creator expert

10279 Volkswagen T2 Campervan Coming in August [Announcement]

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The Volkswagen Kombi is an icon of 20th century automobile design. The LEGO® Version of the T1 Microbus was on the shelves at LEGO.com from 2011 to December 2020, one of the longest running sets on the market in recent years. Of course, the T1 was not the only van produced by Volkswagen. The T2 was introduced in 1967, and featured a single (non split) windshield. And today, The LEGO Group announce the arrival of this version on the shelves in August 2021.

With striking medium azure body work, as well as a slideing side door, this icon of 60s counterculture also features a popup roof as well as a built in kitchenette and a collection fo stickers designed to turn it into a classic Hippy transport vehicle!

10279:LEGO® VOLKSWAGEN T2 CAMPER VAN has 2202 pieces and measures 15cm high, 14 cm wide and 35 centimeters long. It will be priced at 159.99 EUR / 179.99 USD / 149.99 GBP / 269.99 AUD / 249.99 CAD, and available from August 1 2021.

Here’s the press release:

The LEGO® Group has added yet another cult vehicle to its portfolio of cars, with the reveal of the latest version of the ubiquitous LEGO Volkswagen T2 Camper Van, complete with pop-top roof with tent and ready for summer road trip adventures.

The new LEGO Volkswagen T2 Camper Van is based on its namesake of the late 1960s and 1970s and succeeds the much-loved previous LEGO Creator Expert Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, adding many new features in the process. The new set is larger than before and distinguished by a new paint colour, a sliding door, as well as the trademark T2 wraparound Baywindow front windscreen and a new yet instantly recognisable ‘face.’

Under the hood, the set also features working steering. The LEGO Volkswagen T2 Camper Van’s detailed camping interior is also fully equipped for the open road, with opening cabinets, fridge, sink and a gas stove with a teapot. Days at the beach are suitably catered for, as the set comes with a set of folding chairs and of course a surfboard, while a folding rear bench seat provides a comfortable place to stay under starry skies.

Volkswagen Campers are of course synonymous with customisation, and the LEGO Volkswagen T2 Camper Van set is fully prepared for personalisation, with a sticker set including retro decals and a choice of German or US number plates.

LEGO Designer Sven Franic commented: “The Volkswagen Camper is a rare breed of vehicle that commands affection like few others, and we know the LEGO version will bring a lot of fun to people who’ve been lucky enough to have or go camping in one, or always wanted one.

“Though the Volkswagen Camper is no stranger to our LEGO cars collection, this latest iteration brings even more delights for LEGO builders. The meticulously kitted out interior is sure to charm seasoned campers and adventurers alike, while the eye-catching exterior with pop-up roof is a feat of engineering just like the original.”

The T1 10220 was a long lived part of LEGO Catalog, despite the immediate challenges of trying to achieve the form of the microbus within the confines of the LEGO Brick. With lots of curves, both horizontally and vertically, the form can be difficulat to achieve, and the challenge persists with this new version.

Aspects of the model appear a little too square to me, while others, such as the inward sloping around the middle of the body feels too curved. That said, sometimes, the first appearance doesn’t matter and its the reconition of the idea that results in sets being moved off the shelves by happy shoppers.

The set,10279, goes on sale August 1 2021, and will cost 159.99 EUR / 179.99 USD / 149.99 GBP / 269.99 AUD / 249.99 CAD.

what do you think of this new version of a classic Volkswagen Camper?

why not leave your thoughts below and until next time,

Play Well!

The LEGO® Group Launches 2354 Piece Space Shuttle Discovery, and Hubble Space Telescope [10283 announcement].

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Thirty nine years and forty nine weeks ago, a little bit after tea time, we witnessed the launch of the first Space Shuttle, Columbia. The era of ‘shirt sleeve space flight’ and reusable orbiters had begun. Ten years and 10 days later, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery. Finally, on April 12 2011, thirty years after the launch of Columbia, the Shuttle Atlantis flew the final Mission.

The program caught the imagination of 12 year old me, culminating in many doodles, dreams, and the occaisional MOC. If only I could find the picture.

So, this month, we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first Shuttle launch; the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope deployment; and the 10th anniversary of the final flight of Atlantis.

