Sunday 30 March 2014

The LEGO Movie McDonald’s Happy Meal Cups Coming Soon.

The McDonald’s Happy Meal "Minisite" has updated thier website to show us what the next promotional "toy"  will be.
After the Mr. Peabody & Sherman toys McDonald's will be giving you with every happy meal purchase a The LEGO Movie Action Cups, The very same one that were available in the U.S back in February. There will be 8 different collectible cups for you to collect which will feature many of the main characters from the movie including President Business/Lord Business, Unikitty, Vitruvius, MetalBeard, Batman, Wyldstyle, Good/Bad Cop and Emmet.

*** Edit ***       Starts  03/04/2014    They are available now guys and gals!



From other images around the net they appear to be lenticular cups. For example: Good Cop changes to Bad Cop.

*** EDIT ***  These are also available in-store as well. They are a set of 8 Quiz cards.



There is no release date on the "Minisite" but I assume they will be available from April around the same time as the movie release.

So let the hunt begin. I bet these will be all over the place (Ebay and Gumtree).

Tan Tile signing out...

lenticular
8 different collectible cups you can collect which features many of the main characters in the movie including Batman, Unikitty, Bad Cop, Emmet, Wyldstyle, MetalBeard, President Business, and Vitruvius. - See more at: http://www.thebrickfan.com/the-lego-movie-mcdonalds-happy-meal-toy-revealed/#sthash.4nCsc4mX.dpuf
Action Cups
Action Cups
Action Cups

Friday 14 March 2014

LEGO Taskmaster Minifigure Review.

The kind folks over at Minifigures have sent us a Taskmaster Minifigure to do our next review for them. Before we take a look at this awesome Minifigure lets give you a little background about the Marvel character... 

Taskmaster has the ability to absorb knowledge instantaneously. This ability allows Taskmaster to instantly replicate any fighting style and skill set that he observes from other Super Heroes or Super Villains. Such as accurate marksmanship like Captain America with his shield or Hawkeye with his bow and arrow, or any form of combat like Iron Fist's martial arts or the agility of Spider-Man. Once he has mastered an opponent's physical movements, Taskmaster can then predict his opponent's next attack. The only opponent he cannot mimic is Deadpool, due to his unpredictable nature and manic personality which makes it almost impossible for Taskmaster to predict his next movements.


In today's Minifigure review we are going to take a look at the Taskmaster Minifigure from the new 2014 Marvel Super Heroes theme. Taskmaster has a double sided print on his torso, featuring Dark Blue tights with a nicely detailed brown leather belt with a Gold "T" on his belt buckle, there is also a pouch on his right hand side. He has a classic buckle on his bandoleer that goes across his chest and follows through to the back. He has printing on both sides of his head piece, an angry facial expression on the one side, and the slightest smirk on the other. This is the first time the hood piece has appeared in the colour White and is exclusive to this Minifigure. Taskmaster also comes with a White cloth cape. This is a fantastic Minifigure with superb print details and is a must have Minifigure for you to add to your ever growing Super Villains collection. 


Taskmaster is available now.


http://www.minifigures.com.au/store/p572/Taskmaster.html

Minifigures also stock a wide range of LEGO Super Heroes Minifigures for purchase to help complete your collection.

[We thank "Minifigures" for sending Taskmaster for review.]

Thanks for stopping by and reading this new Minifigure review. I hope you enjoyed it! 
 

Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts and opinions are on the Taskmaster Minifigure.

Until next time this is Tan Tile signing out...


Tuesday 11 March 2014

LEGO Architecture 21013: Big Ben Review.

Last week I had my 35th Birthday. Two of my many gifts from my family were a new camera and this LEGO set. So why not combine both and do a review of Big Ben using my new Olympus O-MD E-M5 camera. The camera took a bit of getting use to, and in the end I am very happy with today's shots. So Lets go take a look at the set.


Set Number: 21013

Theme: Architecture. 

Set Name: Big Ben. 

Part Count: 346

Minifigures: 0

Australian RRP: $49.99 

Featuring: Big Ben



This is the second time I have built an Architecture set and this range continues to impress me with its overall look and higher quality of box compared to the normal everyday sets we see day in day out. It is part of the "Landmark" series as apposed to the "Architect" series set that I reviewed previously. For a small box its quite heavy for its size.



