Yesterday LEGO posted the newest video in their Ninjago Legacy series, and boy is it something. Feeling like a cartoon coming right out of the 1960s or 1970s complete with a fourth-wall-breaking narrator, A Day in the Life of a Golden Ninja is a look at what a ninja and his dragon do when they're not out protecting the innocent and fighting evil. Is the ninja Lloyd? Why are there so many fart jokes? What could this possibly have to do with anything else in the Ninjago franchise? There are so many other questions and I am so confused. Go watch it and join me in my befuddlement, I guess?

Yesterday Jacob shared the results of the latest LEGO House contest with the models that came out on top and will be displayed at the Home of the Brick. I apologize if I missed anyone, but there are at least four BZPower members who made the grade - congratulations to Ballom, DeeVee, Djokson, and Woomy World! But now it's up to everyone to vote on your favorites of all the entries: you have three votes to cast by May 13th to help determine the fan favorites in the competition who will win some awesome prizes in addition to having their MOCs on display in Denmark. Best of luck to all the finalists!

We have lots more work to do on 71741 Ninjago City Gardens, so let's get back to it tomorrow! Join us at 1 PM Eastern on Saturday, May 8th as we keep building, chatting, and giving away some sets. You can watch on the BZPower Twitch channel to see how this fantastic LEGO Ninjago set is designed and see all the little details and easter eggs as we assemble them. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

If you've had enough of going outside enjoying the spring weather, look no further than LEGO Ideas! A new project has reached ten thousand votes of support on the platform: Movie Set by Max Brich and Castor Troy, which helps you create your own brick films in our favorite plastic blocks. The model features eight detailed building facades, minifigures to be the actors and crew, and a rail to move a LEGO camera or your smartphone along to get an awesome tracking shot. It's a cool concept that is well-designed and would be a great addition to the Ideas theme. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a favorable review result!

Earlier today, LEGO announced 75314 The Bad Batch Attack Shuttle, a new set based on the Star Wars animated show that premiered this Tuesday. The set will be available on August 1st and features the shuttle as well as two speeder bikes and the five required minifigures: Tech, Echo, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair - although you would think there would be some bad guys for them to fight. Hmm... Anyway, at 969 pieces and retailing for $100 in the US, it seems like a pretty decent value especially with the exclusive minifigures. It's already listed on LEGO [email protected] where you can preorder it right now!

Twenty years ago, LEGO was making a huge bet with a new theme called 'Bionicle,' and it was big enough that it made ripples all the way to the mainstream news. BZPower member Max Nui recently stumbled across a Washington Post Bionicle Article circa 2001 that looks at the toys from a unique perspective and interviews a number of fans, parents, and even a couple of people who ran Bionicle websites, namely Christian of xTIAN's Bionicle Corner and Mike of Bionicle Island, two of the three predecessors of BZPower! It's a fascinating read that you can check out right here to go back in time to 2001 before Bionicle was a thing so many of us loved and cherished.

With the upcoming Ninjago sets' pictures released recently, set designer Niek has shared the design process of the Hydro Bounty on his Twitter page. Check out the thread, where he talks about building it mostly at home instead of at LEGO HQ, what features he wanted to include, and how he moved past some puzzling design options. While we're still excited for the current Island sets out now, we'll keep an eye out for Niek's next sets this summer.

A couple more interviews with recent additions to the LEGO Ideas 10k Club have been posted so far this week. First, let's meet Alexandre Rossier, the creator of Auto Union Type C Racecar, a passionate car enthusiast who was inspired to build this model by seeing the actual racecar in action. Then we have Andrzej Undro, the creator of TX Master Games, a sixty-year old Taekwon-do trainer (and Bionicle fan!) who used LEGO bricks to bring an idea they had for twenty years to life. Both provide some great insights into their lives and processes, and I especially found Andrzej's journey to be a unique one among Ideas builders. Go give them both a read to learn more!

Two new projects have achieved ten thousand votes of support on LEGO Ideas over the past couple of days. First up is the Imperial Island Fort by BrickHammer, who has made the grade four times previously before this classic pirates-inspired outpost. It's a fun model that looks like it would pair well with Pirates of Barracuda Bay. Next up is Bike Lanes by MarcelSteeman, who is brand new to the 10k Club and made it with their very first submission. The MOC is designed to work with the recently-released LEGO City road plates to help add some realism and accessibility to your own city. Both builds feature cool details and techniques and could be great additions to the Ideas theme. We wish them the best of luck when they enter their upcoming review phase!

It's the first Tuesday of the month, and that means that not only are we going to play some LEGO videgames, we're going to be diving back into LEGO Dimensions! Come on by the BZPower Twitch channel starting at 7:30 PM Eastern as we revisit Springfield and the always-entertaining Simpsons. We'll definitely be playing as good ole Homer, but may be checking out Bart and Krusty as well! Stop on by to watch the fun!

