Posts by Dave Schefcik (TBB News Contributor)

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for April 14, 2019 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of April 2019.

LEGO broke the Guinness World Record with the largest Stormtrooper minifigure army ever assembled. How many did it take? Read on to find out.

LEGO STAR WARS NEWS & REVIEWS: The Brothers Brick celebrated the 20th Anniversary of LEGO Star Wars with tons of feature content, reviews and news from a galaxy far, far away.

LEGO Star Wars returns to A New Hope with 1,700-piece 75244 Tantive IV – This new LEGO Star Wars 75244 Tantive IV is two feet long and will be available starting May 3rd.
Happy 20th Anniversary LEGO Star Wars – Twenty years ago, LEGO introduced one of its most successful product lines of all time–Star Wars! The Brothers Brick celebrated all day long.
The story behind the 1999 launch of LEGO Star Wars – Celebrate 20 years of LEGO Star Wars with a look behind the scenes of its historic 1999 launch.
How well do you know your LEGO Star Wars trivia and timeline? – Are you a LEGO Star Wars super fan? We have all the milestones and fun facts you need to know.
Review of LEGO Star Wars 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – We take a look at a new set from of the Star Wars movies that has not been revisited in a while in LEGO form.
Interview with LEGO Star Wars designers Jens Kronvold and Kurt Kristiansen – We asked two LEGO Star Wars model designers everything you want to know.
LEGO Star Wars 75227 Darth Vader Bust now available from Target – Well that came and went fast, but we still have instructions so you can build you own if you missed out.
Looking back on 20 years of LEGO Star Wars and the LEGO fan community – How has the LEGO Star Wars theme impacted you? We take a look back through the good and bad.

OTHER TBB NEWS: Along with Star Wars, three more new LEGO sets were announced with some new cool wall hangers and custom fan-designed sets.

LEGO reveals newest Architecture set 21045 Trafalgar Square – London gets another LEGO Architecture set with the newly revealed 21045 Trafalgar Square.
New exclusive set 40366 LEGO House Dinosaurs unveiled – You can now take home the three Masterpiece Gallery dinosaurs, available only at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.
Hands on with LEGO SPIKE Prime at Moscow International Education Fair 2019 – We have your first hands-on look at LEGO SPIKE, but can it replace Mindstorms EV3?
Last day to pre-order LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program sets – There’s only one day left to pre-order any AFOL Designer Program set including free shipping.
Giant LEGO stud wall hangers now available for pre-order on Amazon – Want to add some classy LEGO touches to your walls? Check out these brand new “stud” wall hangers!

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Click to read even more LEGO news

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Last day to pre-order LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program sets [News]

Last September, LEGO launched the AFOL Designer Program in cooperation with BrickLink to help bring fan designs to life and produce limited edition sets for sale. BrickLink has since crowdfunded and revealed the packaging for several of the sets, and today is the last day to pre-order any of the designs (including free shipping) before they officially launch.

Of the initial 16 finalists, all but three have officially reached their crowdfunding goals to be produced. You can read about each of the designs and place pre-orders on BrickLink’s crowdfunding page.

LEGO Star Wars returns to A New Hope with 1,700-piece 75244 Tantive IV [News]

LEGO has revealed 75244 Tantive IV, the Rebel corvette featured in the opening shot of Star Wars: A New Hope, the very first Star Wars film ever released. The set comes with 1,768 pieces and six minifigures including Bail Organa, Princess Leia, Captain Antilles, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, C-3PO and R2-D2. The Tantive IV will be available for purchase from LEGO starting May 3rd for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99.

Interestingly the set is not labeled as an Ultimate Collectors Series (UCS) set nor as a Master Builder Series (MBS) playset, though the packaging is similar to both. Instead it looks more akin to an up-scaled and more detailed version of the 10198 Tantive IV released a decade ago.

In addition to this newly revealed set, don’t miss the rest of the LEGO summer 2019 sets reveals, and be sure to check out the new Toy Story 4, Spider-Man, and The LEGO Movie 2 sets that just went sale a few days ago:

LEGO Architecture
LEGO Batman
LEGO City
LEGO City Space
LEGO Creator
LEGO Friends
LEGO Friends Ocean
LEGO Harry Potter
LEGO Jurassic World
LEGO Ninjago
LEGO Star Wars

Click to get a closer look at the newest Star Wars set, the Tantive IV

LEGO Star Wars 75227 Darth Vader Bust now available from Target [News]

The highly sought-after 75227 Darth Vader Bust is finally available from Target for REDcard members. Originally announced as a limited-run Star Wars Celebration set going on sale starting April 11th, the retailer took its time posting the listing. The exclusive set contains 327 pieces and retails for $39.99 US.

