LEGO launches the BrickLink Designer Program and reveals 31 projects!
Posted by CapnRex101,
Following the revelation that certain rejected Ideas projects would become available through the BrickLink Designer Program, LEGO has today shared further information:
Kicking off the BrickLink Designer Program: 2021 Invitational
Today we're excited to share the next steps in the collaboration between LEGO Ideas and BrickLink via the BrickLink Designer Program: 2021 Invitational.
As communicated in December 2020, we planned to invite a selection of LEGO Ideas members and their 10K Club submissions to participate in the pilot program, the purpose being to realise more of the amazing fan designs that are submitted to LEGO Ideas.
The result has been that 27 members have agreed to participate with 31 10K Club projects. We're thrilled at the response we got from the invited members, with almost 100% of the invited members deciding to accept our invitation.
The designers are already very busy at work on their designs in the 'pre-production' phase. In this phase, designers must re-work their designs to fit a few program requirements, such as having to build their creations digitally in BrickLink Studio using a particular palette of LEGO bricks and colours, resizing their designs to fit between 400-4000 elements and more.
“This is very cool: I am in control of designing the final product” – Stephan Niks, Creator of Anatomini
The pre-production phase, which ends May 31st, will also include testing phases. Submissions must pass the pre-production phase and deadline in order to have their design(s) eligible for crowdfunding.
On the landing page, you can find the overall timeline for the program as well as an in-depth FAQ that can hopefully assist you with answers to your questions. The BrickLink team will also be available to answer your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were so many other 10K creators not invited to participate in the BDP (BrickLink Designer Program) 2021 invitational?
Considering the maximum number of sets we can produce, only 31 projects were selected among all the unrealized LEGO Ideas projects. No IP-based models are invited to the program as they cannot be produced through this program.
What will happen to designs that don't meet the program criteria during the pre-production phase?
Designers of all the participating projects have to revise their original design to meet the program requirements and pass the test building before May 31st. Only the projects that meet the production requirements will be listed for crowdfunding.
How many designs will become BrickLink Designer Program sets?
Only the first 13 projects to reach the crowdfunding goal will become BrickLink Designer Program sets.
What will happen to the designs that don't reach the crowdfunding goal or are not among the thirteen quickest to hit their goal?
The remaining projects in the crowdfunding phase that don't become BrickLink Designer Program sets will be sold as digital building instructions only, so that you can still have an opportunity to find your own bricks to build them.
How are fan creators compensated for their ideas?
Fan designers will receive a 10% royalty fee for BrickLink Designer Program sets, while designers of Digital Building Instructions will receive a 75% royalty fee.
When will I be able to back (pre-order) particular sets?
The BrickLink Designer sets will be manufactured from September 2021 and we aim to ship the first batch in November. We will be able to share more realistic shipping schedule when the manufacturing process begins.
Will you modify the original LEGO Ideas design during production?
In the BrickLink Designer Program, we do not intend to change the original designs that are loved by the fans, but there can be inevitable modifications due to production requirements, such as part availability and stability issues. All design revisions will be done by the original designer, and the revision history will be shared on the project’s details page.
Will you ship the BrickLink Designer sets to all countries?
Unfortunately, we cannot ship the produced designer sets to all countries. Only BrickLink members from the following 30 countries are allowed to pre-order the designer sets.
- America: USA, Canada, Mexico
- Europe: UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Hungary, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Ireland, Slovakia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Latvia, Estonia, Greece
- Asia/Oceania: South Korea, Australia, New Zealand
Here are the 31 projects which have been selected:
You can view further images and information about the projects which have been chosen and will be available for support on BrickLink.
Which projects interest you the most? Let us know in the comments.
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117 comments on this article
Wow they are all such great models! I can't wait to pre-order the Working Waterfall ;-)
THE LEGEND OF BIONICLE MADE IT??????????????????
Some excellent sets. Hopefully they're also produced in Europe so we don't have to pay absurd import fees, which is the reason I didn't buy any last time.
Curious, will new printing be available for the sets or must they only use existing pieces and prints currently in production?
I REALLY want https://www.bricklink.com/r3/designer-program/designer-sets-for-adult-fans-of-lego/215665/The-Castle-in-the-Forest, but the possibility of new castle/medieval/forestmen minifigures are part of the draw.
This is the virtue of TLG taking over Bricklink. What a brilliant idea! Good luck to the participants.
Better see that classic space set make it. With added figs. If no figs I will throw a tantrum.
