While I didn’t publish a lot of articles in February, I was quite busy preparing the most recent update to the LEGO Brick Labels collection. You will also see how this update encouraged me to flashback to the Common LEGO Parts and Colors from my formative LEGO decade—the 1980’s.

The top topics this month in the broader LEGO community were: anticipation for a wave of new sets released on March 1, enthusiasm for TLG decision to add an additional inclusive skintone color, and an outpouring of support for Ukraine.

New at Brick Architect

• Update: LEGO Brick Labels — version 38
  The first update of 2022 includes 76 new labels for a selection of brand new parts, and a batch of classic 1980’s parts.
  Thanks again to all of the patrons supporting the project — I didn’t create the 1980’s labels for me, I made them for you.
• New: Most Common LEGO Parts & Colors — 1980’s Edition
  Rather than creating labels for a random assortment of classic 80’s parts, I identified the top 150 parts from that decade, and made labels for those parts in particular. This exercise resulted in a cool dataset which lets you relive classic colors and classic parts from the ‘Greed Decade’.

Classic 80’s parts added to the latest version of the LEGO Brick Labels collection.

Exciting new sets for AFOLs

There are tons of new sets which were released on March 1, so I’ve only highlighted a few of the most interesting sets for adult builders.

• #10299 Real Madrid – Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
  While these massive stadiums aren’t as appealing to me as the smaller architecture sets, this one looks nice and offers a good parts value.
  5876 pieces, $350, available now at LEGO.com
• #75326 Boba Fett’s Throne Room
  The Mandalorian series was great, and the Book of Boba Fett was decent. This set looks decent too, and has a lot of nice minifigs.
  732 pieces, $100, available now at LEGO.com
• #10298 LEGO Vespa 125
  This is a cute display model that will appeal to a lot of builders. (It’s also another great source for 212Light Royal BlueBright Light Blue parts.)
  1106 pieces, $100, available now at LEGO.com
• #76209 Thor’s Hammer
  I’m not gonna lie—This looks like a boring build… But you might enjoy it?
  979 pieces, $100, available now at LEGO.com
• #42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car
  Technic fans will surely enjoy this sharp-looking F1 Racecar.
  1432 pieces, $180, available now at LEGO.com

I think #10298 LEGO Vespa 125 is most compelling new set released in March.

Best articles from around the web

Here are some February highlights from around the web – Happy reading!

• New LEGO skin tone colour, 370 Medium Brown
  There aren’t any full-length articles about the new skin color yet, but New Elementary has offered some inital details in this social post. (I am personally thrilled to see more inclusive minifig colors!)
  —New Elementary (instagram)
• It’s not just ABS plastic at LEGO, a dozen different plastics are used (French)
  In recent years, we have learned more about the many different plastic formulations used by The LEGO Group to create the highest quality parts. This article offers by far the best summary I’ve see yet of the various plastics they use, and the reasons why they use them.
  —Hoth Bricks
• LEGO Foundation to donate LEGO® MRI Scanners to hospitals globally
  Richard at The Rambling Brick explains how education is one of the best tools to help people manage anxiety during medical procedures. That’s why The LEGO Group is creating and distributing interactive LEGO MRI machines to hospitals (through their charitable organization).
  —The Rambling Brick
• The new LEGO Pick a Brick Service: Evaluation of price adjustments (German)
  In some markets, the online “Pick a Brick” and “Bricks and Pieces” stores have been merged. This makes shopping somewhat easier, but as you will learn, it also makes it a bit more expensive (especially when buying animals).
  —StoneWars
• Review: LEGO DOTS 41951 Message board and 41952 Big Message Board
  LEGO DOTS is still going strong. While the initial sets focused on abstract shapes and images, these “Message Boards” encourage builders to create words using LEGO bricks. Also of note to readers are some new/rare parts including the 2×2 corner piece with a rounded profile.
  —Brothers Brick
• Review: #10299 Real Madrid Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
  Jay’s review offers the best glimpse into the parts and building techniques behind this massive new set. I don’t have a connection to the team or to these oversized stadiums, but it does look like a good building experience and a great value.
  —Jay’s Brick Blog
• Billund Denmark Global LEGO Group Kornmarken Campus Headquarters 2025
  It seems like only yesterday that The LEGO Group opened their new campus in Billund (actually October 2019), and they have already announced another major expansion. The new ‘Innovation Campus’ will provide “a dedicated space for product innovation and product technology development”.
  —Toys N Bricks
• Guys and Dolls: The Beautiful Failure of Belville Figures
  I don’t have any Belville figures, but now I know a lot more about them thanks to this great article (with lots of funny photos).
  —BrickNerd
• The evolution of minifigure heads
  Speaking of Minifigures, here’s a very short article highlighting some key developments in the history of the LEGO Minifigure head. (I certainly didn’t realize the first custom moulded head was just in 1999).
  —Brickset
• Expanding the LEGO Modular Boutique Hotel
  Well-heeled LEGO enthusiasts often purchase multiple copies of the latest Modular Building, and combine them into a giant version. This is a nice gallery of some taller and wider examples.
  —Jay’s Brick Blog
• From Dino Island to Dominion: LEGO® Dinosaurs Across Time
  Why bother researching LEGO dinosaurs over the decades when Richard has already produced this great summary. Even if it took a movie francise to make it happen, we really are living in a golden age of LEGO Dinosaurs!
  —New Elementary

Best podcast episodes:

Not a lot of great podcast content this month, I’m afraid! Here’s one thing to check out nonetheless.

• #478 – Art Imitates Art (46:37)
  There is a fine line between making obviously fake copies of a famous painting for a hotel lobby, and forgeries. This episode explores an entire city dedicated to creating real oil paintings at an industrial scale. Totally fascinating to an art nerd like myself!
  —99% Invisible