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#40585 World of Wonders available now (VIP Rewards)

An interesting “baby architecture” set containing four popular landmarks was released today.

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Architecture Series · Shopping

I am not happy with the increasing purchase requirements for gift-with-purchase sets, and I’m not a fan of the awkward system that allows LEGO VIP Members to spend VIP Points on exclusive ‘free’ sets either. They aren’t really free anyways since you need to make another purchase. (You will probably want to spend enough to receive free shipping, too – $35 in United States).

Nonetheless, since Brick Architect was created to celebrate LEGO Architecture, I wanted to make sure readers are aware that #40585 World of Wonders is available for a limited time on the VIP Rewards Center. It costs 2700 points, which works out to $20.77 USD for 382 pieces – an equivalent of $0.054 per piece. (A $20 dicount at LEGO.com costs 2600 points.)

#40585 World of Wonders is available now as a 'featured reward' for VIPs.

#40585 World of Wonders is available now as a ‘featured reward’ for VIPs.

As noted in my January 2023 Roundup, I noticed that the set uses stickers instead of printed tiles which is unfortunate. As you can see in the photos below, even The LEGO Group can’t apply stickers without a little bit of dust sticking to the edge.

Disappointed to see stickers instead of printed tiles with this set.

Disappointed to see stickers instead of printed tiles with this set.

#21041 The Great Wall of China and #21056 Taj Mahal have already been captured in LEGO Architecture sets — I would not be surprised to see a larger LEGO Architecture set based on Al-Khazneh (Petra) or The Parthenon later this year.

If you decide to buy #40585 World of Wonders using VIP points, please consider using our referral links, it helps!

Update: How LUGBULK works—and strategies for making the most of it!

Find out which parts and colors are the cheapest and most expensive on BrickLink and learn more about the LUGBULK program.

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AFOL

One of our most popular articles explains what LUGBULK is and how to use the opportunity to improve your LEGO parts library (while saving money). I’ve updated the part availability and pricing data in the article for January 2023 — just in time to finalize your own LUGBULK order!

Updated table showing current BrickLink cost & availability for some of the most common LEGO Parts.

Updated table showing current BrickLink cost & availability for some of the most common LEGO Parts.

Other improvements:

  • Background color for each column matches the color of those parts.
    This makes it much easier to find the color you are looking for.
  • Added new 370Medium Brown and 1089Warm TanMedium Tan colors to tables.
    …even though the new colors aren’t available in basic parts yet!
  • Added a new table showing color rankings over time.
    You can use it to better understand which colors are gaining and losing popularity.
  • Updated analysis to reflect latest trends.
    This includes a downward trend in cost of plates while the cost of bricks remains largely unchanged.
Learn more by visiting brickarchitect.com/lugbulk/

LEGO Brick Labels v39

This update adds 117 new labels to the LEGO Brick Labels collection!

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Brick Labels
Version 39 adds 74 new LEGO Labels and 43 new DUPLO Labels for a total of 1685 unique labels!

Version 39 adds 74 new LEGO Labels and 43 new DUPLO Labels for a total of 1685 unique labels!

What’s new in this update?

  1. 74 new LEGO labels — including a ton of new parts released in 2022.
  2. 43 new labels for the Most Common DUPLO (and QUATRO) parts.
    There are many adult builders who use DUPLO and even retired QUATRO pieces as filler when building large models.
  3. 51 updated labels.
    The biggest change is use of ‘Ø’ symbol instead of ‘Diameter’ or ‘Dia.’ for rounded parts.
This update uses 'Ø' symbol instead of 'Diameter' or 'Dia.' to make labels for rounded parts more concise.

This update uses ‘Ø’ symbol instead of ‘Diameter’ or ‘Dia.’ to make labels for rounded parts more concise.

How did I pick the Most Common DUPLO parts?
While much less popular than my article highlighting the Most Common LEGO Parts, I also created a similar list of the Most Common DUPLO Parts which was updated recently.

Learn more and download at brickarchitect.com/labels.
LEGO Brick Labels is updated regularly include the most popular new parts. You can support the LEGO Brick Labels project by donating at patreon.com!

LEGO Brick Labels v39 – Beta Preview

At least 51 new labels are coming soon!

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Brick Labels

I’ve reviewed every new LEGO part added in the second half of 2022, plus the top ~1250 Most Common LEGO Parts, and found a lot of great parts that I’m excited to to add to the collection!

There will be at least 51 new labels in the upcoming release.

There will be at least 51 new labels in the upcoming release.

Support LEGO Brick Labels — get early access!

Become a patron at patreon.com to download these new labels right now. Your support helps Brick Architect and the LEGO Brick Labels project in particular. Patrons can also access some behind-the-scenes content about how these labels are created.

Proposed improvements in this update

I am constantly trying to improve the short text descriptions for each part. With this update, I’m exploring the consistent use of diameter (Ø) indicators on many round parts. This is especially relevant when you have a large part with a rounded corner – knowing the diameter/radius of the corner will help you determine which parts to use above or below it. As you can see from the example image, this should also improve parts which already show a diameter (such as tires and wheels).

Using "Ø" symbol to indicate diameter of rounded parts.

Using “Ø” symbol to indicate diameter of rounded parts.

Examples:

  • 1×2 Tile, Ø1 Rounded Ends (part 1126)
    When Ø is followed by a number without units, it means studs. I could have said “Ø1L” instead of “Ø1”, but I want to optimize for simple cases.
  • Hose, Ribbed Ø7mm (part 78c**)
    When Ø is followed by a measurement in mm, I will clearly say so, as in this example “Ø7mm”.
  • Ø24mm × 11mm Integrated Tire w/ Pin (part 72206)
    I will probably update wheels to use this format as well, as in this example.

This is similar to how I started indicating the angle (°) for slopes in version 3.2… I do worry that awareness of ‘Ø’ as the symbol for Diameter is low. While it is certainly something people can learn, I do not want to introduce too much confusion.

This is a potentially major change, so FEEDBACK IS WELCOME! (You can email me or leave a comment.)

P.S. This change was inspired by some official LEGO part names which also use the “Ø” symbol. That symbol happens to be a letter in Danish, but it is also used in mathematical circles (pun intended) to mean diameter.