Did I say that out loud...?
Can’t wait to see which ones make it. My fear is they might be over priced though...
Darnnit! I'm a bit strapped for money ATM, but I need Anatomini!! What to do...
there's a lot of brownish!
@Robot99 said:
"Darnnit! I'm a bit strapped for money ATM, but I need Anatomini!! What to do..."
You can always rob a bank. Works for me every time. Or a sheriffs safe...like that one project...
Say I have actually a bunch of extra cash. Just give me your account number and I’ll make a huge withd... ahem...deposit. ;)
Phew! I was worried for a moment there Australia wouldnt be on the list of included countries. Thank god.
There are quite a few on the list that I may be backing. I can tell already now that all of them will be expensive (and I mean all, not only those I am interested in).
It is incredibly sad to confirm yet again what little interest TLG has in South America. It is a WHOLE continent, with one of the World's 10 biggest economies (Brazil), overlooked and dismissed as insignificant and not worthy the trouble.
As a LEGO fan of many years, it really makes me very, very disappointed in the company and desilusioned with it.
Some hefty options! I'll be interested to see which projects don't hit the goal, and how fast the goals get hit. Based on the pricing of the first wave I don't think I'll be getting any of these, but absolutely a great step for the future
Fans of 21310 Old Fishing Store must be super excited at the possibility of buying so many similar sets.
So how or when do we find out which projects were chosen to be 'reborn'? I dont mean the final product after the May deadline but just the ideas sets that were chosen, Anatomi is clearly one Im guessing
Hope they ship them from Europe this time instead of just USA last time.
Gonna be expensive as I’d preorder most of these
So the lure of getting things done on Ideas, is that when designed or redesigned by TLG you would possibly get some new elements to create the design, or even stickers / printed tiles from TLG in the design. What happens now? I'm looking at the 1950s diner with stickers on the sign, how do we get to create those? Unless the designers have to create brick built letters. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
So, we might be able to get the awesome Bowling Alley after all if it makes the cut for the final 13, fingers crossed! I plan to support it in the crowdfunding phase, hope the price is reasonable. Anyone with me? Let's make this happen!
The Legend of the BIONICLE lives!
Site seems to be down, but what an amazing selection (imho). This means TLG is gonna take a LOT of my cash... hope it’ll take a while till production is starting... ??
@jsosse said:
"It is incredibly sad to confirm yet again what little interest TLG has in South America. It is a WHOLE continent, with one of the World's 10 biggest economies (Brazil), overlooked and dismissed as insignificant and not worthy the trouble.
As a LEGO fan of many years, it really makes me very, very disappointed in the company and desilusioned with it. "
I hear you, it really sucks. After so many years in business they should have already figured out to tackle the South American market. I hope that will change in the future sooner rather than later.
This is perfect; I've personally been pretty disillusioned with IDEAS as a platform lately. So many great projects that should've made it the first time around are getting a well-deserved second chance. Definitely gonna have to get The Mountain Windmill or The Exploratorium if either of them make it!
Thanks for posting which 31 sets they are, the Bricklink link (lol) wasn't working for me.
A lot of these are sets which I don't understand why they failed review in the first place...
@Your_Future_President said:
"Say I have actually a bunch of extra cash. Just give me your account number and I’ll make a huge withd... ahem...deposit. ;)"
Alright, but I'd like your credit card number first. For, uh, security purposes.
Damn it, I was really hoping the modular museum would make it. Too bad, with so many modular-adjacent ideas in there.
@bricks4everyone said:
" @jsosse said:
"It is incredibly sad to confirm yet again what little interest TLG has in South America. It is a WHOLE continent, with one of the World's 10 biggest economies (Brazil), overlooked and dismissed as insignificant and not worthy the trouble.
As a LEGO fan of many years, it really makes me very, very disappointed in the company and desilusioned with it. "
I hear you, it really sucks. After so many years in business they should have already figured out to tackle the South American market. I hope that will change in the future sooner rather than later."
Yeah, it really sucks. The worst part is that TLG actually used to have a factory here in Brazil to supply the region back in the 1980's, but they called it quits by the 1990's (at the time, no one could blame them due the mess the economy down here was in) and never looked back, even when things got better, more stable and reasonably predictable...
Anyway, thanks for the wishes - though I'm kind of pessimistic about the 'sooner rather than later' part...
Great idea and I can’t wait to have a good look around. But I get lots of errors when trying to navigate round the website. Maybe tomorrow when the traffic dies down.
