2019 was a big year for LEGO with an incredible amount of new sets, business changes and announcements. The Brothers Brick has brought you the LEGO news in our in-depth style, sharing interesting stories that we’ve all read, shared, liked, and chatted about around the water cooler or LUG meetings. Here are the ten most popular LEGO news articles of the year.
Click to see the top 10 news articles for 2019
The subject of an impressive official LEGO set, Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle has also proved itself a popular building with LEGO microscale modellers. However, few of the versions we’ve seen previously have captured the detail of the original as effectively as this beautiful creation by Koen Zwanenburg. The high walls rising out of the water are nicely shaped, with some ingenious parts use (check out the hammers as supporting buttresses beneath the crenellations). The soaring towers are lovingly depicted, with a level of texture and detail which makes the model seem much bigger than it really is. And who would have thought the underside of plates would so perfectly depict the tall windows built into the Mansard roof?
This is an extensive redesign of a model Koen built a couple of years ago. It’s a great example of a builder revisiting their work and improving on it in almost every aspect. This is excellent microscale LEGO building.
Ready for some Disney racing action? You’d better be, because here come Mickey and the Roadster Racers, depicted in LEGO bricks by Ian Ying. This super-cute trio of racing vehicles are nicely matched to their counterparts in the cartoon series — Mickey’s Hot Doggin’ Hot Rod is particularly good, with its twin-ear spoiler at the rear. The purist builders out there might have palpitations about it, but I think removing the arms from the minifigures was a smart choice. It allows the hot rods to have tighter proportions than if they’d have to accommodate the limbs, and it gives the characters’ heads an oversized chibi appearance which enhances the cartoon-style appeal. Seeing these, I demand Disney introduce an instant rebranding of the rather tired Magic Kingdom “classic,” Tomorrowland Speedway — I’d queue for hours to race one of these babies!
Disney’s iconic ship, the S.S. Willie, set sail earlier this year with a LEGO Ideas set. Sure, the boat was a little smaller than the cartoon original, but you could forgive that little bit of cost-cutting since few of us would be able to afford a bigger one. But at least LEGO didn’t go as far as alego alego did when it comes to reducing part count. Because…wow. This is one tiny version.
Creating a recognizable shape at microscale takes some creative part usage, and we certainly have that here. The helm’s windows are roughed in using a single 1×1 plate with black square pattern, with the front whistles represented by a round 1×1 tile with pin holder. The star of the show, though, is the re-use of Vintage Mickey’s hat as the smokestacks.
With all the huge sets being released these days, it’s nice to see fan creations that don’t require an entire spare room to display.
LEGO has released a new video featuring the designers of the new 71044 Disney Train and Station. LEGO Design Manager Marcos Bessa and Graphic Designer Austin Carlson both show off the set and its features, and discuss their inspirations and design processes.
Some interesting things to note, the Disney Train is 8 studs wide instead of the standard 6 that LEGO has been known for in order to make space for all the interior details. There are also no new elements in the set aside from Goofy’s head. Marcos also talks about a fun detail that he doesn’t want to spoil, so if you are curious head to the end of our review to find out what it is!
Today we’re getting our first official look at the tie-in sets for Disney’s upcoming Frozen II. As the sequel to the incredibly popular 2013 animated movie, the new film will follow the further wintertime adventures of sisters Anna and Elsa and snowman Olaf and is slated for release Nov. 22 of this year. Six new sets based on the movie were revealed by toy retailer Kockarium, so we’ve got all the details below. There are four regular sets, and two in the 4+ line (which used to be known as Juniors). We don’t have USD prices, but we do know an approximate Euro price for each.
UPDATE | Sept. 11, 2019: The images contained within this article were sourced in good faith based upon their being made public by multiple toy retailers, including Kockarium. The LEGO Company has determined that these retailers should not have published the images, and have asked that the images be removed from The Brothers Brick as well. In furthering our good-faith efforts, we have removed the images. We will return the images to the article at a later date once they are made public again.
A new month means brand new LEGO sets are now available, and there are a quite a few great ones to choose from. 21319 LEGO Ideas Friends Central Perk set is sure to be a hit, 71044 Disney Train and Station is now available to everyone (read our review), and the new Series 19 Collectible Minifigures is now broadly available. (LEGO Store links for our UK and Canadian readers.)
