It’s been a hot minute since we had a LEGO Icons car revealed. The latest is the Shelby Cobra 427 S/C: this 1960’s sports car is set for release on July 1, has 1241 pieces and is priced at $AUD249.99 / $USD159.99 / €149,99 / £139,99
First released in 1965, with a combination of the sleek styling, and the 427 cubic inch (7-liter) Ford V8 engine, the 427 Cobra is celebrated for its ability to accelerate quickly, with some models reaching 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds. This car is a masterful example of great style and brawn in the one package.
I’m a little late to How to Train Your Dragon, only watching the original animated film 15 years after its cinematic release, or a couple of months before the release of the live action version. Of course, live action feels a bit of a redundant term when the titular Dragon is , of course, computer animated. I was directed to it while recently making my way through the Movie Soundtrack podcast ‘The Art of the Score’, specifically the episode where they discussed John Powell’s Soundtrack to the 2010 film. Great News: He is back for the remake!
That said, I enjoyed the film: it made for a pleasant diversion while I was indulging in some prolonged procrastination and task avoidance.
Toothless, the Night Fury Dragon from the film has been a popular topic for LEGO MOCs over the intervening years, but finally, the LEGO Group are releasing a brick built version, at the start of July 2025. The set is available for preorder now (in some markets), has 784 Bricks and is priced at AUD109.99/ €69.99/ £59.99/ $69.99. This set appears to be a little more cute than the onscreen version suggests that it should.
A Bonsai Tree (10281) was one of the first sets released under the Botanical Collection label, back in 2021. Four years later, and it is still in the catalog. With Botanicals becoming their own theme this year, we have seen some delightful builds aimed at younger builders. But the grown-ups have not been forgotten, with the 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree being added to the catalog. It will be released June 1st, has 474 pieces and retails for $AUD99.99/€59.99/USD59.99/£54.99. The LEGO Group provided this set, but all opinions are my own.
LEGO Themes have taken their origins from many places: the world around us, films, comics, television, scientific and exploratory adventures, our favorite cars and other machines. And some come straight from the company’s storytellers, bypassing the need for third party licensing.
We have a new collection arriving in June, encompassing a new form factor, and crossing multiple IPs: Book Nooks. The first revealed was the 10351 Sherlock Holmes Book Nook, bringing Victorian elegance to LEGO form; followed soon after by the 76450 Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Book Nook/Book Ends and today we can reveal that we shall also have one from 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook, in the form of the Bridge of Khaza Dûm, where Gandalf the Grey faced off against the dread creature, meeting his apparent doom.
Each of these properties were popular as printed words before they leapt to the Silver Screen, and those books are still loved today. These book nooks are designed to sit on your shelves between your favorite books, adding a little life and action to the storage space.
The Lord of the Rings: Balrog™ Book Nook will be released on June 1st 2025, and comes with 1201 pieces. It will be priced at AUD199.99 / 129,99 USD / 119,99 EUR / 109,99 GBP
In which we examine a few elements in the new shade 426 White, and explore the effect of some of these changes and more.
While I was reviewing at the 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft recently, I noticed that the white tiles and plates appeared to be ‘more white’, and indeed less opaque than that which had been seen in recent years. New Elementary published an article on article acknowledging this change and a revised cool yellow recently.
I am curious about the specific rationale behind the change, so I thought I would take a look at some of the parts in 10360, compare them with other examples that I have, and see if there are obvious advantages to the new pigment. I’ll also set a test in process, to see if this new pigment is able to resist yellowing on sun exposure.
After the conclusion of the Apollo Moon Landing, the public’s interest in Space exploration waned. Then we saw our first images of the next phase of NASA’s manned Space Program: the Prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise being transported on the back of a modified 747, before being released to glide independently for a landing. We knew something exciting was happening.
The 747 subsequently received a a new paint job and was involved in transporting the Space Shuttles from their landing site in California across the country to Florida, in time for the next launch, through to the end of the program in 2011.
While we have seen many sets depicting a space shuttle at this scale or larger, in varying detail ( at least 20 at the most recent count), this is the first time we have seen a LEGO set depicting any variant of the 747 jumbo jet.
So, will this new model inspire us like the Saturn V from LEGO Ideas in 2017 did? Let’s take a closer look. Along the way, we will include some insights from Andy Grubb, one of the design team members who worked on this set.
The latest LEGO ICONS set, 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, brings us the modified 747-100 and the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise. The defining point of all LEGO Spacecraft and Airplanes is their swooshability. While this set is intended as a display model, my inner eight-year-old felt it should be taken out for a fly.
While I am still writing up my full review, I felt it important to share this with you now. You can see the results after the break.
Growing up in the 1970s, the excitement of ongoing space exploration despite the end of the Apollo Program continued, particularly in the form of the Pioneer and Voyager probes exploring the outer solar system, as well as the Viking Lander on Mars. But things really go exciting for 8 year old me when I saw there were plans afoot for the Americans to return to a manned space program. My first glimpse of the Space Shuttle was likely a prototype model featured in The Encyclopaedia of Nature and Science (1974, R. Taylor Editor, Bay Books).
Today, the LEGO Group officially reveal their upcoming 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft – depicting the modified 747 along with the prototype shuttle ‘Enterprise’. The set has 2419 pieces and will retail for $AUD349.99 / €229.99 / £199.99 / $USD229.99. It is due for release for LEGO Insiders on May 15th, 2025, and to all on May 18th.
Last week, we took a look at the minifigures included in 10354 The Shire. Today, we will take a look at the better part of the construction of set. Be sure to take a closer look at the figures from this set in my previous review here.
Quick Spoiler: On the whole, I really enjoyed building putting this set together: the details included in Bag End are just wonderful. But is it worth the price? Read on. This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Rumors have been floating around for months, and even an own goal scored by the LEGO Events team announcing a set-signing event in early April on the LEGO website a few weeks ago. Finally, we can show you 10354 The Shire.
This set brings us to Bag End and the location of Bilbo’s Party, as seen in the first part of the Fellowship of the Ring. With nine minifigures, including Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf the Grey, Merry and Pippin, we also have a couple of new characters, including Rosie Cotton and the Proudfoots. The set has 2017 pieces and has a recommended retail price of $AUD399.99; €269.99 £229.99 $USD269.99. It will be released on April 2dn to LEGO Insiders, and available to all on April the 5th.
In this post, We’ll take a quick look at the set. Then I’ll bring some of my history with the Shire: from Discovering the Lord of the Rings, visiting the Hobbiton sets and building my version of Bag End a year or so before the official set was released in 2012. Then we’ll take a look at some photos of the set from the Fan Media Days in Billund last year, and hear some words from Kenyon Brady, one of the LEGO Designers who worked on the set. Finally, we will get to the official Press release, as well as details of the Gift with Purchase, available when the set will be released in early April.
