LEGO Building Challenge #15

It's not quite here yet, be we think it's time to celebrate...

Building Challenge #15 - Fall Fun!

We put up some Fall decorations around the house, and that inspired our latest creations.  LEGOBoy was the first to jump into this theme, with his Ghost Train and Tombstone models.

Ghost Train and Tombstone by LEGOBoy

I love the detail he added to the train.  I wanted to create a tree with fall colors, and that became the centerpiece of my model.

Fall Scene, by LEGOMom

I like how the tree turned out.  I wish we had an actual LEGO rake, however.

I do intend to add some minifigs, and there was a bucket of apples in the scene, but LEGOGirl took it and I forgot about it.  So I guess this one still needs some finishing touches.

LEGO Building Challenge #14

After a much longer than intended hiatus, we are back on the LEGO Challenge bandwagon!  For those who might be new, we post new challenges on Fridays and invite you to play along and post your models as well.  You have until the end of the month to link up an entry (see bottom of post).  All ages are welcome!

Building Challenge #14 - Feeling Friend-ly

This week we are challenging you to build something using LEGO Friends pieces.  You can use just the minifigs, or the funky colored pieces - whatever you like.  If you are still skeptical about the LEGO Friends line, we'd encourage you to give them a try.  They really do grow on you.

As always, we have some inspiration for you.  We recently acquired Olivia's House, which is a great set.  

Olivia's House - LEGO 3315

We decided to expand the neighborhood a bit and build another Friend's House in the same style.  LEGOBoy and LEGOMom collaborated on this venture.  LEGOMom designed the house and the exterior, and LEGOBoy designed all the furnishings.

The house is made out of that newer-colored medium blue, and features a front porch and a roof with skylights.  There's also a door that leads to the rooftop garden area.

The construction is modular, so you can switch around the rooms and roof pieces.  It's also the same size as the rooms in Olivia's House, so we could theoretically mix those in, too.

Front Door Close-up

All the interior furnishings are the work of LEGOBoy.  He put the kitchen and a design studio on the first floor, a bathroom and bedroom on the second floor, and an inventor's workshop and living room in the attic space on the third floor.

Interior View

All those trips to the LEGO Store Pick-a-Brick wall paid off here.  That's where we got all the blue pieces.  LEGOBoy and I both really enjoyed this project.  We found the LEGO Friends' elements very inspiring.  Hopefully you will, too!

Interior Close-up

Interior Close-up

LEGO Friends Alive & Well

Good news, LEGO Friends fans!  The LEGO Group reports that since its launch, the LEGO Friends line has sold twice as well as expected.  I wasn't too sure about this line when it first came out, but I've gotten a few of the sets and we all really like them.  They have lots of unique pieces and the colors are fun.  I think I've even gotten used to the new people, even though it's still a little annoying that their feet don't move.

With the news of Friends Advent Calendars being stopped in production, I was worried that it was a sign of bad things to come.  It appears that isn't the case.

If you'd like to read the press release from LEGO, click here.

Now Available - Tomb of the Fangpyre - Graphic Novel #4

Attention all Ninjago fans!  The latest graphic novel from Papercutz is now available - Tomb of the Fangpyre by Greg Farshtey and Jolyon Yates.  In the beginning of the book are awesome illustrations of the ZX characters and the Fangpyre Tomb.

A report from LEGOBoy:  "The four ninjas are trying to recover the four fragments of the Serpentine Stone which depicts how the Serpentine came to be and how the Great Devourer was created.  There's a cool rattlecopter fight and a fight between Zane and a shark.  One of the pages shows all the Serpentine from all the tribes, except for Pythor."

  

At the end of the book is a teaser for the next graphic novel, Kingdom of the Snakes.

Overall, LEGOBoy would rate this book 5 stars out of 5!  He recommends that all Ninjago fans read this one soon!

LEGO Birthday Cake (#40048)

We recently traveled to our closest LEGO store and picked up a few things, like the new Heroica set Ilrion and a Core Hunter for LEGOBoy.  Right now when you spend $50 or more at a LEGO store or LEGO.com you get a cute birthday cake set to celebrate LEGO's 80th birthday!  We had some VIP rewards to use, too, so we made out pretty well.

But getting back to the cake... it's set #40048 - 24 pieces.  I really like the plate they have it sitting on.

It's a cute little set with some fun pieces in it.  We also got to check out a lot of new LEGO sets while we were at the store.  There wasn't much new in the build-a-mini or pick-a-brick wall, though.

That's all for now!