For another twelve days, you can pick up some of LEGO videogames at a deep discount for Xbox. Some of the best deals I spotted were LEGO Worlds for $5.99, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga for $4.99, LEGO Jurassic World for $4.99, and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Deluxe Edition for $5.24. If you'd like to see the full list, head on over to Major Nelson's blog to see all the LEGO and other game deals!

Over at National Geographic, yes, that National Geographic, Daryl Austin recently penned an article titled, "The inside story of how a 'band of misfits' saved Lego," peeling back the years of fan and company interactions. It's a very abridged recounting, and hopefully you can get over the use of the word, 'Legos,' but there's some cool stories in there and it's clear that the author did their research, reaching out to the likes of Jake McKee and Christina Hitchcock. I enjoyed the walk down memory lane, and if you weren't an adult fan in the 1990s and early 2000s, you can learn a little about how we got from being shunned to having LEGO Ideas and a whole range of sets for adult builders!

Maybe if so many projects weren't reaching ten thousand votes, we wouldn't be posting stories about 10k Club interviews every other day. But that is not the world we live in, so go read the two latest ones that Kamila has shared. Go meet Tiago Catarino, Creator of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Paradise and Nikita Tuzhikov, Creator of Medieval Marketplace to learn about their LEGO Ideas journeys. I think this might be the first time I can think of where two people had the same favorite piece. Head on over and read to see what it is and why!

I was reminded recently that while we picked the winners for the Pride Month Rainbow Build Challenge, we never highlighted any of the entries. So let's fix that! First up we have the Chromaleon by _pohaturon, which is vibrantly-colored and a perfect animal choice for the prompt. Next up is a crab created by lord_dracqi using only the pieces of the six Rahkshi sets, thereby guaranteeing a multicolored build. Finally we have the Nui-Jaga by Chuck Nofel, featuring not one but six scorpions each built in its own unique style. Go check them all out and thanks to everyone who participated in the #everyoneisawesome build challenge last month!

Over on the LEGO Ambassador Network, LEGO historian Signe Wiese and AFOLET member Sara Skahill shared an interesting look back at the earlier days of the company. Go learn about how the First LEGO Ferguson Tractor was more expensive than the real thing, and how that plastic tractor plowed the way for the brick we all know and love. I knew the company made other plastic toys before switching to building blocks, but I had never heard this anecdote. It's always interesting to expand your knowledge about LEGO history!

We have one more giveaway to celebrate BZPower's twentieth anniversary, and it's a bit of a goofy yet hopefully unique one. Everyone can head over to enter the BZPower 20th Anniversary Flying Disc Giveaway for a chance to win a collapsible Bionicle frisbee dating back to somewhere around 2005. I don't remember these ever releasing in the US at least, so even if you can't build with it, it's still a unique piece of Bionicle memorabilia. And don't forget to checkout the other giveaways and raffles currently going on to see what you can win and help support great causes like The Trevor Project and BALT!

Over the past two days Kamila from the LEGO Ideas team has shared two more behind-the-scenes looks into the lives of builders. You can go meet Brent Waller, The Creator of The X-FILES: I want to believe and grizzled 10k Club veteran, as well as Marcin Draminski, Creator of Castle of Lord AFOL and The Black Knights. It's nice to see the juxtaposition between someone who has been through the process before, including getting their idea on store shelves, and a fresh new face to the scene. Check back soon for more, because I'm guessing the torrent of interviews isn't quite done yet.

It's time to finish our coverage of Bio-Cup 2021 Round 2. This time we're going to take a look at the champions, the MOCs that passed this round. And they're quite good, so continue on to check em out.  

If you had told me twenty years ago that in two weeks' time I'd discover a website that would change my life forever I don't think I would have believed you. 'Changing my life,' might sound a bit extreme, but the friends I've made and experiences I've had because of BZPower over the last two decades have become intertwined with who I am as a person. There have been plenty of highs and lows, and there are many things that could use more attention than I have time for these days, but this community continues to hold a special place in my heart. I can't begin to thank everyone enough, from our admins: Dimensioneer, Binkmeister, Bionicle Rex, mfuss903, Ninjo, Kaiapu, and of course Tufi Piyufi, to all of our past and present staff, and every single member that has come through our virtual doors over the years. It's a testament to all of you that we're still here after all this time with no plans to go anywhere. Happy anniversary BZPower, and thank you all for twenty unforgettable years!