@Robot99 said:
"Thanks for posting which 31 sets they are, the Bricklink link (lol) wasn't working for me.
A lot of these are sets which I don't understand why they failed review in the first place..."
I think BrickLink must be receiving heavy traffic at the moment because the website seems to be struggling and the link is accordingly temperamental.
Great to see the Kakapo(our flightless parrot)has made it .
In the words of Queen:
"I WANT IT ALL!!"
My dream of having an entire fishing village courtesy of Robenanne is alive! Three of his models made it, to go along with the excellent Old Fishing Store (21310).
My goodness, this could get expensive.
It's Bonk Time!
I see that Studgate has been redesigned to no longer feature a large number of out-of-production pieces. It still looks good.
Seeing RobenAnne's dive shop and boat house diner on there is certainly surprising given that they licensed the design to a third-party manufacturer. Ballsy, for sure.
Observatory looks nice.
I'm deeply hurt by LEGO.
Bricklink had no problem sending sets from the BRICKLINK AFOL DESIGNER PROGRAM to practically anywhere in the world. I was very happy to support several projects then.
Bricklink was about AFOLs everywhere.
Now LEGO excluded me from the Bricklink community!!!
***This exclusion by LEGO undermines the essence of Bricklink: connecting AFOLs around the world.***
Pay attention, LEGO: the World of Bricklink and AFOLs is way wider than 30 countries!
Yes, the calendar!!
THE GANG'S ON THE LOOSE, NOTHING YOU CAN DO!
@DavidBrick said:
" @Ninlego said:
"This is the virtue of TLG taking over Bricklink. What a brilliant idea! Good luck to the participants."
They could have just made these sets to begin with."
I'm sure the Ruined House would have flown off the shelves...
This is going to bankrupt me. At least 15 of those could be on the "buy" list.
Kind of glad they're only making 13!!!! (in a weird way).
I like the idea of being able to buy digital instructions for the others! Nice touch!
Oh boy, I wonder how much the pre-order prices will be??
@TeriXeri said:
"Hope they ship them from Europe this time instead of just USA last time."
As per the FAQ, packing and shipping will happen in Europe. They are looking how to distribute these for the US.
LEGO should ship worldwide, especially if this is the only way one can get the sets. In some countries, like Peru, Lego is very expensive, due to some educational tax or something.
For Europe, I read that the sets will be shipped within Europe (at least a country within the EU), so no risk of extra charges. Last time I was lucky with two sets ordered and not being charged for duties.
Walletwise it's probably good that not everything will get selected that is pre-ordered.
As much as people complain, and sometimes justifiably, about Lego's redesigns of Ideas sets, I do wonder if these will lack the standard Lego polish without it.
Many possibles (depending on price) but would definitely buy Kakapo and Anatomini :)
Thanks for including the images as the link is not currently working for me. I only have one buy: the Calendar!
I think it’ll all come down to pricing for me. If they are Lego comparable pricing, that’s fine, but if they’re quite a bit more expensive my interest might wane.
I'd like Anatomini & the Diner. Possibly the LEGO store or the Bowling Alley. There are some really nice ones to dream over.
Ooh, I didn't expect the Bionicle project to be eligible for this, since it's still IP, even if it's Lego-owned. And I have to confess, I'm not sure how authentic it can be to the original submission, if uniquely printed parts are by nature excluded... how can you replicate Matoro with the Mask of Life with just plain minifigure pieces? Unless the program can produce them as stickers or something...?
Still, I'm happy to see it get a chance; if I join in the crowdfunding for any of them (no guarantees, but we'll see) it'd be that one for sure! ^^
A lot of the others are good too, of course! But if I only go for one of these, and I sure can't afford more than that at the moment... I know where my personal priorities will lie xD
Man this is awesome and off the hook, I am so looking forwards to the projects as I didn't find one that interested me last time.
@lordofdragonss said:
"THE LEGEND OF BIONICLE MADE IT??????????????????"
When they said "IP" they weren't talking about Lego IP, but that of other companies.
I'd hope TLG designers build it and "pass" it or fail it and tell designer what needs redesigning. I can't stand seeing some of these Lego ideas sets that are clearly fragile or using loose parts techniques. Sure, I like seeing MOCs that are super cool looking and use such techniques, but I don't want to buy a fiddly set or one that falls apart if you do more than look at it, or needs to be "arranged" if you want to move it to a different shelf...
I'll definitely try to get that Bionicle set.
