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.

Jamie Berard unveils 10194 Emerald Night, plus new LEGO Trains details [News]

iconiconThe forthcoming LEGO Trains set 10194 Emerald Night got an early announcement last month, but the original plan was to announce it at BrickFest 2009 (happening right now in Portland, Oregon).

AFOL-turned-Designer Jamie Berard takes his turn in front of the camera to officially unveil 10194 Emerald Night to LEGO fandom:

Jamie is of course best known as the designer of amazing sets like 10182 Café Corner and 10185 Green Grocer. If Jamie was involved in the design of Emerald Night, it’s sure to be a wonderful set!

10194 Emerald Nighticon has been available for pre-order from the LEGO Shop online since February, and is scheduled to ship on April 15, 2009.

A few key points from the video:

  • A look into the secret LEGO Vault.
  • Pierre Normandin joins Jamie to highlight 10183 Hobby Trains.
  • New curved slope and train wheels (flange wheel and blind wheel).
  • Lots of dark green (including gold-printed elements), plus tan train windows.
  • New track system.
  • Powered by Power Functions.
  • Mysterious object sitting next to Cafe Corner, Market Street, and Green Grocer…

Check out a second, slightly longer video of Jamie, Pierre, and 10194 Emerald Night on YouTube.

To coincide with the unveiling, the LEGO Group has also released the following additional details about the changes to the LEGO Trains system:

As a follow up to the LEGO 9V Train Communication lll, there is one change we would like to inform you about concerning the LEGO Transformer.

Due to future legal requirements and to provide a more environmentally sustainable solution, we have decided to update the current LEGO Transformer #9833.

The new Power Functions Rechargeable Battery Box #8878 that will launch in mid-April 2009 has been designed to use this new LEGO Transformer #8887. The current LEGO Transformer (#9833) will not work with the new Power Functions rechargeable battery box and will gradually be phased out.

Below is a list of the LEGO Power Functions accessories used across multiple LEGO lines which are used with the new #10194 Emerald Night Train:

#8882 Motor
#8884 IR RX
#8870 Light
#8878 Rechargeable Battery
#8879 Speed Remote Control
#8887 Transformer

Look for more information on these items on www.LEGO.com in early to mid-April 2009.

Tormod Askildsen, Head of LEGO Community Development

So, what do you think of the new LEGO Trains system? Did you see this in person last night at BrickFest? Sound off in the comments…

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

10195 Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker now available [News]

The much-anticipated LEGO Star Wars set 10195 Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker is now available from the LEGO Shop online.

Yes, yes, I know — I’m a couple days behind on this…

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Kocke Klub announces second KockeFest, April 4 in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Slovenian LEGO club Kocke Klub has announced that they will be holding a second LEGO exhibition on April 4, 2009 in Ljubljana. (“Kocke” means “brick” and is pronounced COT-SKA.)

KockeFest Poster

Here’s the full announcement in Slovenian:

Kocke klub v soboto, 4. aprila 2009, 10h-17h v OŠ Šmartno pod Šmarno goro pri Ljubljani organizira 02. KockeFest – pomlad 2009 – LEGO delavnico in razstavo LEGO kreacij.

KockeFest bo nudil tekmovanje v LEGO sumu, svetovno premiero novega pnevmatskega V8 motorja iz kock LEGO, predstavitev delujočih modelov LEGO gradbene mehanizacije in različnih Mindstorms robotov, makete gradbišča, vlaka, gusarjev ter LEGO Technic sete, dva igralna kotička z nagradami za najboljše kreacije in LEGO bazar ter še veliko drugih LEGO zanimivosti. Za več informacij prosimo poglejte na www.kocke.si/kockefest/.

And in English:

Kocke club will organize 2nd KockeFest – spring 2009 – LEGO workshop and LEGO creations exhibition. It will be held on Saturday, April 4th between 10am and 5 pm in primary school Šmartno at Ljubljana.

KockeFest will present the LEGO sumo championship, the world premiere of new V8 pneumatic engine made out of LEGO bricks, the working models of LEGO construction equipment and various Mindstorms robots, the mock-ups of building grounds, trains, pirates and LEGO Technic sets, two playing corners with awards for the best creations, Lego marketplace and more LEGO interesting features. For more information please visit www.silug.si/kockefest/eng_index.php.

Read more about KockeFest — and see pictures from the first KockeFest — on the Kocke Klub website.