In addition, LEGO has launched their seasonal line-up including the 40351 BrickHeadz Halloween Ghost, 60203 LEGO City Ski Resort, and four advent calendars including Star Wars, City, Friends, and the new Harry Potter themed one.
In terms of freebies, there are three offers from LEGO. 40270 BrickHeadz Bumble Bee is free with purchases of $65 or more and 40186 Year of the Pig is free with purchases of 80103 Dragon Boat Race, both available through Sept. 8 or while supplies last. The Hidden Side 40336 Newbury Juice Bar will be free with purchases of $50 or more starting Sept. 2.
What sets are you most excited about?
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, and Goofy are already waiting for you for a ride on the iconinc Disneyland Railroad train. 71044 Disney Train and Station is now available to LEGO VIP members for USA $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £299.99. LEGO VIP membership is free, but if you don’t want LEGO perks and the occasional free set with purchase, this fancy train set will be generally available beginning September 1st.
Builders Build Better Bricks built a better brick Mickey Mouse to put in your brick-built house! Now try saying that 10 times fast.
Mickey Mouse is one the most iconic and enduring characters in animation history and he’s captured the imagination of many an excellent LEGO builder. This version of the world’s most famous mouse puts Technic parts and hinges to excellent use. The Technic axle connectors that make up the arms and legs could easily swapped and replaced to make the figure capable of a variety of poses. The gloves are really nicely done with the Vehicle Mudguard making a nice curve to the palms and used again to create the curved back of the closed hand. The rounded tiles that give the illusion of rounded fingers are a nice choice. Mickey’s face, with its many odd shapes are well rendered with a combination of quarter round tiles, clever sideways building and rounded bottom plates for the cheeks. The pose is one that will be familiar to fans and imbues the figure with a wonderful sense of action and personality.
The LEGO Shop Online has now added complete cases of 60 collectible minifigures for sale, marking the first time we can recall the online store selling complete boxes rather than individual figures. Right now, Disney Series 2 is the only series available for purchase in full cases. It remains to be seen if full cases will be available for future series like the recently revealed Collectible Minifigures Series 19, or if this is simply LEGO attempting to move extra stock of the Disney series.
The cases are priced at US $239.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £179.40, which is roughly the same price as buying 60 individual figures, but ensures you get an unopened case. While purchasing a full case isn’t for everyone, it is the easiest way to ensure you get a full set of minifigures. For those who don’t need a full 60 figures, splitting a case with a friend or two is also a great option. We found that our review case Disney Series 2 had two complete sets of figures, with almost a third complete set. Be sure to read our full review of the Disney Series 2 Collectible Minifigures for the rest of the details on this series.
Complete cases can also be purchased from third-party sellers on Amazon or eBay.
Revealed today, LEGO is returning to Disneyland with a brand new set, 71044 Disney Train and Station. LEGO’s history with Disney goes back a long way, but few sets have focused on Disney itself rather than its franchises. Of course the first was the gigantic 71040 Disney Castle from 2016. Now the Disney Train and Castle takes us once again to the magical kingdom with one of Walt’s most beloved attractions. Based on the C. K. Holliday steam locomotive on the Disneyland Railroad in the original California park, the train is motorized with LEGO Powered Up! components. Including the train, track, and station, the set has 2,925 pieces and 5 exclusive minifgures, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Chip and Dale, and Goofy. It will retail for USA $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £299.99 and will be available starting August 21 for LEGO VIP members, with general availability on Sept. 1.
Click to read the full, hands-on review
Despite his namesake, Scrooge McDuck is a cool and adventurous dude and one of my favorites from the 80s Duck Tales Adventures. It’s nice to see him come alive and reproduced beautifully in brick form. This build not only features the wealthy duck, but is also rich in Nice Parts Usages (NPUs). You’ve got to love how Koen Zwanenburg used the magnifying glasses for the pince-nez, and the bucket handles for his belt buckle. Most appropriately perhaps, parts of the treasure chest are made of gold ingot elements.
