Brickset news archive: Brickset
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Normal service has been resumed...
Posted by Huw, 02 Jun 2013 16:30. Filed under Brickset.
As some of you are aware, I've been in Billund this past week on the first of the year's Inside Tours, along with, DrDaveWatford, Caperberry and my wife, which explains why site updates have been slow. Here's my badge to prove it :-)It was a fantastic experience and one I would recommend to every LEGO fan. I'll be writing a report later in the week but will just say now that one of the highlights was meeting Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.
He was a great guy and very happy to chat to everyone present and have photos taken with us. When I introduced myself and said that I ran Brickset.com he said he was aware of the site, knew that I'd been doing so for a long time and thanked me, because he appreciated the importance of the Internet for promoting the brand.
Anyway, I've added images for the new sets that have emerged this past week and will now work my way through the 150+ emails I received whilst away. I'll read and act upon every one but may not reply to them all as I normally do, so if you have sent me information or pictures, thank you.
Finally, thanks to the other admins that kept the site running in my absence, and 'hi' to the AFOLs we met on the tour: Kristel from Australia, Jon from Aberdeen and Michael from Germany who has, apparently, been on an Inside Tour every year since it started, except one!
10 comments, latest one posted 14 days ago.1788 views
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Full list of raffle winners
Posted by Huw, 23 May 2013 10:42. Filed under Brickset.
The prize draw is over, the grand total raised was £4800. I believe around a dozen hospitals around the world are going to benefit from everyone's generosity, which is a fantastic achievement. I'll ask kevbags (or sirkevbags as he is now in the forum :-)) to provide a complete list.The full list of winners, who have all been notified by email, is after the break.
I'd personally like to thank Kev for organising it. Not only will it benefit countless children but it's also helped galvanise the Brickset community and make it a truly great place to be, and in my case 'be in charge' of.
10 comments, latest one posted 21 days ago.2433 views
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Want to test-drive the new Brickset design?
Posted by Huw, 22 May 2013 06:56. Filed under Brickset.
If you've been wondering why the news and site updates have been a little slow over the last couple of weeks, it's because I've started work on redeveloping the site. It's very early days, and it's going to be a good few months before I've finished, but there's enough done now to show you and solicit feedback.
Update: my call for feedback has been met with an overwhelming response, which is excellent. However to stop the bombardment of emails I'll close the offer for now!
37 comments, latest one posted 23 days ago.3609 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 22 May 2013 05:40. Filed under Brickset.
The draw for the raffle is in full swing in the forum, and the other small competition to win 79100 Kraang Lab Escape, donated by Argos[1], is now over.
The question was "What was the TV series called when it was shown in the UK in the 1980s?", and the correct answer was B, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles because of "the controversy surrounding ninjas and related weapons such as nunchuks at the time. The intro sequence was heavily edited because of this, replacing the word ninja with hero or fighting, using a digitally faded logo instead of the animated blob, and removing any scenes in which Michaelangelo wields his nunchuks, replacing them with random clips from the show", according to Wikipedia. I didn't watch it at the time but presumably that totally ruined it!
There were 511 entries, of which 298 were correct, which I reckon is pretty low given you could've Googled it!
Anyway, picking an entry at random from the list, number 132, is...Charlie Davies! Congratulations Charlie, I'll be in touch to get your address.
[1] Argos is a top UK retailer stocking a large selection of toys with an impressive LEGO section
13 comments, latest one posted 23 days ago.1310 views
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Last chance to enter the Brickset raffle
Posted by Huw, 20 May 2013 09:44. Filed under Brickset.
Today's your last chance to enter the raffle! There's a huge prize pool, including Mr. Gold, and all proceeds are going to be used for buying LEGO for childrens' hospital wards in the UK, USA, Australia, and now also Spain and Sweden, thanks to local Bricksetters.kevbags has just let me know that we're well on the way to raising £3000, which is a fantastic achievement!
He'll be accepting entries up until 11pm (GMT+1) this evening. Tickets cost just £1 (multiple tickets allowed), payment via PayPal to kg323@hotmail.com. Please include your Brickset name (main site or forum) in the comments and use 'I'm sending money to family or friends' or the 'gift' option so we are not throwing money away on fees, or if that option is not available in your country, please add a little more to cover them. Please do not mention 'raffle' in the payment text.
Update: entry is now closed. Over £4500, US$6800 was raised! Stay tuned for more information!
44 comments, latest one posted 27 days ago.3048 views
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Email problems
Posted by Huw, 11 May 2013 08:29. Filed under Brickset.
I believe there have been some email issues since about Thursday which has resulted in new members not receiving their login details.
If you're affected, please retrieve your password to have them sent to your by email again.
Apologies for the inconvenience.
2 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1167 views
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The 2013 Brickset Charity Raffle
Posted by Huw, 07 May 2013 03:24. Filed under Brickset.
Following the success of the raffle kevbags ran in September that raised £300 for a children's cancer ward, he's organising another, this time with loads of great hard-to-find LEGO prizes, and with proceeds being distributed to hospitals worldwide:- Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, UK
- Glasgow York Hill, UK
- Indianapolis Peyton Manning St Vincent, USA
- Canberra Hospital Foundation, Australia.Tickets cost just £1 (multiple tickets allowed), payment via PayPal to kg323@hotmail.com. Please include your Brickset ID (main site or forum) in the comments and use 'I'm sending money to family or friends' or the 'gift' option so we are not throwing money away on fees.
Anyone can enter -- wherever you are in the world -- but you'll need a PayPal account which means you have to be over 18 (I believe).
Find out more in the forum, and good luck!
39 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3330 views
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New images from LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 30 Apr 2013 05:03. Filed under Brickset.
LEGO has published images of forthcoming sets on their image server, including Lord of the Rings, Galaxy Squad, City Coastguard and HERO Factory.
This image of Jor-El was also found, so that should silence those that believed it to be a fake. It is real, and the fact it's been found on the LEGO.com server suggests it will be available as part of a forthcoming shop.LEGO.com promotion, maybe in June, since we know about the May offers already (which include a free 30167: Iron Man vs. Fighting Drone later in the month).
They know how to get us to part with our money and buy sets at full RRP, don't they...
22 comments, latest one posted 1 month ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3832 views
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Brickset branded merchandise now available
Posted by Huw, 22 Apr 2013 15:24. Filed under Brickset.
Fancy a shirt with a Brickset logo on it? We've teamed up with a supplier of quality embroidered garments to bring you the opportunity to purchase polo shirts adorned with the classic Brickset logo. They can be shipped anywhere in the world. Prices, including postage and packing, are £15 if you're in the UK and £20 elsewhere.Go to the order form for a better look at the quality of the garment and to place an order directly with the supplier, Those Finishing Touches, which is run by Emma from Simply Bricks.
This is what the well-dressed will be wearing this year at LEGO conventions the world over... :-)
37 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2624 views
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Intermittent problems with the website
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2013 05:52. Filed under Brickset.
If you are experiencing difficulty viewing Brickset at the moment, I apologise. It seems that there's a problem with a firewall at the web host which is causing problems.I understand they are doing all they can to resolve the issue, so hopefully it will be fixed soon.
3 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)961 views
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April fools!
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2013 04:26. Filed under Brickset.
As I'm sure many of you already worked out, many of our stories yesterday were April Fools' jokes:
- The next Architecture set won't be the BT Tower.
- Nobody found a 14ct Mr Gold minifig.
- The Rabbiz Chima polybag is a fake.However the most ridiculous story of all, the Jabba's Palace one, is true. Unbelievable, isn't it...
Many thanks to rocao for putting his Photoshop skills to good use and coming up with the fake artwork for the BT Tower and Rabbiz. I thought the latter was particularly well done; in typical Chima style, the vehicle he's sitting in looks like just like a rabbit, doesn't it, and you can easily imagine LEGO coming up with something similar if rabbits do make an appearance in Chima :-)
LEGO related jokes were thin on the ground yesterday, with many of the other big sites refraining from posting any. The only ones I noticed were:
- Eurobricks to change its name to Ameribricks
- Toys N Bricks to start charging to access the forum
- BrickUltra announces GI Joe setsWhat fun. I'm looking forward to next year already...
52 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4282 views
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The quest for image perfection continues...
Posted by Huw, 26 Mar 2013 07:34. Filed under Brickset.
Since I started my quest for image perfection just over a month ago, I've been literally bombarded with emails and DropBox submissions of scans, for which I am very thankful.
Today, I've just finished scanning and adding around 100 instruction cover images that Andy from minifigforlife.com sent me in the post last week. Thanks Andy!
A total of 769 images have been sent, which brings the total number of images that have been replaced to 4250, of which 3209 have large versions available.
But, there's still a long way to go before we've replaced all those that need improving, so if you haven't already please view the list of sets you own that need a better image and get scanning!
17 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2266 views
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Brickset was 'down' earlier
Posted by Huw, 24 Mar 2013 15:13. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset.com was unreachable from about 17:45 to 19:06 GMT today due to some sort of network or nameserver issue. Other sites like BrickLink, hosted at the same site, were also affected.I apologise for the inconvenience. Hopefully it won't happen again.
10 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1943 views
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Image improvement programme update
Posted by Huw, 13 Mar 2013 05:18. Filed under Brickset.
While news has been slow over the last week or so, I've been working on image improvements, and I've now finished scanning my instruction book covers and polybags.In all, I've scanned 1529 items, which is virtually everything I own that was released prior to 2009, plus sets that were not available at shop.LEGO.com released in 2009 or later. For those that were available, we have official images which I don't intend to replace with scans.
I've also added over 400 scans submitted by users, and I'm pleased to say that they are still coming in thick and fast. To make it easy for you to see which sets you own that we still need images for, I've added links at the top of the My Sets page, in the yellow box, that'll show you.
I have also made the full-size scans, and hi-res versions of the official LEGO images, available. You can view them by clicking on the normal-sized images on the set details pages which, if a large version is available, are shown in a grey box, like thumbnails usually are. There are currently 3173 hi-res images, and I still have more to add, from the user-submitted scans. When that's done, we should have some 4000, which is 40% of all sets.
Someone recently questioned 'ownership' of the images, given that they are being sent in by the community. All images are, of course, (c) LEGO group and are displayed here in accordance with LEGO's fair play policy. Brickset does not claim copyright or ownership of individual images and given that it's been a community effort to gather them, over the 15 years that the site has been running, they therefore 'belong' to the community. What that means is that you are free to use them on your own sites, wikis, blogs, eBay listings, or whatever, as long as you, too, comply with LEGO's policy.
Having said that, it is a lot of work to maintain the database and the image library, so Brickset does claim ownership of the image collection as a whole. It would not be appropriate, I think you'd agree, for someone to take all the images and use them on a competing site. So, limited extracts are fine, but not the whole lot.
Thank you to everyone that has sent images, and continues to do so: keep 'em coming!
13 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2100 views
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We *still* want your instruction cover scans
Posted by Huw, 04 Mar 2013 05:27. Filed under Brickset.
Since I started on my mission to improve the quality of our set images two weeks ago, I've had a tremendous response to my plea for scans of instruction covers.In total, there are about 1644 new scans on the site: 1102 that I've created, of nearly every set I own up to 2005, and over 500 that have been submitted by others.
They've been submitted by too many people to list here, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to scan and send them. I will however just mention Slq, W Joey, Michael S and Kellee F who have been particularly prolific over the last week or so and have kept my mailbox stuffed with high quality scans, including this beauty of a car and caravan. They don't make sets like that any more!
But, there's still more to gather, so take a look at these lists (sets I own that need a better image and sets I own with no image) and see if you can help. At the moment I am concentrating on sets released last millennium: I'll ask you for sets from the 2000s in due course, once I've finished my own.
17 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1974 views
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Introducing myself as News Editor for Germany
Posted by PsyKater, 01 Mar 2013 05:50. Filed under Brickset.
My name is PsyKater - or Tobias, like people outside the Internet often call me. I am very happy to announce that I was accepted as News Editor with focus on news related to Germany and continental Europe. I hope that I can provide the community with a lot of information about special German offers, events and other news.To be able to provide you with the latest news, I am reliant on your input. Whenever you find something new or interesting for the German audience, please let me know. Just send me an email or use the "Get in Touch" - contact form in the sidebar.
If you want to find out more about me, just visit my profile page - or ask.
14 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1472 views
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Image improvements continue
Posted by Huw, 25 Feb 2013 10:01. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a quiet few days for news, but I've been busy behind the scenes scanning my instruction covers. I've now done all the sets I own that were released prior to 2000 (that came with instructions), which is some 566 new scans. Shortly, I will make the full-sized 150dpi scans available, too.That's all well and good but I still need your help! There are loads of sets I don't own and that we don't have an image for, or don't have a decent image.
To make it easy for you to see which sets in your collection we need scans for, I've created a couple of queries:
- Sets I own, released before 2000, that need a better picture will show you, as its name suggests, all the sets you own that we need a better picture for.
- Sets I own without an image will show you sets that we don't have an image for at all.
So, if you (a) find sets on the lists (b) have a scanner (c) have time, please send me some scans! Ideally they will be
- Of as-new or lightly creased instruction covers, or polybags
- Scanned at 150dpi, with descreening enabled (I use screen ruling 175dpi fine print on my Epson), or if they are small, scanned at 240 or 300dpi.
- Saved as JPGs at a quality of 90% (0.9)
If you have a few to send you can email them (huw at brickset.com), but if you'd prefer I can share a DropBox folder with you, which makes transferring large files much easier.
Thanks to everyone who's started to send theirs through: I have a slight backlog but I should get them uploaded soon.
While you're going though your collection, I'll crack on with 2000 onwards...
29 comments, latest one posted 3 months ago.17246 views
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Improvements to set images underway
Posted by Huw, 21 Feb 2013 10:59. Filed under Brickset.
In response to criticism in the user survey that some of the images of older sets are of a low quality, I've embarked on a project to replace many of them.
I'm going to work through my personal collection of some 2200 sets (about 1/4 of all non-'Gear' items) and re-scan the instruction covers. Today I started with the sets I own that were released in 1990 (not many, to be honest) and I'll work my way forwards in time. 1990 includes the excellent space subtheme M-Tron.
I'm going to scan at 150dpi, resize to fit the available width for the main picture, and make the full size scans available under the additional images tab. Obviously it's going to take some time!
Also today I added a complete set of high quality scans of Adventurers sets that Nori kindly provided.
Maybe this is something YOU can help with. Do have a large collection of instructions, a good flat bed scanner and, most importantly, time? If you do, please get in touch. In particular I'll need help with Castle, Town and Pirates, given that I own hardly any of them.
36 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2829 views
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Video review enhancements
Posted by Huw, 06 Feb 2013 05:54. Filed under Brickset.
It's a quiet week for news, isn't it, so it's just as well I have the video reviews features to boretell you about :-)There are now over 1800 review links in the database, including over 220 by Artifex Creations, whose reviews are highly regarded by many.
To make it even easier to find and watch the videos, I've created an Index of video producers page, which lists all producers, a random video review, and a list of recently added reviews. The links on the page lead to an index of reviews by the producer, grouped by theme. Click on the image for an example.
The next job is to provide better link management tools for link submitters.
13 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2029 views
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YouTube video reviews update
Posted by Huw, 05 Feb 2013 05:18. Filed under Brickset.
Since I announced the new video reviews index yesterday, the response from video producers has been fantastic. All the major ones are on board and there are now some 1230 video links in the database, for 694 different sets.The most reviewed sets are 9516 Jabba's Palace, 76005 Spider-Man Daily Bugle Showdown and 76000 Artic Batman vs Mr. Freeze, which have seven video reviews each.
The breakdown of videos per producer is as follows:
15 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3284 views
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Add your YouTube videos to Brickset set details pages
Posted by Huw, 04 Feb 2013 09:11. Filed under Brickset.
Many of you like to see, and indeed make, video reviews of sets on YouTube. It's not something I'm going to start doing any time soon, but in recognition of the increasing importance of the media, I've added a new 'Video reviews' tab to set details pages in which video reviews will be embedded.This is partly in response to suggestions made in the user survey, but also thanks to a request from the team over at YourCreativeFriends who wanted to 'hook up' with Brickset to gain more exposure for their reviews.
So, if you head on over to this page (opens in new tab) you'll notice the Video reviews tab at the bottom. I've populated the database with links to 70 reviews that YourCreativeFriends sent me, and for that set I've added a couple more so you can see how it'll look when there are multiple videos. At the bottom (if you're logged in) there's a form to enable you to add videos for the set you're viewing.
I suspect, in time, I'll add other ways to view the videos (like the recent reviews page shows newly added reviews) and also editing and deleting facilities. I'll also be contacting the major reviewers to make them aware of it, and to offer to bulk upload their back catalogue.
As always, LMK if you have an comments, problems, or suggestions.
Update: The details for all 330 of The Brick Show's video reviews have been imported into the database. Thanks Jason!
40 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5727 views
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European Amazon Shopper page now shows prices from Amazon.com
Posted by Huw, 03 Feb 2013 10:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've started to go through the suggestions made in the survey looking for quick-wins. Here's one that I've been able to address already:"Extend the Amazon European price comparisons to the US or all Amazon sites. As an American living in London, I am constantly comparing prices to judge which sets are worth the hassle and luggage space to buy there vs here."
If your country is set to the USA you will now see Amazon.com prices on the European Amazon Shopper page. Yesterday, they were visible to everyone but that prompted the following email:
"I am based in the UK, however I am now seeing the US Amazon listed in the EU Amazon Shopper. This is not only depressing (price wise), but since i don't think we can order from the US, I don't think it should be showing at all."
So now, hopefully everyone is happy :-)
16 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2657 views
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Brickset user survey results
Posted by Huw, 01 Feb 2013 05:14. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you to all 1920 of you who responded to the survey: that's more than double the number of people who responded to the 2011 survey (which was run in November 2011), so it's given me some valuable feedback.As you'll recall, the survey consisted of quantitative questions (that you marked 1-6), and free text questions. The former were the same as those asked in 2011 (and in 2010 for that matter) so direct comparisons can be made to determine whether you think the aspects of the site that were asked about have improved or not.
41 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4799 views
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A few minor tweaks to the site
Posted by Huw, 31 Jan 2013 06:44. Filed under Brickset.
In what seems to be my never-ending quest for perfection of the website, I've made a few tweaks today.- There are two new news article listings that might be useful: Most read articles and articles that have been commented on today. Links for these are provided at the bottom of the home page.
- The search auto-complete feature has been extended to parts and minifigs which should make it easier for you to find what you're looking for. Flip the search scope to Parts or Minifigs and start typing...
- The 'Minifigs you own' page has been changed to make it easier to see how complete your collection is in each category, much like the set collection analysis page.
- If you're new to Brickset and have your collection stored offline or at another site, you can now import it via a tab-separated text file.
- Advanced Queries can be exported as a CSV in addition to a BrickLink XML file (that feature was added a while ago).
Finally, if you haven't already completed the Brickset the user survey, today's your last chance to do so. There have been 1850 responses so far -- thank you!
20 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1812 views
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The Brickset User Survey: Had your say yet?
Posted by Huw, 27 Jan 2013 05:40. Filed under Brickset.
The third annual Brickset user survey has been running for a week now and already there has been some 1300 responses, so thank you to everyone that's taken the time to respond.If you haven't yet, there's still time: you have until Thursday 31st January to let me know what you think of the site and what needs improving.
Complete the survey today to have your say.
22 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2835 views
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The Brickset user survey: tell us what you think
Posted by Huw, 20 Jan 2013 14:13. Filed under Brickset.
Once a year I run a user survey to find out what you like about Brickset and what you don't. I use your responses to improve the site to ensure it continues to meet your needs and also to decide what to prioritise in the coming year.The 2013 Brickset user survey is now live and I'd really appreciate it if you could spend a couple of minutes completing it. This is YOUR chance to have a say in how the site is run and the direction it takes in the future.
What do you like about it? What needs improving? Tell us in the survey!
Around 15,000 new members joined in 2012 and thousands more used the site for the first time last year. I'm particularly keen to hear your views, the views of new users, so, please, complete the survey and let me know what you think of it here. All responses are anonymous, unless you choose to enter your email address which will be used only if I want to follow up on your ideas.
The last survey was in November 2011 and if you're interested you can view the results and responses. I will publish the results of this one when it's ended, which will be on January 31st.
Thank you in advance!
24 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3713 views
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Chowren Toys provides dimensions, weights and UPC codes for 2013 sets
Posted by Huw, 16 Jan 2013 05:16. Filed under Brickset.
I am once again indebted to Jason from Chowren Toys for providing me with box dimensions, weight, LEGO item numbers and UPC codes for 2013 sets, which I've added to the database.Thanks to Jason we now have this information for some 1300 sets, dating back to 2004.
We'll be working closely with Chowren Toys once again in 2013 and plan to bring you exclusive deals and bargains once a month throughout the year. So stay tuned!
5 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2381 views
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Customise the home page
Posted by Huw, 15 Jan 2013 06:58. Filed under Brickset.
In response to all your suggestions, I've added a new feature to the site that enables you to customise the home page to suit your preferences.Rather than implement a complex javascript 'widget' system, that few people would use, the customisation is done 'behind the scenes'.
If you're logged in, you'll see a new 'Customise the site' link at the top right of the page. This page brings together several existing customisation options that were scattered elsewhere on the site with new ones that allow you to change what appears on the home page.
You can now...
- Change what appears in the main section of the home page.
- Update: Change what appears in the menu of the home page
- Change how many news articles you're shown on the home page.
- Specify which news topics you're interested in, and prevent those you're not from appearing on the home page or in the 'older articles' page. (This was previously on the 'Customise your news' page and is useful if you don't like the Amazon alerts).
- Change the types of reviews that are presented to you when viewing review pages. (This was previously on your profile page).
- Change time zone, owned and wanted colours and forum tab destination (all previously on your profile page).
Have a play and let me know if you encounter any problems.
32 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2325 views
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Brickset now has an official flickr presence
Posted by Huw, 11 Jan 2013 04:45. Filed under Brickset.
Until now I've been using my personal flickr stream to host Brickset related images, among those taken on cruises and around where I live. It hasn't really been a problem, but it's not ideal, particularly if I want other staff members to use flickr for posting review images and so on.
So, I've created a Brickset flickr stream which we'll all use going forwards. Feel free to add it to your contacts.
5 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1841 views
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Site Changes
Posted by Huw, 10 Jan 2013 10:18. Filed under Brickset.
This week, I've made a few tweaks to the way news articles are presented. At the top of the page you will now see four 'featured' articles listed which I hope will solve the problem of important articles disappearing off the home page too soon during busy news periods.I've also fixed the Older articles page (linked to normally at the bottom of the news) which does now show articles that have disappeared off the home page and not just repeat them as it did before.
There are also a few changes behind the scenes to make it easier for news contributors to author articles, upload images and create links between related articles.
In the next few days I will launch the annual user survey to solicit your feedback on the site and the your ideas on the direction it should take in the coming year, so keep an eye out for an announcement soon.
30 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2361 views
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2013 sets contain over 800 new parts
Posted by Huw, 02 Jan 2013 06:49. Filed under Brickset.
As you know, LEGO recently improved its customer services pages, in particular the replacement parts system, and as a result, many of the inventories it now publishes are complete and accurate. Yesterday, inventories for 123 sets were published and they've now been pulled into the Brickset database so that they are more readily available and easier to use.
A by-product of having all this data at Brickset, is that it can be analysed and sliced-and-diced in ways that is not possible at LEGO.com. Here are some interesting facts, and links to useful reports:
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A total of 885 new parts appear in the 123 sets for 2013 that have been inventoried so far. You can view them all on the Parts introduced in 2013 page. Of course many of them are old part designs in new colours, but even without considering at all the cool new minifig parts, there are some interesting new designs:
- Good news for builders of military hardware is that the number of olive green parts has been expanded considerably, and now includes bricks, plates, slopes and tiles, so it is now a useful palette with which to build your own MOCs in this great new colour.
Take a look at the list of new parts yourself and let us know what catches your eye.
35 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)17457 views
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A total of 885 new parts appear in the 123 sets for 2013 that have been inventoried so far. You can view them all on the Parts introduced in 2013 page. Of course many of them are old part designs in new colours, but even without considering at all the cool new minifig parts, there are some interesting new designs:
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Welcome to the 50,000th member!
Posted by Huw, 30 Dec 2012 06:08. Filed under Brickset.
This morning, at 05:25 EST, the 50,000th member joined Brickset!Some 15,000 people signed up in 2012, and Urschel in Finland, who joined this morning, is the 50,000th member.
So, welcome, Urschel, and welcome everyone else who's joined recently. Do say 'hi' in the comments and let us know what you think of it here.
44 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4014 views
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Most read news articles
Posted by Huw, 23 Dec 2012 05:15. Filed under Brickset.
Prompted by Brothers-Brick's list of most read articles, I thought I'd create one for Brickset, which I can do for the first time now that I'm recording article views:
- (No need to) Buy Minecraft now before it's too late... (June)
- New themes for 2013: Speedorz and Legends of Chima (August)
- Swiss toy shop reveals 2013 Ninjago and City sets (October)
- Is this the lineup for series 9? (October)
- 2013 set details coming thick and fast... (September)
- LEGO to release Olympic Team GB minifigs (April)
- Jedi News publishes list of 2013 Star Wars sets (August)
- 10228 Haunted House unveiled today (June)
- The Stig keyring (October)
- Unveiling LEGO Exclusive: 10937 - Arkham Asylum (October)
The list gives a good overview of the biggest stories of the year, doesn't it. It seems that news about forthcoming sets and launches of the LEGO Exclusives create the most interest, which I suppose isn't particularly surprising.
7 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2576 views
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Traffic review of the year
Posted by Huw, 21 Dec 2012 06:12. Filed under Brickset.
Just before Christmas I like to take a look at the usage statistics for the site and see how much traffic has grown over the year. The graph below shows the growth in the number of people visiting the since 2008:
As you can see, there are about 5 times more visitors than in 2008 at this time of year. I wonder how that ties in with the increase in the number of adults that have emerged from their dark ages in that period, encouraged to do so by new LEGO products and licenses? There are huge spikes at this time of the year but the overall trend, as you can see, is still on the increase.
As the table below shows, you looked at 19% more pages than in 2011 and visited 37% more times, and more than a million more people visited. I suspect by the end of the year the number of visitors will reach 5 million, which is a fantastic landmark. Thank you all!
(Figures from Google Analytics) 2012 2011 2010 2009 Page views 58,871,313 49,404,168 40,447,000 25,434,000 Visits 15,656,887 11,408,177 7,926,000 4,556,000 Visitors 4,980,424 3,895,394 2,719,000 1,766,000 You can view the statistics for yourself at Quantcast
7 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2098 views
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LEGO Launches 'My LEGO Timeline' in collaboration with Brickset on Facebook
Posted by Huw, 03 Dec 2012 13:31. Filed under Brickset.
If you 'Like' LEGO on Facebook [1] you may have noticed that they've recently launched an app called 'My LEGO Timeline'. To be honest it's not particularly good, or appealing to 'hardcore' AFOLs but I'm mentioning it here because it uses Brickset's data and images.The idea behind it is that you search for a set and then enter when you made it and so see your collection on a timeline. It has many limitations, such as not being able to edit or remove entries, but I guess it's an interesting concept and a step in the right direction, and if it draws more people to Brickset, it has to be a good thing, right?
So, that got me thinking: if you've recently found Brickset, maybe via Facebook, I'd be very interested to get your feedback on your first impressions. Is Brickset easy to use and navigate? Does it look outdated? Will you return and use the site again?
I am thinking of reworking parts of the site next year, primarily to make it more appealing to new users (while taking every care not to alienate existing ones) so your feedback will be invaluable. If you prefer not to comment, please email me directly.
Incidentally, the user survey that I usually run at this time of year to solicit feedback from you all will be run early in the New Year.
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[1] I have a lot of LEGO friends on Facebook, but only 5 of them Like LEGO's page. Why is that, I wonder?
26 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2722 views
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Tomorrow is December 1st...
Posted by Huw, 30 Nov 2012 14:33. Filed under Brickset.
...which means one thing here at Brickset: we begin our review of the contents of the Advent calendars day by day! This year we'll have more work, what with there being three calendars to open, build, photograph and review every day but, well, it's a labour of love and I know how much you all enjoyed it last time :-).
Last year there was some complaint that seeing them here before you'd opened yours spoiled it for you. I'll probably be posting the articles late afternoon/early evening (GMT) so if you don't want to see them, you can remove them from the news listing by customising your news interests and un-ticking 'Advent countdown'.
Tomorrow's will be posted late evening because I, and all the UK-based staff, are off to the Brickish Christmas party at LEGOLAND Windsor, so check back then for the first installment.
21 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2646 views
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Enhanced set inventories and part information
Posted by Huw, 27 Nov 2012 08:51. Filed under Brickset.
If you've been reading the forum or have looked around the site menus recently, you will have read about or noticed that we've been able to obtain inventories for around 4,000 sets and information for about 20,000 parts.Over the last few weeks I've been putting it to good use and gradually adding features to the site that I hope you find useful. There's still a lot more I want to do but I think what's there now is worth announcing. Here's what's new:
- On set details pages, if an inventory is available, a 'Parts' tab is shown at the top which will show all parts and quantities in a compact format. Here's an example for Frodo's Cooking Corner.
- A link to a tabular listing of the inventory is provided on that page, which for the same set, looks like this. You can sort the columns by clicking on the header.
- Parts can be browsed by category or colour. Note that these are official LEGO names, not made-up ones that are used at other sites.
- You can search for parts by part number, design number or name, from the top search box. Here's an example results page.
- In the results, it shows the number of sets each part appears in. Click on one to see the sets it appears in, for example, Sets containing 4212471, Dark Green Angle Plate 1X2 / 2X2.
- Each part has a detail page like this one, that shows information about the part, and also other colours it comes in.
- If you're logged in, you can see sets you own containing a particular part using the 'Your collection' menu on the part detail page.
- As new inventories are added, they'll be listed on the Latest inventories page.
I think that's all... The source of the data is nowhere near complete, and often inventories are missing parts, particularly licensed parts, so the information presented is only as good as the source data. An important next step to take, probably in the New Year, will be to enable you, the site's users, to validate inventories using the one printed in the instructions.
Do you have any ideas about what more could be done with the data? One obvious thing, which you can expect to see in the next few weeks, is some sort of 'My Parts' listing which will show all the parts you own in your sets.
(Thanks to the team over at The Daily Brick for helping with the technology to acquire the inventories)
48 comments, latest one posted 6 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2945 views
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Planned maintenance today 9-10am EST
Posted by Huw, 25 Nov 2012 09:04. Filed under Brickset.
The site may be unavailable for 10-15 mins or so between 9-10am EST (2-3pm GMT) while work is done on the power supply at the data centre where the servers are hosted. I apologise in advance for any inconvenience.
0 comments (Commenting has ended on this article)955 views
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Yet another Hobbit polybag found
Posted by Huw, 25 Nov 2012 08:59. Filed under Brickset.
News of a second Hobbit polybag, 30213 'Gandalf' was posted in the forum yesterday. No word yet where it can be obtained, but someone in the USA has a number of them for sale on eBay so I suspect they'll be found in one of the major chains there soon enough.
19 comments, latest one posted 7 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3558 views
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Announcing a major new feature: Rebrickable integration
Posted by Huw, 17 Nov 2012 08:37. Filed under Brickset.
Rebrickable is a relatively new site that tells you which sets you can build from the parts you already own, and also how many parts you need to build a particular set. This functionality complements Brickset's collection management features perfectly so I am pleased to announce that this feature has been incorporated into Brickset.
Here's how it works:
- First, you need to create an account at Rebrickable.
- When you've done so, or if you have one already, login here at Brickset then go to your profile page and select Edit Profile. Enter your Rebrickable username (the email address you registered with) and password in the new section of the form, and press the Check login details link to ensure you've entered them correctly.
- Then, go to your My Sets page, and find the Rebrickable box at the bottom. Click on the Send your sets to Rebrickable link. Your collection will then be transferred to Rebrickable, which will save it in its database. It should only take a few seconds: even my 2000+ sets only took about 1/2 a minute or so to transfer.
- That's it: it's set up.
Now, when you go to a set detail page you'll see a new box in the menu that will tell you the percentage of parts in the set that you have in the sets you already own. There's also a link to Rebrickable that'll provide information about the parts you don't have and also options such as colour substitutions and so on.
At the moment, your collection will not be automatically synchronised with Rebrickable as you make changes, so you'll need to send it across manually from time to time. It is likely that I'll add the option to do so in future, if this feature proves popular.
This functionality should save you having to struggle with other antiquated sites that provide something similar.
As always, let me know if you think this is a useful feature or if you're having problems with it.
51 comments, latest one posted 7 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3842 views
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LEGO book lists
Posted by Huw, 01 Nov 2012 06:31. Filed under Brickset.
I'm sure you've worked out already that I'm rather partial to a good LEGO book. Suspecting that many of you are too, I've added a couple of new pages to the site that list LEGO books available at Amazon.Although you can search for 'LEGO' in books at Amazon the results are not presented in any useful order and you get a load of random results thrown in for good measure.
So, to make it easier to see what's available -- and what's missing from your bookshelf -- I've created two pages, one listing LEGO books for AFOLs and one listing those for kids. Of course nearly all LEGO books are aimed at kids, but some are more suitable for AFOLs than others, hence the two lists.
If you're in US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany or Spain the pages will show you listings from your local Amazon, and you'll also see a random book on the home page menu. I'll leave that there until Christmas. If you're not in one of those countries, you'll see Amazon.com listings, because I believe Amazon.com will ship books anywhere in the world.
While doing this, I was surprised by the number of kids books that have been released lately, many with minifigs and other parts attached to the cover. I guess they should really go in the database. A job for a rainy day :-) It's likely that I've missed some, so if you know of others, let me know the ISBN10 number and I'll get them added.
I hope that's of some use to you...
22 comments, latest one posted 7 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3171 views
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Subscribe to Brickset news by email
Posted by Huw, 25 Oct 2012 10:33. Filed under Brickset.
Thanks to a suggestion by yodaman5556 you can now subscribe to Brickset news articles by email, via Feedburner. Just click on the Subscribe link above ^^ in the news header and follow the instructions.I suspect it will need tweaking slightly to adjust the Amazon alerts, so I've subscribed myself and will attend to it once the emails start to come through.
Do you think it should include the Amazon alerts, or not?
19 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2081 views
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Site enhancements
Posted by Huw, 23 Oct 2012 06:43. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a few changes to the site, in response to user feedback, and also sorted out a few anomalies and annoyances.Change the colour of owned and wanted sets: A few months ago someone, who was colour-blind, said they couldn't distinguish the green colour used to indicate set and minifig ownership. So I've added the ability for the colours to be changed from your profile page. If you have difficulty seeing the colours, or simply don't like the wishy-washy green and purple default colours, you can now change them to anything you like. A colour-picker will pop-up when you click in the textboxes and will provide plenty of choice, but if the exact colour you want is not shown you can simply enter its hex value.
