Category Archives: News

Collectible Minifigures Series 5 – first high-res photos

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Though low-res and group shots of Series 5 Collectible Minifigs have been circulating for a little while, I think this is the first set of “solo” shots at a high enough resolution to make out details and therefore be worth discussion.

Series 5 single shots

Photo hosted by Unknown User2596 (provenance unknown).

We don’t know what the official names are yet, of course, but here’s a list of the sixteen minifigs that the series contains:

  • Gladiator (Mirmillo, specifically)
  • Graduate (no Mrs. Robinson
  • Snowboarder
  • Gangster
  • Cave Woman (hair not long enough to be dragged by — how progressive!)
  • Lizard Man (continuing furry fandom in LEGO form)
  • Zookeeper (with monkey)
  • Inuit/Eskimo/Yupik/Inupiat Fisherman (let’s see how LEGO untangles that political minefield with the official name…)
  • Boxer (a poor boy, his story seldom told)
  • Clown
  • Redneck Canadian Lumberjack (proposed name updated)
  • Dwarf
  • 80′s Aerobics Girl
  • Cleopatra (with asp)
  • Coldstream Guard (ahhh, just missed the royal wedding)
  • Sherlock Holmes

Beyond imagination: a LEGO exhibit in Hong Kong

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The talented group of LEGO fans in Hong Kong have put together a large exhibit organized by and hosted in Cityplaza from April 15 – May 2. There are 3 sections of the display. The first features a panel of storyboards detailing development of the LEGO Company. The second is a display of 2,000 figures and large figure sculptures spanning over 30 years of minifig history.

The third and most exciting section is a display of 17 famous world landmarks and icons such as the Grand Palace in Thailand by Vincent Cheung, a pyramid from Egypt by ArzLan, the Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Russia by Schneider Cheung, and Tiananmen in China by Andy Hung. Some early pictures taken by Joey Kwok have been uploaded on Flickr. I’ll update this post as more pictures of the event show up.

LEGO Magnet sets to be glued [News]

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LEGO Pharoah's Quest Magnets Glue

With the release of the new Pharoah’s Quest sets, many people bought the magnets, as they are an easy way to get the more desirable minifigs. However, the magnet figs were glued to their bases.

When asked for an explanation, LEGO said that all magnet figs will be glued from now on. There was a contractual issue with the magnets in the licensed themes and they had to be glued. In order to make things more efficient in production, the decision was made to glue all magnet figs rather than run two seperate magnet lines (glued and unglued). This has caused a lot of consternation in the community.

LEGO and science: robot cat for scaredy rats

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LEGO Mindstorms (and indeed regular technic) are a not unusual sight in science laboratories. Unfortunately I’m not lucky enough to need ‘work LEGO’ but I have looked jealously into labs that do. Typically it’s used to automate simple procedures or make quick reconfigurable rigs.

The Kim Laboratory of the University of Washington use LEGO in a novel way: to test fear in rats using the aptly named Robogator. This is certainly the first time I’ve seen LEGO used in neuroscience and I have to admit the idea of testing fear using a bright colourful toy robot is pretty clever and amusing. They have a few videos too.

Physorg have more details and I, in an astounding reversal of the usual, found the link on Boing Boing.

[NEWS] New LEGO Exclusive – 10215 Obi Wan’s Jedi Starfighter

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This set has just been unveiled at San Diego Comic Con, and we have photos, a video, and the press release below.

Obi-Wan's Jedi Star Fighter

10215 – Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter™
Ages 14+. 676 pieces.
US $ 99.99 CA $ 129.99 UK £ 94.99 DE 99.99 €
Blast off into The Clone Wars with Obi-Wan’s collector-series Jedi starfighter!

Now, you can build the ultimate LEGO version of Jedi general Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Delta-7 Aethersprite-class Jedi starfighter! Larger and more detailed than any previous Jedi starfighter model, this limited-edition collector vehicle is equipped with twin laser cannons, a full cockpit interior and a wing-mounted R4-P17 astromech droid dome that rotates. With a buildable display stand and plaque, it’s just the thing to pursue bounty hunter Jango Fett across the galaxy or battle swarms of Separatist fighters in space! Measures 9 in (23 cm) high on stand, 18″ (47 cm) long and 9″ (22 cm) wide when built.

