Author: BrankotheFather

Does the LEGO IDEAS review team look at competor brands? Or Vice versa?

BrankotheFather editorial, feature, IDEAS, Lego , , ,
A collage of various LEGO model submissions displayed in a grid format, featuring vibrant designs and creative builds, with text overlay asking if any of these are already on store shelves.

[Editor: We are due to see the results of the largest LEGO® IDEAS review period, within the next day or so. With 57 submissions to LEGO IDEAS reaching 10000 votes in the lead up to May this year, we have been told to expect the biggest LEGO IDEAS announcement ever, very soon. Now, while LEGO sets are our focus here on the Rambling Brick, we can’t ignore the fact that some of the clone brick brands have been lifting their game over the last couple of years. I was sitting down, having a chat with Branko when he suggested “Some clone brick brands have released a sets similar to some of the Ideas submissions under review.” So, while LEGO IDEAS is always looking for ideas that push the envelope of what can be done with LEGO Bricks, producing something new and innovative, I can’t help but wonder “Is the IDEAS review process influenced by the way they have been taken up by Clone brands? ” and the converse question:”Do Clone brick brands look at submissions gaining traction on LEGO IDEAS and adapt them for their own purposes?”

Read on as Branko takes a look at a couple of LEGO IDEAS submissions that appear to already inspired clone brick brands along the way…]

An animated cuckoo clock model, crafted from LEGO bricks, showcasing intricate details and colorful design elements as the cuckoo pops out and moves.
A detailed LEGO model of a jukebox, featuring vibrant bricks and various design elements, displayed on a wooden surface with a blurred background.
A detailed LEGO model of a knight in armor riding a horse, featuring a lance and colorful design elements, displayed against a light background.
A detailed LEGO model of an airplane with 'NOLINOR' branding, positioned next to a small forklift and a minifigure, set against a plain background.
Three LEGO models of mushrooms displayed on a bright green background, featuring a large gray mushroom with a flat cap, a yellow mushroom with a rounded top, and a red mushroom with white spots, each set on a base with green foliage.
A colorful LEGO model featuring multiple mushroom-shaped houses, each uniquely designed in different colors, with small figures and accessories surrounding them.

I enjoy looking through all the ideas that are proposed and reviewed on LEGO ideas, and I have gotten the impression I’m not the only one. More and more am I seeing competing brands release sets that seem very closely related to some LEGO ideas.

Join me as I go over a handful of these. I am guessing that the LEGO IDEAS Review Team will not approve these under their own banner. They are very well aware of their competitors and they have easier targets to choose. This saddens me a bit, since the designs are all great, but let’s face it more sets have always been rejected than accepted.

I will also comment briefly on a few categories that we see recurring in these reviews regularly

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If anyone can, 31173 Tropical Toucan, can!

BrankotheFather Lego , , , , , , ,

Birds are dinosaurs. This is no longer a weird statement but well established; birds are the only dinosaur species still alive today. It’s no accident that Jurassic Park III starts with an opening shot of a raptor-like claw that turns out to belong to a bird, but I digress.

If you look carefully at birds you can see the connection to dinosaurs, but you also see that these are beautiful animals that see almost alien compared to ourselves with a range and variety that make my heart sing. The pattern of feathers with intricate colour patterns, the ability to puff up and move these feather jackets and then the ability to fly (for most of them)! If dinosaurs have manage to stay around this long and develop such beautiful variation, then there is hope yet.

A few years ago I built the beautiful rainbow lorikeet from Gabriel Thomson at which time I came to appreciate my love for our feathered neighbours. I also discovered that rainbow lorikeets are not entirely comfortable around a brick-built rendition of one of their brethren.

Out of all the brick-built LEGO animals I seem to fairly consistently be attracted to birds, and this 31173 Tropical Toucan is no different. With 225 parts it is quite a small set but it captures the shape of this striking bird very nicely and (spoiler) it is very nicely priced.

LEGO generously provided this set for review, but I present my own opinions. Please read on if you want to read a bit more about the other two models that are offered in the box, and what on earth a Toucan has to do with hotels/restaurants in the Netherlands (no Toucans are a tropical species, NOT native to the Netherlands).

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31175 Unicorn Castle Gave Me a Visual Sugar-Rush!

BrankotheFather Creator, Lego, Review , , , , , , ,
Colorful LEGO Unicorn Castle with two small unicorn figures in the foreground, showcasing a whimsical design.

Do you know the feeling of having too much cake with icing and a soft drink? Perhaps you’ve seen the effect such a combination at a children’s party? That is the feeling I got from this set.

