Lego

Add Life to LEGO City with Creator 3in1: 31131 Downtown Noodle Shop [Rambling Review]

ramblingbrick creator, Lego, reviews , , , ,

Earlier in the year, I spent some time looking at LEGO City, and how things were different to the LEGO Town of old. In part, that is because there are fewer buildings that are not garages, police stations, fire stations, or crime scenes, compared to the olden days. Houses, cafes and other businesses: LEGO Friends has had them for years, and we have started to see a shift in the nature of LEGO City in 2022: a new school and a green grocers are amongst this year’s new additions. But, of course, for the better part of a decade or more, additional houses and businesses have been appearing in the Creator 3in1 range, giving us lots of additional buildings to flesh out our town. I was therefore excited when the possibility to review some of this year’s creator 3in1 sets came my way. Recently, we looked at the Viking Ship and Midgard Serpent. Today, I would like to present 31131 Noodle Shop. This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group, but all opinions are my own. These sets will be release in Australia and Europe on June 1st, and August 1st in North America. The set has 569 pieces and will retail for 69.99AUD/44.99 USD/44.99€/£39.99

The noodle shop draws in a number of colours that have been in short supply, except in expensive sets – light nougat and olive green, and demonstrates a variety of building techniques and ornamentation – perfect for developing your MOC skills, while adding any nature of businesses to your town. As well as a noodle shop and apartment, there is a games arcade and also a cafe/apartment/bicycle repair workshop.

Continue reading →

The Vikings Are Back: 31132 Viking Ship and Midgard Serpent [Rambling Review]

ramblingbrick Castle, creator, Lego, reviews , , ,

In recent years, Creator 3in1 seems to be used to revive a classic theme where there are no current plans to revive it: We can look to the 31109 Pirate Ship from 2020, or last year’s 31120 Medieval Castle as examples of this. In 2022, we can look forward to 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent. I have been fortunate to have received a copy of this set from the LEGO Group to present to you today.

Continue reading →

Roll Out: It’s LEGO® Optimus Prime Time!

ramblingbrick 18+, Lego , , , ,

Think about leading toy companies in the world, and several names came to mind: Of course there is the LEGO Group, then Mattel, Hasbro and after this, we are moving away from established licenced brands, and moving on to less significant players in the game.

When rumors of Optimus Prime surfaced back in January 2022, people were quick to shut it down, with a combination of ‘I really want this!’ and ‘But it’s a Hasbro Brand…they will never collaborate with the LEGO Group.’ 

Transformers sprang to prominence back in the 1980’s as a Saturday Morning Cartoon determined to sell toys: and what toys – everyday vehicles would transform into giant robots – as the Autobots took on the Decepticons in new adventures every week. And it is the first generation version of Optimus Prime – Leader of the Autobots – that is being announced today, for release in June 2022 – Set 10302 has 1508 elements, and will be priced at $AUD 259.99 or 169,99 USD/EUR. It will be a LEGO Branded exclusive initially, with a wider distribution later in the year – probably in time for Fathers’ Day in Australia!

Read on for more images, and the official press release.

Continue reading →

The Muppets – 71033 Collectable Minifigures: Rambling Review

ramblingbrick Collectable Minifigures, Collectible Minifigures, Lego, reviews , , , , , , , , , , ,

Across generations, the Muppets have maintained their popularity for over 40 years. Be it in the original The Muppet Show (1976 -1981) or The Muppets (2015) or any of the multitude of movies in between, these characters created by Jim Henson have a place in the hearts of people, transcending generations. And so, when the news arrived that the Muppets were going to get their own collection of Collectable Minifigures, the world seemed to become just a little bit more excitable.

Like recent CMF series, this series contains 12 of the series most endearing characters, although there are a couple of notable ommissions. Does this leave scope for a future series, or other projects? We can speculate on that I am grateful that the LEGO Group sent a box of these figures for review – there are some long anticipated characters, and we have been excited to see how they would translate to minifigure form.

The figures will be officially released on May the 1st, although they have already started to show up in some parts of the world.

Continue reading →

75341 LEGO® Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder Revealed

ramblingbrick 18+, Lego, LEGO Star Wars, News , , , , , ,

As May the Fourth Approaches at what feels llike an ever glacial pace, it is time to see the official release images of the latest Ultimate Collector Series set: Set 75341 has 1890 pieces, comes with a Luke Skywalker minifigure, as well as a new exclusive C-3PO figure and will be priced at $319 AUD/$269.99 CAD/£174.99 GB/€199.99 EU/$199.99 US. It will be available exclusively from LEGO Stores.

Luke Skywalker, like any young adult around our world, values the freedoms that he has, despite the pressures from his Uncle Owen, and his X-34 Landspeeder is the key to those freedoms. While it allows him to go out to service the vaporators around the Lars’ moisture farm, it also gives Luke the chance to head over to Anchorhead, and catch up with his friends at Toschi’s Station.

