Showing posts with label LEGO® ICONS™. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LEGO® ICONS™. Show all posts

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!

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...

19 July 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10321 Chevrolet Corvette

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

After some off-road adventures in the very British Land Rover Classic Defender 90, courtesy of Zach Hill’s review, today we take a look at a true icon of American automobile history. The release of LEGO® ICONS™ 10321 Chevrolet Corvette celebrates the car’s 75th birthday, and there is indeed much to celebrate, with new moulds, recolours, and prints.

20 June 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10320 Eldorado Fortress

Posted by Jonas Kramm

Pirates beware! The legendary Eldorado Fortress from 1989 returns on 4 July 2023 as a LEGO® ICONS™ set, so we got our telescope out to scan for new elements on the horizon. What has changed since the original LEGO® Pirates version came out 24 years ago, and how does the set look placed next to the Blackseas Barracuda from 2020?

14 June 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10317 Land Rover Classic Defender 90

Posted by Zachary Hill

Renowned for its aid in off-road adventures, scientific expeditions, or even just pulling stumps from farmers' estates, the Land Rover Defender is one of the world's most iconic four-wheel-drive vehicles. For the off-roader's 75th birthday, The LEGO Group and Land Rover are celebrating with a new  LEGO® ICONS™ vehicle: 10317 Land Rover Classic Defender 90.


This Classic Defender built with Sand Green LEGO® System bricks contrasts 2020's modern Olive Green LEGO® Technic Defender, but that hasn't stopped designer Kurt Kristiansen from incorporating numerous Technic functions and customization options. With its 2336 pieces and $240 price tag tying it with 10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1 for the most massive LEGO Icons vehicle, the Land Rover has a lot to prove. Read on to see how the Rover does that, including insights from the designer.

18 May 2023

Flowerfest: Caz Mockett

Posted by Caz Mockett
Having introduced the sets that we have been using in our Flowerfest back in April, I've enjoyed seeing the MOCs built by my fellow contributors Eero OkkonenTom Loftus and Thomas Jenkins. It's now up to me to follow their fantastic articles and close our festival with some creations of my own.

11 May 2023

Flowerfest: Thomas Jenkins

Posted by Thomas Jenkins

For our FlowerFest, we're analyzing and building with elements found in the 2023 LEGO® Botanical Collection sets: 40646 Daffodils, 10313 Wildflower Bouquet, and 10314 Dried Flower Centerpiece. Eero Okkonen and Tom Loftus have already treated us to some blooming wonderful creations; now it's my turn. 

04 May 2023

Flowerfest: Tom Loftus

Posted by Tom Loftus

Last week, New Elementary's Flowerfest kicked off with an impressive line-up of character builds by Eero Okkonen. A Sontaran built from rose petals is a tough act to follow, but I'm ready to do my best! I'll be analyzing two recent arrivals to the LEGO® Botanical Collection - 40646 Daffodils and 10313 Wildflower Bouquet - and sharing MOCs inspired by their parts.

27 April 2023

Flowerfest: Eero Okkonen

Posted by Eero

After we took a look at the new and rare parts in the 2023 LEGO® Icons Botanical Collection sets a week ago, I am now kicking off our Flowerfest! Over the next few weeks, my New Elementary colleagues and I will reveal what we created with these beautiful elements.

I received two LEGO® Icons Botanical Collection sets, 40646 Daffodils and 10314 Dried Flower Centrepiece. As usual, these floral bricks and pieces inspired me to build flowing hair and elegant clothes… Well, mostly. I also turned a rose into Sontaran.

20 April 2023

Flowerfest: Introducing the elements

Posted by Caz Mockett

Here at New Elementary, we love a good Parts Festival! But we also love to push boundaries. So how about a Parts Festival containing no new moulds?


For our latest series of posts exploring new uses for elements, Eero Okkonen, Tom Loftus, Thomas Jenkins and myself will be harvesting three 2023 sets for seed parts... which will blossom into our original creations for your perusal.

24 March 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ set review: 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell

Posted by Ben Davies

In a previous article, I took a careful look at the numerous new element designs, decorations, and recolours that appear in the forthcoming 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set from the LEGO® ICONS™ theme. Today, I'll be expanding upon that by taking a look at the building process and finished model, with additional insight from Senior Graphic Designer, Ashwin Visser, who New Elementary spoke to at Recognized LEGO Fan Media Days in September 2022.

