LEGO® Friends build review and interview: 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion

With 2275 parts, 42639 Andrea’s Modern Mansion is the largest LEGO® Friends set to date. These parts include a lot of interesting new elements which we’ve already taken a look at, but now it’s time to start building!

LEGO® Technic™ set reviews: 42163 Heavy-Duty Bulldozer and 42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck

Here at New Elementary we’re looking ahead to what the New Year will bring to the LEGO® Technic™ theme with two January 2024 sets: 42163 Heavy-Duty Bulldozer and 42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck. Since neither set is very large, we’ll take a look at their elements and their builds together.

LEGO® Star Wars™ set review: 75371 Chewbacca

LEGO® Star Wars™ sets are stereotypically expensive horizontal Light Bluish Gray, Dark Red or Dark Blue objects made of wedge plates and featuring detailed minifigures. Alongside those, there have also been sets of larger figures, almost since the theme's beginning. I remember looking at 7194 Yoda in a catalog 21 years ago in 2002 when I was seven and wondering how many pieces it would have... it has 1075, which doesn't sound that much in 2023.

In comparison, 75371 Chewbacca has 2319 pieces - over twice more - although it doesn't look much larger. Of course, many modern parts have been made character building a lot easier than it was in the bricky 2000s. How does our first large-scale LEGO System model of Chewbacca manage to capture the classic first mate of the Millenium Falcon?

Bug Fest: MOCs from kekenoji, Ikuse Ryouji, and Takamichi Irie

The last instalment of our Bug Fest crescendos with three more MOCs from three more inspirational builders. Kekenoji, Ikuse Ryouji, and Irie Takamichi, all have wildly different building styles and each approached this challenge in a different way.

LEGO® NINJAGO® review: mech sets 71806, 71807 & 71808

Over the years we've seen many mechs in the LEGO® NINJAGO® line-up and their builds have increasingly evolved through time. In 2024 the designers are introducing new elements to bring even more build options and play features.

Today we’ll be taking a look at 3 mechs from the first wave of 2024 sets; 71806 Cole's Earth Mech, 71807 Sora's Tech Mech and 71808 Kai's Fire Mech.

LEGO® Spring Festival review: 80112 Auspicious Dragon

I have already examined the larger of the two LEGO® Spring Festival sets for 2024, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration and spoken to its designer, Niels Mølgård Frederiksen about it's inception. Today it's the turn of the smaller release, 80112 Auspicious Dragon.

LEGO® Friends parts review: 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion

LEGO® Friends celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, and in 2023 we saw a relaunch of the theme. The Heartlake City Universe made a time jump, introducing a new generation of characters. But the old friends were not forgotten! The original group is meeting up in 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion for a reunion and catching up on adventures since their ‘split’. We’ll join the party soon, but first we’ll be taking a look at all the new elements found in the set. And there is a new color!

Bug Fest: Tary's MOCs

Our latest Parts Festival, Bug Fest – where we've sent LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection to five amazing builders and asked them to create original models – continues today! 

Tary (@nobu_tary on Twitter and Instagram) is famed for his LEGO food and robot builds, and his Bug Fest builds do not disappoint! Let's see what he has to offer.

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 2024 new parts and minifigures, and design team interview

The LEGO® DREAMZzz™ sets for January 2024 maintain the eclectic, fantastical nature of the theme with five new sets made up of bright shades, sinister baddies and wild mash-ups.

Naturally we're starting with a review of the new and rare parts in the wave. Sharing info along the way are designers Carter Baldwin, Trine Kinch Møller and Freddy Charters, and executive producer Tommy Andreasen. It's a very minifigure-focused wave but that didn't stop the design team from also stuffing in 16 recoloured curves, decorative pieces and more—some in the all-new colour Reddish Orange. Let's enter the Dream World and see what new pieces we find.

LEGO® Technic Space theme revealed by its designers

LEGO® Space is back! Sort of. There have been lots of 2024 set reveals showing that many lines are including space themed sets, but one line where this trend is certainly obvious is LEGO® Technic. A mix of real-world, educational and future fantasy space models are planned for March 2024 which we saw back in September at Recognised LEGO Fan Media Days in Denmark.

Read on to see what Lee Magpili, Senior Model Designer and Samuel Tacchi, Designer had to say about this thrilling new development!

LEGO® Sonic The Hedgehog™ new moulds review & MOC

Earlier this year the LEGO® Sonic The Hedgehog™ theme expanded into play-set territory bringing with it some interesting new moulds. Today I'll be taking a look at their connections, exploring the similarities they have with existing parts and using them in a couple of MOCs.

