the enigma that is badger

"I see your schwartz is . . . is . . . is . . . impressive. Most impresive"

The Business Week article did a fairly good job presenting the origins and development of the Friends line. Quite honestly, much of the misinformation by various groups (particularly SPARK) seemed to hint their unfamiliarity with the offerings of the modern LEGO brand ("prebuilt" sets, prefabricated pieces, etc). It was clear the writers had no reference for LEGO beyond hazy childhood memories of brick buckets filled 2x4 and 2x4 brick. One recent blog post I enjoyed reading makes for a nice showcase on how a better understanding of the entire breadth of LEGO's offerings puts the Friends line in the larger building context. If there's one change I'd like to see LEGO implement based on all this discussion of building, gender, and making all LEGO products attractive to girls in the target audience, it's this: greater prominence of female figures on the LEGO site (they've got the quality designs to showcase!) and girls more prominent in LEGO marketing copy for all lines and themes. The Friends line is one excellent tool for drawing a wider audience to building, but also highlighting that other lines are equally as accessible to all genders would only add to that effort.

To get this thread back on track, there's been one major update: LEGO has apparently agreed to meet with representatives of SPARK. On one hand, I credit LEGO for directly addressing the group and their concerns and being willing to meet with them to discuss the issues that have been raised in terms of the Friends line and the marketing of LEGO products. However, given SPARK and their supporters have seemingly engaged in willfully spreading misinformation about Friends line (complexity of the builds, nature of the figures, relationship to other LEGO themes, etc) and, in many instances, taken a hostile approach in addressing LEGO, it's hard, at least for myself, to image the meeting will be that productive.

Thanks for all the kind words! I'll be sure to pass them onto Will! You might find this item useful: the BrickArms Combat PDW

BrickArms starts out 2012 with a release of accessories all based on variants of that icon of modern warfare: the M16! Included in this release: M16 M16-AGL (Advanced Grenade Launcher) with ACOG scope and M203 Grenade Launcher M16-DBR (Door Breaching) with breaching shotgun attachment M110 Sniper Rifle All of these accessories are now currently available from all official BrickArms resellers. Look for more releases from BrickArms as 2012 continues!

An interesting and fun review from a LEGO-friendly family about their experiences with LEGO Friends

I don't expect the target audience (girls 6-12 based on the information posted on the LEGO website) to have a detailed analysis about marketing strategies of LEGO. I'm speaking more broadly about the line itself and how it's being presented to them: - What do they think of the new Friends figure? Do they prefer it to the traditional minifigure? Why? - What do they think of the color palette of the elements in the Friends sets? Do they prefer it to the palette in other lines? - Do the Friends sets appeal to them more than action-orientated lines (Ninjago, Star Wars) and other building lines (Architecture, City)? What themes would they most want to see explored in sets? - Does the modular building of the Friends sets fit their style of play (as LEGO states)? Do they find the level of difficult present in the builds of Friends set to be at an appropriate level for them? This is all information LEGO has discussed, particularly in the Business Week article, but I'm more curious for the raw data and get into the origins of what drove the Friends line then feedback from those same sources (girls in the target age and their parents) on the line itself. Given the extremely competitive nature of the toy business, I don't expect LEGO to start publicly publishing their (costly!) research efforts, but still, that (or similar) data would certainly be a major contribution to this discussion.

