Review

Technic Cars: Ferrari, Dodge, Ford (review 42234,42235,42236)

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Four LEGO Technic car models labelled as Ferrari, Dodge, and Ford, released in August 2026, with model numbers 42234, 42235, and 42236.

The LEGO Group releases heaps of cars. Especially in recent years, there is a plethora of cars available in LEGO® form, and some Technic fans have been complaining about this. The LEGO Group gifted us a set of three new LEGO Technic cars that will be released on the 1st of August 2026 (and a Batmobile, which also counts as a car… of sorts – that review will be coming soon).

A trio of model cars displayed on a grey background, featuring a white car with blue stripes on the left, a blue and yellow car in the centre, and a red car with white stripes on the right.

If we have a look at some history of Technic sets that can be qualified as ‘car’ or ‘construction vehicle’ we can kind of see why old-fashioned Technic fans may complain. Over the last 10 years, an ever-increasing portion of Technic sets are cars, although we see a little variation from year to year. On the other side, the percentage of ‘construction vehicles’ (excavators, wheel loaders, etc.) has been declining a bit. The trendlines show a clear trend, but if you just look at the bar charts, it’s not entirely convincing.

Bar graph showing the percentage of LEGO Technic construction and car sets from 2016 to 2026, with two trends represented: construction and car sets.

Join me to explore a bit further what is behind these trends, while I will also have a look at these three cars so you can make up your mind if any of them are your idea of fun. Let’s be clear, this is about *your* idea of fun, since these kind of vehicles lost their lustre for me a while ago. The build experience is almost identical for all of them, except for the outside shape, and that shape in Technic just doesn’t quite do it for me.

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11512 LEGO® Botanicals: Hanging Golden Pothos

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LEGO set 11512 Hanging Golden Pothos displayed alongside its packaging, featuring vibrant green leaves and a decorative pot.

The LEGO Botanical Collection continues to grow. The Golden Pothos be released on august the first, and we were fortunate to have the LEGO Group send a copy over ahead of its release. The Golden Pothos, also known as Devils Ivy is a native of French Polynesia and is now found in south east Asia, South Africa and Australia. It is easy to grow in low light, and minimal care, making it a popular houseplant. So, how does a model of a low maintenance houseplant translate into LEGO form?

The set has 372 parts and has a recommended retail price of $99.99AUD / £54.99 /$USD59.99 / 59.99€. Is it worth the investment?

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The Might of 42233 Mighty Machines series 1 (Review)

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An assortment of yellow LEGO® Technic models, including construction vehicles and machinery, with the text asking if one should collect the LEGO® Technic 43322 Mighty Machines.

LEGO® Technic has been dominated a bit by model cars of late (more on this in a review coming soon). In an apparent acknowledgment of the more construction-vehicle-heavy origins of Technic, the LEGO group gifted us an entire box of Mighty Machines: a new series of small Technic sets in the style of collectible minifigs.

Display box of LEGO Technic Mighty Machines sets, featuring various construction vehicles in yellow, designed for ages 7 and up, with game card included.

What’s that I hear you say? Collectable? Small Technic? Yes, indeed, small, collectable and Technic. The series is labelled ‘Series 1’, hinting at another possible future range. Based on my experience with this set I would loudly applaud this! Bigger is not always better, and in this case it seems smaller is much much better.

Folded LEGO Technic instruction manual displaying various construction machine models and assembly steps.

Series one consists of 8 different tiny construction vehicles with play cards retailing for
AU$6.99/£4.49/US$4.99/€4.99. Each vehicle comes in a blind box, so you can either try your luck or scan the QR code at the bottom of the box with an appropriate app (see reference values in the appendix) to find out what is inside. A full box contains 2 of each, for a total of 16.

The top-level summary is: YES! Oh YES! Each of these little builds is delightful and tickles an itch of a bit of building and a neat little mechanism in a bite-sized package. After spending long hours on the assembly of large complicated LEGO sets it is a delight to get so much play in such a simple way.

Join me as I go over each of the little units and take a guess at what the ‘gaming cards’ may signifiy.

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LEGO ICONS 11382 Hubble Space Telescope: Hands on Review

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A detailed image of the LEGO Icons 11382 Hubble Space Telescope model, featuring miniature astronaut figure, solar panels, and accessories. The image includes overlay text for a hands-on review.

One of the challenges of earth-based astronomy is the fact that you are on the Earth. You are at the mercy of clouds, dust, atmospheric pollution, and indeed light itself.

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth Orbit in April 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and is expected to remain there until its orbit decays in the mid 2030’s. Viewing the visible and near-infrared spectra, the Hubble Space Telescope has enhanced our understanding of the universe over the 36 years it has been active.

This week, the LEGO Group has revealed ICONS 11382 The Hubble Space Telescope, a 1252-piece model commemorating the 35th anniversary of the orbital observatory. It will be available on August 1st, 2026, priced at $AUD229/ $USD139.99 / 129.99 € / £119.99. The set includes one minifigure.

The LEGO Group sent a copy of the set over for an Early review. Let’s take a closer look.

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This set is not the koala you’re looking for, but… (31388 Creator 3in1 Family of Koalas review)

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LEGO generously gifted us the LEGO 31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas, and I’ll make it clear right from the top. This is a botanicals set. The name on the box is largely misleading and has derived me of some of the pleasure this box could offer. What’s in a name, eh?

It makes sense that this largest member of ‘Creator 3-in-1 Continents’ representing Australia puts the emphasis on the animals, but it does so in name more than in bricks. Speaking of animals, the continent of Australia (Oceania) is represented by two very iconic characters from Down-Under, the koala and kangaroo and is joined by a less specifically down-under creature, the sea turtle. The sea turtle has risen to fame in Finding Nemo riding the East Australian Current (EAC) so I cannot argue there is a strong association with Australia, but I would have preferred to see an Australian bird like a like a Kookaburra or a Bin-chicken instead. We’ve had several turtles in the past, so why do we need one again?

