Win big prizes in our festive building competition
Posted by Huw,
Today we kick-off our festive building competition to win fantastic prizes sponsored by the LEGO Affiliate program!
Before I explain how to enter, take a look at what you could win:
- 1st prize: your choice of the January exclusives: Slave I or (presumably) Detective's Office.
- 2nd prize: the next Ideas set (Birds, I presume).
- 3rd prize: the next Ideas set (Birds, I presume).
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to build a festive model using only parts from 40106 Toy Workshop and 40107 Ice Skating Scene and add a maximum of two photos of your model to the Brickset competition pool on flickr by midnight on Wednesday December 10th. You can read the full terms and conditions below. A panel of judges will decide the winners. I will invite people to participate in the judging nearer the closing date.
You don't need to own the sets -- you can use parts from your collection and even make colour substitutions if needed (see the rules below) -- but obviously it will be easier to enter if you do. Inventories of the sets are shown below. You can use the spare parts that come in the sets.
If you're a VIP member, you will be able to get hold of the Ice Skating Scene tomorrow from shop.LEGO.com -- a whole week earlier than it's available to everyone. A news article will go live at midnight tonight with more information.
So, what can be built with the two sets...? LEGO kindly sent us a few a while ago and here's what the Brickset team has come up with:
Huw
"I've made an emergency present delivery craft. When problems occur in Santa's supply chain, and presents don't make it to the North Pole in time for delivery to kids around the world on his sleigh, his Elf helpers are dispatched in vehicles like this to make the deliveries instead.
"The craft is equipped with the latest navigation aids and radar blocking technology (the thing that looks like a gun sticking out the front!)
"The powerful fairy-dust powered engines can be seen at the back, along with the hatch used to drop presents down chimney pots. The craft is pretty unreliable so a set of tools is provided for running repairs.
"A second elf can fit in the back, if he takes his hat -- and ears -- off. From there he can throw presents out the hatch into the chimneys below.
"Rubbish, isn't it? I am sure you can do better!"
Chris - CapnRex101
"Santa and his elves are always looking to find new ways of speeding up the process of making and dispatching toys worldwide.
"This year they are aided by the brand new P.A.W (Present Auto Wrapper) machine which makes irregularly wrapped presents a thing of the past!
"All you have to do is drop the gift in the top and it will come out at the bottom compressed and wrapped, ready to be slid down to the sorting room along the channels of ice laid out for the task."
Lucy - LostInTranslation
"I've made the worst Christmas jumper ever!"
"Everyone seems to be wearing them the last few years: the ubiquitous Christmas jumper. Let's face it, they're all a bit naff so you might as well embrace it and go the whole hog with full-on Seasonal gaudiness!
"My lovely model Maud is sporting a white jumper with Christmas tree motif, jaunty red Christmas crackers and 'frosty' trans blue trim. She's finished off her outfit with a traditional Santa hat and very tasteful elf earrings, so she's all set for the big day now!
"OK, let's be honest. Maud is not exactly a looker. But hopefully you guys will be able to come up with something a bit more stylish!"
Over to you!
So, that's what we've come up with, now it's over to you! Feel free to embellish your entry with a narrative, too.
Set inventories
Online Inventories are available here and here, or if you prefer, here are scans from the instructions:
Full terms and conditions
- One entry per member.
- The entry has to be new and made only for this site’s contest, a model cannot enter the contest on the other sites that are also running the competition.
- The entry has to be Christmas themed.
- An entry related to the topics below that does not fit the LEGO brand values will not be approved as an entry for this contest. We reserve the right to decide how an entry fits these standards.
- Politics and political symbols.
- Religious references including symbols, buildings, or people.
- Sex, drugs, or smoking.
- Alcohol in any present day situation.
- Swearing.
- Death, killing, blood, terrorism, or torture.
- First-person shooter video games.
- Warfare or war vehicles in any modern or present-day situation.
- Racism, bullying, or cruelty to real life animals.
- You do not need to own the sets to participate as instructions and inventories will be available through the copies sent out prior to the contest.
- Only the elements in the two sets can be used for the entry (alternate colours are allowed if you do not have the element in the correct color).
- The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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65 comments on this article
why are 2nd and 3rd prize the same?
Man I would enter if I had the Legos need but sadly I do not have much atm any more.
I thought it was interesting how the three of us took totally different approaches to the challenge. Huw went straight for 'LEGO Movie style,' Lucy went for using the pieces in interesting and unusual ways while I could not look beyond Structure + Landscape = Structure/Landscape!
