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.

New BrickArms Zombie Defense Weapons Pack at BrickCon 2008 [News]

BrickCon 2008 begins this Thursday! When I announced prizes and giveaways for the Zombie Apocafest, I realized we needed a good way to repel the zombie menace.

What better way to fend of that flesh-eating horde than with a special set of weapons designed for just that purpose from BrickArms?

In addition to the other prizes and giveaways, BrickArms and The Brothers Brick will be handing out new Zombie Defense Weapons Packs to everyone who contributes a building or vehicle to the Zombie Apocafest display. That’s right: BrickArms for free!

The weapons pack is full of the tools of the zombie-hunting trade:

SW500 Magnum Revolver (for stopping power; x2)
M21 Sniper Rifle (for keeping your distance)
Mk48 Mod 0 Machine Gun
AK Assault Rifle (doesn’t jam as easily as the M4/M16)
Uzi Submachine Gun (x2)
Bipod (x2) and Monopod (x3)
Combat Shotgun (brand-new prototype)
M1 Garand Rifle (in black)
M1 1911 .45 Pistol (backup weapon #1)
Baseball Bat (backup weapon #2)
Glow-in-the-dark Zombie Head

If you don’t have time to build something for the display, you’ll be able to buy your very own Zombie Defense Weapons Pack at the BrickArms table. And if you can’t make it in person, BrickArms will be making these available through the re-launched BrickArms.com.

Well, I’m off to finish up my final building for the display and begin creating the horde itself… :D

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.

How to buy your 7979 Castle Advent Calendar [News]

FINAL UPDATE: As of October 20, 7979 Castle Advent Calendar was no longer available from LEGO Shop @ Home.

UPDATE (1:30 PM PDT, 9/27/08): I just got off the phone with LEGO Shop @ Home, and they said that there are still some left, so if you couldn’t call or weren’t able to get through yesterday, you should still be able to order today.

As we promised yesterday, here’s how US and Canadian fans can get their hands on the coveted 7979 Castle Advent Calendar set:

Call LEGO Shop@Home at ~~1-800-453-4652 (English) or 1-877-518-5346 (French)~~ 1-800-835-4386.
Give them the code JesterUS (for the US) or JesterCA for Canada.
Order no more than 2 copies of 7979 Castle Advent Calendar, and nothing else! (This will keep the lines free for others trying to order. You can always add other sets to your order later, before it ships.)

Prices:

US: $29.99 USD per set, plus shipping.
Canada: $39.99 CAD per set, plus shipping.

7979 Castle Advent Calendar available in US, Canada on Sept 26 at noon [News]

UPDATE (9/26/08): You can order your copy of the set by following the directions in How to get your 7979 Castle Advent Calendar, currently at the top of the front page.

A couple weeks ago we found out that 7979 Castle Advent Calendar would likely not be available in some of the markets where LEGO is normally available, including the US and Canada.

Today, I’m pleased to report that a very limited number of this set will be made available starting Friday, September 26 at noon Eastern Daylight Time (9:00 AM Pacific).

The set will not be made available to the general public through the LEGO Shop online, so you’ll need a special code from us. With that code, you’ll be able to call the LEGO Shop at Home service, give them the code, and order up to two (2) sets per household.

Note: If for some reason Brothers-Brick.com isn’t available for you around noon EDT tomorrow, the code will also be made available through the LEGO Ambassadors representing the various LEGO fan communities, including Classic-Castle.com.

This is great news for the LEGO fan community here in North America, and demonstrates the power of coming together behind a common cause and the persistence of our advocates on the LEGO Community Team.

Please check back again tomorrow at noon Eastern (9:00 AM Pacific) for the code you’ll need when calling LEGO Shop at Home.

Classic-Pirates.com Pillage the Village Contest [News]

The LEGO privateers o’er at Classic-Pirates.com have scoured the seven seas to bring all ye ungrateful, lice-infested, lilly-livered sprogs the biggest pile o’ swag in LEGO contest history with the newly announced Pillage the Village Contest.

