Subject:
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Re: TLG investigation
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.dear-lego
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Date:
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Tue, 16 Feb 1999 20:39:32 GMT
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Viewed:
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1036 times
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Hello Jeroen,
Thank you for contacting us. TLG has not done much to acknowledge that LEGO
has adult followers. As someone who has been in contact with TLG personnel
over the years (even USA TLG President Peter Eio), I know that your company has
always dealt with us (Adult Lego collectors) politely, yet never produced much
in the way of customer services, beyond what is available to any 6 year old..
So I have always hoped that one day TLG will look at its largest consumers
(even though we make up a fraction of 1% of total sales) as an asset rather
than a pain. Maybe providing services (or a club) for "LEGO Intensive
Households", which is what most Online LEGO fans represent, would go a long way
in making us "LEGO Ambassadors" happy. Many of us spend hundreds or thousands
of dollars per year on LEGO. To totally ignore that market does us all a
disservice.
So anyway, if setting up a club, or just providing extra services is possible,
then I'm sure we can provide some input.
Here is what I see as some possible ideas towards this goal:
1) Adult LEGO Club - regularly published magazine, maybe some adult building
contests, special events, etc.
2) Improved Service Pack selection. In 1963 there were 138 different Service
Packs, today only a fraction of that. Perhaps club members could vote on some
new service pack ideas.
3) Bulk Orders. They are not available in most countries. If TLG cannot
change the time consuming procedures for starting Bulk Orders, then maybe they
could offer club members certain items (say 10 different ?) in quantity each
year on a bulk basis. I know if 100,000 of a particular part were available
(white 2x2 round bricks, tile bricks, 2x2 windows, etc.) the LEGO Intensive
Households would snap them up by the thousands (I'll take 5000 of each!).
There are even online auction services that some of the adult LEGO collectors
have been sponsoring. Sending off 100,000 2x2 windows to one of these would be
the only work the company would have to do. The Auction services would do the
rest.
4) Re-releasing Old Sets. Many of us LEGO Intensive Households consist of
Parents who grew up with LEGO, and their children, who are introduced to it by
their parents. There is something about having a parent "bond" with a child
via LEGO. I think that recreating a few of the classic old sets would be a
great way to get more parents involved with LEGO. A lot of us in this
newsgroup were reintroduced to LEGO because of their children. If a parent
finds a new copy of an old set that they loved, then you now possibly have
another new adult LEGO collector. Re-releasing popular old sets would
therefore be a great idea. Perhaps club members could have input.
I hope this helps some way in communicating what we would want from a formal
LEGO club.
Thank you,
Gary Istok
Jeroen Ottens wrote:
> Hi everybody,
>
> My name is Jeroen Ottens. I work at Lego Futura Technic Billund (the
> development department of Lego as you will probably know).
> ...
> Yes I am one of TLG
> ...
> My job is to design some of the new Lego Technic models. However I am also
> involved in a group which is investigating the possibility of starting up
> International Lego Clubs for Juniors and Adults.
>
> At the moment we don't know how we should organize such clubs, we don't
> even have cristalclear views on what such clubs would do. But we do know
> that clubs like that exist out there. So what we want to know is:
> How many of those clubs exist?
> Are they real-life based or virtual (internet) based?
> How big are the clubs?
> And more important:
> What could Lego do to help you?
> Would an official Lego certificate give extra value, even if it would mean
> that you would loose some of your freedom (Lego has to protect his/her
> image)?
> If you are member of a lego-club (and that can be seen in the broadest
> sense as possible) and you think you have something to say, please do.
> If you want to mail me personally, my mailadress is:
> ottens@get2net.dk
> I have posted this message also on lugnet.general so you might have seen it
> before. I don't really mind were you answer me, however I check my emails
> most regular.
> I must however warn you that I am not allowed to tell anything which is not
> publicly known anyway. :(
>
> I'd like to stress the point that this is still an investigation. It's not
> sure yet that this idea about lego clubs will happen.
>
> Happy building,
>
> Jeroen Ottens
>
> To prevent some much asked questions some personal information:
> I have been lego maniac since my birth (or three years later), I have
> pictures of myself throughout my entire life with models I made. I stopped
> playing when I was 18 and went to University. I started studying Mechanical
> Engineering and after four years I had to work in a company to gain
> experience (part of the curriculum). I happened to be able to do that in my
> hometown, so I went back to my parents and stayed there for three months.
> In these months I got my experience, but I also assembled Cape Canaveral
> from the Lego still lying at home.
> I was caught again with the virus and started collecting again. In Enschede
> (where I studied) I build in no time a size-able collection of Lego
> Technic. It's amazing how many students love to give Lego to somebodies
> birthday :) .I was finally able to make my dreammodel. A F14A Tomcat
> fighterplane, which could do anything but flying. The model itself was 80
> cm long, and 80 cm wide when the wings were fully extended. I used three
> electromotors, 7 pneumatic cylinders, a fibreoptics system and loads of
> Lego to create a plane with retractable gears (suspended and steered
> nosewheel), swingwings, tailerons, brakes, flaps, cockpit lights, etc. etc.
> I graduated a year later and thought about working at Lego. However some
> other company offered me a job, which I accepted. However before I started
> that job an advertisement appeared in a newspaper asking for Lego Technic
> Designers. I got the change and took it with both hands. I applied, got
> through all the rounds and the rest is history ;)
> As far as working inside Lego is concerned, I'm afraid I can't tell
> anything. Sorry, but I'd like to keep this job.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: TLG investigation
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| (...) I posted a similar suggestion on lugnet.general. I'd truly love to see it actually happen. (...) Wow... what is it that they say about "great minds"? :) (...) Uhmmm.... no comment. <weak grin> (...) This would be cool. Although it might reduce (...) (25 years ago, 16-Feb-99, to lugnet.dear-lego)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | TLG investigation
|
| Hi everybody, My name is Jeroen Ottens. I work at Lego Futura Technic Billund (the development department of Lego as you will probably know). ... Yes I am one of TLG ... My job is to design some of the new Lego Technic models. However I am also (...) (25 years ago, 12-Feb-99, to lugnet.dear-lego)
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