Sure, Lego megafans are pumped about based on "" — like the new . But there are also tons of existing, even vintage, Lego figurines and "worlds" that whiz by in the film that are getting everyone excited."For the fans there will be a lot of scanning to find sets and characters," said Joe Meno, editor of BrickJournal Magazine and co-author of "The Cult of Lego." "The humor of the minifigures trying to do things limited by their articulation (or lack thereof) was perfect for the movie," he told Yahoo Movies.[Related: Instant Commentary: 'The Lego Movie' Directors on Creating a 'Rave Party for Children']Awesome fact: Every scene in "The Lego Movie" can be recreated using real Lego bricks. But with so many of 'em (more than 15 million, according to Lego) you could spend a lifetime on the endeavor. And for those keeping score at home, there are 183 unique minifigs in the animated feature."The movie's fast pace pretty much guarantees that it will take a few showings to see everything," Meno points out.
All of that means Lego aficionados have an excuse to come back for many more helpings of the ginormous plethora of Lego parts depicted onscreen.Here are 19 "Lego Movie" easter eggs to keep your eyes peeled for when you go back to see it again and again:The current roster of "Master Builders" that appear in the animated flick include...1. DC Superheroes Batman, Superman, Wonder Women, Green Lantern, Flash, and their roster of super vehicles like the Batwing, Tumbler, and Invisible Jet shouldn't be missed.2. The Mermaid (not to be confused with the all-new Queen of the Mermaids) is one of a series of collectible minifigures that appear in the film.3. "Ninjago's" Green Ninja, the most powerful of the ninjas from the Cartoon Network series and sets, appears.4. Benny "1980-something" Space Guy shows his helmeted mug, crack and all. "He's a very over-the-top representative of the Lego classic space line that was released in the '80s," said Meno of the vintage figurine. Benny had thin plastic chin straps that often broke.
And filmmakers played upon the decades-old toy defect in the film. "Benny's cracked helmet was a nice detail," he added. (A Lego rep tells Yahoo Movies that newer molds have strenghtened the plastic, virtually elimininating the cracking now.) 5. Keep an eye out for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Michaelangelo (and his real-world counterpart). The "TMNT" is a current toy franchise.[Related: 'The Lego Movie' Stars Reveal Just How Many Lego They Were Paid]6. The 2002 NBA All-Stars, including Shaq (yes, that's his voice) and a couple of more generic NBA ballers, appear.7. Octan is the fictional gasoline brand used in Lego sets and it's safe to say, the company has a pretty major role in the movie.8. There are plenty of Lego construction sets, including Lego Technic construction vehicles and Lego City construction equipment, cars, buildings, and garbage trucks."What I found really impressive was how the builders spotted parts in the movie," Meno said. "The parts were highlighted and recognized by Lego part number — just like a fan would."
9. This shark (pictured being thrown) has appeared in several Lego City sets.[Related: Mondo Pieces Together an Awesome New Poster for 'The Lego Movie']10. Even more collectible minifigures show up in the movie, including but not limited to, Clown, Yeti, Crash Test Dummy, Mime, and Lizard Man. (Of course, "The Lego Movie" is adding to this set with a whole new line of film-specific minifigs, including William Shakespeare and the aforementioned Abraham Lincoln.)11. Lego Monsters, including, Vampire, Ghost, Mummy, Witch (all among Master Builders) appear, too.12. Old man wizards Dumbledore and Gandalf rep the "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" sets, respectively. (You can spot them running around in the background below.)13. Middle Zealand is a mashup of Lego Kingdoms with "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" sets. (Gandalf is seen below with the newly created wise man, Vitruvius, from "The Lego Movie" video game, which allows you to play 90 different characters in the faithfully recreated storyline of the movie), but the red dragon in the film is not the long-awaited Smaug (fans are expecting him to be unveiled at next week's Toy Fair in New York).
