News Articles

From the LEGO Group:

Hi all, Due to a safety accident with another toy producers product, the LEGO Group is expecting a ban of small parts that contain magnets in the USA and the EU in 2009. As a consequence, the LEGO Group has decided to stop selling products which contain magnets in small parts to already follow thenew rules and not compromise product safety. This affects mainly 2 products – the LEGO refrigerator magnets and the LEGO train magnet couplings. The train magnets will be re-designed as you can see on the pictures and we expect the new magnets in the boxes from August. LEGO Train sets packaged before August will still contain the existing magnets. The new LEGO train magnet element will be visually different from the existing train magnet element but due to that the magnet can rotate in the plastic cover and the clutch power will be as strong as at the old element. The function will be identical and fully compatible with the existing train magnet elements. The LEGO refridgerator magnets will also be re-designed and the new version is expected to be available for sale end of 2008. Jan Beyer, LEGO Community Development

From Julie Stern, LEGO Brand Relations

The LEGO Group and Toysrus.com want you to help pick one of the new Star Wars products for 2009.  Go to www.Toysrus.com/LegoStarWarsVote from May 10 at 12:01 am to May 18 at 11:59 pm to vote for one of three classic Star Wars scenes that you'd like to see transformed into a LEGO set.

Results will be released in February 2009, and the product will be available only at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and online at www.Toysrus.com in September 2009! 

From the LEGO Group:

Hello LEGO Enthusiasts,

You may have noticed already that the selection process for the LEGO Ambassador Program will be slightly different this year.  In the past we’ve selected LEGO Ambassadors based on individual applications, which meant that the program was built on a very individual basis.  Now we would like to make the process more broad reaching and transparent for all members of the AFOL community.  Therefore the selection of LEGO Ambassadors will be based on nominations from your clubs.  In this way we give more people an opportunity to have a say in who’s name gets put in the pot for the selection process.

Who’s allowed to nominate?

- Any AFOL Community Group (online or on the map) will have the opportunity to submit nominations from their group (up to 3 people if they so choose).  Not everyone can be selected for the program as we’ll still only have around 30 people when all is said and done.  Each club can only have one person selected from that club.

- If you choose to submit a nomination it does not mean that your candidate will be chosen, but it does mean that your group will have just as much an opportunity to get involved in having a direct representative in the LEGO Ambassador Program. We will try to get a diverse group of people who are able to represent the whole AFOL community as good as possible.

- Groups can certainly nominate someone already in the Ambassador Program, but from now on the program will have a two term limit in order to have more room for people to be involved.

After a term out of the program, a previous Ambassador can be re-nominated.

- A group that submits a nomination for the LEGO Ambassador program should be established and known within the LEGO Community.

What should a nomination have in it?

- Name and age of the nominee. 

- Where is the nominee from?

- Which Group does this nominee represent?

- Does this person consent to being nominated (Please do not submit a nomination on behalf of someone you have not discussed with beforehand).

- Explanation of who the nominees are, what their activities are, and why they would be a good representative of their community (at least 3 testimonials from members of nominating group are required)

- Key interests of the nominee (themes, building styles, and some examples of their building)

When are Nominations Due?

May 24, 2008 by midnight GMT. If a nomination is received after this time it will be automatically rejected.

Who should the Nominations be sent to?

nominations@LEGO.com

What might a LEGO Ambassador be committing to?

- In-depth discussion with other like-minded LEGO Fans.

- An opportunity to speak with LEGO Group representatives on what is important to the AFOL community.

- Occasional opportunities to give feedback on upcoming ideas for different parts of the LEGO Group (require NDA).

- A chance to submit their own ideas and ideas from the communities they represent on what they would like to see from the LEGO Group.

- Participation in projects which support the community like helping rebuild LEGOfan.org and many other community related projects.

From the 2008/09 cycle, LEGO Ambassadors will not be required to sign an NDA to join the program, but in the interest of the community, LEGO Ambassadors will be invited to give feedback on development projects which will require signing of an NDA. Discussions related to development projects will happen in a separate “top secret forum” for those who decide to sign an NDA. All discussions in the general LEGO Ambassador forum can and should be shared with the community.  The decision on whether or not to take part in secret projects is up to the individual Ambassadors.

Another new aspect in the process will be that starting with this next cycle Ambassadors will only be able to serve for two consecutive terms.  Current Ambassadors will not have their previous terms counted against them, and if chosen by their communities to apply for the program can serve for two more terms.        

Thank you all. Your nominations are very valuable for helping the LEGO Community Team choose the next round of LEGO Ambassadors. 

Tormod, Jan, Steve

Brickarms, provider of custom-made building-toy compatible weapons and custom minifigs, is proud to announce the addition of several new weapons and accessories to its line-up.  All of Brickarms accessories are custom-designed and manufactured with exacting precision to achieve the highest possible quality, and these welcomed new additions to the Brickarms family of products are no exception!

In the continuing tradition of Brickarms accessories based on the weaponry of World War II, Brickarms is now proud to offer the service rifle that saw the US Army through the war: the M1 Garand.

Will Chapman, owner of Brickarms and designer of all its custom weapons, also remains committed to providing detailed and accurate modern weaponry on the cutting-edge of technology. In this latest set of accessories, Will adds two great new modern weapons to the Brickarms line-up: the MP7 and MK48.

