Lego

11506 Rocking Plants still keep us Happy.

ramblingbrick Botanical Collection, Lego, Review , , , , , , ,
Two cheerful, colourful LEGO plant models: one in pink with a happy face and a single green sprout, and another in yellow with vibrant flowers, both titled '11506 Rocking Plants'.

Last year, the LEGO® Botanical theme gave us 10349 Happy Plants, anthropomorphic potplants with a whimsical grin and a green hairstyle. Botanicals has been one of the big successes in the LEGO portfolio over the past few years, bringing new people to LEGO building, and bringing others back after a many-year gap. Happy Plants was one of those sets that was relatively inexpensive, simple to build, and brought a delightful end result to the display space.

Knowing that when you are on a good thing, stick to it, it would appear that “Plants in small, whimsical smiling pots” is becoming a subtheme of Botanicals with the upcoming release of 11506 Rocking Plants. Adding to last year’s pale yellow and baby blue pots are bright pink and spring yellowish green versions, this new set brings some new gimmicks. But at what expense?

This set has 253 pieces and a RRP of $AUD 29.99 / $USD22.99 / £GBP17.99 / 19.99€. It is aimed at builders aged 9 and up and set to be released on May 1st, 2026. The LEGO Group sent these over to take an early look…

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75442 UCS The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter Revealed in Time for May the Fourth

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LEGO model of the UCS The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter, showcased on a desk with various items, with a caption celebrating its reveal for May the Fourth.

With the cinematic release of The Mandalorian and Grogu just around the corner, this year’s May the Fourth release brings us The Mandalorian’s Naboo N1 Star Fighter, with the Ultimate Collector Series Treatment.

With a load of Silver laquer elements, The LEGO Star Wars™ The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter™ (75442) set will be available for LEGO Insiders* Early Access from 1 May 2026, and available for all from 4 May, priced at $AUD429.99 / £229.99 / €249.99 / $249.99.

LEGO Star Wars The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter Ultimate Collector Series box featuring a detailed image of the starfighter, showing its unique design and parts.
LEGO Star Wars set featuring a detailed model of The Mandalorian N-1 Starfighter with a display stand and informational plaque.
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71052 Collectible Minifigures Series 29: Early Review

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A display of LEGO minifigures from Collectable Minifigures Series 29, featuring various characters in vibrant outfits, including a chef, witch, and pirate, arranged in a line on black bases.

It’s been a couple of years since we have had a set of collectable minifigures to review here on the blog. In CMF series 29, we have have a set of 12 different minifigures. The LEGO Group sent a couple of sets over for early review. This is not themed like series 26 (Space) or 28 (costumes), or any of the licensed themes we have seen over the years. Instead, it’s a mix of classic and crazy characters, some based on existing themes, and some that are just plain crazy.
The series will be on sale on May 1 (most of the world) and June 1 (Australia/New Zealand). They will be priced at $AUD5.99 / $USD4.99 / £3.49 / 3.99€.

Read on for a closer look.

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New LEGO® Builder Virtual: new digital platform development accelerated to offset looming raw material crisis.

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Geopolitical instability in the Middle East is threatening the supply chain of the petrochemical precursors to Acetyle-Butyl-Styrene, the primary plastic used in the creation of LEGO® Bricks. With the potential shortage of physical bricks, the LEGO Group have fast-tracked the beta testing phase of their new digital building tool, LEGO Builder Virtual.

An unladen oil tanker in more certain times

“We were not anticipating this supply problem to become significant until 2035, which is why we had accelerated our approach to developing sustainable plastics in recent years. The current situation has caught us short, with crude oil deliveries already slowing around the world.” up and coming digital luminary April Løjer explained from the LEGO Group’s new Digital Hub in Copenhagen

The Copenhagen digital hub, prior to its opening in 2024
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LEGO ICONS 11378 DC-3 Pan American Airliner

ramblingbrick 18+, ICONS, Lego, Review , , , , , , , ,
A LEGO model of a DC-3 Pan American airliner, displayed on a stand with a plaque, featuring blue and white colours, alongside LEGO minifigures in pilot and passenger attire.

LEGO ICONs appears to be on a roll with its collection of large-scale aircraft. In 2023 we saw the 10318 Concorde, and last year we gained the 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft – a combination 747 and Space Shuttle. This April, athe 11378 DC-3 Pan American Airliner is being released. Introduced in the 1930s, the DC-3 was the first airliner to be able to cross the continental United States in only 18 hours, with 3 stops. Carrying up to 36 passengers, it had a top speed of 333km/h. The DC-3 was in production until 1942. While around 600 DC-3’s were built, its military equivalent, the C-47 Skytrain, was produced in the thousands.

The LEGO Group sent this set over for an early look, ahead of it’s April release – but all opinions are my own. Let’s take a look at the pieces, the minifigures, and the final build, and then consider reasons that might exist behind some of the design choices with this set.

Let’s take a closer look:

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LEGO Ideas 21367 Tintin Moon Rocket: Hands-on Review

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LEGO Ideas 21367 Tintin Moon Rocket set displayed with five astronaut minifigures and a dog figure, featuring a red and white rocket in the background.

