LEGO® City review: 60260 Air Race

Toby Mac (TobyMac from Rebrickable) returns today to review an unusual LEGO® City set with several new elements, 60260 Air Race. But are they of any use to adult builders? The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission.

Today we’ll be looking at 60260 Air Race, a LEGO® City set that contains 140 parts, and includes 2 helicopters, an airplane and 3 minifigures at an RRP of £24.99 / $39.99 / 29.23€. Judging by the box-art, the helicopters can actually fly, so let’s take off!

LEGO® Modular Building reveal: 10278 Police Station

The latest set in the popular line of LEGO® Modular Buildings Collection has just been revealed - 10278 Police Station. It will be available from 1 January 2021, when we will review it in full, but in the meantime Caz Mockett (BlockHeadUK) thought she'd share some of the new elements spotted in the official images.

The Historical Colosseum

LEGO® 10276 Colosseum is released today and as an "Act III" to his examination of the build and the elements, Kevin J. Walter now provides a historical perspective to the building – illustrated with LEGO, of course! Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Nero's colossal ambitions in giving the city of Rome a new shape, a shape that should be closely associated with himself, foreshadowed and went on to define the Colosseum. After the great fire of Rome in the year 64 (all dates given in this article are AD), which according to ancient historians was allegedly caused by the emperor himself, large swathes of the city were left uninhabited and many properties could be bought for a small percentage of their normal worth.

(CW: HP) LEGO® ART review: 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests

Today, Toby Mac (TobyMac) reviews the upcoming LEGO® ART 31201 Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Crests which is priced 119.99€/ £114.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99/ AU$199.99/ 1099 DKK and contains 4249 pieces. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

In 2020 LEGO has focused strongly on adult builders including introducing a new line of sets, LEGO Art, with which you can build a mosaic that can be hung like a painting. So far, there are 4 sets in this theme; New Elementary took a very brief look when they were announced back in July and now 2 more sets have been announced for a 2021 release. I’ll be looking at one of them in detail now, 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests, and soon Omid will be reviewing the other, 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse. 

©2020 The LEGO Group

With 31201 you can build one of four crests belonging to the houses of Hogwarts. As with all LEGO Art sets, you can only build one design at a time. There is also the possibility to combine 4 copies of the set in 1 large display containing all crests.

LEGO® Ninjago MOCs: 70687 Spinjitzu Burst - Lloyd

Recently Inthert took a look at the parts in LEGO® 70686 Spinjitzu Burst - Kai, in particular the strange new plate with 4 handles. Now, Aron Gerencsér (@_pohaturon) focuses on the other new mould present in these Spinjitzu sets and uses it in his own creations. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Occasionally the LEGO Group releases a highly specialised part designed, very pointedly, to fulfil a specific role in a play feature – with versatility taking the back seat. Naturally, we then do our absolute best to subvert that specific role and find other uses for them. 

One such part is Function Element W Hinge, aka Energy Burst with Wide Clip (Design ID 66960) appearing in three dual-moulded colour variants throughout this year’s Ninjago Spinjitzu Burst sets. I was sent 5 copies of 70687 Spinjitzu Burst - Lloyd, each including 4 of them in Silver Metallic with Transparent Bright Green (Element ID 6322846), giving me 20 of these to mess around with!

LEGO® Technic reveal: 42123 McLaren Senna GTR

Just revealed, and available 1 January 2021, LEGO® Technic 42123 McLaren Senna GTR contains 830 parts and will cost 49,99€/ US$49.99/ £44.99/ AU$89.99/ CA$69.99. The age mark is 10+, and the model is 32cm (12in.) long. We will be reviewing this set just as soon as it is released, but in the meantime we thought we'd share some of the new elements we spotted in the official images.

Which LEGO® sets have the most new parts? October & November 2020

Time once again for our regular list of the newest LEGO® sets showing the quantity of new parts each of in them. I say regular – this one actually covers about 2 months because there have not been many new releases recently. Developed in partnership with TobyMac from Rebrickable, we show both quantity as well as overall percentage of new elements. So if you like to buy sets knowing they'll contain stuff you don't yet own, use our table as one of your purchasing factors. 

If you're buying, remember VIP Weekend is happening in some countries this weekend, 21 and 22 November 2020. It's double VIP points and there are awesome gifts with purchase - but these may vary by territory, so do check yourself. Consider using our LEGO.com affiliate link; New Elementary may get a commission.

LEGO® Star Wars 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina: Thomas Jenkins' Alternate Build & MOCs

Following his examination of its parts and review of the build, Thomas Jenkins (on Instagram) takes LEGO® Star Wars 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina in a different direction today with some original creations of his own! Plus, a look at the changes LEGO recently made to the click hinge family. Buying the Cantina? Consider using our affiliate links: USA | UK. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

From a Star Wars icon to more of a deep cut from the Star Wars universe…

Alternate build using parts in Mos Eisley Cantina

Tan Leader standing by!

My goal with creating an alternate build was to make something as different as I could from the original model.

