The Brick is Out There. LEGO IDEAS: 21369 The X-Files Revealed

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LEGO set featuring The X-Files theme, including a detailed interior scene and an alien spacecraft on a forested base, with text overlay promoting the set.

Being in my 20s in the 1990s and focussing on the start my career, and a path to specialisation, explains why I perhaps missed all of those great 90s Space, Castle themes while I was living through my LEGO® Loving Dark Ages. However, every so often, I needed a break, and the X-Files came along at just the right time. Chris Carter’s series focussing on the believer in the supernatural, and his sceptical partner came along at just the right time.

The LEGO IDEAS X-Files set was developed by Brisbane based Fan designer Brett Waller as a response to the LEGO Ideas ’90s Nostalgia challenge in early 2025. Brett has had several LEGO IDEAS submissions become sets in the past, including 21108 Ghostbusters ECTO-1(2014) and 21328 Seinfeld (2021)

LEGO set featuring The X-Files scene with a UFO, forest, and iconic characters inside an investigative office.
LEGO Ideas set featuring a detailed scene with characters, an alien figure, and a flying saucer among trees, showcasing interior and exterior designs on the packaging.

21369 LEGO IDEAS The X-Files has 1478 pieces, and eight minifigures. It has a recommended Retail Price of $AUD329.99 / £179.99 / €199.99 / $USD199.99 and goes on sale in August. For a limited time, there will be a Gift with Purchase (August 1-10 OR While Stocks Last) The X-Files: Scully’s Lab. Over the coarse of more than 20 years( with a few protracted breaks in transmission), tales of mystery and conspiracy filled our screens, complete with just enough mist to make torchmight feel incredibly dramatic. With a complex, ever-evolving lore that meant just missing one episode would doom you you lose track forever, until the episodes came out on VHS… Or DVD… or reruns…or Streaming services….

More information after the Break. The set looks like it is chock full of Easter Eggs, and there is no doubt that the “The Truth is our there” Poster in the basement office will be a sought after piece.

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11512 LEGO® Botanicals: Hanging Golden Pothos

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LEGO set 11512 Hanging Golden Pothos displayed alongside its packaging, featuring vibrant green leaves and a decorative pot.

The LEGO Botanical Collection continues to grow. The Golden Pothos be released on august the first, and we were fortunate to have the LEGO Group send a copy over ahead of its release. The Golden Pothos, also known as Devils Ivy is a native of French Polynesia and is now found in south east Asia, South Africa and Australia. It is easy to grow in low light, and minimal care, making it a popular houseplant. So, how does a model of a low maintenance houseplant translate into LEGO form?

The set has 372 parts and has a recommended retail price of $99.99AUD / £54.99 /$USD59.99 / 59.99€. Is it worth the investment?

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Tower Bridge Returns in LEGO Architecture: Is less more?

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A detailed LEGO model of Tower Bridge showcased on a white surface, alongside books and a pair of glasses, reflecting a stylish architectural replica.

London’s Tower Bridge is an icon of one of the World’s great cities. While it was visited as a subject for the advanced models range back in 2010, there have been a few new LEGO Modelling techniques adopted in the meantime. Here’s your first look at the results of the bridge being visited by the LEGO Architecture team: with 3745 pieces, the model has a span of 89 cm, and the towers are 38cm high. This new LEGO Architecture set 21067 Tower Bridge goes on sale on August 1st, 2026, and has a recommended retail price of 499.99 AUD / 349.99 USD / 299.99 EUR / 269.99 GBP

LEGO Architecture set featuring a detailed model of the Tower Bridge in London, with intricate design elements and vibrant colours.
LEGO set box displaying a model of Tower Bridge, complete with movable bridge sections, blue water, and detailed architectural features. The box includes multiple images of the built model alongside a photograph of the real bridge.
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SpongeBob Squarepants Returns. Is he all grown up?(11386 SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom revealed.

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My kids were born in the early days of the 21st century. As such, they were the perfect age for SpongeBob SquarePants LEGO® Sets, and a couple of these sets made their way into the house at the appropriate time, particularly from the 2009 wave:3834 Good Neighbours at Bikini Bottom and 3831 Rocket Ride spring to mind.

The theme wound up in 2012 with a limited couple of releases including 3818 Bikini Bottom Undersea Party.

And then the series was…cancelled? Put on hiatus? Not to return on a regular basis until 2017. But we have not seen any new LEGO Sets tying in with the series, until now.

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The Might of 42233 Mighty Machines series 1 (Review)

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An assortment of yellow LEGO® Technic models, including construction vehicles and machinery, with the text asking if one should collect the LEGO® Technic 43322 Mighty Machines.

LEGO® Technic has been dominated a bit by model cars of late (more on this in a review coming soon). In an apparent acknowledgment of the more construction-vehicle-heavy origins of Technic, the LEGO group gifted us an entire box of Mighty Machines: a new series of small Technic sets in the style of collectible minifigs.

Display box of LEGO Technic Mighty Machines sets, featuring various construction vehicles in yellow, designed for ages 7 and up, with game card included.

What’s that I hear you say? Collectable? Small Technic? Yes, indeed, small, collectable and Technic. The series is labelled ‘Series 1’, hinting at another possible future range. Based on my experience with this set I would loudly applaud this! Bigger is not always better, and in this case it seems smaller is much much better.

