Month: April 2021

In Color! 76188 Batmobile ’66 Hands On Review

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It was 1977. Already the series was a decade old, and it was screening after school in melbourne. My family had just bought their first colour television, and the theme music started pulsing through the house. The title card promised that the program would be in colour… and it was. I was still of an age where I was somewhat disappointed to discover that the characters were all ‘Live Action’ after the animated titles. But never mind. This was the program that introduced me to the cliffhanger episodeic ending….Tune in Tomorrow: Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. The program was about as serious as eight year old me could deal with.

But there was, undoubtedly, one thing that made this series realy cool: and extended into the world outside the living room: The Batmobile. This modified Ford Futura allowed Batman and Robin to leap over the door, and into their respective sets. Thank heavens it was never raining in Gotham City! But the really awesome thing was the Corgi Batmobile car: gloss black, with small figures of batman and Robin, as well as an image of Batman embossed on the bottom service of the car. But it had other great play features: push on the radar on the hood, and a blade would flick out ( of course, it was not sharp enough to inflict actual injury) and the rocket launcher. I have no idea what the actual rockets were like that came with the toy. My friends had long lost theirs. Instead, we used matchsticks. It was all fun and games, unless somebody loses an eye…

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Corgi_1960%27s_Batmobile.jpg
Source: Wikimedia, user PDpH under Creative Commons.

I never owned that car. That’s OK. With Mint in sealed Box versions going for thousands, and well played with, but restored versions selling for many hundreds, I can live with it. However, I’d be lying if I were to say I was not in any way excited when I discovered this set amongst some that the LEGO Group had sent over for me to take a look at.

The Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile has 345 parts, 2 minfigures and will retail for $USD29.99/ €29.99 / £34.99. It will be available from the usual sources from April 26, 2021. Read on after the break to see how the build comes together.

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Carnage 76199 [Hands On Review]

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A few weeks ago, the latest in the LEGO® 18+ ‘helmet’ set was previewed: Marvel’s Carnage (76199). Advertised as a Target Exclusive in the USA, with no other international media supporting its existence, the world became a little anxious: will this be a regional exclusive, associated with an event that never happened (Note: we were reassured 2 years ago that the idea of a regional exclusive was gone, although event exclusives – read Star Wars Celebration and Comic-Con, and retailer exclusive, within certain makets remain).

And then a few days later, Carnage appeared on LEGO.com, along with this year’s Star Wars helmets – Darth Vader and Scout Trooper. We have subsequently seen helmet models for Venom (76187) and Batman (76182 )revealed.

I have been fortunate to reveive a pre release copy of the Carnage helmet for prerelease review – so without any further ado…

Carnage 76199 is perhaps not technically a helmet, so much as an alien symbiote engulfing the body of serial killer Kletus Cassidy, but thwere is no doubt that he has an extremely distintive physiognomy.

The Box is similar in form to the boxes seen for the previous Helmet models, and the black box works quite well here. Carnage is labelled as ‘Assembled from the Spider Man Universe.’ The set has 546 pieces and costs $89.99 AUD; £54.99;€59.99; $59.99 USD It will be released in the USA on April 11, and the Rest of the World May 1, 2021.

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Extra Pieces Episode One Now Live

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Last Thursday, Jay’s Brick Blog and I announced that we are collaborating on a podcast for LEGO Fans – Extra Pieces. Now, in some parts of the world, it was April Fools Day, and some people seemed uncertain as to our actual sincerity.

It turns out that was not a hoax. In our firtst real episode, Jay and I discuss some of the our favorite April fools LEGO gags for 2021, as well as the new Star Wars Helmets, Probe Droid and also discuss the recent challenges faced by LEGO Fans, thanks to the LEGO VIP Program, and how it might change what it means to be a collector of LEGO Exclusive products…

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Hunt the Rebellion on Hoth with the Imperial Probe Droid [75306 Hands On Review]

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The Empire Strikes Back is regarded by many to be one of the best Star Wars movie ever made. The ominous, speechless opening of the movie as the Empire searches out any hidden enclaves of Rebellion, around the Galaxy, sets the tone as to which team is on the offensive: A New Hope started off with the rebellion on the front foot—smuggling the hidden plans of the Death Star to those who might be able to best exploit any weaknesses. The Empire Stikes Back sees the Imperial Forces taking the initiative with the Probe Droids being dispatched across the galaxy. We see one crashing onto the barren world of Hoth, rising out of the snowdrift like a malevolent cybernetic jellyfish before setting out to scan the landscape. Appearing before a cross to Luke Skywalker on his Tauntaun, in all its stop motion animated glory, make the Imperial Viper Probe Droid the first character to appear in the film.

As such, it is high time to see this droid receive a more detailed treatment than the minifigure scaled brick built versions we have seen across various Hoth playsets, Advent calendars and magazine covers, over the years.

The 75306 Imperial Probe Droid will be released on 25th of April, along with the 75304 Darth Vader and 75305 Scout Trooper Helmets. It has 683 pieces and will cost: $59.99 USD/ €69.99 EUR/ £59.99 GBP / 119.99 AUD / 79.99 CAD.

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20th Anniversary Harry Potter Golden Figures Revealed

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This year is the 20th Anniversary of LEGO® Harry Potter, and like the 10th anniversary of Ninjago, there will be a selection of golden minifigures included. these were revealed on the Wizarding World Instagram Page this evening. Golden figures include: Young Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione, as well as Professor Snape, Lord Voldemort and … Professor Quirrel!

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Limited Edition Marbled 2×4 Bricks for 2×4 Day [2nd April 2021]

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**This article was posted on April 1 2021. Unfortunately it isn’t true. It’s a Joke. Just as well: the VIP system struggles under load enough as it is…**

Tomorrow is the second of April, known to some as 4×2 Day, and to celebrate the Global Day of LEGO® Play, an exciting addition is coming to the LEGO.com VIP Centre tomorrow:

If you have been keeping your eye on the world of AFOL collectables for any period of time, you will be aware of the ‘Grangemouth’ Marbled 2×4 bricks. Produced by the Borg-Warner factory in Grangemouth, Scotland in the late 70’s these brightly mixed coloured 2×4’s have been part of a global trading network between AFOLs.

A selection of Marbled Grangemouth Bricks from the late 1970’s.
Images – Elspeth Demontes, used with permission.

The factory was involved in producing plastic for inclusion in LEGO Bricks, and the company had been loaned a number of molds over the years. The multicoloured bricks were created by a couple of well meaning factory workers under the cover of darkness for local children, probably after the completion of the testing program. The bricks were, however, discovered by representatives of the LEGO Group, and the molds being subsequently retrieved by the Danish Toy Maker with extreme predjudice.

The bricks eventually made their way into the wild, and have been traded by fans over the years, who have wowed audiences on Flickr and Instagram with their vibrant marbled brilliance.

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New 2X4 Brick Mold Introduced As Part Of A Limited Edition Collector Bricks

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**This article was posted on April fools Day, 2021, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Both of the bricks in the picture are current, with the injection point on diagonally opposite studs. Photoshop was only used to enhance the contrast. As for the 1×2 with studs on the (other) side… unfortunately not real either.**

The Iconic 2×4 brick will be getting a makeover, and will have a new element ID going forward, according to the Danish Plastic Toy Company on Thursday morning.

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Announcing ‘Extra Pieces’ – a Podcast collaboration with Jay’s Brick Blog

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Jay’s Brick Blog and the Rambling Brick are excited to announce the arrival of their new collaborative podcast: “Extra Pieces.” 

Now available through major podcasting platforms, “Extra Pieces” will see Jay from Jays Brick Blog and Richard from the Rambling brick will engage in conversation around sets they have built, themes they have loved, trends they have observed and parts they have stepped on.

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