Brand store Monthly Mini Model Build now in polybags

 

  • Brand store Monthly Mini Model Build now in polybags

    Posted by Huw, 03 Jan 2012 10:51. Filed under New sets.

    40036: Cobra
    Promotional/Monthly Mini Model Build, 2012
    More details...
    ©2012 LEGO Group

    Here's a piece of news that'll delight a few but frustrate many: it seems that the Monthly Mini Model Build models that are only given out to under 14-year olds one day a month in LEGO brand stores are now pre-packed in clear, numbered, polybags.

    cigpusher sent me this image of the one he obtained in the USA for today's build of a cobra, which you can currently see on the store events page at LEGO.com.

    Prior to this development, collectors could justifiably overlook these sets because they were just a 'random' selection of parts in a zip-lock bag but now that they are pre-packaged and have a set number, they will become far more collectable. It's a shame then that the picture card isn't included.

    What will atkinsar do, I wonder? :-)

    (Update: polybag image replaced with one from the instructions.)


    40 comments, latest one posted 16 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
    1442 views


 
 

Comments

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 11:09

I am glad about this, it means we no longer have to fight through kids running around and mixing up the pieces, and we can just grab our polybag and get out (although I always seem to leave Lego Shops with more than I expected :)). I never have a problem getting them when I am nearby either although I am obviously older than fourteen as I think the staff in the Brighton shop know me pretty well and don't really mind.

I am already mourning for atkinsar, he will have to quit his day job soon to keep up with the numbers of new polybags being released.

Posted by jonbuddy in United States, 03 Jan 2012 11:10

Now how do we get instructions? Or is that what you meant by mentioning atkinsar? :P

Posted by legolasher66 in United States, 03 Jan 2012 11:10

What do they normally come in? I won't have a Lego Store anywhere near me until spring, so I've never been to an event of this sort. And Huw, what hapened to "stridspacket" or whatever in the Ninjago section?

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 11:12

^^ They'll appear at LEGO.com shortly, and I'll upload them here shortly afterwards, if I can remember the LEGO.com URL!

^ I think it's a free-for-all, grab the individual parts from boxes, normally.

Posted by Morniendur in Spain, 03 Jan 2012 11:13

I hope that is a good news for Spain, if they have enough money for polybags, maybe they think about open a store in Spain. At least I will can buy monthly mini models easily if they are in polybags

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 11:14

@ Jonbuddy - Atkinsar runs several bricklists of polybags here on Brickset and is constantly having to update them for new releases.

Posted by dither in United States, 03 Jan 2012 11:39

The instructions given to the stores state that customers may not take the polybags and leave, they must be opened and built in the store. Then they can take the completed model plus one of the picture cards home. The instructions sheets are also to remain in the store (though you can look up the instructions on the LEGO website).

So if you are hoping that this will make getting your build faster, it wont. There also are new building trays that the models are supposed to be built on (an employee will open the polybag and empty it into the tray for you). So there are likely a limited number of people who can be building at one time.

Overall, I think this is great because it means no more missing parts, and that there are now set numbers to go with these.. but it really doesnt make it easier/better for collectors.. assuming employees at every store follow policy/procedure.

Posted by Matthew in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 11:40

^^ More than that, he's a dedicated polybag collector, and has the lot, except for a few Brickmasters that you mustn't mention in front of him, as they 'don't exist' :o)

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 11:43

@LegoCoastGuard - It's worse than I feared then! :) I sense a bankruptcy on the cards.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 03 Jan 2012 11:49

@LegoCoastGuard: Polybag collector?! O_o Good grief. :P

Posted by rosney in United States, 03 Jan 2012 12:12

@dither - If that's true, and the employees will be completely procedural in the effort to not let a sealed bag out of the store, that alone will drive up the collector-ness of these sets in a black-market kind of way. I hope it's not like that.

