LEGO star wars annual 2017 review

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 has just been released, and it looks way, way better than last year's.

When I first came here in the United Kingdom, I bought a copy of the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2016 in Poundland for £1. It's a kiddie activity book with some free bricks. To be specific, it came with three 1x8 and three 1x4 white plates to represent lightsaber blades. That doesn't really make any sense. But I'm not really complaining, I got the book for only 1/8 of the retail price (paying the full price is not worth it). Apparently, annuals are a thing here. But what exactly are annuals? In my previous post I mentioned that annuals are books published shortly before the end of each year, and are aimed at the Christmas market. They are generally large hardcover books centered on sports, toys, celebrities, films, TV series, and so on, featuring various contents like text articles, comics, puzzles, etc. And since LEGO is quite popular here, it's not surprising to see LEGO Annuals. For 2017, three books were published. One is about LEGO per se, the other centers on Ninjago, and the remaining one focuses on, of course, Star Wars.

Imagine my excitement when I saw the preview of the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017. Instead of senseless bricks, the new book includes not only an Ezra Bridger minifigure, but also a C1-10P, AKA Chopper. Even the LEGO Star Wars Magazine is yet to release an issue with free minifigures. So, when I saw a copy in my local WHSmith with a buy one get one for £1 promo, I decided to buy it (but not right away). I studied first if that was the current best deal. The book is actually cheaper in Argos for £3.99 (RRP £7.99), but it's out-of-stock in all the Argos near me. That alarmed me a bit. If it's selling fast, I don't think stocks will be left to be dumped into Poundland and be sold at a low, low price. Good thing there are still a few copies left in my local WHSmith. I immediately grabbed a copy (and a Ninjago one for my little sister) and found relief.

I was still in the shadows when the first Star Wars Rebels sets came out. So I missed The Ghost [75053], and The Phantom [75048], and all the minifigures that came with them. My first Star Wars Rebels set (that is not a polybag) is The Ghost [75127] Microfighter. Now my Hera Syndulla minifigure is no longer alone. She now has Ezra and Chopper in her crew (I'm just not sure if they'll all fit in the microfighter ship, haha).

Ezra Bridger

The minifigures included in the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 are not really exclusives. They are the same Ezra and Chopper that can be acquired in The Phantom [75048], Rebel Combat Frigate [75158], Ezra's Speeder Bike [75090] (for Ezra), and the San Diego Comic Con 2014 exclusive The Ghost Starship (for Chopper). I think the Ezra minifigure will be updated in future sets based on the show's third season, with his new look and all. I was just a little disappointed with Chopper's matched appendages. I was kind of expecting mismatched struts, but I guess that can be easily arranged. Now that I think about it, I think Chopper is quickly becoming one of my favorite droids ever!

C1-10P (Chopper)

For the LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 book itself, it still is a kiddie activity book. It is recommended for children aged seven years old and above. The art is colorful and cute as always. The puzzles and activities are also quite similar. What's remarkably new is the inclusion of The Force Awakens characters and story line. It's always a delight to see BB-8 in whatever form.

The LEGO Star Wars Annual 2017 is a good enough of an annual with great minifigures and fun activities. It's a perfect book to add in any collection, or to give away this holiday season. Just make sure to buy it at a discounted price. 

bargain LEGO books

LEGO Minifigure Year by Year A Visual History

Putting together LEGO and books is a perfect combination. But when you add bargain to the equation, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that, for me, the United Kingdom is a LEGO paradise. But it's not only the AFOL in me who's in bliss, but also the bibliophile. It's such a wonder to be in a place full of people who loves books. Anywhere you go, there's almost always someone who's immersed in a good book. At the bus stop. In the train. On the park bench. Since there's a huge demand, there's also a huge supply. But sometimes, the economic scale would tip to the surplus side. And we all know what that means, bargains! But it's only a good deal if you can find it in time.

I found the LEGO Minifigure Year by Year A Visual History in T.K. Maxx (T.J. Maxx in the US) for only £9.99 (RRP £25)! But the cheapest price that I found is a teeny £5 in The Book People! Unfortunately, the book is currently sold out in both stores. (Check out their other products in www.tkmaxx.com and www.thebookpeople.co.uk).

LEGO Minifigures Character Encyclopedia

Still at T.K. Maxx, I discovered the LEGO Minifigures Character Encyclopedia for only £3.99 (RRP £14.99)! It's not in the website though. I'm not quite sure but I think T.K. Maxx has more products in-store than online. Other LEGO books available when I visited my local branch are LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles for £6.99 (RRP £14.99), and LEGO Star Wars Brickmaster Battle for the Stolen Crystals for £9.99 (RRP £19.99). I just don't know if they will still be there on my next visit. There's a huge ominous sign in the store that reads here today, gone tomorrow!

LEGO I Love That Minifigure

Another store that has great book deals is The Works (www.theworks.co.uk). There, I was able to score LEGO I Love That Minifigure for £5 (RRP £14.99). There are a lot more LEGO books (about LEGO Ideas, Chima, etc.) in my local shop but I wasn't able to note their prices.

Nexo Power Rules

WHSmith (www.whsmith.co.uk) has lovely book deals as well. I bought my copy of Nexo Power Rules online for £3.49 (RRP £6.99) and collected it in-store for free! As of writing, WHSmith has a promotion on the new LEGO Annuals (RRP £7.99) with buy one get the other one for £1. I want the Star Wars one with the Ezra and C1-10P (Chopper) minifigures.

But if you're going to compute it, the 2017 LEGO Annuals are actually cheaper in Argos (www.argos.co.uk) for only £3.99 each!

LEGO Star Wars Annual 2016

Or maybe I could wait until next year and buy an annual in Poundland for just, well, £1! But I don't think with those sweet minifigures (in contrast with the free white bricks above), the 2017 LEGO Annuals will still be available next year, and for that low low price.

But what exactly are annuals? In the United Kingdom, annuals are published shortly before the end of each year, and are aimed at the Christmas market. They are generally large hardcover books centered on sports, toys, celebrities, films, TV series, and so on, featuring various contents like text articles, comics, puzzles, etc. (See? Book heaven!).

Supermarket chains like Sainsbury's (www.sainsburys.co.uk) also offers some great book deals. I don't really get it but some of the books there, even the recently released, are sold for only half the price! I got my LEGO Star Wars: Space Adventures there for only £3.49 (RRP £6.99).

LEGO Star Wars: Space Adventures

And don't get me started on Amazon and eBay. Their domains are too vast to discuss...

There's always a good book deal somewhere. You just need to know where to find one. A big help in doing so is HotUKDeals (www.hotukdeals.com), a community for deal seekers, finding and sharing the best deals, promotional codes, and vouchers from on and off the web (I lifted that from their About section, hehe).

The prices mentioned above definitely are subject to change. Deals change every time. Some deals are even only good for a few minutes. And some deals are just wild goose chases. I just wanted to share my hauls and how I got them for only the fraction of their original prices. LEGO is an expensive hobby so it's often better to cut cost and shop smartly. Happy hunting!

wedding favor set [40165] review

Wedding Favor Set [40165] Box

I do...

I do believe that the Wedding Favor Set [40165] is the perfect wedding present for a LEGO couple. But for my wife and I, it came about a year late. So we just built this set as one of the many ways to commemorate our first wedding anniversary. I am a firm believer that a happy wife means a happy life, so I let her build this one.

In a lot of ways, the Wedding Favor Set [40165] is a great improvement on its predecessor [853340]. The most obvious change is the absence of cardboard pieces. The lovely arch is now made entirely out of plastic bricks, decorated beautifully with gems and flowers. The new set also comes with a bigger baseplate to facilitate the elevation of the stage (and to add some more flowers).

Wedding Stage

Customization of the minifigures is more varied in the new set with the inclusion of lots of hairpieces. Unfortunately, not all natural colors are represented.

Bride Options

My wife super loves the Bride minifigure. But I think the old one is better (except for the multi-brick skirt) and more elegant, with its simple torso print and veiled tiara. But the best Bride (so far) is the one from the LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 7 [8831]. My wife settled for the brown princess hairpiece to match her own.

My Wife Bride

For the Groom minifigure, the set includes a top hat, three hairpieces (yellow on yellow looks weird), and two minifig heads. One is bearded and the other is double-sided showing serious/worried faces.

Groom Options

According to my wife, only the bearded groom looked happy to get married. She settled with the black hairpiece and serious face to represent me (though in real life I actually smile a lot).