04 March 2023

LEGO® element design interview: 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell

Posted by Tim Johnson


No single designer is ever wholly responsible for a LEGO® set, so to get a better understanding of the new elements in 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell, we spoke to four of them! Our very own ‘Council of Elements’ comprises three element designers: LEGO Senior Designer Mani Zamani, LEGO Senior Designer Gitte Thorsen and LEGO Design Master Yoel Mazur; as well as one of the model designers, LEGO Design Master Wes Talbott.

22 February 2023

LEGO® ICONS™ parts review: 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell

Posted by Ben Davies

When details first emerged of the LEGO Group revisiting The Lord of the Rings franchise some ten years after the discontinuation of the original theme, as a Tolkien fan my interest was understandably piqued. Following the release of three sets under the LEGO BrickHeadz banner earlier this year, we're about to receive a set under the LEGO® ICONS™ theme, in the form of 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell. 


At 6167 parts, it's a massive set, and I was eager to embark on the quest of reviewing it.

31 December 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ 10312 Jazz Club: build and features review

Posted by Zachary Hill

Last week, New Elementary jumped into LEGO® ICONS™ 10312 Jazz Club's new parts, along with designer insights. Now we're looking at the completed build and features of next year's musical Modular, which is released at midnight tonight. If you're buying it (or anything from LEGO.com) and have appreciated our work in 2022, please consider using our affiliate links. We may earn a small fee, or a medium one if you've really got a lot of sets to get your hands on! USA | UK | Australia (other countries can change region in the page footer).


At three stories tall and dressed in nearly the three primary colours, this Modular Building splits into four pieces. Just like mozzarella and basil, the combination of jazz club and pizzeria make a delicious pairing.

21 December 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ 10312 Jazz Club: New parts in the musical Modular

Posted by Zachary Hill

The LEGO Group's 2023 Modular Building is 10312 Jazz Club and New Elementary has already scoured the three-story venue for new and rare parts. Brickmaster Jamie Berard, creative lead of the LEGO® ICONS™ team, joins us in this euphonious examination to share insights on its design, which was led by Anderson Ward Grubb.

09 December 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Posted by Zachary Hill

The latest LEGO® ICONS™car pays homage to one of history's most influential American automobile designs. The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro oozes cool with its strong lines and powerful V8 engine and is still one of the manufacturer's most recognizable designs today.


10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 1969 represents the other half of a generations-long "pony car" rivalry: this centerpiece of car culture is General Motors' answer to the Ford Mustang, which appeared as a Creator Expert car in 2019. Are you on team Chevy or team Ford? Either way, read on for the Camaro's new parts and smart building techniques, that are sure to appease both sides.

18 November 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10307 Eiffel Tower

Posted by tobymac

The LEGO® ICONS™ set 10307 Eiffel Tower comes with 10,001 parts, and is the tallest LEGO model to date. With previous Eiffel Tower sets counting 320 and 3428 parts, I’ve been given the task to find out if bigger is better.

15 November 2022

LEGO® 10307 Eiffel Tower: Designer interview with Rok Žgalin Kobe

Posted by Tim Johnson

The next LEGO® ICONS™set will be the tallest LEGO set to date: a new version of that most iconic of landmarks, the Eiffel Tower. We got to speak with LEGO Senior Designer Rok Žgalin Kobe at Fan Media Days in Billund, Denmark in September. Rok discusses their approach, and the challenges of designing such a huge set. 

26 July 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ set review: 10305 Lion Knights' Castle

Posted by Ben Davies

Last week we examined the numerous new and rare elements that appear in the upcoming 10305 Lion Knights' Castle. Today, we'll be taking a look at the final model and some of the innovative building techniques that bring it to life.

23 July 2022

LEGO® ICONS™ review: 10290 Pickup Truck

Posted by Admin

Kevin J. Walter returns as a guest author today with a 2021 set that is so gorgeous we really felt it needed to be reviewed, better late than never! Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

When I first saw the announcement of the LEGO® Pickup Truck in August 2021, images of rural American farm life came into my mind. Old MacDonald had a ride! 


Its release last October was the third large-scale vehicle released in 2021 by the line formerly known as LEGO® Creator Expert (now LEGO® ICONS™), following
10295 Porsche 911 and 10279 Volkswagen T2 Camper Van.

The set contains 1,677 parts divided over 8 bags and has a nice little collection of props accompanying the pickup truck. Before we take a closer look at the build itself, let’s explore the new parts in this set.