Careful footing here, keep an eye out for overtly excited Bionicle fans
I hope to buy "Pursuit of Flight" and the Aquarium!!!
Exploratorium, Train Station & Anatomini are epic standouts of a great batch!
At least 7 - 10 that I would love to build and display ..... but I fear the cost of even one will be prohibitive! ;(
I want the Bionicle set, but I don't like the idea of trusting Bricklink's frankencode with access to my Paypal account.
This is awesome. Really awesome. I am going to be out thousands of dollars for this.
Legend of the BIONICLE, The gear function Aquarium, Space Troopers (which I hadn't already seen before.) !!! This contests got some absolute beauties. Hopefully my poor wallet will forgive me!
I think LEGO just nuked Bricklink.
This seems like a reboot of BrickLink's own AFOL Designer Program from 2018-9.
What a great program! This is the integration we wanted from TLG buying Bricklink. LEGO can continue to be choosy about which 10k Ideas become official sets but AFOLs get access to more great builds. Hopefully this is another incentive for people to design and support nonlicensed Ideas.
Is it weird that I’m hoping some of my favorites don’t become top 13? There are a few of these where I’d probably pay for the instructions but not the packaged bricks, and you won’t be able to order just instructions for the sets that successfully crowdfund.
booooooooooooooooo please ship worldwide not ahem 30 countries. I'm very disappointed in you lego and bricklink
Well, this is incredible...
And a complete disaster for my wallet.
I definitely need that train station
Definitely excited by a number of these. That Wild West saloon and the spaceship in particular, as well as Bionicle of course!
Interesting that the designers have to use LDD and not Bricklink's own stud.io.
Well, this is going to get expensive. I count 8 I would buy if they make it! Trouble is, living in Thailand I will have to get them shipped to my buddy in the UK then on to me which makes them double expensive!
Not even a single pirate themed project :-(
Buildings. Buildings everywhere ! I’m going to spend a ton of money and I’m 100% happy about it !
Well, guess I won't be able to get my hands on the Legend of the Bionicle set. GG.
Hmmm I read in the FAQ that there won’t be printed instructions this time, but only ‘digital form’ I do hope this will not be app dependend (but pdf or something like that) as otherwise it will be impossible to build these sets a few years from now when the app is no longer working...
(Full answer on the website:
No, the building instructions will be available in a digital form and only the set owners will have access to those digital building instructions. BrickLink and LEGO team are working hard to deliver the most enjoyable and interactive building experience on your mobile devices.
No printed instructions?
This may sound extreme, but to me that's almost a deal breaker. At the prices these sets are certain to command, cheaping out on proper manuals is a no-go for me. After all, they did provide printed instructions for the sets in the AFOL designer program, so why not now? Greed is taking over again I suppose.
I was really looking forward to some of these sets, but not any longer.
Ah well, money saved I guess.
Why isn't this program available in more countries? I live in Romania (which is part of the EU), and I would love to purchase the Legend of Bionicle set, but the rules say they won't ship to my country. Why exactly is that? I don't think limiting those excellent sets only to certain counties is a good idea.
What a fantastic idea! I've been looking many times at that modular construction site. While it would be fun to create my own version, it would be very difficult to come up with anything that would be even half as brilliant.
@Antoine_23 said:
"once A set has reached its goal, will you still be able to buy it, or will you get turned down and have to buy aftermarket??"
As per the FAQ, up to 5000 sets will be produced.
https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/support/main.page
@Kaivian said:
"I'd hope TLG designers build it and "pass" it or fail it and tell designer what needs redesigning. I can't stand seeing some of these Lego ideas sets that are clearly fragile or using loose parts techniques. Sure, I like seeing MOCs that are super cool looking and use such techniques, but I don't want to buy a fiddly set or one that falls apart if you do more than look at it, or needs to be "arranged" if you want to move it to a different shelf..."
Totally agree with you. I’m also concerned about the prices as I assume Lego designers are well versed in minimizing the number of parts to create a stable set to keep it within budget.
As for me the only set I’m really interested in is the castle, but I got to see how much it will cost if it makes it. I don’t like the digital instructions, but so long as they are printable I’ll be alright with it.
However, I hope this is a huge success and that it encourages Lego to approve more sets in the future.
The train station is interesting as we have had dozens of modular buildings but no station and it would look great next door to the Parisian restaurant or other classical buildings.
