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LDraw Releases new Parts Update for 2016

January 1, 2017 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

If you’re using LDraw as for your virtual LEGO building, you’ll be glad to hear that there is a new parts update that has been released for the program. This update adds 475 new parts to the catalog while adding 572 new files to the core library. Check out the press release below to see the details of this update.

The 2016-01 LDraw Parts Update has been now been released. This adds 572 new files to the core library, including 475 new parts and 43 new primitives. This update also includes updated versions of the colour configuration files (LDConfig.ldr and LDCfgalt.ldr) thanks to enthusiasm of Sven v. Beuningen and the co-ordination of Willy Tschager and Magnus Forsberg.

Thanks are of course due to all the part authors who created or corrected parts for this release, including several first-time authors. The reviewers also play an important role in keeping files moving through the parts tracker and deserve just as much credit.

You can preview the new parts in 2016-01 here, download the zip-file update or Windows install package here. Alternatively you can use the LDView menu option File | Check for Library Updates… to install the update.

Please accept our apology for this being the only parts update of 2016.

The LDraw Team

LEGO Ideas Volkswagen Golf MK1 GTI Achieves 10,000 Supporters

January 1, 2017 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

This is actually an older LEGO Ideas project that achieved 10,000 supporters but it hit the mark during Thanksgiving and I didn’t see it so here’s a post giving it some recognition. The Volkswagen Golf MK1 GTI project by hasskabal only took six weeks to get 10,000 supporters and it is the third most viewed project, as of this post, only behind Minecraft and Back to the Future – DeLorean Time Machine.

The project proposes 1,278 pieces and it is a replicate of the classic 1970’s Volkswagen Golf MK1 GTI. As you can see from the image below, the size of the car is about the same as other LEGO Creator vehicles that have already been released.

The Volkswagen Golf MK1 GTI now joins Boat Repair Shop, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “The Bus” Hulkbuster UCS, LEGO Store Modular Version, Red Dwarf, Landrover 4×4, Vintage Tram, 1950’s Diner, Ship in a Bottle, The Flagship Leviathan, Rey’s Speeder, and The Iron Giant as the projects that qualify the Third 2016 Review Stage.

The Brick Fan 2016 Recap

January 1, 2017 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

2016 went by just like that it was a very eventful year here on The Brick Fan. Like with previous years, I’m going to go take a look back at what happened on the site last year. Because I love looking at stats, there will be some of that.

We ended the year with 9,416,861 page views which remained steady from 2015. There was some growth in terms of unique visits which went up 3% from the previous year while first-time visitors also went up by 3%.

Monthly-wise, we averaged about 780.000 views per month with January being busiest month when we hit 1 million page views for the first time ever. Hopefully we can replicate that this year with the Toy Fairs coming up. Our highest recorded day was January 26 when we had 65,906 views.

Since we’re in the age of technology, one new thing that we’re taking a look at is devices used to view the site. Mobile devices used actually increased by 15% from 2015, while desktop and tablet use decreased by 6% and 10%, respectively. This means that many of you are switching to your mobile devices to check out the site instead of the traditional route. I have a feeling that this trend will be continuing for 2017.

As far as social media is concerned, we’ve been a little more active on various sites. Over on our Facebook Page, we ended the year with 11,153 likes which was a 39% increase from 2015.

On Twitter, we had 6,758 … Continue

LEGO Creator Assembly Square (10255) Now Available on Shop@Home

December 31, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 2 Comments

The LEGO Creator Assembly Square (10255) is now available for purchase on Shop@Home. The set commemorates 10 years of the Modular Building line and it has past references from the previous eleven modular sets that are added to the Assembly Square. The set consists of 4,002 pieces and retails for $279.99.

10255 Assembly Square
Ages 16+. 4,002 pieces.
US $279.99 – CA $329.99 – DE 239.99€ – UK £169.99 – DK 2099.00 DKK
*Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.

Celebrate ten years of Modular Building with the Assembly Square!

Take a trip to the amazing Assembly Square, developed to celebrate ten years of LEGO® Modular Buildings, featuring a wealth of unsurpassed, intricate details and hidden surprises. Easy-to-remove building sections provide access to the highly detailed interior, comprising a ground level with a bakery, florist’s shop and café, a middle level with a music store, photo studio and dental office, and an upper-level dance studio and apartment with access to a rooftop terrace with barbecue. The exterior of the building features a detailed sidewalk with outdoor café furniture, fountain, streetlamps and a highly elaborate facade with beautifully detailed windows and doors, three buildable shop signs, spired tower and a decorative roofline. Collect and build an entire town with the LEGO Creator Expert Modular Building series 10243 Parisian Restaurant, 10246 Detective’s Office and 10251 Brick Bank. Includes eight minifigures and a baby figure.
• Includes eight minifigures: a dentist, barista, baker, florist, music store assistant, dancer, photographer and a LEGO® fan, plus

… Continue

The Brick Fan Top 10 LEGO Reviews in 2016

December 31, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

A few days ago, I did a post on the most viewed LEGO posts in 2016 and today I have the most viewed reviews of the year. There were 828 sets released in 2016 and I’ve reviewed 79 different LEGO items from a number of themes although there were a lot more that I wanted to do but didn’t have the time to build.

1. The LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures (71017)

One of the more recent reviews of the year but still managed to make the top spot was The LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures (71017). They won’t officially be released until January 1 but you can probably find them in stores now.

2. LEGO Star Wars UCS Assault on Hoth (75098)

The UCS Assault on Hoth (75098) was one of the more controversial sets of 2016 mainly because of the “UCS” tag that it was given. Even so, it was the second most read review of 2016.

LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector's Series Assault on Hoth (75098)

3. LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056)

My first ever Technic build and review did not disappoint. If you want a set that has everything you could want in a set from design to packaging, then the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the way to go.

4. LEGO Disney Collectible Minifigures (71012)

The LEGO Disney Collectible Minifigures were pretty popular this year and it seemed that many people read up on my review of them.

5. The LEGO Batman Movie The Penguin Arctic Roller (70911)

Another more recent review for 2016, The Penguin Arctic Roller is … Continue

LEGO Ideas The Iron Giant Achieves 10,000 Supporters

December 31, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 3 Comments

Today has been a pretty busy day news-wise. The Iron Giant by BrettCuv is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. It is based on the highly popular animated film of the same name. The project proposes five of the main characters including Hogarth Hughes, Annie Hughes, Kent Mansley, Dean McCoppin, and of course The Iron Giant who is fully articulated. The entire build consists of a little over 2,000 pieces.

The Iron Giant now joins Boat Repair Shop, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “The Bus” Hulkbuster UCS, LEGO Store Modular Version, Red Dwarf, Landrover 4×4, Vintage Tram, 1950’s Diner, Ship in a Bottle, The Flagship Leviathan, and Rey’s Speeder as the projects that qualify the Third 2016 Review Stage.

LEGO Star Wars Brick-Built R2-D2 (30611) Polybag Found

December 31, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

It looks like we have a cool little LEGO Star Wars polybag to find next year. A reader has posted the above image of a new LEGO Star Wars brick-built R2-D2 (30611) polybag on our Facebook Page. There’s no word on the origins of the image or how to obtain this polybag at this time but I can say that it will be a pretty popular one when it is available.