Control 'I want' from the set gallery: Several people complained in the forum that they couldn't set their 'I want' flag any more and I believe it was because they were viewing the set lists in the gallery view which, until now, didn't provide the ability to do so. It does now...
Searching for multiple sets: If you wanted to send someone a link to an arbitrary list of sets you would have had to resort to creating a BrickList and send them the link to that. Now, you can specify multiple sets in the search box (and thus, also on the search page query string) by separating their numbers with a comma. e.g. 6876-1,6887-1. The resultant search results page URL is http://www.brickset.com/search/?query=6876-1,6887-1. BrickLists will remain the best way to do it but this provides a quick-and-dirty method.
Displaying multiple years in the theme browser: You can now specify multiple years on the theme browser query string, e.g. http://www.brickset.com/browse/themes/?theme=Creator&year=2001,2002,2003
Embedding set details on your blog or web page: You might have noticed on set details pages such as this one, there is a new 'Share' tab at the bottom that shows how you can embed set details on your website using an iFrame, much like you would do a YouTube video. I've been testing this with the good folks over at BrickFanatics and Bricktrader and it seems to work OK. Give it a go and see it's of use to you: if so, let me know and I'll continue to enhance it.
Minifig browsing: Over the last few weeks I've been enhancing the minifig browsing pages, and they are now just about done. The index page needs 'tarting up' a bit but functionally I think it's complete and a vast improvement on the somewhat muddled and inconsistent pages that were there before.
I think that's all, other than some minor changes to the web services interface. As usual, LMKWYT: As you can see, Brickset thrives on user feedback...
54 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2678 views
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Server problems this morning
Posted by Huw, 16 Oct 2012 05:34. Filed under Brickset.
We experienced a few problems this morning which resulted in the site being unavailable for a time. I believe it's now back up and running okay. Let me know if you encounter any issues.
8 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1933 views
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Brickset members own 1 BILLION pieces
Posted by Huw, 14 Oct 2012 15:32. Filed under Brickset.
Just six weeks since we, as a community, owned a combined total of $100,000,000 worth of LEGO (see this news article), we now own at least 1 BILLION pieces of LEGO between us!Given that it's shared between the 44,600 people that record their collections on the site, that's an average of 22,400 pieces each!
If we assume that the average height of a piece is 10 mm (roughly the height of a brick) then if we were to stack them all on top of each other, it would reach a height of 10,000 km. If we assume that the average width of a piece is 15 mm (roughly the width of a 1 x 2 brick) and we were to lay them side by side, they'd reach 15,000 km which is more than the diameter of the Earth (12,000 km) and about 1/3rd of its circumference.
According to Wikipedia, LEGO estimated (in 2008) that it has produced some 400 billion parts in total. Annual production averages approximately 36 billion per year, so the total made to 2012 is something like 600 billion. Our total then, is around 1/600th of the total ever made.
46 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2998 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 09 Oct 2012 13:31. Filed under Brickset.
The votes are in, and the winner of the Super Heroes Movie competition can now be announced!
I enlisted the help of three judges who each marked the 33 videos on the story line, the production quality and the entertainment value, giving a maximum of 10 points in each category to give a total of 30. Each video could therefore score a maximum of 120 points.
I really enjoyed watching them all and seeing the ingenuity and thought that went into them. Before announcing the winner, there are four others that I'd like to mention, which are all excellent and are all worthy of winning.
5. Madaboutlego, Super Heroes v Monster (85 points). Very well made with smooth animation and great sets. The story has some nice humour in it.
4. CollectorJosh, Code Red (85 points). Another very well made one with a great story line. I particularly liked the transformation of Tony Stark to Iron Man, and Captain America's head transformation is genius! The security door sequence at 26 seconds in is also very well done.
3. Soowenwei, Never Forget (86 points). Batman helps kid, kid gives Batman ice cream, kid grows up to be a fireman, fireman helps Batman, fireman gives Batman ice cream. A wonderfully rounded story that warrants repeat viewings.
2. MarcAndreCaron, Luthor's Big Fail (90 points). Extremely good animation, with some great effects such as Batman swimming, rockets launching and Superman's cape rustling.
And now, without further ado... the winner is chuckp, From the Minds of Marvel, with 95 points.
A superb story line, brilliantly executed and a pleasure to watch again and again. A worthy winner, I'm sure you'll agree. Chuck wins the Super Heroes minifigs. I wish I had enough of them to give to everyone, but unfortunately I don't, but I would like to give the four runners-up something even better, and rarer: an exclusive Brickset minifig! So, please get in touch and I'll get them in the post to you.
17 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2759 views
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Brickset enhancements
Posted by Huw, 09 Oct 2012 03:50. Filed under Brickset.
I've just rolled out some changes to the core functionality of Brickset -- searching and browsing -- that I've been working on for the last few weeks.Most of the changes I've added over the last year or so have been targeted at making it easier for you to part with your money via Brickset, so changes to the basics are a bit overdue.
The changes are mostly subtle, there's nothing revolutionary here, but I'm hoping that they will make it much easier to search and browse, and also make it a more pleasurable experience when visiting Brickset.
Here's a list of what's changed:
- New list view: To complement the familiar tabular and gallery views of search results, there is now a list view that shows results in a compact table. You'll see a new button above the search results table that will allow you to select the list view. You can sort the table using the drop-down column list above it, or by clicking on the column headings.
- Table view has been tidied up: The default search results view has been tidied up a bit, particularly the details and collection columns.
- Theme browser enhancements: There are now new ways to browse through themes, and improved information in the menu. Previously you could use links above the table to browse by year, moving backwards or forwards through time to view sets in the theme released each year. Now, you can also browse through subthemes in the same way. The section in the menu 'My {theme name} Collection' now shows totals by the links, so you can see at a glance how many sets you own and want.
- New year browser: Browsing all sets released in a given year was a bit of a PITA before now because the general search results page was used for displaying them which didn't have the same features as the theme browser. So now, whenever you're looking at sets released in a given year, you'll now do so using the year browser (here's an example) which provides easy ways to flick through themes, or move back and forth through time. There's also a 'My {year} Collection' section in the menu so you can easily see which sets you own, and want, that were released that year.
- Non-normal set highlighting: Anything that's not a normal set, or hasn't been released, is now shown with a light grey background in the table/list views. A 'normal' set is anything that has a numeric set number allocated by LEGO and is not Gear.
- Enhancements to the web services search method: See the documentation for more information.
- The Advanced query builder is now out of beta. If you haven't tried this yet, it enables you to create complex queries on the database and retrieve very specific results.
- Search help page: Now that there are multiple ways of searching, I've written a help page explaining them all.
I hope you find the changes useful. I'll be keeping an eye on the error logs today to see if any problems surface, but if you find something that's not working, please let me know.
Next, I will tackle the pages that display minifig lists as there are too many different versions of them and they are somewhat hard to find.
23 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2281 views
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I'm off to GWLS now...
Posted by Huw, 05 Oct 2012 03:58. Filed under Brickset.
I've just about managed to squeeze everything into the car so I'm about to head off. I look forward to seeing some of you there! If you're not coming, the official blog will be updated over the weekend with all the goss from the show :-)
If you're heading to BrickCon in Seattle, I hope you have fun there, too!
I suspect Brickset will be quiet over the weekend, what with almost all the UK based staff at the show, but we'll try and keep an eye on it when we can. However, stay tuned because early next week I will be implementing enhancements to the core functionality of the site -- searching and browsing -- some of which are long overdue.
Finally, I think there's a network problem where Brickset is hosted because it, and other sites hosted there, are a bit slow this morning. I've logged a call with the help desk so hopefully it will be resolved once the USA wakes up, at lunchtime :-)
From Grahame: The Big Model Train Show is on this weekend in Christchurch, New Zealand, where I am supposed to be displaying my LEGO trains but unfortunately due to a back injury, I'm not able to do any lifting or bending so I will not be exhibiting this year. I'll go along to the show in the morning but will just be sitting down somewhere taking it easy.
11 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2509 views
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The Super Heroes movie competition is now closed
Posted by Huw, 01 Oct 2012 04:33. Filed under Brickset.
There was a flurry of activity overnight and the total number of movies submitted ended up being 34, which is very impressive! You can see them all for yourself in the forum.I've had a great time watching them as they have been added but now I need to judge them properly and find a winner. However, so that it's not just down to my preferences, I'd like to enroll three other people to help judge them.
Update: I have enough volunteers now, thank you!
I'll aim to publish the results later this week, although next weekend is GWLS and I'm a bit tied up in preparations for that, so it might be early next week. So stay tuned, and thank you to everyone who's entered. Good luck!
4 comments, latest one posted 8 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2531 views
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Call to action reminders
Posted by Huw, 28 Sep 2012 09:57. Filed under Brickset.
Sunday 30 is the cut-off date for entry to the Super Heroes competition and for registering for a GWLS Brickset name badge.
- If you're planning on entering our Super Heroes competition, please submit your videos by replying to this thread in the forum. To ensure midnight has passed in all time zones, the drop dead cut-off point will be 8am on Monday morning, London time.
- If you're attending the Great Western LEGO Show at Swindon next weekend and you'd like to identify yourself to other Brickset members, please fill in this form so we can make you a badge. If you're coming as a visitor, you are strongly encouraged to buy your tickets in advance because the queues can be lengthy particularly in the mornings.
5 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2154 views
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Information about polybags
Posted by Huw, 27 Sep 2012 11:40. Filed under Brickset.
A while ago we asked the LEGO community team to find out about some of the polybags that we have listed but don't know if and when they were available. This is obviously important information if you're a polybag completest (eh, atkinsar...)
Today we received information about them, as follows:
- 7806 and 7807 which were at one time listed in the LEGO replacement parts system, were never produced.
- 4897, 7612, 7796, 30016, 30022 were never produced but instructions are available at LEGO.com so you can make your own (I made the bee a while ago).
- 30036 was produced but seems to be incredibly rare. There is one listed on BrickLink and only one has been sold in the last 6 months.
I've created an advanced query 'sets that were never released' that shows these and all the other sets that have appeared in printed material at LEGO.com but never saw the light of day.
The airliner, 7807, is a particularly nice model, isn't it. I guess like the others, it was designed but never selected for co-promotion by LEGO partners.
(Thanks to Jan and Kim at LEGO for assisting with our enquiries, I'm sure we'll have more questions soon!)
17 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3688 views
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Brickset badges for GWLS
Posted by Huw, 20 Sep 2012 08:42. Filed under Brickset.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago we're planning on making name badges for Brickset users that'll be at GWLS on the 6th and 7th October so we can identify each other.
Giles (Kempo81) has kindly offered to help produce them, so if you'd like one made, please fill in this form to let us know your Brickset name, your real name and forum avatar picture and he'll print you a customised one. Please do so by 30th September to give him time.
We'll also have a supply of blank ones that we can write on on the day if you prefer.
I look forward to seeing you all there!
11 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2646 views
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There's still time to win these minifigs!
Posted by Huw, 16 Sep 2012 13:33. Filed under Brickset.
Our Super Heroes movie competition is in full swing and there have been some great entries so far. You can view them all in the forum.All you have to do to enter the competition is to create a short video using LEGO Super Heroes Movie Maker on your iPhone or iPad.
The best one (defined below) as judged by the Brickset team will win both minifigs.
Here's how to enter:
- Shoot your movie, which should be around one minute long.
- Upload it to YouTube
- Post a message in the forum, in this thread, [1] and embed your video in it, by 30th September 2012.
As this is a competition to promote the Super Heroes Movie Maker app, your video should feature LEGO Super Heroes. You could make up your own script involving them, re-enact a scene from a movie, or maybe just shoot something to demonstrate how cool a particular Super Heroes set is, or something else entirely: the choice is yours.
Entries will be judged on execution, originality and entertainment value. Entry is open to everyone [2], wherever you are in the world. If you have any questions, please ask. Good luck!
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[1] If you are under 16 and therefore can't post in the forum, drop me an email when you've uploaded to YouTube, and I will post it on your behalf.
[2] There is no age restriction on entering but if you are under 13 you must ask your parent/guardian's permission to do so and ask them to post your video on YouTube.
2 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3248 views
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Win these minifigs!
Posted by Huw, 05 Sep 2012 09:20. Filed under Brickset.
We've teamed up with LEGO's community team to bring you an opportunity to win these rare Super Heroes minifigs that are not available in any sets!All you have to do to enter the competition is to create a short video using LEGO Super Heroes Movie Maker on your iPhone or iPad.
The best one (defined below) as judged by the Brickset team will win both the minifigs.
Here's how to enter:
- Shoot your movie, which should be around one minute long.
- Upload it to YouTube
- Post a message in the forum, in this thread, [1] and embed your video in it, by 30th September 2012.
As this is a competition to promote the Super Heroes Movie Maker app, your video should feature LEGO Super Heroes. You could make up your own script involving them, re-enact a scene from a movie, or maybe just shoot something to demonstrate how cool a particular Super Heroes set is, or something else entirely: the choice is yours.
Entries will be judged on execution, originality and entertainment value. Entry is open to everyone [2], wherever you are in the world.
If you have any questions, please ask.
Good luck!
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[1] If you are under 16 and therefore can't post in the forum, drop me an email when you've uploaded to YouTube, and I will post it on your behalf.
[2] There is no age restriction on entering but if you are under 13 you must ask your parent/guardian's permission to do so and ask them to post your video on YouTube.
42 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5151 views
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We own 100 million dollars worth of LEGO!
Posted by Huw, 29 Aug 2012 07:48. Filed under Brickset.
Another statistical milestone was reached overnight when the value of our collective collections -- all 3.6 million sets -- passed $100,000,000 dollars.The last time I published news about this was in January, when the figure was $79 million. Since then, 7,000 people have started to record their collection at Brickset, to bring the total number of people doing so to 43,100.
So doing the sums, that's an average collection size of 85 sets, worth $2300. This is up from January when it was 81.
The next milestone to be passed will be the 1 billion parts mark. We are currently on 952 million so I think we will pass that before the end of the year.
If I have time this afternoon I will dig through the database and see what other statistical nuggets I can uncover.
33 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4142 views
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Displaying set inventories
Posted by Huw, 29 Aug 2012 04:18. Filed under Brickset.
A feature that is often requested is to display set inventories. To do so requires a massive amount of data that Brickset does not currently have. There are three sites that do:
- BrickLink: This has the most complete set of inventories that have been collated over the last 12 years. Unfortunately, despite me requesting permission to license their data so I can display it here, I have not been able to reach agreement with their community, some of whom seem to be a little short-sighted in terms of seeing the likely benefit for BrickLink of doing so (it would drive traffic their way and generally raise awareness of the site)
- Peeron: Peeron has been in existence for a similar amount of time and has amassed a large number of inventories independently of BrickLink. Unfortunately it's as good as dead now, and no new inventories have been added since March.
- LEGO.com customer services: LEGO publishes partial inventories on their replacement parts page and this is a source that hasn't been 'exploited' by the fan community, until now....
The LEGO Customer Services replacement parts page is not designed to show complete set inventories and to be honest it's a bit of a PITA to use given it shows so few parts at a time, so I asked super-coder Brent to write something to extract the inventory data from the page, which I could then save in the Brickset database. He did just that and I've run it and the results are shown on the set details pages, top row of tabs.
There are inventories for over 4500 sets. Most are from 1998 onwards but there are few from as far back as 1980. The different parts in a set can be ascertained, but not the quantities. For some reason, it appears that none of the inventories are complete. I have no idea why this is, but if you look at, say, Palpatine's Arrest, it's as if the most desirable/rare parts are missing, perhaps deliberately.
Anyway, the script has run, the data is available and displayed on the set details pages. But is it actually any use? I'm not convinced that it is, but I welcome your views. Could the data form the basis of more comprehensive inventories compiled by Brickset users, using the data that's there and comparing it with that in the back of the instructions? That would not be without its problems and would still be a massive undertaking but it's certainly possible...
48 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)5520 views
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Further enhancements to the European Amazon shopper page
Posted by Huw, 28 Aug 2012 13:56. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a small change to the European Amazon Shopper (EAS) page that I hope will make it even more useful and enable you to buy with confidence and spot bargains even easier.
For some time I've been recording the 'cheapest price ever' at each of the Amazon sites which is shown on the 'For Sale' tab of the set details pages. I've modified the database query that the EAS page is based on to enable it to be shown on that page too. However rather than clutter the table up and make it difficult to read I've used it to colour code the discount:
- If the discount is greater than 25% AND the current price is the cheapest it's been at a particular Amazon, the price is highlighted in orange.
In addition, hovering over a price will reveal what the 'cheapest price ever' actually was, if the current price is higher.
Update: If you're logged in, you can now also fiilter the list to show only sets on your wanted list.
I hope that's of use. If you have any other suggestions for improvements to the page, LMK...
20 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)3092 views
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Brickset landing page at shop.LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 23 Aug 2012 03:29. Filed under Brickset.
As I'm sure you already know, when you follow links from Brickset to shop.LEGO.com and then buy something [1], you help keep it online and free for everyone to useIn recognition of this, LEGO has created a special landing page for Brickset at shop.LEGO.com which you can see if you click on the yellow 'Shop today >' box in the right-hand panel.
So, please, check it out and get buying... :-)
[1] Only if you're in USA, Canada or UK, unfortunately. LEGO doesn't operate affiliate schemes in other countries.
37 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)4484 views
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European Amazon price comparator
Posted by Huw, 20 Aug 2012 06:24. Filed under Brickset.
As I'm sure you already know, Amazon is the place to go if you're looking for current sets at a discount. But did you know that, in most European countries, you can buy LEGO from any one of the five European Amazon sites, that your local site is not necessarily the cheapest, and that shipping costs are usually very reasonable?
To help you find out which is the cheapest, I've set up a new page European Amazon Shopper that lists all sets currently available from Amazon and their prices at each of the five European Amazon sites.
You might have seen similar lists at other sites, but this one features several unique features:
- For many countries, prices are shown in your local currency. If your country is not in our database, I can probably add it, so get in touch.
- Retail prices are shown for most countries that shop.LEGO.com ships to, enabling you to see whether sets are discounted or not. The cheapest price is highlighted in the table, as are prices less than RRP.
- Sets you own/want are highlighted.
- I've determined which countries each of the Amazon sites ship to and those that ship to to you are shown in the side panel. For clarity, the tables only show prices from the Amazon sites that do. (Update: the lists now show all prices due to the unreliable information provided by Amazon)
You do not have to be resident in Europe to order from EU Amazons. One or more of them will ship to the following countries (non-European ones shown in bold):
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates.If you view the page from a country not listed above (including the USA and Canada) the tables will be blank, but if you want to view data for a country other than your own, click on the flag icon in the top right corner to change country.
Brickset: Helping you to spend less (or at least, get more LEGO for your money)... :-)
102 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)9173 views
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Site changes
Posted by Huw, 30 Jul 2012 06:42. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a few changes today:
- One criticism often received is that the list of themes is growing larger every year and there's no easy way to view similar ones, e.g. all girls themes, or all historical themes. As a step towards remedying that, the all themes list on the Browse page (when not viewing the lists as clouds) is now grouped, logically I hope.
- A number of security vulnerabilities that were pointed out by an AFOL security consultant have been addressed. The changes should not have affected the site from working correctly, but if you do notice anything that's broken, please let me know.
- There is now a 'reads' count shown next to news articles. Counting stared at 9am GMT+1 this morning. This will enable us to see which articles are 'hot' and once I know what number constitutes a 'hot' articles I may well indicate them as such. It doesn't update immediately, as the data is cached for a while, for performance reasons.
- I'm often asked to change people's user name which I can do, but only by delving into the database manually. So, I've added an option on the 'Your profile' page so you can now do it yourself. Changes are tracked for auditing purposes.
49 comments, latest one posted 10 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2966 views
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I'm back from my travels...
Posted by Huw, 21 Jul 2012 09:02. Filed under Brickset.
I'm back home now, having been on a 2 week cruise to Iceland, Faroe Islands and Norway. For much of the time I was without an internet connection, although in ports I could connect through my phone. Running a website can be pretty intense and take a lot of time from early in the morning until late at night so it was actually good to get away from it for a while.
It seems as if a number of exciting news stories broke whilst I was away, judging from the news updates here (and the 300+ emails I received :)) and I'd like to thank bluemoose, drdavewatford, yellowcastle, atkinsar, Matthew and new recruit LostInTranslation for keeping the site up to date in my absence.
Over the next few days I'll get back into the LEGO groove, plough through my inbox and report anything that hasn't been reported already here, and post a review of a new book Building A History: The LEGO Group by Sarah Harman that arrived whilst I was away. I might even post some Faroe Islands LEGO shopping news...
17 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1370 views
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Minor tweaks to the site
Posted by Huw, 02 Jul 2012 06:23. Filed under Brickset.
Over the last few weeks I've had several people request that links to other sites are set to open in a new window. Generally it's regarded as bad practice which is why I didn't do it much before. However several people came up with good reasons for doing it, such as when viewing the site on a tablet or phone where right-clicking to select 'open in new window' is not an option.
So, I've implemented some JavaScript to automatically convert links to external sites to open in a new window. I don't think there are any side-effects, but if you notice any do let me know. If some people object to this, I could possibly make a profile option to disable it.
Another thing I've done is to differentiate between 'proper' sets and others in the set listings. For a while 'Gear' has been shaded with a light grey background to make it easier to see (and ignore if you want to), and I've just done the same for sets without a numeric set number (which generally means that the number has been made-up by the community and therefore there's something irregular about the set, and is not part of LEGO's 'core' product line) and also product collections (which many people are not interested in).
As always, I welcome your feedback on these changes, and indeed anything about the site.
22 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1171 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 02 Jul 2012 04:04. Filed under Brickset.
Sorry for the delay in posting news of the ToyAddict.co.uk competition to win a signed 5884 Raptor Chase that ended last Friday.
A condition of entry was registering at ToyAddict, and then getting the answer right. The first name I picked at random hadn't registered, so Tim from ToyAddict picked another from those who had, but he hadn't entered the competition! So Tim picked another, who had managed to do everything right, so congratulations, Wesley Keen, you are our winner! Please get in touch and I'll arrange to get the set sent to you.
10 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1248 views
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Directory of mobile Brickset apps
Posted by Huw, 29 Jun 2012 06:14. Filed under Brickset.
Over the last few years a large number of apps have been written to take advantage of the Brickset API to provide access to Brickset's data, and in some cases, your collection data, on mobile devices.When I've been made aware of them I've mentioned them in the news but until now there hasn't been a list of them anywhere on the site which has meant finding out about them has been difficult.
So, to remedy this I've created a directory of mobile apps, linked to on the More page.
I think I've listed them all but if you're aware of others, do let me know.
9 comments, latest one posted 11 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1386 views
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Apologies for the downtime today
Posted by Huw, 28 Jun 2012 11:11. Filed under Brickset.
Nearly 12 hours of downtime is totally unacceptable and I apologise. The servers used to be hosted by Northstar Computer Services, run by Eric who's admin at BrickLink, but he recently sold the business to another company and this was the first time there's been a problem since then. Consequently I wasn't aware of the correct out-of-hours support arrangements and they were not totally familiar with the the server setup.
Anyway, we're back up now, and hopefully, if there is a next time, both they and I will be better prepared to deal with it.
22 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1164 views
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New entries to the Super Heroes minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 23 Jun 2012 05:42. Filed under Brickset.
Thanks to Brickset member sidersdd, I've been able to add the Comic Con exclusive Green Lantern and Batman minifigs to the Super Heroes minifig gallery.I've also added the new Lex Luthor, so the gallery is now complete.
I've also added the crew of the Black Pearl to the Pirates of the Caribbean gallery so it is now complete, too.
32 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1587 views
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By popular demand...
Posted by Huw, 11 Jun 2012 13:29. Filed under Brickset.
Here, then, by popular demand, is the All super-heroes minifig gallery!I'm happy to take suggestions for groupings, but because of the way the page is coded (it's generated from the database) the groups need to have the same names across all three separate galleries (Batman, Spider-Man and Super Heroes)
Sorry I can't get the Hulk to appear in the same group as the rest of the Avengers: it's because the size of the image, which is to scale with the minifigs, messes up the layout if it's included with them.
43 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1446 views
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Super Heroes minifig gallery published
Posted by Huw, 10 Jun 2012 05:27. Filed under Brickset.
I've just completed the Super Heroes minifig gallery for your enjoyment. It includes them all except for the Batman and Green Lantern Comic-Con exclusives, which I don't have.It does, however, include the other two rare-as-rocking-horse-droppings New York Toy Fair exclusives, Iron man with printed head and Captain America.
These two highly sought-after figs can be yours: I'm giving them away in a competition! Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for full details.
54 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1413 views
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Box dimensions, weights and UPC codes available for 1200 sets
Posted by Huw, 07 Jun 2012 05:58. Filed under Brickset.
I am indebted to Jason from Chowren Toys for providing more information for box sizes, weights and US barcodes for the Brickset database, for retail sets released between 2004 and 2006. We now have this information for around 1200 sets, from 2004 onwards.Chowren Toys LLC is an authorized LEGO e-Commerce Retailer, with the world's widest selection of brand new factory sealed, old and discontinued LEGO sets for sale, so if there's something you're after, they are bound to stock it, so check them out...
27 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2353 views
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And the winners are...
Posted by Huw, 04 Jun 2012 11:53. Filed under Brickset.
We have two winners of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre competition!There were a total of 301 entries and all but 5 people got the answer right. The correct answer for the year LEGO Star Wars sets were first released was of course 1999, answer C.
So...
- the winner of the family ticket to LDC Manchester is Daniel Milburn
- the winner of the family ticket to LDC Chicago is Sean Moon
Congratulations to you both, I'll be in touch for your address so I can get the tickets sent to you.
11 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1357 views
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The Lord of the Rings minifig gallery is now online
Posted by Huw, 30 May 2012 11:37. Filed under Brickset.
Today I have been photographing Lord of the Rings minifigs for the LotR minifig gallery.Plese visit the gallery to see them in all their glory. I've just noticed that I've shown the 'angry face' on a few of them which I don't normally do. This is because I didn't assemble them myself. Still, it adds a bit of variety.
Before anyone asks I haven't added the Cave Troll because, well, he's hardly a minifig is he, even if BrickLink thinks he is...
Update: I have bowed to pressure, the troll is now in :-)
35 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1684 views
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9470 Shelob Attacks
Posted by Huw, 27 May 2012 04:59. Filed under Brickset.
Here's my penultimate mini pictorial review of the Lord Of The Rings sets.9470 Shelob Attacks is the second smallest LotR set. It costs US$20/£20 and contains 227 pieces, including 3 minifigs.
It consists of Shelob, which is arguably the best spider LEGO has made, a 'piece of rock', and minifigs Frodo, Samwise Gamgee and Gollum. The latter two only appear in this set.
Gollom is, as you'd expect, a new mould. His arms move, but that's all. He comes clutching a fish although he is not seen eating one in the Shelob scene of The Return of the King. The face printing is a pretty good likeness, I think.
Samwise and Frodo look suitably sombre, as indeed they were at this stage in their journey. Frodo has a stunned/dead look on the other side of this head. Sam carries the Phial of Galadriel given to Frodo by Galadriel when they left Lórien.
As I said above, Shelob the giant spider is excellent and looks very menacing. Her jaw is hinged and can be used to grip any unsuspecting minifigs she comes across.
At the bottom of her body there's a gear for producing her silk (LEGO string) which can be used to wrap Frodo in. Quite why it has a hook at the end of it, though, I am not sure. I don't think she uses it as a winch :-)One thing missing is the huge spike at the end of her abdomen that she uses to stun Frodo. I suspect it could be modified to fit one, particularly if you weren't fussed about the silk/string.
When I first saw the LotR sets at the London Toy Fair in January, this was the one that excited me the most, mainly due to Shelob, I suspect, and now having seen and played with it, I am not disappointed. Another excellent LotR set and one I highly recommend.
I will hopefully cover the Mines of Moria in the next couple of days and publish a LotR minifig gallery by next weekend. So, stay tuned...
Thanks again to Darren and Tim for loaning me the LotR sets months before they are available in Europe. Tim is offering Brickset users a 5% discount in his BrickLink store Brick Buy Brick, and will also do so in his new web toy shop, ToyAddict, when it launches in June. Darren is also offering 5% discount on orders under £50 and 10% on orders over £50 from his BrickLink store Gizmocom, until the official release day of the LotR sets. Just mention Brickset in the notes when you check out!
30 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1857 views
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Problem with images this morning
Posted by Huw, 22 May 2012 03:14. Filed under Brickset.
There's currently a problem with the server that hosts most of Brickset's images, 1000steine.com. I've reported it to Rene, the owner, and I would hope it will be resolved shortly.
Apologies for the inconvenience.
3 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1166 views
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Cuusoo team provide more clarity around the review process
Posted by Huw, 15 May 2012 14:09. Filed under Brickset.
The Cuusoo team has published the first of three blog entries that will explain the review process and subsequent production of models that reach 10,000 supporters.The salient points are:
- There will be a quarterly review cycle, with the first review scheduled for early June.
- Models will be evaluated for design, brand fit, strategy fit, and business case.
- It is likely that one project per quarter will be produced, and should more than one pass review in a given quarter, it will be queued for possible later production.
When we have been discusssing will-they-won't-they make this-that-or-the-other, we have only really considered design and brand fit (or at least, I have) but the other two evaluation criteria are of course equally important to the company and will, I suspect, cause some otherwise good projects to be rejected.
After all, if LEGO don't think they can sell enough of a certain model to make it worth their while making it, of course they are not going to bother. Strategy fit is an interesting one and something we outside the company will never get a feel for. Let's say some sort of 'space marines' theme is planned for 2014, then clearly they would not make a 'space marines' Cuusoo model to pre-empt it.
So, let's see how many more projects we can push to 10,000 for the first review: if you haven't already, please take a look through my hand-picked ones in Cuusoo Corner and support those that take your fancy.
27 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1420 views
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9472 Attack on Weathertop
Posted by Huw, 15 May 2012 08:09. Filed under Brickset.
Today's Lord Of The Rings photo-review is of 9472 Attack on Weathertop. This is a mid-priced set (US $60, UK £50) that features, what I believe is the ruins of the Tower of Amon Sûl, a rock outcrop and five minifigs. There are two Ringwraiths on horses (of the new articulated back leg variety), plus three members of the fellowship: Frodo, Merry and Aragorn.The version of Frodo in the set also appears in 9470 Shelob Attacks, and Aragorn is also in 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep, but Merry is unique to this set.
The ruins is an interesting build and is very brick- and slope-intensive. It makes use of plenty of plate hinges to create the curved outer walls.
It's hinged to reveal various interior details. Round the back there's space for the hobbits to light a fire and have a picnic. If I remember the movies correctly, Merry and Pippin were fond of their food, weren't they? :)In common with the other LotR sets I've looked at so far, this is a great set that features excellent minifigs, useful and interesting parts, and a 'proper' LEGO build to create a model that has a lot of playability. Highly recommended!
Update: I've been asked to mention a couple more things about the set...
The ring is exactly the right size to fit over a stud and is actually quite a useful piece for SNOT techniques because it will neatly let you join stud to stud. Let's hope it appears in more useful, and cheaper, colours in future. This set contains two spares.The Ringwraiths: There isn't a lot to add about these because you can see what they are like from the pictures below. They are all black, faceless and look suitably mean. The capes might be new, I'm not sure. I did find on one of them that the fold of the cape kept moving the hood upwards when it was pressed right down although the other one was fine so it was probably just they way it was folded.
Here are a few of more pictures from my flickr gallery:
Thanks again to Darren and Tim for loaning me these. Tim is offering Brickset users a 5% discount in his BrickLink store Brick Buy Brick, and will also do so in his new web toy shop, ToyAddict, when it launches in June. Darren is also offering 5% discount on orders under £50 and 10% on orders over £50 from his BrickLink store Gizmocom, until the official release day of the LotR sets. Just mention Brickset in the notes when you check out!
35 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2268 views
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The zombies are coming!
Posted by Huw, 14 May 2012 15:58. Filed under Brickset.
Pictures of the Monster Fighters zombies 9465, have not yet been published to the LEGO.com cache but a Polish LEGO blog has uncovered hi-res pictures of it. The vehicle looks like it's equipped with some serious zombie-squashing apparatus, doesn't it!
(thanks to Nori for the news)
37 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2630 views
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Dorling Kindersley DC Universe book on the way
Posted by Huw, 05 May 2012 05:03. Filed under Brickset.
What looks to be an excellent addition to the ever-increasing number of Dorling Kindersley LEGO books has been revealed on the DK website.It's scheduled for release in September.
(Thanks supersympa for the news)
19 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1462 views
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Summer Friends images from The Daily Brick
Posted by Huw, 01 May 2012 08:01. Filed under Brickset.
The Daily Brick has uncovered some hi-res images of the summer Friends sets and has graciously allowed us to use them in the Brickset database.
Update: you can also find Star Wars Planets and Creator set images there as well now.
Check them out then let us know which ones you're excited about!
24 comments, latest one posted 13 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2371 views
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First unwatermarked images of 2H2012 Star Wars
Posted by Huw, 26 Apr 2012 14:35. Filed under Brickset.
Grogall has done it again: he's uncovered the first unwatermarked images of the boxes of the second-half of 2012 Star Wars sets. You can see them all at Hoth Bricks.Some of them excite me very much, particularly Jabba's Palace, but others are less interesting. However, as we know, LEGO will make them all essential purchases simply by including exclusive minifigs in each one.
They launch in August in Europe, although I suspect we could see them as early as June in some regions.
35 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2182 views
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Tracking your collectable minifig collection
Posted by Huw, 22 Apr 2012 08:43. Filed under Brickset.
Following suggestions in the forum, we have added new entries to the database to enable you to track your collection of collectable minifigs more efficiently.
You now have the option of tracking them by individual figure, by complete set, or both. And, if you have sealed boxes of them, you can track them too.
The request was made, I believe, because including all 112 CMFs in your collection individually can over-inflate the total number of sets you own, which can be an issue if you have a small LEGO collection.
Big thanks to bluemoose for adding to the database and scanning the boxes!
19 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1632 views
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Unadvertised Star Wars Sale at Toys R Us Canada: UPDATE: This Sale Is Over
Posted by fuelbreak, 18 Apr 2012 19:52. Filed under Brickset.
Big thanks to Brickset user Maaem for spotting a killer spur of the moment deal at Toys R Us Canada:
BOTH General Grievous Starfighter (8095) and Emperor Palpatines Shuttle (8096) are on for 31.87Can.
Before the Sale they were 69.99 and 79.99 respectfully, making it more then 50% off. My local store never even had sale signs up yet, but the price scanner reflects the sale. Hurry on down for a chance at a great deal staff may not even know about yet.
UPDATE: Sale ended, it appears lack of stock on original sale items spurred Toys R Us to offer other promotions to "fill the void." Either way this sale is now over.
12 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1389 views
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Collectable minifig gallery updated with S7 -- and now available in the USA!
Posted by Huw, 15 Apr 2012 05:54. Filed under Brickset.
I've upated the collectable minifig gallery with the series 7 minifigs.Hopefully I'll find time to add galleries for the Super Heroes and other new themes, and update the others soon too!
