LEGO Kids Fest Report - Boston, MA

Lego held its first Kids Fest in Boston and I took the family up for session one of the first day. After getting a late start we arrived at the convention center at 0930 and were greeted with a line that literally wrapped around the front of the building three times. Considering that the center opened its doors at 0700 and the show doors opened at 0900 the length of the line was surprising, as was the forty-five minute wait in it until we got inside.

We had reserved the 1130-1230 Lego Club meeting for my son so we avoided the regular check-in counters and hit the Club check-in table. There we received our tickets plus a nice bonus; tickets to the second session of the fest for free so we would not miss anything because we were in the meeting.

Entering the hall the first thing you see was a automobile display, not a LEGO car mind you and it was a strange first sight to see as well as a sign of the advertising to come. In the first room there were a lot of full sized displays like the Batman and C-3PO statues, the roving train ride ($3), slot cars ($2) and RC Lego Cars ($3). We started getting the kids passport stamped at the various advertisers and spent the first hour exploring the room.

At that point it was time for the Lego Club Meeting so we headed down the outside hallway to the meeting room and checked in. This was a nice break in the day after all that standing and dealing with the crowds, a nice quiet room with three tables piled high with LEGOs and twenty kids ready to have fun. They were given a half hour to build a Clone Wars themed ship and while they worked various LEGO employees walked around offering advice and help.

Then a Master Builder was introduced and he came in and talked for a bit and then engaged every kid in the room, asking about their ships and making suggestions. He did a really good job getting the kids to open up and had the kids excited that he liked their work. By then the hour was just about done and a costumed Max came in for photos with the kids and then gift bags were handed out as we left. The bags contained a poster, Max minifig, Star Wars BrickMaster set and sticker. Very cool and worth the extra $15 for the break and relaxed pace. The only downside was that the kids did not get to keep their ships - considering the tables were stocked with nothing but common pieces I would encourage LEGO to add a few dollars to the price and let them take their creation, especially after the LEGO Master Builder praised it.

We headed back out to the floor and noticed a dramatic reduction in the amount of people, maybe they went through the show in two hours and left but it was a pleasant surprise. We hit the second room and enjoyed some of the events there. They had small baseplates and bricks available for people to build a small creation which was then placed into a huge outline of the United States on the floor; as the fest went on the map filled up and some of the builds were very impressive. The kids loved seeing their creations placed into part of something bigger so that was a great success.

Next up they had custom 10x10 plates which were part of a large wall mural. Each plate was color coded and you had to fill it with 1 stud bricks of the proper color before it was turned in and pounded into place in the mural. We did not get to see enough of it finished to see what it was but my daughter got to build a solid red part of the LEGO logo and, again, loved to see her work contribute to something cool.

They had a section of local landmarks like Fenway Park, the Old Meeting House and Boston Commons but what we did not realize the first time we checked it out was that you could receive two 1 stud bricks and use them to vote for your favorite creations.

There were also more displays in the second room that were stunning to see up close and personal including a great beach scene that had an underwater scene below it, it was stunning to see in person.

We got the rest of the passport stamps we needed and headed back to turn them in. We were offered one of three gifts; a duck tours temporary tattoo, a sticker, or an exclusive LEGO Fest minifig. Hmmm... despite my daughter asking for a sticker I had to use a parent veto and grab the minifig.

There was a LEGO Club section where they had talks with Master Builders and had open builds, a section for home made creations, a stage for quizzes and sing-alongs, and of course the infamous LEGO Fest store. The store was filled with most current sets including the unreleased holiday set but you would think they were giving sets away watching people leaving with multiple $100+ sets in their bags. I asked the attendant if there was anything special inside and was told that everything was regular retail price. She did give me a five dollar off coupon good at the local LEGO stores (not valid at the fest) and I avoided the huge line to get in.

By then the first session was drawing to a close so we made our way to the exits and went into the Prudential Center next door, grabbed some grub and sat outside eating while doing a little people watching. By the time we were done it was almost time for the second session to begin but I was in no mood to wait in a huge line again so we did a little recon and the front of the building was clear! We walked right on in, got into a smallish line and within minutes we were back inside, what a nice surprise and it had us wishing we came for the second session in the first place.

As the crowds surged into the first room we made a bee-line to the second room and got to enjoy the statues and displays in relative peace before letting the kids enjoy the free bouncies for a while. By then the crowd had filled in the second room to the point where I changed my mind and was now grateful we went to the first session - it was so crowded that I had to pick up my daughter so she would not get knocked over. Since we had seen everything and the crowd was getting crazy we made our way to the exit.

While passing the passport booth we heard a bunch of parents angrily complaining to each other that all they got for completing the passport was a sticker that was being given away free at the Duck Tours booth. This naturally got my curiosity up so I inquired about it and was told that the passport supervisor directed them to stop giving out the minifigs and that they had no idea why considering that they had boxes of them. All I know is that I would have been ticked if I spent time working on the passport and all I got was a sticker, and a non-LEGO one at that!

So that was our experience at the LEGO Fest, the kids had a great time and despite some misgivings it was a worthwhile trip.

What I Liked:

• Plenty of creation areas with tons of bricks available
• Amazing statues and displays
• Lots of interactive exhibits
• Great LEGO Club Meeting

What I Did Not Like:

• Lack of LEGO memorabilia - no stickers or pins for the kids who completed tasks, no LEGO Fest themed merchandise and no show exclusives.
• There was a lot of advertising and booths that had nothing to do with LEGO. No thanks on that New York Times subscription offer.
• A forty-five minute wait to get in?
• Too many people. Perhaps they could cut back the sessions a bit, have three per day with fewer in at a time or just sell fewer tickets. I am not sure but I heard some parents at the second session planning to leave after an hour and then come back later and hope for a smaller crowd.
• $35 to park?

Overall:

We had a great time but the costs (besides admission which I found acceptable) added up quickly and the number of people crammed into the show made it difficult to get to exhibits and navigate. I was planning on going to the Hartford show in December but at this point I am probably not going to unless I heard about improvements from the Chicago and New York shows. Still, I am rooting for them to continue to improve and hopefully learn from their mistakes.

If You Plan To Attend:

• Arrive early and be prepared to wait.
• Don't get stuck in the first area when you first arrive, head to the deepest part of the show to explore in peace.
• Don't be afraid to leave for an hour and come back when the crowd has thinned out.
• Splurge for the LEGO Club Meeting, try to schedule it in the middle of the show for a nice break.
• If you attend the club meeting take advantage of the second session tickets. Use the hour break between session to eat outside of the show to save money.
• Check with the passport table to see if they have anything worth the effort of collecting the stamps. If not then spend the extra time exploring.

Lego Masonic Lodge

Work continues on Mattville and every good town & city needs a Masonic Lodge so I started work on one for my town.

The basic look of the lodge was easy enough, but the actual design of the individual parts was tricky. It is hard to see in the photo below but the alter is actually two smooth plates on two grills, it looks good but it is hard to see. I added alternating white & black vents to the floor to give the look of a checkerboard design. I do not have enough 2x2 smooth plates to do it that way.

The Master of the lodge sits in the East - I used an arch with yellow bricks to give the appearance of a sun rising, the cylinder pieces were added to give some variety to the design. The alter design is also viewable below.
The Senior Warden sits in the West and has less decor behind him. The door to the lodge is on the right with various instruments stored next to it.
Rather than use the chairs for every seat, I used them for the officers only and made a bench for the regular members of the lodge to sit. Right now I am using two peg slants to make arm rests but I have an idea to improve them that I hope to implement soon.
Out side the lodge I made a makeshift square and compass - it is not the best solution but it was one I came up with to give the outside some character. I also used small vents to break up the solidness of the walls - my next addition with be a small cover above the door.
That is is, the first raft of the lodge. I already have some better ideas that I am looking forward to adding and will update with new photos when I am done.

Sport Driving Shop

Summer is over and we have started to hit the basement again to work on the town, trying to fill it up a bit with some custom shops and such.

This is my high end shop for sports drivers. It is pretty basic with a sporty color palette.
Here are the shop displays with helmets on the top shelf, tires on the bottom (being held in place with the warning plate) and a fine selection of steering wheels.

MOC: Doctor Who Tradis

Well, I felt it was time to actually attempt a MOC of some note and seeing as the wife and I are enjoying the heck out of the new Doctor Who series I decided to create a Tardis. If you do not know, the Tardis is a sixties British Police box that the Doctor uses to travel through time and space.

I tried to taper the roof a bit and the door windows on the show are solid white so I built a white brick all behind the Lego door to give it that appearance.

I am going to try to add some white bricks on the three non-door sides to give the appearance of windows as well as working on the roof some more to smooth it out.

Star Wars Display at Toys R Us

Stopped into the local Toys R Us in Warwick, Rhode Island and who was waiting for me in the main toy isle?

Captain Rex! This thing is crazy impressive up close.

I am not sure how long he will be on display, the stand did not look very permanent so swing by while it is still there. There were lots of grown men and kids taking photos which reminds me that I need to take Lucas to see it...

Building at a Preschool Level!

I think that it is safe to say that I am officially building at a preschool level! YES!

