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JanetVanD

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Everything posted by JanetVanD

  1. JanetVanD
    Thank you, yes, 5x8 baseplates. It will tour the county during the summer, go on display in the National Museum of Ireland in the autumn and most likely end up in the Glendalough visitors' centre at some point after that.
  2. JanetVanD
    Situated in the tranquil valley of Glendalough, County Wicklow, the evocative remains of the once-vibrant medieval monastic settlement is one of Ireland's most beautiful and well-known historical treasures. This commissioned, 44,388-piece diorama depicts the national heritage site as it may have looked in its heyday during the 12th century. The layout, structural details and scenes of everyday life have all been researched and recreated as accurately as possible, with invaluable advice from Glendalough Heritage Forum and University College Dublin Archaeology Department. The model took 3 months to design & build; completed in Sept. 2021. Credit to Faolán Farrell for all the minifigure scenes and scenarios. Glendalough Monastic Settlement by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, west view by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, east view by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, entrance gateway by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, herb garden inset by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, farming life by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Glendalough Monastic Settlement, daily chores by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr
  3. JanetVanD
    Originating from Scandinavian legend and Norse mythology, the troll is an unfriendly creature best avoided. Trolls can usually be found in cold, dark, scary places; they often lurk under remote bridges such as this one, awaiting the unfortunate stray goat or unwary traveller. This model is the 6th in my Legends & Lore series. It is comprised of 6,768 elements and was finished in March 2021. It technically took me 6 weeks in all but those weeks were dragged out for quite a while, with a day here and a day there until I was heartily sick of seeing it on my table! Troll Bridge by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Troll Bridge (inset) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr
  4. JanetVanD
    Has anyone noticed that points don't always get awarded to purchases that are put on backorder? Apologies if this has been mentioned before; members of my LUG have only recently noticed this ommission happing regularly to quite a few people. Usually points not being applied to backordered items but sometimes also double points being applied only as single points.
  5. JanetVanD
    Dreaded by sailors across the globe and throughout the centuries, sea serpents are the most fearsome monsters of the unknown deep. Long before the corners of the maps were shaded in, these legendary creatures lurked in uncharted waters, emerging through the roiling waves to swallow hapless seamen and destroy entire ships. It is difficult to know the origins of the legend; tales of sea serpents spread from port to port over thousands of years, taking particular hold in places such as the Middle East, North America, Scandinavia and Great Britain. This is the fifth model in my Legends and Lore series. It is comprised of 6,438 elements, took four weeks to design and create and was completed in February 2020. Here There Be Serpents! (1) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Here There Be Serpents! (2) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Here There Be Serpents! (3) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Here There Be Serpents! (4) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Here There Be Serpents! (5) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr
  6. JanetVanD
    Unfortunately we will have to pull out of the event this year. It has nothing to do with the lack of P-Shop or cost of tour or anything like that; I've just found out I'll have to work on the 8th and 9th. Very disappointing, but earning money has to come before spending it!
  7. JanetVanD
    Would you not worry about the risk of contamination of your LEGO collection?
  8. JanetVanD
    Your point is well taken. This was something I thought about for awhile, since whenever I build outdoor scenes involving rocks & stones I usually go for more irregular shapes. I deliberately decided upon the smooth, rounded look, as I wanted to convey the sense of pleasing tranquility that is the essence of a Japanese garden. Also, it seemed to provide a nice balance to the square stepping stones and the angles of the fox figure.
  9. JanetVanD
    The Christmas holidays gave me a bit of time to complete the fourth installment in my "Legends and Lore" series. The Kyuubi no Kitsune (Nine-tailed Fox) is a well-known character in Japanese folklore. This magical creature lives for an incredibly long time and grows a new tail for each century of spiritual training and wisdom. Upon gaining its ninth tail, the Kitsune has reached its full powers and its tails may begin to turn golden or white in colour. Its natural form is that of an ordinary fox but the powerful Kitsune is able to shape-shift into other forms, particularly that of a beautiful young woman, and get up to all sorts of mischief! The Kitsune in all its forms is still a very popular figure in present-day Japanese culture. This model is comprised of 4,304 elements, took three weeks to design & build and was completed on New Year's Day. Kyuubi no Kitsune (Japanese Nine-tailed Fox) by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Kyuubi no Kitsune (Nine-tailed Fox) Inset by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Kyuubi no Kitsune (Nine-tailed Fox) Look into my eyes.... by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Kyuubi no Kitsune [overview] by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr Kyuubi no Kitsune [side view] by Jessica Farrell, on Flickr
  10. JanetVanD
    Are the pantone codes for each colour included in the descriptions?
  11. JanetVanD
    I noticed those two points myself! I remember reading about both in a book about AFOL culture many years ago, maybe the journalist used it as additiona source material!
  12. JanetVanD
    On a slightly different note but still related to the topic: Is it just my imagination or have some of the images on the BL catalogue been upgraded to match the ones on Bricks & Pieces? (eg some of the more common elements that are in current production) If so, was this done before or after the acquisition? I always thought that the BL parts images were provided by AFOLs, but I'm just noticing some that are identical to the "official" B&P images. Was I just not paying attention before now?
