One of the many, many exclusive items to be unveiled at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is a new LEGO set based on the Star Wars planet of Dagobah. (I really want to call it LEGObah, but you’ll all throw bricks at me.) The 177-piece set serves to recreate an iconic scene from Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, during which Luke Skywalker trains under the tutelage of the exiled Master Yoda. While we only see a small sliver of the Outer Rim planet, the most recognizable bits – Yoda’s Hut and Luke’s X-Wing – will be included in the LEGO set. This one will set you back $39.99 if you’re lucky enough to score a winning ticket. Check out the first look at the Dagobah set, courtesy of Complex: Here’s more info on how to get your hands on the new Star Wars Dagobah LEGO set: LEGO SDCC Retail Exclusives: Winning ticket required for purchase You must first enter the drawing by picking up a ticket (see below) and then attendees go to the LEGO booth to redeem their ticket if they have a winning ticket and purchase the set at the LEGO booth.
The LEGO booth will be located in Hall D, booth #2829. Ticket Drawing Location:Pavilion Terrace (Upper level outside Sails Pavilion). Attendees must first enter the main Convention Center entrance from the line at the front of the main building. Entry to the LEGO retail drawing at the Sails Pavilion will be from this line. Depending on the crowds, this line may start moving as early as 7:00am until supplies last. Location includes multiple stairs. ADA attendees with mobility issues should go to the lobby B doors and use the glass elevators for access to the Sails Pavilion. They will be let up to the Sails Pavilion at the same time as the rest of the attendees. One drawing per person, per day Handicapped participants are encouraged to utilize official SDCC placeholder Random drawing is for a chance to get a ticket to purchase at the LEGO Booth Sets will not be distributed at the Pavilion Terrace Must redeem ticket that dayA couple times a year we see a lot of new LEGO sets, and with them we see some completely new LEGO parts as well as existing parts in new colors.
Today, Brickset updated their database with 634 new parts. I’m going to take a few minutes to highlight a few of the new elements or new colors which are most interesting for LEGO Architecture builders, especially folks like me who love the LEGO Architecture Studio set. This part is completely new, available only in White. It doesn’t look like the interior curve matches 6005, but hopefully we can use two of this new part on the bottom and one 3307 on top to create a perfect circular opening. This part could also be useful in creating curvy buildings such as current High-tech architectural styles, Brutalist shapes, or Art Deco designs. This part is completely new, available only in Tan. I don’t love single use parts. I’m sure people will use this as a nice detail in the way it was intended, as well as creative unexpected uses. This part is completely new, available in Tan and Pearl gold. It’s interesting that we are seeing some useful ornate architectural accents coming from the Friends line.
I could definitely see a lot of uses for this, especially in recreating Victorian, Baroque or other highly decorated styles. It might also be useful to create the top of Ionic (or scrolled) columns. A completely new part, available in Sand Green, Gold and Lavender. This is a very interesting piece, as it is a LEGO re-creation of fences or railings from the Art Nouveau architectural style. This would be very useful integrated into a window or used as an interior railing, especially if they release it in black, dark gray or white, since this style of railing shoudl either be made of metal, or painted white or a similar architecturally appropriate color. A completely new part, available only in transparent / clear. This is an odd part that I need to see to fully understand. It seems to have only a tiny pin hole, and appears to be taller than a normal stud height. This has a lot of potential for SNOT techniques if the proportions are right – you might be able to attach an inverted 85861 (Plate, Round 1 x 1 with Open Stud) for a very easy stud reversal technique.
Here are some existing parts which are being made available in white for the first time. These could be a great addition to your Architecture Studio set. I am extremely pleased to see this part in White for the first time. It is a versatile option for creating gently pitched roofs. Certain architectural styles rely on gently pitched roofs including most Prairie style designs and some Neoclassical buildings. A large wedge plate, now available in White. Now available in White While overly specialized, this part is a literal LEGO re-creation of steel scaffolding. It could be useful in High-tech designs, or to show a building which is under construction. Large slopes like this could be useful for the roof of a building with 45 degree angles. I can’t think of a ton of other uses. Now available in Transparent Medium Blue. 1×1 and 1×2 plates are a critical part for windows in skyscrapers and other LEGO architecutre models. More transparent hues to choose from are incredibly useful for LEGO Architecture modelers, especially folks like Spencer Rezkalla and Rocco Buttliere who build in the 1:650 scale.
What new parts are you most excited about? Leave a comment below so I can update the list with other great parts for building LEGO Architecture. If you love LEGO Architecture, check out my upcoming book The LEGO Architect. It highlights great bricks for building LEGO Architecture models, explores 7 different architectural styles, and includes instructions to build 12 LEGO architecture models. Cool Lego IdeasLego City IdeasLego Building IdeasCool Lego StuffAwesome LegosLego FunAmazing LegoAlora'S StuffArt StuffForwardMcDonald's MOC Lego Not a fan of branding in LEGO, but that Dunkin' Donuts is pretty cool...We finally got our hands on Lego's new Spaceport set, and it was awesome — so we reached out to the kit's designers to hear more about it. was impressed by the Spaceport's scale and all the different little parts: a robotic arm bearing a satellite that extended from the shuttle, seating room for two astronaut minifigs, and even a mobile platform to drive the space shuttle out to the Launchpad.
