Sariel Posted June 5, 2016 (edited) Between 1st and 4th of June 2016 I've had the pleasure of attending Fan Media Days at Billund with a group of my esteemed colleagues from various media. It was officially called Fan Media Day, because in Denmark 4=1. What follows is my personal account, which is deeply biased, potentially offensive and up to 20% serious. Truth is, I'm taking advantage of living closer to Denmark than most attendants and it's my plan to smear everyone and everything before they can give you their version of the story. Or maybe they already did, but I crawl from under Technic subforum's rock too rarely to find my way around Eurobricks and spot their threads. This is going to be a somewhat long story, and you are advised not to read it while drinking. All images are clickable and link to high-res versions. Video: Edit: More photos in my flickr album here: https://www.flickr.c...157668968994671 Some people just can't behave First thing I saw at Billund airport. How can one not like Denmark? Long story short, thanks to the awesome Kim and lovely Ana from TLG I was one of the lucky few to get invited to interview Lego designers and to visit the Lego factory and the famous vault AKA Memory Lane, and finally to enjoy the famous Danish summer which usually lasts up to 48 hours but this time lasted throughout the entire duration of the event. I know that because I was the last one to fly home (I was testing a theory that staying at Denmark for 90+ hours automatically makes you a Lego employee. It doesn't). I actually got a third case of sunburn in Denmark's recorded history and the first two were made up. I'm kidding if course, but we've enjoyed a spectacular weather for pretty much the whole trip, which accounted for some incredible sights. When flying over Germany, everything looked so clear that you could almost see the umlauts! Seen from above, Denmark looks very much like cotton My plane to Billund was missing 13th row of seats. That's just sloppy plane building. Being a lazy person I have arrived later than most of the group, landing just past 10 PM. I was very excited and very relieved after having just 20 minutes to catch my connecting flight at Brussels, which was made slightly difficult by the fact that I've disembarked at gate #6 and had to go to gate #70. If anyone asks what Brussels looks like, it looks like a blur. I was also deeply impressed with Danish sunsets which happen well after 10 PM at this time of year, but that's because I come from a country which has yet to invent sunlight. While at the airport, I've intercepted one of Eurobrick's moderators (no names cough*Ezra*cough) who just flew in from US and was too confused by the metric system to be left on his own. We were driven to a Lego Holiday Village by a very friendly taxi driver, then to a Legoland Hotel, then to a Lego Holiday Village again. The blame is all mine - as a Facebook addict, I wanted an opportunity to pretend I was staying at the Legoland Hotel even though I wasn't. All ended well with help of Fernando from TechnicBRICKs because Portugese people are the best and they totally don't mind when you call them from an unknown number very late at the evening and start talking without telling them who the hell you are. We have found ourselves in a lovely, if a little stuffy, LEGO Pirates-themed room which made me wish I was 11 again. But since I was a little older, and the only Pole in the group, I have introduced my esteemed roommates to vodka. They only looked slightly terrified and Fernando was up when I was falling asleep and up when I woke up, which leads me to believe that they were taking turns keeping watch for the whole night. We were a group of 30+ males and Kim knew perfectly what kind of ID cards would look best on us Me with certain EB moderator. He let us put a fake clerical collar on him, but he wouldn't let me add "reverend" to his nameplate Next day we were welcomed at Lego headquarters by Kim, who was very friendly and dedicated, and also well experienced with AFOLs, which he proved by starting with gift bags. Each of us was given a nice Ghostbusters set, a lovely selection of polybags, a Lego notepad and some writing utensils which we used to make nameplates for ourselves. This was very helpful in establishing who is who and in making us easy to find should we attempt to blend in among the Lego employees. Kim was very efficient in keeping us happy, fed, and subsequently docile, and for most of the time we actually acted like responsible adults. After a brief introductory session we proceeded to the place were dreams are made, also known as the Lego factory. The introductory session with Kim. Aeden is giving me the "is there more free vodka?" look At this point I should mention cards. You see, it occurred to me before the trip that it might be useful to have a card to exchange with others, but since I'm basically just one guy, I've eventually decided that it would be presumptuous of me. Then I came to Billund and everyone had cards. Literally everyone. I'm a moron. Upon arriving to the molding factory, we were first given some suspicious looks and audio sets that would let each of us hear Kim clearly. It was a great idea and it greatly helped Kim to keep us in check. We were also shown a roughly current Lego color palette and samples of various types of plastic, of which Lego is using approximately 25 at the moment. We have then proceeded to a storage facility where boxes of ABS granulate and presumably other things were carried around by robots, conveyor belts, and a nice lady in a forklift. We have seen a granulate being unloaded from a truck, and then Kim took us to a molds warehouse. The storage facility. I'm a silly person and shiny objects distract me. No, really. I have no idea what this place was but everyone was taking pictures so of course I did, too Judging from this person's expression, delivering granulate is the world's most boring job The molds warehouse was one large room full of complex metal cubes which according to Kim were so heavy, industrial equipment was necessary to move them around. Or he just teased us, because none of us looked exactly like a bodybuilder. We have also been shown sprues that are created while molding, and had a long discussion on whether that makes them legitimate Lego pieces and how we could use them. Next stop was the actual molding factory, where Lego pieces are cast, collected and stored. A mesmerizing place, as you can imagine. There were rows of machines making new pieces and dropping them into trays, then two robots looking like blue wardrobes would come around and collect the full trays and leave empty ones instead. Some of us immediately started crawling in front of our future robot overlords, but I'm not naming names. The robots would then drop off the full trays on a conveyor belt that took them completely not where we wanted them to go. There was also a huge bin with waste, composed of sprues and bad batches of pieces (we were told touching a single piece may spoil the entire batch because of sweat stains and such). Lego recycles all of that stuff. Personally, I was impressed that long, thin pieces such as beams or plates can be cast and then retrieved without being warped even a bit. The waste bin Yellow axles are not going away any time soon, sorry A close look at the mold. You can see sprue between the Lego bricks, which is normally separated after casting. We were told that molds for 2x4 bricks are among the most expensive ones. From there, we went to a robotic storage warehouse, which is that famous place where incredibly tall racks of boxes are managed by robots alone, in a complete darkness. I'm not going to lie, it was a scary place. All these robots work in complete darkness, with no humans in sight, and for some reason they are locked behind bars. What I'm saying is, nobody knows what they're up to when there's nobody around. Do they confer in robotish and plan their inevitable rise to power? For the most skilled builders Lego is considering a "cast it yourself" set I wish my workshop was this organized When a robot acts suspiciously, it's interrogated with the use of these tools Everything is controlled by a software. "Stocklin" is Danish for "Skynet". Some facts Lego museum was the next on our list. No surprises here - we've seen early Lego sets, latest Lego sets, a Lego dog peeing and a Lego car famous for a well-working gearbox. There was also a Star Wars room with THE Millenium Falcon put behind thick bars for some reason (experience, I guess), and I had to be dragged away from the Super Star Destroyer. One day, sweetie, you will be mine Never met anyone who would admit to liking these in public THE Falcon, safely fenced off from AFOLs' greedy hands Apparently there is a Lego set representing human intestines It's worth noting that Idea House has a special room showing Lego sets next to their knock-off copies. We were told a set can be copied from start to finish inside 12 weeks from its release - something to consider for anyone who asks why is Lego protecting its future plans. Just don't ask me which set is real and which is a copy ;) From there we went to the famous vault, which Lego calls Memory Lane. Fallout lore aside, the vault is where Lego stores every single set ever released. And the best part is, you can totally touch the boxes because, as we were told, this is actually just one of many vaults and the only one with public access. There are things you expect to see in your life. A Lego mouse with an earring is not one of them. How to make a Technic guy happy? Just give them the oldest gears you can find. More plastic goodness Some funny people put Technic sanctities next to Belville sets. I hope they were arrested. That's what happiness looks like This device, also found in the vault, measures relativ fugtighed I'm almost sure this was my first Lego set ever. I still have that front slope with a lot of tooth marks on it. My first Technic set. I could be a proper functional adult if it weren't for this little box. This concluded day one, not including a nice supper and a friendly evening meeting, most of which I've spent being distracted by seeing sunlight at 10:30 PM. In case you wonder what the gates to the paradise look like Some people see this every day to the point of boredom As soon as you enter, the first challenge is resisting the urge to dive straight into this container Place of many awkward conversations starting with "daddy, what is rum?" This squirrel has a better job than I ever will At some point during the first day we have also been given the opportunity to plunder, ahem, I mean visit the Lego employee store. We were kindly asked not to take photos inside and not to discuss the prices. Nobody said anything about taking photos of the group leaving the shop, though. I took a photo of this building assuming it was some important place. It wasn't. Danish people, putting Lego wherever possible Billund has an average of 3 monuments per citizen, and most of them feature Lego pieces Denmark, a cyclist's paradise Day two was the day of interviews with designers. I have worked closely with Fernando to interview Lego Technic, Worlds, Rebrick, House and Ideas staff. A video will be coming later, but it was very informative, everyone was very friendly, and I got to meet my idols. The interviews took place here. See, I can take photos of important buildings after all! Pre-interviews briefing. I'm awesome at taking pics of people's backs. Fernando, Milan AKA Grohl and me, proving that the longer you deal with the Lego business, the more alike you look The Lego House being built. Imagine the building instructions. The interviews went smoothly as everyone was very nice and professional. The highlight of the day was Jan dropping by with a box of the German football team minifigures for us. What followed was brutal, uncivilized, and highly entertaining. The only photo I managed to get. The box was completely empty some 2 seconds later. This building was called Tech House. I imagine this is where Technic designers bask in awesomeness and look down with smiles upon lesser mortals We were given the opportunity to play with the new Technic sets and share our photos. The rest of the day was unimportant. The interviews were followed by a lunch and another nice supper, and then it was time to wrap things up. Some of us flew home this very evening, including one EB moderator who could handle the metric system no more, and some of us stayed for another day, including me. In fact, my flight departed at 2:30 PM, so I have spent quite a while as the last member of the group, considering a visit to Legoland, getting terrified by the amount of people by the Legoland entrance (it was Saturday), and generally strongly wishing to stay in Denmark forever. Unfortunately I've ended up on a plane, then on another, and in between I've faced the challenge of catching my connecting flight at Frankfurt in 15 minutes. If you've ever been to Frankfurt, you know the problem: it's not a city with an airport as much as an airport with a city. Somehow I managed to catch the plane, but my luggage didn't and I'm still waiting for it as I'm writing this. Wish me luck and kudos to you, Lufthansa. To sum it up, I'm very grateful to the TLG, the Technic team and to Kim especially for making this incredible experience possible. Everyone is very nice and friendly at Denmark, and Lego staff doubly so. We also had this incredible summer weather which I suspect Fernando has brought with him from Portugal. All in all, I hope to repeat this experience in the future, provided my esteemed colleagues can bear with me once more ;) Some of the awesome gifts I got from awesome people in front of a Lego hamster Edited June 8, 2016 by Sariel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MajklSpajkl Posted June 5, 2016 I'm so jealous right now. Thank you for a great and humorous report! I hope you had your Employee-store haul with you on the plane as personal luggage and that it's not still afloat somewhere over central Europe :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PicnicBasketSam Posted June 5, 2016 Sounds like a lot of fun. Great reporting! Can't wait to see the interview video. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legolijntje Posted June 5, 2016 I'm so jealous right now. [...] Not just you! Thanks Sariel, for the interesting and funny read! Nice! Btw, could you maybe tell if the employee store prices are above or below 50% of retail prices. Just wondering Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted June 5, 2016 Great report. What happened to the hamsters? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
agrof Posted June 5, 2016 Great travelog, stylish as always. Thank You very much for sharing and even more appretiated: for entertaining! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdsforprez Posted June 5, 2016 You are a better man than me. I don't think I could have resisted the urge to jump right into the pool of blue bricks. Neither do I think I could have resisted the urge to grab handfuls of stuff wherever I went....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin Korstanje Posted June 5, 2016 Very great and funny trip report. Thanks for share it with us Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BusterHaus Posted June 5, 2016 Thanks for the write up, it's pretty informative. Silly question - does the manufacturing area smell like a freshly opened bag of bricks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sariel Posted June 5, 2016 No, it smells like hot melting plastic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikroMan Posted June 5, 2016 Fun and educating report Sariel, thanks for doing the writeup and hope you get your luggage soon My coworker's luggage got lost during a transfer at Paris airport on a bussines trip and we ended up driving around Lisbon at 3AM to buy some spare essentials. Next day at the meeting we were informed of at least 6 others there whose luggage got lost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roppie11 Posted June 5, 2016 thanks for the report, i'm really looking forward to the video's! just a quick question, of course you can't say anything about it, but do you have information about 2017 sets? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sariel Posted June 5, 2016 None. We're still waiting to actually get the remaining 2016 sets, hold your horses:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheItalianBrick Posted June 5, 2016 OMG the memory lane!!!!!!! This would be a nice place where to "rest in peace".... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zux Posted June 5, 2016 Seems like fantastic trip! Will there be answers from designers to questions gathered a while ago? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sariel Posted June 5, 2016 I don't know about the other participants, I asked questions gathered from my YT viewers and FB followers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJ2 Posted June 5, 2016 When I die I want to buried under the technic section in memory lane. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clone OPatra Posted June 5, 2016 Seems like fantastic trip! Will there be answers from designers to questions gathered a while ago? If you mean questions that Jim gathered from the technic forum, some of them will be answered in my upcoming reports and interview articles. I am *surprise* the mysterious Eurobricks Moderator mentioned above. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SevenStuds Posted June 5, 2016 Very entertaining reading! I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes they had their own mini Stocklin running at home. I suppose they must also have some really fancy machine to check each piece for imperfections before loading it into that waste bin (which looks like a boat load of fun!) Thanks for all the high quality photos. Gives me more insight than most of the documentaries I watched. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy D Posted June 5, 2016 Very interesting and fun report, I almost felt like I was there. Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us! Andy D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JTS Posted June 6, 2016 Wow a positive review from you Paul, how much vodka did you have?! I'm very jealous too. Couple of questions: 1) What did you get from the staff store? 2) How many times were you propositioned to become a Technic designer? 3) Having played with the 2016 sets, which one are you most looking forward to and why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonox Posted June 6, 2016 a very educational and entertaining read Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
a_h_adl Posted June 6, 2016 Thanks Paul for your nice and special travelog, your sense of humour rocks! By the way, I'm curios to know what was the typical production rate of the small and large parts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sariel Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) 1) What did you get from the staff store? 2) How many times were you propositioned to become a Technic designer? 3) Having played with the 2016 sets, which one are you most looking forward to and why? 1) The Wall-E set and a couple of keychains for my GF. They didn't have the new Technic sets yet, so there was little of interest to me. I can't be more specific as we were asked not to discuss pricing policies there. 2) Exactly zero. Getting a job was never a topic of any conversation I'm aware of. It's pretty much like visiting Google (I did) - everyone you meet knows you'd kill for the job, but they're not from HR so there's no use to discuss it. 3) I look forward towards all of them, I had very high expectations of the Xerion tractor and it managed to surpass them. I guess the nicest surprise was the little truck that comes with 42055 - I thought it was a blatant copy of the 42035 set, but it's not, in fact it's designed from a scratch and much, much more realistic. By the way, I'm curios to know what was the typical production rate of the small and large parts? I'll show them coming out of the machines in my video. Edited June 6, 2016 by Sariel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zux Posted June 6, 2016 If you mean questions that Jim gathered from the technic forum, some of them will be answered in my upcoming reports and interview articles. I am *surprise* the mysterious Eurobricks Moderator mentioned above.I was looking to understand if the answers will be publicly available. Thanks for confirming this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
