Rumors

LEGO 21100 Architecture – SHINKAI 6500 Submersible

by

Photos, and a review, of what appear to be a new, very limited edition LEGO Architecture set, in the Discovery line, have been published on the web through lordbrick’s Brickshelf account and his review in HISPALUG website. Unfortunately it will probably be only available in Japan, and I can imagine … Read more

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean – Details, Thoughts

by

Just over a week ago, the upcoming LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean line was officially announced. Now we’ve got some details from some members of Eurobricks, and it has been confirmed that they won’t focus just on the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie (due out in May of 2011), but will cover the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise in general.

Look for Jaymercury’s post a few posts down on this Eurobricks thread.

Also look for Christian’s post about half way down this Eurobricks thread.

Obviously these are subject to change, but here is what’s listed (picked up from an accidental leak by a retailer), along with my thoughts. Yes, we have no pictures and no in-depth product descriptions, but I’m going to give my opinion anyways, based on the leaked description and the pricing. I’ll take a guess at brick count and US prices based on other Disney sets as well as the new Harry Potter sets. I’ve included the specific set names and numbers (and links to either the LEGO.com entry or to Brickset) for my comparisons so that you can check them out on your own and draw your own conclusion. US prices and brick count estimates are based on existing Toy Story, Prince of Persia, and Harry Potter sets, and the price conversions are done through XE.com.

Warning! There be spoilers for the upcoming movie below!

4181 – Isla De la Muerta (£21,99 – roughly $29.99 US)
Pirate Lord Hector Barbossa trying to capture Elizabeth Swann and fighting Jack Sparrow.

Thoughts: Might be the only set with Elizabeth Swann. Should include plenty of treasure chests and gold pieces, but probably will be fairly small, given that there will be 3-4 minifigs starting out.

Estimated Pieces: 250 – 275 (based on The The Fight for the Dagger 7571 which is cheaper, has 258 pieces and has 4 minifigs, or Buzz’s Star Command Spaceship 7593 which has 257 pieces and a couple of minifigs)

Read more

Review: LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller

by

While this is now considered an older Power Mines set (it came out in early 2009), it is my favorite Power Miners set to date. I’ve built the 2 mechs, the 8958 Granite Grinder, and even the Claw Digger; but the Thunder Driller is my absolute favorite. It looks like something straight out of a James Cameron movie.

Note: You might be able to find this on clearance at some stores as they clear out old inventory to make room for newer LEGO stock, but this is an early 2009 set and you will most likely only find it online. Some retailers started clearing this out in mid 2010. Brickset shows it being discontinued in July of 2010.

LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller

It comes with some cool minifig accessories, 3 minifigs, and just looks great. I really like it. The Thunder Driller itself looks pretty realistic, too. There’s barely any exposed LEGO studs on the completed model, and it exudes a sense of brute power. The forward rock boring drill turns nicely when the front wheels roll, the engine compartment cover behind it can be removed to reveal a storage space (the cover also has a nice set of lights and a lifting chain), the driver’s area behind that is covered by a hinged ladder, and has enough room to hold one Power Miner and a LEGO box of dynamite. The other Power Miner can be put in there, too; but it might be a little cramped. Not only do you get all this stuff, there’s also a walkie-talkie, orange crystal, pick axe, and Firox rock monster figure.

By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Power Miners 8960 Thunder Driller
Year of Release: 2010
Type: Power Miners Vehicle
# of Pieces: 235
# of Minifigs and what kind: 3 Minifig, 2 Power Miners, One Rock Monster (Firox)
Stickers? Yes, 8
Price: $49.95 US MSRP – Amazon.com (US) and Amazon.co.uk (UK), Possibly at Toys R Us. (Prices may vary through third-parties based on retailer and availability)
Ages: 7-14
Time to Complete: @ 40 minutes, depending on how much time you spend on the stickers.

Read more

Stand-Alone Minifigs in June

by

Update: See this post for high resolution photos They are being referred to as 8683 Collectible/Collectable Minifigures LEGO maybe launching a line of stand-alone “collectible” minifigures/minifigs, come June, 2010. There are supposedly going to be 16 different characters, with another line of 16 more launching in August, 2010. This is … Read more

LEGO Atlantis: Where is the Shark Castle or Where is Atlantis

by

lego-8060-atlantis-minifigAfter having looked through the officially released materials, we are definitely missing a couple of sets from the LEGO Atlantis theme. I’m not talking about the sets where we’ve seen box art already and just need a name and release date, I’m talking about sets we haven’t heard of. Keep in mind that the three sets we reviewed, the 8056, 8058, and 8060, made it into a fairly wide-scale release here in the US through Toys R Us in a short amount of time around a month and a half earlier than expected with few, if any leaks and no official notice. Jason heard from a Toys R Us employee that it was official and was some kind of exclusive/promo release. Even without having an employee tell us that, it was clearly not an accidental stocking of shelves across the US. LEGO can keep things secret – those are just recent examples.

First, let me say that I’m ignoring rumors and wishful thinking and only focusing on published, official Atlantis-related materials and how the other in-house/non-licensed sets are being handled. In an earlier post, I mentioned a LEGO-related ARG (Alternate Reality Game). As ILikePi pointed out, it’s probably related to LEGO Universe, the upcoming MMORPG or MMO or whatever you want to call it. That was a bad lead on my part and I apologize. It should have been obvious that it wasn’t Atlantis related. That’s an example of what I want to stay away from.

I mainly want to figure out where they’ll fit in and how many large/premium sets we’ll have. For the sake of discussion, I’m calling anything that’s around $60 (or 500+ pieces) and on up “premium”. Before anybody says “you can’t expect a large/premium set of out Atlantis just yet, give it a year” or “you can’t put Atlantis on the level of Pirates or Castle just yet”, let me point out at that the very name of the theme is a location – Atlantis. There is a theme running through out the manuals that there are locations to visit and explore. The teaser website is all about exploring areas – the Doctor’s journal is about finding Atlantis. All we’ve got so far that we know of as far as actual locations is one set: 8061 – Gateway of the Squid, and it’s really not a premium set in my view. It’s also called “Gateway”. That alone sets off warning bells that it will be a gateway to something bigger.

A lot of this may have been collected elsewhere and even better explained, and if so, by all means leave a comment with a link. I’m putting this down for myself to see what the clues are when everything “official” is laid out.

Read more

Top Gear’s Stig to Get LEGO Minifig?

by

The Age is claiming that the test driver on BBC’s Top Gear automotive TV show is getting his own LEGO minifigure. The Stig is the normally anonymous racing driver on Top Gear, dressed in all white, complete with a white helmet and blueish visor that is always kept down. It … Read more