We're hyped for the May premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness thanks to the film's numerous trailers, and the latest ode to J.J. Abrams's take on Captain Kirk and crew has us eagerly following the stop-motion drama from a Lego perspective.
Modeled scene for scene after the Dec. 17 trailer, watch the Lego Enterprise crew run from peril and question Benedict Cumberbatch's character's motives (including the through-the-glass Lego hand touch), with plenty of lens flares for authenticity.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hit movie theaters with larger-than-life geektastic action, but the small-screen version of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy story comes with something even more miniscule: Hobbit-size Lego. Yep, the Blu-Ray/DVD combo set for The Hobbit comes complete with a Bilbo Baggins minifigure.
The two-disc set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first installment of director Peter Jackson's trilogy, is available for preorder now at Target ($25) and ships March 19.
Watch geek prince Martin Freeman play the role of a lifetime, alongside Ian McKellen as Gandalf and his band of dwarves. If you missed the movie on the big screen, catch up on what folks had to say about the Lord of the Rings prequel and get your daily dose of all things Tolkien online.
This Spring, Lego lovers will be able to build amazing Legoscapes — on the back of their phones. Tech accessory maker Belkin recently announced a multiyear partnership with Lego, which includes a new collection of cases for iOS devices inspired by the iconic brick toy. The initial product line is designed for iPhone and iPod Touch, but Belkin hopes to expand their Lego series to other devices (perhaps Android and Windows 8 handsets?) as well.
The case collection isn't the only high-tech development for Lego this year. The company kept its grown-up geek fan base in good spirits by announcing the third-generation, mobile-focused EV3 robotics kit at CES in January.
The Belkin/LEGO line won't arrive for a couple of months, but here's a peek at what's to come.
Lego Mindstorms has come a long way since its original 1994 incarnation. Lego's third generation EV3 robotics kit ($350), introduced at this year's CES, has been modernized for mobile programming, with a wireless Bluetooth connectivity and an integrated smartphone app, and is compatible with Lego's older NXT 2.0 kits. The new EV3, a small computer that fits in the palm of your hand, has 16MB of memory and 64MB of storage, and the kit includes a motor, an infrared "seeker," and a touch sensor.
Kids 10 and up can play but, who are we kidding, this iPhone-controlled robot is for grown-up geeks too. EV3 will hit stores late 2013, but until then, you can take a peek at our favorites from the Mindstorms CES booth and a look at the new EV3 computer.
Your little one is growing up, leaving behind the sweet stuffed animals and baby dolls for action-packed toys designed to engage and excite. You probably know what your child's favorite toy of 2012 is — he either hasn't put it down since this Summer or has been begging you to put it under the tree for months — but what about you? Are you crazy for the new Wii U or more of a Nintendo 3DS XL gal? Are you secretly hoping Santa will bring you a Furby too? Or are you nuts about the new Lego Hobbit sets — after all, that many pieces can buy a mom a lot of free time! Tell us what your favorite big-kid toy of 2012 is below, and if we left out your top pick, leave us a comment and let us know.
(Top Row: Ybike Explorer Go Kart, Lego The Hobbit: The Goblin King Battle, Nintendo Wii U; Middle Row: Nintendo 3DS XL, Furby; Bottom Row: Twister Dance, Skylanders Giants Starter Set, Nerf Lazer Tag Blaster)
December can't come soon enough, because we're going to kick off our Christmas countdown with a 2012 Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar ($25). A new minifigure from our favorite space opera every day for 24 days? Uh, yes, please.
The set includes Darth Maul with a Santa-inspired hooded cape, fully equipped with a snow shovel to clear out the driveway for his Bloodfin speeder. There's also what seems to be R2D2 posing as a snowman (or the other way around . . . we're not exactly sure).
In any case, it looks like other Star Wars wonks have their eye on this LEGO calendar too, because it's already out of stock. But don't worry, Wookiees — more units are expected to ship on Dec. 18. If you just can't wait, you can pay a little more to order the set online from Toys R Us ($60) or Amazon ($51).
The Big Apple has gotten the Lego treatment before, but not like this. Motion designer and 3D artist J.R. Schmidt created this unthinkably detailed map of New York City. In Lego. To scale. All of a sudden, my mini Lego Starfighter doesn't seem so impressive. Sad.
J.R. took satellite imagery, then simplified the map down to pixels, with each colored pixel representing a different elevation. He rendered the pixels into Lego blocks to create a one-of-a-kind, true-to-life 3D model art piece. If, like us, you could stare at this mesmerizing rendition of New York City all day long, pick up a print ($15), iPhone case ($35), or iPod skin ($15) at society6.
Craving more creative inspiration? Check out other equally breathtaking digital pieces by the artist, like these geometric landscapes or this fantasy-tech-come-true video on the future of collaboration.
When the weather outside is frightful, let it Lego with master builder Chris McVeigh's spectacularly geeky build-it-yourself holiday ornament kits. Chris has compiled all the necessary parts for each project in kits available through his online store and has posted instruction guides and parts lists for additional projects on his website. Keep a close eye on the site for three more ornaments to come, but until then, check out this amazing collection of DIY Lego ornaments.
There are only 13 certified Lego professionals in the world — and one of them is New York-based sculptor Sean Kenney, who turned his childhood love for Legos into a full-time career. His piece de resistance is a life-size polar bear that took over 1,000 hours to complete. Like the work of a mason, Kenney's creations are built brick-by-brick, with a coat of glue between each layer for security. His large-scale Lego installations are on display around the world at gardens, landmarks, companies, events, Lego stores, and, now, GeekSugar. Here are some of our favorite pieces from Lego sculptor Sean Kenney's incredible body of brick work.
With season two of BBC and Masterpiece Theater's Sherlock complete, fans have too long to wait for new episodes of the detective and his trusty sidekick. Thankfully, the Internet always comes through for us, this time as a stop-motion animation of the season's climactic final scene with the role of Sherlock played by a cape-wearing Lego.
Watch the Lego-fied, spoiler-filled last nine minutes of the finale "The Reichenbach Fall" below. Again, spoilers ahead!
