I’m taking an indefinite hiatus. I’ll tell you all about how and why in this video. Thanks for all your support – it’s been wonderful!
Category: News
Channel News – Hiatus
I’m going on an extended hiatus because I’ve bought a house. More info in the video. Thanks for all your support – I’ll see you all later!
Thank you for watching!
Top 5 wishes for a new LEGO Movie!
Variety reported that Universal Pictures are in talks with The LEGO Group about making more movies based on our favorite brick-based toy. Apparently, Universal will aim more broadly with their potential LEGO movie projects, but what would an AFOL like to see from a coming LEGO movie styled movie?
5. New Characters
Yeah, I know it’s a little sacrilege to say this, but I’d love some new central characters. Don’t get me wrong; I loooooooove Chris Pratt as Emmet and Lucy, MetalBeard, Batman and all the others a fun and have a great cast. It would be fun to see some new characters in the lead though and maybe have Emmet and the gang play a supporting role. Putting another minifigure in the lead would also take the movie in a different thematic direction which may be great too! And can we please have comedian extraordinaire Eddie Izzard; do a voice too – that’d be great! Thanks 😀
4. Alternative theme
Both the LEGO Movies has – at is core – been about the power of creativity and imagination. It’s a great theme and I love how both movies have challenged general conceptions on how to put the bricks together. Meanwhile, I’d love to see a story that had another central theme. Maybe something that speaks more to other core values of the LEGO brand? Learning!? I don’t know! The thing is, building (ha) another movie around the same central theme may get a little repetitive.
3. A LEGO Space movie
We only got small hints of LEGO space in the first two LEGO Movies. But, LEGO has a long tradition of creating colorful and creative LEGO Space Themes. Classics like M-Tron, Blacktron and Futuron are wonderful and a movie including those theme would be very cool. Clearly, it would cater mostly to AFOLs but LEGO is all about AFOLs these days, so it might fit neatly.
2. Step outside the known themes and brands
The LEGO Movie 1 and 2 was very reliant on existing LEGO themes and brands – Batman, City, Pirates, Friends etc. Benny the Spaceguy was also there to accommodate any nostalgic AFOLs. It was great! It would be very interesting to see the next LEGO movie step outside the known themes and brands and create something completely unique. It is not very likely though as much of LEGOs popularity also stems from brand-recognition based on other brands – Star Wars, Jurassic Park etc. But, a movie set in a completely new LEGO world would be really awesome!
1. More Realistic Creativity
While I’d like to see a story that wasn’t about creativity, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like the creativity of the two previous movies. I loved how everything was built from LEGO, how everything had a small easter egg and all that. It sparked my imagination every time a new scene started. And it was all something you could actually build. Everything on screen could be made with LEGO bricks and that type of realism is just awesome! So, I’d love to see even more creative use of the bricks to create a fun, “realistic” and buildable world! When I’m done watching the next LEGO movie, I want to be able to go home a build my favorite scene straight away.
According to Variety, Universal will aim to reimagine some of their own franchises (i.e. Jurassic World etc.) before anything else. And, Warner Brothers probably have some intellectual rights to the LEGO movie styles movies. So, the question is, if we’ll see another LEGO movie styles LEGO movie for a while!? But, meanwhile, we can all dream!
What is your main wishes for a new LEGO Movie? Let me know in the comments 🙂
All pictures brought with permission from Brothers Brick.
Top 3 most wanted LEGO Hidden Side sets of 2020
From the shadowy mist crawls the new wave of LEGOs spooky ghost hunter theme and it’s up to all AFOLs to figure out what scares them the most – planes, cars or roller coasters?
I’ve liked the idea of the LEGO Hidden Side theme ever since I saw it the first time. I’ve always been a big fan of Ghostbusters and the like. Even though I don’t find the new wave as appealing as the mast one, I had to make a top three of the sets I want most from the new 2020 wave!
3: 70430 Newbury Underground Station
Third place was really hard. An honorable mention is definitely 70432 Ghost Fair which looks interesting too. I think the underground station set has an interesting color scheme and the minifigs looks super cool. It’s probably the first time I’ve seen red and yellow ghosts in any LEGO set. The subject matter – the underground station – is ghostly indeed and I find something inherently haunting in old trees! As shall be seen in the next entry, I really like things that take place underground which is why this set is in third place!
2: 70427 Portal
This set has a great color scheme and I really like the fact that there’s a haunted worker too. Even though it’s called “Portal” it looks to me like it’s set in a sewer. And who doesn’t remember the classic scene from Ghostbusters 2 in the sewers of New York? All the slime pieces look great too! I’ve been interested in exploring the underground parts of a LEGO city for a while and this set could put me on the right track!
1: 70431 Lighthouse of Darkness
Of course I had to put the lighthouse on first place. As a location, the lighthouse seems naturally haunting. There’s some great iconography connected to lighthouses and I can only applaud that LEGO has carried much of that in this. I’m reminded of movies like “The Mist” which can never be bad for a spooky LEGO set!
I find the new 2020 wave to be a little less appealing that the first wave. Mainly because sets like 70428 and 70429 seem overly bright and colorful. The strength of the first wave was definitely the subdued colors which really underlined the spooky atmosphere. But, all in all, the three sets above I will definitely consider buying once sale-season comes around next year.
What’s your top three of the new Hidden Side sets? Let me know in the comments!
All pictures brought with permission from Brothers Brick.
Why is LEGO changing Bricklink?
Before the weekend a post on reddit revealed that certain limitations are being enacted on intellectual property-related creations and customized LEGO pieces on Bricklink. This happens in spite of CMO Julia Goldin’s assurances that the LEGO group would not change Bricklink after the acquisition. However, she also stated that none-LEGO branded products would not be allowed to continue on the platform. Why is that?
This AFOL believes that the answer is straight-forward: brand control. Limiting the sale of custom pieces is probably an attempt to avoid confusion of what is and what is not official LEGO bricks. If custom pieces are sold on a LEGO-branded platform, the LEGO group (TLG) is likely to be held accountable for any issues with custom pieces by private customers. Moreover, private customers may begin to wonder why certain custom pieces aren’t available directly from the TLG. This kind of confusion is unwanted for any company trying to retain a level of brand control.
But why limit the sharing of intellectual property inspired custom creations (like Avengers, Back to the Future etc. creations)? My guess is that this is a question of copyright. TLG has different deals with IP-owners – Disney being one. TLG does not want to break those deals by hosting material that might be copyright-infringing on their platform. Moreover, TLG has official LEGO sets in the Harry Potter, Spider-Man etc. themes. Custom creations within these themes may be confused with official LEGO sets. This is both an issue for TLG in relation to their quality guarantee, ease-of-build policy and as potential competition to their own products.
Users of Bricklink is likely to experience some hassle if they have previously relied on custom pieces and creations. However, to TLG brand-control is likely more important. In any case custom LEGO pieces and creations are probably available on other platforms and those who are interested can go there.
From a brand-management perspective these changes makes a lot of sense to this AFOL
Are these LEGO MECHs Marvel(lous)?
I once stated that there should be Christmas MECHs for all! It seems that LEGO has jumped at the opportunity as the new wave of LEGO Marvel sets includes a bunch of MECH suits. AFOLs worldwide now has to decide if these LEGO Marvel sets are Marvel-lous or a Mech-anical Mess! Let’s take a look!
76141 – LEGO Avengers Thanos MECH
First up is Thanos. Why this guy would ever need a MECH is beyond me. Particularly when he’s already got all the infinity stones. Another SNAP seems to be easier for him to solve his problems. However, I do like the Power Rangers feel of this one and the creative use of pieces for the glove sparks my imagination. Finally I know why those modified 1x1s has been at the PAB-wall for so long. The color scheme is great too – dark blue and gold is just beautiful! Oh, and with a few modifications I’m sure this would be a wonderful Christmas MECH!
76140 LEGO Avengers Iron Man MECH
I thought Iron Man was always a MECH to some extent!? Putting a suited Tony in a MECH seems… redundant? Oh well, I guess it was the same with the HULK buster. This one looks a little more Toy’esque than the Thanos MECH I think and the shooter on the shoulder underlines that quite a bit. The big plate-feet and the fact that the chest looks like one big molded piece makes me a little uneasy. Even though the color scheme lends well to Christmas MECHs, this one is not on my wish list for 2020.
76146 LEGO Spider-Man Spider-Man MECH
I know that the new Spider-Man movies portray Spider-Man as more of a gear-head than previous entries. But, a Spider-Man MECH seems a little off-character for me. Spider-Man swings in his web – fast, silently and witty. I feel that a lumbering giant like this would hold our favorite mutant back. However, replacing the blue with green and Spidey with an elf, you’ve got monster of a present-wrapping machine! Great for Christmas!
All in all I like the fact that LEGO has turned to MECHs even more. We’ve seen some beautiful ones in the Ninjago and Marvel line-up previously so we know they can churn out some good stuff on that front. To be honest, I’m not too much into Marvel and most of the Marvel LEGO sets would generally be a pass for me. However, judging by the photos I’d say that the Thanos MECH would be interesting at the right price.
All pictures brought with permission from Brothers Brick.
Is 10270 Creator Expert Bookshop a must-buy?
The 2020 modular building was recently revealed (too early) and AFOLs around the world have to decide if this is one for them.
Personally, I was sold the moment I heard it was a bookshop. I’ve previously built a bookshop for my city. The new raised section of Bakersville also includes a bookshop. So, I pretty much loved the new modular even before I knew the details just because of its subject matter. I’ve taken a look at the official pictures and here’s some of my thoughts.
The exterior has a very beautiful old-european look. I think it will go really well with the Assembly Square and the Parisian Restaurant. The color scheme is equally appealing – the teal is phenomenal! The fact that the whole modular can be separated into two buildings means that it has a lot of utility. Putting one building on each side of the Parisian Restaurant may look particularly good, I think! Definitely something I’ll try out when I get room enough 😀
There’s a lot of great details it seems and there’s some interesting stuff in the interior as well. The grandfather clock is great and I really like the small bedrooms under the roofs. In particular, I love the fact that it’s got a volume of Moby Brick too. I would have liked even more printed books. Between four and seven would have been good, I think. Just to underline the sense of a bookshop. But, if that is my main complaint, I’m not sure that enough to change my decision to buy it!
I’ve heard some talk about the interior being a little lacking. However, I’m pretty sure I’d be satisfied with it as is. If not, the leftover room inside the houses just leaves more room for modification. I’m stoked!
There’s also been some who pointed out that it’s a “smaller modular”. However, it’s ranks among the top four modulars (of 13) in piece count. The piece count lies above average even when counting the monstrous Assembly Square. Of course, this AFOL knows that size is also a question the size of the included pieces. If a set includes 2,500 1×1 plates, it’s not likely that you’ll end up with a building of any size. So, people may be referring to the fact that this set contains many more small pieces than others. Personally, I’d love to see it with the other modular buildings before I decide if I think the bookshop is small.
Yellow: just under average piece count;
Red: under average piece cout
The overall look and the subject matter makes this modular building for me. To me, this set definitely ends up on the must-buy list for 2020. And so begins the deal-hunting!
What is your opinion on the set? Let me know in the comments!
The picture in this post is used with permission from Brothers Brick.
Possible date for reveal of 2020 Creator Expert Modular!
According to Brickfinder on facebook, the new Creator Expert Modular will be revealed on the Singapore Comic Con 2019. The Singapore Comic Con happens on 7-8th december 2019. So it seems that we’ll have to wait until the weekend to get the full reveal. This places the reveal a couple of days later than last years reveal of the Corner Garage 10264 – it was revealed on December 3rd 2018.
Personally, I’m excited to see what they new modular will be! Do you have any guess?
EDIT: The LEGO group does seem to have a stand on the Comic Con 2019. It’s on the floor plan of the Con – stand B25.
Analysis: LEGO 71026 DC Collectible Minifigures
The new collectable LEGO minifigures (CMF) seems to be a tribute to classic DC heroes and villains from the golden and silver age of comics.
The first pictures of the new series of CMFs was released yesterday. It is not the first time we get DC heroes in CMF form – there has previously been two series of Batman related CMFs. However, to my knowledge, this is the first time we are seeing CMFs that depict classic, golden- and silver-age DC characters.
While the clues may be subtle, there are definitely something interesting going on with these figures. The blue/grey Batman fig is holding a copy of Detective Comics #27 which is the first time appearance of Batman. Wonderwoman has her classic skirt rather than the newer bathing suit attire. And, the Flash is donning his classic golden winged helmet and blue pants.
This AFOL is a long-standing fan of DC superheroes and Batman in particular. While I missed out on the classic Batcave in LEGO I hope that this CMF series is a clue that we’ll get more golden- and silver-age sets!
The pictures in this post is used with permission from Brothers Brick.
LEGO acquires BrickLink
Today, it was announced that the LEGO Group has acquired the secondhand LEGO platform: BrickLink. It is an exciting move for both parties. Reading the announcement on BrickLinks website, the acquisition seemed almost inevitable.
Wrote BrickLink in their announcement:
When two companies have perfectly aligned visions while filling in the missing parts of each other, it’s not too difficult to imagine how the collaboration will go.
In an interview with Julia Goldin (LEGO Chief Marketing Officer) the Brothers Brick pressed for details on the potential conflict of interest. However, CMO Goldin underlined that the LEGO Group does not believe there is such a conflict. An interesting detail that came out of the interview: the LEGO Group will only support LEGO-branded sellers on BrickLink.
In the view of this AFOL; the acquisition of BrickLink is a smart move. Controlling the largest online platform for selling and buying secondhand LEGO is a huge opportunity. The potential for the LEGO Group to – essentially – compete with themselves in the sale of bricks-on-demand is undeniable. Traditionally, the LEGO Group has been very fan-minded and service-oriented and this acquisition can be an interesting way to improve that even further. Supplying builders with the bricks they need, when they need them, is key to a thriving LEGO fan community.
What is your view on this acquisition by the LEGO Group? Let me know in the comments!
Brick Bakery 
