11/07/2012 - 15:01 Lego news

LEGO @ San Diego Comic-Con 2012

LEGO has just officially unveiled the schedule of events that will take place at San Diego Comic Con 2012. So here is a summary of what to expect from the Super Heroes range: 

Friday July 13, 2012: LEGO Super Heroes

Presentation of minifigs LEGO Super Heroes DC Universe for 2013.
A random draw will determine the winner of a 12 cm high brick Batman figurine.  
DC Universe Exclusive Minifigs: SHAZAM et GALLANT. (1000 copies of each) 

Presentation of minifigs LEGO Super Heroes Marvel for 2013.
A random draw will determine the winner of a 12 cm tall Spider-Man brick figure.  
Exclusive Marvel Minifigs: VENOM et PHOENIX. (1000 copies of each) 

 

The link to the official press release: LEGO @ Comic-Con 2012

11/07/2012 - 08:49 Lego news

LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012

This is the site bleedingcool.com which opens hostilities with these images of the set-up of the LEGO booth at San Diego Comic Con 2012 which opens on July 12.

Unsurprisingly, we find the hits of the moment with the Super Heroes DC & Marvel ranges, the Monster Fighters sets, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings banners as well as maxi-characters or mosaics inspired by the universe of super heroes.

Obviously, we are all hoping for some new announcements during the show, with why not one or two sets that LEGO has jealously kept secret until now ... 

LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012 LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012 LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012
LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012 LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012 LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012
LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012 LEGO Booth @ San Diego Comic Con 2012  
10/07/2012 - 07:08 LEGO LOTR & The Hobbit Lego news

LEGO The Hobbit Minifigs: Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo & Balin

The next San Diego Comic Con (SDDC 2012) promises to be rich in novelties and The Hollywood Reporter Kicks off hostilities with the unveiling of the new minifigs from the LEGO The Hobbit range.

The announcements should follow one another in the days to come and we are entitled to a first visual of the minifigs of Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo and Balin which will populate the sets based on the film. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Released December 14, 2012).

The official release of sets based on the film is scheduled for December 1, 2012. Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the two episodes of The Hobbit, announced his presence at San Diego Comic Con (from July 12 to 15, 2012), probably to present a new trailer for the first part. LEGO will surely take the opportunity to reveal a little more about the next wave of sets based on the film. We'll know more by the end of the week.

10/07/2012 - 06:25 Lego news

Shazam and Bizarro at San Diego Comic Con 2012

The imagination and ingenuity of the fans having no limits, it was to be expected that a little clever would come across a piece of information in Google's cache.

Indeed, there is a mention of the two exclusive minifigs that will probably be distributed during San Diego Comic Con 2012 (SDCC) which is held from July 12 to 15. It would therefore be Shazam, as initially announced, and Bizarro, whose name appears on DC Comics web page, but which has since been withdrawn to be replaced by a more generic mention (...Exclusive LEGO Mini Figs, etc.).

We will be fixed soon, Comic Con begins July 12, 2012.

08/07/2012 - 22:04 Lego news

Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) 10227 B-Wing Starfighter

Now that the enthusiasm on one side and the annoyance on the other have subsided, we can calmly ask ourselves a few questions about this novelty which extends the list of references in the Ultimate Collector Series range.

First of all, you have to admit that the ship is quite successful. Of course, we can always discuss this or that detail, but overall this B-Wing looks like the machine we all know and the idea I had made of it. The rare MOCs of this ship had not really convinced me so far and LEGO, without revolutionizing the thing, offers an excellent compromise which satisfies me.

Not too many studs, well dressed fenders and on both sides, simple but harmonious engines, some basic features and other moving parts ... that's enough for me knowing that this model is primarily intended for exhibition and has not vocation to serve as a toy. After some thought, I even find the cockpit not that bad ...

And that is the whole debate: Has the Ultimate Collector Series ever been and is it still a range of toys? A priori, no. The price testifies to this. At this price, no one will buy this set for their kid at Christmas.

200 € is very (too) expensive. At this price, LEGO could have thrown in the box even an exclusive minifig, a B-Wing pilot, an Admiral Ackbar with a new screen printing, etc ... Because the debate on whether to putting minifigs in UCS sets is irrelevant. I read here and there discussions around the scale of the craft that would make the presence of minifigs stupid. But you find that the minifigs in the set 10221 UCS Super Star Destroyer were Executor-wide? False debate therefore, which does not change the problem. This set is expensive, and anything that can make the pill easier to pass, like a few minifigs, is welcome.

The comparison with set 10225 UCS R2-D2 on the part / price ratio is also irrelevant. It is not the B-Wing which is too expensive, it is R2-D2 which was offered at a more aggressive price than usual at LEGO, undoubtedly to target a potential clientele larger than that of the AFOLs.

But are we still dealing with pure and hard LEGO? Some argued that with € 200 you can afford a B-Wing model that is much more like. It's not wrong, but when you love LEGOs you have learned to do with shortcuts and approximations. The best of UCS or MOCs will never be on par with a mockup produced by a serious manufacturer.

It is true that the B-Wing is not the most charismatic of the devices in the Star Wars saga. But as I sometimes write on this blog, I prefer a new creation to yet another remake of something we already know in the LEGO range.

Collectors will not miss this set despite its very high price, it is a UCS, no doubt about it, it completes the range, and it has its place among the other creations offered by LEGO to adult Star Wars fans and LEGO. The others will offer themselves something else with their 200 €, a playset, a The Clone Wars set, etc ...

Below, the visual of the box provided by GRogall.

Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) 10227 B-Wing Starfighter