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

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...

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

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.

 

LEGO® Marvel™ parts review: 76269 Avengers Tower

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.

LEGO® ICONS™ review + MOC: 10329 Tiny Plants

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.

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

LEGO® Marvel review & MOCs: 76251 Star-Lord’s Helmet

To get in the mood for reviewing LEGO® Marvel 76251 Star-Lord’s Helmet and hopefully coming up with some interesting MOCs, I grabbed my old Walkman, put in a pair of really fresh Duracell AAs, and did some quick brickdancing to a mix-tape of old skool tunes! Then I was ready to check through the new and rare parts before building the pencil-pot superhero head of the Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.

LEGO® Friends review + MOCs: 41759 Heartlake City Bus

Beginning our look at the June 2023 wave of  LEGO® Friends sets, 41759 Heartlake City Bus offers a modest range of new and recoloured elements. Today I'll be discussing them all, as well as the build itself and some MOCs I made inspired by the new moulds.

Old Elementary: Cannon Fodder - parts 84943 & 2527 analysis and MOCs

In 1989 LEGO® took to the high seas with their first wave of pirate-themed sets. Shooting Cannon (84943) and Cannon Base 2x4 (2527) were quite literally flagship elements for the theme, and they’ve been a mainstay of the LEGO parts inventory ever since. But is there more to these parts than meets the eye-patch? Today it's my task to find out.

LEGO® parts review + MOCs: 80110 Lunar New Year Display & 80111 Lunar New Year Parade

We are already a few months into the Year of the Rabbit, so are overdue to have a look at what sets 80110 Lunar New Year Display and 80111 Lunar New Year Parade have to offer. Both sets launched end of December 2022 and won’t be available for longer than a year, so let’s get creative with them - but first, I'll see what unique elements they include.

Old Elementary: 6931 FX Star Patroller set review and MOCs

As time progresses, it feels as if the prices of LEGO® Classic Space sets are flying out of my reach; certainly the boxed examples in good condition. I know some of the gaps in my collection may now never be filled (and that’s fine, because being completist is a fool’s errand), however there’s always the odd occasion when the Classic Space Moon aligns with a healthier bank balance and I do manage to acquire a long hankered-after gem.

Join me today for a nostalgic flight back to 1985 with 6931 FX Star Patroller (aka Intergalactic Star Cruiser) as I look at its interesting elements, and create original MOCs using one of its most interesting: Tail 4 x 2 x 2 Aircraft Rocket Engine (Design ID 4746).

Flowerfest: 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 Okkonen, Tom 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.

Flowerfest: 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. 

Flowerfest: 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.

Flowerfest: Eero Okkonen

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.

Flowerfest: Introducing the elements

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.

LEGO® Technic review & MOC: 42152 Firefighter Aircraft

The largest and loftiest of the LEGO® Technic sets launched in March 2023 has taken to the skies, but New Elementary is calling it into to the hangar for inspection. Before we clear this airplane for takeoff, why not refit it into something a little more whimsical? Keep reading to see the features of 42152 Firefighter Aircraft; one of which inspired me to repurpose its parts into a giant dragonfly.

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ review & MOC: 80037 Dragon of the East

Released as the smallest set in the mid-2022 wave of LEGO® Monkie Kid™ Series 3, 80037 Dragon of the East is a fun playset featuring two baddies pitted against our hero Monkie Kid and Mr Tang. Let's take a look at the interesting elements found in the set, before I use some of them in a creation of my own!