14. "Star Wars" — the most popular of all the licensed Lego sets and considered the franchise that helped save Lego from bankruptcy in the '90s — makes a memorable cameo in "The Lego Movie." Look for the Millennium Falcon, in both the normal toy size and the miniature form. And yes, the voice of mini-Lando really is Billy Dee Williams.15. Speed Racer, who starred in a discontinued toy line based on the ill-fated film remake, was also among the initial wave of thwarted Master Builders.16. The Old West, which has experienced a lot of Lego iterations over the years with various themed sets, is just as prickly as ever in the film.17. Pirate's Cove includes figures and constructions from the discontinued Lego Pirates series that has had many incarnations over the years but makes its big-screen comeback via the new Metalbeard, one of the main heroes created from various parts.18. You can see Lego's Bionicle (biological-chronicle) toys among the most prominent of the "sets we pretend never existed" that Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) rattles off quickly when discussing the greater Lego universe.19.
Duplo (the bigger blocks made for young kids) appear, too, in a climactic scene."This isn't a Lego movie in name only," Meno said. "It is a Lego movie in spirit in its theme of expressing imagination."Lillian Min, Meriah Doty, and 8-year-old Lucas Errico contributed to this report. (Lucas is a huge Lego fan. He also happens to be the son of Yahoo Entertainment deputy editor Marcus Errico.)So since I have watched The LEGO Movie I have been in love with the 1980s something space-guy, Benny. Apparently I’m not the only one. I have read on various social networking sites grown men and women admitting that they completely lost it when Benny was finally able to build a spaceship and he kept excitedly repeating; I can hardly wait until the release of the #70816 The LEGO Movie Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! (yes, that is the official name), and in the meantime I have been looking over images of the upcoming set, as well as pictures of the old LEGO Classic Space sets Benny’s ship is based on.
To be very honest with you I don’t think Benny’s Spaceship is the best LEGO ship ever, or that it even lives up to the legacy of the LEGO Classic Space sets (besides the color scheme). Yes, I will get it as soon as it gets released, but I’m already planning on how to modify it – which is of course totally in line with the spirit of The LEGO Movie, and I also know little Benny is going to help me out. 🙄 The most iconic LEGO Classic Space set is the #928 LEGO Galaxy Explorer released in 1979. There were also a couple of smaller ships designed in the same style and released the same year; the #918 LEGO Space Transport, and the #924 LEGO Space Cruiser. Many other sets came out of the LEGO Classic Space line all the way to 1986, when although the same logo remained, the color-scheme changed from gray & blue to white & blue. I don’t so much like the later sets, but the earlier ones are some of the best LEGO sets ever designed. LEGO Classic Space is still a favorite of many LEGO fans both young and old, and is very much alive. In
cluding Benny in The LEGO Movie is a touching commemoration of the original LEGO Space theme, and releasing an updated spaceship is making LEGO Classic Space fans dreams come true! I’m positive that Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! is going to be gobbled up as soon as it gets released. 😀 As I have mentioned though, I’m not particularly pleased with the design of Benny’s Spaceship. I don’t really like the elongated nose section and I find the details kind of messy at different sections. The LEGO Classic Space sets had that really pleasing delta shape and the lines were so much cleaner. I will see what I can do to bring that back once I get the set. Another thing to note is that LEGO Classic Space was strictly exploration based. There were no guns, only research instruments. On the other hand Benny’s Spaceship is fully armed with flick-fire missiles, the new spring-loaded missiles and giant cannons. How If you are interested in LEGO Classic Space designs, I highly recommend the book LEGO Space: Building the Future by Peter Reid and Tim Goddard. It
is full of amazing LEGO Space creations in the spirit of LEGO Classic Space, and even includes instructions for some of the models. (Below is a beautiful updated rendition of the #928 LEGO Galaxy Explorer by Peter.) I have reviewed this book previously here: LEGO Book – LEGO Space: Building the Future I’m not the only LEGO Classic Space fan who is just trying to keep busy doing something while waiting for Benny’s Spaceship to get released (come to think of it; it kind of makes us feel like Benny in the movie). For example several LEGO fans have tried to recreate the small ship that is visible in the background of The LEGO Movie poster with Benny (featured at the beginning of this post). Below is one that got it very close to the original by Peter Morris. The pilot has his helmet on backwards because he is embarrassed that his windshield is not the right color. 😕Anyhow, I babbled on about my excitement for Benny’s Spaceship long enough, now it’s your turn; what do you think? Is t