2018 Parts Fest #2: Marcel V's Helmet, Kitchen and More

Our second guest builder taking part in our second 2018 Parts Fest is Marcel V, an excellent LEGO® builder from Germany with an eye for detail whose work is full of creative parts use. We posted him a selection of new LEGO parts last month and waited to see what would happen.

Yay, new elements to discover! Can’t wait to dive into it…

2018 Parts Fest #2: Grantmasters' elephant, church and more

We sent some of the most interesting new LEGO® parts from 2018 to fan builders to see how they would use them. Grantmasters received his elements in two parcels due to a slight logistics issue and so his first post took a look at the 1x1 brackets, and now the remaining elements are explored in this second post. Over to Grantmasters...

So, round 2 began after receiving a load more parts from New Elementary. Whilst this image isn't all of the parts sent, it is all of the parts I included in this lot of builds.

2018 Parts Fest #2: Grantmasters' 1x1 brackets

As well as running workshops at fan events like Skaerbaek or Paredes de Coura, we also like to post a bunch of new LEGO® elements to some of our favourite builders from across the world. We will be publishing the techniques and creations they came up with in the coming weeks, and then show you what builders at the Skaerbaek workshop did with them. First up we have Grantmasters, a talented builder from New Zealand. The first of his two posts takes a look at the 1x1 brackets: Medium Stone Grey [TLG]/Light Bluish Grey [BL] Plate 1X1, W/ 1.5 Plate 1X1, Downwards (Element ID 6248078|Design ID 36841) and Dark Stone Grey [TLG]/ Dark Bluish Gray [BL] 1X1, W/ 1.5 Plate 1X1, Upwards (6225494|36840).

Initially, I was a bit stumped by the brackets as they aren't really what I would usually consider a "decorative" seed part. Over the years I have regularly wanted one of these brackets for various builds.  I tried to arrange the brackets with different orientations and with other offset types of connections to see where that took me first.

2018 Parts Fest #2: Introducing the Elements

Clearly we love new elements here at New Elementary, and what better way to explore the potential connections and uses than to send a pile of new parts to some innovative and inspirational LEGO® builders.

Let's introduce the  elements released in the second half of 2018 that our guest builders will be taking a closer look at in the coming weeks.

LEGO® MOVIE 2 review: 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg!

Coming 1 February 2019 (and already available for VIP members), LEGO® 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg!
 is the largest and arguably most thrilling set from THE LEGO MOVIE 2: The Second Part. But how do the parts stack up? Sven Franic takes a look inside this 3178-piece set and its plethora of Sand Green.

The flagship set for THE LEGO MOVIE 2: The Second Part focuses attention on the part of the film featuring the derelict remains of Bricksburg from the first film (which may have some resemblance to New York?). This is an opportunity to jump on the revived pop-culture trend of the post-apocalypse dystopia and a great way for adult fans to connect with what is probably the closest The LEGO Group will touch a certain Ozploitation trilogy from our childhoods. 

LEGO® MOVIE 2 review: 70830 Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship!

Our series of set reviews of THE LEGO MOVIE 2: The Second Part continues today with 70830 Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship! Ben Davies (ProfessorBrickkeeper) returns to examine another bumper collection of exciting parts.

One of the first sets revealed for the toy line and featuring prominently in the initial trailer for the film, 70830 Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship! has been one of the most anticipated sets for The LEGO Movie 2, thanks in no small part to its unusual design, wide assortment of teal bricks, and inclusion of several new-for-2019 elements.

Before examining all the new parts, let’s take a look at the construction of the ship and the finished model.

PdC Parts Fest 2018: shield, mudguard and arch

I've been super-slow at showing you the rest of what was created in our workshop in Paredes de Coura (PdC) Fan Weekend in Portugal way back in June 2018... so here's a few more to inspire your building ideas. 25 builders were given 11 of the new LEGO® parts released in 2018 to create as many ideas, tablescraps, techniques and small MOCs as they could. Huge thanks go to Andrew Tipping for taking the photographs.

"Minifigure, Shield Rectangular with 4 Studs" [BL]/ "Plate 2X3 W/ Hor. 3,2 Shaft" [TLG] (Design ID 30166)

2018 Parts Fest #1: Luc Byard's The Alchemist

One of the 2018 LEGO® elements that we sent to builders to investigate was the new minifigure neck bracket with four bar attachments (Element ID 6215458 | Design ID 36452). One of our talented buiders, Luc Byard, used it to create a walker mech and has now come up with another interesting creation based upon this unusual part.

This build came out of looking for a way to connect the two shafts that are at 90° to each other. ‘Easy enough,’ I said to myself but the placement is not as convenient as I expected. It’s a tight fit and I think I’m pushing tolerances but I managed to secure them.

