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.

First eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed [News]

Back in September, LEGO launched a new initiative in cooperation with BrickLink called the AFOL Designer Program where fans could submit custom designs with the possibility of being produced and sold by BrickLink. Out of the 443 submissions received, 16 were selected as finalists and the first half of those have now been revealed.

The digital submissions were test-built for stability and reviewed by both BrickLink and LEGO designers to determine the finalists. Crowdfunding for each of the finalists will begin on February 1st, and if a set reaches its pre-sales goal, it will then be produced and shipped by BrickLink.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the first eight finalists.

Click to see the AFOL Designer Program finalists

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The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures series unveiled, available Feb. 1 [News]

LEGO has unveiled the complete collection of collectible minifigures from The LEGO Movie 2 including the main characters from the sequel, a subset of figures from the Wizard of Oz, and a few new colorful costumed minifigs, all on new white minifigure stands.

The minifigures will be available for purchase from LEGO starting February 1st for $3.99 each, though some other retailers have already begun stocking them on store shelves.

Click to see close-up photos of each new minifigure

70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg from The LEGO Movie 2 is now available [News]

The huge 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! set from The LEGO Movie 2 is available today for LEGO VIPs (membership is free for anyone who signs up). Clocking in at 3,178 pieces and twelve minifigures, the hero set is the largest of the 20 LEGO sets based on the upcoming sequel. Welcome to Apocalypseburg! retails for US $299.99, CA $399.99, and UK £279.99.

(Note on timing: VIP early access sets in the US are typically available from the LEGO Shop online starting at 8am ET time, though there has been some variability in the past.)

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 13, 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 January 2019.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: 2019 is off to a great start with new LEGO Star Wars sets and the finale our our helicopter building series.

Review of LEGO Star Wars 75229 Death Star Escape – The Death Star Escape is an iconic scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. Does this LEGO playset meet the mark? Get your grappling hooks ready and swing right in to find out.
Review of LEGO Star Wars 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run – We take a look at the debut of the X-Wing from the new 4+ range of series catering to a younger audience. Does it need to be in your complete Star Wars collection?
FEATURE: How to build a Pave Low helicopter with LEGO: Part 3 – In the final installment of his three-part series, TBB’s Builder in Residence Ralph unveils his completed LEGO Pave Low helicopter. We can finally “get to the choppa!”

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:

Giant LEGO Ninjago City created by 30 people, YouTube – Beyond the Brick’s Joshua Hanlon talks with Daniel Fortine about the LEGO Ninjago City collaboration organized by The Brothers Brick at BrickCon 2018.
Meet the biggest LEGO experts and super-builders in the world, SyFy – TBB’s Editor in Chief Andrew Becraft tells us about his LEGO journey in this SyFy podcast, from being a kid playing on his bedroom floor to author and master builder and LEGO fan community member.
Madame Tussauds-owner Merlin to build Legoland Park in South Korea – CNA Lifestyle –Madame Tussauds-owner Merlin Entertainments has entered into a partnership agreement to build a Legoland theme park in South Korea by 2022.
Meet the world’s fastest LEGO Bughatti Chiron, YouTube – Donut Media souped up the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron to go faster than the real thing (accounting for scale).

LEGO Star Wars 75229 Death Star Escape [Review]

There are only so many Star Wars scenes that are prominent enough to become a LEGO set, so it’s refreshing to see something that hasn’t been done before. Most LEGO Star Wars fans would probably agree that the Death Star escape scene has been long overdue in becoming a set. Despite receiving 3 minutes of screen time, it is one of the most memorable scenes from the franchise. Now, we finally get to see it built in LEGO-form. The 75229 Death Star Escape consists of 329 pieces and retails for $29.99 USD (CDN 39.99 and GBP 24.99). Does it hold up to the memorable scene from Star Wars: A New Hope? Read on to find out more.

Click to read the full review of the Death Star Escape

LEGO Star Wars 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run [Review]

A number of things have changed in the way LEGO has begun marketing its sets in 2019, and one of them is the Juniors line of branding. The “Juniors” branding has been replaced by boxes with a huge “4+” number at the bottom left corner. This year, for the very first time, the LEGO Star Wars theme enters the newly branded 4+ (formerly “Juniors”) age group and one of our favorite vehicles makes its debut, the X-Wing Starfighter. We don’t typically review sets meant exclusively for younger kids, but with Star Wars, how could we say no? 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run is available now, retailing at $29.99 in the US (CDN 39.99 and GBP 24.99), and we wanted to let you decide for yourselves as we dive into the details.

Read our full review of 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 6, 2019 [News]

TBB NEWS: Ushering in 2019, a flood of new LEGO sets hit stores and we have your complete guide. We also got a peek at of The LEGO Movie 2 with minifigures and a massive set.