It appears that at last, S7 figures are available in the USA: Bastcastle emailed to say "Just picked up all of series 7 collectable minifigs at my local Toys R Us. Is this the first US sighting? They are in South Portland, Maine. Had 6 boxes today." Happy hunting!
40 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1310 views
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And the winners are...
Posted by Huw, 10 Apr 2012 16:30. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you to everyone who entered the LEGOLAND ticket competition. There were 369 entries, of which 340 got the answer right.Thje correct answer was C. The weight of the Palace of Naboo model at the Star Wars Miniland Experience at LEGOLAND Windsor is 63kg, which you could have found out at LEGOLAND.co.uk.
As usual, I asked my daughter to pick random numbers and I have 8 winners. Rather than post names here now, I'm going to email winners first because, as you will recall, entry was restricted to residents of the UK (LEGOLAND's stipulation) so I will need to confirm they have a UK address to which to send the tickets.
Update: the lucky winners are:
Rishi Thaker, Phil Layland, Michelle Wilson, Noah Mills, Steve Taylor, Rod Jones, Richard Orriel and Margaret Mitchell.
Congratulations to you all. Stay tuned for more exciting competitions in the future!
25 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1146 views
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Virgin Atlantic also has LEGO Glider promo set
Posted by Grahame, 08 Apr 2012 03:38. Filed under Brickset.
The LEGO Glider set 4442 is now showing in Virgin Atlantic's 'retail therapy' shopping catalogue, priced at 15 UK pounds.
See the catalogue here: https://www.retailtherapyshopping.com/products/toys
Note that home delivery is available for everyone within the United Kingdom; there is no flight requirement.
17 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2335 views
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6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown - the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 08:12. Filed under Brickset.
Wolverine is surely one of Marvel's best-loved Super Heroes, probably as a result of Hugh Jackman's portrayal of him in the X-Men movies. It's great, therefore, that LEGO has released a Wolverine set in this first wave of Marvel sets, even though (as far as I know) there isn't a new X-Men movie out this year.6866 Wolverine's Chopper Showdown features 3 minifigs: Wolverine, Deadpool and Magneto, a helicopter and a motorbike. I'll hopefully get to build the 'copter later today.
I think it's a great representation of Hugh Jackman although the hair is perhaps a little too pointy in the corners. His blades, that attach like those in the Prince Of Persia sets, look suitably vicious. The yellow jump suit appears to be reasonably accurate, if the Marvel directory is anything to go by (and I guess it should be!)
Magneto looks great in red and purple, and features a new helmet.
Deadpool is pretty cool, too. He comes with two ninja swords (not shown) in addition to this Alien Conquest blaster.I am not a Marvel expert by any means but having researched the characters in the Marvel directory, it looks as if LEGO has done an excellent job of representing them in minifig form.
Update: I've put photos of the helicopter on flickr.
33 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1825 views
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Happy birthday, forum!
Posted by Huw, 05 Apr 2012 03:14. Filed under Brickset.
The forum is such an important and integral part of the site now that it's easy to forget that just over a year ago it didn't even exist. It was launched on April 2nd, 2011 after what appeared to be a April Fool's annoucement the day before.There are now more than 3000 members who, over the year, have started and contributed to over 3200 discussions. There has been over 3,500,000 page views from 152,000 unique visitors. But it's not just about statistics. There's a real sense of community in the forum which offers opportunities to interact with directly with LEGO employees and Brickset staff.
Here are some of the highlights, most important and fun discussions that have been going on:
- LEGO reached out to the community to help stamp out the eBay drop-shipping fraud
- Faulty batch of 10197 Fire Brigade sets, missing a bag of parts, identified
- Over 3100 posts in the Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value discussion make it the longest running in the forum
- A Petition to reissue Cafe Corner started, which prompted input from Jamie Berard, who explained why it was a bad idea and that it could never happen
- The Jambalaya exchange kicked-off in the US while the UK members began their own Pick-n-Mix exchange
- Great discussions about the collecting aspects of the hobby in How does everyone else store their collection?, Cleaning LEGO, Collecting boxes and LEGO catalogs
- Lengthy discussions about sales and deals on both side of the Atlantic at Walmart, Tesco and many other retailers
- Is there someone who's not into LEGO Star Wars?, What ships, characters, or scenes from Star Wars would you like to see in LEGO ?
- So what does everyone here in the forum do for a living?
There's also a lot going on 'behind the scenes', too:
- The integrated personal messaging system is used to good effect to set up trades with other members, and I think by now there must have been thousands of polybags sent back and forth between the USA and Europe as a result. I have certainly filled a few gaps in my collection.
- There's a fantastic team of moderators and administrators (yellowcastle, bluemoose, rocao, atkinsar, DrDaveWatford, Martin and Matthew) who have worked tirelessly to ensure that it is a fun place to be and I'd like to thank them for the great work they do -- I certainly couldn't do it all myself.
So, if you're not already participating (and you're over 16), come on and join us: you're missing out on one of the friendliest and interesting LEGO forums on the 'net. I hope to see you in there!
27 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1419 views
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April Fools!
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2012 02:45. Filed under Brickset.
As most of you guessed, a couple of yesterday's news articles were April Fools jokes:
- I will NOT be soiling the pages of Brickset with clone rubbish. The only way they will ever appear here is 'over my dead body' :-)
- LEGO will NOT be re-releasing the UCS Millennium Falcon, which is a shame, because I'd probably buy one this time if they did.
What other LEGO related AFs did you read on other sites? I found:
- BrickChicks calendar at The Living Brick
- LEGO to buy the LDraw parts library fo $5m at Brothers-Brick
Were there others?
40 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1552 views
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Brickset to expand to include clone brands
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2012 06:52. Filed under Brickset.
I'm always looking for ways to improve Brickset and while on vacation last week, I came to the conclusion that a way to do this would be to include clone brands in the database, such as Megabloks, Kre-O, Cobi, Character, Best Lock and so on. After all, the site is called Brickset.com and not LEGOset.com, right?
Many of these brands have licences that are popular among adults (e.g. Megabloks HALO, Character Building Dr Who, and Kre-O Transformers) while others produce models that LEGO fans can but dream of, such as the military models made by Cobi.
I plan to start adding them in the next week or so. I hope you're as excited as I am about this -- I'm sure many of you own some of these already and I suspect once I add them here many more of you will start to buy them.
117 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2800 views
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The forum is currently down
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2012 06:39. Filed under Brickset.
I've logged a support call with VanillaForums.com and I hope it'll be back up soon.
Update: it's back up now. If you're interested about the problems we've been experiencing, you can read more here.
10 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1220 views
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LEGO to Rerelease Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon
Posted by yellowcastle, 01 Apr 2012 02:07. Filed under Brickset.
Billund, Denmark - In a surprising development, The LEGO Group (TLG) announced today that production of The Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (10179) would recommence later this month. Via a telephone interview with media outlets, Vice President of Manufacturing, Louis Friend said that, "(we) definitely keep an eye on the secondary market and it's just astounding how this set is performing. It just made too much sense to revisit." This announcement comes as quite a surprise to the community as this was one of the few sets ever that TLG had ever actually predicated its departure with a notice of discontinuation. Many collectors are sure to greet this news with skepticism if not animosity as the value of the first run sets is sure to drop with any rerelease. This response from the community, though, was not unforseen by TLG as Louis Friend made sure to point out in the news release. "We do realize what effect this could have on the aftermarket and we did not come to this decision lightly or quickly. That being said, and to quote Spock, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. I have been, and will always be, your friend," writes the VP.
62 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)8632 views
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The latest from the AFOLCON organisers' office
Posted by Huw, 12 Mar 2012 14:59. Filed under Brickset.
The team at AFOLCON have just announced the full line-up for this year's convention. Well, almost the full line-up - they still have one or two surprises left to come....
The full list of all the speakers and sessions is now available on our Agenda page, as is the full agenda for the weekend. We have two days packed full of LEGO fun, followed by a fantastic weekend too.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Adam Vaughan, Alex Bidolak, Bjarke Schonwandt, Duncan Titmash, Ed Diment and Mark Stafford will be presenting sessions, and there's a keynote speaker and a special guest yet to be announced!
- All AFOLCON attendees are invited to join us as we take a special tour of the LEGOLand Discovery Centre, out of hours.
- For AFOLs coming to The LEGO Show as an exhibitor or just a fan, we'll be hosting two special AFOLCON sessions on Saturday and Sunday nights - free to everyone to join in.
- The AFOLCON auction will be held on Sunday night - your chance to get some great bargains with some VERY special lots.
We're also announcing a couple of deadlines. The show is filling up, so if you would like to exhibit your MOCs at The LEGO Show - you must register with us by the 1st April. If you don't want to display, the deadline to register for AFOLCON is slightly later - the 16th April. So make sure you're not late!
Finally, did you notice a change at www.thelegoshow.com? Take a quick peek in the top right. We're pretty proud of that icon!
---
If you haven't already done so, go and grab a ticket today. I believe the BRICKSET20 20% discount code is still good, but it probably won't be for much longer. Unlike last year, this year I *will* be there, and will be staying at the Copthorne. Maybe I'll see a few of you in the bar?
5 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1224 views
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Me and my homies...
Posted by Huw, 12 Mar 2012 12:52. Filed under Brickset.
I was asked to fill some spaces on Saturday at short notice so I invited the Brickset posse. There's nothing newsworthy in this article but I thought I'd post this photo of us outside the LEGOLAND Hotel on the home page just to wind them up :-)
L to R: atkinsar, flump6523, princedraven, LostInTranslation, Huw, bluemoose, Collect-That!, DrDaveWatford.
(Photo by Robert Clarkson)
28 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1149 views
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Autumn Dorling Kindersley LEGO book line-up
Posted by Huw, 09 Mar 2012 10:30. Filed under Brickset.
Sabreman64 pointed me at a PDF version of a Dorling Kindersley catalogue that has revealed several LEGO book releases I was not aware of (plus a few that I was):
- Ninjago Character Encylopedia
- Batman Ultimate Sticker Collection
- Batman: the Visual Dictionary
- The LEGO book (revised version of the 2009 edition)
- Friends Brickmaster
- Ninjago Fight the Power of the Snakes Brickmaster
- Ninjago Ultimate Sticker Collection
- Minifigures Series 1-7 Ultimate Sticker Collection
Plus of course Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World, which features several hundred of my photos and which I believe will be one of the first to be published (June according to Amazon). You can pre order it here: Amazon.co.uk
| Amazon.com.
Here are details of some of the more interesting titles:
Not only is 2012 shaping up to be an expensive year for actual LEGO sets, it looks as if we'll need to fork out a fair amount for these high-quality books as well!
20 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1445 views
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Another vendor joins the growing ranks and provides more set information
Posted by Huw, 09 Mar 2012 10:09. Filed under Brickset.
Chowren Toys, who bill themselves as the 'World's second biggest LEGO shop', has joined the growing number of vendors whose items are displayed on the set details pages. If you're in the USA you'll see their 1500+ products shown under the relevant 'For Sale' tabs.What's more, they have provided us with some very useful information on product sizes, weights, LEGO item numbers and UPC barcodes for nearly every retail set available since 2007. You'll find this info shown on the set details pages (see this one for an example). Over time, the database admins will back fill this information for older sets, and at some point in the future I hope to be able to get everyone involved in entering data such as this into the database.
So welcome aboard guys, and thanks for the info!
16 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1221 views
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Hi-res pictures of Marvel sets now on LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 09 Mar 2012 08:16. Filed under Brickset.
LEGO has placed hi-res photos of the Marvel Super Heroes sets onto their server, in preparation for their immiment sale, hopefully!
I've grabbed them all and added them to the database.
(thanks Clone-gunner-comanda-jedi for the news)
11 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1392 views
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eBay feeds are down
Posted by Huw, 08 Mar 2012 17:47. Filed under Brickset.
There's currently a problem with the eBay data feeds that have been causing Brickset to run extremely slowly while it waited for them to respond.
I have therefore disabled their retrieval until it's been resolved which means the eBay tab on the set details pages will be blank. If you wish to search eBay for specific sets, please use the links in the search results.
eBay are aware of the issue and we can but hope that it's fixed soon. I apologise for the inconvenience.
Update: they took their time, but finally they are working again...
8 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1143 views
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Another vendor teams up with Brickset
Posted by Huw, 06 Mar 2012 10:55. Filed under Brickset.
Please welcome The Daily Brick to the growing list of vendors advertising on Brickset.The Daily Brick is based in the UK but ships worldwide. You will see their sets listed on the For Sale tab on the set details pages.
You may also have noticed an ad for BrickBuildersPro.com in the side bar. Brick Builders Pro provide custom kits and instructions for a superb selection of modular buildings and much more besides.
Thank you to everyone who has responded to my previous article on the listing your sets here. I'll be getting round to integrating you all with the site in due course!
While I was making changes today I tweaked the home and browse pages a bit: the 'New in the database' list is now on the Browse page, and the list of online users, that really only served to bloat the size of the page markup, has been removed.
15 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1287 views
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List your LEGO products at Brickset
Posted by Huw, 04 Mar 2012 08:23. Filed under Brickset.
The more astute amongst you may have noticed that the 'Buy' tab on the set detail pages was renamed "For sale" last week, and also now provides an indication of the number of vendors that have a particular set for sale.As well as shop.LEGO.com, Amazon and Argos (in the UK) that have been there for some time, you will now see sets listed that The Plastic Brick has for sale.
The Plastic Brick is an unofficial LEGO dealer based in the USA who stocks a wide range of LEGO sets. Currently they only ship to the USA so you'll only see their sets listed if you're browsing from that part of the world.
I'm hoping that The Plastic Brick will be the first of many online shops that will make use of this feature, so if you run your own online store and would like to see your products listed here, please get in touch. With our global audience of over 300,000 LEGO fans, doing so can only raise the profile of your shop and increase your sales.
13 comments, latest one posted 15 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1315 views
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Win tickets to a preview of the Star Wars Miniland at LEGOLAND Windsor
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 13:46. Filed under Brickset.
Here's your chance to see the Star Wars Miniland Experience at LEGOLAND Windsor before anyone else!We have teamed up with LEGOLAND Windsor Resort to bring you an opportunity to win one of two pairs of tickets to the pre-season preview event on 10th March.
All you have to do is answer one simple question on the competition entry form before midnight on 26th February (next Sunday).
The competition is open to residents of the UK only, who are able to make their own way to the park on the day. See the terms and conditions on the entry form for more information.
Myself and bluemoose will be there, taking photos for Brickset. The winners will be welcome to meet up with us if they'd like to!
23 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1159 views
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10224 Town Hall press release
Posted by Huw, 16 Feb 2012 09:08. Filed under Brickset.
It's a busy day for press releases! Here's the official announcement of the Town Hall (at last!)
2,766 pieces, US$199.99, CA$249.99, DE €179.99, UK £149.99, DK 1499 DKK
Keep the wheels of commerce turning with the authentic Town Hall!
This classic 3-storey town hall building is the latest addition to the LEGO® Modular Buildings series. This highly-detailed model features large entrance-way columns and coat of arms, a tall bell tower with clock and a large skylight giving a view inside the building. On the ground floor, the large hall, tax office and auditorium are perfect for servicing the town’s citizens.
Take the working elevator up to the secretary and mayor's offices on the second floor, furnished eloquently with desks, chairs, paintings and even a frog sculpture. There’s even a balcony for addressing the town's citizens. On the third floor, a spacious meeting room features a large conference table, chairs, globe and plants. Includes 8 minifigures: mayor, secretary, bride and groom, press woman, janitor and 2 children.
- Includes 8 minifigures: mayor, secretary, bride and groom, press woman, janitor and 2 children
- Features painting, desks, chairs, sculpture, lamp, conference table, globe, plants and bench
- Functioning elevator with space for 2 minifigures and ladder access to roof
- Bell tower features bench and maintenance ladder
- Roof features skylight with view inside the building
- Measures 10” (25.5 cm) wide and 20” (50 cm) high
- Address the citizens from the balcony!
- Combine with other LEGO® Modular buildings like the 10218 Pet Shop and 10211 Grand Emporium!
Here's the designer interview. See if you can spot what might be the UCS R2-D2 and the rumoured Haunted House near the start!
Update: The original video has been removed but someone has helpfully re-posted it. It should play below now.
99 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2451 views
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New site feature: control the reviews you see
Posted by Huw, 15 Feb 2012 05:48. Filed under Brickset.
I've added a new feature to the site in direct response to comments made in the annual user survey last year concerning the quality of set reviews.
It would appear that many adult visitors do not like reading reviews written by kids and teens and would like a way to filter them out or stop them being posted. I have no intention of doing the latter because of course kids and teens like to read reviews written by their peers and today's TFOLs are tomorrow's AFOLs and therefore important to the future of the site.
So, I've implemented a review filter which can be set on your profile page (when you're logged in). You can specify what type of reviews you want to see (for example those written by KFOLS, TFOLs or AFOLs) and, once you've done so, every page that displays reviews will only show those that match your preferences.
I acknowledge that many TFOLs write excellent reviews and as as result, they are gold-rated reviewers. Therefore everyone, regardless of their preferences, will see reviews by gold-rated reviewers regardless of their age. I'm hoping this will improve the quality of reviews generally, as more people strive for gold-rated status.
I hope this goes some way to improve the perception of the reviews and increase their usefulness. I look forward to your comments.
15 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)924 views
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Problems with the site...
Posted by Huw, 13 Feb 2012 15:08. Filed under Brickset.
There's currently a weird database problem that's preventing parts of the home page from displaying. I've disabled the problem areas while I investigate. The rest of the site seems to be functioning normally, and I hope that I'll be able to resume normal service soon.
I apologise for the inconvenience.
Update: all sorted now, some rogue data got into the system that upset one of the database queries. I've taken steps to prevent it happening again :)
12 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1041 views
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“The Force” Remains with The LEGO Group
Posted by Huw, 13 Feb 2012 11:59. Filed under Brickset.
You might have read this press release elsewhere, although it seems to have slipped under the radar, what with all the Toy Fair coverage, which is kind of surprising given its significance:
"BILLUND, Denmark (February 13, 2012) – The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm Ltd. today announced renewal of the Star Wars™ licensing deal that, 12 years ago, transformed a construction toy theme into a global entertainment property with strong cross-generational, multi-platform appeal. Fans can look forward to LEGO® Star Wars product and content development for the next 10 years, according to the terms of the deal."
Read the rest at LEGO.com. Good news or bad?
(via atkinsar in the forum)
85 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1453 views
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Ringing in the changes; time for a new Ambassador
Posted by bluemoose, 04 Feb 2012 12:12. Filed under Brickset.
Back in November 2010, LEGO changed the qualifying criteria for their 'Ambassador' programme and on-line communities such as Brickset.com, fbtb.com, etc., were then eligible to qualify for an 'Ambassador' post. For a year or two prior to that, only regional LEGO User Groups qualified (i.e. those that existed in the real world), and prior to that LEGO picked individuals that were felt to be exceptional buiilders and 'key' influencers in the wider LEGO fan community. Just out of interest, Huw was one of the chosen Ambassadors right at the beginning!
So what is a LEGO Ambassador? That's a good question. The role has changed quite a lot since the programme first stood up; today it is mostly about being a conduit for information between LEGO and the fan community. It is a way for LEGO to target information at the adult fan community (e.g. passing press releases, asking for feedback, promoting the on-line questionaires, etc.) and for the adult fan community to be able to ask for information from LEGO. Unfortunately, much of what the fan community wants to know is information that the team in LEGO that looks after the Ambassador programme (the Community Engagement team, which also supports fan events, runs the LUGBULK programme, etc.) are unable to answer for commercial and other reasons. It also acts as a forum for Ambassadors to work together and discuss topics of interest across the world-wide fan community. There are currently over 70 Ambassadors, from all across the world.
In the early days of the Ambassador programme, the Ambassadors got involved in a lot of 'secret' projects; however, that stopped a few years ago and the Ambassadors now get no access to privileged information.
I've been the Ambassador for Brickset.com since November 2010 and over the last 14 months I've enjoyed the experience (despite the occasional frustrations) but have now chosen to stand down to give someone else the opportunity to represent the community here. Therefore, it's my pleasure to announce that fellow Admin DrDaveWatford has just taken over as the official LEGO Ambassador for Brickset.com and I'm confident that he'll do a great job representing the community.
If you have any questions about the Ambassador programme, ask away and one of us will have a crack at answering it!
22 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1323 views
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Gear is here to stay...
Posted by Huw, 02 Feb 2012 14:28. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you all for your comments and feedback about whether to delete 'Gear' from the database. There were some good arguments for and against but the case for it remaining was stronger so I've decided to keep it.
That's not to say that everything with a LEGO logo on it automatically goes in, though. I don't plan to add all the 'tat' (of the type you can see here) but I will be adding items of interest to AFOLs.
Today I've added the Moleskine notebooks that are coming out soon. These are high quality items that are bound to be of interest to many. You can order them from Amazon for delivery in May:
16 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1147 views
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Refocusing the Brickset database
Posted by Huw, 29 Jan 2012 10:25. Filed under Brickset.
This time last year we reorganised the database to group all 'non-core' products into the Gear theme.
I am now considering the following changes to the items that Brickset records in the database:
- I want to remove virtually all products that do not contain regular bricks, such as bedding, clothes, bags, books, DVDs, video games, pens, clocks, watches, stationery and so on.
- I want to remove all product collections that existed only as line items at shop.LEGO.com (i.e. items in this list after 78800) as opposed to those that had special packaging (the remainder of that list)
- I want to reserve the right not to include licenced products that contain bricks (e.g. Nintendo DS covers, LEGO annuals, Muji sets, Moleskine books etc.)
My rationale for these changes are
- To improve the overall quality, accuracy and completeness of the database. If its scope is reduced it will be easier to maintain a high quality of information.
- The products listed above are generally of little interest to LEGO collectors and to some extent they 'clutter up' the database and consequently the search results. You may well own some of them but you probably don't really collect them.
- There are so many LEGO-licenced products nowadays that it is impossible to keep track of them all and record information about them accurately.
Books/DVDs that come with bricks, keychains, magnets, coin banks, idea books etc. will of course remain in the database and I will strive to improve our coverage of them.
We are discussing this in the forum and I welcome your comments either here or in the forum if you feel strongly about this.
107 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1347 views
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Brickset users spend $27 million on LEGO in a year
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2012 17:41. Filed under Brickset.
This time last year I published some figures for the size and value of our collective collections. Between us we had 1,992,000 sets and just over 500,000,000 parts worth $52,000,000.
This year the numbers are, as you can see from the sidebar, 2,900,000 sets, 750,000,000 parts and worth just under $79,000,000
36,205 people have registered their collections which is just under 10,000 more than had done so this time last year. The average size of people's collections has risen from 74 to 81 sets.
So while the headline no doubt grabbed your attention, it's not entirely accurate because the 10,000 new users may have added sets purchased in previous years. If I get time, I'll devise some algorithms to come up with more accurate numbers.
Still, they are impressive statistics and if nothing else, go to show that collectively we own a lot of LEGO and spend a lot of money on it.
If the growth continues as it has, this time next year we'll own 1 billion pieces!
44 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1743 views
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Toy Fair report, part 4: Monster Fighters
Posted by Huw, 24 Jan 2012 14:25. Filed under Brickset.
This theme caught us a bit by surprise when pictures were leaked a few months ago, we didn't know what to make of them. Having now seen them in the flesh, I'm still not sure what to make of them!They are being released to 'cash in' on Halloween, apparently. I got to hear the back-story of the theme: each set comes with a monster and a good guy. The monsters are after six crystals, one of which appears in each set. When they have them all, they take them to the vampire castle and unleash evil (or something like that... :-) )
There's no doubting the monsters looked great, although many of them use parts from the collectable minifigs and some appear to have been copied almost exactly (the Mummy and Dracula, for example). However they did appear to be proper figs, as opposed to Chinese ones. The glow-in-the-dark ghost is back, but a new design featuring 'a piece of sheet' trailing in the wind behind its head. The Werewolf head is superb as are the vampire-bat-minifig-thingys in the castle. Other monsters include a swamp creature, 'Dracula's' bride and glow-in-the-dark skeleton horses.
The good guys resemble characters from the Adventurers series and the vehicles are similar, too: sort of 1930s style.
With so many other good themes coming out, I can't see this one being particularly popular, and I don't think I'll be buying it.
36 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1412 views
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Tomorrow, it's Toy Fair!
Posted by Huw, 23 Jan 2012 16:56. Filed under Brickset.
The first toy fair of the season, the London Toy Fair, starts tomorrow and I will be there. I have an appointment at the LEGO stand and I'll be reporting what's on show.If it's anything like previous years, I won't be allowed to take photographs so don't expect any images but I do intend to make copious notes and will describe what I see there tomorrow afternoon or evening.
If there's anything you want me to look at specifically, post a comment and I'll see what I can do.
The other toy fairs coming up are Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair in Germany on 1-6th February and the New York Toy Fair, 12-15 February. LEGO is usually a bit more lenient at these events and phototography will probably be allowed so you won't have to wait too long for pictures to appear.
86 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1647 views
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LEGO product feed problem
Posted by Huw, 21 Jan 2012 05:06. Filed under Brickset.
The data feed from LEGO that provides us with prices and availability of sets at shop.LEGO.com seems to be broken today, and as you can see there are just a handful of old products being shown in the 'New at shop.LEGO.com' list above.
I hope it's sorted soon, but I don't suppose it'll get fixed over the weekend, so I apologise for the inconvenience.
Update, still not fixed but I've adjusted the database so it uses yesterday's data.
1 comment, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1306 views
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New site features
Posted by Huw, 18 Jan 2012 04:39. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a couple of changes to the site that I'd like to tell you about:
- On the set details pages, alternate images, minifig images and related sets are now shown in tabs 'behind' the main set image. This should allow for future expansion into providing scans from instruction covers, boxes and maybe even user-contributed images.
- Also on this page, the dates of availability from shop.LEGO.com have been reinstated in the menu panel, by popular demand.
- The My Sets page has been tidied up a bit and a new Collection analysis page has been added that will show you which themes/subthemes you have a complete collection of and makes it easy to see the sets you still need to complete a collection. For more information, read the discussion in the forum that first suggested this feature.
Remember you need to be logged in to use the My Sets features so if you haven't signed up yet, get and do so! It's free and easy.
62 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1303 views
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New site features
Posted by Huw, 28 Dec 2011 05:36. Filed under Brickset.
I've rolled out some new features today:
Related sets
This is the biggest and most significant change. The notes about related sets (e.g. same as...; US version of...; Polybag version of... etc.) have been replaced with a database relationship.
Related sets are now shown in their own section of the set details page (example) and also in the search results table as a list and a pop-up window (example).
Although this was a relatively small change to the site, it needed a lot of work to gather and check the data to ensure it is accurate. I'm confident that it is, but also sure there'll be further additions and improvements to it over the next few weeks as the admins carry out more checks.
Gallery view
Sometimes you want to see just the thumbnails of the sets rather than all the details so I've implemented a new 'gallery view' for the search results. You can flip between the two using the control on the search results header, and your preference is saved in a cookie.
Pop-up view of a set's minifigs
The minifig count information in the search results table is now a hyperlink to a pop-up view of the minifigs.
Miscellaneous
- Search results table tidied up a bit.
- Minifig taxonomy data from Cristoph Bartneck's book displayed where appropriate.
- 'New at shop.LEGO.com' reinstated on home page.
- eBay bar removed from home page.
- Improvements to set review form.
- 'Member since' and 'last online' dates shown on member profile pages, although the site only started recording joining dates in 2010 so it's not shown for 'older' members.
- Various small tweaks and improvements.
Do let me know if you encounter any problems and what you think of the changes.
88 comments, latest one posted 17 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1383 views
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Brickset traffic review of the year
Posted by Huw, 18 Dec 2011 06:26. Filed under Brickset.
At this time of year I like to review Brickset's usage statistics and share them with you. As I posted the other week, Brickset had its busiest month ever on 4th December, and in fact, as predicted, looking at the figures today, the numbers are still increasing. I suspect they will peak just after Christmas.
This graph, from Quantcast, showing the number of unique visitors per month, shows the growth the site has seen since July 2008. The peaks conicide with December of each year.
The figures from Google Analytics below show that we've experienced a 43% growth in the number of visits and visitors in 2011:
2011 2010 2009 Page views 49,404,168 40,447,000 25,434,000 Visits 11,408,177 7,926,000 4,556,000 Visitors 3,895,394 2,719,000 1,766,000 So things are definitely heading in the right direction. How high can it go, I wonder?
16 comments, latest one posted 18 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1092 views
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Brickset has its busiest month ever!
Posted by Huw, 05 Dec 2011 11:25. Filed under Brickset.
Yesterday was something of a landmark in Brickset's history: it was the first time ever that 1 million visits in a 30 day period were recorded by Quantcast.According to the stats, in the thirty days up to and including the 4th December, 373,000 people made 1 million visits and viewed 5 million pages. That's 33,333 visits a day, 1388 visits an hour and 23 visits a minute, and just under 2 page views per second.
I'm sure the numbers will go higher in the run-up to Christmas, and if the gradients of the graphs are anything to to go by they could go significantly higher. Let's hope so!
26 comments, latest one posted 18 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1174 views
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Happy Holidays!
Posted by Huw, 02 Dec 2011 17:26. Filed under Brickset.
I have a gift for you that was given to me by member JSutton a few weeks ago that I'd forgotten about until now...
Remember the Happy Holidays game that was given to LEGO employees last Christmas, and consequently hard to get hold of (unless you are an employee of course)? As far as I know, instructions for building and playing the game have not been been made available anywhere, but now, JSutton has reverse-engineered it and produced pictorial and written instructions, which you can now download exclusively from Brickset.
You probably have most parts in your collection so get building and have some seasonal fun with friends and family!
(Thanks James!)
9 comments, latest one posted 18 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1530 views
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Survey response, part 3
Posted by Huw, 21 Nov 2011 08:58. Filed under Brickset.
Following on from part one and part two of my responses to your comments, here is the third, and final installment:
BrickLists
These didn’t get many mentions, surprisingly, but one thing that was said is that it’s difficult to find the good lists among all the bad ones. I have a few ideas about how to surface the useful and interesting ones and I plan to make improvements in the New Year.
Parts lists
I'd really like to add set inventories to Brickset and I have attempted to negotiate the use of data from other sites but so far have not been able to reach agreement. So, I have plans to implement them myself. More details to follow...
Minifig galleries need updating
I haven’t updated the galleries with photos of second-half of 2011 minifigs yet, but I will do, when I find the time.
Prices of sets in other currencies
Brickset shows official prices from LEGO.com for sets released after 2007 in US$, CA$ and GBP. It also has UK prices of most sets released since 2000, and US prices for some sets prior to 2007. The database can now hold prices in other currencies and a while ago someone sent me data in Euros that I will get imported soon. I’m happy to load data for other currencies, so get in touch if you can provide it.
Set relationships
Often other sets are mentioned in set notes ‘Same as set xxxx’ or ‘Contains sets xxx, yyy, zzz’ but they are not linked in any way. It would be much better if there was a means of linking related sets together, of specifying relationships between them.
This is something that should have been implemented ages ago, so I will look to do it soon.
Mobile site
It was noted that the mobile site lacks some of the features of the main site. The aim of the mobile site was to provide basic functions that loaded quickly for use on the move, but it appears that many people use it as their primary means of accessing Brickset, which surprised me slightly, so maybe there is a case for adding more features to it.
Set descriptions
A couple of you noticed that the shop.LEGO.com set descriptions have disappeared from the set details pages. This is actually due to a bug at LEGO.com introduced when the shop changed recently. I have reported it and it’ll be fixed, eventually…
Various ideas for enhancements:
Multiple ‘Own’ lists – this might be possible, I’ll give it some thought.
Link to rebrickable.com – I’m already working with the site owner on this and will most likely get something launched in the New Year.
Link to mobile site on main site home page is annoying – this has now been removed.
Rate sets but not review them – I attempted to code this a while ago but had problems. Maybe I’ll revisit it.
Enable country selection, so you can see links and prices for other countries – done already!
Download entire database – this can be done already; it’s just not linked to from anywhere. I will make it available soon.
Member-member messaging – Personally I don’t see the need for this since we already have a means of contacting members if they want to be contacted, using email. I know several youngsters here can't use email for reasons I haven't fathomed out yet (don't you all have BlackBerrys these days?) but they are in a very small minority and coding something just to get round this issue probably isn't worth it.
My Friends – The site’s experiment in social networking has not been enhanced since it was originally implemented but there is a lot more that could be done with it and several good suggestions were made. If time permits I will work on some of them next year.
Comments on reviews/ask a question – I liked this idea, the ability to ask the reviewer a question about their review or the set so I will give it some thought.
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So, that just about summarises the main themes in the survey responses. If you think I've missed something, let me know in the comments. You'll notice that after most of the suggestions I say 'I'll do it in the New Year' and that's because it doesn't make sense to make major changes during the site's busiest period (see how traffic is ramping up in the stats) but between now and then I'll be thinking about the suggestions in more detail.
So that just leaves me to thank everyone who completed the survey for doing so. As you can see it's given me a lot to think about!
38 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1360 views
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Survey response, part 2
Posted by Huw, 18 Nov 2011 04:27. Filed under Brickset.
Continuing on from part one, here are my responses to several more themes raised in the survey comments:
Missing sets/data and set images
There were quite a few comments about missing sets and the quality of set images, and requesting higher-resolution images. Some people asked if we are going to add sets prior to 1966 to the database.
We are always happy to be told about missing sets or be provided with missing data or better pictures. In future it's likely that I'll make it possible for you to upload your own pictures of sets, but until then, please use the contact form to get in touch.
At the moment, we have no plans to go further back in time than 1966 or include every set (service packs/brick boxes etc.) from 1966-70, mainly because the period is too complex and doing so would require plagiarising existing sources such as the Collector book, which I don’t want to do.
In the New Year I am going to make a concerted effort to scan the instructions cover of every set I own (some 2000 or so) to improve some of the older images and once that is done I will ask for community help to fill the gaps where needed.
Since 2007 I have been collecting the hi-res set images from LEGO.com but haven’t made them available yet, primarily to conserve bandwidth, but maybe now is the right time to add them.
Advanced search/results sorting/improved data mining
This is definitely an area that could be improved so I will give it some thought.
Site design
There were a few negative comments about the site’s design, but there was probably more positive ones. I did, you’ll recall, tweak the design a while ago (removed the blue background) and it was disliked so much I reverted back to the old one. While I agree it does need to be freshened up a bit, my view at the moment is ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it'. Nevertheless I will continue to tweak it from time to time and have plans to freshen it up in the New Year.
iPad App
Several people say they don’t like the iPad/iPhone apps or that they don't work properly. Unfortunately there isn’t much I can do about them as they are written by 3rd parties, so I encourage you to contact the authors directly via the appStore.
News
You want more news, more frequently posted and from more countries. If you would like to report on news from your country and you are over 18, get in touch. If we have more contributors we'll have more articles.
