afol fun for everyone (as long as you're 18+ LOL)
I have been working on my holiday cards (late as usual — this is why they are more often than not digital cards rather than physical cards).
The miniature TV with the yule log video is from TinyCircuits.com (not an ad). I also did this as a brief video so folks can see that the TV was actually playing.
Opinion Piece. Just my own opinion is all.
Don’t get me wrong here, donating LEGO is a good thing. In fact, we have taken several generous donations at the Pagoda Brick Builders club and they are greatly appreciated. I just don’t know if I like the idea of LEGO spearheading this Replay program.
I really think people need to do a small amount of research and find someone in their local area to donate them to. There are plenty of after school programs, libraries, churches or even doctor’s offices that would take them. Just look for LEGO clubs in your area. Doing it locally helps reduce the amount of waste involved in shipping the parts out and them then shipping them back out to the final destination.
While Replay is a good alternative to simply dumping unwanted bricks at Goodwill (which should never be anyone’s go to solution), I feel your local community would be better served by doing that research and finding a place to take your bricks (or have someone come to you to pick them up).
Also the LEGO company’s involvement with Replay feels like a conflict of interest to me. They sold the product in the first place and now they are asking for it back. Questions get raised even more so now that they have purchased BrickLink, the number secondary market on the net to buy used parts and pieces.
All I ask is that you take some time and try and find a place in your local area that would be more than happy to use your unwanted bricks before you box them up and ship them off to LEGO.
Last month LEGO announced that they had purchased BrickLink, an AFOL community of buyers and sellers.
I had and still have MANY concerns about this. First look at their history of dropping support for something with a huge fan base. I am speaking of LEGO Digital Designer and to some extent ReBrick (which was a LEGO pinterest-like site for sharing MOCs you loved).
They still offer LDD but it is no longer supported (meaning it will soon no longer work on PCs as they evolve). ReBrick is completely gone. It was a great resource for sharing LEGO MOCs that you loved with fellow AFOLs and for keeping all your favorites in one place. I used my account on that site as a way to store ideas for future MOCs of my own. Then LEGO came in and changed the format, removed all the saved, or rebricked, posts and turned the site into a contest based one. Eventually, the moved the contests over to LEGO Ideas and killed ReBrick altogether.
Here’s hoping they continue to develop and support Studio and leave the Studio gallery alone. I am not holding my breath on that one though.
BrickLink is already seeing big changes and the sale isn’t even official yet. Anyone selling custom items had all those items removed from their stores over night. A new TOS was posted and you can’t even log into your account unless you agree to them. I highly recommend fulling reading all the text and not just blindly agreeing to the new TOS.
Terms of Service
Designer Terms of Service
Seller Terms of Service
Just don’t be shocked when you log in and are faced with this prompt…
BILLUND, Denmark, November 26, 2019: The LEGO Group today announced it has acquired BrickLink Ltd (www.bricklink.com), the world’s largest online community of adult LEGO fans from NXMH to strengthen its connection with its important adult fan base.
The BrickLink platform has more than one million members and comprises an online marketplace of more than 10,000 stores from 70 countries; a digital building software where builders can design and showcase their creations; and a vibrant online community where fans share ideas and builds.
The platform was founded in 2000 by Dan Jezek as a way to connect like-minded adult LEGO fans from around the world. It was acquired in 2013 by NXMH, which is owned by Korean entrepreneur Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim. BrickLink is headquartered in Irvine, California.
The LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen said: “Our adult fans are extremely important to us. They are passionate, committed and endlessly creative. We have worked closely with the community for many years and look forward to deepening our collaboration. We plan to continue to support BrickLink’s active marketplace and evolve BrickLink’s digital studio which allows our talented fans to take their creativity to the next level.”
Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim, owner of NXMH, said: “It has been a privilege to lead the transformation of BrickLink during the past six years. I am grateful to the community for being so welcoming, supportive and constructive. I am constantly amazed by everyone’s endless creativity and their love for building. I am confident the platform will be in good hands with the LEGO Group. As a fan myself, I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
The LEGO Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin, said: “BrickLink provides the LEGO Group with a unique opportunity to connect with adult fans through new channels and exciting experiences. We’ve recently collaborated with BrickLink on a range of crowd-sourced sets to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brick. We learned a lot and are keen to explore more ways of working together to create value. We look forward to collaborating further with our adult fans, while retaining and nurturing the independent spirit of the digital platform.”
The acquisition also includes Sohobricks which makes small batches of building elements.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Closing is expected to occur before the end of 2019.
