Take Off with the LEGO® ICONS 10318 Concorde

Growing up in the 1970s, it was apparent that the world was getting smaller: not so much by cumulative erosion by billions of residents shuffling along in their daily lives, but rather as air travel was becoming faster and more efficient. While air travel from the Antipodes to the rest of the world was most likely to be restricted to to 747 Jumbos and their variants, travelling at around 1037km/k (mach 0.84) my library books focussing on The Way Things Will Be In the Future reported that the Concorde has just started to fly across the Atlantic at over twice the speed of sound!

Concorde. by Eduard Marmet (retrieved 2023, August 10). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde

The product of a collaboration between Sud Aviation/Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation, the first prototypes started test flights in 1969. In 1975, it received its airworthiness certificates, with commercial flights taking off in 1976 . The Concorde fleet flew passengers for British Airways and Air France between London/Paris and the United states – particularly Washington and New York. Typically carrying between 92 and 128 passengers. In July 2000, an Air France flight crashed shortly after takeoff killing all on board.The fleet was grounded for a period while safety modifications were rolled out. The Concorde Fleet was retired in 2003, with the final flight in November.

And so…20 years later, the LEGO Group have announced their latest ICONS set – a 2083 piece model of the Concorde. Over 1m long, this scale model will be available in September (4th September VIPs/7th September Everyone Else). It will be priced at $USD199.99/€199.99/£169.99/299.99 AUD/1699.0 CNY/4474.7 TRY/84990.0 HUF/259.99 CAD.

Continue reading

New LEGO® Star Wars Sets Revealed At San Diego Comic-Con

I have to admit, I am kind of excited for the new Ahsoka series (coming real soon now… or at least 23 August). And, after seeing a revamped Ghost unveiled a week or two ago, we have three new Star Wars sets revealed at SDCC today: Coming in September 2023: 2 from Ashoka (Ahsoka Tano’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle, and New Republic E-Wing™ vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter™) and a new Buildable Sculpture…of Chewbacca

.

Continue reading

76417 LEGO Harry Potter Gringotts Wizarding Bank Revealed

Here’s your first look at the hi resolution images from the long rumoured Gringott’s bank With over 4800 pieces and 14 minifigures, it is designed to fit in to be part of your diagonally display. It will be released on September 1 for VIPs and 4th September: Everyone else. It is priced at AUD629.99/ USD429.99/ £369.99/429.99€

One of the first major releases since Discovery took over Warner Brothers, Wizarding world is now under construction in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products. A somewhat unwieldy name, if I say so myself.

this version of Gringots

Classic Pirates or Disney not your thing? Seek Peace with 10315 Tranquil Gardens

As the deep fandom from around the world migrates towards Brickworld Chicago, the LEGO Group is making sure that there will be something for everyone to be talking about once they arrive – Old school fans can talk about the Eldorado Fortress, while Disneyfans can talk all about the Ideas Hocus Pocus Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage revealed on Monday. Today: fans of contemplative, mindful builds get a look at the another Icons set: 10315 Tranquil Gardens.

Continue reading

10320 Eldorado Fortress Revealed: Another 80s Classic gets a Modern Makeover

And out of nowhere, the Lego group have announced 10508 El Dorado fortress: a reimagining of the classic 1234 from 1989. This set will be released on 4thJuly 2023 (VIPs; 7th July for others), has 2508 pieces and comes with 8 mini figures, along with a monkey (but perhaps not the classic monkey we nostalgically long for, but rather the 2022 version) as well as a small boat for the Imperials. It is priced at $aud329.99/$USD 214.99/€214.99/£189.99.

The fort can open up for classic play experiences after the kids have gone to bed, and can be closed up to help keep the living room table tidy. In its open configuration, the model measures over 10.5 in. (27 cm) high, 27.5 in. (70 cm) wide and 9.5 in. (24 cm) deep.

Continue reading

LEGO IDEAS 21341 Hocus Pocus Revealed

I’m not going to lie. I have never seen Disney’s Hocus Pocus. I first heard of this film when the Ideas submission made it through the review phase. I have subsequently heard that while the film started life with lack-lustre reviews, it has become an annual Halloween Children’s Viewing Staple in some parts of the world. Halloween has not held much traction in Australia, historically. In recent years, however, we have see a significant upswing in the number of kids roaming the streets in late October, hoping that someone will give them the lollies and sweets (sorry- I can’t bring myself to call it candy) that their parents restrict for the rest of the year. But I digress.

