Brick Update

I was pleasantly surprised to see new Spider-Man LEGO sets at my local toy shop. I picked up the new Ghost Rider set:

When I go to Toys R Us, the most interesting finds are the little polybags and small boxed sets that are usually not on my radar. This time they had the Ninjago battle pack, and I wasn’t expecting to find the snowman set. I had remembered that being a seasonal promotion only at LEGO Stores — not something you find in June at Toys R Us.

Whenever I look at LEGO at a store like Toys R Us, what is always fascinating is seeing what I would call the “leftover” themes — the sets or themes that I can’t believe are still on the shelves, long after LEGO has shined a promotional spotlight on them. This time, there was that one Hobbit set on the shelf that jumped out at me.

Probably the highlight of this trip was the Captain America polybag.

My first trip to the LEGO Store this year, their Flatiron store. It was nice to see the new modular, the Ghostbusters HQ, and others. My honest take: I can’t keep justifying spending $200+ on so many of these big sets. I’ll still be collecting, but fewer and fewer purchases:

I’m still surprised that Barnes & Noble continues to carry so many toys, but it was nice to see some 2016 LEGO sets on the shelves already.

It was fascinating to see the LEGO stock at Toys R Us, a week after Christmas. The Star Wars sets were almost completely wiped out, as expected. A bunch of 2016 sets were on the shelf. The rest was a mixed bag.

Well, the toy sections are pretty much geared up for the holidays. Here is LEGO at my local Target in early November, 2015:

Here is a look at the LEGO section at my local Target:

I stopped by Toys R Us to see what LEGO they had to offer. As usual, an enormous double aisle display, plus a big row by the front door. New Star Wars: The Force Awakens sets were in stock, as were exclusives such as Wall-E, Big Bang Theory, and Ghostbusters:

I stopped by the LEGO Flatiron Store: