07 December 2023

Bug Fest: Moko's MOCs

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

For our latest Parts Festival we've added the bricks from LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection to the collections of five amazing builders, and asked them to create original models. Welcome to Bug Fest!

Kicking the fest off today is Moko, a master of nice parts usage (NPU). Indeed, one of his Bug Fest MOCs really puts the 'P' into NPU...

LEGO® Friends: new moulds for January 2024

Posted by Eero

Last year's reboot of the LEGO® Friends theme was received with general acclaim. In this review I'll be exhibiting some of the new moulds found in the upcoming January 2024 wave. The parts are pulled from 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle, 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall, 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket, 42608 Tiny Accessories Store (also known as Mini Boutique, apparently), 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses and 42621 Heartlake City Hospital.

 

This examination will focus on the "normal" building parts and figure accessories, while leaving the new mini-doll parts for my upcoming set reviews.

05 December 2023

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ review: 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary

Posted by Caz Mockett

Today I'm taking a look at LEGO® Monkie Kid 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary, which contains some very interesting new pieces, and even a new LEGO colour! 

04 December 2023

LEGO® Spring Festival review: 80113 Family Reunion Celebration

Posted by Caz Mockett

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Niels Mølgård Frederiksen, Associate Creative Lead for LEGO® Monkie Kid and designer of this LEGO® Spring Festival release, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration. So it's great that I also have the chance to have a proper look at the set to review for you, and there's a lot to enjoy.

03 December 2023

Bug Fest using LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection: Introducing the elements

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

It's December and New Elementary is getting in the festive mood with a Parts Fest! 

We invited five incredibly talented builders, @kekenoji, @moko_bricks, @legomichiiiiii, @r194.lego, and @nobu_tary to inspire us with their LEGO creations using elements from LEGO® Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection. With an inventory that ticked all the boxes for colourful and interesting elements, it seemed like the perfect set for a Parts Fest, or maybe this time it's a Bug Fest...

30 November 2023

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ 80054 Megapolis City: interview with designer Wen Xiaodong

Posted by Caz Mockett

Want to see more of the thrilling 2024 LEGO® Monkie Kid™ set, 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary? Senior Designer/ Show Producer 温笑冬 (Wēn Xiàodōng) told us more about the set and its Easter eggs when I met him at the Recognised LEGO® Fan Media Days in Billund, Denmark in September. In advance of our set review next week, here are the highlights of our interview, with photography by Boris Vanrillaer of Stuck in Plastic.

 

28 November 2023

LEGO® part 4042: Curved Bar with Axle End and 1 x 1 Round Plate

Posted by Elspeth De Montes

Thomas Jenkins thought it was time to take a closer look at an interesting new element that has been appearing in more and more sets since its release earlier this year.


Bar Curved with Axle End and 1 x 1 Round Plate is a bended element we first noticed in two LEGO® Marvel sets earlier this year, but do you know which set it was originally designed for? Read on to find out more...

24 November 2023

LEGO® Ideas review: 21343 Viking Village

Posted by tobymac

Skål! Today’s set takes us back in time, in terms of both world history and LEGO® history. So raise your horn of mead and toast to the return of the Vikings.

21 November 2023

LEGO® Friends Sea Rescue sets review & MOC: 41734, 41736, 41752

Posted by Tom Loftus

Earlier this year the environmentally conscious Heartlake City received a revamped sea rescue sub-theme in the form of LEGO® Friends sets 41734 Sea Rescue Boat, 41736 Sea Rescue Center and 41752 Sea Rescue Plane. Today I'll be taking a look at the noteworthy parts and builds of all three sets before attempting an alternate build using their combined inventories.

 

18 November 2023

LEGO® Technic review: 42159 Yamaha MT‑10 SP

Posted by Zachary Hill

Yamaha's top-of-the-line "hyper naked" motorcycle is wearing LEGO® Technic clothes. 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP is the second 1:5 scale motorbike from The LEGO Group, but plenty more besides the manufacturer has changed on this successor. Overhauled gearbox pieces revolutionize shifting, while plenty of regular parts get a major aesthetic upgrade with better sprue mark positioning.


Itty bitty bits aside, the overall bike embodies "The Dark Side of Japan"—Yamaha's MT-10 SP catchphrase—with aggressive styling. Broad strokes of black and minimal fairings suit my taste in motorcycles, even if there are a few areas where I question Yamaha's choices.

17 November 2023

LEGO® Insiders Weekend 2023 & LEGO® Pick a Brick cutoff dates

Posted by Admin

This weekend, 18 and 19 November 2023, is LEGO® Insiders Weekend (formerly LEGO® VIP), so it's a great chance to get hold of new elements - in Pick a Brick, sets on sale and pre-orders.

There's double LEGO Insider Points on everything, and some sets in the USA and Canada offer triple and quadruple points! There are three Gifts with Purchase (GwP) available too.


It's a timely opportunity to get loose elements from Pick a Brick, because Monday 20 November is the last order date to receive PaB Standard elements before Christmas! (The cutoff for PaB Bestseller elements is a little later - see our list further down.) 

16 November 2023

LEGO® Marvel™ parts review: 76269 Avengers Tower

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

Avengers Assemble! Well, not quite yet, as among the 5,201 pieces that comprise the new LEGO® Marvel™ 76269 Avengers Tower there are plenty of interesting elements to investigate first.

14 November 2023

LEGO® Pick a Brick: new elements added in November 2023

Posted by Admin

LEGO® have added over 400 new 2023 elements to Pick a Brick today! Check out the full list of parts with handy pictures that you can click to find the element on Pick a Brick.

READ MORE: New on PaB

All text © New Elementary unless otherwise attributed. Element images © 2023 The LEGO Group

13 November 2023

LEGO® Disney™ Wish review: 43231 Asha’s Cottage

Posted by Elspeth De Montes

LEGO recently revealed three sets based on the upcoming Disney™ animated movie, Wish. With the movie releasing on 22 November in the US, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look at the middle-sized set, 43231 Asha's Cottage. 

Let's take a look inside and see what new elements it brings.

10 November 2023

What are the new LEGO® parts for November 2023 and which sets contain the most?

Posted by tobymac

I've created a list showing all 36 new LEGO® elements added in November 2023, including a new mold yet to be released! For those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.

06 November 2023

LEGO® 80113 Family Reunion Celebration: interview with designer Niels Frederiksen

Posted by Caz Mockett
In September, I was lucky enough to attend the Recognised LEGO® Fan Media Days in Billund, Denmark on behalf of New Elementary, along with our guest photographer, Boris Vanrillaer of Stuck in Plastic.

We had the opportunity to talk to Niels Mølgård Frederiksen (above right), Associate Creative Lead for LEGO® Monkie Kid and designer of the latest LEGO® Spring Festival release, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration.

LEGO® ICONS™ set review: 10326 Natural History Museum

Posted by tobymac

Inquisitive minds rejoice as a new museum has opened downtown, featuring exhibitions from the past and the future. I took a look at the elements the museum is made of in Part 1, and today we’ll wander through its halls and study the artifacts on display, in this build review of LEGO® ICONS™ 10326 Natural History Museum.

03 November 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ parts review: 10326 Natural History Museum

Posted by tobymac

We are nearing the end of the year; traditionally the time LEGO showcases their next Modular Buildings set, and this time it's arriving a month earlier. With an impressive lineup of 17 previous sets (18 if you count 10190 Market Street), the bar is set high, but we are in for a real treat this time with a field trip to 10326 Natural History Museum. Before we enter the exhibition to study the models on display in Part 2, we will first have a closer look at all the new elements found in this set.

02 November 2023

LEGO® Pick a Brick: element removal November 2023

Posted by Admin

Today we offer you a different kind of element list: it shows which parts LEGO® Pick a Brick are going to remove from the service on 17 November! We're calling it Last Chance PaB. Check it out in case there's something you want.

