Anakin, R2D2, and the new Jedi Starfighter set ($19). Valentina Palladino Anakin looks like he's ready for a fight. Valentina Palladino The Collector Series Y-Wing Starfighter ($199) has wheel-activated rotating ion cannons, retractable skids, and much more. Valentina Palladino A downsized version of Snoke's Throne Room ($69). Valentina Palladino New Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter ($79), available in August. Valentina Palladino Obviously we need more than just one light saber minifig. Valentina Palladino None of these minifigs looks happy… Valentina Palladino The mammoth Sandcrawler ($139) made for tiny minifigs. Valentina Palladino The Kessel Run version of the Millenium Falcon ($169) Valentina Palladino Can't have Brick Headz Harry Potter without Brick Headz Hedwig (and his glasses, of course). Valentina Palladino Break Headz Hermione! Valentina Palladino New Hogwarts Express set ($79) with makeshift Platform 9 3/4 and various Harry Potter minifigs. Valentina Palladino The scarlet steam engine looks even better and more realistic up-close. Valentina Palladino This is the only type of dementor I'd allow near me. Valentina Palladino New Hogwarts Great Hall set ($99) examines the interior of the massive hall and the adjacent tower with the Gryffindor common room. Valentina Palladino The new Great Hall set even includes house flags, drinking goblets, and a hanging candelabra. Valentina Palladino Professor McGonagall looks suspiciously happy in her minifig version. Valentina Palladino Harry, Ron, and Hermione probably want to get some breakfast in the new Great Hall. Valentina Palladino Who would you see in the Mirror of Erised? Valentina Palladino New Quidditch Match set ($39) includes the different houses' viewing towers. Valentina Palladino Intricate Ninjago City Docks set ($229) and its accompanying minifigs. Valentina Palladino New Ninjago Destiny's Wing set ($19). Valentina Palladino New Arctic Supply Plane set ($79). Valentina Palladino A mini explorer involved with the latest expedition. Valentina Palladino LEGO's new Cargo Train set ($229). Valentina Palladino New LEGO City Passenger Train set ($159) has plenty of track pieces to make a working LEGO train. Valentina Palladino The new Creator Expert: Roller Coaster set ($379) features a functional chain-lift roller coaster, 11 minifigs, and 2 trains with 3 cars each. Mobile Stunt Show New Mobile Stunt Show set ($49). Valentina Palladino It's a little warm for a fire, but we'll take it. Valentina Palladino Hot dog, anyone? Valentina Palladino This LEGO surf-girl was about the size of a 7-year-old. Valentina Palladino Various LEGO Brick Headz characters you can collect. Valentina Palladino Now you can make yourself as a Brick Headz character! Valentina Palladino Even minifgis want to take selfies… Creator Expert: Roller Coaster Baby minifig looks comfortable propped in Dad's carrier. Creator Expert: Roller Coaster Follow the signs to LEGO City! Creator Expert: Roller Coaster Limited edition collector's box of minifigs. Valentina Palladino Some of the minifigs included in the new collector's box. Valentina Palladino Starry-eyed Unikitty LEGO minifigs. Valentina Palladino
NEW YORK—Upon walking into a gray, bricked-facade gallery in Manhattan's Chelsea area, color immediately flooded my eyes. LEGO chose an unassuming location to show off some of the more than 100 new sets coming out in time for the 2018 holiday season. The company literally took the blank canvas of the gallery's interior and splashed it with colorful bricks, some waiting patiently in buckets begging to be dumped out and some built into magical express trains, massive starfighters, and working roller coaster replicas.
As an avid LEGO fan for years (I had my father's old LEGO bricks to play with as a kid), I'm always struck by the hundreds of new sets that come out each year. According to Amanda Madore, senior brand relations manager at LEGO, the company constantly tries to spice things up in new sets with various levels of intricacy. While some builders are perfectly content sitting down for a few hours with a 1,000-piece set, others want a burst of building that's just as fun and yields almost instant gratification. Also, some fans can't afford to drop hundreds on a huge LEGO set and that's where new forms like Brick Headz come in.
Even branded collections from pop-culture heavy-weights Star Wars and Harry Potter have new sets that appeal to all kinds of users. Both collections have been a part of LEGO's lineup for years, and Madore told me that the differences between the old sets and the news ones can be striking. New sets pay more attention to detail and cover a wide range of objects, characters, situations, and settings, which allows the company to appeal to all types of LEGO fans including those just discovering their love for building.
Included in the releases are new Powered Up sets that incorporate remote controls, smart device connections, and the LEGO Boost coding toolkit. Users can personalize Powered Up-ready sets with dynamic motion, lighting effects, and other special features depending on the set. While LEGO already had some connected toys, the Powered Up platform officially launches on July 1 with mobile apps for Android and iOS. Powered Up sets including the LEGO Batman App-Controlled Batmobile, the LEGO City Passenger Train, and LEGO City Steam train will debut later this year, along with the rest of the new LEGO sets. Be sure to check out some of the forthcoming sets in our gallery above.
Listing image by Valentina Palladino
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