LEGO collectors who haven’t signed up for their VIP program might ask: why join? Those in the know might answer: why not join? Being able to accumulate VIP points to invest in a future LEGO set makes for one advantageous perk. And there’s also the matter of rewards the program gives out. Products exclusively available on LEGO VIP are major points of pride for serious collectors. After all, some of them aren’t even brick sets but cool LEGO-themed merchandise to broadcast your FOL-ness. It just so happens that LEGO VIP has got a new reward coming for its loyal membership.
According to Brickset, next on the LEGO VIP Rewards block is a cool retro-style tin lunchbox. Now that’s one item to fancy yet another sector of the collectors’ community. The lunchbox art evokes 1965, since it’s an advertisement for Basic Building Set in Cardboard (050), released that year. That “Today in 2065” blurb must’ve seemed like the distant future so long ago. The actual box art for Basic Building Set is even replicated on the tin. LEGO and lunchbox collectors with VIP membership can get this reward for 2500 VIP points starting on September 1.
Early last month, when “Star Wars” spinoff “Obi-Wan Kenobi” streamed on Disney+, LEGO announced a tie-in set ready for preorder. LEGO Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader (75334) depicts the epic fight between them on the series’ “Part III”. The preorder phase was to look forward to the set’s official launch this coming August. Of course, online LEGO news sources get to review many sets early, like Brick Fanatics had with 75334. And apparently, they found a minor quality control issue, one quietly fixed by LEGO further in production.
The issue Brick Fanatics found was in printing for Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader (75334), particularly the Obi-Wan minifigure. The character in his spinoff mostly wore a loose brown coat over his clothes. This was replicated with the minifig having a painted-on coat with details spilling from torso to legs. The official image above shows how it should look. At front the brown coat covers the sides of the legs and exposes Obi’s light-brown pants. The rear would then be all-brown to depict the coat’s back. Brick Fanatics however saw their review copy’s Obi-Wan minifigure have the crotch area colored like the brown. The piece was seemingly flipped in assembly. Viewed from afar it’s like Ben left his pants open.
Now, Brick Fanatics knew this coloring was sus because another reviewer reported similar issues. An even later review of LEGO Star Wars 75334 however had its Obi-Wan correctly colored “below the belt”. Either LEGO saw the mess-up and corrected it in later production, or this was a regional bug. Brick Fanatics got their review copy shipped from Billund while the later reviewer bought his from a US store. Perhaps when Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader launches August 1 the coloring issue extent can be seen clearly.
Back in June, Disney-Pixar released “Lightyear”, a “Toy Story” spinoff depicting an in-universe film featuring Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans). The movie supposedly chronicles the early adventures of the fictional character for which the Buzz action figure is based on. While not as emotionally gripping as the source films, the realistic take on Lightyear was visually-appealing at least. Filmmaker Angus McLane directed “Lightyear” and if the action sequences blew your mind, you know who to thank. McLane also had a hand in the tech designs for many of the machines/vehicles in the movie. And he had a familiar toy brand to help him materialize his ideas.
As if you haven’t guessed, LEGO was a key tool of Angus McLane in crafting designs for Disney-Pixar’s “Lightyear”. This much was revealed on social media according to Brick Fanatics. McLane tweeted this past August 19 his LEGO-built prototype for an official “Lightyear” toy. As seen below, he used mostly yellow LEGO bricks to build the Plasma Drill seen in the film. It looks pretty cool, doesn’t it? Even the official merchandise photo for comparison doesn’t quite capture the dynamic feel of the LEGO prototype. There’s also some corporate cringe involved. Turns out, the official “Lightyear” Plasma Drill toy comes from LEGO brand rival, Mattel.
But hey, Angus McLane did demonstrate how easily LEGO can translate imaginative fancies into “reality”. And it’s not as if LEGO would shy from partnering with their competitors. Icons Optimus Prime (10302), anyone? Now while the official LEGO Lightyear tie-ins are already launched, who’s to say there won’t be more later? And maybe an official brick-built Plasma Drill or more will be among that number?