The answer to this lies not in the turtles. But, as it turns out, in the rocks beneath them. Join me as I try to answer some of the questions that were raised by ‘31388 Wild Animals: Family of Koalas’ with 1536 pieces, retailing for AU$199.99/£99.99/US$129.99/€119.99‘

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LEGO® Technic 42238 Ducati Desmo450 MX Factory (motorcycle) – Review

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LEGO Technic model of a Ducati Desmo450 MX motorcycle, showcasing detailed construction and design.

“I didn’t know Ducati made offroad motorbikes, it’s kinda cute!” said my son, an avid rider, when I showed him the latest Technic Motorcycle 42238 Ducati Desmo450 MX Factory (457 pieces, AU$89.99/£44.99/US$49.99/€49.99). His response is not entirely surprising given that Ducati is most well known for their powerful (and loud) roadbikes. This particular model is a version of Ducati’s first motocross bike (not quite the same as ‘offroad’).

A detailed model of a Ducati motocross bike in red and black, featuring number '222' on its body and a sturdy stand.

This set was provided by LEGO as part of the latest wave of Technic sets and it stands out as only having two wheels. LEGO fairly consistently has some motorcycle in the repertoire but bikes aren’t nearly as common as cars.

Let’s go through this relatively small set quickly and have a look what it offers for Technic lovers of bikes

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21370 LEGO IDEAS: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Building review

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E.T. the Extra Terrestrial has not been seen in LEGO Form since 2016’s LEGO Dinmensions’ minifigure/Funpack. This Ideas submission has been long awaited since it was revealed to be approved in October 2025. Just how well does this set bring us a wrinkly potato of an alien, with a caring expression, and glowing check? The LEGO Group sent a copy of 21370 over for review, ahead of its August 1 release. The set has 1226 pieces and will be priced at $AUD229.99/ $USD139.99 / 129.99€ / £119.99. While this set was sent over by the LEGO Group, all opinions are my own.

There are no minifigures included: any you see in this review are purely coincidental…

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LEGO Creator 31386 Wild Animals Majestic Lion (Africa)

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Cue the Lion King : “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba / Sithi uhhmm ingonyama”, because there is indeed a lion! The mid-sized episode of ‘Contintents : Creator 3-in-1 animals‘ brings us a Lion. A Majestic Lion, apparently, and four of them at that!

I really liked the continent themed sets in this wave of Creator 3-in-1 animals, but this feels like a bit of a cop-out. Let’s do three African animals, like a lion. ‘Oh the secondary build can then be… another lion!’. But wait, ‘as a third build we could include 2 lions!’. Truth be told, it’s on the box, you get lions, and if you buy a set of three you can make a whole family. But does this set actually provide the same value as other 3-in-1 builds, or are the four lions too similar to keep us entertained?

LEGO gifted us this ‘Creator 31386 Wild Animals Majestic Lion‘ of 839 pieces retailing for AU$109.99,£59.99, $69.99, €64.99 to find out what’s lion about, so why don’t you join us and read on as we explore what this set has to offer.

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LEGO®ICONS 11374 Arcade Pinball Game [Part 1: The review]

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LEGO Icons 11274 Arcade Pinball Game model, showcased in various colours with a space theme, featuring details like flippers and targets, set against a grey background.

Pinball machines can be fun. Full of challenges and, in my hands, just a little bit too unpredictable. The new LEGO ICONS 11374 Arcade Pinball Game sets out to bring us a playable pinball game, full of challenges and loaded with a heartwarming story: can you reunite the new pale blue LEGO Space Explorer with their baby?

Is this a brilliant exercise in construction, or is it an expensive alternative to a tabletop toy? The LEGO Group sent a copy over for early review. Somewhere along the way, something didn’t work the way it should – so I sat down to troubleshoot it. I may have been distracted while putting this review together, by wondering how to incorporate Smart Play. I will look at this in a future post.

Pick up a coffee and come on a journey. Let’s look at the set and put it together.

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LEGO® Creator 3in1 31387 Iconic Pirate Ship

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LEGO Creator 3in1 31387 Iconic Pirate Ship model displayed, featuring detailed ship design, sails, and pirate minifigures.

Pirates have been a core theme for LEGO® play since their debut in 1989. Like the other classic playthemes such as Space and Castle, Pirate themed sets have been dominated by licensed properties such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Piece in recent years . Despite this increased commercialization on the store shelf, classic themes remain core zones in the LEGOLAND THEME PARKS- and core memories for many people of a certain age.

This is where Creator 3in1 steps in, bringing multi-build models that serve to fill the gaps that are no longer truly represented by in-house themes, not only covering the hero build of the theme, but often include alternate builds that also fit ‘in world.’

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set featuring an iconic pirate ship, box design showcasing ship with pirate figures and squid, recommended for ages 9 and above, contains 1074 pieces.
LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Ship set, featuring a pirate ship, a treasure island, and two smaller pirate boats with minifigures, an octopus, and various accessories.

Creator 31387 Iconic Pirate Ship fits into the Creator lineup just where the 2020s 31109 Pirate ship sat, until it retired at the end of last year. The new version has fewer pieces, but boasts an additional minifigure (bringing a total of 5). It also seems to involve fewer red elements in its makeup. It retails for $AUD149.99 £89.99 $USD109.99 €99.99, a decidedly more palatable price bracket than the previous model (AUD189.99/ £114.99/ USD119.99). The set includes a pair of skiffs and a hideout as its alternative builds. Has this been a marvellous exercise in cost reduction or have they left something out? Is it as iconic as its title claims?

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