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.
It was 1982, and the final episode of NPR adaptation of Star Wars (A New Hope – not that the label was familiar to us yet) had just been broadcast on ABC FM on Sunday morning. “Next Week – The Lord of the Rings episode 1″…of 26. This BBC production was my introduction to Lord of the Rings. Over the next 6 months, 12-year-old me followed the adventures of Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring, as they covered the diverse geography of Middle earth. I opened the books and began to explore the extended world.
With time, Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations became a regular Wedding Anniversary date for Ann and myself. Then, in 2010, I finally came out of my Dark Ages and accepted that I was allowed to buy LEGO® sets for myself. Fast forward to 2011 and after presenting Bag End, assailed by dwarfs at Brickvention 2011, I put together a model, loosely based on Rivendell, at the time of the Council of Elrond.
Rivendell: A MOC by the author – on display at Brickvention, Melbourne Australia 2012.
Using non-licensed minifigures, and drilling a hole through the middle of a pearl gold 1×1 round brick/stud to use as a ring, many kids who saw the layout identified most of the figures in the fellowship correctly. Except for 2. But they were so consistent that I suspect I must have been wrong in identifying Merry and Pippin.
And then, in 2012, we saw our first wave of Lord of the Rings sets – with the Fellowship of the Ring carefully spread across no fewer than four sets! A second wave followed in 2013, before leading into the sets licenced from the Hobbit. In this second wave was the set ‘Council of Elrond.’ With 4 Minifigures and 243 elements this was a somewhat lacklustre representation of the iconic scene from the story (be it book, radio drama or movie).
And now, after 10 years Lord of the Rings is back.
With 6167 Pieces and 15 minifigures (plus some statues of Elven Heroes from days gone by.) this is a beautiful set, providing exquisite architectural details, as well as rolling landscape and new minifigures throughout.
It is December, and with the new year only a couple of weeks away, it is time to officially reveal the LEGO Icons (the theme formerly known as Creator Expert) Modular Building for 2023. I was fortunate to get a sneak peek at the new set. Along with my Extra Pieces Podcast Collaborator, Jay From Jay’s Brick Blog, we had the chance to sit down and be guided through the new set by LEGO Icons Design Manager, Andy Grubb.
The set will be released on January 1 and has 2899 pieces, along with 8 minifigures. It will be available from LEGO Branded Stores, and LEGO.com, priced at $/€229.99/£ 199.99/ 349.99 AUD/ 299.99 CAD.
Featuring a decorative interior and exterior, the set can be built in five pieces and includes a Jazz Club, a Pizzeria, a Managerial office, a Tailor’s workshop, a Dressing Room and a Rooftop Green House on the lower roof.
In addition, the set comes with eight minifigures including a Jazz Singer, Bassist, Drummer, Pizza Chef, Pizza Delivery Driver, Club Manager, Tailor, and a Magician.
The latest in the World Landmarks collectionhas been officially unveilled today. for release on Novemeber 25,2022, 10307 Eiffel Tower continues with the recently established Black Friday Tradition of ‘Biggest set, in some way’ – started with the 10276 Colosseum (9036 pieces) and continued with 10294 Titanic (9090 pieces – longest ever) .
We can argue about the semantics if you wish. With 10001 pieces this might be the set with the second highest part count ever but I think we can argue that it is the biggest model released as a set using a number of metrics: I dont know that I would call the 31203 World Map a model… wall display/art sure, but not a model.
At a almost1.5m tall, there is no doubt that this is an impressive model. This is the third dedicated build (after 10181 – 2007; and 21019 in 2014) for the Eiffel Tower, but it has appeared as part of a magnet, as well as an Architecture Skyline, and Creator Postcard.
We have been counting down to the 90th anniversary of the LEGO Group, which is now ( at the time of writing) only one more sleep away! We have travelled from the time that the company made wooden yo-yos and pull-along animals, and seen it pivot towards plastics and develop the brick. We have seen the Minifigure arrive and storytelling enter the fore. We have seen the company come back from the brink of financial collapse, to stabilise and start to grow.
As we travel through the 2010s, we get some new friends; storytelling becomes more animated, sustainability enters the agenda; and adult fans are asked for their ideas and become part of the acknowledged target demographic.
I find it hard to believe that it was just over 4 years ago that we first saw the 10261 Roller Coaster. It offered a slow climb to a sudden descent, in the best tradition of the classical roller coasters of my youth. Now as time has progressed, so too has engineering: people now seek ultimate thrills: sudden drops, loops and in some cases, cork screws. Now, my body’s ability to tolerate such behaviour diminished significantly a few years ago. Fortunately, the ongoing development of the LEGO ICONS (The range formerly known as Creator Expert) Fairground Collection has now brought us an ultimate thrill seeker: a track with a vertical drop and two loops. I watched the video twice and felt slightly nauseous…
But seriously, dynamic models with figures and movement are great attention getters – either in the living room, or at a public display, and I suspect people are going to sit and watch this one for hours. Featuring 11 minifigures, 3756 pieces and priced at 399.99 EUR/ 599.99 AUD/ 344.99 GBP/ 399.99 USD/ 499.99 CAD this set goes on sale July 1.
A couple of years ago, something weird began to happen with the branding of sets previously known as Creator Expert: bright boxes were gone, black was in, the complex arrangement of Erling Bricks and Creator Expert label was gone, and we saw the arrival of the Fairground Collection. The branding of these sets has been somewhat complicated – how do we refer to these sets? LEGO For Adults? Adults Welcome? The theme formerly known as LEGO Creator Expert. In the meantime, they have all had their names prefixed with LEGO®-rest of the set name. At the same time, in the LEGO online store, Creator Expert has remained as a heading, but to make things more complicated, not all sets under that heading are, strictly speaking, Creator Expert Style sets, with some small sets also on this page: They are certainly Creator type sets, but not 3in1, and not Expert. The (small red)Vespa and High-Speed Train spring to mind.
