THE BRICKPICKER LEGO SET REVIEW/BLOG ARTICLE CONTEST IS HERE!!!

Jeff and I are proud to announce this contest for all registered BrickPicker members. It will be based on LEGO set reviews, Evalution Corner and Blog articles. We will judge the winners on several aspects, such as overall quantity, content and quality. We will take into consideration the quantity of reviews and articles you submit and the content and quality of those reviews/articles/blogs. Just because you pump out more reviews than other members, if your content and quality are subpar or very average, we can elect someone else the winner.

The basic BrickPicker Set Review will be accepted at 1000 characters. No less. Unlike the earlier Set Review version, you will be required to submit content for each of the 10 basic categories below:

First Impression(WOW Factor) & Introduction

An introduction and first impression of the LEGO set. Does the LEGO set "WOW" you? Is it or will it be an "iconic" LEGO set? When you see this set, you say to yourself, "I just have to have one!?

Unique Parts/Minifigures

Does the LEGO set have rare or unique minifigures? Are there rare parts/colors in the set? Does the set have a large amount of minifigures or parts that make it more desirable?

Playability/Build Experience

Does the set have elements that make it an extremely "fun" set to play with or to build, thus affecting it's popularity and future viability as an investment?

Value for money(new)

Is the set a bargain? Does the set give you a "bang for your buck" when considering piece to price ratio or is the price of the set extremely high priced for the amount of pieces included? This rating also plays into LEGO collectors/investors who like to "part out" LEGO sets to make money...Could the set be used to "part out for a profit"?

Theme Popularity

Is the LEGO set from a popular LEGO theme that sells well in the primary retail LEGO market and will most likely translate to positive growth in the secondary LEGO market?

Exclusivity

Is the set an "exclusive" set and is marked accordingly so? Is the set limited in production in any way? Is the set from a Toy Fair or Comic Con or other LEGO trade show that has limited production runs?

Packaging

Does the set have unique packaging that makes it stand out from the typical LEGO set? Does the set have special markings on the box that differentiate it from other LEGO sets?

Growth Potential

What is the potential growth of this set in the secondary LEGO market? Will this set appreciate or depreciate after being retired(EOL)?

Display Attributes

Does this set when built display well? Is it a topic of conversation when built and displayed in a office or den? Does it make for an impressive or unique set when compared with other LEGO set

Final Analysis & Conclusion

Your overall final impression of the set, taking into consideration all the above factors. A final synopsis or conclusion about the LEGO set. The numerical rating is for the entire set, with a 10 being the ?perfect? LEGO set, a 5-6 being about average and a 1 being the bottom of the barrel.

Each category can range from a sentence to several paragraphs if necessary. The combined total for all the category content needs to be 1000 characters to be accepted. You will be asked to leave a numerical 1 to 10 rank for each category as well, with 4,5 and 6 being considered "average" LEGO set rankings. You do not have to own a set to review one, but it would help and this will be noted on each review. Here is a sample of a REVIEW I did for the 10227 UCS B-Wing Starfighter. It is a 5000 character review and I would consider it an above average review. You can do more or less, but proper grammar and spelling is also important.

We will take a snapshot of the current review totals and start from there. A BrickPicker member can look over their personal reviews in our new REVIEW LOG. You will have the ability to resubmit an older review and improve it, with it counting towards the contest. Jeff and I will approve or disapprove each resubmission. What is neat about the new review system is that Jeff and I will be able to award BONUS BRICKPOINTS for above average and special reviews. A basic 1000 character review will be awarded 10 Brickpoints, but we can give up to 500 Brickpoints or more for some in depth and special reviews.

The contest will start immediately and conclude at 11:59 PM(Eastern Time) on July 3rd, 2013. There will be three main prizes:

1ST PLACE: 10228 HAUNTED HOUSE or $200 LEGO GIFT CARD

2ND PLACE: 10232 PALACE CINEMA or $150 LEGO GIFT CARD

3RD PLACE: 9516 JABBA'S PALACE or $100 LEGO GIFT CARD

We will adjust all prizes to the winner's country and situation. Jeff and I understand that some members have to pay more for LEGO sets and we will adapt to each situation. We have the right to change the prizes to equivalent LEGO sets if these become retired or out of stock.

There will also be four $25 LEGO GIFT CARDS given out to those exceptional reviews in which I can convert to content for the EVALUATION CORNER. One person can win them all. Look at my reviews for an example of what I am looking for. You do not have to go through the normal review processor if it is easier to produce a large and quality review and analysis on a word processor like OPEN OFFICE(which I use). If you are doing a "special" review, you can contact me. I can guide you. What I don't want is something I have to rewrite. It needs to be quality content and properly written. I can tweak it and help with data and charts, but the overall written content needs to be very, very good.

Depending on the response, we can throw in some other prizes along the way. Maybe some "Honorable Mentions" or some other prize for some review or content that tickles my fancy. This is a serious competition and Jeff and I want the content of the LEGO set reviews to become a very important part of our site. Unlike the quality reviews on top sites like Brickset or Eurobricks, I want our reviews to focus on aspects of LEGO sets that will affect its "investment" potential and value. You can discuss anything you want, but you should have a serious investment correlation in your reviews when discussing many of the categories. The basic categories are set up like an essay, with an introduction, body & content and then a conclusion. Think of the reviews in proper English class terms and you will do well.

That's about it. Good luck with your reviews and any questions can be posted below. Winners will be announced on July 4th, 2013. Thanks.

Ed Mack

EDIT: JEFF AND I WILL ALSO ACCEPT EVALUATION CORNER/BLOG ARTICLES TOWARDS THE CONTEST AS WELL!!!

We will have A LOT of good articles live as soon as this feature is live. We will probably have to spend several hours reading them all

 

Definitely looking forward to reading all the new content!

Here

MAJOR CHANGE TO CONTEST!!!

 

Jeff and I have decided to separate the REVIEW & EC/BLOG ARTICLE CONTEST into TWO CONTESTS, one specifically for reviews and the other for Evaluation Corner and Brickvesting Blog articles.  

 

THE REVIEW CONTEST WILL OPERATE EXACTLY AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED:

• The Contest ends July 3rd, 2013.  The winners will be announced July 4th, 2014.  
• There will be 3 MAIN WINNERS...1st...2nd...3rd Place and an Honorable Mention prize(s)
• The prizes will be as previously mentioned(Haunted House, Palace Cinema, Jabba's Palace or their equivalents in LEGO gift cards).  The Honorable Mention prizes will vary according to the situation and quality of reviews
• Winners will be judged on quantity, quality and character count.  

As for the new contest for Evaluation Corner and Blog Article contest, let me explain what the situation is.  As you all have noticed, we have upgraded the forums.  Although there are still issues to iron out, it was a major upgrade over the previous forum template.  Along with the forum upgrade, there are other "modules" that go along with the Invision Power template...The Gallery is an example.  Another will be our new Brickvesting and Personal Blogs section.  Members will now have the ability to start their own blog on the site and submit content for publication to Jeff and I for approval.  The current Blog and EC article setup is much too labor intensive for Jeff and I.  Basically, we receive your content, then I go over it, add to it, modify it and add my notes...then Jeff has to take that and convert it to HTML code for the site.  While it ends up looking very polished and refined, it takes hours upon hours to do so.  Needless to say, Jeff's talents are best spent elsewhere...

 

That is where this new blog feature will come into play.  When we release it in the next week or so, members will have the ability to start and maintain their own blogs.  They will be rewarded with Brickpoints for doing so and other members will be able to comment on the content.  This is a win-win for the site.  Number one, it will give the site fresh and new LEGO based content on a daily basis which will be displayed on the homepage.  Things will get simplified.  All the older articles will be converted over into the new format and archived by date, but still readily accessible.  There will be one all inclusive blog, not an Evaluation Corner and Brickvesting Blog and Personal Blogs.  There will be sections to it like the forums, but overall, it will all fall under one main Blog.  There will be an "editor" similar to the forum editor and there will be a charts module added.  In short, YOU will use the editor to submit the blog article.  We will review it, tweak it if necessary, maybe add an editorial...but you are the one who will do most of the editing.  This will free Jeff up and make me the main editor.  We will also award Brickpoints for this content as well.  

 

Jeff has been messing around with this feature to a small degree and will put more attention to it this week.  We figure a week or two and it will be LIVE. Like I said, if used properly, this will enable members to see fresh content regularly and also enable the blog authors to gain Brickpoints and possible other LEGO rewards.  With regards to the Blog Article Contest, here is a basic breakdown:

• The contest is separate from the Review Contest.  Period.  The date this contest ends will be approximately 30 days after the new Blog feature is launched.  I'm figuring a rough estimate of August 1st, 2013.  This will give us time to make sure it works and that people know how to use it.  It will also give people time to resubmit articles in the new format.  
• The content submitted for the contest is the same which has already been submitted for the previous contest...basically any LEGO related information, stories, data, etc...pertaining to the buying, selling, collecting and investing of/in LEGO bricks.
• There will be identical prizes awarded to the Review Contest: 1st place-Haunted House or Gift Card equivalent...2nd place- Palace Cinema...3rd place-Jabba's Palace.  There will also be Honorary Mention(s) here as well, with some smaller sets/Gift Cards as prizes.  You can win a prize in both contests...even 1st place, so keep that in mind.  
• Winners will be based on quality, quantity and just an overall excellence that Jeff and I look for in content.  Sometimes, a very good short article will outweigh a larger article full of fluff.  So far, I have to say, the content and articles submitted have been excellent.  Keep up the fine work!
• IMPORTANT: As I stated earlier, any future blog content will be using the new blog editor.  Articles and blogs that were submitted to Jeff and I need to be resubmitted in the new manner(not the three that were made live).  I cannot tell you if everything will be able to be converted as written, but most will be simple copy and paste.  Images can be added and some charts will have to be redone with the new editor.  Because the site is evolving and improving as we speak, I apologize for any inconvenience this creates for people.  If you cannot resubmit an article in the new blog format, Jeff and I will try to do it for you.  For future articles, you can just let me know what you are working on and whether it is complete and I will enter it onto the contest list.  You can hold onto the content until the blog feature goes live, then you can resubmit or submit those articles for approval.  I know it is a pain in the butt, but at least this way you have more control of how your article is published and how it looks.  

 

I hope this answers a lot of questions and enables more members to win a prize.  We feel that this new method of posting blogs and their content will enable all members to share their thoughts and experiences.  Just be patient.  There will be growing pains, but we will try to address and issues quickly and fairly.  The contest is still wide open and people have plenty of time to submit content for either the Review or Blog contest.  Good luck.  Any questions, fire away... 

Sounds awesome Ed.  The best thing with people having control over there own blog content will mean we get to read some of those articles sooner, I've been hanging out for some on the list  

Sounds awesome Ed. The best thing with people having control over there own blog content will mean we get to read some of those articles sooner, I've been hanging out for some on the list

Like Attack of the Clones?? Lol

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!  Thank you guys so much!

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

Yes, the review one will end as planned on July 3rd. The tentative date for the end of the article contest is indeed August 1, but it all really depends in how long it takes for the blog feature to be released and to resolve some of the issues it may have at that point. It would end 30 days after the feature goes live.

Yes you can win prizes in both contests!

Like Attack of the Clones?? Lol

 

I've already read that one 

I love you Ed. Point of clarification though, so the review contest ends July 3rd as planned but the Article contest ends August 1st? Can one person win prizes in both? *everyone looks at mikeur86* lol

The review article contest will end July 3rd as planned, so if I was you, I would put a concerted effort into that right now.  The blog article contest will end in about 30 days after the new Blog system is up and running so that people can resubmit articles in the new format and get a hang of it...including Jeff and I.  I will have a lot of flexibility with this blog contest and it might end later than that.  Jeff is going to fix the log in issue and launch the blog feature at the same time.  It's all tied together, so we will have a better idea in a week or so as to what to expect with that contest.  The whole site is going through some major modifications right now that will enable us to provide members with fresh content, top notch member involvement and usability that is second to none.  These new changes should make it easier for everyone to use our site and to have their opinions and thoughts heard and read.

 

Yes, people can win prizes in both contests.  I will keep them 1000% separate.  We will judge the content separately and impartially.  So go for it.  I expect a ton of reviews from people in the next month.  You have a MONTH.  Remember, you also get a ton of Brickpoints from these reviews and can win multiple STAR WARS mini sets for just Brickpoints alone.  And as I stated before, just don't give up on the contest because you feel there are some people way ahead.  I will give out some quality Honorable mention sets to members who really make an effort.

Here

Wowie-zowie, it looks like just about every possible topic will be covered by those articles! Good stuff there and amazing effort from all members.

 

Here

Here

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

Hopefully I can get that one live soon. I have been moving for the past couple of days, plus studying for the GMAT and some other things that I really have had little time to review or get some articles on the blog. That one is actually one of the easiest for me to convert, so I might be able to get it done before the others. I don't know if it will be what you are looking for, but I do hope you like it,

Hopefully I can get that one live soon. I have been moving for the past couple of days, plus studying for the GMAT and some other things that I really have had little time to review or get some articles on the blog. That one is actually one of the easiest for me to convert, so I might be able to get it done before the others. I don't know if it will be what you are looking for, but I do hope you like it,

No need to rush perfection.  If I did an article on 'sleeper' sets, it would probably just end up being a dumb ol' rant. Yours will be more interesting and useful, I'm sure of it. Good luck with your GMAT, that must be brutal.

Now that I think of it, I'm starting to rather look forward to Fcbarcelona101's 'sleeper' article. I think that term has been thrown around a little too much lately and could use a serious view.

Next couple of days.

Are personal blogs also going to count for the second half of the contest? I only ask because I see that you are adding them to the list of Live articles.

Does anyone else think that Fcbarcelona101 is KILLING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  TWELVE ARTICLES!!!!!!!! 

Are personal blogs also going to count for the second half of the contest? I only ask because I see that you are adding them to the list of Live articles.

Yes, I will add them in.

 

Here

Here's another question I'll get yelled at for asking: are you going to have a five star rating system for reviews like you have for blog posts and EC articles?  Also, Suppose for however many stars a review or blog post gets, the member receives so many BP?

Man, go on a trip for a little while - and Bam!  It's like a million things are going on!  Thanks again for doing all of this guys.  You two are doing a fantastic job!  Plus, it'll teach me for not being active for a few weeks.

Could you please add my submitted LEGO CUUSOO article to the list along with my two possible articles? Thanks.