Good luck to everyone who enters.
Am I right in assuming this isn't open to minors?
Is LDD okay? I can't get any of those sets in Australia without having to purchase them from the Lego online store and pay $30-40 shipping. Also, is posting on other sites okay if they're not made for another contest?
I assume a Star Wars droid type thing in Christmas deco would not be allowed?
When you say "Christmas" themed, does that extend to winter holiday themed in general, or must it be specifically Christmas?
I'm just wondering, how can the model NOT have religious references if it's about Christmas?
Would I have to use all the pieces in both set inventories? I'm not sure that I even own some of those pieces, let alone in the right colour (unfortunately, I don't own either of the sets).
^^Exactly my thoughts Packer221, nearly every item involved with Christmas has been invented or adopted by the Christian/Catholic church. All these examples by the Brickset staff would be disqualified if that rule was strictly followed!
Oh well, LEGO is just protecting themselves from being called "intolerant" of other religious beliefs. If they picked a little country church as the winner they'd probably be sued for discrimination or something like that...
I admit, this part not being allowed made me giggle.
"Religious references including symbols, buildings, or people."
Good thing this isn't a competition about Christmas, right? :D
It's hilarious to enter a LEGO competition to win LEGO you have to own a specific set (more sales...)
Enough ranting thanks for the competition Huw. I would like to see if I can build some with what I have in my collection. I don't plan to own or have either so is that or LDD? What about LEGO Digital Designer. I will also render it as well if we are allowed.
I really like CapnRex101's idea and build. Cool original idea and looks cool. I'm gonna put on the thinking cap and hopefully get that skating rink set soon to start playing around.
LEGO set those rules and I agree the religious clause is a bit daft. But I'm sure you understand what they are getting at.
The model should be 'festive' not necessarily Christmas.
Oh, and I guess LDD models are allowed.
To everyone chortling about Christmas being religious, tell me where in the bible does it talk about Santa and his elves? Christmas has become as much a cultural celebration as a religious one - in many ways I think it's more of a cultural celebration than a religious one now.
This is a great idea for a contest, it benefits Brickset, it's users and TLG so it seems win win win to me. I don't think I have much chance of placing well but you know what I love this type of building, using a restricted set list of parts and doing the best you can with only those. Really looking forward to getting that second promo set and getting an entry in now!
@CCC - Good point, one that I hadn't considered. Always hard to remember Worldwide expressions differ for the same subject, As they say 'The English and the Americans are two peoples divided by a common language'
Wait, can we use more than just one of the parts in the set, or do we have to restrict ourselves to the parts that we get in the two sets? What I mean is that is it possible to use several types of one piece that only appeared once in the two sets...
No, use only the parts you have if you empty the two boxes onto the table.
Why is it so difficult to understand :-)
^^Gotit. I'm thinking of making a modernised Santa model. You know, if he got up one day deciding to change his image, shaved the beard, got a better coat and lost a few kilos (OK, maybe a lot). Thinking of giving him a christmas goat instead.
I don't have either of the sets, so I don't think I'll be having a go.
What I *will* be having is nightmares, having seen Lucy's picture.*
*By which I mean the picture that Lucy submitted, not 'a picture of Lucy'.
Are LDraw models allowed or only LDD (except for real bricks of course)?
while there is only one paint brush in the inventory, there is in fact two in the set.
Thank you for the clarification Boo!!
I am aware it is a bit hideous :-)
I really struggled to come up with anything with the limited parts but as Huw said, the idea is to encourage members to come up with something better. So I am saying mine was deliberately rubbish!! :-D
@CCC, re: American versus British Christmas - your analysis is mostly spot-on, though I'd argue that your suggestion about the use of the term "holiday" isn't quite right. After all, we Americans call Thanksgiving and Memorial Day holidays, which have nothing to due with roots in Christianity.
Rather, for many religious Americans, "Christmas" is simply inextricably tied to its Christian roots. For many of us, though, "Christmas" simply means the shopping and giving season that involves Santa and his crew. Packer221 and Telcontar aside (pardon if you guys were joking), most of us in either group know the rules proposed here mean no to Jesus iconography but yes to Santa and other assorted winter scenes.
As a side note, I feel compelled to point out that the vast number of cultures here is why we shy away from labeling stuff Christmas-this or Christmas-that, so as to avoid being exclusionary to a large number of people. Versus over in the UK, where you guys get Christmas specials of your favorite BBC shows. So it is understandable that many in the U.S. would immediately think of the religious undertones of Christmas when hearing that word, since that term is not often used in a general context locally anymore.
