The Brick Fan August 2017 Monthly Recap
August was pretty chaotic especially towards the end of the month and here’s a recap of some of the more notable LEGO news.
LEGO Education Panama Canal (2000451) Now Available Worldwide – The limited edition set can now be purchased outside of Panama and includes free worldwide shipping.
LEGO Architecture LEGO House (21037) Official Images – Official images of the LEGO Architecture LEGO House (21037) are now available and it looks like the set will only be available in Billund when it opens.
LEGO Third 2016 Review Stage Winner Announced – Two sets were announced to become official LEGO Ideas sets which include Ship in a Bottle, The Flagship Leviathan and Voltron – Defender of the Universe.
Rumored LEGO Anniversary Sets Coming in 2018 – There are rumors of sets to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick.
The LEGO Group Appoints Niels B. Christiansen as New CEO – Christiansen replaces Bali Padda who took over at the beginning of the year.
LEGO Celebrates 85 Years – The LEGO Group celebrated their 85th anniversary from being a wooden toy company to what we have today.
LEGO Creator Winter Village Station (10259) Officially Announced – LEGO announced this year’s Winter Village set with the LEGO Creator Winter Village Station (10259).
LEGO Harry Potter Coming Back in 2018? – There’s a rumor that there might be sets based on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which may include sets and minifigures from the Harry Potter series and Fantastic Beasts.
LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon (75192) Officially Announced – Probably the biggest piece of news in August was the announcement of the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon (75192) which was teased throughout the month.
LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) Not Being Retired Soon – The LEGO Ideas team has reiterated that the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) is not being retired anytime soon.
LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) Limited Edition Black VIP Card
When the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) was announced last week, some fans were wondering if there was anything exclusive that was included with the set. The first edition of the original 10179 Millennium Falcon included a Certificate of Authenticity which was signed by former LEGO president Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Product Designer Jens Kronvold Frederiksen.
We haven’t heard anything about anything exclusive during the press release but it looks like Zusammengebaut has gotten some new information about something that will be included. If you saw my post of the brochure, the back of it shows a black LEGO VIP card which might have been a hint. According to a German [email protected] ad, it seems that fans who are buying the set at LEGO Stores or on [email protected] when it is officially released on September 14 for Early Access will also get a limited edition VIP card.
Whether that same promotion carries over to here in the US remains to be seen. I also wonder if there’s anything special printed on the back of the card or if it’s just a regular VIP card that we can use. We’ll just have to wait for our LEGO email or until the [email protected] is updated to see if we get the same thing as our friends in Germany.
Update: I’ve been told that it will indeed be available here in the US. It is available to the customers who purchase the UCS Millennium Falcon until the end of 2017 and it will be mailed to you at a later date. The benefits of the black VIP card will include special LEGO Star Wars promotions in 2018 for cardholders only.
LEGO Worlds Now Available on Nintendo Switch
LEGO Worlds has officially launched the game on the Nintendo Switch. The game has been available on other consoles and on PC but fans on the latest system can now also enjoy it. Check out the launch trailer and press release below.
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TT GAMES
AND THE LEGO GROUP LAUNCH
LEGO® WORLDS FOR NINTENDO SWITCHPlayers Can Create Anything Imaginable and Define Their Own Adventures
In Customizable Open Worlds Made Entirely of LEGO BricksBurbank, Calif. – September 5, 2017 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO® Group today announced that LEGO® Worlds, a galaxy of imaginative worlds made of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover and create together, is now available for Nintendo Switch™. The physical version, priced at $39.99, includes two bonus packs of premium DLC – the recently released Classic Space and the upcoming Monsters. The digital version, priced at $29.99, includes the base game with the DLC available for sale separately on the eShop for $3.99 each. Both premium DLC packs will be available on all other platforms.
“We’re so pleased to be able to bring the fun and creativity of LEGO Worlds to Nintendo Switch,” said Jonathan Smith, Head of Production, TT Games. “The game looks fantastic, in both TV mode and handheld mode. Having the power not only to build whatever you want, but to play with it wherever you go, feels truly awesome!”
In LEGO Worlds on Nintendo Switch, players can embark on creative adventures and uncover hidden treasures in environments that range from fun to the fantastical, where worlds come to life with a dizzying variety of vehicles and creatures – from zombie cheerleaders riding gorillas to cavemen wielding water pistols, to deep sea submarines, stunt planes and off-road motorcycles. Environments and creations are brought to life in any way fans can imagine, either by building brick by brick, placing down enormous prebuilt LEGO structures, or by using powerful tools that let them paint and shape the landscape.