EDIT: Kocke Klub has also released a 16-page magazine illustrating some of the best LEGO creations from members. Download your copy of KockeList and check it out! It’s in Slovenian, but LEGO is our common language, and there are lots of great pictures.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

10192 Space Skulls 80% off from LEGO Shop (and other sales & deals)

10192 Space Skulls is now available from the LEGO Shop online for 80% off the original price. At only $19.99, it’s a steal:

A number of other sets are also on fairly deep discounts:

Amazon.com also has a big selection of LEGO sets on sale:

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Winners of the 7th clickbrick Original Model Contest announced [News]

I blogged the 7th annual Original Model Contest last week, but winners hadn’t been announced yet.

Sachiko Akinaga now has the final list of winners.

First Place: “Howl’s Moving Castle” by TEN (more photos):

Second Place: “Memories of a Dream” by Mokuami:

Third Place: “Goldfish Balloon” by Sachiko Akinaga:

Fourth Place: “Animal Happy Cake” by Kana-Oyako:

Fifth Place: “MSN-100” by Tuwake-de-Sondake:

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

7680 The Twilight™ at 50% off on S@H

LEGO Shop at Home has 7680 The Twilighticon on sale at 50% off starting this morning for all countries. Don’t hesitate to get this limited edition set for cheap while supplies last!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Photos from 7th annual clickbrick Original Model Contest now online

Although winners of the 7th Original Model Contest (sponsored by Japanese LEGO specialty store clickbrick) won’t be announced until March 7, some great photos of the LEGO creations entered in the contest are now available.

Entrants are free to choose their own theme, but are restricted to 20×20 studs and 30 cm tall, and they can’t use LEGO Baby/Primo, DUPLO, MINDSTORMS, or custom parts.

“Goldfish Balloon” by Sachiko Akinaga:

“Howl’s Moving Castle” by TEN:

“In Space” by Tora-Chichi:

“Memories of a Dream” by Mokuami:

See lots more photos in Sachiko’s Brickshelf gallery.

(Via LEGO-KEI and Let’s LEGO.)

Past coverage of this event here on The Brothers Brick:

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Minifig? Microfig! More info about Reiner Knizia’s LEGO board game

LEGO have just passed on a series of images promoting the new series of award-winning board games, including Ramses’ Pyramid by Reiner Knizia. The microfigures are utterly adorable and the tile with stud in center should be a great piece for all builders.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Announcing the FBTB Podracer Challenge [w00t!]

March is apparently the new December — at least in terms of the plethora of LEGO contests happening at the same time.

From Bricks to Bothans has just announced the Podracer Challenge. The challenge is to create an original podracer (not one featured in Episode I or in the Expanded Universe) like the Pre-Classic Space and 3vil podracers featured in the graphic above.

The prizes:

  • First Prize: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, Chrome Darth Vader, and Chrome C-3PO
  • Second Prize: Chrome Vader or Chrome Threepio – your choice
  • Third Prize Chrome Vader or Chrome Threepio – whatever the 2nd prize winner didn’t choose.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Announcing the ForbiddenCove.com Whale of a Tale contest [w00t!]

LEGO Pirates fan site ForbiddenCove.com has just announced the Whale of a Tale Contest. Build an outlandish tale on a base no more than 32×32 studs, though there’s no restriction in height.

You could win one of these 2009 LEGO Pirates sets:

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Announcing the Classic-Pirates.com Captain’s Cabin Contest [w00t!]

Classic-Pirates.com is hosting a new contest that challenges you to build places and locations from the LEGO Pirates universe within a 24×24 base.

Here are the prizes:

Read more about the Captain’s Quarters Contest on Classic-Pirates.com.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

30 Years of LEGO Space [News]

As some of you may know, this March (you know, starting tomorrow) marks the 30th anniversary of LEGO space sets. A group of fans is celebrating this in a big way, by unveiling a new Neo-Classic-Space creation every day for the entire month. Check it out, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for my own contribution sometime during the month.

30 Years of Space!

Here’s the press release:

March 2009 sees the 30th anniversary of the original Classic Space sets from LEGO. Now, three decades on, it’s time for a celebration of spacey goodness at www.neoclassicspace.com.

Neo-Classic Space is a reimagining of the LEGO Classic Space range, using modern building techniques and parts. More than just inspired by the Classic Space sets, Neo-Classic Space is an extrapolation of the line into the 21st century and beyond. We aim to follow a carefully thought standard, which we feel is in keeping with the original designs.

The culmination of a top-secret project planned over many months, www.neoclassicspace.com will present a new model every day throughout March, many from builders you already know and love, some from new talent you may not have discovered.

This is only the beginning. It is time to retake space. We hope you’ll come along for the ride!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.