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It's the holiday season, so pour a glass of eggnog and get your ginger snaps close at hand. Actually, are ginger snaps a holiday thing? I have no idea. Maybe I should just talk about the set. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 10245 Name: Santa's Workshop Theme: Creator (Winter Village) Parts: 883 Price: $69.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $69.99 the price per piece works out to just under $.08 each. This is much better than the licensed sets that I am used to dealing with. There are 6 minifigures. Without a lot of experience with creator or city sets, I feel like most of the body parts are reused. In addition to all of the minifigures there …

Probably I'm not the only one surprised by the early retirement of several quite recent Star Wars sets. I decided to make an overview of all non-polybag Star Wars sets in Europe and in the United States. The list below is the result. It is divided in subs '2013', '2014', 'January 2015', 'during 2015'. At least in the Netherlands you can find toy stores that still have some of these retired and Shop-at-home-sold-out sets, some even from 2013. Hopefully you will find this list useful in your shopping efforts. Collecting and investing conclusions: below list. This list was last updated 25 March 2016. Updates can be seen under the list. 2013 Number …

The Proposal Looking at one and done themes, both in terms of one wave and an availability of one year (and change), can an investor learn anything? Short answer: maybe. Long answer: maaaaaaybe. I'd like to spend a little time talking about the Castle theme. Availability from brickset.com lists May 28th, 2013 to December 22nd, 2014. Yes, I know this might be stretching the aforementioned 'one and change' but actual production was likely much closer to one year with the later EOL date the result of stock being depleted after the final production run. Let's get started... The Forums The Castle 2013 thread was essentially a discussion of why the 2013 was infer…

A long time ago in an investing world far, far away from 2016, a Lego Friends kit set the world afire. This is the story, as told by me, with mostly conjecture and wild assumptions. I've linked the data I perused. CamelCamelCamel Buy me now: Amazon The Boom The forums were surprisingly quiet in the official 41015 thread, but I do recall most of the chatter in the Daily Deals thread and the What Set Did You Sell Today thread. Camelcamelcamel.com shows the Christmas of 2013 as a sharp, powerful thrust upwards, peaking at $139.99. For a set that debuted less than four months prior to that spike, it represented a dream scenario for …

I picked up this set and put it down in the store so many times, I just can't recall. Nothing about it made me want to build it or own it. Clash of the Heroes was not speaking to me. One day I thought of something that amused me. I decided that if I was going to do it, instead of describing the building process, I would tell a story and put the pictures in reverse order to tell it. You'll still see the build in steps, but I'm not going to give my thoughts about each little chunk. I'll give you my reaction at the end of the review like I normally do. For now, I ask your indulgence as I play with my LEGO a little bit. To differentiate this from the more serious reviews…

To differentiate this from the more serious reviews this (and any others like it) will have an "OUTSIDE THE BOX" title. It seems like not many people really like this set. Reviewers are down on it, prices are down, heck, I didn't even want it for myself. I found one at a price that was too good to pass up, so I thought, why not? Since it's a set that I wasn't super excited about to begin with,I thought that the Rhino and Sandman Super Villain Team-up was perfect for an outside the box review. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 76037 Name: Rhino and Sandman Super Villain Team-up Theme: Marvel Super Heroes Parts: 386 Price: $39.99 BOX CONTENTS Some people …

Toys"R"Us will have their latest in-store Lego building on Saturday August 27. Like similar past events, it begins at 12PM and it's suggested to arrive early with the kids. Personally, it looks this build should be fun for Lego fans of all ages. For more info inlcluding store locations, please visit the link below. http://www.toysrus.com/shop/?categoryId=4311963 TRU's fine print : *Event intended for ages 6-up. Parental supervision required at all times for minors. All giveaways and event materials available while supplies last and distributed to participants only. Limit one per customer. Quantities limited; no rain checks." View full blog arti…

The press release stated:

Good news fellow Lego fans. We are getting a Finn Stormtrooper polybag (30605-1). That means no more switching minifigure heads to reenact Finn and Poe being best buddies while escaping the Star Destroyer. Details will emerge about soon enough about how to acquire it. Most likely a Lego or Toys R Us promotion. It could be a Lego promo for the May the 4th weekend. I do expect this minifigure to have demand especially if the sand stains print remains exclusive. Source : http://brickset.com/sets/30605-1/Finn-(FN-2187) View full blog article

