LEGO® review: 71741 NINJAGO® City Gardens

Ben Davies (@ProfBrickkeeper) takes on the astonishing LEGO® 71741 NINJAGO® City Gardens, detailing all its interesting parts and techniques. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

When announced earlier this year to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the NINJAGO® theme, 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens was met with much excitement, heralding the continuation of the popular NINJAGO City subtheme. With speculation about the possibility of further entries, we thought it was high time to take a look at the parts in 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens and the exciting techniques and innovative parts usage it features.

The previous two sets in the line, 70620 NINJAGO City and 70657 NINJAGO City Docks were both notable for the number of new and rare elements that they introduced. This is a trend which is continued in NINJAGO City Gardens, which heralds the launch of a myriad of new elements.

LEGO® Technic review: 42126 Ford F-150 Raptor

Alexandre Campos continues our run of Saturday LEGO® Technic reviews with the 1 October 2021 release: 42126 Ford F-150 Raptor. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

42126 Ford F-150 Raptor is the latest in the "mid-scale car" Technic line, joining 42096 Porsche 911 RSR, 42111 Dom's Dodge Charger, and 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51'. You may have already heard of this set due to it being officially revealed a while ago, but now you can learn additional details and hopefully have a better idea on whether or not to get one for yourself. 

LEGO® Super Mario™ build review: 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block

Victor Pruvost (@leewanlego) completes his review of LEGO® 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block today. Having examined its parts last week, he now looks at the build itself. Buying this set once it's released in October? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

The bags are numbered from 1 to 13. Bags 1 to 5 make the structure of the cube, bags 6 to 12 are used to build the game levels, and with bag 13 you close the cube. 

LEGO® Super Heroes: interview with the design team

At Fan Media Days in May 2021, Francesco Spreafico and Zach Hill from New Elementary spoke online with the LEGO® Super Heroes team – a whole lot of them! – to find out more about their work and the elements they have designed.

Hello everyone! Can you briefly introduce yourselves, so we know who you are?

Mark Stafford: I'm Mark. I design LEGO® sets. My latest ones are the Bugle and the Black Panther dragon flyer. 

Justin Ramsden: My Name is Justin. I'm a LEGO designer, I make toys for kids. My most recent products have been in the Monkey Kid line or the Chinese Traditional Festival, but Super Heroes has always been my home for the past six and a half years.

Adam Grabowski: I'm Adam. My latest thing is the 1966 Batmobile. And also the Venom and Carnage. 

Ashwin Visser: My name is Ashwin, I'm one of the graphic designers for Super Heroes, so I usually do the stickers and decorated elements. I work together with the guys on their products.

Jesper C. Nielsen: I’m Jesper and I'm the creative lead on Super Heroes. I used to be cool and build toys for kids. 

LEGO® Super Heroes review: 76191 Infinity Gauntlet

Jonas Kramm (@jonaskramm) goes for gold today as he reviews LEGO® Super Heroes 76191 Infinity Gauntlet. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

With the power of the six Infinity Stones the new LEGO® Marvel 76191 Infinity Gauntlet becomes reality! A new set targeting adult LEGO geeks and fans of shiny elements.

LEGO® Technic review: 42128 Heavy-duty Tow Truck

Zachary Hill (@zaxbrix) gets behind the wheel – and all the other parts – of LEGO® Technic 42128 Heavy-duty Tow Truck for you today. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

A new highway king has been released by The LEGO Group. LEGO® Technic 42128 Heavy-duty Tow Truck brings pneumatic functions back after their last appearance in 2018 and is decked out with a heaping helping of geared functions to boot. This truck released on 1 August 2021 and is available from LEGO.com for £139.99 / US$149.99 / 149.99€ and includes 2017 pieces.

LEGO® Super Mario™ parts review: 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block

Victor Pruvost (@leewanlego) starts his review of LEGO® 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block by examining its parts. Buying this set once it's released in October? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

The latest LEGO® Super Mario™ set, 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block, has recently been revealed and will be available from 1 October 2021 priced US$169.99/ £159.99/ €169.99/ AU$289.99/ CA$199.99. Today we’re going to examine the contents of this mysterious yellow box. Ready? Let’s-a go!

Old Elementary: A closer look at LEGO binoculars, part 30162

Tim Goddard (@tim_goddard928) teaches you his building techniques using the LEGO® minifigure utensil, binoculars (Design ID 30162) and shows ways he's utilised them in his own MOCs.

Minifigs got a whole new perspective on Legoland back in 1998. That was the year part 30162 first graced their clawed hands across Town (this was before the conurbation grew to become City) and the new Adventurers theme. The binoculars also appeared in three Belville sets in their freshman year, although they looked a bit more like opera glasses in the hands of these larger figures.

