Wodanis

Good to hear DaleDMV! I'm pretty eager to see what they have in mind this run. I've been busy trying to make some Lego Castle minifigures (squad size rather than full army) as I missed out on the sets for the past couple of years.

Excellent work with these buildings. I enjoyed all the details on them. Keep up the work!

Considering the trend I have noticed with newer sets not utilising base plates (Ferris Wheel for example) this may become a reality... I also have to question the logic of price increases in the past year. 2013 prices were higher than 'normal' and the first half of 2014 seemed to adjust to more moderate prices but after the summer started climbing again. There is no doubt that the profit motive is here and pushing prices higher. It is frustrating as many of the larger sets I want are inflated because I live in Canada. (199.99 US vs 229.99 CDN for the Ferris wheel) I think Lego should redefine themselves as a broader company other than catering to children. So many adults buy Lego now it is hard to call oneself a 'children's toy' company. Lego has become more of a cultural phenomenon with generations growing up with their products. I don't like the new star wars blasters, I prefer the realistic ones. Expressions on mini-figures are cool but I actually prefer the classic smiley face. There is something fun and disturbing about having a smiley going into battle with swords and shields/blasters.

I'm in Canada and have been very disappointed with the May the Fourth Promo. Toys R Us had the MTT I wanted at 20% off vs Lego with 10%. It was a difference of $12! I was able to purchase another Battle Pack with the savings. I really wanted the Yularen but with so little on offer and I have most of the cheaper sets it just wasn't worth it. The fact that this year, one had to have $75 of Star Wars sets in order to qualify for the figure when in previous years I could Mix and match up to that threshold. I feel like calling them to complain...

Excellent work! I really like what you have created. Very inspiring.

Just simply awesome! Thanks Nesquik.

I really want to know if Canada and the US will get the 10% off. I love getting the promo mini-figure but a discount would be nice. I miss the 15% off five items at the Lego shop for May the 4th.

IF anything they will indeed be prototypes/initial concepts. Lego doesn't make sets that far in advance, 18 months at most. Anything beyond that is just a commitment that they will do X or Y line/theme ie City or Creator.

The Lego Store at Westfield Mall is your best bet. It is accessible by tube without going beyond zone 3. Just get off at the stop at Shepard's Bush station. This particular store is run very well and is stocked with more of the unusual parts etc. I used to shop there once a week

Congratulations on your wedding. This looked like a very inventive and enjoyable wedding experience. I really liked the idea of individual figs for each guess. Very clever!

This would be the fantasy wouldn't it? I have to ask why would the person send a photo of herself to start with? Standard operating procedure to gain more clients? Or was there something more to it? Like she had good banter with the customer etc? Seems an odd thing to do without some intent. If she is from Italy she wouldn't need to. She could immigrate here no problem. But then he could get 50% of her Lego.

I really like this project. Very quaint little house with a wealth of details. Job well done!

Wonderful room that you built there! I also really loved your classic Lego Space decal. Makes it very welcoming to see the little guy smiling at you. I was also curious about dust issues?

Really the concept of the bridge with it being retractable.

This is very much a part of Miami! Excellent work Snaillad! I really enjoyed some of the techniques you've employed like the cheese wedges for a granite effect.

This is simply amazing! would love to read the details about how you built this? This certainly inspires me to want to create such an awesome creation.

I like this a lot. Excellent work! Your lego collection must be huge!?

Will be excited to see that Faefrost! I have the book and I really liked the techniques and designs.

Yes, BnP went up once the system was back online. The PAB prices only just changed a few days ago. There is a problem with online orders as when I went to do an order for parts that BnP said were in stock actually weren't. The result was that my order didn't take and I was kicked out to the home screen. I called TLG customer service and they told me that if an item is no longer available but still listed in stock the system won't accept your order, even if only one part was out of stock. Yup depending on your country. For Canadians like myself it's 10-14 business days for shipments from Denmark. 17-22 days for PAB shipments. I've stated elsewhere on the forums but state it here as well. PAB order come out of the facility in Poland and are sent using DHL. BnP from Denmark shipped via regular post. The Denmark shipments are also reduced shipping charge for more expensive orders over $100.

Hi everyone, It has been a few weeks since the BnP service has been back online. I've been keeping track of the pricing for PAB and BnP. Currently there have been price increases. Normally we receive price increases yearly some are reasonable and few; other times a baffling increase in price. It's rare I see a part decrease in price. I try to abstain from Bricklink as the prices listed are secondary market and flucuate significantly. This thread is just to comment on PAB and BnP services. BnP prices are up, but what shocked me today was PAB prices increasing. Most base pieces are about .10 cents such as 1x1 tiles and bricks. Most have increased by a cent. Now you may say that is nothing. However once you start adding up your order it adds up. In my comparison of part prices for projects there have been some really odd discrepancies. In some cases I've noticed differences of .20 cents or so. I will have to look up some examples to illustrate. One of things I've been wondering about is why are the prices increasing? A mix of popularity, production costs or just the fact that TLG can. 'More bang for money' What do others think?

