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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 20, 2005 22:26:58 GMT -5
I was recently lucky enough to get to take a trip to Enfield CT. What's in Enfield CT you ask? The LEGO corporate offices! ;D I was one of 5 AFOL's (that stands for Adult Fan of LEGO - I learned lots of new terms while I was there!) asked to come and talk to them about their '06 line up. As most of you here at LOG are aware, Batman is part of that group, so it's only natural that someone from the best Batman fansite would go to provide input from this side of the community. ( press release here Star Wars, Spongebob Squarepants, and Avatar The Last Airbender are also among the lines that I saw.) Thanks to Matt, the Sentries and the Mods, I was given their vote of confidence to go and represent all the Batman fans to make sure that the line is what we want to see out of Batman. ( ;D My biggest concern going in was that the blocks would stay together, but since this was LEGO and not C3, I really didn't have much to worry about.) I flew out on Tuesday and met up with the gang. Steve and Jake - both members of the LEGO community team - led the group. We went to the hotel, checked in, got dinner and then started talking Batman and LEGO. I learned A LOT that first night about LEGO and about the LEGO fan community. They're VERY well organized. I hope that some of what they do can transition into the Bat community and we can be a bit more unified in the future. The next morning it was up and off to the office bright & early to have breakfast with the president and then get down to business - talking about Batman and the other new lines for '06. When we arrived, we were able to go into the show room, but all the stuff we REALLY wanted to see was in a conference room - just off the show room floor. I saw lots of great stuff - as an example, the EXO Force line looks great (I picked up a few sets for my kids at the LEGO corporate store while I was there. More on that later. ;D), as did the Knights Kingdom and Vikings lines. We kind of circled around the show room, like sharks circling their prey, chomping at the bit to get into the conference room and see Batman and the other lines. Jake said we could go in. Lemme tell you, it was like the running of the bulls. We all rushed over to check out the Batman stuff. I'll bet it was quite a site to see 5 grown men playing with LEGO sets.... Anyway. We oooh!ed and ahhh!ed over the sets and the minifigs. I'm under a non-disclosure agreement which means that I can't get into specifics at this time. What I can tell you is, I have quite an extensive collection of C3 products, minimates and have even customized my own Batcave to fit my 'mates. I was probably the biggest C3 freak on the boards at one time, so take that into consideration when I tell you this. I'm planning on putting all of them away when I get my hands on the LEGO sets. The LEGO stuff is beautiful. True to the characters, THEY STAY TOGETHER!, and level of detail is incredible. I've always thought that a toy's continued play value appeal is in the details that make you look at it a 2nd or 3rd time and think "I didn't notice that before..." then you have to play with it some more. For kids, these are going to be great to build. They aren't super hard looking (like the Deathstar - that scares me...) and not too easy, like much of the C3 stuff was. What I saw were sets that will appeal to both adults and kids alike. We kind of skimmed over the Star Wars, Spongebob and Avatar stuff, since that really wasn't what we were there to talk about as much. Then we sat down to breakfast. ;D
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Post by /\/\att on Dec 20, 2005 22:32:31 GMT -5
Thanks for that snyopsis of the events Reideen! We had to keep all of the LEGO stuff under wraps here at LoG for awhile, but you now all know that the epicenter for Batman collecting has been your voice in the future development of the Batman LEGO product. So, breathe easy bat-fans..you've been well represented.
I would have attended this meeting myself, but work didn't allow for it...and Jeff was an easy choice to take my place. I feel confident, as I hope you all do, that our interests were well represented.
Thank you to LEGO for this great outreach, and thank you to Jeff for taking the time out of his busy life to represent us all.
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Post by Batlaw on Dec 20, 2005 22:33:36 GMT -5
Thanks Reideen! I am willing to take your opinions to heart. But the biggest question still remains!?... What did you have for breakfast!?
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Post by Faithfulbutler on Dec 20, 2005 22:38:13 GMT -5
Thanks so much for filling us in Jeff.I know you would have done all Batfans everywhere proud and what you said about comparison to C3 speaks volumes.Congratulations and thank you so much for being our representative.
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 20, 2005 23:04:33 GMT -5
Thanks Reideen! I am willing to take your opinions to heart. But the biggest question still remains!?... What did you have for breakfast!? LOL! A question that I can answer!! That morning I had coffee, apple juice and some fresh pineapple. ;D
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Post by ThatBlockoGuy on Dec 20, 2005 23:06:57 GMT -5
Finally I can make my Batman vs. Sponge Bob diarama! Thanks Jeff. I know that keeping the details inside is probably really hard, I know I'd just want to blurt it all out. Hopefully we'll all soon be able to talk about this freely!
