Lego Sydney Opera House (10234) Review by Drudoo @ Eurobricks

The new Lego Sydney Opera House (10234) has been reviewed by Drudoo over at Eurobricks. With 2,989 pieces and a $320 price tag, this new Creator set is one of the biggest Lego releases this year. To say that this is only an upgrade to the original Lego Architecture Sydney Opera House (21012) is an understatement. Everything about this set is different and it even hides a few surprises. There are so many pieces and bags that the set comes in multiple boxes, just like the massive Lego Star Wars Death Star (10188). Lego made the smart decision of including the instruction manuals and such in a separate card board reinforced bag. Preventing the problem of bent instruction manuals. It would be nice if this would become standard for all their sets.

As the base for the Opera House is built up, it is noted that this whole set is extremely sturdy. With none of the wobbly problems that some of the larger sets in the past have had. The Lego Sydney Opera House contains so much tan, but does a good job of not being boring. The set really starts to get interesting when building the “sails.” These structures are surprisingly technical, and are not as simple to build as they look. Using a combination of technic and advanced building techniques to achieve the correct angles and placement of every part.

Drudoo is about half way through documenting and reviewing the Lego Sydney Opera House. Make sure to check out the full review for many more pictures and details. Keep an eye out for updates as the Opera house gets completed, they will be coming “as soon as possible.”

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85886

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Review by Jim Butcher @ Eurobricks

The LEGO Architecture Studio (21050) is a very mysterious set. Currently only available in the United States, this set can be hard to find. Because of this, the set is wrapped up in mystery. Jim Butcher got his hands on this massive set and broke it open to document and review what he found. The Architecture Studio contains 1,210 pieces and comes in a very unconventional box. Most official Lego sets are released in a flat(ish) rectangle shaped box, not so for the Architecture Studio. This is a huge package. Taking up the space of 3 or 4 normal Lego sets. Inside is a very unique set, that Lego has never produced before.

Besides the 1,210 Lego pieces the set comes with two clear sorting trays. Fun fact: these sorting trays are official Lego pieces. They work well, and help to manage the massive amount of like sized/shaped pieces. Speaking of which, almost every piece is white. With the exception of a handful of transparent pieces. The whole point of the Lego Architecture Studio is to use the included pieces to begin building technically minded architecture models. The monochrome color scheme helps break the Lego models down to their core concept, while reinforcing the minimalistic goal of the set.

The large Lego piece count and sorting trays are not the main focus of this set. The instruction manual or book is the star. A huge 272 page perfect bound book. Featuring tips, building techniques, styles, history, and general information about Architecture and Lego. The book does not contain standard instructions. No step by step builds of famous architectural models. Instead the book features very general instructions, often showing the building of a model across only 3-4 steps. The Lego Architecture Studio (21050) is an educational and inspirational set, sharing more in common with Lego Mindstorms then Lego Star Wars.

Read the full review by Jim Butcher over at Eurobricks: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85176&st=0

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Book Download

UPDATE: It looks like Lego has taken the file offline. ~~Lego has offered a .pdf download of the whole 272 page book from the Lego Architecture Studio (21050). This is huge download, at 413 MB. Check it out here:~~
~~http://cache.lego.com/bigdownloads/buildinginstructions/6062928.pdf~~

Amazon has the set for sale, but like other recently popular sets it comes and goes out of stock often. Check it out on Amazon here: LEGO Architecture Studio (21050)

Lego Minifigures Series 11 Reviewed by WhiteFang @ Eurobricks

The new Lego Minifigures Series 11 is just starting to show up in stores. The packaging color will be a deep green, which matches the “holiday” theming of this series. At least three of the minifigs have a winter theme, including the Gingerbread Man, Yeti, and Holiday Elf. It looks like Series 11 is another great release. Although the distribution may cause the more desired minifigures in this set to be rare or uncommon.

WhiteFang, over on Eurobricks, has written up the definitive review. Every few months another Minifig Series is released and WhiteFang is there with an extremely detailed writeup. These figures have proven to be some of the most interesting that Lego produces. The sheer amount of new parts and detailed printing separates these from the normal minifigures from the other Lego sets.

“To me, this series remain a huge importance in the LEGO history and affirming my belief that all of these minifigures in the past, present and future series will continue to be regarded as part of the ‘Golden Age’ for the LEGO CMFs theme.”

The bad news for Series 11 is that the distribution is not at all friendly for the collector. The rarest figures are the most desired, Scarecrow, Tiki Warrior, Grandma, Jazz Musician, Bavarian Lady, and Dinner Waitress. This means that if picking out these figures from an opened box, the chances of finding these are extremely low. There are only two complete sets per box. Lets hope you like the Rock Climber, Welder, Constable, or Yeti as these are probably the minifigures you will find.

Read the whole review of the Lego Minifigures Series 11, written by WhiteFang, over on Eurobricks: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85145

Lego Castle: King’s Castle (70404) Reviewed @ Eurobricks!

Lego has recently restarted its Castle theme. This may be the first time that two fantasy based Lego themes have overlapped. Lego Castle and Lego the Lord of the Rings / the Hobbit are both themes that share common designs. It has never been a better time for fantasy Lego fans. The new Lego Castle theme is actually very similar to the previous Kingdoms theme. Almost matching up set for set, with very few new ideas. For collectors of Lego Castle the minifigures are going to be the main draw here.

oo7 has recently posted up a full pictorial review over at Eurobricks of the new Lego Castle: King’s Castle (70404). This is the big flagship set for the theme and seems to have hit all the checkboxes for a Lego Castle. The standard Gatehouse, Kings keep, curtain wall, and two towers all combine to create a great modular castle. Perfect as the Crownies seem to be defending against the included siege engine and Red Dragon minifigs.

This castle comes with the Lego King, Knight, and two Archers. While on the “bad guy” side you will get a Red Dragon Knight and two Raiders. The Lego King usually comes with a chromed sword, but here comes with a pearlized sword. It comes off looking not as regal, but is also not that much of a loss. The best minifigs here are the Crown Knight, and Red Dragon Knight.

As usual the Castle set is modular and can integrate with other Lego Castle sets. For instance adding the Lego Castle: the Gatehouse Raid (70402) to the castle will match the design and scale perfectly. There are a lot of different options that you can choose for the castle layout.

Check out the full review of the Lego Castle: King’s Castle (70404) over at Eurobricks:
http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=84348

You can find the new King’s Castle over at Amazon.

The Lord of the Rings, the Tower of Orthanc (10237) Reviewed @ Eurobricks

The first full review for the new Lego, the Lord of the Rings, the Tower of Orthanc (10237) has been released, and it is over at Eurobricks. Rufus has written up a super cool review, showcasing every tiny detail of this towering tower. Oddly enough Lego has made two conflicting sets in the same release. To put it bluntly the Wizard Battle (79005) is a mini version of the Tower of Orthanc. So, if you cannot afford the full price, the smaller mini set is a good alternative. As Rufus points out in his review, the white wizard Saruman is actually different in both sets, meaning that if you are a completist then you will need both.

The Tower of Orthanc is a full six floors, with 2,359 pieces, and really is one of the tallest Lego models to date. It measures 28″ tall (71cm), which is over 2 feet! The inclusion a fully posable and working brick built Ent is wonderful. And although, the inclusion of an Eagle is also great, it is a shame that it is a molded figure. At least it can be replaced with the Lego Creator Fierce Flyer (31004) which makes a great brick built eagle.

The overall opinion is that this is a great set from Lego, which features an unbelievable amount of black bricks. The price to brick ratio (8.5¢) is also reasonable, which is rare for a licensed set.

Go read the full review at Eurobricks: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=83553
More information about the Tower of Orthanc can also be found at: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-tower-of-orthanc/

Lego Stark Industries Armory / Iron Man Hall of Armor

The Iron Man Hall of Armor has proven to be a very popular Lego MOC build, even Lego has offered an official version of their own. From the small to the big, each MOC has its own charm. This version of the Hall of Armor is amazingly complete. Coming in at 5 stories, 4 of which store Iron Man suits, this build has to be one of the most ambitious. The first floor features Tony Starks lab, and the top floors contain the workshop, and even storage for a huge Hulkbuster Suit.

What makes this build impressive is the massive amount of custom Iron Man minifigures. With 31 unique suits of armor, Tony Stark must feel like a kid in a candy store. Custom Iron Man minifigures are practically a whole separate genre of custom minifigs at this point. Some of the best work is coming out of this theme.

Some of the custom minifigures featured in the Stark Industries Armory are: Stealth Artillery Suit, Silver Centurion Mk. 2, Deep Space Suit, Enhanced Reactor suit, Prototype Stealth suit, Hot Rod Red, Deep Sea Hydro suit, Long Distance suit, Silver Centurion retro-inspired suit, Hyper Velocity suit, War Machine 2.0 prototype suit, Prometheum-armor inspired suit, War Machine Heavy Duty, Godkiller armor, Bleeding Edge armor, “Bones,” War Machine, Mk. 42 prototype, Mk. 42, Iron Patriot, Radiation-zone suit, Super Stealth suit, “Shotgun”, “Gemini”, and “Heartbreaker.”

This build is actually a revised version. Another whole version of the Armory was built that originally showed more of the Hulkbuster. For all the details of becauseBATMAN’s Lego Stark Industries Armory / Iron Man Hall of Armor, check it out on Eurobricks: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=82642

Are you looking for even more Lego Iron Man Hall of Armor builds? Check these out:

Jared Chan’s Hall of Armor: http://everydaybricks.com/iron-man-hall-of-armor/
Review of the Lego Iron Man Malibu Mansion set: http://everydaybricks.com/iron-man-malibu-mansion/
Lego instructions for an Laboratory / Hall of Armor: http://everydaybricks.com/iron-mans-laboratory-hall-of-armor/
Keshen8’s video imagining Tony Stark getting ready: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-iron-mans-suit/

Star Wars Jedi Defender-class Cruiser (75025) Announced

The newest Lego Star Wars set has been announced, and it is the Jedi Defender-class Cruiser (75025) from Bioware’s Star Wars the Old Republic. Every time I see a new set released from Lego based on The Old Republic it makes me smile. This is a set based on a video game, from the extended universe, ultimately based on the original films.

The Jedi Defender-class Cruiser comes with 4 minifigs, 3 of which are all new. 2 of the 4 happen to be Jedi’s, so thats great, and of course the obligatory Sith to fight with. The new spaceship comes with 937 pieces, and is rumored to be priced around $100. If so, that would make this a pretty good deal for a Star Wars set. The set should be out soonish, so if you cannot wait, just log in to The Old Republic and admire the Cruiser in all its digital glory.

Thanks to GRogall of Eurobricks for breaking the news on this new set, for more photos go here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=77256&st=2125#entry1588701

The Lone Ranger: Cavalry Builder Set (79106) Reviewed

The Lone Ranger theme sure does have a lot of interesting sets. The Cavalry Builder Set (79106) is one of those sets that everyone wishes Lego would create for every theme. Having a full Cavalry in a wild west theme is almost essential. Who else is your collection of surly bandits and outlaws going to harass? You get three Cavalry soldiers, a cannon, a horse and the Lone Ranger. The only downside to this set is that the Lone Ranger won’t be alone for long if you buy more then one set in this theme. As an added bonus, most of these pieces (except the minifigs) can fit right in with a Pirate theme.

