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LEGO Ideas Birds collection coming soon!

by Thita (admin) on December 4, 2014

in LEGO Exclusives

Last week LEGO officially revealed the #21301 LEGO Ideas Birds set, which is the next official release in the fan submitted LEGO Ideas line. We have talked about this project before (see: LEGO Ideas Update & New Sets Coming!), and now we have a chance to see the set in detail. 🙂

LEGO Ideas Birds was designed by Tom Poulsom (a.k.a. DeTomaso), a British LEGO fan and avid bird watcher. In an interview with the LEGO Ideas team he shares what inspired him to start this project: “The majority of my creations have been replicas of man-made objects (cars, trucks and spaceships) and I wanted to build something different. Creating something to look organic seemed like a nice challenge. I have always loved nature and being a tree surgeon and gardener I get a lot of inspiration from my job. I was digging a vegetable patch one day and during a quick break I noticed a Robin land on my fork handle. This was the inspiration behind “Bobby the Robin”. I built him that evening and enjoyed building this bird so much that I decided to build some of my favorite birds from Europe. Once I had built seven birds I posted one a day on Flickr. They were a hit! I couldn’t believe the attention I received. A follower suggested I add the birds to LEGO Ideas and here I am now with an official LEGO set containing my Idea.”

Tom actually built a whole series of LEGO birds and you can see them all in his flickr gallery at the following links: British LEGO Birds, North American LEGO Birds, Tropical LEGO Birds, and Oceana LEGO Birds. For the #21301 LEGO Ideas Birds sets, LEGO selected three of Tom’s designs from different continents and bundled them into one set. A name-plate has been also added to each bird with the Latin name of the species: the South American Hummingbird (Colibri thalassinus) with a flower, the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), and the North American Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). At least for me the real fun part is that all three birds (not the exact same varieties though) are frequent visitors in our backyard! Blue Jays regularly raid my bird-feeders (but I still love those rascals), American Robins (a bit larger versions of the one featured in this set) come down in big groups when the weather gets cold up North, and although we don’t have the exact same type of hummingbird here, we still have plenty of similar little buzzers visiting our hummingbird feeders.

The #21301 LEGO Ideas Birds set is already listed at the Online LEGO Shop, although it won’t be available for sale until January 1st. But at least you can check out the details. Here is the official description: Put down your binoculars and get closer to nature with these intricate LEGO models of well-known birds! Created by keen gardener and bird enthusiast Thomas Poulsom and selected by LEGO Ideas members, each replica bird hails from a different continent: the Robin from Europe; the Blue Jay from North America; and the Hummingbird from South America. These beautiful and detailed models come with their own presentation stands showing their scientific names, so that you can display your birds for all to enjoy or detach and play as you wish. This set also includes 3 booklets containing lots more information about each of these fascinating species as well as the creator of these amazing models. Blue Jay stands over 7” (18cm) tall on its stand, Hummingbird stands over 5” (15cm) tall on its stand, and Robin stands over 6” (17cm) tall on its stand. 580 pieces. Price: $44.99

I really like the presentation of this set. The box is just so gorgeous, and so different than other LEGO sets. LEGO designers really put some thought into packaging this collection. As I have mentioned previously, I believe this set is going to be very popular not just with LEGO fans, but bird-watchers, and even schools and libraries. Just a fantastic little set that may even open up a whole new direction for LEGO in the future. I’m definitely planning to get this set as soon as it becomes available. And while we are waiting, you can also check out the currently available fan-created LEGO sets at the Online LEGO Shop.

So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO Ideas Birds set? Is this something you are planning to get? Would you like the theme to expand into a series with other birds? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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LEGO Minifigures Series 13 pictures & details

by Thita (admin) on December 3, 2014

in LEGO Minifigures

It looks like LEGO isn’t slowing down with exciting 2015 news! A few days ago they revealed the entire Collectible Minifigures Series 13 at the official LEGO Facebook Page. We have talked about this series previously (see: LEGO Unicorn Suit Minifigure & More!) and now we can see all the characters. This series will be available in January 2015. 🙂

First up is the Unicorn Girl with a super cute face and costume. I really like the printed hooves. Then there is the Hot Dog Man, which means that in this series we get two costumed minifigs. I’m thinking that hot dog piece would also work great as a sign on a hot dog cart or other food establishment. Next we have the Galaxy Trooper with a new armor piece. Notice the small LEGO Galaxy Squad logo on his chest. The Sheriff holds up a “Wanted” flyer (printed tile) with the LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 6 Bandit, so looks like we can finally have a showdown between them.

The Paleontologist comes with a brand new hat/hair combo, moulded short sleeves and a wonderful printed fossil tile! I’m pretty sure this piece is going to be a favorite of LEGO customizers. The legs are also printed and the face is really nice. The Snake Charmer also comes with new pieces; the turban is an updated version from the previous one and the printed cobra is new as well. This should be another very popular minifig in the series. The Female Samurai doesn’t have any new pieces, however her armor is printed, which is nice as this piece never came in a printed format before. The Cyclops from Minifigures Series 9 finally gets a mate in the form of the beauty-conscious Lady Cyclops with long eyelashes lipstick, beauty-spot… and raggedy outfit with bones. Any arguments about her fashion choices? Watch out for her club! She is not in the mood for teasing! 🙄

Next we have the Classic King with a golden sword, a brand new type of cape and a really nice crown/hair combination (also a new piece). The Goblin should also be a popular minifig. His hat, torso and legs are all very useful pieces for other applications as well. Also, this is the first time we get that bag in dark-brown. The Egyptian Warrior is a gorgeous minifig with a new head-cover and brand new shield. He will be joining the Egyptian Queen from Minifigures Series 5, The Pharaoh from Series 2 and the Mummy from Series 3. Then we got the Disco Diva who is in a class of her own. Check out the printed arms, the side-printing on the legs and those flashy shades! Also, this is the first time that hairpiece appears in brown. You gotta love this girl!

Nice to finally have a Fencer! Note though that he/she is holding the sword in the wrong hand. It supposed to be in the gloved hand! The Evil Wizard definitely looks evil with those fiery cape and robes! The Carpenter minifig has been past due in LEGO City for a long time! This minifig is going to be very popular with that brand new saw, printed wooden plank, nice shirt, printed pants, and hard-hat/hair combo! And last but not least, there is the Alien Trooper. His head-piece will also be useful for undersea life.

As I have mentioned, LEGO Minifigures Series 13 will be available in January. In the meantime you can check out the currently available LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 12 (which in my opinion is one of the best – if not the best – series so far) and the LEGO The Simpsons Collectible Minifigures at the Online LEGO Shop.

So what do you think? How do you like Series 13 of the LEGO Collectible Minifigs? Which ones are you planning to get? Or do you collect them all? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to visit the LEGO Minifigures section for more news, reviews and discussions, or select from the following related posts:

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LEGO Ideas Birds collection coming soon!

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