“Beautiful LEGO Wild!” Mike Doyle, No Starch Press, September 2015 222 pages, softcover. (10 of 10)

No Starch Press has become the go-to publisher for fans of LEGO who want something a little more than the mass market books that LEGO itself puts out. LEGO’s official publications are understandably geared toward children, which is as it should be. No Starch Press has tapped into the market of adults who are either nostalgic enough to remember how much they loved LEGO, or who are rediscovering playing with LEGO themselves, or that rarest of adult–the ones who see LEGO as an artistic medium in its own right. This last group of people are highlighted in Mike Doyle’s “Beautiful LEGO: Wild!” 

This is Doyle’s third “Beautiful LEGO” book, following the original and “Beautiful LEGO: Dark.” All three have Doyle more as a curator of the best LEGO builds from around the world than an author. He includes a few of his own pieces in the mix, but most of these models are things that are clearly labors of love by other Adult Fans Of LEGO (AFOLs). These artists have found ways to use LEGO to make sculptures and mosaics of landscapes, birds, fish, insects, cartoon characters, and mythical creatures, all under the overarching theme of “Wild.”

In the preface, Doyle writes that “Seeing how simple shapes combine to give the illusion of a bigger picture is exciting.” The way the builders do that varies, and you can see the how the styles of different artists impact how they use these plastic bricks to create organic shapes. 

Some favorite pieces:

Peacock, by Sean Kenney — using only standard LEGO bricks, making a pixelated kind of animal; Kenney has touring zoo exhibits with dozens of his creations, many of which are life-sized. 

Sachiko Akinaga’s Sea Otter Mum & Pup. This gets more complex, moving beyond only rectangular bricks, adding different angles, rounded pieces, and LEGO facing different directions. 

Mike Doyle’s own piece, Appalachian Mountaintop Removal, is a good example of the scale of some of these projects; at around 10,000 pieces, it’s enormous, but is also depicting an entire mountainside. The jumble of vegetation is all made with different LEGO building techniques–most of the conifers are actually LEGO flower stems, simply turned upside-down. Chris Maddison’s Wilderness Cabin on the right is another good example of a very small-scale model, again using a completely different mode of tree-building. 

Andrew Simonson’s Ereg Durin is one of the many minifigure-scaled builds that demonstrate living with nature; understandably, many of these depict scenes from or inspired by the elves in “Lord of the Rings”–great examples of building organically and in harmony with nature. Out of ABS plastic that will last forever.

I’m including Andrei Pacurar’s Steamworks Owl not just because it’s beautiful, but also because it reminds me of “Clash of the Titans.” There are sections of the book highlighting “Artificial Life,” and this is one of the best examples of that.

Truthfully, every page of this volume is worth highlighting in a review. Which would be writing a book about the book which would be both Inception-y and copyright violation. I love that Doyle credits the builders in an appendix at the back of the book, he thanks those who participated in a competition to be included, and it feels more like a collaborative achievement than something that Doyle just cooked up on his own. There are similar books out there that obscure where some of the builds came from, I like that the artists get full credit here.

If you are, or have ever been, a fan of LEGO, “Beautiful LEGO: Wild!” is a gorgeous way to celebrate that fandom. The printing is high quality, the binding is softbound, but more durable than standard paperback/trade paperback format. It’s a great addition to your coffee table or your playroom. If you’re a LEGO builder yourself, you’ll find inspiration here. If you have a LEGO-loving loved one, and you’re not sure what to buy them for Christmas because they already have Every Damn Thing, this is a great gift idea. In any case, this book is by the fans and for the fans. They get it right. 

Thanks to No Starch Press for the review copy of “Beautiful LEGO: Wild!” 

I’m a lifelong fan of “Scooby-Doo.” I’m old enough to remember the original iteration of the cartoon, which started in 1969, ran through the 1970s, and has had some version of the show on the air nearly continuously ever since. There was the Scrappy-Doo fiasco, there have been live action movies, and the most recent version, “Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated” is probably the smartest and funniest version of the Meddling Kids ever made. That said, none of them would have happened if the original series hadn’t been so strong. That’s part of why I’m so happy that LEGO chose the first season of “Scooby-Doo” as inspiration for its lineup, debuting in stores August 1st. 

