Category Archives: News

Stay current on the latest news and information about LEGO, from sales & deals to new set announcements. We also cover LEGO events and conventions all over the world.

LEGO 80103 Dragon Boat Race set will be available all over the world starting June 1 [News]

Last month, LEGO has announced big changes to availability of newly launched regional and retailer exclusive sets. The reason for this decision was negative feedback from the fan community ignited by the most recent launches of Chinese New Year (sets 80101 and 80102), the LEGO The Movie 2 Brickheadz (41634, 41635,41636 & 41637) in the US as well as the LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Darth Vader Bust (75227). According to the announcement, the regional exclusives launched after May 1, 2019 will become widely available via LEGO Brand Retail stores and LEGO Shop at Home after a limited period of time (3-6 months) of the initial launch.

Keeping this in mind, we expected the new regional product, 80103 Dragon Boat Race, to be available worldwide no earlier than August 1, 2019. however, here are some great news: today, the set was listed at shop.LEGO.com and will be available for purchase as soon as June 1. The set can be found on regional pages of UK, Germany and France of the LEGO Shop priced at £44.99 and 49.99 Euro respectively. We expect it to appear for customers in US and Canada shortly.

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LEGO Stranger Things 75810 The Upside Down now available for LEGO VIPs [News]

Hot on the heels of being officially announced, LEGO Stranger Things 75810 The Upside Down is now available for purchase from the LEGO Shop online for VIP members (LEGO’s free loyalty rewards program). The set comes with 2,287 pieces, eight minifigures and retails for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99.

LEGO goes retro with designer video for Stranger Things [News]

LEGO has been having some fun with their designer videos recently, and this gem for the newly announced LEGO Stranger Things set 75810 The Upside Down turns the boombox’s awesome level up a notch. LEGO Designer Justin Ramsden (also part of the team of designers who bought us the gigantic Hogwarts Castle) flips the set over and over showcasing the strength of the build, while also rocking some amazing puns in this video designed to look like a long-lost interview recorded on VHS in the 1980s.

LEGO Stranger Things 75810 The Upside Down comes with 2,287 pieces (read our full review here) and will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99. It is available beginning tomorrow for LEGO VIP members, with a full release coming June 1.

LEGO reveals new set from Netflix’s Stranger Things: 75810 The Upside Down [News]

Things are getting stranger. LEGO has revealed a brand new large and unique set 75810 The Upside Down based on Netflix’s original series Stranger Things. The set features the main Byers’ home from the series complete with 1980 Chevrolet Blazer, along with the darker reverse “Upside-Down” dimension beneath it.

The set comes with 2,287 pieces and eight minifigures including Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Joyce Byers, Chief Jim Hopper and the Demogorgon. The set is available starting tomorrow for LEGO VIPs for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99 with general availability beginning June 1st. (We’ve already gotten a hands-on look at this stunner of a set, so make sure to check out our review too.)

Click to get a closer look at The Upside Down

Ask LEGO anything: We’re talking to LEGO, and we want your help! [News]

Next week The Brothers Brick will be in Billund, Denmark at LEGO’s headquarters to talk with LEGO about how the company interacts with the fan community. That’s not all we’ll be doing though, as we’ll also have an opportunity to sit down with a handful of LEGO designers to pick their brains about your favorite themes. We want to give our readers a chance to get in on the action, so if you’ve got a burning question about one of these themes, you can fill out our form to submit your question. Just remember, LEGO designers can never talk about unannounced future products or plans, so there’s no point asking “will LEGO ever make Monorail again?” or “what sets are planned for next summer?”

LEGO BrickHeadz 40367 Lady Liberty officially revealed [News]

LEGO is going all-in on the Statue of Liberty lately, having just released a huge new Architecture set of the famous American landmark last year and featuring a post-apocalyptic version in The LEGO Movie 2, with the huge accompanying Apocalypseburg set headlining the movie tie-ins. Now the emblem of freedom is getting another LEGO makeover with a BrickHeadz set, 40367 Lady Liberty. There’s no word yet on when the set will be released, but it’s a good bet it will be June 1 to have it out in stores well ahead of American Independence Day on July 4. The set has 153 pieces, and will likely retail for $9.99 USD.

