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Preview of LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary: Updated and Expanded

March 2, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Earlier today, an image of the new LEGO Star Wars Sandcrawler (75059) was presumably found in the new LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary: Updated and Expanded. The previous version of the book was released in 2009 and this updated Dictionary will have 48 additional pages to include all the sets that have been released in the past 5 five years such as last year’s Ewok Village (10236), the new Microfighters sets from this year, and the Sandrawler as mentioned above.

The book also has updated their “Beyond the Bricks” chapter where it behind-the-scenes on how the sets are made by the designers. As with many other LEGO books by DK, there will also be an exclusive minifigure included. It hasn’t been revealed of who it will be. DK has noted they will reveal who it will be very soon. It has been rumored that it will be another variant of Luke Skywalker. If you’re a fan of the previous LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary, you’ll surely be a fan of this version as well. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the book and it will be available in May.

Mattel Agrees to Purchase Mega Brands Inc for $460 Million

February 28, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Reuters is reporting that Mattel Inc., the world’s number 1 toymaker, has agreed to purchase Mega Brands Inc. for around $460 million. Mega Brands, who makes Mega Bloks, has been trying to compete in the in the construction toys segment for many years but has dominated by The LEGO Group. Mattel hopes this acquisition can help the brand better compete in the building blocks industry. They already create a number of different types of toys and may have more licences at their disposal. A couple of things that LEGO has an advantage on is quality and consumer loyalty which is why they are the world’s leading construction toy manufacturer. What impact do you think this acquisition of Mega Brands Inc. by Mattel has on The LEGO Group in the future?

LEGO Legends of Chima Online Now Available on iOS

February 27, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Back in August of last year, the LEGO Legends of Chima Online game hit the beta stage and players could sign up to try out the game. The game is a free action adventure MMO where you can team up with friends to defend the world of Chima. The browser-based game was available to play on Windows or Mac but Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today has announced that the game is now available for Apple iOS devices including iPad, iPhone, and iTouch on iTunes.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the LEGO Group and WB Games Montréal Makes the Popular World of LEGO® Legends of CHIMA™ Online Available for iOS

Online PC and Mac Game Now Playable on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch Devices; Young Warriors Can Now Play Together and Partake in Epic Battles Across All Platforms

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The battle for CHI builds on in the world of CHIMA™! Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, The LEGO Group and WB Games Montréal today announced the launch of LEGO® Legends of CHIMA™ Online for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices, playable with a WiFi connection. LEGO Legends of CHIMA Online, already available for Windows PC and Mac, is an immersive and interactive free to play online game that extends and complements the popular LEGO Legends of CHIMA universe of products, including construction sets, vehicles, TV shows and more! The online game officially moved out of Beta last month with game enhancements and new features including parent accounts and chat, and this enhanced experience is now

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The LEGO Group 2013 Annual Report Results

February 27, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

The LEGO Group has completed their 2013 Annual Report with CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp sharing details about the company’s growth last year. The LEGO Group had its 9th straight year of organic growth and increased their sales by 11% which outpreformed the traditional toy market. The overall revenue by the company has quadrupled over the past 10 years. LEGO has seen main growth in Poland, Germany, and China which in turn helped their sales numbers. Legends of Chima was one of the best selling themes for LEGO last year and the Friends theme was one of the top 5 themes. LEGO City, Star Wars, and DUPLO rounded out the top 5 themes of 2013. The Friends line also seen double digit growth along with some of the core themes including City, Creator, DUPLO, and Technic. With all of the various sets that LEGO releases every year, the company is meticulous in following industry standards and as a result, there have been no product recalls for the 4th straight year.

LEGO has also invested in themselves including DKK 2.6 billion in facilities in Mexico, Czech Republic, Hungary, and China. More facilities equal more responsibilities and The LEGO Group has enrolled in the WWF Climate Savers program in which they are 1st in the industry. They have improved energy efficiency by 30% since 2009 and employee injuries have reduced by 40% since 2009. The LEGO Group also added 1,355 employees last year due to it’s growth and is one of the company’s largest annual employee increases in history.… Continue

LEGO CUUSOO Back to the Future Projects Featuring Orion Pax

February 26, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

In light of Team BTTF’s Jules Verne Train getting 10,000 supporters on their project, there is another creator on LEGO CUUSOO who also has some Back to the Future projects hoping to achieve what Team BTTF has done three times already and that person is Orion Pax, aka Alex Jones. If you’re fans of LEGO MOCs, you may have heard of Orion’s name since we’ve featured him on the site a few times before. On CUUSOO, he has listed a number of projects themed with “2015” which is the 30th anniversary of the first Back to the Future movie.

One of those projects is the Nike MAG that Marty wore in the second film. These particular shoes are confirmed to be re-released by Nike next year with power laces. Orion’s other BTTF projects include various buildings from Back to the Future II such as the Cafe 80s, the cinema showing Jaws 19, the Texaco station, and the iconic Hill Valley Courthouse.

Go check out these projects and support them if you like what you see. Also remember that Team BTTF also has some other neat projects that you can support as well. Overall, it’s cool to see that many fans are embracing the fact that a renowned movie like Back to the Future will be reaching its 30th anniversary and are creating things that bring back memories of when we first saw the movie and hopes that fans like us can actually have one of these sets in our hands.

New LEGO Hero Factory Polybag Mini-Mech (40116) Polybag Found

February 25, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

LEGO Hero Factory Hero Mini-Model (40116)

Coming out of Brickset’s database, there is a new LEGO Hero Factory Invasion From Below polybag that will be coming out in the near future, a Mini-Mech (40116). This 31 piece polybag features Natalie Breez from the Alpha Team riding a small mech wielding two swords. These new minifigures for Hero Factory were introduced this year’s winter wave sets. There’s no word yet on how this polybag will be distributed.

**Via neoape**

The LEGO Group Looking To Replace ABS Plastic by 2030

February 24, 2014 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

A few days ago, Plastics News has reported that The LEGO Group has started their search to find a new sustainable resin to replace the existing ABS the company currently uses for their bricks by 2030. LEGO Senior Project Manager states, “I need to find a material that is just as good as this one. I need to find a material that will be just as good in 50 years, because these are passed down from generation to generation.”

Currently, the company has been testing bricks with an impact modified polylactic acid but this new test is not as promising yet. The issue with it is that a few weeks after molding, the bricks do not stay together as good as the traditional process does. One of the ways that LEGO measures the quality of the bricks is by testing the “clutch power.” A reason why these new bricks are failing the standards is because the machines that test the bricks are not compatible with the new materials.

LEGO uses more than 6,000 tons of plastic every year with 70% of the materials being Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and it now wants to be more efficient in using the new materials which should benefit the company financially and environmentally.

Check out more details on what LEGO is planning to do in the near future in the article. Also, if you haven’t watched National Geographic’s Mega Factories episode of LEGO before, I highly recommend watching it below. Although the video is fairly old now, it’s still … Continue