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LEGO Reviews, MOCs, and more
LEGO PSA
It’s not often a set that I really want is retired, or retiring soon. I’m usually quick to snap up something I’d like to build. I was a bit slow on the Wall-E set. For some reason, it would be on the shelves for forever in my head. Wrong. I was checking out the new LEGO shop website (I don’t know that I like all of the changes) and to my surprise, not only is the Wall-E set listed as retiring soon, but SOLD OUT. I was shocked. I quickly went to Amazon, where the price has yet to be inflated, and got a set. If Wall-E was ever on your set list, go get it now before it’s too late. Happy building!
New LEGO Display
I have a LEGO confession to make: I cheated on my minifigure display case. Remember how I bought all of the materials to make a nice one that hangs on the wall? The one from Ikea… Well, I saw someone else found this cool frame at Michael’s, and it’s like it was made for just minifigures. I’m not joking. And it’s a hinged display! It’s called a Memory Frame, but it should be renamed to a Minigifure Frame. I then talked myself into it a little more by saying, it’s better than the Ikea frame because if you want to play with the figure, you can, without having to take down a frame off of the wall. Nonetheless, I really like it, but I will say, it costs more than the Ikea frame. That’s OK. I’ll be buying one here and there until the entire collection has been comfortably situated. I also would like to add that you can have the figures two deep in the frame, so there are plenty of options on how to organize them. As I get more frames, I’ll figure out a system that works for me.
As for the wall frame, I’m still thinking about it. I want to frame minifigures that I won’t want to take funny photos with, or things that we have duplicates of. Yet, at the same time, I want the frame to have a theme. Woe is me 🙂
LEGO Store Grand Opening in SF
August 28th. It was the day I had looked forward to for ages. No really. Story time! Several years ago, we went to Stone Ridge Mall on the other side of the Bay. It may have been the grand opening. There was a Master Builder event. They were offering items, but we didn’t get anything. I’ll never know if I could have gotten a LEGO Store Set that day. Fast forward to present day, and I learned about the San Francisco store that was opening. I HAD to have a LEGO Store Set. I didn’t want it. I NEEDED it. I will say however, that the set they use to give out was a bit cooler. This one, I love it, but I may make a few changes to it. Read More
Bricks by the Bay 2016
Be Warned. There are LOTS of pictures in this post. In fact, it’s mainly a picture post to share all of the cool things that we saw at Bricks by the Bay. There are some captions scattered throughout, but we all know that the pictures speak much louder than any words I can add to them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
This was our first workshop, led by Megan Rothrock, author of The LEGO Adventure Book, and former LEGO Designer.
A Trip to the LEGO Store
I got to take a much *needed* trip to the LEGO store a couple of weeks ago, and took some pics that I simply had to share.
It’s the expression on his face. Simply priceless.
THIS was the reason I went in the first place. Best purchase incentive ever.
It’s a little hard to see in the picture, but the size of the wheel is HUGE. I think it may be bigger than the wheels in the Batman Tumbler set.
Hope your day is going as well as his is!
August LEGO Giveaway (Now Closed)
Alright folks, it’s time for our next LEGO giveaway. This month, up for grabs is 76011, Man-Bat Attack. It is a retired set, so you may want to try your best to win. I’ve personally built one of these, and I can tell you, it’s a nice build. The best part by far is the Robin build. This set came at a point in my LEGO Career where I had already amassed quite the collection of Batman Minifigures, so this was a welcomed change. Here’s what you’ll need to do to be entered:
Reach out to us via social media. The drawing will take place on August 31st. You can enter your username once per week by participating. You may enter on each social media platform if you’d like (so in theory, you could enter 12 times). Winner will be contacted via private message. We always ask permission before telling the whole world you won.
Here’s how you can participate:
Twitter – Like and Retweet the contest post.
Instagram – Like and comment on the contest post (you can only like it once, but you can comment more than once if you’d like).Facebook – Like & Share the contest post (you can only like it once and share it once), or repost the image on your wall.
I Know I’m Late to The LEGO Party, but…
Have you heard all of the amazing news that’s been coming from LEGO lately?
