The 1970s brought us so many great sci-fi television shows in the wake of the original Star Trek series, from Battlestar Galactica to Space 1999. There was even a reboot of Buck Rogers, which served as the inspiration for this classic starfighter by Luis Peña. Based upon designs from famous Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, this model features some excellent sculpting and color striping which closely matches its on-screen counterpart.
Since it’s first flight in 1966, the Russian Soyuz rocket system has become the world’s most frequently used launch vehicle. With over 1,700 flights in 50 years, this Russian stalwart has hauled cosmonauts, satellites, and cargo aloft, with its relatively simple design creating an enviable reliability record. However, this LEGO version of the latest Fregat version of the Soyuz is anything but simple — Jussi Koskinen has pulled out all the stops to capture every last feature of the spacecraft’s detailing. The scale of the effort involved is impressive — the model took 18 months to put together, and measures over 1.25m.
The overall structure of this massive model is excellent, and the shaping and angles on the lower boosters are particularly good. The smaller details are worth a look too — don’t miss the texturing around the base of the boosters, the scaffold-style connection between stages, and the nice integration of the Russian flag into the upper stage’s colour scheme. This formidable model wouldn’t look out of place on display beside the LEGO Ideas Saturn 5 set, and that’s high praise indeed.
Have you noticed it’s the middle of February already? This means that Saint Valentine’s Day is here, and with it the explosion of hearts and flowers. And if you or your valentine is bored with chocolates and roses, how about getting a bit more creative? LEGO BrickHeadz 40349 Puppy, which hit the shelves on Jan 1, is LEGO’s ultimate answer to everyone in search of an adorable present. The set consists of 150 pieces and retails for just $9.99/£9.99.
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In an early preview of the New York Toy Fair, LEGO today unveiled their Hidden Side product line, a new series designed with augmented reality to help bridge physical and digital play. The sets will be “haunted” via an app and kids will have to uncover mysteries and turn the sets back to normal by finding and releasing ghosts.
The eight sets will launch in August this year and will range in price from $20 to $130 US, with the Hidden Side app available on Android and iPhone.
Click to learn more about LEGO Hidden Side including photos and a video
By the time the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars with its splashy “Sky Crane” in 2012, the unassuming Opportunity rover had already been trundling across our neighboring planet’s surface for 8 years. But on February 13, NASA declared its 15-year mission over, having received the last transmission from the rover ahead of a major dust storm on June 10, 2018. To commemorate the end of the mission for what is arguably one of humankind’s greatest achievements, here’s my LEGO Opportunity that I built back in 2012.
When it debuted in 1999, Rock Raiders was LEGO’s first theme dedicated entirely to mining, and this year marks its 20th anniversary. Set in a futuristic world, the teal highlights and yellow caution stripes now evoke a particular kind of nostalgia for those of us who had the line as kids. Purple-Wolf has put together a series of creations set in that grungy, dark underworld. First up is a sort of convoy truck called the Rubble Shovel, and it’s armed with the biggest plow possible. That plow is actually from Duplo, but it fits the aesthetic perfectly here.
See the rest of the Rock Raiders creations
From the mid-1800s through the early 20th Century, the Industrial Age reached farms in the form of steam traction engines. While they were heavy and slow, they were preferred for their serious hauling capabilities. There is something captivating about these massive mechanical marvels, and that’s probably why Nikolaus Löwe built a fleet of three steam traction engines. Each one looks distinct enough to stand on its own. My favorite model is this traction engine, which is hauling a hay wagon. The vehicle’s color scheme is eye-pleasing, rendered in dark red, black, and gold. Meanwhile, the black chain links look great wrapped around the wheels.
See more of these relics from a bygone era
LEGO’s Ultimate Collector Series line of highly detailed Star Wars models has brought us amazing models such as the Y-Wing and Millennium Falcon. But there’s one thing that’s missing so far, and that’s any vehicles from the new sequel trilogy. Regardless of your feelings on the new movies, we can all agree that there are a lot of amazing ship designs in the films, and one of the coolest (and smallest) is Rey’s speeder from The Force Awakens. Builder Aniomylone wasn’t content to wait for LEGO to build a UCS version of it, so they’ve done it themselves with this stunning rendition.
Back in 2016 we featured another UCS version of Rey’s Speeder, but what’s fascinating here is how Aniomylone’s version is built with radically different techniques, yet is still incredibly accurate. I also love that there’s a custom UCS-style placard to accompany the speeder.
The opening weekend of a movie is typically an indicator of how successful it will ultimately be. And even though the The LEGO Movie 2 (TLM2) took the number one spot in the box office (read our review here), the financial performance looks troubling, possibly placing the development of future sequels at risk.
The first LEGO Movie netted $87.4 million worldwide during its opening weekend. TLM2’s opening weekend was comparatively disappointing, reaching just $52.5 million. Let’s take a closer look to compare the two.
Click to read more about The LEGO Movie 2’s opening weekend
Armored hardsuits are definitely a LEGO fan favorite subject, and this stocky fellow by Moko immediately caught my eye with some great details. First off, the shoulder guards, which use this unusual hockey helmet, are paired with the Bionicle mask to give the suit a bulky style. The elbow connection is also interesting, inserting clip bars into the underside of a 2×2 round brick. A small detail on either side of the pilot’s compartment is the printed construction tile from LEGO 30529 Mini Master-Building Emmet polybag. The overall effect reminds me of a goliath beetle.
LEGO Certified Professional Ryan McNaught sure knows how to make an impression with LEGO bricks. For the centerpiece of his current exhibition, titled Brickman Cities, Ryan designed this stunning replica of Lower Manhattan, which utilizes LEGO in a way we’ve never seen before.
Constructed of more than 210,000 entirely white bricks, the 1:600-scale city is incredibly accurate. Continue reading
LEGO has revealed three new sets based on The LEGO Movie 2 ahead of the 2019 New York Toy Fair later this week. The three sets include 70838 Queen Watevra’s ‘So-Not-Evil’ Space Palace, a foot-and-a half-tall space castle, 70837 Shimmer & Shine Sparkle Spa!, a place to change for the better with the help of a vampire, and 70842 Emmet’s Triple-Decker Couch Mech, a 2-in-1 build of the iconic couch with an added level.
EDIT: These LEGO Movie 2 sets are now available from LEGO.
In addition to the initial wave of nineteen sets, Apocalypseburg, The Rexcelsior, and four BrickHeadz, these three bring the total number of sets based on the movie sequel to 28. This new wave of LEGO Movie 2 sets will be available later this Spring, likely in May, with the Triple Decker Couch being a Target and LEGO Store Exclusive. (Fair warning, theses sets contain miniscule spoilers but in no way would ruin the movie.)
Click to get a closer look at each of the three new LEGO Movie 2 sets