Sunday, 26 October 2014

Display case Review for your LEGO Minifigures.

This past Friday we were sent a little package from one of our Facebook Group members.  What we received was a display case that is compatible with Lego. It's designed to display Lego Minifigures or anything compatible with the brick building system. You could also display small sets or even your own MOC's (My Own Creations) Today we are going to do a review so you can have a closer look at the case.

This is the box it came in. The contents inside was nicely packed with minimal movement. Despite what the box says the external measurements of case (bottom base-plate) are W.260mm x D.155mm x H.138mm. The measurements inside the clear case are W.240mm x D.138mm x H.115mm.


When you open the box everything is individually wrapped in plastic cellophane sleeves to avoid any unwanted scratching.


The larger plate is 30 studs wide x 17 studs deep. The middle one is the same width but is 9 studs deep. The smallest is 4 studs deep. However each step up is not a normal height. It's higher then 1 brick but lower the 1 brick + 1 plate high. So if you were to use the steps to build with you would have trouble lining them up height wise. Each levels underside is hollow.


The display cases also come in five different colours; Black, Light Grey, Yellow, White and Green.
As you can see we received a green one. Below we have placed the 5 shades of known LEGO Green. From left to right; Olive Green, Lime Green, Bright Green, Green and Dark Green. As you can see none of these greens match.  


When attaching the first step up, you have two holes in the large base-plate with the middle sized step having pegs to line up to the larger base. 


The smallest step fits in tightly. Below you can see the step up.


Lets put some Minifigures in! We just so happen to have the Team GB Olympic Athletes waiting to try out the new display case.


For the inside of the case, you are able to build up to 12 bricks high if you are planning to build little MOC's.


Finally here is the case completely assembled with Team GB inside. Plenty of room for you to maneuver your favorite minifigures around. 


I think these look quite affective. I'd be interested to see how close the Yellow and Grey colours match the Lego colour pallet. The panels are easy to put together and are nice and clear with minimal imperfections.
I did have a slight issue with a bit of plastic slag in one of the slits for the top cover, but nothing the tip of steak knife couldn't fix. I took the bottom off to see if I could sit "another case" on top but these are not stackable. They are solid and most importantly they keep the dust off of what ever you decide to put in them.

OBN would like to thank OZLUG FB Member Grant Dakos for providing us with the display case for review. Hit the link to contact Grant via PM if you would like more information about orders, pricing and possible bulk orders or join our OZLUG Group and look at other photos members have taken who have brought off him.

Thanks for reading.

Tan Tile signing out!

Friday, 24 October 2014

LEGO Halloween MOC

Halloween is only a week away so at the start of the week my wife asked me to start doing a setup out of Lego for her to display at our front door/window., she asked for a graveyard scene.
She absolutely loves Halloween and all things dark!

So being the great guy I am I started straight away! (When your wife asks you to play with LEGO you DO NOT Knock it kids! You go with it! In turn more LEGO comes your way)   ;-)   Here are some photos of a MOC we created to greet the kids at the door when they trick or treat.

There are more photos HERE on our Flickr page.








Happy Halloween!!
Hope you like what you see.
Don't forget, you do not need an account to comment. Anyone and everyone can! :-D

Tan Tile signing out...

Sunday, 14 September 2014

100,000 Page Views!


 Hello everyone! We just hit 100,000 Page Views!! Wow!!



We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to sit back and read whatever LEGO obsessed nonsense we post. Writing this blog has been a fantastic and sometimes a frightening experience that has opened up many doors; from great friendships to some really fun opportunities.

Speaking of friendships... I would like to personally thank Chris for all he has done in creating content for you all to read when I have been slack to do so. Chris also came up with the Idea to create a Facebook Lego User Group Page called OZLUG. So fans young and old, whether you are seasoned or just new to the whole LEGO scene, we wanted to create a friendly environment for everyone to talk and share about the one thing we all have in common... LEGO. We are now almost at 600 Awesome members! Considering how much flack we got about creating this FB LEGO group, we have certainly proved them wrong. All our members are kind and most importantly respectful to each other no matter what.

I would like to personally thank Minifgures.com.au Team for their continuing support in helping create content for both this site and their own. It has be fun and challenging to shoot white Minifigures on a white background.   :-D I can't wait to see what the future holds. You guys rock! 

