A toy story from LEGO

LEGO is starting 2010 with a real flourish, by releasing six new sets based on the Disney/Pixar classics Toy Story and Toy Story 2.

First in the line-up is Woody’s Roundup, a 502-piece set in which brave Woody must rescue Jessie from a goldmine filled with secret traps and exploding rocks.

At the same time, a wheel ejects the back wall of the jail and allows Pete to escape, but Woody’s boardwalk catapult could be just the thing to stop Pete in his wicked tracks and save the town. The 11in. long and 8in. tall Wild West playset includes Woody, Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete the Prospector minifigures. It is suitable for seven-year-olds upwards and is priced around £39.99.

In the meantime, Buzz Lightyear is off on his own mission, in rather different territory. Buzz’s Star Command Spaceship contains 257 pieces and has an opening cockpit where you can see Buzz at the controls of his faster-than-light rocket. The minifigures of Buzz and Emperor Zurg can do battle in outer space, Zurg using his ammunition and Buzz with the help of his special moon buggy, which can be deployed from the end of the spaceship. The 7in. high set is for children aged six upwards and is priced around £29.99.

Woody and Buzz team up for the third set, combining their skills on land and in the air to catch up with Andy’s moving van. It’s Woody and Buzz to the Rescue as the friends zoom along in a buildable RC car, whose motor roars into action when you pull it back. Buzz can be attached to his rocket if a little extra power is needed, as Woody and Buzz minifigures are included in the 92-piece set. Children aged six upwards can play with this set, which is priced around £14.99.

The boys in green are launching themselves into battle too, in the Army Men on Patrol set, priced around £9.99. Commanders aged six and over can direct their troop of four brave soldier minifigures, which also come with a jeep (which has a useful spare tyre) and a stretcher to carry any fallen comrades. The jeep measures over 3in. long.

The final two sets in this latest batch of releases give you the opportunity to build two of the Toy Story characters themselves. The Construct-a-Buzz set contains 211 pieces that you can put together to make a poseable Buzz Lightyear figure. Priced around £19.99, Buzz has a winged jetpack (wingspan 7in.), a flick-launching laser cannon that mounts on his arm and a helmet with moving visor.

The Construct-a-Zurg set contains 118 pieces, from which you can build a 9in. model of the evil Emperor and prepare him to do battle with his old adversary Buzz, using his sphere-shooting cannon. He also has a rotating waist and is priced around £19.99.

Both the Construct-a-Buzz and Construct-a-Zurg sets are suitable for ages seven upwards and also include a little green alien minifigure.