The droids are starting to work together… to create music! LEGO released a video today showing an incredible amount of droids from 75253 LEGO Boost Droid Commander working in concert to perform the main theme from Star Wars. While John Williams might not approve, the many R2-D2, Gonk, and Mouse droids show off just a few of the things Boost is capable of.
Click to watch the Star Wars droid orchestra in action.
For those of us who watched Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey live out their lives on TV as the show Friends aired between 1994 and 2004, there’s much more nostalgia attached to this television series than to something like The Big Bang Theory. But for those of us who don’t necessarily consider ourselves life-long, hardcore Friends super-fans — I personally do not own an officially licensed Central Perk coffee mug — it hasn’t been clear what we had to look forward to with the new LEGO Ideas 21319 Central Perk set released today ($59.99 US | $89.99 CAN | £64.99 UK), which includes 1,070 pieces and 7 minifigures. Let’s dig in and find out.
Read our complete hands-on review of LEGO Ideas 21319 Friends Central Perk
A new month means brand new LEGO sets are now available, and there are a quite a few great ones to choose from. 21319 LEGO Ideas Friends Central Perk set is sure to be a hit, 71044 Disney Train and Station is now available to everyone (read our review), and the new Series 19 Collectible Minifigures is now broadly available. (LEGO Store links for our UK and Canadian readers.)
In addition, LEGO has launched their seasonal line-up including the 40351 BrickHeadz Halloween Ghost, 60203 LEGO City Ski Resort, and four advent calendars including Star Wars, City, Friends, and the new Harry Potter themed one.
In terms of freebies, there are three offers from LEGO. 40270 BrickHeadz Bumble Bee is free with purchases of $65 or more and 40186 Year of the Pig is free with purchases of 80103 Dragon Boat Race, both available through Sept. 8 or while supplies last. The Hidden Side 40336 Newbury Juice Bar will be free with purchases of $50 or more starting Sept. 2.
What sets are you most excited about?
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 last week of August 2019.
No matter how famous you are, it’s still a prestige to be made into a minifigure. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.
TBB NEWS AND FEATURES: This week LEGO introduced audio and Braille instructions, Hollywood stars met their minifigure doppelgängers and we got an depth look at the building process of one of our own.
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:
Today, LEGO announced a key step in further opening its play experiences to builders with visual impairments, as the company is beginning trials of a new system to aid those with visual disabilities in following LEGO instructions. Called LEGO Audio & Braille Building Instructions, the system uses AI to pair digital traditional-style visual instructions with verbal or tactile Braille directions, and was developed in collaboration with life-long LEGO fan Matthew Shifrin, who is blind. Matthew has been creating his own accessible instructions for years, which are available for free on legofortheblind.com. Similarly, the official instructions created by the new AI-driven program will be available for free from legoaudioinstructions.com. Still in an early trial phase, the system only supports a handful of sets at present while the development team seeks feedback from users. The team then plans to implement the feedback and add more sets in the first half of 2020, with an eventual goal of supporting all new LEGO product launches.
In a separate initiative to create greater accessibility for their products, earlier this year LEGO announced the production of Braille Bricks, a collection of 63 new elements that feature LEGO studs arranged as Braille dots. Developed by The LEGO Foundation, the sets aim to aid in teaching visually impaired children how to read, by making arranging letters and words both easy and fun. Each set contains about 250 bricks in five colors, spread across the alphabet, along with numbers and a few important symbols. The sets will be available in a variety of languages and will be provided for free to visually impaired students through a network of schools around the world. It’s unclear if The LEGO Foundation has any plans to make the Braille Bricks available outside of the school program.
Read the full press release below: Continue reading
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 August 2019.
A feast for the eyes is coming to BrickCon 2019. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.
TBB NEWS: This week we got a glimpse at the new Brickheadz Scarecrow, saw VIPs get access to the new Disney Train and announced our collaborative build for this year’s BrickCon!
