September has arrived and so have new LEGO sets, from the Hogwarts Castle and 2018 LEGO Advent Calendars to the Las Vegas Architecture skyline set. These will likely sell out quickly, so make sure to get yours soon before they are out of stock.
Click to take a closer look at the new LEGO sets for September 2018
Category Archives: News
The minifigure turns 40: a colorful history of LEGO’s most beloved characters
Did you know that 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the modern minifigure? In recognition of this very special birthday, the LEGO Group released its party-themed Series 18 minifigures a few months ago, including a remake of the 1978 policeman. The LEGO Group continues to celebrate, this time by reaching into their archives to share some historic images with our readers. Here at The Brothers Brick, we love minifigures and are excited to share the images and history behind the LEGO Group’s versatile and lovable characters.
A system is born, and so is a police officer:
In the post-World War II economy, the LEGO Group began shifting its priorities in toy manufacturing. While the foundation of LEGO rested on wooden toys, Ole Kirk Christiansen saw a future in plastics and purchased the company’s first plastic injection molding machine in 1947. It was with this equipment that the LEGO group first began producing its Automatic Binding Bricks in 1949. These hollow-bottomed bricks were the forerunner of the modern LEGO brick.
LEGO’s earliest sets were fairly basic construction toys, and characters were never packaged with the sets. This changed after Ole’s son, Godtfred, introduced the System of Play series in 1955. “System of Play” referred to the versatility of LEGO bricks to be used by themselves and with a child’s existing toys. LEGO advertised the toy as the perfect companion for dolls and HO (1:87) scale toy trains. LEGO created the Town Plan series, which is populated by brick-built buildings and prefabricated vehicles, to serve in part as an add-on for model railroading.
It was also during this time that LEGO introduced the great-great grandfather of the minifigure, a set of four tiny police officers. The figures were posed in four different positions, designed so they could direct traffic throughout the intersections of the Town Plan. Resembling HO-scale figures, they did not have moving limbs or recessed indentations for connecting to studs but were nevertheless LEGO’s first people manufactured for the System of Play.
Click to read the full history of the LEGO Minifigure
LEGO built a life-size Technic Bugatti Chiron that actually drives [News]
LEGO has revealed a life-size Bugatti Chiron built from more than a million Technic elements that actually drives. Powered by more than 2,300 Power Functions motors, the car is the first ever fully-functional self-propelled LEGO sports car, reaching top speeds nearing 20 mph (30 kph).
More impressive, LEGO designers didn’t use any glue in the construction which took more than 13,000 hours total. The life-size Technic Bugatti Chiron even includes a working speedometer and rear spoiler while replicating the sleek curves of the iconic sports car.
A bit bigger than the 42083 Technic Bugatti Chiron we reviewed earlier this summer, the life-sized model can fit two passengers inside and weighs a whopping 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg), supported by a steel frame.
Click to get a behind-the-scenes look at the life-size LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron
TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 26, 2018 [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 fourth week of August 2018.
TBB NEWS: Bespin is back with the new Master Builder Series set, along with formerly unknown Harry Potter and Jurassic World minifigures coming your way.
- LEGO reveals 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, the first set in the Star Wars Master Builder Series – The set includes a whopping 18 minifigures, two droids, and two vehicles: Boba Fett’s Slave I ship and a twin-pod Cloud Car, available starting September 13.
- Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Marvel, Ninjago minifigure packs revealed – These four-packs used to be Toys R Us exclusives, but now will be available in a few other places.
- Parts pack bonanza with heavily discounted BrickHeadz on Amazon.com – Amazon.com has a BrickHeadz sale, with good deals on Harry Potter and Hedwig, particularly.
- Enter Brothers Bricks’ LEGO Harry Potter microscale competition – Show off your stuff and you could win the massive new 71043 Hogwarts Castle.
TBB REVIEWS: While they don’t taste any different (we checked), take a look at this article comparing the old and new plant elements now sourced from sugar cane, as well as a review or two.
- Guest Article: Sustainable LEGO Elements, 40320 Plants from Plants – This article from New Elementary takes a close look at the new plant elements sourced from sugar cane oil.
