Lego in Spaaaace

Some of my very favourite Lego sets are ones based on real-world space-stuff. Indeed throughout my childhood my dream Lego set was one the space shuttles; and I had no lack of sets to choose from, to date there have been at least fifteen different Lego representations of the space shuttles! My dream came true in 2010, when I decided to get a newly released set, what I think is the best model of a space shuttle Lego ever made (and indeed one of the best Lego sets outright), 10213 Shuttle Adventure.

This is by far the most detailed and accurate Lego model of the shuttle, one of just four that includes the fuel tanks and booster rockets. In a perhaps ironic reflection of the problems in the real shuttle program, there were design issues with the fuel tank, prompting Lego to reissue a tweaked version of the set in 2011, 20131 Shuttle Expedition.

This set is a thing of beauty, but it's just one of many wonderful Lego sets based on real space science. Continue below for a look back at Lego's long-time fascination with space.

2015 Lego set rumours

Page created 15th August 2014. Last updated 31st August 2014.

Rumours are starting to surface of sets to come in 2015 and late 2014. I shall be updating this article as more news comes.

First up, new themes! Neoape has reported lists for several completely new lines for 2015:

Jurassic World
Well this one was a surprise, and one I was pretty sceptical about when rumours first started to surface - You see just last year it was announced Hasbro had secured the Jurassic Park construction toy license, ready to produce sets for the then untitled fourth Jurassic Park film, which we now know will be Jurassic World. Hasbro's Lego knock-off, Kre-O, has yet to deliver any legacy Jurassic Park sets, and then we hear Lego has somehow secured the license - Very unusual! No set names have been released yet, but Neoape suggest there will be five different Jurassic World sets.


Elves
Another surprise is Elves, which going by the set names seem likely to be aimed at girls, and one might imagine will use the Friends-style minidolls. Neoape list six sets in this new theme:

• 41071 Aira’s Creative Workshop
• 41072 Naida’s Spa Secret
• 41073 Naida’s Adventure Ship
• 41074 Azari & The Magic Bakery
• 41075 Treetop Hideaway
• 41076 Farran & The Crystal Hollow 

Supercars
This new car-based theme might be new TV tie-in too, Brick Fantatics seem to think this could be a Top Gear theme. Seven sets are coming, whatever it's called:

• 75899 LaFerrari
• 75908 458 Italia GT2
• 75909 McLaren P1
• 75910 Porsche 918 Spyder
• 75911 McLaren Mercedes Pitstop
• 75912 Porsche 911 GT Finish
• 75913 F14 & Scuderia Ferrari 

Continue after the jump for news of other returning and regular themes:

Lego bridges reality and the virtual world in Fusion

Lego have announced Fusion, a new range of construction and virtual play sets which build upon the strengths of the Lego brick and video games. Launching in August and September will be four building games: Town Master and Resort Designer (the latter based on the Friends theme) allow you to build up virtual cities from your creations, having to look after the citizens of your settlements. Battle Towers is a castle-theme defence game, and Create and Race, a racing game. Each comes with a specially designed base plate which can be recognised by the Fusion mobile and tablet app, allowing players to build a set and then capture it and recreate it virtually.

The real world models must be 2D facades, within a 16x16 brick block to be captured. But once in the virtual world the software extrapolates a complete 3D building from the design. Once captured, players can then go on to build more models in the real world, with their creations now part of a growing virtual world. The game also comes up with tasks and challenges to keep the player engaged.

On top of that different players can interact and compete with each others virtual realities over the internet.

Continue after the jump for a closer look at each set:

UPDATE, but first here's a video from Lego demonstrating all four:

2014 set rumours

All of a sudden there seem to be a lot of rumours detailing some of the late-2013 and early-2014 Lego sets. Below you'll find details and set lists for new themes including Disney Princess, The Simpsons, The Lego Movie, as well as all the returning themes: Star Wars, The Hobbit, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Friends, City, Legends of Chima, Ninjago, Junior, and Creator. Keep in mind though these are rumours at this stage.

Continue after the jump for a theme by theme listing. Updated October 9th.