Bug Fest: Moko's MOCs

For our latest Parts Festival we've added the bricks from LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection to the collections of five amazing builders, and asked them to create original models. Welcome to Bug Fest!

Kicking the fest off today is Moko, a master of nice parts usage (NPU). Indeed, one of his Bug Fest MOCs really puts the 'P' into NPU...

LEGO® Friends: new moulds for January 2024

Last year's reboot of the LEGO® Friends theme was received with general acclaim. In this review I'll be exhibiting some of the new moulds found in the upcoming January 2024 wave. The parts are pulled from 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle, 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall, 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket, 42608 Tiny Accessories Store (also known as Mini Boutique, apparently), 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses and 42621 Heartlake City Hospital.

 

This examination will focus on the "normal" building parts and figure accessories, while leaving the new mini-doll parts for my upcoming set reviews.

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ review: 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary

Today I'm taking a look at LEGO® Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary, which contains some very interesting new pieces, and even a new LEGO colour! 

LEGO® Spring Festival review: 80113 Family Reunion Celebration

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Niels Mølgård Frederiksen, Associate Creative Lead for LEGO® Monkie Kid and designer of this LEGO® Spring Festival release, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration. So it's great that I also have the chance to have a proper look at the set to review for you, and there's a lot to enjoy.

Bug Fest using LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection: Introducing the elements

It's December and New Elementary is getting in the festive mood with a Parts Fest! 

We invited five incredibly talented builders, @kekenoji, @moko_bricks, @legomichiiiiii, @r194.lego, and @nobu_tary to inspire us with their LEGO creations using elements from LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection. With an inventory that ticked all the boxes for colourful and interesting elements, it seemed like the perfect set for a Parts Fest, or maybe this time it's a Bug Fest...

What are the new LEGO® parts for December 2023 and which sets contain the most?

I've created a list showing all 159 new LEGO® elements added in December 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ 80054 Megapolis City: interview with designer Wen Xiaodong

Want to see more of the thrilling 2024 LEGO® Monkie Kid™ set, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary? Senior Designer/ Show Producer 温笑冬 (Wēn Xiàodōng) told us more about the set and its Easter eggs when I met him at the Recognised LEGO® Fan Media Days in Billund, Denmark in September. In advance of our set review next week, here are the highlights of our interview, with photography by Boris Vanrillaer of Stuck in Plastic.

 

LEGO® part 4042: Curved Bar with Axle End and 1 x 1 Round Plate

Thomas Jenkins thought it was time to take a closer look at an interesting new element that has been appearing in more and more sets since its release earlier this year.

Bar Curved with Axle End and 1 x 1 Round Plate is a bended element we first noticed in two LEGO® Marvel sets earlier this year, but do you know which set it was originally designed for? Read on to find out more...

LEGO® Ideas review: 21343 Viking Village

Skål! Today’s set takes us back in time, in terms of both world history and LEGO® history. So raise your horn of mead and toast to the return of the Vikings.

LEGO® Friends Sea Rescue sets review & MOC: 41734, 41736, 41752

Earlier this year the environmentally conscious Heartlake City received a revamped sea rescue sub-theme in the form of LEGO® Friends sets 41734 Sea Rescue Boat, 41736 Sea Rescue Center and 41752 Sea Rescue Plane. Today I'll be taking a look at the noteworthy parts and builds of all three sets before attempting an alternate build using their combined inventories.

 

LEGO® Technic review: 42159 Yamaha MT‑10 SP

Yamaha's top-of-the-line "hyper naked" motorcycle is wearing LEGO® Technic clothes. 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP is the second 1:5 scale motorbike from The LEGO Group, but plenty more besides the manufacturer has changed on this successor. Overhauled gearbox pieces revolutionize shifting, while plenty of regular parts get a major aesthetic upgrade with better sprue mark positioning.

Itty bitty bits aside, the overall bike embodies "The Dark Side of Japan"—Yamaha's MT-10 SP catchphrase—with aggressive styling. Broad strokes of black and minimal fairings suit my taste in motorcycles, even if there are a few areas where I question Yamaha's choices.

LEGO® Insiders Weekend 2023 & LEGO® Pick a Brick cutoff dates

This weekend, 18 and 19 November 2023, is LEGO® Insiders Weekend (formerly LEGO® VIP), so it's a great chance to get hold of new elements - in Pick a Brick, sets on sale and pre-orders.

There's double LEGO Insider Points on everything, and some sets in the USA and Canada offer triple and quadruple points! There are three Gifts with Purchase (GwP) available too.

