This season's back-to-basics

We are still surfing the summer wave of new sets here at New Elementary, but let's pause for a moment and look purely at parts today. I've trawled through Brickset's parts database to identify for you some of the more basic LEGO® parts that have been released in new colours this summer. Rather than name all the sets you can find these new elements in, I've added links instead - click the relevant Element ID.

Make me Smilodon

We have another Legends of Chima set for you today: 70143 Sir Fangar's Sabre-Tooth Walker. On reviewing duty is Jeremy Williams (Bricking It) who, on top of building stunning Neo Classic Space ships and scenes, also composed the music for the recent Exo Suit reveal video and you may have seen his Beginner's Guide to BrickLink tutorial video.

Since I’m a space builder I spend most of my build time immersed in blue and various shades of grey, with the odd bit of trans-yellow to spice things up (more please, Billund!) So it’s a genuine pleasure to review a set in an entirely different theme, with strange and exotic colours (Dark Orange! Trans-Light Blue!) to pore over. And it’s an eye-catching set, too - one that I suspect will have bucket loads of appeal for fans of all ages (even my three year-old is clamouring to play with it).

The Earth Green machine

I don't like cars. Stinky, noisy, destructive machines that constantly made me travelsick as a child. They are of course a necessity of modern life, but I've never learnt to drive, choosing instead to reside in the centre of a metropolis with excellent public transport (and thousands of stinky noisy destructive cars). So it's a little odd I have been so very excited about the release of 10242 MINI Cooper, which is now available for VIP members to order ahead of general release on 1 August. But then this fabulous LEGO® version is neither stinky nor noisy and only destructive if you consider the environmental impact of producing the plastic - or throw it at someone's head.

Fairy Bricks Big Raffle 2014

I'm involved in a charity called Fairy Bricks; the idea of which is to raise money to buy LEGO® sets for children's hospitals and hospices - so far, over £20,000 (US$34,000) worth! It began life as a raffle on Brickset last year and is now a registered charity in the UK, but assists hospitals all over the globe. The Brickset Forum is full of AFOLs who know where to get heavily discounted LEGO, so the funds Fairy Bricks raise is used to get the biggest possible LEGO bang for the buck.

Exo Suit: tease and reveal

Having been starved for the best part of a year, in the last fortnight AFOLs have enjoyed a glut of information about the next LEGO® Ideas set; 21109 Exo Suit, redesigned by LEGO Senior Designer Mark Stafford based on the submission by AFOL Peter Reid. There are already several set reviews online so I'm mixing mine up a bit by interspersing it with a review of the teaser marketing campaign driven by fans.

Firing up Chima

We're reviewing quite a few LEGO® summer sets over the next few weeks and several are from Legends of Chima, as they offer many new parts and colours of elements. Kicking things off today with 70135 Cragger's Fire Striker is builder extraordinaire and actual real scientist guy Tim Goddard, who also tells us of his special relationship with Chima...

When I first saw the Fire and Ice Chima sets it was a bit of an assault on the senses: crazy colours and shapes everywhere, but now that I’m used to it I think it’s rather clever. There are plenty of new bits to get excited about and it gives a nice clear divide between factions, reminiscent of Space themes past.