Click to see more images

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 12, 2019 [News]

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 second week of May 2019.

LEGO teased a new product line coming in 2020. Keep reading our Brick Report for a closer look.

TBB NEWS, REVIEWS AND INSTRUCTIONS: The product reveals keep coming with a whole new range of set revealed along with more from Harry Potter.

LEGO Hidden Side Augmented Reality Theme sets revealed – Some of the sets with incorporated augmented reality have been revealed and will be available in August later this year.
Two new LEGO Harry Potter sets are revealed featuring scenes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – A graveyard and flying carriage steal the scene with two new sets.
Instructions to build Giant Man from Marvel – Is Ant Man too small for your tastes? Learn how to build your own LEGO version with these instructions by Hachiroku24.
Review of LEGO Wild West Saloon set from Bricklink’s AFOL Designer Program – Step back in time and saddle up! We take a look at an early copy of the Wild West Saloon designed by Jonas Kramm for BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program, and it does not disappoint.

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:

Full-size LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron on display at the LEGO House, LEGO House – The car is built from more than one million LEGO Technic elements – completely unglued – and will be on display through June 10.
LEGO is hiring a Confidentiality Director to deal with leaks, LEGO – LEGO is getting serious about product leaks and is looking for someone to lead their confidentiality task force.
Nine Product Ideas Qualify for the First 2019 LEGO Ideas Review, LEGO Ideas – Take a look at the sets that achieved 10,000 votes and might become a LEGO set.
Child finds $40,000 of meth inside second-hand LEGO box, CNN – Three Georgia women stopped at a consignment shop in South Carolina and ended up purchasing a LEGO Creator box, only to discover it was filled with three pounds of methamphetamine.
For the Ultimate Custom Backsplash, Use Lego, Architectural Digest – This build-able DIY kitchen renovation idea is for the young at heart.
LEGO Trolls are coming in 2020, LEGO Twitter – A new product line-up is coming next year that might fill the gap that LEGO Elves left when it was cancelled.

It’s all glitter and happiness. ???? ???? #DreamWorksTrollsWorldTour coming 2020! @Trolls pic.twitter.com/oiiaSTVLD4

— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) May 8, 2019

LEGO Wild West Saloon set from Bricklink’s AFOL Designer Program [Review]

Last year Bricklink hosted its first AFOL Designer Program (ADP), a grand effort to make fan designs come alive and be available for purchase. If you’re unfamiliar with Bricklink, it’s an Amazon-like marketplace for purchasing current and discontinued LEGO products. This includes the sale of individual LEGO bricks for restoring sets or making original models known by many fans as My-Own-Creations, or MOCs for short. The Brothers Brick features fan-designed creations every day, and we often receive questions regarding instructions or if they can be purchased. While ready-made MOC kits are not a new concept, where Bricklink’s ADP program shines is in how it took the needed time to solicit builds from the community and used a Kickstarter-like system for fans to determine which sets would be produced for purchase. Best of all, the program received an endorsement from the LEGO Group.

As of now, all of the sets have been selected and are slated to ship this month to the proud supporters who funded them. Bricklink has provided an early copy of the Wild West Saloon by Jonas Kramm (aka Legopard) to the Brothers Brick. When it comes to the number of supporters, this design ranked second to the Löwenstein Castle we recently reviewed. This set comes with 1496 parts, is priced at US $149.99 before shipping, and does not come with any minifigures.

