O Negreli volta a desafiar o pessoal para construir camiões. Mais pormenores desta iniciativa aqui.

Este projeto alia uma das mais famosas linhas da LEGO entre os AFOLs (os modulares citadinos) com um tema ausente há mais de 10 anos (Western). Mas além de ser um projeto bem interessante, também poderá ser uma boa forma de mostrar à LEGO a força que a Comunidade AFOL pode ter.

Por isso se és um AFOL, apoia este projeto em http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/1787

O primeiro destaque vai para a fotogragia de duas minifiguras gigantes do tema Super Heroes inspiradas no filme Avengers. No entanto a minha atenção centra-se no veículo que se encontra no poster no fundo da imagem. Concerteza que faz parte do conjunto 6869 Quinjet Aerial Battle e eleva o meu interesse no tema!

(clicar para ver com mais resolução)

Sim, já temos uma imagem com os membros da irmandade do anel! A qualidade das impressões tanto das caras como dos torsos é excelente. O capacete do Gimli está lindíssimo e por fim há que falar no Um Anel. Parece ser uma peça muito parecida com a clikits003, mas dourada e ligeiramente mais fina. Espero que apareça noutras cores porque é ótima para construções em SNOT.

Como admirador confesso tanto da obra de J.R.R. Tolkien como dos filmes do Peter Jackson e como AFOL, este tema vai juntar dois mundos do meu gosto.

No entanto todas as rosas tem espinhos. É sabido que um tema licenciado num mundo medieval poderá sufocar temas medievais “clássicos” da LEGO que tem a vantagem de serem mais genéricos e baratos. Além disso a Terra Média tem situações muito mais propícias a playsets do que propriamente a construção de edifícios e veículos.. e pessoalmente acho que por norma os playsets são fracos conjuntos. Por fim desconfio que a estratégia que atualmente a LEGO utiliza (colecionismo de minifigs) faça com que muitos dos conjuntos deste tema tenha o seu valor nos minifigs e não no conjunto em si e no brinquedo de construção.

As imagens preliminares que já rodam pela Internet há já algum tempo, confirmam um pouco os meus receios. Os minifigs aparecem em grande destaque. Além disso já deu para perceber que a LEGO vai alterar algumas escalas para tornar edifícios e outras estruturas realizáveis em sets.

Não consigo ainda ter uma opinião concreta e por isso fico à espera das imagens oficiais. No entanto tenho a certeza de uma coisa, vamos ter muitas peças novas interessantes para estes tipos de temas!!

Aconselho a visualização e à leitura da notícia:

“

(CNN) — Lego boss Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, who pulled the iconic toy brand back into profit, says Europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality.

Knudstorp believes Europeans think they are wealthier than they are, despite three years of a global financial crisis.

With the crisis continuing to roil markets and destabilize the banking sector, “it’s about all of us recognizing that we have lost a bit of our wealth,” he says.

Lego lost its way in the late 90s and went deeply into debt before rebounding to double digit growth under Knudstorp’s leadership.

Knudstorp suggests European finance ministers could learn from Danish manufacturer’s experience. “My piece of advice would be: face the truth — that is what I learned the hard way in our company.”

Knudstorp says Lego went too deeply into debt, as Europe has also done. According to Knudstorp, stemming the crisis will begin by saying: “Yes we are over-indebted, we are sorry, we screwed up.”

He believes Europe needs to write-off some of its debt to avoid a stagnant economy for the next decade.

“I think we are moving from a 30 year period of just borrowing more and more money at the government level and also at the household level,” Knudstorp says.

However, he says, Europe is entering a phase where raw material costs could increase while the availability for cheap labor around the world will decline.

At Lego, Knudstorp will be focused on ensuring the company adapts to the changing economic conditions, which he believes are crucial to ensure survival. Lego is also renewing its portfolio of products, and plans to launch toys specifically designed for girls.

But Knudstorp also emphasis the needs to keep things simple. “You need to challenge your organization all the time, to stay coherent, not make things too complicated,” he says. “A lot of productivity is lost inside the company when things get complicated.”

Fonte da notícia : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/22/business/lego-knudstorp/index.html

Ainda me parece que vou ver displays com este tema…

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group

Build on Partnership to Produce Construction Toys for THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ Trilogy and the Two Films Based on THE HOBBIT

-Building Sets Based on Epic Film Trilogy and Forthcoming Theatrical Release Slated for 2012-

BILLUND, Denmark and Burbank, CA –December 16, 2011 –

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™.

The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year.

“Only LEGO, with their expertise in the construction category, is capable of doing justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the two films based on THE HOBBIT,” said Karen McTier, executive vice president, domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “These films give life to amazing worlds and characters and we are thrilled to bring fans these products that deliver an imaginative play experience befitting of these beloved properties.”

The LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS collection will translate into LEGO form the epic locations, scenes and characters of Middle-earth as depicted in all three films, including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In late 2012, LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will give fans of all ages a chance to build and play out the fantastical story and new characters of the legendary Middle-earth adventures depicted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, slated to premiere December 14, 2012.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products has delivered numerous worldwide successes in the construction toy aisle with lines like LEGO HARRY POTTER and LEGO BATMAN, introducing us to loyal audiences who love great stories, strong characters and the toys that they inspire,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “It’s particularly exciting to now be able to create sets based on the fantasy worlds and characters from THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT, not only because we know they will foster collectability and creative play, but also because these are two properties that our fans have been asking us to create for years.”

Information about the sets and collectible minifigures from both collections will be unveiled at a later date at TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com.