Category: Seasonal

A Closer Look at the 2017 LEGO Employee Gift Nutcracker (4002017).

Last week, we caught a glimpse of this year’s LEGO Employee Gift which is exclusively given to all LEGO Brand Store employees at this time of the year. This year, LEGO opted for a more holiday vibe with its complementary set, LEGO Store Employee Gift Nutcracker (4002017). I also remember saying in that post that this particular holiday gift set is probably the least attractive of all the employee gifts that LEGO has released thus far. However, after seeing several unboxing images from AFOL Bartlett via Chinese internet media giant, Sohu.com, I felt that corrections are in order. I am glad that I was wrong with my initial impression since I never had the chance to see the actual set built nor tried out – I just based my comments on its rather unsightly box art.

Thanks to these images shared by Bartlett, we now have a better appreciation of this latest LEGO Store Employee Gift. If you wish to see a full account of how the set is build – from it’s unboxing to the set’s play features – just head over to Bartlett’s post over at Sohu. Just don’t forget to use Google Translate to have a better idea on the finer details of this Nutcracker set. Credit goes to Bartlett for sharing these images, and to Ms. Norma Fernandes for sharing the clip below via Instagram.

The 2017 LEGO Employee Gift Nutcracker (4002017) box as compared to other sets.

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An inside look at the box’s contents and building instructions.

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 The Nutcracker (40002017) set completely built, including an exclusive 2×4 printed tile.

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The entire range of LEGO Nutcracker sets so far.

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Halfway There: Days 9-12 of LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (75184)

Whoops, we appear to be slipping in schedule. I should’ve posted the third digest of mini-goodies from the LEGO Star Wars 2017 Advent Calendar (75184) yesterday. But better late than never, so now we’re going to have a look at what models and minifigures were revealed from Day 9 to Day 12.

Day 9: Rey’s Speeder – I remember back when teasers for The Force Awakens were still rather new in 2014, and aside from the shot of BB-8 rolling across the sands full throttle, I was also impressed by a segment showing the Jakku scavenger later identified as Rey (Daisy Ridley) scooting off in her massive motorcycle-type speeder. She looked so small compared to its forward section. Anyway, LEGO does have a full-scale model set of the speeder (75099), so this mini-model is a budget option for those who missed getting that. It’s too small for minifigures, though.

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Day 10: Jakku Scavenger – Well, Rey wasn’t the only one in Jakku poking through all those star destroyer wrecks. Here’s one of those many other scrappers working the barren planet, whom Rey does business with. The desert gear goes with the cool facemask, but that wooden crook looks incongruous.

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Day 11: Luggabeast – If you’re wondering what else to do with the scavenger from Day 10, then here’s your answer. The luggabeast is a weird cyborg mount and beast of burden that’s somewhat common in worlds like Jakku. Rey’s had scenes in The Force Awakens interacting with scavengers on luggabeasts, before the start of the great adventure.

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Day 12: Millennium Falcon – Didn’t we cover this before in micro-foil form? Indeed, the most iconic spaceship in the whole Star Wars franchise gets yet another micro-model take for this advent calendar. It’s nothing collectors haven’t seen before, but Han Solo’s just never gets old.

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After careful consideration, I’ve decided to wait until Day 18 for the next digest of reveals for the LEGO Star Wars 2017 Advent Calendar (75184). That’s 6 days’ worth of new stuff to cover, and the next digest after that should be the last one, showcasing the remaining minis all the way to Day 24, Christmas Eve. I’ll see you then, after the premiere of The Last Jedi on Friday.

More LEGO Seasonal BrickHeadz Slated for 2018.

After LEGO recently announced and created some buzz around the latest BrickHeadz to watch out for with the Valentine’s Bee (40270), it left me with a distinct impression that it will not be the last in the series. Revealed as a seasonal set, it is somehow expected that more similar sets will be introduced later on from this particular subtheme of BrickHeadz.

