Check your inbox VIPs, LEGO wants you to be the first to get your hands on the massive 10237 The Tower of Orthanc set and all you need is your LEGO ID… and a wad of cash, of course. Offer is good online and in store until June 30th and you’ll even get the sweet poster pictured in the ad (plus the Jor-El poly that is also being offered), so if you’ve been drooling over this set like I have, now’s your chance. Click the picture below and start your shopping! Oh, and don’t forget the shipping on this will be free as well.

Moments ago, LEGO CUUSOO announced on their blog the results of their Fall 2012 review cycle, and the team has chosen the Perijove’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover as the winner! Everything is still pending including the final name, price, and purchase details but you can view the announcement video and full post (reposted) below.

Results of the Fall 2012 LEGO® Review

We’re excited to share the results of the Fall LEGO® Review. In September, three LEGO CUUSOO projects entered the second quarterly review period for projects that successfully reach 10,000 supporters. These three projects—the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, UCS Sandcrawler™, and Thinking with Portals!™—have been being considered for production by the LEGO Review Board.

21104 Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover- pending final name confirmation

It is with great pleasure we reveal that the next LEGO CUUSOO set will be the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, based upon the LEGO CUUSOO project by Perijove.

This project rose to popularity in late summer 2012, when the real Mars Curiosity Rover approached and landed on the planet Mars in its historic mission. The model designer, LEGO CUUSOO user Perijove is a Mechanical Engineer who worked on the actual Curiosity rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Perijove writes that he built and submitted the rover to further the educational outreach of the Mars Curiosity rover’s incredible mission, and to encourage greater public support for space exploration.

The final product is still in development. Exact pricing and availability is still being determined, so stay tuned for an update on when you can buy your own Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover in the coming months.

As part of Fall 2012 cycle, there were two other sets up for review: UCS Sandcrawler, and Thinking with Portals.

Unveiled moments ago at Brickworld in Chicago, LEGO has pulled the curtain back from their latest Shop@Home exclusive, 10234 Sydney Opera House. What’s interesting to me is that this set is being released as part of the Creator line and not the Architecture line for which there is already a small scale model of the same building. This set weighs in at 2,989 pieces and will set you back $319.99 US / $379.99 CA. 10234 Sydney Opera House is scheduled for release later this year in September, at the same time as 10236 Ewok Village. More images below, followed by the designer video, and then the official press release.

10234 Sydney Opera House™

Ages 16+. 2,989 pieces.

Recreate Australia’s architectural masterpiece!

US $319.99 CA $379.99 DE 279.99€ UK 249.99 £ DK 2499.00 DKK
Recreate one of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings with the Sydney Opera House™ model. Build the unmistakable shell roofline, waterfront forecourt and more with this authentic representation of Australia’s most iconic building. Employ a variety of new and advancedbuilding techniques to recreate the complex forms, angled walls and subtle detailing of the real thing! Collect lots of dark tan LEGO® bricks including the rare 1x1x2/3 stud and 1x2x2/3 stud slopes, as well as a 48×48 stud baseplate in blue for the very first time!

• Build this model of a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
• Includes hard-to-find dark tan LEGO® bricks, tiles and sloped bricks!
• Collect the 48×48 stud baseplate, available in blue for the very first time!
• Sturdy construction allows the model to be handled and moved!
• Features advanced building techniques for complex forms, angled walls and subtle detailing!
• Measures over 11″ high, 25″ wideand 15″ deep!

Today was the official first day that the life-sized X-wing Starfighter was revealed to the public in its new home at LEGOLAND California. I wasn’t able to attend the official ceremony ’cause stupid work got in the way but I was fortunate that forum member Mos Eisely was headed down there anyway. So I asked him to cover the even for me and here’s his report. There’s also a video followed by a copious amount of pictures of the model. It’s pretty impressive to say the least. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person this weekend.

“There’s nothing wrong, Artoo. I’m just setting a new course. We’re not going to regroup with the others. We’re going to the LEGOLAND system.”