Most importantly I would like to thank my family and friends who help support my crazy obsession of the "Brick".  Whether it be with buying sets, photography equipment or news and information. You all are part of this blog and are always in the back of my mind while I build a set, take photos for reviews or waiting to report news that I'm still dying to post.

Honestly I didn't think we would hit 100,000+ so quickly in such a short time. It was only at Christmas when we had only been online for 6 months, that I was surprised we had 26,000 views. Fast forward just another 9 months and we now at this milestone. Incredible!
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment on our reviews, either here on the blog or on our OBN Facebook page... you help keep the conversation going!
Don't forget to "Like" our page to keep up to date with any new post we put up.

So far I've had a Blast! Here's to the next 100,000 views!

-- Tan Tile --

A few words from Chris...

Chris didn't get the chance to write anything but he did say that he has had a chaotic day and that he agrees with all that has been written above but would like to thank you all for your continuing support!.

Some quick stats that you may find interesting...

We have written 38 set Reviews and 11 Minifigure Reviews.
We have posted 108 posts, including this post. 
  

Top 5 Most Viewed posts.



LEGO Castle 70404: King's Castle Review.                    2117




Top 5 Page views by Countries

United States
31233
Australia
25088
United Kingdom
5198
Germany
4108
France
4065
 
I'm surprised that the Emma's Sports Car Review is continually the highest viewed post, no matter if it's Daily, Weekly, Monthly or All Time it's always on the top position.

Thank you all again for the fantastic support so far.

Tan Tile and Chris signing out...


Friday, 12 September 2014

Looking for some LEGO Fun these School Holidays?

There are a few LEGO events these September School Holidays to help keep us LEGO fans young and old from getting into too much trouble. From Fan run exhibitions like the Gold Coast Brick Event to The LEGO Brick Zones at local shopping a centres and  a royal show, there is plenty to see and do... well... in most of the states :-P

Here are some details of some of the ones we could rustle up... So get your calendars out and key in a few of these dates...

This event is close to home for us... Right around the corner actually... In Werribee.



Werribee Plaza, Vic

Where: Centre Court.
 
When:    Tuesday 16th September – Sunday 5th October 2014

Lego Brick Display: Tuesday 16th September – Friday 19th September
Lego Brick Zone: Saturday 20th September – Sunday 5th October
Lego Speed Play: 22nd September – 3rd October, Monday to Friday

Meet Emmet from the Lego Movie!
22nd September – 3rd October, Monday to Friday, 11am – 2pm

  • Cnr Derrimut Rd & Heaths Rd, Werribee 
  • Phone: (03) 9749 5111
---------------------------------------------

There are a few more of these "LEGO Brick Zones" happening, One in Greensborough Plaza in Victoria,  one at Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre in Queensland, and 2 in Western Australia at Galleria Shopping Centre and the other at the IGA Perth Royal Show. It's unclear from these websites whether they will have the same set up as the Werribee event but here are those details.
  
Greensborough Plaza, Vic.

Where: At Centre Court.

When:    Monday 29th September to Friday 3rd October 2014,

Time:     11am and 1pm each day.
  • 25 Main Street, Greensborough, Victoria 3088.
  • Phone: (03) 9435 4000
 ---------------------------------------------

Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre, QLD

Where:
Outside JB Hi-Fi.

When:    Tuesday 23rd September to Saturday 27th September 2014.
Time:     10:30am - 1:30pm

Learn from the experts and try your luck building your own LEGO creation.
Build and play from 10.30am to 1.30pm daily.

This is a free event however, bookings are essential. To book, please call 3725 8888.

  •  171 Dandenong Road, Mt Ommaney, QLD 4074. 
  •  Phone (07) 3725 8888

---------------------------------------------


Where: Outside of Myer on the ground floor.

When:   September 29th - October 5th 2014. 11am - 2pm

As part of our 20th Birthday celebrations (that's right, 20 years!) we will have a LEGO Brick Zone ready to entertain the family. Let your kids test their LEGO building skills and have a bit of fun with the help of our awesome LEGO experts. The best part is, it's absolutely free.

  •  Cnr Collier & Walter Roads, Morley, WA 6062.
  •  Phone: (08) 9375 3228

---------------------------------------------










Is the Free play Brick Zone Area...