An interesting comment from someone was that the news always revolves around the ‘cult of the new’. Well I guess fundamentally that’s what ‘news’ is, but it made me think that maybe we could also have articles about historical topics, not necessarily always written by staff members but potentially by anyone. So, if you have an idea for an article, ‘The history of LEGO police stations’ or something like that, then get in touch.
Part 3 to follow...
17 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1243 views
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Survey response, part 1
Posted by Huw, 16 Nov 2011 03:38. Filed under Brickset.
I’ve now had a chance to read all your comments, both positive and negative. It is the negative ones that are of most interest because the feedback and suggestions can and will be used to improve the site to ensure it continues to meet your needs and expectations and that it remains the top LEGO reference site on the Internet.
However, if the negative comments are read in isolation, I could get the impression that you hate the site and everything about it, but for every negative comment there is usually a positive one so there must be some things you like!
Rather than respond individually to every comment, I’ve been through them all and picked out common themes. Each theme is addressed below:
eBay banner
What a surprise! This was the subject of about half of the negative comments and it appears that you all hate it! However I can tell you not everyone does because people are clicking on it and then taking some action once they get to eBay, so it’s not a total waste of space. I did however say that it was only there temporarily as an experiment and I will tell you now that on 1st January 2012 the eBay banner will be removed.
Amazon alerts
Another divisive subject: many of you love them and have used them to save money but others, I guess those who can’t/won’t spend money online or don’t have a local Amazon, hate them. Since the survey started I have changed their behaviour so they are now much less intrusive and most people will only ever see one in the list at a time, or can remove them completely so I hope now that everyone is happy. Nevertheless I will review them again in the New Year and see if further improvements can be made.
Search box
I was slightly surprised that the innocuous little search box in the top right corner received so many negative comments. These ranged from people disliking the fact that you have to press the Go button once you’ve selected something to search for, to it not being ‘fuzzy’ and returning only exact matches.
I have already changed its behaviour (see below) so you no longer have to press on Go which will hopefully improve its usability. As for fuzzy searching, that is a lot more difficult and will require more thought and effort to implement. Maybe one solution will be set tagging, so that if you’re looking for a tractor that doesn’t have the word tractor in its title, it will still match if it is tagged as a tractor.
Quality of reviews
The score for this jumped by 5% so there has clearly been some improvement over the year, but there is still room for more, it seems. Most complaints appear to be from adults who do not want to read kids’ reviews. I don’t want to discourage youngsters from posting them, because they may well be of interest to others of the same age, and today’s TFOL is tomorrow’s AFOL, so I don’t want to alienate them.
So what I plan to do, is to provide an option in your profile to enable you to select which reviews you want to see: those written by KFOLS, by TFOLS, or by AFOLS. That way I hope that all audiences will be happy.
Incentivising reviews
Several people made the observation that it’s often a while after release before sets are reviewed and someone made some excellent suggestions as to how to encourage people to write reviews that I definitely plan to follow up on that will hopefully resolve this.
To be continued...
30 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1274 views
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Minor changes in response to survey
Posted by Huw, 15 Nov 2011 13:37. Filed under Brickset.
I'm working my way through your comments and I'll post a long response in the next few days. However I've made a few tweaks as a result of feedback already:- The big ugly banner that appears when you view the site on a mobile device has been removed.
- There were a lot of comments about the search auto-complete and having to press 'Go' once you'd selected something from the list. I've changed the behaviour so you now don't need to. However I'm sure I disabled that feature a while ago due to some unwanted side-effect but it appears to work OK so I'll leave it on for now. Let me know if it works for you.
- Some of you have already noticed the little flag in the top corner that lets you 'pretend' to be in a different country so you can see prices and shopping links for countries other than your own. This was a previously hidden feature but as it was requested in the survey, I thought I'd make it available to everyone.
- Finally, another change you'll notice that has tidied up the home page a bit is the replacement of the ads at the side with text links. I read this article at the weekend that says "Web users tend to ignore everything that looks like advertisement and what is interesting, they’re pretty good at it. Although advertisement is noticed, it is almost always ignored". So given that nobody looks at them, and they were cluttering up the page a bit, they are now gone.
More changes to come, so stay tuned...
17 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1070 views
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The 2011 Brickset user survey results
Posted by Huw, 13 Nov 2011 05:13. Filed under Brickset.
The survey has now ended. There were 836 responses, which really is excellent so I thank you all for doing so.
You can view the results and read the comments on the 2011 survey results page. This is the second year that the survey has been in its current form so it's possible to directly compare this year's results to last year's and see what's improved and what you don't think has.
So, here are the comparative scores for the quantitive questions, taking everyone's (under and over 18s) scores into account:
Question 2011 2010 Change The home page 81.10% 85.90% -4.80% Searching 79.20% 77.50% 1.70% Quality and relevance of the news 78.90% 81.90% -3.00% Accuracy and content of the database 92.70% 89% 3.70% Quality of images 90% 83% 7.00% Ease of use 89.10% 89.10% 0.00% The site's design 78.40% 79.60% -1.20% Speed of response 80.80% 79.30% 1.50% Quality of set reviews 61.70% 56.50% 5.20% The forum 52.60% As you can see, five of the scores have improved and three have not. I think it's obvious why the 'home page' and 'news' scores have gone down: some of you don't like the eBay bar and the Amazon alerts. I guess the 'site design' score has gone down because, although it has not changed significantly since last year, you think it's looking a little dated now.
So, without even reading through all your comments -- of which there are some excellent ones -- there are clearly some points to address, and I plan to do so in the new year. However, there has to be a balance between your needs (uncluttered and ad-free) and mine (discreet value-added advertising to fund the site) so some further experimentation is needed to find that balance. I would however like to put it into some sort of perspective and remind you what happens when a LEGO site totally sells-out to advertising and becomes unpleasant to use. I don't think Brickset is anywhere near that state yet!
It's interesting that the 'the forum' question has such a low score. Although it appears to be very popular and the Vanilla Forums system is liked by those that have taken the time to get used to it, I guess it's so different to normal, old-fashioned phpBB-style forums used by other LEGO sites, that some of you have been put off by that. I have no plans to change it, so like it or lump it :-)
Over the next week I will read all the comments, pick out the themes and post something here when I've done so.
So, once again, thank you all for participating -- with your input the site can continue to meet your needs and improve.
41 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1531 views
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Last chance to participate in the Brickset user survey
Posted by Huw, 11 Nov 2011 13:57. Filed under Brickset.
The survey has been running for 10 days or so and there have been 650 responses, which is absolutely excellent!I'll be ending it tomorrow evening, so if you haven't yet had your say, please do so now.
Next week I'll be reviewing all the comments and publishing an action plan.
8 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1225 views
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Improvements to the site to help you spend less
Posted by Huw, 09 Nov 2011 11:11. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a few minor changes to various areas of the site to enable you to make better purchasing decisions:
On the 'Buy' tabs on the set details pages:
- In the Buy from shop.LEGO.com section, the table now shows the price in each country in your local currency. I haven't finished populating the data that tallies countries to currencies but most major ones have been done.
- The Buy from Amazon section also shows the approximate price in your local currency. This is particularly important if you're in the EU because you can buy from any EU Amazon and it can be cheaper to buy from, say, Amazon.es and have it shipped to the UK than it is to buy from Amazon.co.uk.
If you're in the UK you'll notice the data from Argos has been properly integrated into the database, so the Argos discounted set list is now more functional in line with the Amazon ones, and also on the 'Buy' tab you'll see Argos shown if they stock the set you're looking at.
I hope you find these tweaks useful.
11 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1152 views
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The 2011 Brickset user survey
Posted by Huw, 05 Nov 2011 05:05. Filed under Brickset.
Reposted: You still have an opportunity to participate!As has become customary at this time of year, I'm running another user survey to find out what YOU think of the site: what you like and what you don't. It doesn't matter if you're a KFOL, TFOL, AFOL, member or non-member, I'm really interested to hear your opinion.
This year has seen some major improvements and additions to the site, many in response to your comments last year (which you can read here). Here's a reminder of the main ones:
- Minifig galleries: I started creating these back in January and since then have added hundreds of high-quality photos of minifigs. There's some work to do to update them, and I'll be doing so over the winter.
- Links to Eurobricks reviews, maintained by the Eurobricks Reviewers' Academy teachers.
- Advanced Collection Manager: A much requested feature finally saw the light of day in the spring
- Amazon Bargain Watch pages and alerts, love 'em or hate 'em!
- Last but certainly not least, the Brickset Forum was launched.
- Plus, many minor improvements and tweaks under the bonnet to keep the site working at its best.
So, here's your chance to influence the future of Brickset. The site thrives on user feedback so, please, complete the 2011 survey and have your say.
6 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1200 views
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Please welcome Fuelbreak, our new Canadian correspondent.
Posted by Huw, 05 Nov 2011 05:02. Filed under Brickset.
A couple of weeks ago Daniel, aka fuelbreak, emailed to to ask why we didn't have more Canadian news. I explained that we're reliant on local news contributors to post it for us, so he kindly offered to become one. Here's what he says about himself:
"My name is Daniel and I am a 29 year old graduate student from University of British Columbia Canada in the field of Biochemistry and Management. I have collected LEGO since I was introduced to it at three years old. The themes I collect are Star Wars, Castle, Pirates, Western, Viking, Indiana Jones, Batman, Creator (modular builds), Harry Potter and the Minifigure Series.
"My LEGO pet peeves are stickers and reduced lego quality especially noticed on the minifigure series lines. Ole Kirk's (LEGO founder) motto was "DET-BEDSTE-ER IKKE-FOR-GODT", which meant "only the best was good enough" and was a reminder never to skimp on quality. If I could change anything in the LEGO world it would be to make sure that this motto was upheld through and through.
"I am currently pursuing a career in dentistry but have always wished there were jobs with LEGO available in western Canada. My dream is that one day I would be able to work for LEGO in some fashion. I currently reside in Kelowna, BC, Canada.
"I am very happy to join the Brickset team."So, please join me in welcoming Daniel to the team, and if you want more news from your country, well, you now know what to do!
25 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1123 views
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The 2011 Brickset user survey
Posted by Huw, 01 Nov 2011 16:13. Filed under Brickset.
As has become customary at this time of year, I'm running another user survey to find out what YOU think of the site: what you like and what you don't. It doesn't matter if you're a KFOL, TFOL, AFOL, member or non-member, I'm really interested to hear your opinion.This year has seen some major improvements and additions to the site, many in response to your comments last year (which you can read here). Here's a reminder of the main ones:
- Minifig galleries: I started creating these back in January and since then have added hundreds of high-quality photos of minifigs. There's some work to do to update them, and I'll be doing so over the winter.
- Links to Eurobricks reviews, maintained by the Eurobricks Reviewers' Academy teachers.
- Advanced Collection Manager: A much requested feature finally saw the light of day in the spring
- Amazon Bargain Watch pages and alerts, love 'em or hate 'em!
- Last but certainly not least, the Brickset Forum was launched.
- Plus, many minor improvements and tweaks under the bonnet to keep the site working at its best.
So, here's your chance to influence the future of Brickset. The site thrives on user feedback so, please, complete the 2011 survey and have your say.
Update: about 24 hours later and 328 of you have left feedback, which is excellent, thank you. If you haven't already provided yours then please do so now! I'll leave the survey running until next weekend.
47 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1463 views
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Site updates
Posted by Huw, 27 Oct 2011 15:04. Filed under Brickset.
I've just rolled out a few changes to the site:
- The New at shop.LEGO.com section above has been replaced by an eBay panel. It's there as an experiment and probably won't be there permanently. You'll only see it if you're in a country in which eBay operate. The New at shop.lego.com didn't really justify the real estate there given it wasn't relevant to everyone, it was always 2 days out of date and when sets were added they were usually added en masse thus swamping the caroursel anyway. You can still get to the list from the Buy tab, if you're in the Canada, USA or UK.
- On the set details pages, there's a new Buy tab, which shows the prices of sets at shop.LEGO.com for all countries they ship to, and Amazon. You can also get the shop.LEGO.com prices, if we have them, from the results listings, look for the link in the third column.
- Amazon alerts: Amazon.es alerts are now live and the alerts themselves have been simplified so anyone can understand them even if you don't speak French or whatever. Also, if you are not logged in you will only be shown alerts for the Amazon in your country, e.g., if you're in the US you'll see Amazon.com updates only. If you're in for example, New Zealand, you won't see any of them. If you're logged in you can of course turn them on and off as before where ever you are in the world.
- I've made a few tweaks in other places, see if you can spot them...
Update: couple more tweaks:
- RSS feed now only shows your 'home' Amazon alerts.
- Mobile site news now works the same as the news on the main site
- RRP reinstated on results listings for visitors from all countries
If you come across anything that doesn't work or look right, let me know.
106 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1188 views
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Ninjago Fire Temple in top 12 Christmas toy list
Posted by Huw, 26 Oct 2011 17:38. Filed under Brickset.
The UK's Toy Retailers' Association publishes a list of what it thinks will be the top toys of the season and, as usual, there's a LEGO set on it. This year it's the Ninjago temple. If you're thinking of buying it, you'd better do so now before it sells out. As luck would have it, it's currently reduced at the European Amazon sites:
- 15% off at Amazon.co.uk
- 27% off at Amazon.fr
- 21% off at Amazon.es
- 33% off at Amazon.de
In the US, the best Amazon.com can do is 3% off, I'm afraid.
24 comments, latest one posted 19 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1377 views
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Bargain watch for Amazon.es now live
Posted by Huw, 22 Oct 2011 16:56. Filed under Brickset.
DrDave and I have put the finishing touches on the Spanish Amazon Watch page and it's now available for your perusal.Having just taken a look it appears that there's some great bargains and deep discounts to be had, so if you're in Spain, I hope you find it useful.
29 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1745 views
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New feature: select your timezone
Posted by Huw, 20 Oct 2011 06:25. Filed under Brickset.
Just to prove that I am listening to your requests and adding enhancements to the site that don't revolve around maximising Amazon income ( :-) ), I've added a feature today that will let you specify your timezone and see timestamps on news articles and comments in your local time. If you're not logged in, or don't specify it, they'll remain showing in the server timezone which is EST (GMT-5).
Click on the Your profile link at the top of the page, and then Edit your profile at the bottom. While you're there, why not update the rest of it?
(You can thank Andhe in the forum for the suggestion)
43 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1123 views
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Amazon Bargain Watch pages now live for France and Germany
Posted by Huw, 15 Oct 2011 15:48. Filed under Brickset.
Following the success of the Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk Bargain Watch pages, DrDave and I are pleased to announce that the Amazon.de and Amazon.fr Bargain Watch pages are now live!If you're in one of those countries you'll see a link in the top corner of the page, which link to http://www.brickset.com/buy/de/amazon/ and http://www.brickset.com/buy/fr/amazon/.
The alerting system for these countries is almost ready to go live but we're working on translating the text before doing so. So, expect to see them in action soon. We'll also try and get the actual Bargain Watch pages translated, too.
Do let us know if these will be useful to you. Spain and Italy are next...
53 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2232 views
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2012 Technic sets at Technicbricks
Posted by Huw, 15 Oct 2011 08:39. Filed under Brickset.
The team over at the excellent Technicbricks blog bring us images of the first wave of 2012 Technic sets, which I've added to the database here. They came from the same German site as those below, via setechnic.com.
This mini-Unimog looks rather cute, doesn't it :-)
21 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1608 views
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German toy shop site reveals 2012 sets then disappears
Posted by Huw, 15 Oct 2011 06:16. Filed under Brickset.
Last night, German website http://www.spielwaren-hegmann.de/ published unwatermarked hi-res pictures of around fifty 2012 sets but now the site is down, maybe due to high load or maybe LEGO asked them to remove them.
Whatever, thankfully, Toys N Bricks and FBTB grabbed most of them while they could and you can see the pictures for the licenced themes and Collectable Minifigures series 7 in FBTB's flickr stream.
I'll get them added to the database here later today.
26 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1175 views
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The Black Pearl sets sail
Posted by Huw, 07 Oct 2011 08:11. Filed under Brickset.
(Probably) the last of the PotC sets has made its way into shops across the globe, with several people finding it in Target in the USA, and in Poland.
Nori has posted an excellent pictorial review in the LugPol forums, and sidersdd has posted superb photographs of the minifigs in the Brickset forum.
It does look like an great set but it appears that, unfortunately, Davy Jones is of far-eastern origin and therefore inferior 'collectable minifigure' quality which is a real shame. Nevertheless I look forward to buying it when it's available in the UK.
34 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1483 views
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Pudsey Bear now shipping
Posted by Huw, 04 Oct 2011 16:00. Filed under Brickset.
If you're in the UK, you can now order Pudsey Bear from shop.LEGO.com. All profits -- at least £1 per set -- go to the BBC Children In Need charity, so for once you need not feel guilty about buying multiples.
Order him here. If you're not in the UK, why not ask in the forum to get someone to send you some!
12 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1325 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 04 Oct 2011 13:53. Filed under Brickset.
The waiting is over -- we had just over 1400 entries for this competition of which over 1350 were correct.The winner, picked by my daughter Alice who chose a number between 1 and 1357 after the entries were randonly sorted, is...
Shawn Soo
Conratulations Shawn, I'll be in touch to get your mailing address.
Commiserations to everyone else, but don't forget you're still in with a chance of winning the Super Heroes building competition, so get on and enter if you haven't already.
22 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1061 views
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LEGO Cuusoo launched worldwide
Posted by Huw, 04 Oct 2011 13:44. Filed under Brickset.
LEGO's 'crowdsourcing' platform that originated in Japan is now in a worldwide public beta phase. The idea is that people submit models for consideration for production. If over a certain number of others vote for it then it gets made. Two models have originated from the Japanese trial, including this submarine.
Here's the press release that was issued yesterday:
Turn your model wishes into reality with LEGO® CUUSOO
LEGO consumers can now give their great ideas directly to the LEGO Group using the LEGO CUUSOO website. Ideas that collect 10,000 supporters could be selected to become part of the toy manufacturers’ product line
BILLUND, Denmark – The LEGO Group announced today that LEGO® CUUSOO, its new international web-based open innovation and crowd sourcing platform, is now available in open beta.LEGO CUUSOO is an idea collection system that asks the Danish toy manufacturers’ consumers to submit and vote for their favourite ideas for new LEGO products. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com
Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio and sold in LEGO Brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product CUUSOO, which means 'imagination' or sometimes ‘wish’ in Japanese, has been developed with CUUSOO SYSTEM, a subsidiary of Japan-based Elephant Design that has worked with open innovation and crowd sourcing for more than 10 years.
The LEGO Group has worked with CUUSOO since 2008 on a Japanese site that has attracted hundreds of ideas and seen thousands of votes cast by a 20,000-strong community. Now the time has come to test the concept internationally.
The first Japanese product, the Shinkai 6500 submersible, went on sale in Japan in February 2011. The next Japanese LEGO CUUSOO model will be the Hayabusa unmanned spacecraft launched in the first quarter of next year.
“Our fans and consumers have proved time after time that they have great ideas that can lead to products,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, head of the LEGO New Business Group.“We have worked with our consumers in the past and continue to do so, for example in the LEGO Architecture series, which we developed with an architect and LEGO fan. LEGO CUUSOO is an attempt to gather more great ideas while streamlining the way we innovate and become inspired.”
“We see this as an investment in the future rather than for immediate sales gain. We are moving from a local Japanese pilot to see if the model is sustainable. We were pleased with the initial results, but we need to see how it will perform on a global platform with global distribution,” he added.
15 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1360 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 02 Oct 2011 17:17. Filed under Brickset.
... going to be announced on Tuesday!
The competition is still open, and will be until tomorrow night, midnight EST.
Here's the original announcement:
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We've teamed up with the Community, Engagement and Communication team at LEGO to give you the chance to win these two ComicCon exclusive preview edition Super Heroes minifigs!
These Green Lantern and Batman figures won't be available anywhere else until 2012, so this is your chance to get hold of them before then!
The competition's aim is to raise awareness of the LEGO Super Heroes Challenge building contest, which offers a grand prize of a trip for 4 to Warner Bros. Studios, WB Animation, and LEGOLAND California Resort and the complete 2012 LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe collection.
All you have to do is answer the question on the competition page. You can find the answer on the contest's website at LEGOSuperHeroes.com. Once you've done so, get building and enter the Challenge!
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At the GWLS evening event yesterday an identical pair of these minifigs fetched over £60 (that's probably about $100) in the auction, so the winner is going to be very lucky indeed. If you haven't already entered, do so now!
26 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1161 views
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Massive LEGO weekend ahead...
Posted by Huw, 29 Sep 2011 08:03. Filed under Brickset.
This weekend is one of the biggest in the LEGO calendar. Not only are the two of the most important LEGO events happening in the USA and the UK (BrickCon and the Great Western LEGO Show, respectively) but it's also a weekend when LEGO usually take the opportunity to unveil an exclusive set due for release the next year simultaneously at the events.
Last year it was Diagon Alley, the year before, the Imperial Flagship and in 2008 it was Medieval Market Village. However, given that LEGO has only just revealed the mini-modulars last weekend (at Skaerberk), will they have another one up their sleeve? We'll have to wait and see!
If so, we'll certainly try and bring you news of it here, but myself, bluemoose, Martin and DrDaveWatford will all be at STEAM so we might be late with it. So keep an eye out at Brothers-Brick and FBTB, although with some of their staff at BrickCon, they may be late with it too :-)
If you're going to either event, have a great time and if you're at GWLS, do come and say hello. Bluemoose will be manning the show's admin area and I'll probably be behind the main train layout in the large hall.
If you're not, you could be in for a quiet weekend online...
23 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1179 views
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Super Heroes minifig competiton
Posted by Huw, 25 Sep 2011 13:10. Filed under Brickset.
The competition is still open, and will be until Monday 3rd October.
Here's the original announcement:
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We've teamed up with the Community, Engagement and Communication team at LEGO to give you the chance to win these two ComicCon exclusive preview edition Super Heroes minifigs!
These Green Lantern and Batman figures won't be available anywhere else until 2012, so this is your chance to get hold of them before then!
The competition's aim is to raise awareness of the LEGO Super Heroes Challenge building contest, which offers a grand prize of a trip for 4 to Warner Bros. Studios, WB Animation, and LEGOLAND California Resort and the complete 2012 LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe collection.
All you have to do is answer the question on the competition page. You can find the answer on the contest's website at LEGOSuperHeroes.com. Once you've done so, get building and enter the Challenge!
---
There's been a few entries and some of you have got it right, so if you haven't entered yet, you're still in with a chance. Note: duplicate entries will be deleted so don't bother to post them (Michael Harvey...) :-)
37 comments, latest one posted 20 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1307 views
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Amazon price trends
Posted by Huw, 22 Sep 2011 17:40. Filed under Brickset.
As you will have noticed over the last few weeks that we have been providing Amazon alerts, their prices go up and down like a yo-yo, and it can be difficult to know if the price has dropped to a new low, or whether it's just dropping to what it was before following a period of being out of stock by Amazon and thus fulfilled by 3rd party sellers.
To help make this clearer, the Amazon bargain watch pages (UK | US) now provide links to graphs showing the price over time for each set. They make interesting viewing, particularly when there has been a lot of fluctuation. Take the UK price of the Toy Story train for example, its price seems to change every day, and is definitely heading down, but there are times when it goes back up for a few days.
It's all very strange how Amazon prices things; we'll probably never know the hows and whys, but at least we have better visibility now and thus can make more informed buying decisions.
20 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1399 views
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2012 set names and prices
Posted by Huw, 21 Sep 2011 07:49. Filed under Brickset.
If you've searched the database recently for 2012 sets you will have noticed I've put in placeholders (just numbers and themes) for the sets revealed in the Polish retailers' catalogue that's splashed about everywhere except here.
Now, we can legitimately reveal the set names and prices of the first wave of next year's sets because Barnes and Noble has listed them all. It's not immediately obvious how you get the list from there but thankfully the team over at Toys and Bricks has done a great job collating it all. Feel free to share your thoughts about the 2012 lineup here, or indeed over at TnB. I'll get the database updated here as soon as...
50 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1351 views
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Win these rare minifigs in our exclusive competition!
Posted by Huw, 20 Sep 2011 17:19. Filed under Brickset.
Here's the competition you've been waiting for, with the prize so cool I don't want to give it away!
We've teamed up with the Community, Engagement and Communication team at LEGO to give you the chance to win these two ComicCon exclusive preview edition Super Heroes minifigs!
These Green Lantern and Batman figures won't be available anywhere else until 2012, so this is your chance to get hold of them before then!
The competition's aim is to raise awareness of the LEGO Super Heroes Challenge building contest, which offers a grand prize of a trip for 4 to Warner Bros. Studios, WB Animation, and LEGOLAND California Resort and the complete 2012 LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe collection.
All you have to do is answer the question on the competition page. You can find the answer on the contest's website at LEGOSuperHeroes.com. Once you've done so, get building and enter the Challenge!
50 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1275 views
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This year's Halloween sets
Posted by Huw, 20 Sep 2011 03:44. Filed under Brickset.
LEGO has a long history of making Halloween-themed sets. The first, a pumpkin, was released in 2000 (3731) and caused a lot of excitement because it was one of the first sets to feature orange bricks and slopes.
This year, two sets are being released: 40020 (pictured left) featuring a bat, ghost and a pumpkin, and 40021, which contains two spiders. The models in 40020 are an improvement on last year's separate bat, ghost and pumpkin sets (40012, 40013, 40014) which contained only bricks. This year we have slopes, cheese wedges and other more useful parts.
Forum member LostInTranslation found the two sets at LEGOLAND Billund, so I'm sure they'll be hitting the shelves of the brand stores and shop.LEGO.com soon; after all it's only 5 weeks until the event itself.
15 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1488 views
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Amazon bargain watch changes
Posted by Huw, 18 Sep 2011 14:54. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you for all of your (mostly) positive and useful feedback about this new feature.
The feature is here to stay -- I know a lot of you have found it really useful -- but I don't want to alienate those of you that don't. So...
- The existing news feed contains all articles published, however you can now subscribe to one without the Amazon updates, and also new feeds containing just the Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com updates. There are links to these in the menu.
- For Amazon.co.uk, discounts will now only be posted if a price change takes it over 30% and it's more than £1. This should stop the recent ones we've seen where a 15p discount changes the saving from 29% to 30%, only for it to reverse the next day.
- For Amazon.com, discounts will now only be posted if a price change takes it over 25% and it's more than $1. I've reduced the threshold to 25% because Amazon.com's discounts aren't usually so large.
I hope these changes meet with your approval.
24 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1341 views
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And the winner is...
Posted by Huw, 11 Sep 2011 15:00. Filed under Brickset.
The winner of the Firestar Toys £25 voucher competition is...
Motxam!
There were 190 correct entries (once I'd removed all duplicates!). I asked my daughter to pick a number between 1 and 190, and she said 142. The 142nd entry was Motxam, so congratulations, get in touch by email (huw@brickset.com) and I'll arrange for your voucher to be sent to you.
The correct answer was the SI-DAN - M08 Tactical Vest - Iron Black, at http://www.firestartoys.com/Shop/Minifigure-Parts/SI~DAN-Body-Wear/8255-SI~DAN-~-M08-Tactical-Vest-~-Iron-Black.html
We'll be holding another competition in a week or so, this time sponsored by LEGO, the prize for which is so cool I don't want to give it away!
33 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1165 views
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4 days left to enter the FireStar Toys competition
Posted by Huw, 06 Sep 2011 10:14. Filed under Brickset.
The FireStar Toys competition ends on Saturday. If you haven't entered yet, be sure to do so soon! All you have to do is look at the mystery picture on the competition page and try to work out what it is.
Good luck!
23 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1119 views
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LEGO to support BBC Children in Need?
Posted by Huw, 01 Sep 2011 02:56. Filed under Brickset.
This morning's trawl for new instructions at LEGO Customer Services revealed this cute teddy bear Creator set which, if I am not mistaken, is Pudsey from the BBC Children in Need appeal, which this year is on November 18th.
If so, then I think it's safe to assume it'll be available in the UK sometime soon. However, a quick Google hasn't revealed anything to suggest that LEGO is involved in the appeal in any way. Hopefully more news will be forthcoming soon...
Incidentally, the trawl for instructions is now automated and runs every night, so keep an eye out on the new instructions list to find out what's been added recently.
19 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1753 views
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Reminder: WIn £25 to spend at FireStar Toys
Posted by Huw, 29 Aug 2011 17:30. Filed under Brickset.
The FireStar Toys competition is still open. If you haven't entered yet, be sure to do so before it closes on 10th September. All you have to do is look at the mystery picture on the competition page and try to work out what it is.There's been a few correct entries so far but not as many as I thought there'd be, so have a go, you're in with a very good chance!
15 comments, latest one posted 21 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1239 views
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The 2012 LEGO Exclusives are...
Posted by Huw, 25 Aug 2011 08:46. Filed under Brickset.
...still a secret for now. LEGO asked me to remove the information so I have done so.
Just for the record, the information I published was obtained from a public source, a Dutch toy shop website. I therefore felt justified in publishing it given it was in the public domain. Whether it should have been is another matter, of course.
66 comments, latest one posted 22 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1793 views
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News round-up
Posted by Huw, 20 Aug 2011 08:00. Filed under Brickset.
It's been an exceptionally slow week for news this week, I guess everyone is on holiday! Here are a few things worth mentioning:
- There's an interview with Christoph Bartnek - author of The Unofficial Minifigure Catalogue - over on the Wired website which is rather good, and if you are in any doubt as to whether you should buy the book, I suspect once you've read it, you'll conclude that you should. When you do so, make sure you use this link from Brickset to Amazon.com
and not the one at Wired :-) It's still reduced to $64.
- Argos continue their 3-for-2 offer on all Cars merchandise, including LEGO. The sets are ridiculously overpriced at full retail so if you can team up with other people and buy three of the same set to get them at one third off, it makes the prices a bit more realistic.
- I received the 2012 LEGO calendar that's for sale at Amazon.co.uk
this week and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Unlike the charity one from a few years ago which featured excellently staged photos of minifigs in funny situations, this one is full of stock advertising photos that have appeared in catalogues and posters before. The only interesting thing about it is that the publisher, Workman Publishing, is holding a competition whereby you can submit photos for inclusion in next year's calendar. Apparently, information will be available on their website, but it isn't there yet.
- Fancy a bargain? Our very own DrDaveWatford scours Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk every day and posts the best bargains that he finds over on his blog Gimme LEGO. As you know some of Amazon's offers can be very short lived so it's become an essential visit for me on a daily basis to find out what he's uncovered.
16 comments, latest one posted 22 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1196 views
- There's an interview with Christoph Bartnek - author of The Unofficial Minifigure Catalogue - over on the Wired website which is rather good, and if you are in any doubt as to whether you should buy the book, I suspect once you've read it, you'll conclude that you should. When you do so, make sure you use this link from Brickset to Amazon.com
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VW Camper Van price correction
Posted by Huw, 15 Aug 2011 13:46. Filed under Brickset.
We've been advised that the correct price for the camper van in the USA is $119.99 and not $99.99 as previously posted.
That makes the European prices even better comparatively...
25 comments, latest one posted 22 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1113 views
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Win £25 to spend at FireStar Toys!
Posted by Huw, 15 Aug 2011 13:31. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset has teamed up with FireStar Toys to bring you a chance to win £25 (about US$40) to spend at the FireStar website.All you have to do is look at the mystery picture on the competition page and try and work out what it is. To give you a clue, I can tell you that it's LEGO-related and for sale at FireStar :-)
Entry is open to everyone: FireStar ship worldwide. The competition is open until 10th September, and the winner will be drawn at random from the correct entries received by then. Please read the full Ts&Cs on the competion page before entering. Good luck!
41 comments, latest one posted 22 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1154 views
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What's the news?
Posted by Huw, 01 Aug 2011 08:24. Filed under Brickset.
I'm currently on vacation with just my iPad and a very expensive Internet connection so I'm sorry that news has been slow these last couple of days. I think bluemoose is overseas as well. If you know anything newsworthy worth telling everyone, please leave a comment here.
84 comments, latest one posted 22 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1935 views
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Next architecture set: Brandenburg Gate
Posted by Huw, 21 Jul 2011 14:46. Filed under Brickset.
Forum member bricknation found this set on the shelves of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Manchester. Although there's been rumours of this appearing, I think his picture in the forum is the first. Price was £35. Ouch!
Update: Picture removed at the request of LEGO.
32 comments, latest one posted 23 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1849 views
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Gimme LEGO reveals Super Star Destroyer
Posted by Huw, 11 Jul 2011 08:29. Filed under Brickset.
Our very own DrDaveWatford is organising a display of UCS Star Wars sets at the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK this weekend, as part of a larger display being put on by the Brickish Association. Thanks to LEGO, he's been able to get hold of a Super Star Destroyer, months before its release, to complete the display.
He's diligently documenting the unpacking and building of this behemoth over on his excellent blog, Gimme LEGO. So far it's out of the box and the minifigs are assembled. He'll continue his review as building progresses, so keep an eye out later this week to see it in all its glory and to find out what he thinks of it.
33 comments, latest one posted 23 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1713 views
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Review of Unimog
Posted by Huw, 04 Jul 2011 17:14. Filed under Brickset.
If you're eagerly awaiting for this set to be released in your country, take a look at the excellent review that includes videos and loads of pictures over at TechnicBRICKs. It seems the guys over in Portugal got their hands on two copies of the set early and built them at the PLUG event held over the weekend.
It looks great, can't wait to get my hands on one!
15 comments, latest one posted 23 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1792 views
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999 forum members and counting...
Posted by Huw, 20 Jun 2011 16:59. Filed under Brickset.
When the forum was launched on April 2nd this year I really didn't know whether it would be a success or not. The Internet is after all, full of LEGO forums, and there probably wasn't room for another.
However, it seems my doubts were unfounded because today it's about to get its 1000th member, so clearly it has found its niche as a great place to discuss LEGO, in particular collecting it, with like-minded individuals.
It's also proved useful to me as a place to gather feedback, ideas and suggestions for Brickset and a number of enhancements have already been made as a direct result of interactions in the forum, for example, the Advanced Collection Manager.
So if you're over 16 and fancy becoming the 1000th member, click on the Forum tab above and come and join us!
1 comment, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1251 views
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Darth Vader gets a LEGO® flagship
Posted by Huw, 17 Jun 2011 17:29. Filed under Brickset.
First seen two months ago, the SSD was officially revealed 5pm EST today.
Here's the press release:
10221 Super Star Destroyer™ Executor , Ages 16+ 3,152 pieces, US $399.99, CA $499.99, €399.99, UK £349.99.- Includes four minifigures: Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, Dengar and Bossk
- Also includes IG-88 figure
- Features over 3,000 pieces
- Measures nearly 50 inches (124.5 cm) long and weighs nearly 8 pounds (3.5kg)
- Includes display stand and data sheet label
- Centre section lifts off to reveal command centre
One of the largest and most powerful vessels in the Star Wars™ universe has been created as a LEGO® Exclusive model. The Super Star Destroyer™ Executor served as command ship at the Battle of Endor and as the personal flagship of Darth Vader.