It's a timely opportunity to get loose elements from Pick a Brick, because Monday 20 November is the last order date to receive PaB Standard elements before Christmas! (The cutoff for PaB Bestseller elements is a little later - see our list further down.) 

LEGO® Marvel™ parts review: 76269 Avengers Tower

Avengers Assemble! Well, not quite yet, as among the 5,201 pieces that comprise the new LEGO® Marvel™ 76269 Avengers Tower there are plenty of interesting elements to investigate first.

LEGO® Pick a Brick: new elements added in November 2023

LEGO® have added over 400 new 2023 elements to Pick a Brick today! 

Here is the list provided by LEGO; we don't control its accuracy. Please note parts may show as available or unavailable depending on country and stock levels. 

LEGO® Disney™ Wish review: 43231 Asha’s Cottage

LEGO recently revealed three sets based on the upcoming Disney™ animated movie, Wish. With the movie releasing on 22 November in the US, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look at the middle-sized set, 43231 Asha's Cottage. 

Let's take a look inside and see what new elements it brings.

What are the new LEGO® parts for November 2023 and which sets contain the most?

I've created a list showing all 36 new LEGO® elements added in November 2023, including a new mold yet to be released! For those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.

LEGO® 80113 Family Reunion Celebration: interview with designer Niels Frederiksen

In September, I was lucky enough to attend the Recognised LEGO® Fan Media Days in Billund, Denmark on behalf of New Elementary, along with our guest photographer, Boris Vanrillaer of Stuck in Plastic.

We had the opportunity to talk to Niels Mølgård Frederiksen (above right), Associate Creative Lead for LEGO® Monkie Kid and designer of the latest LEGO® Spring Festival release, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration.

LEGO® Icons set review: 10326 Natural History Museum

Inquisitive minds rejoice as a new museum has opened downtown, featuring exhibitions from the past and the future. I took a look at the elements the museum is made of in Part 1, and today we’ll wander through its halls and study the artifacts on display, in this build review of LEGO® Icons 10326 Natural History Museum.

LEGO® Icons parts review: 10326 Natural History Museum

We are nearing the end of the year; traditionally the time LEGO showcases their next Modular Buildings set, and this time it's arriving a month earlier. With an impressive lineup of 17 previous sets (18 if you count 10190 Market Street), the bar is set high, but we are in for a real treat this time with a field trip to 10326 Natural History Museum. Before we enter the exhibition to study the models on display in Part 2, we will first have a closer look at all the new elements found in this set.

LEGO® Pick a Brick: element removal November 2023

This list is out of date. For the most recent list of pieces being removed, click here.

Today we offer you a different kind of element list: it shows which parts LEGO® Pick a Brick are going to remove from the service on 17 November 2023! We're calling it Last Chance PaB.  Among them are some fantastic LEGO Space pieces, such as the printed tiles from Galaxy Explorer and the purple helmet and air tanks. There is a wide array of animals (both LEGO Friends-style and regular) as well as minifigures and minidolls. Colours in the process of being discontinued, like Trans-Brown, are present as well.

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship

There a generally 2 types of action & adventure theme flagship sets: the Castle and the Vehicle. I usually find the Castle type more interesting as they tend to offer unique architectural structures. The flagship of the LEGO® DREAMZzz™ theme is of the Vehicle type: a pirate ship, stuck in a shark, with jet engines.

For the last of my LEGO DREAMZzz reviews I'm taking a look at 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship. Spooked yet? You will be!

LEGO® Icons review + MOC: 10329 Tiny Plants

The Botanical Collection is growing! Coming 1 December 2023, LEGO® ICONS™10329 Tiny Plants is a selection of miniaturized carnivorous, tropical and desert plants, each in their own little pot. Join us as we weed out all the new recoloured elements (there are quite a few!) and take a look at these adorable tiny plants.

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures

Even characters in action & adventure themes need a day off to relax. 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures offers such a setting from the boisterous madness that is the LEGO® DREAMZzz™theme.

There are no bad guys featured in this set and the only weapon is a wood-chopping axe. But beyond that, is it a good set and does it have interesting pieces? Let's take a look.

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus

Would you step onto a school bus that's a also a space shuttle and driven by your physics teacher and his chimpanzee sidekick? I might think twice before stepping in, but this is space travel after all, so how could you resist? LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus presents such a scenario; let's see if this dream voyage is worth the ride.

Modulex manuals, brochures and catalogues

We wanted to tell you about a new online resource that collates various historical printed information about Modulex. If you’re unfamiliar with Modulex, it was a separate building system that was introduced by The LEGO Group in the 1960s, intended for scale modelling and project planning.