The LEGO Movie 2’s largest set revealed as 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! – Coming in at 3,178 pieces and 12 minifigures with an epic Lady Liberty, the apocalypse is nigh.
Your guide to 112 new LEGO sets now available for 2019 – We compiled an extensive list of all the new, cool LEGO sets available starting January 1st.
LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71023 for The LEGO Movie 2 officially revealed – We have your first look at all the characters from the upcoming sequel, Wizard of Oz included.
Farewell Nancy Grace Roman, you are now truly one with the stars – We pay a tribute and last respects to Nancy for inspiring people all around the world.

TBB REVIEWS: We take a look at some of the 2019 releases from two popular themes and an exclusive: Speed Champions, Star Wars, and the Chinese New Years Eve Dinner, respectively.

Review of 80101 Chinese New Years Eve Dinner – We got our hands on the Chinese Spring Festival Special Edition LEGO set to show you all the printed pieces.
Review of 75892 Speed Champions McLaren Senna – Going full throttle into the new year, we go in depth with the McLaren Senna.
Review of 75228 Star Wars Escape Pod vs Dewback Microfighters – The first of release of Microfighters that features a creature, we are overcome by cuteness.

TBB EDITORIALS & FEATURES:

This LEGO Volkswagen Beetle is a Bumblebee in disguise – A truly transformable creation in the most classic sense from our very own Builder in Residence, Ralph Savelsberg.
Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2018 – We reveal our LEGO Creation of the Year by Eli Willsea and Grant Davis with their epic Star Wars Jakku Star Destroyer Scene.
Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2018 – Coming out right on top for the Builder of the year is Chi Hsin Wei and his versatile and amazing creations in 2018.

LEGO Speed Champions 75892 McLaren Senna [Review]

Having taken a a drive around Memory Lane with classic cars like the 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally and 1980s-era Ferrari F40, we turn to the thoroughly modern 75892 McLaren Senna. Rather than a sticker price of $837,000 (give or take another million dollars when finally auctioned off), this LEGO version of the European supercar retails for $14.99 (£12.99 in the UK and $19.99 in Canada), with 219 pieces and one minifig driver.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Speed Champions 75892 McLaren Senna

Bricks LA 2019, Southern California’s premier LEGO convention, is this weekend [News]

Southern California’s premier LEGO convention, Bricks LA, will be open to the public this weekend, January 5-6. Beginning Saturday, builders from around the country will gather at the Pasadena Convention Center to showcase more than 13,000 square feet of amazing creations. Vendors will be selling vintage LEGO sets, LEGO-themed jewelry, custom gifts, and more. Tickets are only $5, with kids under 5 free, and are available online.

The show hours are 9-5 on Saturday, and 9-4 on Sunday.

Although online registration has closed, adult builders who wish to display their models and attend panels, participate in LEGO-themed games, and more can still purchase tickets at the door.

The Brothers Brick is proud to be a sponsor of Bricks LA.

The LEGO Movie 2’s largest set revealed as 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! [News]

LEGO has officially revealed the largest set from The LEGO Movie 2, the massive 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! Clocking in at 3,178 pieces and twelve minifigures, the set features the post-invasion home of the main characters located in a broken down Statue of Liberty (à la Planet of the Apes).

The set will be available starting January 16 for $299.99 for LEGO VIP members, with general availability beginning February 1st.

Click to see close-up photos of the largest LEGO Movie 2 set

LEGO 75228 Escape Pod vs Dewback Microfighters [Review]

With the ringing in of 2019, we’re also getting the release of Series 6 of the LEGO Star Wars Microfighters. When the series was first introduced, each Microfighter pack came with a single build, and most, if not all were vehicles, as the theme’s title implies. 75228 Escape Pod vs Dewback Microfighters comes with two builds in a single pack, which we first saw introduced in 2018. But now for the very first time, a Microfighters set features a creature instead of a vehicle. It’s also the first time the Dewback is in a brick-built form as opposed to a molded figure, and it created a bit of a buzz with LEGO Star Wars fans. The set comes with 177 pieces and retails for $19.99 USD. Let’s take a look and see how it stacks up.

The Escape Pod and Dewback are among the first scenes on Tatooine we see in Star Wars: A New Hope. C-3PO and R2-D2 first arrive from their escape pod fresh off the Tantive IV with the plans of the Death Star hidden in R2-D2’s memory banks. Sand Troopers scour the desert hunting down the pod’s contents, confirming that the pods were not empty vessels as first suspected but instead finding traces of droids in the area.

Read the full review

Farewell Nancy Grace Roman, you are now truly one with the stars [News]

Nancy Grace Roman, the astronomer and “the mother of the Hubble” passed away on December 26 at the age of 93. She worked on the Hubble Space Telescope in the early stages and was honored in the LEGO Ideas Women of NASA set in 2017. She was also the first woman executive at NASA and also one of the first chief astronomers. She will dearly be missed by the lives she’s touched and inspired all over the world, and her legacy will be long remembered. On behalf of the LEGO community and the team at The Brothers Brick, we bid you farewell. Nancy, you are now one truly with the stars and you will always shine with brightness in the sky, leading the way for aspiring youth to light the path to even greater things. Rest in peace, Nancy.