First off, let me give you the details about the new store that’s coming to the Bay Area.
Westfield San Francisco Centre
August 26 – 28
11am – 6pm
835 Market St, San Francisco
Help a real LEGO Master Builder construct a huge model of Jay from LEGO Ninjago. You’ll receive a certificate of achievement for helping us build!
Be one of the first 400 customers each day to make a qualifying purchase and you will receive one of these exclusive gifts:
Friday, August 26: FREE LEGO Backpack with a purchase of $50 or more
Saturday, August 27: FREE Limited-Edition LEGO Store Set with a purchase of $99 or more
Sunday, August 28: FREE Exclusive LEGO Minifigure Set with a purchase of $50 or more
Offers valid while supplies last only at the LEGO Store at San Francisco Centre. Limit one per customer.
My dear friends, you will see me there on Saturday. Yes, I will be there early before the store opens. I WILL get my set this time!
If that’s not enough, LEGO has announced the new Disney Castle Set. It’s priced at $349, and will be out in September. Personally, I’m not sure how to feel about this one. I watched the designer interview, and the castle is quite tall. This makes me question where and how to display it. The rooms look great for play, but for a set like this, am I really going to let the kids play with it? It’s only a half set, similar to the Tower of Orthanac from Lord of the Rings. I had always dreamed of buying two to make it complete, but alas, I only have one. Interestingly, I did opt to not purchase a second after building the first because there were certain parts that wouldn’t have come together all that well, and there were other sets that I was more interested in.
Back to the castle. So, it’s HUGE. It’s also pricey. It’s also only half of a model. However, have you seen the figures that come with it??? I didn’t get in on the Disney Minifigures since we were getting ready for the Maker Faire. I also figured I’d just Brinklink whatever I had missed out on, which wasn’t much since I’m not a huge Disney fan in general. In fact, I’m a bit upset that Disney keeps buying all of the good franchises out there to create one massive monopoly. I am seriously digressing.
The castle. To buy or not to buy… That is the question. Yes, buy. But! Wait until it’s double VIP points in October. Then buy. You should see my shopping list. It’s rather sad. I want to get the Simpson’s House & Kwike Mart (to make them into modular buildings) Ghostbusters HQ, the Bank, the Spiderman Bridge (2 of them), the Ghostbusters Cars (both), Red Hulk vs. Green Hulk, and of course, the Micro Fighters. See what I mean… so sad…
Finally, in what’s news to me, LEGO liked one of my tweets. It was the highlight of my day when it happened. I realize that they’re very kind to all of their fans, but it’s so cool to know that what we think matters to them. It’s one of the many reasons they have such amazing brand loyalty.
LEGO Review – 76040 DC Comics Brainiac Attack
Do you remember waaaay back when, when there was a “contest” that when you purchased a DC item you were entered into? It was through LEGO. I can’t remember the details anymore, but needless to say, I didn’t win. I also found out after the purchase that you could enter for free, online, daily. I did for a few days until real life got the best of me.
I finally had some time to open this set and build, and it wasn’t all that bad. I think I had a little resentment to it simply because I didn’t win the contest 🙂 Read More
There’s a new LEGO Store coming to the Bay Area!
OK, this is BREAKING NEWS! OK, well, maybe not breaking, but it sure is news around our house. We are thrilled that there is a new LEGO Store coming to San Francisco. Don’t get me wrong, I love our store in San Mateo. The employees there are simply amazing. But this! This is my long awaited chance to get the LEGO Store set! I’ve wanted one for ages, and I’m a little bummed that it’s the new version instead of the old one, but beggars can’t be choosers. I was once willing do drive for hours to get to a grand opening… Hope to see you there!
A MOC Copycat
Some time ago, a nice person on the internet shared an LDD file of a 1/4 scale (I think) version of the Cafe Corner modular building. While I do have 2 of the Mini Modular sets that LEGO released several years ago, I don’t have a full sized Cafe Corner. The mini modulars were a nice release in that both the Cafe Corner and Green Grocer were represented. Those make a little town square on my desk, and I have added to it over time as new ones are released. Read More