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.
28 July 2023
LEGO® part 4109: 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.
27 November 2020
The Historical Colosseum
Nero's colossal ambitions in giving the city of Rome a new shape, a shape that should be closely associated with himself, foreshadowed and went on to define the Colosseum. After the great fire of Rome in the year 64 (all dates given in this article are AD), which according to ancient historians was allegedly caused by the emperor himself, large swathes of the city were left uninhabited and many properties could be bought for a small percentage of their normal worth.
13 November 2020
LEGO® set review: 10276 Colosseum
So, senatus populusque romanus, let us now delve into the actual model and the building process.
Act II. – The Build
Bags 1 to 9 build the foundation of the Colosseum, the base plate, and the hypogeum – the underground basement of the amphitheater with a complicated system of ramps, shelters, cages, and lifts in which gladiators, criminals or animals were kept before their ‘show’.
LEGO® parts review: 10276 Colosseum
“Ave imperator, morituri te salutant!”
“Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you!” – Suetonius, Vita divi Claudii 21,6
What football provides in modern-day Europe, American Football in the US or cricket in India, was provided in the ancient Roman Empire by ludi – the entertainment of the people with various kinds of games, most of all the bloody gladiatorial fights. All of these sports have one thing in common: they were, and still are, hosted in massive stadiums and arenas.
With the latest Creator Expert model, 10276 Colosseum, LEGO® has finally revealed the archetype of every modern sports stadium, one of the “New7Wonders of the World” and the biggest tourist attraction in Rome. With 9036 (!) parts, LEGO is releasing its biggest set to date and the inventory isn’t the only huge aspect; the measurements of 52x59x27 cm (20.5x23.5x10.5 inches) quite literally earn this set the epithet “colossal”!
27 October 2020
LEGO® Architecture review & MOCs: 21054 The White House
04 February 2020
LEGO® Architecture review: 21052 Dubai
29 December 2019
LEGO® Architecture Review: 21051 Tokyo
09 December 2019
LEGO® Creator Expert review: 10270 Bookshop - The techniques
After my roundup of what’s in the new Modular Building set element-wise, let’s take a look at the actual build and the different techniques used here. First we will discover the bookshop, and afterwards, the Teal apartment next to it.
13 August 2019
LEGO® review: 71044 Disney Train and Station
24 December 2018
LEGO® Architecture: Rok Zgalin Kobe interview
By now, the Architecture line has pretty much become a mainstay of the LEGO portfolio. Are you surprised by the success the theme has had?
Rok: I would be betting against myself if I said I was surprised! I’m happy that it has the success that I believe it deserves.
It’s very different from the other lines, apart from maybe to a certain extent LEGO Ideas, in that the sets aren’t really made to be played with, they are static objects to be put on shelves, more like exhibition pieces. How does that affect the design process?
Rok: Well, it certainly doesn’t make us exempt from any of the stringent quality standards that the LEGO Group has, so it’s still treated as a child’s toy, with all the safety and quality issues that come with that. You have to be able to do this with it (holds up a pre-built 21037 LEGO House set and shakes it), so it has to be stable, but at the same time, at any point in the building process, you must not be able to injure yourself in any way with it. You always have to imagine a small child falling on top of it, which could be quite bad.
16 December 2018
LEGO® Architecture 21044 Paris and 21043 San Francisco
The Architecture Skyline sub-theme has been running successfully since 2016 and we are getting some of the most recognizable cities in 2019. The most iconic landmark of Paris was featured in a number of previous Architecture sets, which is a good demonstration of the dynamics of scale and progress that was achieved by the introduction of new elements to build up the Eiffel Tower over the years.
22 June 2018
LEGO® Architecture 21042 Statue of Liberty: The new parts
05 May 2018
21036 Arc De Triomphe
So, first off I’ve got a bit of a guilty confession to make – even though LEGO Architecture’s been around for a decade now and had over 40 sets released… I’ve never actually been interested enough in the theme itself to actually buy any of ‘em before. As someone who’s always been more sucked in by minifig-scale themes like City, Friends, Creator and occasionally more action-y ones like Ninjago, Architecture has always been one of those things I’ve occasionally seen on the shelves, gone “Oh, that looks alright I guess” and continued on my merry way.
So when Tim handed me a shiny new copy of 21036 Arc De Triomphe to rebuild for here, I had a little bit of a think about how exactly I should approach it. Instead of just rebuilding the model into something else like last time, I decided to do a lil’ review of the set itself as an insight into the mind of an ‘Architecture Virgin’, as such (also, note to self: never use the phrase ‘Architecture Virgin’ ever again).
08 April 2017
Guggenheim, a museum made of LEGO® pieces
27 February 2017
Bucking the trend
As the capital of the UK, London has proved to be a popular location for LEGO® Architecture designers; 21023 Big Ben and the Skylines set 21034 London are both from the city. In addition, London landmarks appear in the Creator Expert theme with the huge 4163-piece set, 10253 Big Ben and the even larger 10214 Tower Bridge which has 4287 parts. With 780 parts, 21029 Buckingham Palace was released in September 2016 and is priced at £44.99 / US$49.99 / 49.99€.
17 November 2016
London Skyline: set review and LEGO® Designer interview
10 February 2016
Bledge Khalifa
01 December 2015
Skylines
01 June 2014
Trevi review
It's been known about for some time now, but the newest set in the 2014 Architecture line has been officially announced today; 21020 Trevi Fountain. More accurately, the set is the Trevi Fountain plus the façade of the Palazzo Poli, the palace that sits behind it. LEGO®'s Community and Events Engagement Team kindly organised an advance review copy for New Elementary but before you ask; I don't yet know the release date or price. [Edit: now listed on UK LEGO site at £39.99; same as 21006 The White House.]
06 May 2014
House of bricks
Today I cracked open 4000010 LEGO® House and figured I'd review it - given that the set is not readily available, has a rather interesting inclusion, and of course to shoehorn in a reminder that New Elementary's LEGO House competition closes in 9 days! Fret not - I didn't open the copy sent by the Community and Events Engagement Team which remains safely mint in sealed box for the winner. It's another copy I bought on a recent trip to Billund, which is the only town on Planet Earth where the set has been made available for sale. This limited release is a gesture from The LEGO Group (TLG) to local businesses, in light of the disruption being exacted in the centre of town to construct the real LEGO House which will be a museum, or rather an "interactive experience centre" in modern-day parlance. When I was there, the last of the existing buildings on the site were being torn down.