Check out the new review on Eurobricks by KielDaMan: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=82077

And check it out on Amazon if you want: The Lone Ranger Cavalry Builder Set (79106)

Lego Iron Man: Malibu Mansion Attack Reviewed

Just in time for the new release of Iron Man 3 comes a new Lego set. This one focusing on what might be the definitive scene from the film. This set comes with 5 minifigs, Tony Stark, Iron Man in Mark 42 armor, Pepper Potts, the Mandarin, and an Extremis soldier. That is a lot of figures for such a set. The Malibu mansion is a super abbreviated version from the film, containing a workshop, hall of armor, and a kitchen. Lego has done a great job with their Super Heroes line. LEGO Iron Man: Malibu Mansion Attack (76007) is currently for sale on Amazon too.

Captain Nemo over at Eurobricks posted a great review of the Lego Iron Man Malibu Mansion Attack.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=80219

Fun fact: Lego spoiled the surprise that Pepper Potts wears the Iron Man armor on the box cover!

Are you looking for even more Lego Iron Man Hall of Armor builds? Check these out:

Jared Chan’s Hall of Armor: http://everydaybricks.com/iron-man-hall-of-armor/
Lego Stark Industries Armory: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-stark-industries-armory-iron-man-hall-of-armor/
Lego instructions for an Laboratory / Hall of Armor: http://everydaybricks.com/iron-mans-laboratory-hall-of-armor/
Keshen8’s video imagining Tony Stark getting ready: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-iron-mans-suit/

Lego Printed & Named Beams & Bricks

Back before the Pirates, before the Minifig, even before Duplo, Lego introduced the Town System. With this new system came the first named beams and printed bricks. Usually produced on white 1×6 and 1×8 bricks. These printed bricks were so popular at the time that there were hundreds and hundreds of varieties available in different colors and typefaces.

The very first printed/named bricks hit the stores in 1955, just 6 years after Lego introduced their original sets. Since these bricks were there in the beginning, their availability matches the spread of Lego across Europe. First appearing in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Originally these bricks were available in a Named Beams set (Set No. 1224). As Lego started selling in new countries, they started translating these printed/named bricks in all the different languages. By 1962 Lego was offering printed/named bricks in Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Italy, France, Finland, Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, and Australia. Most of these countries had bricks printed in their own native language, with one interesting exception. Lego never printed Portuguese bricks.

The bulk of these printed/named bricks were made in the 1950–1960’s. Since working with ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic was relatively new the printed/named bricks were often misprinted. The typefaces that Lego worked with were originally hand–lettered before being transferred to the molds. There is nothing directly comparable to this printing today, the closest results are found with Flexography (Flexo) printing, which is commonly found on plastic shopping bags.

A very wide variety of typeface styles can be found on these Lego bricks. Anywhere from Sans Serif, Serif, Slab Serif, Script, and Decorative styles were available. The imperfections of coming from hand–lettering greatly contributed to their personality. Some of this printing is interesting in that they exhibit reverse stress on the letters. This is especially noticeable with the “TAXE” and “TABAK” bricks.

As time moved on, so too did most of these unique typefaces. By the time the 1970’s came around Sans Serif typefaces were standard, and most of the charm of these named bricks started to fade. These printed/named bricks would completely die out before the 1980’s, being replaced with the much cheaper, and more versatile, sticker. Today Lego only prints a few bricks a year, and almost never text. Making this an interesting relic from the past.

One last thing; some of these bricks are a product of their time, especially the “TABAK” and “SIGARETTEN” bricks. You would never find a product marketed to children today with a tobacco reference.

Credit & More Information.

All of the above images were provided by Gary Istok. Who, can be found on the Eurobricks website as the Lego Historian. He has written extensively about printed/named bricks/beams here, and here. Also, for extremely detailed information about “Thousands of things you probably never knew about Lego sets, Lego parts, and Lego related items…” make sure check out Gary Istok’s “The Unofficial Lego Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949–1990’s)” which is available for DVD and Download. Seriously, his work is awesome.