Most of the comments seem to be likely to be very expensive, but the thinking here is not to produce a competitively priced mass appeal commercial set (as enough of those already). But instead to allow more niche builds where it would be near impossible to source all the bricks yourself as contain either too rare and expensive bricks, or the quantities and colours needed are not available. So hopefully a limited Lego production will allow these ideas to be realised.
From the FAQ:
This program will realize up to the first 13 projects that are successfully crowdfunded by the fans. Each designer set is a limited edition, and the quantity produced will be up to 5,000. A minimum of 3,000 pre-orders need to be received during the crowdfunding period in order to realize a project.
So once the total pledged approaches 3000, you will need to give your credit card details in order to guarantee that you will receive a copy, before maximum of around 5000 reached and you will then be too late.
With such crazy limitations on shipping (come on, exclude Brazil and Singapore, but include Hungary and Slovakia?), I wonder if we could organise a proxy system, where those outside of TLG's reach place their orders through members living in more fortunate countries. Of course it would require quite a bit of trust, but long-time members of this site might consider each other more trustworthy. If anyone here is interested, I would be glad to act as a proxy in Germany (after suitable checks), with no costs other than those necessitated for the reshipping.
@woosterlegos said:
"My dream of having an entire fishing village courtesy of Robenanne is alive! Three of his models made it, to go along with the excellent Old Fishing Store (21310)."
Absolutely! They will look amazing together. I wonder why the lighthouse was not included. That is the best one out of the 4 that did not become official sets.
Very excited by this program and I wish they made more than 13 but this hard cap is probably good for my wallet. Looking forward to Castle in Forest, Winter Chalet, Brickwest Studio, Dive Shop, Boat House Diner, Venetian Houde and Temple of Hermit
This gives some of the projects that didn't make it in LEGO Ideas another chance! So cool
Loads of great models here, but the train station is what I'm most excited about.
@SirZed said:
"With such crazy limitations on shipping (come on, exclude Brazil and Singapore, but include Hungary and Slovakia?), I wonder if we could organise a proxy system, where those outside of TLG's reach place their orders through members living in more fortunate countries. Of course it would require quite a bit of trust, but long-time members of this site might consider each other more trustworthy. If anyone here is interested, I would be glad to act as a proxy in Germany (after suitable checks), with no costs other than those necessitated for the reshipping."
Thanks for the comment! Indeed it would be great to set up such a proxy for more people to enjoy the sets even on countries excluded by TLG. I’d also be willing to help out in Brazil/South America acting as a ‘hub’ for receiving these sets here and sending them on on their last leg - so it becomes easier for those kind enough to place the proxy orders to send the sets onwards. Of course, with no cost added besides the ones related to shipping expenses - and after due reasonable checks. So, if this pans out, @SirZed, I’m happy to connect. Please, let me know.
That's awesome! Can't wait to get the aquarium
Holy bleeding wallet Batman! So much want! Which coincidentally reminds me, I was going to cancel our cable TV today. There’s an extra set/month :)
@CaptainMoore said:
"Not even a single pirate themed project :-("
That's because we already have even better - an official pirate-themed Ideas set!
KAKAPO!!!
yeah this is going to be expensive - great that those that don't get produced will still have the instructions available!
@SirZed said:
"With such crazy limitations on shipping (come on, exclude Brazil and Singapore, but include Hungary and Slovakia?), I wonder if we could organise a proxy system, where those outside of TLG's reach place their orders through members living in more fortunate countries. Of course it would require quite a bit of trust, but long-time members of this site might consider each other more trustworthy. If anyone here is interested, I would be glad to act as a proxy in Germany (after suitable checks), with no costs other than those necessitated for the reshipping."
I would not mind at all ordering sets for people living in countries not included in this program but the postal services fees in Canada are ridiculously high (large country, very few people in it: large distance to cover and no economies of scale). That would easily add near $100 to the cost of the set and would be a serious deterrent - not counting the very important element of trust mentioned above. Hopefully, the community will be able to figure out something to help: one solution would be to contact your favourite Bricklink seller, ask him/her for a given set and then when they receive it, you buy it from them (the markup can then be agreed upon at the beginning of the transaction). This might be better than the very high prices of the secondary market.
@jsosse said:
"It is incredibly sad to confirm yet again what little interest TLG has in South America. It is a WHOLE continent, with one of the World's 10 biggest economies (Brazil), overlooked and dismissed as insignificant and not worthy the trouble.