The second season of the Bits N' Bricks podcast hasn't officially kicked off yet, but journalist Brian Crecente and documentarian Ethan Vincent are back on this May the Fourth to talk all things Star Wars, LEGO, and videogames! In this special episode, May the 4th Be With You, they talk to Matt Fillbrandt and Matt Shell from Lucasfilm Games about how the original LEGO Star Wars videogame came about, how the partnership has grown since then, some of their favorite moments, and what the future might hold! There are some great anecdotes and some fun history of Star Wars and Lucasfilm videogames, which was a nice nostalgia trip as I grew up playing the likes of Day of the Tentacle, Dark Forces, and TIE Fighter. Give it a listen and then go back to waiting for season two to launch - I hear there's some great episodes in store for us!

Earlier today, Hasan announced that the first LEGO Ideas review period for 2021 had closed, resulting in fifty-seven projects making it to the next phase. It would have been fifty-eight, but apparently one, Stadium Tour, was actually based on an IP that the builder did not disclose, which violated the rules. There's still plenty of other great MOCs though, with some very apparent trends. There's lots of modular-style creations, several castles, NASA and other space builds, Nintendo and a couple of other videogames, and, oddly enough, two pairs of bookends and two models of The Office. It's difficult to pick a favorite with so many to choose from, and I'm sure I'll forget about most right around the time we see the results of the third 2020 review period, which is coming soon! Congratulations and good luck to all of the builders!

It's time to check in with another impressive builder in another 10k Club Interview. We've already met him a number of times in the past, but why not meet Truman Cheng, the Creator of Spirited Away another time? Even if you remember some of the builder's background, you can still learn about their latest creation based on a Studio Ghibli film. As always there's some unique insight to be found and things to take away that you can apply to your own projects!

This past Friday the second LEGO Ninjago Legacy short was released, focusing on some more familiar figures this time around. Head over to the LEGO YouTube channel to watch Gold Rush, where Nya and Kai must work together and race to Borg tower to save the day. I dig the animation style and the more stylized looks for our heroes, and while the short is... short, it was still fun and action-packed. It's not very clear if or how it is connected to last week's Golden Legend video though. We'll have to wait and see as more are released to better understand the plan!

I woke up this morning and had to flip the calendar over to a new month, which meant it was time to give another LEGO set away! Drop what you're doing and run, don't walk, over to the 2021 Member Raffle #5 and make sure you've entered. One lucky winner will walk home with 75529 Elite Praetorian Guard from the Star Wars Buildable Figures collection, which features some unique elements and fabric pieces. All BZPower members can enter to win for free, and who knows, you might be like Syobnaf, the winner of our April raffle! Good luck to all!

From now until May 15th, Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass members can get a classic LEGO videogame for free. You can head over to the Microsoft store to pick up LEGO Batman, which is compatible with the Xbox 360, One, and Series X/S, so no matter which generation you have you can play this classic title. Even though it's been around for a while, I can attest to it still being fun to roam the streets of Gotham as the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder defeating enemies and trying out a variety of bat-suits. There's no reason to not pick it up if you're an Xbox Live member!

Recently another cool creation has entered the hallowed halls of the LEGO Ideas 10k Club. You should go check out the LEGO Astronaut by legotruman, who is no stranger to the 10k Club. This is their sixth time getting a project this far, and if they're lucky, it will become a LEGO set just like the upcoming Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night! Anyway, this project captures the look of a NASA astronaut taking a spacewalk, complete with a Manned Maneuvering Unit to keep them from getting separated from their shuttle. I'm sure it would make a great addition to many people's collections (like mine). We'll keep our fingers crossed for a favorable review result!

We're very excited to be starting our next live build tomorrow! Join us at 1 PM Eastern on Saturday, May 1st as we start assembling 71741 Ninjago City Gardens! This beautiful set looks like it will be a lot of fun to build and check out all of the intricate details along the way. There's no way we'll finish it in one go, so expect it to take up most of the month of May. See you tomorrow over on the BZPower Twitch channel as we stack bricks, chat, and give out prizes!

The second season of the US LEGO Masters is just over a month away, and today the twenty-four contestants have been revealed! In addition to the twelve teams from around the country, Will Arnett will be returning to host the show along with LEGO designers Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard as the judges! To learn a little bit about the competitors and this season of the show, read on to check out the press release.  

Recently BZPower member Ballom shared his latest creation on our Discord server, and it's sweet as honey. Go take a look at Alien Pollination, which features an awesome bumblebee getting some nectar out of an extraterrestrial flower. Today I learned that there's a hole in the bar on the 1x1 round plate with a bar (or the 'espresso' piece) that can attach to a sausage or a feathered plume or a bow. And let's not ignore that flower with it's lovely, vibrant colors and great use of purple Pakari masks from Mctoran Onepu! I think every time I've looked at it today I've noticed something new and cool like the Kanohi Mohtrek hiding almost out of sight. Go check it out yourself and see what you can spot!