(EDIT: It appears to have sold out in less than 15 minutes. We have reached out to Target to see if any other batch will be made available but have not heard back.)

For those of you who are either based internationally, not Target REDcard members, or just don’t want to hassle with the order system, we posted instructions on how to build the set from your own pieces, Bricklink or LEGO Bricks and Pieces service.

How well do you know your LEGO Star Wars trivia and timeline? [Feature]

Over the past two decades, LEGO Star Wars has released more than 700 sets and 1,000 minifigures. It is no surprise that the theme has racked up a significant amount of interesting milestones along the way. From the first flesh-colored faces to the first new hair piece in 20 years, LEGO has explored a lot of new territory within the Star Wars product line.

Below we have two lists, one of interesting LEGO Star Wars trivia and the other an abbreviated history of the product line. To whet your whistle, which droid has appeared the most throughout the entire LEGO Star Wars history? How many LEGO versions of the Millennium Falcon have been created? How many bricks were in the world’s largest LEGO X-Wing that was built in Times Square? Read on to find out.

Keep reading to see how well you know your LEGO Star Wars trivia and history

Happy 20th Anniversary LEGO Star Wars [News]

Twenty years ago, LEGO introduced the Star Wars product line–a theme that would not only help save the company but spark the imaginations of generations of LEGO fans. Star Wars was the first licensed franchise for LEGO and has since grown to be one of the most storied and successful product lines of all time with more than 700 sets, 1,000 minifigures, five video games, several animated TV series and a tidal wave of other merchandise.

LEGO Star Wars holds a special place in our hearts here at The Brothers Brick–it has helped some of us out of our dark ages, we’ve featured an incredible amount of amazing fan creations based on it, and two of us literally wrote the book on it. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, we’ve prepared an entire day’s worth of LEGO Star Wars content, so buckle up for a nostalgia trip to a galaxy far, far away.

To start off, below we have the official press release from LEGO about the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars as well as an archival photo gallery of sets, advertisements, minifigures, timelines and the new anniversary sets launched this month.

LEGO reveals newest Architecture set, 21045 Trafalgar Square [News]

The next LEGO Architecture set has been revealed as 21045 Trafalgar Square. The set features London’s National Gallery, Nelson’s column, several micro-lion statues and fountains, as well as a few double-decker buses. The set will likely be available starting in May, though piece count and price are still unknown at this point. (We will update this article as we find out more.)

LEGO revealed the set by publishing an event on Facebook, where lucky fans can get their hands on the set early and signed by LEGO designer, Rok Zgalin Kobe. The event will happen at the Leicester Square LEGO Store in London on April 27th.Trafalgar Square

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for April 7, 2019 [News]

LEGO Education launched a brand new system to help kids learn. Read on to find out about the new system and all the new elements inside it.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: The newest minifigure series is here, plus we have a close up look at an upcoming exclusive LEGO product.

Review of LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71024 Disney Series 2 – We’ve got a hands-on review of all your favorite Disney character minifigs, from Jack Skellington to Jafar.
Review of LEGO 75259 Snowspeeder – 20th Anniversary Edition – How does the new Snowpeeder compare to versions LEGO has previously released?
Instructions to build the Exclusive LEGO Star Wars 75227 Darth Vader Bust – We have instructions for the Star Wars Celebration exclusive, and surprise–we’ve already built it!
Saying goodbye to LEGO legend, Arthur Gugick (1960-2019) – We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Arthur Gugick, a phenomenal LEGO builder, teacher, and friend.

MORE TBB NEWS: We had a little fun for April Fools, and there are a bunch of new sets available now. Plus have you ever thought about joining the Brothers Brick team? Now you can!

April Fools: The Brothers Brick acquires Beyond the Brick YouTube channel – We created the largest LEGO-related online content provider in history–for one day only!
LEGO Star Wars Box available next week in the UK along with a cute Chicken Skater Pod – LEGO is offering lots of freebies in the UK with an Easter chick and an upcoming Star Wars surprise box.
Your guide to the 17 new LEGO sets for April 2019 including Star Wars, Avengers Endgame and Steamboat Willie – Check out all the new LEGO sets on sale now.
Come join us! The Brothers Brick is recruiting now – If you’ve ever considered joining The Brothers Brick team, here’s your chance.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Click to read even more LEGO news

LEGO Star Wars Box available next week in the UK along with a cute Chicken Skater Pod [News]

Last year around the holidays, LEGO launched an incredibly popular Star Wars surprise box promotion available only in the US and Canada. Now a similar box is being offered to LEGO fans in the UK starting on April 11 with Star Wars purchases greater than £85 (an offer that coincides with the launch of the 20th Anniversary sets). This time around, the box promises five unnamed Star Wars items and a chance to win an unspecified limited edition Star Wars minifigure.

