Super rare, and super expensive!

Special edition. Or in other words, very expensive.

What I'm talking about is the LEGO Billund Airport (4000016). Never heard of it? Either had I until earlier this week.

Basically, it's super-duper rare, with only 10,000 sets ever produced. Want it? You'd have to be flying through Billund Airport (one of Denmark's busiest air cargo centres). The airport also services some regular commercial airlines, and it's the airport you want to be flying in and out of if you're visiting Legoland - given it's just around the corner.

The set was designed by Billund Aiport employee Lennart Cort, who works in the airports LEGO store. He created the set, and after showing it to his manager it was then shown to the LEGO Group management, and it was soon made into a set.

I haven't read much more about the set, but it appears to fall into the LEGO Architecture category (given the box art and style of build). Compared to the other LEGO Architecture sets, it's a little abstract. Billund Airport is a big structure to be able to replicate on such a small scale, yet still get all the detail.

By the looks of things, the set actually consists of two separate models (so-to-speak). The little yellow bus is a nice touch, and the styling of the main building really captures the appearance of airports' drop-off and pick-up canopies. The aeroplanes are very cool - five small, two large - which fit in well next to the aerobridges.

Anyway, I'm presuming that you haven't been to Billund Airport recently and/or don't plan on going there anytime soon. If you want the set that much, there are some really cheeky buggers selling their sets on eBay for a very exorborant price (I do NOT condone this re-selling). But heck, for $600, you might as well take a European holiday, and pick yourself up a set on the way to Legoland.

New LEGO Ideas project announced

WOW - it's been over two months since I last posted here on my blog. And my boy, has a lot happened in those few months.

But continuing in the trend of A Boy Named Ben, this post is going to be about LEGO.

I'm absolutely, super-duper ecstatic with the latest LEGO Ideas announcement! Say g'day to LEGO Birds 21301, coming to stores (and online) in January 2015.

LEGO Birds perched nicely on their stands

This ninth instalment in the LEGO Ideas series follows on most recently from the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 (which I proudly own), the Research Institute (which I missed out on, and is now sold out), and the Exo Suit (which doesn't interest me in the slightest). Okay, the more I look at the Exo Suit, the more I think I like it...

The three birds are a Hummingbird with flower from South America, a Blue Jay from North America, and a Robin from Europe.

The first element of this exciting set that caught my eye was the striking colours - green, blue, yellow, and red. I also like LEGO's mounting plates. They're really smart, and the description plates remind me of those that you'd see at the zoo. My only gripe is the lack of common name on the description plates (young LEGO fans are unlikely to be able to pronounce their Latin names). Heck, I'm 22 and can't either!

Poulsom proud as punch with his LEGO Ideas project

Bird enthusiast Thomas Poulsom is the man behind the concept, and his story is detailed in the booklet with the set. There are three separate booklets; one for each bird species. 

Contradictory information provided on the LEGO website

The details on the website are a contradictory, because the artwork for the box states 442 pieces, while the set specifications say 580 (see screenshot above). That is a HUGE difference in a set of this size, and numbers like that can make a big difference to the price. Regardless, the current RRP is $44.99 in the USA (about 8c per piece), which is likely to be around $60 in Australia. I've also seen artwork showing 580 pieces (see below), and I've read that elsewhere, so I'll go with that.

580 pieces according to this box artwork

Lastly, I'm very, very happy with the stands used to support the LEGO birds. The Hummingbird is supported by a clear pole, giving it the illusion it is hovering while suckling from the flower. The Robin looks to be perched atop a wooden branch, while the Blue Jay is sitting on a metal stand. The box also has a nice map printed on the rear showing where the birds come from, and real life photos of the three birds compared to their LEGO counterparts.

Reference material printed on the rear of the box

I'm looking forward to seeing a YouTube video from the LEGO designers responsible for turning this prototype into a reality (if you see it before me, comment below). Let's hope this set is mass produced, so that wildlife and LEGO lovers alike aren't disappointed when it sells out within days of release like the Research Institute. This next month and a bit are going to drag on forever now...

Just keep swimming

When I first started blogging here, I told you all that I'd be writing about my range of hobbies and interests. Unfortunately (for some), everything to date has been about LEGO. So it's time for something different!

Those that know me, know that I've got many hobbies. Many, many hobbies in fact. You would have to be made of money to be able to sustain all of them continually, so they drop in and out of my lifestyle basically. For many years my family has owned aquariums, streaming with tropical fish and sometimes turtles. I remember as a kid tracing my finger across the glass as the Tiger Oscar followed. Two years ago my girlfriend bought me a small five litre tank to get me back into it. Only last week I finally got around to upsizing to a thirty litre tank.

Boring box photo doesn't need to be big

Busy with work, it was until Monday that I had the chance to start filling the tank (which has been running water through the filter for over a week now) with gravel and some plants. I'm not a fan of buying from pet shops. I'd much rather buy from an aquarium, or specialist, but sometimes it just isn't feasible. Anyway, I found the perfect piece of planted driftwood from my local Pet Barn. The grey gravel, which I bought from a dodgy little "aquarium" in the low socially-economic area to close to my hometown for my liking, was clearly taken straight from the ocean as it was full of seashells. This made it extra difficult to clean, but once added to the tank, it looked great. It was now ready to hold my prized piece of driftwood that had set me back $45 and backseat covered in smelly fish tank water.

I had to have this piece of driftwood the minute I found it

Back to Pet Barn I went on Tuesday (my local aquarium is closed on Tuesday's) to buy some more fish for the tank. I already had two White Cloud's, two Neon Tetra's, and a Black Widow Tetra that I was transferring from the five litre tank. At this point I should probably mention that fish can go by many different names. You'll find if you follow the link, that what I know as a Black Widow Tetra, is in some countries called a Black Skirt Tetra. I ended up coming home with five Guppies (both male and female), a Rummynose Tetra, a Harlequin Rasbora, and my now prized fish, a Phantom Glass Catfish. They might just sound like funny names to most people, but trust me, they are some seriously cool and colourful little fishies!

The new fish are introduced to the old fish

I've just about dribbled enough for one blog post, but I just want to tell you a little about the Phantom Glass Catfish (I've included a not-so-good photo, but if he swims still sometime I'll snap another and replace this crappy one). The fish gets it name because it is genuinely transparent. Like all catfish, they are scaleless, and catfish within the genus Kryptopterus lack body pigment. With most of their organs located near the head, if you use a magnifying glass, you can actually see their heart beating. When they're not in hiding (not very often), and the light reflects off of the fish just right, it creates a rainbow-like shine. Oh, and apparently when they die, they turn white...

The Phantom Glass Catfish was $15 well spent

LEGO isn't keeping their promises!

You know what really annoys me sometimes? The LEGO online store.

Back in June LEGO announced Classic Spaceman Minifigure (5002812) as their latest VIP exclusive promotional set which would be FREE when making a purchase of $99 or more. Maybe they had excess stock, or maybe LEGO just really loves us (no prizes for guessing which one that will be), but either way they ran the promotion again in September with qualifying purchases of $99 or more between September 1 and September 14.

Brilliant I'd thought. I'd be able to order my Tumbler (76023) which would now be on general public sale, and also get the VIP exclusive promotional set.

Ahh, no. Not only was the Tumbler now out of stock, and not available for shipping until October 21, but regardless of what set I put into my basket, I wasn't being offered the VIP exclusive promotional set. So LEGO doesn't want my $279.99 then...? Oh well, guess I'll wait for the Tumbler and head over to eBay and grab myself the Classic Spaceman Minifigure for $40 with shipping. First world problems, ehh!

Preview: The Tumbler LEGO Ultimate Collector's Series (76023)

Yes, this is old news. The Tumbler (76023) Ultimate Collector's Series Super Heroes was announced almost a month ago, and was on display at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 24-27. However the set is now (August 18) available for pre-order by LEGO VIPs, and will go on sale to the general public on September 1.

Christopher Nolan's take on the Batmobile, known as the Tumbler during the Dark Knight trilogy, will be recreated in a 1,869 piece LEGO set. Available for the retail price of $279.99 here in Australia, it will be the second time the Batmobile has appeared as part of LEGO's Ultimate Collector's Series (the previous set - 7784 Batmobile - only has 1,045 parts).

The model measures 40cm long, 24cm wide, and 15cm high. The set features an armoured exterior, adjustable top wings, and a highly-detailed interior. Super-serious LEGO collectors will be excited by the introduction of never-before-seen LEGO front wheels, that have been specially made for The Tumbler and are yet to appear elsewhere. They are based on the custom ones created for the real Tumbler by a company called Hoosier. Many of the parts in the set are rare or only in the model, and the range of colours is somewhat limited (mostly black, and "sometimes in very, very dark gray"). Phew, I'd been meaning to incorporate that line somewhere...