- Review of LEGO Star Wars 75221 Imperial Landing Craft – This set includes 636 pieces and 5 minifigs (counting R2-D2) and retails for $89.99 in the US.
- Review of LEGO Architecture 21047 Las Vegas – The Las Vegas Strip has never looked so adorable in this new skyline set including the Bellagio, Luxor, Stratosphere and more.
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:
Check out the other LEGO news of the week
LEGO Star Wars 75221 Imperial Landing Craft [Review]
The Imperial Landing Craft was added to the Star Wars canon with the 1997 “Special Edition” re-release of Star Wars: A New Hope. The recent release of 75221 Imperial Landing Craft marks the second time LEGO has produced a version of this vehicle, despite very limited screen time — the first 7659 Imperial Landing Craft was released in 2007. This latest LEGO Sentinel-class landing craft set includes 636 pieces and 5 minifigs (counting Artoo) and retails for $89.99 in the US ($109.99 in Canada | £79.99 in the UK).
Read the full review of LEGO Star Wars 75221 Imperial Landing Craft
Parts pack bonanza with heavily discounted BrickHeadz on Amazon.com [News]
Whether you like LEGO BrickHeadz or not, there’s no denying that they make excellent sources of small parts for your own LEGO creations, often in unusual colors or with unique printed elements. If you’re more of a collector than a builder, BrickHeadz are also a solid investment, since sold-out BrickHeadz are going for two to three times their original price on the secondary market. Regardless of your motivation, LEGO that’s as much as 46% off is hard to pass up!
Without further ado, here are the LEGO BrickHeadz sets currently on heavy discount on Amazon.com. Note that some of the lower-priced items like Thanos and Gamora (at rock-bottom prices of only $5.38 each) can only be purchased as part of orders over $25, but it’s pretty easy to get over that price threshold, so just add them to your cart and keep shopping.
See the rest of the LEGO BrickHeadz on sale now, including Harry Potter, Star Wars, and more
Toys R Us LEGO minifigure packs revealed, featuring Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Marvel, Ninjago [News]
Toys R Us, which is still operating in a number of countries despite its well-publicized bankruptcy in the United States, has today uploaded images of four new LEGO minifigure packs. These have traditionally been offered as part of Toys R Us’ annual Bricktober promotion, though unlike previous years, this year’s packages are devoid of any Toys R Us or Bricktober-specific branding. Consequently, we can’t confirm yet if these will be exclusive to Toys R Us, especially given the retailer’s drastically reduced market share. The four packs are each themed to a specific license, featuring Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Marvel Super Heroes, and Ninjago, and include a number of exclusive characters.
Update: LEGO has confirmed on Twitter that these sets will be coming to Barnes & Noble in the United States, though likely with a different timeline than the Toys R Us packs in other parts of the world.
Update 2: LEGO has amended their statement on Twitter, clarifying that only the Harry Potter set will be available via Barns & Noble, with no word yet on availability for the others.
Click to see the all four of the minifigure packs
LEGO Architecture: 21047 Las Vegas [Review]
What’s built on the dining room table stays on the dining room table….at least, until dinner. Set 21047 Las Vegas is the latest offering in LEGO’s Architecture series, which is now in its tenth year. Time sure does fly and, speaking of time, Las Vegas was originally slated for release back in January 2018. As we reported back on July 31st, this delay was necessitated by the tragic Mandalay Bay hotel shooting of October 2017. In light of this unfortunate event, LEGO decided the best course of action was to redesign its Vegas set by replacing the micro Mandalay Bay with the Bellagio hotel and casino. Set 21047 consists of 501 pieces (according to the instruction booklet’s part inventory) and is slated for release on September 1st retailing at $39.99 USD.
Click to read our full, hands-on review
LEGO reveals 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, the first set in the Star Wars Master Builder Series [News]
LEGO Star Wars is returning to the planet Bespin with 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, a 2,812-piece playset based off memorable scenes from The Empire Strikes Back. The set includes a whopping 18 minifigures, two droids, and two vehicles: Boba Fett’s Slave I ship and a twin-pod Cloud Car. The set is also the first in the newly revealed LEGO Star Wars Master Builder Series.
