An interesting set that emerged a few days ago is the #40502 LEGO House Brick Moulding Machine. This is the newest product in the limited edition series of LEGO House exclusives only available in Billund, Denmark. Below are the details.
The LEGO House team believes that having exclusive sets available for those who visit the attraction adds significantly to this pinnacle LEGO experience. Thus, exclusive sets have been offered ever since the opening of the LEGO House.
The first three exclusive products were the #21037 LEGO House Architecture set from 2017, the #4000026 LEGO House Tree of Creativity from 2018, and the #40366 LEGO House Dinosaurs from 2019.
Then, in 2020, the LEGO House team expanded the collection to include sets that reference the LEGO Group’s history. The first in this series was the #40501 LEGO Wooden Duck. And the second is the newly announced #40502 LEGO House Brick Moulding Machine.
The LEGO Brick Moulding Machine is representing an era in the history of the LEGO Group going from producing toys in wood into plastic. It is the story about putting all efforts into one focus and leaving your core competencies behind to explore the new possibilities and technologies in producing toys with plastic materials.
The first machine arrived in Billund in 1947, and it took up to four people to manually operate one single machine efficiently. Today the LEGO Group has around 1,000 moulding machines operating all over the world and one LEGO employee can operate 32 machines. The Billund facility alone produces 1,360 LEGO elements each second from these machines.
In the LEGO House, guests can experience a real-life moulding machine up close. The green machine is identical to the moulding machines found at the LEGO production sites in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, and China. The difference, however, is that it has a special custom-made mould designed to only contain six bricks. Standard moulds produce many more bricks. Below are some fun facts about the history of LEGO moulding machines.
- The first moulding machine is bought in 1946 after Ole Kirk Christensen attended a demonstration of a plastic injection moulding machine at a fair in Copenhagen.
- In 1949, the LEGO Group’s plastics department manufactures various kinds of toys. Among these are the company’s first plastic bricks, which are marketed under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks”.
- On 28 January 1958 at 1:58 pm, the modern LEGO brick is born when a patent for the unique clutch power is secured.
- In 1960, the second-generation owner, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, decided to put all eggs in one basket and purely focus on the LEGO brick.
- A real-life moulding machine can be found in the LEGO House where guests can see it up close. It is identical to the ones in other LEGO production sites but is custom made to only produce six bricks at the time and run at a slower pace.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen initiated decommissioned moulds to be cast into the concrete foundations of new factories in Billund to prevent them from falling into wrong hands.
- In the History Collection of the LEGO House, you can also find decommissioned moulds hiding in the floor for visitors to see.
And here are some facts about the new limited edition the #40502 LEGO House Brick Moulding Machine set.
- The LEGO Brick Moulding Machine represents an era in the LEGO Group’s history going from producing wooden toys into plastic toys.
- The 1,205-piece model’s measurements are as follows: 7.4” (19 cm) tall, 5.9” (15 cm) deep, and 11.4” (29 cm) wide.
- The base of the set features printed tiles with the words, ‘LEGO House’ and ‘The Brick Moulding Machine’.
- Ideal for fans of LEGO building, and collectors of toy memorabilia. Suitable for ages 10 and up.
- Price: 599 DKK.
- This set is only available at the LEGO House Retail Store in Billund, Denmark from this Thursday, March 4, 2021.
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Brick Moulding Machine? Is this a set you would like to get? Do you own any of the other LEGO House exclusives? Which one is your favorite so far? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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