Learning To Speak Lego
Jun 13 '03 (Updated Jul 27 '08)
The Bottom Line Decipher what your kids are saying – learn to speak Lego!
This will be an ongoing list of common and not-so-common Lego terms. If you have a question or would like a word added, please leave a comment!
ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, this is the co-polymer plastic that is used to make the bricks. It is a high grade blend that is poured hot, allowed to cool and creates a sturdy end product. It is used in everything from agricultural products to automotive sections.
Accessories: These are pieces or elements that are most commonly used by Lego figures within a set or scene. These can range from tools to weapons, storage trunks and barrels to animals. Several Lego series have their own accessory sets that allow you to add on additional pieces; a few of these sets are Throwbots, Space Port, Belville and Lego Town. The introduction of the accessory packs allowed collectors to add more detail and depth to scenes without having to purchase multiple sets.
Accessory Packs: Special sets that are offered to replace missing pieces or to add to overall replay value of a series. Two of the most popular accessory packs are Life on Mars and Castle Most range from $4.99 - $6.99 and are a great way to increase your piece count and scene.
AFoL: Adult Fan of Lego. A term that was created for adult lovers of Lego sets and themes.
Bagged: Some Lego sets were made in two formats, the usual boxed format and also in a plastic poly bag. These sets usually contained the same Lego pieces, instructions and set numbers but were packaged in plastic bags to take up less space and to be easier for the consumer to see on hang tags. Some bagged sets were packaged as promotional items and others were variations of the original boxed sets. A good example of this would be the River Raft set that came bagged and boxed but both contained the same exact elements, instructions and end product.
Baseplates: Large flat surfaces that can be used to stabilize large structures, used to give buildings and towers with multiple levels more strength and to create a setting for a scene. Some baseplates are one solid color with studs running across the entire piece while others have road contours, water or mountains built into them. With some basic or desktop set baseplates are provided, they can also be purchased separately and are available in a wide range of colors, designs and themes.
Curved Road Plates - Cross Road Plates - Grey Base Plate
Basic Set: A Lego set that contains an assortment of pieces that can be used for free play or in addition to other sets. The Lego Classic Set is one of the most popular and has standard sized Lego elements that can be added to other sets to make larger buildings or scenes. These range in price from $3.99 for the small sets to the larger buckets and tubs like the Lego 1200 Piece Tub. These are great for Lego lovers of all ages and make great gifts when you aren't sure what sets or series a child [or adult] has. These are also called bulk sets, generic sets, bulk tubs and basic buckets.
Bionicle: A series of advanced Lego elements that combine the standard Lego construction with Technic style pieces. The Bionicle series features comic books, a creative story, video games, watches and several different generations of Lego figures. Packaged in cylinders, the larger figures were originally prices at about $6.99 with the smaller boxed versions at about $2.99. McDonald's had a promotion where miniature versions were added to Kids Meals along with trading cards. The figures were slow to catch on but when they did, the series exploded. It allowed a child that had gotten a little bored with standard Lego pieces the ability to explore more creative forms of building. To learn more about the background of the Bionicle figures, play online games and keep up with all the new sets, visit the official site here www.lego.com/eng/bionicle. The newest wave of marketing offers, of all things, Colgate Electric Toothbrushes featuring the Bionice characters like Tahu Nuva.
Boxed: This is the most common form of Lego packaging. Most of the Lego sets are packaged in cardboard boxes and are completely sealed to avoid tampering. Some of the larger sets feature a thick cardboard frame to support the large number of pieces inside. Some of the boxed sets have cut out windows so you can see the inner packaging while others showcase a book or promotional item. The alternative to a boxed set is a bagged set.
Booster Sets: These sets are usually themed for specific sets, series or components of Lego elements. Some of the more common ones are figures such as the Lego Town Folks or Lego Community Collectors Pack. These sets allow you to build up a work force, collect pieces that you need to complete a scene or setting or to enlarge existing structures. If you are looking for color groupings or a certain style of brick, you can order them directly from online brick vendors or check out what the Lego Online Store has to offer.
Bricks: A generic term used to describe the building elements of a set. Some bricks are rectangular, others square and vary in thickness and length. The difference between and element and a brick is left up to the user but most people call the basic pieces [one color, basic shape, no stenciling] "bricks" and the more ornate [clear, textured, unique design etc] pieces "elements". This isn't carved in stone so you might find some people calling one Lego piece a brick or block and someone else referring to it as an element.
Brick Separator: A small tool that is used to separate Lego pieces from one another. While it may take a little time to learn how to use this, it will save your fingernails, sanity and preserves the overall look and surface of the Lego piece in the long run. These are sometimes packaged with larger bulk sets, as a promotion with co-packs or can be purchased individually for about $2.00. If you know a Lego lover that has everything, this is something that they can always use even if they already own one or two of them, you can never have enough of them laying around.
Co-Pack: When sets are packaged together or combined to give the consumer a few dollars off the total amount. These are usually released a few months after a series has been introduced and contain the same elements, instructions and designs as the stand-alone sets. A good example of a co-pack is the Life on Mars Alien Discovery Special Value 3-Pack. This allowed the consumer to pick up a three pack set for a few dollars less than what it would have cost to purchase them individually. Co-packs have been released for the Harry Potter, Star Wars, Bob The Builder and Adventurers series, just to name a few. These not only make great gifts for Lego lovers but are also a great way to collect several sets from a series and save a few dollars in the process.
Designer Sets: These are one of the latest design concepts from Lego that give you a large number of elements and allow you to build unique creations from them. In most cases these are low cost sets that have a large number of pieces to them, they come with suggested models and instructions but these are generally for kids that have a great imagination and love to build their own models. Prices of these sets start at $9.99 and run up to $49.99 for the larger ones. These are great ways to boost your stock or inventory of pieces, especially if you are into building vehicles, ships or automotives.
Duplo: Duplo sets, bricks and series are geared for the younger crowd with safer pieces, often an educational theme and larger than standard sized Lego pieces. Recently the Duplo line has been enhanced to include the Explore Together sets that incorporate early learning with fun pieces. Duplo elements are available in bulk packs, as part of a series or with colorful and useful storage containers. The older Duplo sets featured characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Bob The Builder Mickey Mouse and my favorites, the Duplo Dinosaur series. For a long time the Duplo line combined all the younger Lego products [including those for babies] which was a little confusing to new parents when they started selecting items for early learning and entertainment. Since then they have broken up the section to include Primo, Dacta, Explore and various levels of the existing Duplo series.
Elements: These are what Lego elitists call "bricks" when they are non-standard pieces. These include clear, stenciled, textured or unique pieces that aren't commonly added to sets. Elements can also refer to accessory pieces, Technic components and modified pieces that have been reissued by Lego in newer sets.
Figures: There are several different sized Lego figures that are currently in production. The most common is the standard sized mini-fig that stands about one and a half inches high. Larger one include the Duplo figure like Bob The Builder as well as the mid sized Jack Stone. Some figures can be purchased in small sets, like the Lego Town Folks or in special sets like the Star Wars Mini Hero Collection. Being able to pick up sets that contain just the figures will save you money if you are trying to build up your stock. You can also purchase the individual figures from online brick brokers and vendors. Almost all accessories that come in Lego sets can be used by like-sized figures that really helps to increase the replay value.
Galidor: A design concept that was rushed into production and was not well received by the general public. Instead of using standard Lego elements, the sets consisted of large non-Lego pieces that could be combined with other figures in the series to make new figures. This was marketed along with an animated series, a few promotional comic books and trading cards. It told the story of the intergalactic defender Nick Bluetooth and his friends Allegra and Jens defending the Outer Dimension from the evil Emperor Gorm. The series is undergoing a lot of redesigning before it is re-released and hopefully the newer sets will allow the use of standard Lego pieces in the building process.
Gear: Generally anything that isn’t considered a Lego building set is called "gear". This includes video games, board games, pens, clothing, theme park passes, books and backpacks. The Lego gear has only started to take off in the open market over the past few years but has become extremely popular. The books range from educational [learning to read] to using your bricks to create new items. The Lego clothing, backpacks, Cargo series and other fear can be found at the website under the Lifestyle listing.
Instructions: Booklets, sheets or manuals that show you how to complete a Lego set. These have the Lego set number on the front cover and various photos and illustrations with some featuring alternative designs. Depending on the level of difficult, piece count and age recommendation, the instructions may be a single fold out sheet or a book consisting of 50 to 75 pages. Replacement books can be ordered from online brick vendors and brick brokers.
Kabaya Promotions: Kabaya is a large Japanese candy manufacturer and distributor. Over the years they have done promotions where you receive small Lego sets with the purchase of one of their products. Since these aren't usually available in the United States, these small sets usually sell for five to ten times what they normally would in the Japanese marketplace. If you have a small Japanese grocery store in your area you can check to see if they sell the Kabaya line of candies and if there is any chance that they could order some of the promotional items for you. If you are curious about these sets, you can visit the official site at www.kabaya.co.jp. Some of the promotional items have included sets from the Soccer, Castle, Town, Adventurers and Space Port series. There are also sets that were made just for the promotions, these are the most sought after and the ones that will set you back the most in terms of acquiring them.
Knock Offs: Bricks that are made to look like the Lego brand but are of a lesser quality, have different hues, less detailed figures and a different under-brick connection design. Some Lego knock offs include Best-Lock, Mega Bloks and others. When you compare the Lego bricks with those of the knock off brands you'll be able to tell that a different plastic has been used resulting in different shades and grades of bricks. If you are a Lego competitor, you can be disqualified from any building event, competition or contest if even one brick is non-Lego.
Legoectomy: A procedure where a Lego piece is removed from a body cavity [i.e. ear, nose, mouth, belly button etc]. This usually involves the help of two adults and one fairly panic-stricken child. It's unknown why children feel the need to insert Lego pieces into body parts but knowing how to react to these situations can mean the difference between a few seconds of discomfort and a trip to the emergency room. To read more about Lego element removal, you can read an editorial entitled Get That Thing Out of Your Nose!
Lego Magazine: A publication that covers new sets, specials, background on different Lego series, photos of what readers have built, contests and more. Available for free when you join the Lego Club, this is a great magazine for kids of all ages. The Lego Magazine is a great way for kids to check out the newest sets, keep track of ones they already have and get information on upcoming releases. These are usually sent out to members of the Lego Club about every six weeks but sometimes they are a week or two off.
Mindstorm: Advanced Lego sets that usually include robotic equipment that can be controlled through your computer or a hand held remote control unit. These sets are not cheap but they give the advanced Lego user the ability to take their building knowledge and give it movement. The most impressive set [in my opinion] is the Dark Side Developer Kit that allows you to create a multitude of Star Wars robots from beginner to advanced levels and applications.
NLP: Non Lego Person. A term for someone that isn't familiar with Lego terminology, sets or building applications.
Promo: Promotional sets, packs and pieces are offered in many forms. Some come inside specially marked packages, through the Lego Club, as bonus items with co-packs and sometimes as limited promotions directly from Lego. These aren't just limited to Lego pieces but include comic books [Bionicle ones were packaged with the Lego Magazine], trading cards, CD ROM's [inside Bionicle sets], poly packs [sent to selected members of the Lego Club] and cardboard cut out displays of characters. The best way to get promotional items is to join the Lego Club [completely free] and check out the Lego Magazine when it arrives. You'll be able to enter contests and sweepstakes as well as get advanced notices of Lego events in your area. One of the best promotions they had was during the release of the Star Wars sets. Children could stop by Toys R Us locations, build new sets, receive Lego promotional items and get a certificate of accomplishment when they finished building a set.
Scale: The scale of a piece refers to the actual size. This is important when building a large scene and sets from different series will be combined. Most structures within a series will be of the same scale however there are a few that don't always follow the norm, one of the best examples would be the Belville series. The first few sets released were standard Lego sized figures and elements with the second and third generations being larger with dolls used rather than mini figures. Some of the Lego scales include Standard, the most common, Duplo which are larger and have less points of movement, Mid Sized including Jack Stone figures and the Explore figures created just for the 2 and older crowd.
Seasonal: Lego has several seasonal items including Santa, Halloween designs, Easter, holiday co-packs and the ever popular Count Down To The Holidays Calendar [also called The Advent Calendar]. Most of the sets can be purchased year round from the Lego Online Store but I've had the best luck getting them off season at places like KB Toys. The seasonal sets make great gifts and in the case of the Holiday Calendar, it can be the start of a great tradition that helps you bond with your child. You can check the Lego website to see when the seasonal sections are updated or do a search for your favorite season or holiday through the search engine.
Series: A series refers to the line in which a set is classified. Inside a series you might find sub-sets or mini series that keeps the main theme of the series but expands upon it. One of the largest series was the Castle with sub series like the Dragon Masters, Fright Knights, Ninja Knights, Bat Lord, Fright Knights and Knights Kingdom. A series can run for many years with new levels being added to keep the concept fresh. Usually all of the sets within the series and sub-series will be scaled to the same size so mixing the sets won't cause a scene to be out of proportion. The set numbers aren't always an indication of a sets relation to the series; this is due to the fact that sets are often added to the series in waves or groupings over a period of time.
Set: A set number is a designated code that is given to an individual Lego product. This allows you to access information about it at the Lego website, get the official name of the product, order replacement pieces and keep track of the items that you own. The set number is generally found on both the outer packing of the set [be it boxed or bagged] as well as on the instruction sheet or booklet. Set numbers are usually four numbers and run in succession [meaning that all sets within a series that are released at the same time will be in a sequence] but when a series is released over a course of a few years or includes mini-sets, the numbers may differ or break in succession.
Shell Promotion: For a few years The Shell Corporation offered small Lego sets at their gasoline and service centers with a refill or minimum purchases. These sets were exclusives to the Lego line and while they were similar to other Lego sets available in the retail market, there were small design differences as well as the bright yellow packaging. Shell sets ranged from the automotive and racecar themes like the Lego Town Pit Stop to the now defunct Fright Knights. From time to time these sets will surface at places like KB Toys or small toy stores or you can find them at online auctions like eBay.
Sports: Lego has recently added NBA figures and actions sets to their ever expanding sports section. The ill fated wrestling sets never made it to the open market much to the chagrin of those that love both Lego sets and wrestling. Other sport sets include the Soccer, Xtreme Stunts [surfing, skateboarding etc] and the newest in the family, the NBA Collectors Series.
Stud: The small raised portion of a Lego brick. These are also called pods, bumps, nubs and other assorted terms. These can vary in number according to the size of the brick or be completely void on some elements that are usually referred to as 'tiles'. The stud interlocks with another brick or element or can be left exposed. Studded pieces are most painful to step on when barefoot, something that any parent of a Lego enthusiast will attest to.
Tables: Lego tables are a great way to store, transport and organize Lego pieces. They are available in both Duplo and standard Lego sized lots and feature baseplates, a working area and usually an assortment of bricks. These are available in large and small sizes with the most popular being the Classic Set With Building Table. The Duplo play tables are larger and aren't practical for transporting them but will give kids a central play area and a place to store them [deep side pockets]. Most come with either a build in baseplate or several smaller plates that can be moved around to expose the storage areas. These make great gifts for Lego lovers of all ages and come in a variety of themes, styles and colors.
Technic: Taking the basic building concert of Lego elements, the Technic line gave older kids the chance to explore advanced building. The pieces and elements feature more unique pieces, have the capability of adding motors and robotic attachments to them and allow the user to create fully functional items. Some of the early Technic sets included the Slizer / Throwbot series, Star Wars figures, Racers and Bionicle. Some sets featured pull back motion arms to propel weapons, rubber bands for movement and early robotic kits for remote controlled units.
As always - thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
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