Hapori Tohu

BTW, since I've been plugging it all this time anyway, I thought I might remind you that the promo code GaliGee gave us for her free e-book, <i>Drawn to Disaster</i>, will expire after tonight. So, as you're snacking on candy or whatever you're doing, how about you quickly go get <a href='https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243393' target='offsite'><i>Drawn to Disaster</i></a> using promo code: YA79W. Remember, it'll be no good come November.View the full article

LEGO, like many companies in the toy industry, is already getting ready for Christmas, and Halloween ain't even over yet. Cratak has found that on some European versions of the LEGO home page (unfortunately not the UK, so no English), LEGO has introduced the <a href='http://legowish.com/' target='offsite'>Wishlist Machine</a>. It appears that you folks on the European mainland can produce a wishlist of LEGO products and earn points on the website for an opportunity to win LEGO sets with a value of 10,000 kr., whatever that means. Anyhow, I'm tired of Google translating it, so how about you just click that link up there, all you Europeans, and translate it yourself.View the full article

I hope everyone is doing well out there, and if you were impacted by Sandy that you're recovering well. The end of the month is here though, so storm or not it's time for Episode 40 of the BZPowercast. You can download it <a href="http://www.bzpower.com/Imaging/powercast/BZPowercastSeries2Episode40.m4a">right here</a> if you haven't picked it up via iTunes or RSS (links to the right). Here's the blurb:<blockquote>Even a hurricane can't stop us from putting out the Powercast! In Episode 40 we start by discussing New York Comic Con with Kohaku. Then I sit down and interview Global Moderator Hahli Husky for our Staff Interview series. And to close things out, xccj and Kakaru swing by to talk about this year's BrickCon event. Enjoy the show, stay safe from the storm, and tune in next month!</blockquote>View the full article

The main page of the Hero Factory site has been updated with a shiny new background image and a few videos featuring Stormer XL and Speeda Demon. Even diehard Bionicle fans have to admit this material is pretty cool, and some of you may even try to watch it.View the full article

New York Comic Con may not be as famous as the one in San Diego, but it's definitely quite the event and big enough for LEGO to take notice. They had a large presence this year, and thankfully Blog Assistant Kohaku was there as well to let us know what the event was like. Read on to see his thoughts!View the full article

Today we have an interesting review - LEGO and DK provided us with a couple copies of the LEGO Ninjago Character Encyclopedia, one to review and another to give away. Here's the review portion of that, so read on to see if this book should be added to your personal library! http://www.bzpower.com/story.php?ID=5813]View the full article[/url]

Some sharp-eyed members have spotted a new LEGO website: Legends of Chima. While the site is currently only a teaser, it does have a few images, one of which shows a humanoid lion fighting a humanoid crocodile, which gives some clue as to the characters we will be seeing. The file names of the 3 images reference weeks, which hints at the possibility that we'll be seeing more soon!View the full article

LEGOLAND Florida has been working on its newest expansion, Star Wars Miniland. Opening on November 9th, the new section will feature scenes from each of the six movies as well as the Clone Wars animated series. Check out some of the first pictures, and don't forget the special Halloween events taking place at LEGOLAND this week. View the full article

BZP member Toa Lhikan Hordika has put a White Metal Krana Kal up for sale or trade in the Buy/Sell/Trade. The minimum price is $250, or you can trade with some select items. WMKKs are definitely a rare sight, so check out the topic for more details if you're interested. And if you're wondering what a WMKK actually is, click here for more info!View the full article

<a href="http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/10/now-you-can-make-these-insane-lego-machines-too/">Videos pop up</a> pretty frequently in the Lego community of Lego vehicles and machines doing things that boggle the mind, and this subset of Lego fandom may be less understood by its fellows than any other. Want to see how it's done? Check out the <a href="http://www.nostarch.com/technicbuilder">new 352 page book</a> by the remarkable Lego manipulator Pawel "Sariel" Kmiec. Because what's better than a Lego truck? A Lego truck that you can drive.View the full article

No, we're not talking about the Lego Batman film. Lego, their first full-length theatrical film not based on any existing IP, has been bumped to release three weeks earlier than expected. The original release date was February 28, 2014, and the new date is February 7, 2014. While this doesn't seem like much in the long run, the gap will seem significantly greater as the release date inches nearer.View the full article

I already posted some pictures from BrickC0n 2012 last week, but I only captured a small portion of the models on display. Premier Blog Assistant Nukaya also visited the convention on Sunday, and she used her photography skills to capture a whole other side of the convention. Read on to view some of her amazing photographs.View the full article

LEGO is looking for some ideas for new story themes, and they want to hear from you! Check out this presentation they gave us for the details on what you have to do to submit what you think LEGO should make. You have until November 15th to send in your ideas, so get those thinking caps on!View the full article

For the past week and continuing into the next, a new project has started over in the Comedies Forum. The <a href="http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=7258">Comedy Forum Expo 2012</a> showcases works from eleven BZPower authors who enjoy making others laugh. Go check it out to see what they have to offer and learn about the variety and creativity of our amazing forum members!View the full article

