Time flies when you are having fun. Or have a lot going on around you. Or…and so on. I can’t believe it is over 3 years since I published my original description of MOPs – Minifigures on Parade/ Minifigures on Patrol – back in July 2022. MOPs is a modular platform for community participation. I initially proposed an 8×16 plate, on a standardized base, including a raised ‘middle 8’ plate. Advantages of the format include the capacity to start simple, and build up, as well as the scope for storytelling within the space available.
We have looked at a few creature builds over the last 2 years: the T. Rex, Panda, Kitten, Panda, Safari Animals, a Flamingo, and more – each coming with three options to build. One thing has been apparent: the number of brick designs in play has taken a quantum leap over the last few years. And with each set, the colour palette of these elements expands. Today, we will take a look at another: 31166 Beautiful Horse. Not only do we have the titular horse, but also a dear and bear to build. That said, just about anyone looking at it from a short to moderate distance might well be saying “Medium nougat parts pack”
Let’s take a closer look at this new Creator 3in1 set (provided by LEGO, all opinions are my own)
When my kids were a little younger, they would occaisionally use stop motion movies to bring their stories to life. Sometimes with LEGO minifigures, sometimes with plasticine, that illusion of movement really helped to tell and sell a story.
Today, the LEGO Group and multi-award-winning Aardman Animations, stop motion masters and creators of the Wallace & Gromit franchise, have announced a new partnership, to help inspire young builders and encourage creative storytelling using stop motion inspired by the LEGO® brick.
I have a theory: Creator 3in1 sets and Collectable minifigures are the last bastion of the classic themes that we would love to see the LEGO Group bring back. Some of the August release Creator 3in1 sets – 31167 Haunted Mansion and 31168 The Medieval Horse Knight Castle – both seem to serve my point to a certain extent, calling back to Monster Fighters and Classic Castle, respectively.
In this review, we will look at the new Creator 3in1 31167 Haunted Mansion. This was released on August 1, and comes with 736 pieces and five unique minifigures. It is priced at $AUD149.99/ $USD89.99 / €89.99 / £79.99.
As I set out to review this set, I may have become distracted and started looking at other ‘Haunted Themes’ that we have seen across the years…
Trees are large, making them less than ideal subjects for life-size LEGO® models. Bonsai, the Japanese art of cultivating trees to grow in a miniaturized form in limited space, offers an end product that may be better represented in a domestic brick-building studio.
Bonsai trees have been part of the Lego Botanical Collection since its earliest days, and we recently saw a Japanese red maple added to the collection. Set 10373 brings us a collection of three small bonsai trees: a ginko, a Japanese black pine and a wisteria. But will this be a beautiful decoration, or the start of something more interesting?
LEGO® Botanicals set 10373 Mini Bonsai Trees will be released on 1 August. It is priced in $AUD99.99 / €59.99 /£54.99 / $USD64.99 and has 709 pieces. Let’s take a closer look. [This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
The LEGO® Botanicals theme has gone from strength to strength, and the latest wave brings us contrasting builds, proving interesting building experiences.
Today, let’s look at the Hibiscus: following in the footsteps of the Bird of Paradise and Orchid, it brings tropical beauty and colour while invoking some some interesting recolourings to produce a delightful display piece, perfect to distract you as winter settles in (I am writing this in July 2025, from Melbourne Australia, where the weather is a little cooler than we have been used to for some time.)
Let’s take a closer look. [This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions are my own.]
Looking back to January 2024, LEGO® Ideas launches the Exploring the Cosmos challenge: “Can you imagine how awesome the spacecraft and bases on planets will look like in 100+ years as humans start to explore the cosmos? ”
Fast forward to July 2025, and the 40789 Moon Car, designed by EnchantingNoodle is available from the LEGO Insiders centre for 2500 Points. I’ve been away for a few weeks, visiting Japan Brickfest, so imagine my delight when I got home to discover the LEGO Group had arranged for this set to be waiting for me.
Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle – and by extension, the stereotypical Disney Castle, has been the subject of a number of interpretations at a number of scales, aimed at varying age groups over the years. Now at last, Neuschwanstein Castle, the original inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle has come to the LEGO Architecture range. With 3455 pieces, and priced at $AUD399.99/ $USD279.99 / 269,99 € / £239.99, the set will be released on 1st August 2025.
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!
“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.
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.
