Tag Archives: Christmas
10275 Elf Club House Review
LEGO is an organisation that from time to time lends their support to certain social issues. Finally in 2020 The LEGO Group is tackling an issue that far too many people overlook – the appalling treatment of Christmas Elves.
You may be thinking “But Michael, the Elf Club House is just a fun Christmas set!” Wrong. It is a wake-up call showing us all the horrors faced by Santa’s indentured servants.
Let’s start with the simple fact that this set is meant to represent a “Club House” for the Elves. To me, a club house suggest something social, a place where you can unwind. Right? Why then is there so much emphasis on work related activities?
Review: 40410 Charles Dickens Tribute
Name a more iconic Christmas story than Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The Nativity? They didn’t make a Muppets version of the nativity did they? Exactly.
Be warned that this post will contain spoilers for A Christmas Carol. But it was first published in December 1843 so honestly you have had more than enough time to read it. There have also been countless adaptations, including a 1998 primary school production where I played the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
I think you’d have to actually go out of your way to avoid knowing the story. If you somehow haven’t read it then you can find it pretty cheaply, or free ebook versions.
Here’s a quick summary – rich jerk Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After seeing what the ghosts have to show him he becomes less of a jerk.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special looks great
Here is the first trailer for the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.
Inspired by the original Star Wars Holiday Special, this new special event movie sees the sequel trilogy characters return to celebrate Life Day.
“The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” reunites Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, Rose and the droids for a joyous feast on Life Day. Rey sets off on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi Temple, she is hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history, coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan and other iconic heroes and villains from all nine Skywalker saga films. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit?
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is streaming Nov. 17 on Disney+.
Should you buy it? 40426 Christmas Wreath
In 2008 Beyoncé taught the world a very important lesson; if you like something then you should put a ring on it. The same is true for Christmas. If you like Christmas then you need a wreath.
In years past your options for a wreath were limited to plants or fake plants. Now LEGO is here to help with 40426 Christmas Wreath 2-in-1.
So, should you buy it?
Official Details of 10275 Elf Club House
It’s that time of the year again where we get official details of the latest addition to the Winter Village line-up. This year we are giving the underpaid and overworked heroes of Christmas a place to call their own…
Introducing 10275 Elf Club House
The Winter Village collection has seen an interesting mix of sets, from standard stuff like a Fire Station to the fantastical Gingerbread House of last year. In 2020 the elves get their own club house where they can hang out away from Santa.
This set features 1197 pieces, 4 elf minifigures and a reindeer. The reindeer in particular is very exciting, as so far it’s only appeared as in trans blue before now.
The Club House features a detailed interior including bunk beds for the elves. I also really love the computer build.
The set will be available from LEGO.com on September 23rd – so not long at all to wait. Australian price is $149.99.
Check out the rest of the images and press release below. LEGO has also sent me one of these sets to review so keep an eye out for my review soon.
Free Mini Gingerbread House Now Available
I’m not sure if it’s a Christmas in July thing or if LEGO is just wanting you to be super prepared for real Christmas but right now if you spend $159 or more at the Australian online LEGO store you will get this cute little Gingerbread House for free.
This promotional set first appeared last year and is a great shrunk down version of the larger Creator Expert Gingerbread House released last year.
The offer ends July 31st 2020. You can find more details of the offer and start shopping here [affiliate link].
Gingerbread House – Not Just For Christmas
In November last year I sent a request to LEGO for a review copy of 10267 Gingerbread House. The set was released as the latest addition to the Winter Village theme. I got my copy of the set in March and it posed a bit of a dilemma – Do I review this Christmas set in April, wait and do a Christmas In July type thing or just bite the bullet and review it now. After looking at the completed model I knew I didn’t want to wait to tell you about this one.
Purists who love the aesthetic of the Winter Village that LEGO has crafted may not love the fantasy/fairytale setting of this model but if you are looking at it as a standalone set it is unmistakably charming. It’s also really weird when you think about it too much. Really weird.
Merry Christmas
I just want to wish everybody a merry Christmas. I hope your day is filled with joy, laughter and LEGO.
Let me know in the comments if Santa had some LEGO surprises for you this year.
Here’s hoping for some great Boxing Day sales.
Upcoming LEGO Online Store Promotions
The online LEGO store is going to be running a few different offers this weekend for their VIP customers. They are also doing a range of Black Friday offers. Here’s all the details so you can plan out your purchases for the offer that best suits you.
VIP Weekend: November 22 – 24
FREE Christmas Tree
VIPs get this FREE Christmas Tree with purchases of $200 or more.
FREE Buildable 2×4 Red Brick
VIPs get a FREE Buildable 2×4 Red Brick with purchases of $249 or more.
Double VIP Points
Get double VIP Points on all purchases.
30% Off Selected Sets
A range of sets will be 30% off for VIPs
More details of the VIP weekend can be found here. [affiliate link]
Pre Black Friday Sale: November 25 – 27
Selected sets on sale.
Black Friday: November 28 – December 2
Limited quantity – FREE Minifigure
Exclusive minifigure free with online purchases over $129.
Get a FREE Mini Batmobile™ (29/11 – 5/12)
Purchase the 1989 Batmobile™ and get a Mini Batmobile™. Note that this offer has different dates.
FREE Christmas Tree
The Christmas Tree is also available during Black Friday for purchases over $200.
More details of the Black Friday offers can be found here. [affiliate link]
Xtra Xmas Accessories: Cute, A Little Bit Hemisphere-ist
LEGO Xtra is a bit of a dark horse of a LEGO theme – your first instinct might be to view the theme only as something to buy to reach a free shipping or GWP threshold but there are actually some interesting combination of parts available in these cheap polybags.
For 2019 LEGO have released a new Christmas themed Xtra set in 40368. Here in Australia the set will set you back $6.99. For that you get 32 elements. Unfortunately, as of now you can only find this at the LEGO Certified Stores around the country.
The set comprises of single elements as well as a few mini-builds.
The single elements include two gold fences, a 6 point ice crystal star thing, beanie, snow shoes, bag, Christmas tree and Husky dog. There is also a white leaf element that doesn’t really count as a build because the instructions just say to add two studs on top.
The mini builds that are included are a cute snowman, candy cane pole with wreath and two presents.
Overall I think it’s a good mix for adding extra detail to your Christmas builds. Which I guess is the point.
As is common with pretty much every Christmas related toy this set is very focused on the whole Northern Hemisphere “white Christmas” thing. The closest I’ve ever seen to a snowman at Christmas is when you buy two bags of ice from the servo and you put one on top of the other.
If you are planning an Australian Christmas MOC there’s probably not going to be much use for snow shoes, a beanie or snowy foliage. Maybe that’s why it’s not available in the Australian online store?
If you are open to a bit of Northern Hemisphere cultural appropriation in your LEGO Christmas then I’d suggest this is a good buy. Assuming you can find it.
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