Last month I talked about the pending price increases for about a quarter of all LEGO sets, especially the larger sets that are especially interesting to adult builders. I’m afraid that price increases on LEGO (and pretty much everything else from cars to groceries) continues to dominate the discussion. That’s why I’m going to keep this intro short and simply encourage you to enjoy our new articles this month, as well as a few other articles from around the web.

If you want to hedge against potential price increases, you can always purchase a few sets before the prices go up.

New at Brick Architect

• Review: LEGO #10305 Lion Knights’ Castle
  Castle is one of the three classic themes introduced in 1978 alongside the iconic LEGO Minifigure — but long-time fans haven’t seen a new castle since 2013! Can this intricate new set possibly live up to our impossibly high expectations?
• Review: #42144 Material Handler
  Let’s find out what a real-world Material Handler can do — and whether you should get “pumped up” about this new Pneumatic-powered LEGO set.
  You will also find draft lyrics for a potential song for kids about a Material Handler, from the folks at Truck Tunes! (I’m not ashamed to admit that I asked a stranger to consider writing a real song about this machine!)

#10305 Lion Knights Castle is an expensive, uncompromising homage to the early days of LEGO Castle.

We have two more reviews coming soon: Jeannie built the next two sets in the “Postcards” series: #40568 Paris (the better of the two) & #40569 London, and I built #42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter (which is excellent).

Exciting new sets for AFOLs

August is going to be a big month, especially for folks in North America patiently waiting for #31206 The Rolling Stones and #21058 Great Pyramid of Giza (read our review) – both of which were released in June in other geographies! I’m not going to try to list all of the new releases here, but instead highlighted some top picks for adult builders…

• #10305 Lion Knights’ Castle
  In addition to our in-depth review of this set, Brothers Brick and Jay’s Brick Blog were quite enthusiastic about this intricate, nostalic set.
  4504 pieces, $400, available August 3 at LEGO.com
• #10497 Galaxy Explorer
  While we did not get a review copy of this set, this remake of arguably the classic late 70′ space set is on several reviewers top 5 of all time list. (It doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the most affordable new releases!)
  1254 pieces, $100, available now at LEGO.com

As I said…this is a great set. One of my favorite builds ever, and one I am looking forward working with in the future.

Richard Jones / Rambling Brick

• #42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter
  While my review is pending, I’m extemely impressed by the complex mechanisms which cause the angle of the propeller blades to change througout each rotation. (I’m not alone, Brickset, New Elementary, and Sariel’s Bricks were impressed with it too…)
  2001 pieces, $210, available now at LEGO.com
• #75335 BD-1 (Star Wars)
  This cute brick-built droid is immediately recognizable, but only if you played the fairly popular Star Wars: Fallen Order videogame. Unfortunately, it sounds like the model isn’t all that posable. (But it is cute!)
  1062 pieces, $100, available now at LEGO.com
• #76218 Sanctum Sanctorum
  Marvel fans will no doubt enjoy this significantly larger intepretation of the iconic location in Dr Strange films. (We reviewed the smaller version back in 2018 – #76108 Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown.)
  2708 pieces, $250, available now at LEGO.com
• #10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
  This is a sharp looking version of a classic American muscle car. I liek that they included extra parts to customize the model, but it does feel overpriced.
  1456 pieces, $170, available now at LEGO.com
• #10306 Atari 2600
  The LEGO Group continues to lean-in to nostalgia with arguably the first successful home gaming machine – but it will set you back more in today’s dollars than the game console cost when released in 1977 – $189.95.
  2532 pieces, $240, available now at LEGO.com

Even though I have neither seen it or built it, #10497 Galaxy Explorer is my set of the month due to the overwhelmingly positive attitudes from other reviewers, and the great value.

Remember, August may be the last month to purchase existing LEGO sets before higher prices kick in. While many sets will not see price increases, many sets of interest to adult builders will see a 10-25% price increase.

Best articles from around the web

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

• Greed or Inflation? An Economic Analysis of LEGO Price Increases
  We talked at length last month about the upcoming price increases for many LEGO sets. This is the article I wish I had the time (and technical background) to write, especially how it includes a strongly-fitted model to predict the price increases based on real-world inflation values. The really interesting bit to me is how the time to retirement will likely factor into which sets see the greatest price increase.
  —BrickNerd

Therefore, we can hypothesize that 1) sets farther from retirement are more likely to receive a price increase and 2) that price increase is likely to be greater than the inflation-adjusted price.

Michael Craven / BrickNerd

• Reported LEGO Price Increase Set List via Barnes & Noble
  More examples of the price increases that are coming soon, this time from Barnes and Noble stores in USA.
  —The Brick Fan
• Partial List of LEGO Set Price Increases – Singapore Edition
  Here is a similar list of price increases expected in Singapore.
  —Jay’s Brick Blog
• BrickCon 2022 registration now open with Pixar director Angus MacLane as keynote
  Pixar director and avid LEGO fan Angus MacLane will be the keynote speaker at BrickCon 2022 — my home town LEGO convention here in Seattle, WA. I hope to see you there!
  —Brothers Brick
• LEGO ICONS parts review: 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle
  A horde of new parts and recolors in this iconic new set!
  —New Elementary
• The LEGO 1x1x2/3 Plate with Open Stud
  This is a simple new part, basically a 1×1 brick that’s 2/3 as tall as usual, but it also has a hollow stud. You might not think that this warrants an in-depth article but it does… which includes the history of similar parts and some of the techniques it allows.
  —New Elementary

Best podcast episodes:

We’ve got just one audio story to highlight this month…

• The Octagon House (49:41)
  While at face value, this story is all about the strengths and weaknesses of an octagonal home, you will find that it is a much more complex story that has much less to do with an eight-sided shape than you would expect…
  —99% Invisible