This article has been contributed by SearchlightRG:
Folks may know that I’m a fan of a number of LEGO properties, licenced and otherwise. Bionicle, The Lord of the Rings, Ninjago, and Star Wars are all on that list. But another franchise near and dear to my heart is Disney’s Mickey and Friends. It should thus come as no surprise that I’m a fan of the various figures we’ve had of Mickey, Minnie, Oswald, Goofy, and the various Ducks and Chipmunks.
However, as a result of my enthusiasm, I am keenly aware that LEGO hasn’t yet tackled all the characters in this colourful cast-not by a long shot. As such, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the most notable current absences. Virtually all of these characters would warrant new head moulds, at the very least.
We are approaching a busy time of year for LEGO events in the UK, with one of the biggest and best, the Great Western Brick Show, taking place at the STEAM museum in Swindon on the 11th and 12th of October.
This year's show will be bigger than ever, with displays spread throughout the museum, plenty of hands-on activities, and a dozen or so traders in attendance, selling everything from individual minifigs to vintage 1960s and 1970s sets. Tickets are available from the official website.
Then, on the 1st and 2nd of November, the Shildon Brick Show takes place at the Locomotion museum in the town. Entry is free, but you need to book tickets in advance.
Two weeks after that, on the 15th and 16th November, the Bristol Brick Show will be held at the Gloucestershire county cricket ground.
I will be attending all three, collaborating in the Great Ball Contraption display, and I look forward to seeing some of you there. I may have some Brickset 1x8 bricks to give away, so be sure to come and say hello!
As part of our 25th anniversary celebrations we've been conducting a knockout competition to determine which set you think is the best one released during the last five years, a period that has seen a massive increase in both the number of adult-oriented sets, and their average size.
Perhaps predictably, given the demographic of our audience, the final bout was contested between two sets that tap into our collective nostalgia for a time when LEGO was much simpler: 10497 Galaxy Explorer and 10305 Lion Knights' Castle.
I expected the result to be close but in fact there is a clear winner.
So, which has prevailed, Castle or Space? Find out after the break...
What do you do when you run out of shelf space to display your models?
One option is to hang them on the wall, and to make it easy to do so, UK-based company 3Dudes & Dad has just introduced a range of mounts specifically designed for the purpose, and is offering Brickset readers a 15% discount.
Several weeks after we published our review of 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the 68th LEGO Ideas set is now available at LEGO.com.
The wonderful set, which recreates one of the main scenes in the 1974 film of the same name, contains nine minifigures, including all the main characters and a couple of Oompa Loompas.
It's priced at £199.99/$219.99/€219.99 and, if you're in the USA or Canada and buy it on or before the 18th of September, you'll receive 40769 SEGA Genesis Controller as a gift with purchase.
Of the three Nike sets released so far, I suspect 43010 Nike Slam Dunk is the one that will have the least appeal among AFOLs due to its highly specialised subject matter, particularly outside of North America, where basketball is something of a niche sport devoid of mainstream television coverage.
Nevertheless, the model is certainly eye-catching, and its size gives it significant presence on display.
5009609 Captain Jack Sparrow's Compass is the gift with purchase at LEGO.com when you buy 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship on or before the 18th of September.
Last week we conducted the semi-final contests in our quest to determine the set released in the last five years that you, our readers, think is the best.
The results in both bouts were very close: just 16 votes separated the contenders in one of them, causing a major upset.
Find out if the sets you voted for prevailed after the break.
Rumours suggesting that LEGO is to produce Star Trek sets have been swirling for months, and today, finally, the company has revealed that it will make it so!
A post on Instagram reveals a Captain Picard minifigure and this image featuring Klingon text, which, as you might expect, translates to 'Coming Soon'.
View the minifigure after the break and let us know how excited you are in the comments!
40769 SEGA Genesis Controller is now available as a gift with purchase at LEGO.com, free when you spend in excess of £115 / $130 / €130.
Its period of availability runs until Thursday, 18th September, so covers the release of 76300 Arkham Asylum (9th), 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship (12th), and 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (15th).
Dario Del Frate's LEGO Ideas project Minerals Display, which passed review in November 2024, proposed six mineral samples displayed on shelves and that's exactly what the finished model, 21362 Mineral Collection, has delivered, less than a year later.
However, there have been changes which, hopefully, have improved rather than impaired it.
10374 Bouquet of Pink Roses is the third nosegay to be released this year, and it's perhaps no wonder, given the theme is mentioned in the list of bestsellers in the company's 1HY annual results that were published recently.
This one has been produced with minimal effort, though, being a recoloured version of last year's 10328 Bouquet of Roses, although one of the flower heads has been improved.
September's set releases at LEGO.com have been scattered across the month, so I thought it would be useful to list the more significant ones in chronological order here:
Apologies for the delay in getting the semi-finals underway. We are still looking for advocates for 21325 Medieval Blacksmith and 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell.
The new issue of the ever-excellent Blocks magazine is out soon:
Spooks, ghouls and monsters are back in 31167 Haunted Mansion – and Issue 131 of Blocks, the monthly magazine for LEGO fans, takes a look at how paranormal LEGO minifigures have evolved through the years. Inside you’ll also discover the inside story of the LEGO trophy that wowed the world at the British Grand Prix and how the design team adapted the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures in ONE PIECE.
Issue 131 is available to order worldwide as part of a subscription or as a single issue at blocksmag.com and will be in UK stores from September 5.
LEGO's partnership with Nike has so far yielded a variety of LEGO-branded Nike bags and apparel, and three Nike-themed LEGO sets, of which 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot is one of two that'll be released next week.
Although designed primarily for display, it does have a 'dunking' mechanism built into it for added play value.
A new version of The Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean has been revealed: bigger and far more expensive than 4184 which was released 14 years ago.
10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship
2,882 pieces, rated 18+
$379.99 / £299.99 / €349.99 Available at LEGO.com from 12th September
Embark on a creative voyage with the LEGO Icons Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship (10365) model for adults.
Craft a detailed LEGO interpretation of the legendary ghost galleon with soaring masts, torn black sails and a crew of 8 iconic film character minifigures, including Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Gibbs, Cotton, Anamaria, Marty, Elizabeth Swann and Hector Barbossa.
I think it's fair to say that LEGO would not have made a set based on the 1971 film adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were it not for LEGO Ideas.
21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, based on Brickup's project which passed review last year, will be released in a couple of weeks.
21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was revealed yesterday but, although I've built it, I've not had time to prepare a full review in time for today's embargo.
So, in this article, I'm just going to examine the minifigures. As you would hope, all the main cast members are present among the nine figures and they are all excellent.
The 68th LEGO Ideas set, based on the project Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Brickup which passed review in August last year, has been revealed.
21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
2,025 pieces, rated 18+
$219.99 / €219.99 / £199.99 Available at LEGO.com from 15th September 2025
Inspire nostalgia for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with this LEGO Ideas classic film set for adults.
A wonderful display model celebrating the popular 1971 film, this LEGO brick-built recreation of Wonka’s chocolate factory is packed with authentic details.
The set includes 9 LEGO minifigures of beloved characters to bring iconic scenes to life.