For me, one of the LEGO sets that I most want in my collection, but am least likely to get is the 10123 Cloud City. In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, a lot of the action takes place in Bespin's Cloud City. Strangely LEGO has been reticent to release sets that correspond to this location. (Maybe we'll talk about the similar lack of Dagobah sets sometime later.) When LEGO announced the Carbon Freezing Chamber 75137, many thought that it would replace this set. In the minds and hearts of many, 75137 is just a pale comparison to a small part of 10123 Cloud City. LEGO Star Wars fans groaned, and owners of the original rejoiced. Cloud City is 698 pieces and …

Welcome to Week 4 of the Top 10 Best Selling LEGO sets as listed by LEGO S@H. How does this Blog work? While the LEGO Shop at Home best sellers list is updated weekly, we will be updating it every Wednesday. The list includes only sets. Minifigures, keychains, Pick a Brick and other products are excluded. If not enough sets are listed on the S@H Best Sellers page, the weekly entry could be shorter than 10 sets. I will comment only on those sets that are new to the list, or that for whatever reason may stand out on a particular week. For example, if a set has been on the list for 10 weeks in a row, then it may warrant a commen…

There were two interesting user comments in-response to CapnRex101's August 27th article, "What's Missing? Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" on brickset.com. These comments were made by a LEGO set designer, Hans Burkhard Schlömer (aka BrickCommander). His posted comments are.... Essentially Hans Burkhard Schlömer said the initial wave Rogue One sets such as his designed, Krennic's Imperial Shuttle, will be retiring this year. Then his next comment suggested the 75105 - Millennium Falcon will be replaced by the 75190 - First Order Star Destroyer as LEGO's next "BIG" non-UCS set. Here is the list of Rogue One Wave 1 sets. 75152-1 Imper…

Many Bothans died to bring us this set breakdown. Well, not really, but something like that had to be said. Actually, many people tend to confuse which Death Star the Bothans died to bring information about, and this is canonically the right one. The Ultimate Collector Series Death Star II is a pretty good representation of the object from the movie. I mean, as far as unfinished balls are concerned it really hits on all cylinders. OK, I kid, I kid. I really do like how they designed the final look, Released in 2005, the UCS Death Star II sold for $298.99. The set contained 3441 pieces. As of July 2016, used copies were selling for about $893 and u…

As much as I enjoy LEGO's super hero offerings, sometimes they put out characters that I just don't really care about. It's not that I don't like Doctor Strange, I just really never cared about him at all. When I first saw this set, I was struck with how interesting it looked. It's kind of like the Big Bang Theory set, but more interesting. You know, because of a giant Cthulu monster popping out of the wall. This set is exclusive to Target and to LEGO Shop at home, or LEGOLAND shops. This is the only set made for the forthcoming Doctor Strange film. It's much like last year's Ant-Man set in that regard. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 76060 Name: Doctor…

Universal Studios and Lego Group Partnership: https://www.lego.com/it-it/aboutus/news/2020/april/univesal-pictures-and-lego-group/ https://deadline.com/2020/04/universal-lego-group-construct-five-year-exclusive-film-partnership-to-create-new-movie-franchises-1202916170/

Welcome to another BigBlueDogBricks post that will surely set the Lego investing world afire: today size matters, as we delve deep into the largest sub-theme sets to see what ol' Veegs thinks will be worth targeting. As always, you (hopefully) know your region best and also read the Daily Deal thread so when these sets can be had with a solid discount you are ready, metaphorically, trunk popped, to throw Lego sets in. So why are these large sets often my bread and butter as an investor? Perhaps a couple factors: Benefits of Large, Non-Exclusive Sets 1) Kids get the smaller sets for lesser occasions and want the biggest one for Christmas. Sometim…

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/28/464688159/lego-will-unveil-a-minifigure-in-a-wheelchair-in-a-first?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160128

I wanted to take a moment to thank people for reading the reviews that are being posted. I'd love to know what your opinions are. I put this poll in place to help to figure out some of what people do and don't enjoy. I also wanted to take a moment to explain my 2 most recent articles. I didn't really want to own either of these sets, and I had to come up with an interesting way to make me want to do them. I just took my smaller set review ideas like the microfighters and battlepacks and made it more of a story. I don't know if people really like it. I picked up a couple mighty micros that I might try to make a hybrid, but that really depends on if people actually lik…

