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The Machines Are Taking Over

HerrSM - 5 Comments

Finally Back In Billund

The last time I went to The LEGO House was quite some time ago.
Back in March, I went to Billund to pick up my copy of the Tree of Creativity.
I had planned to return just two months later in May.
And guess what. Covid-19 made me change my plans.

Yesterday, a good six months later I finally was able to stop by the Home Of The Brick on my way further north for some holidays.
And lucky me it was.
It turned out that yesterday was only the second day of a new attraction at the store inside Ole Kirks Plads 1. A brand new Minifigure Factory. Open to the public. And yours truly.

Your reporter in the field …

Here’s the original press release by the LEGO House:

The LEGO Minifigure Factory to be revealed in the LEGO® House store in Billund

At the LEGO Store in LEGO® House a big secret has been hidden behind decorative cardboard boxes for a while with the text “coming soon” written outside it. From Friday guests will be met by the brand new LEGO Minifigure Factory when they enter the retail store.

The unboxing

The LEGO Minifigure Factory lets you customise and personalise your own minifigure torso by adding text, decorations and even drawings on it. All done on a computer and a few minutes later – a freshly printed personal minifigure is ready just for you!

Guests will be able to pick between a few pre-selected designs to start with, but it is also possible to create a new design by drawing and adding text to the minifigure torso.

Furthermore guests will be able to pick among approximately 20 exclusive LEGO House prints like the LEGO House logo, a Play Agent torso, the house drawn in drone perspective, the dinosaurs and many more iconic illustrations from the house.

The printing machinery

Store Manager, Thomas Jensen is super excited about the new retail experience and especially the exclusive LEGO House decorations are dear to him: “The most fantastic part of having this new retail experience is the possibility for our guests to personalise and create their unique LEGO minifigure. With the exclusive LEGO House decorations they get the possibility to create their very own piece of souvenir from their visit and in that way bring home a little piece of LEGO House.

Exclusive LEGO House Prints

Exclusive LEGO House Prints

In the store we look very much forward to creating lots of minifigures together with our guests and feel the creative and playful atmosphere even more.” 

This unique experience is available in LEGO Stores in Berlin, Orlando and Amsterdam, and now also in LEGO House, Billund.

New Shirts Galore

And of course I had to try it out myself. Luckily there were no massive queues so without waiting time I gave it a go.

First I had to go to the cash desk to pay for my own printed minifigure. After paying 89 DKK (12 €) I was handed out a box. This box had to be scanned at the designing station. On screen instructions guided me through the entire (simple) process: I typed in my name, chose a front and a backside for the torso and clicked on “OK”. While my personal design was transferred to the printing unit I got to choose a head, a headpiece, legs and an extra accessory (like with a regular Build A Mini).

Happy Me

After only five minutes the store agent happily handed me over my brand new, freshly printed and uniquely customized minifigure torso, along with a white 1×3 brick which had my name on one side and “LEGO House” on the other.

That is me … in my box.

The result not only made me happy. It also made me spend a significant amount of my holiday pocket money on more torsos t-shirt.

And remember we were only on our first day of our holidays, just on the way to our destination!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFC8zvsKxOp/

Conclusion

Yes, 12€ is a lot of money for only one minifigure but… I will definitely get back and choose more designs to be printed. They are simply too adorable not to.
And the possibilities are almost endless.
You can not only choose from several designs, but you can also decide on the size of the print or you can paint your own ideas with your fingers.
And last but not least the designs from LEGO House are exclusively available in Billund (while I noticed that some/all designs from the store in Berlin are available, too).

More Minifigure Factories will surely come to stores across the globe.

Meanwhile Somewhere In Northern Denmark

After this exciting experience we left Billund heavy-hearted and proceeded to our holiday destination.
Now I’m sitting in our summer house.
Outside the winds from the North Sea are blowing heavily and it’s raining cats and dogs.
But I don’t mind.
I’ve got a cup of tea and am happily waiting for the sun to come out again so I can rock my new shirts on the beaches of the Danish westcoast!

Stefan.

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The SiPgoesVirtual special edition of the Daily Prophet

stuckinplastic - 1 Comment

Remember yesterday, in our special edition of the Daily Planet, we ended up on a cliffhanger with the Yellow Lantern leaving the journal for its parallel universe competitor, the Daily Prophet. Well wewe just happen to have a special edition of the Daily Prophet for today…

The Daily Prophet is getting live reports of an ongoing situation at Azkaban Prison. The known Death Eater and #1 Female Tyrant, Bellatrix Lestrange has staged a breakout. Or has she? We understand that the person believed to be Bellatrix, who has been in lockdown in Azkaban for 7 months now, is in fact, star Hogwarts pupil, Hermione Granger. She has been protesting her innocence ever since and was able to get messages out to the wizarding world via the window in her cell.

