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.

Police fire on developmentally disabled man waving LEGO gun

In news that proves again that taking your life-size LEGO guns outdoors isn’t such a great idea, a sheriff’s deputy in Woodinville, Washington (near Seattle) fired on a man waving what appeared to be a gun.

Here’s the AP story in its entirety:

King County Sheriff Steve Strachan says he’s grateful a deputy did not injure a man who waved a gun made of Lego toy building bricks.

The deputy had responded to a report of a man waving a gun at passing cars Thursday in Woodinville. The man raised what appeared to be a gun at the deputy who fired several shots.

The suspect dropped to the ground unhurt. Deputies discovered the gun was a toy and the man was a resident of a nearby home for developmentally disabled adults.

Via The Seattle Times.

Another Times story adds, “The man, who deputies have encountered before, has a ‘fascination with guns’ and had made the handgun out of black Lego blocks.”

Thankfully, this story ended without injury, but this type of situation is why the Seattle Police Department influenced the absence of realistic LEGO guns at BrickCon…

UPDATE: Local TV station KOMO has an updated story with pictures of the gun.

LEGO
Photo by King County Sheriff’s Office

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Get a jump on Black Friday deals with free shipping, free holiday set & more [News]

Today only, members of the LEGO VIP Program get early access to “Brick Friday” sales.

The free shipping amount has been lowered to $49.
At $99, you get this year’s exclusive holiday set for free (which can’t be purchased separately).
At $149, you get 10% off your whole order.

And since we haven’t mentioned it yet, the LEGO Shop now has a Retiring Soon page that highlights LEGO sets for which production runs will not be renewed, and so whatever LEGO currently has in stock is all that’s left.

Chief among these is the classic LEGO Castle set 10193 Medieval Market Village, unveiled at BrickCon 2009.

Don’t miss the rest of the Retiring Soon sets on LEGO.com.

Pop-up LEGO Todai-ji opens to reveal Giant Buddha

Back in 2009, the Internet marveled at Japanese builder talapz‘s mind-boggling pop-up Kinkaku-ji pavilion. Now, he’s at it again! This time, he’s built Todai-ji, a temple in Nara, Japan that houses the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha.

Nara was one of Japan’s first capitol cities, before Kyoto and Tokyo. Todai-ji and the Giant Buddha (Daibutsu) are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, encompassing treasures from the period of ancient Japan (AD 710-794) that shares the city’s name.

For those of you inclined to try building your own pop-up Todai-ji, there is hope! In the second half of the video, talapz provides step-by-step instructions (449 steps) to build your own pop-up Todai-ji temple from a parts list — complete with Bricklink IDs — of 8816 LEGO elements. Good luck!

Hillel Cooperman’s BrickCon keynote video now online

Since BrickCon 2010, we’ve been treated to Hillel Cooperman‘s hilarious opinions about the world of LEGO fandom. This year’s keynote address is now online, and gives you a flavor of what it’s like to get in a room and laugh together with 500 of your closest friends. This year, Hillel shares a lovely retrospective of the first 10 years of the longest-running LEGO convention.

Warning: This is an uncensored video at a convention for adult LEGO fans. Expect the occasional four-letter word…

http://youtu.be/vRPnKoWF6qw

LEGO Lord of the Rings video game out today [News]

It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about a new LEGO video game (after so many years of … consistency), but I’m definitely going to be picking up LEGO Lord of the Rings, which was just released today on multiple platforms.

The new game apparently features full voice acting and a bit more open-world exploration than previous LEGO games. I’ll be interested to see what changes the good folks at TT Games have made to their venerable LEGO games franchise, and may share a review here on TBB.

LEGO Lord of the Rings is available on the following platforms:

Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
Playstation 3
Nintendo DS
PC
Nintendo 3DS
Playstation Vita

You can help support The Brothers Brick by grabbing it from Amazon.com.

LEGO sales & deals for November 2012 [News]

The LEGO Shop has discounted a few sets by 10%, including 10219 Maersk Train. Ten percent isn’t a huge discount, but a couple of these are exclusive to LEGO stores, so you won’t find them on clearance at your local big box store.

Excluding things like keychains (wait for them to go down to 75% off and then harvest them for their organs — I mean, parts!) and flashlights, here’s the list:

And remember that LEGO is doing free shipping on all orders over $99 through December 18.

LUG Brasil’s expo in São Paulo (Nov 10-11)

Every once in a while I will be reminded of a Lego event in a country where we may not have too many readers of the blog. Although it may not be pertinent to most of you, news like this is a good reminder of the world’s widespread love of the brick. So, if you’re in São Paulo this weekend, go check out LUG Brasil’s second expo at the College Benjamin Constant.

Novvember 2012 is upon us – prepare for Vic Vipers!

Just a quick reminder that NoVVember 2012 is now upon is. Help celebrate the late nnenn’s love of the Gradius Vic Viper by building your own (or more!). Post your entries here and Pascal (pasukaru76) will perform his magic at the end of the month.

Keep an eye out for further updates once the East Coast of the US recovers a little.

Updates from Creations for Charity

Creations for Charity has raised almost $4,000 so far and there’s still one month left in the fundraiser. Take a look at some of the latest creations added to the store, which are also bloggable in their own right.

Hans Dendauw‘s Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland strikes a fearsome pose, but deep inside it just wants a loving new home.

This stagecoach and chariot by our fellow blogger Matija are detailed and visually appealing for their small size. You can see them featured in these two little scenes.

Due to popular demand, Paul Janowski and Republic Customs has contributed another set of chrome Iron Man and Silver Surfer in addition to new Steel and Colossus minifigs.

Lastly, Sean and Steph Mayo once again astounds me with their creative parts use in another brilliant microscale scene.

If you don’t see what you’re looking for, head over to Creations for Charity’s campaign on Indiegogo to get a commissioned creation or pick up a limited edition gift. If you’re not familiar with Indiegogo, it’s a crowd funding platform similar to Kickstarter but encompasses charities. Your help is much needed and appreciated!

The 10th Annual Colossal Castle Contest has begun!

The Colossal Castle Contest is one of the longest running Lego fan contests in history, if not the longest, and it is celebrating its tenth year! There are a plethora of prizes, including vintage sets, books from No Starch Press and Skyhorse Publishing, as well as custom products from altBricks, BrickArms and BrickWarriors.

The categories cover a wide range of subjects, sizes and building styles. If you have never entered before, get over to Classic Castle, get registered and get BUILDING!

“Like a Boss” Contest!

Looking for a challenge and a share from a $500 prize pool donated by The Brothers Brick? I’m excited to announce the “Like a Boss” Contest! Build what you think is a tough-to-beat video game boss or one from an existing game. Head on over to The Lego Contest Network for details and how to enter.

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar is now 20% off!

The Star Wars Advent Calendar, featuring the adorable Santa Maul, is currently 20% off at Lego.com. I have no idea how long this is going to last so you had better grab one quick before they are gone. Also, don’t forget that you get double VIP points through the end of October and free shipping on orders of $99 or more until December 18th.