The back has an image render of Big Ben, an actual photo of the real building and a close up of the clock face. 


This is what we get inside when we open the sleek black box. 4 unnumbered bags with specific parts in each one. A lovely looking instruction booklet with information on the structure and its history. (PDF)  Loose in the box there are two Black 6 x 10 plates.


A look at all the parts laid out... This took longer to set up then it did to build the actual model. Those damn 1x1 round brick were a nightmare, rolling around everywhere!


Here we have a step-by-step look at its construction. There is some great SNOT work in the build. I always like seeing a set with Tan Tiles in it too.   :-)


Here it is complete! The build took about 30 mins, that does includes the photographing of it.


Here are the spares. Not too many, but they're all really useful for adding extra details into your future MOC's.


Front view.



Back view.



Used my Macro lens for this shot.






Finally a scale shot comparing the finished model next to a minifigure.



I really enjoyed this small build. Like I said with the first architecture set, "I want to get more of this range" but some of the prices LEGO are asking for them just make me look the other way. The only place I have seen these available for purchase are in Myer and a handful of Toys r Us stores and both of these stores are not in a convenient location and whenever there is a sale I tend to forget all about them when I do get to a store. So that is another reason why I don't have very many of them.  This is a fiddly set for sure with all the 1 x 1 pieces and if you are anything like me, all tiles and plates must be perfectly straight!
The small size and the fantastic detail, you would be proud to display this in your home and it wont take up a lot of room like... say the 10234 Sydney Opera House.

 Thanks to my Mum and Dad for buying both the set and the awesome camera that took these amazing shots!

Thanks for stopping by and reading this new review. I hope you enjoyed it! 
 

Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts and opinions are on the set.

Until next time this is Tan Tile signing out...


Sunday 2 March 2014

Oz Brick Nation Facebook page reaches 100!

Wow! We just reached 100 'likes' here at OBN! Thanks to all you LEGO fans out there! Last night I noticed we were getting closer to the milestone, so I set out to build a "like" MOC to celebrate.   :-D



Now don't forget to hit the link at the top of the page to keep up to date with all our reviews and Like our page if you haven't done so!

Thank you all again for the fantastic support! Here is to 100 more!

Tan Tile signing out...

LEGO The Simpsons 71006: The Simpsons House Review

It's finally hear, and it's awesome. Yes, for the first time ever, The Simpsons and LEGO together. Today, we'll have a look at the first (and currently only) The Simpsons LEGO House. 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield.

Set Number: 71006

Theme: The Simpsons

Set Name: The Simpsons House

Part Count: 2523

Minifigures: 6

Australian RRP: $329.99


Featuring: Homer & Marge's bedroom, Lisa's bedroom, Bart's bedroom, Homer's car, Homer's (Flanders'!) barbeque and wheelbarrow, skateboard ramp, sun lounges

The LEGO Group and 20th Century Fox officially announced earlier this year they were forming a partnership to produce sets and mini figures based on the longest running sitcom of all time. Pictures of alleged mini figures had been leaked before this, however, The Simpsons House was kept well hidden until just before the partnership was announced. 

A series of mini figures will also be released in May this year, with a special episode of The Simpsons featuring LEGO to screen around the same time. 

No further sets have yet been announced, however, given the vast array of settings, characters and vehicles featured in the TV show, it can only be a matter of time before more sets are announced and released.

So, where to start with this set. It is huge!

Front of Box

The front of the box shows 742 Evergreen Terrace in all of it's glory, with Bart tearing it up on the skateboard, Flanders cooking a BBQ for the Simpsons, Homer coming home from work, Marge gardening, and Maggie reliving her moment from the episode "Who Shot Mr.Burns?" holding a power drill like a gun...


Rear of Box

The rear of the box shows the house opened up. The construction of the house is similar to that of 10228: Monster Fighters Haunted House, in that it hinges open to reveal the inside of the house. Lisa is shown showing off her piano skills to Homer, the family in their trademark pose watching TV on the couch, Homer fixing (destroying) something in the garage while Flanders looks on (in horror no doubt), Marge vacuuming their bedroom while Maggie looks on from her cot, the family in the car, Lisa taking photos with a camera, Maggie flushing Lisa's camera down the toilet, and Bart lying on his bed reading a "Radioactive Man" comic. 




