Nevertheless, nothing beats the crisp, clear images that LEGO has shared over social media regarding its highly anticipated LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigure Series 2.

In case you missed it, check out these official images and the names of each of these characters. It is also interesting to note that like other CMFs or collectible minifigures, most of these sets also include a variety of new pieces, unique and sometimes odd looking dual-sided face printings, and a well-balanced number of Justice League heroes and Rogues from Gotham.

I am personally excited to have my try with the Swimming Pool Batman and Tropical Joker minifigs; and if you’re excited for these TLBM collectibles as much as we do, then better start practicing how to feel them inside their challenging blind bags once January 1 comes in. For the meantime check out these images courtesy of LEGO’s official Facebook account.