Earlier this summer, LEGO announced that they will be taking measures to protect their minifigure branding on what you can and cannot do to a minifigure. LEGO legal has released an official statement regarding the practice of customizing LEGO minifigures with 3rd party logos, organization names, and trademarks. Customized LEGO Minifigures with printed 3rd party logos, names of organizations, and trademarks are not allowed. It’s not acceptable to use of the registered Minifigure trademark in combination with 3rd party symbols. The reason for the rule is that a trademark cannot simultaneously serve as an exclusive, representative symbol of two different entities. The ability of the Minifigure to serve as a distinctive LEGO brand symbol is reduced when a Minifigure is also printed with the name, logo, symbol, or other representative indicia of another entity. Left unchallenged, such use by third-party entities could put our rights in the Minifigure at risk and...

Today we are honored to feature a guest article by educator and LEGO Masters contestant Corey Samuels who shares his experience building the new LEGO Black Panther bust with his community. Wakanda Forever 2018 was a special year for the Black community. That was the year that Marvel Studios released Black Panther into theaters. I remember exactly where I was that weekend, escaping to the movies and dressing up in African-representative garments to watch a movie alongside my close friends. I was moved to tears watching the film. Finally, our community had a superhero. We finally had representation of our struggles on-screen with LEGO sets in tow. Earlier this year, LEGO introduced set 76215 Black Panther, a massive 3,000-piece bust of King T’Challa complete with the iconic necklace and hands posed in tribute to the Wakanda Forever salute. When the set was announced, I immediately felt a rush of emotions, I...

For today only, you can earn 11% cash back by using Rakuten on your LEGO purchases. You’ll be able to get back 11% on non-exclusive items and 3% back on exclusives which is more than they’ve been offering recently. In addition, you can also get a $40 referral bonus by signing up and making a $40 purchase within 90 days of signing up. Cash back will be sent to your PayPal or you can have a physical check sent. Remember that you have to activate the widget on your browser to get credit (see below). Rakuten works for a number of retails, not just LEGO, so you can save even more if you’re doing shopping elsewhere. Rakuten works in the US, Canada, and a few European countries. As a Rakuten/Linkshare Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post Rakuten Offering 11% Cash Back on LEGO Shop Purchases – Today Only appeared...

Comics are a great source of inspiration for builders. And while this is exactly how I started my previous article on The Unicorn from Tintin, it holds so very true for today’s feature on Thomas Labourot aka Legolabo, a French comic book artist and classic space builder I had the chance to chat with. Being a big fan of comics I just had to know how Thomas merges these two passions—I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation as much as I did! Sam: Hello Thomas, I’m honoured to be talking to you. To start off, would you mind introducing yourself? Thomas : Hi Sam, I am a 45-year-old boy who likes to draw and play, to tell stories, and to create worlds to escape to. Sam: You are a comic book writer by profession. What are some of the titles you worked on, and were any of them published in the US?...

The LEGO Marvel theme has been moving towards the adult-oriented builders more and more and the latest addition to the lineup is the Hulkbuster (76210). This set has 4,049 pieces and retails for $549.99 which by far is the most expensive Marvel set that LEGO has released but does the final product warrant that price? Minifigure The set does include one minifigure which is Tony Stark. This version of him shows him with a partial Iron Man armor. Half the the torso shows him in the Mark XLIII armor since he wears that in Avengers: Age of Ultron when Vision is born. The double-sided head has been used before with the HUD on one side. Build On to the Hulkbuster itself, the finished build seems a bit off. The torso looks way off compared to the arms and legs like it has been extended a bit too much. The reason for...

The product page for the upcoming LEGO Lunar New Year 2023 Money Tree (40648) is now live on the LEGO Shop. Releasing on December 25, the set has 336 pieces and retails for $24.99. In Chinese culture, tangerines are synonymous with luck and there 20 of them in the set although they use the pumpkin pieces. Celebrate Chinese New Year with this brilliantly detailed and attractive Money Tree (40648) adorned with riches and rewards. The set features a tree decorated with 20 tangerines, 14 red envelopes and 10 coins for ages 9+. In Chinese culture it has long been believed that a money tree brings abundance, prosperity and good luck. The model makes an eye-catching display item and adds extra fun to Chinese New Year celebrations. • Celebrate Chinese New Year – Build a LEGO® Money Tree (40648) to make a fun display item for any room during your celebrations• Decorative...

LEGO has published a wide array of books in recent years. My own (growing) collection of LEGO books includes how-to-build books, books about collections (often with collectible mini figures inside), story books featuring minifigures, and even an exhibit companion book. My children and I have spent many happy hours reading together, often finding inspiration for builds between the pages. What I hadn’t realized—until I read LEGO In Focus—is that my collection had been sorely missing an awesome photography book. LEGO In Focus is everything a bibliophile could want in a book about photography. It’s got beautiful photos, glimpses behind the scenes, and great stories told both through text and in pictures. But to LEGO fans of all ages, LEGO in FOCUS is so much more than a great photography book. It offers a different avenue to enjoy this hobby that we love so well. Cliffs Notes Thirty-two photographers from Stuck in...

For those who are not LEGO VIP members, the LEGO Marvel Hulkbuster (76210) is now available for the general public. It’s still the same price for everyone at $549.99 but you won’t get any of the promotional gifts that the VIPs do like the Fleece Blanket or the Fun and Funnky VIP Add On Pack. It’s advantageous to sign up to be a VIP member as you can earn points towards various rewards including discounts as well as getting free promo items. As a Rakuten/Linkshare Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO Marvel Hulkbuster (76210) Available to General Public appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Earlier this morning, LEGO sent out an email to VIP members with some coupons to use on the LEGO Shop. They are offering two different ones to use by November 14 which includes a spend $65, save $10 and a spend $100, save $15. Both saves you about 15% off your purchase which isn’t too bad. I’m not sure if all VIPs get the email but if you don’t see it, try checking the spam folder as sometimes LEGO’s emails go there. There are still a few promotions going on that can run concurrent with the discount including the Fleece Blanket with a $200 purchase and the Fun and Funky VIP Add On Pack with a $50 purchase. Remember to use Rakuten to earn some cash back on your purchases. Update: It may seem that not all VIPs are getting the email. According to observations made online, the email could have...

This article was originally written for my blog. Thanks to the BrickNerd team for their interest in featuring it here for Nerdvember! What’s a hero shot, you ask? Well, it’s the distilled essence of a moment of epicness, the high point of a heroic act of daring, the emotion-charged second when against all odds a hero confronts seemingly unstoppable evil. So, basically, a cool scene with two clear characters facing off. I recently built two of these “hero shots” for the Middle Earth LEGO Olympics. The first one is a recreation of Eowyn’s fight with the King of Angmar. The second scene is Glorfindel facing a Balrog. While I intentionally gave these two scenes very different colors and atmospheres, they share some striking similarities: both are low angles, framing the carefully posed backside of a minifigure that looks larger than life, with a clearly evil menace confronting the minifigure and showing...