And here we are, welcome to RegularBricks.com!

Hey guys, Vince here with some big news that I'm finally happy to share with you :)

Since July of last year, I've been posting about Lego, comics books, and video games over at my blog Bricks, Pix, and Panels. But, as the year went on, I started finding less and less time to post about comics and games, and mostly just focused on Lego.

And I realized something.

I became a Lego blog. And I wasn't upset about it. If anything, I embraced it.

So with that, I present to you my new and improved Lego-focused blog, RegularBricks.com

I'm still transitioning over to my new site, so things might be a little wonky at first, but eventually I'll get everything sorted out, and all of my past Lego content will be available along with everything that is to come.

i'm really excited about what's to come this year, and I can't wait to share everything with you.

Here's to new ventures, and to new Lego!

This Blog, It Is a-Changin'

It's a new year, and I've taken a few weeks off from blogging to reassess what my focus is. But I'm back now, and I've figured out what I'll be doing with my blog from now on.

Rather than trying to focus on Lego, as well as comic books, movies, and video games (hence the blog name, Bricks, Pix, and Panels), I've decided to focus solely on Lego. If you've been reading my blog regularly, you've probably already noticed that I've stopped writing about comics, no longer post my weekly hauls, and pretty much just blog about Lego, so in that regard, not much is changing.

But what is changing: more video content and a new URL.

Nothing is finalized yet, but plans are in motion, so in the coming weeks, hopefully sooner, I'll be posting the information on my new and improved blog, chock full of Lego goodness.

And for those of you still interested in comic book and movie talk, come check out God Hates Comics, my mostly weekly podcast that I cohost with my pals Andrew and Dusty. We're kinda a big deal (and I stress the word kinda).

So fear not, new content is on the way, but for now, just look at this pretty, pretty picture.

I think it's awesome.

Thanks for reading, and here's to 2015!

Lego Review: 76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro

Alrighty, RegularVince here with my first content post of 2015: my review for the new Lego DC Super heroes set: 76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro.

I wish I could say I've really been waiting for this set, but what I've really been waiting for is a legit Green Lantern that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I really like my arms and legs. I use them regularly.

Back to the set at hand, for the MSRP of $19.99, you get 174 pieces, including three all-new minifigures in Green Lantern, Sinestro, and Space Batman. Yes, Space Batman. He's one of my favorite super heroes, but I really don't think we needed another Batman minifigure to round out this set. I would have much rather seen another member of the Sinestro Corps, or, since this year's DC line seems to be all about full-sized figures, an Anti-Monitor figure. 

You need any more ideas, Lego? You know where to find me.

So let's start things off with the minifigures, and our titular hero: Green Lantern.

As you can see, the minifigure design is based off the more classic Hal Jordan look. Not that this is a problem, I just felt like I needed to point it out, since depending on when you were into the DC properties, he might not be the Green Lantern you're most familiar with. The design of this mini is rather clean, and far less busy than the 2011 SDCC exclusive figure, so it's definitely an improvement. And as you can see, GL comes with a double-sided head, featuring a stern look and a more playful smirk.

My one gripe is an almost non-issue, but it did bother me. The translucent green stud I have GL pictured with is supposed to be his power ring. Pretty simple, right? Well, maybe it was too simple, because Lego didn't actually include this in the set. That stud is just a left over from one of my other builds. Trivial? Yes, but it's something so simple that it's amazing it wasn't included, especially since a quick Google search for Green Lantern shows almost every image with his power ring lit up.

Next up we have Sinestro, GL's most famous villain, even though he's been known to act as the occasional anti-hero, when the mood strikes him. Sinestro also comes with a double-sided head; one stern look, the other a menacing grimace. He also comes with a yellow battle-staff contruct, The minifigure's design is based on his yellow lantern/Sinestro Corps outfit, which I think looks fantastic, but I also would've loved to see him in his classic blue and black outfit. Maybe we'll see this in a later release, since Lego does love to release different versions of the same figure.

Speaking of different versions of the same figure, here we have yet another Batman to add to our already extensive Bat-collection, this time sporting a space outfit to protect him from the harsh vacuum of space. Now why is Batman in space?

Why not?

