Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal ThemeDesign by WeebPal.It’s Indian Independence Day! August 15 marks the Indian nation’s independence from the British Empire in 1947. As a result, Legoland Dubai, part of the upcoming Dubai Parks and Resorts theme park, has given a sneak peek into their Miniland attraction with the unveiling of a Taj Mahal Lego model. (Oh, and have you seen the Lego Dragon yet? Despite being part of Miniland, the Taj Mahal model is well… rather large. The structure consists of 280,741 Lego bricks. Which is a lot of Lego bricks. While the real-life, non-Lego Taj took 20 years to build, Legoland Dubai’s tribute to the iconic structure took 2,019 hours to craft. It’s made with white Lego bricks with accents of gold, black and red throughout. Legoland is set to feature 15,000 Lego models, comprised of over 60 million Lego bricks in total. When finished, the park will feature over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions, spanning six themed areas – Lego City, Factory, Imagination, Kingdoms, Adventure and Miniland.
The doors to Legoland Dubai as well as Legoland Water Park and the rest of Dubai Parks and Resorts are set to open October 31. It will be the region’s largest integrated theme park. The other two parks involved in the Dubai Parks and Resorts project are Motiongate Dubai (a Hollywood-themed park) and Bollywood Parks – they’re all connected by Riverland Dubai (a retail, dining and entertainment walkway). *More on Hollywood theme park Motiongate Dubai* *Pictures: Dubai Parks and Resorts* *Motiongate to get Hunger Games attractions* The Dhs13.2 billion development is spread across 30.6 million square feet of land, land is on Sheikh Zayed Road opposite The Palm Jebel Ali. – For more about Dubai straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook.RARE Lego sets are selling for as much as £3,800 – over TEN times their original price. Star Wars-themed set are among the most popular with a replica of the Taj Mahal and a cafe from ten years ago also much sought after.
Some rare Lego sets are now going for TEN times their original asking price To attract the huge sums the sets must be boxed and in mint condition – so it’s well worth having a look in the loft and rifling round the garage just in case one might be lurking there. The current highest-priced set on Amazon is the Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon which is selling for £3,800. It would have cost you just £342.49 to buy in 2007. A Cafe Corner set from the same year which was originally £89.99 is the next highest-priced at £2,128. While a 2005 Death Star II that was originally £249.99 is going for £1,917. JAMIE EAST AT THE MOVIES THEME PARK POT ARRESTS I WON'T LEGO OF DREAM According to Jeff Maciorowski, founder of Lego investing guide large sets and ones that have film tie-ins tend to give the best returns He explained: “Sets with 1,000 pieces or more, seem to exhibit strong returns on investment. “Licensed sets like Star Wars, Harry Potter and the DC Comics and Marvel Superheroes can appreciate very well after retirement and many contain valuable and highly collectible minifigures.
“Minifigures are often called the currency of the LEGO world and are highly collectible and popular. Some individual minifigures can sell for tens, if not hundreds of pounds.” But for those on a more limited budget profits can still be made. Jeff added: “Small sets and polybags can also show strong returns. Rare minifigures or small seasonal or holiday sets are solid choices.” The boom in Lego re-sale value comes as the toymaker hiked its prices at the beginning of the year because of the Brexit vote. From January 1 the firm upped prices by five percent. A letter from a top boss at the firm stated that the hike is “a direct result of the continued devaluing of the UK pound” and went on to say that the company may be forced to put up prices again in the “event of a further negative trend”. It means that a Star Wars Lego Death star set that previously went for £399 has gone up by £20. While a Doctor Who set went up by £2.49 from £49.99 to £52.48.
The value of the pound has plummeted since the vote to leave the European Union last June. At its worst point it was down 20 per cent against the Euro and the Dollar. This had made it more expensive for manufacturers to import raw materials and goods, with many now passing the increase in costs on to customers. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 You don't have to be an engineer to create with nanoblock! With these micro-sized building blocks, 3D buildings are constructed like never before! Watch in amazement as buildings are erected to even the tiniest detail.Now you can nano-size the Taj Mahal, a world-famous mausoleum in Agra, India. It was commissioned in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The structure was erected on a bank of the Yamuna River in memory of the emperor's beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.Enjoy a trip around the world with your own micro-sized Taj Mahal and other unique structures from the nanoblock Sites to See Series.