Felix Baumgartner made history recently with his record-setting skydive. The jump inspired some people so much, that they had to <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/stratos-jump-recreated-legos-170320719.html" target="offsite">recreate it in LEGO</a>, as Yahoo reports. If you missed the original, I suggest you watch it and the ABS-rendered version. It was a little bit of history in the making.View the full article

It's been a while since we've had an update from everyone's favorite LEGO/Bionicle artist, Christian Faber. But this week, the silence has been broken! Feast your eyes on a range of concept sketches and 3D models both old and new, all centered on the earliest stages of the Bionicle story. The most interesting portion of this new blog post is probably the storyboard sketch of the animated sequence that was, for many, the very first presentation of the Bionicle legend. Interested? Of course you are. <a href='http://faberfiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-bionicle-legend-told-in-stone-and.html' target='offsite'>Click here</a> to unleash the nostalgia.View the full article

Have you all seen The Dark Knight Rises? No? Then be warned that the following article may contain minor spoilers. More superhero sets were revealed at the <a href='http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2012/10/13/nycc-lego-new-superhero-toys/1630701/' target='offsite'>New York Comic Con</a> from both sides of the comic mutiverse: From Marvel we see the Daily Bugle, complete with major characters like Nova and Doctor Doom (and of course Spider-Man), and from DC we're given a taste of a military tumbler and the Bat based on The Dark Knight Rises, including the Commissioner, the Caped Crusader himself, and Bane. Check the article for pictures of the new sets. Snape kills Batman.View the full article

Expect to keep seeing the LEGO Dark Knight rise up again, this time in his own DC comics/LEGO movie! Announced at New York Comic Con this past weekend, the movie is expected to be out in 2013 and have major players from the DC universe, both good guys and bad guys, be present. A direct-to-home release is a safe bet. So when are we getting an animated LEGO Spider-Man film?View the full article

City sets don't usually get much attention on BZPower, but variety is the spice of life, right? A copy of <a href="http://amzn.to/UYrQat" target="offsite">4427 Fire ATV</a> was handed to me at BrickFair earlier this year, and I figured why not. To see if this little guy is worth adding to your town diorama, read on!View the full article

Our BZPower Staff Interview series will be continuing with this month's episode of the Powercast. This time around, you can submit questions to one of our Global Moderators - <a href="http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showuser=7350">Hahli Husky</a> is up this time around. Send her a PM with your questions and hear them asked at the end of the month. And nothing about farm animals - I'm serious guys!View the full article

BrickCon 2012 took place last weekend in Seattle, Washington. Although the Bionicle section was smaller than usual, the overall display of creations was simply amazing. Read on for pictures!View the full article

This week, a new behind-the-scenes developer diary was released for the upcoming <i>LEGO Lord of the Rings</i> video game. The video, entitled "Journeying Forward", consists of interviews with the game designers themselves, along with some fascinating details about the nature and development of the game, interspersed with new footage of cut-scenes and gameplay. The interviews include discussion of the game's cooperative functions, character abilities, and side-quests, along with information about the design process itself, wherein game developers based in-game objects off of real LEGO brick constructions. In all, it's a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind the development of <i>LEGO Lord of the Rings</i>. <a href='http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a429464/lego-lord-of-the-rings-journeying-forward-trailer.html' target='offsite'>Click here</a> to watch the developer diary (as well as the previous "Recreating Middle Earth" dev-diary) and read more details!View the full article

Turtle Power! LEGO and Nickelodeon announced today at the New York Comic Con an expanded partnership that includes sets based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise. You can read the full press release here. They also revealed an image of one of the sets - while those don't look like the TMNT vehicles and villains I remember, the minifig turtle is amazing and I must have them all. The sets will be debuting next year and I can't wait for the Technodrome to be immortalized in ABS.View the full article

Though we've mentioned it <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/story.php?ID=5601' target='offsite'>before</a>, New York City's closest thing to LEGOLAND is breaking ground on October 17, with the very appropriate help of some local elementary school students. The Discovery Center will cost 12 million smackers, and measure 32,000 square feet, once it has finished construction in Westchester's Ridge Hill. As with most LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, the Westchester location will essentially be a miniature LEGOLAND, with rides, play areas, and a 4D theater, all based on the plastic LEGO toys we're all familiar with.View the full article

Most of us have probably played one or two of the Lego game titles released in the past six years, and some of us may have reasonable doubts about the future of Lego and digital development. After all, how many times can the formula be rewritten before they begin running out of ideas to keep it fresh? Gamespot has run <a href='http://www.gamespot.com/news/lego-great-opportunity-for-more-games-6397559' target='offsite'>an excellent interview</a> about this and much more with Darryl Kelley, a senior development manager for The Lego Group, and he seems confident that there is still plenty of room to grow. Give the article a look for details.View the full article