June 2024 LEGO News Roundup
This month’s reviews included the rare 2/5 star (not very good) set, plus an update on The LEGO Parts Guide, and links to some great articles that I discovered.
As we move into summer, we enter the quietest months of the LEGO calendar. There are relatively few new sets released throughout the summer (with the notable exception of those June 1 releases which aren’t available in North America until August 1). There also tends to be a bit less content from around the web; I suspect that I’m not the only one distracted by warmer weather!
Reviews this month
The first set we reviewed was #60440 LEGO Delivery Truck. It is a little overpriced, but I think it will be very popular with LEGO fans!
The second article reviews two related sets: #42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance and #42165 Pull-Back (LEGO Technic). The larger of the two sets dissapointed me… Even if you aren’t interested in Technic and don’t want to read the full article, I want to explain why. The problem is that the model relies on way too many stickers to match the appearance of the real car.
The actual car has an elegant curved accent line in a beautiful teal color. They managed to capture that curve in the smaller set using a flex axle, but they relied completely on stickers for the larger set. I believe that stickers should enhance a set, but shouldn’t be required to capture it’s essence, which is why I’ve highlighted (lowlighted?) this as one of the worst sets I’ve built in a long time.
LEGO Parts Guide improvements
After working really hard on the LEGO Parts Guide from January through March, I took a break to work on some other projects. I am happy to report that I’ve been working on some additional improvements this month, although I wouldn’t expect any major new features until the fall.
My recent investments were in the tools which I use to maintain the site, as well as some nice improvements to the Newly Added Parts page where you can track my progress.
The main reason to improve my own management tools is to add additional parts to the guide. This month, I’ve added 28 parts with a focus on two areas: A handful of brand new parts which are already gaining popularity, and a new category containing 6 new labels for the different lengths of Flex Axles.
July 2024 releases for AFOLs
July is looking like one of the quietest months of the year for new LEGO set releases. There’s really only two sets worth mentioning, plus the epic LEGO Star Wars book which you can preorder now and will be shipping on July 20.
- #10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole
This car gives me instant 90’s vibes, even though the car actually debuted in 1985. The angular shape is well represented in LEGO Bricks
1506 pieces, ages 18+, $180, available now at LEGO.com - #10338 Bumblebee (Transformers)
While it looks cute in car form, I don’t find the robot form very appealing. At least it is fairly priced.
950 pieces, ages 18+, $90, available now at LEGO.com - #5008878 The Force of Creativity (LEGO Star Wars Book)
I’m interested in a closer look at this book, but this ultra-premium book may only appeal to die-hard LEGO Star Wars fans due to the high price tag.
312 pages, ages 18+, $150, preorder now at LEGO.com for July 20 shipment.

#10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole is the only new set that I can recommend this month.
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…
- Meet The Women Of The Masterpiece Gallery 2023
This is both an exceptional gallery of intricate models by female LEGO builders from all over the world on display at The LEGO House in Denmark, plus an interview with many of the builders themselves!
—Women’s Brick Initiative - LEGO Icons parts review: 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole
This 18+ brick-built car in the LEGO Icons set is one of the two new releases this month. This article show that it features three new moulds incuding a curved slope, 1×4 slope, and a new wheel. It also includes a new 2×4 bracket (part 5175) that debuted earlier this year.
—New Elementary - LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV: review & designer interview
This mini-review of #10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole suggests that this is a very fun build, and the interview with designer Sven Franic that follows sheds some new insights into the process of desigining which classic cars to create as official LEGO sets.
—New Elementary
some models maybe don’t need any (new) elements and some will need quite a few. … if [the IP partners] have a very strong emphasis on a certain part of the model, we ask them if this is something that we really need to nail because it’s important for their brand representation … Something like the wheel can be one of those things where the IP can feel quite strongly about it.
Sven Franic (LEGO Designer)
- RebrickMat – Building/Design Mat
The ReBrickMat is a large rubber mat that can be used as an oversized computer mousepad, a mat to build LEGO models more quietly, or both. Around the edges, you will find many a bunch of useful tools to measure bricks, calculate angles, and more. It’s basically a premium version of the printable LEGO Ruler and Sorting Tool which I created many years ago. (You can also learn more in this Brickset article.)
—Rebrickable - HISTORY OF: A guide to LEGO Castle
This is the most succinct summary of the Classic Castle factions that I’ve ever seen. I enjoyed the great photos of the heraldic shield patterns and the minifigures holding them.
—Tips and Bricks - LEGO NPU: ZNAP Edition
I love articles exploring lesser-known LEGO systems that are no longer being produced. Will Hafner offers a great summary of ZNAP, a LEGO theme from the late 90’s which aimed to replace studs with a more KNEX-like snap-together building system. It never caught on, but as you will see, people still makange to create some impressive MOCs using these parts today.
—BrickNerd
- Powering Up PoweredUp with Pybricks
PyBricks is an alternate firmware and programming environment for controlling LEGO Powered Up motors and sensors. These two in-depth articles by TobyMac offer a great way to understand what’s possible with this advanced programming system.
—Rebrickable - Is the LEGO Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree set overpriced?
I agree with author Jay Ong’s perspective that the upcoming Legend of Zelnda set is probably overpriced, but we do need to wait and see the final set to be sure.
—Jay’s Brick Blog - An Opinionated Parents Guide to Legoland California
This article by Chris Castagnetto explores LEGOLAND California in detail. I had similar experiences visiting LEGOLAND California last fall with our son, and would recommend this article for any families considering a trip to LEGOLAND this summer. While the reviews of each ride may not apply to other LEGOLAND locations, the general advice likely applies.
— BrickNerd