MEGATech Showcase: LEGO Playsets For Everyone Beth Snyder February 12, 2014 Features The endless variety of LEGO playsets is astounding. From toddlers to grownups, there is definitely something for everyone. As you know, I am something of a LEGO fan (she said, in one of the larger understatements of the year). As soon as tickets were available for the LEGO Movie, I bought mine. Unfortunately I couldn’t get to the very first showing, but I did go to the first matinee, and I went with 3D as opposed to regular. Everything was awesome! (If you’ve seen it, you’ll get that. If you haven’t, get yourself to the movie theatre immediately if not sooner. I mean it!) Speaking of the LEGO Movie…you can own Lord Business’ Evil Lair. It contains 738 pieces including 6 minifigs (Emmet, Vitruvius, Ma Cop, Pa Cop, Lord Business and wrestler/Master Builder, El Macho Wrestler and Biznis Kitty), Kragle (I laughed right out loud when that was unveiled), Where Are My Pants TV studio, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I need one. You need one. We all need one! Only thing that makes me sad is there’s no Wyldstyle. I like her a lot. Of course, I don’t believe she was in this scene, but still. Anyway, the set costs about $56.00 US and is supposed to be for ages 8-14. There are also a number of other sets to build various vehicles and minifigs and whatnot from the movie, ranging in price from $3.00 to $70.00 US. I’m serious, though…if you haven’t seen the movie, GO! Now! Don’t even finish reading this post. Just GO! Source: 7 Gadgets Speaking of other items…the Melting Room. This one comes with just three minifigs, but one of them is Wyldestyle! Also Emmet and a Robo SWAT. It measures 3″ (10cm) high, 5″ (14cm) long and 5″ (14cm) wide, and has a blaster and an axe as well as the dreaded melting machine. Which, of course, comes with the control dashboard and adjustable laser and handcuffs. It’s only $13.00 US…might as well add it to your shopping cart. You know you want one. Source: 7 Gadgets Moving on to other things (although I did almost do an entire post just on the movie, because I loved it so)…Disney Princesses! I’ve chosen to feature Merida’s Highland Games, but also available are Ariel’s Amazing Treasures, Ariel’s Magical Kiss, Cinderella’s Dream Carriage, Cinderella’s Romantic Castle, and Rapunzel’s Creativity Tower. They are all recommended for either ages 5-12 or 6-12, and contain varying numbers of pieces as well as obviously varying themes. They don’t appear to have traditional minifigs, although they do come with the Princesses (and in many cases the Prince as well). No word on pricing or exact release date, but it’ll be some time this year. Source: Nerd Approved The Hobbit is another movie franchise that has seen its fair share of playsets. This one happens to be the Lake-Town Chase, and it comes with five minifigs (Bilbo Baggins™, Thorin Oakenshield™, Bard the Bowman™, Master of Lake-town and a Lake-town Guard). It also has the house/prison, armory, boat, two catapults, seven weapons (including Sting), The One Ring, and a bunch of other stuff for a total of 470 pieces. Listed as being for agest 8-14, it’ll cost you about $50.00 US. Source: Gadget Review How do you feel about Batman? (He had a supporting role in the movie as well, just so you know.) For your entertainment, please take a look at the LEGO Superheroes Batman: The Riddler Chase. Boasting 304 pieces and rated for ages 6-12, this playset includes the Batmobile (with weapons and accessories), the Dragster (ditto on the weapons and accessories), and three minifigs (Batman – wearing a never-before-seen new suit, Joker, and The Flash). The Batmobile is 2″ (7cm) high, 7″ (20cm) long and 3″ (9cm) wide while the Dragster is 2″ (6cm) high, 6″ (16cm) long and 2″ (6cm) wide. You can pick yours up for about $30.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets How about bringing a little Curiosity into your house? You can, with the Mars Curiosity Rover playset! This is one of those projects that ran the gauntlet on LEGO CUUSOO and came out on top, which means you can now have one of these 295-piece kits for your very own (recommended for kids 10 and over). It was designed by Stephen Pakbaz, who actually designed the real one, so the detail is pretty darn amazing. It’s got 6-wheel suspension, an articulated robotic arm, and multiple camera sets…just like its big brother way out in space. The Rover measures 3” (10cm) high, 5” (15cm) long and 4” (12cm) wide, and its arm extends another 2″ (7cm). It even comes with Martian “rocks” so you can perform your own scientific tests! For just $30.00 US, why not add one to your collection? Source: Damn Geeky It’s finally here! They started teasing us with this one late last year, and now you can finally have it! Well…if you’re not on a budget anyway. The LEGO Simpsons House cost a whopping US $199.99 – CA $229.99 – DE 199.99€ – UK £179.99 – DK 1,699.00 DKK. But it comes with an astonishing amount of stuff, for a total of 2523 pieces. You get six minifigs (Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Ned Flanders), the house is multi-floor (and hinged) with a detachable garage and even a yard. The detail in this thing is pretty amazing, which makes it worth the price tag. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Source: Craziest Gadgets By the way, you should really check this out. It’s a little slow in the beginning, but it starts getting really good around the two minute mark. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltBkG1Ab-58] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I heard a rumour they’re remaking the movie and modernizing it. In a way, that’s kind of sad for me. Because nothing can replace that hokey 1980’s show in my heart. This set is the Turtle Lair Attack, and includes 488 pieces. It’s recommended for ages 6-12, and comes with five minifigs (Leonardo, Raphael, Master Splinter, Dark Ninja and a Foot Soldier…oddly no Donatello or Michelangelo), 10 weapons, and all sorts of stuff you’d expect (skateboards, pizza). It measures 10? (26cm) high, 12? (30cm) wide and 2? (6cm) deep (TV area measures over 1? (4cm) high, 3? (9cm) wide and 2? (6cm) deep), and can be yours for about $68.00 US. Source: Gadget Review Let’s go back to The Hobbit for a minute, shall we? Because you don’t want to miss the Battle of Dol Guldur! It’s got 797 pieces and is recommended for ages 9-14. You get six minifigs with assorted weapons (Gandalf the Grey, Radagast, Necromancer of Dol Guldur, Azog and 2 Gundabad Orcs), Fortress with a few tricks and surprises, and it should be noted that the Radagast and Necromancer of Dol Guldur are exclusive to this set. The Fortress measures 9″ (23cm) high, 16″ (43cm) wide and 4″ (12cm) deep. Add one to your collection for around $55.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets Remember this? Last time I featured this one it was still on LEGO CUUSOO hoping to become reality. That has been accomplished, and now all we have to do is wait. The design hasn’t been completely finalized just yet (the announcement was just made a couple of weeks ago), so there’s no word on a lot of the details you’d normally see here such as number of pieces, what’s included, and the age range. They also have not yet given a release date. But it’s gonna happen, and when it does you’re gonna want to get one. I’ll just be over here in the corner with my head buried in my hands, realizing how old it makes me given this movie is celebrating 30 years. Source: Geek.com There is so much win here I don’t know where to start. It’s LEGO. It’s Star Wars. It’s podracing. There’s a video! Only thing I don’t like is not knowing when these will be available and how much they’ll cost when they are. LEGO is planning a bunch of Star Wars vehicles, though, and I’m probably going to need all of them. Some of the named ones are the Millennium Falcon, an X-Wing Fighter, and a TIE Interceptor, but there are more coming. To whet your appetite, LEGO has put together a video; you should check it out. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBWcpeAczsQ] Source: Nerd Approved Speaking of Star Wars…here’s a playset that also comes with a book. It’s the Battle for the Stolen Crystals, and you get to join forces with Commander Gree to defeat the deadly commando droid. In addition to the book, the set comes with 180 bricks and two minifigs (the aforementioned Commander Gree and commando droid). As you read the four-part story, you build along with it using the step-by-step instructions. Pricing on this one varies wildly depending on where you shop, ranging from about $21.00 US to $33.00 US. Source: Geek Alerts Finally, we have the City Police Station. It measures 12″high, 17″wide and 6″deep, the police car is 1″high, 4″long and 1″wide, and the police motorcycle is 3″ high, 7″ long and 1″ wide. You get seven minifigs (3 policemen, a policewoman and 3 crooks), a police dog, various weapons and accessories, a tow truck (2? high, 4? long and 1? wide) and a police helicopter (3? high, 7? long and 1? wide). Total is 854 pieces, and it’s recommended for ages 6-12. This one will run about $95.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets In closing, let me just reiterate: Go see the LEGO Movie! Do it now! (I will also point out that I am in no way affiliated with, paid by, or in any way compensated for promoting the movie. I just loved it…and I’m planning to see it at least one more time before it’s gone from the theatre, after which I will buy it as soon as it comes out on DVD.) But seriously…how can you pass this up? [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I] Share This With The World!
