Newly Released Sets!

It's June and for fans of LEGO it means a whole bunch of new sets.  Typically there are a bunch of new sets around the first of the year and then there are new ones in the summer.  Well June is here and the lineup is pretty big.

To see what is new, go to shop.lego.com and then click on the what's new tab.  It lists 166 items, which to be fair are not all new starting in June.  There are a number of new Star Wars sets to include:
   -the 1,216 piece Imperial Assault CarrierTM
   -a number of new Jurassic World sets
   -the 2,464 piece LEGO Creator Ferris Wheel to go along with sets from previous years to
   include a carousel and fairground mixer
   -a few new Creator sets to include an impressive looking fighter jet
   -the LEGO City Square 
   -the LEGO City Deep Sea Explorer sets
   -LEGO City Space
   -new Ultra Agents sets
   -new Legends of Chima sets
   -more Mixels
   -and finally the LEGO Architecture Flatiron building

It's definitely an interesting lineup worth checking out and LEGO is offering a number of special promotions to entice you to buy.  So if you've been saving up for a fun summer build, this time be a good time to check out what there is.

Set Review - Roaring Power - Creator - #31024

In the late 1990s, the LEGO Company wasn't where it is today.  In my opinion, the focus was not on building and construction, but on sets with that could be quickly assembled so you could play with them.  Many of the sets had big clunky pieces called BURPs or Big, Ugly Rock Pieces.  It's where they made larger pieces that you could use to assemble sets versus the smaller bricks that are more often used today.  I can remember at the time that one of my younger cousins took the time to write the LEGO Company a letter to let them know how disappointed he was in the sets.  While he enjoyed playing with the sets, he really enjoyed the building aspect.  

The LEGO Company's answer, or at least I think it's their answer to my cousin, was to start the Creator line.  In 2001, the first sets were released that focused more on the building and less on themes.  This line has continued since then and has included houses, vehicles, animals, robots, and various other items.  Many of the sets include instructions for 3 different builds out of the parts included with the set.  So if you just want to build fun sets, this is one of the ways to go.

I have purchased a few of these in the past and I recently decided to buy another one.  Set number 31024 came out in 2014.  It comes with 374 pieces and retails from the LEGO Company for $29.99.  At around $0.08 per piece, that isn't too bad of a deal considering sets typically average around $0.10 per piece.  You can probably search around different retailers to see if anyone is running a sale and get it cheaper than retail price.

The main set shown on the container is a sports car.  It uses a majority of the 374 pieces included in the set and the designers did a pretty good job using the pieces on hand to create a sleek looking vehicle despite all of the LEGO studs.  It also uses a lot of SNOT techniques or Studs Not On Top.  So instead of stacking bricks on top of each other, there are clever ways used to create the sleekness.  It says ages 8 to 12, but younger, inexperienced builders may need the help of a parent with this set.

The next design included is a seaplane.  This build uses approximately half of the pieces in the set and was not at detailed as the sports car.  

The last design included is a T-Rex looking creature.  It uses approximately 3/4 of the included pieces and uses some interesting building techniques to ensure that the legs, arm, and mouth all move.  

Overall, the 3 designs are all pretty detailed and use some different techniques to help expand your building horizons.  If you are looking to just build, then this set or the other Creator sets are the way to go.  Plus, 3 is not the limit in this set.  With 374 pieces, there are plenty of other things you can try.  So if you have this set or plan to get this set soon, enjoy and keep building!

May the 4th Be With You

Since 1999, the LEGO Company has been producing Star Wars themed sets.  These sets have become increasingly more detailed and intricate.  For those of you that collect these sets, you'll notice that they can be pretty pricey.  

Every year for the past few years, the LEGO company has held a May the 4th sale.  This year's sale started on 2 May and ended today on 4 May.  It included a free minifigure for purchasing $75 or more in Star Wars sets.  It also included a number of Star Wars sets discounted on the "Sales and Deals" page.  Finally, it included the release of a number of new sets to mainly include the $199.99 priced, 1,685 piece Tie Fighter Ultimate Collector's Edition.  If you missed the sale, stay tuned for the sale next year.

As for Bricks for Bricks, I'm working on building up the Star Wars inventory for sales in the fall.  I have a small number of sets that have been discounted from their retail price, a few assembled items for sale, and then a number of minifigures.  A word of warning... Star Wars sets are expensive and minifigures do not sell cheaply on the secondary markets either.  I do my best to price them fairly and in the past I have gone out on the secondary market and found cheaper "used" Star Wars minifigures.  From past sales one of the biggest requests I've had was for R2-D2 minifigures.  To answer that question, yes I have some of them and will have them available in the fall.  