• Ultimate Collector’s Series Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter!
• Equipped with twin laser cannons!
• Features fully detailed cockpit interior!
• The dome of Obi-Wan’s wing mounted R4-P17 astromech droid rotates!
• Includes display stand, plaque and label sheet!
• Model can be detached from display stand!
• Measures 9 in (23 cm) high on stand, 18″ (47 cm) long and 9″ (22 cm) wide when built!

Available for order directly through LEGO® beginning
November 2010 via shop.LEGO.com or via phone:
US Contact Center 1-800-453-4652
CA (English) Contact Center 1-800-453-4652
CA (French) Contact Center 1-877-518-5346
European Contact Center 00-800-5346-1111

10215_prod

Comic-Con for the LEGO nerd (2010 edition)

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Since there’s a lot of crossover between LEGO fans and general geekiness, it seemed like a good idea to mention a few of the LEGO-related attractions at that the Xanadu of Nerddom: Comic-Con International. It’s tonight through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

If you’ve got tickets, I’ll assume you already know most of the where and when, this is just a quick & dirty guide for all things LEGO.

LEGO: booth #2829. Smack-dab in the middle of the convention floor. On Wednesday evening, the upcoming Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter set will premiere and be on display for the duration of the convention. Licensed theme sets for sale, LEGO electronic games, play tables, and the line for a chance to win the exclusive set (CubeDudes by Angus MacLane). Angus will be available for signings on Fri. from 2-3pm and Sat. from 12-1pm. The new Hero Factory buildable costume characters will premiere on Sunday.

BrickJournal: TwoMorrows Publishing booth #1301. Magazines and compendia for sale, hassle the ever-popular Joe Meno, and see if he’s arranged for another batch of fans to display their creations.

There are also more LEGO oriented panels this year and they’ll be going on every day except Saturday:

  • BrickJournal, Thur. 2:30-3:30pm, room 7AB. A discussion for and about the LEGO fan community moderated by BrickJournal editor Joe Meno, featuring awesome builder Brandon Griffith, LEGO: A Love Story author Jonathan Bender, LEGO certified professional Nathan Sawaya, and LEGO community operations boss-man Jim Foulds.
  • DK LEGO Star Wars, Fri. 10-11am, room 7AB. DK is releasing a new series of LEGO Star Wars books, and this panel will feature authors Ryder Windham, Daniel Wallace, Gus Lopez and Pablo Hidalgo as well as illustrators Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas. They’ll discuss the making of the books and provide some some sneak peaks. Panel attendees will be entered to win some of the featured books.
  • LEGO Universe, Sun. 11:30am-12:30pm, room 5AB. An official LEGO panel to promote LEGO Universe, the new massive multiplayer online game. The panel will include members of the development team including creative director Ryan Seabury, senior director Mark Hansen, media coordinator Chris Brubaker and videographer Ryan Baier in a addition to a few others who haven’t been revealed yet.
  • LEGO Hero Factory, Sun. 1:45-2:45pm, room 6DE. Sneak peak of the new Hero Factory line of constructible costumed heroes from LEGO. Designers of the line will be on hand to provide some back story and a preview of the accompanying TV series. I don’t usually check this sort product promo panel out, but I figure because of the controversy surrounding the discontinuation of Bionicle and its replacement by this theme, I should find out what the fuss is about. I’ll be there.

If any surprises turn up while I’m at the convention I’ll do my best to keep you posted.

Registration for BrickCon 2010 now open [News]

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Registration for BrickCon 2010 is now open!

I highly recommend attending on principle, but you’ll need to register in order to participate in some of the community builds — including Big in Japan and the Vic-Viper Fly-in.

For those new to conventions, BrickCon 2010 will be in Seattle, Washington September 30-October 3. The Event Schedule is available online, as well as a list of nearby hotels. This year’s preferred hotel is The Maxwell Hotel–information on booking is available here.

If you need directions from Sea-Tac Airport to the convention site, Mark Sandlin has a fantastic write-up on “>how to make the trip for $4.50. That’s cheaper than gas to and from the airport.

Thanks to Adam Hally for the photo!