Among them are some fantastic Space pieces, such as the printed tiles from Galaxy Explorer and the purple helmet and air tanks. There is a wide array of animals (both LEGO Friends-style and regular) as well as minifigures and minidolls. Colours in the process of being discontinued, like Trans-Brown, are present as well.

READ MORE: Last Chance PaB

Text and image are © New Elementary; element images courtesy The LEGO Group and Rebrickable.

31 October 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship

Posted by Eero

There a generally 2 types of action & adventure theme flagship sets: the Castle and the Vehicle. I usually find the Castle type more interesting as they tend to offer unique architectural structures. The flagship of the LEGO® DREAMZzz™ theme is of the Vehicle type: a pirate ship, stuck in a shark, with jet engines.


For the last of my LEGO DREAMZzz reviews I'm taking a look at 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship. Spooked yet? You will be!

29 October 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ review + MOC: 10329 Tiny Plants

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

The Botanical Collection is growing! Coming 1 December 2023, LEGO® ICONS™10329 Tiny Plants is a selection of miniaturized carnivorous, tropical and desert plants, each in their own little pot. Join us as we weed out all the new recoloured elements (there are quite a few!) and take a look at these adorable tiny plants.


27 October 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures

Posted by Eero

Even characters in action & adventure themes need a day off to relax. 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures offers such a setting from the boisterous madness that is the LEGO® DREAMZzz™theme.

There are no bad guys featured in this set and the only weapon is a wood-chopping axe. But beyond that, is it a good set and does it have interesting pieces? Let's take a look.

20 October 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus

Posted by Eero

Would you step onto a school bus that's a also a space shuttle and driven by your physics teacher and his chimpanzee sidekick? I might think twice before stepping in, but this is space travel after all, so how could you resist? LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus presents such a scenario; let's see if this dream voyage is worth the ride.

18 October 2023

Modulex manuals, brochures and catalogues

Posted by Admin

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. 

16 October 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ build review: 10318 Concorde

Posted by Tom Loftus

Fasten your seat belts, it's the final instalment of our LEGO® ICONS™ 10318 Concorde review where we'll be exploring the set's build techniques and nice part usage before concluding with a look at the impressive completed model.

 

11 October 2023

Elements exclusive to LEGO® Pick-a-Brick in October 2023

Posted by tobymac

The subject of today's post is a group of elements that have not appeared in a set, - or at least not recently - and yet, are currently available to buy on LEGO® Pick-a-Brick. That's right, Pick a Brick has exclusive elements you never knew about!

09 October 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ recolours and prints review: 10318 Concorde

Posted by Tom Loftus

We've already taken a look at the set's intriguing new moulds in Part 1 of our LEGO® ICONS™ 10318 Concorde review. Today we'll be focusing on the recolours and prints, and gosh, what a stunning selection of prints it is!

02 October 2023

What are the new LEGO® parts for October 2023 and which sets contain the most?

Posted by tobymac

I've created a list showing all 104 new LEGO® elements added in October 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.

28 September 2023

LEGO® Architecture review: 21060 Himeji Castle

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

Over the last 700-or-so years, Himeji Castle has survived numerous wars and natural disasters. It's considered a national treasure in Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year it gets a new accolade: it's the latest LEGO® Architecture set! We already took a look at one of the elements appearing in 21060 Himeji Castle - the exciting "Pagoda Plate" - but today we take a look at the set in its entirety.

25 September 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ new moulds review: 10318 Concorde

Posted by Tom Loftus

Jumping straight to the build of this sleek, meter-long aircraft was very tempting, however, LEGO® ICONS™ 10318 Concorde comes with two exclusive new curved pieces and a brand new slope, so a closer look at these amazing elements, with some insight from the LEGO element design team, must come first!

20 September 2023

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure

Posted by Caz Mockett

You know summer is officially over when The LEGO Group starts releasing winter-themed sets! Today I take a look at the smaller of two September 2023 LEGO® Friends sets: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure. For a set of modest size, it offers us a healthy number of recolours, rare parts and even two fascinating new moulds!