LEGO seems to be on a trademark registration kick lately. You might recall earlier this week our report on the registration of “Brick to the Future” in the US. The rather vague wording of the TM filing by LEGO Juris A/S fueled speculation on what the phrase will be about. One easy theory would be it having to do with the “Back to the Future” franchise. Given just how recent the LEGO Icons take on the movies’ DeLorean Time Machine (10300) is, can you blame us? And now LEGO Juris A/S has filed another trademark registration, this time in Europe.
Stone Wars reports that another TM registration filing by LEGO earlier this month has surfaced. This is “LEGO Dreamzzz” (yes, with the extra z’s). The name appears in an application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), dated July 13. That’s actually even earlier than “Brick to the Future”. Even a later application of LEGO Dreamzzz with the Patent Office (DPMA) in Stone Wars’ Germany was in the 20th. The TM registration filing also contains the same generalized descriptions as “Brick to the Future”. Just what could LEGO be planning in the future? Are these new/original themes after all?
At the moment, both LEGO Dreamzzz and Brick to the Future are marked as awaiting examination in their respective PO’s. We probably won’t see any sign of both possible lines until sometime next year at the earliest. Stone Wars posits that LEGO is coming up with new theme lines to replace others that have been prematurely discontinued. LEGO Vidiyo comes to mind. One now wonders what Dreamzzz and BrickTTF will have to show us someday.
Let’s face it: LEGO’s such a big brand that it definitely has loads of fans and collectors worldwide. Among that sprawling fan community are some big names to many others, be it mainstream or niche followings. You look hard enough in social media and some celebrity LEGO collector-builder might be sharing his latest completed set/MOC. To general fans the identities of these persons might come as a surprise. Take for instance big-name videogame designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the “Metal Gear” franchise for Konami. He’s a LEGO fan of distinction himself. And recently he tweeted about his newest set acquisition.
Brick Fanatics tells us that Hideo Kojima posted photos of a certain LEGO Ideas set he’s completed on Twitter. The tweet, dated July 16, shows nice close-ups of an Ideas Typewriter (21327). Also prominent in the background of one shot is the (retired) Ideas Grand Piano (21323). Kojima’s post only featured the photos of his set(s) and no commentary. Still, it generated quite the buzz among fans of both LEGO and Kojima. One such reply came from LEGO designer James May, part of the team that worked on Typewriter (21327).
While there’s not much to be done about the Grand Piano set, at least Ideas Typewriter is still available. At least it is on LEGO Shop for UK and most of Europe. Unfortunately, the US online store has it “temporarily out of stock” right now. That tweet’s a nice gesture from Kojima, something fans of his games from “Metal Gear” to “Death Stranding” might appreciate.
Sifting for news and rumors regarding LEGO can bring up some names and terms that gets the imagination hyped. Whether that hype is warranted or not won’t often be known until LEGO gives clarification later on. This news bit might catch some attention due to its sound-alike with a licensed IP getting LEGO love recently. By this we mean “Back to the Future”. The LEGO Icons Back to the Future Time Machine (10300) launched last April and quickly went out of stock. And it’s only the latest release in a short but notable line of LEGO tie-in products to “BOTF”.
So, what could this filing to the US Patent and Trademark Office by LEGO Juris A/S mean? This comes to us by way of The Brick Fan. They found a USPTO filing from LEGO, dated June 22, for trademarking “Brick to the Future”. This TM would cover “categories of toys, games and playthings” according to the registration, meaning LEGO products. At present this filing is still awaiting examination. But the question now is: could this tie to “Back to the Future”? Or is LEGO just making a pun-based title for something more their own make?
It does make for speculation. At least we can be sure that this is legit from LEGO. What does “Brick to the Future” hold for fans and collectors if it’s not “Back to the Future”-related? Another reason to watch this space with The Brick Show.
