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LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu Makes for a Fun Asian Ghost Month Watch! (Part One)

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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The latest season of LEGO Ninjago is certainly worth watching during Hungry Ghost Month. In Asia, this tradition of entertaining spirits during the start of a new lunar month is widespread and based on folkloric beliefs. Some of what’s presented in the series comes into play, and it adds to the versatility of what this world represents. Although this latest season’s introduction is in part due to the events from the last story-arc, to see how much of the spirit realm influences daily life needs to be observed. Lord Garmadon is the blame when he had to cast powerful magic to open a portal to the Cursed Realm to save the day. He may have inadvertently traded places with Morro, a renegade spirit. When this ghost saw that Lloyd is the new Green Ninja, he had to figure out a plan in how to possess him.

But Morro also has a vendetta against Sensei Wu. He was a former pupil whom Wu thought was the chosen one. But when the master saw an ambition and arrogance that would rival even Darth Vader, he knew the boy was not the one (“Winds of Change”). The number of episodes made to tell this latest chapter is shorter than its early seasons, and the 10 episode count makes for a perfect weekend watch. The storytelling is top-notch and the Hageman Brothers have outdone themselves in how they pay respect to a few supernatural Asian traditions.

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Prepare yourself for LEGO Star Wars Droid Tales, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Some fans of a peculiar galaxy far, far away love LEGO, and it’s about time a new animation is made. The Yoda Chronicles was short lived and The New Yoda Chronicles (retitled due to rights ownership) just did not have the same quality that the previous season had. LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales is suffering from a similar fate. Ever since Disney acquired the rights, the consistency of this spinoff world has not been perfect.

When the directors and executive producers have changed between products, perhaps that’s the cause. The only person involved in all these shorts is Lucasfilm writer Michael Price. His plotting is quite good. Somehow, as more products have been made, the execution has not matched what was presented in The Padawan Menace. The way young Anakin is characterized in the premiere is familiar. He’s a touch annoying in the films but the fact he almost becomes Darth Vader is toyed with much like how Lloyd Garmadon in Ninjago wants to be evil.

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The Star Wars Saga Gets LEGO’ed One More Time!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

It’s no joke, the entire six episode Star Wars saga will get retold in an five-episode series titled LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales. Just how the saga will be portrayed will no doubt be from the perspective of R2D2 and C3P0 since they have been in every movie to date. Perhaps R2 a little more since he’s the messenger droid everyone is looking for. Just how 3P0 fits in is like the classic bundler.

But if they are not in every frame, the creators will find a way to introduce another droid to pick up from where another left off. Thankfully, this series will air on television just in time before Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18th.

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In Victoria, BC VicLUG Builds Comaraderie Step-by-Step

“People have varying interests,” says Joseph Williams, spokesperson for the Victoria LEGO Users Group (also known as VicLUG) “I can say I like the Wild West and I want to make it in LEGO.”

(left to right): Joseph Williams, Aaron Dayman and Steve Barker.

Brick by brick, nearly everything in the real world can be recreated with LEGO. These people can come from all woks of life, and it doesn’t matter how young or old they are to start building. “People have varying interests,” said Joseph Williams, spokesperson for the Victoria LEGO Users Group (also known as VicLUG) “I can say I like the Wild West and I want to make it in LEGO.”

Williams often hosts workshops for this club, known as VicLUG. They were formed in the late ’90s because the members—most of which are in their twenties and thirties—had a passion for building with LEGO. Most them have, pardoning the pun, built up a huge libary of spare parts through the many years of constructing and deconstructing themed kits. As they’re torn down, they can be used for new ideas.

“We have people who are architects and engineers,” noted Williams. “That’s primarily the LEGO fan community.”

The toy was invented by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and it is still manufactured in Denmark. Production began in the 40s and nothing has changed since. The concept of interlocking building blocks achieved huge success because of its simplicity—the endless possibilities of what can be made.

“It’s timeless,” said Aaron Dayman, an active member. “Every day, we can find that LEGO’s products are still a top seller.”

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Can Doctor Who Build a LEGOpolis?

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Fans should not get over-excited at the fact that LEGO Doctor Who is coming. The idea is great, but only one playset has won the attention of fans world-wide.

As long as more sets and mini-figures are being planned, then yes, it’s time to celebrate. And regeneration cannot be any easier in this universe where changing faces is as easy as popping a toy piece’s head off. That can lead to some amusing in-universe regenerations should more products and animated spin-offs get considered. The former is easy. Fans can build what they want. As for what will come from the LEGO company will depend on how much of a tight control BBC wants to hold over the property, but yes — the expansion of this particular franchise empire needs to happen.

No date is revealed as to when the Doctor Who playset will release. Andrew Clark from Firaxis Games pitched his idea of a TARDIS box, console and street-scene on the website, LEGO Ideas (formerly known as Cuusoo), and it received more than 10,000 votes required for the company to make the next step — to convince the British Broadcasting Corporation that fans want it.

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Criticisms Towards LEGO’s Incorporating Scooby Doo

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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LEGO’s mighty empire is going to get scarier with the inclusion of Scooby Doo into its line of licensed franchise properties. This deal will certainly reignite interest to some degree, but for fans who loved the darker take in Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, the chances of that kind of continuation will be sorely missed.

With the next cartoon, Be Cool Scooby-Doo, scheduled for broadcast later this year, the back to basics approach will have a selective appeal by older fans. Younger viewers will most likely eat it up, but the worry is with Warner Bros. Animation producing a 22-minute animated LEGO special featuring the characters. If it’s going to follow in the same direction as the painful to watch LEGO Yoda Chronicles than the excellently written Ninjago or Legends of Chima, the characterizations of the beloved Scooby gang are going to suffer. The series might take on a familiar design tone like in Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, where puppets were used.

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