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:
Do you like brick-built brunches? Studded snacks? How about AFOL appetizers and MOC munchies? Then you’ll want to attend the TBB Banquet! This year’s TBB reader collaboration at the BrickCon LEGO convention is all about life-size LEGO food. We’re spreading a magnificent feast made of our favorite bricks, and we want your help. The theme is simple: build something to eat and make it life-size. There’s just one twist: we’re featuring all these food items on real dishes and plates!
If you’re planning to attend Seattle’s BrickCon this year as a fully registered AFOL attendee, join us in laying out our parts-pack potluck! We know the title says banquet, but that’s just because we liked the alliteration with our name. Really, we’re not quite that pretentious, and our LEGO lunch is likely to be a lot more laid back. We’ve got a lovely-looking lobster (built by the inimitable Ty Keltner), but we expect the food to range from casserole to croissant. Want to bring potato chips and Coke? Great!
We’ve even got a potluck signup list, so you can sign up your SNOT-covered snacks ahead of time, and see what others are bringing! (Note: you’ll still need to register your MOC with BrickCon.)
Click here to sign up for the Potluck. (A name is all that is required to sign up. Email is optional.)
We’ll have some real plates, bowls, and glasses available to present your MOCs, but if you’ve got a special dish in mind or a MOC that requires a very specific size or type of dish, you’ll want to bring your own. As always with our reader-collab themes, don’t get too caught up in the details. As long as your model is about life-size, we’ll make it work and it will look great.
Now let’s take a closer look at a few of the models we’ve already got, brought to you by Ty. Continue reading
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.
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 third week of August 2019.
All aboard for a ride on the new Disney Train! Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details
The LEGO Shop Online has now added complete cases of 60 collectible minifigures for sale, marking the first time we can recall the online store selling complete boxes rather than individual figures. Right now, Disney Series 2 is the only series available for purchase in full cases. It remains to be seen if full cases will be available for future series like the recently revealed Collectible Minifigures Series 19, or if this is simply LEGO attempting to move extra stock of the Disney series.
The cases are priced at US $239.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £179.40, which is roughly the same price as buying 60 individual figures, but ensures you get an unopened case. While purchasing a full case isn’t for everyone, it is the easiest way to ensure you get a full set of minifigures. For those who don’t need a full 60 figures, splitting a case with a friend or two is also a great option. We found that our review case Disney Series 2 had two complete sets of figures, with almost a third complete set. Be sure to read our full review of the Disney Series 2 Collectible Minifigures for the rest of the details on this series.
Complete cases can also be purchased from third-party sellers on Amazon or eBay.
Revealed today, LEGO is returning to Disneyland with a brand new set, 71044 Disney Train and Station. LEGO’s history with Disney goes back a long way, but few sets have focused on Disney itself rather than its franchises. Of course the first was the gigantic 71040 Disney Castle from 2016. Now the Disney Train and Castle takes us once again to the magical kingdom with one of Walt’s most beloved attractions. Based on the C. K. Holliday steam locomotive on the Disneyland Railroad in the original California park, the train is motorized with LEGO Powered Up! components. Including the train, track, and station, the set has 2,925 pieces and 5 exclusive minifgures, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Chip and Dale, and Goofy. It will retail for USA $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £299.99 and will be available starting August 21 for LEGO VIP members, with general availability on Sept. 1.
Click to read the full, hands-on review
Today, LEGO unveiled the 71044 Disney Train and Station that features the new Powered Up train motor and realistic sound effects of a steam locomotive. It is accompanied by 5 minifigures, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, and Goofy. The set comes with a total of 2,925 pieces and is priced at USA $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £299.99. It will be available for purchase in LEGO stores and online via LEGO’s Shop at Home website beginning August 21, 2019, for LEGO VIP members, with general availability Sept. 1.
Read on for the official details and images after the jump, and make sure to check out our hands-on review of the Disney Train and Station.
Click to see the Disney Train and Station up close