BB-8 [75187] review

BB-8-ception

BB-8!

I mentioned before that I fell in love with BB-8 [75187] set ever since I saw it in the previews, and I'm sure I'll fall deeper once I've built it. True enough, I did.

Before we go to the adorable droid, can we talk about the box first?

BB-8 [75187]

The packaging for The Last Jedi looks very sophisticated and futuristic with its white and red color scheme. It literally goes with anything. Then the LEGO logo in red made everything perfect, complementing the whole look of the box.

As if the brick built BB-8 is not adorable enough, the set comes with a minifigure as well. I remember two years ago, with the release of The Force Awakens, it's quite difficult to obtain this famous astromech droid in brick form. Now, it's in almost every LEGO Star Wars set (but that's not a problem. One can never have enough brick droids). The chase minifigure status has now been passed to its emo version, BB-H8 BB-9E, which is so far only included in Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter [75179] and in the First Order Star Destroyer [75190].

BB-8 Minifigure

In terms of building experience, I had tons of fun in making my own BB-8. For me, it has an average level of difficulty, though it's my very first time building a LEGO sphere. At first, I was having difficulties following the instructions but after a while, I was able to get use to it for they are pretty repetitive. Building small white on white bricks can be a bit of an eye sore, but that's nothing compared to what they do to your fingers. All in all, the BB-8 [75187] set has a total of 1106 pieces.

Brick Built BB-8

The final build has surprisingly a lot of tricks in store. Utilizing different Technic parts, you can turn one wheel at the side to rotate the detailed head. Another wheel can be moved to open the access hatch and extend the welding torch, giving you his famous thumbs-up pose. Unfortunately, the BB-8 model does not roll, but that's okay. It still gives a sufficient amount of play experience.

Welding Torch Up

This faithfully reproduced model also comes with a display stand and a decorative fact plaque, making it a great display piece in any room. Without the stand, the final build measures over 25 cm high and 15 cm wide. With the display stand, it measures over 26 cm long.

Display Stand & Decorative Fact Plaque

In terms of value for money, I think the BB-8 [75187] set is very much worth it (or maybe I'm just biased). It retails at UK £84.99, around 7.7p per piece.

Final BB-8 Display

Overall, the BB-8 [75187] set is a must have for any Star Wars fan, as evidenced by its current out of stock or backorder status. And my fearless forecast is that it has the same potential as the classic R2-D2 [10225] set. I just hope LEGO will release a BB-H8 BB-9E in the same format very, very soon!

LEGO star wars magazine: issue 27

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 27

The LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 27 is already available and the awesome gift is Rey's Speeder!

Finally! the LEGO Star Wars Magazine has finally caught up with The Force Awakens (but then there's Rogue One and the upcoming The Last Jedi, no pressure)! And what's the best way to represent the new trilogy in this monthly magazine than with Rey herself (though she's just a tiny black round plate).

Rey's Speeder

Building the model is a lot of fun. The build starts with the hood on an upright position then eventually rotating to gradually reveal the final look. The design is really smart considering the scale, with every detail depicting something, like Rey's salvage bag and her hauls. It just fell a bit flat when placed on a surface. I have to place it on two transparent clear round tiles to make it appear like it's hovering.

Rey's Speeder microbuild reminded me a lot of Luke's Landspeeder (see it in this post), and it's really easy to see why. Both shared the same color schemes, and even the same elements. (Duh, they're both speeders in desert planets!).

First Order Snowspeeder

For next month's issue, which comes out on 11 October, make way for the First Order Snowspeeder. Yahoo! More The Force Awakens love!

P. S. I think the Original LEGO Star Wars Minifigure stamp pictured above is a mistake, unless they do include a minifigure. We'll see next month!

september mini model build: dinosaur

September Mini Model Build [40247]

The LEGO Store's Monthly Mini Model Build for September is a cutesy dinosaur!

