🦈 You're gonna need a bigger Lego boat
Happy 2024 brick fam!
Welcome to the first 'Brick Scoop' of 2024! We're kicking off the year with the latest and greatest in the Lego universe.
Here are the highlights from this week in the world of Lego:
🤖 How to Brick yourself with AI.
🗓️ All Lego sets released January 1st.
⚓️A new set that will need a bigger boat.
😠 Over $40,000 worth of Lego stolen from sick children.
Today's newsletter is a 5 minute read. Let's get to it.
Transform Yourself into a Minifigure with AI
We've seen funny and crazy Lego box set mockups made with AI. Now, you can upload your photo and turn it into a remarkably detailed minifigure. It does a great job in replicating your distinctive clothing, facial features, surroundings, and even accessories.
The caveat is that to use it, you need a OpenAI GPT-4 API key. Check it out at: https://brick-yourself.vercel.app
Lego Sets Available Starting January 1
New Year, New You, New Lego Sets. Wallet not happy. Here's a list of notable Lego sets that are available now that 2024 is here.
- Bouquet of Roses $59.99 - Don't worry, you don't have to keep these in fresh water.
- Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera $79.99 - for capturing the moment when you realize you've put the bricks in the wrong order.
- Rocket & Baby Groot $59.99
- Spider-Man's Mask $69.99
- Tropical Ukulele $29.99 - You can almost hear the soothing sounds of the ocean...
- Exotic Peacock $19.99
- Japan Postcard $14.99 - Much cheaper than a plane ticket, and no jet lag involved!
- Space Astronaut $54.99
- The Fauna Collection – Macaw Parrots $59.99
- Modular Space Station $109.99 - NASA training not included
- The Devourer Showdown $44.99
- Mei's Dragon Mech $99.99
- Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull $39.99 - Jurassic Park in your living room, minus the whole running-for-your-life part.
- X-Men X-Jet $84.99
Which one is first on your shopping list?
Lego Jaws Set in the horizon?
As the Polaroid Camera, the inaugural LEGO Ideas set of 2024, hits the shelves today, we're have information about the other upcoming Ideas sets slated for release in the first half of this year–with one very notable release.
What is Lego Ideas?
Lego ideas is a platform where Lego fans can submit their own creations and vote for other people's designs. If a project reaches 10,000 votes, it is reviewed by Lego designers and some become official sets.
There are 9 sets that have been confirmed in development, one being the Jaws set, which will include The Orca and the iconic shark. No official price or release date, but it will be released at some point in 2024.
We can't wait to have the Chief Brody, Hooper and Quint in our minifigure collection — you bet we'll have some for sale in our Minifig Store!
Speaking of Minifigures...
Trivia Thursday
📝 Which NBA center famously struggled with free throws throughout his career?
For NBA fans in the house, we recently added one vintage set 3433 NBA Ultimate Arena from 2003. The set contains players that, fast forward a few decades later, are considered legends:
• Antoine Walker, Celtics
• Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
• Jason Kidd, Nets
• Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves
• Kobe Bryant, Lakers
• Shaquille O'Neal, Lakers
• Steve Nash, Mavericks
• Tracy McGrady, Magic
• Vince Carter, Raptors
Act fast! We only have one available, grab the set at our online store.
Answer: Shaquille O'Neal.
Over $44,000 worth of Legos stolen from sick children in Florida
Oh, Florida. As Floridians ourselves, it's disheartening to see such news in our state, but are heartened by people doing amazing work—especially when it involves Lego.
So what happened?
The V for Victory Foundation provides toys for sick children, particularly those battling cancer, has suffered a significant loss as over $44,000 worth of Legos were stolen from their warehouse.
This theft directly impacts the foundation's mission, as these Legos were meant to be donated to over 825 families, helping to uplift children during their cancer treatments.
The foundation's owner, Paul Scott started the organization after his own son's cancer diagnosis. He emphasized the positive impact of these toys on the children's mindset during difficult times. Currently, there are no suspects in the robbery, and the foundation is seeking support to replace the stolen items.
To donate to V for Victory and support their mission in providing Lego sets to kids, check out their website. They also have an Amazon wishlist to help replace Lego sets.
Check out the full news story here.
Builder Spotlight
This week's builder spotlight is @grantmasters. We love his minimalist Lego sculptures of popular characters.
While massive 1000+ piece Lego builds are impressive, building on a smaller scale with fewer pieces and still creating something iconic that everyone recognizes is even more challenging.
So many amazing builds he's made, it'd be unfair to pick a favorite. But here's a movie I finally watched over the holiday break:
Thanks all for today, keep your building spirit high until we meet again next week with more Lego tea.
🎁 Fun Fact: Our best selling item for our store this holiday season was our Studbee display stand. It tilts your Lego model at an angle, adding museum-caliber impact to your display. 👉 Grab one here.
