october mini model build: robot

October Mini Model Build [40248]

The Monthly Mini Model Build for October is an awesome robot!

Veering away from the cutesy animals, the LEGO Store went full droid mode for their building activity this month. Compared to previous models, the brick built robot's design is a little complicated with all its small pieces and articulated parts. But not really intricate enough so kids assembling it will still manage just fine. I was really delighted to see a transparent light blue 2x2 round brick for I usually see it in the old LEGO Dimensions sets. Then the delight quickly turned into sadness when I remembered that the theme is about to be discontinued real soon. (I just realized that I haven't posted anything about that game, my favorite game ever! Hmmm...).

Robot

The color palette for the adorable automaton is a bit on the minimal side, though it worked perfectly, I must say. The color scheme made it look like a medical bot. I can imagine it assisting a health care professional in whatever aseptic task to be done. It also reminded me of the Medix Mixels [41569-71]. I'm sure if you added crazy eye pieces to this monthly build, it will fit right in.

Back Online

If you want to tinker with your own LEGO robot, check out the building instructions here. Don't have the exact pieces? No problem! Be creative and imaginative! Design your own!

P.S. I heard next month's Mini Model Build is very loyal and a true friend. What do you think it will be?

LEGO ninjago movie annual 2018 review

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018

2017 is almost over. And what's best to remind the people in the United Kingdom of that than next year's annuals! Starting of with The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018...

But first, a brief reminder of what annuals are. They are books published shortly before the end of each year, with the Christmas market as their target. Generally, annuals are large hardcover books centered on everything: sports, toys, celebrities, films, TV series... Everything! They feature various contents like text articles, comics, puzzles, etc. And some of them have freebies, like the LEGO ones. For 2018, four LEGO Annuals were released, namely, LEGO, LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO Ninjago Movie, and LEGO Star Wars. Interestingly, the LEGO one is published by Ladybird, and the other three are by Egmont. All of them have a recommended retail price of £7.99. But you can buy one at more or less half the price! Different book and toy stores have various promotions on these popular annuals. And if you can wait until later this year or early next year, these annuals will be reduced to just £1! There's just the risk of running out of stock though. Well, that's not at all brief, haha.

Moving on, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 is really made for the kids, with a recommended age of seven years old and above. There are numerous comics, puzzles, and activities about the latest LEGO film that can keep the little ninjas busy for hours. The art is strikingly colorful and beautiful. I really love the design, especially the graffiti style in some of the pages. It's just such a shame the artists were not credited for their amazing artwork. It would have been nice to associate the wonderfully drawn minifigures and brick pieces to the people who have created them.

For the freebie, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 comes with a Jay Walker minifigure. It's not really exclusive because you can also get one from the Movie Maker [5004394] polybag (which is not yet widely released as of writing). Individually, the parts are not exclusive as well. The hair piece is the same as in the Temple of the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon [70617] and the Collectible Minifigures [71019]. I'm surprised movie Jay has only two head pieces made, the selfie smiley one from the Collectible Minifigures [71019], and his default one just like below. It has two expression printed on each side, a half-smile, and a serious frown.

Jay Walker

Jay dons a white kimono for Spinjitzu training. Again, this is not exclusive. It's the same outfit that Nya wore in the Collectible Minifigures [71019], and the others (with the exception of Zane. For some reason, he doesn't have one) in various promotional sets. It's a great uniform though. It's really nice to see our ninjas wearing the same clothes before the multicolored Power Rangers-esque costumes.

For his accessory, Jay comes with his signature weapon, the flail. It's made of a chained blade connected to a stick.

Spinjitzu Training

All in all, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 is a good book with loads of fun activities and eye-catching visuals. The free Jay Walker minifigure is a sweet addition to any Ninjago collection. Actually, I think it would be nice to collect the whole gang in Spinjitzu training attires. Hmmm...

The LEGO Ninjago Movie widely comes out in the UK 13 October! And if you check your local cinemas, some are offering special advance screenings on 7 to 8 October! Go!

lloyd [30609] & wu key chain [5004915] reviews

Lloyd [30609]

Or alternatively, UK LEGO Store LEGO Ninjago Movie Promotions...

Better late than never! The promotions may have started since 15 September, but they won't end until at least the end of October. So, there's still plenty of time!

For the first promotion, it's only available at LEGO Stores. You can get a free exclusive LEGO Ninjago Movie Lloyd [30609] minifigure with any purchase over £25. The offer is valid from 15 September to 29 October, or while stocks last. And it is limited to one set per household.

