Our friend, Tommy Williamson has started a new blog, The Brick Nerd, as many of you are aware. He has recently began posting videos where he does set reviews, talks about recent LEGO-related news and highlights various creations. In his second episode, he covers San Diego Comic Con, reviews the Cuusoo Delorean and more!
Category Archives: News
Mixels?
One last bit of news from San Diego Comic-Con. LEGO announced a new property in association with Cartoon Network. The IP seems to be about some Pokemon like creatures, one is electric, one is fire and one is earth. There is no further information as of yet regarding this new IP.
However, the most notable aspect of this announcement is the introduction of new elements, in particular, a new system of micro cup and ball joints. The balls seem to be the same scale as previous “tow ball” elements. This new joint system will allow for small scale articulation and give fans the ability to build creatures and characters with a new range of play action. Instead of joints with one direction of bend, these will add twist and rotation into the mix. There is also great potential for creating curves and compound shapes.
UPDATE: Mixels is a jointly produced property between Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group. This property will include animated shorts, a digital gaming experience and a collectible toy line.
Mixels are colorful creatures “that can mix and combine with one another in creative and unpredictable storylines.” Low priced mini sets will launch in three waves in 2014.
LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 11 characters revealed [News]
In our first non-SDCC news item this week (I think), the Series 11 LEGO Collectible Minifigures are apparently on sale now in Poland, and Herman Napierala has shared a nice scan of the character sheet with Brickset.
We won’t know what the official names of the minifigs are until closer to the official street date, but here’s what I’m seeing in this series:
- Barbarian Warrior
- Scarecrow
- Alpen Girl
- Blacktron Robot
- Island Warrior
- Gingerbread Man
- Christmas Elf
- Yeti / Abominable Snowman
- Rock Climber
- Welder
- Scientist
- Blues Brother*
- Car Hop
- Grandma
- British Bobby
- Lady Robot
*C’mon! Is he anything else?!
LEGO Hobbit Lake Town Chase unveiled at SDCC, due out Dec 2013 [News]
The final LEGO set that LEGO has unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con is Lake Town Chase from The Hobbit. Due out in December, the set includes 5 minifigs and 334 pieces, and will retail for $49.99.
Will this set include a minifig Stephen Fry? We don’t have the full product description yet, but I’m hoping one of the minifigs is the Master of Lake Town.
LEGO Star Wars AT-AP unveiled at SDCC, due out March 2014 [News]
SDCC ’13: Noteworthy LEGO happenings
Here’s a quick recap of things seen around the LEGO booth on Preview Night at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 yesterday.
Team Back to the Future member and project contributor of the newly released Back to the Future CUUSOO set, Masashi Togami, was hanging out at the booth with Tim Courtney, LEGO CUUSOO Community Manager.
This lovely, giant-size, brick-built display of the upcoming LEGO Minecraft sets was very popular among the fans.
At 7 PM, they did an unveil of the Minecraft sets at the booth. Executives from Mojang did the honors.
In one corner, you can try out a demo of the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Hero Game. It’s blast to fly around as Iron Man with repulsor jets or Hulk-out and smash everything in sight. Just for trying out the game, you got a LOKI key chain and a LEGO Marvel Game Poster. Free swag is cool.
And a final note, they are launching the steampunk-themed Master Builder Academy Invention Designer (Level 4) set
[We’ll have more on this closer to release -AB]. The first 100 sold at the booth will receive a signed and numbered artist’s print of the snazzy illustration of LEGO steampunk featured in the ads.
Live from San Diego Comic Con 2013
San Diego Comic Con 2013 started Wednesday night with “preview night”, which is more or less just another day at the con. The LEGO booth is in full CUUSOO and The LEGO Movie mode!
21103 Back to the Future CUUSSOO sets went on sale along with new Star Wars sets and much more!
There are two exclusive sets that are ONLY available at the Convention and only available until they sell out. The LEGO Star Wars Jek-14 MINI Stealth Starfighter and The Hobbit Micro Scale Bag End are both $39.99.
LEGO CUUSOO Back to the Future DeLorean [Review]
The LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean set, the 4th set to be released as the result of a LEGO CUUSOO project, is being officially unveiled this evening in San Diego at Comic-Con. LEGO sent us an advance copy, and I’m pleased to bring you a full photo review.
