BrickCon 2013: Thoughts

My wife and I decided that we'd attend BrickCon this year -- it's been one convention that has been running a long time, that we have not attended yet.  From what I understand, next year will be it's 13th years.  We have heard from friends that it's one of the nicest cons to go to, but honestly, each con we've been to has it's own different flavor, and I really think it depends on what you like in a con (ie. size, quality/quantity of MOCs, venue, city traffic, local food, etc.).  Each having it's own pros and cons... to make a really bad pun.

We didn't bring a MOC with us; we were planning to take in a little bit of the sites/city since we've never been to Seattle before.  We also wanted to enjoy a con without the hassle of trying to ship a MOC across country.  And we also wanted to get to know some new people and make new friends.  All of which we got an opportunity to do.

The creations themselves were impressive, although I've seen a few of them on-line before.  And from what I overheard, a few had been at BrickCon in years past -- no matter, we hadn't seen them in person before & they're still impressive.  My favorite was Rivendell and the castle area; which was front stage as you walked in & rightly so.  Being a castle guy, it made me proud.  The only problem with the area, it was hard to find time to look at the details of Rivendell, because there were constantly film crews hovering around it -- before and after the public.  Here's my quick video... It looks a little strange... I don't know if it's video from the iPhone or if YouTube processed it funkily:



What I found surprising/interesting about the con, was the lack of large 9v train displays.  Rivendell has as much details in it as a large 9v train display would have in the Mid-West, the difference is, large train displays are the product of a LUG with many members, Rivendell from what I understand was a creation by 2 people.

All-in-all, I've enjoyed the con and really enjoyed the keynote speakers.  I'm hoping a video will be posted of both speakers soon.  I've been waiting for fan reaction to the changes LEGO has implemented this year -- to which I'm a little surprised there hasn't been more public outrage at cons -- but Hillel Cooperman did a wonderful job of summing up my feelings... a little bit to Kevin Hinkle's dismay.

Goodbye, 2012!

So back in 2009, I wished the LEGO Group "And here's to TLG, may you have the wisdom to make better products and resist the temptation of corporate greed -- that have plagued so many other companies and brought us to the brink of economic ruin in the first place!" -- I added the emphasis.

So "better products" in 2012? I my mind, the clear winner was Friends. The number of licensed products is staggering -- Star Wars, SpongeBob Squarepants, DC Comics/Marvel Comics, Disney Cars 2/Princesses, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, & Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles. The price-per-piece is growing across the board... It's more noticeable in licensed sets, but compare price-per-piece of a parts bucket from now to about 10 years ago -- I spotted the #10662 LEGO Creative Bucket at the LEGO Imagination Center last weekend, it's $0.0494/pieces, compared to $0.02/piece -- not a terrible deal, but the Basic Bricks and More sets are around $0.16/part now (if it includes a minifig), compared to $0.06/part a few years earlier.

Grab bags are no longer a option at a LEGO store. Damage set discounts are around 10% instead of 20%. Christmas clearance was abysmal; didn't find many sets on sale, just products that LEGO licensed their brand out to, like containers. And the release of this article doesn't help AFOLs; it just drives up after-market prices.

Speaking of which, I've been the admin to Facebook group, called Bricklink Worldwide Buyers and Sellers... I don't mind talking about buying/selling of LEGO talk, just don't like Shoe spam!

But the thought that the LEGO Group "(we) don't closely follow after market activity," is silly. Considering LEGO has decided to re-release sets at the current (after) market value, instead of the original price (see: 3451 @ $50 vs. 10226 @ $100; 10152 @ $75 vs 10155 @ $120)... I have a theory that the only people willing to buy the high-priced LEGO sets will eventually all be market speculators, not fans.

The last few years have been the most profitable years for The LEGO Group, but it's in the process of cutting back on (AFOL) community out-reach. Instead of thanking those that help pushed LEGO into the main-stream, it is cutting back in support.

So with 2013, as far as the hobby is concerned, I think my focus will shift to not put money into TLG's pockets and focus more on building with the parts I have on hand and becoming more organized... I know, an empty New Year's resolution, but I can try. :)