From what I've heard, it'll make for a very varied and enjoyable build, as it uses a wide variety of techniques (Technic, System, Studs-Not-On-Top, ball joints, hinge joints). While I've not got my hands on the set just yet, I'm already a little disappointed with the amount of stickers it supposedly has (we all prefer printed parts, and for the price, you'd kind of expect them).

I've never owned a UCS set before. Perhaps that's why I've found the display-stand with details and minifigure stand so appealing, and it enhances the "displayability" of the set. The set includes two minfigures (albeit the box quite clearly states that the set is not to minifigure scale, so they are just to enhance the exclusivity of the set). The two variants of Batman and The Joker found here, are not available elsewhere. Batman features an exclusive torso print based on the Dark Knight trilogy. The Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger in the movies) is suitably sinister. Colours are very accurate and the details on the face are just brilliant. Both minifigures have a reversible head, with The Joker featuring a smile on one side and a smirk on the other. Expect to see them on eBay fetching exorbitant prices!

It's not the first time The Tumbler has appeared as a LEGO set (there has been sets released to align with each Dark Knight movie), but it's certainly the coolest and most detailed to date, and I'll definitely be making it my first DC Comics Super Heroes set.

LEGO designer Adam Grabowski talks about the new set on their YouTube channel
Buy the set via the LEGO online store

Yes, chocolate LEGO is a thing!

Earlier this week I stumbled across an interesting article (on news.com.au) about a Japanese designer who has answered every man and woman's dream by combining LEGO... and chocolate. It had me at LEGO, but the chocolate kept me reading.

That's right. Akhiro Mizuuchi has brought together the world's two big loves and designed a modular system for creating edible chocolate bricks. Once cooled they can be made into some really awesome creations - like chocolate LEGO teddy bears (well at least I think they're teddy bears). TAKE MY MONEY!

I've done some more research, and it turns out that Mizuuchi and friends re-create popular Japanese anime characters out of chocolate every Valentine's Day. He designed each character in LEGO bricks on his computer first, which allowed him to calculate which parts he required and in what quantities.

Mizuuchi, an illustrator, designer, and university lecturer told design magazine Dezeen, "On Valentine's Day this year, I decided to make a lot of chocolate LEGO and then assemble the characters".

Forming his moulds around real LEGO pieces, they were used to make dark, milk, white, and strawberry chocolate building blocks.

Four for you Mizuuchi, you go Mizuuchi.

Preview: LEGO Creator Santa's Workshop (10245)

There has been 'leaked' photos floating around on the internet since May this year, but just last week LEGO officially revealed the newest addition to the LEGO Creator Winter Village theme at Bricks by the Bay 2014 - Santa's Workshop (10245). It's got me excited.

I'm a huge fan of the LEGO Creator series. The 'expert' rating often isn't justified (they're not that tricky to build), but the sets are super cool, great fun, and look absolutely brilliant on display. There's a high probability that I'll be one of many LEGO VIP members placing their pre-order on September 17, with the set on sale to the general public on October 1.

Currently I don't own any of the Winter Village series, but once I've got this set, I may just be persuaded to buy more and start my own winter wonderland. There is so much to like about this set. Minifigure collectors will be pleased to see a Mrs. Claus to keep their Santa company, while there is also four elves with pointy ears and hats (each one has its own unique outfit which is a nice touch).

For $149.99 in Australia, we'll get 883 pieces that together makes Santa's workshop, which is connected to his lovely little lounge room by the looks of things. The set also includes a Christmas tree, a beautiful red and gold detailed sleigh, what looks like a toy making/wrapping machine, and a stack of other cool accessories. Did I mention the four reindeers and baby reindeer? Well they're there too. Interestingly I read somewhere that the red-nosed Rudolph is a trademarked character so while the instructions can't picture him with a round red transparent plate for his nose, the designer has cleverly included a spare for when the occasion calls.

I'm not sure if it exists already and I've just never seen it before, but the set also allows family dual-building experience, which is basically separate brick sets with instructions for the adults and instructions for the children. Do they have dual-building experiences for girlfriends too. I'm sure mine will want in on this set!

Senior LEGO Designer, Marcos Bessa introduces the new set on the LEGO YouTube channel
Photos are not my own and were originally posted by The Brick Fan