About Alexander

Alexander Alekseev is an active member of the Russian LUG since 2007. Linguist by education, he believes that LEGO pieces are the most effective mean of self-expression and communication between people.

Posts by Alexander

Roofs? Where we’re going, we don’t need roofs [Video]

Iconic cars need no makeovers, but one way to make a car even more special is to make it topless. This is exactly what Alexey Tikhvinsky did to the famous 10187 Volkswagen Beetle set from 2008. More than a decade ago, a bulky model in a rare dark-blue color became an outstanding example of car model-making, which later resulted in a lineup of LEGO Creator Expect cars. Tan/brown pieces give the car some strong retro vibes. Although most of its body has a great resemblance to the original model, there is a fully functional chassis hidden underneath. Equipped with an independent suspension and a functioning gearbox, this Beetle has to offer much more than meets the eye.

Volkswagen Typ 1

The car is driven with three new Powered Up motors (just like the recent LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader set). The new powerful motors are perfect for such a heavy body. Bonus points are for a functioning gearbox. Thanks to the two sets of gears the car can be turned into a crawler, capable of conquering some of the steepest terrains outdoors. The winch in the front of the car is also functioning and can easily pull the car’s weight.

Volkswagen Typ 1

It would be unfair to leave our readers without a video of the model in action. As usual, the nearest skate park turns out to be one of the most suitable filming locations.

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First pictures of 71026 LEGO DC Comics Collectible Minifigures are available online [News]

Today, Japanese retailer Bic Camera has published the first official pictures of the upcoming 71026 LEGO DC Comics Collectible Minifigures collection. With 16 minifigures to collect, the collection includes minifigures of some of the most iconic DC characters, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Joker, Classic Cheetah, Aquaman, Bat-Mite, Flash, Green Lantern and many more. The minifigures are slated to be in stores no earlier than January 2020; regional prices are yet to be confirmed.

Click here to see more pictures…

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More LEGO City 2020 sets revealed including a brand new street sweeper and an ice cream truck [News]

Although police and firefighters are the essences of the LEGO City philosophy, it’s often non-emergency vehicles and buildings that win adult fans’ love. We’ve just got the first look at the LEGO City emergency sets the other day. Today, pictures of several more LEGO City 2020 sets appeared online thanks to the Polish retailer’s webpage. These are 7 totally different sets, including a plane, a new iteration of a street sweeper, and even a 4+ Junior set. Each of the sets will be officially available starting Dec. 26, 2019, and while we don’t have full USD prices yet, we can confirm approximate euro prices.

Don’t miss the other new sets for 2020:

Check out all the individual City sets below.

Continue reading

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Take a trip to Japan and the United Arab Emirates with the new LEGO Architecture 2020 sets [News]

If you’re not a fan of stage performances, but still want to go on a world tour, the new LEGO Architecture sets may find themselves on your 2020 shopping list. Two new sets, 21051 Tokyo Skyline and 21052 Dubai Skyline have just been revealed by Polish retailer Remix Kaja. It’s not the first theme’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, as 2016 saw 21031 Burj Khalifa set. This time, the tallest skyscraper in the world is surrounded by a number of other world-famous buildings. Unlike Dubai, this is the first appearance of the Tokyo landmarks in the LEGO theme. Naturally, the Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji are here along with other Japanese symbols — both architectural and natural. We expect both sets to be available in stores early January 2020.

Don’t miss the rest of the LEGO lineup for 2020:

Click to check out all the new LEGO Architecture sets

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The most helpful farm insect

What is your favorite farm animal? Cows and horses are great, but what about scorpions? Forget those venomous insects and meet advanced CLAAS telehandlers designed for all types of work around the farm. Michał Skorupka built a very nice-looking copy of CLAAS Scorpion 756. Although the LEGO version of the model is very compact, it carries a full set of Power Function motors enabling driving, steering using both axles, and a fully functional telescopic arm.

What I love the most about farm vehicles like this one is their ability to be easily equipped with dozens of custom devices. Michał uses a very simple locking mechanism allowing to replace an attachment in no time.

To enjoy the model in action, make sure to check out a video covering all of its functions.

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Four new LEGO Technic 2020 sets are revealed [News]

The first of LEGO Technic 2020 sets, 42109 App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car, was revealed yesterday. Today, we are having the first look at more LEGO Technic 2020 sets, which were just published online by some retailers. The new products look as fresh as ever, while the lineup includes a broad range of types of vehicles. Each of the sets will be officially available starting Dec. 26, 2019, however, we don’t have full USD prices yet.

Don’t miss the other new sets for 2020:

Check out individual Technic sets below.

