In the first bunch that I purchased, it didn't include the Faun figure. I now have it and have completed the set. You can see my original Series 15 post here. I also have some additional Series 15 minifigs in the store. You can see them here. I have at least one of each of them in the store so if you are short one, take a look.
The (not so) Secret to Finding Discount LEGO Sets
9 March 2022 update: Added some tips from Target.com. Added the Reddit Lego Deals page.
Buying LEGO can be expensive. At the in person sales that I have done, I have seen many a parent balk at the prices of sets and minifigures. "That set is how much?" While I don't know what the LEGO Company's profit margin is per set, I do know that they are doing okay. Thankfully, there are some ways to get discount LEGO sets.
LEGO Shop @ Home: Buying from the source can sometimes be a good deal. This however is not always the case. For most of the year, they throw a lot of sets up for sale that they weren't able to sell. There are a few key times however. The Star Wars set sales during the May the Fourth sales and the Brick Friday Sales offer some great deals. Often they throw a few other sales in there, but you need to pay attention to them. If you get on their mailing list, you can get notices of when they are coming up.
LEGO Shop VIP Program: While it’s not the greatest VIP program in the world, it gives you the opportunity to build points to garner discounts in the future. For every $100 you spend, you get $5 off in the future. Sometimes LEGO offers double VIP points so $10 back for spending $100. While some of the other deals they offer aren’t the most exciting, if you plan to buy a set from LEGO, you might as well get the points that go with your purchase.
BrickSet.com - Amazon.com deals in the US: Amazon has kept a good deal of discounts on sets. If you pay attention, they have a great deal of some of the main lines (CITY, Friends, Star Wars, etc.) at a 20% discount. As they approach Christmas time, they often increase sales to include discounts of 30% or more. It's definitely worth it to check this site out before buying a LEGO set to see if there's a discount. BrickSet used to have a Walmart sales site, but that one has since been shut down.
BrickPicker.com: BrickPicker is more of a resource for those who collect, invest, and sell on the secondary market. It focuses on LEGO sets that have long since retired and where people are willing to pay big money for some of the rarer sets. They do show some current discounts on Amazon in various countries and if you follow the forums, you can see what deals people are finding at some of the big brand stores.
Walmart and Target: Both of these retailers have either pushed all of the fan sites to take down their sales searches or people took them down on their own. I'm not sure what happened, but I have yet to find an easy way to find the LEGO deals at these stores. Has anyone found something useful out there? If so, please let me know. I have found that joining Target Circle gets you 1% of every purchase that you can use towards your next purchase. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. Also, Target will run deals every so often where they will send you a $10 eGift card for every $50 purchase.
Ratuken.com (formerly Ebates.com)- Okay so this is not a way to save money buying LEGO in a direct way. However, there are a few ways you can take advantage of it. For those of you not familiar, Ratuken/Ebates is a website where you sign up, go to the website before you shop, and then Ratuken/Ebates and you get a cut of the total sale when you are done. If you sign up, you get spam emails every day. The good news is, you can use it to buy LEGO. LEGO Shop @ Home typically offers 2.5% cash back. You place an order, they hold onto 2.5% of the sale, and then they return it to you in quarterly payments. You can receive a check or link it to your PayPal account. Historically around Christmas time Ratuken/Ebates has between 5% and 7.5% cash back deal on LEGO Shop @ Home. Combine that with Double VIP points and it was a pretty good deal! Also, you can share their site with friends and get a referral payment (amount varies). The link I placed is just to the site and not an attempt to get the referral payment out of you. Amazon.com and Walmart are linked to Ratuken/Ebates too, but often they are linked to specific categories of products. I have yet to see them give cash back for toys.
Of note, recently I stopped getting cashback on Ratuken with purchases from LEGO.com. Perhaps I over purchased? Has anyone else seen this issue?
Brickseek.com - A reader told me about this one. This site was originally created to help people find LEGO sets. It has since expanded to a much larger inventory. You can still search for sets though. You can pick stores near you or you can search for online deals as well. While I have not used this site personally, I’m told it’s not always 100% accurate for what is in the store, but often times it lets you know when items have been placed on clearance. The reader who emailed me about this one said he got a few sets for around 50% off.
