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Interesting tidbits in LEGO Club Magazine

by Thita (admin) on January 18, 2017

in Community News

There are a couple of interesting details in the January-February issue of the LEGO Club Magazine that I wanted to bring to your attention. As this is the first issue of the year, most of the focus is on the new sets and themes. So, there are comics and games related to the new LEGO Nexo Knights, LEGO Ninjago, The LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO DC Super Hero Girls, LEGO Disney Princess Moana, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO City, LEGO Creator and LEGO Friends sets, but there is more! 🙂

In the middle of the magazine there is a great looking 2-page, 2-sided poster of Doctor Strange from the Marvel Super Heroes universe on one side, and a LEGO City Undercover scene with Chase McCane on the other side (the game is going to be resurrected sometime this spring). The poster does have staple holes and a crease in the middle, but if you take it out carefully, there should be minimal damage. You should also be able to download the poster once the digital version of the magazine is available. I don’t have a large enough scanner to show you the whole thing, but the scan below should give you an idea of one side of the poster.

At The LEGO Batman Movie website there is a section which encourages LEGO fans to “Build Something BATMAN!” with gray and black LEGO pieces. In reference to this part of the website, the LEGO Club Magazine includes a picture of Batman’s version of The Joker’s Notorious Lowrider. It is basically a mash-up of the design of the #70905 LEGO Batman Movie Batmobile and the #70906 LEGO Batman Movie The Joker’s Notorious Lowrider, and looks really good in my opinion. If you would like to build this vehicle, it shouldn’t be that difficult, at it basically just swaps out the purple pieces for black ones, and borrows the windshield and the wheels from the Batmobile.

Towards the back of the magazine there is a sneak-peek of the upcoming LEGO Elves sets with goblins! I’m really looking forward to this collection as the sets are fantastic. As far as I know, they should be available in the spring. So excited!

There are also a couple of pages about the new LEGO Friends sets, which includes some very interesting information. First of all there is a call to action to “Be a LEGO Designer and Win!” The details are as follows: “Build a place in Hearlake City where you would like to hang out with your Best Friends! If you win the contest, you will be invited to spend a week in Denmark – wit your family – to help the designers to make your idea into an actual LEGO set. You can even make yourself as a mini-doll!” This is a very generous offer from LEGO, and an incredible opportunity for young LEGO fans (the contest is open for kids between ages of 6 and 12), so if you have any ideas for a future LEGO Friends set, go for it! The deadline to enter is February 28th. More info at LEGO.com/FriendsDesigner.

Speaking of future LEGO Friends sets, on the same page there is puzzle with a Heartlake City map. The map includes some of the locations of Heartlake City – most of which are already official LEGO sets. Like the #41005 LEGO Friends Heartlake High, the #41035 LEGO Friends Heartlake Juice Bar, the #41058 LEGO Friends Heartlake Shopping Mall, the #41085 LEGO Friends Vet Clinic, the #41093 LEGO Friends Heartlake Hair Salon, the #41095 LEGO Friends Emma’s House, the #41101 LEGO Friends Heartlake Grand Hotel, the #41118 LEGO Friends Heartlake Supermarket, the #41119 LEGO Friends Cupcake Café, the #41311 LEGO Friends Heartlake Pizzeria, and the #41314 LEGO Friends Stephanie’s House.

However, there are also locations on the map that don’t have a corresponding LEGO Friends set as of yet. This includes the Heartlake Museum, the Town Hall, and the Dance Studio. I wonder if we could take this map as an indication of future LEGO Friends sets. We already know that the 2017 summer wave will include a hospital and sets related to skiing, but a town hall and a museum would be really nice too!

What do you think? Did you get the latest LEGO Club Magazine yet? What do you think of the news we discussed here? Are there any other interesting details that you noticed in the magazine? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

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

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From Mega Bloks to Mega Construx

by Thita (admin) on January 17, 2017

in Other Large Brands

There are some interesting updates on Mega Bloks I wanted to share with you today. As I have mentioned previously (see links at the end of this post), I occasionally dabble in the higher quality and very detailed Mega Bloks Collectors series sets like Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Destiny, Halo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek. 🙂

Mattel (who owns Mega Bloks) recently resurrected the Construx brand name (which used to be another type of construction toy owned by Fisher Price in the 1980s), and now all the brick-based sets are under the Mega Construx branding instead of Mega Bloks. This means that the new 2017 Mega Bloks construction sets will have the Mega Construx name and logo. Besides the name change, the boxes also got more modern looking artwork, to differentiate the new sets from the old ones. In addition, there is also a new Mega Construx website, which launched at the beginning of January. You can check it out at MegaConstrux.com.

