Posts by Dave Schefcik (TBB News Contributor)

LEGO unveils new Hidden Side product line with eight haunted augmented reality sets [News]

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

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Three new LEGO Movie 2 sets revealed, including a Space Palace, Sparkle Spa and Triple Decker Couch [News]

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

The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures, Apocalypseburg and more now available [News]

A new month means new LEGO sets are now available, and while there are significantly less than the huge amount that went on sale in January, there are still a few updates and some sweet promotions.

New Sets for February

First up, 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg is now available widely after its VIP early access. You can read our detailed review here. The set includes 3,178 pieces and 12 minifigures for US $299.99 | CA $399.99 | UK £279.99.

Next up, 71023 The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures are now available online. These have popped up early in some retail stores before today, but they are now generally available with all your post-apocalyptic favorites and the quartet from the Wizard of Oz. We have all the details in our hands-on review. They are priced at US $3.99 | CAN $4.99 | £2.99 UK.

There is also a bunch of other gear, costumes, masks and more themed for The LEGO Movie 2, including a new 853874 Emmet Construction Pod. (Also of note, the new “sewer babies” pack is not available online but is now on LEGO Store shelves.)

Click to continue reading about LEGO’s current promotions

Crowdfunding for LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program sets has started [News]

In September, LEGO launched the AFOL Designer Program in cooperation with BrickLink to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brick and to help bring fan designs to life. Out of the 443 submissions received, 16 designs were selected as finalists coming from fans from nine different countries. Today, pricing of those designs has been revealed, and they are now available for pre-order as the crowdfunding part of the program begins.

Designs will only be produced and shipped by BrickLink if they hit their target funding levels before April 15th. (That is the same day orders will be processed and charged.) If a project successfully crowdfunds enough orders, it will ship in May. Bricklink is also offering free domestic and international shipping for sets ordered during the pre-sale period.

Click to see each AFOL Designer Program finalist, price, and pre-order information

LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary sets and minifigures revealed [News]

A long time ago… twenty years to be exact, The LEGO Group teamed up with Lucasfilm Ltd. to begin production of sets based on the Star Wars universe. It was the first time LEGO had ever created products based on someone else’s story and characters, translating those fantastic tales into the LEGO world. That partnership has since spawned more than 500 sets, a hit video game franchise, television shows, and countless minifigures that have inspired multiple generations. LEGO Star Wars not only helped save the company from the brink of bankruptcy, but has become one of the top-selling global themes every year since.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, the company is launching five special sets featuring iconic ships with exclusive throwback minifigures in tribute of the storied history of the franchise. The sets will be available later this year (likely in April), and we will bring you exact release information when it becomes available.

Click to take a closer look at the LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary sets

LEGO DUPLO celebrates 50th birthday with a look into the past [News]

50 years ago in 1969, LEGO unveiled DUPLO, its larger-sized bricks made for younger children which were twice the length, height and width of traditional LEGO elements but still compatible within the larger LEGO system. To this day, DUPLO has provided an early entry point to younger builders as well as creative detail (and filler brick) for older builders too.

What follows is a treasure trove of history sent to us by LEGO to celebrate DUPLO’s 50th birthday, including a press release and massive gallery of international patents, early DUPLO products, a look behind the scenes of DUPLO’s production and more. So sit back and enjoy the journey through the last 50 years of DUPLO, starting with this new video showing DUPLO’s rigorous quality testing, then read on.

https://youtu.be/9etW56WtQdY

Click to read about the past, present and future of LEGO DUPLO

Happy 61st International LEGO Day from The Brothers Brick! [News]

Sixty-one years ago today on January 28, 1958 Godtfred Kirk Christiansen submitted a patent application for a toy building brick which was approved six months later. Little did Godtfred know that his “highly sophisticated inter-locking brick system” would lead to LEGO becoming one of the largest toy companies on the globe.

So let’s celebrate our love of LEGO today however we can, by building a new set or seeing what LEGO was doing the decade we were born. Sort some parts, create something new and amazing, or re-build that one set you loved as a kid. Play well, everyone.

Want to know more about the history of LEGO and the fan community? Check out our LEGO History timeline!

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 27, 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 fourth week of January 2019.

Is it possible to make a LEGO set actually fly? Read on to find out more.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: The LEGO Movie 2 rules the week with a new blue set, minifigure reviews, and more. Only two more weeks until it hits theaters!