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Post by /\/\att on Dec 20, 2005 23:09:22 GMT -5
On that note..that Avatar: the last airbender looked really good..did anyone watch it? If so, PM me and let me know what ya thought. I wanted to check it out, but I don't have NICK
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 20, 2005 23:12:39 GMT -5
I'll tell you - ALL of that Spongebob stuff is going to have a spot in my home in '06 as well. (It'll probably be on my desk at work - until my boss steals the sets from me and I have to replace them!) The Avatar stuff was good, but that's more my kids thing, as is the SW stuff. Batman and Spongebob were the two properties I spent most of my time that morning playing with. ;D
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 20, 2005 23:43:21 GMT -5
After breakfast, we got down to talking Batman. Since I'm under NDA, I'll talk in general terms about the day. When I'm ok to discuss specifics, I'll be all over it - like white on rice. We met most of the team that's been working behind the scenes to make the line a reality. They're all very interested in making sure that it appeals to both LEGO fans and the Batman fan groups. I was able to see not only the sets and the minifigs, but also the prototypes that led to the finished products. (Those were very cool!) I also saw quite a bit of what went into designing the line and then pitching it to retailers. It was all very interesting - I hope to be able to share the details on that with all of you eventually. We threw out suggestions for additons we'd like to see made to future sets. Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions here on the "What do you want to see" thread, I had plenty to offer. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that suggestions from that thread aren't already planned - I just can't get into specifics at this time. After Batman, we moved onto Star Wars. I was really impressed with the sets that I saw. Again, lots of play value and TONS of detail. The Jabba Sail Barge (the one that's mentioned in the press release above) is really cool. I can't wait to see people's reactions to it. Something else that I noticed with LEGO is that they try to put something in everyone's price range - whether it's a $3.99 X-Pod (one of my new fav toys!) or a $300 Deathstar. Something that other companies should look into perhaps...
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Post by TheJoker on Dec 21, 2005 1:21:17 GMT -5
I hope the minifigs are yellow..... Are the Sail Barge minifigs yellow or the movie colored ones, cause in a preview ic it showed them with the yellow minifigs.
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Post by HUSH on Dec 21, 2005 2:59:05 GMT -5
Great news- both that the Legos will be so great, and that you were there to represent the Bat-fanbase, Reideen. I can't wait to find out specifics about the sets; being a lifelong fan of both Batman and Legos that I am, they will be a real treat for me.
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talosman
Legions of Gotham Police Officer
Posts: 134
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Post by talosman on Dec 21, 2005 9:14:53 GMT -5
I love my 2000+ pieces Lego Star Destroyer, I would to love have a huge piece of batman lego set in that scale. I don't see the point of building a batmobile into something that big anyway. But I can dream about it, lol!
I was drolling at that 8' long Rebel Attack Cruiser as well, but $31k is way way way too expensive (selling on ebay by Lego for charity).
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Post by ThatBlockoGuy on Dec 21, 2005 9:39:09 GMT -5
I hope the minifigs are yellow..... Are the Sail Barge minifigs yellow or the movie colored ones, cause in a preview ic it showed them with the yellow minifigs. If you're referring to the pic on Brickshelf www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1533240You're right they are yellow, but it might just be because they used the original Desert Skiff set in the promo pic w/ the original minifigs. To the best of my knowledge Star Wars stuff uses the "flesh tones" mini fig head and hands. If I remember correctly flesh tones were to be used only when the mini fig was based on an actual person. They were first used in the NBA line when Lego produced mini figs of actual players. this was then extended to other licences like Star Wars, Spider man and Harry Potter (all movies). Batman has generated loads of speculation and even if pics were made public they, like the Sailbarge, might use yellow or flesh tone heads simply for the prototypes or primary catalogue shots. Personally, I'm hoping for a mix actually: flesh tones for movie figs (if made) and yellow for comic based.
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 21, 2005 10:47:07 GMT -5
I'll find out what I can say about the mini figs - at least the color *I think* should be ok. I know I can't tell you anything specific about characters yet. I'm DYING to tell you all about the Batman stuff and some of the figs I saw for the Sail Barge!!
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Blakeus125
Legions of Gotham Police Officer
Posts: 173
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Post by Blakeus125 on Dec 21, 2005 12:06:39 GMT -5
thanks Reideen for sharing, I gotta say you're one lucky guy to get to go and I'm jealous. now I really want to see the Batman stuff, and I cant wait untill to can tell us what its like
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shadow
Legions Of Gothamite
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Post by shadow on Dec 21, 2005 12:47:23 GMT -5
Oh PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say a tumbler with official movie figure is coming!!!!!!!!!! Would anyone else like to see this?
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Post by ThatBlockoGuy on Dec 21, 2005 14:10:35 GMT -5
I'll find out what I can say about the mini figs - at least the color *I think* should be ok. I know I can't tell you anything specific about characters yet. I'm DYING to tell you all about the Batman stuff and some of the figs I saw for the Sail Barge!! Aren't the Sail Barge figs the same as in the catalogue shot? It appears to include a Gammorean guard, Lando in palace guard (skiff guard?) disguise, Boba Fett (w/ additional paint scheme, same as cloud city) Luke, Han, Jabba, Bib Fortuna, R2-D2, Chewie and slave Leia. Here's a link to a hi-res pic on brickshelf. www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1533240Oh, and BTW, just so you know, guys, Reid is NOT being overly cautious. This picture was taken by the security cam outside his place.
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Post by gotham95 on Dec 21, 2005 15:11:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the story Jeff. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Kind of like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory but better. I'm already planning on getting everything that has Batman and LEGO on it.