Betrayal at Cloud City will hit stores on October 1st for $349.99 USD, and will be available early for LEGO VIP members beginning September 13 at the LEGO Store Online.
Take a closer look at the new Betrayal at Cloud City set
TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 19, 2018 [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 third week of August 2018.
TBB HARRY POTTER NEWS. REVIEW & CONTEST: The Wizarding World has arrived in style, and we have your in-depth look at the set and even a way for you to win one yourself!
- Review of LEGO Harry Potter 71043 Hogwarts Castle – At 6,020 pieces, this massive microscale castle is the second largest LEGO set of all time, now on sale for $399.99.
- 6,020-piece 71043 Hogwarts Castle is now on sale as LEGO’s biggest ever Harry Potter set – The set is available right now for LEGO VIP members.
- Live report from London launch of the new Harry Potter 71043 Hogwarts Castle – The LEGO Store at Leicester Square drew a fair amount of muggles for the launch of the castle.
- Enter Brothers Bricks’ LEGO Harry Potter microscale competition – Show off your stuff and you could win the massive new 71043 Hogwarts Castle.
MORE TBB REVIEWS: From BOOST to BrickHeadz and a dash of Star Wars, we have your weekly dose of LEGO set reviews.
- Review of LEGO BOOST 17101 compatibility with Ninjago and LEGO City sets – How does BOOST combine with other system sets to give them life? We have your answers here.
- Review of LEGO Star Wars 75217 Imperial Conveyex – This new set based on Solo: A Star Wars Story, comes with 622 pieces and five minifigures, and is available now.
- Review of LEGO BrickHeadz 41622 Peter Venkman and Slimer from Ghostbusters – LEGO Ghostbusters has found a new lease on life with these cheeky BrickHeadz.
- Review of LEGO BrickHeadz 41612 Steve and Creeper from Minecraft – And here we thought BrickHeadz couldn’t get any more creepier or blockier. Our mistake.
TBB NEWS, FEATURES & INSTRUCTIONS: Check out the rest of the LEGO news from the week, including a fun feature and a new book for your collection.
- Recreating the Han Solo movie train heist scene with LEGO Star Wars sets – With the release of the second wave of sets from, how well do the sets represent the movie?
- Updated edition of The LEGO Book from DK will come with an exclusive LEGO 2×4 printed brick – The 280-page book will celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick and the 40th anniversary of the LEGO minifigure.
- Instructions to build your own Zamboni – Your city ice skating rink won’t be complete without this smooth slidin’ Zamboni, courtesy of builder de-marco.
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:
Check out the other LEGO news of the week
London launch of the new Harry Potter 71043 Hogwarts Castle [News]
Early this morning, Leicester Square witnessed the biggest gathering of Harry Potter fans since the final film premier was held there in 2011. Fans of LEGO and J. K. Rowling’s famous wizard were out in force, excitedly queuing outside the store, some camping out overnight for the highly anticipated 71043 Hogwarts Castle set, which is now available.
At over 6,000 pieces, 71043 Hogwarts Castle is the second-largest LEGO set released by the company to date. Packed full of amazing architectural detail and showcasing almost every important scene from the series, it certainly lives up to its billing. Earlier today we posted a full review of the Hogwarts Castle LEGO set that covers every nook and cranny of the impressive build.
LEGO Harry Potter 71043 Hogwarts Castle, 2nd-largest LEGO set ever released [Review]
At 6,020 pieces, the new microscale 71043 Hogwarts Castle is the LEGO set with the second-highest part count ever, exceeded only by last year’s 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon at 7,541 pieces. This massive Hogwarts is part of the new wave of LEGO Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts sets, including the minifig-scale 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall. In what is sure also to be one of our longest LEGO set reviews ever, we’re immersing ourselves in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World as we take a close look at this massive set, which retails for $399.99 and will be available on September 1st (August 15 for LEGO VIP Program members).
Read our hands-on review of LEGO Harry Potter 71043 Hogwarts Castle