The LEGO Group has announced the LEGO® IDEAS Dinosaur Fossils, perfect for a desktop museum display
Take a step back in time to when dinosaurs wandered the Earth with the all new LEGO® IDEAS Dinosaur Fossils set, available directly from LEGO Stores and online from 1st November. Dinosaur and LEGO brick fans alike can get their hands on this highly detailed set of brick-built fossils to proudly display on their desk or at home.
This set is a must-have for anyone with a passion for dinosaurs and all things prehistoric. The set contains three buildable dinosaur skeletons of the infamous T-rex, Triceratops and a Pteranodon with display stands to create a LEGO style natural history exhibit.
The LEGO IDEAS Dinosaur Fossils set contains 910 pieces, creating three detailed dinosaur skeletons that are perfect to learn more about these magnificent creatures. Each of the models are posable, allowing builders to recreate ferocious poses on their desks.
The set comes complete with interesting facts about each of the dinosaurs on display and information about the sets LEGO fan designer. The set’s LEGO IDEAS fan designer is Jonathan Brunn; a graphic and web designer, working in a creative agency in Perpignan, France. He is also a massive science and dinosaur geek, into space, searching for fossils and everything related… and of course, he’s a big LEGO fan.
Jonathan tells “When I was little, my passion for dinosaurs was almost obsessional. Dinosaurs were the most incredible thing ever for me, so I made this project to please my inner child! I would have loved it as a kid, and I think every kid who loves dinosaurs and science would agree with me.”
The models are built to 1:32 scale and each come with their own individual stands and a sapiens skeleton figure to truly showcase the fascinating scale of these prehistoric animals. The T-rex model is the largest of the three measuring over 7” (20cm) tall and 15” (40cm) long making this set significantly easier to display and store than a real 12-metre-long T-rex!
LEGO IDEAS is a platform that allows fans to submit their own LEGO brick creations to be voted on by other fans. If a set reaches 10,000 votes then it will be reviewed by the LEGO Group and maybe even brought to life.
This detail packed LEGO IDEAS model will be ready to discover in LEGO Stores and online at LEGO.com (affiliate link) from 1st November. Act quickly before the set becomes extinct!
October 8, 2019: Today, The LEGO Group announced the launch of LEGO® Replay, a pilot program that will accept any and all previously used LEGO bricks and donate them to children’s non-profits in the United States. The effort is a collaboration with Give Back Box, Teach For America, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
The process is simple: collect any loose LEGO bricks, sets, or elements, place them into a cardboard box, and visit www.lego.com/replay to print out a free UPS shipping label. The package will be sent to the Give Back Box facility, where each brick will be sorted, inspected by hand, and given a rigorous cleaning. This process is possible because LEGO bricks are made from high-quality, durable materials, designed to be used for generations.
“We know people don’t throw away their LEGO bricks,” said Tim Brooks, Vice President, Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group. “The vast majority hand them down to their children or grandchildren. But others have asked us for a safe way to dispose of or to donate their bricks. With Replay, they have an easy option that’s both sustainable and socially impactful.”
Brooks and his team spent the past three years working on the project to ensure the process met the highest quality and safety standards and adhered to U.S. regulations. They then connected with Give Back Box, a charity dedicated to “recycling” 11 million tons of unused clothing, footwear, and other textiles that end up in U.S. landfills each year.
“I am excited to join the LEGO Group in this pilot program,” said Monika Wiela, founder of Give Back Box. “Growing up in Poland, I didn’t have many toys as a child, so this collaboration is rather personal for me. What’s better than giving a child the gift of play? For us, the number of donations we receive is critical to a successful campaign, so we’ve made it as easy as possible for folks at home to send in their idle bricks.”
Teach For America will receive the majority of the elements and will provide them to thousands of classrooms across the country.
“Learning through play can have a tremendous impact on a child’s cognitive development. Through play, children develop fine motor skills, think creatively, and can learn how to problem solve through teamwork,” said Susan Asiyanbi, Teach For America’s chief operating and program officer. “But not everyone has access to such resources. LEGO Replay, and the instructional resources they provide educators, will help give more students access to this opportunity.”
Bricks will also be sent to Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs. Both non-profits can expect to receive the first shipments in November 2019. Once the pilot is complete in spring 2020, the LEGO Group will evaluate a possible expansion of the program.
LEGO Replay is one of the many sustainable and philanthropic efforts the LEGO Group has announced in the past year. Recent efforts include Plants from Plants, LEGO Braille Bricks and LEGO Audio & Braille Instructions.