We Grouches prefer the holidays after they are over.
Grouchy Xmas
Another LEGO Holiday Habitat
These little builds are kind of addicting.
I did another build of what my plans are for the holiday.
Sitting around with my cats reading a book and watching the yule log on TV.
This may not be completely accurate as I also intend to watch Wonder Woman 1984 and The Mandalorian while building some LEGO sets.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Holiday Minifigure Habitats
Over on Instagram @BrickFamBuilds has a contest for #holidayhabitats.
Loads of people are building and sharing theirs. They are rather easy to construct but being able to contain your story to a small foot print is challenging.
You are building on an 8×8 plate which is reduced to a 7×7 area once you build the walls. (They are designed to be stacked or attached to each other. )
Here are my first two entries into the minifig habitats. Be kind these are the very first ones I have ever done.
First up we have Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas Future visiting his grave.
Then I did the Grouch that stole Christmas.
Head over to IG and check out #holidayhabitats for more of these fun little builds and maybe make some of your own.
LEGO Gifts With Purchase Xmas 2020
This is just a small look at the GWP items from the last round of holiday offerings.
First we got the awesome Charles Dickens set over Black Friday weekend. (Review coming)
Then we got these three. Two of which were in store only.
The Frozen set was a gift with a $50 Frozen purchase. BB-8 was free with any Star Wars purchase over $40 and the Skater set was with any purchase over $150.
Awesome giveaways from LEGO. Individual reviews will be coming.
For those looking for awesome winter figures the skaters have nice sweaters on.
The Blob Theater Interior Scene MOC
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Get even more Blob with the Blobfest Home Edition Virtual Event
Blob Theater Run Out MOC
Reading Pagoda MOC
More information and images on the Reading Pagoda in LEGO can be seen over on my fb page. But below you will find build images as well as the MOC on display.
Designed to look like the Pagoda in Reading, PA. The only pagoda in the world with a chimney and working fireplace.
Most LEGO builds are built from the bottom up. This one was built from the top down. I know a little backward. But I wanted to get the roof figured out before I continued. It was all free built.
As you can see this is before I had all the red windows I needed for the build.
The Blob Run Out
Love classic B-movies and living in the area where The Blob was filmed and being a fan of the Blobfest held at the Colonial Theatre in Pheonixville, PA I just had to do a MOC.
Get even more Blob with the Blobfest Home Edition Virtual Event
Shhhh No Politics Here
Personally, I try to avoid any political conflicts. Just bringing it up will either piss you off or get someone else butt hurt. So stay away from the topic altogether. Sometimes you can avoid it.
But I have to say I have been enjoying some of the political memes done in LEGO form. The latest such meme is the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference held by Rudy Giuliani. Such an odd locaton which makes this so much fun to pick on.
Brothers Brick just shared this meme on Instagram and has apparently offended many an AFOL.
Of course this means a lot of fighting in the comments. But the one that got me was this comment by some who apparently cannot take a joke.
The best thing is that the person that says “Politics and LEGO don’t mix” seems to like to mix them themselves. Hypocritical much.
I find it only fitting that the minifigure head used for Giuliani in this MOC is none other than Lex Luthor himself.
If you are unaware, Luthor also was elected president of the good ole USofA. He was a great president. A terrific president. One of the best.
Our LUG Dispay for Brickworld Halloween
Halloween 2020 would have been boring with this pandemic, but thanks to Brickworld and their virtual Halloween LEGO convention all was not lost.
SnailLUG pulled together and we were able to setup a nice monorail display for the event. Seeing and hearing from fellow AFOLs was great.
There will be another event this holiday season. Please join us. Check out Brickworld’s website for all the details. https://brickworld.com/brickworld-virtual/
LEGO, FTC, and Social Media Posts
As I scroll through my Facebook or Instagram feeds I am being bombarded with posts about LEGO and it is not unwelcome believe me. In fact that is why I am there to share the love of LEGO. Unfortunately, I cannot sift out which posts are paid/sponsored ones and which ones are fan based.
Yes, they are all fan based LEGO posts. However, many of them are in a paid relationship with the manufacturer and are not following FTC guidelines so it is clear how they got their products.
So right up front… I am not nor have I ever been a recognized online media outlet for the LEGO company. I have never received any products from them that they in turn expect me to promote on my channels. All my LEGO sets have been purchased by me except for the rare few that may have been gifts from friends or family.
The FTC has set up guidelines for influencers and bloggers to follow when they are paid or given products from companies and then turn around and share that product or service online with their readers.
Those guidelines are there for a reason. So we, the readers, can make up our own minds as to whether or not their opinion of the product has been swayed by them being paid or given said item.
LEGO has a set of rules and guidelines for everything except possibly this. And purhaps they should because it appears their influencers either don’t know about this FTC law or they are flat out ignoring it.
Let me be clear. I don’t want any of the folks I mention in this post to get into trouble (that is kind of why I am writing this) and I certainly do not want LEGO to be fined.
I have reached out to LEGO about this and I am still waiting to hear back as of this posting.
I have reached out to the influencers I use as examples as well. I do not have the reach they do, but hope they take me seriously and make changes so they are in compliance with the FTC guidelines on social media posts.
And by them adhering to the guidelines then maybe others will too.
First up. Brickfinder.net they are listed as a recognized online or media site by LEGO. Which means they have access to the LEGO Ambassador Network and LEGO products. I have to assume LEGO send them products to review, but neither their site posts nor their social media posts ever disclose that relationship. I could be wrong and they, like me, are just spending a small fortune with LEGO every month. If it is your own money that purchased the product you don’t have to disclose that according to the FTC.
One of my favorite sites out there is NewElementary.com. Excellent news, information, and reviews about all things LEGO. Social media, whether Instagram or Facebook, never mentions their relationship with LEGO. They are sent sets and probably even bags of just parts for their reviews and seed part events (again just guess on the parts).
See this big long post yet no disclose about the relationship (which should be at the top before the more link in the description.
And because this is an ongoing relationship with LEGO (they are getting products sent to them on the regular) they must disclose this relationship every time they endorse (mention) the company or one of their products even when that product was not sent to them. So basically every single page on the site and every single social media post should have a disclosure on it.
The next image shows a post that raises a whole new set of questions for me. When a site like this is sent the sets from LEGO, but hands them off to another person to review or use in a different way does that person now have a relationship with LEGO by proxy and have to disclose that? I think yes. But that will be for LEGO legal and the Federal Trade Commission to figure out.
They are excellent with both the fact that they disclose this on their website posts and that this disclosure is prominently placed and clear. It is just lacking in the social media posts.
CandidBricks.com is anither great source of LEGO information. They are based in Singapore. But because they reach USA buyers they too must disclose their relationship with LEGO.
There is no disclosures on any of their social media. There is a discloure on their website posts but only on the ones they review and way at the bottom. FTC guidelines now state disclosure should be clear and near the top of the posts.
New Elementary Facebook post with no disclosure
Honestly this is only a small fraction of the posts that go against the FTC guidelines. I have seen no changes since I brought this to the above sites’ attention and unless LEGO enforces it I doubt we will.