You might remember that a couple of months ago LEGO announced a new line of products called LEGO FUSION. You can read the full press-release here: LEGO FUSION – Blanding Real & Digital Worlds, and see a video-demo on how the sets work: LEGO FUSION New Website & Video Preview. Three of the four LEGO FUSION sets are now available and you can also download the corresponsive apps for each set for free. 🙂
LEGO FUSION was a response to parents’ concerns about children preferring and spending too much time on digital games. Rather than taking away that tablet device and giving children a bucket of LEGO bricks – which they likely won’t appreciate – LEGO FUSION encourages children to build with real LEGO bricks without completely taking away the digital gaming experience. Going back and forth between the digital and real world aspects of LEGO FUSION children can have fun in both worlds. And I admit they also look quite fun for adults. I always liked the funny humor of LEGO games.
LEGO offers four LEGO FUSION sets, each of them with a different theme; #21204 LEGO FUSION Town Master with a LEGO City flavor, #21205 LEGO FUSION Battle Towers for LEGO Castle fans, #21206 LEGO FUSION Crate & Race focuses on building and playing with small race-cars, and #21208 LEGO FUSION Resort Designer for LEGO Friends fans. The first three sets are available right now at the Online LEGO Shop, and the last set will be available at the beginning of September.
Once you get any of the sets, you can download their respective apps for your smart-phone or tablet from the Apple App Store, Google Play, Samsung Apps and the Amazon Appstore. You don’t have to hunt for the apps though for your particular device, you can get the direct links from the official LEGO FUSION website. Each of the sets have a different app, and they are free to download from the aforementioned link.
While you are at the LEGO FUSION website, I also recommend you check out the video-tutorial with the Senior Concept Designer of LEGO FUSION who gives you some great tips and ideas on how to play. (I planned to include the video here, unfortunately it is not embeddable, so I added another video-review below that is also interesting.)
➡ #21204 LEGO FUSION TOWN MASTER: Rule your town and create it the way you want by building with real LEGO bricks that come alive in this virtual world! Find out what your mini citizens need in the LEGO Town Master App for your smart-phone or tablet. Then build it with real LEGO bricks! Create restaurants, shops, fire stations, roads and more on the LEGO Fusion baseplate. Snap it into your virtual game with just a click and watch it come to life! Earn valuable studs, power and rewards by completing missions and mini games as they pop-up throughout your town. Expand your virtual world in every direction. Includes Mayor minifigure. 256 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE
➡ #21205 LEGO FUSION BATTLE TOWERS: Your kingdom is under attack and only you have the power to defend it. Design and defend your Battle Tower against unpredictable invaders by building with real LEGO bricks! Build your 2D tower, layer by layer with LEGO bricks on the LEGO Fusion baseplate. Then snap it into your virtual game in the LEGO Battle Towers App for your smart-phone or tablet with just a click. Watch it come to life in 3D! Recruit an army of wizards, archers and even castle chefs, ready to fight for you when darkness falls. Arm them with cool defenses including magic, fireballs or arrows and prepare for battle! Repair and redesign as you learn what will keep your tower intact to earn studs, unlock special features and reach the crown in the sky! 212 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE
➡ #21206 LEGO FUSION CREATE & RACE: Get behind the wheel of the virtual cars that you create with the digital designer, then build with real LEGO bricks! Compete on racetracks, stunt courses and in demolition challenges to dominate the leaderboard with your designs on your smart-phone or tablet! Take them to the track, then tune them up in the LEGO garage before each epic race for glory – where every brick matters! Watch as each element changes the stats of your creation. Build racecars, monster trucks and more with endless customization for maximum impact. 223 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE
➡ #21208 LEGO FUSION RESORT DESIGNER: Help the LEGO Friends build a dream summer resort! Use real LEGO bricks to build houses, rooms, shops and cafés. Then, bring your designs to life in 3D on your tablet or smart-phone. Create houses, shops, restaurants, juice bars, surf shops, pet shops and everything your dream resort needs…the possibilities are virtually endless. Decorate the interior of your buildings any way you want! When you help Olivia to keep the Friends happy by building what they need, you’ll earn studs, accessories and unlock special features. Challenge yourself with missions and mini-games when they pop-up throughout the resort. Includes Olivia mini-doll. 263 pieces. Price: $34.99 – BUY HERE
So what do you think? Does LEGO FUSION sounds interesting to you? Are you planning to try it out? Which one of the sets do you like best? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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I love all of these, I think the racing one is my favorite. But I feel like it it needs to be more. I think it would be nice if the apps were in more of a free play mode, where you could explore what you built and rearrange things, through the eyes of a Lego person. That wouldn’t be as intriguing, but I would like it as an option in the future. And, I hope the sets get bigger, if they are not compatible with each other. I’m guessing there not. I’m sort of clinging onto a hope that Lego will make a inexpensive 3D printer where you build something on an app, maybe pour some melted plastic in the printer somewhere, and it prints out the thing you made :p.
