Blog And News Articles

I just received this email. Wonderful news, huh? The Ground hike stings. 2017 Rates Information* Effective December 26, 2016, the following changes will take effect: Daily rates for UPS[emoji768] Ground service will increase an average net 4.9%. Daily rates for UPS Air and International services, as well as UPS Air Freight rates within and between the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, will increase an average net 4.9%. The Additional Handling charge will be assessed for UPS Air and International packages with the longest side exceeding 48 inches, instead of 60 inches. To review and download the new Daily rates today, visit www.ups.com/rates . For…

Sometimes I get random sets if I find them cheap enough. Usually they are broken down for parts, and the minifigures are sold off to defray the costs. I don't usually think much about those sets if they don't fit in with the themes that I collect. My kids have taken to watching Ninjago over and over on Netflix. I happened to have a few Ninjago sets and let them have a couple. They love them. I thought I would take a moment to look at one of the remaining sets that I have. Are the builds fun? Is there more to it than I would expect? Well, I have reviewed a Batman set with a pair of motorcycles in it fairly recently. That should give me an idea of what to expect, similar si…

"You don't know you're in the good old days until you've actually left them." I am not sure how many of you have read my postings over the last 2 months since I joined in January, so I will give you a very brief intro to my background. While I am a relatively new Brickpicker member, I am certainly not new to this game. I was in it huge from 2004-2007, Had many UCS xwings, UCS Tie Interceptors, UCS ISD, UCS Y-wings, UCS Snowspeeders, CTT, Cloud Cities etc. While I was not an emazer level operation, I was running about 3,000-4,000 in volume on an average month and reached Bronze Powerseller level, so not too bad. However, in 2007, d…

I happened upon some of the new 2016 battle packs almost an entire week before their street date. I was excited to get a jump on them and to increase my personal armies. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75132 Name: First Order Battle Pack Theme: Star Wars Parts: 88 Price: $12.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $12.99 the price per piece works out to a bit under $.15 each. This is on the high side of pricing for a licensed set. There are 4 minifigures a First Order Stormtrooper, a First Order Heavy Gunner Stormtrooper, and 2 different First Order Crew. The Heavy Gunner and the open face Crew are currently exclusive to this set. …

This set has been sitting on my shelf since May the Fourth. I never really got around to it, always kind of figuring I would eventually. This week its time came. I don't recall why exactly I decided to pay full retail for this except since I was trying to get a Yularen minifig. It looks good, and I don't have another model of the N-1 anymore, so maybe that was part of it. As a countdown to the Force Awakens, I will be writing at least one Star Wars review each week. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75092 Name: Naboo Starfighter Theme: Star Wars Parts: 442 Price: $49.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $49.99 the price per piece works o…

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.

Lego has some nice offerings planned for May including the annual Star Wars "May the 4th" weekend events and products. If you are unable to visit a Lego retail store, be sure to checkout their website at shop.lego.com . Some highlights... Star Wars May the 4th includes a free exclusive minifigure (First Order Stormtrooper) with every Star Wars $50+ purchase Earn Double VIP Points on selected Star Wars purchases. A free Force Awakens poster is also available. New sets : The much 'beloved' UCS Assault on Hoth will be available. Additionally, an exclusive set is planned to be released on May 18th. According to rumors, it could be the 10253 …

The press release stated:

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…

Interesting write up in the NYT about the planned Legoland outside of NYC. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/business/regional-theme-parks-growth.html?action=click&module=In Other News&pgtype=Homepage&action=click&module=&pgtype=Homepage

As a countdown to the Force Awakens, I will be writing reviews on Star Wars LEGO sets this week. Today, we are going to be looking at a set that I have opened a fair number of previously. I have only built it once before, but at the time I felt like that was enough. Luckily I had a couple that I bought on discount to fill in on a day when I wanted to bang out a quick set and a quick review. I made an "artistic" decision with this set to portray the minifigures involved as building the set. Hopefully it's more amusing than annoying. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 75078 Name: Imperial Troop Transport Theme: Star Wars Parts: 141 Price: $12.99 Before w…

THought this was funny! Grown-Ass Men Denied Entry to Lego Playground, Say It's a Human Rights Violation

https://brickset.com/article/42814/lego-tower-mobile-game-announced The most awesome LEGO idle simulation mobile game LEGO Tower is on its way! LEGO has joined forces with NimbleBit, creators of the classic mobile game Tiny Tower to craft a brand new mobile experience. NimbleBit has a long track record of building lovable mobile worlds for their players, and both companies are excited to be taking the Tiny Tower formula to new heights inside the world of LEGO. “Having the opportunity to build upon one of our signature games inside the world LEGO is a dream come true for us.” says David Marsh, co-founder of NimbleBit. “The building blocks of LEGO are a…

Welcome to the second entry of the Top 10 Best Selling LEGO sets as listed by LEGO S@H. Given that this is only the second entry of the series, I wanted to take the time and remind our readers about what they can expect: 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. 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 comme…

Issue 14 of Blocks Magazine is now with subscribers, and will be in shops on Thursday 19th November. This month we take a journey into the space-time vortex with the Doctor and his TARDIS, featuring an in-depth review of the latest LEGO Ideas set. We also stop off for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes interview on how the Ideas platform really works, including what the review process involves, why larger projects don’t make the cut and much more besides. Elsewhere, we take a look at how LEGO’s spaceship designs have changed over the decades, the most profitable LEGO sets to invest in, how to build a supercar and whether LEGO Dimensions really is worth your…

Note: spoilers are included within this article Season 2.5 Details Lego Rebels fans can tune to Disney (or one of the many mobile device apps) tomorrow evening (Jan. 20) to watch the first of ten new episodes. We have interesting story-lines ahead that will not only please regular viewers but should inject renewed investing focus into this Star Wars Lego sub-theme. All 10 episode titles and synopsis were published online yesterday but has been removed due to possibly being fake (see tweet below) Known Details as of Jan 19 Vader returns and is voiced again by James Earl Jones. A dual between Vader and Ah…

After The Force Awakens was released, I looked at the available first wave sets and felt something was missing. To me, the Luggabeast conspicuously absent. Sure, Unkar Plutt was missing, but I wasn't really missing him. When I heard that this set was coming, I got excited. When I saw the preliminary images, I cried out as loud as any other about how bright the blue was. Upon further research, I saw that the blue was right. The Luggabeast shown in the film had a lot of bright blue, but most of it was heavily scratched and marred. It's hard to have the mottled look in LEGO, so they simplified it by going blue. I think it's time now to review and see how well LEGO accomplish…

Stone wars is reporting that LEGO is retiring it’s road baseplates permanently in favor of a brick-built alternative. Maybe time to invest in some base plates or stock up if you have a city.

5.8 million bricks! https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-news/land-rover-breaks-guinness-world-record-for-largest-ever-ego-structure/

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 …

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teamsters-warn-ups-strike-is-imminent-if-company-doesnt-improve-pay-offer-by-friday/ 😞

Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Best of Brick Classifieds - Weekly Deals. This week features 10 great deals from trusted vendors, including 2 listings for new, sealed bag, open box sets. Open box sets often provide outstanding value to collectors looking for their favorite set. This week's deals include some of the best available online pricing and represent popular themes including: Creator and Creator Modular Buildings Star Wars and Star Wars UCS DC Super Heroes Ninjago Friends Trains City LEGO Creator Town Hall #10224 by FlipBricks $499 + free shipping LEGO DC Supe…

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…

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 Avenjet Space Mission is yet another Super Heroes set, where some random vehicle is thrown in to give the LEGO Group something to hang a bunch of minifigures on. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad set, just that it may not be something that fans really care nothing about. I really badly wanted some of the minifigures with this set, so I went ahead and got it. I figured there would be some out there who wondered if this set was worth getting. Let's review. REVIEW: SET DETAILS Set #: 76049 Name: Avenjet Space Mission Theme: Marvel Super Heroes Parts: 523 Price: $59.99 BOX CONTENTS Some people may wind up picking up a set that is open box …