LEGO just unveiled two new characters to add on to the BrickHeadz family from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald, numbered 76 and 77 respectively, are featured in a two-pack set of 247 pieces and retail price of $19.99 USD. These are the first two characters to be featured from the Fantastic Beasts theme and will be released for sale on October 1.
Ghostbusters kicked off as a LEGO theme in 2014 with the LEGO Ideas 21108 ECTO-1, which unleashed nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the 80s. Since then, with the licensing deal already in place, LEGO has released quite a few follow-ups, including the splendid 75827 Firehouse Headquarters and several LEGO Dimensions releases of small Ghostbusters builds with minifigures. LEGO Ghostbusters has now found a new lease of life with the introduction of the BrickHeadz format with 41622 Peter Venkman and Slimer, numbered 62 and 63 respectively in the series. The two-pack release costs $19.99 for 228 pieces.
Before we dive into the review, let’s take a look at an infographic that illustrates the sets released in this theme to date. This Ghostbuster lineup spans the past 4 years from the LEGO Ideas theme to regular sets and LEGO Dimensions game packs. The real favourites of mine are actually the minifigures — especially the Stay Puft minifigure from the LEGO Dimensions Fun Pack.
With the Aquaman slated to hit the big screens on the 21st of December, LEGO will be releasing 76095: Aquaman™: Black Manta™ Strike playset for the movie on the 1st of August priced at $29.99 USD. It will include 3 minifigures, featuring Black Manta, Aquaman and Mera. Mera is the Queen of Atlantis and wife of DC Comics superhero Aquaman in the comic series.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hits theaters this weekend, so we’re wrapping up our series of reviews of the LEGO sets released to support the latest movie in the Jurassic Park franchise. 75930 Indoraptor Rampage at Lockwood Estate is the largest set in the current wave of Jurassic sets, with 1,019 pieces, 6 minifigures, and 2 dinosaurs, at a retail price of $129.99 ($149.99 in Canada | £119.99 in the UK).
If you’re mainly interested in the new dinosaurs, don’t miss our Field Guide to LEGO Dinosaurs: A Jurassic World Compendium (complete with several handy infographics).
The original breakthrough that probably made everyone sit up and take notice that a costumed hero could not only make it to the big screen but make it great is Tim Burton’s 1989 film simply titled Batman. The sleek Art Deco-styled car was built with two Chevrolet Impala spliced together and powered with a Chevy V8. Popular Mechanics called this beast the Stealth Bomber with a ’68 Chevy combo. This LEGO built version by Dave Slater is my favourite representation the vehicle that made everyone believe that Michael Keaton could be Batman. It captures all the perfect angles and that sleek look, down to the turbine exhausts and the Rolls Royce Turbine hub front center.
With this weekend’s release of Pacific Rim: Uprising, the sequel to the 2013 film Pacific Rim, all eyes are on the Jaegers and their fight against the Kaiju. Alex Kobbs of Kooberz Studios has released an all-action LEGO version called Pacific Brick. Featuring a huge Jaeger complete with minifigure pilots and set in a brick-built metropolis, this is the movie to see today.
The LEGO community’s unending crusade to turn every pop fiction character into a BrickHeadz figure continues today with both Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield; John Stephens did an exceptional job getting these character’s traits into the blocky style. Jules’ hair, while a simple build, does so much to identify him and the cigarette, collars and earrings are more great touches which make this duo so good in this format.
As the last place to buy a few essentials or enjoy a good nights sleep before continuing on your journey, Minnie’s Haberdashery is a key location in Quentin Tarantino’s movie, The Hateful Eight. Marion has built a replica view of the haberdashery in LEGO and it really is an amazing likeness. There are hanging dried herbs and vegetable swaying from the ceiling, a huge assortment of jugs, boxes, barrels, lamps and mugs scattered across tables, shelves and chests of drawers. I love the placement of certain key features; the large beam frames our view to the left and the stool and table are in the forefront with a chest of drawers and open wooden shutters on the right.
Comparison with the actual set from the movie is a must, although Marion has added a few blood spots as we would expect in a Tarantino film.
Photo: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP © 2015 The Weinstein
The Empire Strikes Back was released back in 1980 and is still one of the most popular Star Wars films to date. Josephine Monterosso has captured the likeness of two of the main characters from the movie, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, as BrickHeadz. Each character has some great little details to enjoy that are a step beyond the official Brickheadz style, but there are no rules when it comes to building your own characters. Luke’s flak vest with its tubing is a lovely touch and, along with the helmet and visor, really makes this character recognisable.
Han Solo’s fur-lined hood works well with simply some studs on show to give texture. I love the use of a palisade brick to give the clinched-in appearance to his parka waist — it really adds some flair.
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film that starred the suave Errol Flynn in the title role. One of the most famous scenes from this movie is the final sword fight between Robin Hood and Sir Guy of Gisborne. Eggy Pop has built a fantastic LEGO version of this scene that will be instantly recognisable to those who have seen the reference movie. I love the candlestick in the corner and the specially constructed doors under the arches The real eye-catching design element is the use of larger brick-built stones to construct the elegant, curved staircase.
Arriving just in time for the holidays, The LEGO Ninjago Movie is now available for purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. We reviewed the movie back when it premiered in September, giving it points for some awesome parts usage, cool tie-in sets and a unique take on an existing LEGO-owned property. There are few different versions of the movie available, so we’ve listed all your buying options after the jump.
Iain Heath never misses a chance to capture the latest pop-cultural phenomena with LEGO bricks, so it was just a matter of time before he would publish his tribute to the upcoming The Disaster Artist movie. This build is so terrible, it’s actually impressive.