SlickDeals.net - A reader mentioned this one to me as well. It is another site that lists deals and you can search specifically for LEGO sets. The site is run by people posting the deals they find. So it’s only as good as the information that is posted. If you live close to a store and go often, it might be useful for you to use if someone posts a tip. It looks like this site works overseas as well.
Facebook Groups - I will admin that I don’t have the time to use social media so I’m not the best advocate here. A reader mentioned to me that there are Facebook groups out there for people to share deals they have found related to LEGO. If you are into Facebook, it might be something worth checking out.
Thanks to OJG for the last 3 tips!
Reddit Lego Set Deals - Some of the deals may not be deals to you or ones you care about, but you can always scroll through to see if there’s anything worth your hard earned funds.
What else am I missing? Feel free to comment on any sites I'm not aware of or you can email me here.
I'm not an affiliate to any of these sites and I am not paid to endorse any of them. If you want to support Bricks for Bricks, you’ll have to wait until my BrickLink store re-opens in a few years. Thanks and happy building!
Set Review - Battle of Takodana - #75139 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I'm a LEGO fan, I've talked about LEGO Force Awakens sets on this blog, I sell Star Wars minifigs and sets... and I have not seen the movie yet. In some circles this probably makes me a bad person, so please forgive me for reviewing a Star Wars LEGO set and for not seeing the latest Star Wars movie yet.
Today's set is the Battle of Takodana (#75139). It retails from LEGO for $59.99 in the US. It has 409 pieces ($0.146 per piece). This is rather high, but it's a licensed set and it's Star Wars and... it has 5 minifigures. There are 2 First Order Stormtroopers, Finn, Maz Kanata, and Kylo Ren. As the only other set with Kylo Ren in it is Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle retailing at $119, I'm sure the LEGO Star Wars fans are excited to pay half as much to get a Kylo Ren minifig. This set was released on 2 January 2016 and is still available from LEGO Shop at Home.
The box is pretty standard.
The front shows the set with all of the minifigures on the bottom right. As an aside, I'm still not used to seeing the Disney logo tied to Star Wars.
The back shows some of the play features, weapons, and another view of the set.
Nothing too special about the contents. There's an instruction booklet that as per usual was shoved into the box and was folded with a crease (come on LEGO, you can fix this!), 3 bags, and a sticker sheet (with only 2 stickers!).
Bag one included the First Order Stormtroopers, a brick separator, and some pieces. The build is fairly easy and straightforward. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
Completed Bag 1
Bag 2 added in some more details to include movable doors. It also included Finn and Kylo Ren with hair and his mask.
Bag 2 build complete.
The final bag added Maz Kanata and the rest of the structure. There are a number of Technic elements used to create some play-ability. The tree falls over, a hidden container pops out, and some pieces of the wall fall off.
Final set with all the minifigs.
The final verdict... in my opinion, it's all about the minifigs for this set. The rest of the set doesn't do much for me. Would it be different if I had seen the movie? Maybe. If you're looking to get Kylo Ren or Finn and to not pay over $100 or buy the minifigs on the secondary market, then this might be the way to go for you. For those of you that build MOCs, this isn't a bad set in terms of pieces. I enjoy the textured 1x2 bricks that have the brick texture on them. There are 28 in this set which is great for those of you like me who enjoy adding buildings to their town/train scenes. The textured 2x4 round bricks in brown are good and the 2 foliage pieces are as well.
I'm curious to hear your opinions. Leave them in the comments.
Set Review - Series 15 Collectible Minifigures - #71011
I originally thought the LEGO collectible minifigures were just a rip off. You have to hope that you can collect all 16 and you don't know what is int he bags... or maybe you're good at feeling through the packaging to figure out which minifig it is. I avoided them and then one day while walking through a Walmart I decided to pick up a few just for fun. From there it was all downhill. I was hooked. I had to get all 16 of each release... and the rest is history.