Anyway, you can probably tell I'm not super excited to be getting another Batman minifigure, but I must say the design is pretty cool, and the amount of accessories he comes with is staggering. Bats comes with two heads: a full-on mask and a double-sided head, displaying a stern look and his trademark smirk; a helmet, two sets of wings, in the open and closed position; a jet-pack, which is actually designed to keep the wing in place, and the new super jumper. giving him the ability to leap into action at a moments notice.

Admittedly, it does have a greater range than seen above, that's just the first video I got, and I thought it was hilarious.

I do have to issue a huge warning about the super jumper: it will damage your minifigure. Not because launching it across the room can ding it, and it can, but because of the way jumper itself is designed.

Behind the pegs where you place the minifigure, the plastic juts out just enough to apply pressure to the minifigure.

As you can see, the damage in my particular case wasn't that extensive, as it simply slightly dented the back of the legs, but I have heard cases online of the legs cracking and splitting because of the super jumper.

You have been warned.

Moving on to the rest of the set, I'll start off with Sinestro's power battery Cage.

I suppose I could've listed this as an accessory for Green Lantern, but this set also comes with his power battery, which he uses to power up his power ring. And since Sinestro is the baddie in this set, of course he wants all the power. So what we have here is a construct used to house the power battery.

The build is pretty simple, but what I love the most is the dome on top of the build. Since it's on a hinge, it keeps the build closed when in the down position, and allows it to be opened up when it's not. The hinge is also loose enough to allow it to be opened with a direct hit from GL ship.

So now that you've seen that cool action feature, let's talk about Green Lantern's ship.

Here we have Green Lantern's fighter jet, what I'm assuming is supposed to be a construct of his power ring, and apart from me wishing there were more clear elements integrated into the build, or better yet, that it was completely made of clear elements, I like the design. It's simple, but honestly, it doesn't need to be anymore complicated, as it perfectly showcases what it's supposed to be.

There are a lot of great design elements built into this ship. The stud shooters are a new design, and built into the wings. I also love how the extra stud "bullets" are built into the wing design. This is something that most sets featuring these types of weapons don't do. And geniusly, the spring loaded missiles are housed within the cockpit, activated by a gear and crank system that runs through to the back of the ship.

As you can see, turning the knob on the back triggers the spring loaded missiles. And because of the way it's designed, you can fire both missiles relatively quickly and reload them without opening the ship. Brilliant.

The missiles also have pretty good range, launching between 6 and 10 feet.

Final Verdict

While I'm not thrilled with having Batman shoehorned into this set, and I'm certainly upset over inadvertently damaging my minifigures with the super jumper, I still think this is a great set to have. Green Lantern and Sinestro have pretty simple designs, but they are based on pretty simple characters, at least from a design standpoint. While I usually don't buy Lego sets for their action features, I can definitely see how this set would appeal to children, which makes the ease of this build all the better. It probably took me about 30 minutes to complete this build, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

So while it does have it's problems, the DC Super Heroes: Green Lantern vs. Sinestro is worth picking up. 

Lego Review: 10245 Santa's Workshop

So here we are, at the end of our Lego Christmas Journey with the set that finally brings us the reason why we're all here. No, there aren't any sets that give us a baby Jesus minifigure, although that might be rad (and I stress might). I'm talking about the big man himself, Santa Claus (cue pyrotechnics and the Rocky theme).

The 10245 Santa's Workshop is the latest release in the Lego Winter Village line of holiday themed sets. It was released in September of this year, and seemingly sold out from Lego around the beginning of December, which I suppose is to be expected from a Santa Claus themed set released around the holidays. Thankfully, I had the foresight to buy this set early so I didn't have to pay the ridiculous prices I've seen on Amazon and eBay. And the good news is that even though this set is out of stock from Lego, it hasn't been retired yet. The bad news is that it isn't projected as being available until February of 2015. You think Lego would anticipate demand, with the popularity of Lego exploding over the last year, but they couldn't keep things like the Exo Suit or the Research Institute in stock and both those sets had a huge buzz around them.

Opening up the box, you get 883 pieces, allowing you to build Santa's workshop, his sleigh, five reindeer, a toy assembly line, a few wrapped and unwrapped presents, a Christmas tree, and six minifigures (Santa, Mrs. Claus, and four elves), so there's definitely a lot of value to this set. And if you combine this with the Toy Workshop, or any other holiday set you've managed to pick up, you'll certainly have a nice holiday scene to display.

