IDEAS

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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Destination Home! Tinitin’s Iconic Moon Rocket Arrives, thanks to LEGO Ideas.

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A stylish interior featuring a wooden shelf decorated with books, a red and white rocket model, and framed artwork. The image promotes LEGO Ideas bringing Tintin's Moon Rocket to life.

It’s January 1977 and 8 year old me is on holiday in New Zealand with my family and I am needing something to read. One day we are looking around in some local specialty stores (I seem to remember beeswax candles being bought at the time), and we take a detour to a book shop. I have never seen a tintin book before: More substantial than a 22 page comic – and with far more words than you might ever expect to see in tone too. I look over the shelves and one in particular catches my eye. Destination Moon. I am sure I was drawn to it by the large red and white rocket on the cover. I was a little disappointed when I discovered that the story continued in a second book, Explorers on the Moon. Not one to be deterred, I devoured every Tintin book that I could find in my primary school library.

Two vintage comic books featuring 'Destination Moon' and 'Explorers on the Moon' from The Adventures of Tintin series by Hergé, set against a golden background.

The appeal of this rocket is undeniable: for me, I first saw it in the years between the end of the Apollo program, and the arrival of the Space Shuttle. And it was not until a couple of years later that I realised that this book predated the original Sputnik launch in 1957 by several years.

Fast forward some 29 years to 2006 and I am sitting down in front of the TV with my kids, while we watch the 1990s Adventures of Tintin animated series on DVD. At some point in the next year, my son is given a copy of Explorers on the Moon: at last we have the complete story.

Fast forward another twenty years to 2026 and the LEGO Group are proud to announce that LEGO IDEAS set 21367 Tintin Moon Rocket. With 1283 pieces, and including five minifigures (and one dog), the set presents the Rocket from Destination moon and Explorers on the Moon in LEGO Form. Based on the submission by Tkel86, the final model has done away with the gantry from the original submission, choosing to focus on the iconic rocket.

LEGO set of Tintin's Moon Rocket, featuring a large red and white rocket on the box, alongside five minifigures in orange space suits.
Box art for LEGO Ideas rocket set featuring a large red rocket with white stripes, detailed interior, and five astronaut minifigures in orange jumpsuits.

Read on for more pictures and the official Press Release…

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10366 LEGO® ICONS Tropical Aquarium 3: Customisation

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Colorful display of the 10366 Tropical Aquarium with LEGO elements including a yellow submarine, a treasure chest, and various sea plants and coral.

We have been taking a look at the 10366 Tropical Aquarium, coming out in mid November 2025. This is a large, expensive set, quite unlike anything that the LEGO Group has produced at this scale before. It’s not based on a renowned piece of Architecture, it doesn’t tie in with any preconceived cinematic universes, and neither does it follow up with one of the regular ICONs subthemes. It’s a 52 litre fish tank, filled with corals, plants, and fish of unrealistic provenance. However, I must admit, it looks quite neat. Impressive even.

A colorful LEGO diorama of a tropical aquarium filled with various coral, plants, and fish, showcasing a vibrant underwater scene.

Fish tanks often feature decorative elements within them. The Tropical Aquarium features a treasure chest, tucked away in the back corner, serving as a bubbler, along with a rock cave and shelf. However, beyond that, it is comprised of all plants, coral, and anemones.

In fact, it’s beginning to look like one of those colourful underwater layouts you often see at LEGO Conventions, with lots of hidey holes and scope for exploration and storytelling. This left me thinking about the broad range of underwater exploration themes that have cropped up over the years, and more importantly, made their way into my collection. And how they could add life to this set.

Let’s start with a quick look at some of the sets which I own (and some that I don’t), which feel as though they might serve as aquarium decorations .

