Monthly Archives: March 2021

LEGO 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery and Classic Space Coin now available for order [News]

After being announced a few weeks ago and generating quite a lot of buzz, LEGO’s newest space-inspired set is now available for purchase. 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery has just gone on sale. The 2,354-piece set depicts the iconic orbiter on 1990’s STS-31 mission to launch the Hubble Space Telescope, and includes stands to display Discovery and Hubble separately or together as the satellite is launched from the spaceplane’s payload bay. The set is now available from LEGO for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £169.99.

Check out our full, hands-on review of the set to see what we thought: TBB Review of 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery.

The LEGO Classic Space coin is also available now in the VIP Reward Center for 1,150 points: US | CAN | UK

Check out what we thought of the first LEGO Collectible Coin: TBB Review of the LEGO Castle Collectible Coin.

LEGO has also revealed the Ulysses Space Probe set that will be available as a VIP reward for 1,800 VIP points. This was originally announced as a promotional item to accompany the Discovery Shuttle set, but today LEGO told us that “Due to unexpected circumstances, there is a delay in the release of the space probe VIP reward. We do hope that it will be available soon. As soon as more information is available, we will make sure that we let all our fans know!”


If you’re thinking about picking up one of these sets, or any LEGO products, consider using the links in this article or on the right side of the page. Purchasing products from LEGO via these affiliate links is one of the key ways that TBB can keep providing you awesome LEGO content for free.

This robot is just Galador-able

LEGO’s long lost Galidor theme wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying that those unusual parts can lead to some expressive creations. Matt Goldberg gives us a stellar example with Gage “An AI of boundless curiosity, sparked by an inexplicable lightning incident.” Gage isn’t only a Galador remix, though. There are elements here from other classic LEGO themes. Check out the Aquazone pincers for hands, and that Bionicle mask for the back of Gage’s head. Throw in some “new” parts like those transparent pink 1×1 round tiles for eyes and a minifigure ice skate for a nose, and you’re ready to party!

Gage

Matt has made more photos of Gage available in a Flickr album, showing off Gage’s range of motion and emotion. And when you’re done checking those images out, you can peruse more quality robots from other builders in our archives!

TRON: this racer oozes NPU

Yup, that’s an acronym inside an acronym. And I’m pretty sure TRON isn’t an acronym, but I know a song* that makes it an acronym. This slick cyberpunk bike by expert sci-fi builder Oscar Cederwall looks like a TRON Light Cycle, but without the light show. Instead, it’s packed with LEGO parts and techniques so futuristic that boggles our stone-age minds. The more I look at it, the more things I notice, and I become more and more impressed.

Cyberpunk Bike

Starting with the front wheel, Oscar has developed a hubless design using all the handcuffs LEGO City has to offer. They fit snugly inside the large motorcycle wheel, surprising me with how two pieces I never thought would go well together actually go well together. Oscar also turned a train canopy upside down, continuing the shape of a futuristic motorbike. Around the seat, large Technic panels continue the curved shapes that are common on modern vehicles, and I’m especially impressed with a Slizers visor covering those pesky pin holes. Oscar continued the unconventional parts usage with leg armour from the Star Wars buildable figures. I never would have thought that part would make an excellent saddle. Lastly, a Duplo train track action insert holds the rear wheel, which is covered with a X-pod lid.

Cyberpunk Bike

Oscar outdid himself to the point where either you can’t tell which parts are used, or if it’s even LEGO. Check out more of his creations here!

*The song in question is They.Resurrect.Over.New. by Lupe Fiasco, for those who are interested

These Irises were made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.

The walking iris is an interesting plant. When it reproduces, new plantlets form at the top of the flower stalks. This added weight causes the stalks to bend to the ground, where the new plants take root. Repeat that a few times, and you have a flower that “walks” around the garden. This exceptional botanical recreation by James Zhan captures the unique beauty of this plant, and adds in a swanky LEGO base to boot.

Walking Iris

Seen close up, you can appreciate the building techniques that have gone into the flowers. There’s some very clever part usage including minifigure ski poles and crowns, as well as a 1×1 plate used as a tiny mosaic to give the petals a splash of color. I also like the varied joints in the greenery, allowing for some very organic curves.

Walking Iris

Flowers have always been a popular theme for custom LEGO creations, and we’ve seen some great sets coming directly from LEGO recently, too. What sort of botanical build do you want to try?

LEGO reveals the Ulysses Space Probe VIP reward set [News]

The new LEGO VIP reward set, exclusive Ulysses Space Probe is about to go available in the Reward Center (US | CAN | UK). The set is launching along with the start of sales of the latest LEGO space-theme set, 10283 Space Shuttle Discovery. According to the newsletters sent out today, the Ulysses Space Probe set will be available for 1,800 VIP points. However, this is still not clear whether the reward will be available starting tomorrow, April 1, or later. Still, the 10283 Space Shuttle Discovery will be available starting April 1, retailing for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £169.99.

The LEGO Foundation partners with Play Included to support LEGO-based learning for neurodivergent kids in UK [News]

Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, The LEGO Foundation, the company’s learning development arm, is unveiling a new partnership with Play Included, a UK-based entity that uses LEGO as a therapy tool for neurodivergent children, including those with autism. The company is putting its support behind the existing Brick-by-Brick program that targets children ages 5 and up and allows them to learn in a group environment on small teams, teaching them valuable skills in socializing, problem-solving, communication, and more. The LEGO Foundation also plans to utilize the partnership to conduct studies on learning through play and how it could potentially be used to impact other conditions such as ADHD and anxiety.

Here’s a video from LEGO outlining the program.

Read the full press release from LEGO below

Gnomeo oh Gnomeo wherefore live thou Gnomeo

Patrick Bohn always manages to put really new and really old parts in his creation. This little cute cottage is no exception of this. The older parts are the 4×4 mushroom top (2002) and the barrel in medium blue (2001). The newer parts are the stem with thorns (2021), the quarter round tiles (2017) and the rock claw plate (also 2017). The last part has been used brilliantly to mimic a straw roof. Patricks mixing of old and new elements shows how LEGO keeps evolving but still keeps in touch with their past. Special mentions go out to the cattle horn grass, the curved minifigure stand tree and the brick build wheel barrel.

A Tiny Home

Crouching golem, hidden puma

Jonas Kramm never stops to amaze me. He always manages to incorporate the weirdest parts in the most original manner. This golem is no exception. I know for sure that this golem would not get past border security because it is smuggling contraband. There is at least one troll (minus the arms) and two pumas hiding in this golem figure. The foliage and little critters attached to the golem’s back add to the likability of this critter. It is also nice to see the 4×4 Belville mushroom top. The entire creation looks mystical and magical.

Tree Golem | 101 pieces

Fire burn and cauldron bubble

I personally am a minifigure scale builder. I never tend to navigate to building on a different scale. This does not mean that I do not appreciate when other builders do. Markus Rollbühler made an amazing creation on, what I’d guess is, Belville scale. There are quite a few LEGO parts used in an original way. The cauldron is made by turning a big tire inside out. The bubbling effect is created by using the new cake icing and a sausage doubles as a spoon ladle. The big table uses tree trunks as table legs. Simple yet really effective. However, the best design has to be the mumbo jumbo of parts used to create a beautiful white owl. The chima eagle head was used for the head. The Yeti head was used as the body of the bird and the wings were made out of a combination of the fur collar and the large figure pads. Last but not least, have you seen the globe with sausages used in the globe holder?

101 Bricks: Magical Misfortune

A race to the Moon? Challenge accepted.

Noblebun is one of the best sci-fi LEGO builders out there, proving that title with his newest creation, the V-X Vera.

V-X Vera

“Roaring into the spaceport was the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen in all my days. With a lean white bow and gleaming engines, she settled down into my docking bay. I thought I was lucky to just catch a glimpse of her, but now she could be mine to care for,” — Rhys Wheelright, chief of maintenance, Colony One.
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LEGO Goes Super Saiyan

Dragon Ball Z is a beloved animated show with many fans across generations, there’s definitely no need for a scouter to check out this LEGO model built by nobu_tary, surely its power level is above 9000. Here we have a figural model of the main protagonist of the series, Goku, in his super Saiyan form. The majority of Goku’s body is fashioned out of orange slopes in a variety of types and sizes, along with tan pieces to flesh out his face and arms. Dark blue bricks and tiles help render Goku’s boots, belt, and t-shirt. The signature spiky golden super Saiyan hair is comprised of slopes and bricks in yellow. A hero factory 1×1 printed round tile is cleverly used here to portray the Kame symbol typically shown on his gi. Nobu_tary also sticks in a couple LEGO dragon wings behind Goku, paying homage to the show’s namesake. Overall it’s always great to see uncommon colors and pieces coming together for an uncommon build – I haven’t seen a ton of models based on Dragon Ball Z.

DRAGON BALL Son Goku

Mum says it’s my turn to fly the X-wing!

It seems that Star Wars is experiencing a baby fever. We’ve had enough of surprise fathers, sisters, and *tries not to throw up* grandfathers, so I welcome the new and unexpected. Recently a certain cute green gremlin took pop-culture by storm, and replaced Minions as the default for Facebook mom memes. It’s 2021 and I still see the words “chiccy nuggies” and “choccy milk” in the same sentence. But whatever, babies are cute. Andreas Lenander has caught the bug and built a babyfied X-wing and some baby rebels.

Baby X-wing pilots on Yavin IV

All jokes aside, I really like this babyfied idea for being a new unique take on Star Wars. Just a few weeks ago I wrote about a small build by my friend Ross, where baby Greedo confronts baby Han over a bottle of blue milk. And Andreas’s build is really well done. The walls of the Yavin base offer plenty of variety in detail to keep it from becoming bland and boring. Andreas keeps the X-wing as accurate to the source material as he can, despite the small size. It’s a really difficult ship to get right, even in larger sizes. So big applause to Andreas, he won me over with this build, and not because of the babies.

Caught the baby fever? There are some more baby creations to see…
Or had enough of babies? Check out Andreas’s other builds that we’ve featured. No babies in those, I promise!