The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks
By Daniel Konstanski
A celebration of the LEGO® brick, exclusively for fans
Monday, 29 March 2021
Delving into the secrets of the bricks...
Forty-six.
That is the number of interviews I have now completed since beginning this process around four months ago. I had no idea when I started how many people I was going to get to speak to, but almost every interview inevitably contained a comment about someone else with knowledge of a subject I was interested in. The LEGO Group has been phenomenal, helping to track down and carve out time for each and every person I asked to speak with. I have learned so many amazing secrets about LEGO® bricks. I am transitioning now to turning all that research into the text that will ultimately be The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks. I cannot wait to dive in. The interview process ended up being far more extensive and expansive than myself or anyone on the team anticipated. Processing through it will take even more time, but it is going to be worth it. I have gotten, not just to peek behind the curtain, but get a guided in-depth tour. The wait is going to be worth it.
Daniel Konstanski
Top rewards
LEGO® prototype element and minifigure
Only 500 available.The LEGO Group is offering for the first time ever, a brand-new, specially 3D printed prototype element on which you can give your personal feedback. It comes with its own AFOL-themed minifigure.
Printed in Billund, Denmark, the element is yet to be finalized so it will be a surprise when you receive it, but we can tell you that this isn't something you will have seen before. The element will present a new integrated function as a part of our exploration of new design and play functions. It is the first time the LEGO Group is asking AFOLs and fans to give their thoughts on a specific element while the technology is being developed.
Limited to one per household.PLUS:
- One hardback book
- One name in the supporter list
A Gift for a Friend
Give the gift of The Secret History of LEGO® Bricks to a friend or loved one.
They will receive the book when it is available in 2022, with their name in the back. Upon purchase, you will receive an email confirmation with a voucher to give to the gift recipient.
For gift voucher FAQs click here.
PLUS:
- One hardback book
- Recipient's name in the supporter list
Comments
Exciting! I'm curious about the package design - evolution from the old flap cover with tubs to modern bags in boxes.
Seems the modern boxes (at least US ones) don't seem to have any standard sizes, or if there are, there are many sizes as I have sets with boxes that are nearly identical in size but differ by a very small amount.
I would think uniform sizes would be easier to deal with in terms of production, art, master cartons, and so forth but maybe when you produce so many sets, every cubic centimeter counts.
posted 29th March 2021
Very exciting update. Looking forward to learning the secrets and details to brick design. It will be so worth the wait. Thank you for taking the time to do such thorough research (as if you weren't having fun doing it).
posted 29th March 2021
In relation to packaging, I made a suggestion to Lego a couple of years ago that they should making each set box capable of containing and storing the completed model. I was told this would be too expensive as they use a relatively small number of standard sizes. In reply, I informed them that after measuring 10 of the most popular sets at the time, by adopting my suggestion the overall paper content would be reduced by 30% simply by changing the dimensions. A collateral benefit might be enhanced shelf presence with a variety of different shaped boxes. My suggestion was politely declined.
posted 30th March 2021
I have always been very impressed by how there is never a brick missing in any set. Having factories all over the world it must be a logistic nightmare to package all these small bags with hundreds of different bricks with the exact number of bricks, gather the bags, and package them in boxes. This can not be done by hand without getting it wrong once in a while, but I can't image how they do it automatically either.
posted 31st March 2021