Introducing Base Ace Play Platforms
Posted by Huw,
We have been sent a press release about a cool new LEGO-compatible product that's designed to make it easy to build 'bases' on which you can play with/display small models:
BASE ACE inspires creative play at BRICK 2015 ...get those bricks out of your box and build!
Base Ace is a brand new construction toy that provides children with an exciting and expandable 3D structure to build and play on. These robust and colourful wooden kits can be used with Mini Figures and building bricks. Base Ace can be customised, connected and expanded to create unique environments such as Spaces Stations, Army Camps or an exciting backdrop for a Superhero mission.
Base Ace allows children to discover a whole new world of mini figure adventures by adding an exciting new dimension to their existing building bricks. Base Ace inspires creative play and provides hours of fun, time and time again!
The Base Ace concept was invented by Brian Stickley, from Romsey in Hampshire, after playing LEGO with his two young sons. “Like many other households across the world, we have a large toy box full of LEGO bricks and Mini Figures”, Brian explains. “Both of my sons are big LEGO fans but they play in different ways. My eldest son likes to build models and put them on his shelf to admire, whilst my youngest son loves to play with his models. It takes time to build a large kit and I noticed the disappointment as his constructions fell apart as he played. I realised that something stronger was needed with quick and easy assembly. I also thought it would be good to build more exciting shapes but still allow the boys to be creative with their bricks and figures.”
Brian made prototypes and decided to approach the Product Design Team at Southampton Solent University for help to develop his new idea. “Two years later and here we are!” Brian goes on to explain. “I’ve just launched a range of unique Play Platforms that include some really exciting shapes and features, and we have ensured that Base Ace is compatible with all the leading brands of building bricks and Mini Figures, such as LEGO and MEGA-BLOKS.”
Base Ace kits will upgrade any child’s existing mini figure collection to another level. The kits can combine to create a whole new world of adventure by stretching the imagination and bringing building adventures to life. Transform an inter-galactic spaceship into an awesome power generator or change a curious alien planet into your master criminals multi-story command centre… you decide!
Base Ace Kits can be expanded and customised. Connectors will join one or more bases together and transporter platforms can link one base to another. There are LED lights to illuminate platforms and make the bases glow in the dark. Record and playback your own sound effects such as explosions, sirens, lasers, missiles, vehicle sounds or music using Sound FX Modules.
Base Ace will officially launch at the BRICK 2015 LEGO Show which is being held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 29th of October to the 1st of November. The range can also be seen at the London edition of the BRICK 2015 LEGO Show which is being held at the ExCel, Docklands on the 10th to 13th of December, (visit www.BRICK2015.com for more show details). So come and see Base Ace in action and get your bricks out of your box and build!
Visit www.BaseAce.co.uk for more information or view the Base Ace Video Clip on YouTube.
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Although not officially launched until later this month, Base Ace products can be purchased at Amazon.co.uk already.
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29 comments on this article
I have seen these before so they cant be new new. Always thought they were a good idea but only want to spend my lego money on lego and then I thought why not make something out of lego.
Absolutely agree, why not just build a base out of Lego! cant see them catching on myself.
Same here, I don't see the point of using such a display if it is not made of Lego.
We aren't the target customers. We have enough LEGO to build something similar but kids often don't.
I think they are pretty neat and good for kids
Could be a good idea for schools or other play centres. Gives the kids something solid to base their play around without needing to build some massive construction out of Lego that would prove expensive.
Pretty sure they've been advertised on brickset ads for a while though!
Hmmm. Could be interesting...
I've seen these advertised before on some two-bit, fly-by-night, Lego website called ... Brickset ! Agree with what everyone says: they are a great idea and fill a niche for some collectors. I'd love to have my space minifigs on one. But at the end of the day, I'm not paying £30 for ten bits of laser cut plywood if I can buy a Scooby Doo Mystery machine instead. I know they've invested time and money in the idea, but I think they would be much better off aiming for a cheap/bulk pricing plan.
Yes, the "Base Ace will officially launch at the BRICK 2015 " puzzled me a bit too given they've been available on Amazon for about a year. Maybe it's the one illustrated that's new and launching there.
Or perhaps the company wants to build some hype and relaunch the brand, and Brick will be a good place to do so.
I know my 7 year old cousin would love these, he always likes coming round to play with my Lego to make massive space stations, and its great to see a business that is so local to me ( about 6 miles) enterprising in Lego 3rd party products
It never ceases to amaze me how people think it is a good idea to make LEGO knock-offs that are bigger and easier to assemble- LEGO themselves tried that in the early 2000's, and proved that it didn't work.
Boxes, shelves, and a little imagination go a long way.
This is interesting to me considering the the lack of spare parts to me to construct bases and other type of building, with this should be able to spend my Lego bricks on the equipment and vehicles to populate said bases.
How is this news? This is just an advertisement.
Here's an interesting fact:
If you pay around 10 cents per brick, you could get 800 2x4 bricks for the price of the model displayed. And LEGO bricks actually have reusability.
It seems the link to the YouTube video is broken because the protocol is missing an H and a colon.
This looks great. My nephew would love this! Is it only available in the UK?
@sdetsky, it's a press release. We publish them from time to time, as do other sites.
Interesting...
In my family we use DUPLO to build up large space-stations, castles, hills and other large play-platforms that we want to assemble quickly. The old DUPLO Castle sets are particularly good for this as they are full of gray, brown, tan and black pieces. DUPLO is LEGO's own brand so will keep its value, and DUPLO bricks are perfectly compatible with regular LEGO. Plus they are a lot more versatile.
Other kids I know use cardboard-boxes, other toys, or stuff around the house to have a base for their LEGO battles. And I agree with others that for the price, buying more LEGO makes more sense. But I could see some kids liking these, or even older LEGO fans who want a nice display platform for their models. I just don't see a mass appeal.
I've had similar ideas, and I really like the spatial utilization (the extension platforms make me think of Cloud City). But it almost seems like the actual baseplates are the commodity here. The 'structures' are nice enough, but expensive and--as others have said--could be mimicked with random house objects.
This looks like it was inspired by the build for the Death Star. That was basically a round base of platforms that showed off a particular scene. We just need a bunch of 2x4 bricks and lots of plates to make these out of LEGO.
I love the idea, but not interested -- not because it's bad, but because my own struggles tend to be with displaying multiple large models. I have very little shelf space for LEGO. Right now I have an X-Wing resting on top of a TIE Fighter. I should just bite the bullet and bricklink some spare parts to make more of a stand.
I probably would have loved this when I was a kid. Good luck
I've got two Base Ace sets for my 5 year old son and he absolutely loves them. One is the original version of the above set in black and grey which has been turned into a highly detailed Star Wars imperial base. The other is the bottom left one in the group set photo, in grey and brown which I've made into a rebel base. We can take them from room to room with nothing to break and he loves all the details I added for him. The imperial base has a sound box which plays the imperial march and I added LED lights around the base which light it up in an ominous red. If you're an adult collector I can see the reason you wouldn't care for these, but for parents who solely want to enjoy play time with their young children without worrying about breakables, these are fantastic sets and Base Ace have done a wonderful job of making strong, robust and imaginative sets that look fantastic when you put your own individual spins on them. I'll post up pictures of our two sets when I get the chance and hopefully some other parents or appreciators of what Base Ace are doing will also love the result that my son adores so much. These guys deserve support in their great work, even if adult collectors are not necessarily their market.
These are great...lego is too expensive for most people to use on background details. My son would love these. The only problem is the price. These wouldn't be hard to DIY for a fraction of the price.
^^ Thanks for the useful insight.
Neat idea. While I understand the purists may have an issue with it, how often does a kid run out of LEGO when trying to build something epic (That is not a rich kid or has AFOLs for parents, etc)?
With it having effects like light and sound and being able to customize and expand the layouts is pretty nice too.
While the could be pricey I guess you have to ask yourself how easy for it for a regular consume to get enough LEGO product to build a similar design and how much would all of that product cost?
These are fantastic! I agree, you could build something out of Lego, but that would be just as (if not more) expensive. I don't think you'd get the same stability though. And for those saying you could make something out of "household objects"? What?! Look at the components--several of these have light and sound pieces. Plus they slide together (don't need tape or nails, etc.).
These look like well-made playsets--not just for display. I'll be checking them out if they branch out to the US.