LEGO is an expensive hobby, so as a collector, you have to make sure you are getting most for your hard earned loonies (and by loonies, I mean dollars for all of you non-Canadians out there). I love freebies, and am quite a sucker for them. LEGO freebies are even better, and I plan many of my purchases around their availability just to ensure I am getting the best deal.
Where do you get LEGO freebies? Well, the LEGO Store has at least one every month. This month, spending $50.00 or more gets you a mini Volkswagen Beetle build. If you don’t have a LEGO Store near you, ordering from the online store also gets you the freebies. My favorites are when you get a really cool or rare Minifigure. Over the past year, I have been most excited about getting Batman and the Batsignal, Darth Revan from Star Wars, and Captain America.
Another great way to get free stuff from the LEGO Store is to sign up for the VIP program (which doesn’t cost you anything). Under normal circumstances, you get 1 point for every dollar you spend, and spending $100 gets you $5 back. Where you can really start racking up points is during double VIP points events. There is normally a big one in March, and another in November. You also get weekend events around August and December. For collectors, these are the times that you wait for in order to purchase your big sets. Buying one big (like a Creator modular) set during double points can get you enough to acquire a smaller set for free on your next visit.
The LEGO Store is not the only place you can get freebies though. Toys R Us often gives little sets away with purchases as well. You just have to pay attention to the flyers (or visit my Canadian LEGO Deals page on Friday evenings) to see if anything is coming. Chapters has even been known to have the occasional freebie with purchase.
Speaking of Chapters, you can also get Minifigures along with certain LEGO books. DK Publishing has a great line of official books that often come with rare Minifigs. I am particularly looking forward to The DC Comics Super Heroes Awesome Guide that comes out on May 2, 2017. It will have a unique variant of Wonder Woman. LEGO movies also sometimes come with special Minifigures.
What is your favorite LEGO freebie? Let me know in the comments!
This post has been part of the April A-to-Z blogging challenge. You can visit the official website for more information. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my LEGO themed letter G post!
Until next time,
-T.N.B.
I got the little, blue Volkswagen beetle this month, and I’m pretty happy with it. It was actually the first time I’d been to a Lego store.
Also, holy crap I had no idea they had a Darth Revan!
Oh man I need to sign up for some of those programs.
I have gotten the minifigures that come with the magazine or book, but I don’t consider those “free” because honestly I’m buying it for the fig and the book is the add-on.
To be honest I have resorted to buying knock-off minifigures from China. Most of them look pretty much like the real thing, though occasionally you get some really brutal misprints. I’m not a collector, it’s just so I can get the right figure my kids are looking for.
F – Mary Agnes Fleming
There is nothing wrong with free. My newish hobby is model railroading and when I go to train shows I usually try to engage in conversation with a vendor for a little while and they usually include an extra in the price for a large quantity of items I buy.
A related story about free comes from my grandfather on my dad’s side. I was named for him and he said this: “Joe Boy if anyone ever offers you food for free never turn it down. I wouldn’t ever want it to be said Joe Owens didn’t accept free food!”
I am laying out the plot of a new historical fiction novel over my 26 A to Z posts. I’d love to have you stop by.
The Steel Horse Saviors is a story about three civil war veterans who head west in 1866 with their Steam Locomotive to seek their fortune. They encounter a beautiful redhead trying desperately to save her family business that threatens to complicate their plan to escape their past.
Joe @ the Fiction Playground visiting from the A to Z Challenge
I didn’t know about the free Lego goodness either… I’m also quite jealous of that Batman you have there… precious……
Who doesn’t love freebies? And that Bat Signal model is fantastic.
Phillip | F is for Found Poetry (and Fauxhio)
I didn’t know that this kind of freebies existed. You don’t need only a lot of money… also a lot of space! I’m imagining your house FULL of LEGO!
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Eva – Mail Adventures
My wife and I live in a small condo, so my LEGO collection has actually spilled over into my in-laws basement…