As a LEGO fan of many years, it really makes me very, very disappointed in the company and desilusioned with it. "
I’m curious - what makes you say this? I’m not being confrontational - just as a US citizen I’m not understanding what had happened here that makes you say that?
@lordofdragonss said:
"THE LEGEND OF BIONICLE MADE IT??????????????????"
Not sure if you read the entire article. It qualifies for the program however only 13 of the sets will be produced depending on the crowdfunding.
@Brickchap said:
"So how or when do we find out which projects were chosen to be 'reborn'? I dont mean the final product after the May deadline but just the ideas sets that were chosen, Anatomi is clearly one Im guessing"
Hi I am Stephan, the designer of Anatomini. All fan designers are redesigning till 31st of may. So all have a fair chance. There is no jury. An idea can only be rejected if it is not stable or does not look like the initial idea, or does exceed the max of 4000 bricks. The people will decide by pre ordering speed what will be the 13 sets.
@Robot99 said:
"Darnnit! I'm a bit strapped for money ATM, but I need Anatomini!! What to do..."
Your enthusiasm makes me smile. I am doing my best to make Anatomini even better than version 2.0. And so far so good.
The shipping limitations seem odd and anachronistic in the year 2021. I don't understand how there could be EU countries outside of the shipping area, particularly, although there are plenty of other places with great demand for Lego as well.
No printed instructions is ridiculous! I can’t believe Lego won’t reconsider this. It’s like what can we do to destroy this program before it even begins. I think a lot of the people who would be willing to pay the much higher costs for these sets will be unwilling to do so without printed instructions from Lego.
I find the diner design delightful, but I don't see myself supporting it as the Downtown Diner modular accomplishes the diner feel for me well enough.
The bowling alley is an interesting design, but I have a feeling this is a business LEGO may do as a modular down the road. Perhaps like the diner, this is one of the reasons it was rejected for Ideas in the first place. Plus, I already made my own bowling alley- though not nearly as detailed. I don't know, I may be tempted for this one if the price feels right.
The modular construction site is a brilliant idea. I'm just not a fan of the height of the building itself as it feels like it would stand out too much against other modulars. Plus with it being over 4,000 pcs, no doubt it'll be expensive.
The others don't really interest me.
I need Studgate station in my city! 12v express trains can run all day! I may have to convert my 10027 Engine shed to tan in sympathy!
@jsosse said:
" @SirZed said:
"With such crazy limitations on shipping (come on, exclude Brazil and Singapore, but include Hungary and Slovakia?), I wonder if we could organise a proxy system, where those outside of TLG's reach place their orders through members living in more fortunate countries. Of course it would require quite a bit of trust, but long-time members of this site might consider each other more trustworthy. If anyone here is interested, I would be glad to act as a proxy in Germany (after suitable checks), with no costs other than those necessitated for the reshipping."
Thanks for the comment! Indeed it would be great to set up such a proxy for more people to enjoy the sets even on countries excluded by TLG. I’d also be willing to help out in Brazil/South America acting as a ‘hub’ for receiving these sets here and sending them on on their last leg - so it becomes easier for those kind enough to place the proxy orders to send the sets onwards. Of course, with no cost added besides the ones related to shipping expenses - and after due reasonable checks. So, if this pans out, @SirZed, I’m happy to connect. Please, let me know. "
I'm seriously up for it, but @HOBBES is right in that the shipping costs could prove prohibitive. Still, I see this as an opportunity, a possibility. And even though there are issues to be solved, like figuring out the expected price of shipping (possibly considering shipping multiple sets in a single package), taxes trust - these are far from being insurmountable obstacles.
@Everylittlebrickhelps said:
"Gonna be expensive as I’d preorder most of these"
Yes, the cost of 13 of these sets will cost me an INSANE amount of money.
Actually, if the "door closes" after the first 13 sets hit the target you have to pre-order ALL of them to be sure to get the winning 13.
@iriz said:
" @Everylittlebrickhelps said:
"Gonna be expensive as I’d preorder most of these"
Yes, the cost of 13 of these sets will cost me an INSANE amount of money.
Actually, if the "door closes" after the first 13 sets hit the target you have to pre-order ALL of them to be sure to get the winning 13."
The door closes once 5000 sets have been claimed. You need 3000 for a project to get allowed into the 13 produced, so there's 2000 sets worth of cushion
I just hope that they don't use Fedex again for shipping. In the original Bricklink AFOL programme, Fedex charges added 66.2% to my costs for four of the sets.