Folded LEGO Technic instruction manual displaying various construction machine models and assembly steps.

Series one consists of 8 different tiny construction vehicles with play cards retailing for
AU$6.99/£4.49/US$4.99/€4.99. Each vehicle comes in a blind box, so you can either try your luck or scan the QR code at the bottom of the box with an appropriate app (see reference values in the appendix) to find out what is inside. A full box contains 2 of each, for a total of 16.

The top-level summary is: YES! Oh YES! Each of these little builds is delightful and tickles an itch of a bit of building and a neat little mechanism in a bite-sized package. After spending long hours on the assembly of large complicated LEGO sets it is a delight to get so much play in such a simple way.

Join me as I go over each of the little units and take a guess at what the ‘gaming cards’ may signifiy.

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Creator 3in1 31394 Cute Animals: Red Panda (Review – all variations)

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This year has been a huge year for Creature builds in Creator 3in1, with 11 out of 19 Creator 3in1 sets released this years featuring animals of some sort or another. We are about to add another with the 31394 Cute Animals: Red Panda to this list. Due for release on August 1 2026, the models include a Red Panda; an Owl and a Clown Fish. The set has 297 pieces and is has a recommended retail price of $AUD49.99/£24.99/29.99€/$USD29.99. This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes, all opinions are my own.

So, are these Cute Animals, or an appealing parts pack? Let’s take a closer look.

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The Midnight Valley Collection: Could this be the start of a new original Story Theme?

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A display of the Midnight Valley Collection featuring a detailed building model surrounded by various themed elements and books on a red shelf.

Where is Midnight Valley, and what is going on there?

The LEGO Group has just revealed the first in a new series of collectible building sets, aimed at grown-up builders. Mayor Manor is the first of the Midnight Valley Collection.

Box of the LEGO Icons set 'Mayor Manor' from the Midnight Valley Collection, featuring an intricately designed haunted mansion with detailed architecture, trees, and several mini-figures.
LEGO haunted house model box featuring intricate details and themed characters, with previews of interior scenes and a ghostly design.

LEGO ICONS 11383 Mayor Manor has 1420 pieces, three minifigures, a cat, and a mouse. It is priced at $AUD179.99 / $USD119.99 / 109.99€ / £99.99 and will be released on September 1, 2026. At this point, more questions are being raised than answers are being provided. Read on for more…

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LEGO ICONS 11382 Hubble Space Telescope: Hands on Review

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A detailed image of the LEGO Icons 11382 Hubble Space Telescope model, featuring miniature astronaut figure, solar panels, and accessories. The image includes overlay text for a hands-on review.

One of the challenges of earth-based astronomy is the fact that you are on the Earth. You are at the mercy of clouds, dust, atmospheric pollution, and indeed light itself.

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth Orbit in April 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and is expected to remain there until its orbit decays in the mid 2030’s. Viewing the visible and near-infrared spectra, the Hubble Space Telescope has enhanced our understanding of the universe over the 36 years it has been active.

This week, the LEGO Group has revealed ICONS 11382 The Hubble Space Telescope, a 1252-piece model commemorating the 35th anniversary of the orbital observatory. It will be available on August 1st, 2026, priced at $AUD229/ $USD139.99 / 129.99 € / £119.99. The set includes one minifigure.

The LEGO Group sent a copy of the set over for an Early review. Let’s take a closer look.

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This set is not the koala you’re looking for, but… (31388 Creator 3in1 Family of Koalas review)

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LEGO generously gifted us the LEGO 31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas, and I’ll make it clear right from the top. This is a botanicals set. The name on the box is largely misleading and has derived me of some of the pleasure this box could offer. What’s in a name, eh?

It makes sense that this largest member of ‘Creator 3-in-1 Continents’ representing Australia puts the emphasis on the animals, but it does so in name more than in bricks. Speaking of animals, the continent of Australia (Oceania) is represented by two very iconic characters from Down-Under, the koala and kangaroo and is joined by a less specifically down-under creature, the sea turtle. The sea turtle has risen to fame in Finding Nemo riding the East Australian Current (EAC) so I cannot argue there is a strong association with Australia, but I would have preferred to see an Australian bird like a like a Kookaburra or a Bin-chicken instead. We’ve had several turtles in the past, so why do we need one again?

The answer to this lies not in the turtles. But, as it turns out, in the rocks beneath them. Join me as I try to answer some of the questions that were raised by ‘31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas’ with 1536 pieces, retailing for AU$199.99/£99.99/US$129.99/€119.99‘

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11382 LEGO ICONS Hubble Space Telescope Revealed

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The Hubble Space Telescope recently ticked over 35 years in space, bringing mindblowing views of the universe back to earth. While it might have the better part of another decade to serve, the LEGO Group are celebrating this landmark by releasing a LEGO ICONS model of the Telescope.

LEGO ICONS 11382 Hubble Space Telescope goes on sale on August 1 2026 for 229.99 AUD /139.99 USD / 129.99 EUR / 119.99 GBP. the set has one minfigure and 1252 pieces.

I won’t go in to too much detail here, as I am currently putting finishing touches to my review, which I will bring to you sometime soon.

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