There are five sets, ranging in price from $12.99 to $79.99. Each of them has Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, and at least one monster/ghost/guy dressed up to scare away myster-solving teenagers. Of the sets, my favorite is the Mystery Machine. I have a thing for iconic fictional cars, whether it’s the Batmobile or Doc Brown’s Time Machine, Fred Flintstone’s steamroller-style car, or the ECTO-1. The Mystery Machine is solidly in that garage-shaped pantheon. And the LEGO version is just about perfect.

The Mystery Machine, while often called a classic VW bus, isn’t. It’s got a different shape, more angular and shorter. Hanna-Barbera probably didn’t want to pay royalties to Volkswagen, so Mystery Inc’s wheels aren’t German-made. Or…German-engineered, made in Mexico, which is what currently happens. Anyway. It’s got the spare tire mounted on the front of the van, it’s definitely got the classic hippie van vibe. LEGO has made VW buses before, but this was their first attempt at the Mystery Machine. It’s beautiful.

The colors, lime green and turquoise, are perfect. Both relatively new colors in the LEGO palette, they’re essential to get the cartoony look right, and they’ve got them. The outside is covered with stickers (it would have been better as printed pieces, but it would also probably cost $5.00 more), to give it that flowery groovy look. What impresses me most is the shape. Kind of top-heavy, with a combination of angles and curves that can be tricky when building with LEGO. It’s not just a straight-sided van; it’s…cartoony. The windshield is (I believe) a brand-new piece, and it’s perfect for the vehicle. The unique shape of the windshield opens up the front seats of the van, with enough room for driver and passenger to sit side-by-side.

The interior is detailed, with a radio in the front, and a kitchen with stove and sink in the back. There’s also a big Scooby-and-Shaggy style sandwich on a countertop, and a tape recorder (it’s either a reel-to-reel or a VHS), radar screen, and computer terminal in the back. For crime-solvin’. There are also crime lab-style bulletin boards on either wall behind the kitchen equipment. They crammed a lot into one van, and the rear swings open and the top comes off to allow play inside. 

The minifigures are also damn near perfect–Fred and Shaggy both have new, unique hairpieces that are more cartoony than most current LEGO hair, but look completely on-model for the characters. They’re classic Scooby, with Fred’s orange ascot and Shaggy’s green t-shirt with short sleeves (a relatively new LEGO innovation on their minifigures). Both Fred and Shaggy have two-sided heads so they can be either happy or scared; just take off the hairpiece and turn the head around. Scooby-Doo himself is an all-new molded piece, with a turning head but otherwise solid. My son pointed out that one side of Scooby’s face is scared, the other side happy–it gives him a slightly crooked face, which is just fine. The villain that comes with this set is the zombie from the first season episode “Which Witch is Which?” He’s also got a robotic tree, which matches the headline of the newspaper that Fred’s got, “Tree Comes To Life” 

So…this set is great. And for $29.99, it’s about average for a set of that size. I’m impressed with everything that’s included. The hard part for me is what’s not included–or who. And that’s Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley. That’s right, I know their last names. Don’t be surprised. (and Shaggy’s real name is Norville Rogers, and it’s Freddy Jones)(you’re nerds too, don’t judge me) LEGO, like every toy company, is a company, and they want as many of my dollars as they can get. If you’re looking to get every Avenger, you’re buying every “Avengers” LEGO set. Every Batman villain, the same. In this case, in order to get all five members of Mystery, Inc. you’re going to have to buy the Mystery Mansion (largest set at $79.99, and the only one with Velma) (Daphne comes with both this set and the Haunted Lighthouse) and the Mystery Machine, which is the only set with Fred. What that usually means for me is that I end up with half of the Avengers, or I’m missing a few Star Wars characters. In this case, each of the five characters is so important to me that I did it. I built the Mystery Machine now, I’m saving the Mystery Mansion for Halloween. I don’t resent it, I understand why they do it, and this time…it worked. 

Seeing these sets fly off the shelves, and seeing both young kids and nostalgic adults going bonkers over them, I think LEGO’s got another hot property on their hands. With the impressive assortment of sets in the first series, it will be interesting to see what follows. 

