LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 2 (43108) Now Limited Only to LEGO Brand Stores

At the start of 2021, LEGO launched a new interactive product experience for kids: LEGO Vidiyo. Jumping on the music video-sharing trend spearheaded by TikTok, LEGO developed a child-safe alternative. Combining a mobile app with unique sets and minifigures featuring scannable components, Vidiyo promised MV-making fun with AR-SFX aplenty. Too bad the theme floundered with kids so much that LEGO put Vidiyo on hiatus. At least the first-wave sets have until 2022 before retiring. One product however, the LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 2 (43108) minifigures got left in a sort of limbo and is now reported to be offered only at LEGO brand stores.

Stonewars.de has it that the unfortunate Series 2 of LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates (43108) might not become available at retailers. This comes after some dealers revealed that LEGO has canceled retail preorders of this minifigure set. They originally planned to release 43108 by July. When LEGO announced their intent to shelve the Vidiyo line for revamps until 2023, they at least assured the Bandmates minifigs will arrive in October. Come the first of the month, no Vidiyo Bandmates series 2 (43108). Even LEGO Shop@Home lists it still as “Coming Soon.” Maybe it got canceled after all?

LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 2

In Stores Only

While there may still be a chance that Vidiyo Bandmates (43108) may become available on Shop@Home, retailers are out. As Stonewars tells it, only Branded LEGO Stores could end up carrying the series. If things get worse, perhaps it won’t even be all LEGO Stores. Vidiyo had such potential too. Now, even its supposedly newest product release may not even come out.

Each Vidiyo Bandmate pack costs $4.99 and contains one minifigure with three “Beatbit” printed tiles. The Vidiyo app can scan Beatbits to unlock new AR visual effects for video recording. Series 2 (43108) boasts 12 bandmate minifigs and a total 36 Beatbit tiles.

Roundup of LEGO Sets Releasing this October 1

The month of October begins, and with it the newest release of LEGO sets and products for collectors. Various set news and rumors over the past month may have bloated up the amount of info available. Other LEGO news sites have done their product release summaries. You can count on us also to give you a nice quick review of what came out from LEGO this October 1. Here goes:

(Text links go to our past articles, number links to the products’ LEGO Shop@Home listings.)

LEGO City (Stuntz Sub-theme)
  1. Stunt Park (60293) – $39.99
  2. Stunt Show Truck (60294) – $69.99
  3. Stunt Show Arena (60295) – $99.99
  4. Wheelie Stunt Bike (60296) – $7.99
  5. Demolition Stunt Bike (60297) – $7.99
  6. Rocket Stunt Bike (60298) – $7.99
  7. Stunt Competition (60299) – $29.99
LEGO DC
  1. Classic TV Series Batman Cowl (76238) – $59.99
  2. Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown (76239) – $39.99
LEGO Disney
LEGO Ideas
LEGO Marvel
Eternals
  1. Eternals’ Aerial Assault (76145) – $9.99
  2. Deviant Ambush (76154) – $24.99
  3. In Arishem’s Shadow (76155) – $59.99
  4. Rise of the Domo (76156) – $89.99
Infinity Saga
Spider-Man: No Way Home
  1. Spider-Man vs. Mysterio’s Drone Attack (76184) – $19.99
  2. Spider-Man at the Sanctum Workshop (76185) – $39.99
  3. Spider-Man’s Drone Duel (76195) – $19.99
LEGO Super Mario
LEGO Technic
  1. Ford F-150 Raptor (42126) – $99.99
  2. App-Controlled Cat D11 Bulldozer (42131) – $449.99
Others

Happy LEGO Shopping this October!

First Image of LEGO Titanic Set (10294) Leaked Ahead of Supposed November Release

You’d be surprised at the number of MOCs by dedicated LEGO builders featuring vehicle disaster scenes. You get no points in guessing that these particular builders love replicating the doomed passenger liner the Titanic. Some Titanic MOCs from years back are absolutely humongous. Then earlier this year a rumor arose of LEGO planning to release a Creator Expert Titanic set. The news sparked collector interest particularly due to its size, at 9,090 pieces. It makes this LEGO Titanic (10294) the second-largest LEGO set ever put out. While LEGO has kept mum on this set’s existence, now some images have been leaked to technically confirm it.