LEGO® MOVIE 2 review: 70828 Pop-Up Party Bus

We've been eyeing off the new 2019 color and those new LEGO® gears for a few weeks now, and here both of them are in 70828 Pop-Up Party Bus! Ryan Howerter takes a look at this 1024-piece set which is priced £79.99 / US$79.99 / 89.99€, available at the usual suppliers including Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

Out of the 25+ sets revealed so far for The LEGO MOVIE 2: The Second Part, the Party Bus is the only one to include this year’s new color: Vibrant Coral [TLG]/Coral [BL]. And boy, does it have a lot of it! Let’s get started.

LEGO® Technic 42079 Heavy Duty Forklift

LEGO® Technic 42079 Heavy Duty Forklift retails at £54.99 / US$69.99 / 49.99€ but given this is a release from summer 2018 perhaps you'll now find it cheaper at Amazon USA or Amazon UK. However, is it worth forking out money to pick this one up? Ryan Welles investigates, without resorting to awful puns.

Forklifts were a popular subject for the LEGO® Technic line in the days were there were only studded building techniques. When the studless era began, forklifts became less common. There was a small one in 2003 (set number 8441), a rather impressive forklift in 2005 containing 729 pieces (set number 8416) and yet another mini-set ten years ago (set number 8290). But that's about it. It has been at least 15 years since a big or even medium sized forklift hit the shelves. With set 42079, the smallest of 2018's Technic summer wave line-up, the hiatus came to an end.

But does it make a good purchase for or is it better to save your money for the 2019 sets?


LEGO® MOVIE 2 review: 70824 Introducing Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi

70824 Introducing Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi is the third set from THE LEGO® MOVIE 2: The Second Part that we are taking a closer look at – along with some commentary from Nick Vas, a LEGO Designer who was involved in its creation. It has 115 parts, including a new Lucy minifigure, Sweet Mayhem minidoll, Susan minidoll, and is now available priced £17.99/ 19,99€/ US$19.99 at Amazon USA and Amazon UK as well as all usual retailers.

First let's take a look at the new elements and printed parts in this small, colourful set.

2019 LEGO® Speed Champions Part 2: the new elements

Following his review of the five new LEGO® Speed Champions sets for 2019, Ben Davies (ProfessorBrickkeeper) now examines the new, recolored and printed parts you'll find in them. 75890 Ferrari F40 Competizione, 75891 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Race Car, 75892 McLaren Senna, 75893 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, and 75894 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally and 2018 MINI John Cooper Works Buggy are all now available to purchase.

Across the new assortment of Speed Champions sets, a whopping twenty-two new elements can be found. These include twelve part recolors, eight parts with new decorations, and two completely new part designs. After taking a look at the complete sets in part one of my review, I am turning my attention to all of these new elements, and highlighting some of the more notable ones.

Two new part designs for the purpose of vehicle building have been introduced in the the latest wave of Speed Champions. These include a slim new wheel arch and a hubcap element which extends to cover the edge of the tire.

2019 LEGO® Speed Champions Part 1: the sets

New year, new LEGO® sets and we also welcome a new contributor, Ben Davies (ProfessorBrickkeeper) who over the course of two posts will take a look at 75890 Ferrari F40 Competizione, 75891 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Race Car, 75892 McLaren Senna, 75893 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, and 75894 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally and 2018 MINI John Cooper Works Buggy. As is often the case at New Elementary, Ben chose not to apply the stickers. If you want to see how the cars look stickered, check out the reviews at your other favourite LEGO fan sites!

Since the theme’s introduction in 2015, LEGO® Speed Champions has continually offered a wide variety of licensed vehicles to autophiles and LEGO fans alike, ranging from consumer vehicles to racing cars.

LEGO® Unikitty: Yi-Chien Cheng & Janko Grujic interview

From a parts perspective, LEGO® Unikitty was perhaps the most interesting new theme of 2018. During the Recognised LEGO Media Fan Days, New Elementary sat down with two of the designers, Yi-Chien Cheng from Taiwan and Janko Grujic from Serbia, to ask them a few questions about the theme – and the new parts it’s given us.

We know Unikitty from 2014's The LEGO Movie, and she will return in the sequel this February. But in the meantime she got her own show, Unikitty! How did that come about?

Janko: The idea of that show has been, probably, on the table since the movie, because she’s such an appealing character. Warner Brothers joined forces with Cartoon Network to come up with the new show, so the sets that you see are related to the show on Cartoon Network, and I’d suggest that you take a look at it, it’s a lot of fun!

LEGO® Unikitty: the floppy puppy ear

In the last of his series investigating the interesting parts introduced for the LEGO® Unikitty! theme, Sven Franic turns his attention to the floppy ears of Unikitty's brother, Little Prince Puppycorn. (Yes, the unicorn/cat thing has a unicorn/dog thing for a sibling. Keep up.)

For our final study of unusual new Unikitty elements, it is time for Design Plate 1X1, No. 1 (Design ID 35463) or, by BrickLink’s more descriptive terminology, Tile, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth / Ear Vertical, Triangular.