Advent 2018

In 2018, unlike the last two, we don’t have a 24-in-1 set (“Christmas build-up”) to play with, unfortunately, so we’re back to just the basic Advent calendars in City, Friends, and Star Wars. As usual, each post was originally a separate blog entry, starting with Day 1, and continuing with a daily post about that day’s advent models. However, to clean up the site, I’ve condensed all those daily posts to a single post per year. Here’s the 2018 edition.

Day 1

The first day of the City calendar gives us a Shuttle-like spacecraft. I don’t recognize it as being any particular design – it doesn’t have the external fuel tank so it’s not the original Shuttle, and the Dream Chaser is supposed to be launched on the nose of a rocket, not married to an external booster with 3 engines, as this one seems to be.

For Friends we get a heart-shaped Christmas ornament, though it looks like if you were to hang it on the tree it would hang sideways? I don’t quite get it. I like the heart itself and the little flower decoration is nice.

And finally Star Wars gives us Obi-Wan’s X-34 landspeeder, from the original Star Wars movie. Note the port side engine is grey while the starboard side one is tan; one of the things that was unique about Star Wars when it came out was that it showed space as gritty and grimy and not all pure pristine and clean. The engine cover was missing from the landspeeder in the film on that side, a detail that is often omitted from models (including several LEGO sets). Nice to see they captured that detail at this scale.

Day 2

It’s the second day of the LEGO Advent Calendars. Christmas is just over three weeks away (22 more shopping days!) … are you ready?

So maybe this year’s hot Christmas gift is this snazzy colorful electric guitar (from the Friends) set, which the kid from the City set is all set to by for 5 cents (or maybe 5 kroner since it’s a Danish company after all?) which is a great price; no wonder there’s only one left! But Rose Tico is there from the Star Wars set with her blaster to take it from him! In fact their heads are both reversible to show how they feel about the situation:

Here’s the kid with the coin. (In case the price goes up, the set comes with a spare.) See above for the back side of his head.

The Friends set has this guitar (like the heart from day 1, and like the rest of the models in this year’s Advent Calendar, it’s a Christmas ornament). The small grey parts are spares.

And here’s Rose. Don’t worry if you didn’t identify her straight away; I didn’t either. I often have to refer to Jay’s Brick Blog to identify the Star Wars models, and Day 2 is no exception. See above for the back side of her head.

Spare parts were very generous on day 1, particularly in the City model (Space Shuttle-like ship). Today is more sparse – we get two cookies* (one dark grey with the “5” artwork, and one plain light grey) and a joystick/lever part. Star Wars has no extra parts; do I recall correctly that in the past they included bonus blasters for the small ones like this?

* I use the word “cookies” to refer to the Tile 1×1 Round part, regardless of color or printing. I started calling them that after seeing the Detective’s Office Designer Video (set #10246)

Day 3

On Day 3, we get a go-kart, a Christmas bells ornament, and some kind of Star Wars spacecraft.

The go-kart from the City advent calendar is a pretty straightforward traditional LEGO car design, easy to build. I put our minifig in the go-kart to see how that looked, but I don’t think that’s very safe to be driving standing up. And that is not a helmet he’s wearing!! Kids, don’t try this at home.

The Friends Advent calendar entry for Day 3 gives us a lovely little ornament of two golden bells with a sprig of holly. In the group photo I had the vegetation facing the wrong way, sorry, but here it is fixed.

Day 3’s Star Wars Advent calendar model was a mystery to me, so again we refer to Jay’s Brick Blog where we learn it is a ship called The Arrowhead, from The Freemaker Adventures, which apparently is another Star Wars spin-off cartoon that I’d never heard of. I wish they’d stick to models from the movies, frankly. It’s a somewhat simple build, good use of the jumper plates to attach the slope in the front (and also quite similar to the nose of the go-kart).

Here’s a rear view of the ship.

(Day 3’s post ran a day late; I uploaded the photos to Flickr on the 3rd but didn’t get around to writing the entry until the next day.)

Day 4

For the fourth day of our LEGO Advent Calendars, we get two nice little models in Friends and Star Wars, and three loose parts for City.

The City model isn’t even a model. You get a dog, a bowl, and a turkey leg. They don’t even hold together! The dog is cute, but come on LEGO you can do better.

