LEGO nexo knights magazine issue 11

LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 11

LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 11 is now available, and it includes two gifts!

Or so I thought. (Sort of) bad news first. The advertised free gift Sand Tornado Nexo Power is printed in the magazine itself. It is scannable, yes, but it's on paper. For those like me who expected it printed on a LEGO piece, we have to look elsewhere. I guess it's just rational to look forward to one after receiving the Minify Surprise Nexo Power in physical form three issues ago.

But that doesn't matter, because the real star of this issue is the Pilot Bot!

Pilot Bot

I just simply adore these cute little Squirebots! And having another official variant is a big check in my Nexo Knights list. I always enjoy building Squirebots. I find their design really ingenious, in the sense that the small pieces, both in size and number, produce such charming minions. And the diastema (sorry, gap teeth) never fails to induce a smile.

The Pilot Bot can be appreciated more when it boards its intended ride, the Mech Bot.

Mech and Pilot Bots

It's true that the Nexo Knights may look cooler maneuvering this exo-suit, but it won't be as delightful when the Pilot Bot does it. As I posted in the last issue, I think this design is a bit of a starter for the newly released Battle Suits, which are already available both in physical brick and digital game forms.

For the next issue, get ready for Clay in his new armor! The new trans-orange armor may really be intended for the new Royal Soldiers but it's a new armor nevertheless! Unfortunately, there'll be a brief LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine hiatus, for Issue 12 comes out 8 February.

New Armored Clay

christmas 2016 haul

Snowglobe [40223]

Happy holidays everyone! What's a better way to celebrate the festivities than bricktacularly?

For my wife and I, this will be our first time celebrating the holidays in the United Kingdom. To divert our attention from homesickness, we both turned to (as one of my closest friends would describe it) brick therapy. Without realizing it, our Christmas 2016 haul instantly grew (mainly due to the freebies).

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146]

The first set on this list is the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146]. As you can see here, I bought it as early as September when it first came out. My wife had to make a note on the box, wrap it, and hide it in plain sight in order to ensure that I'll be able to delay my gratification. I wasn't able to do a daily blog as planned, but I made a gallery post to compensate.

Come November, on the opening of the new London Leicester Square LEGO Store, we acquired the bulk of our holiday sets. For going there really early, we were rewarded with last year's Gingerbread House [40139].

Gingerbread House [40139] Box

Gingerbread House [40139]

And for our purchases, we were gifted with the Toy Soldier [5004420] ornament, and the 24-In-1 Christmas Builds [40222] box set.

Toy Soldier [5004420]

24-In-1 Christmas Builds [40222]

We weren't really planning to buy any LEGO last Black Friday Sale, but the Snowglobe [40223] set is irresistibly beautiful. In my opinion, this is one of the best seasonal sets ever.

Snowglobe [40223] Box

Then there are always the impulse sets. Seasonal sets from the previous years were popping out everywhere. We found the very cute (and very cheap) Santa's Visit [40125] and Reindeer [30474] sets in our local stores.

Santa's Visit [40125]

Reindeer [30474]

And to cap our Christmas 2016 haul, we claimed the re-released Gingerbread Man [5005156] to complement our Gingerbread House [40139]. I just think he was a little overbaked.

Gingerbread Man [5005156]

I guess that's it for this year. There's always next year. Enjoy the holidays!

LEGO star wars advent calendar 2016

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2016 [75146]

It's already the 24th of December, and today marks the end of the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146]...

As my first advent calendar, I immensely enjoyed the 2016 version of my favorite brick theme from a galaxy far, far away. Opening a door everyday (or in my case every other day or two) and discovering each surprise gave me simple festive joys. Snow Chewbacca, U-3PO, and the Hoth Snowman are few of the notable ones. The microbuilds were also ingeniously designed using only a small number of bricks.

What's behind Doors 1 to 24?

I initially planned to do a daily blog on this, but my long work hours didn't permit me to do so. So, here is a simple gallery to present my little holiday babies:

Day 1: Slave I

Day 2: Bespin Guard

Day 3: TIE Interceptor

Day 4: Imperial Navy Trooper

Day 5: Anti-infantry Battery

Day 6: Snowtrooper

Day 7: Hoth Snowman

Day 8: P-Tower

Day 9: Hoth Rebel Trooper

Day 10: Republic Attack Cruiser

Day 11: Armored Assault Tank

Day 12: Droid Gunship

Day 13: Battle Droid

Day 14: Jedi Starfighter

Day 15: Tantive IV

Day 16: U-3PO

Day 17: Gonk Droid

Day 18: Jabba's Palace

Day 19: Luke Skywalker

Day 20: Desert Skiff

Day 21: Stormtrooper

Day 22: Imperial Landing Craft

Day 23: Sleigh

Day 24: Snow Chewbacca

Happy holidays everyone!!!