When: September 27th - October 4th 2014. 
Time:  10am-6pm Daily.
LEGO® brick events bring the creative, hands-on fun of LEGO bricks to kids and families with an engaging and imaginative experience that stimulates creativity and learning. From free play and building at custom made LEGO play tables, there are plenty of activities to keep kids entertained.

Map Ref H2 Below.

  •  1 Graylands Rd, Claremont WA 6010
  •   (08) 6263 3100



---------------------------------------------
UPDATE:  Bricktober show added... 

http://www.bricktober.info/




Where:  Belmont City College, 106 Fisher Street Belmont Perth, WA 6104 

When: Sunday 5th October 2014 

Time: 10:00am - 4:00pm

 $3 Admission per person

Children 2 years & under free
 

Hosted by Ascot Rotary.

Our web site address is www.bricktober.info


---------------------------------------------

Gold Coast Brick Event 2014
 
Where: Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre 2684-2690 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach Qld 4218

When: Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2014 

Time:  Saturday 9AM to 4.30PM and Sunday 9AM to 3.30PM.

Admission for entry will be Adults $12.00, Children $6.00 (3-15), Family (2 adults & 4 children) $40.00,

Children under 3 FREE with tickets being available at the door (cash & EFTPOS).

The Gold Coast Brick Event will be the biggest event held so far and will feature many exhibits including Space and Star Wars, operating trains, Friends, Harry Potter, Robinhood, Vikings, Medieval, Castle, Duplo City, operating Technic vehicles, Pirates, Robotics, build and play tables for the children and the adults, retail outlets featuring all the latest in LEGO® products, games, merchandise and jewellery creations and much much more...
Further information can be obtained from –
www.brickevents.com.au
www.facebook.com/BrickEventsPtyLtd
contact us -
info@brickevents.com.au


---------------------------------------------


BrisBricks LEGO® Fan Expo 2014

http://www.brisbricks.org/events/











Where:  Sleeman’s Complex, Chandler Arena, Old Cleveland Rd, Chandler, Brisbane

When: Saturday 4th - Sunday 6th October 2014 

Time: 
  • Saturday 4th October 2014 – 9:00am-4:00pm
  • Sunday 5th Oct 2014 – 10:30am-5:00pm
  • Monday 6th Oct 2014 – 9:00am-4:00pm 
Autism Community Session:
  •  Sunday 5th Oct 2014 – 9:00am-10:30am

At the Expo there will be:

- Amazing LEGO Creations and Displays

- 501st Redback Garrison – Star Wars
- LEGO Kids play area – for them to play, build and display
- LEGO Raffle
- Specialist LEGO retailers 




Book tickets online: http://www.trybooking.com/FJYT

Online Ticket Prices:   Adult: $10.00  ––  Child (3-15yrs): $5.00  ––  Under 3yrs FREE


Limited tickets will be available at the door (cash only)
 

To keep up-to-date with event news follow us at http://www.facebook.com/BrisBricks and http://www.brisbricks.org

CONTACT DETAILS: eventcoordinator@brisbricks.org

--------------------------------------------

 Brixhibition in Hobart.


http://www.tasbrick.com/brixhibition.html





Where:  Grandstand Hall, Hobart Showgrounds 2 Howard Rd, Glenorchy TAS 7010


When: Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th October 2014 

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

Custom Layouts, Brick Architecture, Mindstorms Robots, Technic© creations, Star Wars,Trains & Planes and Battlestar Galactica

Completions with prizes to win!

Entry: Gold Coin Donation per person.

--------------------------------------------


http://www.caseystoys.com.au/legoshow/

 



Where:  Mounties 101 Meadows Road Mount Pritchard NSW 2170 (on site parking available)


When:  Saturday 20th September to Monday 6th October 2014 


Time: Sunday to Wednesday: 10:00am - 2:00pm or 2:00pm - 6:00pm
           Thursday to Saturday: 10:00am - 2:00pm or 2:00pm - 6:00pm or 6:00pm-9:00pm


Admission: Pre-purchase: $5 per person (2 years & under free)
                   Purchase on the Day: $7 per person (2 years & under free)

Pre-Purchase:  www.mounties.com.au or call (02) 9822 3566


 --------------------------------------------

Well that's it! Plenty of LEGO Action these school holidays!!
We hope there is something fun here for you and your family to do.
Be safe... and most importantly have a Bricktastic time!!!

