News sets and parts for 2013

We rarely cover news on the blog but there are so many recent developments that it is worth covering the most important ones.

The biggest LEGO news of the week is the announcement of the new Mindstorms that is called EV3. It brings many-many new features starting with Android and iOS integration and also including 3D building instructions on an iPad. The biggest news however is simplification: the new EV3 brick can be programmed without connecting a computer. The goal of LEGO is that anyone should be able to build a working robot in 20 minutes after opening the box. You will be able to get it from stores in the second half of 2013 around $349.

First half 2013 sets are in stores already but we already have bits and pieces about the second half. You can see the full Technic range here but there are also many interesting new sets in the Creator line as well. Our favorites are the 42000 Grand Prix Racer and the 31004 Firece Flyer. By the way: starting from 2013 all sets have a five-digit number.

As a builder I am also interested in new parts. These have been discovered by my colleagues at the LEGO Military Group:

      

I like the second one quite a bit: an inverted tile that can be attached to the bottom of bricks. I hope an inverted slope is also on the works. I could also make use more colors - I probably have more wishes than I can afford. In any case, we look forward towards an exciting 2013.

2012

We still have a few days left of 2012, it is the perfect chance to look at what we got this year.

In 2012 had only 21 new posts, fewer than what I would have liked. But as some of you may have noticed, I try to post a fresh post every week. I hope to keep the momentum going into 2013 as well.

But instead of spending too much time on what has or has not happened here, let me look at another important event from my own perspective: kockagyar.blog.hu used to be the most popular LEGO blog in Hungary but it has closed its doors in May 2012. Since I have co-authored the blog, I have written about 60 blog posts.

I am most proud of the interviews - I managed to get in touch with two well respected LEGO builders. Mad Physicist is one of the most influential car and aircraft builders, you can clearly notice his influence on this blog as well. You can read part one and part two of the interview here.

Legomonster was interviewed by Lehi in person. I think this is interview is probably the peak of my blogger journalist career. Thanks kockagyar and thanks Lehi, we could not have done this without you!

These would probably have never been created without kockagyar.blog.hu and its single-person engine, tutuka.

Without kockagyar I will probably have to keep a lower profile. But bricksngears will continue well into 2013 with the weekly posts. Also, we have new builds ready to be shown, stay tuned!

Happy and LEGO-rich 2013 to all our readers!