For April Fools’ Day this year, LEGO posted a photo of a “revolutionary brick sorting vacuum”, called VacuSort. This handsome little machine supposed to be able to sort LEGO pieces by shape and color, and even separate out dust. The VacuSort was meant to be a funny joke in response to parents always complaining about stepping on LEGO bricks, and the constant challenge of sorting and organizing LEGO pieces (something that’s an issue not just for kids and parents, but also older LEGO fans and even professional LEGO designers). 🙂
The VacuSort was shared over 43,000 times on Facebook, with 72,000 likes, and close to 10,000 comments. It obviously resonated with people not just as a fun joke, but also something that they really want and need. In fact, most of the responses are requesting LEGO to make the VacuSort for real. LEGO got a similar enthusiastic response on Twitter.
LEGO fans have been experimenting with all kinds of LEGO sorting machines. They are usually elaborate and large assembly-line type structures, made of LEGO Technic elements and LEGO Mindstorms robotics. They are able to separate pieces by shape, size, and color, based on how they were programmed. You will find a number of examples of such creations on YouTube, such as the one below.
A simpler, but still very large and complex example of a LEGO sorting machine comes in the #42055 LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator as the alternate B-model. The Mobile Aggregate Processing Plant (as it’s called) is able to separate larger LEGO pieces from smaller ones with a fairly good accuracy. This is a super impressive LEGO model in itself, however not very practical for actual sorting due to it’s limited abilities, large size, and very slow operation.
Perhaps one day, LEGO, or another company will make the VacuSort a reality. It was clear from the response to their April Fools’ post that the demand is very much there. Maybe they do have something in mind, and they were just testing to see how people would like it… we can dream…
What do you think? Would you like to have a VacuSort that can vacuum up and sort your LEGO bricks? Do you think it’s a possibility? How would it work, and what would it look like? Feel free to share your thoughts and own ideas in the comment section below! 😉
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One of the most interesting LEGO sets released this month is the #41597 LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me customizer kit, which allows you to build your own LEGO BrickHeadz characters. So, let’s take a closer look at what we got in this unusual set. 🙂
First, here is the official description to give you an idea what this set is about: Fuel your creativity by making a LEGO BrickHeadz version of yourself, friends, family, or colleagues with this fun set. Create two BrickHeadz construction characters using the specially selected LEGO bricks for different hairstyles and skin color, plus there are two kinds of glasses, a sticker sheet to personalize your builds, and a brick separator. Display your creations on the buildable baseplates in your home, office or anywhere you like. Includes 708 pieces. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
LEGO BrickHeadz characters are square little guys and gals, built around a central core with studs on all sides. The core is then covered with plates, tiles, printed pieces, and accessories to resemble a specific person or creature. So far, we mostly got licensed BrickHeadz characters from films and comics, with an occasional original LEGO build, like the #40271 LEGO BrickHeadz Easter Bunny and #40270 LEGO BrickHeadz Valentine’s Beein the LEGO BrickHeadz seasonal sets collection.
The LEGO BrickHeadz line has been very popular with both collectors and customizers. Collectors like to get BrickHeadz versions of their favorite heroes and villains from movies and comics – just like how they may collect other action figure and collectible brands. And customizers are enthusiastically building their own BrickHeadz around the same core structure. In fact, BrickHeadz are perfect for those who are new to customizing. Build an official LEGO BrickHeadz set, then swap out some plates and tiles, and voila, you got your own custom BrickHeadz! It’s a fun and addicting hobby that got many LEGO fans hooked on designing more and more BrickHeadz. Looks like LEGO noticed the trend, and decided to release the #41597 LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me kit, which is all about customization.
Inside the box, there are pieces to build Nonnie, the plain white mascot of the LEGO BrickHeadz line. For those who are new to LEGO BrickHeadz building concepts and techniques, Nonnie is a great introduction. The instruction booklet also includes lots of different ideas and suggestions for building other characters. You can choose clothing designs and colors, skin color, hair color and style, and more. In addition, there is a sticker-sheet with stickers to decorate your characters, and lots of different accessories.
The box and description suggests that you can build two fully customized BrickHeadz figures at the same time. Although there are plenty of pieces left over once you build them, LEGO only includes two core builds and two sets of eyes. If you want to build other characters, you can certainly use the extra decorative pieces, but you will need to build additional cores from parts you already have. In the video below, JANGBRiCKS will show you in more details what comes in the box, and what it’s like to use the instruction booklet to begin building your own characters.
LEGO also suggests that you can mash up your own LEGO BrickHeadz persona with other famous BrickHeadz characters, to create a super-cool hybrid version of yourself. So, if you want to be a superhero, take one of the LEGO Super Heroes BrickHeadz, and combine it with the character you built from the #41597 LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me customizer kit, using the techniques in the instruction booklet (swapping bodies, skin colors, hairstyles, accessories, etc.). Once you build your BrickHeadz characters, you can share a selfie with your friends, family, or colleagues.
I have to say that I absolutely love this set! LEGO has been releasing free-building and customizing sets in the LEGO Classic and LEGO Minecraft line, but they are more targeted towards young children. The #41597 LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me is the first recently released customizer set that appeals to older kids, teens and even adult builders. There is so much potential for customizing in a way older LEGO fans tend to build and play with LEGO. In addition, I could easily see this set used as a fun party game.
While I really like this set, there are a few things I thought could have been done better. The set should have come in a box with a flip-up lid, so the packaging can double as a storage container for the loose pieces. And an inside sorting tray would have been nice to separate different colors and parts. Also, there really should be some extra printed eyes included. Those little 1×1 round tiles are easy to loose, and they are essential to bring the BrickHeadz characters to life.
Other than that, this is one of the most interesting and creative sets LEGO released in recent years. It appeals to creative LEGO fans who are already comfortable with building custom LEGO creations, but not too In addition, the price is insanely good! 708 pieces for a price of $29.99 is only 4 cents a piece! That’s practically unheard of in a newly released LEGO set! If you are interested to check it out, and other LEGO BrickHeadz sets, visit the LEGO BrickHeadz section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like this LEGO BrickHeadz customizer kit? Are you planning to give it a try? Do you have any of the other BrickHeadz sets? How do you like them? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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