LEGO® Technic review: 42131 Cat D11T Bulldozer

Alexandre Campos kicks off a series of LEGO® Technic reviews that we will publish for you every Saturday for the next few weeks. Officially revealed yesterday, 42131 Cat D11T Bulldozer is released 1 October 2021 priced US$449.99/ AU$$749.99/ £419.99/ 449,99 €. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/ for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

Remember 42028, the bulldozer from 2014? Well, it grew up quite a bit in the last seven years, and mastered some new skills. Unfortunately, it also picked up a license from Caterpillar, usually known as Cat. Why do I say unfortunately? Well...

LEGO® Icons 10293 Santa's Visit: Designer Chris McVeigh interview

The 2021 LEGO® Winter Village set has been revealed: 10293 Santa’s Visit is a charming, angular home built of Light Royal Blue/ Bright Light Blue bricks. It has 1,445 pieces, measures 27cm x 16cm and is 19cm high. It is available exclusively for LEGO VIP members from 16 September and from LEGO Stores and online from 1 October priced €89.99/ US$99.99/ £79.99/ AU$159.99/ CA$139.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'.

And who better to introduce it than its designer, Chris McVeigh? New Elementary’s Caz Mockett and Ben Davies had the chance to speak with him during the RLFM Days in May where he gave us a sneak peek at his latest design.

LEGO® Ideas 21329 Fender® Stratocaster™: Can it be played?

Eero Okkonen (@eerookkonen) delivered his parts and build analysis of the upcoming LEGO® Ideas set 21329 Fender® Stratocaster™ yesterday, but left one vital conclusion for today's article: Can it be played? Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

©2021 The LEGO Group

This plastic guitar has 6 actual strings of different scale lengths. It has a fretboard so yes, technically, it is possible to press the strings against that and pluck or strum them. However, the frets are only printed, so while they assist with finding the correct chords, the guitar is essentially a fretless one. And more importantly, the strings are plastic, there is no electricity in them, they are quite loose and the pickups are only prints... and thus the instrument stays silent. 

This is entirely expected.

LEGO® Ideas review: 21329 Fender® Stratocaster™

Eero Okkonen (@eerookkonen) reviews the upcoming LEGO® Ideas 21329 Fender Stratocaster set, which will be available from 1 October 2021 priced US$99/ £99/ €99/ AU$159.99/ CA$139.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

Usually, LEGO® Ideas products begin life as projects on the Ideas site, gain 10,000 votes within a given time frame, go through the LEGO Group review phase and are then converted into sets by employees. Gaining the votes - no small task on its own! - far from guarantees the product will be made; in the June 2021 review for example, only one of 25 projects was selected. 

©2021 The LEGO Group

However, the process was different for Ideas set number 37. In spring 2020 the Ideas website hosted a music-themed contest with fan voting. Tomáš Letenay's Fender Stratocaster project was chosen from the rank seven, surpassing band-specific, minifigure-scale and large figure-based projects.

What new LEGO® pieces were released in September 2021?

TobyMac (on Rebrickable) has created a list showing all 262 new LEGO® elements added in September 2021, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in.

LEGO® VIDIYO Review: 43113 K-Pawp Concert & 43114 Punk Pirate Ship

Caz Mockett (@cazmockett) continues our LEGO® VIDIYO analysis today with a rundown on sets 43113 K-Pawp Concert & 43114 Punk Pirate Ship. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

In this review I am exploring two of the larger sets in the LEGO® VIDIYO buildable stages range. The K-Pawp Concert retails for £44.99 / US$49.99 / €49.99 and contains 514 pieces, while the Pirate Ship costs £59.99 / US$59.99 / €69.99 with 615 pieces.

LEGO® VIDIYO Review & MOCs: 43111 Candy Castle Stage & 43112 Robo HipHop Car

Caz Mockett (@cazmockett) follows up our 5x5 fest by taking on a further two LEGO® VIDIYO sets today, 43111 and 43112. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

June 1st 2021 saw the introduction of several new buildable stage sets in the LEGO® VIDIYO theme. Today I am exploring two of the smaller models, 43111 Candy Castle Stage and 43112 Robo HipHop Car. Both sets are at the £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 price point, with Candy Castle containing 344 pieces while the HipHop Car has 387.

LEGO® are testing products in different colours and sizes [UK & Ireland]

Starting today, 1 September 2021, LEGO® are running a product pilot in the UK & Ireland that sees a small number of retailers offering new variations of 3 existing LEGO sets, “so we can find out more about the colours and sizes of sets that fans of all ages want to see more of in our portfolio”. This is an exciting development in terms of recoloured elements, but also frustrating for the rest of the world! 

A few days ago, Francesco Spreafico represented New Elementary in an online roundtable discussion to talk about this pilot with Lena Dixon (Vice President of Product and Marketing) and Mike Psiaki (Senior Designer), together with other Recognised Fan Media.