Thanks to our special reporter (and editor in chief) @shtacyp

Initially, when people believed the prisoner to be Bellatrix, the suspected mastermind behind the escape was the powerful evil wizard Lord Voldemort. We have since confirmed that Voldemort was spending an easy Sunday morning in his pyjamas, reading his favourite newspaper.

Thanks to our special reporter @ballou34

Our sources claim that Hermione Granger was accidentally under the influence of polyjuice potion. She made the potion herself, a simple task for such an accomplished wizard, but the potion was intended for someone else.

Thanks to our special reporter @bevvypix

In an incident in the Gryffindor common room, Neville Longbottom clumsily tripped over, splashing polyjuice potion in Hermione’s face.

Thanks to our special reporter@sophiefigs

The whole operation almost came to a standstill however, key character Moaning Myrtle got stuck in the toilet! Attempting to pass on a message to Harry Potter (who she is also in love with), Myrtle got stuck in the pipes.

Continue reading “The SiPgoesVirtual special edition of the Daily Prophet”
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The SiPgoesVirtual special edition of the Daily Planet

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The Green Lantern has taken over as the Chief Editor of the Daily Planet this week. Having had successful spells at LEGO News, Brain Times, and the Gotham Gazette, he hopes he can bring some of his signature wit to his new newspaper.

Thanks to our special reporter (and editor in chief) @shtacyp

And there is more trouble ahead in the DC Universe. Mister Miracle wants to move to Fabuland City. But before he’s allowed in, he has to prove his incredible escapologist powers to the Major and Sheriff of the city. Will he make it and become the next citizen?

Thanks to our special reporter@_me2_

Other than Mister Miracle, Star Girl is already living in Fabuland City. Upon her arrival, she picked up the duty of lighting the stars above the city every night. So far the citizens are impressed and in love with her skills.

Continue reading “The SiPgoesVirtual special edition of the Daily Planet”
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Laughing desired

HerrSM - Leave a reply

But Wait

Oh my, this isn’t what we had in mind when we greeted the new year roughly six months ago, right? I guess it’s safe to say that we all had different plans for twenty-twenty. Plans of travelling, of meeting old friends and new ones. Instead life threw some event cards our ways. Here, take Covid-19. Here, deal with a lockdown. And hey, let’s not forget about the climate either, let’s change that, too.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who helped dealing with this year so far and making it a little easier for all of us. Thank you to those who stayed at home in order to decrease the risk of spreading the virus. Thank you to all those who worked to their limits- and beyond- to keep society going. I’m not going to applaud because that won’t pay the rent or buy any food but I do bow before every one of you. You people rule.

SiPgoesTT and July

The more serious the times, the bigger the necessity to laugh. You may (or may not) disagree on that sentence but it pretty much sums up my feelings these days. All that required discipline needs a counterpart where one can let go off tension and remember that there´s more to life than this. Maybe a good moment to talk about comedy.

Comedy as in…

I have to admit that it took some time for me to remember some movie titles from that genre. Movies like The Hangover, There’s Something About Mary or the brilliant Snatch.

Seasonal comedies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or Elf.

Comedies mostly known in their country of origin like The Art Of Negative Thinking (Norway), Kopps (Sweden), Bang Boom Bang (Germany) or In China They Eat Dogs (Denmark).

A tribute to Tati’s Jour de fête

And thinking a little longer I came across great actors like Charlie Chaplin, Louis de Funès, Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, Jacques Tati, Peter Sellers and the Monty Python troupe. This list could hardly ever be complete. I’m sure every one has their own favourites here.

A bowler, maybe left there by The Tramp?

Mission? What mission?

As this genre is meant to give the audience a happy, carefree time we`ll keep it simple this month: Think of comedies you’ve seen and enjoyed. Pick just one or as many funny scenes that still crack you up every time you see them. Get out your camera and favourite building system (or any other toy) and recreate this scene and shoot it. Then post it on IG using the hashtags #sipgoesTT and #sipgoesTT_comedy. At the end of the month yours truly crew will browse all these entries and select their favourite image. This one will then be rewarded with a little LEGO gift of our choice.

Until then please share with us in the comments below your favourite comedy(ies) that you think everyone should see. Or maybe some memories you have of a certain comedy?

Ready? Set! Go building and shooting, stay safe and have some well deserved fun.

One of my favourite movies ever! Chicken Teriyaki And Piggie Man On The Loose– ok, I may have made this up…

P.s.:

When thinking of the importance of laughing I remember going to the cinema with a friend to see Four Lions several years ago. The moment we met my friend told me that his father had just died the day before. I was shocked and said we’d better not go and see a comedy then but he insisted. We ended up laughing tears of joy. After the show he told me that he felt relieved and soothed at the same time. Laughing may not always be able to wipe away pain or sorrow, but to me it is an essential ingredient in life. Don’t you agree?

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Don’t forget the giveaway and to be romantic!

eatmybones - 2 Comments

A nice giveaway

At the beginning of the month, we’ve announced a challenge with a chance to win the amazing LEGO Bookshop 10270.

