The LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) is currently on sale at Walmart for $139.99 which is 22% off the retail price. This is the lowest price I’ve seen this set at any retailer and it normally retails for $179.99. It’s a pretty niche set for fans who are around my age but Voltron was named my top LEGO set of 2018 and it will be retiring at the end of the year.
It has been announced that a new LEGOLAND theme park will be built in the Jinshan District of Shanghai, China. After its completion in 2023, it will be the largest LEGOLAND park in the world and it will also include a themed hotel as well. It was previously reported earlier this year it would be opening in the Qingpu District but it looks like that has changed. LEGOLAND Shanghai will be the third LEGOLAND park to be opening in the next few years after LEGOLAND New York in 2020 and LEGOLAND Korea in 2022.
Merlin Entertainments (“Merlin” or “the Company”), a global leader in location based entertainment with brands including LEGOLAND®, Madame Tussauds and the Dungeons, today announces that it has entered into an agreement with the Shanghai Jinshan District Government, CMC Inc. and KIRKBI to develop a LEGOLAND® Resort in the Jinshan District of Shanghai, China.
Under the terms of the agreement, all parties will form a joint venture company and contribute funding to the construction and development of LEGOLAND® Shanghai. The total project investment is expected to be approximately £500 million. The schedule for the project is still to be determined, but the project is not expected to open until after 2023.
LEGOLAND® Shanghai will be one of the largest LEGOLAND® Resorts in the world and will incorporate a 250-room fully themed hotel on opening. It will be located in the Jinshan District in south west Shanghai with a two-hour catchment of 55 million people. The region comprising Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui has an estimated population of 220 million.
The announcement was made at an event attended by the Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai Mr. Chen Yin as part of the China International Import Expo (5-10 November). China is a focus of significant development and investment by Merlin. Since the start of 2018, the Company has opened five new Midway attractions, including the world’s first Peppa Pig World of Play (Shanghai) and Little BIG City (Beijing).
The LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) has been discounted again by 25% to $89.99 on Amazon. This is one of the sets that will be retiring by the end of the year so get it now while you can or risk paying a higher than retail price after it is no longer widely available in a few months. Note that this price is for Frustration-Free Packaging and there’s a chance that Amazon will ship it just with the product box. More often than not, it will ship in the cardboard box that it came in for additional protection.
Earlier today in the middle of the night, LEGO announced two new LEGO sets to celebrate the 2020 Chinese New Year with the Lion Dance (80104) and the Chinese New Year Temple Fair (80105) and in the press kit, we’ve also got the designer video for both of the sets. LEGO Product Designer Markus Rollbühler talks about some of the details that went into both sets. The two sets will be available in China and Asia Pacific markets on December 26 while the rest of the world gets them on January 10. Check out the designer video below.
LEGO has officially announced two brand new LEGO Seasonal sets to celebrate the 2020 Chinese New Year with the Lion Dance (80104) and the Chinese New Year Temple Fair (80105). Both sets will be available in China and Asia Pacific markets starting on December 26, 2019 and the rest of the world on January 10, 2020.
The details on the sets such as piece counts are still unavailable but we do know one set is $79.99 according to the press kit but not sure which set that goes to. I’m going to assume it is for the Temple Fair since the Lion Dance looks fairly small. Check out the press release and the official images of both of the sets below.
Update: We’ve finally got some pricing and piece counts for the set. The Lion Dance is $79.99 for 882 pieces while the Chinese New Year Temple Fair is $119.99 with 1664 pieces.
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with LEGO® Lion Dance and Traditional Temple Fair
Billund, 05 November 2019: Today, the LEGO Group revealed its 2020 Chinese New Year sets – Lion Dance and Chinese New Year Temple Fair. The launch follows on from this year’s popular sets: Dragon Boat Race, Dragon Dance and Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner, the first LEGO® products created to mark the festivities.