This year’s LEGO Con has officially revealed plenty of exciting sets to watch out for in the 2nd half of 2022 including the highly anticipated LEGO Minifigures Series 23 (71034).
More like being a teaser, LEGO gave us a glimpse on the design process on how a collectible minifigure is designed and made, together with a hands-on reveal of some of the colorful characters included in the upcoming CMF Series 23. Watch the reveal below.
Take a closer look at the following images of all the 12 characters in this series.
Cardboard Robot
Ferry Captain
Reindeer Costume
Green Dragon Costume
Wolf Costume
Popcorn Costume
Turkey Costume
Christmas Elf
Knight of the Yellow Castle
Nutcracker
Snowman
Sugar Fairy
And true to its word, LEGO has also updated its home shopping portal to include a listing of the LEGO Minifigure Series 23 (71034). There is no pre-order option to date, but you can certainly expect these funky costumed characters to be available starting September 1. Check out the series’ official product description below. You may click on the affiliate link if you wish to add this to your LEGO wishlist. Which is your favorite Series 23 character? Mine will have to be the Cardboard Robot, Ferry Captain, and Popcorn Costume. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Delight a child or Minifigures fan with these LEGO® Minifigures Series 23 (71034) blind bags for ages 5+. This unique series features a great lineup of fun characters to collect and display or to take independent or group play in unexpected new directions.
Inspiring collection of fun LEGO Minifigures
Children and adult fans get to say “Hi!” to a limited-edition range of imaginative characters, including Nutcracker, Sugar Fairy, Green Dragon Costume, Snowman, Reindeer Costume, Holiday Elf, Turkey Costume, Cardboard Robot, Popcorn Costume, Wolf Costume, Ferry Captain and Knight of the Yellow Castle.
Surprise!
Each finely crafted, highly detailed LEGO minifigure comes in a sealed ‘mystery’ bag and includes a collector’s information leaflet, making a great little gift that will put a smile on anyone’s face.
Unexpected characters – Encourage endless play with these fun LEGO® Minifigures Series 23 (71034) bags. A creative surprise treat for kids and minifigure fans of any age
Collectible fun in a bag – 1 of 12 buildable characters to discover, plus a collector’s leaflet. A fun addition to any collection
And in case you missed out on some of the previous LEGO CMF series, The Brickshow Shop LEGO Collectible Minifigures is running a sale on some of the most sought after LEGO minifigs around including those from earlier CMF series, Disney, Marvel, and the Muppets.
Hey, there brick fans! In case you missed it, LEGO has announced another super-sized set that will surely tickle the fancy of all Super Mario fans. The LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser (71411) is the biggest LEGO rendition of the iconic Super Mario villain that comes in at almost 3,000 pieces. The nice thing about this set is that it is not just meant for display, but it also comes with a bunch of play features that are certainly designed to impress: movable head, mouth, and legs, launching fireball, and beautiful, intricate details.
And like the rest of the LEGO Super Mario sets, The Mighty Bowser also evokes certain sounds and animations from the LEGO Super Mario figure itself. Watch Carl Merriam (Senior Designer) and Didier Agani (Senior Play Designer) as they demonstrate how this set adds more fun to other LEGO Super Mario sets.
The LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser (71411) will retail for $269.99 once it becomes available on October 1st. Read on for more info about this set, and click on the affiliate link below if you want to add this to your LEGO wishlist today.
2,807 pieces | $269.99 | Coming Soon on October 1, 2022
Appreciate the king of the Koopas when you build, display, and play with LEGO® Super Mario™ The Mighty Bowser™ (71411). This buildable figure uses new-for-October-2022 LEGO elements to recreate the look of Bowser’s spikes. It has many features, including a fireball launcher and a button to control Bowser’s head and neck movements. His arms and fingers move too!
Interactive play Display The Mighty Bowser on the brick-built battle platform, which has 2 towers for him to knock over, a hidden POW Block, and an Action Tag. Combine The Mighty Bowser and the platform with a LEGO Super Mario Starter Course (71360, 71387, or 71403 – sold separately) for battles with LEGO® Mario™, LEGO® Luigi™, or LEGO® Peach™. A great gift for any Super Mario™ fan and fun for all the family, this set includes step-by-step instructions to guide the complex build.