Continue reading

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Black is the new black: LEGO 1989 Batmobile 76139 [Review]

This year, the world celebrates the anniversary of the Dark Knight; the story of Batman is 80 years old. For many, many fans of the legend of Gotham it’s time to thumb through the oldest comics issues, while others will enjoy night marathons of movies featuring George Clooney, Christian Bale, and, of course, Michael Keaton. For the LEGO Group, it’s time to refill their supplies of bricks in black as not many things go together better than LEGO and Batman. This Black Friday comes the latest LEGO DC exclusive set, LEGO 76139 1989 Batmobile. A 3,306-piece monstrosity is an ultimate copy of the iconic vehicle from Tim Burton’s Batman movie. The set will be available on November 29 for Black Friday and will sell for US $249.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £219.99. Make sure your Bat-Signal is on as we are about to go on a ride through the gloomy streets of the Gotham City…

Click here to continue reading…

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Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

For sure, the most epic LEGO battles of the late 90-s took place in deep oceans, where heroic Aquanaut miners fought against the villainous Aquasharks. Many years have passed, but the heroes (and antiheroes) are not forgotten — although, some of them have evolved a lot since then. LEGO designers Chris Perron and Markus Rollbühler team up and dive deep to find out that the waters are still as dangerous as 20 years ago. Now, the battlefield teems with giant sharks like this Mega Shark Scout. Designed for espionage attacks, the shark looks absolutely terrifying; aggressive design and the striking contrast of black, blue, and transparent orange picture an enemy you better avoid at all costs. But can you name all the pieces used for the design of the circle section right behind the shark’s head?

SHARKtember: Mega Shark Scout

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This T. rex doesn’t want to hunt, he wants to be fed!

Thanks to regular building contests held by the LEGO Ideas team, hundreds of fantastic custom creations have seen the light in the recent couple of years. The Unleash Your Own Genetically Modified Hybrid Dinosaur! building competition gathered some of the craziest and funniest creatures of this summer. As we continue seeing some of the best entries as the builders share them elsewhere online, we can’t help but admire this hilarious Veggiesaurus by Scott Wilhelm.

Veggiesaurus, Lex, Veggiesaurus!

Well, we know there were a lot of vegetarian dinosaurs, but a creature like a “vegetarian Tyrannosaurus” sounds like either a freak of nature or the triumph of modern science. Looking at the pictures of this foody, I tend to think it’s a win rather than a failure. A full-length picture of the T. rex reveal the actual size of the build; the furniture and table accessories elevate the work to a whole new level. And although this Tyrannosaurus rex looks very frustrated, I hope it will feel much better once he finishes his dinner.

scale

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Moving mountains with the new LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator [Review]

While assembling the latest and the biggest LEGO Technic set ever, I came up with countless versions of the introductory paragraph for this review. However, once I turned this thing on and spend some time operating it, it became clear that none of my paragraphs work better than raw facts about the set which speak for themselves. So, here is LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator, the biggest LEGO Technic set ever with 4,108 pieces, among which are 7 Powered Up motors and 2 smart-hub. The finished model weighs around 6 kg / 13.2 lbs (including the weight of 12 AA cells). This is a fully motorized copy that can be controlled via a smartphone or a tablet and it is all as good as it sounds. With impressive numbers comes an impressive price tag; the set is available for US $449.99 | CAN $549.99 | UK £399.99. And here comes the most important question: is the set worth the money? Let’s build it, test it and find out.

Click here to read the review…

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Where we’re going we only needs wings, engines, and propellers

When was the last time you raised your eyes to the sky? There could be so much hidden above the clouds, for example, a community of brave aviators hopping between mountain peaks in their agile airplanes. A breathtaking collaboration project by amazingly talented German LEGO builders, Vaionaut, Ben Tritschler, Marcel V., Mark van der Maarel, Markus Rollbühler, Sylon-tw, and Willem (Steinchen), called Skytopia, is full of steam- and dieselpunk vibes, including huge propellers, flying boats and tons of wood and metal.

SKYTOPIA

Click here to take a closer look at some models…

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The Pirate Bay, 123 Sesame Street, and Playable LEGO Piano projects are the new LEGO Ideas sets [News]

LEGO Ideas First 2019 review results have just arrived. During the first-ever review results live stream on the LEGO Ideas Facebook page hosted by Samuel Johnson (LEGO Ideas Design Manager) and Hasan Jensen (LEGO Ideas Engagement Manager). Not one, not two, but three LEGO fan-projects — The Pirate Bay project by Bricky_Brick, 123 Sesame Street project by bulldoozer21, and Playable LEGO Piano project by SleepyCow have been announced to become the next official LEGO Ideas sets.

Click here to learn more about the next LEGO Ideas sets…

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