The first is a new plant! It can be seen clearly here on 41050 Ariel's Amazing Treasures. It reminds me of an unraveling fern, yet also works well in this underwater scene. There's something a little odd and creepy to me about the way it curls like that. It feels a little alien... and in fact, I've literally just spotted an Olive Green one in 75037 Battle on Saleucami (yes, there are Star Wars set leaks too). This plant seems to fit any scenario... in this forthcoming Friends set, 41026 Sunshine Harvest, it makes me think of a young corn plant.
I'll enjoy seeing what non-plant applications you folks come up with for it. I'm thinking if it came in grey or tan, placed sideways at the top of a church wall it could resemble a gargoyle. Without a scary face obviously. But all that sort of silliness aside, it will just be great to have another type of plant piece available - new ones don't exactly come along often.
You can see the plant again in the other Ariel set, 41052 Ariel's Magic Kiss but it's the gold finials atop the building I wanted to mention next.
They're a 1X1 round plate with a funny swirly top instead of a stud. The metallic shades are probably my least favourite LEGO colours but these swirly thingies do make this simple building look quite distinguished. They are going to make a great detailing part for all sorts of building styles - Im thinking space, mech, steampunk - and if/when they come in other colours they'll make great ice cream too!
There's a cheaper set that will contain both these parts; 41042 Tiger’s Beautiful Temple which is part of Series 4 of the Friends Collectables range. So far there's only a bad picture of it so I shan't bother to reproduce it here, but it's visible on Brickset as Brickset member Legoguy was actually able to buy some 2014 sets in the Middle East.
Finally, another golden item. You can't miss 'em - the wheels on 41053 Cinderella’s Dream Carriage. They really went to town on this design!
I'd normally run a mile from such an ornamental and specific part. But this is beautiful! I can imagine it used as a lampshade or a Chinoiserie window. And again, it suggests steampunk to me - would look great on some bizarre Victorian contraption. At first I thought it was slightly concave, but now I'm not sure. Any opinion, folks?
Some nice pieces. I'm excited for the Star Wars stuff as usual. What bugs me is that they are a bunch of remakes and I have just about every ship they've made that is either a first or (and more rarely) second version which means I won't be spending too much money again this year. Can always hope for 2015 when Episode VII sets are coming out.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my point about bringing up Star Wars were the little guns that shoot pieces. I feel they are a waste because I'll just lose all the studs that they shoot. It's an ingenius design, just not a good one at such a scale, perhaps more like one that shoots 2x2 round bricks but then that's more of what the technic missles ar for. But yeah, they don't seem to be very usable, because the section where the stud connects in will have to be loose and the only other connection point is the handle. Cool design, not very useful.
They are really interesting aren't they. Not yet sure if I'll post about them, I suspect they'll be discussed at length elsewhere!
DeleteThe "Swirl piece" IS coming in new colors, AS ice cream, in 41037 Stephanie's Beach House. You gotta keep up! :P http://brickset.com/detail/?Set=41037-1
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a 3.2mm bar piece like a lightsaber blade will fit in the curl of that plant.The cheapest set to include the new plant, so far, is 41042 Tiger's Beautiful Temple, which has already been discovered on store shelves in the Middle East: http://brickset.com/detail/?Set=41042-1
Those wheels will be great on time machines.
Dammit! I just CAN'T keep up! Had a good look at 41037 and totally missed that :OD Oh well nice to know I was right
DeleteErr.. yes I mentioned 41042 and the Middle East in the post... you gotta keep up mate! ;O)
Love the idea of a 318 going in the plant's curl.
If the new, as I call it, "curly plant" comes in black, if a 3.2mm bar fits in it some great wrought iron raining and designs could be made. Wouldn't be surprised to see something like that end up on an Modular.
DeleteLook at all those red apples. I don't know if that counts in your new element world, but they haven't been in sets for nearly 10 years, and are very expensive.
ReplyDeleteThey so nearly got a mention :O) Hey, congrats on your Danish holiday plans...
DeleteWhen I first saw the picture of the Ariel treasure set, I thought the 1 x 1 round in the clam was in trans-black (rare as hens teeth in that color). But no, its in pearl dark grey :(
ReplyDeleteActually, it's 315 Silver Metallic (one of a few colors Bricklink calls Flat Silver). It came out between 2010 and 2011, replacing 131 Silver (which Bricklink calls either Flat Silver or Pearl Light Gray, depending largely on what material it's molded in).
DeleteBricklink's Pearl Dark Gray can refer to two colors: 148 Dark Grey Metallic, which appeared in sets between 2002 and 2010, and 316 Titanium Metallic, which replaced Dark Grey Metallic between 2010 and 2011. Both are considerably darker than 315 Silver Metallic.
Keeping all the different silver/grey colors in line is hard :(
DeleteBut still, its in a color that's not new or rare as opposed to a nice trans color that has thus far only appeared in a single set :(
Parisian Restaurant aside, the sets I've singled out for next year all seem to be targeted at the market of 5-12 year girls - Mia's lemonade stand with the light bluish Vespa and glass jug, Merida's Higland games for the target and medieval female fig and tiger's beautiful temple for the golden swirl thingys and the green curls. And now that Cinderella's coach.
ReplyDeleteThere's going to be a big injection of pink into the collection. I can already see the inquiring raised eyebrow of my 5 year old son.
The long skirt on the ladyfig looks new, as does the mermaid's tale.
ReplyDelete41052: Aren't those 'upside-down cactus' a first in olive green? I believe that the backwards-wave yellow and normal green flags are a first. Has the Grandma Visitor basket appeared in purple already? I think it has... Also, is that ladder thingy on the end of the dock new in gold? I don't recall that in gold anywhere.
ReplyDelete41053: The purple chest in the back of the carriage is an first and I don't recall blank orange minifigure heads being in any sets to-date.
The Disney Princess line is shaping up to have some nice new parts/elements in and I might end up Bricklind'n a few of 'em. Especially liking the new plant, new backwards-wave flag colors, and the gold ice cream cone top thingy.
Those "upside-down cactus" pieces (I always think of them as seaweed, not cacti, but that might be because I remember when they first debuted in the Divers theme) seem to be Bright Green, not Olive Green. One shade lighter than classic green (officially, Dark Green). But it's still a new color for them!
DeleteAh. Well, a new color anyhow, and that's always welcome in foliage.
DeleteFirst Friends and now Princesses, I don't care for the mini-dolls, but I have a whole gaggle of them because the Friends line has all kinds of cool parts and colors. Plus the Friends hair pieces are very nice on minifig ladies.
ReplyDeleteThose wheels do look concave. I will need them to improve Rivendell.
Your blog has become required reading for me Caperberry. Great job!
Just eyeballin' it I think those wheels are flat, but I believe the actual ornate part slightly concaves within the part itself. It appears that the O is even with the outer rim of the part. That's just a guess though.
ReplyDeleteMy figure building brain thinks "super ornate whacked out glasses" for those though. Do you happen to know if any arch pieces would make a frame for this piece so that it could be placed in buildings or other brick built structures? Cause then yes, I can see them being windows to some crazy victorian mech contraption.
OOo ooo I have an idea for the curly thingies...Fancy mustache. >:)
I dont have any hard evidence to back this up but I strongly suspect the general makeup of the special wagon wheel will be similar to parts 33212 (Wagon Wheel Giant) and 33211 (Wagon Wheel Large). In fact, it may well be the same general size/shape as 33212 going off the pictures.
ReplyDelete