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As it seems, it looks like LEGO is intentionally showing us what’s next after the Valentine’s Bee BrickHeadz for 2018. The back side of the set’s box art reveals five additional LEGO seasonal BrickHeadz, each of which is expected to be released alongside the traditional seasonal vignettes throughout the year.

#30 Easter Bunny – available in March

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#31 Halloween Witch – available in September

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#32 Thanksgiving Turkey – available in October

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#33 & #34 Mr. and Mrs. Claus – available in November

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Truth be told, I wish LEGO could have followed its usual BrickHeadz silhouette teaser rather than revealing the whole nine yards. As a LEGO enthusiast, I appreciate a certain degree of excitement and sense mystery on what LEGO has in the works for its future sets. So revealing all the LEGO Seasonal BrickHeadz all in one swoop kind of put a damper on it.

Nevertheless, these are still lovely sets, and will be a great addition to your ever growing BrickHeadz collection.

First Look at New Seasonal LEGO BrickHeadz Valentine’s Bee (40270) Set.

LEGO could always be counted on to have some set or other ready to be released or made available throughout the various seasons of the year. For the coming New Year however, they appear to be expanding from the expected general minifigure collections, play sets and models, and expanding into some of their more recent product lines.

One such theme that has begun showing seasonal trappings is LEGO BrickHeadz, the line featuring super-deformed depictions of numerous franchise characters from various brands. I need not remind you of the BrickHeadz sets coming out for Rey and Kylo Ren (41489), and the Justice League, and Darth Vader (also for next year).

Well, here comes the first – and likely not the last – seasonal BrickHeadz set to be released by LEGO, this one being for Valentine’s Day 2018. It’s the Valentine’s Bee (40270), a black-and-yellow bee with antennae, beady eyes, rosy cheeks, white wings, and carrying a honeycomb and heart.

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BrickHeadz set 40270 has 140 pieces in all, assembling not only the Valentine’s Bee and its handheld accessories, but also its platform which can be decorated by LEGO-brick rose bushes, sunflowers and white buds. It will come out next year, naturally, and will likely cause about $9.99, the same as other BrickHeadz sets. That’s something to look forward to for a cute Valentine’s gift.

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New Free DLC on LEGO Worlds: Christmas Biome and Minifigures.

As 2017 comes to a close, this year marks LEGO and Traveller’s Tales foray into the sandbox video game scene with LEGO Worlds, now available across all major gaming platforms, including Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC. As a way of paying it forward and in the spirit of the holiday season, LEGO and TT Games have prepared a treat for all fans of the game and to add more creative festivities to the LEGO Worlds Community.

As it seems, a new of Christmas-themed DLC has now been rolled out for LEGO Worlds, and they’re absolutely free. As shown in the video below, a good amount of this new content, aside from the wintry Christmas-themed biome, consists of numerous holiday minifigures – from assorted Winter Village residents to Santa Claus himself.

The Traveller’s Tales design team described the new LEGO Worlds Holiday content thus: “Get ready for a ho-ho-whole load of free festivities in LEGO Worlds this December with the Seasonal Biome. Similar to your stocking it’s packed with plethora of presents including new quests, vehicles, minifigures and more.”

LEGO Worlds from LEGO and Traveller’s Tales is available on Microsoft Windows and Xbox One, Sony PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.

Closer Look at First Four Days of LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2017 (75184)

Oh hey, December has started (last Friday), so for those who have fancied LEGO’s 2017 Advent Calendar sets, this one’s for you. If there are any who have actually not purchased the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (75184) set, then perhaps this feature might inspire you that it’s not yet too late to start.

The again, if the 75184 advent calendar isn’t in your buy list this year at all, then perhaps you can enjoy these photos of what lies in store for each day of December that comes until Christmas Eve on the 24th. Granted, it would’ve been accurate if this got started last Friday, but at least the inaugural countdown post will be meaty.

Day 1: The Ghost – The advent countdown by LEGO Star Wars this year starts with the main spaceship of the animated series Star Wars Rebels. The armed light freighter Ghost is the “baby” of Twi’lek Rebel leader Hera Syndulla, serving a mobile home base for the show’s small Rebel cell from Lothal. It was last seen chronologically in 2016’s Rogue One movie.

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Day 2: Sabine Wren – For those who find Bobba Fett too antiheroic to root for, then here’s a Mandalorian fans of Star Wars Rebels can get behind: Sabine Wren. It does feel awesome to have someone from the bounty hunter world undoubtedly fighting the good fight.

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Day 3: Phantom II – The Ghost is no warship by any stretch of the imagination. Thankfully it’s got the auxiliary Phantom II star-fighter shuttle. Much like the Ghost from Day 1, it’s a simple build that still matches the details of larger LEGO Star Wars sets well.

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Day 4: Blaster Cannon – For when handheld blasters aren’t enough, there’s a tripod-mounted big gun the post-Empire Resistance can bring to bear against the Imperial remnants of the First Order. It’s sure to get some screen-time in The Last Jedi this December. (That minifigure’s for a later day.)

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That about does it for now; watch this space for more lowdown on the other goodies left in the 24 Days of a LEGO Star Wars Christmas. The 2017 Advent Calendar (75184) is available now, along with similar mini-model-laden advent calendars from both the City and Friends lineups.

LEGO Flyers for VIPs Can Avail of Returning Seasonal Minifigure Gingerbread Man (5005156).

Even casual LEGO fans are well aware of the many special packages the company brings out at the onset of the major seasons and events of the year. Why, just this November they already have announced what’s going to be in store for collectors during the Easter celebration next year.

But really, the current big buzz is for the various special offers flying around during the Holiday season. In this case, we mean it literally with the flying, as in, flyers. LEGO is shipping out some special fliers to their VIP members to announce the comeback of a Holiday seasonal standard.

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LEGO VIPs need only to head to the nearest LEGO Store, present their promotional flyer along with any product purchase worth at least $10, and they’ll receive the LEGO Seasonal Gingerbread Man minifgure (5005156) absolutely free. Take note however that the offer will take for only up till December 23.

The LEGO Gingerbread Man (5005156) was first presented in this Holiday offer last year, so this is his second outing as a giveaway for collectors. He’s not alone, either. Shop@Home has the online version, with their return of the $9.99 LEGO Seasonal Snowglobe (40223).

Happy Holidays from us and LEGO!

Christmas Building Activity Events All Set at the LEGO House in Billund.

The excitement for now is with Black Friday, but quickly following in its heels is the last big celebration period of every year: the Yuletide Season. A great many global brands and companies have something planned for the occasion wherever they may be in the world, but The LEGO Group is one of those that are definitely on a whole other level when it comes to celebrating Christmas.

As per usual, the center of these Holiday events for LEGO is back in its home country of Denmark, at their company town of Billund. They also have a new festive venue wherein they could really hype up the local residents for the last month of the year: The Home of the Brick or LEGO House.

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It also doesn’t take much of a genius to figure out that these events will involve LEGO brick building, and lots of it. All these will take place in the free-admission Square area of the LEGO House, where guests of all ages will be encouraged to put their builder skills to use in assembling whatever Holiday decors they desire. They’ll even have “Play Agents” on hand to help out with the building if necessary.

Here is the list of special events to be held at the Home of the Brick, courtesy of the LEGO website. Note that it starts on the very day after the special Airbnb hospitality event is held. Residents of Billund and tourists travelling there from late November to December will certainly have lots of LEGO fun there.

LEGO House Christmas Featured

  • 25-26 Nov: We build lots of small trees and plant them all over LEGO Square.
  • 1-4 Dec: We build the big tree (up to 6 meters) and host a charity event with great giveaways.
  • 8-11 Dec: We create decorations for the tree.
  • 15-18 Dec: We make presents for the tree.
  • 22-23 Dec: We add the last details and countdown to Christmas Eve.