This model is remarkably large, measuring 50cm longx 30 cm wide and 17cm high – significantly larger than any of the existing 6- 8 stud wide versions released over the years.

Continue reading →

76956 T. Rex Breakout [Hands On Review]

ramblingbrick 18+, Jurassic World, Lego, reviews , , , , , , ,

It’s the mid 90’s, Ann (Knoller-in-Chief and fundamental emotional support for The Rambling Brick) and I are visiting some friends: she is a former work colleague of Ann’s. He is an audiophile, and has just bought a brand new CD Player, sound processor and a sub-woofer. We are listening to a demonstration CD including a collection of recordings, including amongst other things, the 1812 Overture – one of the gold standards up to this time for testing the bass response of your Hi-Fi system. Included on the CD is an audio extract from Jurassic Park – from around the 1 hour, 2 minutes and 10 second mark. The sound of running water – the rain – and a low frequency boom. Another. And Another. The glass of wine on the table starts to vibrate, and I am taken back to that night in the cinema a few years earlier. Lightning flashes, thunder sounds, and the Dinosaur roars before the track ends and the sound shifts onto the Blue Danube. At least I think it was the Blue Danube. It was a while ago and I was having a delightful evening.

But that scene: drama and danger, screaming and the shouting preceded by a low ground vibration remains one of the iconic scenes of the film. The T.Rex breaks through the no-longer-electrified fences, scaring the kids, eating the insurance company’s lawyer and knocking the car hither and tho. This new set, available in late April/early May, 2022 (pre order now on LEGO.com in some markets), has 4 minifigures and 1212 pieces. I am grateful to the LEGO Group’s AFOL Engagement team for sending me a copy for early review.

Continue reading →

New LEGO X IKEA Collaboration Announced. This Time, AFOLs Are The Focus [April Fools]

ramblingbrick News , , , , ,

**apologies to everyone who thought this was real. As much as I’d like it, it was part of a hoax perpetrated for April Fools’ day, 2022.

Thanks for reading!

When the collaboration between the LEGO Group and IKEA was first announced several years ago, LEGO Fans around the world were initially excited. However, when it became apparent that the Bygglek boxes were limited in use for kids to clean their bricks off the living room table in time for dinner, AFOLs were left somewhat despondent.

Today, the next chapter in this great Scandinavian Corporate Lifestyle Collaboration is written. Not only have we received news of a new product, we have also been treated to a glimpse at the release roadmap going forward over the next few years. A new desk optimised for building LEGO sets promises to revolutionise the AFOL LEGO Building experience, providing solutions for all but the most common problems that AFOLs experience in their daily builds.

Continue reading →

Classic themes: Defining Classic Space

ramblingbrick Classic Space, Classic themes, Lego, space , , , , , ,

The recent arrival of the 2022 LEGO City Space sets has left some people myself included, wondering if the spirit of Classic Space has returned, while others remained unsatisfied, stating reasons of not enough blue and grey, an absence of transparent yellow, or that the blue in the windscreens was just not dark enough. But what does Classic Space actually mean?

Virtually everyone will agree that the period began in 1978, with the release of the first LEGO Space sets to feature minifigures. But when does it end? And what is it that makes those sets ‘Classic Space?’

Continue reading →

71402 LEGO® Super Mario Buildable Characters: Series 4. Biomes, Coins and Mysteries.

ramblingbrick Lego, reviews, Super Mario , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here in Melbourne, it’s March the 10th, Mar10 Day, and to celebrate, we have a new review. This time it is 71402, Series 4 of the Buildable Characters. This set was released at the start of the year but has only just started to become available in Australia. I was fortunate to be sent a box of 18 figures by the LEGO Group for review.

Continue reading →

40530 Jane Goodall Tribute – Gift With Purchase [Hands-On Review]

ramblingbrick Gift with purchase, Lego , , , ,

March is Women’s History Month, and this year the LEGO Group pay tribute to Jane Goodall, the ethologist who spent decades studying primate interations in Tanzania. The set, a small vignette depicting Jane Goodall in the jungle with a 3 chimpanzees, is the Gift with Purchase from LEGO.com from March 3rd to 15,2022. You will need to spend $120USD; €120 euro or £120. I am unsure of the price in other markets at this time. [UPDATE FOR AUSTRALIANS: I have heard from LEGO Australia that stock will not be available until after the 8th of March, so we can expect the promotion to runn a little later in the month. The set will be available across the Certified stores, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and LEGO.com] I am grateful to the AFOL Engagement team at the LEGO Group for sending me a pre-release copy for review. All opinions are my own.

This is the second set honoring women’s History month, the previous being Amelia Earheart, the pioneering aviatrix, released last year. Join me as we take a look at the life of this remarkable woman, as well as this Tribute set.

Continue reading →