The Forge Burns Bright - Centaurs are Here!

Updated earlier today, BrickForge now has their centaur bodies for sale in tan, reddish brown, and dark tan.

These beauties debuted at BrickFair a couple of weeks ago to the satisfaction of many. These torsos retail for $4 USD (plus shipping and handling).

So what are you waiting for?! Go to the BrickForge store and buy yours today!

(Picture via BrickForge Flickr stream)

NPU - Blue Contact Lenses

Catsy has found a great NPU (New Part Use) for a non-LEGO item, blue contact lenses.The eye wear in question adorns the head of this Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg custom minifig from the movie The Fifth Element, a fun but campy Sci-Fi romp with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman.

As you can see from the reference photo, Catsy has captured the likeness quite well. Zorg is also carrying the new BrickArms Z5-E Pod Gun and time bomb prototypes, which I believe debuted at BrickFair this past weekend.

(Via Catsy's Flickr stream)

Quick Hits: Big News Around the Minifig Nation

It looks like it's going to be one of those mornings...in a good way.

Eurobricks member Klaus-Dieter claims to have had a peek at the 2011 retailer catalogue. No pictures have been shared, so I'm couching these as rumors for now.

First up are early details on Series 3 and 4 of Collectible Minifigures. It would seem that Series 3 will debut in January 2011 and may include the following:

• Fisherman
• Ferrari driver
• Mummy
• Sumo Wrestler
• Female Dancer
• Samurai
• Hawaiian Girl
• Baseball Player
• Fantasy Elf
• Native American Chief
• Alien
• Male Singer
• Doctor/Surgeon
• Gorilla
• Snowboarder

The sixteenth figure was not seen. A Series 4 release date is set for April 2011, but no details on its contents.

There may be a new theme that mixes collectible trading cards and minifigures called NinjaGO. The details were sparse other than 'it has ninja minifigs' and 'it's not a historical theme'. TLG recently announced a collectible trading card game in conjunction with LEGO Universe, so this doesn't seem too far fetched.

Although I typically overlook City themes, it would appear the classic Space theme hinted at during Steve Witt's presentation at BrickFair will be a City subtheme. Much of the set descriptions sounded more like Earth-based command centers like NASA, instead of being set in space itself. There were also details about a new Police subtheme (how much crime actually happens in LEGO City?).

There were some additional details on 2011 Star Wars and Atlantis but they lacked a lot of information.

Also on Eurobricks member Omnicron had a more detailed review with pics of the BrickForge booth from BrickFair. There are more pics of the new 2010 product, as well as details around new production colors. The biggest news item was the The Forge and customizer Shmails will be combining forces to offer custom figs! There may even be a new website/store forthcoming to sell them. There's an entire set of pictures you can view of these new, limited-edition figs here.

More to come later today citizens...

(Via Eurobricks)

More BrickForge at BrickFair

The BrickForge Flickr stream has this post-BrickFair pic from the show. Titled 'Dixie Brix and the Studs', it showcases some of the new 2010 BrickForge product like the violins, acoustic guitars, drumsticks, and mohawk hair piece.

I'm really surprised how little effort TLG threw behind LEGO Rock Band. No minifigs, sets, or accessories to help promote the game at all. We do get an official microphone (that's not a Belville accessory) with the Series 2 Pop Star, but when will the Rocker with mohawk and electric guitar show up? I guess we will have to look to Series 3 of the Collectible Minifigures...

(Via BrickForge Flickr stream)

Decoding Messages from BrickFair

So Joe Meno is at BrickFair right now and posting updates on Facebook. Last night was the Q&A with Steve Witt of The LEGO Group.

Given that these were brief updates without a lot of details, I'm listing these are 'rumors' for now. I'm certain after this weekend more details will be available. Here's a listing of the posts relevant to minifigures...

Both Castle and City Advent calendars will be available in the US. In the past only the City themed calendars were available in the US forcing fans to pay high prices in the secondary market for the Castle theme.

Possible reissue of Classic Space theme. I'm uncertain if this would be a Neo-Classic Space theme or very true to the sets from the 80's. Here's hoping for lots of minfig goodness.

Minifigure elements will be unique to the minifigs only. This one left me scratching my head as The Skater's and Cheerleader's hair pieces are scheduled to appear on LEGO Harry Potter figures. I'm guessing we're talking pom-poms, laser guns, spartan helmets, and the like.

LEGO Pirates of The Caribbean is confirmed for next year. So although the Captain Jack Sparrow that snuck into Comic Con was a prototype, we should see these around a summer release with the new movie.

I'm not anticipating more announcements, as the convention is winding down tomorrow.

(Via Joe Meno's Facebook page)

New BrickArms Revealed at BrickFair

Badger is back and he's given us the full reveal of the Black Lodge Customs' Neo-Tokyo Street Punk. I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the figure itself, as it appears to be a mix of official TLG parts with little customization or modding. What it lacks there, it more than makes up for in custom accessories. The three top secret items on this bad boy are the tactical sword, heavy laser cannon, and modular viewfinder. Both the viewfinder and heavy laser cannons are compatible with other BrickArms products with the LMG slot.

Badger has also posted several pics of a prototype musket and Z-5E pod gun for your enjoyment.

Finally, we get to see the other side of that mystery mold that will be on display in DC. The mold is an abandoned prototype for a lever-action rifle. Will's new CNC machine allows BrickArms to get incredible detail on new product. It just so happened that the scale of the final design was too big for the fig'. Worry not citizens this mold was abandoned, but the rifle is not. Expect more after some further design tweaks.

(Via enigmabadger's Flickr stream)

Quick Hits: News Around the Minifig Nation

There's quite a bit happening around Minifig Nation today. Here are some quick blurbs in an attempt to get it to you sooner rather than later.

Series 2 Collectible Minifigures are now surfacing in the UK. Huw posted on Brickset that a member found some at an independent store in East Sussex. Check your LEGO retailers this weekend and see if you can't find the little devils yourselves.

FBTB.net announced that Entertainment Earth is now accepting pre-orders for Series 2 Collectible Minifigures. As with many sites offering pre-orders, there is a premium over MSRP. The additional price, however, may be worth the time tooling around town with barcode reader in hand.

I first saw this on Eurobricks and again on Toys N Bricks. Names of several LEGO Star Wars sets for 2011 are showing up on the net. The current list is as follows:

LEGO 7913 Clone Battle Pack ($10.99 USD / $14.99 CAD)

LEGO 7914 Mandalorian Battle Pack ($10.99 USD / $14.99 CAD)

LEGO 7915 V-Wing Fighter ($24.99 USD / $34.99 CAD)

LEGO 7929 The Battle of Naboo ($29.99 USD / $39.99 CAD)

LEGO 7930 Bounty Hunter Gunship ($49.99 USD / $69.99 CAD)

LEGO 7931 Fett’s Ship ($79.99 USD / $109.99 CAD)

Note the 'Mandalorian Battle Pack'. See if you make enough wild guesses, you'll eventually be right! The Clone Battle pack is rumored to have a few specialist troopers included, which should be nice. In the past TLG has announced the early 2011 sets in September, so we shouldn't have long to wait to see what elements on this list are fact or fiction.

BrickFair 2010 is now underway in Washington DC. I've already shared pics from Joe Meno from the BrickForge booth. Badger also posted a bunch of pics of new BrickArms products and prototypes (of which I'll post once I'm done here). I'll be keeping my eyes out for any other goodies from BrickFair this weekend.

That's all for now citizens. More to come...

Joe Meno - BrickForge at BrickFair 2010

That Joe Meno. Always with the posting of pics. Always with the exclusives...

Joe appears to have arrived in DC and is touring the floor of BrickFair 2010. He's posted some great pics on his Facebook page of the new 2010 BrickForge items. The poster here gives you a sense of what they have to offer, but Joe also has pics of the real stuff in bins. So go be 'friends' with Joe and check it out!

A fair number of these items were present as prototypes at BrickWorld if you remember.

I can't wait to see what else happens this weekend!

(Via Joe Meno's Facebook page)

Black Lodge Customs: Neo-Tokyo Street Punk

Badger continues to live up to his moniker (the 'enigma' part that is) with the second teaser for Black Lodge Customs. The mystery custom is titled 'Neo-Tokyo Street Punk'. Although many manga and anime are set in some form of Neo-Tokyo, I'm now suspecting that Major Kusanagi it ain't.

Badger reveals that the figure will be decked out in the following items: Hair, Helmet, Black Visor, Gunmetal Apoc SMG, Gunmetal Combat PDW, Gunmetal Auto-9, Gunmetal Gunblade, Gunmetal Space Magnum, Gunmetal M67 Frag Grenade, Gunmetal M84 Stun Grenade, and Black Minifig Stand PLUS three classified items.

Just a couple more days until the full reveal at BrickFair.Given that BrickCon is just around the corner, and there's a 'Big in Tokyo' theme, me thinks these might make an appearance there as well. Only time will tell...

(Via enigmabadger's Flickr stream)

BrickFair 2010 Preview

So in just a couple of days BrickFair 2010 will be open for business. Commence au festival! Taking place at the Dulles Expo Center in Washington DC August 5th - 8th for registered AFOLs and two days of public viewing of Saturday and Sunday. You can find out more at the BrickFair website.

What's nice about this festival is that if you show up with your registration fee in hand you'll be able to participate, you just won't get all the goodies the non-procrastinators get.

There's a fair amount at this festival for the fan of the 'fig with both BrickArms and BrickForge on hand.

BrickArms is providing weapons packs for contributors of the Apoc display. Badger has also created a new Black Lodge Customs minifig adorned with several BA protoypes. He's been teasing us with a partial pack shot on Flickr. My guess? It's a Major Kusanagi custom from Ghost In The Machine. BrickArms figured out how to develop optical camouflage for minifigs...Will and Badger will also have a new mystery mold on display for all. No actual product from the mold, just the mold itself.

BrickForge will also be on hand with some custom goodness. The BrickForge website was updated today to say that registered attendees will be getting samples of their new items in off-production colors.

Steve Witt from TLG will also be holding a Q&A this weekend. I expect a lot of questions regarding the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean line, and I wouldn't be surprised if Series 2 Collectible Minifigs don't go home in some goodie bags.

I'll keeping an eye on the interwebs all weekend long to report on any news from the front lines.

BrickArms Has Some Secret Sauce for BrickFair

OK, maybe that title was a little weird...Badger (as in 'the enigma that is') is taunting us over on Flickr with two BrickFair mystery shots.

Black Lodge Mystery

The first shot is a partial pack shot of a Black Lodge Customs exclusive. Badger states the figure will include several BrickArms' prototypes, it will be priced at $25, and it will only be available to registered attendees of BrickFair. The shot seems to show a city-scape, but there no way to tell if its past, present, or future. Badger promises more clues leading up to the convention next weekend.

Black Lodge Customs is a moniker Badger has used to release exclusive figures and accessories at conventions. There have been four to date; Cyborg Infiltrator, Resistance Trooper, Shock Trooper, and Rocket Commando. All have featured unique and prototype custom accessories.

The second mystery shot is of the back of a new mold that will be display at the convention. The mold features half of a new prototype mold. It sounds like Will Chapman has a new toy and isn't afraid to use it (really, why do I write these things?!).

BrickFair will be held this year at Dulles Expo Center from August 5th through 8th. Visit their website for more details.

(Via enigmabadger's Flickr stream)

BrickArms BrickFair Apoc Packs

It looks like 20 of the contributors to the BrickFair 2010 Apoc Display are in for a treat. Will and co. at BrickArms have put together a nice limited edition weapons pack featuring a Z5E pod weapon prototype and a snap-on viewfinder.

(Via BrickArms Flickr stream)