Thursday, June 13, the life-sized LEGO X-wing was officially unveiled to visitors of LEGOLAND California. Employees, their families, the mayor of Carlsbad, and members of the local press and media were invited to watch as the red curtain was dropped, revealing the largest LEGO model ever built. The General Manager of LEGOLAND California, Peter Ronchetti, spoke briefly about the X-wing and the employees who helped make the presentation possible before his speech was interrupted with the sounds of the X-wing coming in for a landing. He quickly moved out of the way, steam was released, and the curtain dropped, showing everyone the massive X-wing.

LEGOLAND California did a great job with the presentation. The staff was friendly and accommodating. There were plenty of photo ops with members of the Hazard Squadron from The Rebel Legion as well as Stormtroopers and a remote controlled R2-D2 from the 501st Legion. After an hour, the X-wing was available exclusively for Annual Pass Members to view from 10:00am-2:00pm. When this special viewing was completed, the X-wing was open to all LEGOLAND guests and will remain at the park for the rest of the year. I was unable to find out where it will be heading next.

The X-wing itself is awesome. It’s much bigger than I expected and it is quite impressive. Unlike the Times Square event, there is no signage or push at all for The Yoda Chronicles, which is unfortunate because I would have loved to add a “LEGOLAND I <3” Yoda to my collection. My only real issue with the hangar is that other than the X-wing itself, there isn’t really anything going on in the display area. I think it would have been great if they dressed up the hangar more to look like a hanger. Have a printed banner across the back to make it look like the hangar continued on with other LEGO X-wings and ships in the background. Maybe have some LEGO-built equipment, droids and pilots hanging around. Don’t get me wrong, the X-wing is amazing and worth a visit, I just think for all the effort that was put into bringing it across the country that it deserves a fully dressed display area.

The dimensions and brick count has been covered by numerous sites, but I’ll finish up with some info from the official LEGOLAND California model fact sheet:

The LEGO® Star Wars™ X-wing starfighter model is the world’s largest LEGO model built to-date at 11-feet tall, 43 feet long with a wingspan measuring 44 feet. It is a 1:1 model 42 times the size of a detailed building set currently available for children of all ages. After being revealed in New York City’s Times Square, the Model “took off” for a summer landing at LEGOLAND® California Resort. Traveling the country in six freight trucks, the LEGO model arrived in Carlsbad, California, and was assembled by Master Model Builders inside a special hangar in Imagination Zone where it will be on display for the remainder of the year.

An international team of designers, builders, engineers, mechanics and logistics experts spent more than one year bringing this model from brainstorm to reality using the same bricks and elements featured in the general LEGO retail collection.

Key Model Specifications:
• Contains 5,335,200 LEGO bricks
• Weighs 45,979.61 pounds (including bricks and steel infrastructure)
• Height: 11 feet / 3.35 meters
• Length: 43 feet / 13.1 meters
• Wingspan: 44 feet / 13.44 meters
• 32 builders spent 17,336 hours (about 4 months) to construct
• Built in the LEGO Model Shop in Kladno, Czech Republic
• Is a one-to-one replica of LEGO Star Wars set #9493; The model is 42x the size of the retail construction set
• The model was heavily engineered to withstand all the transportation, setup/break down and to ensure it was safe for Times Square given the subway system below and California’s seismic requirements for the LEGOLAND California Resort installation.

Here’s what the Star Wars Weekend volunteers will be receiving as part of their swag this weekend at LEGOLAND California. In addition to the exclusive Clone Lieutenant minifig revealed a few days ago, volunteers will also receive the above Yoda Chronicles-themed t-shirt to wear, sell, or wash their car with. We hope they’d wear them though.

Star Wars Weekend is happening at LEGOLAND California this weekend June 15-16, father’s day weekend.

This popped up on YouTube a few months ago but I’m just now getting around to discovering it. The two and a half minute video shows some of the cut scenes used for the game. It prominently features Iron Man, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Sandman, and Abomination.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: The Video Game releases this fall on all current game systems. Pre-order your console version from Walmart.com to receive Iron Patriot, still the stupidest promo tie-in minifigure choice ever made.