@macwhit2017 said:
"I just hope that they don't use Fedex again for shipping. In the original Bricklink AFOL programme, Fedex charges added 66.2% to my costs for four of the sets. "
I also paid the Fedex charges for shipping to Denmark, however, Fedex was working as the tax collector, i.e. the Fedex charges was the sum of EU import tax, local VAT and then a fee to Fedex for collecting the taxes.
AND, as each set was sent individually, I had to pay the Fedex fee times three.
@kay2046 said:
" @woosterlegos said:
"My dream of having an entire fishing village courtesy of Robenanne is alive! Three of his models made it, to go along with the excellent Old Fishing Store (21310)."
Absolutely! They will look amazing together. I wonder why the lighthouse was not included. That is the best one out of the 4 that did not become official sets."
Probably because several of his other models, including the lighthouse, are already available as official sets, made with his approval. Not from LEGO though, but that apparently was his conscious decision.
I’ll try to support a few - ultimately there are only 2-4 I’m really interested in. Eager to see this progress.
There's some incredible talent on show here, but it's a real pity they're cheaping out on instructions. I own a b/w laser printer, and it's a great, reliable thing compared to every inkjet colour printer I've ever had, but for something like this it's not so helpful. And I think a lot of people don't even own printers at all these days.
Why print them at all? Well, I work on a computer all day, and I'm also very dependent on screens for my social life even when there isn't a pandemic, so I really value hobbies I can do without staring at a screen. Making the instructions digital-only is a dealbreaker for me.
@catwrangler said:
"Making the instructions digital-only is a dealbreaker for me. "
More for me!
@MrKoshka said:
" @jsosse said:
"It is incredibly sad to confirm yet again what little interest TLG has in South America. It is a WHOLE continent, with one of the World's 10 biggest economies (Brazil), overlooked and dismissed as insignificant and not worthy the trouble.
As a LEGO fan of many years, it really makes me very, very disappointed in the company and desilusioned with it. "
I’m curious - what makes you say this? I’m not being confrontational - just as a US citizen I’m not understanding what had happened here that makes you say that? "
Hi, @MrKoshka - The issue here is that, per the program's own FAQ, TLG and Bricklink will only ship these sets to a very limited number of countries - none of them in South America.
This lack of interest is not new, though, as the company majorly overlooks the markets in the continent. Sure, purchase power in average is not high here as it is in the US and in Europe, but by sheer population size it would not be insignificant a market for their products. And I'm talking about ALL products, not only the ones related to this program, as we usually don't even get the full sortiment of sets the company produces regularly.
Alas, the fact the South American market is large enough to being included in their business plans is not even an unknown quantity for them since in the 1980's TLG used to have a factory in Brazil to supply the region.
@SirZed said:
" @jsosse said:
" @SirZed said:
"With such crazy limitations on shipping (come on, exclude Brazil and Singapore, but include Hungary and Slovakia?), I wonder if we could organise a proxy system, where those outside of TLG's reach place their orders through members living in more fortunate countries. Of course it would require quite a bit of trust, but long-time members of this site might consider each other more trustworthy. If anyone here is interested, I would be glad to act as a proxy in Germany (after suitable checks), with no costs other than those necessitated for the reshipping."
Thanks for the comment! Indeed it would be great to set up such a proxy for more people to enjoy the sets even on countries excluded by TLG. I’d also be willing to help out in Brazil/South America acting as a ‘hub’ for receiving these sets here and sending them on on their last leg - so it becomes easier for those kind enough to place the proxy orders to send the sets onwards. Of course, with no cost added besides the ones related to shipping expenses - and after due reasonable checks. So, if this pans out, @SirZed, I’m happy to connect. Please, let me know. "
I'm seriously up for it, but @HOBBES is right in that the shipping costs could prove prohibitive. Still, I see this as an opportunity, a possibility. And even though there are issues to be solved, like figuring out the expected price of shipping (possibly considering shipping multiple sets in a single package), taxes trust - these are far from being insurmountable obstacles."
I totally agree, specially with @HOBBES take on it. Even with the (less than all) regular sets that eventually become available here, I actually find it cheaper to buy them when vacationing abroad - mostly in Canada, as a matter of fact :-)
And, as you said, there are a few hurdles to face, but I agree they're far from insurmountable. I, from my part, would - as I mentioned - be happy to help in any way possible.
@Snaz said:
"Interesting that the Saloon made it, after there was one in the AFOL Designer Program"
Especially since this one has so many similarities to that one - the technique for the cladding on the front walls looks nearly identical, the position of the cattle skull is the same, etc.
