Lego's new Retro Radio is just for looks
Lego’s new $100 Retro Radio comes with a special sound-emitting brick with preloaded audio but doesn’t actually tune AM / FM.
By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.
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Lego is releasing a new Retro Radio build that emulates a classic portable sound system. It visually scratches the nostalgic itch with its mechanical tuner knob, a handle, and even an antenna. Jay’s Brick Blog reports the $99.99 set, part of Lego’s Icons collection, can play preloaded sounds or house a smartphone to play whatever — but unfortunately, Lego skipped on implementing an actual radio.
The Retro Radio is made up of 906 pieces and includes a special speaker-containing sound brick that plays its included tunes of fake stations like a sports broadcast that you can interact with by turning the dial. The other knob powers on the unit, and there’s also a pretend AM / FM switch.
Lego includes some key details on the Retro Radio, like faux wood-colored trimmings, a mint green exterior, a magnified-looking tuner window, and even classic speaker slits. While it looks like Lego engineers could totally have fit in a transistor radio, you’ll have to settle with sticking in your phone to stream AM / FM channels or your favorite oldies playlist.
Retro Radio will be available on June 1st, which means you’ll have two weeks to start and finish Lego’s NASA Artemis Space Launch System, which arrives next weekend.