Thanks for this! Very useful to know! Certainly would make sense as they only have so many machines operating at once. Really would like to know more of the internal processes for manufacture. A trip to the factory would so awesome!

Thank you for mentioning that to the designer. I reversed engineered the Octan Gas Station last year. The one that they been using in the Lego World displays. (I posted it on the forums). Would be great to set what they come up with. I would hope it is a fully built gas station though That's been the trend I've noticed lately. Very happy to see that they are not just being a one off. I have to agree Faefrost. Maybe the actual sets will show more? I also took some time today and reverse engineered the smaller sand yellow apartment building from the display. It's actually pretty cool. I really like it and then gave it a few minor tweaks. Couldn't discern how they attached the antenna to the axle on the radio tower? Clearer photos would help with that I imagine. Thank you L@go for the photos. Shame they didn't make a whole new display this time.

TLG is looking into 3D printing but the technology is still in its infancy. Consider that Lego is a mass producer of high quality bricks. Even if a person has a 3D printer they would still pay licensing/user fees for the design, material to make the item and (not to mention quality control) require a huge amount of bricks in order to play and build with. Consider the effort to make such a thing I would sooner think it easier for a parent to simply purchase a set. However 3D printing would have immense uses in the design process for lego. Designers could conceptualize a piece and then turn it into reality in order to test it. I understand about creative disruption and the technology has the potential to do it, however the potential for abuse also exists. How would anyone police the knock offs? As for the nano bricks, it is an interesting idea but I doubt it will be practical even in 20 years time. The technology is more science fiction than fact right now. If any industry would make use of such tech it would the medical industry first, then filter out from there.

Nope but that looks to me like a small preview of what to expect. Humans in purple armour!

That is alarming Jodawill. Kids do not need to be on computer screens until later on. They need the basics first and social skills from playing with others. Back to topic, I feel that there is a few risks that TLG is suffering from and potential risks. Certainly the greatest risk TLG faces currently is logistics and manufacturing products to meet demand. Lego has always suffered from logistical issues (literally getting products to the market) and this has not really changed. One of the reasons TLG now has a Lego office in Central London is to deal with logistical issues such as supply and demand. (I applied for several of their positions but no luck.) It is hard to gauge as a business just how popular a product could be versus how popular it actually is. I get that TLG doesn't want to make too much of a particular product if it won't really sell. Wouldn't want a blanket approach either, by making say 100,000 copies of each set. It is a balance that is hard to manage. Perhaps they need a bit more of a rethink with the manufacturing process? They have x number of machines to produce whatever line/sets until they want to reuse them for the next run. The example comes to mind of the Research Institute. They underestimated the demand and it took a good 6 weeks or so before they made more. If I knew more about the process then I could give a more in-depth assessment. This is where a Lego tour would be incredibly helpful! Their S@H website as well has also been suffering and there is a clear need to beef up the team handling it. They have had persistent problems with the website for a few years. Whether customers are not giving them enough feedback to address the problems or is it a matter that they aren't as proficiently skilled as we would want them to be is the question. I think the major potential problems TLG faces is what other have spoken of, numerous product lines with too much diversification, too many parts (although there is a central team that handles how many parts are out there), pricing themselves out of the market and lack of building experience in lieu of a quick sale. These are direct threats to TLG as this is precisely what happened between 1999-2004. I worry that the increase in different licensed products could undermine the 'bringing back to the core' philosophy. Keep in mind though that their increase in diversification is part of the business plan, ie. phase 3. I see more parts that are a one off in a set which is problematic however thankfully TLG designers do try to incorporate these parts more often. CMF moulds are one example. I would like sets that offer more of a building experience. I think by the time most kids are about 10 they can handle more sophistication in building experiences without the risk of frustration. The only time I ever had an issue is if the build isn't that stable. Currently the price have increased, what I haven't figured out yet is if this is because TLG is producing more, have more associated costs such as staff etc or if it is because they can increase the price to make more money since their products are popular. I suspect maybe a bit of both. Honestly I was quite happy with TLG sticking to 'back to the core' as it allowed them to focus on what works and discard the rest. Some minor expansion is great but I wouldn't want them to fail again. One side note: they are a private family owned company and are not subjected to the whims of shareholders, so we should be thankful that they do listen to feedback from consumers.