  1. A Brief History of Underwater Themes
    1. Aquazone
    2. 1997-2012: Divers, Alpha Team, Aqua Raiders and Atlantis
    3. LEGO City Deep Sea/ Polar Explorers
    4. LEGO IDEAS
    5. SpongeBob SquarePants
    6. The Little Mermaid
  2. Let’s consider the space that we are planning to customise.
  3. Filling the Aquarium
    1. SpongeBob Square Pants
    2. Yellow Submarine
    3. Fantasy Underwater Layout: Enter the Aquazone
      1. Action Stations
  4. In conclusion
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Does the LEGO IDEAS review team look at competor brands? Or Vice versa?

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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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Goonies Never Say Die. Now they can say build?

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A detailed LEGO set showcasing the pirate-themed interior and exterior of 'The Goonies', featuring multiple minifigures and various interactive elements.

It was the mid-1980s, and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment seemed to do no wrong. On the tail of E.T. the Extra terrestrial (1982)and Gremlins (1984), in 1985 Steven Spielberg’s production company went on to present Back to the Future and The Goonies. While these are not the only films released by Amblin in that period, these four were all represented in LEGO Dimensions (released in 2015) – with various packs released over the years that the theme ran.

LEGO Dimensions Fun Pack featuring E.T. from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, includes a mini E.T. figure and a phone home device, designed for ages 7-14.
LEGO Dimensions Team Pack featuring characters from Gremlins, including Gizmo and Stripe, alongside an R.C. Racer vehicle and accessories.
LEGO Dimensions Level Pack featuring Marty McFly with a guitar, DeLorean Time Machine, and Hoverboard from Back to the Future.
LEGO Dimensions Fun Pack featuring Doc Brown from Back to the Future, with a traveling time train and vibrant packaging.
LEGO Dimensions Level Pack featuring characters and elements from 'The Goonies', including One-Eyed Willy's pirate ship and Sloth minifigure.
LEGO set box for Back to the Future, featuring the DeLorean vehicle and two minifigures, Marty McFly and Doc Brown, with the title and age recommendation.
LEGO Ideas Gizmo building set from Gremlins, featuring a brick-built Gizmo figure holding a small item, with a colorful box in the background.

A couple of these films have also had sets released under the LEGO Ideas label – Last month’s LEGO Ideas Gizmo, from Gremlins, along with 2014’s Delorean Time Machine.

Today, we see the formal reveal of 21363 The Goonies. Like Gizmo, this submission was part of the ‘If we could turn back time – 1980’s’ challenge that ran on the Ideas platform in March 1984.

Based on the design by Delusionbrick, this set has 2912 pieces, and will be priced at $AUD499.99 /$USD329.99 / 299.99€ /£269.99. It includes 12 minifigures, and will be released on November 1 2025.

Image of the LEGO Ideas set 21363 The Goonies, showcasing a pirate ship model with detailed brick-built scenes, featuring characters and iconic elements from the 1980s film.
LEGO Ideas set 21363 The Goonies box art featuring a detailed model of the pirate ship with various vignettes and minifigures from the film.
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Everyone’s a Winner with the LEGO® Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine

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A LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine set displayed on a countertop, featuring colorful capsules and various minifigures, with kitchen utensils and decorative items in the background.

About 18 months ago, Rob Vangansewinkel’s Ideas submission based on a capsule toy vending machine was accepted. Today the final model has been revealed, and it is sure to excite many members of the broader LEGO community.

A colorful LEGO Minifigure Vending Machine set featuring a transparent top displaying various colorful capsules, accompanied by a teal spaceman minifigure holding a donut and coffee cup.
Box design for the LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine featuring a red vending machine with capsules and minifigures, graphic instructions, and LEGO branding.

While the Vending machine is the primary build, fans are more likely to be distracted by the 16 minifigures encapsulated within. This set will be released on the 1st of June to LEGO Insiders and has a retail price of $AUD249.99 / €169.99 / £ 149.99 / $ 179.99.

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LEGO® IDEAS 21353 Botanical Garden Revealed

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Plants are blooming for LEGO® Enthusiasts: since the introduction of the Botanical Range back in 2020, we have seen the arrival of 14 ICONs botanicals sets, 6 creator sets and two gifts with purchase. We have seen the 1000 piece LEGO Friends Botanical Garden, a set that was for many adults, their first Friends set.

