I believe just my second-ever LEGO Architecture set, this one is immediately recognizable from quite a distance.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
LEGO Architecture The Eiffel Tower review! set 21019
I believe just my second-ever LEGO Architecture set, this one is immediately recognizable from quite a distance.
Monday, March 30, 2015
LEGO DC Super Heroes Brainiac Attack review! set 76040
Just one more of the early 2015 Super Heroes sets, this one featuring Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter & Brainiac.
LEGO Duplo Forest Park review! set 10584
A stack of Duplo sets has been sitting in the queue since before the move began, and now it's time to start working through them. This is one of the larger recent sets in the line.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
New JANG City update Mar. 28, 2015 - Slow progress
LEGO has been of lower priority than all the rest of important things in life this past few weeks, but here's a brief look at what's been going on in the city, along with some reminders about what's coming up.
Also don't forget about the list at the bottom of my old queue, which remains valid on the new layout! Pretty much all the stuff I've talked about building for the past couple of years, is still in the plan :)
LEGO Juniors Race Car Rally review! set 10673
This set has actually been out since last year, but I'm glad I finally decided to pick it up. It embodies quite a lot of what makes (or made) LEGO great.
Friday, March 27, 2015
LEGO "Pencil Pot" house review! set 40154
This set had me repeatedly raising eyebrows, doing double-takes, and thinking, "Huh?" For the most part, it's a basic house build, but it's primarily intended to be a desk accessory for holding writing implements & such. Usually prices for these specialty builds are really expensive, but this one actually comes in waaaay under the average $0.10 USD per part line.
LEGO Fire Fighter boat from 1977! set 775 or 316
Well it only took me a lifetime, but I finally got my hands on this classic fire boat!
LEGO Juniors Beach Trip review! set 10677
Running out of currently-available sets to review, I'm digging into the full line of Juniors sets I picked up last month. Surprisingly, I'm already finding things that are not only great for the youngest fans, but that I, personally, am really glad to get for my own collection & builds.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
LEGO Super Heroes Green Lantern vs Sinestro review! set 76025
Green Lantern vs. Sinestro, plus awkwardly inserted Batman, because Batman!
LEGO classic town Fire Copter 1 from 1982! set 6685
What do you know, the name is perfectly appropriate. This was LEGO's very first in what would become a long line of fire helicopters.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Custom LEGO dual-cab diesel-electric locomotive
Finally, my first MOC since the move! It's a funky-looking thing for which I've received the key inspirational parts in a few Bricklink hauls over the past (some number of) months. There's no basis in reality, but I did look at hundreds of pictures of real dual-cab engines to try to put myself into the right frame of mind to create something at least moderately feasible.
With this one done, I find myself already itching to make another function-before-form type of locomotive as soon as possible. Something tells me my switching yard will be filled up before I know it, so I might as well get my under-table overflow yard set up too, huh?
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Two new fan-created LEGO magazines
I'm not a news blogger/re-blogger and I'm not about to become one, but the good folks at Brickset kindly asked that I pass along word of the establishment of the monthly Bricks and quarterly Bricks Culture magazines. These are available in either print or digital forms. As of the moment of this post, their shopping cart isn't allowing checkout from the product pages (try the main/front page instead), but I'm sure that'll be fixed up quite soon, and they promise to deliver worldwide. Check out the full press releases:
LEGO Elves collection - All sets together!
Here's my wrap-up of the colorful first wave of LEGO's new Elves theme, featuring all of the initial sold-in-store sets. Polybags are hitting on the streets now, and hopefully there will be more Elves waves to come later in the year.
Friday, March 20, 2015
LEGO Elves - Farran & the Crystal Hollow reviewed! set 41076
The last of the first wave of boxed sets for the new LEGO Elves theme. Ready to get everything together for a summary!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
LEGO Freight & Crane Railway from 1996! set 4565
Almost 20 years ago, a LEGO set with nearly 1,000 pieces was a really, really big deal. Now, combine that with the cool factor of a cargo train!
LEGO Elves - Aira's Creative Workshop review! set 41071
One more major Elves themed set to go (promotional & exclusive polybags not counted) and I'll be ready to wrap up this first wave.
LEGO City Ambulance from 2006 - set 7890
You know, for the most part, I either review brand new sets, or truly classic, vintage sets that are at least 2 to 3 decades old. Something from the second half of the 2000s is going to be out of style & irrelevant for most of today's consumers, but it's not nearly old enough to be considered "classic."
So what?! I'm reviewing it anyway! This thing interested me a little, so here it is now :D
Monday, March 16, 2015
LEGO Exo-Force Cyclone Defender from 2007! set 8100
By popular request, I'm going to just continue picking up Exo-Force sets of all sizes from time to time to review.
LEGO classic Motor Speedway from 1987! set 6381
Formula One racing kicked off this weekend with the brand-new 2015 cars, but this evening I'm taking you back to open-wheel racing of the 80s, LEGO style!
Saturday, March 14, 2015
LEGO Speed Champions 2015 - ALL sets wrap-up!
In my individual reviews, I wasn't shy about pointing out flaws throughout this series, and in this wrap-up I'm not afraid to repeat these observations, but man, that thumbnail lineup does look sweet...
LEGO Super Heroes Avengers Hydra Showdown review! set 76030
At last, my final last Age of Ultron series set review from the queue.
LEGO classic Road Crane from 1978, or 1979? Set 670, or 558?
According to Brickset, this transition-period gem was first released in Europe in the birth year of the minifig, travelling across the Atlantic the following year.
LEGO Pirates 2015 - ALL sets wrap-up!
With all of the new wave of Pirates sets reviewed, I figured it was time for a quick look at all of 'em together (sans the chess set, which obviously doesn't fit). Recorded just minutes before these were all boxed up to send off to charity.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
LEGO Elves - Naida's Spa Secret review! set 41072
This is definitely one of my top two favorite sets of the Elves line so far, the other being the Treetop Hideout, though that's a bit of an unfair competition given the difference in size & cost.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
LEGO city update Mar. 10, 2015
Update time! With this I finally have all of the major stuff I wanted transplanted from the old cities, and now I can turn my attention back towards customization & additions.
This update also shows the fruits of the custom rail work I was doing in the shop earlier in the day, which I previewed on Instagram as it happened!
LEGO Avengers: Age of Ultron Hydra Fortress Smash review! set 76041
Another new movie-inspired Marvel Super Heroes set here, nearing the end of this line!
Monday, March 9, 2015
LEGO System Fire Fighter boat from 1987! set 4020
Agh! Missing all of its exclusive stickers! No stickers means incomplete, Bricklink sellers, so describe your wares accurately!
LEGO Police Surveillance Squad from 1994! set 6348
LEGO Exo-Force Uplink from 2006! set 7708
A lot of viewers are young enough to feel nostalgic about Exo-Force and have asked for more coverage of that series, so here's another of the foundation sets from its first season.
LEGO City Airport Fire Truck from 2006! set 7891
Yes! I've been wanting to get to this set for a long, long time! I really like this type of real-life vehicle. This LEGO version isn't as impressive as the real deal, but it's still a very good toy.
LEGO Friends Puppy Training mini-set review! 41088
What? Another early 2015 Friends set I haven't gotten to yet? This release season has just been crazy...
LEGO classic Town Mobile Command Unit from 1986! set 6676
LEGO classic Town Vacation Camper from 1988! set 6590
Time for some more classic set reviews as I clear out my video queue from before the move!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
LEGO classic town Holiday Home from 1983! set 6374
One of a number of truly wonderful houses & homes LEGO offered to early minifigure families.
LEGO DC Super Heroes Black Manta Deep Sea Strike
I don't follow DC Comics, but I can appreciate a cool LEGO set anytime.
LEGO Juniors Pirate Treasure Hunt review! set 10679
One last wee set to round out the 2015 Pirates line :)
LEGO city update Mar. 7, 2015
It's already time for my first actual update on New JANG City! The first phase of lighting is complete, rail yard has been re-optimized to make room for even more custom trains, another big section of custom builds has been added in, and I take time to repeat & emphasize important points I made before, while clarifying some of the more controversial decisions that I'm very happy with & sticking to.
LEGO Pirates 2015 Chess Set review!
LEGO chess is back, and unlike the 2012 Kingdoms set, this one returns to the ideal foundation of a pure brick-based build, adding a decent storage system, to boot.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Introducing: New JANG City - the LEGO layout :)
In my last move update I promised a couple of major surprises to come. With the christening of this new city, the first shocker is revealed!
Some viewers will love the vibrancy & life this new decision immediately brings to the table (pun intended). Some will revolt and say I am the worst person in the known universe for the crime I have committed. It's all good to me :) The goal remains to fill up this entire space with a vast expanse of custom creations to include all of the stuff I've promised countless times in the past, but for now we get to enjoy a lot less empty space than ever before.
I still need to put out my motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians after building new sidewalks. The elevated railway remains to be put in. Water & land need to be better differentiated and/or blended, the Minecraft stuff needs to go in and, well, the entire remainder of the (part of a) city needs to be built.
There's much to be done and nothing is finalized in any way, but my motivation & excitement levels are at record highs and the new setup makes it easier than ever to make rapid, visible progress. Follow along as questions get answered, empty spaces get filled in, and skylines rise in New JANG City!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
LEGO Speed Champions Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 review! set 75908
Last of the Speed Champions line for now. Cool LEGO car. Very poor LEGO Ferrari 458, in my opinion.
Complete LEGO Classic Space collection - 1978 to 1988!
Complete at last! It only took about 1 1/2 years, but I've collected one of every known publicly-released LEGO Space theme set with the original style of minifigs, not including extra minifig-only packs :) It has been a labor of love and incredibly satisfying ticking the "I Own" boxes in the Brickset master list one by one.
Now I just need to figure out exactly what to do with all of this stuff at the new house! I'm more than 90% committed to keeping it all, but a large part of me wants to work on custom creations to fit with the theme. I don't need to be getting distracted with this now, though; I have a big new city to work on!
So much LEGO, so little time...
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Move & city rebuild update Mar. 4, 2015 -- more buildings
Another modest update this evening, with my main structures re-assembled in their new locations (for now). Doesn't yet include any of the Minecraft stuff, as that'll be added in later.
The next video covering this layout will be much, much more interesting.
LEGO Bionicle Hero Pack promotional polybag - set 5002941
Available this month for free with qualifying purchases from LEGO stores, this mask collector's treat includes a trans neon red Hau!