My Precious

Golden wedding bands were finally included in this seasonal set. Thanks to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit sets, a mold for minifigure rings was made. These sets were first released in 2012. The reason why the old Wedding Favor Set [853340] doesn't include this precious piece is because it was released a year before that.

Wedding Favor Set [40165]

Overall, the Wedding Favor Set [40165] is a fun build. It's also a good buy with a recommended retail price of UK £6.99 / US $9.99. It's a perfect wedding table (or cake) decoration for LEGO lovers. My only complaint is the Groom looks a little short without his top hat. Nevertheless, it made my wife happy. And we all know what that means...

LEGOLAND windsor: star wars miniland

Death Star

That's no moon...

That's what Obi-Wan Kenobi said upon approaching the Death Star. But when I saw the reproduction in LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display at LEGOLAND Windsor, I was lost for words! Together with my tita's (aunt's) family, I visited the resort last June, and their latest addition is the recreation of Darth Vader’s ultimate super weapon. It's one of the most impressive and biggest models ever created for the resort, using about 500,000 bricks. Measuring 2.4 meters wide and 3 meters high, and weighing 860 kilograms, the Death Star is the centerpiece for an amazing scene depicting the famous Battle of Yavin in A New Hope. The interactive display also features sound and light effects. By pressing the appropriate buttons, Alliance ships will come swooping to destroy the mobile space station.

Upon entering the LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display, Darth Vader in all his brickly glory extends his lightsaber to welcome the visitors. Our favorite droids R2-D2 and C-3PO follow shortly. It seems they are also part of the welcoming committee.

Darth Vader

R2-D2

C-3PO

Since it opened in 2012, The LEGO Star Wars Miniland Model Display features iconic scenes from the six live-action Star Wars movies, displaying 1,500 separate models, in 1:20 scale, made from 1.5 million bricks. Yearly, new models are being added (like this year's gigantic Death Star). Hopefully, next year, awesome scenes from The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and even from Star Wars Rebels will be added.

The year is almost over but the LEGO fun still continues. There are still a few days remaining to visit LEGOLAND Windsor. Head on to www.legoland.co.uk for more details.

Below are some of my favorite snaps from my recent trip. These pictures don't do justice for how amazing these models are. Seeing them in person is highly recommended. Oh, I can't wait to visit the resort again.

Naboo

Naboo Starfighter

Theed Royal Palace

Battle of Naboo

Geonosis Execution Arena

Battle of Geonosis: Republic Gunships

Battle of Geonosis: Hailfire Droids

Battle of Kashyyyk

Mustafar

Millennium Falcon at Tatooine

Tatooine

Mos Eisley Cantina

Battle of Hoth

Ewok Village

Battle of Endor

Shuttle Tydirium

Mini Yoda

Mini R2-D2

Mini Darth Maul

Mini Anakin Skyalker & Mini Darth Vader

Mini Han Solo & Mini Chewbacca

Mini Luke Skywalker & Mini Princess Leia

Y-Wing Starfighter

X-Wing Starfighter

 Millennium Falcon

Battle of Yavin

it's beginning to look a lot like... what wookie is this anyway?

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146] (Do not open!)

A white wookie, a silver droid, and a whole lot more! What else can a Star Wars fanboy ask for? The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146] is now available! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

It's funny that LEGO released the advent calendars as early as September (The LEGO Friends Advent Calendar [41131] and LEGO City Advent Calendar [60133] are already on sale as well). This reminds me of the blissful Filipino tradition of starting the holiday celebrations as soon as the -Ber months arrive.

I really can't think of a perfect holiday themed Star Wars pun for my title (my brain is currently limited to the likes of Silver Droid, Silver Droid or Wookie guide my sleigh tonight?), until I settled with the one above. I truly wonder who the white wookie is. All signs seem to point to a snow-covered Chewbacca with a peppermint flavored bandolier.

But I can't build or even see him yet. My wife wrote a note that I can't open the box 'til 1 December. This is her gift to me by the way (Thank you pi!). And she's complaining that the set only included 24 gifts instead of 25, making it one present short (Um, thank you LEGO!). The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar [75146] is my first advent calendar ever. I can't wait to open each and every mini door and reveal what's behind them. It can be a Star Wars themed minifigure, starship, vehicle, or other themed collectible. With this advent calendar, LEGO promises a festive tour of the galaxy, from Hoth to Tatooine to Naboo.

