Lego's August Releases Are Going Merry

Gizmodo

11 hours ago

Lego usually has quiet months and big months in terms of releases, but by far and away the two most important times of the year for Lego—and most threatening for your wallet as a Lego fan—are the start of it in January and the height of summer in August. The latter is finally here, and Lego has a lot of options for if you want to beat the heat by staying inside and building bricks.
A lot of options.
With dozens upon dozens upon dozens of new sets arriving today, it's hard to really break down particular highlights, with almost every major Lego line getting at least a couple of releases, alongside stalwarts like Marvel and Star Wars getting massive new waves. There are even a few entirely new lines making their debut amid the mania too, like the highly anticipated arrival of Lego One Piece, inspired by the Netflix adaptation. Check out all those, and more, in our roundup of the most interesting sets arriving this month!
Lego has a few Technic sets out this month, but the standout in our genre-nerd eyes has to be this amazing rover set, inspired by the fabled Lego Space line. The kit comes with a primary moon rover, as well as smaller builds for a mining rover and MAPP rover, and some moon rocks they can collect into a sample container. ($100, available here).
The multibuild creator sets are always an opportunity to sneak in some nods to other Lego lines, and August's offerings include a pretty fun new Lego Castle set for any medieval fantasy fans (introducing a new faction) and a cutie-spooky Monster Fighters homage in the Haunted Mansion. But then, consider this! There is also Beautiful Horse. Its beauty is, perhaps, in the eye of the beholder.
Inspired by the first season of the Netflix live-action adaptation of the seminal anime and manga, Lego is going all out for the debut of One Piece as a line, right in time for the excitement around season two. From small sets to massive adult-focused kits like the Baratie, there's something for every fan of the show here—but of course the highlight has to be the Going Merry, which comes with the complete (up to this point in the series) Straw Hat crew in one place.
Speaking of Netflix shows gearing up for season two! Just in time for the first volume of Wednesday's return to hit the streamer next week, Lego has concocted a buildable black dahlia flower, complete with minidolls of Wednesday and Professor Thornhill. ($28, available here).
It's a big Spider-Man wave for Lego Marvel in August, but there are some more Avenging sets around, like sets inspired by Iron Man 2 and Endgame. That doesn't stop the webslinger from taking the prize, though, in the form of a subway train set inspired by the classic one Lego released for Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2.
The Mario line has been on a bit of a karting kick lately, and August is no exception. But not every set is about that kart life: we get a couple of fun Toad buildable sets, including one inspired by Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
The first Decepticon to join the Lego Transformers line, Soundwave can transform between robot and cassette player mode and comes with buildable (and similarly transforming) Ravage and Laserbeak minions that can sit in his tape deck. He even plays sounds from a special brick built into his torso unit! ($190, available here)
Away from the glow of the movie release, things are back to normal for Lego Minecraft, which offers a special piece of gaming advice this month: maybe don't build your house out of TNT.
It's a very big and very expensive month for Star Wars fans with an eclectic mix of sets on offer—from a tease of the next Lego Star Wars animated adventure to a new UCS AT-ST and even some buildable characters in the form of K-2SO and Wicket.
This cute gaming model replicates a classic arcade machine, which in itself hides a little gamer cave for the included minifigure to hang out in. ($40, available here).
There are still a few more villagers and locales Nintendo and Lego can add to your islands this month, including Blathers' museum!
Metal Sonic strikes in the handful of Sonic sets we get this month, which splits Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails across two different villainous battles.
Cultural reappraisals aside, one thing that's always been beloved about Batman Forever is its slick Batmobile, which Lego is wonderfully recreating in this new display model—complete with a minifigure Batman inspired by the film's Sonar Batsuit. ($100, available here).
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.