This month, I’m thrilled to share a really fun interview with readers. Earlier in the month, I shared the evolution of my LEGO storage philosophy as a guest on the AFOLs Welcome Podcast. Most of all, I’m excited to announce my efforts to turn The LEGO Parts Guide into a book you can buy!

Join me (literally) behind-the-scenes at LEGOLAND California in this exclusive interview.

The LEGO Parts Guide, the book!

I have always wanted a well-designed printed parts guide that I can use in my LEGO room to help me sort parts and re-discover less common parts that might help me when creating custom MOCs. For years, I’ve used the PDF that I produced alongside my legacy LEGO Brick Labels collection to meet this need, but the part images are too small and not shown to scale.

Printing the first draft allowed me to better understand print-on-demand capabilities.

In addition to automating the process of creating LEGO Brick Labels, I was hopeful that my work creating the online LEGO Parts Guide would make it easier to produce a printed version, too. I’ve finally decided to take on this challenge, but I’ve decided to approach this in an iterative manner so that I can share my progress with Patrons who support Brick Architect through Patreon.

First test print showing pages filled with LEGO parts!

While I’ve shared even more behind-the-scenes previews with Patrons, I wanted to also share a preview of this effort with newsletter readers as well. My current plan is to produce the book using print-on-demand services such as Amazon’s KDP platform. This approach makes it easier to update the book at any time to add missing parts, refine the graphic design, and address feedback from users.

The page layouts are being designed using professional tools.

The best thing about this approach is that I can have a proof printed at any time so I can experiment with different approaches to make the initial publicly-available version even better. I do not know how long it will take to complete the first version, but I am hopeful I can complete it in a few months.

The book will be organized into the same chapters as the online guide.

If you want to support the project, see tons of behind-the-scenes updates, and access drafts of the book as a PDF… Please consider supporting the project at: patreon.com/bricklabels — Thanks!

New at Brick Architect

• Interview: LEGOLAND California with Master Model Builder PJ Catalano
  Building San Diego, Making Minilanders, and Scale Building throughout a LEGOLAND Theme Park!
• LEGO Storage Podcast — Brick Architect × AFOLs Welcome
  My latest thinking on strategies to organize, sort and store LEGO collections – on a podcast!
• Updated: Brick List & Buying Guide for ‘The LEGO Architect’ book
  I updated the part numbers in the downloadable .bsx files to make it easier to order the parts you need on BrickLink.
• Patrons: Sneak Peek: The LEGO Parts Guide first test print!
  Earlier this month, I shared photos of my first test print with patrons.
• Patrons: Download the first draft of my print-on-demand LEGO Parts Guide…
  I shared an updated PDF with patrons showing my progress so far…

April 2025 releases for AFOLs

This month is a bit quiet, although there are at least three large sets and one small set that may appeal to adult LEGO builders…

• #43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle
  This is the first time the castle from this Disney classic has been represented in a large model for older builders. The castle looks fine, but the brick-built characters look great.
  2916 pieces, 10 figures, ages 18+, $280, available now at LEGO.com
• #10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire
  I love how this more detailed take on Hobbiton looks, but the price tag stings. (It’s unclear if we should blame inflation, licensing fees, or fear of tariffs…) 2017 pieces, 9 minifigures, ages 18+, $270, available now at LEGO.com

#10354 Lord of the Rings: The Shire is beautifully detailed but expensive.

• #40817 Yellow Travel Suitcase
  Here’s a small set to get you excited for summer travels. A closer look indicates you will be traveling to Billund (BLL) airport!
  184 pieces, ages 7+, $15, available now at LEGO.com
• #21356 River Steamboat (LEGO Ideas)
  I wasn’t excited by this set when I saw photos, but reviewers have suggested that this is a good build and offers a better value than other recent sets.
  4090 pieces, ages 18+, $330, available April 7 at LEGO.com.

You can explore all 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 with a freshselection of great articles from around the web every month…

• The Times They Are a-Changing: Is LEGO a Lifestyle Brand?
  I really enjoyed this article which looks at the LEGO brand with an outsiders perspective — has LEGO become a lifestyle brand that happens to produce toys. Perhaps… they have certainly created a ‘powerful emotional bond’ with kids and adults!
  —BrickNerd
• I am Tupperware, I Contain Multitudes (46:17)
  This podcast episode explores the wild history of the first popular plastic storage container. While not super relevant to LEGO builders, many of us use descendants of the Tupperware container to store our bricks.
  —Decoder Ring Podcast
• From the LEGO® Archives
  Visit the Adults Welcome page and scroll way down to find a gallery of 8 short videos of LEGO Designers visiting ‘secret’ LEGO Archives at undisclosed locations near Billund. These are much bigger buildings than the well-known archive hidden beneath the LEGO System House.
  —LEGO.com

Scroll down on the Adults Welcome page for videos of LEGO designers geeking out in the archives.

• Review: 31215 Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers
  There are no new parts in this set, but the article includes an interesting discussion about possible changes to the color we call 226Cool YellowBright Light Yellow. If confirmed, the new color is slightly less saturated which is reflected in a new color number within The LEGO Group of 427 (vs the old 226).
  —New Elementary
• Lush Landscaping: A Builder’s Part Guide to LEGO Foliage
  Josh Parkinson collected an amazing selection of foliage building techniques in this lengthy article.
  —BrickNerd
• Review: 76968 Dinosaur Fossils – Tyrannosaurus Rex
  There are some excellent photos in this article by Kev Levell showcasing a newer, stronger joint based on four new elements which debuted in #76968 Dinosaur Fossils – Tyrannosaurus Rex set.
  —New Elementary

Four new parts were created to allow for much stronger joints.

• LEGO Pokemon sets officially announced coming 2026!
  The biggest news in March for many fans was the announcement of LEGO × Pokemon sets in 2026. Jay’s coverage is excellent since he is a knowledgeable Pokemon fan!
  —Jay’s Brick Blog
• LEGO building at angles: Escaping the grid
  This article by Arno Knobbe showcases tricks to build models at a bunch of different angles.
  —New Elementary
• Jan Beyer: The Beginnings of a LEGO Journey
  In this three-part story, we learn about Jan Beyer’s 21-year history working at The LEGO Group. (Part 2 explores Engaging With AFOLs at Skærbæk and Beyond and Part 3 touches on The Changing Face of LEGO.)
  —BrickNerd