For this month, the Mini Model Build not only moved up to the surface, but also traveled back in time. The splashy underwater theme was left behind in favor of this adorable prehistoric reptile. As always, the design is simple and colorful to appeal to the kids targeted in the monthly activity. It comes with a green body, bright red and green spikes, and articulated arms and tail! The head is also movable as it is attached to a turntable piece (though the 360° turn is a bit creepy for me, but I'm sure the little ones will find it funny).

Dinosaur

If you want to build your own amazing dino, check out the instructions here. It doesn't have to be the exact bricks and the exact color. Be creative and imaginative!

Next month's Mini Build is a high-tech robot! It will be available in UK Lego Stores on 5 October, from 1600 to 1800. For more details, contact your local LEGO Stores or check out their online Store News.

scarif stormtrooper [40176] review

Scarif Stormtrooper [40176]

More Rogue One minifigures!

One of the freebies in the LEGO Force Friday II offers is the Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] polybag. It's free with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £25. It's the second from the (hopefully long) series of interlocking Star Wars display sets. The first one is the rebel droid R3-M2 (which I previously made a review post). At first I thought the series was limited to droids, but we obviously now know that's not the case. The good thing about this is it opened a lot more possibilities!

Shoretrooper

For the minifigure per se, it appears that the one included in this [40176] polybag is a Shoretrooper Squad Leader, as identified by his sand blue stripe along the top of the chest plate and onto the shoulder guards. Another visual cue is the kama attached to the belt. This is in comparison to the Regular Shoretrooper (all sand-colored armor) in the Battle on Scarif [75171] set, and the Shoretrooper Captain (mostly sand blue-colored chest plate and left shoulder guard) in the TIE Striker [75154] set.

Unmasked

The minifig head is the standard Stormtrooper head with black eyebrows, cheek lines, chin dimple, and a grimace expression. The Scarif Stormtrooper is equipped with a blaster rifle built by attaching a prismatic binoculars to a ribbed spacegun.

Backdrop & Stand

The backdrop and stand is almost identical to the one from the R3-M2 [40268] polybag, with the exceptions of gray connector pegs and a Scarif scenery. Of course, there's the sticker label announcing what kind of Stormtrooper he is. It's just a bugger that his rank was left out.

Scarif Stormtrooper

Overall, I am very happy with the Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] polybag, and, as I said before, the possible direction this line may go. (Can you give me my LEGO Lothcat now?).

force friday II millennium falcon posters

Millennium Falcon VS The First Order

Awesome LEGO Millennium Falcon posters!

Included in the Force Friday II and Millennium Falcon [75192] launch promotions was the free VIP posters. For LEGO VIP purchase of any Star Wars set, a Millennium Falcon mini poster was given away, and there's a different one each day! Why limit to VIP? Because it serves as an invitation for the early VIP access to purchase the biggest LEGO set ever! At the back of the poster is the date 14.9.2017 and the website VIP.LEGO.COM.

The first poster is a brick version of the chase in Jakku in The Force Awakens, wherein Rey and Finn were trying to evade the First Order. The epic scene was set against a sunset, making it very vivid and colorful.

The Millennium Falcon [75192] has a feature of switching the model from the latest trilogy to the original one. So, it only makes sense to make a poster depicting the old gang of rebels. For the second poster, the chosen scene was from The Empire Strikes Back, wherein Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO desperately tried to escape the Imperial forces by navigating through the Hoth asteroid field.

Millennium Falcon VS The Galactic Empire

The third poster is just a few frames away from the second one, wherein our heroes were almost eaten alive by an exogorth, or commonly known as a space slug. The scene shows the Millennium Falcon on the verge of escaping through the galactic monster's orifice.

Millennium Falcon VS The Space Slug

These free posters were printed in high quality on thick card boards. Very fitting for LEGO's newest and biggest flagship set. I just wish the artist was credited in order to associate these fantastic pieces of art to a name and a face.

first order heavy assault walker [30497] review

First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497]

A fearsome new walker!

