Billund was bathed in glorious sunshine, and we all declined the offer of a coach transfer so we could take a short walk in the sun to our first destination of the day, Factory Astvej, the deceptively unassuming building (above) where loose elements become LEGO sets and minifigures are assembled. The reception area at Astvej featured the fantastic 3+ meter high rendition of the LEGO logo below; a closer look revealed that this is made of minifigures, and if the receptionist is to be believed, there's one minifigure for every LEGO employee. Also on display in the reception area were number of Summer 2013 releases spanning various different themes including Friends, Galaxy Squad and Creator.
Our guides for the morning were Aksel and Jan. They split us into two groups and kitted us out with high visibility vests and wireless earpieces so that they could be heard above the noise of the factory. The area beyond the reception was strictly "no photographs", and just to ensure that nobody would be tempted to grab a few cheeky snaps, all cameras and camera phones were collected with the promise that they'd be put straight on eBay as soon as we were out of sight....
The two groups started their tours at different points along the proscribed route. My group, expertly hosted by Aksel, started out with a demonstration of how designs are printed onto LEGO elements, using an old hand-operated printing press to illustrate the process. During the demonstration my eyes were drawn to a nearby display of pristine old sets dating back to the 1970's and 1980's. We were then taken to the automated production lines where we followed the progress of loose LEGO elements from bulk crates to finished sets. Elements are carried along conveyer belts and are counted, sorted and dropped into bags; the bags are then sealed and dropped into boxes which have themselves just been formed from printed sheets of cardboard which are mechanically folded into shape and glued. Once the correct bags have been dropped into their corresponding boxes, a sensor checks that the bags are lying sufficiently flat prior to gluing the boxes shut; this is just one of a number of checks that are conducted before the finished sets are finally packed away in their shipping boxes - they're also weighed to a high level of accuracy during the process to ensure that all elements are present and correct, and pictures of individual sealed sets are taken from multiple angles, the pictures being electronically compared with pictures of a 'perfect' box. Any sigificant deviation from what's expected results in the set being rejected and later inspected by an actual person rather than a machine. Finally, shipping boxes full of pristine sets are stacked on pallets and then shrink-wrapped by a truly fearsome-looking machine which flails around the pallets at high speed wrapping the stacks of boxes in the LEGO equivalent of cling film.
Next we were taken to the minifigure assembly area. Again, minifigure assembly is an entirely automated process - minifigure torsos travel along a conveyer belt, arms are snapped on and designs are then printed on to the torsos in what is often a multi-stage process of layering one part of the design on top of another. Before any of this happens, however, a black rectangle is printed on to the front of the peg at the top of the torso where the head will eventually attach; this printed mark is detected by a sensor and acts as a double check that the torso is facing in the right direction prior to assembly and printing. The precision and speed of the operation was highly impressive, churning out huge numbers of perfect, identical minifigure torsos in the short time we were there.
LEGO branded bicycles - the next bestseller ? |
Souvenirs from Kornmarken |
A buffet lunch followed, after which we were whisked off to LEGO's Employee Store at Klovermarken and let loose. I have to say that the 50 minutes that followed were arguably the shortest 50 minutes that I have ever experienced... The store is huge, selling an impressive variety of branded LEGO clothing and other merchandise in addition to most currently available sets, and all items are available at a considerable discount from the Danish RRP. Even though LEGO products are generally more expensive in Denmark than the UK, the available discounts were such that prices still worked out cheaper than UK prices, and cheaper still when compared with prices in Australia, to the delight of fellow attendee Kristel who was visiting from Down Under. The clearance section, which included a number of sets from retiring themes such as Alien Conquest, Cars and Harry Potter, featured particularly tempting prices.... The store was predictably plundered by the Inside Tourists who stacked up an impressive haul of items; amongst other things, I couldn't resist grabbing a bunch of Galaxy Squad sets, which up to that point had yet to appear in the UK. We'd been told prior to our shopping spree that LEGO would ship up to two large boxes of purchased sets back to our homes anywhere in the world free of charge; it's exactly that sort of thing which illiustrates just how much care and thought the organisers had put in to making the Inside Tour experience really special for attendees.
Galaxy Squad - part of my Employee Store haul.... |
We returned by coach to the hotel late afternoon for a couple of hours of rest and relaxation prior to reconvening for dinner at 6.30 pm in a Western-themed restaurant on the LEGOLAND site. We were once again joined for dinner by a large group of designers, after which we all walked back to a conference room at the LEGOLAND hotel for the results of the previous day's design challenge, which was judged by the designers. You won't be surprised to learn that my entry (see previous post for details) didn't win. Still, what do the judges know - they're only LEGO designers...(!) We ended up chatting to some of the designers for ages; given that designing LEGO models is their day job, they could have been forgiven for wanting to shut up shop and forget all about it at the end of the working day, but not a bit of it - their enthusiasm shone through, and some of them hung around to chat late into the early hours.
The slightly later start on Friday morning was extremely welcome after Thursday's packed itinerary and late night. We once again convened in a conference room in the LEGOLAND Hotel where were were met by Claus, events manager for LEGOLAND Billund. Claus gave us a brief history lesson on the subject of the LEGOLAND parks, including the sale of the parks to the current owners, Merlin Entertainments, and their plans for the 'Billund Resort'. We were then treated to a backstage tour of LEGOLAND Billund, the highlight of which was a visit to the model shop. It's here that Miniland models are built and maintained, and also where LEGO exhibits destined for other LEGOLAND parks and Discovery Centers around the globe are constructed by a team of model makers. Tim and I immediately dived into the drawers of elements used by the model makers, jealously coveting the rare elements in colours not available to us lesser mortals. I'd have taken some pictures, were it not for the fact that our cameras and camera phones were once again sequestered prior to entering the building. Other backstage areas we got to see included the maintenance facility where the LEGOLAND rides are serviced, and the walkways above the secret caves which form part of the Pirate Boat ride.
The youngsters then departed for the Toyota Traffic School, leaving the rest of us to enjoy an hour or two wandering around LEGOLAND. Having already spent time in the park on both the previous days I assumed I'd seen most of it; turns out that it's quite a lot bigger than I realised, and I kept discovering areas I'd not previously stumbled upon, notably Polar Land featuring the 65 km/h Polar X-plorer rollercoaster and real live penguins (I have a thing about penguins so this was a real thrill for me !). Lunch was a delicious hot buffet eaten in the castle which forms the focal point of the Knight's Kingdom area of the park, after which we made our way back to the LEGOLAND hotel for the official farewell and the end of the Inside Tour.
LEGO Senior Vice President Jesper Vilstrup wrapped things up, thanking us for coming on the tour and wishing us well. Prior to sending us on our way he had one last treat for us, however - a numbered copy of the 2013 LEGO Inside Tour set. Every year LEGO produces a set exclusively for Inside Tour attendees so we knew it was coming; most however didn't know the identity of the set as LEGO try to keep it a surprise, although a few of us had seen pictures because the instructions for the set had been accidentally leaked into the public domain a month or two back. I won't reveal what the set is as there are still two Inside Tours to go this year and I don't want to ruin the surprise for attendees; suffice to say it's very nice, and Henrik, the designer of the set, was on hand to sign the front of the box with his silver pen. After that we all said our goodbyes and it was off to the airport for the flight back to the UK. Incredibly, the experience still wasn't quite over even then as there's a LEGO store in the airport terminal to tempt folks while they're waiting for flights back home. For once I was restrained, however, and kept my wallet firmly in my pocket.....
So what's the verdict, then ? Well, there's absolutely no doubt that the LEGO Inside Tour is a wonderful experience for AFOLs and I can wholeheartedly recommended it. While the younger attendees also clearly enjoyed it, some of the childen struggled to stay engaged during the talks and presentations, and I wonder whether the lower age limit of 7 might be a little too low. People will I suppose inevitably focus on the DKK 13.000 (approx. £1,500 GBP or $2,300 USD) cost per person, and it certainly seems expensive for a 3-day trip, particularly when you need to add flights on top of that. Thing is, the cost of living is high in Denmark, and I'd wager that an appreciable proportion of the cost is eaten up by 3 nights in the LEGOLAND hotel plus meals etc.. It's also fair to say that no expense was spared by LEGO in making the Inside Tour an unforgettable experience for attendees. All things considered, therefore, the cost is high but it's justified I think.
To finish off, I'd like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to Sanne, Lene and Camilla for their superb organisation of the event and to Sanne and Lene for looking after us so well during our time in Billund. Thanks also to the LEGO employees, particularly the designers, who gave their time, energy and enthusiasm to make the Inside Tour experience so special. And finally, I wanted to say what a pleasure it was to meet, get to know and spend time with my 24 fellow Inside Tour attendees - you guys were great !
< -- Inside Tour report, part 1
quick question- would the sets in the employee shop be a discount to us over here in the states?
ReplyDeleteGood question. The short answer is "it depends".... Sets with RRPs of around the £1 = $1 mark probably wouldn't have been much cheaper for you guys, but other sets certainly would have worked out significantly less expensive even for U.S. folks, e.g. Palace Cinema (UK RRP £119.99 vs. US RRP $149.99)
DeleteThanks for the great write up. I'm taking my 9 year old daughter to the event in May next year. She's wondering about the building challenge events - could she work with me or will she be building on her own? thanks!
ReplyDeleteShe'll be encouraged to build her own model, and I'm sure she'll do just fine. It's an informal, light-hearted activity and should you choose to offer your girl some building advice that's no problem. You can confidently reassure her that there's nothing for her to be nervous about and there'll be no pressure on her at all.
DeleteYou guys will have a fantastic time on the tour - wish I was going back next year !
thank you! think she's just nervous about the idea of being judged on her building and that she's competing with adults
DeleteIt's you that needs to be nervous - if the judging follows the same pattern as this year then the kids will win !
Deletereading ths review makes me so want to tk my son to ths trip.he's all of 7 bt te biggest lego fan ever...hope i cud do ths fr him...
ReplyDeleteWow the inside tour looks fascinating despite the high price. Really want to join sometime later.
ReplyDeleteIt's expensive but undoubtedly the experience of a lifetime for a LEGO fan. If you can scrape together the money then go - you won't regret it....
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