I am happy that you have brought us another building competition and thank goodness that the LDD builds are allowed. :-)
Here's a more rule aligned question :
Can people under 18 apply to this with parental consent?
Can it be something not inherently Christmas (like a big droid) in Christmas colors and Christmas deco (examples being a wreath on its large arm.)
@CCC - Touché. Poor choice of words on my part - I really should have said that Thanksgiving has no connection to religion in modern times.
The public has lost its Christian morals and beliefs, but yet still celebrates Christmas, a holiday that has been exclusively linked to Christ's incarnation for centuries, with all the same symbols and traditions. Then people expect "Christmas" or "Holiday" events like this contest to have no "religious references including symbols, buildings, or people"! It's really quite ridiculous all this fine print stuff. Santa Claus and gift giving come from Saint Nicholas, a Christian Bishop from the 4th century AD, who gave gifts to the poor and needy out of his love for Christ. The prickly holly leaves represent the thorns in Christ's crown the the berries his blood. Those two facts alone are enough to disqualify the three (fantastic) examples by the Brickset staff. Anyway, I get why they do it, and it's quite sad really, but still absurd when you think it through.
The contest itself sounds exciting though. I look forward to seeing the entries and winners!
^^^ yes, under 18s can enter. A festive droid would be ok.
Ldd/ldraw models are OK but should be rendered photorealistically.
Im surprised there are no entrys yet! And Huw, your delivery machine is NOT rubbish! Its pretty cool! So is the PAW and the Jumper!
I imagine there are no entries yet because many people haven't opened up the second set (or even gotten it yet). I was going to have our second set come from our elf, but I may have to crack it open for this build...
Since my 2nd set is "In Warehouse" I hope to get it in time to put my effort in.
What were the extra parts in the sets (there's always extras) and are they allowed to be used?
Huw,
I posted my entry in the forum, under The Brickset Builders Guild, because I'm unable to make a Flickr account. I would like to know if I'm still eligible for the contest.
I love the terms used in the U.K. in comparison to the ones used here in the U.S. for example jumper v.s. sweater.
Over here a jumper is a one piece outfit worn by babies.
I wish someone would make a book on all of these.
Waiting for my sets to arrive to have a go at this. Did download them in LDD to have a go in there but just don't find I can think of how best to fit the bits together in the software - really need to be hands on.
I just posted my entry to the flickr competition pool. It's called 'The Elves' little fishpond & shop'. First time entry to any building competition, so please let me know what you think of it!
The extras for 40106 are listed on Bricklink, but as of now the 40107 inventory isn't listed yet.
40106 extras are:
Black Plate 1X1 - 302426 - 1
Black Roof Tile 1X1X2/3 - 4504382 - 1
Black Tap Ø4.9/6.4 - 459926 - 1
Mini Antenna Blue/Black - 4296152 - 1
Yellow Round Plate 1X1 - 614124 - 1
Green Flat Tile 1X1 - 4558593 - 1
Medium Grey Connector Peg W. Knob - 4211483 - 1
Mini Brush "No. 1" - 6047551 - 1
Silver Metallic Plate 1X1 Round - 4633691 - 1
Translucent Plate 1X1 Round - 3005740 - 1
Gold Plate 1X1 Round - 4523159 - 1
White Plate 1X1 Round - 614101 - 1
Translucent Brown Black Roof Tile 1X1X2/3 - 4244368 - 1
40107 extras are:
White Plate 1X1 Round - 614101 - 1
Red Plate 1X1 Round - 614121 - 1
Brick Yellow Flat Tile 1X1 - 4125253 - 1
Bright Green Bracelet Upper Part - 4619599 - 1
Medium Grey Plate 1X1 Round - 4211525 - 1
Silver Metallic Tile 1X1 Round - 4655241 - 1
Silver Metallic Mini Figure Skate - 6088641 -1
Thanks!
Would have like to enter. But I don't have a Flickr account.
If there a limit on how many colour substituions you can use as I have a model that really looks a mess because of the random colours but would really benefit from being a different colour. Additionally there aren't enough green parts to make a Christmas tree but there would be if you can change a whole bunch into green? Just curious as it really alters the scope of what you can do if you are permitted to swap out a load of different colours.
I don't see any entries yet in the pool despite a person saying he already entered his photos. Am I looking in a wrong way?
