Wave Reveals, Viking Builds, and the Death Star Returns to Redmond’s Forge
Welcome back to This Week in LEGO, your go-to roundup of what’s been happening in the brick-built universe from July 8th to July 14th, 2025. Whether you’re a collector, parent, MOC builder, or AFOL lurking in the minifig shadows, this week was packed with reveals, reviews, and nostalgic builds.
🚨 Big News: LEGO Icons 10341 Artemis Launchpad Officially Announced
LEGO officially unveiled the Icons 10341 Artemis Launchpad set on July 9th, and it’s already being hailed as one of the most ambitious NASA collaborations to date. Featuring a towering rocket stack, support crawler, and rolling launch platform, the set has space nerds and Technic fans equally excited.
Set to release on August 1st, the Artemis Launchpad includes:
- Over 4,000 pieces
- Several new NASA minifigs
- Technic integration for functional tilting platforms
Expect a full hands-on Redmond’s Forge review when it launches! (dreadful pun)
🔥 LEGO Viking Village 21343 – Reviewed & Displayed
Darren built LEGO Ideas 21343: Viking Village this week at the kitchen table, and we’ve published our full review here. With over 2,000 parts of medieval charm, clever roof angles, and plenty of fire pieces, it’s already been added to the Vikings & Castles district of the LEGO City at Redmond’s Forge.
Insider Tip: The set is now available for just €104.99 (Insiders price) instead of €139.99. If you’re eyeing it, now’s the time to plunder (please stop with the puns).
🛰️ New LEGO Dreamzzz Sets – Getting More Grown-Up?
We also got our first hands-on look at the Wave 3 LEGO Dreamzzz sets, and there’s a notable shift toward complexity and modularity. Our 7-year-old reviewer, Luke, praised the transformable builds and spooky villain layers, while Darren (AFOL in residence) noted the more satisfying part usage compared to Wave 1.
Highlights include:
- Dreamzzz Nightmare Fortress
- Mateo’s Nightmare Mech
- Z-Blob Escape Jet
These sets suggest LEGO is refining the line to grow with its audience, and it’s working.
🧱 Set Review Flashback: LEGO Death Star 75159
This week also saw a nostalgic journey back to 2017 with Darren’s retrospective review of LEGO Star Wars 75159 Death Star, a Christmas build completed when Luke was just 2 months old. Revisited in 2025, it remains an all-time great, even as we await a true UCS-scale Death Star II someday.
Key takeaways:
- Excellent play value, even in 2025
- Still surprisingly sturdy
- Hilariously outdated minifig expressions (RIP LEGO Leia’s face printing in early UCS sets)
📣 Community Watch: Rumour Mill & Fan Projects
- LEGO Modular 2026 Hints: Word is spreading about a potential museum + archaeological dig concept for next year’s Modular Building. The design rumor includes a two-level exhibit hall with ancient artifacts and underground excavation scenes.
- Castle Collectors’ Showcase: Instagram’s @medieval_brickmaster unveiled a modular-compatible custom keep using only parts from the Black Falcons’ Fortress and Viking Village. We might try it ourselves!
- LEGO Pick a Brick Delays: Reports continue of delays in shipping Pick a Brick orders across Europe. If you’re waiting for MOC parts, check your local store first.
📺 Set to Watch Next Week
Here’s what we’ll be reviewing or covering in next week’s edition:
- LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher Bird – Will it top the Daffodils and Bouquet for display value?
- LEGO Star Wars 75435 Separatist MTT – One of the biggest July releases, packed with Clone Wars nostalgia.
- LEGO Castle MOC Inspiration: Turning Viking Village into a larger medieval layout.
📅 This Week in LEGO – Summary Table
| Date | Event/News | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| July 9 | Artemis Launchpad Revealed | LEGO Icons 10341 NASA collab |
| July 10 | Death Star 75159 Flashback | Epic UCS nostalgia |
| July 11 | Jabba’s Sail Barge Reviewed | Star Wars fans rejoice |
| July 12 | LEGO Dreamzzz Wave 3 Reviewed | Sets are growing up |
| July 13 | Viking Village Built | Review published on redmondreviews.com |
| Ongoing | Insider Discounts | Viking Village, Daily Bugle, Lighthouse |
Final Bricks
It’s been a week where past, present, and future LEGO all collided beautifully, from reliving Death Star builds to imagining Artemis launches. As we look ahead to a busy second half of July, make sure your sets are dusted, your mini-figures prepped, and your builds ready for expansion.
Until next time — keep building, keep imagining, and keep checking back at redmondsforge.com and redmondreviews.com for weekly LEGO joy.
📰 — Darren Redmond & Team Forge