It is the first time that the classic dagger-shaped design has been produced as an official LEGO model.
"The thing I was trying to accomplish with this model was to get as close as possible to the original, both with angles and the whole profile of the model from the side," says LEGO senior designer Kurt Kristiansen.
His biggest challenge with this model was the sheer size. It is the longest Star Wars model made in LEGO bricks, measuring 124.4 centimetres (50 inches). It consists of 3,152 elements and weighs 3.5kg (8 pounds).
"When I was first given this challenge, my first thought was 'this is going to be a tough one'," he said. He planned the model by dividing it into separate sections before beginning to build at all.
The build also posed a few problems, though: "When you are developing a model, if you change something at one end of, you have to change it all the way down to make it fit. That's a challenge on something this big.
"I think Star Wars fans will love this model because it is the first time ever that the Super Star Destroyer has been made as an official model. The thing that makes this model authentic with the movies is the shape, but also the detail on the top. It is like a small city with streets and alleys."
A section of the top of the model can be removed to show a representation of the command bridge where Darth Vader and the other minifigures can be displayed. The model includes four minifigures: Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, Dengar, Bossk and an extra figure, IG-88.
The Super Star Destroyer is on sale from September 1, 2011 via http://shop.lego.com/ or LEGO Brand Retail Stores. Find your nearest store here: http://stores.lego.com
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I've added all the extra pictures to the set details page, so click on the picture to check them out, and there's an interview with the designer on YouTube.
76 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2136 views
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Set images are currently unavailable
Posted by Huw, 15 Jun 2011 03:18. Filed under Brickset.
We're experiencing an issue with the server that hosts our set images and they are currently unavailable. Normal service will, I hope, be resumed soon.
Update: normal service has been resumed :)
3 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1152 views
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Announcing the Advanced Collection Manager
Posted by Huw, 05 Jun 2011 13:57. Filed under Brickset.
If you're a forum reader this will be old news to you, but as I haven't mentioned it in the news here, I thought it worthwhile doing so.One often requested feature is to provide the ability to record additional information about the sets you own, such as their condition, how much you paid for them and so on. Many times in the past I have mentioned an 'Advanced Collection Manager' as being the means by which I'd implement this, and now, at last, it's ready for you to use. There's a link to it on the My Sets page in the 'Sets You Own' box.
I won't go into a lot of detail about it here, because you can read about it, and the further enhancements that I'll be making, in this forum discussion. I hope you find it useful...
37 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1231 views
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More instructions added to LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 02 Jun 2011 18:03. Filed under Brickset.
Around 50 instructions have been added to the LEGO.com customer services site today, including Star Wars and the Pet Shop. To save you the trouble of finding them there yourself, as usual you can see them all listed on our new instructions page.
Several of them are for sets that haven't been released yet, including this Fire Temple and other Ninjago sets.
22 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1437 views
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Hoth Echo Base revealed at LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 01 Jun 2011 14:07. Filed under Brickset.
At last! Details for the Hoth Rebel Base have emerged -- but only in German! The Star Wars page on the German LEGO.com site has photos and a description, but the set disappears if you change the site's locale to USA or UK.
If you can't read German, head over to Smashing Bricks for a translation. It looks as if it comes with 8 minifigs, no doubt some of which will be exclusives.
81 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)2453 views
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Pirates of the Caribbean minifig gallery is now complete
Posted by Huw, 30 May 2011 09:45. Filed under Brickset.
I had a chance to complete the PotC gallery today (it's a public holiday in the UK and drizzling outside...), so all 28 minfigs are now present and correct.I liked SapmiSatan's suggestions for categories in this article, so I've used them.
30 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1151 views
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This year's Christmas special is a Post Office
Posted by Huw, 29 May 2011 04:22. Filed under Brickset.
This is slighly old news but peter1975 reminded me yesterday that the next in the Christmas toy shop / bakery series will be a post office. No details or photos have emerged yet, but it's listed on a Dutch toy shop's website, and if like the others, it's a Jamie Berard design, it's sure to be excellent.
25 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1588 views
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Update to PotC minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 24 May 2011 16:17. Filed under Brickset.
Thanks to forum member nexhex I now have a Voodoo Doll Jack Sparrow fig, so he, and a couple of other figs, are now in the PotC gallery. Sorry it's taking longer than I anticipated to get this completed.You notice that, as well as his head, his torso and legs are also different to those on the other Jack Sparrows. His head is tan which is a pretty rare colour for head. The Tusken Raiders had tan heads but apart from them, has there been any others?
30 comments, latest one posted 24 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1267 views
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Want to find out how I take the minifig photos?
Posted by Huw, 18 May 2011 14:44. Filed under Brickset.
Loads of you have asked, so I've documented my methods: the equipment I use, how the photos are taken and the post-processing steps.Read it all in my minifig photography guide. I hope you can make use of some of the techniques to improve your own photos.
(Thanks to bluemoose for putting me on the right track with my post-processing and rocao for proof reading the article, however if there are still grammatical errors or typos they are all mine...)
20 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1087 views
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Pirates of the Caribbean minifig gallery takes shape...
Posted by Huw, 15 May 2011 17:41. Filed under Brickset.
In celebration of the release of Jack in his boat (30131) today, I've started work on the PotC minifig gallery!I've added the four variants of Jack Sparrow (Voodoo doll one to follow) and will be drip-feeding the other characters over the next few days. I'm going to photograph front and back this time, so it'll take a little longer.
I hope you like 'em!
26 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1243 views
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Update to the Space minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 14 May 2011 16:54. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a while since I added any new images to the minfig gallery. I'll be adding PotC and Alien Conquest in the next week or so, but today, as a warmup to tackling those and to check my equipment and processes, I've added five images of the original classic space figures to the Space minifig gallery.
I am indebted to legoloverman for lending me his best minfigs to photograph as I don't actually own them myself. Thanks Pete! :-)
29 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1194 views
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10218 Pet Shop announced!
Posted by Huw, 06 May 2011 15:32. Filed under Brickset.
I think it's past 2pm EST, so... the Pet Shop has been officially announced! Here's the press release:
10218 Pet Shop, Ages 16+. 2,032 pieces, US $149.99, CA $199.99, DE €149.99, UK £119.99
Continuing the LEGO® Modular Buildings series, this highly detailed, 3-story Pet Shop building and townhouse with full internal and external detailing is the perfect addition to your LEGO town. Greet customers with a menagerie of pets and let them treat them with a selection of toys and supplies. The pet shop building features a hinged staircase for easy access, upper apartment with kitchenette and upper loft overlooking the open plan interior below. To the side, the tastefully appointed townhouse features a detailed ground floor with accessories and spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. The attic space features storage boxes and French doors leading out to an elegant front balcony, while the rooftop garden, complete with fresh vegetables, brightens up the rear of the building.
- Includes 4 minifigures with accessories: pet shop owner, girl on bicycle, painter with paint roller and woman!
- Pet shop includes dog, cat, 2 parrots and fish tank with goldfish!
- Also includes 3 dog bones, ball, frog toy, birdhouse, bucket and brush!
- Kitchenette features stone fireplace, stove, sink, coffee maker and small table and chair!
- Upper loft features skylight, bed and lamp!
- Townhouse features ground floor with mailbox and mail, hat rack, couch, telephone, toilet and access to basement crawl space!
- Measures 10" (25.5cm) wide and 10.5" (26.5cm) high!
- Combine with other modular buildings, like 10197 Fire Brigade and 10211 Grand Emporium!
It will be available 'Beginning May 2011' from shop.LEGO.com and brand stores. I've uploaded additional pictures of the animals and minifigs: click through the set setails page via the image to view them.
30 comments, latest one posted 25 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1558 views
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Eurobricks review links
Posted by Huw, 25 Apr 2011 15:24. Filed under Brickset.
Prompted by the addition yesterday of links to Eurobricks reviews of the PotC sets, Brickset member MERLego (Legolijntje on Eurobricks) has provided me with links to hundreds more reviews, including Technic, Pirates, Creator, Architecture and Indiana Jones. I've added them to the database and you'll see links to them when you browse set listings (example) or view a set's reviews.So, many thanks to him for doing that. If you'd like to see links to your favourite theme's reviews at Eurobricks, here's how you can do so:
Simply send me a list, in Excel (or CSV) containing the following:
Set number, Eurobricks thread number
So if the review for set 4181 is at http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=54306, I just need
4181, 54306As I've said before, Eurobricks is a great source of pictorial reviews but they can be a little hard to find. By adding links here we expose them to the benefit of both communities.
32 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1444 views
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Zombie Pirates is out; Captain's Cabin is in...
Posted by Grahame, 19 Apr 2011 21:54. Filed under Brickset.
The name for the PotC set 4191 is now "Captain's Cabin". I didn't think the name "Zombie Pirates" would endure.
30 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1122 views
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HERO Factory villains
Posted by Huw, 13 Apr 2011 11:48. Filed under Brickset.
r4-g9 found pictures of the HF villains being released in the summer on a German toy shop website. I have to say, they look quite cool, particularly this scorpion thing!
39 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1940 views
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Ninjago offers at Base.com
Posted by Huw, 08 Apr 2011 15:26. Filed under Brickset.
Base.com might not be a destination you normally go to to check out LEGO offers, but it's well worth taking a look at the moment. Many sets are priced below RRP (even if those they quote are somewhat inflated), and at the moment you'll get a Ninjago Ninja Ambush (2258, RRP £6.50) free when you buy 2504 Spinjitzu Dojo.
Check it out here...
3 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1272 views
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New feature / New look
Posted by Huw, 06 Apr 2011 03:28. Filed under Brickset.
Now that Internet Explorer 9 is out, the time has come to be able to use the new features in CSS3 to add a few tweaks to the design of the site. If you're using IE9 or FireFox 4 and maybe some other browsers, you'll notice rounded boxes, drop shadows and so on in various places. You might also notice a slight speed increase because the markup sent to your browser is slightly smaller and the rounded corner images are no longer required.
If you notice anything that looks a bit strange, let me know and I'll fix it; I haven't tested every page in every browser. I may drop support for the image generated rounded corners in older browsers, and instead ensure the new ones work in as many browsers as possible (but not IE7/8 since they don't support CSS3 border-radius).
I've also added a cool new feature which was requested by DrDaveWatford. As you probably know, Eurobricks is a great source of pictorial reviews but as they can be a little tricky to find on the site, I've added direct links to them in the search results here, and also in the reviews tab on the set details page.
Although the means to display the links is ready, we haven't yet added all the data needed to generate the links. DrDave has provided data for Episode 1 and 2 Star Wars sets so you can see the feature in action on this results page - see the small Eurobricks log in the rating column. We'll be adding more data in the coming weeks. Thanks to Kim T from Eurobricks for allowing us to do this.
20 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1014 views
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Announcing the Brickset discussion forum... yes, really!
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2011 10:52. Filed under Brickset.
As announced yesterday, April 1st, the Brickset discussion forum is now live! (What do you mean, you thought it was an April Fool?)
Yes, it's true, one of the most requested features in our annual user survey is a discussion forum and now, at last, I have decided to implement one.
However, there's good news and bad:
- The good news is that the forum is for over 16s only. This will ensure that discussions are mature and worthwhile, and it won't become full of flashing avatars and questions about 'which theme do you like the best?' and 'if you had $20 to spend which set would you buy?'
- The bad news is that the forum is for over 16s only. I'm really sorry if this age limit precludes you from participating but I feel I have to keep the age limit high in order to maintain a high quality of discussion and to keep the moderating effort low. If you are under 16 you are welcome to read the forum but, please, do not join. If the moderators suspect that you are under 16 we will delete your forum account.
Click on the Forum link above and read the notes, confirm that you have done so and then a link to the forum will be available. (you'll only have to do this once).
You can blame yellowcastle for the double-bluff April Fool, it was his idea :-)
I look forward to seeing AFOLs and older TFOLs in there!
135 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1288 views
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Yet more new promotional sets on the way
Posted by Huw, 02 Apr 2011 08:26. Filed under Brickset.
This morning's trawl of the LEGO.com instructions area revealed three new promotional sets: two Harry Potter (30110 and 30111) and a BrickMaster Star Wars set, left.
Around 30 new instructions were added: you can see the whole list here. They include the Maersk train and Farnsworth House.
24 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1288 views
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Announcing the Brickset discussion forum
Posted by Huw, 01 Apr 2011 13:21. Filed under Brickset.
One of the most requested features in our annual user survey is a discussion forum: Well, now, at last, I have decided to implement one.
You'll see a new tab in the menu above ready for its launch, which will probably be on the 2nd or 3rd of April, if everything goes to plan, today, the 1st.
Check back over the weekend for more news...
72 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1169 views
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Pictorial reviews of Pirates of the Caribbean sets
Posted by Huw, 31 Mar 2011 13:52. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset member VerSen from Russia has their hands on some of the PotC sets and has posted some excellent pictorial reviews on a Russian website, www.phantoms.su:- Cannibal Escape
- Whitecap Bay
- Isla de la MuertaI can't understand a word of what's been written but luckily the pictures speak for themselves: I can't wait to get my hands on them! (thanks Capt. Thomas Foolery for the news).
45 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1116 views
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The Brothers Brick - Helping Japan
Posted by yellowcastle, 30 Mar 2011 18:31. Filed under Brickset.
The Brothers Brick is currently holding a LEGO charity auction, "to help out the people affected by the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan." By now, most of us have probably all seen videos and/or pictures of the massive devastation and the continuing crisis in Japan. Per Dan from The Brothers Brick, they're "currently auctioning off MOCs donated by AFOLs all over the world, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross." You can see their current auctions here. Let's do our best to support them in this wonderful cause. Please also remember to keep Japan and her people in our thoughts and prayers during this terrible time.Update: Click here for an update from Monday. There's also more info and a much better overview than I can provide at FBTB.
6 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1212 views
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Orient Expedition minifigs added to gallery
Posted by Huw, 28 Mar 2011 04:58. Filed under Brickset.
I've added the Orient Expedition minifigs, from the 2003 Adventurers sets, to the Adventurers minifig gallery, which now completes it.What next for the minifig gallery? Well, I'm running out of themes to do now: I plan to add Atlantis, since I have most of them, which will then just leave Star Wars. I've managed to acquire all SW minifigs except Boba Fett from Cloud City so I should be able to do the theme justice now.
There are now nearly 800 minifig images in the gallery, which is pretty amazing given I only started in January! The quality has certainly improved since the first Harry Potter ones, so much so that I need to re-do the HP ones at some point to keep them all consistent.
I hope you've enjoyed seeing the pics as much as I've enjoyed taking them.
74 comments, latest one posted 26 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1904 views
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Dino Island minifigs added to Adventurers gallery
Posted by Huw, 26 Mar 2011 13:29. Filed under Brickset.
I've added the minifigs that first made an appearance in the 2000 Adventurers Dino Island sets to the Adventurers minifig gallery.I've also added all known names for the characters which, as we've been discussing in the comments, changed over time and were different in different countries. I'm indebited to the Adventurers.dk website and also Dorling Kindersley's 'The LEGO Book' for the information (and those that told me to look at them).
I've also given Achu his cape: I think you'll like his picture better now :-)
Just Orient Expedition to go...
18 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1035 views
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New Survey from LEGO
Posted by bluemoose, 24 Mar 2011 19:23. Filed under Brickset.
Passing on a message from the LEGO Community Engagement & Communications team, via the Ambassador programme:
"Please take a moment to fill out the latest survey from LEGO community team.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LEGO_AFOL_Q12011
In the last survey, we found the following results:
- Most comments about why an AFOL would give a positive score involved high quality, more than just a toy, and good experience with the brand. Those giving a negative score commented low interest, high prices, preferred products being discontinued.
- More than half of respondents didn’t attend any events in 2010. Of those who did attend, most attended one or two.
- Fans have relatively low awareness of LEGO related programs with the Ambassador program being the exception. Of those who are aware of each program, only 2 in 5 think that the Affiliate and LCP programs are effective.
- Respondents feel that the LEGO Group is most proactive about sending information on product releases and then product updates, but they don’t feel the company is proactive at all about sending information on sponsorships, changes within the company, or fan-related things like initiatives or events.
- Respondents are most interested in reading about new sets and new themes and then quality control. Less than a third are interested in learning about changes within the company.
- Respondents say they are prompted to collect sets because of the theme or unique minifigures or elements. Less than 10% of fans say they’re prompted to collect sets because of a unique box or a box of a different size. However, when asked if the LEGO Group were to create sets with different box sizes and identical contents would they purchase an additional set, nearly half responded that they would.
Thanks,
The LEGO Community Team"
22 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1540 views
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Jungle Adventurers minifigs now in gallery
Posted by Huw, 24 Mar 2011 15:48. Filed under Brickset.
I've added the eight Adventurers minifigs that were new in the 1999 Jungle sets to the Adventurers minifig gallery.I'm sure you'll let me know if I've miscategorised any of them...
26 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1065 views
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Series 4 now in gallery
Posted by Huw, 21 Mar 2011 18:13. Filed under Brickset.
I've spared no expense, or time, in getting pictures of series 4 into the collectable minifig gallery.I think the categories are holding out, but I think we'll need to split some of them into two or more soon, so I welcome your suggestions.
82 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1097 views
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Adventurers now in the minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 17 Mar 2011 12:34. Filed under Brickset.
I've started a new minifig gallery today for Adventurers minifigs. I've added the minifigs that appeared in the first Adventurers sets released in 1998 and over the next few days I'll hopefully add the rest, right up to 2003.There were some great figs in the series, as you will see. Somehing else you'll notice is that the printing on the torsoes was not as good back then as it is today. On Gail Storm, left, for example, you can see thin lines where the paint has run. Of course when you hold them and view them life-size you don't notice it but at this magnification it's clear to see.
29 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1160 views
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Collectable minifig gallery is now complete
Posted by Huw, 16 Mar 2011 09:06. Filed under Brickset.
I've added series 2 minifigs to the gallery so it's now complete. Well, until series 4, anyway...
I've changed the categories around, and I must thank vynsane for suggesting them. I'm sure you'll find plenty to comment on :-)
46 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1048 views
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Another Architecture set on the way
Posted by Huw, 15 Mar 2011 18:19. Filed under Brickset.
Several eagle-eyed Brickset visitors emailed to say that the Architecture site at LEGO.com has been updated with a teaser image of set 21009 which is being launched in April. Does the small section that's not under wraps give any clues as to what it is? Take a look and see if you can guess. (thanks sdpevrin, attisb and zaxter)Update: member Shadow Crawler has identified it as being the Farnsworth House which you can read a bit about here. I reckon he could be right!
29 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1455 views
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I've added series 1 to the gallery
Posted by Huw, 14 Mar 2011 18:04. Filed under Brickset.
The categories in the collectable minifig gallery are holding out OK :-)There are two 'historical' categories to separate the taller images from the shorter ones to prevent the page layout to going awry
44 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1056 views
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The collectable minifig gallery is taking shape
Posted by Huw, 13 Mar 2011 15:19. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a start on the collectable minifig gallery: I had series 3 handy so I've done them first.I'd appreciate your feedback on the categories I've used, I'm hoping all figs will fall into one of the 5: present day, present day sports, historical, futuristic and fantasy, but I can tweak them if that's not the case.
47 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1029 views
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Series 4 collectors' sheet PDF now at LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 11 Mar 2011 08:34. Filed under Brickset.
Typical, as soon as I write 'it's quiet for news this week', it starts to flood in :-)
The collectors' sheet for series 4 figs has just been posted on LEGO.com customer services site, and if you missed it earlier in the week, be sure to read the excellent review of them at Eurobricks.
Update: LEGO's Minifig Collector app for i-devices has been updated today with series 4 figs: more evidence that their release must be imminent!
100 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1669 views
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Space Shuttle 'Design Issue and Alternate Building Instructions'
Posted by Huw, 11 Mar 2011 08:20. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a bit quiet for decent news this week. The most interesting item that's come my way is this from Sann in Singapore, who brought this article at Smashing Bricks to my attention today.
I can't say I had problems building my shuttle or have any stability issues, either. If you are, you can grab the alternate instructions at flickr. But it looks as if you'll need to supply your own bricks...
News may be quiet but there are some very exciting things going down behind the scenes at Brickset Towers which I'll be able to tell you more about soon!
31 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1570 views
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Space Police 3 join the minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 06 Mar 2011 17:26. Filed under Brickset.
I've added the Space Police 3 officers and aliens to the Space minifig gallery which brings it right up to date. Well, until Alien Conquest is released later this year, anyway. If the pictures are anything to go by, the minifigs in them are going to be awesome! (Trans clear visors at long last!)As you'll see from the picture of archvillian Squidman, left, I've photographed both front and side, as I felt their heads were interesting enough to warrant it.
37 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1093 views
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Droid Fighter uncovered in latest batch of updates at LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 04 Mar 2011 08:46. Filed under Brickset.
Another 50 or so instructions have been added to the customer services site at LEGO.com including one for this droid fighter that I think we've seen small pictures of at Eurobricks or somewhere a month or so ago. Here's confirmation, then, that it's a real set which might be winging its way to your neck of the woods soon!
I'll update the instructions database here over the weekend...
12 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1046 views
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AFOLCON: 2 months to go!
Posted by Huw, 28 Feb 2011 08:23. Filed under Brickset.
AFOLCON, which promises to be the biggest and best LEGO show the UK has ever seen, is now just 2 months away! The organisers of the show have today published details of the speakers and sessions that will be taking place during the conference days:"The conference will include not one, but two LEGO designers who are coming over from Billund. Tim Ainley and Mark Stafford will be talking about the development of Ninjago and another new line that will be released later in 2011 (but the sets should be at the show!). In addition, Carl Greatrix will explain how the process of creating models for the LEGO video games differs from the process LEGO uses, or that you might do at home.
"Duncan Titmarsh, the UK's first LEGO Certified Professional will be explaining how he joined the program and what it's like to make money from building LEGO! Finally, David Gauntlett, from the University of Westminster, will be talking about how he worked with LEGO Serious Play."
The event is taking place in Manchester on 28th April to 2nd May. You can find out more, and book your place at the official website, AFOLCON.com, and read more about the speakers and sessions here.
I hope to see you all there!
10 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1103 views
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The Vikings are coming!
Posted by Huw, 27 Feb 2011 14:45. Filed under Brickset.
Actually, they are already here, the Vikings minifig gallery is now live...The Vikings sets successfully combined models that were pretty good in terms of historical accuracy and creatures from Norse mythology: dragons, serpents and wolves. The five sets released in 2005 were excellent; the two from 2006 not so, in my opinion. I had to BrickLink some of the figs from 2006 since I don't have both sets. The gallery is complete and includes all minifigs from regular sets, but it does exclude the glued ones in the chess set which were probably made in China and therefore of no interest to me.
36 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1034 views
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SpongeBob figs added to gallery
Posted by Huw, 24 Feb 2011 15:19. Filed under Brickset.
I'm sure this SpongeBob SquarePants gallery will be popular, and I have to confess I have a soft-spot for these figs, even though I've never watched an episode of the cartoon in my life. I guess it's the bright colours and cool character designs that does it...So, what next: Vikings, collectables, Space Police 3, Atlantis, or should I start on Star Wars?
93 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1207 views
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New minifig gallery: Speed Racer
Posted by Huw, 23 Feb 2011 13:45. Filed under Brickset.
Continuing with licenced themes, I've added Speed Racer to the minifig gallery.I can't say the sets, or the minifigs, are particularly exciting, though. I can't really comment on the movie: I watched the first 15 minutes or so but stopped after that as I thought it too awful. I do like the Trixie fig though: that has to be one of the coolest female torso/leg combinations: bright pink and silver :-)
Speed Racer, left, has a wonky left arm: I have two of him and the arm doesn't fit in the socket properly on either of them, despite me trying to re-locate it several times. What's it like on yours?
SpongeBob will be next...
24 comments, latest one posted 27 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1000 views
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Spare a thought for those in NZ
Posted by Huw, 22 Feb 2011 07:48. Filed under Brickset.
As you may have heard an earthquake has caused massive damage and disruption to Christchurch in New Zealand. Many Bricksetters live in the area, including database administrator Grahame.
So, let's pray that they and their families are all OK, and their LEGO collections are not too damaged, and Grahame when you read this let us know that you're alright.
83 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1158 views
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Avatar: The Last Airbender
Posted by Huw, 20 Feb 2011 11:03. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a couple of weeks since I added the last minifig gallery so I thought it was about time I brought you another...The six Avatar figs featured today appeared in just two sets that were released in 2006. They were not available in the UK, and in fact they may have been available only in North America. So as a result, until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't have any of the minifigs at all. But thanks to BrickLink, I now have a full set so have been able to create a gallery for you. I hope you appreciate my efforts :-)
34 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1307 views
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LEGO Unveils New Collection at 2011 American International Toy Fair
Posted by Huw, 12 Feb 2011 04:43. Filed under Brickset.
The New York Toy Fair starts tomorrow. Expect to see a lot of coverage on fan sites, in particular keep an eye out at FBTB, where Ace will be reporting direct from the event and posting pictures to his flickr stream (linked to on the picture).
In the meantime you can read what to expect on this press release.
27 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1130 views
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Western minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 09 Feb 2011 17:34. Filed under Brickset.
While you've all been drooling over unreleased sets, I've been slaving away over a hot keyboard to bring you the latest minifig gallery, which this time is the minifigs from the Western theme that was released in 1996 and 1997 (or Wild West as it was called in North America).It was a great theme, and one which surely there is perpetual demand for: 'Cowboys and Indians' is always a popular game...
53 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1022 views
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Exo-Force joins the new Minifig Gallery
Posted by Huw, 06 Feb 2011 08:11. Filed under Brickset.
As correctly guessed by Berrybrick yesterday, today's minifig gallery is indeed Exo-Force.I really liked the theme and the minifigs and it's great to see them all lined up by character in the gallery. I didn't have Hitomi because I didn't like the set she came in but I BrickLinked [1] her, and she arrived in the week, so the gallery, and my collection, is now complete.
[1] is that becoming a verb like 'Googled'?
Update: I've also just added Aquazone which was another of my favourite themes. The original sets from 1995 were the first minifig sets I bought (as opposed to Technic) on emerging from my dark ages. Clearly that was a slippery slope as I now have 1500+ minifig sets and 2500 minifigs :-)
49 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1263 views
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Space: the final frontier
Posted by Huw, 05 Feb 2011 05:08. Filed under Brickset.
This week's minifig gallery is post-Classic Space, featuring all minifigs from regular LEGO Space sets from 1987 to 1998.I don't have any classic space minifigs, at least not in mint condition, which is why I haven't included them. I will add Space Police 3 once I have all the figs, but I won't be adding the 'our solar system' themes like Life on Mars and Mars Mission or the Space Skulls/Star Justice which featured stickered torsoes and didn't appeal to me.
Update: The next gallery is ready and I'll be uploading it tomorrow. It's one of my favourite themes of recent years. Check back tomorrow to find out what it is!
40 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1202 views
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Ancient copy of Bricks and Pieces unearthed
Posted by Huw, 03 Feb 2011 16:51. Filed under Brickset.
I'm indebted to Mike H for sending me scans of an old copy of Bricks and Pieces magazine from 1975. If you are not familiar with B&P, check out our archive of issues from the 1970s and 80s. This issue, no. 2, Spring 1975, would appear to be the second issue published: from the editor's note it seems that no. 1 was published just before Christmas in 1974.This issue is a corker, see if you can find the statements that made me chuckle:
"Please don't write and ask if you can have 3 with cowboy hats instead of 2 or anything like that..."
"It's not only children that build with LEGO you know..."
"Follow the instructions very exactly..."We just don't write like that these days, do we, particularly to 7-10 year olds (more's the pity...)
17 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)938 views
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New images of series 4 figs
Posted by Huw, 02 Feb 2011 11:40. Filed under Brickset.
Grogall has uncovered some nice hi-res pictures of series 4 figs, including the previously missing Geisha girl.
While on the subject of new images, a certain Dutch toy shop has published previously unseen images of the Maersk train. I'm not going to provide direct links as LEGO is trying to keep them under wraps, but clearly isn't doing a very good job. Just search for the set number... (thanks typo)
42 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1089 views
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Spider-Man minifig gallery finished already
Posted by Huw, 30 Jan 2011 04:39. Filed under Brickset.
Thanks to my wife having the hairdresser round yesterday morning (if you have a wife or girlfriend you'll know how long that takes!) and then a football (soccer) match on the TV featuring one of our local teams (Southampton) on Sky Sports yesterday which she was glued to, I had some time to photograph the Spider-Man figs which you can now see in all their glory in the Spider-Man minifig gallery.in 2002 when he first made an appearance, Spider-Man sets were a sub-theme of Studios, along with dinosaurs, werewolves, vampires and various other movie characters. Spider-Man became a theme in its own right in 2003, and continued in 2004. It was therefore right across the old grey/yellow head / new grey/flesh head boundary.
The Studios sets contained minifigs which BrickLink considers to belong to other themes, so these are not included in the gallery, and neither are figures from the 4Juniors sets.
46 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)957 views
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Toy Story minifigs gallery now up...
Posted by Huw, 29 Jan 2011 05:49. Filed under Brickset.
I've added pictures of all Toy Story minifigs and related characters to the minifig galleries.Bluemoose came round in the week and showed me how to use PhotoShop Elements properly so this set is the best yet: when I started doing these galleries I suspected they'd improve the more I did, which should mean that by the time it comes to do Star Wars they should be just about perfect :-)
Next up will be Spider-Man. I have all the figs to hand: I had mislaid a few of the earlier ones, but a couple of BrickLink orders has filled the gaps. Luckily it wasn't any of the ultra-expensive ones!
20 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)892 views
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So Much For the Series 3 Cheat Sheet...
Posted by yellowcastle, 27 Jan 2011 13:21. Filed under Brickset.
At this point, I'm not sure if the dimple patterns have just changed once or if they're not nearly as static as we first thought. But I just picked up a couple of extra figures from Target and can confirm that the old Hula Dancer pattern is now a Rapper and the old Alien is now a Hula Dancer. The Fisherman, however, was unchanged. I'll see if I can't visit Target later in order to reconfirm more (if not all) of the remaining new dimple patterns. My initial thought is that the patterns changed when the box assortment was revised for more Fishermen. But for all I know, the patterns change for each production run, etc. Let me know what you're seeing out there and perhaps we can revise the cheat sheet in such a way that it will still be helpful. I'll be honest, though, that I'm starting to rely on the old "feel the bag" method.
142 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1265 views
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Database reorganisation
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2011 17:07. Filed under Brickset.
Myself and the other database admins (Grahame and Bluemoose) have decided to make some changes to the categorisation of some items in the database. The main change is that we have put all 'extended product lines' (as LEGO calls them) into a single theme called 'Gear', which is what BrickLink calls them. Gear includes magnets, key chains, books, clothing and so on: basically everything that isn't a proper construction set. Future updates of the site may differentiate 'gear' from proper sets in search result listings etc.
It's worth mentioning now what criteria we use to decide what 'gear' goes in the database. The general rule is this:
- If it's sold by LEGO at LEGOshop.com, it goes in. This includes products made by LEGO (e.g. key chains and magnets) and those made by other companies but sold by LEGO as their own product (e.g. bedding and clothing)
- If it's a product that contains LEGO bricks but is not itself a LEGO product it goes in (e.g. Dorling Kindersley Brickmaster books)
- If it's a product of great interest to the AFOL community, is licenced by LEGO, and likely to warrant having reviews written here, it goes in (e.g. other DK books)
- If it's a product carrying a LEGO logo but not made by LEGO and not sold by them it does not go in (e.g. the minifig torches, brick-shaped storage boxes etc.)
We have to draw the line somewhere, and outbound licenced products is where we draw it. We aim to have a 100% accurate and complete database of proper sets but we don't aim to do the same for gear.
The other change was to move Bonus/Value packs into the appropriate theme. So Star Wars B/V packs will now appear in the Star Wars theme listings, for example.
We hope that makes it easier for you to find your way around the database.
15 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1144 views
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Wallpaper repository update
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2011 17:03. Filed under Brickset.
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If you're new around here you may not know that we provide an archive of official LEGO desktop wallpapers because, once the product line has finished, LEGO remove them from their website.Today I've updated it with new Atlantis, HERO Factory and a few others but if you know of some we don't yet have, let me know.
4 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)928 views
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The next minifig gallery is...
Posted by Huw, 25 Jan 2011 13:46. Filed under Brickset.
When I first added the Harry Potter minifig gallery a couple of weeks, Brickset member nori commented that he'd taken some photos of the Pharaoh's Quest minifigs, and has graciously allowed us to display them here.So, check out the Pharaoh's Quest minifig gallery and show nori your appreciation.
If the flying mummy looks a bit squashed, press ctrl-F5 to fetch the latest version of the stylesheet.
32 comments, latest one posted 28 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)858 views
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New improved Indiana Jones minifig images
Posted by Huw, 24 Jan 2011 14:43. Filed under Brickset.
Bluemoose has worked his magic on the IJ minifig images and they are now stunning: no more problems with white figs or overexposed heads!Now all that's left is for him to explain to me how to do it...
16 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)816 views
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'Confidential' Images
Posted by bluemoose, 23 Jan 2011 17:49. Filed under Brickset.
We know this is a controversial issue, one that people have very strong views on, but it is a long-standing policy here at Brickset that we won't use, post or link to 'leaked' images - principally those stamped as 'confidential', which have usually been copied from trade catalogues. This is our choice here at Brickset, and not something that has been forced on us by LEGO.
From time to time we received images of new sets that are not marked as 'confidential', which we post. Sometimes we are subsequently asked to remove them by LEGO. This has happened several times recently, most recently today, where images have been accidently released and should not, from LEGO's perspective, be in public view just yet.
LEGO have recently published an open letter from Jorgen Vig Knudstorp (CEO & President of LEGO) to the LEGO Fan community to express the company's views on the issue of leaked images, and to ask the Fan community to work with them to reduce the impact of these leaks - click this link to read the full letter (in Adobe Acrobat format). Have a read and let us know what you think ...
73 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1874 views
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Indiana Jones minifig gallery now up
Posted by Huw, 22 Jan 2011 05:12. Filed under Brickset.
I've completed the Indiana Jones minifig gallery which features all 44 figures released in 2008 and 2009.Photographing and post-processing them was tricker than other series due to the number of them with white clothes. I'm not entirely happy with all of them and if I get time I may try and improve on some. But having said that, what's there now is much better than we've had before.
30 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)965 views
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Brickset members: We own half a billion pieces between us!
Posted by Huw, 20 Jan 2011 11:24. Filed under Brickset.
On Christmas Eve I made a note of how many sets we own between us. The figure was 1,898,700. Now, today, it's 1,992,700 which means collectively we've bought or received nearly 100,000 in the last month, and is an average of 74 sets each (based on the 26,636 people that use the 'My Sets' facility).
What's more, the total pieces count shown in the menu has rolled over the 500 million mark, and having just done a quick sum in the database, that includes 2,725,000 minifigs which if we were to stand them on top of each other they'd stand 109 Km high, which isn't quite to the moon but is still a long way!
