R2-D2 [30611] review

R2-D2 [30611]

The exclusive R2-D2 [30611] set is the best free polybag ever!

In celebration of 40 years of Star Wars, LEGO is giving away a buildable R2-D2 [30611] set for every specific purchase. For me, this is the sweetest May the 4th Be With You promotion to date!

In the UK LEGO Stores, you can take this droid home with any LEGO Star Wars purchase of £60 or more, from 29 April to 6 May, or while stocks last. For more details, click here.

And in the Philippine LEGO Certified Stores, you can get this limited edition gift for a minimum single receipt purchase of P3500 on any LEGO item from 4 to 31 May. Then the redemption period is from 15 May to 31 July. For more details, check out their official Facebook post.

R2-D2

As I mentioned above, I consider this the best May the 4th free LEGO. Don't get me wrong, I love all those minifigures, but I have to admit they didn't put a huge smile on my face when I was building them. I was literally smiling the whole time I was constructing my very own R2 unit! It's really amazing to see the ingenuity of the design, considering there were only 70 pieces! The simplicity of the build is also a big win, for the final output is not only sturdy but also looks flawless.

To be honest, I'm quite surprised with the printed pieces. I thought since this is a free gift, only part of the dome was printed. But no, it is surprisingly detailed! I also thought that a sticker was used for the front tile, but it was printed as well (Yehey! I really don't like stickers on my bricks).

It's also worth mentioning that the dome piece can be rotated! How cool is that? And most importantly, R2's third appendage is included!

I wish more droids will be released in the future at this scale. I so love love this buildable R2-D2 figure. This is definitely the droid you're looking for!

lego harry potter in harry potter studio tour

Great Hall

LEGO Harry Potter in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London!

With LEGO and Harry Potter, the possibilities are endless! So why not combine both? That's what I thought when I first came to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. Unfortunately, I don't have any Harry Potter minifigures at that time. Good thing he was re-released in the LEGO Dimensions Team Pack [71247], making this opportunity possible on my second visit.

For most of the pictures, I balanced Harry on the uneven protective steel barriers in the studio, making my heart skip a beat every time for fear of losing my figure to the other side. Fortunately, he fell towards my direction on the two instances he fell. I also received weird stares from the crowd, but who cares? I'm not breaking any rules, or causing any sort of delay to anyone. I'm just having fun! I also brought my Voldemort minifigure, but I haven't found any scene worth shooting, yet. I'm sure Warner Bros. will add something in the near future for me to be able to do that. They have the Forbidden Forrest new this year, however it didn't work so well for a LEGO mini-pictorial. And hopefully soon, something for Mr. Newt Scamander as well from the Fantastic Beasts sets.

In the meantime, here's Harry in some of the iconic sets from the magical film series. Enjoy!

Yule Ball

Gryffindor Dorm

Sherbet Lemon

Potions Class

Hesha-Hassah

Hogwarts Express

Wizard Wheezes

Hogwarts Castle

birthday card [5004931] review

Birthday Card [5004931]

Wow! A birthday present from LEGO!

Using the first voucher in the UK / EU 2017 LEGO Wall Calendar, you can claim your birthday present from your favorite brick company. All you have to do is to present the voucher in a LEGO Store in the week of your birthday. And that's exactly what my wife did, for today is her birthday! (Happy birthday pi!).

I thought at first that the free gift is a literal birthday card, but we've discovered that it's more than that. Yes it is a card where you can write down your greetings, but there are bricks included as well in the Birthday Card [5004931] set.

Birthday Girl

The 20-pieces set also includes a kid minifigure, with two heads and two hairpieces to match the celebrant's gender. The unisex torso is printed with a blue sweater over a green striped top. And this is matched with a pair of red mini-legs.

Birthday Boy

A birthday celebration is not complete without a cake and a wrapped present. The minibuilds are simple but very effective, and not to mention super cute. The chocolate cake with marshmallow icing looks very yummy with a strawberry cupcake on top. The gift covered in orange and blue wrapping was finished with a yellow bow. At least that's how I see them, haha. Everything is neatly arranged in a 4x4 lime green tile. 

Happy Birthday!

For a free gift with no purchase necessary, the Birthday Card [5004931] set is a sweet gesture from LEGO. Thank you very much for making your fans' birthdays extra special!

U-wing fighter [30496] polybag spotted in LEGOLAND windsor

U-Wing Fighter [30496]
(Photo by: Poncemel Ardiente)

Rebel alert! The U-Wing Fighter [30496] polybag has finally been spotted in the UK!

Thanks to my best mates, the minibuild version of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's iconic spaceship has recently been sighted in LEGOLAND Windsor, and it only costs £3.99! I don't know if this is old news, but this is the first time that I (indirectly) saw the polybag in a UK retail store. I read somewhere that it has been spotted late last year, but that's in another LEGOLAND, specifically California (is it LEGOLAND exclusive?). And I know it has been available in the secondary market for a while now, but not at the above mentioned price. I'm hoping that the U-Wing Fighter [30496] polybag will be more widely available soon. (UPDATE: The polybag will be part of the May the 4th be with you promotions in some areas, and is currently a free gift in K-Zone Australia!).

'Can't wait to get my hands on this sweet rebel fighter ship. Thanks again kuys and ate (big brother and big sister)!

LEGO star wars magazine: issues 21 & 22

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 21

More LEGO Star Wars Magazines!

Due to my unscheduled hiatus (sorry), Issues 21 and 22 have piled up in my drafts folder. That's the reason behind this bumper post.

For Issue 21, the free gift is the Imperial Combat Driver! Wow! Another minifigure! But as I mentioned in the previous LEGO Star Wars magazine post, he may look rather familiar if you own a certain someone's speeder bike. Still doesn't ring a bell? Check it out here. It's the minifigure from Kanan's Speeder Bike [75141]! If you can remember, two issues ago, in Issue 19, Kanan Jarrus was the first ever free minifigure in this magazine series. Now it makes me wonder if the Stormtrooper is next, or the speeder bike, haha. Anyway, a free minifigure is a free minifigure! And the Imperial Combat Driver is a great addition to any collection. Especially now that Star Wars Rebels is ending (boohoo)!

Imperial Combat Driver

For Issue 22, the free gift is a TIE Advanced minibuild.

LEGO Star Wars Magazine Issue 22

When I first saw the preview image, I wasn't really impressed with it. It reminded me of the previous TIE Bomber minibuild, which in my opinion kind of look awkward. But after the final minibuild, I was actually impressed. At a certain angle, the TIE Advanced looks wicked! As if it will shoot right at you any moment.

TIE Advanced

Next issue's free gift is a new Starfighter, the Vulture Droid! Now, don't get too excited (like me). There's a very fine print in the lower left of the page that the Battle Droids minifigures are not included. Issue 23 comes out 3 May.

Vulture Droid

UK LEGO store may the 4th be with you 2017 promotions

Snowspeeder [75144]
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Flyer)

May the 4th 2017 is almost among us, and the UK LEGO Store has some galactic offers for LEGO Star Wars fans!

Starting off with the Ultimate Collector's Series Snowspeeder [75144], it will be officially launched on 4 May 2017 to the general public. But VIPs can access it early from 29 April to 3 May. The brick interpretation of the T-47 Snowspeeder features opening airbrakes, rotating rear gun, and an opening cockpit. It comes with a Rebel Snowspeeder Pilot and a Rebel Snowspeeder Gunner minifigures. A display stand and fact plaque are also included. This classic recreation retails at UK £169.99 / US $199.99.

There will also be a couple of discounts during the promotional period (29 April to 6 May). All LEGO Star Wars sets (excluding Snowspeeder) will be on 10% off. Then each day from the above mentioned dates, one specific LEGO Star Wars set will be discounted for one day by 40%! Of course only while stocks last, and individual order limits apply per set.

And for the free stuff, take home an exclusive R2-D2 set with any LEGO Star Wars purchase of £60 or more! This is also available from 29 April to 6 May, or while stocks last.

Isn't this a perfect way to celebrate 40 years of Star Wars? Head on to your nearest LEGO store or to LEGO.com.

R2-D2
(Photo grabbed from: LEGO Store Flyer)

UPDATE: Here's a list of the 40% off LEGO Star Wars sets and their specific dates:

29 April – Resistance X-Wing Fighter [75149]

30 April – Scarif Stormtrooper [75523]

1 May – AT-ST Walker [75153]

2 May – Rebel Trooper Battle Pack [75164]

3 May – Luke’s Landspeeder [75173]

4 May – Millennium Falcon [75105]

5 May – K-2SO [75120]

6 May – Battle on Scarif [75171]

LEGO star wars celebration exclusive twitter giveaway

Detention Block Rescue
(Photo grabbed from: https://twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/852506721201397761)

Can't make it to the Star Wars Celebration Orlando? Me too! But there's a chance to own an exclusive memorabilia from this epic event, and all it takes is a simple ReTweet...

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars saga, a special edition LEGO set was released in the Star Wars Celebration Orlando. It is based on the Detention Block AA-23 scene from the original 1977 film, wherein Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguises infiltrated the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia. The set is über exclusive that the opportunity for the attendees to purchase was raffled off prior to the event. But in the spirit of the grand celebration, LEGO is giving away this precious gem via Twitter. All you have to do is ReTweet! The entry period runs from 13 to 16 April 2017. A total of 20 LEGO Star Wars Detention Block Rescue sets will be awarded. 

Sponsored and administered by LEGO System, the contest requires no purchase or entry fee to enter or win a prize. But a Twitter account is needed to do so. Then follow the instructions on the LEGO Twitter website and simply RT (ReTweet) clearly designated competition tweets posted by @LEGO_Group during the entry period. This is open to all valid holders of Twitter accounts worldwide (except as may be prohibited by law). Entrants who are minors will be required to provide the consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to claim any prize. Winners will be chosen by random draw. For more details, the official rules were posted on the LEGO Facebook page. Check them out here.

Good luck to all!