Toys

It seems fitting that the latest film from the directors of 2014’s The Lego Movie is also getting its own set. Available for preorder today for $99.99 and shipping on March 1st, Lego’s Project Hail Mary set features a spaceship with a rotating crew module and minifigure versions of Ryland Grace (Gosling) and the alien Rocky.

That’s Bring Your Own Brick, of course. The five new Star Wars-themed sets launching on March 1st support the company’s new interactive features, with smart minifigures and tags, but only if you already own the crucial Smart Brick from one of the three existing Smart Play sets.

The sets teach STEM concepts like programming, engineering, and now AI. They’re typically only sold to teachers and schools, but Lego’s Education division has created four new sets designed for learning at home. They’re launching today and are themed around space and animals

After launching its first three Pokémon sets this week, Lego has announced a second Legend of Zelda set today, following the debut of the Great Deku Tree in 2024. The 1,003-piece, $129.99 set features Ganon’s ruined castle from Ocarina of Time’s climactic final battle, Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf minifigures, and a larger buildable version of Ganon.

That’s me on The Vergecast, debating the finer points of our CES 2026 Best in Show: the Lego Smart Brick. Why is it smart, and is it an affront to the imagination? Spoiler: my wife isn’t convinced! And did David make the pew-pew sounds when he was a kid? Tune in.

Ace Combat in real life? This folding VTOL foam aircraft gives you a first-person view from inside a tiny toy fighter jet cockpit. A head-tracking DJI drone camera beams video to DJI goggles over DJI’s long-range O4 wireless tech; Fly Wing claims 60-minute battery life and nearly 75mph top speed. $2,000, tentatively in March, for the complete kit.

Today I toyed with the Lego Smart Brick, touted as the “most significant evolution” to the Lego system in 50 years, and I came away impressed. I have a whole hands-on preview story coming Wednesday, but here’s a whirlwind two-minute video tour of what it can actually do. (Also on YouTube.)

The fan-favorite Transformer uses 28 servo motors to convert from robot mode to a Walkman replica that functions as a Bluetooth speaker and voice recorder, while Frank Welker recorded new lines for the robot in the character’s iconic synthesized voice. Soundwave is now available for preorder for $1,399, temporarily discounted to $999.

Following a set released in 2019 that could be flipped upside down, Lego has announced a new Stranger Things set coinciding with the final season getting underway. It’s a 2,593-piece, $299.99 recreation of the Creel House that will come with 13 minifigures when it’s available starting on January 4th, 2026.

The answer is probably anyone. Or at least anyone who didn’t work for FoloToy, the makers of Kumma, a $99 AI-enabled plushie that’s now been pulled from shelves after researchers at the US PIRG Education Fund got the bear to discuss sexually explicit topics, offer advice on where to find knives, and give instructions on lighting matches. In the report, researchers said:

After teaming with Bandai Namco for a collection of tiny camera replicas only available in Japanese gashapon machines last year, Nikon is back with tiny keychain versions of the vintage Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti, the Nikon Z FC, the D5500, the Coolpix S3700, and the waterproof Coolpix W100 point-and-shoot.

I can’t remember the last time I reached for a flash drive or a crayon, but somehow I’m tempted to grab these adorable USB-C drives from Sandisk available in electric lime, cerulean blue, vivid violet (Walmart-only), and mango tango colors. There are 64GB, 128GB, and 256 GB versions for $15, $20, and $29, respectively.

Grant Davis has shared an in-depth 20-minute video detailing the trials and errors of building an old-school CRT combo TV out of Lego that mechanically recreates the iconic bouncing logo screensaver found on many DVD players. It took three months to perfect, but that was clearly time well spent.

Two Game Boy masterpieces in a week: first the Lego Game Boy, now this incredible Game Boy Micro build. Bonus points for repurposing the Rumble Pak slot as a Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. Feels so right!

The brick version is even better than I imagined: an incredibly faithful, fun, and clever build. You can press every button, spin every wheel; designers nail the curves and recreate almost every label. For $48 at Costco (in-person) or $60 at Amazon, it’s even relatively affordable. (I bought it myself.)