It will be interesting to look back at this article in a year's time and compare the figures again.
80 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1080 views
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Prince of Persia minifigs
Posted by Huw, 16 Jan 2011 05:34. Filed under Brickset.
Continuing on with licensed themes, I've now added Prince Of Persia minifigs to the new gallery.What next, Spider-Man or Indiana Jones?
52 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)887 views
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Three new promotional sets
Posted by Huw, 15 Jan 2011 13:49. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset member kram has uncovered three new promotional sets: this Creator truck, a City police helicopter (30014) and a Ninjago miniifig (30084). No word yet on how and when they'll be available, so keep your eyes peeled...
11 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)837 views
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Batman minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 14 Jan 2011 15:29. Filed under Brickset.
Spurred on by your kind comments and suggestions, I've now added a Batman minifig gallery, featuring every Batman figure ever made, some of which are changing hands for ridiculous sums of money now on BrickLink.I've tweaked my lighting setup and I think the images are better than the Harry Potter ones, although it's still difficult photographing figures with white parts against a white background (like Two-Face).
I've taken a photo of the setup I used for these images showing the flash positions etc.
Once again, let me know what you think...
42 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)891 views
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Have a LEGO question?
Posted by Huw, 13 Jan 2011 15:22. Filed under Brickset.
A new website has been brought to my attention today: BrickQ.com. The idea is that you ask a LEGO related question and get answers back from other members. Sounds like a good idea, but any such site is only as good as the people answering the questions and unfortunately it looks as if, at the moment, they are all on the young side and therefore there's a lot of opinionated responses of little value.Still, it's early days: head on over and see what you think...
27 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1031 views
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New Harry Potter minifig gallery
Posted by Huw, 13 Jan 2011 03:20. Filed under Brickset.
Minifigs are arguably the best part of LEGO sets and it's great that websites like BrickLink catalogue them and provide details about which figs are in which sets, and allow us to use that information here to track our collections.However, one shortcoming with the BrickLink catalogue images is that they are not always very good and are not consistent: they are taken by many different people of varying competencies over a long period of time, which means that when you view them all in a gallery (like you can here) it doesn't look as good as it could.
So, I've decided to do something about it. I will be photographing my own minifig collection to a higher, more consistent, standard and will present them in a new minifig gallery to showcase figures from specific themes. The first theme I've done is Harry Potter, because (a) it's my favourite licenced theme and (b) I have all the figs.
If it's well received I will add more themes in the coming weeks, so let me know what you think!
I'd appreciate your feedback on the photography, too. It has been quite interesting finding the best way to photograph the figs. They are actually quite hard to photograph because of their shiny plastic nature: it's easy to get light reflections all over them. I'm reasonably happy with the results, but I'm sure there's room for improvement and I suspect as I do more themes I'll get better at doing it. For those that are interested, I used a Nikon D7000 with AF-S 105mm f2.8 Micro lens (at f11), with three remote flashguns (SB600 at the top, a SB-R200 at each side, through diffusers) plus the on-camera flash. The images were then cropped and levels adjusted to whiten the background and give the colours some punch.
83 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1282 views
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Include images in your set reviews
Posted by Huw, 10 Jan 2011 11:47. Filed under Brickset.
The site update I made just after Christmas added the ability to include images in your reviews. Now, at last, the first one (that I've noticed) to use them to good effect has been posted. So, thanks to go LegoDad42 for posting this excellent review of the midi Star Destroyer. Please, let's have more like this (so we can give EuroBricks a run for its money... :-) )
57 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)928 views
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New images for Harry Potter sets
Posted by Huw, 09 Jan 2011 12:07. Filed under Brickset.
As part of my ongoing commitment to improve the quality of the resources here, I've uploaded high quality scans of every Harry Potter set [1] instruction cover, which are available at the usual width to fit on the page and also at 1200px wide in the additional images section of the set details pages.
In doing so I replaced the official LEGO images, those on the white background, of last year's sets. What is your view on this? Which do you prefer as the main image on the set details pages? The official images or the instruction covers? Personally I prefer the latter as long as the former is available as well, but I'd like to hear your views.
This is the first of this week's Harry Potter related enhancements I'll be making, so stay tuned...
[1] Update: Thanks to Will for providing the last missing image, of 4758, and also to Jon and James of the Brickish Association for providing a couple of others that I was missing. We now have a complete set!
16 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)864 views
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DK books for 2011
Posted by Huw, 04 Jan 2011 15:32. Filed under Brickset.
DK are going to be busy publishing LEGO books this year by the looks of things. There's a list of Star Wars related books at StarWars.com, including 4 LEGO ones, one of which will be of interest to everyone here: "Star Wars Character Encylopedia" which will feature profiles of 200 minifigures!There's also LEGO Harry Potter Building the Magical World
, and Brickmaster City and Ninjago in the works, too. Clearly their previous collaborations with LEGO have been a success...
(via the Ugly Duckling)
35 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1081 views
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Series 3 box distribution in Europe: Different to the USA?
Posted by Huw, 28 Dec 2010 09:21. Filed under Brickset.
I've heard from someone I trust who was able to buy a box of series 3 figs in the UK recently that the box distribution is not the same as that in the USA. After opening all the bags he found that there were were 4 fishermen and only 3 aliens whereas the US boxes have 2 and 5 respectively.
Now, this could just be an anomaly (but unlikely to be given the consistency we've witnessed in the past) so I'll wait until it's confirmed by others before getting too excited but if it turns out to be the case it's excellent news and will ensure the price of fishermen on the secondary market won't become ridiculous and that you'll get three complete sets in each case.
39 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)964 views
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Website changes are live!
Posted by Huw, 27 Dec 2010 04:54. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a whole bunch of improvements to the site over the last month or so and have now made them live. You can read what's changed on the new change log page. Please let me know what you think in the comments!
These are my way of thanking all of you for clicking through on the eBay, Amazon and LEGO links over the past year.
If you notice any problems of encounter any errors, let me know.
Update: a few people have emailed to say they are having trouble logging in, they attempt to and their password is accepted (i.e. no error is shown) but they remain not logged in. The fix for this is to delete your browser cookies for Brickset.com, which if you have IE8 you can do by pressing F12 then Cache in the menu of the developer tools, then Clear cookies for domain.
Update 2: Adding set info does not work in FireFox for some reason. It works fine in IE8, Chrome, Opera and Safari but not FF. It's a JavaScript problem that I can't tie down. If you're an expert in such things, get in touch!
37 comments, latest one posted 29 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)713 views
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Merry Christmas Everybody!
Posted by Huw, 24 Dec 2010 16:39. Filed under Brickset.
I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and I hope all your presents rattle! May I take this opportunity to thank the admins and correspondents for their help on the site over the past year and all of you for being part of the Brickset community. Without you the site would be nothing!
As of now, Brickset members own 1,898,700 sets between them. If you're lucky enough to receive LEGO tomorrow, make sure you add your new sets to your collection here and let's see if we can make it close to 2 million!
To give you something to look forward to once Christmas has passed, today I've been putting the finishing touches on the next batch of site updates which, if all goes to plan, I will launch early next week. So stay tuned!
64 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)791 views
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Traffic review of the year
Posted by Huw, 19 Dec 2010 14:37. Filed under Brickset.
It's about the time of year when I traditionally review the level of traffic over the past year and compare it with previous years. (If you're interested, you can read the 2008 and 2009 news articles). I'm usually prompted to do so by the Brothers-Brick who celebrate their birthday right about now but I haven't seen them post about it yet, so this year I've beat them to it :-)
Anyway, once again, this year we've seen a huge increase in traffic, of about 75%! I usually publish figures from the SmarterStats analytics package that my server provider uses, but as you may remember the site was moved to its own virtual server in the summer and as a result of that I don't have a complete set of figures for the year.
However I do have figures from Google Analytics for 2009 and 2010, so the numbers below for 2009 will differ from those in the 2009 review because they've been gathered by a different method and in many ways reflect more accurately actual traffic levels because the SmarterStats figures include stylesheets, graphics, RSS feeds and so on. More importantly, they can be compared with the 2010 figures to show the increase:
Google Analytics figures 2010 2009 Page views 40,447,000 25,434,000 Visits 7,926,000 4,556,000 Visitors 2,719,000 1,766,000 That's over forty million page views, or just over 1 view per second on average which, when you look at it like that doesn't actually sound much, does it!
Don't forget, if you're interested in web stats (and I seem to be obsessed with them :) ) you can access the publicly available Quantcast figures on the Statistics page.
So, here's to another 75% growth in 2011! But before that I'll post a review of the year at the end of the month and just after Christmas I'm planning to launch some major new features to the site, so make sure you stay tuned!
30 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)638 views
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The ultimate way to determine collectable minifig pack contents
Posted by Huw, 16 Dec 2010 13:11. Filed under Brickset.
I received an email from tayweijin in Australia today. It seems that the figs are becoming available around the world now, although none yet in the UK. He confirmed that the box contents are as follows, based on analysis of 2 boxes:
- 5 per case - Sumo Wrestler, Alien, Mummy, Race Car Driver
- 4 per case - Pilot, Samurai, Gorilla, Baseball Player, Tennis Player
- 3 per case - Indian, Elf Bowman, Cyborg, Rapper, SnowBoarder, Hula Girl
- 2 per case - Fisherman
What really made me chuckle was how he found out: "I used a dental digital X-Ray to confirm the packs - I work in a dental surgery so was fortunate to be able to use this method." That has to be the ultimate way to find out what's inside! Shame there's not a portable x-ray machine you can take into TRU with you :-)
He goes on to say "The crib sheet is very unreliable - the heights of the 'raised dots' are not always consistent, and sometimes there are 'glue tracks' going across the same areas as the 'raised dots'. Some 'dots' are also extremely faint and ambiguous."
How have you found the dots? Are they readable in the shop?
77 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1097 views
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The countdown continues...
Posted by Huw, 15 Dec 2010 05:38. Filed under Brickset.
The winners of the Brick Comic Network Advent contest are being revealed a day at a time until Christmas. We're now half-way through the month so the models are getting really good now. If you entered let us know if you've won!
13 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)699 views
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Hi-res images of 2011 Star Wars sets
Posted by Huw, 10 Dec 2010 13:09. Filed under Brickset.
Eurobricks has uncovered new hi-res pictures of the first six 2011 Star Wars sets at amazon.de and amazon.fr.
I've added the main images here but if you head over to their gallery you can see close-ups of various figs and set details.
(Thanks Cygnet for the news)
21 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)700 views
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LEGO: If you build it, they will come
Posted by Huw, 06 Dec 2010 06:53. Filed under Brickset.
I have an email alert set up at Google News to keep informed of articles being published with the word 'LEGO' in them. As you'd expect there are quite a few, but only a few that are actually interesting. This one at The Independent (a UK newspaper) today caught my eye as it mentions AFOLs and for once is not condescending towards the hobby. It even quotes Warren, organiser of AFOLcon and Brickish Association Chairman.
8 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)628 views
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LEGO Ambassadors
Posted by bluemoose, 03 Dec 2010 12:32. Filed under Brickset.
A few years ago, LEGO started an initiative called the 'Ambassador Program', with the aim of improving the communication between the LEGO company and the adult fan community. Originally, a small group of carefully chosen fans helped LEGO to better understand the adult fan community. It also worked in reverse, to help the adult fan community better understand the LEGO company. You can read more about the Ambassador program and the closing 2010 round here. Huw was one of the 'carefully chosen fans' during the early years of the program, before he chose to stand down.Over the years, the program has grown & changed; now it is less about individuals and more about fan organisations. LEGO have also recognised the importance of the web-based communities, and for the latest round (the 8th round, covering the 1st half of 2011) the eligibility conditions have changed, and Brickset (along with many other web-based LEGO- communities) now qualifies for an Ambassador post.
To cut to the chase, Huw nominated me to be Brickset's Ambassador for this round, and LEGO have accepted. So as of now, we have a direct conduit into the heart of LEGO. Each round has been run in a slightly different way, so it's not clear exactly how this one will operate; I'll let you all know as things become clearer. I've already been passing some of your feedback on the "Magnet-Gate" situation to LEGO, and will carry on passing information both ways as it emerges.
For the future Ambassador rounds, we may look into opening up the Ambassador role to other members of the Brickset community; we can't promise this will be possible, and there are very strict conditions (for example age) which means that most people won't be eligible, but we will seriously look into it.
From my perspective, my role is to represent your views & also the views of Brickset as a resource for LEGO fans everywhere.
39 comments, latest one posted 30 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)732 views
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New images of sets from 1966-1969 added
Posted by Huw, 28 Nov 2010 12:05. Filed under Brickset.
It's been almost a year since bluemoose and I visited the LEGO archives in Billund, and now, finally, I have added the last batch of images taken in there. Our priority during the two day visit was to photograph sets from the 1970s as well as Fabuland and Dacta sets. Once we'd finished those we had a couple of hours spare so we went back to the first shelf in the archive to make a start on the 1960s. Starting at 1969, we went back to 1966 which I consider to be the 'birth of the modern era' of LEGO sets: the die cast cars and vehicles were just about finished and the 4.5v 'blue rail' trains were introduced.
I've populated the database with all sets from 1966-1969 that were available in Europe and which are not boxes of bricks or service packs (of which there were many, are very complicated and beyond the scope of Brickset at the moment). You can see them here: 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969
It's interesting to note that some of the train sets released in that era were very sophsticated, with some having sonic remote control by means of a whistle (138, 139): it would be decades before remote control trains would be available again!
I hope you've either enjoyed the trip down memory lane over the last few months, if you're old enough, or liked seeing the sets your dad, and maybe grandad had as kids!
So, I guess it just leaves me to thank Mark and Megan for organising the visit, Jette in the Idea House for letting us handle and photograph the precious sets, and finally bluemoose for the photography and image post-processing. Now to organise the next visit...
13 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)804 views
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Images from my visit to the LEGO archives in 2004
Posted by Huw, 28 Nov 2010 06:10. Filed under Brickset.
Those of you that have been visiting Brickset for some years will know that I visited the LEGO Company's archives back in 2004 when I was in Billund visiting the designers of the X-Pod sets to discuss a project that later emerged as X-PodWorld.com (anyone remember that?)
Anyway, I had limited time in the archives so had to be very targeted in what I photographed. I therefore tried to find as many promotional sets as I could, particularly those from the 1980s which we didn't have good photos for. I added them here at the time, but for some reason some of them have been overwritten by inferior images in the intervening years. So, having finished processing the images from our latest visit, I thought I'd dig them out again, clean and straighten them up and ask bluemoose to work his magic on post-processing them. They've come out quite well, although not as good as the latest batch because, of course, in 1994, digital photography was in its infancy. So, here are some of the highlights:
- Silja and Viking line ferries
- Maersk trucks and ferries: 1552, 1650, 1651
- Danone truck 1591
- MD dairy tank 1952
- And, not forgetting, the previously unknown classic space 1526, which was probably never released as it only existed as a box mock-up (not that that has stopped some people selling it on BrickLink!)
You can read about my first visit in this article from the company's in-house magazine, LEGO Life. I could have looked a bit happer, holding one of the rarest sets ever, couldn't I :-)
Unfortunately the archive has been moved from where I visited it in 2004 and the new archive no longer holds most of the rare promotional sets, so fans may never get a chance to photograph them again...
12 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)754 views
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White Boba Fett giveaway
Posted by Huw, 24 Nov 2010 17:10. Filed under Brickset.
This week the LEGO Shop team in the USA have sent out this white Boba Fett minifig and Star Wars book to their 'favourite customers'. I wonder how much you have to have spent to become one of their favourites? I think this is limited to the USA, I haven't heard of people in other countries receiving them.
26 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)847 views
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New LEGO World Show programme 'discovered'
Posted by Huw, 21 Nov 2010 14:54. Filed under Brickset.
You may recall back in April we added scans of programmes from the 1980's LEGO World Shows, thanks mainly to Rohan in Austraila who visisted them as a kid.This week, Rohan secured a previously unknown (to us, anyway) programme from a tour entitled 'On Safari' from eBay and has very kindly scanned it so it can be shared here. We don't know what year it was from, or where in the sequence of tours it sits though: there's no date on it. Many of the models look similar to those at LEGOLAND Billund, round the Safari train ride. Rohan adds 'I think it [must have been] a rather boring exhibition: yes the animals are well sculptured, but I think if I was a 10 year old child taken to this, I probably would have rushed through, until I got to the free-play area!"
13 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)762 views
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Magnet sets may no longer be a way to get rare minifigs cheaply
Posted by Huw, 20 Nov 2010 06:38. Filed under Brickset.
Cygnet over at The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink recently bought a pack of Pharaoh's Quest magnets containing Jake Raines, a Mummy and an Anubis, which is great except for one thing: when he opened them he found, to his horror, that the legs and torsos are glued to the base!
To be honest I've never been a big minifig magnet fan because the figs are made in China with a lower quality plastic than regular 'figs found in sets, but I know this doesn't bother others so this news will be a bit of a blow.
Read what LEGO Customer Service said about this when he asked them: it's not good news!
60 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1277 views
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Series 3 minifigs have no barcodes, but DO have raised bumps!
Posted by Huw, 19 Nov 2010 07:46. Filed under Brickset.
This is massive news... barcodes may have gone but news broke overnight (GMT) at fbtb that there IS still a way to find out what's in the pack before you open it, thanks to some 'raised bumps' along the seam.
Not having seen (or felt!) a pack I don't know how obvious these are but you can read more, see photos of them, and grab a cheat-sheet over at fbtb. Thanks DrDave for alerting me to this and fbtb forum member 'that guy' for discovering. As Ace at fbtb says, 'the LEGO community thanks you', but I suspect the LEGO company is not so happy now that its plans for the packs to remain 'blind' have been thwarted. I wonder if they'll make another change on future series' packs.
Now, who's going to come up with the first Android or iPhone app to indentify these? Is it even possible?
Meanwhile, eBay is flooded with the figs and some sellers are now shipping internationally. If you're in Europe and need to be the first on the block with them, check the set details page or the eBay search tool and get bidding!
80 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1124 views
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Press release confirms Pirates of the Caribbean licence for 2011
Posted by Huw, 18 Nov 2010 10:39. Filed under Brickset.
"LEGO Group and Disney Consumer Products Announce Building Sets Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean Films" reads the press release on PRNewswire. There have been pictures of Captain Jack Sparrow in minifig form floating round the 'net for a while, so this comes as no great surprise!
I'm not a big pirates fan, but if you are, let us know what you think about this.
(via A Modular Life)
54 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)864 views
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Unscheduled downtime today
Posted by Huw, 16 Nov 2010 11:59. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset was down for a couple of hours today. I apologise for any inconvenience.
17 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)476 views
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More vintage photos added...
Posted by Huw, 14 Nov 2010 11:25. Filed under Brickset.
Bluemoose has been working overtime today and has processed pictures of the miscellaneous sets we took in the archive. Some of them are not listed anywhere else online (e.g. 1724-1727) although they are in the Collector book. However, this strange set, with two santas, is not listed even in that. According to my notes taken at the time, its set number is 245, but obviously that needs to be confirmed since the number is not on the front of the box and we didn't photograph the sides. Do you know anything about it? Let us know if so!
13 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)500 views
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New images for 1979
Posted by Huw, 14 Nov 2010 05:47. Filed under Brickset.
Our journey through the 1970s concludes today with new images for sets released in 1979. Actually, we added many of them earlier in the year when we covered Fabuland and Scala so today the new images of interest are of mostly of Castle, Space and Technic. By the looks of things, in LEGOLAND, the situation regarding minifigs in vehicles was improving: it looks as if they fit in most of them, but the poor taxi driver in 608 has to run alongside his car still :-)
1979 saw the launch of Space sets outside of the USA, so we were able to photograph nearly all of them in the archive, which doesn't generally have US numbered sets. However one exception would seem to be Galaxy Explorer, 497 (US) and 928 (ROW). There's a picture of bluemoose holding the US version of this classic set in the archive in the BrickJournal article about our visit, but for some reason 928 wasn't there.
You may have noticed in some of the pictures that the boxes have stickers on them. All boxes in the archive have a sticker on them, and thankfully in most cases they are on the side. Unfortunately in a few instances they've been stuck on the front which somewhat spoils them (e.g. 877)
Looking at the year's selection again today I think my 'set of the year' award goes to 383 (6083 in the USA) Knight's Joust, which looks so vibrant and exciting on the box.
So, that's the '70s completed but haven't finished yet: we still have around 100 images of sets from the late 1960s to add as well as a handful of other rare sets, some of which are not even listed in our, or any other online database, so stay tuned!
8 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)526 views
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Our journey through time continues with 1978
Posted by Huw, 13 Nov 2010 14:41. Filed under Brickset.
Today I have uploaded brand new images of sets released in 1978. 1978 was perhaps the most significant year in LEGO's recent history. After 1978, LEGO sets would never be the same again. It was the year the minfig as we know and love it was born. Although there were a few maxifig sets released, including a nice hair salon and hospital, 1978 was to be the last year they were made: they were superceded well and truly by the minifig.
As you'll see from the pictures, nearly every 'LEGOLAND' set released this year featured one or more minifigs: policemen, firemen, construction workers and so on. In fact there's a surprising variety. However the problem the armless figs had largely remained: they didn't fit in many of their vehicles!
Regarded by many as the greatest set of all time was released this year: 375, the yellow castle, which of course was the first of a long line of Castle sets that continues to this day. The reason it's yellow and not grey is explained by the set's designer in BrickJournal vol. 8: basically, there was not much grey around, mostly plates, and the then owner of LEGO did not want a proliferation of grey so as to prevent tanks and other military models being made.
The first Space sets were also released, but only in the USA. The rest of the world would have to wait a year. The second year of Technical (Technic) sets brought three more classics, including the second such set I owned: 854-1, go-kart.
So, all in all, 1978 was a very significant year indeed and it was a pleasure to handle and photograph these iconic and groundbreaking sets in the LEGO company's vault.
Stay tuned for 1979, which I should be able to add tomorrow.
11 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)690 views
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2011 Star Wars (and more!) set images (It's a busy day for news!)
Posted by Huw, 12 Nov 2010 14:03. Filed under Brickset.
Eurobricks has posted pictures of the first wave of 2011 Star Wars sets. I've added them to Brickset and you can see how 2011 is shaping up in the Star Wars department here. (Thanks r4-g9!)
So... what do you think? There are some interesting models by the looks of things. I particularly like the Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship, because it has an interesting colour scheme and some neat minifigs by the looks of things.
Update: C3POwen has told us where these came from (a German toy shop) and I've now downloaded images for the vast majority of the first batch of 2011 sets from that site: NinjaGo, Technic, Racers and more! See them all in the 2011 set listing. They are not the biggest pictures ever but you can get an idea of what the sets'll be like.
82 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)953 views
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The BCN Advent contest is still running
Posted by Huw, 10 Nov 2010 11:42. Filed under Brickset.
The Brick Comic Network Advent contest is still running: there's fewer than 20 days left to get your entry in! There have been some great entries so far, but I'm sure you can do better, can't you?With a grand prize of a 10216 Winter Village Bakery plus lots of other goodies, it's definitely worth entering! You can read the rules and find out how to enter over in the BCN forums. Good luck!
12 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)509 views
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More images from our time machine
Posted by Huw, 08 Nov 2010 13:32. Filed under Brickset.
Those of you that have been visiting Brickset for a while will remember that earlier this year we were adding brand-new never-before-seen images of sets from the 1970s and 1980s. The last batch we did was in April and at the time we didn't let on where they had come from. All was revealed in the BrickJournal article about our visit to the LEGO archives in Billund that was published shortly afterwards.
A couple of people commented in the survey about the completeness of the database and the size of some of the images so I thought it was about time I finished the job and got the rest added. So today I have added new images of sets released in 1977. I think we managed to photograph most of the European-released sets. Most of the gaps in that list will be the US-only re-releases.
The armless and faceless minifig continued to populate LEGOLAND but still couldn't fit into any vehicles. The bendy-armed maxifig diversified into native Americans, construction workers and firemen. The big news of the year though, was the introduction of Technical sets (later to be renamed Technic). In 1977 I was 14 and probably would have grown out of LEGO were it not for Technic. I remember receiving 850, the yellow Forklift, for a birthday or Christmas and thinking that it was absolutely fantastic!
If you take a look at the Oil Rig set, 373, you can see one particular problem we encountered when photographing the boxes in the archive. Many of them were still wrapped in cellophane which made reflections a problem, but even worse was when the wrapper had broken, as was the case for 373. We wouldn't have been too popular had we removed it to get a better photograph!
I'll be adding 1978 and 1979 in the next few days, which were exciting years: the birth of the proper minifig and of classic space! After that I'll be going back further in time, to the 1960s.
Big thanks are again due to bluemoose for taking the photos and post-processing them to create such crisp, clean images.
15 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)736 views
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Couple of small tweaks made in response to survey
Posted by Huw, 02 Nov 2010 16:26. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a few changes to address some comments made in the survey:
- Where are the links to Peeron and BrickLink that used to be on the menu of the set details pages?
These were removed a while ago when I rearranged the page and added the tabbed interface for the instructions etc. I've now added a new tab 'Links' which has them all. If you know of any other LEGO resources I should add here, let me know.
- Why are there so many different versions of the instructions listed?
The instructions tab is populated by scanning LEGO's server. For some reason they publish multiple versions of the same instruction manual: sometimes there are different versions to be printed on A4 or US-sized paper and sometimes, over time, instructions are updated (e.g for this year's Technic digger). To hopefully make it slightly easier for you to identify them I've added LEGO's own description for them. Unfortunately they are often a bit cryptic so they might not be much help...
While looking for links to add to the tab I searched for LEGO instructions on Google. I couldn't really believe what I saw: loads of copycat sites like 'freelegoinstructions.com' and 'lego-instructions.com' which seem to exist only to make their owners a fast buck and add no value at all. None of them were very comprehensive, you're better off searching here then downloading from LEGO.com or Peeron. I'm surprised the lawyers haven't closed them down yet: they tend to come down heavily on domains with the word LEGO in them.
I'd like to add links to brickfactory which is well established and comprehensive but unfortunately it's coded in such a way that it's impossible to link to specific instructions, you need to navigate through a tortuous menu system to find what you're after. I've tried contacting the webmaster to see if things can be improved, but no reply yet...
20 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)455 views
- Where are the links to Peeron and BrickLink that used to be on the menu of the set details pages?
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The Brickset user survey has ended: view the results now!
Posted by Huw, 30 Oct 2010 06:41. Filed under Brickset.
Thank you to all 860 of you that took the time to respond to the survey! As promised, I am making the comments available for you all to read along with an analysis of the numerical (goood/bad) questions on the survey results page. Be sure to read the text in the side bar which explains the figures on the graphs.
I've been reading the comments this week and there are some fantastic ideas and suggestions. I started reading the negative responses first and after the first few pages I started to get worried: there seems to be a lot of things that you don't like and it was easy to come away with the impression that everything needed improving, from searching to site design. However, then I read the positive ones and it then seemed that, actually, there is a lot that you like and I suspect that for every complaint, for example, about the site's design being 'boring' there are 2 or 3 that say 'don't change it'. So one thing is clear, and that is that it's not possible to please everyone all of the time!
I had planned on replying to most comments individually, however with so many that will be impossible so I've been collating a list of 'themes' (e.g. bricklists, searching) and will post something to summarise my views on each of them over the next week or so.
Anyway, my wife is calling me to get the lunch now, so take a look at the results for yourself, and by all means comment here on them. I'll be back later :-)
16 comments, latest one posted 31 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)476 views
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Brickset review quality
Posted by Huw, 26 Oct 2010 15:22. Filed under Brickset.
The user survey is still running: it's been a great success, with around 750 responses so far. I've been reading the comments and there are some good ideas and suggestions being made. One common complaint, which if I'm honest comes as no surprise as it was also complained about last year, is the quality of the reviews.
It's a difficult problem to solve given that there are over 26,000 reviews in the database which are being added to at a rate of 10-20 a day. Clearly, weeding out the 'unhelpful' ones is not something I or another individual can do easily: besides, what qualifies me to decide if a review is 'unhelpful' or not? Different people have different opinions.
So, I've implemented what I hope is going to be a quick-fix which I hope will help weed out the poor ones: I've added an algorithm to the reviews database which will effectively delete them when they have been marked as unhelpful by enough people. If a review has over 5 ratings and more than half of them are 'unhelpful' then the review won't be displayed any more.
For this to work it needs you help: Please, if you read a review and you think it's not worth the paper it's written on, so to speak, then mark it as unhelpful. If enough people do this, the poor ones will be weeded out.
I'm not 100% convinced by algorithm is perfect, and I'm sure over time it will need to be tweaked, but that's easily done once enough ratings have been made. So, play your part: rate every review you read!
Update: I've made a couple of tweaks following your requests: the rating area is now not so prominent and the alert box no longer appears, just a discreet message under the radio buttons.
54 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)544 views
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Changes to Brickset in response to your comments
Posted by Huw, 24 Oct 2010 04:06. Filed under Brickset.
The survey isn't even over yet but there were some common themes in the early comments that I felt I had to address as soon as possible. Here's what's been changed:
- Searching: The autocomplete-while-you-type clearly wasn't working well so that has gone. (but see below...)
- Searching: You can now search minifigs, news, BrickLists and, if you are logged in, members, directly from the top search box.
- Navigation: Hover over the tabs for 0.5 seconds and another level of navigation will be exposed. I have attempted to follow usability best practice for these menus, which for some reason are called 'mega menus', as described on this UseIt article. To make room for the wider search area, the reviews tab has gone and is now under More...
- Set news: There's another tab on the set detail pages which shows news articles related to the set you're looking at. Try it out on 10214 Tower Bridge.
I'm sure there'll be a lot more to attend to in the coming weeks, but I hope you appreciate these initial changes. As always, let me know what you think.
Update 25th Oct: Search autocomplete is back! I've incorporated the autocomplete component from jQuery UI 1.8.5 which works much better than the old one and doesn't seem to be annoying at all! LMKWYT...
80 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)733 views
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Have you completed the Brickset user survey yet?
Posted by Huw, 23 Oct 2010 08:52. Filed under Brickset.
The Brickset user survey is still underway! If you haven't yet particpated then please do! There's been over 600 responses so far, which is fantastic, and some really good ideas and suggestions have been made.
I'm going to keep it open until next Friday and then start analysing and digesting the responses. I will be making them available for everyone to see, together with my comments on some of the more interesting ones.
8 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)465 views
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Tell us what you think: the 2010 Brickset user survey
Posted by Huw, 17 Oct 2010 11:12. Filed under Brickset.
For the second year running, I'm conducting a user survey to find out what you like about the site and what you don't. Here's your chance to let me know what you think and to tell me your ideas and suggestions.
Last year's survey was a great success, with about 800 responses. Some great suggestions emerged and many of them have been implemented. This year I've bought the survey 'in house' (last year's was done at survs.com) which means I can do more with the data and can also make it publicly available on the site once the survey has ended.
So, don't hold back: tell me what you think!. Brickset thrives on user suggestions and its future direction will be influenced by this survey, so now's your chance to have a say. Please do so by the end of October.
29 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)490 views
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And the exclusive set is ... #10217, "Diagon Alley", a Harry Potter set.
Posted by bluemoose, 01 Oct 2010 12:46. Filed under Brickset.
The timing of the announcement isn't what we were expecting, but the set is now public ... the new exclusive set for Jan 2011 is a Harry Potter-themed set based on the "Diagon Alley" location from the books & films. The set features three seperate buildings and eleven minifigs.
We've been given the full press-pack by LEGO, which features a large number of hi-res images; due to being deployed to GWLS, network access is limit, so we'll have to post the images later.
The Press Release reads -
10217 – Diagon Alley™
Ages 14+. 2,025 pieces.
US $ 149.99 CA $ 199.99 UK £ 132.75 DE 149.99 €
Expand your very own wizarding world of Harry Potter™!
No need to pass through the Leaky Cauldron. Now even Muggles can shop in Diagon Alley by building this fantastically magical set that includes 3 extensively detailed buildings and 11 minifigures! Join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they shop for their Hogwarts school supplies. Visit Ollivanders, Borgin and Burkes, and Gringotts Bank. Each Diagon Alley building is realistically detailed. Ollivanders offers an extensive selection of wands, storage shelves and a step ladder that allows Ollivander to gather wands from the top floor. The front desk has an “exploding” function for those inconvenient times when a spell goes awry. Borgin and Burkes includes a scary skeleton, “glow-in-the-dark” elements, a fireplace attached to the Floo Network and a Vanishing Cabinet that Dark wizards might use to sneak into Hogwarts. Gringotts Bank is an impressive two-story building with large double doors, and can be opened completely into one large building or closed to create one smaller building. The bank’s interior features a removable vault, along with the Philosopher’s Stone, a clerk’s desk, a chandelier and ‘wonky’ support pillars. Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls.
- Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls!
- Diagon Alley is made up of 3 extensively detailed buildings: Ollivanders, Borgin and Burkes and Gringotts Bank!
- Ollivanders features lots of wands, storage shelves and a step ladder that leads to the top floor!
- Front desk at Ollivanders has an “exploding” function!
- Borgin and Burkes includes a skeleton, “glow-in-the-dark” elements, fireplace attached to the Floo Network and even a Vanishing Cabinet!
- Gringotts Bank is a two-story building featuring large double doors!
- Open Gringotts Bank completely into one large building and explore inside or close it to create a smaller building!
- Gringotts Bank features a detailed interior with a removable vault, the Philosopher’s Stone, clerk’s desk, chandelier and ‘wonky’ support pillars!
- Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls!
- Ollivanders measures 8" (20 cm) high and 5" (13 cm) wide!
- Borgin and Burkes measures 8" (20 cm) high and 7" (18 cm) wide!
- Gringotts Bank measures 8" (21 cm) high and 4" (10 cm) wide when closed, 8" high and 9" (23 cm) wide when opened wide!
- Completed model (depending on how much space is allocated between individual parts) measures 24" (60 cm) long and 12" (30 cm) deep and 8" (21 cm) high!
64 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1400 views
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I'm off to the GWLS now...
Posted by Huw, 01 Oct 2010 05:24. Filed under Brickset.
...so news may be a litle slower than usual over the next few days. We'll try and keep you posted on the set that's being unveiled, however I am saddened to see that a site has already published the information and pictures ahead of LEGO's official launch time (later today). I'm fairly sure the site concerned isn't a recipient of such information through official channels, so it seems that whoever passed it to them omitted a vital piece of information: when it should be revealed.
Anway, I hope to see you there, I'll most likely be in Caerphilly Hall manning the large train layout. If I'm not, ask where I am.
14 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)399 views
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Store Grand Opening sets now added to the database
Posted by bluemoose, 24 Sep 2010 19:09. Filed under Brickset.
Since 2008, new Lego Brand Stores have celebrated their opening with exclusive in-store sets that have typically been limited to the first 300 customers (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less) who have spent at least US$35 (or the local equivalent) in the store on the opening day. As you can imagine, these are pretty rare sets. They are usually modelled on something of local interest, which means some of the subjects are a little obscure to non-residents.
