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BrickArms will be in Chicago for Brickworld

by Thita (admin) on May 25, 2012

in LEGO Customizers

Great news for BrickArms fans! BrickArms will be in Chicago for Brickworld, along with Brickmania and G.I. Brick. You may have heard by now that due to space limitations in the Westin Hotel, Brickmania is unable to participate in Brickworld Chicago this year – so Brickmania, BrickArms, and G.I. Brick have coordinated to put on a complimentary event right down the street from Brickworld for everyone to enjoy! 🙂

Brickmania (Dan Siskind), BrickArms (Will Chapman), and G.I. Brick (Julie) will all be there with numerous LEGO military displays as well as tons of custom minifig accessories and building kits to vend. They will have a large banquet-hall to display large LEGO models and dioramas that highlight products of BrickArms and Brickmania in their proper historical (or fictional) references.

Brickmania founder Daniel Siskind will also bring many of his award-winning LEGO models to display, including an 8 foot long replica of the famous battleship USS Missouri plus scores of aircraft, armored vehicles and more. This will perhaps be the largest collection of LEGO militaria ever assembled for a single display.

Of course there will also be products for sale at this event, including the complete line of Brickmania custom LEGO kits, a dazzling array of BrickArms custom molded weapons, custom minifigs, T-shirts (including exclusive designs to this event) and more.

➡ The event will be held at AMVETS post 66, 700 McHenry Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090. The AMVETS hall is just a quick 2.5 mile drive away (see map) from the Westin (the location of Brickworld Chicago), and you can’t miss it; just look for the tank parked out front! 🙄

➡ Dates & hours of the World War Brick event: Friday, June 15th: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Saturday, June 16th: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday, June 17th: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

➡ Admission is free and there is plenty of free parking available. However donation boxes will be set up in the hall and all money raised will be donated to the AMVETS hall and/or other organizations that benefit military veterans and their families.

Please note that this not a convention but a show, and there is no registration for the event; just walk in the door to start the fun! Of course, everyone attending Brickworld Chicago – registered and public attendees – is welcome and encouraged to come by, and with both events so close, it should be a snap to enjoy both in a single trip or for registered attendees to swing by World War Brick at some point during the Brickworld convention to check out what Brickmania, BrickArms, and G.I. Brick have to offer. 😀

BrickArms, Brickmania and G.I.Brick are all currently working on fun exclusives and premiers for the show. Most will be kept as fun surprises until just before the event, so keep your eyes open for updates.

You can learn more about BrickArms at BrickArms – Overview, or by visiting their website at BrickArms.com. You can also visit Brickmania.com and G.I.Brick.com by clicking on their names. For information and updates for the 2012 BrickWorld Chicago event visit Brickworld.us.

Are you planning to go to Brickworld or have you been before? Are you going to stop by the BrickArms event? Or would you like to go? Share your thoughts in the comment section below! 😉

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LEGO minifigure variants, versions & misprints

by Thita (admin) on May 24, 2012

in Community Articles

(Written by Tobymacboy)

On my last post, LEGO Misprints – Annoying or Unique?, someone made a comment mentioning that the LEGO Star Wars Boba Fett minifigures were being misprinted. I thought maybe the reader saw pictures of the old Boba Fett minifig and thought it was a misprint. I then explained the difference between misprints and variants, and Admin suggested that this would make a good post. So, here it is! First off…

➡ LEGO MINIFIGURE VARIANTS:

Please note that LEGO minifigure “versions” and “variants” are in fact official terms used by LEGO in books like the LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia. Here is a quote from the Star Wars Encyclopedia:

The book distinguishes between “versions” of minifigures and “variants”. Versions are separate minifigures in their own right – so each version has its own page. Variants are the same version of the minifigure but with modifications. For example, there are ten versions of Luke Skywalker in this book; one of those is X-wing pilot Luke, and that minifigure has been released in five different variations or variants. Like Luke, some minifigures have lots of variants, though, sadly, not all of them can fit in this book.

So as you can see a variant is the same minifigure but with a slight change, such as a minifigure with yellow skin or with a more detailed torso. See below two variants of the LEGO Star Wars Episode III Obi-Wan Kenobi.

LEGO Minifigure Variants - LEGO Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi

Some minifigure variants are easy to spot, while others are very hard to notice; like a small change to the facial features or a lighter colored hip-joint. Some variants are made to make minifigures more detailed (like in a later release of the same minifigure), and others are exclusives to a particular LEGO set. Take a look at the picture below: the LEGO Star Wars Rebel on the left comes in a battle-pack, while the other one is exclusive to the AT-AT.

LEGO Minifigure Variants - LEGO Star Wars Rebels

Some variants could easily be mistaken for a misprint, like the difference between the old and new Stormtrooper torso-designs. The original torso compared to the new 2012 design can look somewhat “blurry” or “fuzzy”, even though, in my opinion, the old design is more accurate than the new one. Still these could easily be thought of as a misprint.

LEGO Minifigure Variants - LEGO Star Wars Stormtroopers

Some variants cannot be noticed unless the LEGO minifigure’s helmet is removed; such as the LEGO Star Wars Scout-Troopers and Tie Pilots.

LEGO Minifigure Variants - LEGO Star Wars Pilots

Now that we have discussed LEGO minifigure variants, let’s discuss…

➡ LEGO MINIFIGURE VERSIONS:

A version is the same person in minifigure form but in a different outfit, or different age (young vs. older). Below we have two versions of Anakin: Jedi Knight, and Podracer. Since one is Anakin as a Jedi Knight and one is Anakin as a Podracer, these are both versions, not variants of Anakin.

LEGO Minifigure Versions - LEGO Star Wars Anakin

And now the epic conclusion; something entirely different than LEGO minifigure versions and variants, something that not suppose to exist…

➡ LEGO MINIFIGURE MISPRINTS VS. VARIANTS:

Below we have the LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 2008 design on the left, 1999-2007 variant in the middle, and a misprint on the right. A variant or a version is a documented minifigure while a misprint is not. It simply means that the printer was not properly aligned, creating an off-printed minifigure.

LEGO Minifigure Misprints vs. Variants - LEGO Star Wars R2-D2

So to conclude; LEGO minifigure misprints are the same shape as the printing on the correctly printed minifigure (with possible deformation), but looks out of place. If the print looks uniform it is most likely a variant. I hope I made clear the differences between LEGO variants, versions and misprints. Let me know what you think and if you have any comments or questions. 🙂

Also, just wanted to let you know that with this last article, I have become an official TFOL (Teen-Fan-of-LEGO) contributor at TBB and got my own Contributors Page. Yay! If you would like to know more about me or just say “Hi”, please visit my page. You can also read my previous articles listed below, and I will post more when I get some new ideas. 😉

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