With all the excitement about the recently revealed Lord of the Rings posters and minifigures, it seemed appropriate to spotlight something in the same realm. Well, apparently, Nuju Metru’s Lord of the Rings project to create custom LotR minifigures actually preceded the announcement of LEGO LotR (coincidence?). And what’s the most recent result? Why, the Dark Lord Sauron himself, in full armor from the Fellowship of the Ring film-intro (you know, rather than a great eye, lidless, wreathed in flame, etc.). This is a fantastic piece of custom art, bringing together various elements (paint, decals, custom-made helmet and mace) to create one amazing design. Go take a look, if you dare.

The International Toy Fair in Nuremberg is being held this week, and they have announced their winners for the coveted Toy Innovation Awards. In the School Kids category (ages 6-10) LEGO came out on top with the LEGO Friends set Olivia's House walking away with the prize. You can see the full details here. Hopefully this helps put some of the controversy to rest - congratulations to LEGO for the win!

Are you alone? I cannot speak openly here, for the very walls have ears. But this at least I can tell you, do your best to enter Comics Contest #1, for we must discover the perpetrators at all costs. The potential rewards are beyond imagining, as they have not been announced yet. Anyway, all are welcome to compete, go check it out!

The popular Pick-A-Brick section of LEGO Shop at Home has been updated with a number of new elements, including some from Hero Factory sets. The update has also removed Hero Factory parts not appearing in the current set lineup. Presumably these changes will soon be reflected in the parts available for Recon Team custom builds, so fans interested in old-style heads should order now; otherwise, browse the online Pick-A-Brick wall.

If your RSS Reader hasn't alerted you already (and shame on it), you can download Episode 31 of the BZPowercast right now! Don't forget the iTunes link on the right if you're not subscribed already. In case you're curious to find out what we discuss, here's a blurb:

The BZPowercast is back in 2012. This year we kick things off with the return of How-To BZP with Than the Moa and Windrider. Then we have a lengthy discussion on the future of BZPower with Than, Wind, Takuma Nuva, Eeko, and Gatanui. And of course McSmeag has a new song for you all. Thanks and enjoy the show!

You read that right! Following up on the three three Fellowship members we've seen featured on posters over the past few weeks, a new addition joins the cast: Everyone's favorite bug-eyed, spindly creep, Gollum! The image can be viewed here. With each addition to this series, we come closer to holding the Precious in our grasp, yessss.

Just in time for the upcoming Avengers movie, images of the sets to be released around the same time have appeared. Brickset is hosting images of Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Ironman. BZPower has had reviews of the DC Ultrabuilds, so check these sets out to see how they compare.

Another day, another Superhero review. This time Bfahome takes a look at the one and only Batman. Does he have what it takes to defeat the Joker and make his way into your shopping cart? Read on to find out!  

Our first Super Hero review was all the way back in last year, but we haven't forgotten about the theme. Today, Bfahome looks at the Green Lantern constraction set. Read on to see what he thinks of him!  

As just about all of you appear to have seen by now, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad have made waves after sending a LEGO minifigure into space in a balloon, about 80,000 feet above the planet. You can read the original article in the Toronto Star and check out the pictures from the balloon. That's a pretty creative use of the plastic bricks we all love!

Have you ever considered how the Matoran went from mindless artificial intelligence to a richly realized culture and society? There must have been something that first initiated the change. Well, author Paleo has taken on the subject in his fascinating (and first) short story "Care". With some well-written prose and an interesting concept, it may be quite short, but it's also brilliant, and definitely worth a look.

Advance, a major Lego contractor, recently posted on their blog that "We're launching an exciting new Hero Factory project soon that will have some social media elements built into it." What could it be and what implications does this have for the future of HF and Lego in general? In my opinion, considering we are now on wave 4.0 of Hero Factory, it's about time for something new and exciting.

It's true: Our Lego friends aren't always the best dressers. Luckily, the LEGO Friends site has been updated with a dress-up game that will give us practice for the real world. You'll have to install the Unity3D web player to access it, but afterward, your sartorial imaginings can come to (digital) life.

Minecraft players rejoice! The Lego CUUSOO Blog announced this morning that the project to create a Minecraft-themed set has passed the review stage and is now in the works! The post says that they are "developing a concept that celebrates the best aspects of building with the LEGO system and in Minecraft." Does this mean working nether portals? Custom diamond blocks? Exploding creeper figures? The only way to know is to wait. In the meantime, we better get back to building, both in game and out.

Ninjago has a new game online, pairing the newly armored ninjas and their spinning techniques against the vicious Serpentine. Level-ups give a boost against the ninjas' foes, but watch out for various traps! Check it out here for yourself, and you can even log in to keep track of your proegress.

Last week it was Aragorn, this week Legolas graces the latest poster for the upcoming LEGO Lord of the Rings line. I don't like this one quite as much as the Aragorn one, but there's still a lot of interesting details. Look at that hairpiece with the elf ears. And how does it work with the bow and arrows on his back? The hype is certainly building for this line.

It's been a little bit since our last 2012 Hero Factory review, but fear not! We have not forgotten about you guys. Today Sisen takes a look at the big set from the first wave - Black Phantom. Will this villain mastermind his escape or will he end up back in jail on the toy stores' shelves?