Thanks for sharing the follow-up, LegoMyMamma! Unfortunately, I found it disappointing in that it really didn't answer the key questions I have about the line: what does the target audience, namely girls in the appropriate age range, think of the line. Does it encourage them to build? What do they think of the marketing of and themes explored in LEGO Friends? That would have been much more interesting than the adult roundtable discussion they chose to feature. The underlying hypothesis of everything I've read from the LEGO Friends detractors is that they think all (or the vast majority) of gender differences are social constructs and any marketing or products geared towards appealing to one gender do nothing but reinforce those artificial values onto the children meant to consume them. They view LEGO as part of a vicious cycle that helps create gender differences then exploit those differences to sell products, hence the somewhat confused nature of her argument. This type of campaign has been around for quite some time. I think they're particularly annoyed with the LEGO Friends line because what they remember of LEGO is the basic brick, a product in their minds that was "pure" of any targeting towards a particular gender. I think that explains no small number of the confusions about "prebuilt sets", "fewer bricks", and "bricks that won't work with regular LEGO" that we've seen. Unfortunately, they clearly aren't interested in understanding that LEGO today is a multi-fascated company with a variety of lines and products which are geared towards different audiences, including several lines that clearly are not gender-based (City, Architecture, Technic, Mindstorms), yet still function together as part of the LEGO building system. They're much more interested in fitting LEGO Friends into their "pink ghetto" narrative rather than truly trying to understand the nature of the Friends line and how it fits into the larger view of all LEGO products.

Kendo Cole . . . or Bogden from Breaking Bad?

One of the sponsors of the Change petition, Bailey Shoemaker Richards, was recently interviewed by the NPR show Tell Me More. Most of the information in the interview is identical to what has been posted online, although it's fairly short (only 7 minutes) and definitely worth a listen. Michel Martin (the host of Tell Me More and interviewer for this story) asks some fairly critical questions, some of which have been raised in this thread. EDIT: Corrected interviewer from Michele Norris (of All Things Considered fame) to the correct Michel Martin. Do I need to mention I listen to way too much NPR? ;)

Glad you like the DP-28! To answer your questions: - I'm not sure if Will plans to include the Bipod with the DP-28 should the DP-28 see mass production. - Yes, the ammo drum is removable!: However, I don't believe that's a standard sized connection. I'm unfortunately without any brick right now, so it's impossible for me to test the use of the DP-28 ammo drum any further. It is easily removable from the DP-28, though, and can spin! Thanks, I'll be sure to pass on your kind words to Will! And rest assured, when there's new BrickArms new to report, I'll certainly be posting it here!

While I'm personally not a train builder, it was my pleasure over the past few years to spend a lot of time with the folks at the NILTC. From conversations with them, their experience seemed similar to what others have reported: some resistance to LEGO trains in the wider model train community but overall acceptance once other gained an appreciation of the detail, accuracy, and creativity in the MOCs . . . not to mentioned their popularity with the public at model train events! My father has a collection of Lionel trains from his youth, and I grew up setting up small displays with him during the holidays. Every LEGO train display I see always brings back those fond memories, and hopefully as the wider model train community gains a better understanding and appreciation of LEGO trains, train builders will find a wider acceptance.

With 2012 just getting started, I thought I'd share some fun sneak peaks into what exciting news from BrickArms the year has in store for everyone! First off, Will Chapman recently unveiled four new prototypes all based on Russian WWII weaponry: Mosin-Nagant Sniper Rifle SVT-40 Rifle DP-28 LMG Tokarev TT-33 Pistol Second, Will recently posted this intriguing image: That is a first article sprue direct from Will's molder! First articles are injections of production molds as they are being developed to test the quality of the cavities in the mold. In this case, everything looked absolutely great to Will, so that mold is now at his molder, hard at work producing accessories for the next release of new BrickArms accessories which is currently scheduled for 2/10/2012. Still, the above is only the beginning of what Will currently has in development, so make sure to watch for more updates from BrickArms has the year rolls on!

You'd have to ask the fine folks at GI Brick as they're the ones who made it! They also answer questions in their section of the BrickArms Forums. Generally speaking, GI Brick has produced a few different custom figures to date, and if builders keep making it clear they'd like to see more, there's a good chance we're like to see more in the future!

Sure, here's a shot direct from the GI Brick website (click to embiggen!): The figure does include the two cards pictured as well. They remind me of the old file cards that used to come with GI Joe action figures! :)

Newly-released by GI Brick: the brand new custom Delta Operative figure! Featuring custom designs printed onto the head, legs, both sides of the torso, and the arms of the figure, the GI Brick Delta Operative also includes: - Printed Dark Gray BrickArms Modern Combat Helmet - Digital Camo Printed BrickArms Gunmetal HAC - Gunmetal Combat Knife - Black MinifigWorld Stand This figure is an exclusive to GI Brick and is not available from any other online retailers. However, GI Brick will be joining Brickmania at Brickfair Alabama 2012, so those attending that event will have the chance to grab a fig (or two!) there.