  13. JanetVanD
    Another sensible approach above. Agreed: TLG are not angels wanting to be our fairy godmothers, but neither are they demons wanting to be our ruination. Most of all I was dismayed by the volume of irrational wailing, tearing of shirts and gnashing of teeth following the announcement. In a public forum it is right and proper for people to express their concerns and/or hopes regarding things that may happen. Informed and thoughtful speculation is good, too. Instant negative assumptions and forecasts of doom as if it were already a foregone conclusion is not so great. (Incidentally, I wouldn't be in favour of naive "Everything's going to be awesome" assumptions, either) We don't know yet how this acquisition will pan out. Perhaps TLG doesn't either. In that case, (and considering the possibility that someone from TLG reads these posts from time to time) it might be most productive if people discussed their concerns and hopes in a rational manner and perhaps even offered some hypothetical solutions or compromises.
  14. JanetVanD
    I asked via customer service but they weren't sure, either And yes, I do believe it is usually closed by this date.
  15. JanetVanD
    My 16 year old son made the observation that, since nearly all AFOLs started out as children who loved playing with LEGO, it would be a mistake for TLG to ever shift its primary focus from child-oriented products to adult-oriented ones (something which we feel they would never do anyway) If, for whatever reason, they did, they would risk losing that unique essence which appeals to the universal child in all of us.
  16. JanetVanD
    Yes, I agree. I have met and spoken with the owner of the company on a number of occasions and he was down-to-earth and keen to listen. Being wealthy and being a decent person are not mutually exclusive. Running a successful, profitable company does not automatically make one greedy. At the grand opening ceremony of LEGO House, Kjeld spoke very animatedly about his long range visions for the company. He seemed quite passionate about the legacy he inherited and would eventually pass on. It seemed to me that he genuinely believed in what he was saying and the LEGO brand meant a lot more to his family than just its monetary value, As I said, it is possible to be very rich and still care about other things besides money. I have met several other people of various positions within TLG over the last few years and I know a few of them personally. They are all, by and large, hardworking people trying to do their best, just like most of us. Whatever the plans for Bricklink are, I do not believe ruining things for AFOLs is the objective.
  17. JanetVanD
    But option 2 doesn't make good business sense in the medium to long term, and TLG are no fools. They must know that it would be relatively easy for the second hand market to simply migrate to a new site if it were unbearably stifled in the original site. In fact, since it is often easier to start fresh than fix problems with something old, a new site might actually be better and more popular than BL ever was. There would be just a couple of years time lag. So where would the increase in revenue come from, if that's their plan? Seems too short sighted to be a viable option. So that leaves option 1 or, more likely, some combination of option 1 and a bunch of other possibilities yet to be decided. I don't think TLG actually lied in the original press release. Yes, there was the usual marketing spin put on it, but they did admit that certain items would likely be restricted (they just didn't itemise which ones) As for the IP issues,. it remains to be seen how that will pan out, but I still don't think they lied about changing things. After all, protecting IP is a legal requirement and adherence to the law should be assumed, and is not the same as barging in and making arbitrary changes. The main cause for concern may be TLG legal team's interpretations of the various nuances of the laws surrounding IP rights and the secondary market.
  18. JanetVanD
    Okay, before people start getting seriously offensive towards each other, can we just agree that none of us know exactly how valuable AFOLs are to TLG (monetarily speaking) but we can make a partially informed and logical guess: Probably less than we'd like to think but hopefully more than we realise.
  19. JanetVanD
    Quite possibly, although I'd go for the lower figure of 40 rather than 50
  20. JanetVanD
    Absolutely. Our value as advocates is also an asset.
  21. JanetVanD
    This is one of the more sensible views. I've read the full T&Cs on the BL site and don't see anything unreasonable. No non-LEGO stuff makes sense; BL was always about being a marketplace for genuine LEGO in the first place. No infringement of IP rights makes sense too. How many of us would like our work ripped off and/or appropriated for profit without our permission? Well, in a fair society, the same protections should be in place for all without prejudice, big companies and little guys alike. It's amazing how many people are acting as if TLG is some evil, faceless giant, out to destroy fandom. In actual fact, TLG does more to encourage and reach out to fandom than any other company I can think of. Some have even referred to TLG as a shareholder-driven multinational without even bothering to check facts.... it's actually family-owned by direct descendants of the founder. And yes, of course a lot of TLG's decisions are about profit. The company has to survive in a competitive, ever-changing environment and they have thousands of employees whose jobs matter. What's wrong with being concerned about profit? How many of us go to work all day and don't expect to get paid for it? Of course it's not good to always put profit first; that's why many of us do volunteer work and why TLG has established LEGO Charity, LEGO Foundation, etc. LEGO is, after all, a toy and a luxury item, (not essential like food or medicine) and TLG's acquisition of BL won't be robbing anyone of anything or denying anyone if anything they cannot get easily enough elsewhere if they really want it. So please, let's put this in its proper perspective.
  22. JanetVanD
    About that percentage thing: Just as "goodwill" is a tangible asset and can be factored into a business' nett worth, the market value of AFOLs to TLG may be calculated on more that just the sets we buy. Many, many AFOLs are members of LUGs and, as groups, regularly put on exhibitions, shows and special events to display their MOCs to huge general audiences. These LUG-run events present the LEGO brand and product in a very favourable light to a lot of potential customers. Fan events also often get local media coverage, effectively providing TLG with very valuable advertising that people will actually notice, a lot more than mere conventional ads. All this could (and should) be factored into any percentages TLG uses to calculate the financial value of AFOLs. I believe it is, as evidenced by the schemes such as LUG Support, Project Support, etc.
  23. JanetVanD
    Wow, this a lovely one. Will have to get two, at least! Really happy about the new colours of leaf elements and the white microphone, too!
  24. JanetVanD
    Yay! Count us in!
  25. JanetVanD
    Thanks for the positive feedback, guys
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