First, the details: 21103 LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean goes on sale tomorrow morning (July 17, 2013 in the US) for $34.99. The set includes two minifigs — Marty McFly and Emmett “Doc” Brown — and 401 LEGO pieces.
UPDATE: The set is apparently only available at San Diego Comic-Con today (July 17), and it will be on sale globally on August 1st.
First impressions & the finished model
Normally I’d talk about things like the build and parts selection before rendering judgment about the completed set, but let’s just get this out of the way, since there’s already been a lot of discussion about what the set looks like. The official set is, of course, based on a LEGO CUUSOO design by Japanese LEGO fans Masashi Togami, who built the DeLorean, and Sakuretsu, who created the custom minifigs.
The official set was designed by Steen Sig Andersen, a 30-year veteran of LEGO set design. (As a side note, I think it’s important to remember that official LEGO sets are designed by people much like hobbyist builders, who care just as much about the final design as we do and who are no less affected by criticism, but who have to work under far more constraints. Nevertheless, my job here is to review the end result of the process, not speculate on how my critique is going to affect Mr. Andersen’s feelings.)
Like many of you who commented here and elsewhere, my first impression when I saw the box art was not entirely positive. Frankly, I’m not sure why the final, official set looks the way that it does. My first impression when I saw the set was, let’s be honest, confusion. The hood has been re-sculpted using stepped tiles rather than the single large slope in Masashi’s original (a frequent and logical solution, as Larry Lars demonstrated in the version that Ralph highlighted last week). The roof is four studs wide rather than six studs, with the windshield frame angling inward to give the whole cab a pinched look.
There’s been speculation that this design change from Masashi’s original model might have been because of part availability in LEGO’s current production cycle. But Light Bluish Gray Slope 10 6 x 8 is indeed currently in production, in at least two 2013 LEGO sets. Short of the one functional reason (read on…), I’m still not sure why stepped tiles were necessary to achieve the final design in the set.
But in person, in less-dramatic light than the angle in the box art, it’s not nearly as bad. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement, and I don’t think the box designer (or photographer) did this set any favors by giving the steps on the hood such deep shadows. Similarly, the set designer could certainly have angled the windshield frame pieces much wider. I’ve done so in a number of the photos, and I think this subtle change alone makes the set look much better.
The rest of the DeLorean includes all the key details and play features you’d expect — from opening gull-wing doors and the big black exhaust vents to wheels that turn down for flight.
Another problem with the final roof design is that it limits headroom inside due to the gull-wing doors coming in closer to the center of the car. As a result, you can only fit one minifig inside, in the driver’s seat. There’s enough floor room (six studs) there for two, but the 4-wide roof prevents both Marty and Doc from riding in the DeLorean together. Since the DeLorean is a time machine, Doc is not particularly happy about being left behind.
If you can get past the hood and cab — granted, the very first things you see in any three-quarters “hero shot” on box art — this really isn’t a bad DeLorean. But it could be better, much better, as other LEGO fans (including Masashi) have demonstrated. And that’s more than a little disappointing.
Packaging, instructions, and the build process
Like LEGO Architecture sets and previous LEGO CUUSOO sets, the DeLorean comes in a solid box suitable for storage.
Similarly, the instruction booklet (printed in English and French) is perfect-bound rather than stapled, and includes background info on the movie, profiles of the CUUSOO project initiators, the LEGO set designer, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Throughout the instructions, there are little notes about the model or the source material.
As someone who grew up in Japan and is bilingual, one thing that bothered me was that the writer referred to Masashi Togami as “Togami” several times (meanwhile, “Sakuretsu” is a screen name). Given that the writer wrote “Steen” for Steen Sig Andersen, I believe the writer’s intent was to use Masashi’s given name as I’m doing, and that the writer assumed incorrectly that “Masashi Togami” followed name order used in Japan (surname, given name). A minor linguistic quibble, but a reminder that a quick read by someone familiar with the other culture or language is always a good idea in cross-cultural communications…
The set comes in five unnumbered poly bags, and with 401 parts, I just dumped them all in the box. (Poly bags are boring, and I’m not sure why other reviewers feel the need to photograph them. I won’t bore you with those photos myself.)