As fans are quite confused and concerned about all these changes and what they mean, Mega Bloks set up a FAQ section on their collectors’ forum. I’m not sure how long the old forum will be kept alive and how much will be transferred over to the new site, so I have copied the relevant information below. It addresses most of the questions.

➡ What is Mega Construx? – Mega Construx is a new construction toy brand in the MEGA brands portfolio, made to immerse and connect kids 4+ and collectors with worlds they love. Mega Construx aims to challenges the status quo with authentic details and unexpected play experiences with highly detailed micro-figures, authentic translation of properties, and unique build-to-play features for each consumer.

➡ Is Mega Bloks changing its name to Mega Construx? – No, Mega Bloks will still exist as a brand that inspires preschoolers 1-5 to achieve their potential through building play. Mega Construx will be launching as a sibling brand to immerse and connect kids 4+ and collectors with worlds they love, with authentic details and unexpected build and play experiences.

➡ Why the new identity? – This change is about more than just a new name. With Mega Construx, we wanted to create something to immerse kids and construction fans in the worlds they love! With product lines based on popular entertainment, toy and gaming franchises, Mega Construx aims to provide unexpected play experiences that empower fans to build their own worlds, redefine expectations, and discover new possibilities. From top-quality design and manufacturing to authentic details, action-packed play features, innovative materials, and content that connects fans, we don’t just make toys, we create experiences!

➡ Is Mega Construx a new company? – No. Mega Construx is a new brand of construction toys from the same maker as Mega Bloks. Mega Bloks and Mega Construx are sibling brands, and both part of the MEGA construction brand within the Mattel family.

➡ What’s happening to my favorite product lines? – Not to worry. Aside from preschool licenses, most of your favorite Mega product lines are coming to Mega Construx. This includes Halo, Destiny, Call of Duty, TMNT, Despicable Me, American Girl and many more. We’re even adding some exciting new product lines for you to discover!

➡ Will Mega Construx sets be compatible with my old Mega Bloks sets? – Yes. Mega Construx is from the makers of Mega Bloks, and all sets will be compatible with existing standard size bricks, including current Mega Bloks sets for builders 4+.

➡ What’s going to happen to my Mega Bloks website account? – If you have an existing Mega Bloks account, don’t worry. It’s not going away. Your account will continue to exist as a MEGA account. With your MEGA account, you will be able to log into the new Mega Construx site, and your info, settings, and preferences will all stay the same. And don’t worry, your forum posts and gallery images aren’t going anywhere!

As you can see, the idea is to move the brick-based sets aimed at older kids under the Mega Construx name. The Mega Bloks Collectors sets are specifically mentioned (Halo, Destiny, Call of Duty, etc.), and also some of the regular collections like Despicable Me and American Girl. It is interesting to note however that some sets meant for younger kids with LEGO DUPLO-size bricks also have the Mega Construx logo, so it is still not completely clear what will remain under the Mega Bloks brand and what will move under Mega Construx. Perhaps the whole name change is part of a larger plan as Mattel is shifting around their toy categories. (Mattel has their own toy lines, and they acquired Mega Bloks in 2014.)

As I mentioned at the beginning there is also a new Mega Construx website, which launched on the 4th of January. The new site is pretty much just a shell right now, as the links on any category still lead to the old website. This is probably another area of the transition that will take a while to sort out. The new site is similar to the old ones with product categories, forums, galleries, games, etc. You can visit it here: MegaConstrux.com

So if you have been collecting any of the Mega Bloks sets, or just occasionally getting a few, don’t get confused if you no longer find the familiar Mega Bloks boxes at the store. While the older sets still on shelves will have the Mega Bloks logo, the 2017 sets will be named Mega Construx. But they are all the same. I have included some box images for you here, so you can see how they look.

If you are interested in the new Mega Construx sets they are just starting to trickle in to retailers, so it is still a bit hard to find them, and they are also available on eBay: MEGA CONSTRUX ON EBAY

What do you think? Do you collect any of the Mega Bloks sets? What do you think of the name change? And what do you think the future will bring to Mega Bloks a.k.a. Mega Construx? 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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Interesting tidbits in LEGO Club Magazine

From Mega Bloks to Mega Construx

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