There be plenty o’ loot fer all, with LEGO Pirate sets of yore to be had in four dastardly categories:

Division 1 – Large:
- 1st Prize: 6285 Black Seas Barracuda
- 2nd Prize: 6273 Rock Island Refuge
- 3rd Prize: 6279 Skull Island
Division 2 – Medium:
- 1st Prize: 6270 Forbidden Island
- 2nd Prize: 6264 Forbidden Cove
- 3rd Prize: 6265 Saber Island
Division 3 – Small:
- 1st Prize: 6270 Forbidden Island
- 2nd Prize: 6258 Palm Hideout
- 3rd Prize: 6256 Islander Catamaran
Division 4 – Creative Critic:
- 1st Prize: 6270 Forbidden Island
- 2nd Prize: 6260 Shipwreck Island
- 3rd Prize: 1713 Shipwrecked Pirate

(Actually, our GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest boasts some serious prizes, with a Green Grocer, 4 Market Streets, 13 Vintage Minifigure Collections, and 4 Golden Anniversary Sets, but we’ll let the Pirates have their day…)

10189 Taj Mahal now shipping [News]

On my 50-minute flight from Dublin back to Heathrow last month, I had a fascinating conversation with an older gentleman from Mumbai. I don’t normally strike up conversations with strangers on the plane, but he had so many interesting stories to tell I just sat there next to him with rapt attention. 82-year-old Kishore was born in what is today Pakistan, fought for India’s independence, fell in love with the girl next door, lived everywhere from Singapore to London, and today flies around the world touring exotic locales.

As we began our descent and Kishore turned to his newspaper, he nudged me and pointed to the back of the paper, featuring a full-color story on LEGO’s latest collector’s set — 10189 Taj Mahal.

My fellow traveler didn’t know about my love of little plastic bricks from Denmark, but he was so happy to see a familiar sight from the country he was so proud of that he had to share it with me. In moments like that, I’m reminded that LEGO is one of those things that connects people from everywhere in the world.

Okay, one more post from me and I’m off to build my 10081 Sandcrawler ($40 off!) that arrived in the mail today. ;)

Hispabrick Magazine 002 now available [News]

The second issue of Spanish LEGO fan publication Hispabrick Magazine is now available for download (in regular and super-high-res flavors).

In this issue:

Arvo brothers (right, with Iron Man)
Adrian Florea
Modular amusement park rides
Review of LEGO Agents 8636 Deep Sea Quest
And much, much more

With plenty of great photos and even several articles in English, there’s a lot to see in this issue. Be sure to check out all 67 pages of LEGO goodness in Hispabrick Magazine 002.

Latest Power Miners image [News]

Eurobricks has a newer version of the images of the Power Miners sets that’ll be released in 2009. At this point the designs may still be preliminary, but this picture appears much more legit than the catalog scan that we have seen earlier.

Get your entries in for the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest!

For those of your rightfully envious of all our great prizes and giveaways for Zombie Apocafest 2008 at BrickCon next month, there are even better prizes to be won for our GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest. Remember, the contest is open to everyone over the age of 18 worldwide.

Here are just a few of the great entries readers have submitted so far to the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest pool on Flickr.

Entries from Alex Eylar (left) and Alan Chia (right).

Entries from Peter Edwards (left) and Aaron Andrews (right).

I’m seeing quite a few submissions that skip one or more of the requirements, so here are a few key points from the contest rules. ;)

Tag your photo “GO MINIMAN GO” on Flickr.
Identify which category your entry is for — 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s.
Add your photo (only one per entry) to the group pool.

Let us know about your entry with a link to the creation and which category it’s for.
If you can, please add one of the GO MINIMAN GO logos to your photo. (If you can’t, let us know in your submission and we’ll hook you up.)

For those of you who prefer your pictures moving, Gizmodo is also hosting the GO MINIMAN GO Video Contest, in which you can win amazing classic sets like 928 Galaxy Explorer and 375 Yellow Castle.

To get you inspired for Gizmodo’s contest, be sure to check out the videos by our very own Nathan Wells, David Pagano, and Nate Burr.

Here’s Nathan’s gorgeous salute to 30 years of the LEGO minifig:

By the way, did you know that the various minifig parts LEGO has released over the past 30 years can be combined in over 8 quadrillion possible combinations? Find out more fun facts like that on GoMinimanGo.com.

If you have a question about our GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest, just leave a comment here. Happy building, and good luck!

LEGO Star Wars 10188 Death Star now shipping [News]

Quite possibly the most anticipated new set of 2008 is now shipping from the LEGO Shop. (No, no — not 7979 Castle Advent Calendar!)