The highlight of this set would obviously be the unicorn. As it turns out, this singular unicorn shares its habitat with two pegasi! Although, is this really a habitat? Or something else? I felt confused when building this set, and perhaps that is a good thing.

Image of the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Unicorn Castle set (31175) featuring a colorful castle with unicorn and pegasus figures, showcasing the packaging with an age recommendation of 8+, highlighting the 390 pieces and alternate build options.
The back of the LEGO set box for 31175 Unicorn Castle, showcasing three build options: a colorful castle, a stable with unicorns, and a whimsical boat.
LEGO 31175 Unicorn Castle box showing vibrant illustrations of a castle, unicorn, and pegasi, highlighting the set's colorful theme.

The ‘due-to-license-issues-officially-not-my-little-pony‘ set, 31175 Unicorn Castle is retailing for AU$59.99/£34.99/$44.99/€39.99 and contains 390 parts and three tiny horse-adjacent creatures. The creatures are probably the main selling point, but there’s quite a bit more in the box; perhaps a bit too much. Read on to see what this set has to offer, and find out if this is for you.

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Feeling old in a good way with 31174 Retro Telephone

BrankotheFather Creator, Lego, Review , , , , , , , ,
LEGO Creator 3in1 Retro Telephone set features a blue rotary phone design, complete with a handset, flexible cable, and a yellow notepad with a pencil.

It has been a little while since calling someone by phone actually involved ‘dialling’ their number. This term is still sometimes used, although I suspect the majority of humans in Australia have not had the experience of turning a rotary dial on a phone to make a call since the late 1980’s

Image of the LEGO Creator 3in1 Retro Telephone set packaging featuring a light blue rotary dial phone along with a pencil and yellow notepad, showcasing alternative builds on the side.
Box packaging of LEGO set 31174 featuring a retro rotary dial phone design along with two alternative builds, a modern mobile phone and a flip phone.
A LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Retro Telephone set box, featuring a colorful design with illustrations of the rotary phone and alternative builds on its sides.
LEGO Creator 3in1 Retro Telephone set 31174 box showcasing the rotary dial phone, handset, notepad, and other alternative builds.

The LEGO Group provides us with a neat reminder of what phone calls used to look like with the new Creator 3in1 set 31174 Retro Telephone retailing for AU$39.99/£24.99/$29.99/€29.99 containing 383 parts, so you can have a bit of an idea of how it felt. Or flash back to years gone past…

Although this is a 3-in-1 set, the rotary dial phone is the clear hero of this set. Look no further for improvement in the alternative builds; the other designs feel like an afterthought in comparison. The rotary phone has a nifty design for the dial, and the cable between the handset and the base is worth the price of admission alone! Check out the video to see how the cable seems to defy the rules of the LEGO® system and appear fully flexible.

Read on to see what other phones are on offer and why explore the delight that the rotary phone has to offer.

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When LEGO isn’t a toy at all: 43008 Nike Dunk x LEGO® [Set Review]

BrankotheFather Lego, NIKE, Review , , , , ,
A review banner for the 43008 Nike Dunk x LEGO set, featuring a sneaker, a basketball, and a colorful 'DUNK' display built from LEGO bricks.

Several questions popped into my head when I saw this set announced, so when LEGO generously offered to send one over for review I considered it a great opportunity to explore some of these questions, such as “What?” “Why?” and “How?”

This set has left me confused. I cannot recall having been confused by a LEGO set before, so that is worth something. I am confused because it seems this set does not know what it wants to be. Initially the set feels like the designers wanted to create something that very strongly feels like “LEGO” in a basic way, but then suddenly you get hit with a curve(d)ball that does the exact opposite!

A LEGO set featuring a blue sneaker, a basketball, and a stand with the word 'DUNK' in bright colors, accompanied by a minifigure.

“43008 Nike Dunk x LEGO® Set“ is the first LEGO set released as part of LEGO and Nike’s partnership. This set was never intended to be a play-set, but rather an expression of fandom for Nike or sneakers or both. It contains 1180 parts and is available from the 1st of July for AU$149.99/£89.99/$99.99/€99.99.

This set consists of four parts; a sneaker, a minifigure, a basketball and a stand with the brick-built word ‘DUNK’. All these parts feel a little disconnected from each other, as if they do not belong together. Let the confusion commence!

Please join me while I explain my confusion about this set, while simultaneously exploring the change of LEGO as a toy company to… well… what it is now.

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What Game is LEGO® playing? 42208 Aston Martin Valkyrie

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , , , , ,
Close-up view of a teal LEGO model of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, showcasing its detailed design and structural components.

I like my LEGO with a bit of colour. I like my cars with a bit of colour (heck, my own car has essentially a triple colour paint). So being presented with a teal supercar is cool.

