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Hi!
My additions to that:
Maybe Ben has missed the statements from Alexander Algermissen from LEGO
Direct.
He said that they have checked the possibilities of making different curved
tracks but he stated that the investments would be too high to make this
happen!
Concerning the bulk bricks, both, Alex and Brad announced that the
availabilty of more types and colors of bulk bricks will be much better next
year. They use the same source as the modellers - and as we know they have
all colors and types of bricks ;-) - It's just a matter of capacity.
The software to build models and order the bricks to build this model will
be not ready this year, but they are working on it and it will support more
bricks than the program does now. Maybe this will be possible in 2003 or
2004.
Alex told us that for the future he will visit 1000steine.de forum to get
more feedback of the german community. Alex you are welcome! Try the chat
room if you like!
We asked if Galidor will be also available in Europe. I think it will. And
we demanded, to overthink this. I told Alex that other non SYSTEM stuff can
be found in the shops with dramatically reduced prices - but no one is
willing to buy this stuff for any price (Racers, Dinos,...).
He said that they will test if it works. I tell you Alex, save the money!
Action figures have not that meaning in europe than in the US. And please,
don't misuse the LEGO Logo for that rubbish!
Alex and Brad did not noticed that there are no more technic sets available.
Are they dreaming? There will be no model team for the next time - or
forever?
They also did not notice that yellow and blue bricks are available as
assorted bulk packs but the other colors did not! What the heck are they
doing?
I've asked about LEGO City. Not for the next time. He said something like
"it is just sleeping" - don't remind the exact phrase.
I fully agree to Ben's statements. For me it was a great day to meet all the
community and to see the great miniland. But for my kids it was horrorable -
same reasons as Ben noted.
I'm just uploading some (nearly half giga byte) pictures to brickshelf in
full resolution. It would take some days to be complete.
See http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=17042
Rollingbricks
Dirk Meier
"Reinhard "Ben" Beneke" <r.beneke@tu-bs.de> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:Gw0nF0.BK3@lugnet.com...
> Dear Lego Enthusiasts!
>
> The German Legoland-Park in Günzburg/Bavaria opened its doors to the • members of
> the Lego World Club and 500 "exclusive" guests from the 1000steine.de • community
> yesterday.
>
> You may have seen the big amount of new galleries at Brickshelf and these • give
> some good impressions about the new park and the visit there.
>
> First let me say a huge "thank you!" to Katharina from Lego-Direct. She • invited
> us and made it possible for us German AFOLs from the 1000steine.de forum • to
> visit the park before it opens to the public next week. Next "thank you!" • to
> René and Zany from 1000steine, who distributed the tickets and T-shirts to • us.
> Thanks a lot!
>
> The Miniland in the new park is partly very similar to some sceneries as • known
> from Billund (and the other parks as far as I know these from pictures). • But
> there are lots of totally new models and these are really gorgeous!
>
> I have spent nearly all the day in the "Miniland" and have seen so many • small
> surprising and funny details - I am still overwhelmed by these • impressions. I
> am especially a fan of the brick built writings on walls and of all the
> vehicles in the Miniland. Among those I was glad to find lots of new ones • I
> haven't seen so far in Billund. A Smart, a Renault Twingo, a Fiat 500, • German
> Police vans, all kind of trucks we see daily in real life on our streets.
>
> Another part of the park, that I really loved to visit has been the Lego
> Factory. You can have a look in the complete manufacturing of a Lego brick • from
> melting the raw material to printing. In the end you get this brick 8and
> yesterday it had a exclusive logo on that red 2x4x3 brick.
>
> But now there are a few sidenotes that are less pleasing.....
>
> - The impression to be an "exclusive guest" got blown away in the second • we saw
> the traffic jam that reached back from the park onto the highway. Later we
> heard there have been 14 000 guests there. Despite of the huge amount of • cars
> we came in time to the parking area (parking has been for free this very • day -
> fine!). Guests that came later than we (30 minute before park opening) • needed
> over 1 hour for the last few hundreds meters as I heard later....
>
> - the 1000steine guests have been begged to fill in a questionnaire: when • I
> came into the park, I asked at the entrance where to get rid of that. • Nobody
> knew about it and I had to ask several employees before I was sent to
> information desk. Ok, only a first sign of confusion among the park crew. • All
> people have been very friendly, although they got partly under heavy • stress.
>
> - one of 2 the roller coasters was not running. :-(
>
> - the second roller coaster got out of order for over 50% of the day.
> I heard from families that stood for over 90 minutes in front of the gate • into
> that attraction, when it became closed. Very annoying for the kids....
>
> - the river rafting had major technical problems too. People were caught • into
> their "boat" while driving with that, when there has been a break due to • these
> technical problems.....
>
> - because of the low operational reliability of the attractions the queues • in
> front of the few running ones became longer and longer: I heard of kids • that
> needed up to over 90 minutes to have a ride of 90 seconds.
>
> - the 4D cinema showed after over 30 minutes of waiting time a film that • is
> still unfinished. Some figures in the animated film are faceless, others • have
> no limps and there are lots of stripes and gaps running through the film
> sequences (as I got informed by a 13 years old that was coming out half
> disappointed).
>
> - there have been queues in front of most sales places for drinks, food • and
> toys. The park employees have tried to manage this friendly but often • enough
> they appeared to be very untrained and quite helpless. (5 persons for at • least
> 3 minutes in front of a cash register. In the end I paid without getting a
> bill.)
>
> - especially in the DINO GRILL (the less crowded restaurant we found), we • had
> to wait for over 30 minutes to be placed to our seats (I think nearly 33% • of
> all table have been free, but have never been used while we were in).
> It took further 15 minutes of waiting before we could place our order. • During
> that time we tried to find out how the restaurant was organized: obviously
> there was a crew to clean up the tables, one crew for taking orders, one • for
> getting payment etc. Again and again we saw the crew that brought the • meals
> going to a table and return with the meals to get on a search for the • right
> table. Other parts of teh crew were standing jobless in the way.
> After 20 minutes the first part of our menu was carried to our table, but • we
> got no plates. So we started to eat directly from the dish. (our tables
> neighbors had plates for the same meal.)
> After further 5 to 10 minutes the rest of our meal has been carried to our
> table (after the waiter had asked at a few other tables if they had • ordered
> what he held in his hands.) When he arrived at out table he asked us if we • were
> table 24, 25 or 26? But there were no numbers anywhere to be found....
> The meal has not been too hot any longer, but still quite good and all • eating
> and drinking had fair prices.
> When we were nearly finished with eating, we asked for our bill. That took
> really a quite long time again. Lots of the DINO Grill people came along, • but
> we got informed another lady was responsible for that job. (Please paste • here
> the episode of the none working cash registry from above) When she came • she
> asked again for our tables number (We were just guests and nobody told us • we
> had to bear and remember numbers...).
> After a time of 1:40 we came back into the park and understood at last the
> excitement of some upset parents. We lost only one and a half hour in that
> restaurant (and in the end we had eaten something). Other park guests • waited
> for hours in front of carrousels that never started for them.
>
> So in conclusion let me say: I (as an AFOL) had a great time in the park • and
> basically in the Miniland. But lots of parents had to dry the tears of • their
> highly disappointed children..... They felt like testing a beta version of • the
> park.
>
> In the end I had another personnel highlight of the day. We met (more or • less
> by chance) Brad Justus. A friend of mine (Kosmas) had asked for Brad at • the
> information desk and left his mobile number. When a larger group of the
> 1000steine people met at 15:00 somebody (as we later heard that has been • Alex
> Algermissen) was asking for Kosmas, because Brad wanted to talk to him. At • once
> a group of people came together and we had the chance to ask a few • questions at
> Brad (translated by Alex if in German).
>
> But this question and answer thing was not too satisfying. Brad gave no
> concrete answers.
>
> - no information about the amount of planned MOC-models like the • blacksmith
> shop.
> - no information about new sets
> - no information about new track curve radius
> - no information about return of themes "themes are never discontinued - • they
> are only resting for a wile"
>
> After a while some of the bad moods where louder uttered in wishes for • more
> bulk items etc. I think Brad might have felt somewhat surprised about some • of
> the questions, but he has been asked not as boss of Lego direct, but as a
> official person of TLC (and as if it was him who had invented Jack Stone, • Town
> Junior etc....)
>
> As a small highlight somebody spent one of the most-hated Lego elements • (the
> ugly monofunctional green brick from the 6245 TV chopper) as a gift to • Brad and
> begged him to use this part in a senseful way in any MOC. He looked quite
> amazed and unsure why he got this. And Alex told us he had never seen this
> brick himself before.....
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=169404
>
> Of course this was just given as a reminder what we Adult fans do not like • to
> see from TLC (even Lego direct is for sure the wrong address for this • desire:
> they have not offered nonsense bricks so far....)
>
> After a few minutes Brad had to leave us anyway, because he and Alex had • to
> take the next flight back home.
>
> Till next weeks official opening Lego has to do a lot of work, if they do • not
> want upset the visitors again. This was a test run (and for lots of • visitors a
> not successful one). I hope it works better next week! I wish this for • both
> sides - TLC and the park visitors also. If I should come back this year • once
> more, I will for sure choose a rainy none-weekend day outside the holiday
> season to find an emptier park then.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Ben
>
>
> P.s.: For more information (and lots of picture links) read the today • entries
> at the German www.1000steine.de/forum (of course only available in German)
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