Often it’s the small things in life that are the sweetest. Sometimes that means the mundane activities of a peaceful life, and sometimes it means the small but brilliant work of a creative mind. Or best yet, combine them both, as in this lovely vignette by Grantmasters entitled “Weekend Chores.” The lawnmower made of rebreathers, a 1×1 round plate, and a twisted rubber band is ingenious, but my favorite detail is the tire swing made of a simple minifig wrench.
LEGO’s new Series 16 of the Collectible Minifigures is at the vanguard of the fall wave of sets ready to release in August. LEGO’s previous series was the Disney Collectible Minifigs, which proved to be insanely popular, but let’s see how this new wave holds up. Each of the 16 figures is unique, and like previous non-licensed series, the minifigs are from themes as disparate as babysitters to pirates. The color for Series 16 is yellow, and the vibrant banana-suit guy seems to be the mascot for this series.
Be sure to check out our Feel Guide to help you find all the figures you want!
Let’s dive in with a look at each of the 16 characters.
When Cthulhu and his legions come, will they be piloting spacecraft from another dimension? If so, perhaps they’ll look a bit like this tentacled ship by BobDeQuatre. The organic shape is perfectly attuned to warp your mind to insanity until you cry “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!” And once you’re fully assimilated, perhaps you’ll want to create your own using the LEGO Digital Designer file Bob freely provides on his website.
God help us all if grandma’s spoiled brat of a poodle ever gets its paws on a miniature-canine sized mech. And we’re definitely doomed if Fluff the kitten gains control of a flame-throwing bipedal hardsuit. This scene of certain terror is brought to us by Galaktek, right before the mouse began using an rocket launcher.
Although an imaginative builder has surely created one, I don’t recall having seen a well-built LEGO marionette before. This puppet of King Gustav I by Nicolas Picot is brilliant, with great articulation and a solid reproduction of the king’s dapper uniform, in particular the upside-down curve-topped fences which serve excellent duty as epaulet embroidery. The king’s steely gaze is also particularly well done, and the mustache seems surprisingly accurate for made of only two pieces.
Beep. Beep. Target. Acquired. Target. Eliminated.
You can’t outrun the red robot of retribution. This menacing tricycle of doom hails from the mind of BobDeQuatre, and is ready to strike (or shoot) fear into the hearts of anyone who approaches. The integration of huge Technic wheels in a moderately-sized mecha is quite fun, and the Transformers-looking face gives it a soul-piercing glare.
At a recent LEGO convention, Ivan Angeli and Mihai Marius Mihu were watching their displays, and happened to have some brick on hand, so they set to building. Talented builders both, together they produced this breathtaking Faerie Dragon in a single afternoon. I love creations built almost entirely of transparent elements. Many of the intricate elements builders grow to rely upon for complex techniques are unavailable in transparent hues, and many unusual pieces are.
Here’s a pair of fantastic characters of the diabolical persuasion. Fresh from the brimstone lands, they’re sure to wreak havoc or worse upon anyone they meet. First up is the creepy hellspawn Lungorthin the Devil, by Leonid An. The shaping of the beast’s head is nothing short of brilliant, with so many intricate pieces flowing smoothly together to form a snarling visage.
And then we have chubbybots‘ Mazinkaiser, who hails from the anime of the same name and isn’t a hellion at all but rather a giant mech, though it does fight Dr. Hell.
Earlier this week LEGO announced a brand new 71040 Disney Castle set which immediately had LEGO and Disney fans jumping with excitement. Today LEGO has released the designer video with LEGO Designer Marcos Bessa, allowing us to get a great look at all the features and details. The 4,080 piece set includes 5 minifigures, and will retail for $349.99 USD starting on September 1st.
Today LEGO gives us the first look at the forthcoming LEGO Ideas set, 21308 Adventure Time, in advance of it being on display at San Diego Comic Con. The set, which is based on the popular Cartoon Network show, was first announced in March, and it will include eight brick-built characters. The 495 piece set will be available beginning January 1st, and it will retail for $49.99 USD. As we reported last month, an Adventure Time pack will also appear in LEGO Dimensions.
Amazon Prime Day is one of Amazon’s big annual sales, and this year it includes a number of fantastic deals on LEGO. The deals expire once a certain number of people have claimed them, but they’re still active currently. The sales are open only to Amazon Prime members, but don’t forget that you can get a 30-day free Amazon Prime trial.
First up is the Star Wars 75095 UCS Tie Fighter, for $125.99, or nearly $75 off retail. This is an amazing deal for a Star Wars UCS set. At publishing, this deal is 55% claimed, so don’t hold off.
LEGO Architecture 21026 Venice is available for $21.95, or 27% off retail.
Also available is 60067 Helicopter Pursuit, which is 30% off at $27.99.
You can browse all of the Amazon Prime Day LEGO deals here, but most of the rest are LEGO gear. Don’t forget that Amazon also has some stellar deals on sale that aren’t part of the Prime Day sales, such as Legends of Chima Razcal’s Glider (70000) for 61% off, bringing it down to $4.68, and LEGO Dimensions Back to the Future Doc Brown Fun Pack for 67% off, bringing it to $4.98.
This angry-looking bird isn’t the star of a mobile game or summer movie, but is actually an ingenious interpretation of one of nature’s bigger-billed birds, the African-native shoebill. The real bird stands a remarkable 4 feet tall with an enormous bill for catching fish. Builder Moko has done a great job using the shin guards from the large General Grievous figure to portray the bill, but my favorite part is the expressive eyes. Be sure to check out Moko’s blog for a cool breakdown of the construction techniques employed.
