With Star Wars: The Last Jedi in movie theaters in just a few days, we’re focusing again on the LEGO Star Wars sets released ahead of the film’s release. 75188 Resistance Bomber joins a substantial line of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Last Jedi, including 75187 BB-8 and 75204 Sandspeeder we reviewed previously. 75188 Resistance Bomber includes 778 pieces with 5 minifigs and retails for $109.99.
Read our full review of 75188 Resistance Bomber
With the release of not one but two LEGO-themed movies in theaters, plus the re-release of two sought-after LEGO sets, 2017 has yielded a cornucopia of excellent LEGO sets across many themes. Here at The Brothers Brick, we reviewed nearly 70 of the sets LEGO released in 2017, which is still just a fraction of all the new sets that LEGO produced this year. As you wrap up your holiday shopping (perhaps complemented by more than just LEGO sets), here are our favorite LEGO sets among those we reviewed here on TBB in 2017.
The second incarnation in LEGO of the iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York City kicks off the list at #10. 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum increases the color palette for more realism, while adding innovative building techniques that take advantage of newer curved slopes. (744 pieces for $79.99, currently $63.99 from Amazon.)
The best and most detailed LEGO Y-wing released since 1999 depicts a Blue Squadron starfighter from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One. 75172 Y-wing Starfighter includes 691 pieces with 5 minifigs for $59.99, which was already a fantastic price for a Star Wars set, but is currently reduced further at $47.99 from Amazon.
See the rest of our top 10 best LEGO sets of 2017
It’s been a few years since we’ve posted a LEGO holiday gift guide, so we’re a bit overdue for a refresh. While the LEGO builder in your life will always appreciate more brick to add to their infinitely expanding collection, thoughtful gift-givers might want to consider these other LEGO-related options, including many under $20.
We’re big fans of Citizen Brick, Brickmania, BrickArms, and Chris McVeigh here at TBB. Each of these companies and individuals creates unique, innovative LEGO-themed products that LEGO is unlikely to ever produce themselves but that fit seamlessly with our existing LEGO collections.
Case in point, LEGO will probably never make The X-Files or Breaking Bad minifigures, but our friends at Citizen Brick have produced “Eks Files” and “Lab Partners” minifigs that match the quality of official LEGO minifigs. With custom pad printing on nearly every element, CB minifigs generally run about $15 each.
The December flyer for LEGO retail stores that arrived in many mail boxes today includes the first official photos of 75204 Sandspeeder. The set includes 278 pieces with two minifigs and will retail for $29.99 beginning on December 1st (though it’s also showing up in the wild already).
The vehicle is very obviously patterned after the T-47 airspeeder used as snowspeeders on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, further reinforcing pre-release perceptions among Star Wars fans of the parallels between Episode IV and Episode VIII. We’ll be doing a comparison review with previous LEGO snowspeeders in the next couple of days, ahead of the set’s release.
See more photos of the new LEGO Star Wars 75204 Sandspeeder
Chartre Cathedral is the crowning masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, built primarily between 194 and 1220. I studied the cathedral in college, but today I mainly remember it as a climbable location in Assassin’s Creed. So much for my higher education. Nevertheless, Isaac Snyder says he was inspired to build Our Lady of Chartre in LEGO microscale for a college assignment. Isaac packs an amazing amount of detail into the tiny structure, from the different spires of the west façade to the rows of flying buttresses behind the south porch.
The other side is no less wonderfully detailed, with round chapels extending from the apse.
Following the LEGO discounts for Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com has unveiled its Cyber Monday LEGO deals available now, mostly focused on LEGO Star Wars sets. The discounted sets include several of the new sets from The Force Awakens, along with a significant number of other 2017 sets. Follow this link to check out all of the deals for yourself, but we’ve found a few highlights you might be interested in. Don’t miss the LEGO.com Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. These deals may be available in multiple regions, so check them out and save on your holiday shopping while helping to support The Brothers Brick.
75179 Kylo Ren’s Tie Fighter is 20% off at $63.99 and includes the highly sought-after BB-9E (“BB-Hate”) figure.
See all of the LEGO Star Wars deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The LEGO Shop online has launched this year’s Black Friday sales and deals, supported by the release of 70922 Joker Manor. Joker Manor retails for $269.99 and includes 3,444 pieces with 10 minifigs. And if you missed it, you can read our hands-on review of Joker Manor here on The Brothers Brick.
See all of LEGO’s Black Friday 2017 giveaways and sales
Our friends at LEGO HQ are kind enough to send us each month’s freebies, but it’s not every month that we’re impressed enough with the giveaway set that we review it. This month’s giveaway is 40254 Nutcracker, which you can get for free with orders over $99. It’s available early to LEGO VIP Program members through today, and available more widely with purchases on Black Friday. We think it’s cool enough to take a closer look.
The set includes 230 pieces and LEGO says it has a $20 value, but again it’s free with a purchase over $99.
See more of this rather interesting freebie after the jump
The next wave of LEGO Star Wars BrickHeadz just revealed earlier this week are available early from Target for REDcard members, ahead of their availability from the LEGO Shop and in LEGO retail stores on December 1st. As expected, 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren Limited Edition Collector’s Pack retails for $19.99. We’ll remind everyone when the two-pack is more broadly available, but some of you can can pick it up now if you don’t want to wait.
If you’re shopping at Target, you might also want to pick up the Mini Millennium Falcon for $4.99.
As the holiday shopping season gets underway, retailers are discounting LEGO sets ahead of the even bigger deals waiting in the wings for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We’ll bring you all the sales & deals as we learn about them, but in the meantime here are a few highlights of LEGO on sale right now.
71006 The Simpsons House is 20% or $40 off at $159.88.
Many of the 2016 and early 2017 Star Wars sets we’ve highlighted as on sale a couple times remain heavily discounted, but don’t expect them to last much longer, despite the vastness of Amazon’s warehouses.
75104 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle is 33% off at $79.99.
See more early LEGO sales & deals after the jump
The end of the annual SHIPtember build challenge need not portend the end to excellent large-scale LEGO spaceships. Rat Dude also proves that gray need not be the only utilitarian color for LEGO spaceships with the Yaga Ni’Kurwa in gorgeous blue and brown. The spots of red, orange, and yellow certainly add visual interest, but the designs are actually quite complex — particularly the sheaf of wheat indicating the vessel’s role in interstellar agribusiness.
It’s unfortunate that the builder has only posted this one photo — I want to see the massive engines on the back that power this grain freighter through the stars.
Adding to the LEGO Star Wars BrickHeadz line, following Finn and Captain Phasma (and the limited-run Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite), LEGO today officially unveiled a two-pack set that includes Rey and Kylo Ren.
The 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren two-pack will go on sale on December 1st. LEGO’s tweet didn’t include pricing, but our guess is that the set will be consistent with other BrickHeadz prices and retail for around $20.