We’ve seen bits and pieces of these minifigures being leaked over the last few months, with some badly-translated lists of characters, but we finallyhave confirmation and a full image for the next series of LEGO’s popular Minifigures line. Series 14: Monster is only the fourth time we’ve seen an entire wave devoted to one theme; the others were for “The LEGO Movie,” and two series for “The Simpsons” (so far). Here’s what we’ve got coming September 1st:

Official names of the characters:

1. Werewolf
2. Zombie Pirate
3. Crazy Scientist
4. Wacky Witch
5. Plant Monster
6. Fly Monster
7. Spectre
8. Zombie Cheerleader
9. Tiger Woman
10. Gargoyle
11. Skeleton Guy
12. Monster Rocker
13. Zombie Businessman
14. Banshee
15. Bigfoot
16. Spider Lady

It’s a solid assortment, and although LEGO has made zombies and witches and ghosts in recent years, these offer enough new pieces that they’re worth buying. That witch’s hat and hairpiece are new, the zombies are all different than previous zombies, but would fit in nicely with them. The Spectre and Banshee both have a new ghostly leg piece that’s in the newest Ninjago sets, but haven’t been seen before that. The Yeti’s been repurposed as Bigfoot, instead of a traditional LEGO skeleton, we get someone dressed as one to go trick-or-treating. The outstanding ones (for me at least) are the Plant Monster, Fly Monster, Tiger Woman, and Gargoyle. They’ve got great new pieces, they represent classic monsters we haven’t seen before, and I can see things like Tiger Woman’s hairpiece being used to give us a classic Catwoman or Cheetah from DC Comics. Cool stuff.

It’s also great timing (way to go LEGO) that these will be on store shelves leading up to Halloween, but also because the new Scooby-Doo line of LEGO sets comes out August 1st. So for me, writing this, tomorrow. And I’ll be buying the hell out of them. Nice touch to have sixteen more villains for those meddling kids to round up. 

I believe in LEGO. They’ve been my favorite toy company for a long time, and judging by worldwide sales (they’re consistently in the top three alongside Mattel and Hasbro) so do many of you. I buy it new, I buy it used, I buy it on the secondary market via Bricklink.com and eBay…but there’s a dark world of LEGO collecting that scrupulously avoided until now. Bootleg LEGO. 

I’m a believer in intellectual property rights. I think companies (even multibillion dollar corporations) should make money off of the entertainment that they provide. I don’t illegally download movies, music, or comics. I have a lot of friends who do, I just haven’t gone there, and I’m not planning on it. LEGO, my favorite company, should be protected by that same moral code. And it was, until last month. 

I use LEGO in classrooms. I use it to teach kids, I use it to teach teachers. I think it’s a great way to help them break out of that boring cycle of worksheets and lectures. A colleague, knowing that, saw a lot of LEGO minifigures on eBay for dirt cheap and bought them for me. She knew they were knockoffs, but figured it was just for fun, not a serious collection, and got them. When they arrived, my sons and I assembled them. They were kind of ridiculous. Mismatched colors, some joints too tight and others too loose, heads that needed tools to snap onto the torsos, faces printed crookedly on heads. The thing is, they were so close to being right, it made me curious about what other product was out there. I’ve known about “BootLEGO” for years, but thought it would be difficult to find. One eBay search later, there they were.

Having bought (and sold) plenty of toys on eBay, I knew certain things to watch for–shipping costs, lot sizes, things like that. I’m also hyperaware of every minifigure LEGO has made in the last five years, and what they should really look like if they’re authentic LEGO. Closeup pictures of some of these reveal flaws that made me pass them up. Then I saw this:

I’m a huge fan of the Flash. The comic books, the CW television series, all of it. So is my 13 year old son. LEGO has officially made one Flash minifigure–he comes in a great set alongside Wonder Woman, Gorilla Grodd, and Captain Cold. I bought it the week it came out. I love it. The set above includes a Flash in his CW-styled costume, Reverse Flash in the same, a Classic Flash, Classic Reverse Flash, White Lantern Flash, Blue Lantern Flash, Reverse Flash in the bizarre burned suit he currently wears in the comics, and even Black Flash, who’s kind of the Grim Reaper for speedsters. For $8.99. Which includes shipping.

I’m only human. 

