Set review: 10355 Blacktron Renegade remake by LEGO® Icons

Black and yellow designs and patterns have great visual impact. They're used effectively on hazard tape, warning signs and all manner of things that we should be wary of. That was part of the instant appeal of the original LEGO® Space Blacktron sets. They captured the eye and the imagination, and hinted at some unseen danger. Wild styling was also a feature of those first five sets back in 1987, and the wildest was arguably 6954 Renegade. 

Like a queen space wasp, the redesigned LEGO® Icons 10355 Blacktron Renegade has flown in rapidly on a stealthy mission, and hit me with a surprise attack! Those Blacktron spies have returned and I did not see them coming – they're obviously doing their job, so I guess it's time I did mine and inspected their new tech.

LEGO® Creator set review + MOC: 31148 Retro Roller Skate

LEGO® Creator is the odd-one-out of the evergreen themes: you never know what the next wave will entail. It seems that people generally like the sets, but a die-hard LEGO Creator fan is one of the rarest types of LEGO hobbyists. New Elementary features LEGO Creator sets infrequently, as they rarely have any new pieces. However in the esteemed January 2024 wave, set 31148 Retro Roller Skate caught my eye. To find out why, let's roll.

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 Please note that the site is not affiliated with The Modulex Group, and that the scans are archived for historical reference only and are not to be used commercially. 

Old Elementary: Cannon Fodder - parts 84943 & 2527 analysis and MOCs

In 1989 LEGO® took to the high seas with their first wave of pirate-themed sets. Shooting Cannon (84943) and Cannon Base 2x4 (2527) were quite literally flagship elements for the theme, and they’ve been a mainstay of the LEGO parts inventory ever since. But is there more to these parts than meets the eye-patch? Today it's my task to find out.

Old Elementary: 6931 FX Star Patroller set review and MOCs

As time progresses, it feels as if the prices of LEGO® Classic Space sets are flying out of my reach; certainly the boxed examples in good condition. I know some of the gaps in my collection may now never be filled (and that’s fine, because being completist is a fool’s errand), however there’s always the odd occasion when the Classic Space Moon aligns with a healthier bank balance and I do manage to acquire a long hankered-after gem.

Join me today for a nostalgic flight back to 1985 with 6931 FX Star Patroller (aka Intergalactic Star Cruiser) as I look at its interesting elements, and create original MOCs using one of its most interesting: Tail 4 x 2 x 2 Aircraft Rocket Engine (Design ID 4746).

LEGO® DOTS 41957 Adhesive Patches Mega Pack review + MOC with part 80319

Glue and LEGO® bricks? 41957 Adhesive Patches Mega Pack brings this unholy combination to customers. Of course, we at New Elementary don't limit ourselves to adhering these patches to notebooks and folders. What have they to offer to MOC builders?

The set is packed in a sorting tray, with plenty of air inside. Useful, but I wonder if it is worth of all the extra plastic.

Old Elementary: LEGO® Clikits – colourful icons

Remember LEGO® Clikits? Well if it passed you by you weren't the only one as it's not a theme that dominates 'vintage' collections. Clikits launched in 2003 and generated in excess of 90 sets before retiring in 2006. It was primarily aimed at girls, with lots of accessories like hair clips, combs, pencil cases, notelets, decorative containers and all the other paraphernalia a young girl apparently needed.  

For this article, I couldn't resist examining the complex world of Clikits colours. While we have no official LEGO colour charts from this time, we used the work of Ryan Howerter and their fantastic Colorstream resource to create this overview.

Space Tools Parts Fest: Kev Levell

We're challenging our team of astro-engineers to create original LEGO® models using 'Space Tools' - the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets - and today is the final instalment!

As the Chief Flight Director of this exploration it falls to me to bring our mission to an end. The team has safely returned home, I've completed their debriefing, and once I present my findings I'll round out these proceedings with a few words of thanks.

From the selected tools I chose the Metal Detectors 4479 & 93106 and Radios 3962a, 3962b and 19220 as well as the 'T' Bar 84868.

Space Tools Parts Fest: Ryan Harkin

The second of our two Glorious Galactic Guests joins our Parts Festival today to present some wonderful MOCs using a selection of the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets. Ryan Harkin is @brickmasterryan on Instagram.

New Elementary asked me to build something “not space” using a couple of the Classic Space tools from their seed selection. I chose the Axe (3835) and the Robot Arm (4735). Like Benny, my instant reaction was, “Spaceship?”. My next reaction was… well, I’m guessing you’ve seen the movie so you know how this ends.

Space Tools Parts Fest: Dana Knudson

The first of two Glorious Galactic Guests joins our Parts Festival today to present some wonderful MOCs using a selection of the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets. Dana Knudson is @Troublesbricking on Instagram.