First details of The Lego Movie sets, video game, books, and other merchandise

Coming Soon has announced details of Lego's merchandising plans surrounding the release of The Lego Movie next year. Those plans of course include the release of a range of Lego sets based on the film. Seventeen sets are planned, which will take full advantage of the diverse Lego universe featured in the film, including City, Western, and Space settings. One image has been released, showing a set featuring the exotic motor bike seen in the trailer, apparently being chased by what looks like robotic police:

In addition to the sets one series of the Collectable Miifigures will be turned over to the film. The usual assortment of sixteen characters will include new and "new-again" minifigures, presumably meaning some of the vintage Lego designs seen in the film will be getting new life as minifigure releases.

As well as sets there will be a new Lego video game based on the film. Due to be released for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, 3DS and PS Vita, the game will feature fifteen levels and ninety characters, allowing us to use building skills to play through the events of the movie. Comicbook.com posted this teaser poster for the game, featuring the same moment in the story as the above Lego set:

Meanwhile Video Gamer posted screencaps, showing events in the City and Western settings. Continue after the jump to see those, and for details of other merchandise:

Lego's new hospital and mining sets

Eurobricks forum member GRogall has posted high quality images of Lego's summer wave of City sets. These are mostly themed around a gold mine, but we're also getting a new Lego hospital!

The hospital's scale rather lends itself more to being a local clinic, but it must have a specialised trauma facility inside, as it has a helipad for the included air-ambulance! At any rate the neatly designed building is a vast improvement on the previous bizarre mountain-top hospital set. A very nicely detailed doctor joins the Ambulance paramedics and collectable minifigure nurse and surgeon, in the ever growing Lego medical profession; I'd say we're well equipped to make Scrubs in Lego form now. Bonus points to Lego for including a banana for the set's hapless patient to injure himself on.

4429 Hospital

The mining sets meanwhile offer a welcome variation on the regular Lego construction theme, and must be worth getting at least one set so you can get one of the fantastic new headlamp hats (you know, so you can recreate that bit in the amber mine at the start of Jurassic Park). There's also lots of dynamite, boulders, explosion warning signs (though sadly they appear to be stickers), and of course, gold! Surprisingly these will actually bring us the second gold mine of the year, as a small one can be found in one of the forest police sets too (neither come close to the charm of the old Western one though)!

4200 Mining 4x4

4201 Loader and Tipper

4202 Mining Truck

4203 Excavator Transporter

4204 The Mine

The latest exclusive and promotional Lego sets

In my attempts to keep up to date on all the Lego sets that are to exist I have got a bit behind with the odd promotional and exclusive sets. So here's a little catch up:

The big news, a couple of months ago, was that the first Lego CUUSOO proposal in the international version of the platform got to the 10000 vote mark, and was oked by the Lego team. Coming some time this summer will be a Lego set based on the game Minecraft:

21102 Minecraft Micro World

There are a couple of Lego shop at home special sets on the way too. Here's a video with the designers of the big new R2-D2 set:

10225 R2-D2

The other is their latest aircraft sculpture; a new Sopwith Camel, a sequel of sorts to the previous 2001 edition.

10226 Sopwith Camel

Also in the more specialist arena is the latest set in Lego's Architecture range: Big Ben. This one should be out just in time to cash in on extra British tourism for the Olympics. I'd rather have the entire Palace of Westminster though; looks a bit odd just chopping off the end bit.

21013 Big Ben

Also targeting tourists is a new airline promotional set, a neat little glider to add to your city airport. These are currently available from Virgin Atlantic and TUIfly.

4442 Glider

Getting even more exclusive, there's a special mini Statue of Liberty set available from the New York Lego store, and several newly opening Lego stores have had limited supplies of Lego Store Lego sets:

40026 Statue of Liberty

3300003 Brand Retail Store

Also exclusive to Lego stores, as well as Lego's online shop, will be two promotional minifigures with purchases of Star Wars and Super Heroes sets, during in promotional periods:

TC-14

Hulk

Already out in the wild is a special Darth Maul minifigure, so far made available at the New York Toy Fair and Legoland Windsor:

Darth Maul

At some point there is also to be a single figure release of the Ninjago minifigure Rattla. (I'm hoping this will be a release I can get hold of as it's a figure I really like for it's Stargate Jaffa looks, but comes in sets I'm not interested in)

30088 Rattla

Finishing off the minifigure releases, there has also been a pack of firefighters at bulk out your city team:

853378 Firefighters

Finally there have been a few seasonal releases for Easter and Valentine's Day, plus there's a tiny cake due at some point:

40029 Valentine's Day Box

40030 Duck with Ducklings

40031 Bunny and Chick

40048 Birthday Cake