Blog And News Articles

With the new year come a slew of new Lego sets included a new theme: Nexo Knights. Rumor is, that the Chima line is retiring and the Knights are to take its place. The Nexo Knights are not really a throw back to the Classic Castle sets, but they are not true Steampunk themed either. At first I absolutely hated the idea, but the theme is growing on me. Sets in the theme range from the 1140 piece Fortrex to these small 75 piece sets. The 75 piece Ultimate Robin is what I wanted to look at today. At MSRP $9.99 I was really curious on what one would be getting for their money. At first glance it looks like a glorified minifigure, but priced higher than a traditional …

I haven't reviewed a microfighter before. I like Star Wars. I like Star Wars vehicles. I think these are cute. I have avoided doing the reviews because they didn't fit with my collection. The Resistance X-Wing Fighter had something different about it. LEGO Microfighters are small, and don't take long to build. Hopefully my self indulgence with the pictures amuses you. If not, I apologize. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75125 Name: Resistance X-Wing Fighter Theme: Star Wars Parts: 87 Price: $9.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At 9.99 the price per piece works out to almost $.115 each. This is on the high/middle side of pricing for a licensed s…

Who gets lego neck (this is where your back or neck seize up)?Ifso here is where you can leave ideas or ways to be able to do continuous lego building without dying of neck or back pain.

I thought it would be a great idea to check in on some sets that don't get a lot of press around here to see exactly how they are doing now. I love 'where are they now' editions of TV shows so if nothing else posting this will please me, and perhaps others like me. Also, I think learning from history is better than not learning history, so for new(er) members, these type of posts might be instructive at best or eye-rolling at worst. I was casually checking through my stockroom a few days ago, organizing, moving boxes around, admiring pretty sets, etc., when my eyes fell upon my admittedly small stash of #60026 Town Squares (in all fairness, I admit to on…

For as long as I can remember, people have been puzzled by my interest in many things that were “for boys”, and I have been equally puzzled by why toys have a gender at all. As much as I am genetically and physically female, I have never been one to adhere to the likes and behaviors deemed appropriate to my gender. I am a builder and a creator. Both of my parents worked as computer engineers (although I used to think they worked on a train), so my brain and its nurturing were focused heavily on math and science. As a child, I liked toys that were fun to me, and I am thankful that my parents never tried to limit my curiosity and affinity based upon some societal norm. I lo…

I remember when the leak for this LEGO set first surfaced. "What? Princess Leia wears purple and green? Admiral Ackbar is in it? Is this a new B-Wing?" It excited me inasmuch as any new Star Wars set does. Plus, we didn't know that it was called Resistance Troop Transporter. As images got larger, my enthusiasm diminished. When it hit the stores, and there was no other new Star Wars to buy, I was back on board. So let's take a look at the set that never made the Kessel Run. Let's Review. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75140 Name: resistance Troop Transporter Theme: Star Wars Parts: 646 Price: $69.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $69.99 the …

If Walmart's $139.99 TIE fighter sale wasn't enough, here's an even better discount. Amazon.com has discounted the set by 37% to $125.99 for Prime members. An additional $30 can be saved by using the Amazon Rewards Visa credit card during check-out. Click the link below for more information. https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Star-75095-Fighter-Building/dp/B00X3301HI/? For more Brickpicker information about this set and more Lego deals, please view the Forum topics below. http://community.brickpicker.com/announcement/24-today-is-amazon-prime-day/ View full blog article

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

The article I am sharing is not an in-depth article by any means, but I know there are a lot of you that like to take a peak behind the curtain and see how all your little bricks and figures get made. Bloomberg Business visited the Kladno LEGO Factory in the Czech Republic and it looks like quite an operation. I could only imagine how it would feel to be let loose in one of these factories for a day. I am sure it would be like visiting Willy Wonka, just not as strange, but then again, you never know The article's opening paragraph reminds us that it wasn't that long ago that "LEGO was losing nearly a million dollars a day". I wonder how often they wou…

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I know that I am either supposed to be super excited by every new thing or super critical of them. Isn't that the way that fandom works? Love the innovation or hate the fact that it's not just like the stuff that I loved when I was 7. I'm cautiously optimistic about Rogue One. The Hovertank however struck me as a bad design. It's dull and boxy. It makes me think of nothing so much as a much more boring version of the Republic Fighter Tank. I got to thinking about it, and maybe I was judging it too harshly. So, I got one to build for myself and see if it turns out to be better than I expect. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75152 Name: Impe…

In this series of articles, I would like to take a look at the more expensive, most sought after sets of all time. Instead of reviewing the sets I thought I would address the parts of the sets that make them so rare and valuable. New collectors may wonder why they can't just build these popular and expensive sets out of the LEGO pieces scattered throughout their house. Inexperienced buyers may have concerns over what parts might be replaced in used sets that they are buying. People looking into bulk lots might want to know what clues in a lot would indicate that one of these popular sets are present. The first set on my list is 10212 the UCS Imperial Shu…

As with most Lego promotions, you must spend a required amount of money to get the 'free' item. Many folks also use promotion stacking on http://shop.lego.com which is the process of spending just enough money to earn multiple promotional items. After waiting too long to order products at shop.lego.com to obtain the popular 40252 Mini VW Beetle promotion (sold-out online), I visited my local Lego mall store. This store had current promotional sets available including 40252 and the 40265 LEGO Friends Tic Tac Toe set. The purchase requirements were to spend $50+ for the VW Beetle set and $20+ in Friends items for the Tic Tac Toe polybag. Both are popular items…