In several respects, the model comes together like one designed by a fan, and not an official set. For a set that did indeed originate as a fan design, that’s a good thing. Though SNOT is no longer unusual in LEGO sets, there are enough single-stud connections, half-stud offsets, and hinge-based connections that it felt like I was building something designed by Daniel Siskind, Tyler Clites, or Christopher White — all of whose custom designs I’ve had the pleasure of building for myself (there’s value for even experienced builders in trying out someone else’s designs from time to time).
The DeLorean on the box art comes together after 93 pages and 63 steps. But there are still 12 more pages of instructions, and I still had about 50 pieces rattling around in the box. The remainder of the instructions and parts enable you to convert the DeLorean into the versions of the car seen in Back to the Future II and Back to the Future III.
The conversion to the BTTF2 DeLorean just adds a Mr. Fusion and swaps out the 1985 license plate for a 2015 license plate, plus four clear bricks to “float” the car off the ground.
To convert the base DeLorean into the version seen in BTTF3, you swap out red wheels for the gray wheels in the tires on the original. Why LEGO didn’t just include 4 more tires I don’t know.
You also build a greebly panel to put on the hood, which (finally) explains the stepped tiles rather than a single smooth slope for the hood.
I still think the same effect could have been achieved (somehow — I’m not the designer with 30 years of professional experience) with the 6×8 slope in Masashi’s original design, but at least this answers the “Why?!” that so many of you out there have expressed.
The minifigs
The highlight of this set is the pair of completely unique minifigs. Marty McFly wears his puffy vest (mistaken for a life jacket in the first movie), and Doc Brown wears a nuclear hazmat suit.
Both the minifig torsos and their heads are printed on two sides — “happy” and “scared”/”angry”.
The minifig parts appear to be of the quality you’d expect in a standard set, not the cheaper-feeling minifig elements you get with some Collectible Minifigures (which you can distinguish by the mold imprint on the inside of the left arm).
To answer a question I’ve seen elsewhere, no, there aren’t additional minifigs in the set to reflect the characters’ outfits in the second and third movies.
Parts selection
Although this probably isn’t a set I’d recommend for a draft, there are definitely some rather special parts in this set that you absolutely won’t be getting anywhere else. In a revelation that I think will truly shock many of you, every one of the unique decorated parts in this set is properly printed rather than a decal. Here’s a shot of the back of the box that shows all of them.
The Flux Capacitor, white California 1985 license plate, orange California 2015 license plate, and time readout on the dashboard are all printed! Combined with the minifigs, if that’s not motivation to buy this set and rebuild it to your own liking, I don’t know what is.
Though less-exciting, and I’m not 100% sure, I think the purple skateboard is also new. That was actually another opportunity for printing, and it would’ve been cool to see LEGO’s official take on the hoverboard. Still, new parts in less-common colors like purple are always welcome.
Value
Based on early photos and the part count, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see this set sold at $40-50 MSRP. A licensed product, 401 pieces, two minifigs, and collectible-quality packaging all add up to at least $40. The final MSRP turns out to be $34.99. The LEGO Minecraft set sold for $34.99, so I suppose the same price for the next CUUSOO set isn’t such a surprise after all.
I generally don’t address collectibility or the secondary market in my reviews, but that seems unavoidable here. LEGO couldn’t keep the Minecraft set in stock for more than a few hours during its first year, and the $35 set is still going for $50 and up on the secondary market even though you can buy it for $35 from LEGO again. At times when LEGO didn’t have any in stock, it wasn’t unusual to see the $35 set sold for $100 or more (likely driven by the possibility that it was “out of print”).
Strictly on price-per-part and probable collectibility, this set is a bargain.
Recommendation
This is ultimately, inevitably, and somewhat unfortunately, a mixed review. If you’re both a LEGO fan and a hardcore Back to the Future fan, buy this set. If you want to use the unique printed parts and the base design to make a better DeLorean, by all means do so (the key slope piece starts at about 35 cents on BrickLink, if you don’t already have one).
At $34.99, the set is also a good value, both for the number of parts and the likely scarcity of the printed pieces. I hate to fuel speculation or the secondary market in general, but I can’t imagine that this set will be any less collectible than other licensed LEGO sets, and as a one-off, potentially even more so. Buy one to build (or rebuild), and buy a second to sell to a collector in three years at a 400% profit, thus enabling you to buy more LEGO to build with. Just don’t be a jackass and hoard 30 of them in your basement.