The Modulex Library has been collated by Ryan Howerter, including scans by Karyn Murphy, Bailey Fullarton and Karwik. Please note that the site is not affiliated with The Modulex Group, and that the scans are archived for historical reference only and are not to be used commercially. 

LEGO® Icons build review: 10318 Concorde

Fasten your seat belts, it's the final instalment of our LEGO® Concorde review, to help you decide whether this sizeable model (measuring 105cm / 42 inches long) is worth buying and displaying in your home.

In earlier articles we examined this set's new moulds, and its recoloured and printed pieces.

Elements exclusive to LEGO® Pick-a-Brick in October 2023

The subject of today's post is a group of elements that have not appeared in a set, - or at least not recently - and yet, are currently available to buy on LEGO® Pick-a-Brick. That's right, Pick a Brick has exclusive elements you never knew about!

LEGO® Icons recolours and prints review: 10318 Concorde

We've already taken a look at the set's intriguing new moulds in Part 1 of our LEGO® Icons 10318 Concorde review and next time we will examine the build process. Today we'll be focusing on the recoloured and printed parts introduced in this set, and gosh, what a stunning selection of prints it is!

What are the new LEGO® parts for October 2023 and which sets contain the most?

I've created a list showing all 104 new LEGO® elements added in October 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.

LEGO® Architecture review: 21060 Himeji Castle

Over the last 700-or-so years, Himeji Castle has survived numerous wars and natural disasters. It's considered a national treasure in Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year it gets a new accolade: it's the latest LEGO® Architecture set! We already took a look at one of the elements appearing in 21060 Himeji Castle - the exciting "Pagoda Plate" - but today we take a look at the set in its entirety.

LEGO® Icons new moulds review: 10318 Concorde

Jumping straight to the build of this sleek, meter-long aircraft was very tempting, however, LEGO® Icons 10318 Concorde comes with two exclusive new curved pieces and a brand new slope, so a closer look at these amazing elements, with some insight from the LEGO element design team, must come first!

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure

You know summer is officially over when The LEGO Group starts releasing winter-themed sets! Today I take a look at the smaller of two September 2023 LEGO® Friends sets: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure. For a set of modest size, it offers us a healthy number of recolours, rare parts and even two fascinating new moulds!

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse

Has LEGO® Elves come back? No, but the solemn sobbing of fans missing that theme were probably heard by some set designers. LEGO® DREAMZzz™ has more than one set reminiscent of that theme, although equipped with traditional minifigures instead of mini-dolls. 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse is the most obvious of these sets. Is this mammoth-sized winged equine a worthy successor?

What are the new LEGO® parts for September 2023 and which sets contain the most?

I've created a list showing all 434 new LEGO® elements added in September 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here. 

You might have noticed it has taken us a while to bring you this month's list. What is going on?

LEGO® Classic review + MOCs: 11027 Creative Neon Fun & 11028 Creative Pastel Fun

Today, guest author Mansur 'Waffles' Soeleman takes a look at two smaller sets from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Classic sets, 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun, both of which offer a modest range of basic elements... with some exciting recolours.

Elements from 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun. Skrunkle not included

With the help of Skrunkle (a.k.a. LEGO® BIONICLE® Tahu from last year’s 11021 90 Years of Play), I will give an overview of 11027 & 11028's noteworthy bits as well as their main builds, and follow that with MOCs I made with my good friends Tim Goddard and Alec Hole.

LEGO® Star Wars™ build review: 75355 X-Wing Starfighter™

Today I'll be completing my review of 75355 UCS X-Wing Starfighter. Having analysed the set's new moulds, recolours and prints in part 1, it's time to focus on the minifigures, build techniques and finished model.

LEGO® Star Wars™ parts review: 75355 X-Wing Starfighter™

The latest addition to the LEGO® Star Wars™ Ultimate Collector Series arrived in May bringing with it a selection of new moulds and recolours. We might be a little late to the party, but felt there were parts and building techniques still worthy of analysis.

 

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen

The June 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends releases continues to fly the flag for thoughtfully-designed sets in vibrant colours, and 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen is no exception. It includes four characters from the theme's reboot, plus everyone's favourite grumpy kitty, Churro, who all love hanging out in a community-run café.

 

The set features an interesting selection of new, recoloured and rare elements, so let's take a look at them to see what's cooking in the kitchen.

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van versus 71458 Crocodile Car

As a kid, I was far more interested in the diverse members of the animal kingdom than cars. In our dreams the distinction is far less clear, as shown by these two LEGO® DREAMZzz™ sets, 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van and 71458 Crocodile Car.

One is slow, stable and hippie-ish; the other is low, toothy and dangerous. Which one fares better? One, two... Go!