Moving on to the actual build, as with most modern Lego sets, the pieces came bundled in various numbered bags, seven of them if I'm not mistaken. Now there's always some sorting that's involved when you're dealing with large Lego builds, and thankfully each numbered bag corresponded with a different part of the build: 1 being the reindeer and sleigh, 2 the larger half of the workshop, and 3 the smaller half and the toy assembly line. So once you start sorting pieces, you'll end up with something that looks similar to this.

Now the fun part begins.

The Build

After separating the pieces from the first bags, I was able to put together this little guy, who happens to be one of the best Santa Claus minifigures I've seen available. Unlike the Santa from the Santa's Sleigh polybag, he comes with a a nice red coat and gloves, instead of what looks like red pyjamas, and setting him apart from the Lego Advent Calendar's version are white eyebrows and a red gift sack. Which proves to me this is the one true Santa Claus.

Before I get to the actual build, I want to point out these two pieces, which are exclusive (as of this posting) to this set. They're both printed pieces, and while adding the eye and fur detail to the reindeer is ultimately unnecessary, it does add just enough to give the build an extra "pop."

And it helps in separating the adult reindeer from the baby reindeer. This little guy is a cute addition to the set, and I feel it really helps to set the playful mood surrounding this build. I love the stubby little antlers and legs, and the lack of fur further drives home the fact that he's not yet an adult reindeer.

Next we have the North Pole sign, just in case you didn't know where we were, and a tiny Christmas tree. Both are well designed, the tree especially so, but I kinda wish it was a bit bigger, but that's just splitting hairs, because it does look great.

Moving on to the four adult reindeer included in this set. These are really solid builds. The full-sized antlers are well done, and the harnesses to attach them to the sleigh is great. Come to think of it, I never really considered how they were supposed to connect until I started build the set, but I think Lego did the best they could. I say this because there is one slight problem, and that's that the reindeer's antlers actually get in the way of one another, meaning they can't stand uniform next to each other. It's a minor gripe, but it is one that stands out. Lego also included a few extra pieces that replace the harness attachment if you want to let your reindeer roam free during the off season.

And finally, we have the sleigh itself. This piece is really well done, and is a pretty good size, allowing for all the presents to fit snugly behind Santa. I like the use of upside down arch pieces for the side of the sleigh and the lanterns on the back are also a nice touch. 

Now it's time to take a look at the Workshop itself. Unlike Santa's sleigh, the contents of Bags 2 and 3 are supposed to go together, so I'll be reviewing the rest of this set as a whole. Although I suppose you could keep both halves of the workshop separate to expand to size of your play area. 

First things first, we have Mrs. Claus baking her way into our hearts, complete with a red cloak, a precious apron design, and a tray of freshly baked cookies for Santa and his elves to enjoy. Wait a minute, did I say elves?

I most certainly did. Just look at those little guys, all cheery and ready to make all those toys for the boys and girls across the world. Speaking of making toys...

Gone are the days of simply making things by hand, as this set gives the elves their own toy assembly line, complete with a replica of the 1980-something blue spaceship that Benny is so fond of.

Now, the assembly line is actually the last thing to be built in this set, at least if you're going by the instructions, and while we already went over the beginning with Santa's sleigh, maybe it's time to get to the real meat of this set: Santa's Workshop.

This portion of the build is actually split into two parts: the two-story portion, which houses Santa's office, and the single-story portion, which houses the elves' workshop. The front of the build also has a lot of neat details, like the candy canes outside the front door, the clock above it, and the string of lights going across the roof. And of course there's the snow-covered roof that sells the North Pole setting.

Taking a look inside, we see Santa's office, complete with a fancy desk chair and a stack of letters to Santa. The ladder is a nice touch, allowing access to the second floor, and while it looks good, I personally could do without it as it takes up a good amount of interior space. But it is easy to remove, so it's a minor complaint. Moving on to the workbench, we have a few tools, cans of paint, and a candle/torch thing. I'm assuming it's a candle since fire isn't generally needed for toy production... I think. I really don't know how to make toys, I only play with them.

There's also a fireplace in the workshop, and right above it is one of my favorite parts of the set: Santa and Mrs. Claus' vacation picture.

I just love that they're hanging out on the beach drinking what better be pina coladas..

The last part of the set I want to feature is the string of lights across the roof. It's a really simple design, but I honestly feel like I would never have thought of it.

And for those of you interested, here's the gifs of everything being built.