These sets are usually provided in a zip-lock bag with colour photocopied (or inkjet printed) instructions, with the obvious exception being the 'Big Apple' poly-bagged set from earlier this year that was used as the opening day set for the New York city store. According to our research, there have been 28 of them released since 2008 (and an additional one released way back in 1992).
Today we've added to the database all the 'Grand Opening' sets that we've been able to track down. If you know of any others, please let us know. It looks like we'll need to update this list quite frequently with the new stores expected to open in the coming months!
28 comments, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)444 views
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2011 News, redux.
Posted by bluemoose, 23 Sep 2010 16:35. Filed under Brickset.
We're getting quite a few emails about early 2011 sets, as there have been a lot of new leaks in the last few days, including good quality shots of some brand new themes for next year, as well as the Series 3 collectable minifig line-up.
We aren't ignoring the posts, but we are making a deliberate decision not to post info until official sources are available. To reiterate Huw's post from last month -
"We're aware that there's news of 2011 sets on other sites, based on the sighting of a retailers' catalogue.
While we like to read it as much as you do, we know that LEGO do not appreciate it when leaks like this occur so early in the year and are propagated by sites as popular as this. One reason being that it could potentially enable a competitor to bring a similar product to market beforehand. So, for that reason, we won't be reporting on it here, or providing links to it, until much later in the year when it becomes 'common knowledge' and is not based on priveleged information (e.g. the retailers' catalogue), and we'll be deleting comments that mention it, too.
I appreciate your understanding on this."
We're aware that Lego's lawyers are taking pro-active action to get these new files removed from image sharing sites, so make the most of them if you do track them down. Please do not post links to images or discuss the new themes here, as your posts will be deleted. Thanks for understanding :-)
38 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)456 views
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Ultra-rare sets added to the database
Posted by Huw, 21 Sep 2010 14:45. Filed under Brickset.
I've added a number of old polybag sets to the database recently, including three today. Thanks to Dmitriy and Gena_A from doublebrick.ru in Russia for sending them to us. Normally, when we receive images for sets that we don't have in our database we can cross-check with BrickLink, Peeron or the Collector book to find out more about them, such as year of release.
However in this case, the three added today are not mentioned anywhere else. It's very unusual for them not to be at BrickLink in particular, so they really are ultra-rare. It wouldn't take much to re-constitute the sets from parts in your own collection, but even so, for the collector who has to have everything, these are going to be difficult to track down!
18 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1415 views
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Wallpaper update
Posted by Huw, 19 Sep 2010 11:14. Filed under Brickset.
I've added the collectable minifigure series 2 wallpapers to the repository, along with a few miscellaneous ones dug out of the wayback machine's archive of LEGO.com by Scott B. Question: were there a set of wallpapers for series 1 figs that I missed?
If the thumbnails don't display when you view the page, try again: the wallpaper images are still hosted on the cra??y 1and1 server which restricts concurrent connections and under heave use it won't show them. So, just refresh the page.
10 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)362 views
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Super Pack update
Posted by bluemoose, 19 Sep 2010 10:44. Filed under Brickset.
You'll notice from the 'New Additions' banner above that we've recently added a number of new entries to the database for 'Super Pack' sets, those 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 (or occasionally 5-in-1 or even 6-in-1) product packs that appear from time-to-time in the larger retailers like Toys-r-Us.
These are interesting packs, and can represent a nice saving over buying the included sets separately ... assuming you want them all in the first place. They present an interesting problem for us here on Brickset as they get little proper publicity, and we're largely reliant on them being spotted in-store and reported to us here or through other Lego websites. That also means the "box shots" are often quite poor quality.
The stand-out new 'super packs' for me are the two new Hoth-themed Star Wars packs, each containing 13 figs, #66364 and #66366. I haven't seen these on sale anywhere yet & we have no idea of the retail price, but they'd each make for a lovely surprise gift :-)
27 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)809 views
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Review preview
Posted by Huw, 19 Sep 2010 06:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a tweak to the review form, prompted by brickset member Alemas, to enable you to preview your review to make sure it looks right before you submit it. In fact, you have to preview it before you submit.
I'm hoping that this will improve the quality of the formatting of reviews generally: at the moment we have to delete quite a few that haven't been formatted correctly.
As usual, if you have any problems with the review form or process, let me know.
Unrelated, I've been trying out the IE9 beta and have found a few problems with the site, mainly JavaScript related. I'm assuming this is a IE9 issue rather than Brickset's since it works fine in every other browser. Hopefully it will be fixed before its release.
17 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)273 views
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LEGO loses EU trademark case
Posted by Huw, 15 Sep 2010 05:14. Filed under Brickset.
As has been widely reported on news sites, including BBC News, LEGO has lost its appeal to have its 2x4 brick protected by trademark law.
Because the patent on the 'stud and tube' connection method expired some time ago, other companies, including M??? B????s, are legally able to produce compatible bricks. LEGO wanted the design of the brick designated a trademark to prevent them from doing so, but yesterday the European Court of Justice upheld the decision made in 2004 to cancel it.
What does this mean to us fans? Not a great deal, other than the shops will continue to be cluttered up with inferior products, and perhaps LEGO will be forced to keep their prices in check, although there hasn't been any evidence of that so far!
M???????s and LEGO may well be compatible in as much that they fit together but as we all know that's about as far as it goes: in terms of quality, design and appeal to adults there is no comparison...
Update: LEGO has published their own press release on this now.
72 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)739 views
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Brickset.com now hosted on super-fast server
Posted by Huw, 13 Sep 2010 17:25. Filed under Brickset.
Today, Brickset was moved onto its own dedicated virtual server, a 2Gb Windows Server 2008R2 machine which should mean it's much faster and more secure, not that either of those were a problem on the old one, though.
There were a few issues during the transition as some of you have noticed. The mobile site was down for a few hours, the geo-locating didn't work and latest comment ages were a bit out. I think these are now all sorted but if you do notice anything strange anywhere, leave a comment and I'll try and sort it.
If you are looking for web hosting I can thoroughly recommend Northstar Computer Systems who host Brickset (and BrickLink) particularly for the stability of the service and first-rate technical support, where you talk to a real person, and the same one every time.
11 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)355 views
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A Minor Technical Issue ...
Posted by bluemoose, 13 Sep 2010 17:03. Filed under Brickset.
As a few of you have noticed, we have a slight problem with the automatic location system for news posts - for example, some people are being misidentified as being in the US when they are really in the UK, & vice-versa.
We rely on a 3rd party IP address database for this auto-location system, so please stand by while we track down the problem. Thanks for your patience :-)
13 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)248 views
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LEGO's profits soar again
Posted by Huw, 11 Sep 2010 15:55. Filed under Brickset.
Perhaps the most significant story to emerge this week, which I haven't seen mentioned on other LEGO fan sites, is that LEGO has again announced increasing profits this half-year.
"Strong sales of Lego Atlantis, a Lego version of the mythical lost undersea city, helped the Danish toy-maker report a 34pc increase in sales over the first half of its financial year." reports The Telegraph while Toy News says that Lego Prince of Persia has been "extremely well received" by consumers which surprises me somewhat given the way it was reduced here in the UK very shortly after release.
I suspect the hike in prices across the board has contributed to this profit, too. But, of course, it's far better for the company to be healthy than making a loss to ensure its longevity.
So, well done Mark S, designer of some of the Atlantis sets, for directly contributing to the company's profits. I hope they give you a raise :-)
44 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)614 views
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Star Wars Celebration 2010 Cube Dudes
Posted by Huw, 02 Sep 2010 17:00. Filed under Brickset.
If you weren't fortunate enough to get a set of these at the Star Wars Celebration event in Florida last month, fear not: Brickset member JSutton with help from Brent S has reverse-engineered them and provided step-by step instructions, available exclusively here at Brickset.You'll find them on the Cube Dudes page, along with instructions for those available from the San Diego Comic Con.
9 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)649 views
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Latest batch of instructions added
Posted by Huw, 02 Sep 2010 14:11. Filed under Brickset.
Several new instructions have been uncovered on LEGO's customer service site including 3 new promotional sets, 30011, 30012, 30013 and 4 books for 10212 Imperial Shuttle.
20 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)493 views
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New features
Posted by Huw, 01 Sep 2010 11:07. Filed under Brickset.
Before I went away I finished off adding some new features which I've just published today.
- Your overall review ratings are now shown in the results table, along with a link to your review.
- On the My Sets page you'll see new links to view sets that you have rated 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and to those you own that you have not yet rated. The links 1 to 5 only appear if you have actually given a set that rating.
- You can now edit your reviews. If you review a set for a second time, your original review will be shown in the form, which you can then edit.
- When viewing review listings, an 'Edit this review' link will be provided on your reviews.
Also, unrelated, the web services have been updated with a new service method and if you have a iPhone/iPad I've provided a fancy icon which will be used if you bookmark Brickset.com.
As usual, if you find any problems with any of this, or have suggestions for future enhancements, let me know.
15 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)291 views
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I'm back after a few days away...
Posted by Huw, 01 Sep 2010 05:37. Filed under Brickset.
I've been away on a short cruise to Cork, Ireland: it looks like its been a busy few days here at Brickset and I'd like to thank bluemoose and grahame for keeping you all informed in my absence. To get me back into the LEGO 'groove' I've just ordered the Harry Potter sets and will be collecting them tomorrow evening! Nice one Tesco!While in Cork I had the opportunity to visit Smyths, the largest chain of toy stores in Ireland. The LEGO aisle was absolutely fantastic: it had virtually every set that's currently available all neatly and tidily organised on the shelves, and there were even some pretty decent discounts on older sets. It put Toys R Us to shame. So if you're in Ireland, lucky you!
24 comments, latest one posted 33 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)555 views
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Bricks and Pieces magazine archive updated
Posted by Huw, 20 Aug 2010 06:53. Filed under Brickset.
I've now scanned every copy I've been loaned, from 1981 to 1988.It's interesting to see how it evolved over that time and in around 1986 it dumbed-down considerably, which seems to coincide with the departure of one of the editors. I wonder if that's the reason.
By 1988 they are slightly better than today's but the rot has set in, being almost full of competitions, cartoons and other trivia.
I don't intend to add any more beyond 1988 but I'd love to add some of the earlier issues, so if you have a stash of them somewhere, get in touch!
19 comments, latest one posted 34 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)374 views
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Bricks and Pieces magazine archive
Posted by Huw, 18 Aug 2010 09:09. Filed under Brickset.
I've been threatening to add these to Brickset since April. Now, at last, I've had time to scan and prepare them as PDFs and create the Bricks and Pieces magazine archive.Bricks and Pieces was the UK LEGO Club magazine in the 1970s and 1980s. Unlike today's effort which is little more than a glorified sales brochure, it was a real magazine that contained news, interesting articles and building inspiration.
Today I have uploaded 5 issues from 1981 and 1982. The first issue is interesting in that it contains a lot of information about the 'new' 12v train system which was about to be introduced (somewhat belatedly) into the UK.
Another thing that's interesting is that the kids' models in the centre pages are actually quite good, and not the thrown-together bolocs models featured in today's issues. I wonder why that is?
I won't rant on about these any more, I'll let you read them for yourself to see what they are like, but I will just urge you to check out he David Lyall feature, which is usually on th back page of each issue. He was LEGO UK's display model builder until 1983 and has reached legendary status here in the UK where his models are now much sought after.
Do let us know what you think of them. I will be adding more issues in the coming days, so check back often.
Update: 1983 and 1984 issues are now available for download.
14 comments, latest one posted 34 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)941 views
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SDCC 2010 Cube Dudes instructions available here at Brickset!
Posted by Huw, 10 Aug 2010 15:38. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset member Jsutton has reverse engineered the models and created step-by-step instructions of the five SDCC 2010 Cube Dudes. You can now view them excusively at Brickset!If you have the parts, do take the time to make them as they are very cute!
Update: Jsutton has provided new versions of the instructions that are slighty more accurate, thanks to input from those that actually own them.
38 comments, latest one posted 34 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)714 views
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Data restoration progress
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have restored the following tables from backups taken in May.
- Sets. The sets table is more-or-less complete. Some recent additions don't have names or release dates but Grahame and I will be updating them over the next few days.
- Users. If you registered after the beginning of May you'll need to register again.
- Reviews. All reviews have been restored because I took a backup the night before the disk failure. However, reviews less than 200 characters long have been deleted in an attempt to improve the quality and in future it won't be possible to post one-liners any more. Reviews by users who registered after the beginning of May are now unattributable to the reviewer, but will still appear. Reviews for sets added after the beginning of May have been lost, although there were only a few of those anyway.
Tomorrow I will restore the review ratings and collections tables. I probably won't bother with news and news comments.
You may log in now and write reviews (and I encourage you to do so) but review ratings and collections will be overwritten tomorrow so don't bother to add any!
Huw
1 comment, latest one posted 32 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)322 views
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Please welcome more news correspondents!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I'm pleased to announce that CrzyLCF will be reporting on Canadian news and Brickapolis, the creator of the Lego Set News Worldwide group on flickr, will be joining us to bring breaking news on new sets from his home area in the United States. I hope to be welcoming another Canadian very soon and once he's on board I think we should have enough correspondents to cover the main English speaking countries.
You may have noticed I've added some fancy flags to the news article headers so you can quickly identify if the story is relevant to you, and created some new categories too.
13 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)211 views
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Introducing the Brickset Web Service
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Want to write a Facebook plug-in that interfaces with Brickset? Or an Android application?
The Brickset Web Service provides the means for these, or any other kind of application, to interface with the Brickset database. There are already two iPhone apps in the works which use it, and with your help, there could be apps for Android, PC, Mac, Symbian and even BlackBerry. I am unlikely to find the time (or have the skills) to write them all, so by exposing the core functionality of the site as a web service I will hopefully encourage those that do have them to do so.
Read the documentation to get started!
16 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)366 views
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News commenting feature has been suspended
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have regretfully decided to suspend the commenting feature. I had hoped that it would be used to add value to the news articles we post and make interesting reading but unfortunately a small minority seem to think it their right to post stupid, pointless comments, probably just because they could.
It takes enough of my time moderating set reviews and I don't really have time or the inclination to moderate juveline chit-chat as well. However, I will probably reinstate comments once I have worked out how best to do it without too much effort. If you have any ideas, or wish to help with moderation, get in touch.
2 comments, latest one posted 63 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)313 views
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New buy tab!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
If you're in the UK, check out the new Buy tab above!
I should have a feed of US sets and prices in the next few days, so if you're feeling left out by all the recent improvements, hang on in there!
11 comments, latest one posted 68 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)258 views
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New RSS feeds
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Want to know when sets are added to LEGOshop.com but don't want to visit it every day? I now have the solution: Subscribe to one of Brickset's new RSS feeds.
If you're using FireFox or Internet Explorer, click on the RSS icon
on the toolbar to view and subscribe to them. If you're using another RSS reader, the feed URLs are:- http://www.brickset.com/rss/legoshop/uk/new/ if you're in the UK
- http://www.brickset.com/rss/legoshop/us/new/ if you're in the USA
Let me know if you find them useful. I might add others for 'sales and deals' soon.
23 comments, latest one posted 61 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1205 views
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Minor outage of website today
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
At some point today the back-end database is hopefully being moved to another, faster, server. There may be a short (15 minutes or so) outage while this is done. I apologise in advance for the inconvenience.
Currently there appears to be a problem with some searches: this may be due to a database lock which should get resolved soon.
10 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)297 views
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Brickset was hacked over the weekend
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I don't know if it was done by a disgruntled former member or a robot, but Brickset was hacked twice over the weekend.
Consequently, to prevent further attack, the site is currently 'read-only': Reviews won't be saved, your collection can't be recorded and you can't rate reviews. If you attempt to, you'll see an error message. In addition I have taken the decision to remove news commenting for good. It is more trouble than it's worth.
My sincere apologies to genuine LEGO fans who used the site to spread useful news and comment. I am hoping to provide facilities in the future to enable you to contribute more easily to the news on the site.
This is a transient situation until I have rewritten the site to prevent attack, which won't be an overnight job but should be finished by the end of June. If you have any suggestions for improvement, use the contact form to let us know.
In the meantime, I'll continue to keep you updated on site progress and LEGO news, and please continue to click-through to LEGOshop.com via my links to show your support for the site.
Thanks
Huw
8 comments, latest one posted 55 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)273 views
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Is the site slow today?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've been seeing more database timeouts than usual today. Is the site behaving OK for you or is it slow or not working properly? Perhaps you could let me know.
44 comments, latest one posted 50 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)258 views
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2009: A review of the year at Brickset
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
2009 has been a fantastic year for Brickset so I thought I'd do a quick recap of the new features added this year, and also what you can look forward to in 2010.
January: During the latter half of 2008 I rewrote the site from scratch and launched it at the very end of 2008. The upgrade added loads of new features but also provided a stable base on which to build more. The Theme Browser was the first new feature of the year which makes it much easier to view all sets in a particular theme, by year or subtheme. Next up was the My Friends page which allows you to mark Brickset users as friends and keep track of their collection and reviews. This was Brickset's first attempt at 'social networking': I think it's been a success and a useful feature so maybe it's an area that can be enhanced in the future.
February: Perhaps the most significant enhancement of the year was the addition of minifig data from BrickLink. As well as showing minifig counts in search results, the actual minifigs themselves are shown when viewing set detail pages. A Minifig Browser was also added to make it easy to see all minfigs in sets from a particular theme, subtheme or year of release.
March: Following on from progress in February, it was a small step to combine minifigs in set data with your set collection to highlight the minifigs you own when viewing minifig lists, and to generate a list of your entire minifig collection grouped by theme. I also added the ability to mark minfigs as wanted and also to record your loose minifig collection.
May: I added an often requested feature: the ability to add notes against sets, both those you own and those you don't.
June: Integration with other sites was the theme in June: Import from Lugnet, Export to Peeron, enhancements to the export of your set list, and the exporting of your minifig wanted list as an XML file for importing to BrickLink. With help from Fly Guy, the Brickset page on Facebook was set up. I also started Tweeting.
August: After adding all those new features I thought I'd take stock and ask you, the site users, what you thought of it, and how it could be improved. I ran a survey which received around 1500 responses and provided some excellent feedback.
September: A common theme in the survey comments was that you thought the site's news was too UK-centric. So I recruited news correspondents from the US, Canada and Australia to improve news coverage in those countries.
October: The last new feature of the year was the addition of BrickLists which allow users to compile lists of otherwise unrelated sets and share them with other users. I think these have been a success, there are over 900 of them now, although there is probably room for improvement still, to help sort the useful ones from the not so useful.
November and December: Traffic increased to ridiculous levels during the run up to the holiday season so I left the site well alone!
So, what's in store for 2010?
- In the next few weeks I will be adding a feature which I am particularly excited about which will enhance the site's usefulness considerably.
- Traffic to the site has increased so much that it will shortly be rehosted onto its own dedicated server: this will improve flexibility and also enhance performance. It will cost a lot more, but thanks to the revenue generated when you click through to LEGOshop.com, eBay and Amazon, the site will continue to remain self-financing.
- We will be adding vastly improved images of 1970s and some 1980s sets. I won't tell you where these are coming from just yet: you'll find out in due course.
- I'm also planning to give the site a 'lick of paint' and update its design slightly. Don't worry though, it will remain as easy on the eye and easy to use as it is now!
So not only have you some fantastic new LEGO to look forward to in 2010 but also some great enhancements to your favourite LEGO site!
Finally, I'd like to thank the people who make this site what it is:
- Main database administrators Grahame and Bluemoose
- Moderators Martin and Dr. Sinister
- News correspondents Jkool, danjc, MinifigHQ, Shima55, Brickapolis and CrzyLCF
- Dan at BrickLink for the use of BrickLink's data
- Eric at Northstar (our web host) who has provided a rock solid web server and database
- Rene at 1000Steine for hosting the set images
- Finally, you, for visiting, for writing reviews, comments and BrickLists and generally making this a friendly place and a pleasure to run.
54 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)358 views
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Problems posting reviews?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I noticed that several of you had problems posting reviews earlier today from entries in the error log. There was a problem which I've now resolved. Please try again now, and apologies if you lost the text you had entered.
3 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)241 views
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Lots of cool news...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Thanks to everyone who's emailing me with news: Star Wars are now listed at LEGOshop.com in the UK... Series 2 minifigures are available at LEGOLAND Windsor, etc. etc.
Unfortunately (for you, anyway) I'm on vacation at the moment in Malta and it's far too hot to be indoors updating websites, so updates from me at least will be slow for a week or so. I expect the other contributors will keep you informed though.
Normal service will be resumed as soon as I get back!
36 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)335 views
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Brickset welcomes new moderators
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have recruited three new moderators: fellow Brickish Association members Martin, bluemoose and Doctor Sinister. Their job will be to make sure we all play nicely in here, so please behave so they don't have much to do :)
114 comments, latest one posted 55 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)333 views
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Couple of site enhancements
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
In response to the outcry about the missing eBay links on the set details page, I've added a new feature that shows eBay items related to the set you're looking at or the search you've performed. You can show your support for Brickset for signing up for an eBay account if you don't already have one, and/or bidding on (and winning!) any lots you see.Update 9th Jan: I've included a similar feature for Amazon which should work for Amazon US, UK, France and Germany. If you're in France or Germany could you let me know if you're seeing the correct box? Thanks!
Update 9th Jan: The eBay box should now detect which country you're in and show items from the appropriate eBay site. The following countries are supported: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, United Kingdom and the USA. Sitting here in the UK it's difficult to test this functionality so I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me know if you're seeing the right box.
Let me know what you think of these features, I hope you find them useful and not too intrusive.
32 comments, latest one posted 53 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)271 views
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WHAT pieces to you own?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
After I added the feature to give you a total of parts you own some of you still weren't satisfied. You wanted to see exactly what parts you owned. So, now, I offer you the third new feature this week: You can now send your collection to Peeron where you'll be able to see just that. Click on the link in the Export section of your 'My Sets' page for more details and instructions. Be sure to read the notes, too. You should also read information about Peeron's 'My parts' feature.I'm good to you guys, aren't I :-)
30 comments, latest one posted 48 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)471 views
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eBay links now available for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I am now able to provide links to local eBay sites in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland from Brickset.
If you're in one of those countries, you'll now see links to eBay.de, eBay.at, eBay.ch or eBay.ie when you're viewing set listings and if you're in Austria, Switzerland or Ireland you'll also see a live list of relevant matches from your local eBay site on the set details pages. Unfortunately I am not able to display this for Germany yet.
I hope you find these useful: if you're in one of these countries, do please reply to this post and let me know if they work OK for you.
2 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)378 views
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Advanced collection manager: feedback requested
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
For some time I've been thinking about adding an 'advanced collection manager' to Brickset to enable you to record more information about your collection. The discussion and interest in the 'cost of your collection' comments suggest that there is a lot of interest in having such a facility, so I will make it a priority (perhaps when the World Cup is on and my wife is glued to the TV :-) ).
I'd like your input before I start to help determine how it should work and what data it should allow you to record.
First, the philosophy behind the current 'I own/I want' mechanism is to keep it as simple as possible and we need to recognise that not everyone will want or need enhanced features, so whatever is provided has to work in conjunction with the simple mechanism. This causes a bit of a problem straight away because the database table structure for your collection is roughly as follows:
User ID, Set ID, Own (yes/no), Want (yes/no), Qty Owned
i.e. there is one record for each different set you own, regardless of quantity. If we are to record information like condition and price, we will need one record for every single set:
User ID, Set ID, price, condition, etc. etc.
It will be relatively easy to create the second data set based upon the data already in the first and to create records in the second as you tick the 'I Own' box but I'm less clear about what should happen if you untick it, or reduce the quantity owned. You could wipe out a lot of data unintentially and if, for example, you own two of a set and sell one so change the quantity owned to 1, the system would not automatically know which of the two records in the second data set needs to be deleted. So this all increases compexity. How do you think it should work? If you use the advanced features, should the system prevent you from reducing quantity or unticking 'I Own' from the current interface?
Assuming we can agree on how to resolve that problem, what data would you like to record? Here's my suggestion to start, with some questions:
- Date acquired -- would you need an exact date, just a month, just a year? Or free text?
- Price paid (currency automatically determined from your country, but overridable), default to RRP where known
- Acquired from -- free text box
- Condition when acquired -- drop down list: MISB, As new, Used/complete, Used/incomplete (any others?)
- Condition now -- drop down list: MISB, As new, Used/complete, Used/incomplete (any others?)
- A series of tickboxes to indicate which parts of the set you own:
- Parts
- Minifigs
- Instructions
- Box
- Stickers
- Location -- free text box to record where you keep it
- Notes -- free text box
Anything else?
The 'advanced collection manager' is likely to be a separate page and not part of the search/browse pages (but linked to from them), so what information about the sets should it show? Obviously set number and name, but what other data is essential? Is the thumbnail important? What other features shoud it have?
I welcome your input as comments here, and I will probably invite the more vocal among you to provide more input by email, and to beta test it when it's done.
77 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)491 views
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Couple of tweaks to the site
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset has been displaying 'Buy now' links to LEGOShop.com since October last year. During this time I've been collecting availability dates and price information. This is now displayed on the set detail pages (e.g. this one). The price is also shown in the listings.
I hope you find that useful.
25 comments, latest one posted 58 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)227 views
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Under the bonnet changes
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've been modifying the site's JavaScript lately and today have replaced all my long-winded hand-crafted code with more concise code using jQuery. Other than possibly pages being more responsive when they first load you shouldn't notice any difference but if you do see JavaScript errors popping up then do let me know via the contact form.
However, you no doubt will have noticed that I added a 'suggest' feature to the search box last week which hooks up the the database as you type and returns matches based on what you've typed so far. I'd be interested to know what you think of it: I've had some good feedback but also some negative. Is it a help or a hinderance?
9 comments, latest one posted 46 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)245 views
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I'm back...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've been on holiday (vacation) for 10 days and away from cheap Internet access (on a cruise ship which charged US$33/hr for it!) so it's great to come back and see the site is still here and that bluemoose and the rest of the team have been keeping you updated and in order in my absence. Thankfully I did log in once and just in time to get my relatives here to buy the Mirror for me each day, so I can send away for Star Wars sets!
The next few months will be an exciting time here at Brickset. First, I'll be annoucing the winners of the August Brickset minifig competition, probably tomorrow. Then, sometime later in September, I have a new feature to roll out which I think you'll find useful and should add an additional dimension to Brickset's data (hint: take a look at Amazon's Listmania feature). Finally, there's the results of the survey to digest and publish. I'll be coming up with a plan to address the concerns and suggestions that were submitted and already I can promise some changes, as a direct result of the survey, that should make the site even better!
One more thing: we're aware there are some images of 2010 sets around but our policy is not to link to or use images that are watermarked 'company confidential', so there's no need to email us to tell us where we can find them.
20 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)316 views
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Apologies for the downtime today
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset was unavailable from 06:40 to 11:45 BST today due to a problem with the database server. A quick transatlantic phone call to our web host, which I couldn't do any earlier in the day due to the time difference, got it sorted. I apologise for the inconvenience.
16 comments, latest one posted 44 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)232 views
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Minifigs are being updated
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
If the minifig pages are blank, that'll be why. Normal service will be resumed ASAP...
5 comments, latest one posted 48 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)263 views
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Apologies for the downtime today
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Brickset was unavailable from about 05:00 GMT until 13:00 GMT (until 08:00-ish in the USA) due to a network connectivity problem on the SQL server. I apologise for the inconvenience.
8 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)277 views
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Another LEGO World Show programme added
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
/tn_P01_jpg.jpg)
Thanks to Phil T we now have what might be a complete set of World Show brochures for the 1980's. (If you know differently, get in touch!)This one, from 1982 might be World Show 2, although it doesn't say as much on it.
Now, what should we add here next? 'Bricks and Pieces' magazine has been suggested... :-)
17 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)401 views
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Comments have been re-enabled
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
It's too quiet in here since I disabled comments... I really haven't got time to implement moderation or to moderate them going forwards so I have re-enabled the comments system as it was previously.
Instead of moderation, I'll be applying a zero-tolerance approach. If you...
- make multiple posts in quick succession
- flame other users
- use bad language
- stray off topic
- write posts that add no value to the discussion
...your comments will be deleted and your account will be suspended without warning. Let's see if we can all get along and play nicely in here!
27 comments, latest one posted 69 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)327 views
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Brickset users own over half a million sets between them!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Over the last few days you have collectively added 1000-odd sets to your 'sets I own' lists which now takes the total to over 500,000! Unsurprisingly, the top 25 most owned sets are all Star Wars bar one, and I have to say I'm surprised what that one is (take a look yourself).
Here's to the next half-million!
55 comments, latest one posted 60 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)316 views
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New minifig related features
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've added a couple of new features to the site relating to minifigs. When you're logged in, go to the 'My sets' tab and you'll see a new box for 'Minifigs I Own'.The first time you look it won't show much except for a link to 'Update my minifig collection'. When you click on that it analyses the sets you own and generates a list of the minfigs you own.
When it's done, after 20 seconds or so, the box will tell you now many minfigs you own and will show a link to 'View my minfig collection'. Click on that and, well, go and see for yourself what it does :-)
You'll also notice that minifigs are shown with a green background if you own them when you're viewing sets or the minifig browser.
Because of the amount of data involved and the time needed for the query to run, your minifig collection is not automatically created for you, and not automatically updated when you add sets to your collection. So, you'll need to periodically click on the 'Update my minifig collection' link.
Another thing I've done is produced a print stylesheet which makes pages print better, without the sidebar, header and footer. If you're using IE7 enable the 'Print background colours and images' in the Tools | Internet options menu, Advanced tab and you'll then see the green backgrounds on your printouts.
I still plan to add more minifig-related features including the ability to record ones you own that are not in sets, loose ones you've bought from BrickLink, for example.
I hope you like this new feature. It's certainly helping me keep track of my collection and I hope it helps you too. As always I look forward to your feedback.
52 comments, latest one posted 50 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)302 views
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Brickset upgrade completed
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've completed the upgrade -- let me know what you think about it, or if you encounter any problems.
Update: The 'My sets' owned/wanted lists should now be working again.
163 comments, latest one posted 53 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)425 views
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Announcing BrickLists
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
As I mentioned last week, I've been working on a new feature for Brickset, called BrickLists. These are like Amazon's Listmania! lists in that you can create lists of, in this case, LEGO sets, add notes to them, then share them with the world.
You'll find a link to the BrickLists home page under the More... tab. Relevant lists are also shown on the set detail pages and member profile pages.
I'm launching them not really knowing whether they'll be useful or interesting to you, or whether they'll fall flat. The only way to find out is to let you loose on them and see what happens. If they take off, there's a lot more I can do with them, such as marking them as favourites, showing a list of the most popular and so on.
I'm hoping that it'll be obvious how to create, edit and publish them but if not, ask here and I'll try and help.
So have a play and let me know what you think!
44 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)421 views
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Slightly new look...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've tweaked the CSS slightly to make the site look a bit better on widescreen monitors and also to fix a couple of issues with Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.
Consider ths an experiment: let me know what you think, if you don't like it I can change it back.
Update 12th Jan: You didn't like it. I changed it back :-)
75 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)312 views
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New feature: Theme Browser
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've introduced a new feature which addresses the problem of quickly and easily browsing themes year-by-year. It's just about possible using the current search facility but it often requires too much use of the back button.
So, please take a look at the new Theme Browser and let me know what you think!
62 comments, latest one posted 53 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)304 views
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Now you can record your loose minifigs!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have just added another cool feature that has been asked for by many of you: you can now record your loose minifig collection at Brickset and also mark minifigs as wanted.
There are two places to do this: On the minifig detail pages you'll find the 'I own/I want' box in the menu just like for sets. You can record the quantity you own and, if you don't already own a 'fig, you can tick is as wanted. However the easiest place to do it is on your minifig collection page. Click on the View your minifig collection link under 'My sets' and once you've chosen a minifig theme you'll find the ' 'I own/I want' checkboxes. The minifig collection page has been enhanced to include a search facility.
Also on the 'My sets' page, once you've marked some as wanted, you'll be able to View the minifigs you want, Export your minifig list as a CSV, and most usefully Export your wanted minifigs in XML format that can be imported into your wanted list at BrickLink.
Note you'll need to have registered and be signed in for the links above to work, so if you haven't already, what are you waiting for: sign up today!
42 comments, latest one posted 47 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)444 views
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Enhancements to BrickLists
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've added a few new features to BrickLists, in response to your requests:
- You can now mark them as favourites and view a list of your favourites
- You can also see a list of the most popular BrickLists. Because not many people have marked lists as favourites, this list is not particularly useful yet, but as more and more of you do so it will hopefully become so.
You'll find the new features in the menu on the BrickList pages.
I think I'm done fiddling with BrickLists now: unless anyone finds problems or has some more great suggestions, I'll leave them as is and move on to the next big enhancement. Whatever that might be...
[Note: favourites IS spelt correctly!]
30 comments, latest one posted 44 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)257 views
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New site features
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've just made some changes to the site today.
- In the user survey I ran last year, one criticism was that the simple 'out of 5' score for reviews did not allow for reviewers to adequately rate the set. I have therefore added four new attributes so you can now rate the set 'overall', 'building experience', 'parts', 'playability' and 'value for money'. At the moment nothing more is done with the scores, other than showing them when reading the reviews but once there's a few hundred reviews in the new format in the database I'll be able to generate lists of 'sets rated best value for money' etc.
- While working on reviews, I thought I'd implement a HTML editor to let you use bulleted lists, headings, bold and italic etc. I'm hoping this is a success but if it becomes apparent that people aren't using it properly I'll have to remove it. (Update: at the moment this only works in IE and FireFox, sorry!)
- I've also improved the display and filtering of reviews on the main reviews page, on the 'reviews written by xxx' lists and also the reviews for a specific set which are now on their own page like this one. You'll also notice in the search results table that there are links to the set review pages in the rating column.
- The set details pages now feature a live data feed from eBay showing the lots available on your local eBay site. I hope you find this useful: my goal is to make it easier to find specific sets on eBay at Brickset than on eBay itself.
I'm sure you won't hold back on letting me know what you think of these changes... :)
79 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)343 views
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Brickset country detection
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Yesterday I made a change which affected Brickset's ability to detect which country you are in. I believe this is fixed now. Could you please check at the bottom of the page and see that it's showing the right country for you and reply to this post to let me know.
Thanks
28 comments, latest one posted 52 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)291 views
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Now we're on Facebook
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Shortly after setting up on Twitter, Brickset user flyguy suggested creating a Brickset page on Facebook, so with his help, here it is.There's not much there yet and I have no idea what use or how popular it will be but I'm prepared to give it a go so if you're a Facebook user come on over and let me know what you think!
15 comments, latest one posted 48 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)277 views
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Is the site running OK today?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I get notified of every error that occurs on the site and today since 07:15 BST there have been a very large number of database timeouts reported. Normally I see 1 or 2 a day but at the moment they are occuring at 1-2 a minute. I've reported this to the ISP and I'm awaiting a response. There could be a database lock problem or something.
