October 2020 LEGO Buyer’s Guide – MINDSTORMS, 1989 Batwing and Baby Yoda
While October may not be a huge LEGO release fest, there are some gems on the way, including a new generation of MINDSTORMS, Star Wars 75318 The Child and Batman 76161 1989 Batwing
Fan favourites are dominating LEGO Star Wars and LEGO DC Batman this month, with 75318 The Child offering Baby Yoda to coincide with The Mandalorian Season 2 and 76161 1989 Batwing rewarding 31 years of patience for those who adore Michael Keaton’s wonderful toys. There’s also a new generation of MINDSTORMS, titles for the bookshelf and deals on the way.
To help make those all-important LEGO shopping decisions in October, here is the very best of what is on the way this month.
Baby Yoda, king of memes
Theme: LEGO Star Wars Price: £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.97 Pieces: 1,073 Available: Now (pre-order)75318 The Child
Will Baby Yoda, or as he is technically know, The Child, be as popular this time around as last time? While the surprise of the character won’t be there in Season 2, once audiences see his adorable expressions on screen they are sure to fall in love all over again.
75318 The Child is available to pre-order now, and fans who want to own this set before Christmas would be safest to get an order in. Many sets have been selling out on release date, so by the time October 30 comes around there’s a good chance the set will be out of stock.
Did you know?
- This is one of two sets that includes the tiny Baby Yoda figure.
- The Child character combines practical and digital effects, represented on set by a puppet but with digital artists also working on the character.
- Lucasfilm was able to keep the character entirely secret until the end of The Mandalorian’s first episode.
Wonderful toys
Theme: LEGO Batman Price: £179.99 / $199.99 / €194.95 Pieces: 2,363 Available: October 21
Last year’s 76139 1989 Batmobile was a pleasant surprise, and fans can pair that LEGO creation of the vehicle with the other amazing machine from Tim Burtons’ Batman. 76161 1989 Batwing can even be wall mounted, so the lack of shelf space excuse can be quickly dismissed.
Launching on October 21 for VIPs, this will hopefully stay in stock for longer than last year’s 1989 set did. That probably all depends on whether there’s an appealing gift with purchase this year – nothing has been announced so far…
Did you know?
- The set was announced on September 19 – Batman Day 2020.
- It takes just one well-aimed shot from Joker’s gun to bring down the Batwing.
- Tim Burton’s Batman film was the first time the name Batwing was used.
MINDSTORMS is back
Theme: LEGO MINDSTORMS Price: £329.99 / $359.99 / €359.99 Pieces: 949 Available: October
It’s time for a new generation of LEGO MINDSTORMS. Originally planned for an August release, the global pandemic delayed production, which means the set will arrive at some point during October.
51515 Robot Inventor offers five different designs for fans to build, which can then be programmed via the MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor app. Beyond the five models with instructions, there are coding challenges to complete that will require users to apply the skills they have learned through the process.
Did you know?
- This version of MINDSTORMS includes Python for advanced coders.
- The original generation of LEGO MINDSTORMS launched in 1998.
Primed for a bargain
October 13 – 14
Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day will offer a selection of limited time deals. What LEGO bargains will be included?
Often the Amazon Prime Day deals are better than those that are part of the website’s Black Friday promotions, so discerning fans and bargain hunters will want to carefully comb the listings to see what deals can be aquired.
For the bookshelf
Two new official LEGO books may interest collectors. LEGO Minifigure A Visual History New Edition looks at the long life of the smiley characters, with an exclusive orange Space minifigure included. It’s a brand new colour for the iconic minifigure. LEGO Star Wars Holiday Sticker Book ties in with the upcoming Disney+ special.
For those who enjoy coding, No Starch Press has a new book out too. High Tech LEGO Projects offers 16 different coding challenges, explaining how to complete them and even offering tips on ‘illegal’ techniques.
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