German LEGO news source Promobricks.de notes that local retailer Brick-meister.de, may have released the earliest image of the RMS Titanic (10294) set. We now have an idea for the box art, showing the ocean liner in its red-black-white-gold livery. The foreshortened angle of the image nicely sells the size, even if the “largest set” rumors already got “debunked.” LEGO even put a scale measurement of the ship in the box’s upper-right corner. Converting a 269.1-meter ship into a 1.23-meter brick-built scale model gets its LEGO designers much praise from us.

Other info

Promobricks also gleaned some further details about the LEGO Titanic (10294). While already understood to be too small-scale for minifigures and microfigures, the set could be disassembled into segments. That allows for a display of the interior layout, which also depicts floor furnishings and facilities in some detail. Furthermore, this is not a licensed-IP set. It carries no marks from Titanic’s former company, White Star Line. The line merged with their rival Cunard Line in 1934, with Cunard itself now part of Carnival Corporation. Surely Cunard itself might have contacted LEGO about the set. Anyway, LEGO Titanic (10294) might be released next month, November 1 (October 20 for LEGO VIPs). That bit of info remains rumor until LEGO confirms it.

August-Released LEGO Marvel Sakaarian Iron Man (76194) Possibly Based on Unfinished “What If…?” Episode Now In Season 2

Back in August and September several LEGO Marvel products came out, based on the Disney+ streaming series “What If…?” The premise of this animated anthology centered on various alternate timelines created by divergent events from the canon MCU. This was reflected in the Minifigures Series (71031) plus the Captain Carter and HYDRA Stomper (76201). One set however stands out; more so now that “What If…?” has only one episode left. Tony Stark’s Sakaarian Iron Man (76194) doesn’t seem to fit with any of the alternate storylines featured. When in the series does it fit, then?

76194 1

Again, Brick Fanatics has the possible answer: the Sakaarian Iron Man belongs to a “What If…?” episode that was moved to season 2. They cite an August interview with the series executive producer Brad Winderbaum on Collider. Winderbaum notes that the series would comprise of 10 episodes for its inaugural season. The pandemic however affected production so much that one episode got pushed back. “What If…?” premiered August 11 so this info didn’t seem too important. But now that episodes 8 and 9 turn out to be a connected story, it suddenly became relevant again.

Episode 8 “What If…Ultron Won?” ended in a cliffhanger this past September 29. It suddenly didn’t seem feasible that the series finale could feature a storyline on Sakaar with Tony Stark. Therefore, the Sakaarian Iron Man (76194) likely features in the episode that’s now in “What If…?” season 2. Tony Stark and Valkyrie’s minifigures being accompanied by series narrator the Watcher here did seem strange. We feel how unfortunate that is. The Hulkbuster-sized Iron Man armor that transforms into a racecar would have been cool to watch on streaming. “What If…?” concludes season 1 on Disney+ this coming October 6. No date’s confirmed yet for the premiere of season 2.

LEGO and Unity Launch Ninjago Microgame Development Contest on LEGO Ideas

When LEGO drops teasers for new product, game, or media, we do our best to guess what they’re planning. Sometimes we hit the nail on the head; other times our theories go wide. But hypothesizing on advance hints by LEGO is fun too. Take for example their recent teaser about a collaborative effort with Unity. We believed that meant a LEGO Ninjago-themed microgame using the Unity game engine, much favored by indie game-devs. A reasonable guess, to be sure; but what LEGO finally unveiled threw our theory off. They’re not making the microgame. LEGO Ideas members will, in a contest.

