Hello, Long-Suffering Friends!
Well, I’ve a had a rough week. Apparently Josh thought I was getting too big for my britches (whatever those are) and decided to replace me with someone more easily manipulated. Without anyone else’s knowledge, he sent me on a “special mission” to one of our remote listening posts and conveniently forgot me there.
It was very cold and all I had to eat were old surplus MREs. I would have starved, except the wrappers were rather tasty.
Once I was out of the way, he brought in my replacement. Apparently Josh had him bred in a secret lab somewhere (No, not Ralph’s…he had nothing to do with it). The little bug-eyed freak tried to take my place in your hearts and minds but thankfully you all realized something was amiss. After reading your comments, Andrew also came to his senses and demanded that Josh bring me back. Apparently the new guy couldn’t keep the yacht as shiny as I did. Thank goodness for that!
Now for the good parts!
I’ve got pieces from fairly new sets (less than a year) that have got cracks in them. Does LEGO want to know about these pieces? Should I send them a picture that includes the pieces’ numbers?
Absolutely! If you come across any quality issues with new LEGO, you should contact them. I can’t guarantee how they will respond but LEGO’s customer service department has a rather good reputation. If you do contact them regarding damaged pieces, you should have the pieces with you when you call. The numbers inside the brick can tell them a lot of information, including exactly which mold the piece came from. If there is a molding issue, this will help them zero in on the problem. If you know which set the piece can in, that can also help, especially if you still have the box. Most manufacturers put codes on their packaging so that they can tell the date, time and batch the product came from.
Also, if you are missing pieces in a new set, you should contact them. They will probably send you the missing bits and it helps them track any issues in their packaging system. Please do not abuse this! There have been rumors that a few dishonest people have taken advantage of the Missing Piece system. Don’t be “that guy”, okay?
What is the best way to restore yellowed Lego Bricks?
Master Andrew actually discussed this a number of years ago. Unfortunately the original RetroBright wiki is gone now but Tim Goddard posted the recipe and technique. I have not done this myself, so the information is second-hand, but it appears that this does work on old yellowed bricks that have been affected by sun-light. Yellowing can also be caused by other things, such as bricks exposed to cigarette smoke. I don’t know that this will work on those poor, unfortunate bricks.
I avoid this technique myself, because I nibble on my brick. The chemicals used in this technique are household cleaners but if any of your “restored” LEGO is going to be handled by small children, I would make sure it was thoroughly washed and rinsed to remove any leftover nasty stuff, just to be on the safe side.
Can I have your email address so I can send you some pictures of a spaceship I built?
I would love to see your spaceship but I wouldn’t be able to post it on The Brothers Brick. I’m not allowed to post anything except these weekly bits. However, in my limited spare time, I do cruise the LEGO Faniverse and might see your spaceship there!
Once again, thank you for all your questions! Keep them coming in the comments below and I will do my best to answer all I can.
Lots of Lemur Love,
A. Lemur