And the LEGO Group have released a huge new version of the Space Shuttle Discovery – over 55 cm long, it comes with moving rudder and elevons; opening pod bay doors and carries the Hubble space telescope. With 2354 pieces, it is quite a step up on the 7470 from 2003.

And there have been dozens of versions of the shuttle from across the years, and you might also consider that the early LEGOLAND® Spacecraft in the late 70’swere also inspired by it: The Shuttle program was already in the public consciousness, with atmospheric tests occurring with the Shuttle Enterprise for 4 years before the first lauch of Columbia in 1981.

Here are a few examples that have appeared in town, Technic, and indeed the Creator Expert line. I have chosen to ignore the ‘Bat Space Shuttle’ from 2016.

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LEGO® CAR FAMILY ADDS A NEW VERSION OF A LEGEND: TWO-IN-ONE LEGO PORSCHE 911 TURBO AND 911 TARGA SET REVEALED

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The Creator Expert, and now 18+ sets featuring various iconic motor cars have been popular for a few years now, and this year the LEGO Group are taking a trip back in time to the late 1970s- early 80s with announcement of 10295: LEGO® Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Targa – Two builds in one (but only one at a time…).

  • Based on a Porsche print ad from Fallon McElligott advertising agency

As a child of that era, this was the car to aspire to, as a sign of success. Many of my peers were found with magazines containing pictures of this car, under the bed…

Due for release in March 1 (February 16th for VIPs online), this set has 1458 pieces, and gives you the option to build either the 911 Turbo, or the Targa version.

The set will cost $USD149.99/€129.99/119.99 GBP/229.99 AUD/199.99 CAD/1499.99 BRL

The LEGO® Group has wound the clock back to the era of big hair, new wave and punk rock for the launch of the latest LEGO car set, the two-in-one LEGO Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Targa bridges the gap across two decades to unite this pair of iconic sports cars.

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2021 Modular Building: 10278 Police Station Officially Unveiled.

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Modular Buildings are amongst the most popular offerings in the range formerly known as Creator Expert. These were the sets that gave me permission to buy LEGO for myself, over a decade ago. I was fortunate to be able to pick up the Cafe Corner, Green Grocer and Market Street while they were still available in their initial run. And now, like clockwork, AFOLs start to talk about what they are looking for in a Modular Building for the following year. As the first Creator Expert/ and now 18+ set released for the year (Due out on January 1), this is an anticipated announcement.

Today, as part of its Black Friday Showcase stream, the LEGO group announced next year’s modular: 10278 Police Station. with 2923 pieces, the set is scheduled for world wide release on January 1st 2021. It will be priced at 179.99 EU/199.99 US/299.99 AU/269.99 CAD/169.99GBP.

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Bigger than Ben Hur? 10276 LEGO® Colosseum Announced

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Black Friday Sales are approaching. Just in case you had spent the entire year indulging in day 1 purchases, the LEGO Group have today announced that you can have something new on the shopping weekend: The LEGO set with the highest part count ever seen:

10276 LEGO® Colosseum.

  • 499.99 EUR/ 449.99 GBP/ 549.99 USD/ 649.99 CAD/749.99 AUD
  • Aged 18+ 
  • 9,036 pieces
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10275 Elf Club House Review

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It’s coming up to the tail end of the year, and we have just had the official announcement that this year’s ‘Winter Village’ set – the seasonal Creator Expert model – is the Elf Club house. Last year, we had the whimsical Gingerbread House, and this year, we continue our journey into the fanciful with our journey to the Elf Club House. A place for Santa’s helper’s to go and hang out when not busy in Sant’s workshop.

I was fortunate to be sent a copy of the set to review, and I’d like to share my impressions with you. I will occasionally drift towards the way that the experience is different to previous Winter Village sets, but I will cover that in greater depth in a few weeks time.

The box adopts the increasingly familiar 18+ design style: along the bottom inch of the box, we have the strip of elements in relief – this time in white – declaring the set number, 1197 elements and a recommended age of 18+.

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Add the 10275 Elf Club House to Your Winter Village Collection

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Is it just me, or does the Christmas holiday season feel like it is starting earlier and earlier every year? Or do we just want 2020 to be over, already?

