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Nature with bricks: Beautiful LEGO Wild!

by Thita (admin) on November 16, 2015

As a good number of LEGO builders have demonstrated throughout the years, LEGO is not just a child’s toy, but it can also be a stunningly beautiful medium of art. Mike Doyle has already proved this with his two previous books in the Beautiful LEGO series – Beautiful LEGO and Beautiful LEGO 2: Dark – and he set out to do it again with a third installment; Beautiful LEGO: Wild! With a focus on the beauty of the plant and animal kingdoms, Mike takes us all the way from elaborate tree-houses to dino dioramas to sea otters to red-eyed tree frogs! 🙂

Here is the official description of the book: Scenes from nature spring to life in Mike Doyle’s latest curated collection of LEGO art, Beautiful LEGO: Wild! From botanical marvels to adorable critters—as a sea otter family made from 3,500 LEGO pieces—every page is sure to delight the artist and naturalist in all of us. Interviews with LEGO masters from around the world give you a glimpse into the inspiration behind these incredible works of art. Discover amazing landscapes, insects, mythical creatures, and more, all within the enchanting pages of Beautiful LEGO: Wild!

To star off, Beautiful LEGO: Wild! has the same size and style as the previous two books in the series (all published by No Starch Press), so they make a very nice collection. The cover is soft but durable, with a gorgeous display of LEGO creations on both the inside and outside of the front and back covers – a great way to give you a taste on what this book is about. At over 220 pages the book is quite substantial, and is very satisfying to flip through. The author did a great job avoiding clutter in arranging the pictures and with enough white space around them for contrast. I felt that on some pages there was maybe a bit too much empty space, but overall the book is very tastefully done. It is certainly a beautiful collection of some of the best creations by the LEGO fan community – exactly what you would expect from a book of this nature.

By far, the greater amount of pages are dedicated to pictures of LEGO creations, but there are also a few interviews with builders like Sean Kenney and Tom Paulsom (who submitted the original design for the #21301 LEGO Ideas Birds set). On the whole, however, the reader is allowed to admire the models with a minimal amount of text interfering.

Beautiful LEGO: Wild! is arranged by topic, though I will admit that I don’t quite understand the order, except that it progresses from plants to animals. Categories include living with nature (tree houses and such), trees, other greenery, blooms, fruits birds, artificial creatures, horses, cats, dogs, ocean creatures, bugs, beast, mythical animals, and more. I was pleased to recognize several creations that I had previously admired, and was also amazed at the excellent builds I had never seen before.

To me one of the best pages of the book is of course the one I was published on (featured above – mine is the one in the middle). But the talent demonstrated throughout all the pages is amazing. Even for me, as a builder who has been creating MOCs (My Own Creations) for years, there were comparatively few models that had any of the typical nitpicky trouble spots my eyes are used to noticing.

I looked through Beautiful LEGO: Wild! very thoroughly right after receiving it, but subsequent perusals haven’t been boring either – there is just so much to explore in this book! Also, if you make your own LEGO creations, this book is excellent to give you inspiration and ideas for your own models. Although there are no step by step instructions, the pictures are large enough to learn some interesting building techniques, or clever piece usage.

Overall, I’m very glad to have a copy of this book, and would seriously recommend Beautiful LEGO: Wild! as a fantastic example of just how beautiful LEGO creations can really be! It is a perfect gift for LEGO fans, or anyone who enjoys unusual artwork. The book – along with the two previous LEGO books in the series – are available on Amazon. Here are the links:

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I hope you found this review helpful if you have been considering getting any of Mike Doyle’s LEGO books. And if you already own any of the books in the series, feel free to share your own thoughts and review in the comment section below! 😉

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LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse HQ update

by Thita (admin) on November 15, 2015

in LEGO Exclusives

A couple of weeks ago LEGO revealed images of the outside of the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters, and even added it to the Online LEGO Shop, however we still couldn’t see the inside. However a few days ago LEGO released images of the inside as well on their Facebook page, so let’s take a look! 🙂

Here is the official description: Get ready to bust some ghosts at the Firehouse Headquarters! Recreate iconic Ghostbusters scenes with the 2-story Firehouse Headquarters, featuring laboratory, living quarters, containment unit and much more. Capture the ghosts with the proton packs and restore order, or solve other supernatural cases! Includes 9 minifigures: Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Dana Barrett, Louis Tully, Library Ghost and Zombie Driver. Also comes with Slimer, Pink Ghost and Blue Ghost. 4634 pieces. Price: $349.99 – AVAILABLE SOON AT THE ONLINE LEGO SHOP

Slide the Ghostbusters heroes down the fire pole into action.
Chase the ghosts and secure them in the containment unit.
Turn the librarian old lady into a scary ghost with the double-sided face and extra wig!
Run tests on Louis in the lab to see if he’s possessed!
Suspend ghosts around the building’s exterior with attachable transparent arms.
Dodge the slime oozing up through cracks in the pavement.
Accessory elements include an alarm bell, fire extinguisher, computer, phone, toolbox, tools, jars of slimes, magnifying glass, camera, camera rolls, arcade game, toaster with slime, fridge with frozen pizza, milk and cheese, and much more!
Features opening walls for easy play access.
Features over 4,600 pieces.
Ghostbusters minifigures come with decorated arms.
Measures over 14” (36cm) high, 9” (25cm) wide and 14” (38cm) deep.
With walls opened out, measures over 14” (36cm) high, 18” (46 cm) wide and 14” (38cm) deep.
Firehouse Headquarters doors can open to fit the #21108 LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 inside!

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Exterior 1

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Details

As you can see, the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse HQ is massive. In fact, with over 4,600 pieces, it is the third largest set ever released by LEGO behind the #10189 LEGO Taj Mahal (5,922 pieces) and the #10179 LEGO Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon (5,197 pieces). The exterior is very impressive, and the interior is full of fun details. I particularly like the various pieces of furniture and other equipment. According to the description, the LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 will fit inside, although judging from the size, some of the furniture will have to be repositioned or removed, as the LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1 needs a 27×10 stud clearance to fit.

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 6

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 5

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 4

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 3

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 2

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Interior 1

All in all, this is definitely the ultimate LEGO set for Ghostbusters fans, although the $350 price-tag will likely turn some people off. But based on the fact that the set comes with 4,634 pieces and the price-per-piece ratio is only 7 cents, this is a really good deal – especially with the huge number of dark-red elements. If you are planning to get this set in January, I strongly recommend that you get the #21108 LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 now, because as soon as the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters becomes available, it will be in high demand and likely hard – or even impossible – to find. You can get the #21108 LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 under the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.

So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters? Is this a set you are considering to buy? What features do you like the best? And how do you like the minifigures? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

#75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Minifigures

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Nature with bricks: Beautiful LEGO Wild!

LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse HQ update

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