I have a confession to make.
I intentionally veered away from the Internet during what could be the most dreaded day of the year – particularly for people like me who doesn’t want their hopes crushed by several fake news. Alright, I may be a bit exaggerating there because truth be told, I do find April 1 rather amusing. Just to make it clear: I’m a very cautious person, especially about the Internet and everything that comes from it. But when we talk about our common love and passion for the brick, any piece of news about it becomes golden. Well, that may not always be the case. As my old folks used to say, not everything that shine is made of gold. Sometimes they’re made of simple, good ol’ Aprils Fools Day joke.
Here are five of the most believable LEGO-related news that were previously released in the past few days that we find almost believable and downright hilarious. Some of it even probably left us startled, dumbfounded, or just simply laughing on how credulous we can become. These LEGO-related news are so well written that readers find them convincing – if not only for the fact that they were released during April Fools. In no particular order, these five LEGO April Fools Day news sure has us believing.
Jay’s Brick Blog and their report on LEGO’s acquisition of rip-off, Lepin.
Now you don’t get to hear that often from LEGO. Sure, Lepin offers a more ‘practical’, price-friendly, alternative to LEGO sets and bricks. So much so that it brazenly copies LEGO, imitating its sets, and even to the extent of copying its box arts exactly as it is, with little iteration just enough for it to skirt Chinese copyright laws. If this is not enough, they even went so low of copying original works of AFOLs over at LEGO Ideas and peddle it as their own. Jay’s Brick Blog reported that to counter such counterfeit moves from Lepin, the LEGO Group saw it ‘wise’ to acquire the China-based clone makers for a total value of $1.4 billion USD. Well, I guess when you can’t beat them, join ‘em.
The LEGO Google Build Assistant by BricksFans.
Imagine using the power of Google in creating the sets that you want just by the sound of your voice, or by a tap of your finger? Not a long shot right? It will be a nice feature to have around… only if the news about it was not released on an April Fools Day. BricksFans may have stumbled upon on a bright idea here, though. While at it, why not give Google Build Assistant the ability to predict and create that dream MOC that you always wanted? Sounds a bit scary, but fun.
LEGO Game of Thrones and Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon by Brickset.
Fans of the HBO hit series probably got their chains yanked when they heard the ‘news’ from Brickset that LEGO will be releasing several sets dedicated to the hit medieval fantasy epic. It seems so credible with Brickset going the extra mile of conjuring an ‘official press release’, complete with set names, serial numbers, and descriptions. I just have to figure out how LEGO will go around certain themes in Games of Thrones that are NOT obviously for everybody. I guess I’ll have to stick around with my Castle sets for a while. The images below are courtesy of Brickset.
Just when we have our next Star Wars UCS set in the form of the iconic Snowspeeder (75144), comes another piece of news that couldn’t be timed better (tongue-in-cheek). Brickset dropped the bomb when it reported the ‘apparent’ posting of the much rumored LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) over at shop.LEGO.com’s Czech website. It was reportedly taken down after some time, but not without a Brickset member managing to acquire a screenshot of the site.
Well done Brickset! May the 4th be with you (now enter, lightsaber-wielding, angry mob)!
LEGO unveiling a new Star Wars ‘major spoiler’ set by the BrickNerd.
For me, this LEGO news from the BrickNerd is an absolute April Fools showstopper. If I didn’t take that extra click of reading the news in its entirety, I may have probably fallen for it, and seeing the ‘leaked set’ is way better than reading the news about it. It was totally hilarious! Every piece of detail in this ‘major spoiler’ of a set has April Fools written all over it.
Now at 7,332 pieces, why not offer it as a UCS? Just don’t forget to throw in the 800-page building instruction – someone might still need it though.
Debunking LEGO as a better investment than gold by The Brothers Brick.
DISCLAIMER: Be sure not to throw away your highly prized Mr. Gold minifig or Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon (10179) before heading over at The Brothers Brick and reading their assessment on why investing in LEGO is far worse compared to that of gold.
Here in the Brick Show, we featured some of the most expensive collection of LEGO sets, including a collectible, brick-built maxi figure that makes you think if it is really worth it to keep that LEGO box that set you’re holding on for so long, unsealed and untouched. Well the answer can be pretty straight forward. Armed with a ‘scholarly’ article on the topic, TBB went on to prove how gold is a far better choice of an investment rather than LEGO by virtue of the materials or elements that they were made of. They even went to length by analyzing and comparing the worth of ABS plastic (the stuff in which physical LEGO sets are made) and the value of gold in the market. Well, taken from that perspective, the answer is clearly obvious. But coming from a LEGO fan site such as TBB, it is the ultimate April Fools irony.
So what do you think brick fans? What is the ultimate LEGO April Fools Day news that had you going hook, line and sinker? Share us your thoughts in the comments below or you may head over at our Facebook page and join in the discussions.