Today, the LEGO Group unveiled 21353 – The LEGO Ideas Botanical Gardens. With 3792 pieces, this set has 12 unique minifigures. It has four birds, a dog, a frog, a bunny and a squirrel. It is two baseplates wide, 64 bricks wide, and it contains over 35 brick built species of plants. It will go on sale on November 4th (November 1 for LEGO Insiders), at LEGO Branded retail outlets, priced at $AUD499.99/ €329.99 / £289.99 / $USD329.99 / 429.99 CAD

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You’re gonna need a bigger bookshelf! 21350 LEGO® Ideas JAWS officially revealed.

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 The northern summer of 1975 was unlike any that had come before. There was a terrifying phenomenon never before seen: the cinema release that was so popular that people would queue up around the block to see it—the literal Block Buster. Forty-nine years ago last month, Jaws was released upon a population of unsuspecting holiday beachgoers!

The 1497-piece LEGO® set based on the 1975 summer blockbuster JAWS was designed by LEGO fan Johnny Campbell, and features characters Martin Brody, Matt Hooper and Sam Quint as minifigures, aboard the Orca boat – plus the shark, which can be displayed in its entirety OR with just the front half of the body, preparing to make a tasty snack of the fishing boat, ORCA.

The LEGO® Idea JAWS set will be available for LEGO Insiders from 3rd August 2024 and for all from 6th August 2024. It will be priced at €149.99 / 129.99 GBP/ $149.99/249.99 AUD/1399 CNY/199.99 CAD/3999 MXN.

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Are you ready to roll? LEGO ® Ideas DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: Red Dragons Tale Officially Revealed

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This year, the Role Playing Game Dungeons and Dragons turns fifty. I was about 5 years old at the time when Gary Gygax rolled out the first version of his tabletop role playing game. I took some interest in the 1980s:I was intrigued by the notion of creating your own world, and the variety characters you could create, and the monsters that could be encountered, but the game didn’t take off with my circle of friends at the time. It probably coincided with entering my LEGO Dark Ages as well. I was therefore surprised when I went to see the movie Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among Thieves last year and I found myself seeing so many character types and monsters that I had read about in a nostalgic haze.

Flash forward to 2022, and LEGO Ideas announced a challenge for fans to design a set to showcase their favourite aspects of the Game. The winner of this challenge was Dutch fan Lucas Bolt. His submission “Dragons Keep: Journey’s End” brought a tavern, a ruined castle with caves and crypts, to say nothing of a couple of brick-built beasties. Today, the final product is revealed: with over 3700 pieces, this set takes Bolt’s original submission and bumps up the level of original detail.

Priced at $AUD499.99/€359.99/£ 314.99/$USD359.99/$CAD469.99, the set will be available on the first of April 2024 (and that’s no joke.) The set is also associated with a free D&D Adventure booklet available as a digital download, or as a paperback book with 2400 LEGO Insiders points

Dungeons and Dragons publishers, Wizards of the Coast, are owned by Hasbro, and this represents the 3rd collaboration with the toy giant/entertainment company, following on from Transformers Optimus Prime released in 2022, as well as Peppa Pig DUPLO sets, also due for release in April.

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21342 LEGO® IDEAS Insect Collection Unveilled

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I hope that this is not just a cloned version of Ramblingbrick .com, listed atanother site. If the words ramblingbrick.com are not in the address bar, you have been misdirected. I have no idea why they chose to clone my site.

Last September, it was revealed that @hackiruko42’s Insect submission to LEGO® Ideas was going to be progressing to the development stage. Today, we can present the final set, due for release on September 4 2023. With 1111 pieces, the set brings us a Morpho Buttfly, Chinese Mantis and Hercules Beetle. The set will cost $USD79.99/ €79.99/ £69.99 / $AUD124.99 / 33990.0 HUF / 2033.9 TRY /$CAD99.99. The three models within each set each come with a separate manual, to allow you to build with friends.

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