LEGO-related blogs and news websites did a great job preparing for this year’s April Fool’s Day. From new product announcements to “shocking” revivals, the day was full of great reasons to smile. In case you missed any pranks, here is our round-up of the most amusing things published today.
Today LEGO revealed what is sure to be a controversial product, LEGO Solutions 712215 Brick Stick. The first in a new line of products called LEGO Solutions, it is a semi-permanent adhesive to secure LEGO bricks in their final built form. While we at TBB believe LEGO has always been about creativity and being able to build and rebuild, since the introduction of the 18+ Adults range, LEGO has been targeting a different audience with complex builds designed primarily as display pieces. The Brick Stick glue (let’s call it what it is) seems to be a key part of this, which LEGO says will allow fans to ensure their display models will be in pristine shape for years. Unlike the caustic glue used in outdoor models at LEGOLAND, the company says the new Brick Stick glue is safe for ingestion, non-permanent, and can be removed by soaking the pieces in water for about 30 minutes. The Brick Stick glue will come in a box of two 40ml applicator bottles, available starting May 1 as a Gift With Purchase with qualifying purchases of 18+ sets over US $149.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £119.99 from LEGO.com and in LEGO stores.
We had a brief chance to talk with LEGO Solutions Lead Designer Arne Lauridsen, who says that “We are aware that the core adult fan community has some reluctance about using an adhesive, since it doesn’t fit with the traditional way to use LEGO bricks. However, our research shows that there’s a significant market for this product among casual adult fans who only want to build a set once and then display it. I can’t wait to use it myself on some of my favourite sets that I do not intend to take apart, like the Darth Vader Helmet.”
Hot on the tails of their DOTS success, LEGO has revealed the SPOTS line of accessories for boys ages 6-12. In advance of the theme’s release on April 1st, The Brothers Brick obtained an advance copy to share our impressions of the boys’ extension of the creative tile theme.
Our reviewer got his grubby little hands all over these new sets. Will he deem them totally badass or do they just blow chunks? Maybe a little of both? Read on to find out.
LEGO has revealed SPOTS, a new extension of the DOTS product line targeted at boys. The initial wave of the 2D tile-based crafting theme features armbands, expressive emoji picture holders, a flaming skull pencil pot, and the first in a series of “Extra SPOTS” emoji booster packs surrounding space exploration. Prices vary from US $4.99 to $19.99 with availability beginning April 1st.
The creation of SPOTS is partially due to feedback on LEGO’s successful DOTS product line for exclusively targeting girls with bright colors, pastel packaging and glitter. The SPOTS theme again features building with 1×1 tiles (square, round, and quarter-circle tiles), but this time uses more black, white, red and blue colors along with unique prints of bugs, fire, road signs, grotesque emojis and space artifacts that more easily align with boys’ interests.
Today we are excited to announce The Brothers Brick has acquired the popular YouTube channel Beyond the Brick, creating largest LEGO-related online content provider in history. The acquisition essentially triples the volunteer staff at The Brothers Brick and will bring a whole new level of quality to Beyond the Brick’s long-form interview videos.
In addition to The Brothers Brick’s current contributor recruitment drive, acquiring Beyond the Brick’s army of editors will ensure that each video will receive professional editing with scripts, teleprompters and an accompanying written article with high-quality photos. The ultimate goal will be to publish LEGO convention videos the same day they are recorded rather than having to wait several months after each event.
Joshua Hanlon, one of the founders and main host of Beyond the Brick was asked about the purchase: “HEY EVERYONE, JOSHUA HANLON HERE. It makes so much sense to be part of The Brothers Brick since John and I are brothers and we always get confused as being The Brothers Brick anyway, so it is great to have that cleared up so we can focus on upping our quality and create new daily videos hopefully featuring even more LEGO Star Wars builds, and now with the acquisition we are free to travel to EVERY fan convention and LEGO event no matter how small or remote, even to all the tiny train shows or kid displays at libraries, plus personally I think I look better in green anyway.”
In the short term, every daily video from Beyond the Brick will be published as a post on The Brothers Brick as well as on YouTube. The acquisition will also allow Beyond the Brick to feature smaller, high-quality builds that often get overlooked by the bigger, flashier and moving LEGO creations that have been a primary focus of the YouTube channel. Beyond the Brick will also start to produce and publish instruction videos to the LEGO builds they feature as well as finally start highlighting Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs), an area they have sorely underrepresented until now.
Andrew Becraft, founder of The Brothers Brick said: “This was a strategic LEGO community acquisition that will push us ‘Beyond The Brothers Brick’ to new heights and deeper brand awareness.”
The exhaustive branding transition is expected to take up to one year, with The Brothers Brick iconic green taking over Beyond the Brick’s existing red and yellow coloring before the eventual absorption of the brand altogether including all merchandise, t-shirts, stickers and logos.