Historically the Friends models have often been super simple like Day 4’s City model, but this year they’re all pretty elaborate and meant to be Christmas tree ornaments. This one is quite fancy, with 25 elements and 5 leftover parts. The nutcracker model is especially smart.

I’m still an old-school Original Trilogy fan when it comes to Star Wars, so again I had to check Jay’s Brick Blog again to learn that this was a micro-scale version of set no. 75182, Republic Fighter Tank, from Clone Wars I believe. 22 elements with 6 spares

Here’s a rear view of the model:

Day 5

Today’s Advent calendars yield a sled, a snowman, and a merciless killing machine.

The City model is a simple sled with a very small hill you can jump off. I was going to put the minifig on it, but after the go-kart experience on day 4 I didn’t want to give anyone ideas. I broke my arm when I was a teenager doing a jump in a toboggan, so it’s personal. No standing up in sleds! Or better yet, no jumping! Or maybe just no sledding. It isn’t safe! Just one spare part, in case a runner falls off.

The snowman in the Friends model is pretty poor as snowpersons go. Then again, it’s kind of hard to make spherical shapes in LEGO at this scale. I like the hat which also has a hole you can use to hang it from a Christmas tree though. Comes with four spare parts.

You’d be forgiven if you thought Day 5’s Star Wars model was the lovable Empire security droid turned Rebel Alliance fighter, K-2SO from Rogue One. At least that’s what I thought it was at first. But actually it’s a much more obscure and sinister droid, IG-88 from The Empire Strikes Back, a bounty hunter droid that was tasked with tracking down Han Solo, competing with Boba Fett for the prize. Again, thanks to Jay’s Brick Blog for help identifying him. Includes spare parts for the neck and both kinds of arms.

Day 6

We’re now 1/4 of the way through Advent! My how time flies. Today we get another snowman, a stocking, and micro Cloud City.

The City model gives us half a minifig snowman. Instead of legs it has a curved 2×2 brick. Notably, it has no coal (eyes and buttons). Conserving fossil fuels perhaps? He comes with a hot steamy mug of hot cocoa, which may not be a very smart idea for a man made out of snow… Comes with extra cocoa and a spare neckerchief.

In Friends we get what looks like a boot but I’m sure is meant to be a stocking (as in, hung by the chimney with care). Includes an extra flower.

Finally we get to the Star Wars model, which plays on the bounty hunter theme established on day 5 but in a very small micro scale. Cloud City with a cloud car flying beneath (not to scale though). Extras include the stick that supports the city and the one that supports the cloud car.

Day 7

At the end of the first week, we get a woman with a shovel, an old-style camera, and a Naboo fighter.

Here’s our shoveling lady from the City calendar – the mom of the kid from Day 2, I imagine?

Meanwhile Friends gives us another tree ornament, this time a camera with an old fashioned flash cube. I can just imagine the kids building this, saying “Mommy why don’t they just use their phone?”

Star Wars gives us a Naboo fighter. With this ship the Star Wars franchise made a break from the gritty, greebly ships of the Original Trilogy, with this shiny yellow and chrome ship. One of the many flaws with the Prequel Trilogy. But at least I recognized this for what it was.

Here’s another view of the Naboo Fighter.

Day 8

We’re now 1/3 of the way through Advent, and Day 8 gives us a drone quadcopter, a Friends Technic candy cane, and a battle droid.

Today’s City model is a remote-control drone. It has the usual spare parts of 1×1 round plates and tiles. I think it’s clever using the steering wheel part as propellers.

Here’s the bottom of the drone.

For Friends we get Technic pieces to form a candy cane. It can hang from a tree branch, but it won’t stand up in my photo rig. Includes an extra Technic pin, but not an extra of the blue half-pin half-axle, or the 2L axle.

Finally the Star Wars model is a battle droid with a gun and extra arms.

Day 9

For the 9th day of the LEGO Advent Calendars, we get an ornate lamppost, a rocking reindeer, and General Grievous’s Starfighter.

Day 9’s City model is a lamppost with a sprig of holly on it. I really like that we are now getting the feathers piece in green as it can be used for a lot of vegetation in models – but I’ll need a lot more than this to do much with it, even with a spare part. Other spares include a white 1×1 round with hollow stud (another very useful part), a spare cherry, the black “tap” piece used as decoration on the lamppost, and a spare transparent yellow plate.