Temple of Hermit and the Ship of me!
I'll take anything but the Bionicle, having that back would be like the return of Clikits (sorry Huwbot but its true)
Not impressed by the choice.
To say the true, I hoped in some Neo Classic Space set to buy but ok, one cannot have everything!
Can't understand the saloon choice, a great saloon was one of the set of the firts wave, why another? Something different western village building or a native American set would be a sure buy for me.
Looking at the selection, the only interesting sets for me are: the castle, the safe, the windmill and the quest builder. Oh, and the seasons clock too.
@Typhon said:
"Some excellent sets. Hopefully they're also produced in Europe so we don't have to pay absurd import fees, which is the reason I didn't buy any last time."
Absolutely agree. Last time I bought despite the fees but this time I will not, too arbistrary, too expensive.
I hope that this time that BL is part of LEGO, the things will be different.
Really cool to see the discussion about circumnavigating the shipping restrictions as an extended global community, heartwarming even.
I'll throw in my two cents about the general concept; in my mind the LEGO community at large has a bias toward the "set" as an entity. I get that sets make the most sense from a business distribution standpoint, and don't assume that I'm against sets in any way, but I feel that for many FOLs all of the LEGO experience has been reduced to whether or not in comes in a box with the square red logo in the corner.
Sets are composed of elements. So aptly named, they allow us to construct the amazing models that the designers in Billund are churning out at a rate of 500/year, but don't forget that a huge part of what makes LEGO unique, even a majority of the experience for me, is the deconstruction of what has been predetermined to facilitate the creation of something new.
Cancelled set there, constrained BDP here, rejected IDEAS yonder; the reaction is often negative and my reading has led me to conclude that the LEGO set as a concept is the end-all-be-all for a lot of people. Please try something: take one of your prized modulars off the shelf, take apart every single piece, clean off the dust, and then put away all your screens for an hour and build something new.
Or don't, but I think if you see the single tree that is official LEGO sets and miss the forest of tens of thousands of different pieces with billions of possible combinations you really are missing what LEGO is all about.
@Galaxy12_Import:
Oh, make no mistake. It's possible to sit squarely in both camps. If I buy a set for the set, it's always the set. Even the extra parts that came with that set are part of that set. On the other hand, I buy some sets and a lot of loose parts to build a lot of MOCs. I've even disassembled an original Jango Fett minifig just to use the torso for a custom minifig of Firefly from The New Batman Adventures. But if I buy a set for the set, it's always a set.
.....Any chance the Little House on the Prairie set might come back for this? I'm still salty over the "Women of NASA" being released in it's stead, the set was too much like the research lab the year before, and it's boring! A very forgettable set.
And don't say I hate it because they're all female, I am myself.
Besides, the Ingalls family mostly consists of Women too.
The Spaceballs one would be great.. Red Dwarf???
At least there was Voltron.
@CaptainVictoria:
No projects based on licensed IP are eligible for this. Besides, they'd never be able to sell a set based on an adults-only TV series in Finland:
https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/little-house-on-the-prairie-a-tv-show-for-adults-only/
all of Robenanne's designs were "archived"... I love each of them. :( "Due to other obligations the designer has had to withdraw the designs,... hope to work with the designer again in the future" I really don't know what kind of design changes they were expecting the designers to make for these but I don't know that I would have changed anything for these 3. Maybe it had something to do with them having to rely upon current parts and perhaps some of the parts they used were out of stock and they would have to update the designs to fit the available part inventory. I would have loved for Robenanne to have outsourced this task to others who could have pitched in but I understand that artists generally don't want to let go of their work like that. I really do want to see these offered in the future when Robenanne has more time to work with Lego.
@sidneyleejohnson said:
" all of Robenanne's designs were "archived"... I love each of them. :( "Due to other obligations the designer has had to withdraw the designs,... hope to work with the designer again in the future" I really don't know what kind of design changes they were expecting the designers to make for these but I don't know that I would have changed anything for these 3. Maybe it had something to do with them having to rely upon current parts and perhaps some of the parts they used were out of stock and they would have to update the designs to fit the available part inventory. I would have loved for Robenanne to have outsourced this task to others who could have pitched in but I understand that artists generally don't want to let go of their work like that. I really do want to see these offered in the future when Robenanne has more time to work with Lego."
I think the reason for withdrawing is the designer has an agreement with other plastic brick companies to use his designs to create the products!