I bought it. Sort of as an experiment. Everything looked good on the auction (not even an auction, a store with the “Buy It Now” feature, but I’ve been burned before. Would these be like the shoddy bootlegs I’d been assembling a few weeks before? Turns out, no. They arrived in a little padded package, we opened them and assembled them. Their details (real LEGO has detailed pad printing instead of decals…many LEGO customs have decals instead) were pad printed, and looked like what LEGO would do if they ever made these characters. The Flash helmet pieces…it looks like they based those on the LEGO Batman II video game, with heavy chin straps. The “real” Flash that came out this year has a more streamlined look to it. But the eight characters all have matching ones, so it comes across okay. The one problem I had with the minifigures was that one of the Reverse Flashes had two left earpieces. Bugs me a little, not enough to contact them in China and see about a replacement.

So. What if the BootLEGO is an assortment of characters, or an entire franchise, the LEGO isn’t making, and never will make. They got my money when I purchased the legitimate kit that had the Flash in it–they may make a version of the Reverse Flash someday, but those other six characters? No way. Is this akin to “fan art?” Is it like a recording of a band’s live show that their label is never going to release? I knew I had entered a moral gray area. I figured while I was there…

The next set I bought was Young Justice:

This is another case where I’ve bought each of those characters as they were officially released (multiple Robins, Nightwing, Superboy), but they haven’t, and will probably never, made Kid Flash, Arrowette, Aqualad, and Miss Martian. I love those characters. I want them to be in my DC LEGO Universe. They arrived, they were good. I will say with both sets, while they’re fine for display and probably casual play, there are some small problems. The joints are too tight. Some arms feel like you’re going to break them at the shoulder twisting too hard. For die-hard LEGO fans, there’s a tactile difference as well. The plastic just…feels cheaper. It’s still ABS plastic, but it’s a little more lightweight, it feels a little more brittle. I haven’t had any breakage issues, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened.

This morning as I was looking for the right eBay seller, and for images to use for the article, I came across some others that are hit and miss in terms of quality:

“The Simpsons” — note that things like Homer and Bart, who have short sleeved shirts in the official LEGO, are sleeveless here. That’s another layer of printing and equipment that’s very new to LEGO, and may be difficult to replicate bootleg-style. In any case, LEGO actually makes “The Simpsons” LEGO, so it would go against my personal policy. I think.

I don’t know “Dragonball Z,” and I know their anime designs may be hard to translate into plastic, but these look a little bit off to me. Their torso printing looks great, the faces not so much. LEGO doesn’t have the “Dragonball Z” license, and I don’t see them picking it up anytime soon.

Another case where LEGO will never, ever pick up “The Walking Dead” license…and some of these characters look pretty cool. I’m not a TWD fan, but damn. Those zombies. Again, getting 8 characters for less than ten bucks…tempting.

…then I kept scrolling and saw these. And had purchased them before 45 seconds had passed. Serious. PayPal, done. LEGO has made zombie minifigures, as part of their collectible minifigures line. And I’ve bought them. There are more coming in September, and I’ll buy them. But this gives me six more. Ugh I feel so dirty…

…but not dirty enough to not buy these. I’m not even a Marvel guy. But the Fantastic Four! They have a (probably terrible) movie coming out any day now, but LEGO isn’t making any toys for it. There was a Doctor Doom minifigure with a Spider-Man set last year, but the others are brand new. They’ve even got the Woody/Jessie “Toy Story” style long legs for Reed Richards, and a transparent Human Torch variant, and a Hulk/Darkseid/Grodd-styled Thing. For like eight bucks.

That’s when I logged off, in a cold sweat. 

A friend asked how they could possibly be making them so cheap–if they are professionally made with the ABS plastic and pad printing and everything–what are they doing? I don’t have an answer, except that all of the equipment to make these is already there. They’ve got the technology to do it, and even though they appear to sell small volumes on eBay, add to that the enormous Chinese street markets and other venues to get them out, and they’re making a profit somehow. 

We come back to the idea of intellectual property. I love DC Comics. It’s pretty unconditional. I might hate the current movies, I may hate storylines in the comics, but I have enough goodwill towards them that if LEGO made a Teen Titans Tower LEGO set for $100.00 and put my seven favorite Titans in it, I’d buy it. If they made an Aquaman Lighthouse for $100.00 and it came with Aquaman’s wife Mera and Aqualad and Vulko and a giant purple seahorse, I’d buy it. But they’re not. Is it taking something from LEGO, who isn’t using those characters? I don’t think so. Is it taking something from DC/WB when I make this purchase? Probably. I feel like that puts it into that moral gray area. Maybe I’m kidding myself. But like, I pay full price to see their terrible movies, shouldn’t I catch a break now and then?

