Early this month, we covered the reveal of the first LEGO polybags noted to be coming next year. Already we at The Brick Show felt that this batch of 2022 polys would only be the tip of the iceberg. Indeed they were, even if that was barely a surprise. Small and simple as they are, multiple unique LEGO polybags can be churned out in a year. Promobricks.de gives us word of these new reveals, courtesy of brickdex.io, a new price comparison platform. We’ve got multiple polybags under major LEGO themes unlike last time. There’s still no word however on which polybags will sell in-store and which are promo items only.
This year, Marvel Entertainment premiered a new animated series featuring iconic superhero Spider-Man on Disney Junior. “Spidey and His Amazing Friends” saw Peter Parker/Spidey go on light-hearted superhero adventures. With him are Miles Morales (also Spider-Man in comics, “Spin” here) and Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider. Age-appropriateness aside, “Spidey” proved popular enough on Disney Junior, Disney Channel and Disney+, to get a second season approved. Being a younger-viewer animated series, “Spidey” didn’t seem a high priority for LEGO Marvel sets. The ones coming out are more all-ages anyway. But that LEGO-merch drought has ended. “Spidey and His Amazing Friend” are getting LEGO sets.
The Brick Fan reports that German retailer JB Spielwaren got the first scoop on the upcoming “Spidey” LEGO tie-ins. They actually got it first before LEGO.com has even listed them. No less than four action-adventure set await fans of “Spidey and His Amazing Friends.” And they’re not the only characters getting represented. Even their super-villain foes and heroic allies are in on the fun too.
(Links go to JB Spielwaren; $ prices are direct conversions)
All LEGO Marvel Spidey and His Amazing Friends sets are launching in January 1, 2022. It’s really shaping up to be one of the biggest New Year’s LEGO product release blitzes yet.
Look at the submissions to the ongoing LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage and you’ll see it’s mostly buildings. We should like to hope for more vehicle product ideas in this batch, and thankfully Lassehfl answers the call. He even looks to a prominent line in theming for LEGO sets: trains. LEGO themes like City have given collectors some cool locomotives to build. Lassehfl’s product idea looks to be a prime addition to the bunch, now that it has 10,000 supporters. The build in question is an iconic part of American locomotive history as well.
We’re talking about the distinctive articulated early-mid-20th Century 4-8-8-4 steam loco operated by Union Pacific Railroad, the legendary “Big Boy.” Built in the 1940s, they remained in service until 1962. Eight Union Pacific Big Boys remain today, with one (UP 4014) reactivated and in use today as an excursion train.
Ideas member Lassehfl went the extra mile in designing this product idea. His brick-built Big Boy is to scale with standard LEGO rail gauges and is fully mobile. That part’s no mean feat when having a LEGO locomotive with 38 wheels doing potentially tight turns. At 2,100 LEGO pieces, Lassehfl has done a builder miracle.
All in all, this Union Pacific Big Boy product idea is comprised of the engine, tender, and one engineer minifig. While there are parts for static display (with info plaque), Lassehfl intends this Big Boy to be playable. The fact that the model’s fully mobile gives this submission an edge over the other 10-K vehicle models. It’s about time the LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage got serious vehicle rep.
Every year-end Holiday season, LEGO employees have something to look forward to beyond bonuses and benefits. They get to bring home for free a product from their own hard work, manufactured specifically for the occasion. And in addition to commemorating the gift-giving season, these employee gift sets also celebrate any current theme milestone anniversary. Earlier this week Thomas Andreasen, co-creator of LEGO Ninjago, posted his gift on social media. As confirmed by Brick Fanatics (and made obvious by the revealer), the 2021 LEGO employee gift celebrates Ninjago’s first decade. It also posits how the Ninjago universe observes the Christmas Holiday.
YAY! I got my Ninjago: Temple of Celebrations set today! Comes with 6 lovely Chistmas poems written by your’s truly.
The existence of this set DOES NOT establish Christmas as canon in Ninjago!
— Tommy A … on a break! Quanish was a fool! (@TommyAndreasen) December 6, 2021
As seen in Andreasen’s Twitter post, the LEGO Ninjago Temple of Celebrations (4002021) is this year’s LEGO employee gift. The set has 1,320 pieces and 11 Ninjago minifigures, including a Santa Garmadon. The back of the box contains a dedication from LEGO in eight languages. Andreasen also claims the set contains some of his written Holiday poems. He does add in a disclaimer that the set doesn’t confirm the existence of Christmas in the Ninjago setting. As always, a LEGO employee gift set officially goes only to employees. But Temple of Celebrations might be found on eBay and aftermarket platforms.
This past weekend saw plenty of LEGO sets being announced as launching in the coming New Year. Among the reveals is the first batch of releases for the LEGO Technic theme line in 2022. All the Technic sets in this bunch were of the more affordable price range for younger builders. They featured 2-in-1 builds, pull-back action and even 2-in-1 pull-back action at the same time. But if older LEGO Technic collectors think they can skip the January 1 product launches, then they haven’t seen this. An appropriately high-priced, highly-detailed set is now officially listed according to The Brick Fan.
Motorcycle-riding LEGO fans may now marvel at the Technic BMW M 1000 RR set (42130). At 1:5-scale from the real thing, this brick-built racing motorcycle has the mind-blowing mechanical details only LEGO Technic gets. Who can resist building a functional 3-speed-plus-neutral gearbox and making it go. Technic gearheads better not miss this on January 1st.
Developed in sports racing and perfected for the road, the BMW M 1000 RR has captured the hearts of motorsport and motorcycle fans. Now you can enjoy a mindful build crafting your own LEGO® Technic™ model version (42130) of the ultimate motorcycle.
A building set for adults – Start your creative engine with this rewarding build. The LEGO® Technic™ BMW M 1000 RR (42130) model kit is the perfect set for adults looking for a hands-on project
Packed with features – Explore the authentic details in this 1:5 scale model, including the 3-speed (+ neutral) gearbox, steering, front and rear suspension, chain transmission and 4-piston engine
Stylish good looks – Admire the red, white and blue color scheme and iconic BMW branding. From the tires to the windshield, no detail has been overlooked in this model version
Stunning BMW gift – Any motorcycle lover would love to receive this impressive model kit. Designed especially for adults, it offers an immersive project with a stylish display piece to enjoy
1:5 scale – This premium model (dimensions don’t include display stand) measures over 10 in. (27 cm) high, 17 in. (45 cm) long and 6 in. (17 cm) wide
Some announced upcoming LEGO sets generate heavy anticipation from collectors that news of delays or outright cancellations can be disheartening. We’ve got an example of set cancellation this week with the second Holiday seasonal GWP for Black Friday. It’s unfortunate for Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489). But apparently that wasn’t the end of it. Last month we had a peek at what to expect for LEGO Marvel in 2022. Three sets of LEGO Marvel Mech Armors were due to launch in January 1. As you may have surmised, that’s not happening according to Brickset, quite possibly at all.
Brickset reports that they didn’t receive samples set of Mech Armors Wolverine (76202), Iron Man (76203) and Black Panther (76204). While that meant they couldn’t do their early reviews, it also alerted them to related speculation elsewhere. Recall how Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489) GWP was cancelled by LEGO due to “failed quality standards.” Apparently the same goes for these LEGO Marvel Mech Armor sets. Brickset even posits the possible design flaw. On our banner page above, examine Iron Man’s Mech Armor. The hip joints are 1×1 plates, and those are easily twisted with repeated use and motions.
The situation of these delisted LEGO Marvel sets is ambiguous at present. LEGO hasn’t clarified if the sets are just being held back for redesign, or completely cancelled. Thankfully the fourth known January 1 LEGO Marvel set doesn’t seem to be affected. We can still look forward to the buildable Infinity Saga Iron Man Figure (76206) this coming New Year.
Hoping for a new 10-K-supported product idea on LEGO Ideas to report on kind of backfired for us. Anyway, with this double-header of a feature we would’ve covered all recent additions to their Third 2021 Review Stage. The prevalence of “cool building” set submissions remains unchanged, barring some notable exceptions.
Ideas member Revan New gives us a product idea that evokes the classic LEGO Pirate theme plus history lesson. The build depicts, like its name, a tavern used by pirates as he imagines from the Caribbean island of Tortuga. Now a tourist destination in Haiti, Tortuga was a notorious pirate haven in the 17th Century. Revan New does add some anachronistic steampunk elements to the Pirate Tavern, but they only enhance the appeal.
Indeed, the mix of 17th-Century architecture with steam tanks and pipes, plus a complex winch crane, is eye-catching. The Pirate Tavern also looks like it stands on water, with access by boat on the front-door dock. LEGO Pirates is alive and well in this product idea, should it pass review.
LEGO somehow netted flower lovers among their fans with their many buildable floral sets. JamesZHAN looks to channel that brick-built botanical aesthetic with his arrangement of white orchids. This product idea was originally conceived in 2018, when JamesZHAN had it displayed at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery. Some issues he cited with the set’s weight and balanced were fixed in his LEGO Ideas version.
The Orchid build depicts a White Orchid plant with a Sinocrassula Indica growing at its feet. Both plants are “potted” in a large white 2×2 LEGO brick. The white orchid has seven flowers in bloom and six buds. All in all, this is an epic LEGO floral build that collectors of LEGO Botany and Creator would love to pick up.
And that’s that! The LEGO Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage now has 25 product ideas with 10-K support, including these.
LEGO visual encyclopedias produced by UK publisher DK tend to release new editions every few years. That’s only natural. LEGO constantly releases new sets and minifigure characters that need referencing sooner or later. So why bother buying new volumes of the technically the same LEGO books? How about the exclusive minifigs you get from the cover? In the case of DK’s LEGO DC Visual Dictionary/Character Encyclopedia, their exclusives tend to be uncommon DC characters. Said characters tend to be variants of well-established DC superheroes. The upcoming LEGO DC Character Encyclopedia – New Edition is no exception. What a deep comic-book cut their exclusive cover minifigure is.
According to Brick Fanatics, buyers of the new LEGO DC Character Encyclopedia from DK can get a rare Val-Zod minifig. In simple terms, Val-Zod is Superman in DC Comics’ Earth-2 continuity. For a more detailed explanation, this is Earth-2 as established in DC’s “New 52” franchise revamp/”reboot” in 2011. Val-Zod is another Kryptonian survivor: an orphan cared for by Jor-El and a friend of Kara Zor-El (Supergirl). He is of the same family as classic Superman foe General Zod, but explaining that will take too much time. But don’t worry. Val-Zod earned being called Superman.
The minifigure’s design capture’s Val-Zod’s most iconic looks as bearer of the Superman title in his Earth-2 continuity. One reason for him getting a LEGO minifig might be early franchise promotion. You see, HBO Max is developing a streaming series about Val-Zod. As for the LEGO DC Character Encyclopedia – New Edition, it’s priced at $21.99 and due to release in May next year. Amazon preorders are now available.
Among the promos we got for LEGO’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday event last November were the expected Holiday seasonal GWP’s. After all, Christmas was just the following month – this current month, now. While the Santa’s Front Yard (40484) gift-with-purchase set was quaint, longtime LEGO collectors might have felt it incomplete. LEGO tends to give away two (not in-store) GWPs for Black Friday, but 40484 was all we got. There was supposed to be a complementary set, called Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489). It never showed all BF-CM weekend, and isn’t being hyped this December. What happened to this GWP?
The Brick Show gives us the answer. Apparently LEGO decided not to make Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489) available as GWP at all. For all intents and purposes this set may well be cancelled. According to their official statement, this seasonal GWP set failed to meet quality standards. That’s too bad. Looking at the build, you could join Santa’s Front Yard (40484) to its left (“outside” the window). It would make for some improvised modular dynamics. Given LEGO’s announcement, either we’ll never see this set released, or it might be revamped for the next Holiday season. We’re sorry you can’t join us this year, Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Still on LEGO Ideas, the number of submissions earning 10-K support for the Third 2021 Review Stage just got overwhelming. Now, we’re going 2-for-1 in features, with an original creation and a big licensed-IP build.
Sometimes, giving your product idea a backstory can enhance the build’s appeal for potential supporters on LEGO Ideas. We experienced this with the Steampunk Explorers submission from Caster-Troy and Max Brich. Hanwasyellowfirst does a more concise blurb on his product description, but what a description. “The Riverside Scholars” is a fantasy building set, depicting a tranquil retreat house straddling a small waterfall. Said house is home to three wise scholars studying life, the universe and everything. Their lifestyle entices a young boy from the nearby village to follow their footsteps.
The product idea comprises 2,500 pieces and four minifigs (the scholars and the boy). Riverside Scholars looks to be a “Zen” yet fun LEGO Ideas play-set that could also double as a meditation area decoration.
When it comes to prestige feature-length Japanese animation, no names come first before Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Many of their anime movies are iconic parts of Japanese pop culture. They’ve also done heavy lifting in getting mainstream Western appreciation for the anime medium. Ideas member yop1172 proposes a “mega-set” comprising four distinct builds based on four Miyazaki-directed Studio Ghibli films.
Castle in The Sky
The first Ghibli movie directed by Miyazaki. This micro-build depicts the titular floating castle of Laputa
My Neighbor Totoro
Ghibli movie #3 and the second with Miyazaki directing. Forest spirit Totoro is buildable to accompany the Mei minifigure.
Spirited Away
12th Ghibli film and sixth Miyazaki directorial masterpiece. We have spirited-away Chihiro next to the mystical bathhouse, rendered in micro scale.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Ghibli movie #14, and the seventh time Miyazaki was at the helm. You thought Laputa was impressive? Check out the titular (micro-scale) moving castle, in superb complexity, accompanied by Howl and Sophie.
With LEGO Ghibli, the Ideas Third 2021 Review Stage arguably has three anime-IP sets competing for reviewers’ attention. This is one set we really hope passes review. It also makes this writer think of the possibilities for LEGO Makoto Shinkai.