I also like the Racing one. FUSION is still very new, so it makes sense that the first wave of sets are not too large and expensive, so more people can try it out. If the product-line becomes successful I’m sure they will add more features based on user feedback and also add more sets. And you are currect, the sets each stand on their own with their own app. They are not compatible. Technology is always advancing, and LEGO is pretty good at exploring new possibilities, so yeah, maybe your 3D printer will become a reality too one day. 😉
Both of my kids have their own tablet and we strictly regulate how much time they are allowed to use them so as to prevent them from becoming couch potatoes so I can see the appeal for LEGO FUSION however I’m not so sure this is going to take off/work like TLG (THE LEGO GROUP) hopes it will.
I could be wrong but my concern is that the sets will have little re-play value if you are limited to only pre-built pieces the software is programmed for. In other words if my child builds something with the bricks that come in a set but which is not an already pre-designed build will the software still be able to convert it to its digital equivalent or are kids stuck with building only those builds listed in the build guide that comes with each set?
To address your concerns, the sets have no build guides at all. What they have though is themes. In otherwords in the LEGO City themed FUSION kit kids can build buildings, and in the Racinc themed set they can build race-cars. How they build those buildings or racecars is up to them, as long as they use the pieces included in the set (and thus recognized by the app). They can’t put a race-car in the LEGO City set though, or a house in the Race-car set. In this sense the LEGO Friends Resort Designer set is the most advanced as kids can build both the exterior and interior of the houses. So there is some limitation of what can be done with each set, but I think there is also enough room for creativity.
I would say that the most important thing is choosing the right kit for the child to get the most value out of it. If they do like to build cities, the town builder set can keep them occupied with building as many buildings as they want. I wouldn’t buy this set for a kid who is more into making cars. This is still a very new technology, but I feel it has potential. I’m sure LEGO will carefully listen to feedback and make necessary adjustments based on user experience.
Seems like a cool idea but if it worked without the sets, as in you could build whatever you wanted with parts you already have, I think it would be a lot cooler. Also, TLG needs to make a LDD app. That would be convenient.
That would really great and I would love to see that happen too. The technology is not there yet, but maybe it will be soon. And an LDD app would be great! Although I don’t know if a tablet or smartphone could handle the computing requirements. On my older computer (and no, it wasn’t that old!) I had to close all other programs and put an external fan next to the computer to be able to run LDD. Yeah, it is powerful stuff! 🙂
Hi Anna, I have a very juicy story to share with you about 18 pallets of stolen LEGO in AZ. I want to send you the link to the newspaper article, but I misplaced your e-mail.
found it!!! I just e-mailed you the link.
I want that link! plz share
Anna, is it OK if I post the link on your blog? It’s to a newspaper in AZ, from Channel 12 News and the Arizona Republic newspaper, there is nothing inappropriate. Check it out and let me know please.
Micho, yes, I read that story a few days ago. Stories like this pop up every couple of months. In fact, just two days later a similar incident happened in New York, and a few months back there was a huge theft here in Florida, then before that one in California by a guy who was an executive in a tech company in Silicon Valley and lived in a multi-million dollar house. So yeah, nothing new here. But you are welcome to post the link in case readers are interested. 😉
Yikes! I always imagined if I struck it rich I would actually buy LEGO to give away, not steal LEGO to make more money.. some people I tell ‘ya!!! Heck, I’m nowhere near rich but when I see polybags on sale I try to buy some to give away to the children from church, although I got like 4 of them hooked as of two years ago, sorry parents! It makes me feel good though because I started with a $2 set I still keep locked up 🙂
Yeah, people assume that rich folks and smart folks have it all together, but unfortunatley many times that’s not the case. The Silicon Valley guy actually got away with one month in prison and a few months in house-arrest. But of course he also lost his job and reputation. You can read about the case here. I think this is the latest update: http://www.wired.com/2013/08/langenbach/
Oh, so you are helping kids to become addicts. Hm… let’s see what should the punishment be? 😈
LOL.. IDK but I think LEGO owes me one n in the long run 😀
Yeah, and the parents will say you owe them. 🙄
Oh… they already told me LOL 😀
what is really funny is when they go to visit my house and they think I’m gonna give them LEGO every time LOL… or when they gravitate towards my minifigure display and they all seem to want my 2004 movie spiderman… then I tell them “You got $30???” and they put these sad little faces on.. so then I talk to them about the importance of taking care of their toys, and their parents say “see? I told you to take care of your toys, maybe one day your legos will be worth $30” LOL
That’s very funny. And I have pretty much the same experience. Having an orderly display and building area also helps them to respect your LEGO, and may inspire them to take care of theirs better. Children learn by seeing and experiencing.
And yes, they do expect more if you give them something. Kids are like little puppies; they best respond to consistency. If they get random stuff at random times, they get confused and don’t know what to expect. So they give you a little test to see how you operate and what makes you give them more. Do you respond to smiles, cuteness, nagging, tantrums, maturity? They are very good at figuring out what makes you tick.