Click to read the full review of the Wild West Saloon designed by Jonas Kramm

Two new LEGO Harry Potter sets are revealed featuring scenes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [News]

During the last week of April, we got the first look at the new LEGO Harry Potter sets scheduled for release starting June 1. Today, pictures of two more sets appeared online, 75958 Beauxbatons’ Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts and 75965 The Rise of Voldemort. The sets will be available starting August 1, 2019 for retail prices of $49.99 and $19.99 respectively.

Click here to learn more about the new sets!

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 5, 2019 [News]

Star Wars mania has been in full swing in the lead up to May 4th weekend. Read on to see some new product announcements and even more LEGO news of the week.

TBB REVIEWS & FEATURES: We dig deep for the new LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71024 Disney Series 2 and have a chat with our own Rod Gillies about his upcoming LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book.

LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71024 Disney Series 2 Feel Guide – The new Disney Series 2 Minifigs have dropped and we have your feel guide to finding your favorite characters in the crowd.
New LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book — exclusive first look and interview – We take an early peek at the New LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book and talk with author, builder, and TBB Senior Contributor Rod Gillies.
Exclusive interview with LEGO Star Wars head of design Jens Kronveld Frederiksen – TBB Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft sits down with the head of design for the LEGO Star Wars theme.

MORE TBB NEWS: From the LEGO BOOST Droid Commander reveal to three new Summer 2019 Harry Potter sets, we have your other LEGO news of the week including a look behind the scenes of the new Tantive VI with its designers.

Build and program your own Star Wars droid with this LEGO BOOST Droid Commander set – LEGO announced a new Star Wars themed set for the BOOST that allows you to program one of three droids including R2-D2.
LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV now available with Battle of Hoth freebie, double VIP points and more – The Tantive IV arrives in stores in time for May 4th.
LEGO Star Wars set designers share some secrets of the upcoming 75244 Tantive IV – LEGO set designer César Soares and graphic designer Maddy O’Neil give us a look behind the scenes of the new Tantive VI.
Six LEGO Harry Potter sets officially revealed including Knight Bus, Triwizard Tournament and Advent Calendar – LEGO officially announces the remaining three Harry Potter sets for Summer 2019 along with a holiday Advent Calendar

Exclusive interview with LEGO Star Wars head of design Jens Kronveld Frederiksen [Feature]

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, I recently sat down with Jens Kronveld Frederiksen, the Director of Design for the LEGO Star Wars line. Jens has been with LEGO for more than 20 years, and shares his insights on how he joined the company, what lessons he’s learned over the years, and how LEGO balances input from both kids and adults. Read through to the end to learn a really cool detail about the movie Millennium Falcon Jens saw during a visit to Pinewood Studios during the filming of The Force Awakens!

The Brothers Brick: Just about every LEGO builder’s dream is to become a set designer. How did your career as a designer begin?

Jens Kronveld Frederiksen: A little bit of a weird story and coincidence. LEGO has been a great part of my life for as long as I remember. I really, really loved LEGO but I was never thinking of it as a profession or a career to be honest. In 1998 I was participating in a model building exhibition. I have a hobby building plastic model kits, which mainly is of World War II stuff. At that event in Copenhagen, there were some LEGO people there, and they were looking to hire designers not for model builders but for making new prototypes for new elements, and well I was of course interested in that. And then before I started on that, I saw a job application for a permanent position as model builder and I got the job. That’s how I got into it.

Read our exclusive interview with LEGO’s head of design for Star Wars

New LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book — exclusive first look and interview [Feature]

May the 4th — Star Wars Day. Perfect timing to take an exclusive first look at the new LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book. Galactic Missions comes with a new Cloud Car model and Bespin Guard minifigure, and the story is packed with new LEGO Star Wars models and building tips put together by The Brothers Brick’s very own Rod Gillies. The book will be available in August, and can be pre-ordered now from Amazon.

We caught up with Rod to find out more about the new book, and what it’s like for a ‘fan-builder’ to work on a project with the LEGO Star Wars team and book publisher Dorling Kindersley.

Click to read the interview and see more pictures of what’s inside the book