LEGO® CITY review: 60290 Skate Park & 60291 Family Home

Caz Mockett returns today with more 2021 LEGO® CITY reviews for you: 60290 Skate Park and 60291 Family Home. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

On 1st January 2021, fans of the LEGO CITY theme will be treated to the release of five new sets to help them develop their LEGO metropolis, which I have received to review, namely 60290 Skate Park, 60291 Family Home, 60292 Town Centre, 60306 Shopping Street and 60304 Road Plates.

Of course, the first thing I did was build all five sets and put them together into a City layout to see what could be made from them. 

LEGO® Super Mario review: 71386 Character Packs – Series 2

We will be examining some 2021 LEGO® Super Mario sets over the coming weeks, starting today as Tim Goddard (@tim_goddard928) analyses the 10 blind bags of 71386 Character Packs Series 2, which are priced £3.49/ US$4.99/ 3.99€. Buying these when they are released on 1 January 2021? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

I did not pick up any of the little Super Mario impulse polybags from Series 1 so I was not sure what to expect prior to reviewing the Character Packs from Series 2. Now that I have, it seems that I’ve been missing out!

I have been a casual Super Mario player in my time. I played a couple of games on the GameCube (showing my age there) and enjoyed some handheld adventures along with a bit of Mario Kart but I am not by any means a hardcore plumber nut. Even so, every bag I opened was a joy. A combination of nostalgia, great design and a flurry of interesting parts poured out of each one.

LEGO® Technic review: 42124 Off-Road Buggy

Our next 2021 LEGO® Technic review comes from Omid (@nwbricks) who takes 42124 Off-Road Buggy for a spin. Buying this set when it is released on 1 January 2021? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Hot on the wheels of 2019’s 42099 4x4 X-Treme Off Roader comes the equally extreme (but slightly less off-road) LEGO® Technic 42124 Off-Road Buggy. It contains 374 pieces, will set you back US$129.99/ £119.99, and you’ll need a smartphone and 6 AA batteries to run the Control+ hub. 

There’s a lot to digest here including plenty of new and unusual parts, Control+ elements and the accompanying app – so let’s get stuck in! 

LEGO® CITY Review & MOCs: 60304 Road Plates

Caz Mockett (aka BlockHeadUK) returns today to review LEGO® CITY 60304 Road Plates, which premieres the replacement for printed 32x32 baseplates that have graced city sets for over 40 years. Coming in 2021, it is priced £17.99 / $19.99 / 19.99€. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

After months of rumour and speculation, the new LEGO® CITY Road Plate system has been finally unveiled. This review will examine the new elements in set 60304 and how they can be integrated with an existing City layout, either using regular baseplates or a modular system such as MILS.

In 2 future articles I will also look at the interesting elements in 4 other sets in this 2021 City release: 60290 Skate Park and 60291 Family House, 60292 Town Centre and 60306 Shopping Street.

LEGO® Friends review: 41430 Summer Fun Water Park

A new-for-2020 family of parts we've not yet examined are the large tubes. Inthert (on Flickr) rectifies that today by reviewing one of the sets containing them: LEGO® Friends 41430 Summer Fun Water Park. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Friends sets are well known for their abundance of vibrant hues, spot-on colour blocking and innumerable details. 41430 Summer Fun Water Park is no exception. This bundle of joy has 1001 pieces, four Minidolls and is priced at US$99.99/ £89.99 / 97.47€.

LEGO® DOTS review: 41914 Creative Picture Frames

Andrew Barnick returns today with another LEGO® DOTS review, and it is quite a different one: 41914 Creative Picture Frames. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|USA Amazon|UK LEGO Shop at Home|UK Amazon. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

LEGO® DOTS is best known for the colourful tiles and customisable bracelets, but that’s not all the theme has to offer. Today I’ll be reviewing 41914 Creative Picture Frames, one of the various “desk accessory” sets. This set comes in a larger sorting box than the Mega Pack or the desk accessories from the first half of the year, with a larger part count to match. As such, there’s a lot to look at, so let’s get started!

LEGO® ART review: 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse

We have another 2021 LEGO® Art set for you today: 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse, reviewed by Omid (@nwbricks). It has 2658 pieces and will be released 1 January 2021 priced 119.99€/ £114.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99/ AU$199.99/ 1099 DKK. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

If you’ve been following our articles recently you may have guessed this review was coming! TobyMac dived into LEGO® ART 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests which teed me up for a go at the slightly smaller but similarly impressive 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse. 

I must admit, when the first round of Art sets were revealed I wasn’t exactly blown away. That was due in equal parts to the subject matter and the inescapably sly marketing which requires you to spend upwards of £400 for a complete set of all four possible images. 

LEGO® Monkie Kid review & MOCs: 80015 Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster

Today, Aron Gerencsér (on Flickr) reviews LEGO® 80015 Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster and is inspired by its parts to create several MOCs. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home | UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Arriving in the second wave of the new-ish Monkie Kid theme, alongside 80014 Sandy’s Speedboat and 80016 The Flaming Foundry, is the medium-sized 80015 Monkie Kid’s Cloud Roadster. With five minifigures and 659 pieces, this vehicle is the second-largest set of the wave and retails for £54.99 / $69.99 / 58.48€. With an interesting minifig lineup, a promise of useful parts in interesting colours and a smaller villainous side-build adding play value, this set seems like a good time for kids and AFOLs alike. Let’s see if it can soar through the clouds, or if it’s left in the dust!

LEGO® City review: 60260 Air Race

Toby Mac (TobyMac from Rebrickable) returns today to review an unusual LEGO® City set with several new elements, 60260 Air Race. But are they of any use to adult builders? The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home|UK LEGO Shop at Home. New Elementary may get a commission.

Today we’ll be looking at 60260 Air Race, a LEGO® City set that contains 140 parts, and includes 2 helicopters, an airplane and 3 minifigures at an RRP of £24.99 / $39.99 / 29.23€. Judging by the box-art, the helicopters can actually fly, so let’s take off!

(CW: HP) LEGO® ART review: 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests

Today, Toby Mac (TobyMac) reviews the upcoming LEGO® ART 31201 Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Crests which is priced 119.99€/ £114.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99/ AU$199.99/ 1099 DKK and contains 4249 pieces. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

In 2020 LEGO has focused strongly on adult builders including introducing a new line of sets, LEGO Art, with which you can build a mosaic that can be hung like a painting. So far, there are 4 sets in this theme; New Elementary took a very brief look when they were announced back in July and now 2 more sets have been announced for a 2021 release. I’ll be looking at one of them in detail now, 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests, and soon Omid will be reviewing the other, 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse. 

©2020 The LEGO Group

With 31201 you can build one of four crests belonging to the houses of Hogwarts. As with all LEGO Art sets, you can only build one design at a time. There is also the possibility to combine 4 copies of the set in 1 large display containing all crests.

LEGO® set review: 10276 Colosseum

Following his examination of the elements in LEGO® 10276 Colosseum, Kevin J. Walter (Public BRICKstory) now reviews its construction. This 9036-piece set is available from 27 November 2020 priced 499.99€/ £449.99/ US$549.99/ CA$649.99/ AU$749.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

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

10276 Colosseum is the largest LEGO® set to date, and here is our colossal review! Our guest author is historian and LEGO enthusiast Kevin J. Walter who founded the site Public BRICKstory to combine his two passions, and even built a LEGO Colosseum that hit 10k supporters on LEGO Ideas last month! Available priced 499.99€/ £449.99/ US$549.99/ CA$649.99/ AU$749.99. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. New Elementary may get a commission. The products in this article were provided free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

“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”!

LEGO® Ninjago review + MOCs: 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai

A rather odd LEGO® Ninjago element caught our eye this year, so we sent it to two members of our team to review and build MOCs with. First up: Inthert (on Flickr) reviews 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai. If you're buying this set, consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop at Home, UK Amazon. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Ninjago has always been known for introducing new elements, but the latest mini-wave of Spinjizu Burst sets have raised the bar – or should that be levelled the bar? More on that later but first let’s take a look at the build of one of the three Burst sets currently available: 70686 Spinjitzu Burst – Kai.

Forbidden Elementary: Sticker sheet cardboard box

Inthert (on Instagram) returns today with a wholly (and holey) different idea for a New Elementary post. Welcome to Forbidden Elementary, where we look at elements that aren't elements. Heresy!

Designed to withstand even the most enthusiastic play, the average LEGO® brick doesn’t typically require individual protective packaging. However, some of the more fragile, non-standard elements like rubber bands, string and cloth pieces need exactly that and so are placed in small cardboard boxes to keep them safe from factory to consumer.

This particular specimen comes from the Speed Champions polybag 30342 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo which was available for free with qualifying purchases from LEGO in June and August 2020. Unusually, it does not contain one of the vulnerable element types listed above; instead it protects the tiny sticker sheet from getting crumpled in the bag. Before diving deeper into the wonderful potential of cardboard LEGO elements, let’s take a brief look at the model itself because without it, I wouldn’t have embarked on this bizarre endeavour.

LEGO® Architecture review & MOCs: 21054 The White House

We have not one but two authors today: Miller Keys (@miller.keys) and Kaitlyn Lee (@ktlynl_) who, you will be charmed to learn, became a couple after meeting as rival contestants on LEGO® Masters Australia. We sent them 21054 The White House for review with the additional challenge of creating alternate builds from this 1483-piece set, which retails for £89.99/ US$99.99/ 97.47€. If you're buying this set, consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop, UK Amazon. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

LEGO® Architecture debuted onto the LEGO scene in 2008. Since then over 50 sets have been released, with two of those being models of The White House. The first – 21006 – in 2010, and more recently 21054 in 2020 which we are exploring today.

LEGO® Hidden Side Review & MOCs: 70437 Mystery Castle

Today we welcome new contributor Caz Mockett (BlockHeadUK), well-known for her Micropolis builds that have even graced the Masterpiece Gallery of LEGO House. Her first New E assignment is well-timed for the spooky week ahead! She examines LEGO® Hidden Side 70437 Mystery Castle before using some of its parts to create MOCs. If you're buying this set, consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop at Home, UK Amazon. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

70437 Mystery Castle is the largest set in the current LEGO® Hidden Side releases for 2020. The castle is approximately 31cm wide, 27cm deep and 33cm tall in its closed configuration and 45.5cm wide by 26cm deep in its open position. It contains 6 minifigures, 1033 parts and is priced at £89.99/ US$99.99/ €97.47. The price per part is reasonable value at 8.7p/ 9.7c/ 9.4c respectively, especially when you consider that quite a few of the parts are quite large pieces such as corner panels, windscreens and moulded roof elements.

LEGO® Ideas parts & minifigures review: 21324 123 Sesame Street

Following his look yesterday at the completed LEGO® Ideas set 21324 123 Sesame Street, today Tim Johnson breaks it down to reveal the new minifigures, printed and recoloured pieces as well as many rare ones. This 1367-piece set is now available for £109.99/ €119.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99. If you're buying it, consider using our affiliate links to LEGO Shop at Home in the USA or UK. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

As we've all now seen, LEGO® Ideas 21324 123 Sesame Street is a vibrant set full of new and rare recolours of parts, and brand new minifigs too. Hang on a second – new moulds in Ideas? The press release confirms “exclusive buildable minifigures which have been moulded specifically for the set”. Seems that’s no longer against the Ideas rules; Brickset user Brick_Clicker noted the guidelines on the LEGO Ideas site now state: “Should we deem it necessary, we may introduce new LEGO element molds, new cloth or other non-brick elements in the final official LEGO Ideas set. This would [be] done on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the LEGO Ideas Product Development team.” Well, that is good news, although I really hope we get a CMF line too because I want Grover and The Count!

LEGO® Ideas review: 21324 123 Sesame Street - the model & stickers

Just revealed, LEGO® Ideas 21324 123 Sesame Street is reviewed by Tim Johnson across 2 articles, starting today with a look at the model and its sticker sheet. It measures 24cm (9”) high, 35cm (13.5”) wide and 21cm (8.2”) deep. A-haaa, I love to count the dimensions. This 1367-piece set is now available for £109.99/ €119.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99. If you're buying it, consider using our affiliate links to LEGO Shop at Home in the USA or UK. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

Warning: I haven’t been this excited about an IP since LEGO Doctor Who, and so unusually for New Elementary there will be scrutiny of the source material, the minifigures and even the stickers! We’ll start with the completed set however, so settle back, pop on an appropriate disco soundtrack and let me show you what you get, what you get in Sesame Street. 

LEGO® Star Wars review: 75318 The Child

Today we welcome another new contributor, Zachary Hill from the USA whose work some of you have already read on our Patreon. Today he reviews LEGO® Star Wars 75318 The Child which is priced at US$79.99/ CA$99.99/ £69.99/ €77.97. Consider using our affiliate links: USA LEGO Shop at Home, USA Amazon, UK LEGO Shop at Home, UK Amazon. New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

The Mandalorian’s irresistibly adorable alien baby is prime material for the relentless Star Wars merchandising machine, with The Child appearing on everything including headphones, lip balm and even coolers. Here at New Elementary, we prefer the galaxy’s cutest 50-year-old in LEGO® form. More than just googly-eyed goodness awaits fans in 75318 The Child, with a handful of newly recoloured pieces and a pile of rare bits included to build “Baby Yoda”.

Minifigs & recolours: LEGO® 75551 Brick-Built Minions and Their Lair & 75549 Unstoppable Bike Chase

Last time, Tim Johnson began working through all the new LEGO® parts from Minions: The Rise of Gru 75551 Brick-Built Minions and Their Lair (£44.99/ $49.99/ 48.73€) as well as 75549 Unstoppable Bike Chase (£17.99 / $19.99 / 19.49€) and today he completes this analysis by examining the Minion minifigures and the recolours. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

LEGO® Minifigures in 75549 and 75551

75549 comes with Stuart, Gru and Bob. Gru has 2 expressions and printing on the rear of his torso. The Minions come in their traditional overalls.