Yes, that’s right, 10188 Death Star is now available and shipping from the LEGO Shop online.

3,803 pieces. 24 minifigs (counting brick-built droids). 399.99 USD. Time to empty your wallets, boys and girls!

If nearly $400 isn’t your thing but you still want a LEGO Death Star, 10143 Death Star II™ is still available at 199.99 USD. ;)

Counting down to BrickCon 2008 and the Zombie Apocafest

Update: Zombie Apocafest 2008 is now over, and it was awesome. Don’t miss our full coverage here on The Brothers Brick:

BrickCon 2008 is less than a month away. The list of attendees is growing, and it’s starting to look like this will be the first 200-attendee BrickCon!

Today and tomorrow are your very last chance to register at the $50 price (registration goes up to $60 on Tuesday, September 8), and the last window of opportunity to guarantee your personalized brick badge engraved by Brick Engraver.

Plans for group projects at BrickCon 2008 are well underway, with lots of progress on the Zombie Apocafest and ChiefLUG Initiation.

To sweeten the deal, The Brothers Brick will be handing out some cool prizes and giveaways:

Custom-engraved bricks to add to your badge for everyone who contributes a vehicle or building to the LEGO Zombie Apocafest
10190 Market Street for the best building in the zombie layout
10200 Custom Car Garage for the best vehicle in the zombie layout

If you’re worried that you don’t have any LEGO zombies — don’t sweat it. We’ve got you covered with a horde of at least 80 zombies. :twisted:

And for those of you who can’t make it in person this year, there’s still the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest with even more prizes! The contest is open to everyone over 18 worldwide, and entries are already stacking up in the GO MINIMAN GO photo pool, so take a look at the rules and try your hand at a scene inspired by the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s.

They are coming...

The darkness is coming to BrickCon, bringing with it a massive invasion of my signature Black Fantasy creature, the Cyclopean Virtue. There’s only less than one month left before the showdown, so register now before it’s too late. You can contribute to the invasion by making one or more of your own to add to the army (instructions).

Meanwhile, you can support my BrickCon projects by purchasing a custom model. I am selling a very limited quantity of the Tripod Droid and Andante (click on links for details).

Above art by Greg Hyland

Dear LEGO: We want 7979 Castle Advent Calendar!

UPDATE (9/26/08): You can order your copy of the set by following the directions in How to get your 7979 Castle Advent Calendar, currently at the top of the front page.

UPDATE (9/25/08): Limited quantities of this set will be made available on September 26 in the US and Canada.

We’ve recently received news from The LEGO Group that the much-anticipated holiday set 7979 Castle Advent Calendar will not be available in the United States (with ambiguity around its availability in other markets).

Just look at this gorgeous set, full of unique minifigs — including a jester, new witch, peasant woman, goblin, and dwarf:

Naturally, the hue and cry from LEGO Castle fans was heard ’round the ‘net. I’m personally extremely disappointed, and and am therefore abusing my position as the Editor-in-Chief of this blog to rally the LEGO fan community and try to change LEGO’s mind.

Note: For those of you in continental Europe, 7979 Castle Advent Calendar has been confirmed for most of your markets. Elsewhere, there’s still some question about places like the UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

EDIT (TG): The set is presently available on Shop@Home for both the UK and Australia.

For those of you who’d like to let The LEGO Group know that you want this set, there are several ways you can communicate your wishes.

Leave a comment here on The Brothers Brick and one of the resident LEGO Ambassadors will pass your comments on to LEGO.
Contact LEGO Customer Service by e-mail, phone, or snail-mail.
Vote in the Brothers Brick poll at the end of this post.
Vote in the Classic-Castle.com poll and leave a shout-out on the Dear LEGO forum.
~~Ask about it at your local LEGO Store.~~
All of the above!

Just to be realistic for a moment, let’s not get our hopes up. It’s already very late in the year to be changing plans for a holiday set. Packaging requirements, for example, are different from market to market, and it may be too late to design, repackage, and ship this set to other markets.

Finally, for those of you on the fence about this, here’s the beautiful peasant woman:

Okay people, fan activism ON!

EDIT (AB): If you see an error when you try to vote, rest assured that your vote is still being counted. (For those who care, see my technical explanation in the comments below.)

[poll id=”13″]

EDIT (AB): Bumping this by a few hours so it stays on the front page a bit longer.