18 September 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse

Posted by Eero

Has LEGO® Elves come back? No, but the solemn sobbing of fans missing that theme were probably heard by some set designers. LEGO® DREAMZzz™ has more than one set reminiscent of that theme, although equipped with traditional minifigures instead of mini-dolls. 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse is the most obvious of these sets. Is this mammoth-sized winged equine a worthy successor?

16 September 2023

What are the new LEGO® parts for September 2023 and which sets contain the most?

Posted by tobymac

I've created a list showing all 434 new LEGO® elements added in September 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here

You might have noticed it has taken us a while to bring you this month's list. What is going on?

14 September 2023

LEGO® Classic review + MOCs: 11027 Creative Neon Fun & 11028 Creative Pastel Fun

Posted by Admin

Today, guest author Mansur 'Waffles' Soeleman takes a look at two smaller sets from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Classic sets, 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun, both of which offer a modest range of basic elements... with some exciting recolours.

Elements from 11027 Creative Neon Fun and 11028 Creative Pastel Fun. Skrunkle not included

With the help of Skrunkle (a.k.a. LEGO® BIONICLE® Tahu from last year’s 11021 90 Years of Play), I will give an overview of 11027 & 11028's noteworthy bits as well as their main builds, and follow that with MOCs I made with my good friends Tim Goddard and Alec Hole.

13 September 2023

LEGO® Star Wars™ build review: 75355 X-Wing Starfighter™

Posted by Tom Loftus

Today I'll be completing my review of 75355 UCS X-Wing Starfighter. Having analysed the set's new moulds, recolours and prints in part 1, it's time to focus on the minifigures, build techniques and finished model.


11 September 2023

LEGO® Star Wars™ parts review: 75355 X-Wing Starfighter™

Posted by Tom Loftus

The latest addition to the LEGO® Star Wars™ Ultimate Collector Series arrived in May bringing with it a selection of new moulds and recolours. We might be a little late to the party, but felt there were parts and building techniques still worthy of analysis.

 

06 September 2023

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen

Posted by Caz Mockett

The June 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends releases continues to fly the flag for thoughtfully-designed sets in vibrant colours, and 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen is no exception. It includes four characters from the theme's reboot, plus everyone's favourite grumpy kitty, Churro, who all love hanging out in a community-run café.

 

The set features an interesting selection of new, recoloured and rare elements, so let's take a look at them to see what's cooking in the kitchen.

31 August 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van versus 71458 Crocodile Car

Posted by Eero

As a kid, I was far more interested in the diverse members of the animal kingdom than cars. In our dreams the distinction is far less clear, as shown by these two LEGO® DREAMZzz™ sets, 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van and 71458 Crocodile Car.

One is slow, stable and hippie-ish; the other is low, toothy and dangerous. Which one fares better? One, two... Go!

28 August 2023

LEGO® BrickHeadz™ Sonic review: sets 40627 & 40628, and part 4304

Posted by tobymac
Sonic is on a roll. After an appearance in LEGO® Dimensions and LEGO® Ideas, the franchise has gotten its own theme. We will give you a full report on all the new elements in this theme soon, but first we take a look at another incarnation of the blue hedgehog and the double-tailed fox, in the form of two LEGO® BrickHeadz™ sets. 
 

At first glance, they appear to be just another addition in the long lineup of Brickheadz sets, but inside both characters, element fans find an interesting surprise.

24 August 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41744 Sports Center

Posted by Tom Loftus

Continuing our look at the June 2023 wave of  LEGO® Friends sets, 41744 Sports Center offers a small range of new recolours, a colourful selection of lesser-seen elements and a build that makes great use of all 832 parts.

 

21 August 2023

LEGO® parts 73763, 73764 & 3863: A worm gear family

Posted by tobymac

Earlier this year LEGO® City 60372 Police Training Academy introduced a new type of worm gear; Technic Worm Gear 6M with Axle Hole in Light Bluish Gray and the accompanying Brick Special 2 x 2 x 1 2/3 with Worm Gear in Black. I always love to see LEGO® Technic parts appear in ‘regular’ sets, so I think a closer look is warranted. 