There’s some terrible BootLEGO out there. I said I’d provide the ugly, and here it is:

Obviously Han Solo, right? If you look closely, you’ll see things that don’t happen on official LEGO product–that flash seam on top of his hairpiece. The dotted printing on his chest, the almost Sharpied-on face, brown arms where they should be white. It doesn’t match the LEGO-accurate image on the box or on the store’s eBay page.

The worst (taken from the article “Cheap Chinese Rubbish” on Brickset) is this Anna figure from “Frozen.”

The box: 

…and the LEGO Friends-style minidoll inside the box:

There is literally nothing on that minidoll that’s displayed on that box. So if you ordered that box on eBay, with seven other “Frozen” characters, even for ten dollars you’d be stuck with them. For reference, this is what the actual Anna minidoll looks like:

Really a charming little toy.

LEGO is the best in the world at what they do. I don’t like the idea of undermining their sales of actual product by supporting the bootleggers. I don’t see myself buying huge numbers (I have over a thousand real LEGO minifigures…the couple of dozen bootlegs I’ve bought are a drop in the bucket), but I’m still unsettled. But then there’s the LEGO Red Hulk. And the Iron Man Hall of Armor. And Yellow Deadpool. And Daredevil. And…I have a problem.

We’ve known this was coming for a few months now, and here we have our first look at the LEGO Ideas “Big Bang Theory” playset. 

The official product description:

Indulge your inner genius and build this LEGO® version of Leonard and Sheldon’s living room as seen in the hit American sitcom The Big Bang Theory! This set was created by two LEGO fan designers-Alatariel from Sweden and Glen Bricker from the USA-and selected by LEGO Ideas members. Featuring loads of authentic details to satisfy all The Big Bang Theory devotees and including minifigures of all seven main characters from the show, it’s ideal for display or role-play fun. Includes 7 minifigures with assorted accessory elements: Leonard, Sheldon, Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy and Bernadette. 

The set will be available August 1st, at a $59.99 price point.  Which is a better price than I expected–I may be moving from the “I can pass this one up” camp into the “I’ll probably get this, but I won’t be proud of it.” camp. More pics of the minifigures and packaging:  

Whew. Made it through that whole thing without saying “Bazinga.”

Frick.

If you’re a fan of “Star Wars” (of course you are) and collectibles (I’m guessing you probably are), don’t miss out on a new line of spaceships and vehicles that’s new on store shelves right now. The last year has seen waves of Hot Wheels that are hybrids of cars and the characters (Yoda is a green car with large fins like his pointed ears, Chewbacca a hairy truck with a bandolier), which are interesting but an acquired taste. This line is more traditional, with screen-accurate-ish versions of the most famous vehicles from the Original Trilogy, Prequels, and “Rebels.” 

The first wave of five vehicles includes the Milennium Falcon, Ghost, Slave I, Snowspeeder, and Y-Wing Fighter. Each is around three inches long, die cast metal and plastic, with a “Flight Navigator.” This last is a transparent piece of plastic that makes a great display stand if you’re old and have a desk and cubicle, but can also slip over your finger (if you’re either a kid or have very uh…dainty…fingers)(I do)(I’m an artist)(shut up) like a ring, so you can “fly” it around the living room, into the cat, etc. 

These are a great impulse buy for those of us that are fans, with enough detail to be accurate models, but enough durability and play value to be a good toy for the pups. At $5.00 a pop, they’re pricier than traditional Hot Wheels, but they’re worth it. My first purchase was the Ghost, but within 36 hours I had picked up the Y-Wing too. You know, for the kids. My boys actually did open them immediately, and they’re playable and swooshable as well as being cool display pieces. I can only assume the Flight Navigators will go missing soon, but they’re really not necessary. 

These are on store shelves now; if the store has a Hot Wheels aisle, they’ve probably got these too. Future waves will include TIE Fighters, X-Wings, AT-ATs, Republic Gunships…well, everything. In fact, here’s the picture of 2015’s offerings.

So yeah. If you’re interested, get in on this now. The first wave is just hitting, don’t miss out!

It looks like everything will continue to be awesome, with this new “brickumentary” look at the LEGO phenomenon. Directed by Kief Davidson and Daniel Junge, and written by Davis Coombe, it will be premiering July 31, 2015.  

Or, you know, come by my house. It’s pretty much the same thing. 

If you have a LEGO addiction like I do, you’re probably knee-deep in the Avengers: Age of Ultron sets right now. That Hulkbuster? The many Ultron drones? Maybe even Avengers Tower? They’re all beautiful and you should get them. That said, there’s more LEGOey goodness just around the corner. May 1st has “The Simpsons” Kwik-E Mart and Series 2 Minifigures, and later in the summer we’ll be seeing these superhero and Star Wars sets hitting the shelves:

LEGO DC Super Heroes The Batboat Harbor Pursuit 

There’s another Batman sea vehicle still on store shelves, but it’s a submarine that comes with Aquaman and Black Manta. I like the twin-hulled design of this one, and it comes with the first Deathstroke/Slade Wilson minifigure LEGO has made. If you don’t already have a Batboat, this is a good buy, coming with both Batman and Robin, along with a pretty sweet villain. 

LEGO DC Super Heroes Jokerland

This is the kind of thing that would have been the centerpiece of my Christmas when I was a pup. I don’t know how many abandoned amusement parks there are in Gotham City, but it seems like they’re always around. This one has been rebranded as Jokerland, and has a Joker’s funhouse (with a slide into a vat of acid), Penguin’s Rubber Duck Ferris Wheel, Harley Quinn riding a motorcycle on a tightrope, Poison Ivy with a Venus Flytrap, and a big circus cannon. Oh yeah, and a pretty sweet Batmobile. Along with the villains, it comes with Batman, Robin, and the Teen Titans’ Beast Boy and Starfire. It’s kind of like the big Batcave sets that LEGO puts out every two years or so, but you know. Evil. Considering Cyborg is currently available in a Justice League set, the only one of the “big five” Teen Titans that hasn’t been made yet is Raven. I’d like to see her at some point. They’ll have to package her in with Batman like they do everyone else, but I’d still like her. Freaky little goth girl. 

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Carnage’s SHIELD Sky Attack

Most of the current Marvel LEGO sets are dedicated to the Avengers, although there are still some Guardians of the Galaxy sets out there. This is a token Spider-Man set, but it’s a pretty good one. We get our first Carnage minifigure, and another SHIELD agent (can never have too many) and an Ultimate Spider-Man variant. Considering this will be a pretty cheap set, not too shabby. 

LEGO Star Wars Flash Speeder

Fresh from “The Phantom Menace,” we’ve got a Naboo Flash Speeder, with Captains Panaka and Tarpals, a few battle droids and a Naboo Security Force dude. The speeder itself is a sleek design, and looks “swooshable” enough for kids or adults. 

LEGO Star Wars Naboo Starfighter

This is an “evergreen” vehicle that’s been available several times since 1999, and this isn’t one of the stronger models. But it’s been a while since it’s been available, so if you’re into the yellow and/or shiny, this is good. Comes with lil’ Anakin, a Naboo Pilot, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and three battle droids. 

LEGO Star Wars Death Star Final Duel

This one Daddy like. An iconic setting for the final confrontation between Emperor Palpatine, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, this also throws in two of the Emperor’s Royal Guards. I love the stairs, the round windows, the beautifully shaped throne, and a “bottomless pit” to throw Emperor Palpatine down into. Ghostly scream and energy vortex not included. Seriously, this thing is beautiful, and I’ll be buying it. 

There’s plenty of other new LEGO coming this summer, including Ninjago, Friends, City, Technic, Elves, Creator, and Ultra Agents themes. I figure the Star Wars and superhero themes are of most interest to the Big Shiny Robot readers. 

LEGO’s Springfield is expanding this May with another iconic location and another sixteen residents from “The Simpsons.” While rumored for about a year, and confirmed last fall, this is the first we’ve seen of the Kwik-E-Mart and the minifigures. 

The Kwik-E-Mart retails for $199.99, and while be available alongside the Simpsons House, also $199.99. While the convenience store looks great, with incredible detail inside, I’d rather have them reduce some of the size and detail and give us a smaller one at around a $100 price point. I don’t know if that’s because I’m cheap or broke, but either way, I don’t think I’ll be picking it up. And yet, look at the details! Comic books, newspapers, food, that one dude in the freezer — wow. 

The second series of The Simpsons Minfigures though — I’ll be buying every one. 

• Maggie with Santa’s Little Helper
• Bartman
• Sunday Best Marge
• Sunday Best Homer
• Sunday Best Lisa with Snowball
• Radioactive Boy
• Smithers
• Hans Moleman
• Comic Book Guy
• Edna Krabappel
• Groundskeeper Willie
• Martin Prince
• Professor Frink
• Dr. Hibbert
• Patty
• Selma

I love the character selection, but still wonder if we’ll ever see a Moe or Barney — I know, they’re all alcoholey, but if you looked at the violence and bad habits of the other characters in this series…come on. We can handle a drunk. I also prefer Jasper to Hans Moleman when it comes down to it, but I do like the series here. If there’s a Series 3, I already have a wishlist going. And if they worked in a handful of “Futurama” characters somehow, all the better.

The Minifigures will be blind-bagged again, but of all of the lines of characters LEGO has done, the Simpsons characters, with a distinctive mold for each character, are easiest to suss out. So if you want a dozen Groundskeeper Willies for some kind of bizarre diorama, you’ll be able to find them. 

That would be pretty cool, actually. 

These are in stores starting in May — get your fingers ready to fondle some packages! 

Right now Toy Fair is happening in New York. For a toy-loving geek, there is no better place to be. I’m…not there. But toymakers are there pimping their lines for the year. LEGO has been making Star Wars sets since 1999, and 2015 continues that run with sets from all six existing movies, television series, and video games. With sets available at various price points, there’s probably something for every Star Wars fan.

Here’s their copy about the sets from the Toy Fair press release, with my picks for each section:

Bringing Star Wars: Rebels TV Episodes to the Playroom

Six new LEGO sets help fans build the exciting adventures from the Disney XD series, Star Wars Rebels, five available now and one launching in June. Fans looking to build their collection of Stormtroopers will love the Imperial Troop Transport ($12.99), featuring four of the iconic troopers in minifigure form plus an armored transport pod. With Ezra’s Speeder Bike ($19.99), the young rebel hero and his confidant Sabine can outrun the Stormtroopers. In the ultimate expression of the power of the dark side, rogue rebels are tracked by the experimental TIE Advanced Prototype™ ($39.99), complete with folding wings for flight and landing modes, spring-loaded shooters and functional top hatch. Builders can search the streets of Capital City for rebels in the twin-legged AT-DP™ ($49.99), featuring Agent Kallus, a Stormtrooper and two AT-DP pilots. Fans can protect Wullffwarro and his Jedi friend, Kanan Jarrus, with the powerful Wookiee™ Gunship ($69.99), featuring movable front and top cannons, folding wings and two Wookiee minifigures.

If you’re a fan of “Rebels,” you’ll like any of these sets, although the best of the sets is the Ghost, which came out last fall and is still available. It’s the only way to get Hera and Zeb, and “Rebels” without them just isn’t “Rebels.” Of this new wave, my first recommendation is to buy as many of the Imperial Troop Transports as possible. They’re undersized in comparison to their “real” appearance, but they come with four frigging Stormtroopers, so suck it up. The other one I’d say is a must-have is Ezra’s Speeder, just because that’s the only way to get Sabine…even though she doesn’t have her Mandalorian helmet, which bugs the hell out of me. Also hard to find is the TIE Advanced Prototype, which is the only set with the Inquisitor. I personally feel you should be able to get the Big Bad in multiple sets, but LEGO knows how to get my money. Damn them.

Rebuild Favorite Star Wars: The Clone Wars Battles

Fans can safeguard the security of the Senate with the elite Senate Commando Troopers™ set ($12.99), featuring a never-before-seen buildable rapid shooter plus Senate Commando Captain minifigure and three Senate Commandos. Or builders can support the clone army at the Battle of Geonosis with the Geonosis Troopers™ set ($12.99), featuring a walker, two Geonosis Clone Troopers and two Geonosis Airborne Clone Troopers. Builders travel to Coruscant to relive the epic lightsaber battle between Asajj Ventress and Anakin with Anakin’s Custom Jedi Starfighter™ ($39.99), featuring detachable escape pod, droid eject function, retractable front landing gear, lightsaber storage, four spring-loaded shooters and an Astromech Droid. All are available now.