Box Contents

The box contains 3 instruction booklets, a sticker sheet (thankfully, there aren't that many stickers), and bags numbered 1-7. 




Minifigures

This set comes with 6 mini figures, with the 5 members of the Simpsons family, and their oakily-dokily neighborino Ned Flanders. All of the characters heads are new moulds which have been created for this theme, and the quality and detail of each of them is absolutely stunning. 

Homer:

Homer is featured in this set wearing his trademark white shirt, pink stripped tie, and blue pants, and is carrying a briefcase. The interesting thing to note with Homer's arms is that they are moulded in two separate colours (white for his upper arms for his shirt, and yellow for his lower arms, which, as far as I know, is a first for a mini figure. Bart's arms are similar (see below).



Marge:

Marge is featured wearing her usual green dress, and is wearing a white apron as well.


Bart:

Bart is featured wearing his red t-shirt, blue pants, and blue shoes. The interesting thing to note with Bart's leg piece is that the yellow section isn't painted - the leg piece has actually been moulded in two colours, which, as far as I know, is a first for a mini figure. Similar to Homer's arms, Bart's arms are also moulded in two colours - red for this upper arms for his t-shirt, and yellow for his lower arms.


Lisa:

Lisa is featured wearing her red dress, with a skirt piece for the lower part of her dress. 



Maggie:

Maggie is featured in her baby blue bodysuit. Maggie's body is a brand new mould, and her entire body is one piece. 



Ned Flanders:

Ned is featured wearing his usual green sweater with shirt and tie underneath, and grey pants. He is also wearing an apron, whilst he barbeques on Homer's (his!) barbeque, with the words "Hail to the Chef" printed on it. 



The build: 

Bag 1 - Homer's car, barbeque, skateboard ramp, sun lounges





Flanders' BBQ (Note the sticker down the bottom of the BBQ - "Property of Ned Flanders")




Homer's Car - it's missing a roof, which is a little bit strange, and the only reason I can think they did this is so Marge's hair sticks out the top of the car. The front passenger side of the bonnet has 1 x 1 sloped tiles on it to represent damage to the car.


Sun loungers and a couple of cocktails


Flanders' Wheelbarrow (Note the sticker down the bottom of the wheelbarrow - "Property of Ned Flanders")


Bart's Skateboard Ramp


Bag 2 - Garage

- Tool box, work bench





Bag 3 - Front downstairs of house, letter box

- piano, vacuum cleaner, half of kitchen



Bag 4 - Rear downstairs of house

- second half of kitchen, kitchen table & four chairs, rug, TV, couch, staircase



Bag 5 / 6 - Homer & Marge's Bedroom, Bathroom and Lisa's Bedroom

- Homer & Marge's bed, Maggie's cot, toilet, shower, Lisa's bed, bookcase




Bag 7 - Bart's Bedroom

- Desk, Bart's bed, bookcase, Lisa's dressing table



The Completed Model

Front of house



Rear of House



Side of house



Side of house (the air conditioner has a sticker saying "Property of Ned Flanders")


Interior of House (from top left, clockwise: Homer & Marge's Bedroom, Staircase, Lisa's Bedroom, Lounge Room, Kitchen)


Interior of House (from top left, clockwise: Lisa's Bedroom, Homer & Marge's Bedroom, Kitchen, Lounge Room)


Bart's Bedroom



Lisa's Bedroom



Lounge Room



Kitchen







Overall, this is one of THE best LEGO sets ever created. The attention to detail in capturing all of the elements of the Simpsons house is brilliant, as is the use of bright, vibrant colours. MOCers will love this set, with plenty of parts in rare colours, as well as a couple of new parts. 

The mini figures have been carefully moulded, and I can't wait to see what they do with the collectable mini figure series that is released in May. Given the number of prominent characters in the show, here's hoping they don't just stop at one series of Simpsons mini figures, and create more in future. 

Whilst the price may appear steep, given the number of parts, mini figures, and sheer enjoyment, I think this set is well worth every cent. It should start appearing in retail stores in Australia around May, and, with 20% discounts that seem to pop up a lot of the time now, you should be able to pick it up for about $260-$270.

I hope you've enjoyed our review of 71006: The Simpsons House, please leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts on the set. 

This is Chris signing off, 90's style, Cowabunga Dudes!