Who's heading to AFOLcon this weekend?

atkinsar

Just wondering which forum members from the UK are heading to Manchester this weekend for AFOLcon?

I really would have liked to go, but my UCS Baby Daughter I ordered 9 months ago arrived last week slightly ahead of schedule, the packaging was a bit damaged as she was pushed through the letterbox face first and to top it all, the instructions were nowhere to be seen!

bluemoose

Unfortunately, no. Just no time at the moment. It looks like it'll be a great couple of days. The public days ('The LEGO Show') look like they are going to be crazy busy from what I've heard ...

Yellowcastle

@atkinsar - have you pursued a call tag for the shipment? The longer you wait, the more likely you're going to end up playing with the set. That's what just happened to me and now I can't return it. :o)

atkinsar

^ I think I'm going to keep it, I managed to dig out the instructions for my UCS Baby Son, I don't know, it looks kinda similar but some of the pieces are different...

Legoboy

Brilliant! I hope to go, just need to satisfy the Board for parole. Am hoping to put faces to a few of the weird profile pictures I see on a daily basis. Speaking of which.......!

Martin

I'd love to be there but sadly I'm too busy at work. I am considering going to the LEGO Show but time away from the family isn't going to go down well...

Huw

Unfortunately I'm not either. I was planning to go, but it was either Manchester or a mini cruise to Ireland on board the Celebrity Eclipse, and my wife prevailed :-)

The cost of travelling up north and accomodation was off-putting and one reason why I didn't put up too much of a fight.

I'm pretty sure it will be a cracking event: Warren has put a lot of effort into it. It seems though that not many (known) UK AFOLs are going for one reason or another, but a lot of Europeans seem to be making the effort.

princedraven

Sorry, I will not be able to make this, but hey CONGRATULATIONS Atkinsar, I got the Baby Son model about 2 months ago, worth every penny (and sleepless night).

Martin

^^ Must be a British thing - we have to see something for real before we try it for the first time!

Matthew

@Huw - 'This is going to be a great event, definitely not one to be missed, and I'm sure the whole Brickset team will be there. If you've never been to an AFOL event, make this your first!'

I'm only able to make it on Sunday though, which is a bit stupid as I live 15 mins away...

Huw

^ At the time I wrote that I was sure we'd be there :-)

Legoboy

So, seriously, is it just the two of us Matthew??

Matthew

Looks like it!

cbowers

You guys just made my day with that commentary. (Sorry, I'm not going to AFOLcon...I live in the states, and I'm relatively new here anyway).

Legoboy

Very disappointing - tut. Better let me have your mobile no. - I'm likely to go Sunday also.

Jabba_the_Taff

I'm there Sunday. Can't wait, though the previous day's BBQ may be still be hanging around!

MinifigsMe

Congrats for the new bub :)

Me and hubby are going for the lego show on sat and a nosey around museum. I expect to be tempted to part with much more money!

atkinsar

So, it seems I have gained a pass for Sunday as long as I take the little lad with me which is fine by me. It'll be a 6 hour round trip in the car though, on a bank holiday weekend, on the M6! Gonna sleep on it I think...

drdavewatford

I can't make AFOLCON either due to work commitments. Still, hopefully they'll iron out the wrinkles this time round so itll be truly stellar next year.....

Martin

Yay, I'm in Manchester! Looking forward to seeing the show tomorrow.

drdavewatford

^ Looking forward to your report, agent Martin !

Matthew

Can anyone here going today give me a sneak peak of what the Bricklink sellers and Brand Store have got left?

MinifigsMe

Just got back from Manchester. Had a lovely afternoon, my hubby is now a complete convert - what a result! :-)

It's the first time I've been to something like this, and I was very impressed. I'm not a good person to review it though, as I've never been to legoland or anything, so I can't compare it. But the MOCs were great. I enjoyed St Pancras, Westminster Abbey and the trains most. But really it was all pretty wow. Oh actually, the custom display 'pods' for each collectable minifig were great, each themed on the particular minifig. totally cute.
More displays showing the evolution of lego would be good for a more general audience (and for me), the history bit was nice for some nostalgic memories.
The bricklink shops were ok, nothing special or any great deals by the time I got there.

Si_UKNZ

Jealous, would have liked to have gone but, well, it's too far and too sunny a day to miss.
Looking forward to seeing photos though.

Martin

I'm also back but it will take me a while to upload some photos and write a review. Good to hear that @Savage_Steel had a great day - I certainly enjoyed the few hours I was there. I bumped into loads of friends and a few LEGO guys as well. I'll write up a review asap, but might not be tonight at this rate.

Anyone going tomorrow will enjoy it.

Matthew

I've just got back and it was amazing. I got given about 10 of the Easter LDC bricks by 'The Vault' and 'Bricktivity', and bought a whole lot of stuff from the Bricklink stores. Westminster Abbey and St Pancras Station were amazing, but I was a bit miffed that they only had POTC on display, not to buy.

Legoboy

Arrived at 9.50 and waited for the museum staff to unlock the doors. Whereas I'd agree that what I saw was good - especially the UCS AT-AT, Slave 1, Westminster Abbey and St. Pancras Station, there weren't as many designers attending as I'd expected. In the 'History of Lego' exhibition, they had my Eiffel Tower and Taj on display as well as the Statue of Liberty which made me very jealous since I long for that one. I'm not sure it would have been there for tomorrows visitors had a staff member not been watching over it. :-)

^ There was a lady displaying her own complete range of POTC. Alongside them were a handful of Alien Conquest sets which had been provided by Lego. Some of the AC sets were incomplete and if tempted to, the POTC lady had been instructed not to open the sealed boxes behind them since they were yet to be released.

^ The official LEGO shop had all of the POTC sets for sale but were beginning to thin out on a couple when we left early afternoon.

The bricklink stores I thought were not so good imo. Minifigforlife wasn't bad - they had a second hand Enzo for £60 or so on my first visit which had gone an hour later :o(. The other store on the other hand had the usual odds and sods but what I couldn't understand was why they were selling current retail sets for 20% over the rrp. Or rather I could understand it - the not so 'LEGO- educated' parents were buying them for their kids....a lot of it too! The same sets were selling in the LEGO store at rrp so I guess the parents would have been miffed had they realised afterwards.

I took hundreds of pictures although don't have the know to publish them online. Would be quite willing if someone could give me a point in the right direction.

James.

drdavewatford

^ James - just open a free Flickr account (www.flickr.com), upload your pics, and post the URL here. Simple !

Matthew

^^ Or go to http://www.postimage.org/

Legoboy

Thanks. Went very very wrong last time I tried it a year ago - something that was meant to be private turned out not to be so private ;). Another time the photos got lost, although I won't take the blame for that one. Still up North at the moment but will give it a go when I get back home and to a pc tomorrow evening. J.