Lloyd

At first I thought the free minifigure (pictured middle below) is the same as the ones from the LEGO Ninjago Movie Collectible Minifigure Series [71019] (pictured left- and right-most) but, as you can see, it's not. It may have shared a lot of elements with other Lloyd minifigures, but the one in the [30609] set has exclusive printings on his head and torso. The torso print is really interesting in the sense that it was caught halfway in transformation from being Lloyd Garmadon to the Green Ninja. Almost like Clark Kent ripping his shirt off to reveal Superman. The free polybag also comes with Lloyd's sword, a silver curved katana adorned with a golden tassel at the end of its handle. The Lloyd [30609] polybag is a definite must have for any LEGO Ninjago Movie fan.

Lloyd Green Ninja Transformation

The other promotion is a bit more exclusive. If you have the 2017 LEGO Wall Calendar, don't forget to redeem your voucher. Simply bring Voucher 9 to a LEGO Store to get a free LEGO Ninjago Movie Key Chain, more specifically, Master Wu [5004915]! The voucher is valid from 15 September to 31 October, or while stocks last. The original qualifying voucher must be supplied to redeem. Meaning, no photocopies will be accepted. The Wu Key Chain [5004915] cannot be exchanged or substituted for any other item or cash value, and is not available for purchase. And, sweetly enough, there's no purchase necessary.

Wu Key Chain [5004915]

The Sensei Wu minifigure in this key chain is identical to the ones found in the Master Falls [70608] and Green Ninja Mech Dragon [70612] sets, wherein he dons a white robe, zōri sandals, and an angered expression. The only difference is that the parts are permanently glued together, and the unit is attached to a chain.

Master Wu

The LEGO Ninjago Movie promotions are now in full swing in the UK for the movie widely comes out 13 October! And if you check your local cinemas, some are offering special advance screenings on 7 to 8 October! So, go!

exclusive lester minifigure now available in #LEGOStoreLondon!

Lester [40308]
(Photo by: Poncemel Ardiente)

Finally! Lester!

The rumors are true! As reported almost a year ago (yes, it has been almost a year since the biggest LEGO Store in London has opened), more Lester minifigures have been released!

In case you have forgotten, Lester is the official mascot of the LEGO Store London. He was featured heavily in the grand opening promotions, and also in the store design. The quintessential gentleman was said to spark an unexpectedly huge interest among brick fans that the initial plan of featuring him only in print and as an actual mascot was refined the last minute to convert him into brick form as well. During that time, there were only 275 ultra-exclusive Lester minifigures produced (no thanks to the limited and previously discontinued bowler hat piece). During the opening promotions, Lester can only be randomly obtained via a scratch card after a £55 (or more) purchase. He became super rare that a Lester minifigure was listed in the secondary market for up to £3500!

But now, for only £5.99, the Lester [40308] exclusive minifigure can be bought exclusively in the LEGO Store London in Leicester Square! It may not have the exclusivity of the first 275, but it's exactly the same thing! Actually, the new minifigure now comes with an added umbrella piece! Everything is neatly packaged in a pretty polybag. Purchase is reported to be limited to only three per household.

LEGO Store London Exclusive
(Photo by: Poncemel Ardiente)

It's really great for the LEGO Store London to offer something really exclusive, considering that it is a global flagship store for the brand. I was really expecting an I Heart London kind of theme, but Lester is definitely way better, in the sense that he has encaptured that classic British charm.

P.S. Many thanks to my best mates Kuys Ponce and Ate Joyce for snapping the pics, and for getting me my own Lester minifigure! See you soon!

disney castle [71040] gallery

Disney Castle [71040]

It's the LEGO Disney Castle [71040]! Need I say more?

My ever-loving wife bought the magical LEGO Disney Castle [71040] for her milestone birthday (and on triple VIP points with about £50 cashback!). As she claimed sole ownership to this huge set, I let her build it on her own. She actually enjoyed the long hours of solo building. She promised me to do a review on her favorite LEGO property. But as this post has sat on my drafts folder for a few months now, I'm just going to do a gallery instead. Until that promised review was done, this post will remain a gallery (ehem, ehem).

Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

Donald Duck

Daisy Duck

Tinker Bell

Disney Castle

Main Entrance

Clock Tower

Princess and the Frogs

Into the Open Air

Disney Castle Interior

Ballroom

Magic Carpet Ride

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

Be Our Guest

Touch the Spindle

Der Zauberlehrling

Once Upon a Dream

Mirror Mirror

Gesundheit

Once Upon a Time

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Welcome Party

Where Dreams Come True

unikitty x N-POP girl

N-POP Girl, Pink Teddy Bear, & Unikitty

Sugar and spice, and everything nice. That's what Princess Unikitty and the N-POP Girl are made of!

When The LEGO Movie was released, there were two characters who stole the whole film. One already has released his own feature film (ahem, The LEGO Batman Movie), and the other will soon have her own TV series. Who's that and what show? It's Unikitty!! (That's not a typo. The title really has an exclamation point).

Unikitty hails from Cloud Cuckoo Land, the capital of rainbows and puppies. She is half unicorn, half anime kitten, and one endless dance party. But don't let her facade fool you. She is one of the LEGO Master Builders who defeated Lord Business! And be careful! Sometimes, Unikitty can lose control of her positive nature and get enraged. She then becomes the red Angry Kitty.

The only Unikitty brick built figure that I have is from the LEGO Dimensions [71231]. I was still in my dark brick ages when The LEGO Movie sets first came out. I'll try to hunt down the other variants, but I think it's a bit impossible to complete the whole set. Why? Because there's a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive among them! With the upcoming release of the Unikitty! TV show, I hope there will be more LEGO sets with Unikitty figures to be released (even though the show deviated from the brick-style animation).

Unikitty

The popularity of Unikitty definitely has crossed over worlds. The image of the lovable crossbreed princess is seen in the shirt of one of The LEGO Ninjago Movie characters, the N-POP Girl. This minifigure is proving the be really popular in the series. With her cutesy sweet as cotton candy appearance, and her charming pink little teddy bear accessory, it's easy to see why.

In her official profile page, the N-POP Girl is said to be leading the dance revolution in the Ninjago pop music circuit. There's also a hint that she might also be the biggest fan girl of the secret ninja. I just really hope there's no cruel plot twist wherein she will end up as one of the villains!

N-POP Girls

Unikitty and the N-POP Girl have a lot in common so it's just natural to play with them together. This is one of my most fun photo shoots ever and I'm really, really happy with the end results. Something tells me that there will be more Unikitty x N-POP Girl collaborations in the future.

Cuteness Overload

The LEGO Ninjago Movie will be released 21 September in the Philippines, 22 September in the USA, and 13 October (I know!) in the UK.

P. S. My wife super loved the first pic that she rotated it and used it as her phone wallpaper and it's perfect!

Unikitty x N-POP Girl Phone Wallpaper

BB-8 [75187] review

BB-8-ception

BB-8!

I mentioned before that I fell in love with BB-8 [75187] set ever since I saw it in the previews, and I'm sure I'll fall deeper once I've built it. True enough, I did.

Before we go to the adorable droid, can we talk about the box first?

BB-8 [75187]

The packaging for The Last Jedi looks very sophisticated and futuristic with its white and red color scheme. It literally goes with anything. Then the LEGO logo in red made everything perfect, complementing the whole look of the box.

As if the brick built BB-8 is not adorable enough, the set comes with a minifigure as well. I remember two years ago, with the release of The Force Awakens, it's quite difficult to obtain this famous astromech droid in brick form. Now, it's in almost every LEGO Star Wars set (but that's not a problem. One can never have enough brick droids). The chase minifigure status has now been passed to its emo version, BB-H8 BB-9E, which is so far only included in Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter [75179] and in the First Order Star Destroyer [75190].

BB-8 Minifigure

In terms of building experience, I had tons of fun in making my own BB-8. For me, it has an average level of difficulty, though it's my very first time building a LEGO sphere. At first, I was having difficulties following the instructions but after a while, I was able to get use to it for they are pretty repetitive. Building small white on white bricks can be a bit of an eye sore, but that's nothing compared to what they do to your fingers. All in all, the BB-8 [75187] set has a total of 1106 pieces.

Brick Built BB-8

The final build has surprisingly a lot of tricks in store. Utilizing different Technic parts, you can turn one wheel at the side to rotate the detailed head. Another wheel can be moved to open the access hatch and extend the welding torch, giving you his famous thumbs-up pose. Unfortunately, the BB-8 model does not roll, but that's okay. It still gives a sufficient amount of play experience.

Welding Torch Up

This faithfully reproduced model also comes with a display stand and a decorative fact plaque, making it a great display piece in any room. Without the stand, the final build measures over 25 cm high and 15 cm wide. With the display stand, it measures over 26 cm long.

Display Stand & Decorative Fact Plaque

In terms of value for money, I think the BB-8 [75187] set is very much worth it (or maybe I'm just biased). It retails at UK £84.99, around 7.7p per piece.

Final BB-8 Display

Overall, the BB-8 [75187] set is a must have for any Star Wars fan, as evidenced by its current out of stock or backorder status. And my fearless forecast is that it has the same potential as the classic R2-D2 [10225] set. I just hope LEGO will release a BB-H8 BB-9E in the same format very, very soon!