The AFOL Community Responds in During a Turbulent Time

I am an American, but I live in Germany right now. The protests here… well there haven’t been any in the part of the country I live in. So as someone living an ocean away, let me start off by saying "thank you” to everyone who has stepped up for what is right. Thanks to those of you peacefully protesting who are making sure our political leaders understand where we stand as a country. Thank you too to all of those who work to keep our country safe. I am appalled at some of the actions of some of our police over the last week and I hope they are the minority. Thanks to those men and women who have stepped up to do what is right. Thanks for letting people peacefully protest, for working to find common ground with those willing to have a conversation, and for protecting those in need when required.

We have a long way to go as a country, but I hope and pray that we can move it in the right direction.

I am saddened to see people who have resorted to violence and looting. On 5 June 2020, Beyond the Brick posted the video below spotlighting a NYC LEGO Brand Store. It is sad to see all of the giant creations next to a damaged store and busted windows. A hobby that I turn to for enjoyment, creativity, and a way to engage with others around the world being hit like this is tough to see. I hope no one was hurt and I hope LEGO can rebuild and get their workers back in place soon.

Thankfully it is not all bad and the AFOL community has had some great responses to what is happening.

One post is an article on the Brick Model Railroader blog. Cale Leiphart, known for some incredible train MOCs, posted on 5 June 2020 about an experience he had traveling to a LEGO Fan event. You can read the full article here. Cale shares an experience of meeting a retired Norfolk Southern employee volunteering at a train museum in Virginia. While Cale and the volunteer had different skin colors, they both had a love of trains (one a fan of LEGO ones while one is a fan of actual trains). They were able to connect and it didn’t matter that they looked different. Definitely a lesson to follow in the United States now.

The Brother’s Brick has a few posts as well…
-One is a highlight of a build for “Black Lives Matter,” an editorial piece, and a conversation in the comments section.
-The other is a brick build of George Floyd and some additional commentary.

Finally, the LEGO Group had this to say on their Twitter feed on 3 June 2020:

No word as to what organizations they are talking about, but a step in the right direction.

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I normally end my posts by saying “happy building.” While I echo the same sentiments, I also say “Let’s build a better world.”

Have You Ever Purchased Your Bricks at Smyths?

Many Americans looking at LEGO fan media sites may have heard of a store called Smyths before and have never actually seen one. It is usually mentioned on some of the European sites. Well for those of you who are curious here’s a short peek into the store.

First, a quick overview… Smyths is a toy store located in the UK, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. While they have a physical presence, they also have an online presence too. You can order to have it shipped to your house with free shipping starting at 29€ or you can order online and pick up in the store.

The short story… it felt like a Toys R Us store back in the US before they closed only the words were not in English and there wasn’t a giraffe.

Let’s focus on the important part… or parts… or bricks…

The store I went into had one side of an entire aisle (maybe 75 feet long) full of LEGO sets. They appeared to have most of the themes too and the sets they did have were well stocked. They did not have the very large sets like the #75192-1: Millennium Falcon, but their online store lists the stock at each store. That way you can see where they have sets and go to another store to get what you want.

Some specific things that caught my eye:
-They did not have the latest collectible minifigures (the DC Super Heroes series). They still had Disney Series 2 and Series 19 and both were still at full retail of 3,99€
-They had the #42056-1: Porsche 911 GT3 RS from the Technic line still. This has been retired in Europe for over a year. I’m tempted to go back and get it as a set to hang onto to sell later since it has been retired in the US for a while now.
-#21046-1: Empire State Building was on sale for 69,99€. The regular retail price is 99.99€ according to Brickset so that’s pretty good. The regular retail in the US is $129.99 so the sale price works out to be around $77 with the currency conversion. That’s not too bad.

Overall, I’m not an expert on LEGO set pricing in Europe or Germany so I don’t know if the prices were on par with LEGO or higher or lower. I know Toys R Us used to raise prices on LEGO to above what you could get at Shop @ Home or in a LEGO Brand Store. If any Europeans are reading this, let me know what you think on pricing at Smyths.