These minifigs were released in January 2016 and LEGO typically keeps them out for 3-4 months (although it usually depends on order and stock levels). The cost is $3.99 each so buying large amount and hoping to get them all can get expensive. So what are they?
While I'm not an expert on collectible minifigures, there aren't too many that come with animals. There are a few the come with cats or dogs, but I think this is the first one with a pig.
As a kid I was a huge fan of all the space sets. I miss the regular stream of creative space items being pumped out. Thankfully, the LEGO company has released a few cool sets like the Exo Suit that come close. This minifig sporting the classic space flag is awesome.
There is a knight in this set to add to your castle collection or maybe to terrorize your city.
Clumsy Guy is a first as far as I know. I don't ever recall there being a set of LEGO crutches out there. The banana peel on the shirt is new and different too.
There have been a few Native American minifigs in the collectible minifig sets to include this one. This one is a first because the minifig has a baby that is wrapped up that she can either wear on her back in a pack or hold in her hand.
I'm not sure where this one was designed from, but it's interesting looking.
In my second order from LEGO, I received the faun. It definitely looks like he fits into a famous CS Lewis book.
Series 9 Collectible Minifigs came with a plumber. This one comes with a janitor. I don't think I have seen this mop design before in another set.
If the pig wasn't good enough, having a skunk in the same series is awesome too.
The ballerina!
This is not the first mech to show up in the collectible minifigure world. There is the Battle Mech from Series 9 and then the Evil Mech from Series 11.
I think the swords that come with the Kendo Fighter are new. Has anyone see these before?
When the first pictures were released by LEGO, everyone knew that shark guy would be popular. This shark looks very similar to the dancer made famous during the 2015 Super Bowl half time show with Katy Perry.
The Wrestling Champion looks pretty tough... except for the sky blue eye paint.
Keep your jewels safe from this minifig!
The queen goes along with the Classic King from series 13. I haven't seen a dress like this before on a minifig so I think this is a new piece.
Set Review - Creator Expert - Brick Bank - #10251 - Part 2
In case you missed part 1 of the review, it's here.
With 2380 pieces and 20 bags of LEGOs, this set takes a while to build. After a few days, I was finally able to put it together. Here goes...
There are the contents. A pretty thick instruction booklet that comes in a wrapped package for protection, a tan base plate, and 4 sets of bags (20 total). This set also comes with a brick separator which comes in handy given the number of pieces.
The first set of bags is the tiles for the sidewalk and floors along with the start to the first floor.
The designs for the floors inside the cleaner and bank are awesome. Some new pieces were used to make the design inside of the bank part. You can also see the start to the vault to include a vault that opens and closes with a dial. The vault has a stack of cash... all $100s of course. The first set of bags comes with one minifigure who is shown working as a bank teller.
The Brick Bank is a corner building. The bank side is shown here with the second set of bags complete. It comes with 2 minifigures, a girl and a woman. The box shows the woman taking a picture of the girl receiving a check for 500 studs. You can also see some of the great design features used to make this set stand out. You'll also notice that there is a decal on the windows. If you were paying attention, I didn't mention a sticker sheet. YES!!! No stickers in this set, everything is already printed on.
Here is the other side of the bank and "Soap 'n' Suds" the laundromat. The advertising on the laundromat is fun with a pair of pants and a washing machine.
Here is a top view of the set with the second set of bags completed. The vault is complete although you'll notice there is a way for a potential thief to sneak into the vault through a shaft above. Also, the laundromat has 4 machines to include one for "laundering" your money.
The third set of bags complete here with the second floor done. The second floor has 2 office spaces to include a private office. The chimney continues to allow a thief down to the vault. 2 more minifigures come with this set of bags. They are both male figures. One is shown in the office stamping and another is shown just outside the office at another desk.
Here is the other side of the building. You can see the clock attached to the building and the design of the front of the building to include the textured pillars and the window designs.
Here is the final set . The top has a large sky light. Also the picture doesn't show it, but there is a cool looking chandelier that lights the building. You can also see included is a ladder, broom, and bucket so someone can clean the windows.