Friends continues to deliver adorable Christmas tree ornaments, this time with a rocking reindeer. A clever 1-wide horse-like body is turned into a reindeer with the addition of antlers. We get spares of the 1×1 plates and the white cheese slope.

General Grievous is one of the regular baddies on the Clone Wars animated show, but he also appeared in Episode III. His ship, The Soulless One, is well rendered here in LEGO microscale in the Star Wars Advent calendar. Read more on Jay’s Brick Blog. It comes with five spare parts, all common 1×1 elements.

Here’s the ship turned upside-down so you can see how it’s built.

Day 10

We’re getting into the double digits – just two more weeks left to go! Day 10 gives us a pair of soccer goals and a ball, a candle, and a laser cannon.

Today’s City model is what appears to be a pair of (very small) soccer goals and a ball.

In Friends, we get a candle. (The hole near the top is so you can pass a string through to hang it on your tree, as all this year’s Friends models are ornaments.) There’s an extra 1×1 round trans red plate. Personally I’d rather see a flame element used here rather than just a transparent orange cone.

The Star Wars model is a minifig-scale (or droid-scale?) blaster cannon. Pew pew pew! Two of the extra 1×1 round trans red plates are spare ammo according to the instruction diagram, and the third one plus the trigger piece are just extra parts.

Day 11

Today’s Advent models are a microscale high speed train, a lantern, and Rowan Freemaker.

In the City Advent calendar on Day 11 we get a little high-speed train. It comes with a total of 9 grey 1×1 round plates with hollow stud (if you count the extra one), some dark blue plates, and bright light orange tiles and slopes (with extras of the 1x1s of course). I think I’d’ve used a transparent plate in the locomotive instead of going with all opaque, but other than that it’s a nice little version which is very hard to do at that scale.

Today’s Friends Advent model is a lantern suitable for hanging in your Christmas tree. Like the candle on day 10, I’m rather disappointed by how they made the flame. Still it’s a nice little assortment of parts, with four tall windows and a bunch of purple bits. No extra elements though.

Here it is deconstructed a bit so you can see how it was built.

Finally for Star Wars we get Rowan Freemaker, the protagonist of the Freemaker Adventures, according to Jay’s Brick Blog. I haven’t seen that show, so I don’t know him or anything about him. There’s an extra lightsaber handle included.

The back of the torso has some nice printing.

Day 12

We’ve reached the halfway point already! Only 12 more shopping days, folks! Today we get a frozen yogurt or ice cream machine, a trophy (I think), and Anakin’s starfighter.

Day 12’s City model is a nice little froyo machine (or maybe soft serve ice cream). Includes spare strawberry flavor (1×1 round) and spare handle (pistol).

Now this Friends model is weird. I think it’s some kind of trophy? And it has two points where you can hang it from, but both are way off center, so it doesn’t seem very effective as an ornament either. It’s really weird. They could do much better. Spare parts are the usual 1×1’s, Technic half pin, and star. The star on the trophy spins freely; maybe LEGO should consider making a 1×2 brick with a centered side stud?

Today’s Star Wars set, Anakin’s Starfighter from the Clone Wars animated series is nicely rendered here in yellow and dark grey LEGO. I really like the use of the relatively new curved slope with 45 degree cutaway part on the leading and trailing edges of the wings. R2-D2 is represented by a 1×1 white round plate, and there’s a spare in case his head gets shot off. There are also spares of the cheese slopes.

Heres a shot from the back of the starfighter.

Day 13

The thirteenth entries in this year’s LEGO Advent Calendars are a girl with an ice cream cone, a wreath, and an Imperial Troop Transport.

The City model goes well with the frozen yogurt / ice cream machine from day 12. There are bonus strawberry and chocolate round plates in case you drop any.

For Friends we get a lovely little wreath. I can’t say enough nice things about this design. There are extra plates to offset the leaves at the top and bottom which prevent them from conflicting with those on the sides, but also give the wreath a sense of depth. It is decorated with red flowers, of which an extra is provided.

Here’s another angle so you can see how it was built.