Two new projects have achieved ten thousand votes of support on LEGO Ideas over the past couple of days, and I don't think they could be more different if they tried. First up is Welcome to the Black Parade! by VNMBricks, which you might recognize as the title track of a My Chemical Romance album, which is who this project is based on. As much fun as I've had jamming out to their music in Rock Band, I'm not sure this one will make it through the review process. Next up is the Fantasy Castle by LEGO Monkey, which looks like it could have come right out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with its goblins, dwarf, witch, and knight. I dig the varied architecture and fully-furnished interiors the builder included. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a favorable review result for both creations!

They've been keeping the new intern busy over at LEGO Ideas, and Kamila has now posted three 10k Club interviews in as many days. Since the last one we shared, you can now meet Gian Piero Lamanna, the creator of Jumanji of 1995 and Ivan Guerrero, creator of Avatar: The Illuminated World of Pandora, two builders with creations inspired by pop culture. As always, it's interesting to learn about what makes builders and their projects successful, as well as the different backgrounds they all come from. Go give them both a read to see for yourself!

And just like that, April is nearly done and gone, along with the first third of 2021. Before we turn over the calendars though, make sure you're entered in the 2021 Member Raffle #4! It's a free chance to win a free LEGO set, namely 75528 Rey from the Star Wars Buildable Figure collection. Straight from the big screen of everyone's favorite Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, the set has some uncommon elements that would be great additions to any CCBS collection! Best of luck to everyone who enters!

Earlier today The LEGO Group and Universal Music Group shared a press release announcing the next wave of LEGO VIDIYO products. There will be new Bandmates, BeatBoxes, and for the first time, stage models to add to the experience whether you're using the app or just making your own adventures. Most of the new sets are releasing on August 1st in the USA and June 1st everywhere else, with the next blind-box Bandmate collection coming out this October. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about the VIDIYO app, but the minifigures look excellent and I'm sure many will be excited to get their hands on them later this year!

After wrapping up The LEGO Movie Videogame last week, it's time to dive into something new! Since it's Tuesday, we'll be over at the BZPower Twitch channel starting at 7:30 PM Eastern to pick up The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame - do you sense a theme? I'm looking forward to diving into the unique mechanics of this title and seeing how long it takes me to pick them all up again. The road to 100% begins and we hope to see you there tonight!

Wasn't I just talking about how the number of projects joining the 10k Club had slowed recently? Well scratch that, because two new projects have reached ten thousand votes of support on the platform. You can start by checking out Lego DNA Double Helix Discovery by LegoDNA, a cool model replicating the building blocks of life in brick form. The model features superb attention to detail and could be a great addition to the Ideas theme. You can also take a look at Stadium Tour by Airbricks, which captures the feel of a heavy metal rock concert with our favorite toy elements. It definitely makes me look forward to the day we can go to concerts again! We wish them the best of luck when they enter their upcoming review phase!

Earlier today, LEGO Ideas Intern Kamila posted the latest 10k Club Interview for our reading pleasure. If you're a fan of British sci-fi or just like learning about different builders, you should head over to meet Bob Turner, The Creator of Red Dwarf Starbug. This is Bob's second time getting interviewed for his second Red Dwarf build that's joined the club, but he still shares a lot of insights about how he created a successful submission and his history with the brick. Head on over and give it a read!

Bionicle fans are amazing, I don't think there's any doubting that. Recently, a group of Japanese fans have finished work on translating the classic Mata Nui Online Game into their native language. This is a huge labor of love and it's fantastic to see the level of dedication that went into it. If you can't read any Japanese, you can check out this Instagram post for a little bit of background on the project and why it means so much to ibukkey and their compatriots. If you're interested in playing the fan-translated game, head over to Twitter where you can find more information in Japanese as well as the Microsoft OneDrive link to download it. I can't wait to see what our community does next!

You might remember from back in 2019 when concept art from The LEGO Movie 2 featuring Takanuva was discovered. Since then storyboards of a scene featuring a very different Takanuva have surfaced, which you can check out at the BioMedia Project. Additionally, Tammy Calamity has done some rough animation and a voiceover of the boards, which you can watch on their YouTube channel: Takanuva's Cut Intro from The Lego Movie 2. It's an interesting, if brief, scene, and while it would have been cool to see Bionicle get a role in the film, I don't think it would have had a huge impact and might have confused people by adding yet another character to the mix. I'm still glad we got to see this though!

It seems like the never ending pace of 10k Club projects on LEGO Ideas has been slowing down, but it certainly hasn't stopped. In fact, just today a new project has achieved ten thousand votes of support: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by FACEBRICKUP, based on the classic Roald Dahl novel, or perhaps the also-classic Gene Wilder film. Whatever the case, this project captures the look and feel of the source material and I'm sure would make a great addition to many people's collections. Perhaps we'll get lucky and it will become an actual LEGO set, but until we know for sure I'll just enjoy the beautiful MOC!