The Thespian, Pirate Captain, Conquistador, Evil Robot, Alien Vilainess, Diver, Vampire Bat, Fairy, Football Player, Businessman, Downhill Skier, Red Cheerleader, Santa, Lederhosen Guy, DJ and Cowgirl make up the eighth series of Lego Minifigures.
Each one is packaged in a mystery bag, meaning you might not know which you get! But fortunately, we’re also happy to offer something for the spoiler fans: the full collection, happily unwrapped and ready to own! Or, if you’re really dedicated, take the sealed box of a whopping SIXTY packs and get sharing.
Where can you find an Aztec Warrior, a Bagpiper, a Bride, a guy in a Bunny Suit, a Daredevil, an Evil Knight, a Computer Programmer, a Hippie, the King of the Ocean, a Jungle Boy, a Swimming Champ, a Galaxy Patrolman, a Rocker Girl, a Tennis Ace, a Viking Woman and a little girl visiting Grandma?
These guys are now available for pre-order, shipping out in May. You can get them individually, as a complete set or sealed in a complete box if you’re a mystery fan.
Lego and Warner Bros. Consumer Products today unveiled images of its construction toys based on Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
The two companies signed a licensing deal late last year to giving Lego full access to the characters and stories and setting to not only the LOTR trilogy but also the two upcoming Peter Jackson adaptations of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
The first wave of LOTR toys will start appearing in June with the Hobbit line closer to Unexpected Journey’s December 14 release.
The first line features the heroes of LOTR, ranging from Frodo and Aragorn to Gandalf the Grey and Gimli. Line two, whose images were unveiled today for the first time, features the baddies such as Orc and Ringwraiths…and of course Gollum.
Here’s a run-down of the figures you can snag in the fifth series of Lego Minifigures: Graduate, Gladiator, Royal Guard, Ice Fisherman, Cavewoman, Lizard Man, Zookeeper, Lumberjack, Small Clown, Fitness Instructor, Detective, Evil Dwarf, Boxer, Egyptian Queen, Gangster and Snowboarder Guy!
These figures are available in three different ways! If you’re looking for a complete set, then you can snag it right here and be done with it, having everything in your hands in one fell swoop. If you prefer to buy just one at a time, then take your pick and get any of the figures you’re looking for right here. Or, if you’re just looking for any figure to add to your collection, then have some fun and leave it up to chance by snagging a random booster pack!
I first encountered the MINDSTORMS series in 2001 when I bought the Robotics Invention System 1.5 out of curiosity. Since then, I’ve purchased and used numerous MINDSTORMS sets, written two MINDSTORMS books, developed and taught a LEGO robotics course, and given LEGO presentations. So when I heard that LEGO was releasing the NXT 2.0 set in summer/fall 2009, I was curious to discover how LEGO would improve its flagship product. After finally getting my hands on a 2.0 set, I’ve been busy building, programming, and analyzing the kit’s features. And I think this is the best MINDSTORMS set to date.
The original NXT set released in 2006 (I’ll call it the “1.0 set”) enjoyed enormous success but still had some shortcomings. The NXT 2.0 set addresses some of those flaws and really is everything the 1.0 set should have been. As a robotics kit, the NXT 2.0 set mainly involves building and programming, so I’ll take a look at how the kit performs in each of these areas.
First, the building experience is fun and challenging while offering some exciting new additions. For the electronic elements, the NXT microcomputer and servo motors remain the same in both design and quantity; however, the selection of sensors has changed. There are now two touch sensors, an ultrasonic (distance) sensor, and the color sensor. The new color sensor boasts three functionalities. It can detect colors (6 basic colors), measure light intensity, and act as a lamp (emitting a red, blue, or green light). Unlike the 1.0 set, there is no light sensor or sound sensor: the new color sensor can function as a light sensor, and LEGO apparently thought that having two touch sensors would be more useful than having one touch sensor and one sound sensor as in the 1.0 set. I agree.
The building elements are, once again, studless LEGO TECHINC pieces rather than traditional bricks. The 1.0 set included a few TECHNIC bricks, but these are gone in the 2.0 set, which focuses entirely on studless construction. Overall, there is still a good selection of beams, pegs, and axles (including a new #9 length axle) as well as the addition of two small rubber bands. Also fun is the special ball shooter equipment along with 12 small, brightly colored balls.
There are only a few gears included, though. Whereas the 1.0 set included a fairly good variety and quantity of gears, the 2.0 set includes only a handful of double bevel gears and a single 12t bevel gear. This is a bit disappointing but also understandable. People like to add lots of gears to their robots to make them look cool, but lots of gears introduce lots of friction. The 2.0 kit’s sample robot designs demonstrate how to connect pieces directly to motors rather than using gears to transmit the motion. This works fine and takes a little bit of getting used to, but I would still encourage new LEGO users to expand their collection of gears after purchasing the 2.0 set.
As for the programming, the 2.0 version of the included NXT-G software offers some welcome new features. A remote control, sound editor, image editor, new programming blocks, improved performance, and other features make programming a more enjoyable experience. Performance is noticeably better than in the 1.0 version but can still be sluggish.
