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.

[NEWS] New LEGO Exclusive – 10215 Obi Wan’s Jedi Starfighter

This set has just been unveiled at San Diego Comic Con, and we have photos, a video, and the press release below. The video should be working at 3pm EST. It isn’t yet, but hopefully will be soon.

Obi-Wan's Jedi Star Fighter VIDEO

10215 – Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter™
Ages 14+. 676 pieces.
US $ 99.99 CA $ 129.99 UK £ 94.99 DE 99.99 €
Blast off into The Clone Wars with Obi-Wan’s collector-series Jedi starfighter!

Now, you can build the ultimate LEGO version of Jedi general Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Delta-7 Aethersprite-class Jedi starfighter! Larger and more detailed than any previous Jedi starfighter model, this limited-edition collector vehicle is equipped with twin laser cannons, a full cockpit interior and a wing-mounted R4-P17 astromech droid dome that rotates. With a buildable display stand and plaque, it’s just the thing to pursue bounty hunter Jango Fett across the galaxy or battle swarms of Separatist fighters in space! Measures 9 in (23 cm) high on stand, 18″ (47 cm) long and 9″ (22 cm) wide when built.

• Ultimate Collector’s Series Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter!
• Equipped with twin laser cannons!
• Features fully detailed cockpit interior!
• The dome of Obi-Wan’s wing mounted R4-P17 astromech droid rotates!
• Includes display stand, plaque and label sheet!
• Model can be detached from display stand!
• Measures 9 in (23 cm) high on stand, 18″ (47 cm) long and 9″ (22 cm) wide when built!

Available for order directly through LEGO® beginning
November 2010 via shop.LEGO.com or via phone:
US Contact Center 1-800-453-4652
CA (English) Contact Center 1-800-453-4652
CA (French) Contact Center 1-877-518-5346
European Contact Center 00-800-5346-1111

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Comic-Con for the LEGO nerd (2010 edition)

Since there’s a lot of crossover between LEGO fans and general geekiness, it seemed like a good idea to mention a few of the LEGO-related attractions at that the Xanadu of Nerddom: Comic-Con International. It’s tonight through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

If you’ve got tickets, I’ll assume you already know most of the where and when, this is just a quick & dirty guide for all things LEGO.

LEGO: booth #2829. Smack-dab in the middle of the convention floor. On Wednesday evening, the upcoming Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter set will premiere and be on display for the duration of the convention. Licensed theme sets for sale, LEGO electronic games, play tables, and the line for a chance to win the exclusive set (CubeDudes by Angus MacLane). Angus will be available for signings on Fri. from 2-3pm and Sat. from 12-1pm. The new Hero Factory buildable costume characters will premiere on Sunday.

BrickJournal: TwoMorrows Publishing booth #1301. Magazines and compendia for sale, hassle the ever-popular Joe Meno, and see if he’s arranged for another batch of fans to display their creations.

There are also more LEGO oriented panels this year and they’ll be going on every day except Saturday:

BrickJournal, Thur. 2:30-3:30pm, room 7AB. A discussion for and about the LEGO fan community moderated by BrickJournal editor Joe Meno, featuring awesome builder Brandon Griffith, LEGO: A Love Story author Jonathan Bender, LEGO certified professional Nathan Sawaya, and LEGO community operations boss-man Jim Foulds.
DK LEGO Star Wars, Fri. 10-11am, room 7AB. DK is releasing a new series of LEGO Star Wars books, and this panel will feature authors Ryder Windham, Daniel Wallace, Gus Lopez and Pablo Hidalgo as well as illustrators Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas. They’ll discuss the making of the books and provide some some sneak peaks. Panel attendees will be entered to win some of the featured books.
LEGO Universe, Sun. 11:30am-12:30pm, room 5AB. An official LEGO panel to promote LEGO Universe, the new massive multiplayer online game. The panel will include members of the development team including creative director Ryan Seabury, senior director Mark Hansen, media coordinator Chris Brubaker and videographer Ryan Baier in a addition to a few others who haven’t been revealed yet.
LEGO Hero Factory, Sun. 1:45-2:45pm, room 6DE. Sneak peak of the new Hero Factory line of constructible costumed heroes from LEGO. Designers of the line will be on hand to provide some back story and a preview of the accompanying TV series. I don’t usually check this sort product promo panel out, but I figure because of the controversy surrounding the discontinuation of Bionicle and its replacement by this theme, I should find out what the fuss is about. I’ll be there.