MP7	MK48 with bipod (sold separately)

Fans of sci-fi weaponry also have reason to be excited  as these new items include a number of eye-catching pistols and rifles that would be perfect for any futuristic MOC. Each weapon is a unique design of Will Chapman inspired by the world of science fiction.

BA-M5	BA-M6	Auto-9	PKD201

Says Chapman, "Beginning with the M41A from the Alien series, I've been fascinated with bringing popular sci-fi weapons to life at minifig scale. With Mold #3, I pay tribute to four more iconic sci-fi weapons. Each took weeks of design, multiple revisions, and the creation of injection-molded prototypes, to ensure each design met the high standards of accuracy and playability that are the hallmark of BrickArms."

These new arrivals to Brickarms also something previously unseen: accessories for your accessories! With several larger weapons now offered by Brickarms, the new monopod and bipod accessories are an excellent way to give your Brickarms accessories added poseability. One excellent feature of these accessories: they’re compatible with any minifig accessory with a barrel a minifig can grip!

Weapons with bipod	MK48 w/monopod

Finally, by demand of Ian Chapman, Will’s son, Brickarms is now happy to offer a Flash Bang Grenade for use with all of your tactical minifigs!

Flash Bang

When asked about this item, Ian says, "The M84 Stun Grenade is my favorite new BrickArms weapon.  My minifigs now have even more firepower than before. I'm glad my Dad let me help design it!"

All of these great new accessories are available for order on www.Brickarms.com now, so order today! Will has even more great ideas for the future, so keep your eyes on Brickarms for many new exciting developments to come!

This year's FIRST LEGO League challenge is called Power Puzzle, and the Robotic Game has 15 missions to solve. Up until now, I have seen teams get most, but not all the points (400) needed from a table.

Until now. This is from Brothers Keepers 2710 (team name and number) from Michigan...they give a new meaning to running the table.

Check this out - it's from an NXT from a Swedish builder!

What's really nifty is that this can be done with one NXT set. You can see pics and get instructions on how to build this at Tilted Twister.

Thanks to Geoff Gray for pointing to this, and Hans Andersson for building it!

From the LEGO Group:

Dear all,

As promised in the second communiation from the 6th of December last year, we will give you the latest information and decisions regarding the development of the new train system based on LEGO Power Functions.

We are still working on the final details and doing a lot of testing of the new Power Funntions elements; however, we are again able to give you some more details.

First - we will not change the gauge of the rails so there is no need to be afraid that the L gauge will disappear.

On the rechargeable battery box we have been working to get the best compromise between size and power. It has been decided that we will use a powerful Lithium Polymer battery and the size of the box will be 4 studs by 8 studs long by 4 studs high - this should fit in most trains. The already existing standard LEGO transformer will be used to recharge and be the power supply.

The existing Power Functions RC receiver already has integrated speed control. To enable the use of this we will make a newly designed RC handset with speed control capability.

All the above new train related Power Functions items as well as the current battery train motor (with cross axles and wheels) will be available separately through LEGO Shop@Home before the summer of 2009.

As you know we arranged a train workshop in November 2007 where ten AFOLs from around the world: Denmark, USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands Germany, and Untied Kingdom participated, built with the prototype elements and also looked into ideas and possibilities for new train designs using the Power Functions elements . Based on the outcome of this workshop and all the other fantastic input we got from the AFOL community over the last six months, our designers worked on the first train set using the new Power Functions system. This set will be truly aimed at the AFOL community to acknowledge the importance of the adult LEGO hobbyists in the LEGO train world.

This communication will be the last one regarding the transition from the 9V train system into the new Power Functions train system, Due to all the very valuable AFOL feedback we are far down the road with the development of the new elements and also the new train set. We appreciate all your efforts through this transition which we expect to be fully executed in 2009.

Stay tuned for the new LEGO train system coming in 2009.

Tormod Askildsen,

Head of LEGO Community Development

Rob Hendrix at Brickmodder.net has been playing...

You can find more info at www.lifelites.com

One of the teams from the United States, the Gothic Lawn Gnomes (Woodinville, Washington), was recently invited to the World Festival as a FLL Core Values Ambassador.  This team has exemplified the Core Values of FIRST LEGO League by upholding the following values:

•  We are a team.
•  We do the work to find the solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
•  We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
•  What we discover is more than what we win.
•  We share our experiences with others.
•  We display gracious professionalism in everything we do.
•  We have fun.

How did the Gnomes do this? They adopted the only known FLL team in Afghanistan, the Kite Runners. By providing funding and materials for the team, the Gnomes have helped grow a team in a country torn by war and have shown that learning and friendship knows no boundaries.

Because this special invitation was not related to the tournaments, the Gnomes have only a short time to raise funds to not only take their own team to Atlanta, but also the Kite Runners team as well.  It’s their goal to finally meet their adopted team, and it’s a tough goal. However, it can be reached if we support them.

BrickJournal has supported FIRST LEGO League in the past with articles about the World Festival, and continues this effort by urging everyone to support the Gothic Lawn Gnomes, the Kite Runners, and FLL.

You can make a donation to the Gothic Lawn Gnomes and the Kite Runners by visiting www.gothiclawngnomes.org or www.firstwa.org.

You can also support FIRST LEGO League by going to http://www.firstlegoleague.org/ and searching for a team that you want to sponsor, or you can start a new team in your area. With your support, these future scientists, architects and engineers can achieve their dreams.