By now, they’ve made probably a dozen different kinds of specialized LEGO Clone Troopers, so it kind of depends on if you’re building an army of swamp troopers or desert or space or…whatever. Of the Clone Wars sets, I’m only picking up the Senate Commando Troopers, because…well, look at them.

Revisit Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Fans can protect the Empire with the silent and mysterious Shadow Guards ($12.99 available now) by using their deadly lightsaber staffs, or call in the Shadow Stormtroopers if backup is needed.

I’m not a gamer, but damn. These guys are sweet. I guess I just like building armies.

Classic Star Wars Sets Feature Big Action from the Saga 

Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace – Builders can relive the riveting battle scene where the Trade Federation tightens its grip on Naboo and the local Gungans must stop the advancing AAT™ (available now for $24.99). Includes Jar Jar Binks minifigure, Battle Droid and Pilot Battle Droid figures. An additional set launches later in the year.

Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones – Fans can build the Republic Gunship™ Microfighter to defend against the heavily armored Homing Spider Droid™ Microfighter ($9.99 each). To defeat the clone army on Geonosis, builders can assemble the Hailfire Droid™ ($19.99), featuring giant rotating wheels and four spring-loaded shooters. Reinforcements at the Battle of Naboo arrive in the Battle Droid Troop™ Carrier ($39.99), featuring detachable driver compartment, hidden wheels to help it glide, Gungan Warrior minifigure, two Pilot Battle Droids and 12 Battle Droids. All are now available. An additional set launches later in the year.

Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith – Builders can choose sides and reenact the ultimate showdown to defend or attack the Republic. High above Coruscant flies the advanced ARC-170 Starfighter™ Microfighter, perfect for defending against the attack of the deadly Separatist Vulture Droid™ Microfighter ($9.99 each, available now).

Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope – Fans can swoop through the canyons of Tatooine chasing down womp rats and trying to avoid Tusken Raiders in the T-16 Skyhopper™ ($24.99, available now), featuring adjustable wings, detachable storage box and dual spring-loaded shooters, Skyhopper Pilot and Tusken Raider minifigure.

Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back– Builders can relive one of the most exciting battles in the entire Star Wars universe as they speed over the icy planet of Hoth in the agile Snowspeeder™ Microfighter to protect the Rebel Alliance and assault the Rebel base with the AT-AT™ Microfighter. Both are available now for $9.99.

Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi – Two exciting sets launch later in the year.

I’m loving the Microfighters — they just launched these last year, and they’re a lot of fun. You can still get the first wave, including the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing and TIE Fighters, but the new ones are on the shelves now too. Great toys, especially if you just want one for a Star Wars fan who happens to be a casual LEGO fan.

First Star Wars Constraction Sets Unveiled

Expanding the way children can build and play within the Star Wars universe, the company also unveiled new constraction – constructable figures – sets featuring, among others, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker ($19.99 and up in September). Additional constraction figures in the collection will be unveiled throughout the year.

…sounds like they were unveiled to the nerds at Toy Fair, but we don’t have pics of that yet. To give you an idea of what they’re talking about, these are similar kits that LEGO produced in 2012:

So…like that. But more Star Wars-y. Following Luke and Vader, we’ll get General Grievous, Clone Wars Obi-Wan, Jango Fett and Commander Cody. Could be cool.

LEGO Slave I™ will Delight Even the Most Skilled Fan Builders

Builders can assemble and pilot an unbelievable detailed replica of the iconic Slave I™ spaceship owned and piloted by the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett™. With 1,996 pieces, this set will inspire fans to search the galaxy for fugitives using the realistic rotating cockpit and wings for flight and landing mode along with dual blasters to repel attackers, then reenact the capture of Han Solo™ in Bespin’s Cloud City. Includes minifigures of Boba Fett™, Bespin Guard™, Stormtrooper™ and Han Solo™ and is available now for $199.99.

This thing is just beautiful. And it’s $200. And my birthday is in June. I like unexpected gifts.