If any surprises turn up while I’m at the convention I’ll do my best to keep you posted.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center to open in Grapevine Mills, Texas in 2011 [News]

A new LEGOLAND Discovery Center is scheduled to open in Grapevine Mills that gives convenient access for residents of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex to an indoor LEGOLAND park. Currently there are four LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago, Berlin, Duisburg, and Manchester. You can read more by clicking on the image below.

Registration for BrickCon 2010 now open [News]

Registration for BrickCon 2010 is now open!

I highly recommend attending on principle, but you’ll need to register in order to participate in some of the community builds — including Big in Japan and the Vic-Viper Fly-in.

For those new to conventions, BrickCon 2010 will be in Seattle, Washington September 30-October 3. The Event Schedule is available online, as well as a list of nearby hotels. This year’s preferred hotel is The Maxwell Hotel — information on booking is available here.

If you need directions from Sea-Tac Airport to the convention site, Mark Sandlin has a fantastic write-up on how to make the trip for $4.50. That’s cheaper than gas to and from the airport.

Thanks to Adam Hally for the photo!

Here’s the full announcement:

BrickCon 2010 is now officially open for registration.

The private convention begins on September 30 and runs through October 3, with public exhibition hours on Saturday and Sunday.

This year’s theme is “Tales of the Brick!”, so build your story in LEGO and bring it to the convention.

The organizers have been working hard to make the entire experience at BrickCon even better for everyone who attends.

The two biggest additions for registered attendees are a Thursday-night Meet and Greet with a no-host bar available for all attendees over the age of 21, and a Friday Luncheon for everyone to get together during the day.

For LEGO fans joining us during the public exhibition hours on Saturday and Sunday, we’ve fixed the long lines outside the venue, where people have had to wait just to buy a ticket to get in. You can now buy BrickCon tickets online beforehand through BrickCon.org, which means more time looking at the LEGO models and less time waiting.

Finally, registered attendees can hang out in a new 6000 square foot space away from the main hall — plenty of room to chill out without all the crowd noise or awkward moments after bumping your elbow into someone’s carefully arranged LEGO creation.

The newest collaborative builds this year are Big in Japan, a Vic Viper Missing Man Formation homage to Nate “Nnenn” Nielson, and Bricks of Character. Battle Bugs return for more chitinous combat, along with longtime favorites Space, Castle (encompassing all things medieval), and Town/Train.

Whether you join us for the full four days or just drop in during the public hours, we hope to see you in Seattle in less than three months!

Watch this space in the coming days for more info on other details, like hotel discounts and how to participate in the various collaborative displays.

July 2010 LEGO survey for AFOLs & TFOLs now online [News]

The LEGO Group values input from its consumers — including us, the fans. The second-quarter survey is now available online for Adult and Teen fans of LEGO:

July 2010 AFOL/TFOL Survey

This survey is a great way to let your voice be heard by the company, and help them drive and shape their involvement with the community. Take a few minutes and fill it out!

Chicago Vic Viper fly-in remembers nnenn – fly-ins coming to DC and Seattle [News]

To commemorate the passing in April of Nate “nnenn” Nielson, each of the three LEGO conventions over the summer and fall are hosting Vic Viper fly-ins. Keith Goldman gives us a glimpse into the Chicago fly-in earlier this month.

Two weeks ago in Chicago, I had the pleasure of organizing the first Vic Viper fly-in, in honor of our departed friend and fellow builder Nate “nnenn” Nielson.

LEGO Vic Viper missing man formation

72 Vipers from 66 builders joined the missing-man formation from a total of 7 countries: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, U.K. and the USA. We kept the center of the layout open in the tradition of missing man formations, with nnenn’s rubber-band holder avatar as a placeholder. The public was drawn in by the amazing Vipers, and more often than not stayed for the story behind it.

Thanks again to all the participants that made the formation an outstanding tribute to Nate. Special thanks to Ley Ward for his time and patience, and skill with the dozen or so Vipers that arrived with “some assembly required”. For a detailed list of participants, please follow the link to my Flickr-posting and check the notes.

The formation was a moving experience for many of the builders involved, and we’d all like to express our condolences again to the Nielson family. Nnenn was missed in Chicago and will clearly be missed around the planet.

Both of the upcoming LEGO conventions, BrickFair in August and BrickCon in October, will also be hosting missing man formations to honor Nate. If you would like to participate in either of these formations, you can contact Dan Rubin (for BrickFair) and Andrew Becraft (for BrickCon).

Hail to the chief! LEGO Architecture White House now available [News]

Just in time for Independence Day here in the United States, 21006 White House has been added to the LEGO Shop’s Architecture line.

Designer Adam Reed Tucker also has an exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC from July 3, 2010 through September 5, 2011.

FBTB presents MOC Madness 2010 Building Tournament [Contest]

If you’re looking for a good bounty, suit up and enter the MOC Madness Building Tournament hosted by FBTB. Build a bounty hunter and bounty hunter ship and you could win some awesome prizes including a white Boba Fett minifig. Each qualifying entry advances tournament style so you can root for your favorites, or better yet, be the favorite.

LUGpol Lego Exhibilition in Warsaw starts July 10

Ever wonder why creations with the LUGpol logo are so awesome? If you are in Warsaw on July 10 and 11, you can stop by the Museum Of Technology (Muzeum Techniki) to see the best LUGPol creations in person and mingle with their members. The exhibit lasts until the end of September and features creations from varied themes and includes large city, castle, and Star Wars dioramas and much more.

10213 Shuttle Adventure has achieved orbit + sales & deals [News]

The new LEGO Space Shuttle set 10213 Shuttle Adventure is now shipping from the LEGO Shop online.

While we’re at it, a number of items have also been put on sale today, including pretty deep discounts on the LEGO Indiana Jones sets Venice Canal Chase and Fighter Plane Attack.

See all of the discounted sets on LEGO.com.

Brickworld 2010 wrap-up, it was crazy awesome

Brickworld took place in Chicago last weekend with an unprecedented gathering of 800 attendees displaying Lego creations across 30,000 square feet in the Westin Hotel & Convention Center. It took me three days to get myself back together after the post-con crash and sorting out my haul, so without further ado, here’s my wrap-up of the event.

The above picture taken by Alex Eylar best describes my thoughts about this year’s Brickworld in two words: crazy awesome. (Alternatively it can also be described as epic by David Pagano‘s video)

First, there were the crazy awesome creations. In addition to the returning classics such as Arthur Gugick‘s microscale landmarks, NILTC‘s train/city display, and the Great Ball Contraption, there were plenty of new creations that each made quite an entrance. Among the many were Adam Reed Tucker‘s roller coaster, the Vic-Viper Memorial Fly-In, Matt De Lanoy‘s Futurama display, and the insane Monster Chess. With between 5,000 – 10,000 creations, you’ll need to browse the Brickworld Flickr group for a glimpse of all that was there.

The second half that made up the con was the crazy awesome people. I won’t make a list, because there’s bound to be those that I missed among such a large crowd. Some went to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center (and struck questionable poses), a few dined at the same restaurant for 4 straight meals, and others went head-to-head in the Esther Walner Memorial Charity Auction that raised an astounding $12,000. When it came to public hours, there was quite a line, and I’m guessing that we had upwards of 10,000 visitors. Speaking of crowd control, get a load of the action that went on during the special sales at the Lego store. There were plenty of 50% off sets to go around this time, making most people happy with their acquisitions.

Needless to say, Brickworld was nothing short of being crazy awesome as it has been and will continue to be. But before I finish my wrap-up, I leave you with the tentative themes for next year and 2012. The theme for 2011 will most likely be “Five,” celebrating the 5th year of Brickworld. For 2012, we have our eyes set on “The End of the World.”

Yes.

Design the cover of the LEGO Shop’s holiday 2010 catalog [Contest]

The US LEGO Catalog is holding a Design Challenge to find the cover for the Late Holiday Catalog. Entries can be submitted now through August 8th. Enthusiasts ages 5 and older are invited to submit an idea for a new LEGO creation.

Contest Overview:
Develop your new LEGO creation using a maximum of 100 LEGO bricks and/or elements. Then, submit a photo or image of your creation along with a brief description of your creation (50 words or fewer). You may build your creation using physical bricks and elements or you may develop your creation virtually, using LEGO® Design by ME. One Grand Prize winner will be determined in each of the four age categories: ages 5-8, ages 9-12, ages 13-15 and ages 16 and older.

The Prizes:
Winner’s creation will be featured in the Late Holiday 2010 edition of the LEGO® Shop-at-Home Catalog issued in November. In addition, winner will receive a $100 LEGO® Gift Card (redeemable at any LEGO® Store, online at shop.LEGO.com, or through the LEGO® Shop-at-Home Catalog), a $50 LEGO® Design by ME gift card, a Sponsor-specified LEGO® set and a LEGO® Certificate of Achievement. (The approximate retail value of each Grand Prize is $200). Sponsor will select, at its sole discretion, one of the winning creations to be featured on the cover of the catalog. There is no monetary value associated with winner’s submission being featured in the catalog or on the cover of the catalog. Prize consists of only those items specifically listed as part of the prize.