Posted by TooMuchLEGO in United States, 03 Jan 2012 12:18

He can try and be like my cousin, who lied and said she was 15 so she could get me this baseball bat for free. My cousin is awesome. :P

Posted by Nerd in United States, 03 Jan 2012 12:26

Yay! I like this. I hope that they will make more, and have enough for me by the time I get to the store :)

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 13:25

I think we need to wait & see what happens next month; the 'cobra' is a special MMMB model, a promotional item to link in with the 2012 'Ninjago' sets. The store staff will appreciate the change if it is permanent; I know some of the stores have got into the habit of pre-sorting the loose parts into 'service pack' zip-lock bags to make the workload on the day much lower & get a better flow of kids through the build process. Some of the stores still have the loose bricks in tubs for the kids to pick from on the day ...

Posted by KillDeer in Canada, 03 Jan 2012 13:28

When people call atkinsar a polybag collector do they mean he collects polybag sets or just the bags?

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 13:37

^ the sets. Still sealed in their bags.

Posted by KillDeer in Canada, 03 Jan 2012 13:58

^ Thanks. Thought so but just wanted to make sure :)

Posted by atkinsar in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 14:59

Some funny comments here :-)

@KillDeer - I may have a serious case of collector's madness, but surely *nobody* would collect 'just' the polybags, would they?...

@LegoCoastGuard - It's true that I have a lot of polybags, but I definitely don't have every polybag going, in fact, I don't even have the biggest polybag collection of the people I know ("always two there are, apprentice and master").

@bluemoose - I always try to get hold of two of each, one to build and one to keep sealed. It's not always possible of course, in which case, it stays sealed.

As for this interesting development, I can either choose to see it as a challenge or I can cry into my cornflakes, and I'm all out of cornflakes ;-)

Posted by collect-that! in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 15:32

^ I gave out a big sigh when I read this new article! Looks like we'll just have to up our game and reach for the Weetabix!!

Posted by DrDaveWatford in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 16:24

I've always been frustrated that I couldn't generally get hold of these neat little models without sourcing the parts myself; now with the sets formally numbered and in sealed bags LEGO doesn't have a good reason to restrict access to these. Unless of course they choose to do so.....

Posted by avoiceoreason in United States, 03 Jan 2012 16:58

I'm in agreement with bluemoose on this one. I can't recall another MMMB that was related specifically to a theme, so I wouldn't be surprised if this new polybag method is one and done. In fact we aren't going to the build tonight because my son said he didn't want to since it wasn't a "real monthly mini model build."

Our store pre-sorts all the parts into plastic cups.

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 17:12

I just noticed these two sets on the 2012 Star Wars page: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=9525-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=9526-1, where did they come from? They sound great! Sorry for being off topic but I didn't know where to post this.

Good luck to atkinsar.

Posted by legoDad42 in United States, 03 Jan 2012 17:28

My local shop told me of this this past Friday but I didn't know it was an official polybag. My buddy over there made it seem like it was just a regular plain plastic bag. But for the employees, this really helps them. They don't have to sort all the parts into those Dixie cups anymore.
I'm hoping he'll save me one or two for my collection. Can't make it to the build...kid's a little under the weather.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 17:34

^^ I can't reveal my source but it is reliable!

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 17:35

@Huw - Well they sound fantastic, finally an official Pre Vizsla and a regular Palpatine!

Posted by legoDad42 in United States, 03 Jan 2012 17:40

@avoiceoreason...I think though not a 'true' month/weather/holiday theme, the snake is themed for this month since they're doing a lot of Ninjago Year of the Snake promos and stuff in Jan. like some Spinjitzu training and tips for the kids, plus a free Kendo Jay booster pack thingie(w/$75.00 purchase?)...and they have the whole snake line on the shelves and what not.

Posted by Matthew in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 18:24

@DrD I'm hoping they might introduce them for all S@H orders between, say 4 and 7 pm on whatever day they do them in the stores? That's when the stores do it I think.

EDIT: - Or what about for Club members? (I get 3 of each magazine - 1 to keep MISB (I'm strange like that), 1 to look at, then dump in a box somewhere, and 1 to put in my BL store, (someone just bought the lot), so I'd be happy bunny if that was the case. (LEGO think there's a Matthew Butler, Matt Butler and Mr M Butler all living at my house :o) )

Posted by recordman in United States, 03 Jan 2012 19:04

Just got back from the mini-build (Cobra). The bags that were distributed were just clear cellophane with a little printing. no pics or color. They wouldn't let any leave the store unopened, but they did say that any left-overs would be given away the next day to anyone who asked for one. They were sealed when the kids got to a table, then opened. It was a slow build because the little kids had trouble with all the tiny pieces.

Posted by sarlacc98 in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2012 21:09

I wish that there was a Lego store near me I live in Utah. But these mmb are nice when I went to Disney world I went to one it was a sailboat. Good luck atkinsar

Posted by giraffefreckles in United States, 03 Jan 2012 21:16

My husband and kid just got back from an aborted first-ever attempt at the mini-build. The store employees reported that the line was longer than normal (1 to 2 hour wait today) and that they were doing a new procedure where instead of allowing you to build at your own pace, they were going to go step by step. That all pointed to -- abort mission! Next month is a hockey player...

Posted by Thomson & Thompson in Canada, 03 Jan 2012 21:52

Interesting.... Never got one before.

Posted by doodlebird in United States, 03 Jan 2012 22:34

my local lego store had no such bag. each set was pre-sorted into a small translucent Tupperware-esque Lego branded container, and the employees said they came this way. many of us builders were oohing and aahing over the stackability of these new containers, and the employees were hoping that they'd never have to sort into ziplocs or Dixie cups again.

anyone else see these containers? they would fly off the shelves if they were sold.

Posted by norwegiagirl in United States, 04 Jan 2012 00:04

I'm a LBR "Brick Specialist" and I can verify that we used to have to sort all of the pieces into the Pick a Brick cups before each build. To have them arrive at our store in prepackaged bags was very exciting for us! And we got a shipment of those tupperware style containers last week- I assume for use in these type of mini builds.

Posted by cinrose in United States, 04 Jan 2012 15:09

Went to the mini build at the local LEGO store with my daughter.
The staff knows me( from my numerous visits).
My daughter and I both received a cobra!
She built her set, I did not open my polybag.

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 05 Jan 2012 07:50

Just a reminder that it's the MMMB event in the European stores today, Thursday 5th Jan ...

Posted by Irene in United States, 05 Jan 2012 11:37

I don't have an child under 14 to bring with me to the store, BUT, I have found that sometimes the stores still have sets, and that an adult, who gets to the store early in the day, can sometimes beg for a sets left over.

I did have to build the set without instructions, just using the model in the store.

Remember to bring your camera to these builds, as they don't usually have instructions that you can take away.
[Or get the instructions on-line]

Posted by Jeanphi in France, 05 Jan 2012 15:34

Hello, I live in France and there are no Lego brand store in my country at the moment : so no Monthly Mini Model Build. However I have access to building instructions every month at this address : http://shop.lego.com/fr-FR/Miniconstruction?CMP=EMC-VIP2011DecemberNLFR&HQS=minibuild_txt_2
If this can help you...

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 05 Jan 2012 16:58

I've added them to the listings here for prosperity.

Posted by Jbonomo in United States, 05 Jan 2012 18:00

Yeah atkinsar I feel really bad about him

Posted by Phenix in United States, 12 Jan 2012 01:17

Having both seen how labor intensive sorting the pieces is for the employees, as well as being on the receiving end of sets with missing parts, I see the bagged parts as being a move for the better.

However, these will not be collectible, as few will be leaving the store. Only way to get them will be by buying them from unscrupulous employees. These builds are popular, though. Most stores run out the day of the build.

Adult collectors should leave these to the kids, and enjoy building them from the posted instructions.

Commenting has ended on this article.