I built these Star Wars inspired ships with my 5 year old son the other night, I pulled out the box of white bricks and we built some small ships together. It was nice.


This last one was an attempt to build a Star Destroyer with a mere five bricks!

Happy Lego Mothers Day

I went looking for images to make a nice Mothers Day card for my wife but found little in the way of pre-made images so what is a cheap husband to do? Make his own!

Yes, that is supposed to be a MiniFigure - maybe I should not have drawn it with a Sharpie from scratch. Next time I will use a pencil to do some layouts, lol.
My wife got the card, a Lego heart and a bottle of bubble gum vodka. Because I care enough to give the very best!

Lego Magazine Day!

What an interesting day when THREE Lego magazines arrive at the house! The mailman brought me the newest issues of Lego Club Magazine, Lego Club Jr and Brickmaster Magazine all of which are the May-June issues.


Lego Club Magazine has twenty pages of goodness including a bonus eight page Lego Universe mini comic glued to the first page. Features include a cover and sneak peak at new Prince of Persia sets, the new Lego Minifigures, Star Wars and Toy Story 3 comics and... well that is about it. There is the usual custom creations and contests but the issue is a really quick read.

Lego Club Jr has sixteen pages and features Toy Story 3 on the cover and in a puzzle, an Atlantis comic, two pages of cool kids creations along with four pages of building instructions for a farmer & cow combo and a tractor. That is correct, there are instructions for builds in the "kids" magazine and none in the main magazine which surprises me.


Last we have the pay subscription Brickmaster Magazine which is billed as for "advanced builders" and carries a thirty dollar a year price. That also gets you a creator set with each issue and this months is an 89 piece alligator. As for the magazine itself, the first twenty pages are the same as the regular club magazine (including the cover although they did change the sky color) then they add on a Lego Universe poster, a nifty Star Wars imagine sceen, and eight pages of builds incuding a build that make use of the Alligator set which is a great idea.


I am not too keen on the duplication between magazines and when I subscribed I thought there would be more AFOL content but it still seems aimed at twelve year old which, depending on what you are looking for, may or may not be a bad thing. Is it worth the thirty dollars? The sets make it a break even proposition but I really feel that they are missing a chance to do something great with the magazine.

Brickatino Goal and Mission

Good morning, good evening and good afternoon!

Welcome to the newest Lego related blog on the Internet and one that will hopefully be of interest to more then just myself! Why another Lego blog? Here is a little history about myself and what I am hoping to accomplish with this blog.

This last Christmas my brother-in-law gave my four year old son Lucas a number of assembled Star Wars Lego sets as a gift which was really cool and surprising. I was very, very impressed with the gift as I had little interaction with Lego and the ships looked and felt very cool and different from the Star Wars action figures and ships we usually bought. As it turned out my brother-in-law did not have time to finish all of the models and after some slight nudging I took it upon myself to assemble Yodas hut from the Star Wars X-Wing set 4502 for my son.



So I took the pieces, the instructions and a cup of coffee and sat down at the computer desk to assemble the set. At this point it must be stressed that I had never assembled a Lego set before. That's right, I managed to live on this planet for 36 years without ever putting together a Lego set and I really had no interest in doing so but I started the task for my son. It took me about thirty minutes to assemble this rather small set and when I finished I sat back and looked at the small minifig Yoda standing in his hut with a strange sense of satisfaction and amazement. All those little pieces made this? I was hooked.

Flash forward five months to today and I have assembled about seven sets for my son to enjoy including more Star Wars, Toy Story, Indiana Jones and more. I subscribed to the Lego Magazine and subscribed my son to Lego Jr magazine. I discovered BrickJournal magazine which is a constant source of envy and jealousy for a new AFOL. Oh, I found out what AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) stood for. And now I am starting to plan my first MOC (My Own Creation) but I am still at a six year old Lego skill level.

Most AFOLs break their lives into three parts: their childhood with Lego, the dark years when they are "too old" for Lego and usually give away their collection, and then the point they return and embrace the Lego culture. I never really had the first two so this may be a different look at an adults descent into the steamy underbelly of the Lego culture. Oh, that sounded good! In reality I hope to document my experiences in the hopes that other adults who may not have had the childhood exposure to Lego or who consider Lego to be strictly for kids to discover a creative and enjoyable world right inside their rec rooms.

We are going to explore Lego web sites, read Lego themed books, build sets together, create MOCs of varying quality, and generally have a great time with all things Lego. In the future I would like to visit a Lego convention and eventually go visit the Lego amusement park in Florida when it opens and meet as many Lego fans as I can. And I hope that Lego fans of all shapes, sizes and experience enjoy the ride with me.