I’ve written the word “buy” quite a lot in the previous two paragraphs. But that doesn’t change the fact that this set could have been much, much better. Changes to the hood and roof design are both baffling, and severely detract from the “shelf appeal” of the set, without really adding anything in terms of sturdiness or playability (normal compromises I’d expect).
Overall, yes, I can recommend this set with a clear conscience. But you deserve to know exactly what you’re getting. And what you’re getting isn’t perfect.
LEGO unveils new LEGO Minecraft sets – The Village & The Nether [News]
In a surprising twist that reveals what can happen in a post-CUUSOO world, LEGO is today unveiling a full LEGO Minecraft theme, beginning with two new sets, The Village and The Nether. Both sets look to be compatible with the original four-section microscale LEGO Minecraft set from the CUUSOO project, and will retail for the same $34.99 price. They’re due out on September 1, 2013.
The Village includes a pig, Villager, and Zombie micromobs.
The Nether features the Obsidian Portal, and includes two Ghasts and a Zombie Pigman micromob.
Here’s the press release from LEGO with all the official details:
THE LEGO GROUP EXPANDS MINECRAFT COLLECTION
– Two additional models based on the popular virtual 3D world make their debut at Comic-Con International and will be on shelves this September-
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO (July 17, 2013) – Delighting LEGO® and Minecraft fans across the globe, The LEGO Group today announced it is extending its relationship with Swedish game developer Mojang to build on the blockbuster success of its first LEGO Minecraft building set to add two new models that will be released September 1, 2013.
LEGO Minecraft provides the opportunity to build, reconfigure and create new Minecraft micro-worlds in a physical LEGO way. The two new 3”x3”x3” models, The Village and The Nether, are on display for the first time at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Fans can also enjoy and take pictures with a large interactive 3D mosaic complete with Micromob character props at the LEGO booth (#2829).
“LEGO Minecraft is a perfect example of how people’s passions can be amplified when digital and physical interests are combined, and there couldn’t be more synergy between the engine that drives the Minecraft gaming experience and the creative fuel of a LEGO building experience,” said Michelle Wilson, senior brand manager for LEGO Systems, Inc. “We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Mojang to create new Minecraft characters and environments in LEGO form so that fans can get as creative as they’d like in their physical world as in their digital one.”
“There’s no doubt about the connection between LEGO building and Minecraft – not only the design similarities, but the immense creativity that our fan bases share,” said Lydia Winters, Mojang’s director of fun. “Given how well received the first model was last year, we can’t wait to see what fans think of these new designs.”
LEGO Minecraft New Product Highlights
The Village
With this model, fans can create and customize their own Minecraft village with LEGO bricks. Just like the game, fans can build houses, grow crops and beware the mines in their own micro-world as well as play out their own storylines with Pig, Villager and Zombie constructible Micromob figures.The Nether
Builders can create the Minecraft Obsidian Portal and The Nether to explore the newest biome with this micro-scale LEGO model, complete with Netherrack, gravel, flowing lava and bedrock. This model includes two Ghasts and one Zombie Pigman constructible Micromob figures.The new LEGO Minecraft micro-scale models can be split into four sections and reconfigured for different play experiences. They will be available beginning September 1, 2013 with a suggested retail price of $34.99.
LEGO reveals new Batman set – Riddler Chase with the Flash [News]
The week of San Diego Comic-Con is full of news, and we’re hardly getting started! The next item LEGO has revealed is an upcoming new LEGO Batman set, Riddler Chase. Most notably, this set includes the Flash as a minifigure for the first time.
The set will cost $29.99, includes 304 pieces, and is due out in January 2014.
San Diego Comic-Con 2013 LEGO panel previews
If you are one of the lucky ones who managed to get into San Diego Comic-Con and can go, here is a quick list of panels that may pique your LEGO interest!!!
Brick-built SDCC logo by Mariann Asanuma.
- The LEGO Movie will be previewed on Saturday, July 20, 10:45 am – 1:15 pm at Hall H, with the Warner Brothers/Legendary Movies presentation, along with the movies Godzilla, Seventh Son, 300: Rise of an Empire, and Gravity.
- The LEGO Marvel video game is part of the Marvel Video Games panel on Saturday, July 20 from 12:30pm – 1:30 pm at Room 6A.
