Is there a more iconic brand than LEGO?

I doubt it, and as an adult they are still so much fun to play with. One of the issues is the branded Lego is usually really pricey, even if they look so cool. F1 fans are very lucky with the more reasonably priced LEGO Speed Champions: Formula 1 range.

How do they look?

The cheaper smaller kits always make me nervous as the blockiness can distort the image too much.  Well not the case here! These cars may be small, but they are impressively detailed. This is thanks to them consisting of over 250 smaller LEGO pieces. This means they keep their iconic LEGO look, while being impressively detailed.

Each of them also come with a LEGO character in the full driver outfit of the relevant brand, which just adds the touch of awesome to them when they sit on your shelf. Whether they are in the cockpit or standing by the car looking cool, it looks awesome.

What are they like to build?

I played with the BWT Alpine F1 Team A524, the Aston Martin Aramco F1 AMR24, and the KICK Sauber F1 Team C44 play sets. Well, my son and I played with them. The BWT is 258 pieces, the Aston Martin is 269 pieces, and the Sauber is 259 pieces. That’s a lot of pieces in a small car. Despite that, putting them together is fun as ever thanks to the really well designed booklets that come with them.

My 11 year old and I got them built reasonably easily. He only just beat me when we had a little race, but don’t tell him I said that. Like most LEGO sets, it’s really relaxing and cathartic just following the instructions and making them.

The hardest part, as always, is the stickers. God I wish LEGO would just print it on the pieces because I can not get the things straight to save my life. But that’s very much a me issue. If you are a normal human, I’m sure it is piece of cake to build.

One really amazing little detail is the front of the book has a fun fact about the actual car, and they vary from car to car. The Alpine compared the number of parts in the actual car to the models parts.  The Sauber mentions the time to build from the car to the model. The Aramco mentions the length of the actual car to the length of the model in studs. It’s just a fun little detail that my son was always super excited to share with me.

Should you pick them up?

Do you like F1? Well, these are super cool collectables to put together.

Are you a LEGO fan? If yes, these are a lot of fun to put together, and look dope as hell.

Or are you just wanting something to get a teenager for a present? With F1’s massive explosion in popularity you really can’t go wrong here.  Best of all the kit sets are surprisingly reasonable for a fully licensed property.

The post LEGO Speed Champions Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

From crafting pixel-perfect replicas of their iconic Golden Arches and world-famous menu items to stacking block upon block into full-on restaurants, fans have been building their love for McDonald’s in MINECRAFT for years.

And now, inspired by their imagination and the global big screen adventure A MINECRAFT MOVIE debuting in theaters on April 3, 2025, we’re bringing the film’s cinematic world to McDonald’s fans of all ages with a Minecraft Movie Meal Deal and Happy Meal.

Starting on April 2, 2025, fans will enter the McDonald’s portal with the new limited-time meal, including exclusive collectibles and matching cards that unlock additional in-game experiences, a fiery hot sauce inspired by The Nether, special pixelated packaging, and more.

“It’s truly exciting to see Minecraft and McDonald’s come together in such a creative way both here in Aotearoa, and around the world,” said Kylie Freeland, Managing Director of McDonald’s NZ & Pacific Islands. “Both brands share a passion for creativity and connection, and this collaboration is a fun, new way for our community to experience McDonald’s.”

A Minecraft Movie Meal stars one of the six A Minecraft Movie x McDonald’s themed collectibles inspired by McDonald’s most beloved characters and menu items, and popular Minecraft treasures. Elevate your mining sessions with a Big Mac Crystal, Birdie Wings, Fry Helmet, Grimace Egg, Soda Potion or Zombie Hamburglar – and collect them all to stock up your inventory. Each collectible comes with a matching card and a code that fans can scan to unlock the exclusive skin in the Minecraft Marketplace.

In addition to the collectibles and cards, McDonald’s App customers have the chance to purchase an exclusive McDonald’s Minecraft Marketplace add-on using their MyMacca’s Rewards points. Fans who purchase the pack will receive a one-time redeemable code to unlock a McDonald’s Add-On pack which includes additional components to your game play such as McDonaldland characters, builds and tools.

Fans can choose any favourites medium combo (Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, McChicken, Cheeseburger, Filet-O-Fish or 6 pk Chicken McNuggets) for their A Minecraft Movie Meal. Craving a saucy kick to your Chicken McNuggets? Pair it with a side of Nether Flame – a limited-edition hot sauce inspired by The Nether with crushed red pepper and flaming cayenne, balanced with hints of garlic and sweetness.

So, head to your local McDonald’s starting April 2, 2025 and join us on a legendary A Minecraft Movie adventure, while supplies last.

The post The World is Yours to Build w. McDonald’s appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

 Wizards of the Coast invites players and fans around the world to join in celebrating an iconic piece of gaming history with Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY.

Launching June 13, 2024 the set represents a rich universe with iconic elements that fans have come to love over the franchise’s history. Fans will see characters from every mainline FINAL FANTASY game, each depicted through the lens of Magic: The Gathering.

This upcoming set features the largest collection of FINAL FANTASY artwork ever in a single game, drawing from across the franchise. Magic artists have brought moments from FINAL FANTASY to life in their own unique style while classic FINAL FANTASY art pieces make appearances on these epic cards.

Fans will see their favorite stories, characters and moments from FINAL FANTASY depicted across Magic cards, with these icons of the series captured on over 100 legendary creature cards across the entire release.

The FINAL FANTASY artwork truly shines in a series of Borderless Cards. Borderless Character Cards feature 55 legendary characters with eye-popping backgrounds, while Borderless Woodblock Cards are inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock paintings, and feature intricate artwork of the summons.

There are also Borderless FINAL FANTASY Artist cards, featuring fan-favorite artists from the history of the series.

Finally, as a celebration of this incredible collaboration, FINAL FANTASY Through the Ages showcases iconic Magic cards with FINAL FANTASY artwork. These cards form a Bonus Sheet for the set featuring existing artwork from the FINAL FANTASY series, which highlights artists such as  天野喜孝/YOSHITAKA AMANO and 野村哲也/TETSUYA NOMURA, names that FINAL FANTASY fans will surely recognize.

Each Commander deck for Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY tells the story of an individual game from the franchise, letting you relive playing FINAL FANTASY VI, FINAL FANTASY VII, FINAL FANTASY X, and FINAL FANTASY XIV in a brand-new way.

Wizards of the Coast will also be releasing three Secret Lair drops alongside this set to capture the worlds of FINAL FANTASY in Secret Lair‘s always iconic, always stunning style. More details will be available closer to the set’s release.

The set is available for preorder now at local game stores, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.

The post First Look at Magic: The Gathering – FINAL FANTASY appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ravensburger, publisher of award-winning board games and high-quality toys and puzzles, has announced that Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game (TCG), the collectible trading card game, is now available in limited quantities.

Booster packs and starter decks of the next three sets will be released in the coming weeks; Rise of the Floodborn (June 15th), Into the Inklands (June 29th), and Ursula’s Return (July 13th). The full range of Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game products will be available from August 9th, 2024 with the debut of the TCG’s fifth set.

The Disney Lorcana TCG is a brand-new trading card game (TCG) set in the wondrous realm of Lorcana, where players take on the role of Illumineers and wield magic ink to summon a team of Disney characters known as glimmers, who appear in both familiar and fantastical ways. Disney Lorcana TCG was designed to be easy to learn and welcoming for TCG newcomers while still offering strategic depth for experienced players. The game also features more than 200 original pieces of Disney art that collectors and Disney fans will adore.

In Disney Lorcana TCG, players embark on a search for lost lore with their teams of glimmers. They’ll play characters, actions, and items from their hand and choose whether to “quest” for lore with their glimmers or challenge their opponents. The first player to collect 20 lore wins.

The first four sets of Disney Lorcana TCG are available in limited quantities and a variety of ways:

• Disney Lorcana TCG starter decks, each including a ready-to-play game deck and quick start rules as well as a lore counter, game tokens and a randomised booster pack
• Disney Lorcana TCG booster packs of 12 randomised game cards each, including one foil card and two cards with rarities of rare, super rare, or legendary

The post CALLING ALL ILLUMINEERS! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

McFarlane Toys has announced the signing of a new licensing agreement with VIZ Media, producer of manga and anime.

This collaboration marks an exciting new chapter as McFarlane Toys expands their anime collectibles with the iconic BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War series.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the upcoming line of 7” scale action figures capture the essence of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War characters. Featuring ultra-articulation and boasting up to 22 moving parts, fans can expect a full range of dynamically posable characters and endless play possibilities.

“We are excited to be partnering with VIZ Media and BLEACH to bring these unique and interesting characters to life. McFarlane Toys is always on the look for super cool brands and BLEACH is one of them. I think anime fans will be eager to add these action figures to their collection.” – Todd McFarlane, Founder and CEO McFarlane Toys

“We at VIZ Media, are looking forward to the release of these beautiful BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War figures with McFarlane. Whether you’re a lover of BLEACH from 20 years ago or new to the BLEACH fandom, these figures will not disappoint. We’re excited to be bringing the Soul Reapers and Quincies to life with McFarlane!” – Stephanie Fradue, Sr. Manager of Licensing, Hardlines.

The BLEACH product launch is late Summer 2024 and will be available both online and at select retailers.

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As celebrations for the LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary continue throughout the year, fans should hold on tight to their TIE Interceptors as a lot of exciting things are happening. May the 4th be with you!

New 25th anniversary products are coming for May the 4th including the TIE Interceptor building set that was part of the first launch of the Ultimate Collector Series in 2000 is back in a new and redesigned version. Admirers of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi can relive the action of the movie, as they recreate the distinctive wings, detailed cockpit, and laser cannons of the magnificent LEGO Star Wars TIE Interceptor building set.

The 1,931-piece set is an impressive 40 centimetres/16 inches long and comes complete with an exclusive TIE Pilot minifigure and Mouse Droid figure, currently limited to this set. The model is mounted on a stand with a printed plaque and includes a printed brick (3.2 centimetres / 1.3 inches wide, 0.8 centimetres / 0.3 inches long and 3.2 centimetres / 1.3 inches high) with the LEGO Star Wars anniversary logo.

Fans of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace can dive into building a dynamic snapshot of Tatooine with the Mos Espa Podrace Diorama building set. The 718-piece display set includes Anakin Skywalker, the Arch Canyon and a plaque with Qui-Gon Jinn’s advice: “Remember. Concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don’t think. Use your instincts.”

For those who have already ventured to the dark side, the 640-piece Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator building set could be ideal. Fans can fold out the wings and retract the landing gear for flight, fire the 2 spring-loaded shooters and press the trigger to drop 3 DRK-1 probe droids from the front compartment. Alternatively, fans can check out the brick-built destroyer droid, Droideka set with 583 pieces. Those who prefer brick-built display characters are also in for a treat with the set of six collectible LEGO BrickHeadz figures featuring the characters of Jar Jar Binks, Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Captain Panaka, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul.

For Star Wars: Revenge of the SithTM fans, there is also a BrickHeadz Clone Commander Cody set. Anyone who is team Grogu will be happy that they can now immerse themselves into the building experience of the 221-piece BARC Speeder Escape alongside Kelleran Beq.

And the May the 4th celebrations continue in LEGO Fortnite, with exciting new LEGO Star Wars content to discover in the survival crafting game beginning May 3rd, 2024.

Fans should keep their sights to the stars in LEGO Fortnite later in the month.

“May the 4th be with all LEGO Star Wars fans! We are excited to continue our 25th anniversary celebration with an exciting line-up of new sets, events, and experiences for fans to enjoy. I’m looking forward to seeing how fans choose to celebrate all things LEGO Star Wars on this iconic day around the world,” said Mike Ilacqua, Head of Product, LEGO Star Wars products at the LEGO Group. Fans are also invited to join the 25-Second Film Festival, which will be open until April 22nd and culminates on May 4th 2024 when the festival truly kicks off, with all videos featured on the LEGO YouTube channel, as well as highlights on LEGO.com.

The film festival is inviting fans to submit their own 25-second clip that recreates their favourite Star Wars moments or forges a new one with LEGO Star Wars building sets and minifigures they treasure.

The new LEGO Star Wars products will be available from 1st May 2024.

The post May the 4th be LEGO appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The LEGO Group has just announced details on their brand-new LEGO Animal Crossing sets, inspired by the video game series from Nintendo.

Millions of people have found their happy place while playing Animal Crossing. Now for the first time, that world is coming to LEGO brick form.

The five new play experiences, created in partnership with Nintendo, allow LEGO builders to explore the world and characters from the video games, and play out different stories in the brick-built landscape. The sets have been developed to fit together easily and offer a high level of customisation, for instance it’s possible to switch elements between buildings – including the window frames – with one simple click.

All sets can be adapted, mixed, and changed, enabling builders to create their own worlds and make the settings unique to them. Builders aged 6+ can get creative and imaginative by bringing their favourite scenes and characters to life in the physical world with LEGO Animal Crossing.

The new range will include build experiences such as Julian’s Birthday Party, where builders can celebrate with Julian, share cupcakes, and open presents. Bunnie’s Outdoor Activities allows enthusiasts of the great outdoors to roleplay, setting up a tent, roasting marshmallows or using the vaulting pole to jump across the water, and grab the shovel or other recognizable tools from the video game series. Kapp’n’s Island Boat Tour gives fans the opportunity to board the boat and explore another island with Kapp’n and Marshal, go on an adventure to search for coconuts and bamboo, discover wildlife, hermit crabs, and fish or simply hang out and enjoy the fire.

Isabelle’s House Visit allows builders to get creative and help Isabelle and Fauna customise Fauna’s house and enjoy activities like opening the balloon present, crafting tools, or picking fruits and flowers. And Nook’s Cranny. & Rosie’s House gives builders two locations where they can roleplay stocking up Nook’s Cranny shop or go to Rosie’s house for freshly baked cookies.

“To us, Animal Crossing is all about creativity and roleplay, so bringing that to life in physical form using LEGO bricks and creating new minifigures has been fun for the team” said Simon Kent, Creative Lead, Design Director at the LEGO Group. One of the challenges was to make sure that customisation of the sets was simple so builders could experience the freedom they have in the game. Additionally, creating the minifigures to make sure they were accurately representing the characters in the video games was very important for us. We look forward to giving kids the opportunity to play with their favourite characters from Animal Crossing!”

“The Animal Crossing video game series is about creating a world where you freely build the life you want, and now with LEGO bricks, you can build that world with your own hands in the real world too” said Aya Kyogoku, Game Producer of Nintendo Co., Ltd. “Putting the sets together is only the beginning. Kids can use the furniture, plants, and more, included with each set, to customise them or even combine multiple sets to create their own village.

There are so many different ways kids will be able to express their creativity based on what they like, which can evolve as they grow. We hope that the world of Animal Crossing and its characters, now also in the form of LEGO bricks, can bring smiles to people’s faces by being a part of their day-to-day lives.”

Since its first release in 2001, Animal Crossing continues to be one of the most popular franchises on Nintendo platforms.

The new LEGO Animal Crossing sets will be available globally.

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Star Wars: Unlimited is a new trading card game from Fantasy Flight Games set in the Star Wars universe.

We checked out the 110-card Spark of Rebellion Two-Player Starter Set.

I seem to have gone full circle. It was FFG’s excellent X-Wing miniatures that got me back into tabletop games and then on to Magic the Gathering. Now here I am with an FFG Star Wars TCG that is very reminiscent of the Wizards of the Coast game.

The Star Wars Unlimited Spark of Rebellion Two-Player Starter Set is based on the original trilogy of movies: A New Hope to Return of the Jedi. This kit has Darth Vader leading the Empire and Luke Skywalker leading the rebels.

The kit has all you need to get going with the game. There are two decks, one for the Empire and another for the Rebels. There are also a couple of deck boxes, some cardboard tokens and folded paper playmats. The paper playmats have set-up instructions and reference panels to get you into the game faster.

Each 52-card deck has a leader card, either Luke or Vader and a base card, Cloud City or The Death Star. The rest are units, tactics, and events. There are also six upgrade token cards.

The first thing that struck me was the art on the cards. The colour-line-drawn images have a comic-book look that gives them a unique style. These are a lot different than the more regular painted cards included in the X-Wing game.

The game starts with each player having a hand of six cards. The base and leader card are placed in the boxes on the playmat. Two cards from each player’s hand are placed in their resource boxes.

The game is played over a series of phases, the first being the action phase. At this time players attack and use abilities against their opponent. Each card has a cost. Unit cards have a power number and HP. Power is how much damage the unit dishes out whereas HP is how much it can take. Upgrades can add to a unit’s power and / or HP.

The game is unique in that battles are fought on the ground and in space, with units dedicated to each. Units can only attack opponents’ units in the same arena (ground or space), or the base. As well as attacking opponents’ forces, units can also directly attack the base. Each base starts with 30 hit points and the game ends when on player’s base HP reaches zero.

Leader cards have a unique ability available to the player from the start of the game. But they also have an epic ability that can be used only when enough resources are available to deploy them in the ground arena. The leader’s card is then flipped to become a unit card. This epic action can only be used once per game.

The regroup phase allows players to draw two more cards. Optionally, one card can be selected from the player’s hand as a resource card.

As with all collectable trading card games, decks are supplemented by booster packs. A Spark of Rebellion booster pack contains 16 cards: one leader, one base, nine commons, one rare, one legendary and one foil card.

The game is easy to pick up, especially if you have played other TCGs. The 24-page quick start rulebook does a pretty good job of explaining this but does leave a few gaps. I had the same issue with X-Wing to start with, but that’s what the Internet is for. To be fair, the Star Wars Unlimited website has loads of information on how to play the basic game as well as variations such as premier, draft play, seal play and the multiplayer-focused, Twin Suns.

