Month: April 2013 (Page 2 of 7)

LEGO Games Cancelled

April 26, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

If you’ve loved the various games that LEGO has released, we’re sad to report that we may have seen the last of them. All About Bricks is reporting that LEGO will be cancelling the Games theme by the end of the year because of poor sales. The theme did have great sales when it first launched back in 2009 but sales of the sets have dropped off since then. All About Bricks also states that the “current range will be available until all supplies are depleted” and that the Games that were supposed to be released later this year are also cancelled. Those sets are:

Batman (50003)
Story Mixer (50004)
Legends of Chima (50006)
The Battle of Helm’s Deep (50011)

LEGO has not confirmed that the Games theme will indeed be cancelled but the article states that last year’s Games will be the final sets to be released. You can still pick them up at many retail stores as well as on Shop@Home. You can also purchase sets from Amazon cheaper than the retail price as well as FREE shipping with Amazon Prime.

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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LEGO Castle Official Images

April 26, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

The official high resolution images of the new LEGO Castle sets have surfaced. We’ve already seen these sets from the New York Toy Fair but it’s nice to finally see the official images. The sets are expected to be released in August 2013.

Forest Ambush (70400)

The Gatehouse Raid (70402)

Dragon Mountain (70403)

King’s Castle (70404)

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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LEGO Lord of the Rings UCS The Tower of Orthanc (10237) Revealed

April 26, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

LEGO Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc (10237)

LEGO has officially revealed the newest LEGO Lord of the Rings set in Portugal, the long awaited UCS The Tower of Orthanc (10237). The set contains 2359 pieces and will retail for $199.99 and will be available in July. This new Ultimate Collector Series LOTR set comes with 5 minifigures: Saruman, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf the Gry, an Uruk-hai, and an Orc Pitmaster. It will also have a buildable Ent figure as well the Great Eagle which is also in the Battle At The Black Gate (79007) set. The set was teased back in January where there was a blurry image of what was believed to be the Tower but was taken down quickly. Below is the official press release of The Tower of Orthanc.

10237 Tower of Orthanc

Ages 14+. 2,359 pieces.
Build the The Lord of the Rings™ trilogy must-have model!

US $199.99 CA $249.99 DE 199.99€ UK 169.99 £ DK 1699.00 DKK

Finally, collect one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic buildings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Tower of Orthanc! Build all 6 highly detailed floors filled with fascinating movie-related details including the attic, library, alchemy room, Saruman’s throne room, entrance hall and dungeon. This exclusive model stars in some of the most iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings movies. Swoop down with the Great Eagle and rescue stranded Gandalf the Grey from his tower-top prison after his defeat at the hands of the white wizard, Saruman. Build the powerful, tree-like Ent, with poseable limbs and cool swinging

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The LEGO Group Named Top 10 Company Globally

April 24, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

The results of a survey conducted by the Reputation Institute have been revealed and The LEGO Group has been named one of the top 10 companies globally in 2012. The research called RepTrack100, surveys the 100 most largest and most known brands in 15 different countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia/Pacifics to find which companies are reputable. The LEGO Group finished 5th in 2011. John Goodwin, Chief Executive Vice President and CFO of LEGO, states:

That we are able to finish in top 10 for the third year in a row is a fantastic recognition of how our organization is consistently making the LEGO promises come to life. We want children of all ages to experience joy and pride when exploring their creative potential. We want to leave a positive impact on in the world. We want to deliver a world class service to our customers. And not least do we want our employees to experience the strong sense of purpose and spirit that characterize the LEGO Group.

The results in North America illustrate that we are building a global reputation. But, it is also clear from the past three years’ results that we need to continually deliver world class products and service both to customers and consumers to maintain such an impressive position.

**Via LEGO.com**

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LEGO To Open School In Denmark

April 24, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 2 Comments

If you always wanted to play with LEGO bricks all day long at school, that will soon become a reality. LEGO will be opening the first ever “LEGO school” in the world. The International School of Billund will be combining the international baccalaureate (IB) with LEGO’s emphasis on creativity and play of the bricks with the Danish school system.

The program is for aimed towards students from ages 3 to 16 and is set to open in August. The population of the fee-based school will be both Danish residents as well international students. The government will be paying two-thirds of the fees while parents pay the rest of the fees. The school is the next step in a long line of projects for LEGO’s owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen to turn Billund into the Capital of Children.

**Via The Guardian**

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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BrickPicker Announces LEGO Set Review Contest

April 23, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

Our friends over at BrickPicker has announced a LEGO set review contest over on their site with a chance to win some great prizes. All you have to do is write some quality reviews of LEGO sets. The contests starts today and ends on July 3rd, 2013 at 11:59pm (Eastern Time). There are some guidelines that are required for you to be entered in the contest. The reviews have to be a total of 1000 characters combined in the following categories:

First Impression(WOW Factor) & Introduction
Unique Parts/Minifigures
Playability/Build Experience
Value for money(new)
Theme Popularity
Exclusivity
Packaging
Growth Potential
Display Attributes
Final Analysis & Conclusion

The Brickpoints system has also been overhauled for this contest. A normal 1000 character review will get you 10 Brickpoints but you can earn 500 points for more in-depth, detailed reviews. All reviews will be approved or disapproved by Ed or Jeff and you will be able to revise and resubmit them if they are disapproved.

Now to the goodies! There are some really nice prizes for the winners of the contest.

1st Place: Monster Fighters Haunted House (10228) or $200 LEGO Gift Card
2nd Place: Creator Expert Palace Cinema (10232) or $150 LEGO Gift Card
Star Wars Jabba’s Palace (9516) or $100 LEGO Gift Card

There are also four (4) $25 LEGO Gift Cards given to exceptional reviews which are then converted for the Evaluation Corner. For these special reviews, a single person can win them all so there’s more incentive to write quality reviews. To read more about the … Continue

LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3 (45544) Available August 1st

April 23, 2013 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

LEGO today has announced the release date of the LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3 on their official press release. The unit will be available August 1st and is now available for preorder for educators in the US. The Education version contains 541 pieces and retails for $339.95 and if you order more sets, the overall price per set is cheaper. The software is sold separately.

The Daily Brick also notes that LEGO will be releasing a “Space Exploration” expansion set for the EV3.

The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 platform will begin shipping August 1, 2013. The education platform is now available in the U.S. for educators to preorder.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:

The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 platform will begin shipping August 1, 2013. The education platform is now available in the U.S. for educators to preorder.

Announced in January 2013, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 platform is the third generation of LEGO Education robotics technology designed for classroom use. It is a full teaching solution developed with educators to actively engage students in a number of key curriculum areas such as computer science, science, technology, engineering, and math correlated to national standards.

The EV3 platform includes customizable curriculum and digital workbooks; a hardware platform based on real-world robotics technology for engaging, hands-on activities; an intuitive software platform consisting of both programming and data-logging interface including 48 step-by-step tutorials; and extensive professional development courses.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Core Set comes with the EV3 Brick, rechargeable battery, sensors, motors, large brick selection, a new ball

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