Greetings and High-Fives to all my good friends out there!
It is I, A. Lemur, writing from The Brothers Brick’s compound! I’m here to answer all of your fabulous questions about anything and everything.
This last weekend, I attended Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle and I have to tell you, it blew my mind. So many new things! I got to attend with Andrew, Iain and Josh. Their invite kind of surprised me but I had a great time. Josh wanted signatures from all the celebrities and Andrew and Iain had a list of items they wanted as well. They had too many parties to attend or they would have stood in line themselves.
I was happy to do it and I got to meet all sorts of people in the lines. Some of them had the most interesting smells! The majority of the people thought I was “cosplaying”, whatever that means. I also saw a LOT of Super Heroes. That Spiderman guy really gets around. Seemed like every time I turned around, he was there. I think he was following me. Never saw him swing on any webs, even though I was watching. I probably missed it. The crowds were pretty packed and I had to be on my toes to keep from getting trod upon by stompy robots and such. That Doctor Who guy also was everywhere. He looked slightly different each time I saw him but I hear that happens, from time to time.
Oh, I almost forgot the best part! There was a Food Truck area along one of the nearby streets! When I wasn’t standing in line for Josh, standing in line for Andrew or standing in line for Iain, I was standing in line at the Food Trucks. They were so awesome!
Enough about me…on to your questions!
Where do I source the amount of LEGO needed to build these large displays I’m always seeing?
That is a great question. To begin with, let’s talk about large displays. Very few of the large displays or layouts that you see at conventions are built by one person. The majority are collaborations between multiple people, sometimes as few as two but often up to 15 or 20 people. This way one person doesn’t have to amass all the brick nor do they have to do all the work by themselves. Working with other builders is really the way to go if you have a large display in mind.
Regarding how to source brick, you can buy lots of sets but that is the most expensive way to do it. Buying sets is part of how you will build up your collection but it shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. There are also LEGO Brand Stores scattered all over the world. If you have one nearby, they have a very important resource known as the Pick-A-Brick wall. They don’t stock every piece but they do have a quite a variety and you can buy them in bulk via large plastic “cups”. You can save a lot of money and acquire large amounts of specific pieces via “The Wall”, especially if you learn how to pack a cup properly.
It may not help with gathering specific pieces but you can build up your collection by keeping an eye out at local sales, Craigslist or by just word of mouth. There is a lot of second-hand LEGO sitting unused in attics and garages. You have to look for it, but it is out there.
Which is better: Old Grey or New Grey?
So apparently LEGO changed the color of their grey bricks many, many years ago. Many fans were angry about this, including some of the editors and contributors here. They were angry because they had copious amounts of the “old” grey and the “new” grey didn’t match. This was a valid point and much learned by both the LEGO company and the LEGO fans during this time. LEGO learned that the fans really cared about changes in their product and LEGO fans learned that anything can change without warning and no amount of whining will stop it.
Does it matter now? As a historical footnote, yes. Which color is better? LEGO was right, the new grey is better. I dug through Josh’s old and new grey (he is still sleeping off Comic Con and won’t mind). Most of his old grey is yellowed and/or grimy-looking. It also tastes pretty stale. The new grey looks better, fits better with the other colors, has resisted discoloration better and has a slight minty taste. I love it!
Does LEGO reinforce gender stereotypes?
I don’t think so. However, not very many lemurs play with LEGO so it’s hard to make any assumptions. For example, I’m the only lemur I know who has a LEGO collection and I’m a boy lemur. From that one fact you could make a statement that only male lemurs play with LEGO. However that would be silly based on your small sample size. I’m sure if more lemurs had access to LEGO, both genders would enjoy it equally. It’s so tasty, how could they not?
Thanks for your questions! It was another fun-filled time.
See you soon,
A. Lemur