Subject:
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LEGO Shop Bluewater (LSB) - opening report
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.loc.uk
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Date:
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Tue, 3 Aug 1999 22:10:26 GMT
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Viewed:
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1001 times
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I got to the shop just before its 1:00pm opening yesterday. An 8' tall Bat
Lord was wandering around in the mall, while a number of shop assistants
were enticing the young (and not so young) with LEGO bricks imprinted with
"August 1999" - not particularly inventive, but nevertheless free. The
shutters raised with the expected flood of eager LEGO shoppers...
I squeezed my way in (grabbing a few more bricks on my way), and found much
of what many of us would have expected: a nearly complete UK set line-up,
Kit n Kaboodle clothing and some of the souvenir items normally found at the
LEGOLAND parks. They also carry all the software titles and board games,
along with the silver and gold jewellery that have received the occasional
post. Jewellery prices range from 60 to 188GBP, and include miniature and
normal size bricks, boulders, skeletons and construction workers.
One panel in the shop has a part tiled, part studded mosaic of sun, sea and
sand, upon which visitors are invited to add their mark, be it the missing
deck chairs and gulls or something altogether more creative. In the middle
of the shop is a good size circular building table, with each building plate
on a rotating platform - handy for reaching the other side of that Big Ben's
Tower you're trying to complete before closing time! In the centre of the
table stands a 2' diameter, 10' tall glass tube full of water. The water is
continuously stirred while a good number of 2x4s spin merrily round - think
of the old blob lamps, but with taste! I _did_ ask if they'd wash my old
bricks for me, but...
Just outside the door sits The Thinker - a pile of pricks in one hand, and a
pigeon on his head. Entering the shop, you are faced with a life-size R2-D2.
Guess how many bricks, and he's yours! The counter has hundreds of minifigs
built into it, while the two outer faces form hanging racks for keychains -
13 different, but only one new: Alien with grey helmet.
Other new goodies, or at least new to me, were the full range of Rock
Raiders and all the new Technic sets. For those of you thinking ahead to
Christmas, they have a number of different bubble baths. The old blue and
white Aquazone not-so-Minifig now comes in black and trans yellow.
Each LEGO set display stand has an encased display on top. The pod race with
crashed vehicles in flames and spectators eating ice creams raised a giggle,
while the bent road plates forming a bridge in the Town was a bit of a
cheat.
A number of engraved quotes adorn the racks such as: "The average adult
laughs 40 times a day. For the average child, that number is nearer 400."
Who's a big kid? I know I am!
A feature not live on the day was the scanners. These allow prospective
buyers to scan the barcode of a set and see an interactive display of the
set information.
Even when the shop is shut, the fun doesn't end entirely. One window has a
touch pad to allow you to stop the window display of escalating shelves so
as to gain a better look at any one item. There are a further two keypads
below Space Port rockets. By following the instructions and keying a
particular sequence, you can launch the rocket up a sealed tube to varying
altitudes.
And if you still need a LEGO fix, try the 24 hour vending machine! Only ten
different small sets, but hey, it's better than no sets at all!!!
I'll be visiting LSB frequently - it's only 15 minutes from home, so if
anyone would like more information or would like me to obtain items on their
behalf, just ask 8-)
Have fun and keep happy.
Jon.
Jon D Hayward
Chatham, Kent
mailto:Jon-D-Hayward@Chatham-Kent.Prestel.co.uk
http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/chatham-kent/
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