Blocks magazine

Building, collecting and customising your LEGO

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Blocks magazine launches direct debit option for international subscribers

Posted by Tom Saunderson in NewsLeave a comment

LEGO fans around the world who want to stay up to date on Blocks magazine can now pay by direct debit, spreading the cost of a subscription across the year.

We know that paying for a full subscription up front isn’t for everyone, so Blocks magazine is delighted to announce that we are now offering direct debit payments to readers around the world. You can get your monthly LEGO fix while spreading the cost across the year.

Subscriptions for addresses in the UK, Europe and Rest of World areas are now eligible for direct debit payments. The payments are taken four times per year, spreading the cost as an alternative to an annual payment.

For those of you who like to just get it paid upfront and out of the way, that option is still available too! Our aim is to give readers as many helpful choices as possible.

To set up a direct debit subscription, email subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.

To buy a subscription with a one-off payment, visit the Blocks subscription shop.

Subscribers can get a bonus deal right now on the new Blocks Postman Minifigure, which costs just £5.99 using the code postie1 when ordered with a print subscription.

Print subscribers get the magazine early every month*, are in with the chance to win a new LEGO prize every two months and save money compared to buying the issues individually.

Get a taste of what LEGO goodness – including Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Ideas Grand Piano and LEGO House’s Stuart Harris – can be found in Issue 72 here.

*Due to delays in postage as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot guarantee how quickly magazines will arrive at present. They are always dispatched in time to arrive more quickly than they will arrive with retailers.

Special delivery! It’s the Blocks Postman Minifigure

Posted by Tom Saunderson in NewsLeave a comment

Blocks Postman Minifigure is the latest exclusive minifigure for LEGO fans and is in stock now.

As regular readers know, Blocks has been taking on reader feedback to offer the best magazine experience for LEGO fans. In the past year, Blocks has switched to improved paper, perfect binding and introduced an easy-to-use website.

But we’ve heard one thing loud and clear – Blocks readers want more exclusive minifigures to add to their collections! So here is the new Blocks Postman Minifigure.

Given that this year has seen more and more readers switch over to having the magazine posted out, the Blocks Postman Minifigure seemed like the perfect character to add to the collection. The minifigure is made of authentic LEGO elements, with exclusive printing.

‘Brickish Mail’ is a nod to the British home of Blocks magazine, but this postie is happy to travel worldwide. As well as featuring a satchel accessory, the minifigure comes with two exclusive 2×2 tiles. One features the classic Blocks minifigure and Brick Wife, while the other features a ‘Happy Birthday’ message so this can be given as a gift.

To really customise the minifigure, you can of course swap out the head and hat with others from your collection. We’d love to see the scenes you build and incorporate the minifigure into.

This exclusive Blocks minifigure is priced at £11.50 and is available to buy now.

For those ordering a print subscription, there’s a special deal – using the code postie1 at checkout, Blocks Postman Minifigure costs just £5.99.

Check out the latest issue of Blocks magazine and the 12-month and 24-month subscriptions available in our store. We also have a direct debit payment option available – email subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks for more information.

Issue 71 of Blocks magazine features LEGO Super Mario, Lamborghini Sián and more

Posted by Chris Wharfeon in MagazineLeave a comment

LEGO Super Mario leaps onto the cover of Issue 71 of Blocks magazine, available now in UK stores and online. Technic supercars, classic Pirates and moving builds are also packed into this latest edition of the monthly magazine.

Issue 71 gives LEGO Super Mario a full play through, both reviewing the sets and finding out from the LEGO team how they collaborated with Nintendo to come up with this unique technology-driven product theme. A look at Super Mario wouldn’t be complete without a look at that nostalgia-inducing Nintendo Entertainment System set, which gets the spotlight review.

Nintendo’s not the only brand with dedicated fans though, so Blocks takes the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 for a spin around the review track, before lining it up alongside the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Bugatti Chiron to take a deep dive into the design of the special Technic supercar series.

Adding motion to LEGO models can be great fun, so this month there’s a handy guide showing how to put together different mechanisms that can make minifigures move. There’s also tips on building historical weaponry, with plenty of useful ideas that can apply to various LEGO MOCs.

Brickset, the ultimate LEGO database, celebrates 20 years of helping fans keep track of their collection this year, so Blocks catches up with Huw Millington to celebrate the milestone and reflect on how the fan-driven website has evolved over the years.

There’s always room for some Blockstalgia, with this month’s look back at classic LEGO spotlighting Pirates – specifically the beloved Bluecoats. As well as revisiting several classic sets including 6276 Eldorado Fortress, the section includes exclusive instructions for building a mini Caribbean Clipper.

Elsewhere this issue, LEGO Art Design Manager Sam Johnson shares the thinking behind the new theme, the Blocks crew reveal their views on the cancelled Technic Osprey and there’s a countdown of the top 10 videogame sets.

Want to win 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course? To be entered into the new prize draw and to get Blocks magazine delivered every month – ahead of the shops – check out our money-saving subscription offers.

Everyone who subscribes to the print edition by November 1 will be in with a chance of winning (existing subscribers will automatically be entered into the prize draw).

Along with the 12-month and 24-month subscriptions available in our store, we now have a 3-month direct debit option available. If you’d like to set that up, get in touch at subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.

Issue 70 of Blocks magazine features Haunted House, LEGO videogames and more

Posted by Chris Wharfeon in MagazineLeave a comment

The latest issue of Blocks magazine is now available to order.

In an exclusive feature as epic as the games themselves, ’15 years of LEGO videogames’ looks back at every single LEGO game that has come from TT Games since Star Wars set the trend in 2005. Head of Design Arthur Parsons and four of his talented colleagues share unique insights, reflections and behind-the-scenes secrets as they look at the development of the games over the years, from Harry Potter to Marvel’s Avengers and everything in between. They even provide a sneak peek at LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

Physical bricks are never far from the Blocks crews’ minds though, with attention turning to the incredible Haunted House that recently launched in the Fairground Collection. As well as reviewing the set, Blocks sits down with Design Manager Jamie Berard to find out about the collaboration that went into designing this incredibly tall model. There are images showcasing the various sketch models and prototypes that the design team built, too.

With so many fairground and theme park ride sets now released, what’s the best way to set them up in a layout? A special feature looks at just that, showing how to build complementary models such as a ticket booth, entrance, shooting gallery and walkway. It’s not this issue’s only building guide, with Technique revealing how to put together attractive display bases.

As much as the LEGO hobby is a distraction from the outside world, lockdown has been happening – and now that he’s back in the office, Model Designer Milan Madge reflects on his experience designing a really, really big set away from the LEGO Group’s resources. Working from home might be tricky for anyone, but it’s all the more so with thousands of LEGO bricks to accommodate.

If nostalgia for LEGO themes had a name, it would be Blockstalgia. In this month’s edition, Blocks takes a look at Indiana Jones’ memorable appearance in the brick. Spotlighting three classic sets from the theme and introducing three new vignettes – one for each of the first three films – it’s a celebration of the whip-cracking archaeologist that belongs in this magazine.

The 116 pages of Blocks Issue 70 are rounded out with a guide to LEGO Super Mario, reaction to LEGO Art and an interview with the designers of the exclusive LEGO House Wooden Duck. All of the regulars are in there too, including Top Ten, Month in MOCs, Rebuild Challenge, Ideas Showcase and Piece Perception.

Everyone who subscribes to the print edition by September 1 will be in with a chance of winning (existing subscribers will automatically be entered into the prize draw).

Along with the 12-month and 24-month subscriptions available online, we now have a 3-month direct debit option available. If you’d like to set that up, get in touch at subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.