Welcome to your zone Look out for other LEGO Sets for Adults in the collection. Whatever your passion, there is an inspiring building project waiting for you.
Buildable model of Bowser for display and play – Celebrate the ultimate Super Mario™ boss with this detailed LEGO® brick-built The Mighty Bowser™ (71411) figure for display and play
Create different poses – Control Bowser’s head and neck with a button under the shell, open and close the mouth, pose the arms, hands, legs, and tail and activate the fireball launcher
Battle platform with a POW Block and 2 towers – The platform has a hidden POW Block for enhanced play with Starter Courses (sold separately) and 2 towers that are designed to be knocked over by Bowser
The Mighty Bowser™ display piece – This LEGO® Super Mario™ character model, including the display stand, measures over 12.5 in. (32 cm) high, 16 in. (41 cm) wide and 11 in. (28 cm) deep
Interactive play – Stomp on the battle platform’s Action Tag with LEGO® Mario™, LEGO® Luigi™ or LEGO® Peach™ (figures not included) for battles with The Mighty Bowser™
Gift idea for fans – This 2,807-piece LEGO® building set makes a fun birthday present, holiday gift or special treat for Super Mario™ fans.
When we last left the Mandalorian – outside of his own “Star Wars” series – he and Grogu were happily reunited. The Force-sensitive child of the late Yoda’s species chose to abandon Jedi training to help his one-time protector. We’ll have to wait until “The Mandalorian” season 3 rolls out on Disney+ to learn what happens next. But fans can certainly dream up some nice scenarios of the duo traveling the Galaxy in their custom Naboo starfighter. And if they’re LEGO collectors, these fans can potentially imagine some wild ideas. But can they beat an “official” LEGO Star Wars take on this?
That may well be the point of this cute LEGO animation short as shared by Brick Fanatics. The short, hosted on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, is titled “A Gift from Grogu”. Quite obviously it’ll involve everybody’s favorite Baby!Yoda doing something nice for Din Djarin, his Mandalorian protector. In this case Grogu uses the Force to assemble stray LEGO into something awesome. Merchandising-wise, he’s really just showing off recent LEGO Star Wars “The Mandalorian” tie-in sets. In fact, the production of this animation can be dated from the featured sets. They’re still using Razor Crest instead of the Starfighter.
In case you need a refresher, these are the sets featured. We have the Razor Crest (75292); its Microfighter version (75321); and The Mandalorian & the Child (75317). As for the gift, it’s The Child (Grogu) himself (75318). We can consider this a nice look back, given that new LEGO Star Wars stuff are coming. They’ll of course be teased during LEGO Con 2022, happening this coming Saturday June 18.
In June 8, 1984 Columbia Pictures released a supernatural comedy involving paranormal investigators starting a business to “capture” ghosts. “Ghostbusters” starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis became a hit. It would lead to a sequel four years later, plus animated series spinoffs, videogames and more media. June 8 became “Ghostbusters Day”, a time when new Ghostbusters stuff usually gets announced amid fan celebration. This year’s edition had some cool announcements like a follow-up to the latest film, 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. Some animated projects were hinted too. But among the reveals, were no LEGO products.
LEGO has ridden the “Ghostbusters” resurgence somewhat by releasing tie-in sets the past few years. But as Brick Fanatics puts it, there wasn’t even a teaser for any new LEGO Ghostbusters thing. This doesn’t necessarily mean that LEGO’s leaving the theme dry a la LEGO Indiana Jones. The latest tie-in, Ecto-1 (10274), was announced in November of 2020. It usually came with a poster for “Afterlife,” although LEGO made no direct tie-ins to it. Still, with new upcoming “Ghostbusters” projects including an animated series and movie, one can only wonder. We might just be surprised.
