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!!!

Nice job Blackjack...You entered review #1000.  That earns you a bonus!  

 

On the contest...Jeff has some real "work" to do at the moment, but will total up some things for me so I can be fair when judging the results.  Look for the results later today or evening.  Thanks.  

Nice job Blackjack...You entered review #1000.  That earns you a bonus!  

 

On the contest...Jeff has some real "work" to do at the moment, but will total up some things for me so I can be fair when judging the results.  Look for the results later today or evening.  Thanks.  

Great job Blackjack. Great job to everyone who submitted a review. They are all very fun to read and they all very helpful.

Dude, everyone is asleep.

...You post at 3:30 AM. Great job with that 1000th review!! It seems fitting, since you have submitted over 1/10 of the reviews.

Congratulations Blackjack! Interestingly, Flying Time Vessel was one of my brother's first sets, so it was proabably one of the first I played with (I still have the box with those little clear windows). If not for that, I would probably agree with everyone else that the whole time travellers line was a mess. Great job again!

 

PS... everyone is in different time zones. Where I live, the contest ended at 10 pm.

Thanks guys!  It was all by the generosity of Ed that I was able to submit that late at night!  So glad Strytlr helped me to get us to 1,000!

Congratulations Blackjack! Interestingly, Flying Time Vessel was one of my brother's first sets, so it was proabably one of the first I played with. If not for that, I would probably agree with everyone else that the whole time travellers line was a mess. Great job again!

 

PS... everyone is in different time zones. Where I live, the contest ended at 10 pm. Grolim lives over in middle earth so I have no idea when the contest ended for him.

Where I live, the contest ended at 11:59:59 P.M. July 3^rd, 2013.

It was supposed to end then, but Ed said that he would accept any reviews submitted last night, just not this morning.

Now that the review contest is over, can we concentrate on the fact that FCB and Quacs are DESTROYING the blog contest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

After careful deliberation, Jeff and I would like to announce the winners of the 2013 BrickPicker Review Contest:

 

1^st Place(winner of Haunted House or $200 LEGO Gift Card): Fcbarcleona101

2^nd Place(winner of Palace Cinema or $150 LEGO Gift Card): Blackjack & Mikeur86

3^rd Place(winner of Jabba's Palace or $100 LEGO Gift Card): Grolim

 

Honorable mentions(winners of $50 LEGO Gift Cards): MartinP, srm_520, BrianI3

 

I would like to thank all the BrickPicker members that participated. I just want to give a brief explanation of the results. As I stated at the onset of the contest, the quantity of reviews and character counts was important, but quality also played a key deciding factor.

 

First place winner, Fcbarcelona101, accomplished both. Quantity and quality. At over 700,000 characters, he was 100,000 characters ahead of the nearest competition. In other words, he wrote a lot of words. His reviews had quality information and analysis. He also did an excellent job with graphs and charts.

 

Second place winners, Blackjack and Mikeur86, produced almost identical content...so much so, I thought the only fair way was to give two awards. With approximately 100 approved reviews apiece and 550,000 characters written, these two produced a plethora of pages.

 

Third place winner, Grolim, might not have had the most reviews or content, but his content was superb! If you want to read some of the best reviews on the BrickPicker site, check out Grolim's reviews. Fantastic.

 

Last but not least, the Honorable Mentions...Martin P, srm_520, and BrianI3. All three produced quality content above and beyond their next nearest competitors and peers.

 

All in all, we received some excellent reviews and content. We actually reached 1000 reviews in total, so that was very cool. I will continue to reward members with similar Brcikpoints for reviews. At some point in the near future, we will go over possible ways to cash these in. That being said, I want to concentrate on the Blog Contest that ends on August 1, 2013. Similar prizes will be awarded. Good luck...

 

 

Will all winners please contact me with prize choices and addresses. Thank you...

Congratulations winners!! You all did AMAZING jobs on your reviews that I can only dream of writing. You all wrote above and beyond what I have the ability to write. Great job!

Great!! Thanks Ed/Jeff and congratulations to all other winners!

Congrats!

Wow, I didn't think I would win anything. Thanks!

 

I think a huge congratulations is in order for FCBarcelona, Grolim, Mikeur86, Blackjack, MartinP, and last but not least srm_520! Your reviews are awesome and you are well deserving of your prizes! Congrats again!  You guys worked so hard, great job!

Wow! 

 

Congrats to all the other winners and to all the rest who put their time into writing reviews.  There is some really great content out there.

Congrats to all the winners. You all did a great job.

Congrats, all of your hard work has paid off!

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone else who participated!

Congratulations, everybody, and thanks to all that participated.  It will only help this site even more to have this valuable content.

Congrats to all the winners!

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to Ed and Jeff for the generous prizes they offered.

Sweet!  Happy day!  Congrats to the winners and big hand goes to FC, Blackjack, and Mikeur86.  FC, you were my gauge in determining if I was doing a good enough job - exspecially since it seemed like we reviewed a lot of the same sets!  Thanks to Ed and Jeff, you guys put on a fantastic contest, and awarded a lot of extra prizes - that's pretty awesome.  The job and life picked up a lot in June, which essientiely killed me out of the contest, but hopefully now that things are back to normal - I can go review some more.

 

Which by the way - everyone keep reviewing!  Even though the contest is over, this is the time where you power through and keep reviewing.  It's things like this that make the site great and geared for new people to the site trying to get a good picture of different sets.

 

Thanks again!  This is totally going to a VW bus for the personal collection.  Been eyeing that one for a while.  Or maybe the Tower of Orthanc, or maybe the new Sydney Opera House, or maybe.........  

Sweet!  Happy day!  Congrats to the winners and big hand goes to FC, Blackjack, and Mikeur86.  FC, you were my gauge in determining if I was doing a good enough job - exspecially since it seemed like we reviewed a lot of the same sets!  Thanks to Ed and Jeff, you guys put on a fantastic contest, and awarded a lot of extra prizes - that's pretty awesome.  The job and life picked up a lot in June, which essientiely killed me out of the contest, but hopefully now that things are back to normal - I can go review some more.

 

Which by the way - everyone keep reviewing!  Even though the contest is over, this is the time where you power through and keep reviewing.  It's things like this that make the site great and geared for new people to the site trying to get a good picture of different sets.

 

Thanks again!  This is totally going to a VW bus for the personal collection.  Been eyeing that one for a while.  Or maybe the Tower of Orthanc, or maybe the new Sydney Opera House, or maybe.........  

 

Orthanc was my choice...you might as well get that so we can both review it lol. You are right, we reviewed the same sets several times. Thanks for the compliments, your reviews were great as well, and I am sure given more time you would have produced a lot more of the same great quality!.

 

I will definitely encourage everyone to keep reviewing sets. I know I will, even if at a more relaxed pace.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to Ed and Jeff for the generous prizes they offered.

I hope everybody loves the Halo Mega Bloks sets!

I hope everybody loves the Halo Mega Bloks sets!

What?!? I specifically said that I wanted Best Lock, darn it!

Congrats to all the winners! - some really great reviews out there!