LEGO star wars magazine: issue 18

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 18

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 18 is already available and it's a bumper issue! This month's freebie is the Flash Speeder plus a bonus gift!

I usually have a love/hate relationship with bumper issues mainly because of the price tag, but in this case, it's purely love. Because I got the Millennium Falcon that I've missed earlier this year!

Millennium Falcon

Ain't it sweet? It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs! Please take note that the clear stand is not included in the foil pack.

Just like other bumper issues, the bonus gift varies per quantity. Aside from the Millenium Falcon, one can get another chance in obtaining the Jedi Weapon Rack or Luke's Landspeeder.

The people behind LEGO Star Wars Magazine must really love the prequel trilogy for this month's free gift is another model from that era.

Flash Speeder

The Flash Speeder is a lightweight vehicle used by Naboo Royal Security Forces as a patrol craft and personnel transport. These super fast machines are a big help in organizing the Resistance during the invasion of the Trade Federation.

The microbuild experience is really enjoyable. The final model looks sleek and it's very similar to the real thing. Not to mention that it's green. If you truly know me, you know that I'm rather biased towards that color. Again, the clear stand is not included.

Oh, I almost forgot. Issue 18 has some free stickers as well!

For next month's issue... Is this real?! LEGO Star Wars Magazine is finally giving us a minifigure! And it's none other than the powerful rebel jedi Kanan Jarrus himself! Issue 19 comes out 11 January.

Kanan Jarrus

UK LEGO store year-end promotions

Gingerbread Man
(Photo grabbed from: https://www.lego.com/en-GB)

2016 is almost over but the UK LEGO Store has still some lovely presents to giveaway.

These freebies are just in time for the holidays. Stocking fillers, anyone?

From 11 to 20 December, there's a free Exclusive Gingerbread Man Minifigure [5005156] for any purchase over £25. This is perfect if you miss this the first time in the Collectible Minifigures Series 11 [71002]. This little fellow also goes well with last year's Gingerbread House [40139].

From 11 to 31 December, you can get a free Rebel A-Wing Pilot [5004408] polybag for any Star Wars purchase over £25. The long sought Phoenix Squadron Pilot minifigure will be officially up for grabs at last in the UK brick market. The minifigure is from Star Wars Rebels, more specifically from the end of the second season.

Rebel A-Wing Pilot
(Photo grabbed from: https://www.lego.com/en-GB)

And don't forget to pick your 2017 LEGO Wall Calendar from 11 December to 15 January. Simply present your valid receipt (with sticker) to any LEGO Store.

2017 Wall Calendar
(Photo grabbed from: https://www.lego.com/en-GB)

Of course, everything is claimable while supplies last.

Enjoy the remaining days of 2016!

LEGO nexo knights magazine issue 10

LEGO Nexo Knights Issue 10

The LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 10 is currently on sale, and there's more than one free gift!

Before everything else, I would like to apologize for two things. First, for the brief hiatus. Life happened. I'll still try to blog as often as possible though. I'll try my best. Second, for this very tardy post. Issue 10 came out last 16 November but for some reason our local shops don't have it. I have to literally travel downhill to purchase one in the big supermarket. Fortunately, they still have a few on the shelf. And to my surprise, it's a bumper issue! That means it's £1 more expensive. But good thing my bonus toy is a Lava Warrior, so that basically offsets the extra pound. And who says no to army building? I wonder what the others got...

Lava Warrior

Issue 10's free gift is insanely cool! Ladies and gentlemen, the Mech Bot!

Mech Bot

The Mech Bots are featured heavily in this issue's comics. They were worn by the Nexo Knights themselves, and by the Pilot Bots (more on this later). I think these exo-suits are a bit of a teasing for the upcoming Battle Suits (currently a bit undecided on that line). It would have been cool to get each Nexo Knight a Mech Bot, but the bumper price is a big hindering factor. I guess I'm going to have to settle with the Pilot Bot.

Pilot Bot?! Debuting in brick form, the Pilot Bot is LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 11's free gift. And not only that, it comes with the Nexo Power Sand Tornado as well. All of these will be available from 14 December.

Pilot Bot