Tan Tile signing out...

Saturday, 30 August 2014

LEGO Exclusive Polar Accessory Set Review.

Hello Everyone! Yes I know It's been ages since I have sat down to do a set review. I have been having  way too much fun just building sets, rather then over-think a set and how to produce photos for a review. I'm a bit rusty again so I thought I would start off with a small set... nice and easy! HA! Boy was I wrong! It took almost 2 solid hours just to edit these few photos. Did I mention I was a bit rusty? Oh yeah I did....  I am... honest!

This particular set that I am reviewing today is Exclusive and was in our latest Shop at Home order that had gotten lost in transit by either DHL or Australia Post. After phone calls and several emails they finally found it... so 27 days after the initial order was placed, this finally arrived with the rest of our awesome order (2 x Exo Suits, 2 x Research Institutes,  Ghostbusters Ecto-1, Jungle Accessory Set and to complete our entire Arctic Theme Collection, the Exclusive 60064 Arctic Supply Plane). Lets get cracking shall we...

Set/Item Number: 850932

Theme: City Arctic

Set Name: Polar Accessory Set

Part Count: 42

Australian RRP: $19.99 (Sold Out)

Featuring: 2 minifigures, Cloth Tent, Crate,
Ice Block and other Accessories.


This type of blister packaging is something that you don't find all to often in an Australian toy aisle. You get 2 pre-assembled minifigures and a bag of parts inside.


The contents of the bag. You get a nice thick Fabric Tent. I pulled the minifigs apart to make it look like there were more parts.  :-P  You also get fold-out instructions. (not pictured)


Here we have the Fabric Tent spread out to give you an idea of what it looks like and if you wish, you could make one similar out of some paper.


The first of the 2 minifigures is this happy little guy. A single sided face print with Green goggles and a 5 O'clock shadow. The torso has a double sided print, featuring a zipper coat with 3 pockets, It's fur-lined and has a Walkie talkie (set on channel 3) that's clipped to the top pocket. He also has the new Arctic emblem on both sides. The legs have printing with a belt and an Orange harness with rock climbing equipment "hanging from it".


The female minifigure in this set has a single sided face print with Orange goggles. The torso has a different double sided print, featuring a zipper coat with 1 pocket that's fur-lined and she has a Walkie talkie (set on channel 4) clipped to a lower strap. She too has the new Arctic emblem on both sides. The legs have the same printing as the minifigure above.


The torso's in the picture below on the left hand side, is the same that you would get from all the regular sets (from Europe) While the torso's on the right is from today's set review (from China). From what I can remember reading online ages ago... was that the European versions (left) with the black neck printing, allowed the printing machines in the factory to know whether to print the front or back of the torso whist the Chinese version (right) does not require one.


Another thing I have noticed is that the Minifigure heads are different in this set compared those in the regular sets. The Fur-lined Hoods don't have any clutch power and sit very loosely on the head. I tested the Fur-lined Hood from both this set and from the regular sets thinking it was them but the problem lies in the length of the stud on the top of the head. As I looked closer I found that they are significantly shorter in this set, as you can see in the photo below. How very odd and disappointing! On a positive note: The Chinese printing looks a lot sharper and cleaner then it's European counterpart.


Here we have all the Accessories grouped together. The only thing to be built here is the little camping stove and pan. You get to place the crystal into the "ice block" as well.


A quick step-by-step build for the tent.


 Here it is complete! A cute little one. The perfect 2 person Tent. Boom Chica Wah Wah.
 

Verdict:

A cute little set that complements the rest of the Arctic theme. As soon as I saw it online I knew it was a must have set. These things seem to disappear quite quickly and is now sold out in the Australian store. You can still find it here on Bricklink.

It was quick and simple to build with very little to slow you down, other than trying to open the actual packet. The only thing I can really pick at was the quality of the minifigures. Positive: The prints are really sharp and smooth, I cant really fault that. Negative: The clutch power when putting the legs into the torso are quite loose. They just don't grip together all that well. The clutch power when putting the hood on the head is an absolute joke, If you held the minifigure upside down the hood would just pop off, same thing happens when you try to sit them on or in a vehicle.