Amazon’s applying a slight discount on 10188 Death Star, 10% off. It’s now sitting pretty at $359.99 with free shipping and no tax to most states.

Did you miss out on the May the 4th promotion for this set? While Amazon’s discounted price of 10227 B-Wing Starfighter as of this writing of $155.55 may not be as great as the Shop@Home sale price, it’s still 22% below MSRP.

Also showing up on Marvel’s Facebook page is this gem of a mosaic. The imagery should be familiar to you as it is the main graphic used to promote the game. This mosaic made an appearance on the show floor at E3. I wonder what it would take to recreate it…. hmmm…

This comes courtesy of reader Ben Doney. You get to see a little bit of Mr. Fantastic and The Human Torch from Fantastic Four in action as well as Sandman and some giant robot looking thing.

The game comes out later this year with some sites pegging the date as October 31, 2013. Remember, pre-order your Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii U copy from Walmart.com and get a free Iron Patriot minifig as a bonus.

via Marvel’s Facebook page

IGN & Comic Book Resources are reporting that Marvel will be releasing LEGO variant covers on more than twenty different titles to promote the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes game.

LEGO artists Leo Castellani, Christopher Jones and Adam DeKracker are providing a series of variant covers for some of Marvel’s September-releasing titles recreating some classic covers from the past in iconic LEGO minifigure form.

“Working with the folks at The LEGO Group to do these homage covers is an absolute blast!” said David Gabriel, SVP of Sales, Print & Digital. “As soon as we came up with the concept of doing the covers, I couldn’t wait to get an idea off the ground that really does justice to both the Marvel heroes and the LEGO brand.”

The titles have a little bit for everyone, or a lot to rundown for the OCD in the group:

All-New X-Men #17
Avengers #21
Avengers A.I. #4
Captain America #12
Daredevil #31
Fantastic Four #13
Guardians Of The Galaxy #7
Hawkeye #15
Indestructible Hulk #14
Infinity #3
Iron Man #17
Marvel Universe: Avengers Assemble #1
Mighty Avengers #1
New Avengers #11
Nova #8
Secret Avengers #10
Superior Spider-Man #19
Thor: God Of Thunder #14
Uncanny Avengers #12
Wolverine & The X-Men #36
X-Men #5

I’m down for one at least. For now…

Update: Confirmed that they will NOT be available with purchase at The Big Shop. Looks like you have to have your child enter the trivia contest to get one if you aren’t a volunteer.

This was the artwork sent to me showing the exclusive minifig that will be available this weekend during Star Wars Weekend at LEGOLAND California. This minifig will be given to the volunteers. And if history is a any indication, you’ll be able to get one if you spend a certain dollar amount at the Big Shop. Also, I am pretty sure your child can get one from the 501st Droid Hunt game.

I realize that the picture shows the other lieutenants, but there is no indication at this time if they will be made. Also, other than being available this weekend, there is no word yet as to how else one could acquire this minifig. Stay tuned for details should more information become available.

That’s a whole lot of comic for just 10 cents! This monolithic magazine mosaic was created for the Denver Comic Con by four committed (or at least they should be, Hiyo!) members of CoWLUG. At 10 feet tall and over 200 pounds it took four people and a forklift to set up the wall of nearly 60 thousand bricks to greet its adoring public. Congratulations to Mark, Mia, Joel & Duane! Well played folks. Just 900 more issues to go!

This Fell Beast from captainsmog isn’t just an obvious upgrade from the retrospectively inferior horses the Nazgul stole from Rohan, but a great MOC in any case. I personally far prefer the LotR sets over the Hobbit ones (with the exception of An Unexpected Gathering which is also featured in those films), so with the eagles now appearing in two sets from the line I think we really need another set featuring the black riders. Let me be more specific. How about a Battle of the Witch-King set complete with “I am no Man!” Éowyn and the King of Angmar’s trusty flying, smelly… thing.

