We first took a look at Lightbrick Studio’s Builder’s Journey back in 2021, and while that game has been updated a couple of times, the announcement of their latest game, LEGO Voyagers, back in June that really piqued my interest. We bought a copy of the game from the Nintendo online store, and sat down with our regular games correspondent, Harry, as we played the game through over the course of a few nights. Read on, below the break, to read his review…
Continue reading
When you are on a good thing, stick to it.
When 10328 Bouquet of Roses was released in January 2024, I suspect the LEGO Group knew they had a hit. The set periodically sells out, and compared to actual red roses, it offers pretty good value. Naturally, I was a little intrigued when I saw an updated ‘bouquet of pink roses’ looming on the horizon. This set has an almost identical part count – and what appears to be a couple of subtle differences.
The set has 789 pieces and will be released on October 1st 2025, selling for $AUD99.99/ $USD59.99 /59.99€ / £54.99. This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading
Growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s meant that sitcoms from the 1960s were standard after school fare in Australia, and among these was the Addams Family. Occasionally it would alternate with the 1973 Cartoon, and eventually the inevitable slew of reunion specials that littered the prime time of the off seasons of the early 1980s television. There was something about the on screen chemistry between John Astin and Caroline Jones, to say nothing of her deadpan delivery of concepts that would shatter the sensibilities of a dormitory suburbia.
Or perhaps it is just nostalgia calling.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the remakes, reboots, new Addams Family, New Addams Family Reunion Special or the New – new Addams Family (1998) or any of the movies. They just didn’t seem necessary. The stories were perfect in scary Black and White: the arrival of colour didn’t seem to add anything other than the need for a greater special effects budget.
Suffice to say, I was intrigued when I saw Netflix launching a series following the life of Wednesday Addams as she heads off to a boarding school for ‘Outcasts’ – Nevermore Academy, where Gomez and Morticia originally met. It’s the Addams Family meets Tom Brown’s School Days in the American backwoods. Wednesday’s characterization as a cynical teenager with a morbid curiousity, forced to make friends she has no interest in, and accompanied by the disembodied hand and household helper, Thing, the first season worked for me. Meanwhile, the underlying mystery of the second series felt a little disjointed, as B and C plots Lurched backwards and forwards through the story. Still, All’s well that ends.
Among other things, Wednesday’s second season also brings us a little of Thing’s life beyond that of faithful retainer to the Addams Family. It is in this context that Wednesday’s roommate, Enid Sinclair, and her friends welcome Thing to their friendship group, and present him with an apartment in an old trunk. Certainly a glow up from the small box he lived in back in the 60s. It is this ’apartment’ that set 76785 Thing’s Apartment is seeking to replicate.
With 828 pieces and priced at $AUD129.99/€79.99/$USD89.99/ £74.99, this set will be released in October 2025, just in time to prepare for Halloween.
This set was provided by the LEGO Group for Review purposes, but all opinions are my own.
Continue reading
Do you know the feeling of having too much cake with icing and a soft drink? Perhaps you’ve seen the effect such a combination at a children’s party? That is the feeling I got from this set.
The highlight of this set would obviously be the unicorn. As it turns out, this singular unicorn shares its habitat with two pegasi! Although, is this really a habitat? Or something else? I felt confused when building this set, and perhaps that is a good thing.
The ‘due-to-license-issues-officially-not-my-little-pony‘ set, 31175 Unicorn Castle is retailing for AU$59.99/£34.99/$44.99/€39.99 and contains 390 parts and three tiny horse-adjacent creatures. The creatures are probably the main selling point, but there’s quite a bit more in the box; perhaps a bit too much. Read on to see what this set has to offer, and find out if this is for you.
Continue reading
It has been a little while since calling someone by phone actually involved ‘dialling’ their number. This term is still sometimes used, although I suspect the majority of humans in Australia have not had the experience of turning a rotary dial on a phone to make a call since the late 1980’s
The LEGO Group provides us with a neat reminder of what phone calls used to look like with the new Creator 3in1 set 31174 Retro Telephone retailing for AU$39.99/£24.99/$29.99/€29.99 containing 383 parts, so you can have a bit of an idea of how it felt. Or flash back to years gone past…
Although this is a 3-in-1 set, the rotary dial phone is the clear hero of this set. Look no further for improvement in the alternative builds; the other designs feel like an afterthought in comparison. The rotary phone has a nifty design for the dial, and the cable between the handset and the base is worth the price of admission alone! Check out the video to see how the cable seems to defy the rules of the LEGO® system and appear fully flexible.
Read on to see what other phones are on offer and why explore the delight that the rotary phone has to offer.
Continue reading
We continue our look at the September Nike releases today with a look at 43010 Nike Slam Dunk. When I first saw pictures of this set, I felt it was setting out to imitate the posters of the 80s and 90s, with creative photography photography capturing the action from around the court, the crowd looking on, with the Nike Sports Star front and centre. Does it succeed in this? Lets take a closer look.
Continue reading
I have to admit, 6 months ago, I had no idea what to expect from the LEGO-NIKE collaboration. It could have been all about producing replica life-size sneaker models, as well as LEGO-branded sneakers and other apparel, as we saw with Adidas a few years ago. However, we are also seeing some sets going in directions that we might not have expected. Branko took a look at the 43008 NIKE Dunk x LEGO set a little while ago, and today I will take a look at one of its younger brothers, the 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot. These sets are all aimed at builders over 10 years, and this set brings an interesting mixture of replica shoe, basketball court, graffiti and minigame. Along the way, I explore my inner street artist…
Let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading
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)
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.]
Continue reading