Archive for 2011 September | From Bricks To Bothans

Archive for September, 2011

Ace "onions" Kim | September 30th, 2011 | LEGO, News

Official Announcement: 10223 Kingdoms Joust

I think this is going to be announced today at Brickcon. No one seems to want either deny or confirm this, but the keynote is still a few hours away, so we’ll see. But I got an email today from LEGO Shop@Hame regarding a Shop@Exclusive for 2012: 10223 Kingdoms Joust. Quick stats: US $119.99 / CA $149.99 / DE 119.99 € / UK 99.99 £ / DK 1099.00 DKK / AU 199.99 AUD; 1,575 pieces; available starting January 2012 directly through LEGO Shop@Home and LEGO Brand Retail. A ton of pictures below followed by the official press release. A bit of letdown, but that might be because I’m in a rush. I’ll post my initial impressions after the keynote.

10223 Kingdoms Joust

Ages 12+. 1,575 pieces.

US $119.99 CA $149.99 DE 119.99 € UK 99.99 £ DK 1099.00 DKK AU 199.99 AUD

Watch the Knights battle it out at the Royal Joust!

It’s the most exciting event on the LEGO Kingdoms calendar! Join the King and Queen at the Royal Joust as the knights on horseback battle it out for the hand of the beautiful Princess. This detailed set recreates all the majesty of a medieval pageant, from the large, 6-roomed castle with linked wall extensions, 2 knights’ weapons tents, royal viewing box, jousting fence and of course 2 magnificent jousting horses. Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene that is truly fit for a King! Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers.
• Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess,, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers!
• Knight minifigures include armor decoration, helmet, jousting pole, shield and 2 extra weapons!
• Features castle with 6 detailed rooms with lots of accessorie and 2 knight’s tents with weapon holders!
• Open back for easy access to linked wall extensions!
• Also features royal viewing box with flags and coat of arms!
• Includes 2 knight’s horses with detailed decoration, weapon holder and armored headgear!
• Explore the castle rooms!
• Battle it out for the hand of the princess!
• Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene fit for King!
• Castle measures 20″ (51 cm) wide and 12″ (30 cm) tall!

Tags: 10223 Kingdoms Joust, Kingdoms

16 comments

Ken "buriedbybricks" Robichaud | September 29th, 2011 | LEGO Star Wars, Sales News

[Can] Toys R Us Bricktober Week One Giveaways

Toys R Us Canada is offering a slightly sweeter deal than their American counterpart for the first week of Bricktober. In addition to the LEGO Ninja Minifigure Magnet they’re offering with a much more reasonable $35 purchase, you can also get the 30051 Republic Attack Shuttle mini set if you spend that dough on Star Wars LEGO. I was disappointed to find out that this years minfigure magnets would be glued (though not surprised), but I must admit this has made week one a done deal for me. The magnets are limited to 200 per store (max) and the shuttle deal is based on stock, so if you’ve had your eye on a certain $35+ Star Wars set get it quick and double up on freebies.

Tags: 30050 MINI Republic Attack Shuttle, Bricktober, LEGO Ninja Minifgure Magnet, Toys R Us Canada

3 comments

Rick "GIR3691" Theroux | September 29th, 2011 | LEGO, Sales News

[Toys R Us] Bricktober Minifig Magnets Appear Online

It’s just about October, and that means Bricktober over at Toys R Us. Once again they have a series of four exclusive minifigure magnets, this go around representing Classic Castle, Forest, Space, and Ninja themes. Promotion runs the month of October, but you can look at them online. You can’t get them yet, but they are in stock.

They are each free with $75 purchase, or you can buy them individually for $4.99. If you order online, a $75 order gets free shipping. ~~I get the sinking feeling that these will be glued this time, sucking most of the appeal out of them. But hey! We may get lucky.~~ They’re confirmed as glued.

Tags: Bricktober, Classic Castle, Classic Forest, Classic Ninja, Classic Space, Toys R Us

12 comments

Don "Solo" Reitz | September 28th, 2011 | LEGO Star Wars, Reviews

Review: 8095 General Grievous’ Starfighter

Earlier this year when we were planning Bothcon we decided to run some building contests for attendees, specifically a speed build and an alternate model challenge, with the same set that they would each get to keep. After comparing what was available we decided that for the size the General Grievous’ Starfighter would suit both tasks well. The night before I got to build one as a control model to check the speed build results and was pretty surprised by the set itself.

