Let's Help Fairy Bricks Bounce Back!

It’s another sad day in the LEGO fan community…

I first saw it on Brickset, but it has been reported in multiple places. The UK-based charity called Fairy Bricks was robbed… again!!!

Back in 2017 people busted into their van and took off with a bunch of sets. Here’s an article about the first terrible occurrence. The picture below is from that event. It’s not like someone left it unlocked or was able to break the lock… they just tore open the door with… I don’t know, a crow bar? Goodness! I enjoy LEGO, but not enough to pry open a van and steal the sets inside.

The most recent robbery occurred this past weekend. Thieves apparently cut a hole on the side of the building, busted in, loaded up the van, and drove off with the van and sets. WHAT!?!?!?! That is ridiculous! Come on!!!

The aftermath of the devastation is pictured below. The police are involved and investigating.

If you’re not familiar with Fairy Bricks, they raise funds to buy sets to give to kids in hospitals across Europe. You can visit their site for more details here. They are very active in giving sets during the pandemic as can be seen in the picture below.

As it has taken me a day to get this post out, the situation has unfolded some. The van has been located. YAY! No sets though. All of the sets stolen did not have the charity’s sticker on them so they weren’t marked. A number of LEGO fan sites have posted the update and a list of the sets stolen. You can see Brickset’s article here. Or you can watch a clip from Beyond the Brick below:

Finally, if you are interested in helping them out through this tough time, consider donating. You can donate directly through their site here. The donations are accepted in British Pound Sterling so be aware that you’ll have to pay the exchange rate when making a donation in US Dollars.

I hope and pray for a swift resolution to this situation so they can get back to giving. Thank you to everyone who had helped already and to the LEGO Group who said they are working to replace the sets. Let’s turn this negative situation into a positive one!

Happy building!

Is now the time to buy? - Fall 2016

I don't have any sets to review this week or interesting LEGO® related stories, but I can say that I've been buying a bunch for the store to plus up sets and some sets that I plan to break apart for minifigures.  If you pay attention to the sales out there (for the US) at Amazon.com, Walmart, and Target there have been a lot of sets for more than 20% off and oddly enough a lot for 30% or even 40% off.  

If you haven't read any of my previous posts about buying sets, I highly recommend using some of the online tools that scan all of the sites for sales.  My favorite is Brickset's buying tool.  It shows the sales from LEGO®, Amazon.com, Target, Walmart, and Bricklink.  On the linked page you can see the top sales and then if you drill down you can see all of the sales down to some that are only 1% off.  A screen shot from the site is below.  It's pretty easy to use.

As for themes, it seems that there are sales for all of them.  Friends, City, Train, Disney Princess, Technic, Nexo Knights, Ninjago, Architecture, Minecraft, Dimensions, Creator, Duplo, Super Heroes, and... did I miss any?  Oh yeah, Star Wars.  If you've ever paid attention to Star Wars sets, they often are not on sale and they are usually very expensive.  You can now find a few for 30% off and a bunch for 20% off.  Search for them and if you had planned on picking up one, get them while they are discounted.  Some of the sets have been listed for a while, but others are only or a limited time.  For example, Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle - #75104, was 20% off at Amazon.com and Target for only a few days.  Then it slipped back to 12% off on Amazon.com.  Also to note, Amazon limited the number of Kylo Ren's Command Shuttles you could buy to only one.  I did not see what Target did.  A disappointment to note... Target discounted the Star Wars Sandcrawler - #75059 by 10%.  It's not a lot, but I have never seen it discounted before.  The sale was misleading though.  You couldn't order the set online, you had to get it in the store.  Of course, none were in stock within a 50 mile radius of my home.  Stink.  What is not listed?  Collectible Minifigures, Speed Champions, Exclusives, and some of the newer sets that were just released.  

What does this tell us?  Are inventories high and retailers are just trying to unload stock?  Are they trying to get early sales ahead of the Christmas season?  Are these just teaser sales that will end in a few days/weeks?  Time will tell I guess, but if you are a LEGO® fan and have been looking for a particular set, now is the time to pick one (or more up).  What are your thoughts?