Brickset has high resolution images of the 16 upcoming collectible minifigs in June 2010. All of these figures feature unique printed parts and accessories that are already making fans go nuts. Currently there’s word that each pack contains one random figure for $2, which makes each purchase a surprise (or a disaster on your wallet if you’re on a scavenger hunt for your favorites).
Judging by the “series 1″ label in the image below, we can expect more to come in the future.
This video that introduces the upcoming Hero Factory line in summer 2010 looks pretty cool with its dramatic animations, but I couldn’t help but notice that the narrator mentioned hero 10 times throughout the ~1 minute clip. I have a hunch I’ll be hearing this word a lot more than Bionicle in the months ahead.
Stefan (- 2×4 -) has built a fun little diorama of a heroic dragon hunter, on what is probably his last hunt. I love the sense of motion this scene evokes, with both the “dragon” and hunter poised in mid-air.
As Arthur C Clarke said, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Brickshelf user Grrr31 has powered up his graphics techniques to accurately portray the line art on a French CC72000 train (as well as the locomotive itself). With so much focus lately on stickers to do the tricky bits it’s nice to see someone do it the old-fashioned way.
The details all around are just incredible. I love the stone look to the building itself. The shields around the base are simply fantastic and add a great sense of completion to the creation.
While I enjoyed the discussion about Avatar on the post featuring Harvey Cu’s Bionicle Thanator beast, I can’t say that it really convinced me to go see the movie. Nevertheless, we plunked down $15.50 each yesterday to go see the move in IMAX 3D, and I’ll grudgingly admit that it was well worth it — not for the story, which had the audience laughing in several places, but for the sheer spectacle.
Naturally, a major blockbuster movie like this wouldn’t be complete without the LEGO fan community cranking out creations inspired by the film. Here’s our round-up.
Imagine Rigney (imagine’s brickzone) gets us started with a great vertically oriented diorama complete with a Na’vi flying an Ikran, AMP suit on the ground, and Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson hovering in the air:
Harrison (corran101) uses the new Woody legs from the Toy Story sets for the 12-foot-tall Na’vi in the background of his vignette:
JasBrick (Flickr) takes a rather different approach with this pair of highly customized figs. The Na’vi minifig is actually an old Jack Stone figure!
Finally, Colonel Quaritch stomps around in his AMP suit in this vignette by MasterChief 1:
For more LEGO Avatar, there’s already a Flickr group, of course. (As much as I enjoyed the movie and like the LEGO creations I’ve featured here, here’s hoping Avatar isn’t the next Halo…)
The B-17 Flying Fortress by Alex Schranz (Orion Pax) is as beautiful as it is expensive having used rare metallic LEGO elements for the entire hull of the aircraft. I now have a newfound respect for what a combination of wealth and building skills can bring. Please excuse me as I go back to drooling over the model.
8091 Republic Swamp Speeder is among the first wave of Star Wars sets released in 2010. It’s a Toys R Us exclusive and is also available at LEGO stores and on LEGO Shop at Home. This limited edition set costs $29.99 for 176 pieces and 5 minifigures, including the unique Barriss Offee, about whom I only know that the name rhymes with coffee.
Overview:
The 0.1 price per piece ratio now seems like an ideal rather than the standard. At $30, you’re paying more than $0.17 per average piece from the set. But we’re still lucky in the US where it costs others €39.99 and £29.99 for the same product. If you’re buying it, you’re probably citing the unique Barriss fig as one of your top reasons. In case you want more reasons to buy or not buy the set, read on.
Building experience and play:
The Swamp Speeder is a simple and fun set to build. The only technique to note are the use of 1X2 dark red plates on the bottom to complement the curved contour of the front. The play value of this set is much better compared to its original version in 2005. The new version features a steering mechanism for the guns, which also pilots the wheels so both kids and AFOLs can push and navigate the speeder across their tabletops while making hovering noises and pew pews.
Parts and display
Without the four 1X3 dark bluish gray tiles, this set could have been released in the last decade as it employs no other 2010 mold. Yet even without new elements, the speeder is a great display item based on its efficient design and stickers that greatly enhance the model. It’s a worthy addition to your Star Wars display that may or may not be collecting dust on a neglected shelf.
Collectibility:
The “limited edition” marking on the box only means that the set is an exclusive to LEGO retail and another brand-name store (in this case Toys R Us). You probably don’t have the worry about the set going out of stock soon judging by the last time we reviewed a limited edition set (7752 Count Dooku’s Solar Sailer) and it’s still sitting comfortably on shelves a year later. On the contrary, there are inconspicuously marked exclusives such as 8092 Luke’s Landspeeder that could disappear completely within a few months. It’s one reason that the landspeeder is currently the hottest-selling set on US LEGO Shop at Home.
Resale value:
If you’re selling the figures on Bricklink, you’ll get between $15-20 for Barriss, but even so selling the rest of the figs will barely fetch the price you payed for the set as long as stores still carry it. While the clone trooper has a new and slightly different design and is currently exclusive to the Swamp Speeder, it may not remain that way for long as it is a common character. If you’re planning on hanging onto a copy of the set, it’s not a bad idea. While you may have to wait a while, the rewards of possessing an out of stock limited edition Star Wars set are significant. As for me, I’ll be buying a second copy at a later time to keep MISB.
Concluding remarks:
This is a set that appeals to fans of Barriss Offee, the swamp speeder, and collectors. Kids will have fun with the play features of this model while some AFOLs can find it as a good display item. As builders, you can get more parts from Bricklink than from this set, and even resellers may be tempted the same. If you’re sitting on the fence with 30 bucks, go buy Luke’s Landspeeder if you don’t already have it. It even comes with the droids you’re looking for.
For more pictures, see the full gallery on Brickshelf.
This creation would never have come together this way, were it not for the advice of several friends. This ship came about from the idea I had for the engine shape using arches, and the angled configuration. My first attempt at a fuselage (inset) was rather thrown together, and didn’t quite work.
A few friends suggested playing up the bee-like qualities of the original, which I attempted to do. The fact that there was an official LEGO sticker available with a hornet on it made this idea all the better. A few people suggested changing the canopy, and one suggested the style of a glass-domed WW2 era bomber. That idea worked itself into a full spherical canopy, and the addition of the large guns, to become the Hornet Bomber.
First is an everyday sight for me, goat theft thwarted by a bull mountain troll. I’m not sure which of Steve Vargo’s (:jovian:) features I like the best, the goats, the troll, the nature bits, the action capture or the rail fence. I really don’t know.
The second is something I see slightly less frequently, but it is still a pretty common sight: cow theft in giant flying washtubs. Precisely what Liwnik captures in this great scene. I particularly like the resulting crop circle. It explains a lot.
That’s PC487(d)(1) in California, if you want to get all technical about it.
Soren Roberts has built a new micro-scale ship. It merges curved and angled elements into an interesting and cohesive shape. I’ve never liked building space craft in red, personally, but this one works, with just enough of other colors to impart a sense of reality.
This photo is of the underside of the ship, which is also my favorite side.
The official Finnish LEGO Atlantis website has pictures of some upcoming Atlantis vehicles, guardians, and characters in their interactive database. You can see them from Pate-keetongu on Flickr.
While I enjoyed the discussion about Avatar on the post featuring Harvey Cu’s 