As part of the LEGO Force Friday II promotions, the First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] polybag was given away with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £60. It is a mini build of the larger set [75189] with the same name. Not much is known yet on the new First Order weapon but early reports warns against it heavier artillery, featuring a megacaliber six cannon mounted to its back. It is officially named as the All Terrain MegaCaliber Six or AT-M6 for short. I'm sure we'll know more once the film is released.

The mini First Order Heavy Assault Walker looks very similar to the massive set. The scale translation was rather impressive. Building it is a lot of fun, and the utilization of different Technic parts gave the mini build more appeal with multiple articulation points.

First Order Heavy Assault Walker

The First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] is the first among the promotional polybags for The Last Jedi, and with it, things are looking very promising. I can't wait too see what's in store next. And of course I can't wait to see the AT-M6 and everything else on the big screen!

LEGO force friday II experience

Force Friday II
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

Force Friday II is here and LEGO has a lot of force-filled goodies for brick fans from a galaxy far, far away...

For some reason, LEGO UK waited until the last minute to announce their Force Friday II (weekend) offers, but it's so worth the wait. Unfortunately, I was working (and not to mention exhausted) the past few days so a timely announcement post is not feasible. My sincerest apologies. Let me just give you an account of my wife and I's Force Friday II experience.

To continue celebrating 40 Years of Star Wars, and to further hype The Last Jedi (merchandise), 1 September has been marked as Force Friday II. Since the day wasn't declared a public holiday, the event was extended the whole weekend. And of course LEGO is a big part of this celebration, releasing new (huge) sets based on the upcoming film, with lots of offers and freebies to boast.

There are a few Star Wars sets on sale, mostly from the Rogue One collection, which are, by the way, retiring soon! VIP members will also receive triple points on LEGO Star Wars sets. Then for the freebies, there's a free First Order Heavy Assault Walker [30497] with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £60, and a free Scarif Stormtrooper [40176] minifigure with any LEGO Star Wars purchase over £25! For more details, check out their official website.

Force Friday II Offers
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter)

But wait, there's more! Everything is just about to get massive with the official announcement of the biggest LEGO set ever, the Ultimate Collector's Series Millennium Falcon [75192]! Well, it only has a piece count of 7,541 (and a RRP of £649.99)! It's just a bit unfortunate that my local LEGO Store in Watford had some technical difficulties and was unable to display the model during the Force Friday II weekend (they're still the best, though). But the good news is, LEGO, being generous as ever, is giving its fans a chance to take home the iconic new set via its Launch Guide.

Launch Guide
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

At the back of the Launch Guide is a Galactic Pop Quiz, wherein there are five multiple choice questions. You can answer these questions by applying the green stud stickers on the space provided for. Please don't look for the green stud stickers in the sheet pictured above, they were already used before I got the chance to take a picture of it. After answering it (correctly), show it to a LEGO Store Associate to receive your Peel Card.

Scratch Peel Card
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Promotional Material)

Unfortunately, our Peel Card said we didn't win but there is a consolation prize, an R2-D2 [30611] polybag (which I previously did a review)! I almost forgot, for LEGO VIP purchase of any Star Wars set, you'll receive a Millennium Falcon mini poster (a different one each day!). Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of these posters, I'll just make a separate post on this.

Are you wondering what my haul is this Force Friday II? It's the BB-8 [75187] set! I fell in love with this set ever since I saw it in the previews, and I'm sure I'll fall deeper once I've built it. 'Can't wait!

BB-8 [75187]

I think it's now safe to say that the LEGO Force Friday II is a huge hit among LEGO Star Wars fans, with a lot of new (and even old) sets being sold out in-store and being on back order online.

How about you? What's your Force Friday II story?

P. S. With the untitled Han Solo film being released on May 2018, I wonder if we'll be having Force Friday next year. I'm sure promotions will be big on May the 4th. Will there be anything left to celebrate come fall?