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Ryan | October 16th, 2009 | Events, News

BrickCon 2009 Recap (and Toy Story News!)

Well, it’s come and gone. BrickCon 2009, the best Lego convention this side of the Mississippi (until “Bricks by the Border” in SoCal in 2011, mark your calendars) was a blur that I’m still recovering from. And so I bring you a belated recap post.

First, the sad news. There was no BothCon this year. The absence of Mike “Count Blockula” Crowley and Don “Don Solo” Solo took quite a bit of wind out of the sails for any potential plans, and we had to pass on the festivities this year. If you want another BothCon, send them your money so they can help me run our little private FBTB party again! ;)

But oh! Good news! Lego presented us with some Toy Story set news and stills. This not-so-intrepid photographer doesn’t have great pictures of the slideshow itself, but I bear gifts of set numbers (with links to the aforementioned not-so-great shots) and followed by much nicer shots of the sets in their display case (photography by Sean Forbes used with permission)

A 6th set, 7591 Construct-a-Zurg, was also shown.



Random tidbit: Toy Story 1 and 2 sets will be branded “Toy Story” with a unified box design. When Toy Story 3 premieres later next year, it will feature its own branding and box design.

More sad news! I didn’t get a 8038 Battle of Endor at the 50% off “scratch n’ dent” sale. Others luckier than me got their hot little hands on them first.

Excellent news: as per Steve Witt’s Q&A, the Star Wars line is going nowhere. Someone on the other side of the room who mumbled like my toothless grandma asked an indecipherable question about the fate of our beloved Star Wars sets when the license ends. The intrepid Witt responded with comments about SW being one of Lego’s most stable and profitable lines, and no one need fear it’s departure anytime soon.

Negativity: the new set revealed wasn’t the UCS Max Rebo Band, as was popularly theorized. Maybe next year, Bothans…

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Ace | October 8th, 2009 | Events

LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary Release Party

If you still haven’t picked up or ordered the book by now and live near a LEGO store, you can attend a special release party this coming Saturday October 10, 2009 at all store locations. The festivities start at 2:00pm and will end when they end but I think officially it’s supposed to end at 3:00pm. There will be trivia contests, giveaways, prizes (Chrome Darth Vader anyone?), and members of the 501st in costume to take pictures and help keep the peace.

Keep in mind this is information gleaned from my local store (Glendale, CA) and it is supposed to be happening at all LEGO store locations, according to the person I spoke with. This event is not posted on LEGO’s website either, so please be aware that YMMV; call ahead to confirm.

Update: Duh, I should have just checked the publisher’s web site, as they have an official list of Release Parties happening all around the U.S.

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Ace | June 8th, 2009 | Events, News

LEGO Store Openings

For those of living in the U.S.A., you may or may not have seen the complete list of LEGO brand retail stores. I present to you, the complete list of stores that have will be open by the end of the year:

  • Stonebriar Centre, Frisco, TX
  • Crabtree Valley Mall, Raleigh, NC
  • Westfield Annapolis, Annapolis, MD
  • Kenwood Towne Center, Cincinnati, OH
  • NorthPark Center, Dallas, TX
  • Penn Square Mall, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH
  • Orland Square, Orland Park, IL
  • Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, HI
  • Concord Mills, Charlotte, NC
  • Arundel Mills, Baltimore, MD
  • Riverchase Galleria, Birmingham, AL
  • Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ
  • MyZeil, Frankfurt, Germany

Some of these may have already happened, such as the Frisco, TX and Annapolis, MD locations. Cincinnati, OH will have their grand opening on June 19th through the 21st. Dallas, TX will have theirs on July 17th through the 19th. I really wish they would open another store in the Los Angeles County area; cause we need something more west of Glendale and Aneheim. I’m just saying, an hour and a half drive to one of those stores isn’t quite “in the neighborhood”. Anyways, I’m glad to see more retail outlets opening in other states. And like all other store openings, they celebrate with a community activity of building an 8-foot tall R2-D2 model. All participants will receive a special R2-D2 printed Duplo brick, as well as a postcard, while supplies last. Each store will also have giveaways and an exclusive limited edition LEGO set. Dial your browser to http://stores.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx for up-to-date information on store openings and other events.

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Ace | June 5th, 2009 | Events

Reminder: Star Wars Days at LEGOLand, CA June 13 and 14

Just a friendly reminder that next weekend June 13 and 14 will be Star Wars Days at LEGOLand, CA. The special 2-day event will feature members of te 501st Legion in full costume wandering the park and interacting with guests for their droid hunt game. The Xbox Family Game Space will feature LEGO Star Wars games running all weekend long. There will be fan-made models on display courtesy of FBTB, Lugola, and Sandlug. There will be a ton of other activities for you to take part in. For full details, read the press release. It’s always a great time and we hope to see you there.