This LEGO-fied version of the poster for Disney’s upcoming Lone Ranger flick dropped yesterday and, for the most part, the various entertainment outlets seem to have received it well. I guess I’m even more jaded than I thought because Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
LEGO really had nothing to work with here and such a boring poster doesn’t help fill me with any more interest in a movie that I fear the best part of may already be on the shelves.

If you haven’t fallen for Toys’R'Us’s insane markup for new Lord of the Rings sets yet, then fret no more as Amazon and LEGO Shop@Home has you covered.

Amazon

No tax to most states. Free Super Saver Shipping with $25 minimum. Free 2-day shipping with Prime.

• 79005 The Wizard Battle $12.99
• 79006 The Council of Elrond $29.99
• 79007 Battle at The Black Gate $59.99
• 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush $99.99

LEGO Shop@Home

Tax. Free shipping after $75. Free Jor El (until June 25th or supplies last) after $75. VIP points.

• 79005 The Wizard Battle $12.99
• 79006 The Council of Elrond $29.99
• 79007 Battle at The Black Gate $59.99
• 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush $99.99

Thanks to ninnymuggins for the heads up.

Revealed today at the Lipno Event in Czech Republic, LEGO is pulling the curtain back on their newest Shop@Home exclusive, 10236 Ewok Village.

In a nutshell, the set consists of 1,990 pieces and will set you back $249.99 US / $299.99 CA. Once you get over the sticker shock, you can check out the , the designer video, gallery of images and the official press release below. On sale date is set for September 2013.

My initial impression? I think LEGO’s hit it out of the park. For too long have we suffered mediocre set designs constrained by a price point. 10236 Ewok Village looks like they threw any consideration of budget out the window. With 16 minifigures, most of which are exclusive, this set is on par with 10188 Death Star in terms of depth and quality. The trees are suitably chunky and are loaded with play features. You can relive lots of scenes out of the movie since LEGO included a fair number of Imperial troopers. I think the only thing that’s missing is 8038 Battle of Endor from store shelves to nicely complement this set. Oh, and more Ewoks. Should have come with more Ewoks.

You can get your hands on this set in September. September can’t come fast enough for me.

10236 Ewok™ Village

Ages 12+. 1,990 pieces.

Recreate classic scenes at the Ewok™ Village!

US $249.99 CA $299.99 DE 249.99€ UK 199.99 £ DK 2,099.00 DKK

Travel to Endor™ and visit the treetop home of the Ewoks. Just like in Star Wars™: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, this recreation of the Ewoks’ forest dwelling is packed with cool functions, including the tree-trunk hideout, secret Lightsaber stash, spider web, net traps, slide, catapults and an elevating throne. Use the rammer function to take out the Scout Trooper’s speeder − just like in the movie! Realistic details include rope walkways, vine and leaf elements, kitchen, food storage area, bedroom and a planning room. The Ewok Village set is the perfect addition to your LEGO® Star Wars collection. Includes R2-D2™and 16 minifigures with weapons: Luke Skywalker™, Princess Leia™, Han Solo™, Chewbacca™, C-3PO™, 2 Rebel soldiers, 5 Ewoks™ (including Wicket™, Teebo™, Chief Chirpa™ and Logray™), 2 Scout Troopers and 2 Stormtroopers™

• Includes R2-D2™ and 16 minifigures: Luke Skywalker™, Princess Leia™, Han Solo™, Chewbacca™, C-3PO™, 2 Rebel soldiers, 5 Ewoks™, 2 Scout™ Troopers™ and 2 Stormtroopers™
• Features tree-trunk hideout and secret Lightsaber stash, spider web and net traps, slide, catapults, elevating throne, speeder rammer function, kitchen, food storage area, bedroom and a planning room. Speeder also included.
• Weapons include a Lightsaber, 3 blaster pistols, 2 blasters, 2 blaster rifles, 2 spears, bow and a crossbow and also includes 2 staffs
• Collect hard-to-find Endor Princess Leia, C-3PO, Luke, Han Solo and Wicket Ewok minifigures
• Measures over 1″ (35cm) high, 21″ (55cm) wide and 13″ (35cm) deep

LEGO Shop@Home has a promotion for most of the month of June where you can get a Jor El promotional minifigure. Now I don’t know if in the movie Jor El’s outfit is actually darker than Superman, but he came out much darker than the promo image and even the package art. See pic below. Anyways, from now until June 25th, just head on over to LEGO Shop@Home or a LEGO Brand Retail location and make a purchase of at least $75. Tiny Russell Crowe will automatically be added to your cart for free! Not only that but you’ll also score free shipping! That’s right, all orders of $75 or more will receive free standard shipping.

And speaking of free shipping, LEGO Shop@Home will now offer free shipping on all orders of $75 or more FOREVER! No expiration date and no code required.

The last planet in series 3 takes a detour away from the central film of the PT trilogy to visit the much stronger second film of the OT as we hunt for what is arguably the most infamous ship (at least in the mind of one smuggler) in the Star Wars universe.
Let’s see if this set sends series 3 out with a whimper or a bang.

I still remember how hopeful I was when this set was announced. It seemed like a golden opportunity for LEGO to produce a large molded asteroid that could possibly be used in future sets. They had already done so with the Death Star and a that required two separate molds where they could get away with one here and like the normal sphere just double it. Change it up a bit and it could be used as a rocky base or a full boulder in any number of sets and themes. My disappointment when the reveal came was crushing and I was left feeling cheated and baffled at LEGO’s “planet” on this one. Still, you can’t dwell on what could have been forever and the decision needs to be made when the product hits the shelf.

Basically, it could have been worse. As I said in a previous review, LEGO could’ve taken the lazy route they did with the two random swirly planets and given us a black ball with random speckles splashed over it. It’s a nice print, but it still seems like a ridiculously baffling choice to represent an asteroid field in a series called planets. I will say that the more useless a part seems, the more impressed I am when someone finds a way to use it really well. In this case I think I’m going to be waiting for a while.

Again… the stand. Moving on.

Series 1 capped off with the TIE Interceptor and I did like that one despite it’s flaws. Here we are with another specialty TIE and I have to say I like this one too. The fantastic printed cockpit dish makes a triumphant return on this second offering of TIE and it actually makes me hope for more TIE variants if this thing keeps rolling. Speaking of rolling, if they made a TIE Crawler (which I didn’t know was even a thing until the seemingly unpopular LEGO version popped up) I could get another sweet printed dish and a bunch of those sweet chain links too boot.

The new R5 head piece makes it’s set debut as an unprinted part and really adds to this sets appeal as a mini parts pack that might make it worth picking up multiples on sale (and who wouldn’t want more asteroid fields?). The model is solid and I think it really captures the shaping of the old 4479 TIE Bomber set (sans the comic-colouring blue) which I think is fitting and it should keep those that claim sets don’t have the proper “LEGO aesthetic” at bay. You could never capture all the colour detail at this scale, so don’t worry about it and move on to more important things. I love that they kept THE EXACT SAME WING DESIGN as the TIE advance mini from a decade ago, but actually fleshed out the rest of the model in a much more satisfying size and style. The square to round shaping of the pods with the mish-mash of different textures thanks in part to the grilled 2×2 round bricks and the tapering of the truncated cone at the end really works as an attempt to deal with detailing.

Hey look! Another unique figure we didn’t need. What was wrong with the TIE Fighter Pilot from the two sets it appeared in last year with a torso that was still good enough after flying nearly every TIE under the suns for more than a decade? Seems like another waste to me. If they really thought they needed new prints, why not on the two sets last year? Then we could already have a few of the new print, but now you’ll need multiples of this if you want to get the new shiny, unnecessary version. Not cool LEGO. I have about a half dozen of these guys (probably more) and now one of these things is not like the other. The worst part, I really like the new torso. It seems sharper as the newer prints tend to do and the tubes are a much better size. I shake my fist in your general direction LEGO, or at least I will… just give me a second to get my bearings. There we go. *Shakes Fist*

What I Liked:

• Tie Bomber is a nice little model with some great parts and another sweet cockpit dish. BOOYAH!
• Printing on the new pilot is nice if unwarranted and mildly frustrating.

What I didn’t Like:

• Asteroid Field. Seriously LEGO?
• Honestly, I’d rather have gotten the pilot from last year. The other pilots will be livid when they see his new threads.

Vedict: If you can see past the ‘roid rage, get it. I actually almost didn’t, but it went on sale for 8 bucks just weeks after release here. Not the whole series, just this one. Yeah, think about it. I don’t know what I regret more, not buying an extra or the fact that I want to in the first place. Series 3 was a tough one with no real stand out that dazzled me on all three fronts and while this entry isn’t a whimpering exit, it’s no bang either. I look forward to series 4 and the possibility of sniping a review or two out from under the boss when he’s not looking. Like I did with this one. Shhhhhhhhhh!

Buy 75008 TIE Bomber & Asteroid Field from LEGO Shop@Home:

Kevin Hinkle works for LEGO, builds with LEGO and draws LEGO. He’s just the level of obsessive I like! Plus, I’m a huge fan of Marvel’s What If? comics and DC’s admittedly deeper and unfortunately defunct Elseworlds titles. This is the type of figure that would make a great exclusive and I for the record would love this one. True Brit, meh. Kingdom Come, pass. Red Son is where it’s at, baby! On second thought, I don’t need another fig to drool over and wish I had like the Symbiote Spidey figure, but I would like to have a print of this. I should probably look into making that happen if possible…

Edit: I should clarify that I enjoyed both True Brit and Kingdom Come, but don’t particularly care for those variant Supersuits.

Amazon is at it again. This time with LEGO Creator Horizon Express (10233). This TGV styled train set is priced at $101.04, a 22% discount from the original price of $129.99. Free shipping applies to this set and there’s no tax to most states. Finally, a price that I can bite on.

Amazon has put a pretty nice discount on 10224 Town Hall. The price now stands at $151.41, a 24% drop from MSRP $199.99. Shipping is free and there is no tax to most states. Usually you have to wait until the holidays to see a nice discount on the modular buildings.

FBTB Fan Ben Doney attended the MCM Expo/London Comic Con this past weekend and attended a presentation held by TT Games producer Phil Ring. At the presentation, Phil has confirmed that Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch will be a playable character in the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game. Now see, why couldn’t THAT be the promotional figure instead of Iron Patriot? Venom is also confirmed a villain character.

Human Torch has been revealed as a playable character and Venom as a villain.

Phil hinted at the possibility of villain missions a la the first Lego Batman.

In contrast to Lego Batman 2, a majority of the character roster will be involved with the story, rather than just collectibles for free play.

One of the levels involves a team up between Mr. Fantastic and Captain America, unexpected/unusual team-ups like this are going to be seen throughout the game.

There will be a few alternate costumes for some characters, but they are mainly alternate armours for Iron Man.
The evolution of his armour plays a part in the story.

Bruce Banner does not take up one of the character slots as he is integrated into the play style of the Hulk

In the open world of New York, as a flying character you are able to fly directly to a shield helicarrier in the New York skyline.

Sounds awesome!

Aside from Human Torch and Venom, the game will have over 100 characters to unlock. Hopefully armors for Iron Man won’t take up too many slots.

via Superhero Hype via Joystiq

So what is The Yoda Chronicles? It’s a TV show, an online experience, and a marketing gimmick all in one. And I’m going to try and break it down for you all in one post cause I myself need to get this straight in my head.

TV Show

Cartoon Network will debut “The Phantom Clone”, the first of three episodes, tonight at 8pm with the other two scheduled to air before the end of the year. The story behind the series is that Yoda hid an ancient relic called the Kaiber Crystal. Count Dooku, his former apprentice, wants this relic and knows exactly where it is. The Sith have plans to take this relic and infuse a clone on Kamino with Force powers. This is the origin of Jek-14.

The series writer is Michael Price and that name should sound familiar as he wrote both The Padawan Menace and The Empire Strikes Out so you should get an idea of what to expect: lots of humor, gags, and jokes. In terms of continuity, the events of The Yoda Chronicles take place some time between Episode II and III so the major characters are from that era. Yet Price has gone on record to say that Classic Era characters also make an appearance. Whether the classic characters are younger versions to maintain some semblance of continuity remains to be seen.

Online Experience

LEGO is pushing The Yoda Chronicles on their site with a series of short movies and other interactive bits and bobs. If you head over to StarWars.LEGO.com, you’ll see the Holocron Vault. Each of those lights represents an animated short or wallpaper that you can download. Right now not all of the lights are active, but there’s enough there to waste some time with. The movies section has all of the animations ordered in reverse order. Each episode is split into two parts. They’re nice little diversions but don’t really add to The Yoda Chronicles story line. The production value is pretty nice as the animations are beautifully rendered. If you’ve played any of the Traveler’s Tales video games the dialog or lack there of should be familiar. Just short of a few one word expressions, communication between characters is more or less a series of grunts.

Marketing Gimmick

LEGO is already creating merchandise based on The Yoda Chronicles. And why shouldn’t they? It is their own wholly owned, fully licensed production after all. The first and probably only set out of the gate for retail sale is 75018 Jek-14 Stealth Starfighter scheduled for release in August. It is priced at $69.99, has 550 pieces, and comes with 4 all new minifigures, including the first ever minifig element case in transparent plastic. The Stealth Starfighter looks like it’s based on the expanded universe E-wing Fighter. With only three episodes confirmed we may get lucky and see another set for the January 2014 assortment but I’m not holding my breath. We’ll have to see what the episodes actually have in store for us.

There’s also a book in the works aptly titled The Yoda Chronicles which you can pre-order it from Amazon right now! And just as you’d expect like most of their other books, it too comes with an exclusive minifig of Special Forces Commander Clone Trooper. I wouldn’t expect much in the way of gripping content but it should be enjoyable by kids standards.

Still confused? I am a little but it may be because it’s way past my bedtime. Depending on the success of the show, and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be, there may be additional episodes beyond the first three. The Holocron Vault was designed to provide countless stories all told through the eyes of Yoda. There’s a lot of little lights.

Set your DVRs and reminders for The Yoda Chronicles on Cartoon Network tonight at 8pm/7pm Central. For you Canadian fans, it’s on Teletoon at 3:30pm Pacific according to Zap2It.

When I posted earlier this week asking for a volunteer field reporter for the Times Square event that happened earlier today, Maxwell Lux stepped up to the plate and answered the call. He snapped up a few photos and did a write up. A bit unusual for what I was looking for but worth reading:

It was a hot and humid morning in the city of New York, the kind of sticky suffocation that hangs low in the air, hastening the escape of the 9-to-5ers into their cubicles of air-conditioned paradise. Taking my leave of the PATH train, I shuffled uptown, a pang of hunger in my stomach and a mission in my mind: there was LEGO to be revealed. Broadway opened into that storied valley of neon: Times Square, a commercial utopia of chain stores and tourist traps, ringed by hundred-foot high video screens. A familiar red, white and yellow logo beckoned from the horizon: I had reached my destination. Nestled in the heart of Duffy square stood a monolith of fantastic proportions, hitherto unseen by the eyes of man: a staggeringly huge LEGO box. Secrets to reveal there were.

I had heard the stories, spread by enigmatic press kit to a lucky few, of the world’s largest LEGO creation: a Star Wars set weighing tons, comprised of millions, if not billions of colorful plastic bricks. The electric billboards of the American Eagle store, usually flashing titillating clips of cavorting clothing models, were now lit green with exciting brick-built battles from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away. The new Yoda-line look was on full display, brand-new commercials silently showcasing the yet-to-be released summer sets, along with tantalizing teasers of Cartoon Network’s The Yoda Chronicles. That was, after all, why I had been summoned here, was it not? I was to bear witness to the birth of a new chapter in the Star Wars saga in a massive blitz of marketing magic unlike any I had seen before.