But what is that kitty doing there?

16 August 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ set review: 71461 Fantastical Tree House

Posted by Eero

In the dreamworld, trees have blue leaves and they're filled with grandmothers, toasting bagels.

 
Along with the vehicle and mech sets common in action and adventure themes, the August 2023 range of LEGO® DREAMZzz™ also presents us with two place-based sets. Today I'm taking a nap in one of them, 71461 Fantastical Tree House.

08 August 2023

LEGO® Super Mario™ parts review + MOCs: 71417 Fliprus Snow Adventure and 71419 Peach's Garden Balloon Ride

Posted by Eero

Today I'm looking at parts from two 2023 LEGO® Super Mario™ sets, 71417 Fliprus Snow Adventure and 71419 Peach's Garden Balloon Ride. I'll also present two new MOCs inspired by the parts from these sets, and there are building instructions for Patreon supporters. Let's-a-go!

04 August 2023

LEGO® NINJAGO® review: vehicle sets 71789, 71791, 71792 & 71794

Posted by tobymac

From the very start the ninjas of LEGO® NINJAGO® have been moving around in all types of vehicles, be it cars, bikes, mechs, planes, canceled trains and many more. In this review I’ll be looking at 4 vehicle-orientated sets from the June 2023 wave. 

Namely, 71794 Lloyd and Arin’s Ninja Team Mechs, 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer, 71791 Zane’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car and 71789 Kai and Ras’s Car and Bike Battle. Is it just me or are the name of sets getting to be a bit long lately?

03 August 2023

What are the new LEGO® parts for August 2023 and which sets contain the most?

Posted by tobymac

I've created a list showing all 678 new LEGO® elements added in August 2023, with links to which sets they come in so you can check for the ones you might be interested in. This month we include a new category: Pick a Brick Exclusives! And for those of you who instead prefer our list of sets showing which contain the most new elements, click here.


31 July 2023

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: the "Barrel Joint" sets 71453, 71454 & 71455

Posted by Eero

Tomorrow is August, meaning the new theme LEGO® DREAMZzz™ becomes available, and I'm starting my series of set reviews with three of its similar sets: 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny, 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot and 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster. They all use the new barrel joint piece (Design ID 1994) for movement. 

Bunchu the Bunny and Z-Blob the Robot are the smallest sets of the line - save one polybag - and depict the main characters exploring their skills in the dreamworld. The slightly larger Grimkeeper the Cage monster is a villain set, showing the darker side of this theme.

29 July 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10315 Tranquil Garden

Posted by Elspeth De Montes

When we first saw images of the latest LEGO® ICONS™ set, 10315 Tranquil Garden,  we were excited to see new elements, recolours and creative parts use all wrapped up in the aesthetics of a traditional Japanese garden scene.

The set was created in collaboration with Hoichi Kurisu, a landscape designer famous for his tranquil gardens across the world.  As they say in the instruction booklet, it's time to "make yourself at home, relax and be one with nature for a moment. Or stay as long as you like." 

Come this way...

28 July 2023

LEGO® part 4190: The Pagoda Plate

Posted by Thomas Jenkins
As soon as the first images of sets 21060 Himeji Castle and 10315 Tranquil Garden surfaced, we spotted a new plate that required our attention. With set 21060 now in hand, I take a closer look at the new element we are calling the "Pagoda Plate".


I love a good LEGO roof technique. I’ve built a few in my time as a New E. contributor including shrines, fishmongers, and Hobbit holes. So, if you’re anything like me, you’ll love this exciting new LEGO element! Join me as I take a closer look.

26 July 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41757 Botanical Garden

Posted by Caz Mockett

One of the most keenly-awaited sets in the June wave of LEGO® Friends releases, 41757 Botanical Garden features a stylish butterfly house with cacti and succulents growing inside, along with an outside pond, overhanging cherry tree and three minidolls. It already seems to be a popular set with the AFOL community, so let's dive straight into the interesting parts included.