I am sorry to say this year I didn’t make it all the way through Advent. We bought a house in November, and I tried to do the usual daily Advent posts while amid the chaos of preparing the house, packing, and moving, but it was difficult to keep up (even more than it usually is) and the last straw was after Day 15 when I had a sewage flood at my LEGO studio! I just couldn’t keep going, and stopped at Day 15, and by the time I would have been able to resume it was well into the next year and didn’t seem appropriate to retroactively be covering the holidays. Plus, I was pretty upset about the election results and busy with the new house. 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.
Category: LEGO Sets
Advent 2023 MOC Instructions
In Advent 2023, after the first week I built an original model of my own design each day using the parts from the Friends and Marvel sets. Here are the instructions to build these models. Like the calendar posts, each of these was originally a separate blog entry, starting with Day 8, and continuing with a daily post from then on out. Now, they are archived in a single post.
Advent 2023
I can’t believe it’s already December and time to crank up the old Advent Calendar engine once more! This year I purchased two of the available five calendars LEGO has released: Friends and Marvel. Like with last year, I’m doing daily YouTube videos as well as blog posts, so choose whatever medium you like… Starting on Day 8, I also designed original MOCs from the leftover parts – instructions are in a separate post. 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 2023 edition.
Like last year I chose not to do all 5 of the Advent calendars LEGO publishes, just these two. But if you want to build the others, here are some links to them on Amazon: City, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. (But please don’t support Harry Potter, due to the transphobic political views of J. K. Rowling.)
Advent 2022
Another year’s Advent has come around. Last year I decided not to do LEGO Advent, but I’m going to give it another go this time around with just 3 of the 5 possible Advent calendars. I’m doing the Guardians of the Galaxy, Friends, and City calendars. This year I also started making YouTube videos about each day’s builds. 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 2022 edition.
Birds on a Clock
LEGO set 21301 “Birds” from 2015 is a great model, and I found a new place to display it.
Advent 2020
2020 was the year I chose to only do the City Advent Calendar – no Friends, Star Wars, or Harry Potter. I wrote about that decision in a separate post. 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 2020 edition.
Why I’m only doing the City Advent Calendar this year
Over the past few years I have followed a tradition of blogging each of the LEGO Advent calendars every day from December 1st through 24th. I’d buy the 2, 3, or 4 calendars produced by LEGO that year, and each day during the lead-up to Christmas, I’d open that day’s models, and build, photograph, and blog about them. But this year I’ve decided to only do the City Advent Calendar 60268. (CW: Harry Potter)
Advent 2019
I can’t believe it’s already December! As I do every year, I’ve purchased all of the available LEGO Advent Calendar sets and for each day I will be posting photos of that day’s models and discussing them. This year we have four Advent calendars: City, Friends, Harry Potter (new calendar theme), and Star Wars. I was a day late getting started – out of town for the weekend. 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 2019 edition.
Book Review: LEGO Holiday Ideas
This Christmas, you might consider picking up a copy of the new book from DK, LEGO Holiday Ideas. The list price is US$14.99 or CA$18.99 but you can get it for less and support my blog by using the Amazon link provided:
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.
Advent 2017 MOC Instructions
For the first 24 days of this month, I posted my Advent 2017 posts with images of the three Advent Calendar models as well as that day’s Christmas Build-Up model. Also each day I built a MOC (My Own Creation) using the remaining parts from the Christmas Build-Up set. I made directions for each of these models and posted them in each day’s post, but in case you want to see them all in one place, there’s a gallery at the end.
Advent 2017
The time has come once more for the annual LEGO Advent calendars! This year we have once more the same three themes – City, Friends, and Star Wars – and like last year there is a 24-in-1 “Christmas Build-Up” set 40253. The latter was a freebie that you got in November for making a $100 purchase from LEGO – it’s no longer available from them, but you may find them on Amazon. (The Advent calendars may be sold out at your LEGO store as well, but using the Amazon links above helps support this blog and is most appreciated.) Once again I designed a MOC from the leftover Build-Up parts each day – you can find instructions for all of those in a separate post. 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 2017 edition.
The $800 LEGO Set
Today LEGO announced their largest and most expensive set to date, the new 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon.
LEGO Ideas honors Women of NASA
The LEGO Ideas team has announced the results from the second 2016 review and Women of NASA project by Maia Weinstock has been selected as the next LEGO Ideas set!
Advent 2016
Another year, another set of LEGO Advent Calendars. Once more this year we have three: 60133 City Advent Calendar, 41131 Friends Advent Calendar, and 75146 Star Wars Advent Calendar. But new this year there is another option, a 24-in-1 set 40222 Christmas Build Up, so on top of the usual City, Friends, and Star Wars calendars, I was also building a Build-Up model each day, plus designing my own MOC from the leftover parts! Instructions for all the MOCs are in a separate post. 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 2016 edition.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Sleigh and Reindeer from Advent calendar with 8 tiny reindeer added (based on the Rudolph from the calendar build, but with black noses) and a harness of my own design.
New page: LEGO Train Types
I’ve added a new page to the Reference section of my site, LEGO Train Types which outlines the various types of train sets LEGO has produced over the years.
Merry Christmas 2015
I used parts from the City, Advent, and Star Wars Advent Calendars to build this little scene.
Advent 2015
2015 was another year of three LEGO Advent Calendars: City, Friends, and Star Wars. I barely made the Day 1 deadline, posting at 11:46 PM! 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 2015 edition.
Each year LEGO produces several advent calendars, featuring 24 mini-models, one for each day of December through Christmas Eve. For several years I posted these entries each day on my blog.
If you haven’t gotten your Advent calendars yet, here are some links to them on Amazon: Star Wars, City, Friends.
Desktop LEGO: Easter Bunny and Trees
I won this bulk bricks box (#6177 Builders of Tomorrow) at the annual BayLUG raffle, and took it to work, where I built a couple things: Easter Bunny with two eggs, and a couple trees (not to scale).
Advent 2014
The time has come for my annual tradition of blogging each day of LEGO’s Advent calendars. This year again we have three calendars, for Friends, Star Wars, and City. I selected winners afterwards, rating the best and worst models across all three calendars. 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 2014 edition.
Set Review: 21009 Exo-Suit
In 1978, LEGO introduced the first Classic Space sets. I was 7 years old and totally thrilled. Now LEGO has returned at long last to that theme with the new 21109 Exo-Suit set from LEGO IDEAS.
Set review: 21108 Ghostbusters
One of the most exciting sets from LEGO of late is the 21108 “ECTO-1” car from the movie Ghostbusters. This is the first LEGO IDEAS set that I’ve purchased (21109 Exo-Suit, which I’m even more excited about, is being shipped to me as I write this).
Advent 2013
December is here, and it’s time for another round of LEGO Advent Calendars. This year we have three calendars: Friends (set# 41016), City (60024), and Star Wars (75023). This was the year the Star Wars calendar was based on Clone Wars, which I wasn’t very familiar with. 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 2013 edition.