Copenhagen LEGO Store debuts a Minifigure Factory to customize and print your own minifigs [News]

The LEGO Store in Copenhagen has debuted a new “Minifigure Factory” prototype, an in-store custom minifig-printing apparatus that will be available only this Tuesday and Wednesday for a test run. The machine allows guests to customize several designs and print them directly on a minifigure torso for 30 DKK (around $5 USD).

Designer Jens Hjoth has been working on the project for a year and a half, according to a Facebook post (including providing the pictures in this article). There is no word on when or if the machine will be rolled out globally, nor what the cost might be if it does see wider distribution (though we personally hope that the trial run is a success and that the machines get put into every LEGO Store).

Guests reportedly have the option of selecting several pre-made designs on a touch-pad screen and then can customize the colors, text and some aspects of the design on both the front and back of the minifigure torso. (While it would be nice to be able to upload your own complete designs, we don’t expect that capability to be enabled due to many complicated copyright issues–but we can hope!)

The designs are printed on white minifigure torsos and appear to have a high level of detail and edge-to-edge printing. The machine itself looks like it can print up to 40 minifigures at a time, operated by a single individual. The set-up also includes a large red number display, perhaps some kind of count-down or a queue for customers to take a number to use the machine.

What do you think of the potential to print your own minifigures at the LEGO Store? We would love to hear your comments below. And if you are lucky enough to be around Copenhagen through Wednesday, we would love to hear your first-hand experience with the new Minifigure Factory.

20 comments on “Copenhagen LEGO Store debuts a Minifigure Factory to customize and print your own minifigs [News]

  1. Steven

    This is awesome, though I am wondering–based on the samples in your photo–if it is limited to prints on white torsos. I hope not.

  2. Nick

    Steven, the machine looks to be a Roland LEF UV printer. You can lay down white ink before the colour ink allowing you to print onto any colour of torso. It’s the same kit a lot of the custom lego brick / minifig printers are using. I’m surprised it’s taken Lego so long to cotton on, there is a huge market for custom printed minifigs and parts.

  3. Dave Schefcik Post author

    Reportedly, it was operating today and will be available tomorrow as well, though things could change quickly.

  4. Dario2739

    Initially thought it would be a great idea, however, limited design chouse and only on torso colour mean it”s of little interest to me.

  5. Håkan

    @Jeru

    There’s a high number of strolling tourists frequenting the Copenhagen store. English is a more probable Lingua Franca than Danish.

  6. Håkan

    @Jeru

    Although the note “30.00 kr. / stk.” on the side is in Danish, translated as “30.00 kr. per print”.

  7. Julius

    There has to be a limitation of some sort otherwise it could potentially hurt the collectibles. Just a thought…

  8. Gomek

    Having bought a bunch of custom figures in the past, you can always tell the UV printed figures from the pad printed figures. Pad printed figures also normally command much higher prices.

  9. Purple Dave

    @Gomek:

    UV has little to no setup costs, and stands out (even in thumbnail images) due to grainy raised texture. It’s hard to say whether pad-printed “commands” higher prices due to more LEGO-authentic look, or if it’s just not possible to compete with UV due to needing a printing pad to be made for every color on every print (which “autocorrect” just changed to “prain’t”). If you have a four-color pad-printed design, it costs twice as much to set up and takes twice as much time to run as a two-color design. For UV, I think it works more like an inkjet, where you just hit the print button and let it do its thing.

  10. Håkan

    @Frederic digiteyezer courteille

    Custom face printing might be harder, though, because of the round surface.

  11. Purple Dave

    @Frederic:

    People do it all the time for custom minifigs. Face deco is often more important than torso, so even if it’s harder to do, there’s incentive to figure out how to make it work. If third party custom shops can figure it out on their budgets, I have every confidence that The LEGO Company can hire someone to figure it out for them.

  12. Gomek

    @Purple Dave – Yes, I’ve looked into pad printing and it’s a beast. The quality IMHO opinion is worth the Extra money one normally has to pay as a consumer. I usually see UV figs going for $10 to $20 and Pad printed one from $25 to $75. While I personally stay away from the upper end of that, I consider some of the $25 purchases to be well worth the figure I got.

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