Here is the front of the building from a corner view. You can see the tree, bench, and lamp post outside. Also, there is a pulley that the box shows as a way for them to install the laundry machine on the signage. It could also be used for a thief trying to climb up. I don't have it shown, but the set include a LEGO string, black hat, and scarf for one of the characters to put on and sneak into the vault through the chimney.
I have other modulars, but many are boxed up as I don't have space to have them displayed all the time. Here is the Detective's Office from last year attached to the Brick Bank. Both fantastic sets with some creative building techniques. The Brick Bank does not disappoint. While you have to shell out some extra cash to get it, it's well worth it. It's a challenging build with some interesting building techniques. For those people that like to build MOCs, there are some great pieces in here for building future designs.
Well done LEGO on another great modular building!
Set Review - Creator Expert - Brick Bank - #10251 - Part 1
(CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE REVIEW.)
The LEGO modular building line was started in 2007 and I am a huge fan! Each set typically has more than 1,000 pieces and many have over 2,000 pieces. As they have continued to be released, the details have become even more impressive. You don't buy these sets for the minifigures (they exist, but have the standard yellow face), you buy them for the build.
This year's set is the Brick Bank. It contains 2,380 pieces and costs $169.99 in the US. This works out to $0.07 per piece (it's actually .07142 and so on, but I figured you all weren't too concerned about that). Not a bad price at all in terms of price per piece. It was released on 2 January 2016 and LEGO keeps them out for a few years (some have been on sale for 4 years, others less). Often times it's best to wait for Double VIP point promotions or other details, but in this case I was given some LEGO gift cards as Christmas gifts so I decided to order it sooner rather than wait for Double VIP points.
I haven't had a chance to open it yet. I'll release details on set contents and the build in a future post. For now, here is the box.
As you can see from the front, it contains 5 minifigures and the build is split into 2 floors and a roof. The front of the building is the bank and then along the back, it's a laundromat. It's a corner building similar to the Cafe Corner, Grand Emporium, and Palace Cinema. If you're not familiar with the modular buildings, along the bottom of the building are Technic pins that can be attached to other modular buildings (or you can build your own).
The back of the box shows some details of the set, the different floors, and what the set looks like next to previous years modular buildings. This box shows the Detective's Office (and here) as well as the Parisian Restaurant. I'll go into some of the fun details of the build once I build it.
Has anyone else purchased or built it yet? Let me know in the comments.
Set Review - Clash of the Heroes - #76044
Okay, so I'll admit it... I don't follow Super Heroes much. DC Comics and Marvel are not at the top of my list. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know why Batman and Superman are fighting. Shouldn't they be on the same side? I should probably look that up.
In the meantime, I do follow LEGO and the sets LEGO releases. Released on 2 January 2016, the Clash of the Heroes contains 92 pieces and 2 minifigures. It has an armored Batman and then Superman. Batman's head glows in the dark and has 2 different facial expressions. Superman has the same to include one with a normal looking face and one with red eyes. The set cost $12.99 brand new and I have yet to see it advertised for sale anywhere. That works out to be $0.14 per piece which is rather high, but the norm for some of the smaller sets like this one.
Here is what the box looks like:
Nothing special about the box. It shows the set on the front and the back shows some of its features to include the "super jumper" (a plastic piece that lets a figure "jump") and a Technic piece add on that allows Batman to "jump" towards Superman.
Here are the contents. A sticker sheet with one sticker... I can't complain I guess. There's an instruction booklet, 2 parts bags, and a larger part outside the bag.
There's an armored Batman. He comes with armor and some weapons.
This is the first instance of this Superman figure. I only picture the figure this way, but you can rotate the head to see another face. The same goes for Batman.
The build is fairly simple and straight forward. The pieces are not bad, but I wouldn't buy the set just for the pieces. Having the Bat Signal is pretty neat, but it doesn't justify the higher price either. Here is what the final set looks like.
You'll notice behind where Batman is in the picture, there is a Technic pin. If you put Batman in front of it and move the pin, he can "jump" forward. The clear piece in the front of the picture is the "super jumper" so Superman can "leap" at Batman. I noticed this feature last year, but maybe it has been around for a while. Either way, it doesn't do much for me. Maybe for the younger audience it has an appeal. I tried it and Superman doesn't jump really well. I recommend using your imagination and picking up Superman with your hand to pretend he is flying at Batman. That way you can make a fun swooping noise with your mouth too. Back to the intro of this post... why are they fighting anyways? The joy of LEGO... I can always turn this set into a cafe where Superman and Batman meet up for some coffee and donuts.
So my final opinion on this set. Get this if you want the minifigures. The build itself is rather simple and it is geared towards kids as opposed to an old kid like me. The parts can be found elsewhere and if you want the Bat Signal, I'm sure you can find it online. The minifigures are pretty good though Batman and Superman have come in various forms and these are pretty impressive. Also, watch for chances to catch the set on sale.
The 2 heroes from this set are below if you are interested in them as well as some other versions for sale in the store on BrickLink.
Bricks for Pencils of Promise
Bricks for Bricks is always looking for local groups to help out with, but we've decided to support some larger groups as well since our online sales will not always be from people in the local area. With that being said, the first group we have decided to support is Pencils of Promise. Have you ever heard of it? Pencils of Promise was founded in October 2008 by Adam Braun. While traveling in India, he asked a boy what he wanted most in the world. The boy responded that he wanted a pencil. Adam handed the boy a pencil and so it began. Since then, Adam put together a team that collects funds to build schools in Guatemala, Ghana, Laos, and Nicaragua. Besides building schools (329 finished since 2009), they provide support to teachers, water and health programs for the school, and scholarships for students. If you want to see more about them, you can visit the Pencils of Promise site here.
So what's the plan? Bricks for Bricks is focused on giving back. In the past year or so of operations, we've given a small amount of funds to various local groups by participating in sales at their fundraising events. Now that we're selling online, it's time to reach out to help a wider audience. Why not help people around the world? So here is the announcement...
Starting today, 24 January 2016, bricks for bricks will be giving 15% of our profits to Pencils of Promise.
Pencils of Promise lists a number of goal amounts:
-$25 provides educational opportunities for 1 student
-$500 supports a teacher
-$10,000 provides a WASH (Water Sanitation, and Hygiene) for a school
-$25,000 builds a Pencils of Promise school
So what can we do? Support a few students? Support a classroom of students? Support the class and their teacher? Keep the class healthy? Build a school?
What can you do? Just check out our STORE and get the minifigures you were looking for. We'll track our profits and give 15% to Pencils of Promise. Simple as that. No extra work required.
One other bonus...
Starting today until our supply is exhausted, we'll give a free brick separator to anyone making a purchase of $25 or more.
Brick separators are sold by LEGO for $2.49.
250 million children worldwide lack basic reading, writing, and math skills. Together we can change that. Every purchase can help make a difference. Thank you for your support!
Set Review - Kwik-E-Mart - #71016
I finally finished my building backlog. I've had this set since this summer and it is now completed. The question I now need to answer is where do I put all of these sets. Some day I hope to live in a place that has a giant basement that I can engulf with LEGO. In the meantime, I will probably have to break all of these sets down and store them for the future.
Onto business... In 2014, LEGO released The Simpson's House. A minifigure scale size home that looks pretty darn close to the one you see on TV. The 2015 Simpson's set is the Kwik-E-Mart run by Apu. It was released on 2 May 2015 and contains 2,179 pieces. It has 6 minifigures, which include Homer, Bart (with a spray paint can), Marge with a shopping bag, Chief Wiggum (with a club and handcuffs), Apu Nahasapeemapetilo (yes, I had to look that one up... he has a mop to clean the floor), and Snake Jailbird. If you just want minifigures, LEGO has released 2 collectible minifigure series sets. Series 2 was released in 2015 and was sold out after Christmas this past year. I have a number of figures from series 1 and series 2 in my store if you are still looking for them. The Kwik-E-Mart is $199.99 in the US which works out to be about $0.092 per piece. While not the greatest price, it's not too bad considering it is a licensed set.