(more…)

Tags: 8095 General Grievous Starfighter

4 comments

John "Mofo Jones" Oglesby | September 27th, 2011 | LEGO, Sales News

[USA] LEGO VIP Members – Double Points October 1-31 – Updated

Update: The LEGOLand offer is no longer being offered. Here’s the official word from Shop@Home regarding the matter:

Due to unprecedented response to this promotion, the allocated number of free and discounted tickets to LEGOLAND® Parks has been fulfilled. If you signed up and registered as a LEGO® VIP member prior to September 23, 2011, you will still be able to redeem your voucher during the week of October 24-30, 2011, provided there is capacity at your chosen park, and you comply with all the terms and conditions for the promotion as posted at http://vip.lego.com/promotions. Thank you for your excitement for the LEGO® brand and the LEGOLAND® Parks, and your overwhelming response to this promotion.

Checked my mailbox today and found a small catalog, confirming the rumors from the last few weeks.

Yes, October is Double Points month for all of you VIP Members! This is good for orders from Shop At Home, in a LEGO Store, or over the phone.

Some of the point deals you might want to take advantage of:

3677 Red Cargo Train $159.99 / 319 Points
4194 Whitecap Bay $79.99 / 159 Points
10218 Pet Shop $149.99 / 299 Points
10222 Winter Village Post Office $69.99 / 139 Points *
10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van $119.99 / 239 Points *
10188 Death Star $399.99 / 799 Points
And yes, for all of you who have been sitting on your hands for a month, avoiding pushing the “buy” button:
10221 Super Star Destroyer $399.99 / 799 Points

*Available October 1st

Clear some space on those credit cards, as this is probably the first of a good sale season! (I hope)

~~In other news:~~

In celebration of the Grand Opening of LEGOLAND Florida, VIP Members can get in to any LEGOLAND park (as long as “any” means California or Florida) FREE from October 24-30. You can also get $10 off admission for up to 6 friends and family members visiting the park on the same day.

Tags: LEGO Shop@Home, legoland, sale

6 comments

Ken "buriedbybricks" Robichaud | September 27th, 2011 | DC Universe, LEGO Batman, LEGO Super Heroes, MOC Spotlight

“I Think You And I Are Destined To Do This Forever.”

Cubedudes: the Joker and the Dark Knight

Though CubeDude fever may have cooled over time as fads tend to do, they still trickle in from time to time and some just can’t help but make you want build your own version. ThatGuyWithTheBricks has dropped a great pair of Dudes in our forums based on Batman & The Joker from The Dark Knight and I have to admit, even though that Joker is not my favorite this CubeDude version is spot on and I’d be surprised to see a better rendition. Feel free to prove me wrong though.

Tags: Batman, cubedudes, The Dark Knight, The Joker

1 comment

Ace "onions" Kim | September 27th, 2011 | Events, LEGO

Brickcon Is Right Around The Corner!

This weekend, starting Thursday September 29 going through Sunday October 2, Northwest Brickcon will be in full swing in Seattle, Washington. This will be my first AFOL convention and I’m pretty excited about attending. If you plan on going as a registered attendee, Andrew over at Brothers Brick posted this handy dandy article about how to prepare for the trip, everything from packing your MOCs to the cheapest way of getting from the airport to the convention hall. If you plan on going for the exhibition, the public days are Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to 3pm.

If on Sunday you find yourself looking for something to do, join me and Andrew as we will be co-hosting a panel. On Sunday October 2, from 2pm to 3pm, we’ll be hosting “LEGO Blogging with FBTB & TBB”. The full description reads as follows:

Join Ace Kim of From Bricks to Bothans and Andrew Becraft from The Brothers Brick, along with their crews, for what is sure to be a lively panel discussion about running two of the most popular LEGO fan sites on the web. Learn how the sites got started and some of the things they’ve learned along the way, from how to pay the bills to moderating an ever-growing community.

Yeah, I’m pretty nervous. So come out and learn all our secrets. Ask a question and you may walk away with a T-shirt. Look for us in Orcas aka Classroom A.

Tags: brickcon

6 comments

Ken "buriedbybricks" Robichaud | September 25th, 2011 | LEGO Star Wars, News

Luke Skywalker Turns 60

Mark Hamill may be best known as the farmboy turned Jedi knight, but he’s had an incredible voice acting career as well. Having worked on such animated series’ as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Spongebob Squarepants, Winnie the Pooh and multiple roles in both the Marvel and DC animated universes from Spider-man to Batman. The latter includes his most recurring and enduring characterization as the Dark Knight’s clown prince of crime, the Joker. If that wasn’t reason enough to wish him a Happy 60th Birthday on this site, then lending his voice to an official LEGO cartoon ought to do it.

Tags: Batman: The Animated Series, Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill, Spider-man, The Joker

12 comments

Robert "Robzula" Davis | September 25th, 2011 | LEGO Star Wars, News

The Clone Wars: “Shadow Warrior”

Jar Jar invites his allies Padmé and Anakin to Naboo to help investigate the root of Boss Lyonie’s odd behavior. They notice an uncanny similarity between Jar Jar and Lyonie that will come in handy in undoing the damage Lyonie has done.

The preview video for “Shadow Warrior” is up. Check it out and then watch the full episode this Friday.

Tags: clone wars, Shadow Warrior

5 comments

Ace "onions" Kim | September 24th, 2011 | LEGO, News

Official Announcement: 10230 Mini Modulars

Well this is a surprise. Making their official debut at LEGO Fan Weekend in Denmark today, LEGO officially unveils their next exclusive: 10230 Mini Modulars. This is a VIP member exclusive, meaning you have to be a VIP member in order to purchase this set. 10230 Mini Modulars takes the first 5 models from the modular building series and shrinks them down to mini dimensions: Cafe Corner, Market Street, Green Grocer, Fire Brigade, and Grand Emporium. Probably the only way I’d ever buy a Market Street but I digress. I can only assume that there will be future iterations of Mini Modulars to include all the other buildings the series will see. Most notably absent is the more recent release of 10218 Pet Shop. The set may not look like it but will contain 1,356 pieces. Pricing data is as follows: US $79.99, CAN $99.99, DE 69.99 €, UK 59.99 £, DK 649 DKK, and AU $119.99. And finally, you can expect to hand over your money in January 2012 for the set. More pictures below, followed by their video, and finally the official press release:

10230 Mini Modulars

Ages 12+. 1,356 pieces.

US $79.99 CA $99.99 DE 69.99 € UK 59.99 £ DK 649.00 DKK AU $119.99

Available only to our LEGO® VIP Program Members, this exclusive mini modulars set is an authentic miniature representation of the first 5 buildings in the Modular Building series: Café Corner, Market Street, Green Grocer, Fire Brigade and Grand Emporium. Featuring highly detailed design, each building can be displayed as a stand alone piece or connected to the others buildings in the set. The mini Café Corner includes details like a fan above the doorway and printed hotel signage, while the mini Market Street includes transparent bricks and a unique brick construction. The quaint mini Green Grocer also features transparent bricks and a fire escape at the rear, while the mini Fire Brigade includes a brick bell and white arch wall elements. Finally, the mini Grand Emporium has a rooftop sign, skylight and window washing platform. With fantastic detailing and a huge variety of elements in a range of rich colors, this exclusive mini modulars set is the perfect addition to every VIP Member’s collection.

• Exclusively available to LEGO® VIP Members!
• Authentic miniature representation of first 5 Modular Buildings: Café Corner, Market Street, Green Grocer, Fire Brigade and Grand Emporium!
• Each building can be displayed individually or connected to the other buildings in the set!
• All buildings feature fantastic detailing and a wide variety of elements and colors!
• Completed model measures over 5″ (14.5 cm) tall, 12″ (32 cm) long and 2.5″ (6.5 cm) wide!
• Each individual building measures 2.5″ (6.5 cm) long and 2.5″ (6.5 cm) wide!