The original film is now over 30 years old, had a much anticipated sequel full of questioning reviews on IMDB and apparently a third film is entering development. As such, there is certainly a nostalgic drive behind the LEGO Ideas submission made by Belgian Fan Amber Veyt is palpable, and with the appeal held by sets such as the LEGO Haunted House and the perennial recurring Halloween themes minifigures and Iconic sets, I can see that this will probably hold a much broader appeal than just fans of the movie (s?).

 The set is due for release on July 1(VIPs) or July 4 for those who didn’t sign up, and wish to spend their US Independence Day taking on LEGO.com. It has 2316 pieces, 6 minifigures and a Catand will cost $AUD349.99/ $USD229.99/€229.99/£199.99/5199.9 TRY/97990.0 HUF/299.99 CAD.

Want to know more?

Continue reading

42158 NASA Mars Rover Perserverance Revealed

June is just a week away, and we are still seeing new releases being announced. Today, its 42158 – Perserverance, the Mars Rover still wandering around up there on the surface of the red planet, gathering information about the planet, analysing soil and rock samples, while looking for signs that the planet might be able to support life.

When I was a kid, the Viking Probes hit the surface of Mars. Somewhat remarkably, it would turn out, given the technology available at the time. We got some black and white pictures, which were colourised for the cover of National Geographic. the first images ever, taken from the surface of an alien world.

And now NASA are back. At first, there was Curiosity, but now we have Perserverance – roaming the surface for a couple of years, going at its own pace. Today, the LEGO Group have unveiled a Technic set, full of functions, for release on the 1st of June. With 1132 pieces, it will have a retail price of £84.99 / €94.99 / $USD99.99 / 899.0 CNY /1999.9 TRY / 39990.0 HUF / 129.99 CAD/159.99 AUD.

Measuring 32cm long, 23 cm wide, and another 23 cm high, the set is full of functions, allowing kids to come to terms with some of the engineering principles in play with suspension, gear boxes, steering and more.

Continue reading

10323: PAC-MAN Revealed. June 1 release

And the June release announcements continue to roll out! Selecting a highly specific 43rd anniversary to celebrate, this years vintage Video Games Icons set is based on the seminal PAC-MAN. I remember the handheld game being shared around at school, way back in 1982, much to the chagrin of my year 8 maths teacher. By this time, I think it was already established at Arcades and Fish and Chip Shops around Victoria.

The final model measures 12.5 in. (32 cm) high, 10 in. (25 cm) wide and 7 in. (17 cm) deep, and has 2650 pieces. When it is released on June 1 (VIPs), it will cost $269.99 / €269.99 / £229.99/349.99 CAD/399.99 AUD/6299.9 TRY/114990.0 HUF/2299.0 CNY.

Continue reading

Ninjago: Dragons Rising Sets Revealed [June Release]

A couple of weeks ago, the title of the new Ninjago Series: Dragons Rising was revealed. The series will arrive, along with new sets on the first of June in most of the world, although it might take a little longer to arrive elsewhere. – July 1 in Australia for example.

In the series we see the result of the Mergequake – the Realms that have been previously seen on Ninjago, as well as others not seen to date – join together to present a new world, with some familiar aspects. The series will focus on two new characters: Sora and Arin, along with a baby dragon names Riyu.

This will be a great opportunity for the Ninjago-Curious to step into the world, with no knowledge of previous canon necessary to watch the program, although the creative team assured us at a round table meeting a few weeks ago that there will be plenty of tidbits to keep the long time fans of the show happy.

Continue reading

Story First, Sets Later: LEGO DREAMZzz Revealed.

There has been a lot of chatter over the last few months about this latest original LEGO theme. First revealed when the trademark filing was located, there have been little tidbits leaked through the usual sources.
Today, we get the full story… Well, we get the story about the story, at any rate.

LEGO Dreamzzzz is the latest Big Bang Product launch – and unlike other recent exercises such as Hidden Side and Vidiyo, there is no immediate need for an app in sight. The cornerstone of the theme will be a new Animated series, available on Youtube – with 10 episodes Launching on May 15th. There will be a further drop of episodes in August, along with the launch of some of the most interesting sets we have seen for some time. Hopefully, the nature of the series will a new generation of imaginations fired up for creative play.

Continue reading