The Verdict

This is a great set, and there's a lot of value here. Maybe not for the individual pieces, but the minifigures are great, and the set as a whole is really well done. Santa's sleigh is the best I've seen in Lego form, the reindeer design is fantastic, and the workshop looks great, especially if it's on display next to other holiday sets. But even if this is your first holiday set, it's a great one to start things off. I've really enjoyed this set, and I'm sure you will too,

Lego Review: 40106 Creator Toy Workshop

Today I'll be reviewing the 40106 Creator Toy Workshop,

Which was actually the first of two holiday themed giveaways from Lego, the second being the Winter Skating Scene released during the Black Friday "Brick Friday" event.

Just like many Lego giveaways, this set was designed to compliment the Santa's Workshop (which is sadly currently out of stock from Lego) released earlier this year. It fits right in with the workshop, and adds a few more toys to deliver and a couple more elves to Santa's home team.

Let's look at the toys and presents first, because I really enjoyed them.

The presents are pretty standard by Lego standards, and I really like the train and the bulldozer, but the standout is the toy soldier. It was cool to see how it came together, and works perfectly as a minimalist design. What I loved was that even my four year old niece was able to point out what it was, even though she called it a doll instead of the obvious action collectible that it truly is.

We also get a couple new minifigures in this set: the elves that will be working on the new toys for all the boys and girls. They actually have a lot of accessories, in the form of a couple paint brushes and at least six tools to play around with. These guys look great, and I'm really loving the metallic printing on the male elf to make his belt buckle and tools pop off his torso.

With most sets of this size, we get something that's fairly simple. It won't take long to assemble this set, but you might be surprised at the detail that's packed into. I love the paint cans along the workbench and the clamp on the end of it.

I'm happy I got my hands on this, even though I can't remember what I purchased to actually get it. As always, if you can get this at a good price, don't be afraid to pull the trigger. You will not be disappointed with this set.

Lego Review: 40059 Santa's Sleigh

It's Monday, so that means another review of a smaller holiday set is going up. This time I'll be talking about the 40059 Santa's Sleigh.

This was a polybag that was available from November to December of 2013, at least here in the States. Now since I really didn't get into Lego until earlier this year, I didn't buy this when it was released. But thanks to different online communities, I was able to pick this up relatively cheap. 

Opening the poly reveals nothing out of the ordinary, just a variety of pieces waiting to be piled up and sorted through. And, of course, the instructions are there. 

In the rubble we find these two guys: Santa Claus and his helper. Santa is based on older minifigures, so it looks like he's wearing pajamas as opposed to his Santa outfit, but he's still recognizable as jolly ol' St. Nick.  I don't know why I initially thought that was Mrs. Claus, maybe it was the gray hair and glasses. I'm also assuming it's an elf, based on his shorter legs. 

Being that the set is only 77 pieces, it doesn't take that long to build, and it's certainly not difficult to put together. Since I built it fairly close to the Santa's Workshop set, which I'll be reviewing soon, it was neat to see how the design of the reindeer had changed in the past year. I guess they had to do something a little different to justify the $70 price tag on the new set. 

All in all, this is a nice polybag, but since it's no longer available at MSRP, I wouldn't go out of my way to pick it up, especially if you already have the Santa's Workshop set. That being said, if you can get this on the cheap, it'll be a nice addition to your holiday Legos. 

Days 6-12 of Lego Advent

So I'm changing things up a bit with the 24 Days of Lego Christmas that I'm featuring on Instagram. I'll simply be focusing on the individual gifts instead of them as a whole, at least until the end.

On Day 6, we got a Fresh Fruit Stand

Because when I think about Christmas, I definitely say to myself, "man, I'd love a banana or a carrot right now."

Day 7 brings us a nice Window Scene

With a couple jewels just chillin' on the window sill, as jewels tend to do.

On Day 8, we welcome Alexa to the fray, 

Complete with a pair of precious Lego ice skates.

I lost track of time on Day 9, and kinda forgot to take the picture, so I combined it with Day 10, because they go so well together.

A Bread Cart and a Catapult. Y'know, because Christmas.

Day 11 bring the Police into the mix.

Complete with a bullhorn and and sheet music so he can spread his holiday cheer across Lego Land.

And finally, on Day 12, we have what I think is a Remote Control Duck.

Because Lego obviously knows what kids like.

So there we have it, Days 6-12 have flown by on the Lego Advent Calendar, Let's see what's in store for us next week.