The Rebel Alliance Battle Pack is not based on anything in the Star Wars films. It's a set of expanded universe figures based upon the game Battlefront. I'm generally hesitant about battle packs, the builds are an after thought to the minifigures. The builds are forgettable and look generally like nothing you'd like to have as part of your display. I'm even more hesitant to build a Star Wars set without anything canon. LEGO has given us more of the same. In my review of 75133, we'll see if it's not just that. Hopefully it's something truly interesting. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75133 Name: Rebel Alliance battle Pack Theme: Star Wars Parts: 101 Price: $…

INTRODUCTION The LEGO Group has developed numerous Star Wars sets over the past 16 years, but the most coveted, and generally most valuable, are those with the Ultimate Collector's Series (UCS) label. What exactly, defines the term Ultimate Collector's Series? Brickipedia provides this definition: "The Ultimate Collector's Series, or UCS, is a sub-theme of sets. UCS sets are meant to be more detailed and aimed at older builders. These sets do not generally include Minifigures, but since 2007, most have included at least one. Most are also not designed to scale with Minifigures, though there are some cases (such as 10195 Republic Dropship with A…

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…

Not sure if this was brought up yet. https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/a4ae09b6-0d4c-4307-9da8-3ee9f3d368d6/post/eb30a864-2ad5-46d9-804b-121383e684df 7 Projects Qualify for the Second 2017 LEGO Ideas Review The Third 2017 LEGO Ideas Review qualifying period ended this Monday morning, January 8th at 12:00 a.m. Central European Time or GMT+1. We are thrilled to celebrate the 7 great projects that have gathered 10,000 supporters between the months of early September 2017 and early January 2018. Congrats to all members who've made it this far! Something unique about this review period is that 3 projects that hav…

Looks like Lego has some interesting events and offerings planned for next month. Get the kiddies ready (including your inner kid). Some highlights... Double VIP points on all purchases between March 7 and 22. The Classic TV Batcave becomes available to non-VIP members starting March 1. Various polybag and promo items based on money spent or themes. Themes include DUPLO (a duck polybag), Ninjago (mini dragon polybag). Look for the annual Easter set (40202: Easter Chick) Events for children include bunny, DUPLO and Superhero monthly builds and club meetings. Maybe best of all for children...bring…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/22/seattle-lego-trafficking-baby-yoda/

I love Captain America. For over twenty years, if you asked me who my favorite super hero was, I'd tell you Cap. When Ed Brubaker introduced Winter Soldier it blew my mind, I loved Bucky as a character, which is something I never had done before. LEGO's Black Panther Pursuit has both of these characters. I was ecstatic when I heard about it. There's something that people probably know about Super Heroes sets. Invariably they will contain some kind of plane, motorcycle, truck, or helicopter. In this review, we'll look at which of these is contained within, and how successful it is. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 76047 Name: Black …

Welcome to the first entry of what I would like to think of as a revamped Evaluation Corner article. The idea behind this new format is to offer a little more historical and analytical data when evaluating sets for potential investment, in a more visual way. Hopefully you will like it; be sure to add your feedback or comments! Historical & Theme Analysis The topic of this first article will be the recently released The Brick Bounty – 70413. The “Pirates” LEGO theme has become one of those recurring ones we expect to pop up in stores every few years. It really needs no explanation; kids love pirates and AFOLs really appreciate a well- designed LEGO ship. So…

"Follow the White Rabbit" I compare my experience emerging from the LEGO dark ages two years ago to Neo's experience after taking the Red Pill in 1999's The Matrix. I vividly remember the night in early 2014, when I accidentally stumbled across an Amazon listing for a 10185 Green Grocer selling for something like $800. At the same time, I was amazed, shocked, amused, confused and most importantly, hooked. It was literally life-changing. Simply put, I had a whole new perspective on my favorite childhood pastime. Previous to that night, I knew nothing about LEGO brand stores, Lego Shop@Home, Exclusives, Star Wars UCS, sets with RRPs over $150, AFOLs, Brick Pickers,…

The NYT spent a lot of time visualizing the data about mail slow downs nationally. The charts confirm what we've seen and reported on the board for months. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/14/upshot/is-the-mail-getting-slower-tracker.html

* As I was preparing to publish this article, Ed Mack announced the Brickpicker sponsored fundraiser in benefit of the St. Paul School of Burlington, NJ. I truly encourage you all to visit the following link and make a donation; besides supporting a great cause you will be entered for a chance to win some really cool, retired sets worth thousands of dollars (and appreciating as we speak!). I truly wish the St. Paul School the best, FCBarcelona101* Read Ed’s Announcement Raffle Entry and Donation Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------…

After a very cool August LEGO build at Toys R' Us (See below picture of my son Max and his creation), they are following up with another quality and FREE LEGO build(s), this time on two dates... September 17th between 12-2 PM...Disney Princess Cogsworth character September 24th between 12-2PM...Disney Princess Lumiere character Now I know they are "Disney Princess" characters and some little boys might not want to build them, but I think they are pretty cool and it might be worth a try getting your little tough guy to the local Toys R' Us for a free LEGO set. ***Thanks to Elkkthunder for the original heads up... View full blog ar…

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…