@fred157: I think you need to login to Flickr and add The Brickset competitions photo stream to your groups before you can view some pictures.
Is an LDD file allowed?
Hi ! I just posted my very first MOC today to enter the competition, using 100 % pieces from the 2 sets. Name : TRICKY KIDS TRAPPED SANTA ! Big brother trapped Santa in the chimney while little sister does some xmas paintings. Please note her pants drying near the fire (wet from snowball battle), with a puddle underneath ! And the poor Elf fell in the iced lake trying to help him out with a tree branch. Sweet kids !
I meant I used ALL of the original pieces of the 2 sets. Please, Huw, can you tell me if I posted it correctly on the pool to enter the competition ? It's new for me... Thanks !
Just entered for first time ever. Brother and sister playing outside on Christmas Eve while mum and dad are apparently inside, preparing dinner. Sister is lobbing snowballs into a bin to check her target practice and brother is hassling mum for food through the window.
On the other side is a cut scene of an elf putting the finishing touches to the family Christmas tree with a paintbrush!
Anyway, I had lots of fun putting it together...good luck all!
Yeah, I'm with a lot of other people here wondering how you make something specifically "Christmas-oriented" and not have any religious reference. Kind of an oxymoron. No religious buildings, really?! First thing I thought of doing was a little church. I'm not particularly religious myself, but my little winter village could use one. It's silly to completely eliminate any religious reference whatsoever; otherwise, they need to call this a "holiday" competition if they really want to be politically (er, religiously) correct about it. I agree with other people that said they should have used other phrasing, like requiring the entry be "festive" or "winter-themed". I love Lego and these little contests, but I think they clearly didn't think this one through.
I just posted my entry, (my first ever MOC come to think of it). Had a great time building with my wife. It is a micro-scale (although the scale is a bit wonky) "Night before Xmas" scene.
Thanks coldraught for that extras list, I had already added my Toy Workshop extras to the "extra pieces" bag and wanted to fish them out for this competition.
^^ I like your micro-scene. Good luck!
This is my first time entering a Brickset contest! So excited! I hope you like my set, "Santa's elves are watching!". Since this is my first time entering a contest, could anyone let me know if I overlooked anything or messed up anything, so that I can fix it so that my entry is not disqualified? Many thanks in advance!!!
Edit: A better description of my thought process. A little girl calls her father into her bedroom after she thinks she has spotted one (or two) of Santa's elves! I've always been told growing up that Santa's elves are watching, so this was the very first thing I thought of when I heard about this contest. I tried to add in some neat detail, like a snowglobe on her dresser, and icicles hanging off the roof.
Just added my entry to the competitions page. It is the scene from the John Lewis Christmas advert when Monty the penguin meets and falls in love with Mabel (I'm Zwing5346 on Flickr).
I just entered the competition as well. My first MOC ever, I'm quite happy how it turned out :) Had so much fun building it. Mine is the one with the elves and children testing a rc reindeer.
Sadly I joined Flickr today so, my photos are not showing :(
Hope my account will get reviewed in time.
Can we create our own piece of sorts if we don't have the actual one? Such as using two 4x6 white plates to make the 6x8 white plate or four 1x1x1 brown bricks to make the 1x1x4 brown brick?
To be honest the current entries don't stand out to me. I would say Huw wins first prize.
Mine has been submitted, it's a plane the elves use to drop presents down peoples chimneys to help Santa (who really can't do the whole world himself). Added a mini north pole to give the impression of flying high above it. Then we added just about everything else to the plane as the kids wanted everything on there. Difficult set of pieces to build much other than buildings with, has been a fun challenge! Would have liked to make a few colour substitutions to neaten up the colour scheme but decided to stick will all original bricks instead, just could have done with a few more blue :)
Would someone kindly let me know if they can see my photos for my entry? My yahoo user name is wrestling4myking, which I use pretty often if jmeninno isn't in place. Thanks!
I can see one by wrestling4myking - 2 elves hiding outside a house.
Oh no! There are supposed to be two pics, the other should be a side view of the set...thank you for your help, shake n vac!!!
Oh, sorry - there are two pics - I mean I can see one as in I can see the model. Bad phrasing on my part - both pics are visible :)
Are LDD Models also allowed, if they are not rendered? My PC hardware isn't the best and it would take days rendering the model, as there are lots of transparent parts (especially the 1x2 transparent tiles from the ice skating set)...
^Huw answered that above