The box itself, in reality a series of themed tarps supported by metal framework, bore an enigmatic set title: Secret Model Indestructible Box, and a impossible age recommendation: 6-850. Weighing 45,980 pounds and clocking in at 5,335,200 pieces, the packaging possessed the dimensions of a typical LEGO retail outlet (although in typical LEGO fashion, the box seemed to be a little larger than necessary, presumably to provide a sense of inflated value.) Splashed dead-center, in place of the usual set photograph were only the words: ‘Secrets To Reveal There Are’.

Trusty Press pass in hand, I made my way to the front of a specially-roped off area, ducking a wildly-swinging camera boom to situate myself with a perfect three-quarter view of the soon-to-be-revealed set. At 10:45AM, mere minutes after taking my place, a sprightly model attired in the familiar orange jumpsuit of a Rebel pilot bounded onto the stage situated directly in front of the mystery LEGO creation. Bubbly almost to a fault, she began hyping up the growing crowd, promising a live video-call (?) from Coruscant at exactly 11:00, a call that would herald the unveiling of this now-almost-messianic model.

After chatting with a few Yoda-eared lightsaber-wielding padawans hailing from across the five boroughs, the Rebel emcee was suddenly interrupted by the promised call- from MINIFIGURE YODA HIMSELF. Clad in a ‘New York I Love’ t-shirt, Yoda bounded onscreen to help sway a wavering planet into giving The Yoda Chronicles a shot when it premiers (May 29th, 2013 at 8/7 central on Cartoon Network). Using the Force (accompanied by a handy Force-O-Meter), Yoda valiantly tried to unveil the model himself. However, it was only with the assistance of the parents in attendance (yes, the model specifically called on the PARENTS to help) that the curtains finally parted.

Accompanied by hisses of smoke and much fanfare, a colossal Lego X-Wing starfighter, made its triumphant debut to an adoring and starstruck public. Modeled after the soon-to-be-retired 9493 and not the newly-released 10240, this sleek starship replicated its smaller cousin exactly, down to the brick-built rubber bands holding the blocky S-foils in flight position. Life-size, and humbling in it’s blocky majesty, the model slowly made it’s way down the platform, massive laser cannons wobbling slightly as it went. Four months of work from a 35-person build team in the Czech Republic had come down to this: a exacting recreation of a now-classic set, proudly displayed in the heart of the Greatest City In The World ®. The excitement didn’t end there, however, as audience members were treated to a two-minute trailer for The Yoda Chronicles! The humor, as with most LEGO media was quite timeless, and this jaded reporter actually found himself chuckling once or twice.

Amid the promises of photo opportunities inside the cockpit of this brick behemoth, and a take-home X-Wing minibuild (for younglings only) I slipped away into the throngs of people, late for work once again. Yet, reflecting throughout the day on that grand reveal, I found myself pondering: why 9493? Why not the newer, more detailed and more expensive 10240? Making my post-work way through the now rain-soaked streets of night-time New York, I found my answers in the hallowed halls of the Time Square Toys R Us, proud sponsor of that day’s event. Arranged in pillars a dozen deep were specially marked copies of 9493- marked up to $74.99 from a US retail of $59.99. ‘Free New York I Love Yoda With Purchase! Only 1000 Of This SPECIAL EDITION Minifigure available’ a sleeve slipped over the standard sets proudly proclaimed. ‘Of course.’ I muttered to myself, and slipped back into the night. Returning to Duffy Square for one last look at the X-Wing, now bathed in a shimmering rainbow of reflected lights, I was surprised to notice something had been added next to the cockpit, now vacant of giggling children. A brick-built 2-D silhouette of the Jek Porkins minifigure, life-sized and pleasantly portly, smiled at me. I smiled back and walked off into the night.

I had no idea about the exclusive minifig. I lifted the below images from a ridiculous ebay auction asking for $999 buy it now for the minifig. Like Maxwell reported, the price of the set was $74.99, marked WAY up from MSRP of $59.99. $25 mathfail $15 bucks isn’t too bad considering how rare the figure is. If anyone’s got a spare and willing to help out a West Coaster, drop me a line. Please be reasonable.