Hapori Tohu

Our time at Toy Fair 2014 was short but sweet, and now it's time to go through all the pictures, videos, and words we gathered and give them all to you. To make it easier to find this vast amount of information, we're putting together this landing page to keep it all in one place. We'll be updating it over the next week or so as we get around to posting new information. Read on to see what we saw! View the full article

I'm typing this while I'm on the train headed to New York City, the location of Toy Fair, which starts tomorrow. BZPower will be there bright and early, taking pictures and gathering information to share with you all. While the full coverage will have to wait until after the event, we will be tweeting some pictures of cool and interesting things that catch our eye. Be sure to <a href='https://twitter.com/BZP_Tweets' target='offsite'>follow us on Twitter</a> and use the hashtag <a href='https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BZPToyFair&f=realtime' target='offsite'>#BZPToyFair</a> to ask questions and find everything we tweet. I'm excited to see what LEGO has in store for us in 2014! View the full article

BZPower will be hosting a livestream on YouTube to share our thoughts on The LEGO Movie! The stream will take place at 8:30 PM Eastern Time on Friday, February 21st. We'll be giving away some LEGO Movie polybags, so make sure you pay close attention and are brushed up on your movie trivia! Come tune in to listen to myself, DeeVee, Nukaya, Hahli Husky, Makaru, and Bfahome share our favorite moments, characters and more. Go subscribe to <a href='https://www.youtube.com/user/BZPTube' target='offsite'>our channel</a> to make sure you don't miss it! View the full article

Hopefully many of you have seen The LEGO Movie by now, but what you probably haven't seen is a behind-the-scenes look at the actors in their element. So you should check out this two-and-a-half minute <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTP9U0oDDKg' target='offsite'>blooper reel</a> of some flubs Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and the rest of the cast made while recording. They're all pretty funny, and make me want to see more - maybe on the DVD and Blu-Ray extras! View the full article

BZPower Blog Leader DeeVee let us know that on a recent visit to the Washington Square LEGO Store near Portland, Oregon he spotted the first wave of the 2014 Hero Factory sets. This is well in advance of their March release date and will likely come as a relief to many of you out there. If they're in one store, you can probably expect to find them in many others, so go check your local retailers and start fending off the Invasion from Below! View the full article

Do you have what it takes to be the 'Special'? LEGO ReBrick thinks you do! They recently kicked off their <a href='http://rebrick.lego.com/en-US/BottomMenu/Blog/02102014-be-the-special.aspx' target='offsite'>Be the Special competition</a> which runs until March 31st. All you have to do is take any LEGO set you have, and build your own creation using only the pieces in the set. There's some great prizes for the three best creations, including a gold-colored Emmet statue and an unannounced set signed by the designer. Go get building! View the full article

LEGO cosplay is rarely seen, but when it's good it is <i>good</i>. Blog Assistant Nukaya set her artistic talents loose on a hoodie and wig to pull off a fantastic human representation of <i>The LEGO Movie</i>'s plastic heroine Wyldstyle. Using contact paper and bright paint, she was able to recreate the signature pattern Wyldstyle sports. The results look great. Check out <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=12020&hl=' target='offsite'>her topic</a> for the cosplay and, in the future, progress photos and a complete outfit with Wyldstyle's wild pants. Nukaya hopes to cosplay this at future comic conventions. View the full article

Yahoo has an interesting story about some things you don't want to miss in The LEGO Movie. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead. The article, <a href='http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/lego-sets-to-look-out-for-in-lego-movie-200310801.html' target='offsite'>19 'Lego Movie' Easter Eggs to Look Out For</a>, may not all really be easter eggs, but it summarizes a lot of the neat little details the creators of the film added in. If you've seen the movie, check it out and see how many of them you spotted! If you haven't and don't mind spoilers, it'll help you make sure you don't miss any of these cool nods. Bionicle even makes the list! View the full article

If you saw The LEGO Movie recently, you might have seen a really cool trailer for a collaboration between Google and LEGO. <a href='http://www.buildwithchrome.com/' target='offsite'>Build with Chrome</a> allows you to build digital creations out of bricks on a map of the real world. You can build your house, your own personal castle - anything! Go check it out! View the full article

After receiving critical praise, the weekend box office results are in for The LEGO Movie. In addition to its <a href='http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/' target='offsite'>95% Fresh</a> rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo <a href='http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3783&p=.htm' target='offsite'>reports</a> that the film grossed an estimated $69.1 million in the US this weekend. This is the second highest debut in February ever, and is one of the top-grossing weekends for an original animated movie, ranking up there with the likes of Up, The Incredibles, and The Simpsons Movie. I'm excited to see that it's not just the diehard fans who are enjoying the film, and that kids and adults of all ages are heading to theaters to see it. Now we just have to wait and see how high it goes! I guess I could see it in theaters a third time... View the full article

We've got one more LEGO Movie set review for you (until the next sets come out, that is!). Today BZPower Forum Assistant Sisen looks at <a href='http://amzn.to/1dAsmEk' target='offsite'>70803 Cloud Cuckoo Palace</a>, featuring the amazing and adorable Unikitty! Is this set all sunshine and rainbows? Or is it going to rain on your LEGO Movie parade? You'll have to read and watch on to find out! View the full article

Today we are happy to announce the addition of a new feature to BZPower. Our forum software calls it a 'reputation' system, but basically it's going to be BZPower's version of a 'like' system that you've probably seen on Facebook and other websites out there. The rep system, as I'll refer to it, will allow members to highlight things that they find cool, neat, informative, helpful, awesome, insightful, fun, etc. It will help give creators of content feedback, as they can get an idea for how many people are enjoying what they're posting. For more information about the system, read on! View the full article

It looks like a lot of information and updates on the Mixels has come out recently. For example, they have their own <a href='http://www.mixels.com/' target='offsite'>website</a> with videos and games. There's also the <a href='http://www.lego.com/en-us/mixels/' target='offsite'>LEGO sub-site</a> with it's own collection of character info, games, videos, and more. If that wasn't enough, Cartoon Network <a href='http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/mixels/video/index.html' target='offsite'>threw their hat into the ring</a>, so go check that out for more info on the show. LEGO S@H has the <a href='http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Mixels-ByTheme' target='offsite'>sets listed</a>, but they're not available until February 17th. Finally, <a href='http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cartoon-network-and-the-lego-group-mix-it-up-globally-with-mixels-242278681.html' target='offsite'>this press release</a> has some good info - the shorts start airing on February 12th. Go soak all that up! View the full article

Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimäki has taken some truly stunning LEGO photographs. Featuring Star Wars and Indiana Jones minifigs, the scenes blend characters from the two properties with the natural environment, tight focusing, and vivid lighting. <a href='http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/vesa-lehtimaki-lego-star-wars-indiana-jones' target='offsite'>The entire gallery</a> is worth a look - there are even some easter eggs to find (Hello, teddy bear!). View the full article

The votes are all in, and we have a winner for our first building contest on Flickr! You can check out the results <a href='http://www.flickr.com/groups/bzpower/discuss/72157640561337194/' target='offsite'>right here</a>, where you'll see that the winner is Piticar: Metal Chaos Core by Chro. You can't miss it, since his MOC is now our Flickr page's background image! You can also see more of the MOC <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=11968'>in the BBC forum</a>. Congrats to Chro and thanks to everyone who entered. This isn't the end of our Flickr contests, rather it's just the beginning... View the full article

Today is the day we've all been waiting for as the first countries are getting The LEGO Movie in their cinemas. The rest of the world will follow over the course of the next two months, with the US' turn being tomorrow. With an impressive 99% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (only one review 'rotten') and 81 on Metacritic so far, everything is pointing at The LEGO Movie becoming a critical and finacial success. Check out the worldwide release dates <a href='http://thelegomovie.warnerbros.com/releasedates/index.html'>here</a> and BZPower's <a href='http://bzpower.com/story.php?ID=6396'>own</a> <a href='http://bzpower.com/story.php?ID=6402'>reviews</a>, and be sure to go watch the movie as soon as you can! View the full article

A new LEGO game has surfaced in the iTunes App Store: LEGO Star Wars Microfighters! Based on the new line of LEGO Star Wars sets coming out, pilot one of six iconic ships "as you destroy enemies, collect studs, and control the galaxy!" says the app. Be sure to <a href='https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/lego-star-wars-microfighters/id771269254?mt=8' target='offsite'>check it out</a> for your chance to become part of the action in a LEGO galaxy far, far away. View the full article

The LEGO Movie doesn't come out until this Friday, but Warner Bros. is already planning a sequel, The Wrap reports. Analysts are predicting the movie will be a smash hit (which I don't disagree with - check out our reviews), which in Hollywood terms means they need to cash in on the success with at least one sequel. Jared Stern, writer of "The Internship" and "Mr. Popper's Penguins," along with Michelle Morgan, writer of "Girl Most Likely," are rumored to be working on the script. When you see the movie later this week, let us know if you think there's room for a sequel - I didn't feel that there was. View the full article

I wasn't the only one to attend an early screening of The LEGO Movie. BZPower Blog Assistant Ta-metru_defender has also seen the movie and has a lot of thoughts to share. In case you're still on the fence, he's provided another take on the film to help you decide if you should head to the theater on February 7th. Read on! View the full article

With BrickFair Alabama in the books, it's time to turn our sights to the next batch of conventions. In about a month, LEGO Fans will be descending on Portland, Oregon for Bricks Cascade! If you're in the area and planning on attending, check out <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=11391'>this topic</a>. If you're on the other coast, you have <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=11829'>Philly Brick Fest</a> coming up on April, and if you can't attend in person you can send your MOCs on the <a href='http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=11211'>2014 Convention Circuit</a> to have them displayed. We'd love to see you guys and/or your MOCs at these events, so let us know if you can make it! View the full article

We've got one more LEGO Movie polybag to review for you all, courtesy of LEGO. Today we're taking a look at 30282 Super Secret Police Enforcer. Should you track down this set to help you track down Emmet and the Piece of Resistance? Are you going to win a copy of it? You'll have to read and watch on to find out! View the full article

Were you aware that BZPower has a YouTube channel? <a href='http://www.youtube.com/bzptube' target='offsite'>We do!</a> The background looks kind of boring though, which is why we started General Art Contest #20: YouTube Banner to make a background image for the page. The entry period has ended and now it's time for you <a href='www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=11971'>to vote</a>! You have until February 11th at 11:59 PM Eastern to vote, so go check out each entry and decide on your favorite. View the full article

For this week only, Toys 'R' Us is offering 20% off LEGO Movie, City, and Creator sets, as seen <a href='http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?sr=1&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2254197&kw=020214lego&origkw=020214lego&kwCatId=&view=all' target='offsite'>here</a>. It's important to note that the LEGO Movie sets at least follow the MSRP, so this 20% off sale is actually a pretty decent deal. Also, if you spend $50 or more, you get a free ticket to see The LEGO Movie! Not bad if you're planning on seeing it starting this Friday! View the full article

Near the end of last year, Kevin Hinkle from the LEGO CEE Team let BioniLUG know that Warner Bros. was looking to leverage AFOLs to promote the upcoming LEGO Movie and asked if we'd be interested. We jumped at the opportunity, which eventually culminated with several BioniLUG and WAMALUG members showing off their MOCs and attending a screening of the film in Northern Virginia. Since the movie isn't out yet, and I'm sure many of you are anxious to know if you should see it or not, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the film. View the full article

It's less than a week left for The LEGO Movie in many places including the US (though still over two months for some) and Warner Bros has uploaded what is presumably the last trailer for the movie, an ironic but still epic take on the Man of Steel trailer. If you still aren't totally excited for the movie after this, you might want to consider that you may actually be an alien. Read on to check it out! View the full article