How is the site for you? Is it working normally, or a bit slower than usual? I've stopped and started it several times in attempt to resolve it so if you saw a yellow banner saying the site was down, that'll be why.
27 comments, latest one posted 44 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)226 views
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Own a set but still want it?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have just made an enhancement to the site which many of you have requested: you can now mark a set as owned AND as wanted. I've also made a few other tweaks 'under the bonnet' which should make the site load slightly quicker and used a new means of updating the site so if you notice any anomalies anywhere, let me know.
I hope you find this useful.
37 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)329 views
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New feature: the cost of your collection
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Several people have requested this feature, most recently Luciano T: If you are in the US or the UK, the total cost of your collection is now shown on your My Sets page. However, there are few things to overcome before it becomes really useful:
First, the database only contains retails prices for the US and UK. The US prices have come from the LEGOshop.com product feed and only go back to 2007. For the UK, they go back a little further to around 2001.
Second, it's only good for two countries. I'd really like to display this information for others and go further back in time, and this may be where you can help. Do you have a list of retail prices in your country that you'd be willing to share here? Get in touch if so!
Update: I've imported US$ MSRP information, for those sets which we didn't have a price for, from Lugnet, which has increased the coverage considerably. I'm not entirely sure whether that is within Lugnet's terms ot use so I am currently checking.
69 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)429 views
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Do you have your collection recorded at Lugnet?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Lugnet -- LEGO Users Group NETwork -- was THE place for AFOLs to gather on the Internet back in the 1990's. Unfortunately, during a period of neglect by its owners, the online LEGO community moved elsewhere and now, today, although under new management, it's a shadow of its former self.It has a pretty good database of LEGO sets and has better coverage of early sets than Brickset, but I am told that it isn't maintained as well as it used to be.
One feature it had long before Brickset did is the ability to record your collection on the site, and although the implementation is not as nice as Brickset's, it looks like a few people still use it. So, if you're one of them, to make it easy for you to use Brickset instead I've added a feature to enable Lugnet inventories to be imported. To do this, log in and click on the 'Import' link on the 'My Sets' page.
I've tested it using three people's inventories and it appears to work pretty well, with a 99% accuracy rate. There may be problems with sets with duplicate numbers but these, and any sets in the inventory file that are not in our database, are listed after the import. Note that importing overwrites your collection; I may make it possible to merge the two in future if there's demand.
If you give it a go, do let me know how you get on.
(Thanks to HoMa for suggesting this feature)
40 comments, latest one posted 48 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)718 views
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New feature: Customise your news
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Earlier, I promised you a new feature, so here it is:
Several people have emailed recently to say something like: "It's great that Brickset has expanded its news coverage and caters for people all round the world but, you know what, I'm in <insert country here> and I'm not really that interested in what's available in KMart on the other side of the world, so can I somehow filter the news to show me just what I'm interested in?..."
Well, now you can. If you're logged in you'll see a new link in the title bar above: 'Customise your news'. It'll take you to a page where you can specify what categories of articles you'd like to see in this list. Cool, eh!
As well being good for you, the reader, this feature will also hopefully encourage the admins to post more local news, safe in the knowledge that they are not boring people with no interest in it. [Note to admins: be sure to select the most appropriate category when posting so this feature works properly :-)]
Not yet a member? Register now to take advantage of this and many other cool features. It's free and easy!
As always, feedback is welcome...
21 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)287 views
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I'm still on vacation...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I'm still here in Gozo and while I have a good internet connection, it's a bit of a stuggle using a computer indoors and updating Brickset because it's so hot. I'm receiving lots of news - thanks -- but for some reason my laptop has stopped being able to send email using Windows Mail so I haven't been able to reply to many.
My week hasn't been totally LEGO-free though: I've been reading 'LEGO A Love Story' by Jonathan Bender which is a novel about his experience of becoming an AFOL. I'll post a mini-review here when I've finished it. I've also ordered a load of stuff from LEGOshop.com which will hopefully arrive shortly after I get back :-)
Thanks to yellowcastle and bluemoose for keeping you up to date, and hopefully normal service will be resumed when I return to the UK on Saturday.
12 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)331 views
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Welcome, 32768th member!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Unless you're a techie programmer this is not a particularly significant number, however today when the 32768th member joined the site they were unable to use it properly because of a coding error which couldn't handle numbers bigger than 32767, which if you are a geek you'll know is the highest number a datatype of int16 can hold.
Anyway, I'd like to apologise to all of today's new members: hopefully now the site is working properly for you. Welcome to Brickset!
45 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)399 views
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We (did) have a problem with our images
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Everyhing's OK again now...
8 comments, latest one posted 53 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)246 views
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New feature: My Friends
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Shortly after the new site was launched, hitokiri in Moscow contacted me to suggest that I add a feature to make it easier for him to keep track of his fellow doublebrick members' collections here on Brickset. While it's always been possible to see them via individual members profiles, there wasn't an easy way of doing so without lots of clicking around.
So, my solution to this is a new tab: 'My Friends' . On this page you can search the Brickset user database, find your friends then mark them so they appear in your list of friends. Once in the list you can click on links to view their reviews, their collection or thier wants list. You can also see who has marked you as a friend.
This is an opt-in system: if you want people to know more about you, such as your location and real name, so you can be found in the list, you'll need to enter information in your profile and if you want to share your collection with others, tick the 'Allow Brickset users to view my collection' box at the bottom.
I've also added some new fields to the profile page allowing you to enter the URLs of your Brickshelf, flickr and MOCPages galleries.
I hope you find this useful. As usual your feedback will be appreciated.
51 comments, latest one posted 52 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)332 views
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New feature: Minfigs
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Look carefully on the set details pages and you'll spot a new feature, brought to you in association with BrickLink. Under the set image you'll see a list of all minifigs in the set. Click on one to see all sets it has appeared in.Watch this space for more exciting minifig-related features I'll be adding over the coming weeks...
31 comments, latest one posted 52 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)323 views
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Enhancements to BrickLists
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Now that STEAM is out of the way, I have time to work on Brickset again so today I've made a couple of tweaks to BrickLists in response to your feedback. The strange bug that prevented you from adding certain sets should be fixed and, while I intend to provide a drag-and-drop means of reordering lists eventually, for now I've changed the list creation code to number items in steps of 10 which will enable you to change them around somewhat more easily (e.g. to slot a set in between the first and second item you'd give it a number between 11 and 19, e.g. 15).
You have probably already noticed the random BrickList on the side menu bar already! It should change roughly daily (or whenever the server recycles the application).
I'm still really pleased with the way they are being used: there are now 107 published lists and another 90-odd unpublished, and most of them are great, so keep them coming!
Update 14th October: You can now mark lists as favourites and see a list of your favourite lists. When people start using this I will add a list showing which lists have been marked as favouries by the most people.
22 comments, latest one posted 44 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)261 views
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Mobile Brickset is live
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I'm pleased to announce that a version of Brickset optimised for browsers in smartphones and other devices with small screens is now live. It's at http://m.brickset.com. If you're using one of the common mobile devices to view this page you shoud be greeted with a nice big link to it at the top, and there's also a link to it in the menu.
It is NOT intended to be a complete replacement for the main site, it complements it. It is deliberately lightweight so that it loads quickly on even the slowest GPRS links. It provides links to the main site on every page so that you can easily access content that isn't available on the mobile site if you're on a fast connection.
I've tested it thoroughly on my Android phone and my daughter's iPod and it is optimised for the screen size of these devices and the iPhone. It also works on my other daughter's Blackberry and beta testers have tried it on a myriad of other devices and have reported success. If you have an iPhone/iPod I have provided a screen icon which will automatically be used if you bookmark it.
In future, if it becomes widely used, I will provide some form of price comparison functionality and links to eBay/Amazon/LEGOshop.com and possibly also integrate barcode scanning on Android devices.
I'd like to thank everyone who tested it, provided feedback and helped me solve the iPhone display problems.
So, give it a go and let me know what you think.
40 comments, latest one posted 37 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)368 views
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Barcode scanning now supported on the mobile site
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Following a suggestion by a fellow Brickish member, barcode scanning and searching is now supported on Mobile Brickset.
There's a new button on the home page which will launch the scanner. It will work on Android devices, once you've installed ZXing from the marketplace, and it should also work on iPhones once you've installed the Barcodes application from the AppStore.That was the easy bit: the difficult bit is populating the database :) I've added the European codes for Atlantis sets for test purposes, so that's all it will recognise at the moment. I've asked LEGO whether they can provide a list of EAN numbers. I haven't had an answer yet but if it's a negative I'll provide something on the site to enable codes to be scanned and linked to a set.
If you have the three prerequisites (Android phone and ZXing or iPhone and Barcodes, and a European Atlantis set) give it a go and let me know how you get on.Update: Users have experienced problems getting this working on iPhones. Unfortunately I am unable to help, but if you are, please comment here.
12 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)528 views
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News commenting is back
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have re-enabled news commenting, merely a week after saying I would not. Why? Well, despite the hard work needed to keep you lot in order, the site is kinda boring without them.HOWEVER: The moderators will not tolerate any off-topic or pointless posts, so don't even bother. If your post does not 'add value' to the news story, it will be deleted.
The good news is that Dr. S. has agreed that you can use the Tabletown forums for more general LEGO discussions, so please take them over there.
20 comments, latest one posted 60 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)246 views
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New feature: Minifig browser
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've completed the next part of integrating BrickLink's minifig data into Brickset. The Minifig Browser (linked to on the Browse tab) lets you see all minifigs in a particular theme and the sets they appear in. The sets in the list are coloured green if you own them (and you're logged in) making it a breeze to see which minifigs you own in the sets you own.I'm not done yet with this, I'll add more features when I find the time (and can think of them!)
37 comments, latest one posted 51 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)258 views
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How many LEGO pieces do you own?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I'm pleased to announce the second significant enhancement to the site this week: take a look at your 'My sets' page and you'll notice that it now calculates the total number of parts you have in your collection!
This often requested feature has been made possible thanks to Dan at BrickLink who has once again allowed Brickset to use BrickLink's data, in this case piece counts for some 5000 sets. You should now find that, unless you have a lot of old, obscure, sets, we have a piece count for 99% of the sets in your collection which means that the calculation should be pretty much spot on.
Piece counts are included in your collection export file so if you want to do further analysis on the data you can load it into Excel and do so.
For the record, it claims I have 281,889 pieces in 1367 sets, and only 10 of them don't have a piece count.
77 comments, latest one posted 48 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)807 views
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Brickset takes on three new staff members to improve news coverage
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Following my recruitment drive for news correspondents last week, please welcome our three new staff members:
Their primary role will be to report on news in their own countries so between them, myself and bluemoose in the UK and Grahame in New Zealand, we'll be able to provide a more balanced news coverage for the major English speaking countries (but I'd still like someone from Canada!)
This improvement has been made as a direct result of comments in the survey I ran in August. Expect more to come.
29 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)286 views
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It's nearly the end of another year...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
...and as this is the 500th news posting I thought I'd give you some statistics on Brickset usage this year:
2009 2008 2007 Page views 56,500,000 35,173,212 18,065,605 Visits 11,300,000 6,258,637 3,727,744 Hits 269,000,000 104,020,606 52,526,035 Reviews 5509 7397 5491 As you can see the site is going from strength to strength and is currently ranked 13,937 in the Quantcast US site rankings which I am very pleased about considering this is just a hobby site!
36 comments, latest one posted 42 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)318 views
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Data restore complete
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have restored all the data I have. Please now use the site normally. I'll be doing regular backups from now on, and I am sure our web host will be too.
I'd like to apologise if you have lost data as a result of the problems. I hope you'll consider entering it again and continue to visit the site. Running it wouldn't be half as much fun without you!
1 comment, latest one posted 47 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)300 views
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I've updated the minifigs
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've just imported the minifig lists from BrickLink so we now have data for all the summer IJ and most of the new SW sets. I've also sorted out cross-referencing Advent calendars and sets that BrickLink calls 'Gear', like chess sets and magnets. So, if you have your collection recorded here go to 'My sets' and refresh your minifig collection!
Importing them is a slightly laborious proceess so I only do it once a month or so at the moment but I'm going to work at improving things so it can be done at least weekly.
19 comments, latest one posted 47 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)250 views
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Brickset statistics going through the roof
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Have you looked at the Brickset Statistics page lately? The page shows the number of people that use the site per month and also the number of visits and page views.
As you can see, the graphs are climbing very rapidly, obviously because we are heading towards Christmas. At the moment 177,000 people are visiting nearly 500,000 times a month and viewing 2.5 million pages! There's a way to go before we match last year's peak page views of 2.9 million at the end of December 2008, but that was before the site was rewritten.
If you click on one of the graphs you can get a wealth of other useful and interesting information including the fact that Brickset is nearly in the top 20,000 websites on the Internet!
19 comments, latest one posted 43 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)242 views
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Site news
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I have a couple of annoucements to make:
- The wallpaper archive, launched 2 weeks ago now has over 900 wallpapers in it! It started off with my collection of around 400 and since then I've been inundated with additions and I'd like to thank everyone who has sent them to me: sjuip, Michael N, Mitchell, Kevin30, Carolyn, Brickmatt, Christopher and last, but certainly not least, because he contributed over 400 Bionicle ones: Bruno! Thanks to you all. Please keep them coming!
- The more observant among you (Alemas :-) ) will have already noticed that I've added additional images under the main one on the set detail pages. I've had the feature running for 2 days but didn't announce it straight away in case it overloaded the server and I needed to remove it. It doesn't seem to have so it can stay. I hope to enable you all to contribute set images soon so we can get a good collection going.
That's all for now but keep watching this space: the next batch of our exclusive images of rare old sets will be published soon!
23 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)257 views
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Keeping up with Brickset when you're out and about
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I'm back from my short travels and I'd like to thank bluemoose for keeping you all updated while I was away: yesterday was a busy day for news by the looks of things!
I had no wifi internet access in my hotel, which was rather odd given it was a Hilton in the middle of a capital city but I did have my shiny new HTC Desire so I could keep up to date here and with emails using that. In fact I'm developing a mobile version of Brickset to make it easier and yesterday was a good test of it. It's not an iPhone or Android app, but a mobile version of the website that's optimised for use on mobile devices. Using that I could keep abreast of the news and comments and even do a little browing of the database.
Do you use the internet on your phone? Would you like to test mobile Brickset before I launch it? If so, get in touch. Let me know what phone you'll be using. If you have developed mobile-optimised websites yourself even better because I still have a few outstanding issues I need to resolve before it can hit the big time, and you might know the answers...
Update: I have enough testers now, and I think I have a solution to the problem, too, so with luck I'll get this launched in the next week or so!
40 comments, latest one posted 37 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)403 views
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Use Brickset and your Android phone to identify collectable minifigs
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
While my family are watching the tedium that is the Eurovision Song Contest I've been beavering away on the barcode functionality of the mobile site.I have enhanced it so that, if you are logged in and you scan a barcode which is not in the database, it will prompt you to enter the number of the set you've just scanned. This should help build up the database quickly, I hope.
Also... while testing this functionality, I scanned all the barcodes for the collectable minifigs (both European and North American) so you can now use Mobile Brickset to find out what's inside the packet before you buy!
Unfortunately the barcode scanning only seems to be working on Android phones at the moment, so if you have something inferior made by a fruit company, consider upgrading to something decent (ducks for cover.... :-) )
31 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)444 views
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The cost of your collection update / iPad
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
By popular request, the cost of your collection should now be shown for everyone outside the UK in US$, and in £ if you are in the UK, on your My Sets page. Also, it now tots up the cost of the sets you want, too.
Do you view Brickset on an iPad? If so, could you let me know if the large yellow 'mobile device' box above has now gone?
30 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)331 views
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Apologies for the downtime today...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Our ISP had a server problem which was affecting all ASP.NET sites hosted on it. It appears to be fixed now!
14 comments, latest one posted 64 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)247 views
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New feature: Set notes
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a quiet week for news so I thought I'd launch a new feature to give you something to play with: set notes. When you're logged in you'll see a small icon in the 'collection' column of search results. Click on it to add a note about the set. It's as simple as that! You can also view and edit your note on the set detail pages and notes are included when you export your collection. Notes are saved independently to your collection so you can record notes about any set whether you own or want it, or not.There're a couple of notes-related tweaks and features I still intend to add but hopefully you'll find what's there aready of use.
As usual, LMKWYT. Thanks to Jeff M for the idea!
29 comments, latest one posted 49 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)280 views
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Brickset is recruiting
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've been going through the survey responses and have found that there were a lot of comments regarding Brickset's front page news. In the positive comments, many of you said that you like it, you find it up-to-date and accurate, and some of you cite it as the main reason you come here. However in the negative comments, it was mentioned by several people that you thought it was UK (and to a lesser extent US) centric and that there isn't enough of it. So, I intend to address these issues by recruiting more news correspondents.
If you would like to apply for a staff position then here's how to: e-mail me at huw [at] brickset.com by the 26th September telling me a bit about yourself and why you think you'd make a good correspondent. I'm particularly interested in applicants from the USA, Canada and Australia who can report on local issues but I'm happy to accept applications from anyone. However, you MUST be over 18 to apply (in fact, at risk of age discrimination, the older the better), have a good grasp of the English language.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Update 20th Sept: Thanks to everyone who's applied, I'lll get back to you later today. I'd still like some applicants from Canada and Aus. or elsewhere in the world though!
13 comments, latest one posted 45 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)263 views
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Looking for set instructions? Look no further!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I am pleased to announce that Brickset now provides direct links to instruction scans on LEGO's customer service website, thanks to Ross at Brickley's Words. Ross had to shut down his instructions portal in November due to heavy usage but has graciously provided the data to Brickset and will continue to keep it updated.If instructions are available for a set, you'll see this green icon in the search results. When you click on it, you'll be presented with links to the PDFs on LEGO.com. There's also a list of instructions, with more details, on the set details page.
I hope you like this new feature. Happy New Year!
34 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)526 views
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More site changes
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've made a few more tweaks to the site this week and have just published them. The most noticable difference is on the set details pages. The reviews are back, and I took the opportunity to tidy up a few other aspect of the page while working on it and have used a tabbed interface [*] which has made it possible to fit more on the page.
There's also a new eBay search page which you can use to find sets on all the main global eBay sites. This is linked to just above the eBay listings on the set details pages.
Under the bonnet, I've made some significant changes which have reduced the size of the markup and external javascript files which should result in the site loading a lot faster.
I think I've ironed out all bugs but if you notice anything not quite right, let me know.
Huw
[*] This uses jQuery UI for the tabs and ajax so should work in all browsers.
65 comments, latest one posted 39 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)508 views
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Site updates
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
/tn_legoworldshow_-_01_jpg.jpg)
Thanks to Ian McM we now have scans for another LEGO World Show, from 1984. As its date positions it between show 4 (1983) and show 6 (1985) and we already have a show 5 (1984) programme I am not sure what number show this is from!The wallpaper repository is still being updated: I've added PoP and Racers (2010) folders along with various others. There's no easy way to see what's new though: perhaps that's something I need to add.
Finally, I imported the minifig data from Bricklink today, which now includes a full set of data for the PoP sets.
12 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)258 views
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Welcome new news reporters
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
You might have noticed a few new 'yellows' have popped up in the news comments. That's because, I'm pleased to announce, yellowcastle (USA), Vidiator (Germany) and jpmanalo (Australia) have joined the ranks of Brickset reporters and will be contributing news articles here. In the next couple of days I will make some improvements to the contact form (make the link to it more prominent, for one) to make it easier for you to get in touch with us. Hopefully these changes will enable the site to serve you better.
22 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)293 views
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Merry Christmas to all Brickset users!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
We wish all Brickset users a Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous New Year -- and hope Santa brings all of you, plenty of rattling boxes!
2007 is Brickset's 10th anniversary and it's been a great year for the site. Traffic has virtually tripled over the year from 150,000 visits and 700,000 page views in January to nearly 400,000 visits and 2.2 million page views in November. We've added some great new features, not least of which are the direct product links to LEGO Shop At Home that are now making the site a small amount of money which'll go towards its up-keep. Thanks to everyone who has bought stuff from S@H after clicking through from Brickset.
I hope we can continue to improve the site in 2008 to make it even more useful to you. Please keep the news and ideas coming. It's your site, tell us what you want to be able to do on it!
81 comments, latest one posted 65 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)604 views
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Site updates
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've updated many of the site's data sets this evening:
- I've imported the latest minifig data from BrickLink. Several people have emailed to ask about why the collectable minifigs are not showing in their minifig collection when they mark one of the collectable minifig sets as owned. Well, unfortunately BrickLink catalogue admins have made a right pigs-ear of the inventory of the set and have lumped all 16 variants together as one set which means the data is not presented properly for it to be used here. I am hoping that sense will prevail there and it'll become usable, but if that doesn't happen I will have to find a means of adding the data manually here.
- I've also added the images from LEGO.com for the latest batch of new releases, and added a few new instructions that Brent has uncovered over the last week or so.
- Finally, I have moved some of the Brickset images to a differtent server due to restrictions placed on accessing them at 1000Steine.com. The 'additional images', wallpapers and World Show images are now on a new server. When I load set details pages containing additional images I am sometimes presented with 'broken image' symbols instead of the thumbnails. I am trying to resolve that issue with the new web host but so far I have been unsuccessful. I'd be grateful if you'd comment on this message if you also see broken images where the additional image thumbnails should be so I can get a grasp of the scale of the problem.
13 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)261 views
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New images from LEGO.com
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
A lot of new pictures of forthcoming sets have been added to the image repository at LEGO.com, including HERO Factory, Star Wars, Technic and City. Some of them first appeared at Toys N Bricks and Eurobricks, but I've now dowloaded them all, and added them here as main and additional images.
28 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)452 views
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Brickset members own one million LEGO sets!
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
It's been around 5 years since we've been able to record our collections at Brickset and now we've reached a landmark: Brickset members own one million LEGO sets! Last night, member hrkica added a gold 2x4 keyring to his collection: the one millionth to be added. With 15,000 people using the facility that's an average of 63 sets each.
Somehow I don't think it will be another 5 years before we rack up 2 million.
27 comments, latest one posted 46 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)455 views
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HERO Factory: 'From the makers of Bionicle characters'
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I was surprised to find HERO Factory 'heroes' in my local Tesco today. I had a chuckle over the text on the front: 'From the makers of Bionicle characters', it claims. I don't think there could possibly be any doubt: the packaging is the same, the colours and parts are much the same and if it wasn't for the fancy H on the front of Bill Furno that I bought home [1] you'd think it was just another Bionicle. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation...
[1] I always liked to buy the red Bionicle in the series to see how they evolved. I suspect I'll do the same with HF.
56 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)1686 views
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Latest batch of instructions added
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
The latest batch of instructions uploaded to the Customer Services area of LEGO.com includes 10213, Space Shuttle and yet another Toy Story poly-bag set, this time a mini version of Buzz's spaceship. Remember you can keep abreast of all the latest additions on this handy page.
Thanks to Brent, again, for digging these out.
8 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)771 views
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It's my birthday today...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
So my gift to you is some new images of sets released in 1973! I won't tell you how old I am today but I was ten in 1973 ( :-) ) and set 358, Rocket base, pictured, was one of my favourite sets as a kid and it's possible I got it for my 10th birthday (but I can't remember for sure!)
1973 marked LEGO's entry to the US market. Previously sets has been made under license by Samsonite and the last few such sets were released at the start of 1973. Later in the year LEGO established themselves in the USA and began manufacturing and selling sets there. For some reason best known to LEGO, US sets were released with different numbers to those released elsewhere, possibly because of different packaging requirements. (US set boxes have more text including the set name and the number of parts on them. To this day these do not appear on the majority of boxes sold in Europe). Consequently, from a database point of view, things became compilcated!
Also of note this year was a large increase in homemaker sets, but still it would be a year before LEGO figures would appear to populate them. Floating boats were released, as were a range of supplementary parts packs.
All in all, a good year...
101 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)657 views
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New images for Scala added
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Before the name Scala was re-used in the 1990's for a range of dolls' houses and accessories, it was originally given to a small number of jewellery sets that were released in 1979 and 1980. They featured some cool printed tiles and parts for making bracelets and rings. Now for the first time on the Internet, you can view images of the boxes, rather than the catalogue scans as used at other sites. Check out the Theme browser for Scala and enjoy.
I wonder who the little girls on the boxes were? They must be nearly 40 by now :-)
12 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)298 views
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Looking back at 2008 and ahead to 2009
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Christmas is nearly upon us and it's traditional at this time of year to reflect on the year just passed, so inspired by this post on brothers-brick I thought I'd share some Brickset statistics.
The site has seen almost exactly a doubling of traffic since 2007. In 2008 there have been 35,173,212 (yes, that's 35 million) page views, 6,258,637 visits and 104,020,606 hits. This compares with 2007's figures of 18,065,605 views, 3,727,744 visits and 52,526,035 hits. (*)
In 2008 Brickset visitors wrote 7397 reviews, compared to 5491 in 2007.
Our top referring sites, excluding search engines which account for 90% of them, are:
- Doublebrick.com
- Peeron
- legolin.net
- wikipedia
- Bricklink
- Lowlug.nl
- Eurobricks
- Brothers-brick
- 1000steine
- Freelug.org
I'm rather surprised by the number one site.
2009 is going to be a great year for LEGO and for Brickset. Over the last few months I have rewritten the entire site from scratch and very early in the New Year I will be launching it. I think you'll like it: It's not vastly different from the existing one but I've added loads of cool features, including the oft-requested ability to record how many of each set you own, which I think will be popular. It'll also be a more programatically robust system on which I can continue to build new features so once you see it, if there anything you think I could add, then I'll be happy to consider doing so.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support for Brickset: using its features, writing reviews and comments and last but not least buying your LEGO from LEGOshop.com via our links.
Huw
* Hits include images, stylesheets etc. visits are user sessions during which a single visitor will usually view more than one page, and page views are the hits on the actual html pages so are a more meaningful measure.
36 comments, latest one posted 54 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)286 views
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Bumper crop of instructions added to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Hot on the heels of the release of the summer sets, LEGO's customer services has been busy updating their building instructions portal. But to save you hunting on their site to try and find out what's new, I've done the hard work for you and you'll find a list of the new additions here at Brickset.
One of the more interesting ones is this brochure for set 10155, the re-released Maersk container ship. It contains background information about the LEGO company, about the design of the model written by the designer, and also about Maersk shipping and containers. As far as we know this re-released model was only available to Maersk employees.
Also in this latest batch is instructions for the Prince Of Persia Brickmaster set, 20017.
19 comments, latest one posted 34 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)439 views
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Latest batch of instructions added
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Around a dozen new instructions have been added to LEGO Customer Services this week, some of them are very high quality for a change (e.g for 5893) and weigh in at over 100Mb.
Most interesting, however, is 'The Brick Apple', 3300000, which was also discovered by whung. I wonder why it has such a strange set number?
13 comments, latest one posted 36 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)509 views
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1975: minifigs, but not as we know them...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Today I have uploaded brand new images of sets released in 1975. The big event of the year was the introduction of minifigs, but not as we know them today: these were armless, faceless and without moving legs, but they were recognisable as mini people and of a size that made them more-or-less compatible with the LEGOLAND sets of the day. They represented doctors and nurses, policemen, firemen and even cowboys. It didn't matter at the time that they didn't fit in the vehicles (e.g. 659) or fit through the doors: it was great to have people at last.
Looking at the pictures today, it's interesting to see how LEGO represented them sitting down (detach the torso from the legs) and holding things (use a plate between their torso and legs). You can see examples of both in 363, the first hospital set, pictured here.
The bendy-armed people were still going strong, and it was a good year for trains, with the release of some really nice locos and rolling stock, and also for 'hobby sets', the forerunner to Model Team: realistic large scale models for older kids (and their fathers!)
The minifig had arrived, but it would be a full three years before they sprouted moving arms and legs, eyes and mouths to become the iconic form we know and love today.
19 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)736 views
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Are you a fan of Fabuland?
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Fabuland was a fantastic theme aimed at younger kids, and was released between 1979 and 1989. More than 100 sets were produced and even today, the sets and figures are highly regarded and sought after.
Decent pictures of the sets have been hard to come by, which is why until now, we haven't had too many here at Brickset. One reason for this is that many of the sets came in blister-packs or small boxes without instructions, so the images used on other sites tend to be scans from catalogues.
Last year bluemoose and I had an opportunity to photograph a collection (which you'll find out more about in due course) and now for the first time on the Internet, we are able to present an almost complete set of high-quality images taken directly from the set boxes. We are only missing three images now.
If you're a Fabuland fan already, I'm sure you'll enjoy browsing and reminiscing; if you're not, I suspect you soon will be!
Expect more photos like these to be added in the coming days and weeks.
37 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)548 views
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New images of early Dacta sets published
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Following on from our publication of exclusive new Fabuland, Scala and Minitalia images last month, I have now uploaded images of early Dacta sets from 1972-1988. Being educational sets sold only to schools, these sets are extremely rare and this is the first time that pictures of the actual sets themselves, rather than catalogue scans, have been published. They are not even included in the LEGO Collector book.
I still can't say where these images were taken, but you will find out: probably in March! I'd like to thank bluemoose for post-processing them and producing some really clean, clear images.
12 comments, latest one posted 40 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)549 views
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We've added 1972, too...
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
We've pulled out all the stops today to bring you new images of another year: 1972. It was a great year for trains, with nearly 1/4 of all sets released this year being train related. As in previous years, the models of vehicles were in two scales: 4 wide LEGOLAND models and 6 wide which were more detailed. The first educational sets were released this year (but the Dacta name was not used until later) and also the first sets with 4 digit numbers, two of which were among the first co-promotional sets 1550 and 1551, for Sterling Airways, a Danish airline.
11 comments, latest one posted 39 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)300 views
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Review of LEGO Collectors' Guide Book
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
I've had my copy a week -- read my exclusive review. Find out what's in it, how accurate it is and whether it lives up to its claim of being an 'almost complete overview of all LEGO sets produced since 1958'.
14 comments, latest one posted 59 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)547 views
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Brickjournal now available from LEGOshop.com
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Brickjournal is the only printed magazine about LEGO for AFOLs in the world and until now has only been available in the USA, or shipped from the USA for a premium price. Now, at last, it is being stocked at LEGOshop.com which is excellent news for everyone.
If you're a regular visitor here you'll know from this news article that the current issue, issue 10, has an article about Brickset and our visit to the LEGO archive. Joe Meno, editor of Brickjournal, has graciously allowed me to post a PDF extract of the article here for you to download.
As you will gather from the extract, the magazine is a must-read for any self-respecting AFOL and I encourage you take advantage of its new availability and place your order for issue 10 now using these links: UK | USA
16 comments, latest one posted 35 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)589 views
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Images for 1976 now up
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Today I have added new images of sets released in 1976 and we now have an almost complete set of those released in Europe that year.
One year on from the introduction of the armless and faceless minifigs and they are appearing in most of the year's LEGOLAND sets. However the problem of them not fitting in many of the houses and buildings they come with had not yet been resolved. The bendy-armed people were still going strong, too. Perhaps the most impressive sets of the year were the highly detailed (for their time) Hobby Sets: classic cars, bikes and the legendary 396 Thatcher Perkins locomotive, still highly sought after today.
I still haven't told you where these images came from, but you don't have long to wait now to find out! All will be revealed very soon. I won't be revealing it here on this website, but I will tell you where you can find out.
3 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)362 views
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New images for 1971 sets
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Today I've uploaded new images of sets released in 1971. LEGO stepped up a gear compared to 1970 and released 63 sets. However, the market was fragmented further this year: not only were Samsonite sets being made and sold only in North America, but LEGO started marketing Minitalia sets in Italy (for reasons already discussed). The year also saw the first Homemaker sets: 'dolls house' style sets but without any figures to go in them. We had to wait until 1974 for the LEGO family to appear!
I'd like to thank bluemoose for taking and post-processing the images which have come out really clean and clear. He's also improved the 1970 images I posted on Wednesday. Also, thanks to Bruno who has helped fill the gaps for 1970 from his own picture collection.
Watch this space for more: 1972 will be coming up next...
16 comments, latest one posted 39 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)492 views
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1974
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Continuing with our release of new images of vintage LEGO sets, today I have uploaded an almost complete set of pictures of sets released in 1974.
After several years of releasing 'dolls-house' style Homemaker sets, figures to inhabit them were finally made in 1974. But these weren't the minifigs we know today: they were 7 or 8 bricks high with bendy arms, perfectly scaled for the sets made for them. You could build a 'whole house': a kitchen, living room, bathroom and children's room and kit them out with extra furniture and accessories. I suspect they were aimed primarily at girls, but despite that I have to admit I had a soft spot for them at the time and had one or two :-)
The LEGOLAND sets released this year were pretty cool too. 360 Gravel Works was another of my childhood favourites: I remember playing with it for hours, there was so much you could do with it: load and unload the lorry and work the conveyer belt!
Several new trains were made in 1974 but for some reason 12v trains were never released in the UK so my only memory of them is seeing them in toy shop windows on holidays in France. I never did persuade my dad to buy me any :-(
1974 was significant as being the first year that LEGO made people to inhabit their models, but there was a far more significant event about to occur in 1975. I'm sure you know what that is, but if not, look out for new images from 1975 here in a few days...
17 comments, latest one posted 38 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)614 views
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New Minitalia images
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
Continuing with the release of previously unavailable pictures, I have uploaded today photos of many Minitalia sets.
Gary Istok writes in his Unofficial LEGO sets/parts collectors' guide: "Minitalia was the name assigned to a new variation of LEGO type bricks produced in the early to mid 1970’s, for the Italian market only. It appears that around 1970 the Italian Parliament passed some laws to protect Italian businesses from foreign imports. LEGO was one of those imports. So in order to get around the import restrictions imposed in the early 1970’s TLG established an Italian Subsidiary that produced and sold new sets under the 'Minitalia' name."
It was made from a cheaper plastic and the parts were completely different: they use an 'X' rather than a tube underneath to provide clutching power. As you will see in the theme browser, the sets were pretty uninspiring, consisting mainly of basic sets and houses. There are images of the sets we don't have photos of at BrickLink, although some are tiny.
Today, they are little more than a curiosity and individual parts can be bought on BrickLink for a small sum although complete sets are hard to come by.
6 comments, latest one posted 41 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)433 views
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New 1970s images
Posted by Huw, 06 Aug 2010 15:03. Filed under Brickset.
It's been a while since I've uploaded the images of vintage sets taken at a 'secret location' (but soon to be revealed!), so today I present to you new images of sets released in 1970. It is interesting that the train sets are quite sophisticated whereas the vehicles, particularly the LEGOLAND ones, are very basic indeed. 1970 was the first year that Duplo sets appeared, albeit without the red Duplo rabbit adorning the boxes.
It's also interesting that in the entire year of 1970, LEGO released just 38 sets, 6 of which were spares for trains and 6 were US-only Samsonite sets. These days it's usually over 400 different sets produced each year.
7 comments, latest one posted 39 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)597 views