LEGO Worlds on Nintendo Switch also offers players the Brick Build Showcase with a rotating selection of brick built models including new characters, creatures, vehicles, props and items from LEGO themed playsets, plus access to regular free content updates.
Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Worlds, a galaxy of imaginative worlds made of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover and create together, is also available for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and STEAM.
The LEGO Group Releases 2017 Half Year Results, Profits Down
LEGO has just released their financial details for the first half of 2017 and it’s not looking too good for the best toy brand in the world. Compared to the same time as last year:
– Revenue down 5 percent to DKK 14.9 billion compared with DKK 15.7 billion
– Operating profit down 6 percent to DKK 4.4 billion compared with DKK 4.7 billion
– Net profit down 3 percent at DKK 3.4 billion compared with DKK 3.5 billion
– Cash flow from operating activities was DKK 4.6 billion compared with DKK 3.9 billion
LEGO Group Chairman, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp stated,
We are disappointed by the decline in revenue in our established markets, and we have taken steps to address this.
We are working closely with our partners and we are confident that we have the long-term potential of reaching more children in our well-established markets in Europe and the United States. We also see strong growth opportunities in growing markets such as China.
Some of the best performing themes for 2017 include LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO DUPLO, and LEGO Technic, all in-house IPs. The LEGO Batman Movie also did very well.
As a result of the profit decline, the company will have to trim its total global workforce by about eight percent which is about 1,400 jobs by the end of the year.
The LEGO Group will now have to restructure the company as well as having to clean up their inventory to simplify the business model.
What are your thoughts on this surprising piece of news? Let us know in the comments below.
Rest of LEGO Toys R Us Bricktober 2017 Sets Revealed
It looks like we have a look at the full line up for the Toys R Us Bricktober 2017 promotion thanks to BrickSamurai. I’ve already talked about the The LEGO Batman Movie (5004939) and the LEGO City Jungle Exploration (5004940) but we can now see the other two sets in the series.
There will be a generic minifigure series that includes a boxer, a hippie, a cheerleader, and a sailor. These minifigure don’t look that special as they are recolors of previous minifigures. The cheerleader looks to be the human form of the Zombie Cheerleader from the Series 14 Monsters Collectible Minifigures. This is listed as set #4 for of the series.
The other set based on LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and not on The LEGO Ninjago Movie as previously rumored. The minifigures in this set include a white Nendroid, Neuro, Acronix, and Season 4 Rebooted version Kai, confirmed by Simon Lucas. This one is listed as the first set of the series.
Now that we’ve seen all of the Toys R Us Bricktober 2017 sets, the most interesting one is definitely the one for The LEGO Batman Movie. The other sets are fairly bland but the Ninjago one does look somewhat interesting. There’s no word on when Bricktober is here in the US but it’s usually in October so we have a few more weeks before we know the details.
LEGO Star Wars BB-8 (75187) Available on Amazon
One of the more popular LEGO Star Wars sets that was released during Force Friday II was the brick-built BB-8 (75187). It eventually became temporarily out of stock on [email protected] and from what I saw, it was flying off the shelves at the LEGO Store an at Toys R Us. Fortunately for you, Amazon still has it available at retail price of $99.99 with Prime shipping.
This faithfully reproduced LEGO® Star Wars incarnation of the diminutive BB-8 droid from the new Star Wars movie trilogy makes the perfect gift for any Star Wars or LEGO fan. Turn one wheel at the side to rotate the detailed head, and another to open the access hatch and extend the ‘welding torch’. This faithfully reproduced model also comes with a display stand, decorative fact plaque and small BB-8 figure, making it a great display piece for any bedroom or office.
LEGO Ideas NASA Saturn-V Launch Umbilical Tower Achieves 10,000 Supporters
The NASA Saturn-V Launch Umbilical Tower by whatsuptoday is the latest project to hit 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. Continuing on the Space project hype, it is supposed to be an add-on to the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) consisting of about 2,998 pieces.
It now joins Gilmore Girls – Luke’s Diner, Wonders of Peru, NF-15B Research Aircraft, I Am Your Father, and NASA Space Shuttle as the projects to reach the Second 2017 Review Stage.