We also appreciated all the female minifigs, including astronauts, scientists and an engineer bearing a tiny blueprint of the shuttle. We talked with Lego City designer Andrew Butler Coghill and design director Ricco Krog by email to learn about the making of the new sets and what Lego has in store for space fans. [Photos: Legos and Space Travel] : The Lego Spaceport and its support kits are the first space-themed city sets in what seems like several years. What was the inspiration behind the new sets for 2015, and why now? Lego City: Here in Lego City a lot of our inspiration comes from real-life situations and environments. We have always based our product lines on things that kids around the world might actually see in real life. For example, seeing a fire engine or a space shuttle, things which exist in our everyday environment, help us to create awesome models to hopefully inspire the kids. It's definitely been a while since our previous Space launch so we felt it was time to bring to life a load of ideas that we've been itching to build.
This time around we dialed up the science aspect and focused on creating a series of different scenarios. With the spaceport we wanted to build a set where we could lift off! We all know how important and exciting it is launching a shuttle into space, so we built a mobile transporter to help carry the shuttle onto the launch deck and up into space! : What is it about the Spaceport kit that you think sets it apart from its predecessors? Lego City: The Spaceport set is the first of its kind to put the entire space shuttle on wheels. We spend a lot of time working with kids at Lego HQ to make sure that the product we're making is as fun and exciting as possible. We learned that although a spaceport is super cool, putting the whole thing on wheels and being able to launch anywhere was even better. Finding small stories and play-starters which might help to inspire the kids was also key. The yellow service car, for example, has seats to be able to transport the astronauts and their gear to the shuttle.
The scientist has the blueprints to the spacecraft and the booster rockets can be detached from the fuel cell so that kids can really act out a proper liftoff! As always, we look at ways to help update and refresh our Lego models. We designed a handful of brand new Lego elements to help create a super cool new spacecraft and complete the look of the rocket top. : What was the greatest challenge for the team designing the Spaceport set, and how did they overcome it? Lego City: It's important with our models to make sure that we hit the right qualities. The Lego motto reads "Only the best is good enough," so when building a model like the Spaceport it was key that we made sure the finished model was not only fun to build and play with but strong enough to be able to handle the journey into outer space. The shuttle's fuel cell and boosters, for example, are reinforced with long cross axle technic beams to help battle any rough turbulence. One particular challenge was the question of connecting the shuttle to the rockets.
We worked long and hard on trying to figure out a system which would be strong enough to hold the two together, but easy enough to pull apart and play. Finally, we found a solution which uses the ball and cup elements that we often use to connect cars and trucks to trailers. : What type of research with NASA, if any, did the design team do while planning out Spaceport and other sets? Were there any visits to NASA's Kennedy Space Center? If so, what were the designers' impressions? Lego City: There has not been research with NASA for the recent Lego City space line. However, over the years we have engaged in different events and meetings with NASA, getting a lot of impressions and inspiration. Designers have visited different NASA locations, among those both Kennedy and Johnson space centers. Some of us have even been test driving the new lunar rover that was under development for visiting the moon again, so you can imagine the excitement among the designers when visiting NASA.
It's hard not to get extremely impressed with all the achievements that NASA stands for, and NASA will always be an area for inspiration. : Aside from the play opportunities, what does the design team hope children take away from the space shuttle kit in terms of space exploration, especially now that NASA's space shuttle fleet is retired? Lego City: Dream big. One of the most special things about the NASA program is that it proved to people all over the world that we can build anything we set our minds to. Our job as designers at the Lego Group is to help inspire the builders of tomorrow with the Lego brick as a creative foundation. The beauty of the Lego system is that all our products and our elements can be mixed and built together, so whether it's a gravity defying space train, a double-decker rocket, or a 12 wheeled, all terrain lunar explorer we hope that we can inspire kids to build their own creations. The sky's the limit. : One of our favorite details in the Spaceport set is the female engineer with a set of space shuttle blueprints.
What are the design team's favorite elements in the set, and why? Lego City: From the satellite build to the folding Canadian arm inside of the shuttle, there are a lot of cool details throughout the set. A couple of things which really stand out, though, are perhaps the new space shuttle nose that we created especially for this theme. It took us a while to get the shape and we used a lot of varied techniques such as CAD and sculpting with clay to get it looking just right. Another thing is the attention to detail with graphics. The graphic designers put a lot of effort into creating labels and decorations (like the scientist's blueprint) that inspire story telling for the kids and enhance the value of the product. Some of the coolest elements have got to be the Astronaut suit with its gold visor, but a particular favorite is the front of the yellow service car. This element is actually a super classic vehicle window which has been in the Lego Portfolio for a long, long time.