The brick separator is a handy tool to have in your tool box (or in this case brick box). It helps you separate bricks that are stuck together.
Sometimes you will need to have two on hand. As is the case when you have two plates that are stuck together. You just can’t get a handhold on the bottom plate to pull it apart. Especially if the plates are of the exact same size.
Put one separator on the top and one on the bottom like this.
Then squeeze them together until you see a small gap between the plates.
To save your fingernails remove one of the separators and pry the two pieces apart.
Then you have safely separated the two parts without damage to the brick or yourself.
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/
I could not be more proud to be a fan of LEGO than when I saw them step up and do the right thing in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They did not just say they support the movement, they are backing that up with a sizable donation! Way to set the bar for other companies.
We stand with the black community against racism and inequalityThere is much to doWe will donate $4 million to organizations dedicated to supporting black children and educating all children about racial equality
This was done the day after #BlackOutTuesday which I feel was the right move as many of the blackout Tuesday posts were disrupting valuable #BlackLivesMatter communications on social media that day.
But on Tuesday (June 2nd) LEGO affiliates were told to pull all police and firemen sets from their affiliate marketing.
Below is a copy of the email sent out to affiliate marketers on the Rakuten Advertising platform.
In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP.
SKU
Product Name
60216
Downtown Fire Brigade
60246
Police Station
60233
Donut Shop Opening
60210
Sky Police Air Base
60215
Fire Station
60217
Fire Plane
60245
Police Monster Truck Heist
60139
Mobile Command Center
60244
Police Helicopter Transport
60214
Burger Bar Fire Rescue
60243
Police Helicopter Chase
60208
Sky Police Parachute Arrest
60231
Fire Chief Response Truck
60248
Fire Helicopter Rescue
60242
Police Highway Arrest
60207
Sky Police Drone Chase
60213
Dock Side Fire
40372
Police MF Accessory Set
60212
Barbecue Burn Out
60241
Police Dog Unit
60239
Police Patrol Car
60206
Sky Police Jet Patrol
60270
Police Brick Box
60247
Forest Fire
853919
City Police Vest
854018
Police Handcuffs & Badge
854005
Duke DeTain Key Chain
21054
The White House
10902
Police Station
10900
Police Bike
42091
Police Pursuit
While I might understand the removal of these sets from marketing in this trying time, I do hope they return to normal marketing soon. I don’t even promote these city sets myself very often, but I feel that these are important sets to have since kids learn through play these will help them know and understand that policemen and firemen are not all bad. Their services are much needed and that children and the rest of the world can still count on these first responders in their time of need.
This year EVERYONE gets to celebrate Chinese New Year with LEGO. In the past these sets were exclusives to the Asian Pacific regions. Not any more thanks to LEGO sticking by their statements from last year of no longer doing regional exclusives. This doesn’t include their in house exclusives nor the comic con exclusives (don’t even get me started with those)
Today’s the day the sets are available on LEGO.com [affiliate link]. Go get ’em!
LEGO’s press release about the sets can be found below.
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with LEGO® Lion Dance and Traditional Temple Fair
Billund, 05 November 2019: Today, the LEGO Group revealed its 2020 Chinese New Year sets – Lion Dance and Chinese New Year Temple Fair. The launch follows on from this year’s popular sets: Dragon Boat Race, Dragon Dance and Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner, the first LEGO® products created to mark the festivities.
The Lion Dance set vividly reproduces a well-loved scene of the Spring Festival and is sure to evoke fond memories of the traditional festival. The set features 5 beautifully decorated small lion figurines and a percussionists’ stage with an awesome drumming function. An accompanying temple gate is decorated with LEGO tiles featuring traditional patterns. The set also comes complete with 8 minifigures including lion dancers and a man in rat costume to mark the Year of the Rat. Additional accessory elements such as the red ‘best wishes’ scroll, red orb, cabbage, calligraphy brush and a rocket firework are included to inspire unlimited role-play.
The Chinese New Year Temple Fair set captures a beloved event often seen in towns and cities throughout China around the lunar new year. The set includes stalls displaying a vast, colourful array of LEGO versions of authentic items you would find at a Temple Fair. Everything from barbecue dishes to candy, toys, vases and dough figurines are lovingly re-created ion LEGO form. The set also includes 14 minifigures. Eagle-eyed LEGO fans will notice that the family from last year’s Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner set make an appearance, continuing the story of their Spring Festival celebrations.
LEGO Product designer Markus Rollbühler, designed the sets to be as authentic as possible: “We were incredibly thorough with our research when designing the sets. For the Chinese New Year Temple Fair, we looked closely at the types of things vendors sell in the market stalls and all of the various goods on offer.” It was also important that children could act out scenes to make the sets come alive: “Both sets include amazing minifigures and details to encourage role play. The Lion Dance set comes with many interesting play features. For example, you can fully pose the lions and you can also open and close their mouths to help recreate the spectacular dances we all know and love.” Markus explains.
The two new LEGO® Chinese Traditional Festival models will be ready to discover in China and Asia Pacific markets from December 26, 2019 and the rest of the world from January 10, 2020.
Here are images of all the minifgures featured in both sets. The duplicate figures are just showing both sides of the dual heads and not actually two figures. See above photos for reference .
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.
