droolicious : lego star wars

LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary Leaving Hyperspace in September

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Yeah, I've been on a bit of a Star Wars kick this week, but after stumbling across this upcoming LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary from DK, I can safely say this is the find that tops 'em all.

Even though the book isn't due in stores till Sept. 21, speculation, the DK name and a compelling description at its Amazon product page indicate that we'll have plenty of illuminating close-ups to look forward to when this visual guide arrives.

It's listed at $21.99, but Amazon is offering a Pre-Order Price Guarantee of $14.95. Set down that LEGO Republic Gunship you've been building and preorder yours here.

LEGO Star Wars: Limited-Edition Count Dooku's Solar Sailer

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Strolling through Toys "R" Us this past weekend, I found myself drawn, as usual, to the blazing yellow "LIMITED EDITION" tag on the box for this LEGO Star Wars Count Dooku's Solar Sailer. (It didn't hurt that both the kids were arguing over who'd get the set for his birthday. Answer: Dad!)

Of primary importance to LEGO collectors is the fact that the set includes its namesake Sith lord -- although you could argue that $55 is a lot to spend for a minifigure. At 385 pieces and a few reasonably tricky building features involved with the missile-firing system, the Solar Sailer is aimed at builders age 8 and up, and it's got a few features besides the minifigs (two MagnaGuard droids and an FA-4 pilot droid also ship alongside the Count) to help justify its price tag.

Obviously, the four flick-fire missiles are a fun feature for staging battles, but particularly cool is the buildable speeder bike, on which Dooku can flee his sailer when Anakin and Obi-Wan come calling. The four collapsible wings also add a nice design touch to the set, but even if that's not enough to compel you, this review from LEGO Authority the Brothers Brick estimates that the Solar Sailer's resale value (thanks largely to the rare and exclusive minifigures) is expected to grow quite a bit. Maybe it's worth picking up more than one set for the kids after all...

$54.99 at LEGO Shop, or swing by your local Toys "R" Us while the getting is good. [Image: The Brothers Brick]

1st Wonder of the LEGO World: The Biggest LEGO Set Ever Made

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:35:00 GMT

Just when we thought the $500, 5,175-piece Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon was as big and complex as a LEGO set could get, along comes the mother of all brick-building challenges: At 20" wide and 16" tall, the LEGO Taj Mahal may be a wee bit under the 22.44 hectares of the actual wonder-of-the-world after which it's modeled, but at 5,922 pieces (clearly not making it one for the junior builders), it's still a formidable piece of architecture.

Priced at $299.99, the LEGO Taj Mahal ships Sept. 15 -- preorder now and you may still have time to finish it by 2009.

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:15:00 GMT

See that LEGO-fied image of Batman and The Joker? Head to www.legobatmangame.com now to "Choose Your Side," and that's pretty much the most solidified piece of content you'll see. But at 9 p.m. PST tonight, the brick-rendered versions of Gotham City and Arkham Asylum will come alive via LEGO Batman: The Video Game's website, which is packed with teasers, downloads and other doo-dads meant to keep us drooling until the game's September ship date.

Previous LEGO movie/game crossovers -- from LEGO Star Wars to LEGO Indiana Jones -- have been among the best kid-parent bonding exercises to hit consoles this decade, but this time around, we're especially grateful for the creative liberties the game's creators took to unify the more schizophrenic Batman film series. Because while one person's Michael Keaton may be another's Christian Bale, could you imagine both Dark Knights in the same space?

Enjoy this trailer, which finds the LEGO games' impish humor weathering Batman's gravitas just fine, and visit the preorder link if you can't wait till September:

LEGO Death Star to Annihilate All Other Building Toys This Fall

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:04:00 GMT

If you can hold out till Sept. 16, which is when the LEGO Death Star is next expected to ship, this mother of all LEGO Star Wars creations should be well worth any time spent waiting for the mail carrier to bring it. Heck, at 3,803 pieces -- including 24 minifigures and droids (six of which are exclusive to the set), a Dianoga trash-compactor monster, and a TIE Advanced fighter -- it'll probably take you till the holidays to complete it, so you're looking at two full seasons' worth of LEGO bliss for around $400. Not so bad when you break it down, is it?

Putting to shame the old Kenner Death Star playset many of us may remember from childhood, the LEGO Death Star packs three levels' worth of characters, chambers and moving parts, and comes complete with a superlaser death ray so you and the kids can enact your own destruction of Alderaan.

There's also the famous chasm, which you can swing across with the accompanying Luke and Leia minifigures, the Imperial conference chamber where your Darth Vader minifig can choke out disobedient commanders, and the Emperor's throne room where you and Lord Vader can battle it out for the sake of the galaxy. And no questionable prequel-era characters here, bub: The minifigures -- the aforementioned as well as Chewbacca, Han Solo, Grand Moff Tarkin and a host of others -- are strictly Episodes IV through VI:

$399.99 from the LEGO Shop.

Got 30+ Snow Days to Kill? Pick Up a LEGO Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:03:00 GMT

If your kids are as LEGO-mad as mine, they've had this 5,195-piece Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon on their wish list for weeks; and, really, considering the thing costs $500, it probably pushes many of our gift-buying limits. If, however, you've got room in the budget and are looking for a 3D alternative to the old thousand-piece puzzle, this beast (the largest LEGO set ever made!) will keep you and the kids occupied for many a snow day.

The nearly three-foot-long Falcon is marked for ages 16 and up, but let's face it: If you've ever struggled to build even smaller sets with your kids, you already know most LEGOs should be labeled similarly. (Heck, knowing a set is secretly meant for you is half the fun of buying it.) It also includes Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia minifigures (pictured below), all of whom can sit in the built-to-scale interior, as well as a removable cockpit cover, working landing gear, an extendable boarding ramp, rotating turrets and radar dishes, and a display card with detailed specifications on Solo and Chewie's famous smuggling ship.

Just be sure you find a place to display the Falcon once it's built: Within five minutes of finishing my son's similarly epic LEGO Star Destroyer this Christmas, I practically wept as the little dude tried to fly the thing and joyfully undid several days' worth of my labor.