LEGO Research Institute playset

Looking for a cool female-empowerment LEGO playset for the science-minded little girl (or boy for that matter!) on your Christmas shopping list? Well, look no further, because the recently released LEGO Research Institute just might be the geek chic LEGO playset of the year!

Featuring LEGO minifigures of a female astronomer, chemist and paleontologist, the set was developed through LEGO's hugely popular LEGO Ideas Program by real-life geoscientist Ellen Kooijman. And whether you're an Adult Fan of LEGOS (AFOL) or a parent hoping to nurture your daughter's interest in science and the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), this is the set for you. I happen to be both of the above, so, I guess I'll need two sets!

But, seriously, if you are interested in purchasing a LEGO Research Institute, you'd best act fast. Available for just $19.99 at the LEGO Store and several places online, the set is selling out fast and already going for as much as $92.00 on Amazon, so, shop now or forever hold your peace…or dinosaur bone, or, you know, whatever else you're holding.

Girl power 4eva, smart girls rock!

 

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Planet Greta: The Return!

They say that when one door closes another one opens, and I guess the same thing could be said about blogs. This week we are finally closing the doors on our original Make.See.Eat.Do blog — which started all this bloggy awesomeness way back in 2007 — just in time to open the door to the official “reboot” of our Planet Greta photo blog.

That’s right, amigos, that old baby photo blog that hasn’t been updated since Greta’s third birthday (!) has been reborn as the official homebase for Greta’s super cool YouTube video series, titled, appropriately enough, Planet Greta! Hooray!

And lest you think I pushed Greta into the internet video making biz, let me assure you that the entire venture was her idea. Well, except for the name, which wasn’t as sparkly and girlie as she wanted, but, seemed like a perfect fit for all the crazy stuff she wants to highlight on her “show.”

And speaking of crazy stuff, Planet Greta runs the gamut, baby! It’s not exactly great art, but, Greta and I have been having a lot of fun making videos about everything from collectible toy “unboxings” to constructing cool LEGO Friends sets and we even have an episode featuring a cereal eating competition with her “cowboy cousin” Colton. In other words, Planet Greta is just as fun, goofy and eclectic as Greta herself. So, enjoy! And if you like what you see, please feel free to “like” us on YouTube. Thanks!

 

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LEGO “Star Wars” – Mos Eisley Cantina Playset

Hard as it may be to believe, I've never been a huge fan of the LEGO “Star Wars” line of playsets. Yes, I have plenty of the minifigures, and even a couple of the sets themselves, but, over the years they've tended to be more gearheady/spaceship driven stuff, which never really thrilled me. But all that's about to change…forever! That's right, amigos, the mad geniuses at LEGO have finally answered my childhood prayers by releasing the amazing “Star Wars” set pictured below.

An incredibly detailed LEGO recreation of the original Mos Eisley cantina scene depicted in the original trilogy's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the only thing missing from this killer set is that droid-hating bartender. Oh, and a few more creepy alien minifigures would be cool too…I mean, seriously, what's that scene without Walrus Man and Hammerhead?

But hey, the set includes badass minfigures of the cantina band and both Greedo and Han Solo come with blasters — which means we might finally get to figure out “who shot first” — so, I'm not complaining. All I can say is: “Hello, Amazon wish list!” Yee-haw!

 

 

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“The LEGO Movie: Everything Is Awesome Edition”

If you missed The LEGO Movie in theatres earlier this year, the DVD/Blu-Ray hit stores yesterday, so, now’s your chance to catch this epically cool flick on the small screen. And if you did see the movie and loved it as much as we did, then, you gotta check out the “Everything is Awesome Edition” which includes a DVD, Digital Download, two Blu-Rays (one in HD and one in 3D) and, best of all, a LEGO minifigure of Morgan Freeman’s character, Vitruvius!

That’s right, you get an actual LEGO toy with your movie. Cool, huh? The only complaint Greta and I had is that Vitruvius doesn’t come with his iconic chewed-up sucker cane. As you can see, we were able to craft him something similar-looking from our ever-growing LEGO collection, but, an actual cane accessory would have been nice.

And in case you were wondering how the movie holds up on second viewing, all I can say is that we watched it together tonight (It was my Father’s Day gift from Greta and we’re kinda making the holiday a weeklong event this year!) and I’m already looking forward to watching it again. Yep, it really is that awesome!

Oh, and if you’re looking for a deal on the movie, the lowest price I found anywhere this week online or in stores was $34.99 at Best Buy, and while I’m not a huge fan of the home of the Geek Squad, I am a fan of a bargain, so, guess where we bought it?

Happy LEGO Movie release day, amigos…keep on bricking!

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“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” LEGOS

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been geeking out about The Hobbit way too much these days. Finally saw the movie on Friday (and LOVED it!) and am seeing it again tomorrow with a Tolkien aficionado who will no doubt help answer some of my burning questions. I won’t spoil the movie for you by telling you anything more, but, know this…Smaug ends very abruptly with a doozy of a cliffhanger.  Yes, we have to a whole year to find out what happens. Unless, you could always, you know, read the book. But, even then, Peter Jackson’s Hobbit is so markedly different from Tolkien’s, that you never know what he has in store for us. Either way, be prepared to be left hanging.

Luckily, for big old toy geeks like myself,  there will plenty of fun, Middle-Earth adventures to be had while we wait for the next movie thanks to LEGO’s very cool line of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings LEGO sets. And since Greta just recently “graduated” to “big kid LEGOS” from her old DUPLO play sets. Now I actually have a totally valid excuse for dumping loads of cash into the beautiful The Hobbit LEGO sets. You know, because, ahem, I’m buying them for her too now.

Anyway, if you haven’t already seen them in stores or online, the LEGO sets are gorgeous and as textured, detailed and visually stunning as the movies they are based on. So far I only have the mini-pack Riddles of the Ring which includes LEGO mini figurines of Bilbo and Gollum as well as not one, but two shiny golden rings. You know, in case your kid drops one in the fires of Mordor or something. And while that set is cool, you can’t really build too much with it, so, I’m hoping Santa got my memo and sends me a couple more sets for Christmas.

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