This month’s update is a bit more personal than usual. That’s because I have several things that I’m excited to share and August is a pretty quiet month for LEGO news anyways. As you will learn, I’ve been busy building a LEGO architecture model for BrickCon, making significant updates to my LEGO Parts Guide, and preparing for a LEGO Architecture talk that I will be giving at the end of September.

Free LEGO Architecture talk in Seattle!

I will be giving a free talk about LEGO Architecture on Friday, September 27th at the MOHAI Museum in Seattle. It will be an updated version of my talk that explores how to re-create 7 popular architectural styles using LEGO, with examples of amazing LEGO models built by talented LEGO fans from around the world. The talk is based on my popular book The LEGO Architect, and I will be autographing books and meeting with guests after the talk.

Join me at 6:00PM on Friday, September 27, 2024 for a free talk on LEGO Architecture.

Advance registration is required if you are planning to join me for the talk. I strongly recommend that you arrive around 6:00 PM because you will have a chance to view the Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO Bricks exhibit before the 7:00 PM talk. (It’s an interesting exhibit and this is a great chance to see it for free!)

Want to tell others about this event? Say that you are ‘interested’ or ‘going’ on Facebook – just don’t forget to register as well!

BrickCon Seattle!

BrickCon is the longest running LEGO Fan Event, and it’s just around the corner: September 7-8 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington (just outside Seattle). If you want to attend the show, be sure to purchase tickets in advance as the event usually sells out! (Tickets are $19.)

In addition to the two-day public exhibition, serious fans have the option to participate in a four-day convention for AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO). This gives you the ability to display your work as part of the public exhibition, tons of talks, games, and networking events. Late registration may still be available if you are interested in joining us!

The city block which I decided to re-create using LEGO bricks. (Photo: Spicypepper999, CC0/Public Domain)

I am excited to display my work this year as part of a collaborative project to re-create downtown Bellevue as a microscale diorama. I chose a single city block because I am pretty busy with other projects, but I also chose to build an extremely difficult building to keep things interesting. I’m excited to see how my contribution looks next to all of the other sections being built by other members of ARCHLUG, an architecture-focused LEGO User Group based loosely in the Pacific Northwest.

Bellevue City Hall (2006) and Bellevue Downtown Station (2024). LEGO Model by Tom Alphin.

I still need to make a few minor changes before the event, but I’m really happy with what I was able to achieve. In particular, I’m proud of how well I was able to create 45° angles using LEGO bricks–those lower sections are carefully tucked under the taller sections of the building to create the illusion.

LEGO Space Book, LEGO Space Parts!

This month I made a ton of improvements to my LEGO Parts Guide!

These changes were motivated by the unique way that I decided to ‘review’ an exciting LEGO book which was released a few months ago. LEGO Space 1978-1992 by Tim Johnson is an absolute celebration of the classic LEGO space era, with beautiful photos, archival images, promotional materials, and interviews with LEGO set designers that worked on these iconic sets.

LEGO Space: 1978-1992 by Tim Johnson.

As a LEGO parts nerd, I was delighted to find an inset on almost every page highlighting a single interesting LEGO element, and how it is artfully used in a specific classic space set.

Many interesting LEGO elements are featured alongside a set where they played a key role.

The book also served as a great catalyst to continue my efforts to make The LEGO Parts Guide the richest experience for learning about interesting LEGO parts. In addition to great photos of each of the sets featured in the book, it highlights some of the key LEGO elements which helped shape the LEGO Space aesthetic.

In my LEGO Parts Guide, Chainsaw Body (Part 2516) now includes an excerpt from the book.

I added 22 parts which were referenced in the book to my parts guide. I also added some short excerpts from the book to the Parts Guide! I focused on parts which played a key role in the history of LEGO Space, and parts which were introduced in LEGO Space but were used in many other themes later.

If you have any interest in this influential period of LEGO history, consider reading my article about LEGO Space: 1978-1992. It’s a good book that you may want to add to your collection.

Other improvements to the LEGO Parts Guide

Beyond adding a bunch of classic space parts, I made some significant improvements to the LEGO Parts Guide this month. Here are a few of the most exciting changes…

I added a ton of Ribbed Hoses, Flex Tubes, and Pneumatic Hoses, but they all look about the same!

• Updated the Current Most Common LEGO Parts list to use sets from 2020-2024.
  Since most of the 2024 sets were released in August, I updated the website to use sets released in 2020-2024 when determining which parts are the most common. This also allows parts which were released in 2024 to appear in the rankings!
• Added a new Flexible sub-category to the Articulation category.
  New parts include 21x Ribbed Hoses, 35x Flex Tubes, 20x Pneumatic Hoses, and more.
• A parts page is automatically generated for almost every part. This allows you to see basic info about parts which haven’t been added to the database yet, even if I do not have a nice image for the part.
  These parts do not appear in galleries sorted by category because I haven’t yet decided where they should go.