Dana chose to utilise 3835 Axe from 1978 which has been made available in 3 colours, 3959 Space Gun/ Torch from 1979 which has been available in 11 colours, 4735 Robot Arm from 1985 which has been available in 9 colours, and 4349 Megaphone from 1982 which has been available in 10 colours. 

Space Tools Parts Fest: Thomas Jenkins

We're challenging our team of astro-engineers to create original LEGO® models using 'Space Tools' - the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets. 

Our parts festival continues this week as I examine two elements: 3838 Air Tanks and 3837 Shovel, both released in 1978, although it seems space shovels were only required for very large ships like 6929 Starfleet Voyager from 1981 and 6985 Cosmic Fleet Voyager from 1986.

Space Tools Parts Fest: Tim Goddard

Tim Goddard tools up as guest author this week, in our challenge to create original LEGO® models using 'Space Tools' - the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets.

In this instalment of New Elementary's exploration of minifig Space utensils, I look at the space guns / torches / loudhailers / blasters / megaphones. Call them what you will, they are certainly classic parts and are still using in LEGO sets today. Here is my collection!

Space Tools Parts Fest: Tom Loftus

We're challenging our team of astro-engineers to create original LEGO® models using 'Space Tools' - the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets.

For the next leg of our look at minifig space utensils, I'm exploring two elements: Chainsaw Body (2516) from 1990 and Control Panel (2342) introduced in 1986. 

Space Tools Parts Fest: Caz Mockett

We're challenging our team of astro-engineers to create original LEGO® models using 'Space Tools' - the minifigure accessories found in Classic Space sets.

I chose to take a look at part 4360: Minifigure, Utensil Camera with Side Sight (Space Gun) which made its debut in black in two 1982 space-related releases, 6880 Surface Explorer and 6950 Mobile Rocket Transport.

Space Tools Parts Fest: Introducing the elements

We have decided to celebrate the release of 10497 Galaxy Explorer with a LEGO® Space-themed Parts Festival. We have a series of builders lined up to deliver new insight and MOCs to you – for the coming weeks, every Thursday is Toolsday!

If you haven't read it already, see Caz's thoroughly excellent review of set 10497 which is available now, if it hasn't sold out already! Please consider using our affiliate links if buying from LEGO.com, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

LEGO® Cloth Fest: Eero Okkonen

Some products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

In the first part of New Elementary's Cloth Fest, Áron Gerencsér - now a set designer, congrats Áron! - dived deep into the history of cloth parts in LEGO® sets. In this final part, I'll have a look at the connections of these parts, also presenting three new MOCs that use them as, well, clothing.

Old Elementary: 10 years of LEGO® Friends

With LEGO® Friends celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, I wanted to take a look at what the history of this theme has brought to us LEGO fans. And I’ll start off with this statement: I love LEGO Friends! The models are colorful, detailed, and take place in ‘real-life’. They are great for city-building, and they have excellent playability. They also offer lots of ‘MOC-food’; with all the new elements and colors they have made available, Friends has made a great contribution to MOC design.

While LEGO City also offers great buildings, they are on a much smaller scale. The majority of Friends sets can easily be integrated into a city, whereas City has a lot of off-shoot subthemes that are much trickier to incorporate, like the Stuntz and Lunar Base series. And how many police stations does a city really need?

LEGO® Cloth Fest: Áron Gerencsér

Some products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

Editor's note: It is with sadness and joy that we announce this is Áron Gerencsér's final article for New Elementary, as he will soon join the LEGO Group as a designer! We can't thank Aron enough for the immense energy and creativity he has brought to us these last couple of years and trust that New E chums Sven, Lee, Markus and Chris will welcome him warmly in Billund. We can't wait to review his first product!

What with diving deep into the world of LEGO® pieces on a regular basis, we often find ourselves up to our necks in plastic of all shapes and sizes - it’s what we do after all. However, taking closer looks at all the various new elements does also result in us handling other materials as well - albeit rarely! 

Back in 2020, fellow New Elementary contributor Tom Loftus took a look at the inner cardboard packaging you get with some sets, but this time around Eero Okkonen and I will be taking a look at another non-plastic LEGO® material: cloth!

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.

Old Elementary: Midgard Serpent Head

Mitch Henry (@mitch_henry_czq) returns with further exploration into Constraction elements; this time examining and building with a rare LEGO® Vikings piece.

In 2005, The LEGO Group released a short lived but fondly remembered theme called LEGO® Vikings. It had a limited run of only one release wave. These sets featured fantastical Viking minifigures and mythological beasts such as giant dragons and wolves… but mostly dragons.

One of the largest sets of the theme was 7018 Viking Ship Challenges the Midgard Serpent. It contains 564 pieces, 6 minifigures, and one mean-looking monster, making it the theme’s most iconic playset. While it contains numerous fun and unique LEGO elements, the focus of this article is the element Midgard Serpent Head in Dark Green (53455). The element is appropriately named, as it is unique to this set.