Yes, as an official BrickArms reseller, if and when these parts become available as mass produced accessories, GI Brick will definite carry them. Actually, GI Brick does currently offer a limited selection and number of BrickArms prototypes available for purchase, so you can test them and give feedback, not to mention show Will the best way possible that you particularly love a new item and would want to see it mass produced: by ordering it! Their prices do reflect the fact each is created personally by Will using his home equipment (decidedly more labor involved, not to mention the occasional burn from hot ABS plastic!), but with the quality of Will's current prototyping system, they're nearly production-level quality in terms of crispness of detail. Also, I'm sorry to hear you've had trouble contacting GI Brick, but please bear in mind they aren't at all involved with the production process of BrickArms accessories; they know just about as much as you do when it comes to what new items Will is currently developing and when new waves of BrickArms accessories will hit the digital shelves. You can read more here about why more information about BrickArms releases can't be discussed in more detail.

Great review, Darth Yogi! Decidedly thorough, wonderful pictures to illustrate all your points, and some truly useful feedback for Will. Glad you're having fun with everything! The BrickArms Joint-Force Shock Cannon is loosely based on the HALO "Mauler". Yes, Will's gotten some very strong positive feedback from the community regarding those prototypes, and while it's impossible to say exactly when they'll be added to the BrickArms line-up, Will DEFINITELY plans to take them into mass production. Something to look forward to in the future from BrickArms!

Glad you liked everything! Will and I truly had a great time picking out all the items to include, keeping the scifi nature of the category in mind. Congrats, and I look forward to reading your review! Yep, every single one of those accessories is a prototype! Truly happy to hear you liked everything as well, and congrats to you, too!

The BrickArms Musket is currently still at the prototype stage of development, so it is not currently available from any official BrickArms resellers. However, the BrickArms Musket (along with more than a few other new items!) is definitelyin the pipeline to be a mass produced item, and while I can't give you a specific date when it will be available, I can say it definitely is coming and will eventually be available from all worldwide official BrickArms resellers.

I know Will would appreciate you thinking of him and the quality work he produces, but Will's focus is on minifig accessories rather than items that function as building elements. Not to say that there is not a market for such items, but they're nothing currently planned or likely to ever be produced by BrickArms. Sorry!

An exciting alternative to facing the mad crowds in the early morning hours this Black Friday (11/25/11): a wave of new BrickArms accessories will hit the digital shelves that day! Brand new Boonie Hat! (MSRP = $1.25) The Boonie Hat will be available in six different colors with limited amounts of Green Combat LMG Battle Kit (MSRP = $1 - like Mad Magazine, CHEAP!) Includes: - Gunmetal Combat LMG - Gunmetal Ammo Box - Gunmetal Monopod HAC, ARC, M3 and M1919 in Titanium, Tan, Dark Tan, Dark Olive, and White (MSRP = Varies by Item) These accessories will be available from all official BrickArms resellers starting 11/25/11!

Thanks for the thoughtful review and glad to hear you enjoyed the Mystery Pack experience! Will definitely plans future volumes of the Mystery Pack, and while it's too early to discuss what might be included in them, what's proved most popular in Vols. 1 and 2 has been more than noted and will be taken into consideration when it comes to the contents new Mystery Packs.

Will is still developing how he might introduce the Chakram ID Disc to the BrickArms line-up, but while he more than trusted me folks at various events and online expressed a strong interest in it, seeing first hand at Brickfair how much builders would love to obtain on definitely left an impression on him!

But what truly interest me are the local gunlaws. Fair warning to all who ! ;)I've yet to pick up any of the new chickens, and a board game that features several of them would definitely interest me!