Nice picture of the bookshop from Me2

Your challenge

You have a few days left (till Sunday 31st of May) to enter the challenge.
Your mission?
Take one of your favorite romantic movies and recreate a scene from it.
Don’t find any movie to recreate a scene?
Create a romantic story with at least three images. You chose the place, the characters, the story.

Be sure to tag your photos with #SiPgoesTT and #SiPgoesTT_romanticmovie on social media so we can find out your picture.

My romantic challenge

After recreating a scene from Dirty Dancing, now let’s go for a little story, in a bookshop.

A romantic picture #SiPgoesTT #SiPgoesTT_romanticmovie
One day, in the bookshop of a small city…
Continue reading “Don’t forget the giveaway and to be romantic!”
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It is LEGO MASTERS time

by_a.n.n.a - 1 Comment

I never thought that when Evelien asked me to participate in this program but we are already watching episode 3 again tonight!

Yep. That is me and Evelien.

LEGO MASTERS it is.

It is really unreal and very exciting to see ourselves again!
In this difficult time that we all have to stay indoors, LEGO MASTERS is the best “outing” at the moment.
At home here too, we eagerly look forward to Saturday evenings.
Even though I have told them small pieces, the four of us are mesmerized watching LEGO MASTERS as we sit on the couch.
And one of my sons has been shouting for a few days now … “I’m so curious about Saturday Mom”.

It is Saturday evening … LEGO MASTERS time …

Speaking for myself (and I think for Evelien too), this was a very big adventure for both of us… also because we knew each other only from Instagram before the program.
So during the recordings, we had to manage certain things.
Evelien and I are very different and both have our own opinion and our uncertainty but I think we have found a good middle ground and a super friendship has emerged from it.

Banana

We also had a code word: “banana” for when one of us felt angry, sad or just didn’t know it anymore. Then the other person know that the other one needed some “me” time alone so that there would be no friction or saying things that we might regret later.
Hahahaha “banana” has become a thing in episode 1.

Bananas …


All in all a great time together.
We sometimes shout “why do you live in Zwolle and I in Zeeland?”

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#SiPgoesCinquecento

stuckinplastic - Leave a reply

Contest Closed

Some weeks ago we asked you to join a little contest. We wanted to see your version of a FIAT500 in front of/next to/on top of your favorite landmark. The car itself didn’t have to be the real deal. The original from 1957. Neither one of the LEGO Creator Expert that hit the shelves recently.
You could just build one yourself (preferred out of your favorite bricks, called LEGO).

Continue reading “#SiPgoesCinquecento”
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SiP Card Exchange 2019

Maëlick - 4 Comments

Summer is reaching an end in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the North, temperatures are dropping and the days are getting shorter fast. Last week, the first snow fell in Northern Lapland, and with a bit of luck, the first snowfall could happen in less than a month here in Oulu…

I’m thrilled and excited at the idea of winter coming. It’s for me the start of the toy photography season. I recently ordered a pair of photography gloves for winter and now I’m left waiting for winter to come so I can try them.

I’m also excited about winter because it’s going to be time for our now traditional card exchange. It’s a precious experience to spend time making a photo, printing it and sending it. And then receiving cards from all around the world.

So to occupy myself while waiting for the snow, I decided to already start with the preparation for this year’s card exchange. While there is still plenty of time, I decided to make this post so those who are as excited as I am can already register and start thinking about the photo for their card.

Gingermamma and Gingerpappa are waiting for this year’s card exchange while enjoying a subset of the cards we received last year from Natasja, Stacy, Caro and Mathieu, Elena, Bennett, and Sacha.
Continue reading “SiP Card Exchange 2019”
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Run Forest, Run.

Boris - 2 Comments

A few months ago I joined my first ever photo marathon in Stockholm. Not sure what to expect, I started to prepare. And I went a little bit overboard. And here we are. Less as 24 hours before the real deal here in Stockholm starts again, and yours truly got a starting number and is (not) ready to do it again.
No preparation at all.
Not well rested either.
And yet very much excited.

My start number from the previous one. Together with my little other half. Too well prepared.

First things first. What is a photo marathon?

But first, let’s take a step back and look what a photo marathon really is.

Continue reading “Run Forest, Run.”
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Better Run… Or Get Your Camera Out

stuckinplastic - 4 Comments

The News Is Out

Today the LEGO Group announced some great news for all fans of Jurassic Park AND for toy photographers. Whether you’re into dinosaurs or not, this set will probably be a gem if you like to spend your time taking pics of toys.

The Set

The new set to come, 75936 Jurassic Park: T. rex Rampage,  will not only consist of a fantastic model of a beautiful dinosaur as the Dino will be  accompanied by a giant gate and six minifigures (three of them brand new). Additionally, the gate will be framed by a wall. If you turn this around there will be six rooms that were inspired by movie scenes. That sounds like a whole lotta fun!

Continue reading “Better Run… Or Get Your Camera Out”