Dork Adore » LEGO

LEGO Star Wars Miniland is coming!

Tamsin Worrad — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:45:54 +0000

Last week saw an epic battle between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi take place on the face of Big Ben in the showdown of Good vs Evil with the Sith Lord even getting the tube home afterwards.

OK, it was the Big Ben at Lego Miniland in Windsor and not the real deal, but I don’t think that makes it any less exciting.

Star Wars characters cropped up all over the tiny London replica in honor of the opening of the LEGOLAND Star Wars™ Miniland Experience in Windsor this March.

Seven scenes (one from each film and one from The Clone Wars animated series) will be recreated in painstaking miniature detail using a mind-blowing 1.5million bricks and dozens of talented workers behind the scenes.

The scenes will follow a chronological path through the story, with lighting and sound effects bringing the whole experience to life.

I’m more than a little excited about this launch and I’m not sure I know a sci fan who doesn’t get giddy over the Lego Star Wars™ range. I know it’s wrong but there’s just something so adorable about tiny bad guys!

Are you a fan and will you be visiting when it opens? Let us know below or tweet us @dorkadore!

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LEGO does the Royal Wedding

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:23:38 +0000

Featuring 180,000 bricks (who counted?), almost 400 LEGO figures and at 2.5m high and over 60kg, this amazing structure was built by only four adults in eight weeks. It’s two and a half meters high and weighs over 60kg. The attention to detail is breathtaking — even the stained glass windows have been replicated using transparent bricks!

Other than the LEGO William & Kate the constructors used only figures/bricks currently available in stores so there’s no excuse not to have a go at home. The happy couple themselves were created specially for the construction at LEGO HQ in Denmark.

LEGO Westminster Abbey

The replica will goes on display today (Thursday 28th April) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester which a great day out in it’s own right and somewhere I loved as a child.

The 28th – 29th April will be dedicated to Europe’s first conference for AFOLS (Adult Fans of LEGO – who knew?) and attendees are encouraged to bring their own constructions to show off. You can take a peek at these yourself when the convention opens to the public from 30th April to the 1st May

Fear not if you’re not up North — the structure will then be going on a Royal Tour across Denmark, Holland and the UK.

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LEGO Star Wars T-6 Jedi Shuttle: Dork Review

Joanne Mallon — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:19:33 +0000

Sometimes I think the deciding factor when you’re a geek thinking of becoming a parent is that at last you will have an excuse to buy lots of cool Star Wars gear. I mean, why was there no LEGO Star Wars when we were kids?

Praise the Jedi, there’s plenty of it now.

Newly released for 2011 in the LEGO Star Wars range is the T-6 Jedi Shuttle. By now all the iconic Star Wars visuals have already been recreated in LEGO, so we’re down to the stuff you might not know as well, but which still looks pretty cool because, let’s face it, it’s Star Wars.

Cool points on this substantial model for the ace red and white design, rotating wing action, missiles to flick and a detachable cockpit that turns into an escape pod.

Four mini-figures are included: Anakin Skywalker (looking quite youthful, but already showing a penchant for dressing in black. We know where that’s going), Obi-Wan Kenobi (think plastic Ewan McGregor with wild staring eyes), and new Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Saesee Tiin (not the most well-known of Jedi, it’s true, but satisfyingly alien and complete with their own lightsabers).

LEGO is suitable for children

The box states that this set is suitable for ages 8 -14, and my son (nearly and I (let’s just say over 14) took around two hours to build it between us.

The instructions are fairly simple, but it is a complex build that you have to concentrate on to get right. We stopped and remodelled quite a few times.

I find that LEGO Star Wars models are never the sturdiest of toys, and with this one the wings have a habit of detaching themselves mid-battle. But then you can rebuild, mash them up with other models and create your own galaxy far, far away.

Which is how the best creative play starts.

LEGO Star Wars T-6 Jedi Shuttle™ (#7931 RRP £49.99) is out now. Currently reduced to £43.99 at Play.com and Amazon

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Bazinga! It’s the best of the craft blogs

Michelle — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:00:40 +0000

Another week, another round up of the very best geeky crafts to be found in the blogosphere, and I can tell you it’s all getting a bit stitchy this festive season!

There is still plenty of time to whip up this Space Invaders cross stitch on Sprite Stitch for your favourite geek this christmas
Lego and Star Wars fans will probably want to check out this Lego Death Star Ornament from Chris McVeigh.
knithacker delights us with a fabulous retro video game that combines banjo dinosaurs and hacked knitted machines in perfect harmony!
I am a massive Big Bang Theory fan so was instantly smitten with this Bazinga cross stitch sampler by craftster member LadyLeitzen

Let me know what has been catching your eye on the craft blogs recently!

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Free Pattern Download – Lego Capes from Zakka Life

Dork Adore — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:58:17 +0000

Another guest post this week from craft-loving blogger Michelle Duxbury.

As soon as I saw this fabulous and super simple tutorial from Zakka Life I just knew I had to share it. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to make personalised felt capes for their Lego mini figures? I know that technically it’s in the kids craft section, but I know lots of big kids who are bound to have a ball with this one.

So what are you waiting for, go download the template and get making some very special capes for your Lego folk right now!

Check out some of our other Craft posts.

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Radio goo goo: The best radios for kids

Emma Cossey — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:00:18 +0000

Listening to the radio in your car, on the beach or in the park is one of the best ways to spend the upcoming summer.

There’s also evidence that listening to the radio can be beneficial for young children as it can help develop speaking and listening skills.

With that in mind, I’ve rounded up some of the best child-friendly radios.

The PURE ONE Mini (£44.99) on the right is a compact and light portable radio that offers both FM and digital options. The simple interface and buttons make it easy for a child to navigate around.

Retro Classic

Lego is having a bit of a comeback at the moment, unsurprisingly really considering how simple yet awesome it is.

This Lego clock radio won’t just keep your kids entertained, but also get them out of bed with a brutal buzz or the soothing sounds of their favourite breakfast DJ.

Available from Firebox.com for £24.99

Sound and Light

Crayola have gone one better with this AM/alarm clock radio with added nightlight.

The radio comes with a personalised message, so you can let it yell at your kids to get up.

You can preset the radio stations and it also has a gradual wake up system if you’re feeling kind.

Available from Amazon.co.uk for £12.95

Stay cool

Once the summer arrives, your older children might appreciate this fan radio with LED lighting.

In fact, if you don’t mind being flashed by the LED nights all the time, it’s not a bad desk gadget either.

Available from Play.com for £5.99

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Five digital cameras for kids

Emma Cossey — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:00:42 +0000

I’m not a big fan of children having a never-ending supply of gadgets. Do young kids really need a mobile phone or a flatscreen TV in their rooms?

Digital cameras, like the Lego digital camera on the right (Boots, £39.99), are different though. They promote curiosity, provide permanent mementoes and offer hours of fun.

Fancy letting your child get click-happy? Check out these alternative digital cameras for kids.

Cheap and Cheerful

The Budz My First Digital Camera (Lloyds Pharmacy) on the left is definitely at the cheaper end of the batch at £10, whilst still maintaining the usual features.

They can use it as a webcam and a video camera too.

Star snapper

This chunky Fisher Price Camera, (£49.99, Boots) on the right is easy for little hands to grasp, and has a 1.5-inch LED screen so your child can view the images they’ve taken.

The 64MB of Flash Memory means it can store up to 500 photos.

Multi-Tasking

The Vtech Kidizoom Multipedia Digital Camera, is a multi-tasking little gadget. Not only does it takes photos, but it also records videos and is packed full of games to play through a TV or on the move.

You can buy it from Amazon for £61.40

Sticker Fun

This Sticker Wizard Digital Camera on the right is for the slightly older age bracket. As the name would suggest, the camera comes with sticker software so that the images can be printed out onto a specialised sticker sheet.

You can snap it up for £9.99 from Amazon.

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Dork Adore » LEGO

LEGO Star Wars Miniland is coming!

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LEGO does the Royal Wedding

LEGO Westminster Abbey

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LEGO Star Wars T-6 Jedi Shuttle: Dork Review

LEGO is suitable for children

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Bazinga! It’s the best of the craft blogs

Let me know what has been catching your eye on the craft blogs recently!

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Free Pattern Download – Lego Capes from Zakka Life

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Radio goo goo: The best radios for kids

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Five digital cameras for kids

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