Given the size of this set I didn’t expect anything too exciting, but I was curious how well the very curvy shapes of the Aston Martin Valkyrie could be captured and then I noticed a computer game mentioned on the box!

Screenshot from the mobile game Asphalt Legends Unite, featuring a teal supercar racing on a tree-lined road with pink foliage.

Join me while I explore why this game is mentioned on a LEGO set, and explore how well this decidedly not-straight vehicle translated into LEGO.

42208 Aston Martin Valkyrie contains 707 parts and is available from the 1st of June 2025 for AU$99.99/£54.99/US$64.99/€59.99. This set was provided by LEGO for review, all opinions are my own.

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New style nostalgia, with 42209 Volvo L120 Electric Wheel Loader

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , , , ,
LEGO Technic 42209 Volvo L120 Electric Wheel Loader model displayed in a yellow and black color scheme with a front bucket.

For me, Technic is machinery. As a child I didn’t have LEGO Technic but I had Fisher-Technic (awesome stuff, but I digress), so my real first encounters with LEGO Technic were after I got out of my dark ages and the machines that resonated most with me were bulldozers, bucket wheel loaders, front end loaders or a tipping truck. These systems have something ‘Technic’ about them; they can drive, sure, but they can also do something else! These sets came in Yellow and Black, I think you see where I’m going here. This new Volvo L120 Electric Wheel Loader has this exact colour scheme and the same functionality of sets that I hold dear in my memory so I am excited!

The 42209 Volvo L120 Electric Wheel Loader is a new set containing 973 pieces retailing for AU$149.99/£89.99/$119.99/€99.99 and was provided by LEGO for review. All opinions are my own.

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Family means: 42210 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)

BrankotheFather Lego, Review, technic , , , , , , ,

Where I did not expect to like this set. I mean; it’s grey, it’s a car, seen it all before, so I thought. I was wrong.

I’m not sure about Technic cars. I know cars appeal to many people, and most people drive cars so they can relate to them, but in a model their appeal is mostly in their shape or appearance. For me Technic is about mechanisms; things that move. A pair of wheels, some steering and even a transmission just doesn’t excite me that much anymore. Colour me surprised by The 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R a medium-large scale Technic car that excites me.

LEGO Technic Nissan Skyline GT-R model in grey and blue, featuring detailed design elements and a rear spoiler, displayed on a white background.

This car is available from the 1st of June 2025 for AU$249.99/£129.99/US$139.99/€139.99 containing 1410 pieces. This number of pieces puts it below the really large scale vehicles, but well above the smaller Technic cars.

Two LEGO Technic cars from the Fast & Furious series displayed together, featuring a large Nissan Skyline GT-R in grey with blue accents and a black Dodge Charger with a detailed front engine.

Join me as I explore why this car was different for me, providing (almost) more excitement than the new 42209 Volvo L120 Electric Wheel Loader (review coming soon).

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42639 Andrea’s Modern Mansion: A Grand Design brings a Bespoke Solution

BrankotheFather friends, Lego , , , , , , ,

The Original LEGO Friends, Stephanie, Olivia, Emma, Mia and Andrea, have all grown up. Thanks to the narrative imperative induced by the Time Skip, they have now achieved a degree of success in their adult lives, while the series now focuses on a new group of friends, including Mia’s daughter, Autumn. Branko has taken a look at the Largest LEGO Friends Set Ever: 42639 Andrea’s Modern Mansion, which has recently reappeared after a few months on Backorder. His story behind the construction might not, technically, be canon, but the information in the episode that brings all the friends back together (Friends the Next Chapter:Series 2 Episode 11 Friends Reunite) doesn’t explicitly say it didn’t happen this way…

This set was sent out by the LEGO Group at the Rambling Brick’s Request. All opinions are our own.

Read on as Branko take a closer look at this Grand Design!

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Not quite poly, this bag: 30701 LEGO® Botanicals Field Flowers

BrankotheFather Botanical Collection, Lego, Review , , , , , ,

Today, Branko take a look at the final, and smallest, Botanicals set due for January 2025 release. While this set was provided by the LEGO Group:

LEGO has provided us with 30701 Field Flowers polybag… no, not polybag, a baggy of sorts. All opinions are our own. When I heard this set was coming I was ready for a rant about polybags being plastic and LEGO was supposed to phase out plastic packaging etc etc etc, and then this bag arrived: a paper bag. Rant over.

For years, polybag has been the popular name for small LEGO sets packaged in these little plastic bags made from PolyPropylene (PP) plastic (category 5), hence the name ‘Poly-bag’.

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