Ask A Lemur – “Legos”, Tiles in Clips & Lemur Minifigs

Welcome to my abode, dearly esteemed Readers!

Lemur's Mail

I’m very sorry for the delay in posting today. When I crawled out of my crate this morning, all the contributors were already up (a true rarity, let me tell you) and running amok. I was sternly informed that it was Andrew’s annual inspection and I had to rush about straightening and dusting all of their offices and suites. There were a lot of confusing references to Andrew and his white glove. Not entirely sure what it’s all about but I’ve been pretty busy, running from one rancid mess to another. It was almost enough to ruin my appetite. Almost.

Just now I decided that I deserved a break today, so I had a mango and peanut butter sandwich and sat down to answer your questions. I am a bit afraid that someone will come looking for me, so I’m writing from inside the vacuum-cleaner bag. No one uses it except for me, so they will never think to look here.

Off we go!

What is your stance on the word “Legos”?

This is a common question and it’s probably time to cover it again. Grammar police all throughout the hobby love to beat down people who refer to LEGO Bricks as “Legos”. The offender is generally someone new to the hobby and the enforcer gets to show off his or her superior knowledge. In all honesty, it’s not about being correct but usually about being a jerk. It doesn’t matter what you call our lovely little building elements. It’s about creativity and relationships. Don’t be a jerk.

And remember, in Denmark LEGO is pronounced “LEE-GO”. If you correct someone for saying “Legos” and insist the correct way is “Lay-go” without an ‘s’, you are just as wrong. There, now I’m a jerk too.

Is the “tile in clip” technique legal now since it was used in the Helicarrier set?

To begin with, I have to admit that I’m not an expert on what is “legal” and what is not. In addition, the legality of a technique is decided by The LEGO Company and only applies to set design and such. No one is going to get arrested or thrown into LEGO jail for using an illegal technique. Well…not many people. I heard that Mark Stafford once spent a couple nights in the LEGO slammer but that was for color-related crimes, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, I digress. Tiles in Clips. Since it appears in a set, that would say to me that it is legal. I’m told, by some of my underworld contacts, that is has always been a legal connection but is seldom allowed in a set due to the higher level strength and dexterity that is required for the technique. If that is the case, then we will probably not see it often and only in sets designed for a higher age range.

Current use aside, The LEGO Company can always change it’s rules. It is a fickle mistress. The technique could become more wide-spread or be disallowed entirely.

Will there ever be an A.Lemur minifig?

Hmmm…that would be awesome! But, no, there are no plans to produce a lemur at this time. Of course, the future is as yet uncharted and a whole realm of possibilities still exist!

Once again, thank you so much sending me your questions. It is truly a pleasure and honor to talk to you all!

Love,
A. Lemur

21 comments on “Ask A Lemur – “Legos”, Tiles in Clips & Lemur Minifigs

  1. Samwise Gamgee

    What’s your ‘flavourite’ theme LEGO has produced so far? Do the collectable minifigure series taste exotic?

  2. disorientedperson

    Hey, A Lemur, what do you think about LEGO board games? I’ve recieved/purchased a few, and have always thought that the games weren’t very engaging and the rules confusing.

  3. Buffalorand

    Tiles ‘clipped’ in to the hands of mini-figs has been around since, well, the Mini Fig. You open a can of dark matter consuming worms if you start to debate legal building styles. It is all a matter of the individual aesthetic preference of each builder and then each admirer. The way many of my bricks have been holding up lately, I don’t think stress on the brick should be an issue. I have some white and pink bricks that have been used only once in a monthly mini build for example and have never been removed from their original placement and are now only a year or two later completely cracked up each side.

  4. Carl

    “Lay-go”? Why the hell would anyone pronounce it like that? Is that how Americans say it? It’s pronounced “Leg-o” here in Britain. Say it as it’s spelt, and all that.

  5. Carlo

    Well I’ve always used plates in clips; don’t know about official Lego sets, but it looks like their gonna come out. And by the way, that lemur from Avatar does not count. That doesn’t look like our lemur a bit.

  6. crgennaro

    I’ve never heard “Lay-go” but I’ve never heard “Lee-go” either. It’s always been “Leg-o” as far as I know, and if a company pronounces it wrong in their own commercials, then who is to say who is right?

  7. Rob Riley

    Hey all! New here.

    Just wanted to pipe up and comment on the whole Lego vs legos thing. I remember when I was a kid Lego was asking customers if they’d call the product “Lego” instead of “legos” because they were concerned that what happened to elastic bandages (aka plasters in the U.K.) all being called “Bandaids” and dilute the brand and I suspect having people end up buying say MegaBlocks and thinking they bought Lego products. (I’ve had that happen to a neighbor just the other day, actually.) Being a big fan of Lego the term “Legos” feels more or less a “nails on chalkboard” to me, but at the end of the day it won’t cause civilization to fall so I let it pass. ;)

  8. rushiosan

    Tile-in-Clip connection is “legal” since 2001 as far as I know. Take a look on this (very small) image from #4701 where it shows a brown clip holding the magic spell tile in the top-right alt model:

    http://www.blujay.com/1/110/1800417_s1_i2.jpg

    Personally, I never liked it since you’re putting too much stress to a clip. Minifigure hands are completely different though. They are meant to be more flexible than clips in order to fit various accessories (including tiles!).

  9. dip

    Are you a bit upset about all the things Ralph is doing to you? Last LUG meeting his Airwolf model dropped to the floor (bits all over the place) and I thought I saw a flash of a greenish tail in the vicinity…

  10. AlphaWolfDrummer

    What is a good way to organize a large collection of bricks? I’ve been collecting Lego bricks for 8-9 years and have an awful ton of elements in bins, and large storage containers. I want to organize them but I don’t want to spend a ton of money on drawers. Thanks!

  11. Carlo

    Well The way I do it is have lots of little snap suitcases that I collect and I have types of pieces in each one. I also have drawers, but the suitcases help. They can be found in most Lego Junior sets.
    -Carlo

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