My closest Brand Store is about 30 minutes away and this Smyths is about 25 minutes away in the opposite direction. I don’t have a pull to hit one over the other, but I do have to pay to park to visit the closest Brand Store. Also I still buy most of my bricks on sale from Amazon.com or through Shop @ Home so unless I find great deals on the local economy, it isn’t worth it with the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro.

Where I live in Germany, they do have Walmart/Target type big box stores, but their LEGO set selection isn’t very large. From the last time I was in the US, I recall that Walmart and Target have boosted their LEGO set offerings as Toys R Us went away. Smyths definitely seems like a decent option if you don’t live near a Brand Store and don’t want to shop online. I’ll have to pay attention more to see what their sales are like or if they ever have special offers.

In the meantime, happy building!

(and no, I was not paid to build this post or to advertise for the store… especially since my blog is written towards American LEGO fans and most Americans don’t have a Smyth’s nearby to visit)

Set Review - #40305-1: LEGO® Brand Store

Set #40305-1: LEGO® Brand Store was originally released as a Brand Store exclusive set. I mentioned it in my store reviews here and here. Well its status has changed and as of 4 September 2019, it is available on LEGO Shop @ Home in the US. I had to search for it by number as I couldn’t find it on any of the drop down categories. Has anyone else found it there?

The set itself has 362 pieces and 2 minifigures. In the US it is $24.99 ($0.069/piece) and in Germany where I picked it up it’s 24.99€ (0.069€/piece). So a better deal in the states depending on how much sales tax you pay. For those of you keeping track, it’s been available in Germany since 2 June 18 according to Brickset.com.

Onto the set…

Unlike most set boxes, this one is very generic with a yellow background. It just has the LEGO logo, but no other details beyond the shadow of a city. The front shows the set and the back goes into some details on the set.

The contents are 4 numbered parts bags, a fifth parts bag with no number, the instruction booklet, and a small sticker sheet. My sticker sheet had an error on it. One of the boxes had a duplicate box sticker attached below it. Nothing a pair of scissors could not solve, but I have never seen an error on a sticker sheet in a set.

Onto the build… bags 1 and 2 are required for the first section of instructions. This builds the first floor of the shop. Externally, the front entrance door is offset from the store front by a stud. It has a flag outside, minimal decoration above the door, and sadly a sticker for the LEGO logo versus a printed tile (I was hoping it would be printed). On the inside you have some sets for sale on the wall, a bin with nothing in it, a small MOC on display in the front window, a cash register, and what I assume is the pick a brick wall. Nothing overly amazing about this build other than I like how they were able to build this to minifigure scale and capture some of the details.

Bags 3 and 4 finish the set off. The front has some simple decoration, but still some nice details. There is some coloring and texture, 2 flags, awnings over the windows, and then the edge of the roof has a simple, yet nice design. Inside you have more sets on the wall, some MOCs in the window (a fire truck and I’m not sure what the other one is). There is what appears to be a build-a-minifigure station and then a shield in a bin which I’m not sure what it represents in a Brand Store. As you can see from the last picture, the top of the store has a yellow 2x4 brick design. This is a fun detail and I’m not sure if it actually exists on any actual Brand Stores out there.

The set comes with two minifigures. One is a child with a red baseball cap on. I assume it is a male, but in theory it could be a female with short hair covered by the cap. The other is an adult male. He’s got a Hawaiian style shirt on and looks pretty chill with a goatee and wavy hair. You can figure out whether the adult is a worker, parent, or an AFOL.

The set does not come with a Brand Store worker which I see as a downside. I do have one from a previous free set with purchase, but it would have been great to get one with this set. I know the design exists, but it probably has to do with wanting the set cost to remain at its current level. I’m not sure how much adding in another minifigure would skew the price.

Here are pictures of the full set. Its design reminds me of the Creator 3-in-1 type buildings with a front and no back half. In my mind, these buildings are good for builders like me who are not good a coming up with MOCs on their own. I can take what was started and build the back half. Maybe include some stairs so you can actually get to the upstairs in the store?

Overall it’s a fun set. The pricing isn’t bad and they have captured a Brand Store well given the scale. As mentioned, a store worker minifigure would have been preferred in the set. As an AFOL, it is not a challenging build, but the box states ages 8+ which lines up with the difficulty.

What are your thoughts on this one?

Happy building!