Review: GwP 40889 Build, Paint and Play from LEGO® Ideas

40889 Build, Paint and Play from LEGO® Ideas is a gift with purchase (GwP) set, which means you can't simply pick it up in store or order it online. You have to meet the predetermined spend threshold at LEGO to receive the set as a "free" additional bonus; the added anxiety for collectors here being the inevitable "while stocks last" disclaimer. The threshold is US$130/ £115/ 130€/ AU$210 and the set launches on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

There aren't any new moulds, which is entirely expected, but there are two very welcome recolours that will please Classic Space fanatics.

Parts review + MOCs: 43017 Oscar Piastri Helmet & 43023 Lando Norris Helmet from LEGO® Editions

In May 2026, two Formula 1® Scuderia Ferrari HP helmet models were released by the LEGO® Editions theme: 43022 Lewis Hamilton & 43014 Charles Leclerc, which were reviewed by Elspeth. She paid attention to both the mind-boggling construction and some really weird new pieces. I was a bit torn on these sets: on one hand, their MOC-like structure and use of various curved pieces was really interesting; on the other, they were covered with brand prints, and I have no interest in making MOCs "sponsored" by Unicredit, IBM and Shell. 

When two more helmets were released in June with (almost) no sponsor prints but still covered in unique patterns and made in rare colours, I was surprised and excited. My main focus in the LEGO hobby is building MOCs, and the two sets, 43017 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team Oscar Piastri Helmet and 43023 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team Lando Norris Helmet looked really inspiring for MOCs. Today, I'll review the interesting parts of these sets – and there are lots of them – and then present three new MOCs inspired by their printed pieces. 

Review: 77264 Jaguar Project 7 & Land Rover Defender from LEGO® Speed Champions

LEGO® Speed Champions set 77264 Jaguar Project 7 & Land Rover Defender comes with several recolours, exclusive prints and two builds that couldn't be more different from each other – aside from the fact they're both cars, of course!

LEGO® Creator decor: 31383 Floral Perfume Bottle, 31390 Floral Art Painting & 31392 Music Piano with Cat

The June 2026 LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 releases provided three "decor" sets with a pastel colour palette. I received two copies of 31383 Floral Decor Perfume Bottle and one each of 31392 Music Decor Piano with Cat and 31390 Floral Art Decor Painting to use in my own mini parts-fest, to make MOCs with some of the interesting pieces.

What are the new LEGO® parts in October 2026 sets?

I've created a list showing the 230 new elements within the October 2026 LEGO® sets, now updated with pieces from the LEGO® Super Heroes Marvel sets released on 4 October, based on the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie. 

Set 21373 Downton Abbey supplies us with many options for minifigures, we get our first minifigure-scale LEGO® Pokémon creatures thanks to 72154 Iconic Trainer Moments Poké Ball, while the nostalgic 72306 PlayStation introduces two new round tiles with diameters of 1.5 and and 4 modules. You can read my review of LEGO Downton Abbey here.

LEGO® Pick a Brick: USA & Canada closure of Standard pieces

The LEGO® Pick a Brick team have advised they will be updating their North American service in 2027 to be the same as the rest of the world, where there is no distinction between "Bestseller" and "Standard" bricks. To prepare for this change, Standard bricks will cease being available in North America starting Monday 2 November 2026 until some time in Q1 2027, to provide time to migrate Standard piece stocks (currently shipped from Denmark) to the American warehouse (pictured above, apologies for the low quality). This is similar to earlier years when the entire service used to shut down to deal with holiday demand.

In short: if you are in the US or Canada and want any Standard bricks in the next 3 to 6 months, purchase them this month, as Sunday 1 November is the final day. Furthermore, LEGO® DUPLO® bricks will also go at the same time and will be gone for a longer period.

View all Standard bricks on LEGO Pick a Brick

NB. You may see an error message "Filter configuration invalid, please clear all filters", you can ignore this.

Continue reading for the statement from the team in full.

LEGO® Pick a Brick: October 2026 new elements

It's a big one! Over 800 pieces have been added to LEGO® Pick a Brick (PaB) today, Thursday 1 October 2026. The included elements are from sets released in June. 

READ MORE: See the list of all October 2026 PaB new pieces

New October 2026 LEGO® sets and Gifts with Purchase

Here comes October, bringing new LEGO® sets, gifts with purchase (GwP) and Pick a Brick! Read on for a quick look at what's available.

Review: 21065 Sagrada Família from LEGO® Architecture

 

At New Elementary, we enjoy parts, and the November 2026 LEGO® Architecture set 21065 Sagrada Família has a lot of them. Furthermore, it is a eye-opening dose of an architectural past and future.

Review and mod: 21371 Wallace & Gromit from LEGO® Ideas

LEGO® Ideas set 21371 Wallace & Gromit from is the 80th release to come from the fan-designed theme. As a long-time fan of Aardman's characters, and these two in particular, I was excited to get the opportunity to take a closer look at the set and its new contents.