After another mini-break, LEGO Masters will be back tonight with a new episode! To celebrate, we once again have an interview with the most recent team to be eliminated, which was conducted by a panel of other fan sites who asked the questions, and the final interview was transcribed by Megan from Brickset, Flynn from The Brothers Brick, Tom from True North Bricks, and BZPower's reporting team. Let's read on to learn about this latest fantastic team to give the competition their all!  

Tonight we're going to be doing our last LEGO videogame stream for the month of July, before BrickFair lets us take a two week break. You can stop by the BZPower Twitch channel at 7 PM Eastern to watch us dive back into The LEGO Ninjago Videogame as we head back into the that world to work on our 100% collection. We're getting pretty close to the end, so there's a slim chance that we can wrap things up tonight. So come on by to watch us jump, race, and smash our way to victory!

Our coverage for Bio-Cup 2021 Round 2 continues. Today we're looking back at the main pool and the entries that didn't continue on but still look pretty good. Read on to see em all.  

It looks like the LEGO Ideas team is churning through their 10k Club interviews, and today Kamila has shared one with Artem Bizyaev, creator of Hyrule Castle, Baba Yaga, and A Map of Middle-Earth. Go give it a read to see how this Russian builder made three very different projects and found success with each one. It's interesting to see the different paths each model took, as some were helped and others hindered by social media. It's always nice to get a glimpse behind the curtain!

The LEGO AFOL Engagement Team has a couple of surveys going on right now where they are looking for feedback from fans. The first survey is about AFOL passion and helping the company learn more about us. You can also take a survey to test a new landing page the company is considering that they would like our feedback on. Go make your voice heard!

After a bit of a hiatus the LEGO Ideas team has started up their interviews of 10k Club members again. You can go meet Florian, Creator Of The King's Castle and Steampunk Airship and Pablo Sanchez, Creator Of Claus Toys, The Lisbon Tram, The Sewing Workshop, who have five projects in review between them! If you want to learn how to make a successful project, or just what makes them tick, go give them a read!

The front page was pretty busy yesterday, so we waited until today to share the announcement of 75309 Republic Gunship, the latest addition to the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series. The set contains 3,292 pieces and will retail for $350 when it launches on August 1st. You can read the full press release in the LEGO Newsroom or head to StarWars.com to hear from Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, creative lead of LEGO Star Wars, and Hans Burkhard Schlomer, designer of the set. It's certainly an impressive feat of LEGO engineering, with some great design features and details, and one I'm sure many fans will be excited to add to their collections.

The anniversary train keeps-a-rolling, and earlier today we kicked off the BZPower 20th Anniversary Web of Shadows TV Spot Raffle where you could win a Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows TV Spot Disc and support BZPower while you're at it. If you'd rather build something with your hands, don't forget about Official BBC Contest #78:The Good 20-20!, where the entry deadline of July 18th is fast-approaching and some awesome prizes are up for grabs. And of course we have four other raffles going on right now, some of which are free while others support some great causes.

Today we're sharing a review of an upcoming LEGO set from the BrickHeadz theme. Joining past figures representing different holidays and seasons is 40492 La Catrina, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead. More variety and diversity is always appreciated, and I'm sure this set will appeal to a wide variety of people. So, is this colorful skeleton going to find a place in your collection? Or is it an old bag of bones not worthy of your attention? Let's go and find out!  

I'm not quite sure what BZPower Mister N is planning, but if all the art is as awesome as Bioventure #1 - The Fallen Star then I'm here for it. Clearly there's a lot of mystery surrounding this crashed pod, but it gives off those great 2001 vibes that I'm always a bit nostalgic for. The red flag is of course reminiscent of the Ko-Wahi section of the Mata Nui Online Game, and those carved rocks look somehow familiar too... Go give the piece a closer examination, and if you want to learn more, consider following on Instagram.

Two new projects have achieved ten thousand votes of support on LEGO Ideas over the past couple of days. Capturing some classic European architecture is the Traditional German Cottage by sNICKers77, recreating an alpine house you might expect to find on the edge of the Black Forest. On the flip side we have the Outer Solar System Explorers by Geroditus, recreating six spacecraft that have taught us so much about our home in the stars. The two projects are quite different, showing off the variety that the platform enables. We wish them the best of luck when they enter their upcoming review phase!