In the tradition of Santa’s Workshop, and the Gingerbread House, the LEGO Group today unveiled the 2020 Winter Village Collection set: Elf Club House. This set has 1197 pieces, four mini figures (with 6 faces), a reindeer, and is priced at $AUD149.99/USD99.99/ €94.99 /£84.99. It goes on sale 23rd September, at LEGO Branded retailers to VIPs, and October 1 to non VIP Shoppers..

This year’s set was designed by Chris McVeigh, who came to the LEGO Group in 2019, after many years as a prominent AFOL designer.

Read on for the press release, and more images.

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In Search of La Dolce Vita, with Pasta, Wine and Some Very Bad Photoshop [Review: Nuova FIAT 500]

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In which a global pandemic interferes with the Italian holiday plans of my wife and I. So we take a virtual trip, with the aid of a LEGO® Creator Expert Fiat 500 and some very bad Photoshopping.

In a COVID-19 free parallel Universe, my wife and I are currently flying from Rome to Singapore. We have been away for two weeks, arriving in Milan, visiting Cinque Terre, and Venice along the way. Probably catching up with some friends in the Italian AFOL Community as well. After a few days in Rome, we are on our way home, well rested: our first holiday away together for 4 years or so.

Of course, we do not live in that universe. But we were planning to be in Italy this month: Ann and I booked our tickets last November, back when our world was a vastly different place.

Subsequently, the world has been dramatically changed by the effects of the coronavirus. COVID 19 was just starting to reach epidemic proportions in northern Italy the week that the Creator Expert 10271 Fiat 500 set was announced. The launch event at the Fiat factory was reduced to a live stream. Since then, much of the world has been in varying degrees of lockdown, and we are starting to come out the other side. So, while we are not able to travel from Australia to Italy, I thought we might take a virtual trip in search of La Dolce Vita – the sweet life – by constructing the Creator Expert 10271 Fiat 500, an icon of Italian design; and some bad photoshop involving our planned destinations. Along the way, I might have a bowl of pasta…

So, pour yourself a short black coffee, find a seat in the sun and read on…

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Building the Theatre of Dreams. Are My Dreams the Same as Yours? [Review Old Trafford 10272; LEGO House 21037]

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Earlier this year, the AFOL Engagement team sent me a copy of Old Trafford for review purposes. This felt pretty great. But I have a problem. I don’t really engage with soccer, or football…or any other team based sporting codes, for that matter. So, when confronted by a set that would have the potential to give a Manchester United Fan goosebumps, I was worried that I might be left cold. How could I possibly hope to recreate the passion of a die hard fan with an epic Creator Expert Set?

Apparently people like football. Or soccer, depending on where you are. Some of these people are LEGO Fans as well. LEGO have taken a punt on the fact that, probably, there are some Football fans out there who would not mind building an iconic stadium out of the plastic bricks they loved as children.

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Celebrating 110 years of Old Trafford – Iconic Stadium gets its own LEGO® set

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For the first time ever, Manchester United fans can now build and showcase a unique and authentic LEGO® model of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

10272 Old Trafford – Manchester United, 3898 Parts,

US $299.99 – CA $349.99 – DE €269.99 – UK £249.99 – FR €269.99 – DK 2199DKK AUD $449.99

Available 16/1 for VIPs at LEGO.com, with general availability from 1st February.

Historically, I have not been much of a sportsball fan. To quote the LEGO Movie “Go, local Sports Team” However, when I was growing up, if I had not been aware of any other English football team, here in Australia, I knew that Manchester United existed. Manchester United’s fans are spread around the world, and are passionate in their love for the club.

This year is the 110th anniversary of the the opening of Manchester United’s home ground, the stadium at Old Trafford. It may have suffered significant damage while being bombed in the Second World War. Most of the stands might have been redesigned and rebuilt several times, but it remains the second largest stadium in Great Britain- second only to Wembley stadium, and certainly the largest stand used for regular home and away matches. (the largest recorded crowd at Old Trafford was 76,962, in March 1939. The current capacity of the ground is 75879, and so will need to be expanded once more if this record is to be broken.

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