LEGO® Ideas review: 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog™ Green Hill Zone

Áron Gerencsér (@_pohaturon) explores the new LEGO® Ideas set, 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog™ Green Hill Zone. 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.

Having a LEGO® Ideas submission hit 10,000 supporters is an exciting prospect for any builder hoping to see their design show up on store shelves. When the review period rolls around, that excitement can get mixed with anticipation and anxiety - so imagine having the submission held back “for further consideration” multiple times! Thankfully, the “Sonic Mania - Green Hill Zone” submission has now materialized as set 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog™ Green Hill Zone. 

Like all Ideas sets, this went through some changes - big and small - during the process of being redesigned from submission into product. Compared to the submission’s ~700 pieces, 21331 got bumped up to 1125 parts coming in at $69.99 / £59.99 / €69.99 / 119.9 AUD / 89.99 CAD. Let’s take a look at the end result and see if 21331 can hit the high score, or whether it ends up losing its rings.

LEGO® Chinese Festival review: 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions

Tom Loftus (@inthert.lego) examines a 2022 LEGO® Chinese Traditional Festival set, 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions, which is available now in some markets – for local release dates, check LEGO.com. and please also consider using our affiliate links to purchase (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.

LEGO® 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions contains 1066 pieces, 12 minifigures and will cost €69.99/ US$79.99/ £59.99. The age mark is 8+. The set provides a charming holistic view of Lunar New Year, embodies the spirit of the event with the build together format and all for a reasonable price. The only downside being, you have a little detective work to do once you're done.

LEGO® Super Mario 2022: New Parts in Luigi’s Mansion and Seaside Sets

Zachary Hill (@zaxbrix) examines the bricks in LEGO® Super Mario sets 71396 Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car, 71397 Lab and Poltergust, 71398 Dorrie’s Beachfront, 71399 Entryway, 71400 Big Urchin Beach Ride and 71402 Character Packs Series 4. Buying them from LEGO.com? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

The LEGO® Super Mario theme shows no signs of slowing down with a new wave of sets arriving in  January 2022, bringing with it useful new elements, recolours of old favourite parts, and ghostly sets celebrating Luigi’s contributions to the Mario franchise. New E has five sets from the new wave and the whole collection of Series 4 Character Packs - today we’re inspecting every new LEGO piece to be introduced on 1 January. Let’s-a go!

Which LEGO® sets have the most new parts? November & December 2021

Today we publish our regular list of recent LEGO® sets showing the quantity of new parts found each of in them. Developed in partnership with TobyMac (from Rebrickable), our table shows both quantity as well as overall percentage of new elements. And there's some fantastic new functionality this time!– you can click to see the new elements in any of the sets listed. 

LEGO® Minifigures review: 71032 Series 22

Kev Levell (@kevlevell) examines the LEGO® Minifigures 71032 Series 22. Buying these on 1 January 2022? 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.

LEGO® has reached Series 22 of their regular Collectible Minifigures. Eleven and a half years, a total of 38 sets, 599 individual minifigures and I am surprised that there are still such great and varied figures being produced in every new series.

LEGO® NINJAGO EVO review: 71760, 71761, 71762 & 71763

Áron Gerencsér (@_pohaturon) takes a look at the range of 2022 LEGO® NINJAGO sets aimed at builders aged 6+: 71760 Jay’s Thunder Dragon EVO, 71761 Zane’s Power Up Mech EVO, 71762 Kai’s Fire Dragon EVO and 71763 Lloyd’s Race Car EVO. Buying these? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: UK LEGO Shop (for Europe, 'Change Region') | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

Constraction’s back, baby!

The first wave of LEGO® NINJAGO sets in 2022 is doing things a bit differently compared to previous waves, and thanks to set designer Niek van Slagmaat’s documentation on the process, we have some insight into what motivated this new approach.

LEGO® Icons review: 10297 Boutique Hotel

Ben Davies (@ProfBrickkeeper) examines the upcoming 2022 modular building: 10297 Boutique Hotel. Buying this set, priced €199.99 / US$199.99 / £179.99? 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.

Despite frequent rebranding, 2022 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the LEGO® modular building series. To mark this milestone, the LEGO Group has unveiled 10297 Boutique Hotel, which will be available starting on 1 January 2022. Ahead of the launch, New Elementary had an opportunity to take a look at this latest modular building, and the new elements it contains.

LEGO® review: 40524 Sunflowers

Caz Mockett (@cazmockett) reviews 40524 Sunflowers, a set from LEGO® Iconic line coming 1 January 2022 priced US$12.99/ £11.99/ AU$19.99. 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.

Following on from the popular 2021 releases of smaller LEGO® Iconic botanical sets, 40460 Roses and 40461 Tulips, the third in the series has just been revealed: 40524 Sunflowers.

What new LEGO® pieces were released in December 2021?

TobyMac (on Rebrickable) has created a list showing all 79 new LEGO® elements added in December 2021, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. 

Old Elementary: Part 4 of the LEGO® BIONICLE 20th Anniversary Festival

Guest contributors Alex Van de Kleut, Mitch H and Matt Goldberg conclude our celebration of the 20th anniversary of LEGO® BIONICLE with three more parts; examined and utilized in builds.