Heck, we have the official LEGO Ideas Contest page for it. “The LEGO Ninjago 1-Button Game Challenge” pretty much sums up what interested participants are in for. If they have game coding potential they can download the Unity game engine, and their LEGO microgame template, free. The objective: to create a microgame (short, simple videogame) with only one button as input. Think perhaps of a basic “endless runner” app and you’d get the idea. It can be themed after Ninjago or an original idea. Naturally LEGO Ideas won’t allow third-party IPs for this. Designers can then show off their microgames on the LEGO Ideas contest page via trailers or screenshots.

The contest will award one winner for each of three categories: Ninjago-themed, original, and Unity behavior-bricks. And look at these prizes for the lucky ones:

  • Nintendo Entertainment System (71374)
  • Super Mario Starter Course (71360)
  • Minecraft Abandoned Mine (21166)
  • Unity Pro subscription, valid for one year
  • $200 in Unity Asset Store Credits
  • The important thing of all: Your microgame could be featured on LEGO Retail stores.

lego unity prizes

Other things

Check out the contest page for links to download Unity’s LEGO microgame for development. The Ninjago Add-On pack also went live on Unity’s Asset Store for participants planning to theme their game after Ninjago. Entries must be in no later than November 4. The Top 15 will be subjected to a fan vote on November 18, with the three Grand Winners announced on December 2.

LEGO Super Mario 64 “?” Block (71395) Set Inspires Game Mod for “Super Mario 64” with Microfig Mario

October 1, Friday, marks the next big release blitz of LEGO products. Among them: the LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block (71395). Most LEGO news sources would have featured this splendid videogame-based set by now. Having five levels of the Nintendo 64 “Super Mario” game replicated would easily grab franchise fans’ attention. The set also features the main game characters as microfigures. The three-piece Mario microfigure even became a breakout favorite feature of the Question Mark Block (71395). If you have doubts about that, then check out this teaser from a tech-savvy LEGO fan. He just put a LEGO-microfig Mario in Super “Mario 64.”

Brick Fanatics just featured a Twitter post advertising another poster’s mod to “Super Mario 64” on the Nintendo 64. It shows a level from the game, but with the 64-bit polygonal Mario avatar replaced by a digital microfigure version. This looks just like the microfig from Mario 64 Question Mark Block (71395).

71395 alt5

The tweet by @NathanielBandy1 describes the mod image as the work of a @KazeEmanuar, one that releases around this weekend. It therefore comes out a day or two after LEGO launches the Question Mark Block set.

The thing about modding…

While this is fascinating and an indicator of LEGO Super Mario set 71395’s memorability, we won’t discuss this further. Apparently this “Mario 64” mod was done on emulator, which is in a gray area with developers and publisher/manufacturers. Nintendo making “Mario 64” and several other N64 titles playable via Nintendo Switch Online also does this project little favors. Still the fact that, only weeks after its reveal, the Question Mark Block (71395) already inspired game modders, speaks to LEGO’s success in courting “Super Mario” fans. While we wish @KazeEmanuar luck with his mod, we’ll just return to the actual thing now. LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block (71395) comes out October 1 at $169.99.

LEGO to Repack Baseplates in Paper with New Numbers Starting March 2022

Long aware that its plastic bricks potentially contribute to global garbage, LEGO takes its environmental sustainability initiatives seriously. In their recent 1HY-2021 Financial Results report, the company announced the success of their paper packaging trial period. LEGO thus plans to increase implementation of paper-bag packaging for their products from 2022 to 2025. Eventually the familiar plastic polybags will be phased out for sustainable paper material. Now there are certain ancillary LEGO products that would be packed in paper sooner than others. As The Brick Fan would have it, paper packs may become the norm for LEGO baseplates by next year.

For LEGO builders who want their constructs, particularly structures, to stay put, baseplates are essential. Four baseplate colors will not only be repackaged in paper this coming 2022, they will be renumbered as well. Here’s a list for convenient reference.

  • Green Baseplate (10700) will become (11023)
  • Gray Baseplate (10701) will become (11024)
  • Blue Baseplate (10714) will become (11025)
  • White Baseplate (11010) will become (11026)

LEGO deems this announcement necessary because the old plastic-packed baseplates with old numberings will be “retired.” That of course would only make way for the new paper-packed baseplates with updated numbers. So we can nip any panic that “LEGO’s stopped making brick baseplates” in the bud. Worry not; a new sustainably-packaged line of LEGO baseplates will be arriving by March 2022.

