New Areas Unlocked in LEGO Universe Online

MTV Games

It would seem that new features have been unlocked in the LEGO Universe Online game, including an area dedicated to Ninjago.

I really hope that TLG is using this for market research to see what minifigure accessories and combinations are popular in game. I've seen a few items that I'd like to see in ABS down the road. Didn't they have a rule that everything in the LEGO video games had to be able to be built with the real life counterpart...

(Apologies for the ad at the beginning, it seems that MTV can just let you see the clip without subjecting you to a little capitalism first...)

Quick Hits: Weekend Edition

It always surprises me how on any given day in Minifig Nation you might have a wave of news hit you out of the blue. Let's get to it...

It looks like BrickTW has now posted their new arms designs to their BrickLink store. Some real stand-outs for me are the Quin Long shield and their various arrow designs that can be held in the minifig's hand. The body wear is available as well. Only the new head gear to go and then the whole, new line-up will be ready to order. Expect the full line up by early next week.

Hazel has been updating the status of the new Amazing Armory website via Flickr. There are still a few more details that need to addressed before it goes live, but rest assured, we will let you know once it does. Website or no, we've already told you that FireStar Toys has a supply of the new Hazel Fantasy guns. I have also heard that by tonight, US/Canadian customers can start to order product from United Armory! I believe it's Pedro's goal to have the items on the store either later tonight or tomorrow.

In other AMA related news, check-out these prototype pictures of the new shields with paint! These are absolutely amazing...no pun intended. When Hazel said he wanted to up the bar in minifig custom items, he wasn't kidding. 

Although not new news itself, I thought I would post this pic of the Tiny Tactical watches (which I've not done before). Nicely detailed items that can give your fig that 'extra' touch. You can see more about these on the Tiny Tactical BrickLink store. 

A couple of bits on the site and the store. I've added a page tab now for 'Customization Tutorials' (you can see it in the blue bar at the top). These are links to various articles and tutorials on minifig customization techniques. I was always concerned that these got lost in the sidebar, but now they live on their own page for the world to see. As I say on the page, if you have tutorials you know of or would like to submit a tutorial to the site (hint, hint) I would be more than happy to host it. As I view this site to be a resource of the entire LEGO minifigure community, if you have suggestions or comments, please drop me a line (uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com).

Some people ask me, "Why is the site called The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink?" Well, a little over a year ago I opened a store on said site focused on selling LEGO minifigures. That led to Facebook, and then, finally, starting this blog. So it really all started with the store. Speaking of the store, I have dropped my international shipping rate to $3.00 USD (originally $3.25). I have a sense this was a barrier for some potential international customers. If  you haven't taken a look at the store, please take the time for a quick peek. We have several Series 2 Collectible Minifigures for $2.99 USD, including accessories and stands. There are also a few Star Wars and Harry Potter items available. Shipping is flat rate when using USPS First Class, so you can buy all you want and the shipping fee stays the same.

That's all for now, citizens, enjoy your weekend. More news as it happens...

Cygnet

Minister of Information

Ugly Duck Command Center

Minifig Nation

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)

LEGO Universe Main Characters

This month Brickipedia features LEGO Universe via logos on the site. They also have an article on the four characters below, who have been featured in various promotional materials for the game.

Meet (from left to right) Vanda Darkflame, Duke Exeter, Dr. Overbuild, and Hael Storm.

I'm still hoping that TLG will produce these as actual minifigures for promotional purposes.

(Via Brickipedia)

New Paganomation Brickfilm: Max and The Space Police

This brickfilm was released before my haitus, but didn't make the rounds. David Pagano is quickly becoming TLG's in-house stop motion go-to guy.

In this film LEGO Club's Max travels through the Club Door to visit the Space Police III universe. Given that he ends up on ice in the end, is this Max's last episode?

The Club Door is an interesting device that may play a role in the LEGO Universe MMORPG. More to come...

LEGO Video Game Round-Up

We usually don't cover the LEGO video games, but there are enough trailers floating around after E3 that feature the fig that I thought I could give 'em at least one post.

The first trailer is a brief cinematic trailer for LEGO Universe that premiered at E3. Since seeing the promotional materials for this project, I've been hoping that some the characters featured would be made into actual minifigures.

The second clip is a trailer for LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars which will bow in 2011.

The final trailer is for LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4. The particular trailer is focused against year 4 and the Triwizard Tournament. I believe this game debuts next week, so if you like what you see you won't have long to wait!

Exclusive Minifigure for LEGO Universe Pre-Order

The Spring 2010 LEGO catalogs are arriving the mail with a few interesting tidbits...

LEGO is offering an exclusive astronaut minifigure and in-game items if you pre-order LEGO Universe. The figure is predominantly orange with a crystal insignia on the torso and an orange helmet with visor.

The main feature was the new LEGO Prince of Persia sets. The first five pages are dedicated to the new line with good pictures of the new minifigs.

Finally, the LEGO Star Wars set Luke's Landspeeder was not featured in that section. The set had been sold out for some time. Perhaps there have been problems filling demand?

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

LEGO Universe : The Great Minifig Mission

I just saw this today on my news feed. In preparation for the launch of the LEGO Universe MMORPG, LEGO has introduced eight new missions to bring one-million minifigures into the Universe. At the time of writing, approximately 21 million have found their way through the "rip". The count-down clock on the site shows 29 days until the rip closes. Check it out while you can!

LEGO Universe : The Great Minifig Mission