What is an AFOL?

When you go to Walmart or Target, you'll notice that LEGO sets are always located within the toy section.  Toys for kids that is...  To be fair, the main consumer of LEGO sets are kids.  There are also some "kids" who are much older.  These "kids" either never stopped playing with LEGO sets or maybe they took a break and came back to the brand.  Most people would say that these adults are "nerds" or maybe "geeks."  A whole community has developed and we call ourselves AFOLs or Adult Fans of Lego.  There are conventions, web sites, groups to join, displays to go to, and all sorts of activities to be a part of the community.  

Many AFOLs for LUGs or Lego User Groups.  These groups of people meet to discuss their hobby, but also often set up their builds for the local community to see.  My first foray into this area was a search on YouTube for "LEGO train displays."  While some videos are made by kids crashing their trains, there are many videos of details displays of model LEGO trains transiting through LEGO landscapes.  The detail and creativity is truly astounding.  

Searches around the internet will bring up all sorts of creations.  People have build model ships, cars, buildings, boats, and scenes to the extreme detail using all LEGO parts.  Many of these models or MOCs as they are called (MOC stands for my own creation) consist of thousands of pieces and took months to build.  Want to see some?

World War II destroyer - 10 feet long, 9 months to build

Townhouse with its own Starbucks

A huge castle 

Pompeii (pre-volcano)

So before you make fun of that old guy/girl for still playing with kid toys, ask to see some of their work first.  It may impress you and change your mind.  

I lost the instructions!

Do you have a set that you got a few years back that fell apart and you can't find the instructions to put it back together?  Maybe you accidentally threw out the instructions with the empty bags.  What can you do?  

Well thankfully, the internet has a lot of options where you can find instructions online for free.  This gives you the opportunity to build those sets and you don't have to go to online stores to buy instructions.  So where are they?

The LEGO Company posts some HERE.  When I say some, it's only back to 2002.  You either need the set number or you can try and search for it by year or theme (like City or Friends).  If you have a set from much earlier, you can look here on Peeron.  Having the set number is key here, but you can try and search for it as well.  If you just can't find the set number, another great resource is Brickset.  You can search for sets by what you think the name is or look through the entire theme.  

So don't spend money on instructions (unless you really want them).  Just go online and build from there.

Set Review - Detective's Office - #10246 (Part 2)

(Read part 1 here)

It took me a few days to finish it up, but here is the completed Detective Office modular building.  All of the minifigures are happily inside.  

Set Review - Detective's Office - #10246 (part 1)

Once a year, since 2007, the LEGO company has released a modular building.  You can see the full list here.  They are typically made up of around 2,000 pieces and are full of different building techniques and styles.  The 2015 set is the Detective Office.  It includes a detective office, pool hall, and barber shop.  While these sets are rather pricey, $159.99 this year, with over 2,262 pieces it makes it worth it.  It has taken me a while to build this set, but once I'm finished, I'll post a picture.

(Read part 2 here)

Support the Zia Family Focus Center

Bricks for Bricks will not be at this show (sadly), but I'm giving them a plug anyways.  I had two sales with them last year and we were able to donate $20 plus a bag of bricks back to them.  So please go support this great place that helps kids out!

Set Review - Santa's Workshop - #10245

It's March and Christmas came a little late.  For a number of years now, LEGO has been producing a Winter Village theme.  They introduce a Christmas themed set in the October time frame and it typically remains on sale for a two year period.  I try to order the year's set around Christmas time, but by the time I got to it this year, it had sold out.  This year's set, Santa's Workshop, was on back order for quite a while.  It took over a month for this set to show up after I ordered it.  Lesson learned... if you want it for Christmas time, then order it sooner or wait for the summer time when no one is thinking of Christmas LEGO sets.  

I built the set over a weekend.  It's a creative build with some different building techniques, some interesting pieces, and a 6 minifigures.  I was also pleased that LEGO worked to get rid of the number of stickers you had to apply.  Some of the pieces had details printed on (the reindeer backs for one).  Overall it was a good set to build and will make a great addition to the other LEGO Winter Village sets.

More people giving back with bricks.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one trying to give back using Lego bricks.  This week I stumbled across a site for a non-profit group in the Kansas City, MO area focused on giving back.  They are called  "The Giving Brick" and like my business, they started in 2014.  Their goal is to collect Lego parts, put them into sets for building, and give them to kids in need.

If you're interested in finding out more, you can find them HERE.  They accept donations of Lego bricks and cash.  They are starting out local, but you never know, maybe they'll grow nationally or even internationally.