Toy fans from all over the world headed to New York this weekend to get a glimpse at the latest and greatest that this year’s Toy Fair had to offer. At the top of our list of must-see toys, was LEGO as we were eager to check out its roster of new builds for 2019. With plenty of themes including Star Wars, Toy Story 4, and more, there’s something for everyone coming out this year. Head below to see all of the new kits and creations showcased at the LEGO Toy Fair booth this year.
Star Wars |
As one of its most popular themes, the LEGO Toy Fair booth was filled with plenty of upcoming releases. As we expected, LEGO highlighted the upcoming 20th anniversary Star Wars sets, but that wasn’t all. LEGO also had several new builds on display, including a new line of more play-focuses sets.
The new action battle sets include opposing Rebel and Imperial forces alongside spring-loaded blasters. The theme stands out from other releases by prominently featuring large colored targets, that when hit, cause the builds to fly apart. Right now there are both Hoth and Endor kits, but it’s likely more will be coming in the future.
Also showcased were the first batch of releases from Star Wars Resistance, an animated series. You’ll be able to build a new Tie Fighter alongside TIE Interceptor and more.
Lastly, The Force Awakens fans will glad to see that there’s another kit from the film on the horizon. While it’s on the smaller side, it showcases Rey and Kylo Ren’s fight at the end of the film and is a pretty great little vignette.
There weren’t any massive new kits showcased, meaning we’ll have to wait for the next UCS release to satisfy any thousand-piece build cravings.
Toy Story 4 |
The LEGO Toy Fair showcase also included four upcoming Toy Story 4 kits. Meant to tie-in with the film hitting theater later this year, the sets are the first Pixar-themed releases in years. The creations are on the smaller side, with notable minifigure inclusions being one of the more eye-catching aspects.
You’ll find the main cast returning to their brick-built figures this time around like Woody, Buzz and more. Ducky and Bunny, two new characters voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, will be featured as well. The sets range from $10 all the way up to $50, which part-counts starting at 69-pieces and maxing out at 230.
Older fans will be a bit bummed out to hear that these releases are geared towards LEGO’s 4+ demographic; meaning the creations were designed with younger builders in mind. LEGO wouldn’t say if other builds are coming down the road, but we have a hunch they might be. When Toy Story 3 was released, a series of normal kits also hit shelves. So if the past is any indication, there may be more on the way in the second half of 2019.
LEGO Toy Fair Hands-on: Hidden Side |
At the end of last week, we got a first look at LEGO’s latest new theme, Hidden Side. At Toy Fair, we were lucky enough to get a hands on look at the new sets. Of the eight upcoming builds, we only previously got a glimpse at a few. That changed this weekend however, as all were on display in their brick-built glory.
All of the kits are just as impressive as we had noted before. My personal favorites are the bus and diner, with the latter featuring some truly unique brick-work to pull off a neat crawfish sign. The Hidden Side sets showcased at the LEGO Toy Fair booth were on display alongside the line’s companion app, which we received a demo of.
After some time playing around with the two, it was clear LEGO’s AR strategy is different than other toys on the market. The Hidden Side app is more of a viewfinder into a haunted LEGO world than it is a controller. You’ll still need to interact with the physical bricks to trigger in-game events. The augmented reality itself was also very solid; so there’s no denying that LEGO has put a lot of effort into bridging the gap between physical and digital play.
LEGO Movie 2 |
Also on display at the LEGO Toy Fair booth were most of the new LEGO Movie 2 kits. Most notably, we got our first in-person look at the upcoming 1,800-piece Rexcelsior; which was every bit as awesome as you’d expect.
LEGO Toy Fair Hands-on: Jurassic World |
Just like Hidden Side, the four new Jurassic World sets were on display at the LEGO Toy Fair booth as well. Even though there wasn’t anything new from when we covered the kits on Friday, there are still some notable takeaways from seeing the line in person. There are two new dinosaurs making a debut in the theme, each of which have nice printing and screen-accurate designs.
All four sets also are just as substantial as we had initially thought. When LEGO debuts a line of builds in tandem with a TV show or series, there’s always a chance the sets won’t be as noteworthy as average releases are. That’s by no means the case here, with the LEGO Toy Fair demonstration showing off just how solid the kits were.
Flintstones |
Toy Fair kicked off on Saturday, which also coincided with LEGO officially announcing its the launch of its newest Ideas set. As we had previously reported, the Flintstones would be joining the cast of brick-built characters as the company’s latest fan-designed release. Now we’ve gotten more details on how it will stack up.
The upcoming The Flintstones set will debut on March 1st with a $60 price tag. At 748 pieces, it also includes four new exclusive minifigures: Fred Flintstone, Wilma Flintstone, Barney Rubble and Betty Rubble. LEGO VIP members will be able to order the set on February 20th, so be sure to sign up ahead of the kit’s release on Wednesday.
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
All-in-all, there’s plenty to be excited about from the LEGO Toy Fair showcase this year. Hidden Side is looking like an unexpected hit that perfectly pairs augmented reality and physical bricks. The lineup of Star Wars sets are strong considering we’re months away from Episode 9’s tie-in builds. And getting a batch of Toy Story 4 kits was a great surprise, even if the line is geared towards younger fans.
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