I really love the concept of an advent calendar. You can sing the Twelve Days... song but you have to add twelve days more. If you or your loved ones don't like Star Wars (Who doesn't?!), Friends, or City, you can make your own version. Your only limit is your imagination. I can envision myself customizing a Disney theme for my wife (Why is there no LEGO Disney Advent Calendar?!).

This will also be the first time for my wife and I to be away from our dear families and friends during the holiday season. The advent calendars are by no means substitutes for that longing, but they sure can entertain us even for just a little while...

LEGO star wars go rogue

Death Star [75159] (Photo grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

With the upcoming release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, almost everything is painted black, or going rogue, and that includes the toys...

LEGO recently announced the future release (or re-release, depending on your perspective) of the Death Star [75159] Ultimate Collector Series set just in time for the showing of the first film in the Star Wars Anthology Series. The set will retail for US $499.99 / UK £399.99. A lot of AFOLs are crying foul that the new set is a recycled version of the recently retired Death Star [10188] set with only a few upgrades (It's a Star Wars recurring theme!). Personally, I think the LEGO Death Star play set design is great. Maybe it's too great that LEGO is trying to make it close to evergreen. The first Death Star [10188] lasted for about eight years. Who knows how long will the second Death Star [75159] last? This also gives the chance for people like me (who recently emerged from the shadows and) who doesn't have the first one to own an ultimate version of the galactic superweapon. I just feel bad for those who invested on the [10188] set expecting a huge return. But that's life. Risk is inevitable.

When everything is still a bit hush hush, I was so excited about the dark Death Star Droid. I immediately assumed that it's the recently revealed C2-B5...

C2-B5 (Photo grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/StarWars.UK/photos)

...but it's not. I keep forgetting that the Death Star [75159] is not a Rogue One set. C2-B5 is actually a mixture of two of the droids in the set, namely the (real) Death Star Droid and the Imperial Astromech. The Death Star Droid is even better than I pictured. It gives off a vibe that it's armed and dangerous, and that you don't want to mess with it. I wasn't really disappointed that it's not C2-B5 because if you're going to dig into previous sets, there are already a lot of black astromech droids in various brick forms.

Death Star Droid & Imperial Astromech Minifigures (Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

Since the Death Star is the main focus of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it's not surprising to see its LEGO version in the first chapter of the Star Wars Go Rogue video clip. Here we can see different Star Wars toys, including our precious LEGO, in their own interpretation of the first anthology film. It's really cute and funny. But what's funnier is the need for a disclaimer that the video uses special effects, and that the toys can't move or talk on their own (Talk about setting expectations, haha!). For those who haven't seen it yet, here it is:

LEGO has also released sneak peeks of the new Rogue One sets coming out at the end of September, and they all look great! The Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155] is the newest good guys' ship to be introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Perhaps, there's too much emphasis on the good side that LEGO decided to give it a brighter color scheme than the one in the film. Nevertheless, it's still a cool ship, with its foldable wings and all.

Rogue One Sets (From Left to Right): Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155], TIE Striker [75154], Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152], AT-ST Walker [75153], & Krennic's Imperial Shuttle [75156] (Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

My personal favorite is Krennic's Imperial Shuttle [75156]. All those black bricks give an uncanny feel. But with that set retailing for US $89.99 / UK £79.99, I think I'm going to wait for a little while. Other sets to be released include the TIE Striker [75154], Imperial Assault Hovertank [75152], and AT-ST Walker [75153].

I'm not really a fan of the Buildable Figures but I feel obliged to put them here as well. Besides, Jyn Erso [75119], K-2S0 [75120], and and the Imperial Death Trooper [75121] collectively look menacingly cool in this versions.

Rogue One Buildable Figures (From Left to Right): Sergeant Jyn Erso [75119], K-2S0 [75120], & Imperial Death Trooper [75121] (Photos grabbed from https://www.facebook.com/LEGO/photos)

All this Rogue One buildup is making the Star Wars fanboy in me über-excited! How about you?

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UPDATE: See the Rebel U-Wing Fighter [75155] in action and more in the next chapters of Star Wars Go Rogue: