ScotNick

Lego acquiring Bricklink - Problem with 3D-printed parts?

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Hey guys!

Don't know how many of you have already heard the news about Lego acquiring Bricklink, but I thought this might be a relevant topic to discuss here, since it most probably will have an impact on our hobby.

I know they said they want to keep it the same, but I'm not too sure about that.

Especially in the Lego train community 3D printed parts have a big impact in giving a variety of parts to a niche market. However some of you might have noticed that Lego recently took action against some 3D-printed parts (including custom train wheels) to be taken down from online 3D-printing providers.

Here's a quote frome the Brothers Brick interview

Quote

The Brothers Brick:
Will LEGO discontinue sales of custom elements like BrickArms that feature historical or realistic military themes?

Julia Goldin:
That is a very good question. I think that our vision is that we would want to stay, from BrickLink, with the vision that Dan the original founder had, which is, this is really about LEGO and this is about LEGO elements. From that perspective, you would not see BrickArms and guns and things that are potentially particularly connected to things like warfare and violence, which is something that we decided as the LEGO Group we would never support. Those kinds of things we would not want to see on the platform.

The Brothers Brick:
So that would be an immediate change.

Julia Goldin:
In that particular regard, yes, we would only sell LEGO — we would only support LEGO-branded sellers.

I know some people have custom 3D printed parts (eg. connection rods) in their bricklink stores, so this could really be a problem!

I'd really like to know whether anyone here has more information or what you guys think will happen!?

 

Cheers, Nick

Edited by ScotNick
Added quote from the Brothers Brick interview

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I guess it remains to be seen what they'll do.  Then again anything can still change in future.

Learning to design and print your own stuff may not be a bad idea in the long run.

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2 hours ago, ScotNick said:

some people have custom 3D printed parts (eg. connection rods) in their bricklink stores

Well. if TLG starts doing difficult about that we sell those parts no longer from BL but somewhere else and they CAN'T DO ANYTHING AGAINST IT.
They will howeverget a terrible name and be related to a wellknown Christmas Carol.

So.
This is in NO WAY a problem and you may produce any part you like, may may call it compatible with "known" blocks.
You may eat them, digest them hard (depends on stomag), you may.... next phase.. ow well you may even use them in your train.

But you may NOT call them Lego.
No more, no less, no problem al all.

Edited by coinoperator

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What about Brick Tracks?

Or the stores that sell custom decals?

 

Edited by CSW652

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2 hours ago, coinoperator said:

It doesn't matter at all.

Oh yes, it does. When all non-Lego parts are banned from BrickLink, this will affect many AFOLs.

I think our fellow trainhead @zephyr1934 found exactly the right way to react in his comment:
'My BL store has a new banner, "For each custom rod I sell it helps Lego sell about 250 bricks and it helps make one AFOL happy"
I hope they have a pathway for custom parts to be reviewed and potentially accepted for listing. If not, my rods will find a new home elsewhere on the internet.'

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23 minutes ago, Tenderlok said:

yes, it does

No, why should it?
BL is at this moment the place to trade but we will move very quick to another site if we need to.

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3 hours ago, Tenderlok said:

think our fellow trainhead @zephyr1934 found exactly the right way to react in his comment:
'My BL store has a new banner, "For each custom rod I sell it helps Lego sell about 250 bricks and it helps make one AFOL happy"
I hope they have a pathway for custom parts to be reviewed and potentially accepted for listing. If not, my rods will find a new home elsewhere on the internet.'

Thank you, my job here is done. No, seriously though, I am glad that it was taken exactly as I intended and I am glad to see it reposted. It is the essence of my thinking on the matter. Every time I sell a rod, Lego has sold 100's of bricks for the rest of that steam engine. A lot of the official Lego train hobby grew out of AFOL creations (the Super Chief, the inclusion of steam engine wheels, etc.). I have heard that Lego also likes some of the 3rd party parts because they serve niche markets that in turn result in even more Lego brick sales. I also see parallels with the past, like when you could buy third party parts from S@H that had been endorsed by Lego (I'm thinking Hitechnic sensors for the NXT).

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25 minutes ago, zephyr1934 said:

Thank you, my job here is done. No, seriously though, I am glad that it was taken exactly as I intended and I am glad to see it reposted. It is the essence of my thinking on the matter. Every time I sell a rod, Lego has sold 100's of bricks for the rest of that steam engine. A lot of the official Lego train hobby grew out of AFOL creations (the Super Chief, the inclusion of steam engine wheels, etc.). I have heard that Lego also likes some of the 3rd party parts because they serve niche markets that in turn result in even more Lego brick sales. I also see parallels with the past, like when you could buy third party parts from S@H that had been endorsed by Lego (I'm thinking Hitechnic sensors for the NXT).

I cannot believe they would order you to stop selling. If they do, I encourage you to fight tooth an nail - and to set up a GoFundMe for legal defense support. If Lego is going to go to war against MOCers with their ludicrous "war doesn't exist; guns don't exist; accurate train parts don't exist" world views, we need to collectively counter attack as a community.

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7 hours ago, CSW652 said:

What about Brick Tracks?

LEGO's cool with me, so I'm not concerned.

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9 minutes ago, coaster said:

LEGO's cool with me, so I'm not concerned.

Those of us who model narrow gauge - and hope to see narrow gauge's presence expanded in the future - however, appear to be SOL...

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10 minutes ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

I cannot believe they would order you to stop selling. If they do, I encourage you to fight tooth an nail - and to set up a GoFundMe for legal defense support.

The risk I see is that my rods and stickers get booted from bricklink in one fell swoop with all other custom items because a large company has little choice but to spread uniform blanket policy. It would kind of suck, a moderate hassle for me and a micro-loss for bricklink- having given the first feedback for several customers I think my rods have introduced several buyers to bricklink. Don't worry though, the rods will continue to be available with or without bricklink.

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Just now, zephyr1934 said:

The risk I see is that my rods and stickers get booted from bricklink in one fell swoop with all other custom items because a large company has little choice but to spread uniform blanket policy. It would kind of suck, a moderate hassle for me and a micro-loss for bricklink- having given the first feedback for several customers I think my rods have introduced several buyers to bricklink. Don't worry though, the rods will continue to be available with or without bricklink.

I've admired your work, as well as that of Big Ben and Shupp, for years. But I'm a pessimist, too, and after what happened with Paramount and the Star Trek fandom (NO MORE FAN VIDS FOR YOU, MWAHAHAHAHA!) I am never optimistic when something like this happens.

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5 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

spread uniform blanket policy

This is what I fear ... Several stores I frequent sell custom prints or decals or train parts ... I personally will still be able to get most of these items as I have connections with the sellers outside of BL however it will be a pita when I can't just refer people to the BL store that they can get the custom parts from to build something similar 

5 hours ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

If Lego is going to go to war against MOCers with their ludicrous "war doesn't exist; guns don't exist"

This has long been a stand by Lego from it's very early days ... Lego does make ”guns" infact Lego makes past present and future "guns".  What Lego does not do is promote "War" in the sets they build.   And I completely agree with this stand.  

War is an important part of the world history.   However it's not something I want my son's growing up to "play" with.  Yes it's silly to believe world peace exists in LEGO world but truely that is the idea.   The bad guys ALWAYS get caught and put in jail.  It's subliminal training but yes it's a practice I whole heartedly agree with. 

Brick arms / brick warriors does not need to be on BL to survive infact I have never bought anything of theirs off BL and I spend $50 with them several times a year.

The thing that worries me is smaller sellers that could not justify a website domain as a operations expense and simply close up shop.

 

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2 hours ago, Roadmonkeytj said:

The thing that worries me is smaller sellers that could not justify a website domain as a operations expense and simply close up shop.

 

If it comes to that, I suspect people might just create a totally new site. Neo BrickLink - LinkBrick, if someone’s feeling especially cheeky. Or else they could go to eBay. (I know, I know, eBay has listing fees, but a profit cut is better than no sale, right?)

8 hours ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

I've admired your work, as well as that of Big Ben and Shupp, for years. But I'm a pessimist, too, and after what happened with Paramount and the Star Trek fandom (NO MORE FAN VIDS FOR YOU, MWAHAHAHAHA!) I am never optimistic when something like this happens.

Yeah, but this is LEGO we’re talking about. Comparatively speaking, they are a shining beacon of company policy compared to most major businesses. They’re not perfect - Australia gets screwed over a lot - but I highly doubt things’ll be too bad. 

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3 hours ago, Roadmonkeytj said:

What Lego does not do is promote "War" in the sets they build.

I'm going to have to call a bit of tosh on this. Lego most assuredly promotes war. Maybe not modern war, but certainly everything up to the late 19th Century seems to have been fair game. 

The castle, western, and pirates themes are all completely founded on real-world combat, and Star Wars, Space, Lord of the Rings, Avengers, etc., etc. have always been very violent lines heavily reliant on battle/faction rivalry/war. 

Lego has themselves released flintlocks, cannons, revolvers, rifles, and even Tommy Guns (the latter being military ordinance, despite its association with gangsters), and several of the Avengers and other super hero sets have featured built-up guns that were clearly intended to represent heavier ordinance. Even the existence of "army building" sets is proof that Lego wants people embrace large-scale battle situations involving minifigures doing more than skirmishing. 

While Lego is definitely shy when it comes to military escapades in the last century (which is a little silly, when you think about it - is being cut down by a machine gun really all that more gruesome [if at all] than being hacked to pieces with a sword, or impaled on a spear?), the idea that they are opposed to war is inaccurate (and for them to claim otherwise is total hypocrisy). Lego has, in fact, done little else throughout its history than to promote violence in its themes. I have no problem with this, of course - boys like to play war. But the company definitely has profited from its adoption of very bloody themes. 

 

Edited by SteamSewnEmpire

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1 hour ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

Lego most assuredly promotes war. Maybe not modern war, but certainly everything up to the late 19th Century seems to have been fair game. 

This is exactly the point!  when a child (most males) play war in ancient or futuristic or fantasy context, they are forced to "imagine" the story, not to reply what they see on tv (Sirya,  Afganistan, Lybia ecc...). From a psychological point of view is as the reality were removed and their actions  do not affect "real" people. When a boy use a modern tank toy to destroy a house and few hours later he sees a similar  real scene, it can be associated to a game not realizing it truly happened. It could be thought as  hypocritical but it functions. In this sense the original LEGO assumptions about "war" are still valid.

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10 hours ago, Feng-huang0296 said:

... if it comes to that, I suspect people might just create a totally new site. Neo BrickLink - LinkBrick...

Would it be possible to start something now, through the EuroBricks forum? I’m thinking of a setup similar to Facebook’s Marketplace...

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10 hours ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

I'm going to have to call a bit of tosh on this. Lego most assuredly promotes war. Maybe not modern war, but certainly everything up to the late 19th Century seems to have been fair game. 

Your post was very nicely phrased and totally on the spot.

I said that somewhere else on EB (in the political correctness discussion): The whole "not supporting violence" story is completely stupid. And makes them look stupid. Why do they not have the guts to put it right? I don't have any problems with that: Buy it or leave it. Kids love weapons of all sorts, maybe boys more than girls, but I am absolutely not sure anymore, not in modern times! It gives them - power. That is "not good" but it is like that. BTW: I can tell for sure that I liked weapons when I was young. I don't anymore, but that is not important.

They completely endorse war, violence, shooting etc. ... happening in the past. And in the future. But not today. Sorry. I don't buy it. It is garbage. Just tell the truth.

I love LEGO. With weapons or without - it is my choice. But don't tell me any crap. Believe in what you do and then do it and tell it right.

Best
Thorsten

 

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17 minutes ago, Toastie said:

They completely endorse war, violence, shooting etc. ... happening in the past. And in the future. But not today.

 

Maybe was true at one point not supporting violence, but they lost their way somewhere in the late '80s with knights etc.., and then completely with all the sponsorship deals....

Star Wars, it's not the future even, just a 'galaxy very far away'

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56 minutes ago, bricks n bolts said:

Maybe was true at one point not supporting violence

Oh sure it was like that. I got my first set in 1965. And then a couple more through 1980 - and then it went dark. As far as I remember there was no violence back then, but I may be wrong. In 1996 there was light again. And then it went off.

Yes, that's true. SW is not the future. Actually, it sometimes reminds me of the past. People wearing black ... whatever.  

Best
Thorsten 

 

 

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2 hours ago, M_slug357 said:

Would it be possible to start something now, through the EuroBricks forum? I’m thinking of a setup similar to Facebook’s Marketplace...

Isn't brickowl a sort of alternate bricklink?

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2 hours ago, Toastie said:

Oh sure it was like that. I got my first set in 1965. And then a couple more through 1980 - and then it went dark. As far as I remember there was no violence back then, but I may be wrong. In 1996 there was light again. And then it went off.

Yes, that's true. SW is not the future. Actually, it sometimes reminds me of the past. People wearing black ... whatever.  

Best
Thorsten 

 

 

The tag line is literally ‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .’

That’s pretty clear about when it’s set.

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I don’t think anyone else has used the word, but I shall. If LEGO is going to ban BrickArms custom items from Bricklink due to the association with warfare and violence, such action would be hypocritical. You cannot champion themes that are, by definition, violent and simultaneously take the moral high ground on violence. Heck, one of their most lucrative themes even contains the word “wars” in its title. The bogie sideframe parts I’ve used for my 4-wide models are genuine LEGO parts and, you guessed it, are guns.

I’m hopeful that this stupid double-standard nonsense that they’re aiming at BrickArms won’t necessarily applying for other third party parts suppliers. If they’re going to honour Dan Jezek’s original vision I would hope that they will leave space for non-LEGO LEGO compatible parts, as at least the current iteration of Bricklink has a specific heading for custom parts. 

Edited by Hod Carrier

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I don't remember where, but I do remember LEGO's stance being explained to me with more nuance than anyone seems to want to give them credit for - fans, huh?

But it was explained that their aversion wasn't to violence or conflict straight out, more that they wanted to avoid realistic depictions of modern military equipment and modern weapons. And that reason makes sense if you think about it: almost nobody today has been skewered by a sword or fried by a laser blast. But there are people alive today who have been seriously wounded or have lost loved ones to modern military vehicles. These are real contemporary weapons that are or have been used recently to kill folks.

Where LEGO, or any fan of LEGO, decides to draw the line on what they think is too far, or what they think is appropriate for a building toy which recommends 6-14 years old on most of the boxes is up to everyone to decide on their own. But it seems mighty insensitive and maybe a little ignorant to try and claim LEGO can't possibly have a real reason to want to avoid certain things like that. Things that clearly, you can purchase anyways if you really want to.

As for LEGO buying Bricklink, all the custom stuff may or may not be allowed to continue to be sold there, but it's definitely still going to be available somewhere. I personally don't see that as being a huge deal.

As for the rest of it, well, we'll see. I love their products. I've got nothing but good experiences from their customer service. Things will change, for sure, but not all change is bad and I'm going to give them a chance.

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