With this set having 71 less pieces, but also having the same price point as the 60033: Arctic Ice Crawler it doesn't really bother me all that much. I would still be happy to get some more just because of the Hard to Find factor and besides it's kinda cool. 
I love the tent and all it's accessories and I'm glad I got it when I did. I recommend that if you can find one, don't hesitate and grab it!

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

Please leave your comments below.

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


Thursday, 28 August 2014

LEGO Ideas: 21110 Research Institute Review

Hi everyone, it's been a while since we've done a set review here at Oz Brick Nation, we've been too busy building all the awesome new sets that have come out in the last couple of months!

Today, we'll be having a look at the new LEGO Ideas set, 21110: Research Institute, which was released on 1st August. This set is the latest to be produced as a result of the LEGO Ideas (formerly Cuusoo) program. The concept for the set was developed by Ellen Kooijman, and the first page of the instructions introduces Ellen and shows her at work in her laboratory. The set name was originally proposed as "Female Minifigure Set", and has been renamed "Research Institute" by LEGO for production. 

The demand for this set has been phenomenal, and it sold out within a couple of hours of its release, and, combined with the release of 21109: Exo Suit, sent the LEGO online shops around the world into meltdown. It was sold out for a couple of weeks, then made available again a couple of times, and each time it's sold out within an hour. The future production and availability of this set is currently unknown, but LEGO really need to review their production planning for this set. 


Set Number: 21110

Theme: Ideas

Set Name: Research Institute

Part Count: 165

Australian RRP: $29.99

Featuring: 3 minifigures, dinosaur skeleton, telescope, microscope




There are 3 bags contained within the box, and each bag builds one of the vignettes (vignette - small LEGO scene, usually built on an 8 stud by 8 stud base). Each vignette contains a different scientist at work.

The first bag builds the Chemist, the second the Palaeontologist, and the third the Astronomer.

Chemist





Palaeontologist


Astronomer


Completed Set


Verdict

This set was fairly quick to build, and most of it can actually be built without instructions by looking at the pictures (except the dinosaur, which has some clever building techniques to achieve the skeleton look). It took me about 15-20 minutes to build the whole set. And the best part of the build? No stickers! The star map on the astronomer vignette has been printed on the piece.

The concept of this set, which was to introduce more female LEGO minifigures into the LEGO world, has been achieved, and done very well.

Overall, this is a clever little set, and I'd definitely recommend it to LEGO fans of all shapes and sizes! The standout for me is the dinosaur, built using a small number of parts, but the end result is amazing.

See you soon for another review at Oz Brick Nation, we hope you've enjoyed our quick look at 21110: Research Institute.

Please leave your comments below!

PS: More information on the original concept for this set, including other vignettes Ellen proposed, can be found at:
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/15401


Thursday, 21 August 2014

Green Classic LEGO Space Man Minifigure Review.

Once again Minifigures were extremely kind to send us today's Minifigure for Review.
To be totally honest, I am still waiting for my Exo-suit order to arrive... (Australia Post has Lost it!)
But when I was contacted by the team at Minifigures to do this review. We couldn't pass up the opportunity in getting one while we wait for an out come on our order. 



Welcome to a new ‘Minifigure’ review. This month we are going to look at a very special Minifigure, a 1980’s something inspired Green Classic Space Man.
The version that has been supplied to us and will be for sale on the Minifigures website will be slightly different to the one you see in the 21109: Exo-Suit.
Instead of getting the Zane’s face print from the Ninjago line. These will have the classic smile head with no visor on the helmet as to pay homage to the original Classic Space man.
The print on its chest is very much the same as those back in the 80’s. I couldn’t really tell difference with this one and the one and only original CSM that I own.
The air tank is also new in the colour green. Many space fans have been waiting patiently to get it in this colour. Now they can finally get it and so can you!
It’s fantastic to see the popularity of Classic Space come back into the hearts of the young and old, all thanks to the “The LEGO Movie” and I hope they continue to reissue all the previous colours from the 1980’s so this Green one won’t stand so lonely with my Blue one.



To coincide with this review. Minifigures will be offering a promotion were you can purchase 3 and get 1 free or can buy them for $17.95 each. Limited time only and While Stocks Last.

http://www.minifigures.com.au/store/p616/Green_Classic_Spaceman.html

You can purchase this Classic Minifigure and more by hitting this Link.
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 Classic Space Man Minifigure.

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