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Post by J-Man on Dec 21, 2005 16:12:37 GMT -5
[shadow=purple,left,300]Thanks for the report, Jeff. It sounds like you had a great time, and that all of us fans are going to have a great time come next year.
I've never been all that big on LEGO (I can hear Earl's head spinning), but all of these sets- Batman, SpongeBob and even Star Wars- have captured my interest. I really can't wait to see just how beautiful these sets truly are.[/shadow]
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RobN
Legions of Gotham Police Officer
Posts: 185
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Post by RobN on Dec 22, 2005 17:57:51 GMT -5
Congrats on having such a cool experience, Jeff, and thanks for the report. I'd be envious of anyone who got an inside look into the toy industry, but Lego...with these products pending....drool....
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 24, 2005 22:12:25 GMT -5
I will be posting more on this - probably not til Monday though due to the holiday. HOPEFULLY I'll have a chance to show some of my photos also. (They aren't Batman photos - just general photos from the trip.)
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Post by reideen1313 on Dec 26, 2005 21:36:29 GMT -5
Still working on loading the photos to my photobucket account - didn't realize I took so many! ;D After we wrapped up talking about the various lines, we went to another building for a tour of their packaging facility. Now THAT was like being in the candy factory!! Seeing all the machines sorting blocks, dropping them into bags and then sealing the bags up was pretty cool. Then the bags go into a tub, which is taken to the packaging department. They put together all the assorted parts for each set. I got to see quite a few Star Wars sets being assembled while we were there. We also saw some of the newest Bionicle sets being put together - including the light up mask on the top of the package. I've got one of the light up pieces as a souvenir of my visit. Another part of the packaging facility is the warehouse of, well, bins and bins of blocks. Blocks of every shape, size and color are stored and then pulled as needed. The only way I can describe it is to tell you to picture Scrooge McDuck in his vault with the piles and piles of money. That's kind of how I felt while walking through this area. ;D Next we went to the company store. We had a spending limit - since we weren't employees, they wanted to limit the $ amount we spent so they could still have something for the employees that work there. ;D Man, did they know us well! I started looking for Xmas gifts for the kids. Heck, I couldn't pass up a chance to get sets for 50 - 70% off retail price! They also had probably an 8 foot section of pick a brick type bins. Not being a AFOL as much as the other guys, I didn't head for that section. I was scoping the store for clearance sets - they were an additional 50% off! Believe me - I loaded up! Xpods, Racers, Harry Potter, Mini fig key chains (for the coworkers I'd left back home), Alpha Team, big HUGE grey base plates (the ones that retail for $9.99 at TRU) for $1.25 (I got 5 of those), etc, etc. IIRC, I spent about $80 that first day - well below the spending limit. We planned on going back the next day, so I wasn't too worried about not being able to pick up a few more things for the kids. From there (after stowing all our bags in, not one, but TWO cars) we went to the shipping facility. Now, the company that I work for has our own warehouse for some of the items we sell. I think it's pretty big - it has around 120,000 square feet - which, compared to our old warehouse is huge. LEGO's warehouse is over 4 times that! After picking my jaw up off the floor, the tour continued. One of the neatest things I learned was how efficient LEGO is. The majority of their system is paperless. Pretty cool stuff. The toughest job (IMO) in the warehouse would be that of the palletizer. No, it's not some new super villain - it's the guy that sits at the end of the chute and stacks all the boxes on the pallet to get sent to Target/Walmart/TRU/etc. This is where having a degree in Tetris would come in handy. My wife can play Tetris for hours - I last for about 5 minutes. I wouldn't last much longer in the LEGO warehouse. ;D From there, it was back to wrap things up, then a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our bags and bags of purchases, and off to dinner. From dinner, it was back to the hotel and, for me at least, after talking to the family, off to sleep. End of day 1.
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Post by gotham95 on Dec 26, 2005 22:06:08 GMT -5
Sounds awesome. The LEGO store sounds really cool. I'm sure I would have had a tough time with their spending cap also. Can't wait to see the pics.
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Post by /\/\att on Dec 26, 2005 22:12:00 GMT -5
Jeff,
you can always email me the photos and LoG will host them.
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Post by ThatBlockoGuy on Dec 26, 2005 22:55:43 GMT -5
Um........ ........*
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Blakeus125
Legions of Gotham Police Officer
Posts: 173
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Post by Blakeus125 on Dec 26, 2005 23:51:11 GMT -5
Um........ ........* yup.....pretty much luckysonofagun
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Post by reideen1313 on Jan 1, 2006 21:28:37 GMT -5
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Post by Batrez on Jan 1, 2006 22:14:46 GMT -5
thanks reideen for trying your best to help us out...can u tell us that we will see the first pics at toy fair or even before that???
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Post by Batrez on Jan 1, 2006 22:15:16 GMT -5
oh yea whats coming???
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Post by reideen1313 on Jan 1, 2006 23:29:07 GMT -5
First pics should be around the end of this month from UK Toy Fair.
As far as what's coming, ;D click the link above!
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