If there is consistency of when they get things; like for their birthday, or when they get good grades, or in exchange of doing some work/chores, they know what to expect and will aligh themselves with the rules layed down. They are actually happiest with an arrangement like that. Kids thrive on consistency and rules.
Reference material; my 5 younger brothers, 3 younger sisters, and plenty of baby-sitting experience. 😉
Here is the link Legogeek http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/08/15/police-200000-legos-recovered-4-people-arrested-abrk/14143047/
Of course as soon as I’m ready to put together my Lego.com order, the ordering part of the site is down. I’m chomping at the bit!
Kim, the Online LEGO Shop was down for several hours, but it should be back online now. Try this link: Online LEGO Shop
Thanks! I ended up getting the Bike Shop and Cafe and got my order to over $99 with the Wedding Favor set and the Police ATV, so I’m gonna get my mini mini cooper too! =D
Nice! Keep us posted on how you like the Bike Shop! 😛
On my way to my local LEGO store now… Definitely picking all of these up. (Although the Friends one isn’t out yet)
Just picked up Battle Towers and tried it out. It’s a great set but it could be improved… I’d be happy to write an article on tips for how to make the app better recognize your creations (for all the Fusion sets in general) and a review of the apps… Just PM me!
I have sent you a PM. 😉
TOWN MASTER!
BATTLE TOWERS!
CREATE & RACE!
Resort designer?
Hmm… LEGO may not be doing themselves any favours in the gender roles debate with this one…
LOL! Yeah, probably. Feminists are right now temporarily quieted by the release of the Research Institute, but I don’t know how long that will last. 🙄
I live in Canada and I just purchased 2 sets of Lego Fusion in U.S. during my vacation but I cannot download the apps from Apple Store. Could you help me? It seems that the apps is only available in U.S. ???
Jolan, one of our other Canadian readers, Brent, shared the following: “Okay for Lego Fusion app to work for all you Canadians. Must go to the App Store. And scroll to the bottom and go into your I D. From there change region or country. You must select none for your payment method, which is fine as Lego Fusion is Free. Then pick a state and make up a 5 number zip code. Complete and then for into lego Fusion and download app. I then went back and made the changes back for my Canadian account. Thanks to my son , we worked together and made it work. Great game by the way!”
Thank you this worked for me! I was looking to buy my son a set for Christmas. I even have a US billing address but it wouldn’t accept it, I had to select “none” as my method of payment.
Does anyone know how to bypass it on android? I have a Samsung galaxy s5.
Hm… I don’t know myself, but I hope someone will help you out…
I also live in Canada and just purchased a Lego Fusion set for my son only to find I can’t download the app on iTunes Canada. I tried the recommendation above but I can’t change my payment method to none and I can’t change the country it seems. I just upgraded to ios8 so maybe the recommendation was for ios7 only??
Hm… not sure about that… I would suggest that you call LEGO’s customer service. They should be able to help you.
Same problem… In Canada, bought Fusion on vacation for xmas. There’s no way to change your Country nor choose No Billing Info in the current iOS and App Store software.
I emailed Lego Support, and they recommended I return the products (not likely, since I purchased them at Legoland in Orlando :/ )
Mike, you may still be able to return them. I would suggest you call back customer support and explain your situation. They are very helpful. Worst comes to worst you can always sell it onthe secondary market.
Ah Ha! If you’re Canadian, and wondering why that earlier described workaround didn’t work for you (like myself), I have figured it out. Your account must *not* be set up to use a Family Share.
If you went through the iOS update and configured a Family share, you have to find a way to leave that first. I hadn’t actually set anyone else up on my Family account, and sure enough, my wife’s account was able to switch country and payment method according to Jolan’s description.
Thanks all!!
Nice work! Thanks for sharing! 😛
I doubt you still reply to comments on LEGO Fusion, but here goes nothing…
Do bricks that come outside of LEGO Fusion work on the LEGO Fusion games?
I respond to all comments as for me they are visible by date and time received. The elements used in LEGO FUSION are not special (except for the plate), however the app can only recognize those exact shapes and colors. So if you have more of the same elements that comes with the LEGO FUSION sets, yes, you can use them.
I bought the resort builder for my niece only to find out that none of her devices can download the app. Will this game eventually be available for more android devices?
Amanda, I’m not sure what device your niece has, but you can call LEGO’s customer service to see if they are planning to expand to that device. Most of them should be able to play the game.
My son just got the Lego Fusion Town Master from my out of town sister. After he opened up all the packages, and we were ready to download the app, we find out that the Galaxy Tab Pro isn’t supported by the game (that works on a Tab 3)
Who do I contact about this? WB games or Lego?
Eduardo, I would suggest you call LEGO’s customer service. They should be able to answer your questions, or direct you to the right department.