UK LEGO store rogue friday / force friday 2016 promotion

First Order Stormtrooper [30602]

After making a few phone calls about Force Friday, the UK LEGO Stores employees told me that for 2016...

It's no longer called Force Friday. The galactic event is now dubbed as Rogue Friday to commemorate the release of the new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story sets. As of writing, no official announcement has been released yet. I was told to expect an email about it anytime soon. But the employees that I talked to were kind enough to confirm that the promotion for Force Rogue Friday is that for any LEGO Star Wars purchase, one can get triple VIP points and a free First Order Stormtrooper [30602] polybag. It's the same minifigure from this year's May the 4th event but without the required minimum purchase, and with triple VIP points to boot. The promotion runs from 30 September to 2 October, so it's more of a Force Rogue Weekend! The promotion is also available in the online LEGO Shop as well.

Free First Order Stormtrooper

________________________________________

UPDATE: Official Force Rogue Friday offers are now online! Learn all about them here. Don't forget to use the code GB10 at checkout to get £10 off with orders over £40!

today's package: LEGOLAND malaysia eid mubarak duplo brick

From Malaysia with Love

Courtesy of Brickfinder and LEGOLAND Malaysia, I won an exclusive Eid Mubarak Duplo Brick. Super thank you!

Last July, Brickfinder teamed-up with LEGOLAND Malaysia for a contest to win an exclusive Hari Raya Duplo Brick to celebrate the religious holiday Eid al-Fitr. The mechanics were to simply like their respective Facebook pages, then like and share the contest post, and tag two friends in the comments section. I did all that and luckily won the raffle. Good thing it's open to everyone in the world. Once again, thank you!

LEGOLAND Malaysia Eid Mubarak Duplo Brick

LEGOLAND Malaysia generously gives away limited specially printed Duplo bricks for their seasonal promotions, like Lunar New Year, Star Wars Days, and so on. There are various ways to get these exclusive bricks, and the most common method is by completing activity trails. For the Eid Mubarak Duplo Brick, it was obtainable by availing annual pass promotions, or participating in building events.

Currently, LEGOLAND Malaysia is promoting Halloween Brick-or-Treat. A limited edition Halloween commemorative brick can be received by following the trail and completing different tasks. Learn all about it here.

These promotional LEGO bricks are not limited to the Malaysian resort, so always watch out for a LEGO-related event near you. There just might be an exclusive brick waiting to be collected.

project monochrome: white

White Monochrome Minifigure

One of the purposes of the monochrome in art is to reduce it to its simplest form so that the focus of the piece would be on its pure physical elements. Applying that concept to LEGO, peeling away all the paint, leaving only the base color, one can achieve a minimal art in brick form...

That's one way to see it. Another is to simply say that I have always been a fan of monochrome minifigures, which are so cool and calming to look at. For the longest time, I thought this would be a difficult project but I have read somewhere that it's so easy if you start with the basics. That's why for my first monochrome minifigure, I decided to begin with the color white.

White Monochrome Minifigure: Sailor

White pieces are very easy to obtain. I got all the white minifigure pieces from my local LEGO Shop's Build-a-Mini. Unfortunately, there was no plain torso available so I just chose the one with the least printing. The doctor's torso with a pocket and a stethoscope fits the description perfectly. I removed the paint using a cotton swab and a rag cloth with Brasso metal polish. With just a few rubs, all the paint is gone. I tried to do it as lightly as possible to avoid scratches or dullness. There were some reports of such results if the process was done aggressively. Luckily, I managed to produce a clean outcome on my first try.

Brasso

With my Project Monochrome, I feel like I have added depth to my LEGO collection. The hunt is on to find single-colored pieces...

micro-AT-ATs

AT-ATs

The AT-AT microbuilds from the LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 15 are the cutest combat walkers ever!

On my last post, where I featured the aforementioned issue, I was very vocal about my fondness of the All Terrain Armored Transport free gift that I highly considered getting another one. Obviously, I wasn't able to restrain myself, so I bought another copy. I have found that it is cheaper (and a lot easier) to buy another magazine than to order the individual bricks. I wasn't able to find a single shop (in LEGO's Pick-a-Brick or BrickLink) that carries all the required pieces, making the postage fees not worth it.

Battle of Hoth

I don't usually make posts about duplicates, but I had a lot of fun playing with these microbuilds that it felt wrong not to share it. With two microscale Imperial Walkers, it's only natural to recreate scenes from The Empire Strikes Back. The AT-ATs were very significant in the Battle of Hoth. Besides, nobody forgets how Wedge Antilles skillfully used his T-47's tow cables to topple a combat walker (right, Spider-Man?).

Tow Cable?

These Micro-AT-ATs are really fetching like droid puppies. I don't think i can get enough of them...

________________________________________

UPDATE: My wife surprised me with another one! Super thank you!

And then there were three...

More AT-ATs!

LEGO star wars magazine: issue 15

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 15

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 15 has just been released, and this month's free gift is the iconic AT-AT!

The All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT for short, is a four-legged combat walker used by the Empire's ground forces. It first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, then prominently featured in Star Wars Rebels, and, more recently, also seen in The Force Awakens (as background wreckage). Older versions seems to be in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but they may (or may not) be under a different name (UPDATE: They are apparently called All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport or AT-ACT). Being one of the most famous symbols of the Empire's military might, it's no surprise that the AT-AT is the microbuild of Issue 15.

AT-AT

So far, the AT-AT is my favorite magazine microbuild (next to the Naboo Starfighter). I simply love its minimalist look. With only 48 brick pieces, it's a wonder that it accurately represented the imposing quadrupedal combat walker.

I just panicked for a bit (about two minutes) when I thought that a piece or two is missing from my foil pack. In my first build, the head seemed to lack a 2 x 2 gray piece, which made it look like the cockpit has been blown off. I made a quick recount and it resulted to the right number of brick pieces. I reviewed what I did then I realized that I put the 1 x 2 plate with handles on the opposite direction. Silly me! The instructions in the LEGO Magazines are usually easy to follow. I don't know if it's just me or the drawing of that particular brick is a bit confusing.

This month's free gift is really adorable. I love it so much that I wish I have another one or two or three. I'll research first if it's cheaper to just order the bricks. They seem pretty common anyway.

For the next issue, get ready for the Multi-Troop Transport, or MTT, of the Trade Federation! It's time for the prequel era once again. The LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 16 comes out on 12 October.

MTT

LEGO nexo knights magazine issue 08

LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 08

The LEGO Nexo Knights Magazine Issue 08 is hot off the press and it's overloaded with lots of free gifts, including a Kid Clay minifigure and Ninjago trading cards!

In last issue's preview, it was promised that Issue 08 will include a limited edition Kid Clay minifigure, a training bot, and an exclusive Nexo Power. All these were neatly placed in the small foil pack. But wait, there's more. An exclusive Ninjago Trading Card and a booster pack were given away as well.

Ninjago Trading Cards

I believe that it's a brilliant strategy to introduce the Ninjago Trading Card Game in the LEGO Magazines. I also think that it's a genius move to put rare cards in the mix to tickle the market's (especially kids') need to collect them. Included in every Issue 08 is a Limited Edition NRG Cole golden foil card. There's also a special card guaranteed in every booster pack, and I got an Action Master Chen silver foil card in mine. So, by purchasing this issue, I instantly have two shiny foil cards. Conveniently, a game rules pamphlet and a cards checklist centerfold poster were also part of the strategy presents. As if this is not enough, next issue promises another exclusive card and another booster pack (yey! more shiny foil cards!).

Moving on, let's now proceed to the star of this issue, Kid Clay!

Kid Clay

Training Bot

Kid Clay and his Training Bot are this month's free LEGO toys. They both look so adorable (and short)! Though the pieces are not really exclusive ones, it's really satisfying to finally have an official Clay hairpiece (three more to go. A Lance hairpiece was released in Issue 01). Incorporating Kid Clay and his Training Bot in the comics is also a nice touch. They were presented via flashback when Clay was training Robin, the junior knight.

Training Time

With all these wicked gifts, I almost forgot about the exclusive Nexo Power. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the first time that we saw the Minify Surprise in physical LEGO form. I have already scanned that power months ago from the Nexo Knights Academy missions from the Malaysian site (nexoknightsapac.lego.com/en-my).

For the next issue, a monstrous toy seems to be on its way. A Flame Bat vehicle with hot lava ammo is coming next month. As with most free vehicle builds, there's no pilot included. And it's up to the readers to decide who'll fly it. I wonder if Kid Clay will look good riding it, haha. Just kidding! Issue 09 will be on sale 19 October.

Flame Bat

Don't forget to like brickednexus' Facebook page at www.facebook.com/brickednexus!

LEGO store leicester square opening on 17 november

Lester (Photo grabbed from http://stores.lego.com/en-gb/stores/uk/london-leicester-square)

Mark your calendars! The new London Leicester Square LEGO Store will open on 17 November!

Dubbed in their official press release as the largest (5,420 square feet in over two floors) LEGO Brand Retail Store in the world, the new Leicester Square Store is scheduled to open on 17 November. A tea-loving mascot, unique to the store, is also set to debut, and he is aptly named Lester (exclusive minifigure?!). If the quintessential gentleman looks a bit familiar, you might have seen him on the announcement teasers on the store's construction barriers.

Big Ben (Photo grabbed from http://stores.lego.com/en-gb/stores/uk/london-leicester-square)

For the iconic model, the new store won't be complete without the famous Big Ben. A huge model (largest ever at 6.53 meters high!) is currently being built, and it's made from more than 200,000 bricks. Not only that, it works as well! And the clock face is said to be illuminated at night. The store also promises exciting new and exclusive LEGO experience.

For more details, head on to stores.lego.com/en-gb/stores/uk/london-leicester-square.