Review of The LEGO Movie 2 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg – The biggest set from The LEGO Movie 2 has over 3,000 pieces and is a dystopian future we enjoyed building.
Review of 71023 The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures – The LEGO Movie 2’s Collectible Minifigures are here, and we’re opening all 20 for an in-depth review.
Review of The LEGO Movie 2 – No spoilers here, but what did we think of the highly anticipated sequel, new characters and sets?
70839 The Rexcelsior revealed as 21st set from The LEGO Movie 2 – The set has 1,826 pieces, micro-raptors, rapid-fire missiles and “Stubble Trouble Emmet” for $149.99.
Last eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed – Crowdfunding begins February 1st, so which projects will you support?

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:

Everyone’s childhood dream, flying their LEGO, YouTube – FliteTest pushes the boundaries of the LEGO 60193 City Arctic Air Transport set, but does it get airborne?
Full-scale LEGO Renault F1 car to be auctioned for charity, Motorsport Week – A full-scale Renault Formula 1 constructed from LEGO bricks will be auctioned in Paris next month with all proceeds going to charity UNICEF.
Ed Sheeran surprises Laxfield school Lego club with donation, BBC – A surprise gift from the singer means kids will be able to build their own LEGO House, inspired by the star’s hit.
A Look Inside Lego: How They Utilize Storytelling and The Power Of Play, Customer Think – Listen to this hour-long interview with LEGO Chief People Officer Loren Shuster about building the right culture and leadership st the company to reach more kids around the world.

Last eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed [News]

The second half of AFOL Designer Program finalists have been revealed, bringing the total and final number of designs to 16. (Take a look at the first eight finalists here.) The initiative was launched by LEGO in cooperation with BrickLink to bring fan designs to life.

Crowdfunding for finalists will begin on February 1st, and if a set reaches its pre-sales goal, it will then be produced and shipped by BrickLink. Voting will take place on BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program homepage, which also features more photos of each of these finalists.

Click to see the AFOL Designer Program finalists

70839 The Rexcelsior revealed as 21st set from The LEGO Movie 2 [News]

LEGO revealed 70839 The Rexcelsior as the 21st set in its LEGO Movie 2 lineup today at the London Toy Fair. The set features Rex Dangervest’s ship, The Rexcelsior, and comes with 1,826 pieces, two minifigures, two microfigures, five micro-raptors, and a six-missile rapid blast functionality.

The Rexcelsior will retail for $149.99 US, 199.99 CA and £139.99 UK, with availability beginning May 1 after the movie hits theaters.

Edit: The Rexcelsior is now available in the US and Canada.

Click to get a closer look at The Rexcelsior

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 20, 2019 [News]

Eighteen builders spent more than 2,000 hours hand-selecting and placing each of the 334,544 pieces in this LEGO Chevy Silverado. Read on to find out more.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: The LEGO Movie 2 is storming into theaters soon, and we have some Star Wars and BrickLink news for you too.

Review of LEGO Star Wars 75225 Elite Praetorian Guard Battle Pack – Read to find out how these figures differ from their previous iterations and why is there a stormtrooper.
First eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed – Which of these projects from the AFOL Designer Program are you most interested in?
The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures series unveiled, available Feb. 1 – The collectible minifigure series from The LEGO Movie 2 has been unveiled in detail. including a trip down the yellow brick road.
70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg from The LEGO Movie 2 is now available – This 3,000-piece post apocalyptic product is an impressive motion picture mammoth of a set, and is available for purchase today.

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:

Chevy uses 300,000 LEGO pieces to construct full-size pickup truck, GeekWire – What was the most common brick used in making this 3,307-pound vehicle? The red 2×8 brick.
The Hot New Asset Class Is LEGO Sets, Bloomberg – In a paper titled “LEGO — The Toy of Smart Investors,” 2,300 sets sold from 1987 to 2015 are analyzed to measure their price-return.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes star appearance in Lego Movie 2, USA Today – DC Super Heroes will be making cameos in the film, but now the US Supreme Court is in da’ house.
The People From The LEGO Movie 2 Really, Desperately Want You To Like Their New Song, Gizmodo – Good luck not getting this song stuck in your head.

First eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed [News]

Back in September, LEGO launched a new initiative in cooperation with BrickLink called the AFOL Designer Program where fans could submit custom designs with the possibility of being produced and sold by BrickLink. Out of the 443 submissions received, 16 were selected as finalists and the first half of those have now been revealed.

The digital submissions were test-built for stability and reviewed by both BrickLink and LEGO designers to determine the finalists. Crowdfunding for each of the finalists will begin on February 1st, and if a set reaches its pre-sales goal, it will then be produced and shipped by BrickLink.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the first eight finalists.

Click to see the AFOL Designer Program finalists