Another week, and another episode of the Bits N' Bricks podcast has dropped, focusing this time on a fan favorite theme: Rock Raiders! In Season 2 Episode 28 - The Fans, Devs, and Remake of RTS Classic LEGO Rock Raiders, hosts Brian Crecente and Ethan Vincent talk with Ferdinand Kostler, Karl White, a former programmer from Data Design, Alan Sokol, owner of Rock Raiders United, and Simon Eriksson, developer of Manic Miners. They discuss the creation of the original videogame back in the 1990s, the passionate fan communinty that formed around it, and the projects to update and remake the game for modern times. After this, the team is taking a break until the end of August, so we'll see where they decide to go in season 3!

The LEGO Ideas team has sent out an email blast letting people know that the time for the next LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series set is almost here! After receiving more than thirty thousand votes in the fan poll, the Republic Gunship set will be revealed tomorrow, July 15th, at 9 AM Eastern time on the LEGO YouTube channel. The reveal will be hosted by David Hall aka Solid Brix Studios and will feature LEGO Designers Jens Kronvold Frederiksen and Hans Burkhard Schlomer. I'm definitely excited to see the model and am glad the prequels are getting some UCS love after a long hiatus.

It's that wonderful time of the week where we carve out an hour or so to play some LEGO videogames! After dipping back into LEGO Dimensions last time, we're going to be back in The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame tonight. So come by the BZPower Twitch channel starting at 7 PM Eastern to watch our ninja prowess as we explore The Lost City of Generals collecting, collecting, and collecting. See you there!

The LEGO Group is going all out when it comes to Creator Expert Vehicles this year. First it was the Porsche 911, then the vintage pickup, and today that are announcing set 10279 Volkswagen T2 Camper Van! A follow-up to 2011's 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, not only is this set a step up in VW models but in the impressive variety of techniques used to achieve the look of the classic vehicle. The set is releasing on August 1st, contains 2207 parts, and will sell for $180 in the US. To learn more about the set and to check it out from every angle, read on!  

There's only a little less than two weeks left to send your MOCs on the 2021 Convention Circuit if you'd like them displayed at BrickFair Virginia. It's shaping up to be a packed show and we want Bionicle to be back in force for its twentieth anniversary! If you're shipping your MOCs, you need to make sure they arrive by next Friday, July 23rd, so don't dilly-dally. It's a win-win scenario: you get free sets and we get to make the displays even better. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the awesome creations that everyone has been building and sending in to the convention!

Things have certainly been picking up steam over on LEGO Ideas recently, with two new projects achieving ten thousand votes of support. You can go check out the GameStop Classic Shop by MCHLN, which got its votes in less than a week despite the simple and straightforward build. Then you can take a look at Airport Firetruck Rosenbauer Panther 8x8 by redera00, a 10k Club veteran who has submitted several impressive Technic models in the past. This one is no different, and is jam-packed with functions and accurate details. We wish them both the best of luck when they enter their upcoming review phase!

Bio-Cup 2021 has finished with Round 2, and now it's time to start featuring some of the MOCs, even as the pool has rapidly shrunk. Before we look at the main round, we'll feature a few of the MOCs from the Redemption Round that was building for the contests theme, which was to build futuristic recreations of old legends from around the world.  

The new LEGO Technic Ferrari 488 GTE had the privilege of traveling the Modena racetrack in Italy, being carried by the real Ferrari 488 GTE. As documented on LEGO.com, the set was attached to the racecar and then driven at full speed through the track with cameras and drones capturing every angle for an upcoming video. Besides the marketing potential, LEGO can now say this car has reached speeds of 208 km/h like the real Ferrari. This cool event was witnessed by an Italian LEGO fan as part of a national contest for LEGO Technic. Check out the photos and details in the link.

For the second time is two years, San Diego Comic-Con will be held virtually in your home. Unlike last year, however, The LEGO Group will be attending, as can be seen on the Exhibitors Page. The event will run from July 23rd through the 25th and feature tons of pop culture panels. There's no word yet as to what sort of LEGO presentations or news we can expect to see, so we'll have to wait two weeks to find out!