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The LEGO Ideas team recently ran a contest for creative LEGO photography, with the winning entry becoming featured on the front of a new 1,000-piece puzzle produced and distributed by Chronicle Books. There were several categories to enter; Space & Astronomy, Nature Scenes, Retro, and Architecture. LEGO Ideas judges selected 10 of what they felt were the best entries (40 total), which then went to the crowd vote phase. There will be winners in each category as well as a grand prize winner, but they weren’t announced just yet.

However, I would still like to talk about this contest, because the entries are so impressive. The trick is that this isn’t just a standard building contest, but also a photography contest. In other words, contestants had to build something impressive, then arrange it and present it in a well-composed picture. And not just any picture, but a picture that could potentially become a puzzle. That’s a lot to think about and plan for!

Chronicle Books gave some guidelines of what works well for puzzle pictures. They advised contestants to feature a clear unifying theme or storyline, and make use of patterns, gradation, and/or repetition. They should also include a variety of different colors and not too much empty space or large borders. The picture should have enough variation to be challenging as a puzzle for fans 9+, and of course, have sharp image quality.

Below, I have included some of my favorite designs in the four different categories, and if you would like to see the full list, visit the LEGO Ideas Contest Page.

LEGO IDEAS PUZZLE CONTEST – SPACE & ASTRONOMY

Minifigure Logo by aido_k

“The closer you look, the more you will see! I thought that the iconic space logo would be a great candidate for a puzzle. I wanted to create something that would be challenging but not boring, so I have packed this image with dozens of things for a puzzle builder to discover along the way. Within this image, there are minifigure accessories, spaceship parts, lots of mini scenes, and things that you might not even notice until you see it on a puzzle piece, such as a blue spaceman with yellow hands/no gloves, or a guy with his helmet stuck on backwards. I chose this scale because I wanted the minifigures to be life-size in the image when the puzzle is built. They may look tiny in this picture, but if this was a 25 inch puzzle then the minifigures would actually be 1:1 scale. Having them this small also allows for them to still look detailed in a 350dpi render.”

Entering the Universe of Creativity by AJBuster

“Come take a seat in my rocket ship and let me take you to a wonderful place. I’ll take you to an entirely different universe. A universe where you can forget about your troubles for a while, where you can creatively express yourself in any way you wish, where imagination runs wild, and where friends are aplenty. Let me take you to the universe of LEGO.”

LEGO IDEAS PUZZLE CONTEST – NATURE SCENES

Snow and Peacock by MoMoLam

“In this oil-painting-like LEGO creation, I present you the scene with a colorful peacock standing on a plum tree during the first snow. You may have spotted that the peacock is made by using LEGO plants, flowers, grasses, and leaves. I think using nature elements to make the shape of the peacock demonstrates that animals and nature are interrelated and interdependent. Why I choose to present the scene of first snow with plums? Because it shows the strength of nature; even in the snow, plums can bloom. Be strong, is the message I got from it. The peacock is one of the most beautiful animals in the world. The beauty of peacock is multiplied when it spreads its wings and shows its true colors. Each peacock feather is flawed, yet together they create something beautiful. It reminds me not to be afraid of who you are; be strong and proud of yourself, beauty is just that simple. To me, the beauty of nature is as simple as it can be.”

The Deer by Les Briques de Loïc

“My inspiration for this construction comes simply from the art of cut paper.”

LEGO IDEAS PUZZLE CONTEST – RETRO

Venetian Lagoon by Albrick

“Venice and its magical environment have always been sources of inspiration for all forms of artistic expression. This is my little contribution to the long list: a LEGO render inspired by Burano, a picturesque old-time island of the Venetian lagoon, near Murano and Torcello. The town is known among artists for its brightly colored homes. Thanks to the vivid colors and the vintage atmosphere, I think this subject would be perfect for a LEGO jigsaw puzzle!”

Retro Roller by Indiaislemon

“With bright, joyful colors and a fun free-wheeling vibe, Retro Roller invokes the ecstatic energy and loud expressiveness of the 1970’s and 80’s. With Retro colors in fun, arcade-style patterns, the speedy focal inline skate, and a gorgeous warm sunburst horizon, puzzle enthusiasts and Lego lovers will lose themselves in nostalgia for a bigger, bolder, brighter time!”

LEGO IDEAS PUZZLE CONTEST – ARCHITECTURE

The Rising City by JeffWorks

“A city rises beside the shore, moving through architectural styles as it climbs ever higher towards the sky. The essence of LEGO, jigsaw puzzles, and cities is putting something together piece-by-piece. Enjoy the many themes of building in this puzzle.”

The Arts and Quilt Building by WhyWall

“The Arts and Quilt shop that occupies part of the lower level of this building has inspired the whole building. After many years the whole building has transformed into a work of art all of it’s own. The building resembles a patchwork quilt full of colors and patterns.”

As you can see, this contest is full of creative and beautifully designed projects that would also make enjoyable puzzles. Again, if you would like to see the other entries, visit the . And you’re also welcome to share your favorites in the comment section below!

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Revised & Recolored LEGO Sets Coming!

I was reading an interesting piece of news this past weekend on Brickset. Apparently, several sets that were released within the past few years will be available in revised versions. The selection seems rather random, and I’m not really sure what to think, but I have included the information below so we can discuss.

The #31058 LEGO Creator Mighty Dinosaurs was a 3-in-1 set released in 2017, featuring a green dino that could be rebuilt into a triceratops or a pterodactyl. As you can see on the images below, this set is going to be released in two re-colored versions; the #77940 LEGO Creator Mighty Dinosaurs with a brown dino, and the #77941 LEGO Creator Mighty Dinosaurs with a dark-blue dino. Dinos are popular with kids, so it’s understandable that LEGO decided the set back, but it is not know why the change of colors, and why the two different colors. Nor is it known if this is going to be a wide release, something regional, or perhaps event-specific, but you can keep an eye on it at the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

The pretty light-yellow #10271 LEGO Creator Expert Fiat 500 was released in 2020, and this year, we should be getting a light-blue version in the #77942 LEGO Creator Expert Fiat 500. As far as I can tell, nothing else is different besides the color. The first version is available at the LEGO Creator Expert section of the Online LEGO Shop. We don’t know yet when and where the second version will be released.

The third re-release listed by Brickset is a little different as it more than just a change of colors. The #60110 LEGO City Fire Station was released back in 2016, and although the upcoming #77944 LEGO City Fire Station is very similar, it does include some minor changes in the set design, minifigs, and box-art. Again, it’s not know when and where this set will be available, but you can look for it at the LEGO City section of the Online LEGO Shop.

It’s interesting to note that although in the past LEGO was very much against re-releases, it seems that their stance on this softened in recent years. An identical version of the #10189 LEGO Creator Expert Taj Mahal from 2008 was released as the #10256 LEGO Creator Expert Taj Mahal in 2017. Although both sets are now retired, a smaller version, the #21056 LEGO Architecture Taj Mahal, is available at the LEGO Architecture section of the Online LEGO Shop.

Another identical re-release is the #92176 LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo Saturn V from 2020, which first appeared as the #21309 LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo Saturn V in 2017. The new version is available at the LEGO Creator Expert section of the Online LEGO Shop.

I can understand the re-release of larger collector sets, I’m a bit puzzled by the re-appearance of the smaller sets. I’m unsure about why LEGO felt it was necessary to re-release the dinos and to change the colors, or what is the purpose of re-releasing an almost identical fire station. What do you think? What sets would you like to see re-released? And what do you think of the ones we discussed here? If you have some thoughts or insights, feel free to share in the comment section below!

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