Lego / Mega Bloks Lovers

[briggsy's girl]

Lots at local big w. And only $79. You may have to come visit!

[briggsy's girl]

JLeigh - I put DS's mini set in a snap lock bag and put it back in the box. I would imagine that it will eventually work it's way into the bulk lego but for now, while it's new, I'll try & keep it separate. We got an extra 7 pieces in that set. Is that normal?

Yes it's normal. For a couple of reasons. They have an alternate build on the website for the friends animal sets (although the series 3 alternate build was actually the same as the book in the pack - haven't checked back to see f it's been updated. But I emailed them and they were going to investigate ) sometimes the alternate build requires different pieces...

the other is the weight of the pieces. If you haven't seen the mega factories episode about Lego, try and find it. It's really interesting. Basically they sort pieces all using robotics. And they quality check by weighing the bags at the end of the process before the bags get packed in the boxes or polybags with books. For the very small pieces, this often means they will add additional pieces as their weight is negligible. this is the reason that you have multiple bags in each box of Lego. They put all the small bits together so they don't get lost in the weight of the bigger bits.

If DH hadn't put mega factories on i'd not have known that bit of trivia!

If you get a Lego set that is missing anything at all (even something you may think trivial) you can let them know. It takes a few weeks but they post the missing pieces out to you. Even if it's a tiny piece or stickers. I guess its part of their quality check. I had one set that would have weighed correctly but had two wrong pieces in it (one too long for what was needed, one too short - but overall they'd have weighed the right amount). It says in the website 6-8 weeks but it's never taken more than 2-3 to get replacement pieces


Sigh. Awake at 3am posting about Lego. Feeling like crud and dreaming the weirdest dreams. Posting about Lego makes more sense lol. But away I just go and hope the land of nod lets me back very soon. It's been an hour now. I neeeeeed sleep!

[Miss.September]

I caught the end of that show BG, was fascinating! So much work involved in each set. Made me want to be a Lego designer when I grow up

Hope you got some sleep.

[Rowellen]

That's great service BG! I had a 9000 piece puzzle with two missing pieces and when I contacted them, they pretty much said too bad. I have seen part of that episode. It was on last week and I just happened to check the guide to tape something & saw it was on right then but it was about half way through. It was very interesting. It was rather random too as I very rarely watch TV. If it's on, it's on ABC 4 kids or sport for DH lol. I usually just turn it off. I will have a look for an alternate build as there was only one in the book.

All the sales seem to be over now ZF. I hope you can find it.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I saw quite a few in big w last week, will look around

DD1 saw part of a hidden lego box and came out asking why was there lego in my cupboard, was it for her!
Ahhh cheeky girl, didn't see what it was though! Yay!

[briggsy's girl]

Cheeky Miss A!

DD knows there is one Lego box in the top of our walk in robe. She asked what it was, and i said it was an advent calendar, and it can't come out until December - she let it go just like that (unheard of for DD!)

Rowellen, at the moment they still haven't updated the alternative build for the fawn. its' the same as the one in the book. there is instructions for mixing all three series 3 animals together and making different stuff (not much point if you don't have the other two animals though lol). i will be checking every couple of weeks to see if they have the alternative build up (for dd of course...)

[Rowellen]

I just had a look and there isn't an alternative for the one DS got (City Fire Motorbike). I think he could just be creative though.

These kids are so cheeky, aren't they. We hid something for DD in the DS's cupboard just for a few hours as it was the only space big enough. He never ever opens that cupboard. But of course that morning he did DD was very excited about seeing her new bike. And not too impressed about having to wait until DH got home lol.

[briggsy's girl]

I think the small city sets don't necessarily have many alternative options. Some of the bigger a sets do though

[JLeigh29]

DS got his 'bambi' set this arvo DH helped him put it together and I heard him trying to convince DS the fawn didn't need the bow on the back....cos that'll make it less girly, lol! Ours has three extra pieces too.

My poor fingernails are being chipped left, right and centre pulling all these tiny Lego pieces apart. I have really thick fingernails too, they literally don't fit between the pieces to pull apart. I had a look at the brick separators, but do they work? For even the itsy bitsy single dot pieces? And, can I get one by itself or are they only available free with some sets?

[Trillian]

Yes they do work and yes you can get them on their own. Try ebay for some.

[Melbournemumma]

I hope the cruiser is still available around here, DD1 has her heart set on buying it with birthday money

Hey ZF DH said yesterday that the toy world at Greensborough had Lego on sale. Might be worth a look.

[briggsy's girl]

Yes they do work and yes you can get them on their own. Try ebay for some.

I agree. They work wonderfully! You can generally pick them up on eBay, or they come in big sets (we have five now from different sets we've bought). Dd can use them quite easily as well. She is quite proud that she can do it herself!!

Using two to get two plate pieces apart is awesome. Those little suckers are torture sometimes!

I find I still use my nails occasionally but that's more being too impatient to find the seperators...

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Hmmm seperators.....
I may or may not have bought series 3 animals yesterday.... Shhhhh

[JLeigh29]

Is it sad that instead of getting dressed to go out (need to leave in 20 mins), I am on here checking to see what you guys have said about separators? in my defence, DS is playing Lego.....he's just come over to tell me something is 'wrong' with his Bambi Lego....the figurine is not the 'real' Bambi because it hasn't got spots like Bambi does! Thankfully he's happy to believe its Faline instead, or we'd have been in trouble!

We saw separators on eBay last night - there were different sorts. I'm guessing they all do pretty much the same though.

[Trillian]

Yeah, we've got 2 of those flat looking ones and we've got probably 6 of the tiny black wrench type ones that have come with other sets. Most of the time now if you get a set with tools, the end of the wrenches are conveniently designed to be used as a separator.

DS2 has his 6th birthday party a few weeks ago and because I did a lego theme for his party, he got all but one present as lego LOL. he was a bit confused that nearly everyone had gotten him lego, but he was so excited to get home and start building it. DS1 is working on a project atm to build a lego play table for his cousins for Christmas. He wants it to have the lego play top and then storage underneath it. He's pretty proud of his design for it. I told him if it turned out the way he wanted he could maybe make more of them to sell as a bit of a hobby.

[AnyDream]

Here's my tip for the seperators - get the orange ones - much easier to find on the tub.

[~Kim~]

Yeah, we've got 2 of those flat looking ones and we've got probably 6 of the tiny black wrench type ones that have come with other sets. Most of the time now if you get a set with tools, the end of the wrenches are conveniently designed to be used as a separator.

I have like 4 million of those and never knew that !!

lol JLeigh, at both your DH and your little guy. Pink is for guys too!! and Bambi is very cool. I like his thinking.

MD I have never seen orange....must go and have a look.
ETA found them...might have to order a few.

[JLeigh29]

Thanks - I'll look at the orange separators

Trillion - DH is pretty handy; might have to get him to look at building something for DS' Lego. He didn't like the look of most of the tables in the shops. Pity all his tools are still in Qld...

Kim - DH I'd driving me crazy with his Lego sexism atm. He's never been like this before (hasn't said anything about DS playing with my old Cabbage Patch Doll). DS loves purple, so he'd love it, but DH says boys shouldn't have pink Lego! Seriously - pffft! I can understand that he didn't like the look of some of the Friends figurines as he thought their clothes were too grown up looking, but the rest of it is plain annoying!