I mentioned in the post announcing the upcoming release of LEGO IDEAS set 21367 Tintin Moon Rocket that this set represents a key factor in one of the earliest fandoms I was part of: I first read Destination Moon in January 1977, during the summer holidays. As the new school year began, I hunted the books down, eventually hunting most of them down through various school libraries over the following years. As I put the rocket together, I was excited by a sense of nostalgia as a childhood memory, now pop-culture icon, came into being on my desk.

I am grateful that the LEGO Group sent this copy of the set over in advance of the release on April 1. This set is based on the moon rocket from TKel86’s LEGO Ideas submission, which also included a gantry. In the design process, the team decided to focus on the rocket, which ties into the two books telling the story of Tintin’s journey to the Moon: Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon. The rocket’s gantry is only a feature in the first of these. However, I might have some parts lying around the house, which I picked up for another project a couple of years ago.

During properation for this review, I had the chance to take part in a round table discussion with designers Jordan Scott and Ellen Bowley – I’ll add their insights as we go along…

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LEGO® Mario Kart™ levels up Super Mario line-up with Luigi and the first-ever large-scale Mach 8 Kart set

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A person assembling a LEGO Mario Kart model featuring Luigi and the Mach 8 set, showcasing vibrant colours and intricate details.

This year, to celebrate Mario 10th day, the LEGO Group has upped the ante on last year’s 72037 Mario and Standard Kart with a brick-built Luigi with the Mach 8 Kart.

LEGO Mario Kart set featuring Luigi and his Mach 8 kart, includes 2234 pieces and is suitable for ages 18 and above.
LEGO Mario Kart set featuring Luigi in a go-kart, with box design showcasing multiple angles and a blueprint illustration.

This new set, 72050 LEGO® Mario Kart™ – Luigi & Mach 8 has 2234 pieces and is priced at $AUD 279.99/ £159.99 / €179.99 / $USD179.99. It is available for preorder now, and will be on the shelves on April 1, 2026

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40921 Upscaled Blue Spaceman SpaceMan SPACEMAN!!!

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A scaled-up blue astronaut minifigure from LEGO, showcasing a friendly smile and wearing a blue space suit with a planet logo. The background is a dark green with a yellow foreground, and text on the left side indicates a review of the model.

This is the fourth in the LEGO Scaled Up Minifigure series, and the first spaceman. Last year, I had the chance to put together the ultra-cute red Baby Spaceman, which had been available as a gift with purchase. This year, we have a blue spaceman. This may polarise some: he’s playing it straight. It’s not Benny with the broken chinstrap and idiot grin. It’s a classic smiley. And it’s blue. I mean, sure, its kind of acceptable: I was there in the beginning, when LEGO Spacemen were red or white. The set, 40921 Scaled Up Blue Astronaut Minifigure goes on sale on the first of March and will be priced at AUD99.99/ USD59.99/ EURO59.99 and £54.99

The box for this set is around 20% larger than that for the ‘regular’ 40649 upscaled minifigure, released in 2023, and it features the silver ‘Space’ sideband that was everywhere space-like in 2024.

LEGO box featuring a scaled-up blue astronaut minifigure with a smile, set against a space-themed background. The box includes the set number 40921, recommended age 10+, and a total of 793 pieces.
Back of a LEGO box featuring a large blue space-themed minifigure with a smiling face, along with images illustrating its features and a small astronaut model.
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The Evolution of LEGO® Dragons: Part 2 the Legacy of Galidor.

ramblingbrick Castle, Deep Dive, Lego, nostalgia , , , , , ,
A LEGO figure standing next to a red dragon model, with a text overlay titled 'The Evolution of LEGO Dragons Part 2: The Legacy of GALIDOR'.

In part one, we looked at the development and history of the Classic LEGO® Dragon. Go on, read it now. It was posted nearly 18 months ago. Even if you read it back then, you might have forgotten some of the more salient points. The last variation of this appeared in the Adventurers Orient Expedition 7419 Dragon Fortress in 2004. But how did LEGO Dragons develop from here?

A row of colourful dragon toys in various designs, including a green dragon with red wings, and a black dragon with ornate patterns, accompanied by a large question mark.

If you have ever gone questing for a dragon, you be aware that you must often undertake some type of side quest before you reach your final goal. Here is the first. There might be several others to come..

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40955 Maersk Dual Fuel Container Vessel

ramblingbrick Iconic, Lego, Review , , , , , , ,
A model of the 40955 Maersk Dual-Fuel Container Vessel displayed on a wooden shelf.

The partnership with Maersk is one of the oldest that the LEGO Group has in its portfolio. The announcement of 40955 Maersk Dual Fuel Container Vessel was greeted with excitement (back after 12 years), apprehension (will there be more or fewer stickers than the 133 seen in 2014’s 10241 Maersk Line Triple E) and disdain (It doesn’t look like they have brought Maersk Blue back.)

The LEGO group have sent over a copy of the set: Let’s take a closer look and see if those concerns should affect you.

Box of the LEGO 40955 Maersk Dual-Fuel Container Vessel featuring a detailed model ship design with multiple containers, suitable for ages 12 and above.

The set is priced at $AUD249.99 / £139.99 / €149.99 / $USD149.99, has 1516 pieces and will be released on March 1, 2026.

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