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Ace | June 2nd, 2009 | Events

Reminder: Podracers Wanted for Star Wars Weekend LEGOLand, CA

Just a quick note that Star Wars weekend is coming up on June 13 and 14 at LEGOLand, CA. If you built a podracer for our Podracer Challenge building contest a few months back and it’s still intact and you’re interested in having it on display at the event, leave a message on the forum thread or use the fancy Contact Us page. You’ll need to ship me the model, and after the weekend’s over, I would, of course, ship it back. We have a big Tatooine theme going on, and would love to have some more eye candy for the park visitors.

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Ace | May 23rd, 2009 | Creations, Events, News

Life-sized LEGO Destroyer Droid

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

There was an event at LEGOLAND, CA called the Star Wars Galactic Challenge Building Contest. The winners of the challenge (one in each age group) were able to pick a droid of their choosing to be rendered in LEGO form as part of the eye-popping prize package. One of the winners picked a Destroyer Droid, of which FBTB was able to get exclusive pictures of. You can read all about it and see the pictures of the model on it’s featured page:

right
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left

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Ace | May 19th, 2009 | Events

The Force Returns to LEGOLAND, CA For Star Wars Days

I received the following press release for the upcoming Star Wars Weekend at LEGOLAND, CA:

Special two-day event features Xbox 360 gaming, Droid Hunt, daily costume contests ?and a special visit from Darth Vader himself

CARLSBAD, Calif. (April 20, 2009) – The Force returns to LEGOLAND® California on June 13 and 14 during LEGO® STAR WARS Days. Darth Vader and his 501st Legion of stormtroopers will invade the family theme park to interact with fans all weekend long, and LEGOLAND guests will also be able to take part in out-of-this-world activities like the Droid Hunt, video game battles, trivia competitions, building activities, scavenger hunts and daily costume contests.?

For the first time ever during LEGO STAR WARS Days, fans of all ages can experience the new Xbox Family GameSpace, where they can play LEGO STAR WARS games all weekend long. The Xbox Family GameSpace features 13 game stations, providing an optimal gaming experience. Xbox Family GameSpace is a new permanent feature at LEGOLAND California where guests can experience LEGO STAR WARS and other family-friendly games year-round.

One of the most popular LEGO STAR WARS Days events is the Droid Hunt. Guests of all ages receive “droid badges” if they are among the first to stop by a specially marked table in The Beginning of the Park, where they will learn a special droid quote from within the STAR WARS Saga. When guests wearing droid badges are “caught” within the Park by members of the 501st Legion, they must recite the quote to receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win fantastic LEGO STAR WARS and LEGOLAND California merchandise.

Other features and attractions include the LEGO STAR WARS Fan Gallery, highlighting LEGO STAR WARS creations built by local fans and LEGO Club members; Jedi Trivia Contests, which allow guests to use their STAR WARS knowledge to compete for fabulous prizes; and a Miniland U.S.A. scavenger hunt to discover scrambled letters hidden by clone trooper mini-figures. Those who locate all the letters and unscramble the secret phrase will be entered into a contest to win a family four-pack of LEGOLAND California tickets and exclusive LEGO STAR WARS merchandise.?

Also, guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite STAR WARS characters and participate in daily costume contests. Prizes will be awarded in two age categories: 8 and younger and 9 to 15. Each prize is valued at more than $500 and includes exclusive LEGO STAR WARS toys, collectible gear and tickets to LEGOLAND California.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP is the leading name in location based, family entertainment, which has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years. The world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin has 58 attractions and six hotels in 12 countries and across 3 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 33 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and 13,000 employees. Merlin Entertainments operates the following attractions – SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers, Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Earth Explorer.

The 501st Legion is a worldwide STAR WARS™ costuming organization comprised of and operated by STAR WARS™ fans. While it is not sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd. It is Lucasfilm’s preferred Imperial costuming group.
STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

In addition, FBTB in conjunction with LUGOLA and SANDLUG will be have an impressive display of MOCS. I am also currently accepting podracers from our building contest a few months ago for display. For more information, visit the podracer/LEGOLAND thread.

It’s always a lot of fun every year so if you can make it at least one of the days, try and do so!

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Ace | May 13th, 2009 | Events, News

Fine Clonier Jedi vs. Sith Contest

Kaminoan and Co. over at FineClonier.com are hosting a contest! First place prize: your choice of a chrome Darth Vader or C-3PO figure. Second place will get whatever first place didn’t choose. The catch? All you have to do is create a stunning, one of a kind Jedi minifigure OR a Sith minifigure of your choice. There are other rules and restrictions so read the Jedi vs. Sith contest announcement for all the details.

Jedi vs. Sith Contest

Jedi vs. Sith Contest

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Ace | May 8th, 2009 | Events, Random

Off Topic: Battlestar Galactica Auction

If you’re a fan of the Battlestar Galactica series and live in or around the Pasadena, CA area, stop by the Pasadena Convention Center today through May 10th. Among all the BSG props you can geek out on, our very own Ryan Wood and members of ChiefLUG has set up a display of a BSG hanger, several Vipers and Raptors sent in from across the country, all rendered in LEGO form. For pictures of the event, visit ChiefLUG on flickr. For more information regarding the auction, visit the Battlestar Galactica Props and Costumes Auction website.

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