Here are the pictures of the box. It's a pretty large box. The front has the standard full picture of the set while the back shows some details of the build.
Here are the contents. I counted 17 bags total. Plus some loose large pieces. There is also a large instruction book and 2 pages of stickers. There are some great pieces in this set in some great colors. The only thing that really bothered me was the stickers. I understand that it is probably a cost savings as it is cheaper to put stickers on then to print on parts, but it is a real pain to put stickers on parts. That's just my opinion... This set has a lot of stickers to add detail so if you buy it, get ready.
The first set of bags is Chief Wiggum, his car, and Snake Jailbird along with a piece separator. The police car is a similar size, shape, and build to the Simpson's car from the Simpson's House set if you are familiar with it.
The next set of bags gets started on the store. The freezer and the cashier's area are included.
Here is more of the build. The outside includes an area for the dumpster that has a door that opens. There are also some fun arcade games, a drink dispenser, magazines, and a few other interesting details.
I didn't take pictures at every step of the way, but this stage shows how the back of the store attaches. It hinges out so you can have access to the store on both sides. I have a final picture with the back open later. Homer is picture as well. He just comes as shown, but I'm sure you could find some donuts with pink frosting in the store to put in his hands.
A little later in the build here... The Kwik-E-Mart sign is an interesting design. The "E" is made of LEGO plates and then the rest of the sign is 2 larger stickers. I can't complain as I'm sure it would have been much more challenging to build the whole sign out of bricks.
Here is the final set with the roof on. I haven't watched the show enough to know that Apu grows plants on the roof.
Here is the final set with the roof removed. You can see how the back of the store opens up to get access to it.
Here's a few of the inside looking in from the back. You can see a bit more of the detail to include the security cameras, donuts, and some of the items for sale. The designers did a good job coming up with different items to sell, but as you can see there are a lot of stickers throughout the set.
Overall it's a pretty good replica of the Kwik-E-Mart from the show. Even if you don't like the set, it comes with a lot of great pieces if you want to take it apart and build something on your own. LEGO has been putting out more sets priced $100 or more recently. This is most likely to cater to adult fans. While some of these are great sets, the prices definitely keep some of the fan base out of the sets. I'm not a raving Simpson's fan, but as an adult it's been fun to watch every now and then (definitely not a kid appropriate show). Fans of the show should definitely look into getting this set. The build was full of details and looks realistic compared to the show. The only downside of the set to me was the large amount of stickers. I'm not a fan of stickers on LEGO sets and I always have trouble putting them on straight.
If you have the set, post in the comments and let me know what you think.
Happy 2016!
It's been a bit since I've posted. You saw a lot of posts around the holiday period because I took some time off from my day job and got to spend more time with my fun job. I've finished off most of my building backlog minus one set. I'm working on the Simpson's Kwik-e-Mart set. It's taken me longer to build since it's a larger set and I've been busy. I'm taking notes and pictures and will post a review once I'm done. There are 17 bags and I'm only through around 4 at this point. A good build so far though.
For those of you that follow the LEGO company and their sales, one big event for them is the day after Christmas. They put a lot of sets on sale. You can find some good deals although you have to act fast. Often times I'll check in the morning on 26 December and most of the sets they had listed are sold out already. I was able to pick up some Simpson's Series 2 minifigures and a LEGO Movie set at half off. I also picked up another Rey's Speeder set which means some additional inventory for the store.
LEGO also released some new sets on 1 January. There are some new Star Wars - The Force Awakens sets, the new LEGO Nexo Knights, and a few others ones so check them out. I haven't bought any yet, but will let you know if I do.
I also managed to catch the LEGO Ideas - The Big Bang Theory set on sale at Amazon to add some minifigures to the store inventory.
Were you able to catch any of the sales after Christmas or in the New Year? Have you purchased any of the new 2016 sets? Let me know in the comments!