Want to learn more? You will find a complete changelog on the about page.

New at Brick Architect

We are working on reviews of a ton of new sets, but were only able to publish two of them so far…

• Review: #21351 The Nightmare Before Christmas (LEGO Ideas)
  Can the magic of Tim Burton’s 1993 classic film be captured using LEGO Bricks? Let’s find out, and explore the many details hidden within this set!
• Review: LEGO Space: 1978-1992
  Check out this awesome book about Classic Space—and discover insights about some of the LEGO parts which debuted in this era!

September 2024 releases for AFOLs

Even though September tends to be a quieter month for new set releases, there are several of great interest to adult builders. (August was packed with new releases, but a lot of those sets were aimed at younger builders.)

• #Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 (Legend of Zelda)
  This highly anticipated set include three Link minifigures, and one version based on Princess Zelda. It’s also really expensive which is why I am hoping to find it on sale.
  2500 pieces, ages 18+, $300, available September 1 at LEGO.com
• #21351 The Nightmare Before Christmas
  In Koen’s review of this set, he explains that this set is a good fit for people who love the movie. Otherwise, this one you can probably skip.
  2193 pieces, ages 18+, $200, available September 3 at LEGO.com

#71047 Dungeons & Dragons Collectible Minifigures.

• #71047 Dungeons & Dragons Collectible Minifigures
  There are a ton of excellent figures and interesting new parts in the latest addition to the Collectible Minifigure Series. It’s a great complement to the popular #21348 Dungeons & Dragons – Red Dragon’s Tale set.
  12 figures, ages 5+, $5 each, available September 1 at LEGO.com
• #40743 Christmas Table Decoration
  This small set looks like the nicest of the holiday sets this year. It’s pretty overtly religious unlike many other recent holiday sets.
  433 pieces, ages 12+, $40, available now at LEGO.com

You can see all the rest of the new releases by visiting the lego.com store. (Making a purchase using our referral link helps support this website.)

Best articles from around the web

Learn more about the LEGO hobby every month with a selection of great articles from around the web…

• Why Lego Is So Expensive
  This is a well-produced look at The LEGO Group’s history, with a focus on the business of producing and selling LEGO toys.
  —Business Insider / YouTube
• Everything’s Still Awesome: Lego at 75
  I enjoy reading articles about The LEGO Group from mainstream press. This article offers a decent overview, although it can’t decide if it wants to talk about the iconic LEGO House museum in Billund, or tell the longer story of the enduring popularity of the LEGO Brick and Minifigure.
  —Esquire
• The LEGO Group delivers double-digit top- and bottom-line growth in H1 2024
  Because the LEGO Group is privately held by members of the Kirk Kristiansen family, it doesn’t need to disclose nearly as much as public companies. Nonetheless, the company has shown growth against almost all metrics in the first half of 2024: 13% increase in revenue, 14% increase in consumer sales, and an 26% increase in operating profit. When increase in operating profit exceeds increase in revenue by such a large amount, I do wonder if this is due to a decrease in capital expenditures to support future growth, or simply that they are able to extract more profit from each sale.
  —LEGO

The LEGO Group posted impressive growth, and even more impressive profits in H1 2024.

• Token Observation: The Impact of Tokens of Appreciation at LEGO Conventions
  This article by Simon Liu offers a lovely look at the history of leaving little brick-built ‘tokens’ of appreciation next to your favorite models at a LEGO Convention.
  —BrickNerd
• LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog: new parts for August 2024
  This article includes a first look at a part which is likely to become mainstream pretty quickly: 1×3 Technic Brick w/ 3 Pin Holes (Part 5565).
  —New Elementary
• Interview with Simon Scott, fan designer of The Nightmare Before Christmas
  Interview with Simon Scott, fan designer of The Nightmare Before Christmas – This is a nice interview with the Fan Designer of the new Nightmare Before Christmas set. Most of the interview is about the process of getting an idea to 10,000 votes, and translating the winning idea into a real LEGO set.
  —Brickset

If you’re passionate about a project, it should come across in your submission, and you need to be prepared for a long process to gain supporters.

Simon Scott

• LEGO x NIKE: With a new multi-year collaboration announced, swooshing your LEGO is about to take on a whole new meaning.
  A new LEGO×Nike partnership has begun, replacing the earlier partnership with Adidas which appears to have run it’s course.
  —Rambling Brick
• The Good and Bad of LEGO at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
  SDCC is an institution, and has historically been a place to score exclusive LEGO sets and Minifigures. This year seemed more subdued, focused more on the TV shows and LEGO sets than on highly-sought exclusive giveaways.
  —BrickNerd
• LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy | Official Trailer
  I love the Star Wars universe, but I’m not sure I am prepared for the four-episode miniseries that reimagines the Star Wars galaxy where good guys are bad guys, and bad guys are good. I do not expect this to be a ‘good’ show, but I think it will be a good time… Debuts September 13 on Disney+.
  — Star Wars / YouTube