- BrickJournal’s panel, LEGO as an Art Form, featuring yours truly Brandon Griffith, Joe Meno, Nathan Sawaya, & Tommy Williamson will be on Saturday, July 20 from 5pm – 6pm at Room 23ABC
Nathan will be signing books at TwoMorrows booth #1301 after the panel until the hall closes. Brandon will be there handing out a limited amount of STUDS packs.
- LEGO Legends of Chima will have a presentation on Sunday, July 21 from 10 am to 11am at Room 24ABC.
LEGO announces LEGO tie-ins with The LEGO Movie [News]
In news that should surprise nobody, LEGO has announced that they’ll be releasing a line of sets based on the upcoming LEGO movie conveniently titled The LEGO Movie. The first item unveiled today is a set called “Wyldstyle Chase”.
Here’s the official announcement:
LEGO Group Builds Creative Merchandising Program for “THE LEGO® MOVIE”
-First of 17 Building Sets, Playable Video Game Demo to be Displayed at Comic-Con-
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL, SAN DIEGO (July 14, 2013) – The LEGO Group today announced that it will produce a collection of movie-inspired building sets celebrating the brand’s premiere as a theatrical film. The company has recruited an impressive roster of global partners to a broad, multi-category licensing program to support the much anticipated animated adventure film from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee, “THE LEGO® MOVIE” is rapidly building buzz following its first released trailer and assembles on the big screen starting in February 2014.
“The LEGO brand has been a vehicle for creative storytelling around the world for decades, so it’s no surprise that there is such growing enthusiasm for the first LEGO theatrical film,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our valued partners to build a varied and compelling portfolio of products through which fans of all ages can celebrate this LEGO brand milestone.”
Building Sets
Inspired by pivotal scenes in the film and starring key LEGO minifigure characters, a collection of 17 LEGO building sets will deliver all of the “THE LEGO MOVIE” action to the playroom. Fans will delight in highly detailed and functional vehicles and structures that reflect the creative versatility of the movie’s many LEGO themed backdrops, such as City, Wild West, and Space. Comic-Con International attendees in San Diego, California will see the first “THE LEGO MOVIE” building set unveiled at the LEGO booth (#2829) on Saturday, July 20.
Additionally, the company’s line of collectible LEGO Minifigures will receive its first Hollywood makeover with a series inspired by “THE LEGO MOVIE” cast of 16 new and “new-again” LEGO characters.
Videogame
In related news, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the chart-topping and award-winning LEGO videogames franchise from TT Games will include an epic gaming experience based on the film across all major console and handheld gaming systems. With more than 90 playable characters inspired by the film and 15 exciting levels, kids will be able to build an adventure like never before.
Movie-Inspired Merchandise
A roster of global licensees covering several categories will immerse filmgoers in the world of “THE LEGO MOVIE.” Perennial publishing partners Scholastic, Penguin, Ameet and DK Publishing will offer a range of readers, sticker books, activity books and movie guides. Apparel partners include T-shirts from Mad Engine, Isaac Morris, Kabooki, TV Mania and Casco Blu, hoodies from TV Mania, pajamas from SGI Apparel, TV Mania and Kabooki and undergarments from Handcraft Mfg. and Kabooki. Carry Gear and Grown Up will offer bags, including backpacks and cinch bags. Clic Time is producing clocks and buildable watches. MZB Imagination and Funtastic are creating an array of stationery items including notebooks, journals, folders, pens, pencils and pencil cases, erasers, rulers and luggage/bag tags. Functional key lights featuring movie characters are being produced by IQ HK. Storage partner ROOM Copenhagen is producing a lunchbox, lunch set, drinking bottle and storage and sorting boxes.
The Feature Film
“THE LEGO MOVIE” opens in some global markets the first week of February, 2014. The 3D computer animated adventure tells the story of Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
“THE LEGO MOVIE” stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman, as the voices of the animated characters. The film is directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (“21 Jump Street,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) from their original screenplay, story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, based on LEGO construction toys. It will incorporate some of the LEGO world’s most popular figures while introducing several new characters, inviting fans who have enjoyed the brand’s innovative toys and hugely popular video games for generations to experience their visually unique LEGO world as never seen before. The film is produced by Dan Lin (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”) and Roy Lee (“The Departed,” “How to Train Your Dragon”). “THE LEGO MOVIE” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.