LEGO® set review: 10276 Colosseum

Following his examination of the elements in LEGO® 10276 Colosseum, Kevin J. Walter (Public BRICKstory) now reviews its construction. This 9036-piece set is available from 27 November 2020 priced 499.99€/ £449.99/ US$549.99/ CA$649.99/ AU$749.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

So, senatus populusque romanus, let us now delve into the actual model and the building process. 

Act II. – The Build

Bags 1 to 9 build the foundation of the Colosseum, the base plate, and the hypogeum – the underground basement of the amphitheater with a complicated system of ramps, shelters, cages, and lifts in which gladiators, criminals or animals were kept before their ‘show’.

LEGO® parts review: 10276 Colosseum

10276 Colosseum is the largest LEGO® set to date, and here is our colossal review! Our guest author is historian and LEGO enthusiast Kevin J. Walter who founded the site Public BRICKstory to combine his two passions, and even built a LEGO Colosseum that hit 10k supporters on LEGO Ideas last month! Available priced 499.99€/ £449.99/ US$549.99/ CA$649.99/ AU$749.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

“Ave imperator, morituri te salutant!”

“Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you!” – Suetonius, Vita divi Claudii 21,6

What football provides in modern-day Europe, American Football in the US or cricket in India, was provided in the ancient Roman Empire by ludi – the entertainment of the people with various kinds of games, most of all the bloody gladiatorial fights. All of these sports have one thing in common: they were, and still are, hosted in massive stadiums and arenas.

With the latest Creator Expert model, 10276 Colosseum, LEGO® has finally revealed the archetype of every modern sports stadium, one of the “New7Wonders of the World” and the biggest tourist attraction in Rome. With 9036 (!) parts, LEGO is releasing its biggest set to date and the inventory isn’t the only huge aspect; the measurements of 52x59x27 cm (20.5x23.5x10.5 inches) quite literally earn this set the epithet “colossal”!

LEGO® Ninjago review + MOCs: 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai

A rather odd LEGO® Ninjago element caught our eye this year, so we sent it to two members of our team to review and build MOCs with. First up: Inthert (on Flickr) reviews 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai. If you're buying this set, consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop at Home, UK Amazon. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Ninjago has always been known for introducing new elements, but the latest mini-wave of Spinjizu Burst sets have raised the bar – or should that be levelled the bar? More on that later but first let’s take a look at the build of one of the three Burst sets currently available: 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai.

LEGO® 2021 Chinese Traditional Festival: 80106 Story of Nian & 80107 Spring Lantern Festival - the new parts

A first peek at 2021 for you today, in the form of two LEGO® sets from the Chinese Traditional Festival lineup: 80106 Story of Nian and 80107 Spring Lantern Festival. Lee (cityson) has scoured the images to find as many new, printed and interesting pieces as he could. 10 January 2021 is when these sets become available to the whole world; if you're buying please consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop - for other countries, Change Region. 

The two 2021 LEGO® Chinese Traditional Festival sets announced at the 3rd China International Import Exhibition (CIIE) on Friday 6 November absolutely blew me away. Not only are they great display pieces, these two upcoming sets are like the Cave of Wonders for builders who love elements, like us here at New Elementary. Unable to wait for the release of these awesome sets, I decided to go on a visual “part hunt” to find interesting parts for our readers in advance.

Old Elementary: Inside the LEGO® DUPLO® phone

We have two unexpected things for you in today's article – it's a guest post by Marinus Jasperse, LEGO® Senior Designer on the Element Design Platform Team, and our first ever post devoted entirely to LEGO® DUPLO®!

“I'll do it 'til the sun goes down”, as Sia sings in her song Unstoppable. And that is exactly what this LEGO DUPLO telephone from the 1980s is: unstoppable, after 30 years.

Played with it as a toddler, lost it in a parental clean-up in my teenage years and bought it out of nostalgia when I came across it in a Danish second-hand store.

What new LEGO® pieces were released in October & November 2020?

With things relatively quiet on the new sets front recently, we skipped last month's list so here is a two-month bumper edition of the newest LEGO® parts. Toby Mac (on Rebrickable) has created this list showing them all with links to which sets they come in, so you can easily check for the ones you might be interested in. 

There are all the new teal parts from the new Mindstorms 51515 Robot Inventor (LEGO.com affiliate link; New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases) and 21324 123 Sesame Street with its opalescent globe. Interestingly, Tobias noticed when he imported the LEGO inventory that four printed pieces are different to what actually comes in the Sesame Street set presently.

October LEGO® Article Digest

We published so much in October – 15 articles across 17 posts, plus another 10 for our Patreon supporters – we figured a bit of a catch-up might be good in case you missed any!

New LEGO® sets now available

• LEGO Ideas set 21324 123 Sesame Street was reviewed over two posts by Tim Johnson, and it is available to purchase as of today! If you're buying this set, consider using our affiliate links to LEGO Shop at Home in the USA or UK. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. 
• Now that The Mandalorian Season 2 has aired, LEGO Star Wars 75318 The Child is available too! Check out our review by new contributor Zachary Hill, or head straight to purchase via our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop at Home, UK Amazon.