In Star Wars we get a little grey box. I didn’t recognize it except I guessed it was one of those Imperial hovering vehicles. Jay’s Brick Blog reveals it to be an Imperial Troop Transport, which according to the Star Wars wiki appears in various of the spinoff cartoon shows like Star Wars Rebels but not in any of the main movies. You get an extra black antenna/lever and light grey 1×1 round plate and cheese slope.

Day 14

Two weeks into Advent – just ten days left! Today we get some Christmas gifts and a stocking, a piano, and a pair of assault rifles.

Today’s City models are a trio of gifts – a stocking, a hat box, and some kind of weird shaped gift. With a raft of bonus 1×1 parts left over.

In Friends we get this cute little piano. Only has 6 white keys, so not even an octave. But adorable. And there’s a “Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle on Side – Closed Ends” behind the sheet music so you can hang it from your tree.

The Star Wars model bothers me. I don’t like guns, and LEGO used to be pretty strongly pacifist. Remember when the early Star Wars models used megaphones turned around for blasters? These realistic rifles bother me a lot, especially in the modern era with all the mass shootings we have in the USA.

Or maybe we can look at this a different way — the two guns remind me of antlers, and it has a red nose… it’s a bust of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

Day 15

Day 15 of the Advent calendars gives us a Christmas tree, some cupcakes, and a Star Wars baddie.

City gives us a lovely little Christmas tree. The ornaments are 1×1 round transparent plates in blue and yellow, and the angel is a nanofig, all of which we get an extra of!

In Friends we get a Christmas ornament featuring some cupcakes in a tic-tac-toe (Naughts and Crosses for UK folks) board.

Since 6×6 is too big for the little boxes we get four white 3×3 plates!

The Star Wars model is a Death Trooper from Rogue One.

Here is his face.

Day 16

In day 16 of the LEGO Advent Calendars, we get a little cupcake cart, a giant cupcake, and a scary space monster.

In City, we get this lovely little cupcake vending cart. The wheels are done by putting a 2×2 round tile on a 1×1 brick with a side stud, which is a nice effect. It’s a pretty elaborate model as City Advent models go. Includes one bonus cupcake and two icings.

Today’s Friends model is a giant cupcake! Again, a pretty elaborate model, and a rare case of cross-theme Advent model similarity. The only extra part is the red flower.

On a different footing, the Star Wars entry is a Rathtar from The Force Awakens. I thought at first this was the Sarlacc from Tattooine, the monster that nearly eats our heros in Return of the Jedi. But ” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>Jay’s Brick Blog says it’s this other beast, which according to the wiki page is related to the Sarlacc. Includes bonus mouth parts.

Day 17

Today is day 17 of the Advent calendars, and we get two figs and a rollerskate.

Today’s City model is a baker in one of my favorite minifig patterns, the tan sweater. Includes two bonus cookies.

The back side of the sweater has a nice print too.

Today’s Friends ornament is a boot with skates, in a very 80’s style. There’s an extra Technic half-pin (which is how the wheels are held on).

In Star Wars, we get this guy.

I don’t recognize him, but I have seen The Force Awakens so I have no excuse. Jay says he’s a Guavian Death Gang Soldier. Here he is from the rear:

Day 18

It’s the 18th… just one week to go until Christmas! I really should get busy with those cards. Anyway Day 18 gives us a weird little offroad vehicle, a sweets vendor, and a TIE Fighter.

The City baffles me. I guess it’s a 4×4 truck? with a little hill to jump? I don’t really understand. Extra windshield and hood are provided in case you flip it.

Friends gives us another sweets themed model, this one a cupcake kiosk. Lots of leftover parts in this one.

And finally Star Wars gives me something I recognize! An Imperial TIE Fighter from the original show! But wait, why is one of the struts red? Nooo, it’s a First Order version according to Jay’s Brick Blog. Oh well, at least the sequel movies are ones I’ve seen. Includes a couple of 1×1 parts as leftovers.

Here’s a rear view so you can see the red bit on the port side strut.

Day 19

The 19th day of the LEGO Advent Calendars gives us a trio of nice little models…

In City we get a pair of remote control cars and a crazy amount of bonus parts! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a LEGO model with such a high bonus parts to regular parts ratio.

Day 19’s Friends model is a gingerbread man that you can hang from a tree, but you can’t stand it up in your lightbox apparently. Also a few nice bonus parts.

