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.

Dear LEGO: We want 6299 LEGO Pirates Advent Calendar!

It’s that time of the year again, LEGO fans. In what I hope does not become an annual tradition, we’ve received confirmation from LEGO that this year’s non-City advent calendar, 6299 LEGO Pirates Advent Calendar, will not be made available in the United States.

The success of our campaign to get 7979 Castle Advent Calendar last year was the result of both luck (a pallet of sets that got shipped to the US distribution center accidentally) and persistent community activism (here on TBB and on sites like Classic Castle).

Though we can’t guarantee luck again, we can certainly do our part to see what effect LEGO fan community activism can have this time around. Leave a comment here on this post expressing your support and we’ll pass your sentiments along to LEGO through our resident LEGO Ambassador.

And last but not least: Yarrr!!!

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.

BrickCon 2009 pre-registration ends in only one week [News]

If you’re still on the fence about attending BrickCon 2009, time is quickly running out. There’s just one week left to pre-register for the con, which will guarantee you your goody bag and engraved badge brick.

Although the public exhibition is great for showing off your LEGO creations (“Ooh! Is that a set?”), BrickCon for me has always been about the people. With over 200 LEGO fans registered so far, BrickCon 2009 is sure to bring together people you’d probably never get to meet otherwise.

Also, it’s a chance to buy LEGO sets at rock-bottom prices, as LEGO ships pallets of scratched-up sets from across the country to sell to fans at up to 50% off.

See you all in a few weeks!

LEGO Star Wars giveaways in the UK

Our fortunate friends in the UK can receive free promotional LEGO Star Wars sets and items starting this weekend (September 5th) by purchasing the Daily and Sunday Mirror newspapers.

You can discuss this and see some reviews of the sets on Eurobricks.

New York Times covers LEGO’s financial recovery [News]

As much as some of us may have wished otherwise, The LEGO Group — and the toys it produces — needed to change if it was to survive the near-bankruptcy it experienced five years ago. Looking back today, from the throes of the most serious global economic crisis since the Great Depression, it’s hard to believe that LEGO is experiencing record profits. And yet it is.

Read Turning to Hollywood Tie-Ins, Lego Thinks Beyond the Brick in the New York Times to learn how the company charted a course to recovery. Oh, and look for the quote from me on page 4.

So, dear readers, how do you feel about the sacrifices that LEGO has made to survive in the modern world? Sound off in the comments.

10197 Fire Brigade & 10198 Tantive IV out now, Green Grocer on sale [News]

The much-anticipated 10197 Fire Brigade and 10198 Tantive IV are now both available from the LEGO Store online, with free shipping through October 12, 2009 on orders over $75. 10185 Green Grocer is also on sale for $120.

10197 Fire Brigade includes 4 minifigs and 2231 pieces, and costs $150.

10198 Tantive IV comes with 5 minifigs, 1408 pieces, and also costs $150.

Finally, LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary will be available soon, with an exclusive Ceremonial Luke minifig, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

I’m off to order the Fire Brigade, an absolute must-have for any LEGO modular street fan!

Announcing the 23rd LUGNuts challenge: Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09 [News]

With exactly one month until BrickCon, we’re teaming up with LUGNuts for their 23rd build challenge, Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09.

Naturally, we’re hoping that those of you who build something for this challenge will also bring it for the Zombie Apocafest 2009 collaborative display at BrickCon.

As with other LUGNuts challenges, this is sure to generate some truly creative builds. And creativity is key! We won’t be awarding prizes at BrickCon for Biggest Guns, Most Chains, or Best Use of Brown and Gray.

This challenge is about apocafied civilian vehicles, like my S&S Wildland Ultra XT brushfire engine. Note the bright red color and complete lack of chains, though I must admit that the crazy Bionicle spike strip proved irresistible…

So, head on over to the Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09 thread on Flickr, read Lino‘s hilarious challenge, and build something awesome!

The Meeting produces results

This month, several Neo Classic Space fans got together at Peter Reid’s house in the UK and called it The Meeting. They individually and collectively produced some great stuff, my personal favorite is the LL0505 Comet, a collaborative effort by Thomas Oechsner, Peter Reid and Stuart Crawshaw.

Worth checking out the other photos of The Meeting for more detailed pictures of this creation as well as several others.

How to clean yellowed LEGO bricks to make Classic Space sets look new [News]

This is very old news for some of you, but I just realized that we never blogged the breakthrough discovery of a way to restore the original color of yellowed LEGO bricks.

LEGO fans have discussed this problem for years, even concluding (correctly) that ultraviolet light can contribute to faster yellowing of colors like white, blue, and old light gray (some of the key colors of Classic Space sets). Fans like sugegasa have experimented with the effects of sunlight on the new grays, but nobody could quite figure out how to reverse the effect on older, yellowed bricks.

That is, until now. The same problem apparently happens with other ABS products, such as the casing on older computers and video game consoles. A group of gamers over at Retr0Bright have proved conclusively that the original color of yellowed ABS can be restored by using hydrogen peroxide.

Tim Goddard gave it a try on his yellowed LEGO bricks.

Success! In brief, the problem isn’t dirt so much as a chemical reaction in the visible surface layer of the ABS plastic itself, caused by UV rays in sunlight. Immersing the LEGO bricks in a hydrogen peroxide solution permeates the surface and reverses that chemical change.

Learn how to get those Classic Space sets looking like new again at Retr0Bright.

Important: Standard disclaimers apply. Your mileage may vary.

The Astounding Pizza-Man cures modern children of boredom

The Astounding Pizza Man is coming to print! Learn more at TabletownOnline.com.

BrickCon 2009 is coming in just a few weeks! [News]

The deadline for online BrickCon ’09 registration is Sept 15th! After that you can only register at the venue. Also, if you register before the deadline, you are guaranteed your personalized brick badges and all sort of cool BrickCon swag.

Oh yes, hotels are filling up too, so get on the ball!

While you are at it, check out this cool promo video for BrickCon. You might spot someone or something you recognize….I did.

By the way, Andrew, Caylin, Thanel, and I will be attending. Other contributors may be as well. If you see any of us, make sure you introduce yourself!

3LUG Presents: Faded Giant in the Shadow of the Torii Gate, a MOC Harvest

A big creation deserves a big name – that’s how 3LUG rolls. Of course, when I say 3LUG, I mean Nick Kappatos and myself. Nick and I started discussing a joint display at the end of BrickFair 2008. We spent most of the last year nailing down our layout and avoiding each other, then began construction in July. We started BrickFair 2009 sleep-deprived, nearly resulting in a fight club, but everybody kept their shirts on (for the most part) and ‘The Faded Giant’ was ready for action.

We were lucky enough to get help from our families while building this behemoth; our wives laid down copious amounts of brick. We also got lots of help from friends during setup – thanks to Adrian Drake, Carter Baldwin, Nick’s brother, Stunt Drivin’ Steve Witt, and others.

If the questions we were asked at BrickFair are any indication, you readers are no doubt wondering what the story is behind this dio. While we have a basic story in mind, 3LUG policy is to leave much of the story up to the imagination of the viewer. An alien ship has crash-landed in a park in Neo-Tokyo. Military and Police units are starting to respond, as members of the public react in various ways. Is the military more interested in the craft, or in the civilians who saw it? Why did the alien ship crash? Was it a pilot error? Shot down? No wings or landing gear? You decide.

Check out both my photos and Nick’s photos. I have more overall shots, and Nick has some nice angles and details.

Tail stolen from Berlin LEGO Giraffe [News]

Reuters reported last night that someone has stolen the tail from the LEGO Giraffe outside the Berlin Discovery Center.

(photo by Peter Mayr)

Caroline Copley of Reuters writes:

Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento — the 30 cm long tail of a Lego giraffe.

The Lego tail belongs to a six meter tall model that has stood outside the entrance to the Legoland Discovery Center on Potsdamer Platz since 2007.

“It’s a popular souvenir,” a spokeswoman for the center said Tuesday. “It’s been stolen four times now …”

The tail is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore it at a cost of 3,000 euros ($4,300), the spokeswoman said.

What I want to know is which one of you has the tail. Fess up now!