Update.... Lego's announcement has been made. "POW" about the price . Sure looks cool though. I removed the initial Facebook pics and added Lego's official ones. 6052 Batman™ Classic TV Series – Batcave Ages 14+. 2,526 pieces. US $269.99 – CA $329.99 – DE 249.99€ – UK £229.99 – DK 2499.00 DKK Drive the villains out from Batman’s Batcave! Help Batman™ and Robin™ to drive the villain intruders from the Batcave, featuring a Bat Lab with Batcomputer, plus the Batmobile with stud shooters, Batcopter with flick missiles and the Batcycle. This special model, based on the classic 1960s TV show, also has a Wayne Manor sect…

The LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona, opening Spring 2016, is holding a contest to find their new Master Model Builder. On January 30 and 31, they will be holding a competition in the Arizona Mills Mall food court. Applicants will asked to build themed creations. They will be broken up into groups to build for 45 minutes. The winners of each heat will move on to the Second Round consisting of 40 contestants divided into 2 heats also of 45 minutes each. The top 10 builders of those heats will return for Round 3 on Sunday. The winner of Round 3 will be awarded the job of Master Model Builder. Spectators are encouraged to come and support the contestants. It shou…

Hope you didn't spend all your money on the new LEGO Ghostbusters Headquarters. In November, we mentioned the possibility of new LEGO Ghostbusters sets coming, based on a press release from Sony Pictures, the rights holder to Ghostbusters franchise and the 2016 reboot film's distributor. Paul Feig, director of the new film confirmed today on Twitter that there indeed will be LEGO sets based on the movie. He states "Fun stuff coming from LEGO too. Just FYI. Sorry, bank account." Note this is ahead of any official word from The LEGO Group. The movie should no doubt drive buyers to all things Ghostbusters, including 21108 Ghostbusters Ect…

The winter wave of Star Wars LEGO sets has begun to hit. The Force Awakens sets are front and center, just the way that should be expected weeks after the movie is released. Since they are here, it is time for a review. In this installment, we'll be looking at the set that is the turning point of the movie that brings our heroes and villains more firmly into their roles, the Battle on Takodana. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75139 Name: Battle on Takodana Theme: Star Wars Parts: 409 Price: $59.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $59.99 the price per piece works out to a bit under $.15 each. This is on the high side of pricing for a licensed s…

This blog entry I struggled with the title, and considered a "while you were sleeping" title or something else to really convey how I felt about the current state of Lego investing. Unless one were sleeping, it is easy to see how the Tumbler 76023 has taken off. "The Horde" should be proud. While I am sure plenty of Tumblers ended up in the hands of little Timmy, the horde can pat themselves on the back for plowing though the last 4,000 copies that Target and Target-eBay had left in record fashion being the last retailer standing after LEGO Shop at Home, Walmart and other online retailers ran out of stock. Lets take a quick peak at some numbers. …

We all love lists, right? Welcome to what I expect to be a new weekly blog entry for Brickpicker: Top 10 Best Sellers at LEGO Shop at Home. As most of you know, LEGO’s online site includes a feature showcasing the Top 25 selling sets, updated on a daily basis. While this list is definitely a small sample, I believe it can help us gauge what’s popular with end consumers at any given time, so that when retirement time approaches we have at least an idea of how well a set sold through it’s lifetime. I will also be excluding (basically skipping) those entries on S&H that are not sets. For example, if a baseplate is currently sitting in place number 5, I…

When I first got into LEGO as an AFOL I was looking at all of the Star Wars sets that I had missed and how much they cost. It became necessary to figure out a way to get the sets cheaper or make more money. I knew that some people must be making money buying bulk lots and taking out the stuff they wanted and selling the rest. That seemed like 2 birds with one stone. I looked at the bulk lots on Ebay, realizing that most of what I would get from these guys were common pieces. So I started looking at bigger lots, somewhat intimidated by their cost. I figured, however, if an Ebayer was getting $10 for a pound maybe I could make some money just throwing stuff in a box, easy m…