Working thoughts...

Getting articles set up for layout and taking care of submissions, and ran across a couple of thoughts:

"With the ongoing growth of the LUGs we all have a responsibility to build and improve relationships both inside our own LUGs and perhaps more importantly between each other's LUGs, especially at international levels, it is very easy to allow small differences or misunderstandings between members and even LUGs to escalate to a situation that could undo all the hard work we have put into making such a success of the LUGs so far."

This is from a note on an article submitted by the club president from Portugal, and this is a very valid point. If the community is to prosper, we need to be establishing communications and relationships.

We also need to accept and appreciate our differences - our diversity should viewed as a strength. A group with members in many specialties is much stronger than a group that is limited in scope. We also need to understand that we are each representatives of the community, so if we act like an idiot in a public setting, whether it be an event or online, we will be regarded as idiots by the public.

At the LEGO Collector's Party in New York, I was one of about 50 people who came - and there were people from other websites, such as Action Figure Times and Toymania and ToyFare and BZPower...the only group that was LEGO-oriented was the BZPower staff. It was interesting to see people collect in their own groups and hang out - since I was a lone wolf, I was to myself from time to time, but also spent some time chatting with Sean Kenney and Nathan Sawaya (LEGO Certified Professionals). I also chatted with LEGO staff on some things - chatting with the Star Wars designer and also Licensing person. For me, it was a really good productive, friendly time...but I couldn't help but what wonder what the others got out of it, as some of the overheard conversation I got was about "Buffy action figures," for example, and there was only a little discussion about the LEGO sets outside of the Falcon.

Me? I got:

a committment for an interview with the Star Wars LEGO designer in a future issue of BrickJournal, some hints about possible future licensing (no Adam West Baman stuff - rats!!!!), some great chatting time with Sean and Nathan, not to mention Steve Witt and some other LEGO staff, and a visit to Sean's LEGO studio.

Not bad for a night:-)

But anyways back to the community - here's a thought we should keep in mind by one of the people I wish I could meet:

"Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings." - Walt Disney

ExoForce and SpongeBob Sets coming out...

There was a bunch of stuff at the collector's party that I will try to get into BrickJournal, so here's some stuff I can fit in here:



This is the Sentai Golden Fortress set - out in the summer. Comes with a female minifig!



This one's old news because it's out already at Toys R Us, but it made a cool pic!



This is the Mobile Devastator - and it has 3 silver robots, 6 drone robots, and an Exo-Force pilot, who has a mech.

For a less violent theme, there's SpongeBob,and two sets are coming:



the Chum Bucket, and



Mrs. Puff's Boating School. The little boat has a pullback motor, so it can zip through the track.

The SpongeBob sets have the most interesting assortment of parts.

Now off to do some more layout work....

BrickJournal 6

is out:

Announcement and links are here!

These issue refuse to get smaller:-)!!

Other Star Wars sets coming out

So here are some other sets coming out:



the Naboo Starfighter without bling - as Sean Kenney put it:-)



Kit Fisto's Jedi Starfighter with hyperspace ring.... and Kit Fisto.



The back side of the Starfighter. This set iis due out in the summer.

More pics....

Here's some more pics from the event - I will be slowly going through these because I need to keep some for BrickJournal 7!

The MTT set, due out in summer has a really nice...um...nevermind.



The model itself is pretty big, and if you want new brown in quantity, this is a good start!



For the Castle people, this is from teh new Harry Potter castle and will be showing up in the Castle line...the skeleton horse. It's one piece without the wings. There are studs for attaching wings, harnesses, things like that.



More Falcon pics...a 'beauty' shot after unveiling



Under the upper turret, you can see a little of the construction needed to hold this ship together - Technic pins and beams are locked into place. This also means that there isn't an interior




And here's what the bottom looks like. The hatch retracts into the ship, but the landing gear does not. 




More later!

More Collector's Party notes..

Didn't show any Technic (as it was in the Toy Fair display area a few blocks away). But saw the new Exo-Force, Bionicle, Batman and Spongebob line - the room was small, so the display was geared towardthe collectors. There peopl from ToyFar, Actionfigure,com, From Bricks to Bothans, and Raving Toy Maniac, among others.

So here's some more pics:



the rear of the Falcon...



with the cover down...

and Batman stuff -



the Batcopter and Scarecrow's biplane



that's a new motorcycle cowl! From the Battank set



and the Bat Tank! It has a dart gun in the back, like the Batwing!

More coming!

LEGO Collector's Party before Toy Fair

Quick pics:

is was unveiled!



it's big!



can be swooshed ( as about 12 pounds)



can seat 4



and can be easily scanned.



UCS Millennium Falcon - minifig scale. 

There's more coming - I just have been doing way too much and I have been in need of sleep.

Also met and talked with the designer of teh set (who was swooshing the model above, Sean Kenney, Nathan Sawaya, and Steve Witt.

A lot of fun and a lot to write about - so stay tuned!