LEGO Harry Potter Gryffindor Dorms GWP Set Confirmed in Latest Store Calendar

With LEGO, what was once old and simple can become new and intricate several years later. In the early days of LEGO Harry Potter, something like Gryffindor House (4772) was already a big deal. A lot can be done already with a bedroom-study room combo and two minifigs. That set however comes up short at a time when LEGO Harry Potter is already 20 years old. There arose rumors last week of a new LEGO HP set depicting the Gryffindor Dorms as a GWP for October. We can now confirm those rumors thanks to LEGO.

As Brick Fanatics tells us, the October 2021 LEGO Store Calendar features this new LEGO Harry Potter set. Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms (40452) reimagines the rather ancient Gryffindor House (4772) from decades ago with magical detail. Harry and Ron minifigures share a modular-built bedroom setup with a bunk bed, trunk and plenty of miscellaneous accessories. But check out the back wall of the bedroom. It looks like a display space for LEGO tiles depicting the in-universe Wizarding World trading cards. These tile cards are collectible in 20th-Anniversary LEGO HP products. Even the in-store GWP Hermione’s Study Desk polybag (30392) has them.

By the way, we mentioned the modular nature of the Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms (40452) set. It makes perfect sense considering the modularity prevalent in the more recent LEGO Harry Potter releases. You can add the Gryffindor Dorms to mix and match with Polyjuice Potion Mistake (76386) and its fellow sets to customize your Hogwarts Castle interior. Remember, this GWP comes free with every total LEGO Harry Potter product purchase above $100. Catch it from October 25 to November 7, both in-store and on LEGO Shop@Home.

LEGO Store Calendar for October 2021 is Out

It’ll be October this coming Friday and LEGO is ready to show its cards for that month. That means a new schedule of promotions, events and other cool stuff at LEGO Stores in October 2021. True to form, LEGO’s servers now carry the two-page store calendar for next month. We already know of all those new sets coming out right on October 1st, but what of the special offers and happenings in the stores? We’ve grouped them neatly down below:

0001

Special Offers
(LEGO VIP ONLY)
  • Minifigure Keychain – FREE upon VIP signup this October
  • Rebuild the World Rebuildable Flying Car – FREE with VIP purchases over $120, October 18-24 ONLY
(In-Store ONLY, October 25 to November 7)
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Featured New LEGO Set Releases
Events

October 30-31 – Trick Or Treat! Special treat for visiting LEGO Stores in Halloween costume on these days

Simply visit LEGO Shop@Home for more in-depth details.

LEGO Teases Microgame Featuring “Ninjago” Made on Unity Engine Coming Very Soon

Ever since its original introduction in 2005, Unity Technologies’ game engine has been a godsend for game development. In its more recent iterations the Unity Engine saw use in developing mobile games. Both indie teams and major developers rely on Unity, and in fact LEGO has formed a partnership with them. Unity actually hosts a template with which LEGO fans with game-development chops can use to create playable “Microgames.” While the making of microgames has usually been with fan-devs, LEGO itself has dipped into the Unity Engine too. They’ve even teased an upcoming microgame on social media featuring one of their popular original theme lines.

As seen in this September 25 Twitter post from LEGO, a microgame starring “LEGO Ninjago” is apparently coming. The tweet states Wednesday, September 29, as the possible release date for this microgame made on Unity. The accompanying teaser image shows the Ninjago team and Master Wu, framed in shadow.

What could it be about? Looking at sample footage from Unity’s LEGO section, their microgames evoke the feel of Traveller’s Tales and WB Games. For the most part they consist of minifigures roaming a LEGO-esque landscape interacting with other minifigs and brick-built objects. Now replace the generic LEGO designs with the Ninjago aesthetic. Of course, we’re just speculating at this point. September 29 isn’t far off so we’ll see what microgame LEGO has cooked up with the Unity Engine soon enough.