It’s still early days for Star Wars: Unlimited but it is already an easy-to-play dynamic card game that offers players a lot of fun with some beautiful card art. Fantasy Flight Games have good form in supporting and enhancing their games with new rules, card types and organised tournament play. It’ll be exciting to see what other packs get released from across the Star Wars mythos.

The post Star Wars: Unlimited Spark of Rebellion TCG Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

STG’s Darren Price was invited to the launch of the new expansion for Magic: The Gathering, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. As a follow-up to the 2017 Ixalan expansion, players are invited to return to the mysterious jungles of Ixalan with a few surprises in store.

Magic: The Gathering is a fantasy collectable card game originally inspired by tabletop fantasy role-playing games. Two or more players take on the role of Planeswalkers using spell cards and mana (land) cards to battle each other and reduce their opponents’ life points and win the match. Earlier this year the game celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Players select their deck for each game, strategically choosing cards that align with each other, reflecting their play style, and the anticipated style of their opponents. Deck starter kits are sold to help new players easily get a deck together.

Each card has a unique piece of art on the top portion with a description of the card’s mechanic on the lower portion. There are special cards and chase cards that can be found in the various deck kits and card packs.

It can be overwhelming at first, but the gameplay scales quite well to players’ ability. It had been decades since I last played the game and I was totally lost when I first returned to the game, playing with my kids. The best way to learn Magic is by just joining in and giving it a go. If that doesn’t work for you, there’s a free mobile app, Magic: The Gathering Arena which has tutorials and allows you to use your actual purchased cards, via a redeemable code found in each pack.

Wizards of the Coast, the publishers of Magic: The Gathering chose Fortress Sydney as the venue for The Lost Caverns of Ixalan launch event. Fortress Sydney is a themed gaming event centre and tavern in the heart of Sydney. The location regularly hosts esports tournaments in a dedicated arena.

For the event, Magic fans in attendance received their own Commander deck at the door and were able to take their place at one of the many tables on the arena floor. Whilst the event was restricted to over 18s (likely due to the free-flowing alcohol), it was great to see fans old and young coming together for a preview of the new Magic expansion. Also in attendance was special guest Gavin Verhey, a Principal Game Designer for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast.

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan expansion continues the game’s program of tie-ins with licenced properties started with the Universes Beyond decks, The Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth, and Doctor Who. Lucky players may come across one of the 26 collaboration cards featuring characters and themes from the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movie franchises.

This, the ninety-eighth Magic expansion, adds three new game mechanics and new commanders. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan adds 291 regular cards to Magic: The Gathering. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan cards are sold in packs that include Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Prerelease Packs, Bundles, and Gift Bundles.

Collecting the cards is as much a part of Magic: The Gathering as playing the game, with some cards fetching a small fortune. The one-off One Ring Magic card is purported to be worth between $1 million to $2 million.

With The Lost Caverns of Ixalan launch at Fortress Sydney, Magic: The Gathering goes from strength to strength as part of the resurgence of tabletop fantasy gaming that can be enjoyed by the old and young. If you’ve not tried it already, I recommend you give it a go.

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Get excited, Whovians, because Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston is coming to New Zealand for two special events in February 2024.

The Ninth Doctor will be joined by a line-up of Who actors, including the 12th Doctor’s companion Pearl Mackie, to meet fans in Auckland on February 24th, 2024 and Wellington February 25th 2024 .

Organiser William Geradts, who runs the Armageddon Expo, says the aptly-named Lord of Time events coincide perfectly with the show’s 60 year milestone. “Doctor Who is one of those cult classic shows that spans generations,” he says. “Being a huge fan myself, I’m very excited to be a part of the celebrations here in New Zealand. Christopher Eccleston is a massive drawcard for Whovians, so I’m sure we’ll have loads of people joining us to mark 60 years.”

He says this will be the first time fans will have the chance to meet a new generation Doctor in New Zealand.
“Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor, was here in 2015 for an evening speakers event – but this is something completely new because fans will be able to chat with Christopher Eccleston and get an autograph and photo with him.”

Tickets and tokens for the two Lord of Time conventions are on sale via iTicket for Auckland and Ticketmaster for Wellington. Among other Who events in the country will be Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction exhibition in Wellington.

The exhibition will run for five months from June 1 at  Tākina , Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, giving fans of the hit BBC television series 2024 the opportunity to come face to face with the show’s iconic characters, share the Doctor’s adventures, and explore some of the worlds visited on screen.

It is the first time the exhibition has left UK shores.

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