The UK LEGO Shop is also currently offering a gift-with-purchase of a cute Chicken Skater Pod just in time for Easter, available with orders greater than £35. (The chick should be available as a gift-with-purchase later this month in the US and Canada.)

Though we do not know what will be included in the UK boxes, the Star Wars boxes in the US and Canada contained five rare minifigures including Colonel Wullf Yularen from the conference room scene on the first Death Star, DJ from The Last Jedi, a stormtrooper sergeant, Han Solo in Hoth gear, and a Scarif shore trooper squad leader from Rogue One.

The Brothers Brick acquires Beyond the Brick YouTube channel [April Fools]

Today we are excited to announce The Brothers Brick has acquired the popular YouTube channel Beyond the Brick, creating largest LEGO-related online content provider in history. The acquisition essentially triples the volunteer staff at The Brothers Brick and will bring a whole new level of quality to Beyond the Brick’s long-form interview videos.

In addition to The Brothers Brick’s current contributor recruitment drive, acquiring Beyond the Brick’s army of editors will ensure that each video will receive professional editing with scripts, teleprompters and an accompanying written article with high-quality photos. The ultimate goal will be to publish LEGO convention videos the same day they are recorded rather than having to wait several months after each event.

Joshua Hanlon, one of the founders and main host of Beyond the Brick was asked about the purchase: “HEY EVERYONE, JOSHUA HANLON HERE. It makes so much sense to be part of The Brothers Brick since John and I are brothers and we always get confused as being The Brothers Brick anyway, so it is great to have that cleared up so we can focus on upping our quality and create new daily videos hopefully featuring even more LEGO Star Wars builds, and now with the acquisition we are free to travel to EVERY fan convention and LEGO event no matter how small or remote, even to all the tiny train shows or kid displays at libraries, plus personally I think I look better in green anyway.”

In the short term, every daily video from Beyond the Brick will be published as a post on The Brothers Brick as well as on YouTube. The acquisition will also allow Beyond the Brick to feature smaller, high-quality builds that often get overlooked by the bigger, flashier and moving LEGO creations that have been a primary focus of the YouTube channel. Beyond the Brick will also start to produce and publish instruction videos to the LEGO builds they feature as well as finally start highlighting Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs), an area they have sorely underrepresented until now.

Andrew Becraft, founder of The Brothers Brick said: “This was a strategic LEGO community acquisition that will push us ‘Beyond The Brothers Brick’ to new heights and deeper brand awareness.”

The exhaustive branding transition is expected to take up to one year, with The Brothers Brick iconic green taking over Beyond the Brick’s existing red and yellow coloring before the eventual absorption of the brand altogether including all merchandise, t-shirts, stickers and logos.

Your guide to the 17 new LEGO sets for April 2019 including Star Wars, Avengers Endgame and Steamboat Willie [News]

Spring has arrived and along with it a new wave of seventeen highly anticipated new LEGO sets. Star Wars gets the prime treatment with all the 20th Anniversary sets and new Action Battle series now available. Avengers Endgame sets (two with double VIP point offers) and LEGO Ideas Steamboat Willie are also now available.

This wave is certainly smaller than the 112 new sets from this January, but we have your guide right here to each and every new set.
See all of the April 2019 wave of LEGO sets available now

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for March 31, 2019 [News]

How many bricks did it take to create this full-scale LEGO McLaren Senna? Read on to find out.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: We have a few exciting set reviews for you plus a bunch of LEGO news. Also, have you ever wanted to write for TBB? Now you can!

Review of 81000 LEGO FORMA Koi Model Super Box – We opened up a LEGO Indiegogo-campaign funded FORMA Super Pack to see if it is worth the hype.
Review of LEGO 75243 Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition – How does the new Slave I compare to versions LEGO has previously released?
The LEGO VIP rewards program is changing and going digital – Read about the changes and what is new with LEGO’s VIP points system starting in June.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen steps down from LEGO Board of Directors – LEGO’s leadership is changing with Kjeld stepping down and his son Thomas continuing the family’s legacy.
Feature: Looking back on The LEGO Movie 2 – Two months after the movie’s release, we compare how it is doing with the other LEGO movies and share our thoughts.
LEGO reveals six new sets to celebrate 80 years of Batman – LEGO is launching six new sets based on the Caped Crusader, with Shazam along for the ride.
Come join us! The Brothers Brick is recruiting now – If you’ve ever considered joining The Brothers Brick team, here’s your chance.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Click to read even more LEGO news