The Lion Dance set vividly reproduces a well-loved scene of the Spring Festival and is sure to evoke fond memories of the traditional festival. The set features 5 beautifully decorated small lion figurines and a percussionists’ stage with an awesome drumming function. An accompanying temple gate is decorated with LEGO tiles featuring traditional patterns. The set also comes complete with 8 minifigures including lion dancers and a man in rat costume to mark the Year of the Rat. Additional accessory elements such as the red ‘best wishes’ scroll, red orb, cabbage, calligraphy brush and a rocket fireworkare included to inspire unlimited role-play.
The Chinese New Year Temple Fair set captures a beloved event often seen in towns and cities throughout China around the lunar new year. The set includes stalls displaying a vast, colourful array of LEGO versions of authentic items you would find at a Temple Fair. Everything from barbecue dishes to candy, toys, vases and dough figurines are lovingly re-created ion LEGO form. The set also includes 14 minifigures. Eagle-eyed LEGO fans will notice that the family from last year’s Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner set make an appearance, continuing the story of their Spring Festival celebrations.
LEGO Product designer Markus Rollbühler, designed the sets to be as authentic as possible: “We were incredibly thorough with our research when designing the sets. For the Chinese New Year Temple Fair, we looked closely at the types of things vendors sell in the market stalls and all of the various goods on offer.” It was also important that children could act out scenes to make the sets come alive: “Both sets include amazing minifigures and details to encourage role play. The Lion Dance set comes with many interesting play features. For example, you can fully pose the lions and you can also open and close their mouths to help recreate the spectacular dances we all know and love.” Markus explains.
The two new LEGO® Chinese Traditional Festival models will be ready to discover in China and Asia Pacific markets from December 26, 2019 and the rest of the world from January 10, 2020.
LEGO has officially kicked off their new 2019 LEGO Build to Give campaign in which the company will donate 1 million LEGO sets to children. All you have to do is to head to your local LEGO Brand Store and build an ornament and share it on social media using the hashtag #BuildToGive. Every ornament built and displayed will help donate one LEGO set to a child in need. The event will run from now until December 13.
Through LEGO® Build to Give, the LEGO Group wants to donate 1 million LEGO sets to children that find themselves in difficult and vulnerable circumstances during the holiday season. That is why the LEGO Group is encouraging fans of all ages to take part in building a fun LEGO holiday ornament. For every ornament built and displayed in a LEGO store or shared online, the LEGO Group will donate one LEGO set to a child in need within hospitals, children homes, or underserved communities.
Build to Give events are taking place around the world during November and December. Anyone can join the good cause to help spread holiday joy. LEGO fans can use LEGO bricks at a LEGO store or at home. Simply build a fun, sassy, or whacky LEGO ornament and either display it in-store or take a picture and share it on social media or LEGO Life using the hashtag #BuildToGive.
Kathrine Kirk Muff, LEGO Group Vice President of Social Responsibility and Engagement, says: “Being able to follow up on last year’s amazing donation and even doubling our commitment is an achievement we are all very proud of. The enthusiasm from LEGO builders across the world to build beautiful and fun ornaments to help children in difficult circumstances warms our hearts. We cannot wait to see how builders of all ages will unleash their creativity again this year and help us bring LEGO play into the hands of one million children in need.”
The LEGO sets will be donated in countries where the campaign is active as well as countries where the LEGO Group has large offices or factories. For more details about our local charity partners, visit .
The Huascar by Aldrin is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. The 2,990 piece ship is based on the real life one that was built in 1865 and was on Peru’s Navy. It served on a few missions including the War of the Pacific and the Battle of Angamos.
The project now joins Queen: I Want to Break Free, Seinfeld 30th Anniversary, The Legend of Zelda: BotW Stables, Planet Express Delivery Ship, Ratatouille: Open The Doors!, LEGO Typewriter, and The Legend of the BIONICLE as the projects to reach the Third 2019 Review Stage.