LEGO Online Shop UK’s Black Friday Deals.

It’s Black Friday, people, and the deals are out in full force. LEGO of course is no exception, and their online shop over at the UK is offering some hefty discounts on some of their pricier sets in stock. And when we say pricy we mean, obviously expensive.

Thus far, the best set deals that can be gotten from LEGO Shop UK’s Black Friday bash would have to be the LEGO Creator Expert Brick Bank (10251), a modular marvel filled with minifigures and other stuff. Usually priced at £129.99, LEGO UK is bumping it down to £103.99 for just this Friday.

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Then there is the uber-techy LEGO Mindstorms EV3 (31313), one of the most advanced model sets ever to come out from LEGO. Even the Black Friday deal can’t reduce its price under £200 for one; you’ll need to really have some big savings to get it for £239.99 (down from £299.99).

The following are other marked-down LEGO sets of note that British buyers can avail of this November 24:

  • LEGO Star Wars First Order Heavy Assault Walker (75189 ) – £129.99 £103.99
  • LEGO Creator Expert Volkswagen Beetle (10252 ) – £74.99 £59.99
  • The LEGO Batman Movie The Ultimate Batmobile (70917 ) – £139.99 £111.99
  • LEGO Technic Extreme Adventure (42069 )– £139.99 £111.99
  • The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Fire Mech (70615 ) – £59.99 £47.99
  • LEGO Creator Modular Family Villa (31069) – £44.99 £35.99
  • LEGO City Jungle Exploration Site (60161) – £84.99 £67.99
  • LEGO City Police Station (60141) – £84.99 £67.99
  • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Thor vs. Hulk: Arena Clash (76088) – £54.99  £43.99
  • LEGO Disney Elsa’s Magical Ice Palace (41148) – £64.99 £51.99
  • LEGO Elves Breakout from the Goblin King’s Fortress (41188) – £64.99 £51.99
  • LEGO Friends Sunshine Catamaran (41317) – £64.99 £51.99
  • LEGO NEXO Knights Knighton Castle (70357) – £109.99 £87.99
  • LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box (10698) – £39.99 £31.99
  • LEGO Duplo Deluxe Train Set (10508)  – £99.99 £79.99
  • LEGO Duplo Big Fair (10840) – £69.99 £55.99

Remember also that any LEGO Shop UK order over £60 shall receive a free LEGO Nutcracker (40254) set in their basket. Happy Black Friday!

LEGO and Airbnb Contest Ends This Friday!

If you recall, we previously mentioned about a special tour and accommodation experience that has been offered by LEGO, and global hospitality provider Airbnb, in which a lucky applicant can win for himself and three companions a one-night stay at The Home of the Brick, aka LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.

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There the winning group would be treated to a unique brick-themed hotel stay, and be able to see whether they can realize what they answered in the Airbnb contest application form: “If you had an unlimited supply of LEGO bricks, what would you build?”

TopBanner Explore LEGO House

News flash: this one-of-a-kind experience will happen next week, on November 24. And the deadline for submissions for answers to the promo question on Airbnb is this Friday, November 17. The exact time till the offer ends is at 6:59 AM GMT, so this is something to bear in mind for non-European applicants, as the LEGO House one-night stay is open to fans worldwide.

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Just to refresh your memories – in order to qualify, the answer to Airbnb’s question must be between 50 to 500 words. Furthermore, children in your party of 4 must be at least 4 years old.

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The winning group’s stay at The Home of the Brick in Billund will be overseen by Jamie Berard, one of LEGO’s Master Builders and prolific set designers responsible in creating some of the most awesome LEGO sets around: the Cafe Corner (10182), Emerald Night (10194), Tower Bridge (10214), and Assembly Square (10255) just to name a few.

Once the group has settled in on the evening of November 24, they will be free to build to their hearts’ content, with Jamie helping them along.

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Time is running out! If you’re still down to win a visit and stay in the LEGO House, go to the Airbnb page for this unique experience and answer their question now! Good luck!