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

Skate for your life!

Kids, always wear protective gear when skating or cycling – unless you take part in a wild futuristic survival race, and your life depends on your score. Paddy Bricksplitter reveals a roller skater of the future: a courageous racer running in a pair of very high-tech roller-skates. The dynamics of the scene and posture of the figure tell a story of some death-or-glory showdown. Besides the excellent composition, the build is remarkable for its scale, which perfectly suits Rey’s head. Finishing everything off is spot-on use of multiple stickers from various LEGO themes.

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Fragile beauty of the Arctic circle

Thanks to the enormous diversity of LEGO pieces it’s increasingly easier to design and assemble sturdy and robust models. But sometimes the things that inspire us are way more fragile and vulnerable than we can imagine. Chinese builder vincentkiew builds a gorgeous polar bear. Placed on a tiny piece of ice in the Arctic waters, the bear embodies the unique part of the global ecosystem, which is being damaged by humans especially hard. For me, this simple composition works great as yet another reminder that if we don’t change, LEGO fans soon won’t need a lot of bricks and plates in white to depict the dying beauty of the extreme North.

LEGO 71044 Disney Train and Station now available for VIPs [News]

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, and Goofy are already waiting for you for a ride on the iconinc Disneyland Railroad train. 71044 Disney Train and Station is now available to LEGO VIP members for USA $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £299.99. LEGO VIP membership is free, but if you don’t want LEGO perks and the occasional free set with purchase, this fancy train set will be generally available beginning September 1st.

The next seasonal LEGO BrickHeadz set, 40352 Scarecrow is revealed [News]

The chubby Halloween LEGO BrickHeadz 40351 Ghost is joined by another excellent fall character, 40352 Scarecrow. The build shall include about 140 pieces and become available September 1, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Click here to see more pictures!

It’s not about how you build your castle, it’s about where you build it

It doesn’t matter how tall are the castle towers or how thick are its walls if the scenery is nowhere near impressive. Keeping this in mind Peter Ilmrud sets his Western Gate by the formidable Zamorah Valley. Thanks to forced perspective the composition of the build really makes it stand out. Although the towers are pretty much identical, differences in the designs of the rocky slopes give the diorama a rather natural look. Make sure to note excellent use of several types of wheels in the designs of the towers; this is something I would love to borrow for my own creations!

Take a sip of ’90s pop-culture with the new LEGO Ideas 21319 Central Perk set from Friends [News]

It’s been 25 years since the day Rachel entered the doors of the Central Perk Café dressed as a bride, kicking off the story of the six most famous friends in New York City. Recently, The LEGO Group has been doing an excellent job celebrating anniversaries of the most remarkable events (such as the moon landing) and the 25th anniversary of the US TV show Friends is yet another fantastic occasion for one special set, LEGO Ideas 21319 Central Perk. The model of the iconic coffee-house consists of 1,070 pieces and comes with 7 minifigures of the cast. The set will be available for purchase beginning September 1 and will retail for $59.99 US | $89.99 CAN | £64.99 UK.

Click here to learn more about the new set…

A little dirt never hurt: LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader [Review]

Here is a simple truth: these days LEGO remains one of those few common activities that give you a rest from a smartphone. For me and for many of our readers, building with LEGO has always been a pastime that requires no downloads, installing or updates; you open a box and the play begins. Obviously, winning over modern-day kids who love digital entertainment and touchscreens is a tough challenge for a toy manufacturer. They say if you can’t beat them, join them, but LEGO thinks differently: if you can’t beat them, build them into the play experience. Along comes LEGO Technic Powered Up — the first generation of LEGO Technic electric elements that bring smartphones and tablets into play. With a whole lot of sensors and features, the new smart hub and motors are among the most advanced LEGO pieces ever produced. LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader introduces the new play system. The set includes just 958 pieces, but the new expensive electric elements are to blame for the price tag of US $249.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99. It is available starting today, so we are building and testing the model in an attempt to discover the limits of the new Powered Up system and Control+ smart app.

Click here to see our impressions…

LEGO Technic 42098 Car Transporter [Review]

No doubt, cars are among kids’ most favorite toys. And if you have a few toy cars the best thing you can do with them is to transport them using an even bigger car, or a car transporter. These trucks make for an excellent toy with a lot of playability, and LEGO has even released a DUPLO one, not speaking of many other sets released across various themes. This year, yet another car transporter comes as a LEGO Technic set. 42098 Car Transporter seems to be the longest LEGO vehicle ever released yet, reaching more than 3 feet/1 meter with the rear ramp lowered. The set consists of 2,493 pieces and will be available starting August 1 for US $179.99| CAN $229.99 | UK £139.99.

Click here to continue reading…

Build, plug, work

On a day like today, when most of my colleagues are on their annual vacations, I dream about a desktop assistant to help me with all the increased workflow and put a positive spin on the daily grind. Now, I know exactly what I need: a cute VectroCo. SMILEY office companion as designed by Djokson. The inner structure of this tiny robot is nothing out of ordinary among the similar LEGO creations, but there is a lot of character in this build. Its funny face peeking through the blue screen, cute pointy ears and its natural posture create an image of a very joyful and chatty colleague. But, of course, the best thing about SMILEY is that it can be plugged into a USB port. Obviously, a USB Type-C connector is the one that you’d expect in 2019, but, well, it is just a prototype.

Fan-favorite Barb from Stranger Things revealed as yet another Diego Comic-Con 2019 LEGO Exclusive Minifigure [News]

LEGO just revealed Barb minifigure as the Stranger Things Exclusive Minifigure that will be available at San Diego 2019 Comic Con. The fate of the fan-favorite citizen of Hawkins, Barbara Holland left many displeased. Finally, LEGO does justice for Barb in its own way; the minifigure will make a perfect addition to LEGO Stranger Things 75810 The Upside Down set. The minifigure can be obtained as part of a randomized draw on July 19th at the LEGO both in San Diego Comic-Con.

Click here to see more pictures of the exclusive minifigure…

LEGO Ideas 21315 Pop-up Book and other popular LEGO sets discounted on Amazon US [News]

With a lot of brilliant LEGO sets released this year, there are a lot of items any LEGO fan would love to add to their collection. Now, a bunch of excellent LEGO sets is at a decent discounted price on Amazon. Whether you’re a LEGO Ideas fan or collecting Star Wars and Harry Potter sets, these offers totally worth checking out.

LEGO Ideas 21315 Pop-up Book | 859 Pcs | $42.99 USD (39% Discount)

Click to see more sets on discount

Countryside idyll built of carrots and sticks

Do you remember that guy from your Math textbook who happened to own a dozen pineapples or 30 bananas? Well, Peter Ilmrud seems to be that guy. Keeping several hundred carrots in your house might not be a good idea unless they’re LEGO carrot pieces. It’s been 20 years since the piece first appeared in LEGO sets, but it looks like Peter is one of the first to use it as roof tiling. The result looks fantastic, and bright orange carrots go nicely with white and brown walls of the house. A simple garden fence made of sticks is another nice touch in the diorama, which I would love to try to recreate in my next medieval creation.