october mini model build: robot

October Mini Model Build [40248]

The Monthly Mini Model Build for October is an awesome robot!

Veering away from the cutesy animals, the LEGO Store went full droid mode for their building activity this month. Compared to previous models, the brick built robot's design is a little complicated with all its small pieces and articulated parts. But not really intricate enough so kids assembling it will still manage just fine. I was really delighted to see a transparent light blue 2x2 round brick for I usually see it in the old LEGO Dimensions sets. Then the delight quickly turned into sadness when I remembered that the theme is about to be discontinued real soon. (I just realized that I haven't posted anything about that game, my favorite game ever! Hmmm...).

Robot

The color palette for the adorable automaton is a bit on the minimal side, though it worked perfectly, I must say. The color scheme made it look like a medical bot. I can imagine it assisting a health care professional in whatever aseptic task to be done. It also reminded me of the Medix Mixels [41569-71]. I'm sure if you added crazy eye pieces to this monthly build, it will fit right in.

Back Online

If you want to tinker with your own LEGO robot, check out the building instructions here. Don't have the exact pieces? No problem! Be creative and imaginative! Design your own!

P.S. I heard next month's Mini Model Build is very loyal and a true friend. What do you think it will be?

lloyd [30609] & wu key chain [5004915] reviews

Lloyd [30609]

Or alternatively, UK LEGO Store LEGO Ninjago Movie Promotions...

Better late than never! The promotions may have started since 15 September, but they won't end until at least the end of October. So, there's still plenty of time!

For the first promotion, it's only available at LEGO Stores. You can get a free exclusive LEGO Ninjago Movie Lloyd [30609] minifigure with any purchase over £25. The offer is valid from 15 September to 29 October, or while stocks last. And it is limited to one set per household.

Lloyd

At first I thought the free minifigure (pictured middle below) is the same as the ones from the LEGO Ninjago Movie Collectible Minifigure Series [71019] (pictured left- and right-most) but, as you can see, it's not. It may have shared a lot of elements with other Lloyd minifigures, but the one in the [30609] set has exclusive printings on his head and torso. The torso print is really interesting in the sense that it was caught halfway in transformation from being Lloyd Garmadon to the Green Ninja. Almost like Clark Kent ripping his shirt off to reveal Superman. The free polybag also comes with Lloyd's sword, a silver curved katana adorned with a golden tassel at the end of its handle. The Lloyd [30609] polybag is a definite must have for any LEGO Ninjago Movie fan.

Lloyd Green Ninja Transformation

The other promotion is a bit more exclusive. If you have the 2017 LEGO Wall Calendar, don't forget to redeem your voucher. Simply bring Voucher 9 to a LEGO Store to get a free LEGO Ninjago Movie Key Chain, more specifically, Master Wu [5004915]! The voucher is valid from 15 September to 31 October, or while stocks last. The original qualifying voucher must be supplied to redeem. Meaning, no photocopies will be accepted. The Wu Key Chain [5004915] cannot be exchanged or substituted for any other item or cash value, and is not available for purchase. And, sweetly enough, there's no purchase necessary.

Wu Key Chain [5004915]

The Sensei Wu minifigure in this key chain is identical to the ones found in the Master Falls [70608] and Green Ninja Mech Dragon [70612] sets, wherein he dons a white robe, zōri sandals, and an angered expression. The only difference is that the parts are permanently glued together, and the unit is attached to a chain.

Master Wu

The LEGO Ninjago Movie promotions are now in full swing in the UK for the movie widely comes out 13 October! And if you check your local cinemas, some are offering special advance screenings on 7 to 8 October! So, go!

exclusive lester minifigure now available in #LEGOStoreLondon!

Lester [40308]
(Photo by: Poncemel Ardiente)

Finally! Lester!

The rumors are true! As reported almost a year ago (yes, it has been almost a year since the biggest LEGO Store in London has opened), more Lester minifigures have been released!

In case you have forgotten, Lester is the official mascot of the LEGO Store London. He was featured heavily in the grand opening promotions, and also in the store design. The quintessential gentleman was said to spark an unexpectedly huge interest among brick fans that the initial plan of featuring him only in print and as an actual mascot was refined the last minute to convert him into brick form as well. During that time, there were only 275 ultra-exclusive Lester minifigures produced (no thanks to the limited and previously discontinued bowler hat piece). During the opening promotions, Lester can only be randomly obtained via a scratch card after a £55 (or more) purchase. He became super rare that a Lester minifigure was listed in the secondary market for up to £3500!

But now, for only £5.99, the Lester [40308] exclusive minifigure can be bought exclusively in the LEGO Store London in Leicester Square! It may not have the exclusivity of the first 275, but it's exactly the same thing! Actually, the new minifigure now comes with an added umbrella piece! Everything is neatly packaged in a pretty polybag. Purchase is reported to be limited to only three per household.

LEGO Store London Exclusive
(Photo by: Poncemel Ardiente)

It's really great for the LEGO Store London to offer something really exclusive, considering that it is a global flagship store for the brand. I was really expecting an I Heart London kind of theme, but Lester is definitely way better, in the sense that he has encaptured that classic British charm.

P.S. Many thanks to my best mates Kuys Ponce and Ate Joyce for snapping the pics, and for getting me my own Lester minifigure! See you soon!

disney castle [71040] gallery

Disney Castle [71040]

It's the LEGO Disney Castle [71040]! Need I say more?

My ever-loving wife bought the magical LEGO Disney Castle [71040] for her milestone birthday (and on triple VIP points with about £50 cashback!). As she claimed sole ownership to this huge set, I let her build it on her own. She actually enjoyed the long hours of solo building. She promised me to do a review on her favorite LEGO property. But as this post has sat on my drafts folder for a few months now, I'm just going to do a gallery instead. Until that promised review was done, this post will remain a gallery (ehem, ehem).

Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

Donald Duck

Daisy Duck

Tinker Bell

Disney Castle

Main Entrance

Clock Tower

Princess and the Frogs

Into the Open Air

Disney Castle Interior

Ballroom

Magic Carpet Ride

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

Be Our Guest

Touch the Spindle

Der Zauberlehrling

Once Upon a Dream

Mirror Mirror

Gesundheit

Once Upon a Time

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Welcome Party

Where Dreams Come True

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!

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.