The software includes a number of fun challenges spread across four robot designs: Shooterbot, Robogator, Color Sorter, and Alpha Rex. The sample robots are durable and work well, although some of the instructions for using Color Sorter were a bit confusing. The new version of Alpha-Rex is a truly fascinating robot: in addition to being a fun “advanced” model to build, new users can learn a lot from its incredibly compact and elegant design.
The NXT 2.0 set is leading the MINDSTORMS series in the right direction. I like what I see in this set, and I believe LEGO has a winner on its hands. The 2.0 set is more expensive than the 1.0 set–by $30–but I believe the improvements and added functionality justify the extra cost. In sum, the NXT 2.0 set is a great toolset for any robotics enthusiast and a must-have for MINDSTORMS fans.
The most popular Lego-like video game ever is getting official Legos. We’re getting Minecraft Lego sets, people.
Back in December, the people who make Minecraft petitioned LegoCuusoo, an official branch of the Lego company, to make some Minecraft Lego. That’s what the Cuusoo people are there for. You ask. They count the amount of people who petition. Today, the people at Lego Cuussoo said there is enough support (more than 10,000 people on board!) and the idea passes muster:
We’re happy to announce that the Minecraft project on LEGO CUUSOO has passed the LEGO review and we are now developing a concept that celebrates the best aspects of building with the LEGO system and in Minecraft. We can’t wait to show it to you-but it isn’t ready just yet. These things take time, so we appreciate your patience. More details are to come.
What’ll we get? Hopefully some sets that look as terrific as the concepts that Mojang submitted to get the ball rolling. We’ve got images of two of them here, one up top from Michael Thomas (suparMacho) and one here from the talented koalaexpert.
Some people hope that their favorite games will be turned into major motion pictures? For others, I think a Lego set will do just fine.
A pair of Toronto teens sent a Lego man into space, capturing their plastic astronaut’s entire 97-minute adventure in an eye-catching video.
Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17-year-old Grade 12 students at Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, used a helium-filled balloon to send the Lego man into space 24 kilometres above sea level two weeks ago. They were inspired to try their mission after watching avideo of a balloon sent to near space by some Massachusetts Institute of Technology students.
The Toronto students used a Styrofoam box containing four cameras and a cellphone fitted with a GPS program so their vehicle could be recovered. They even sewed the nylon parachute to ensure their Lego man would return to Earth safely.
The eye-catching images captured from the flight show the Lego man, gripping a Canadian flag, against a backdrop of a fast-shrinking skyline that gives way to the darkness of space.
Then the balloon pops and tumbles back to Earth. Ho and Muhammad were able to recover the balloon — with their astronaut intact — more than 120 kilometres from the field were it was launched.
Check out their Youtube video:
Looking for Lego Mini Figures so you can also send them to space….
Finally, Lego listen to the fans and released the Star Wars Advent Calendar (#7958) for this Christmas Season. There isn’t much very Christmas about this set. It is essentially 24 different little Star Wars figures or vehicles. The most Christmas in here is a Yoda dressed up like Santa (good have you been?). On the other hand, the play and repeat play value of this set is fantastic. All those little figures can fight and make all kinds of really cool noises (you know the kind from your mouth, bzzzzzz, pew pew, bam – there are no electronics that make noise).
The box is the same size as previous years. The cardboard is not very rugged; it’s pretty standard Lego box issue. I’ve posted some pictures of the box and tray. It’s possible some of the doors will get torn when opening them. I imagine if somebody was really careful, they could put the toys back and save it for next year. But then they’d miss out on a year of playing with the toys. Every Lego Maniac will love this calendar. I am happy.
If you’re interested, here are the contents of this set (if you’re just collecting minifigs or whatever):
Figures Edit
Pilot Battle Droid
Clone Pilot
Yoda (Santa Suit)
Chewbacca
Nute Gunray
Zev Senesca
R2-Q5
Mouse Droid
TIE Pilot
Vehicles Edit
Republic Gunship
TIE Fighter
Boba Fett’s Slave I
X-Wing
Millennium Falcon
A-Wing
Imperial Shuttle
Y-wing
Snowspeeder
Homing Spider Droid
Republic Cruiser
Objects Edit
Tools rack
Weapons rack
Christmas tree
Mechano Chair
Expected to arrive some time in April of 2011….you can buy single packs, a whole box of 60x packs or a complete set….Pre-Order your MiniFigures Series 4 today from www.cmdstore.com
Minifigures is a 2010 Lego theme based on a set of collectible Lego minifigures. Each figure is an original character with new clothing and facial designs, and most contain previously unseen accessories. As of 2011, Series 1, 2 and 3 have seen widespread release, Series 4 is scheduled for official release in April 2011. Between these three series, 48 unique characters exist.
Lego MiniFigures Series 3 consist of the following:
* Native American Chief
* Samurai
* Pilot
* Fisher
* Cyborg Spaceman
* Girl Snowboarder
* Hula Girl
* Octan Racer
* Rapper
* Elf
* Sumo Wrestler
* Alien
* Mummy
* Female Tennis Player
* Baseball Player
* Gorilla Suit Guy
Posted by actionfigurecanada 