Lastly we get an AT-AT walker from Star Wars. Or an AT-ACT (cargo version, from Rogue One, rather than the attack walker from Empire Strikes Back), according to Jay. Minimal bonus parts, though the main model has quite a few elements.

Day 20

Can you believe it’s just 4 more days to go? Today we get a micro scale piece of demolition equipment, a snowflake, and a shuttle from Rogue One.

Today’s City model is a nice piece of microscale demolition equipment. Includes spare hollow stud 1×1 round plate, trans-smoke cheese, Technic pin, and spear. The spear seems to have been changed; it used to be pointier, and used to come as a pair of spears on a sprue.

The Friends model is a snowflake. Four-sided snowflake though; not exactly accurate. But hexagons aren’t easy in LEGO. Includes a spare 1×1 round plate.

And in Star Wars we get the Zeta-class Cargo Shuttle from Rogue One, according to Jay’s Brick Blog. I really like the relatively new black 1×1 round with a bar coming off the side, of which an extra is included, along with the cockpit glass 1×1 plate.

Day 21

Happy winter solstice! Day 21 of the LEGO advent calendars gives us a festive clock, two wrapped gifts, and a speeder bike.

Day 21’s City model is a candy cane themed clock. I really like that clock tile and can imagine using it in a lot of models. Just one spare part though, a 1×1 plate.

Our Friends gifts are two nice little rectangular packages suitable for placing under the tree (or hung from it, thanks to the little loops on the ends). Just one extra part though, a spare star.

The Star Wars model however really delivers on the extra parts. It’s a pretty excellent model of the speeder bikes, as seen in Return of the Jedi (and other films and TV shows). Unfortunately it’s not quite to minifig scale, as the saddle is just 1 stud wide and the handlebars are not spaced appropriately for the minifigs.

Day 22

Day 22 of the Advent calendars is here, and we get a robot, a microscope examining a heart, and a Tattooine Christmas tree.

The City model is a microscale model of a ginormous robot rampaging through the city. And it’s quite a spare parts festival – perhaps those are the buildings he’s already destroyed!

He picks up the skyscraper!

Here’s the view from the back. I guess he decided to put the skyscraper back down. That’s a relief!

Today’s Friends model is a microscope examining a heart. Awww. Just two 1×1 round plates for spare parts.

And for Star Wars we get a moisture vaporator (remember the opening scenes of the original Star Wars movie, where Luke was working on his aunt and uncle’s moisture vaporators?) decorated for the holiday.

Day 23

It’s Christmas Eve Eve and Day 23 gives us a helicopter, a Christmas tree, and a man with a gun.

The City model for Day 23 is a cute little helicopter. It includes a half dozen extra parts, all the 1x1s.

Meanwhile in Friends we get a nice holiday model, a Christmas tree. There’s a spare ornament and star.

And of course Star Wars has a man with a gun. According to Jay’s Brick Blog, it’s Antoc Merrick, aka Blue Leader from Rogue One. No spare parts this time.

The head has an alternate print on the back:

Day 24

Christmas Eve is here! The 24th and final day of LEGO Advent Calendars gives us Santa Claus, a weird little vehicle, and a snowman.

The 24th City model, as usual, is Santa Claus himself. There’s an extra beard in case he decides to shave and changes his mind.

On the back of his torso you can see a candy cane tucked into his belt.

In Friends we get a weird little vehicle. I guess it’s a steam locomotive? If so, it’s not very realistic. Spare parts are a Technic half pin (how the wheels attach) and a 1×1 gold round plate.

The final Star Wars model is a snowman, featuring a Rebel Pilot helmet. I love the printing on the face! The one spare part is an extra arm.

Recap

Christmas has come and gone, and we’ve built all 72 models from the 3 LEGO Advent Calendar sets. After building all those models we have quite a few spare parts left over!

Here are all the City models.

And here are the Friends models. I should show them hanging from a Christmas tree, but I didn’t set one up this year. I am thinking about setting them aside to put on next year’s tree though. In the meantime you can see some of them hanging from a tree on the Brothers Brick post from Day 24.

Finally here are the Star Wars models. See also Jay’s Brick Blog for a more in-depth wrap-up of the Star Wars calendar.

This gallery shows all the images from Advent 2018: