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!!!

Not to be a whiny baby, but it seems that people with large sets such as TB, DS, or B-Wing, have an advantage writing Evaluation Corner reviews over people writing reviews for $50 sets.

Not to be a whiny baby, but it seems that people with large sets such as TB, DS, or B-Wing, have an advantage writing Evaluation Corner reviews over people writing reviews for $50 sets.

Nonsense. I can write a review on any set with equal passion and information. Some of the smaller sets have huge potential for investment. Huge. Friends. Ninjago. Holiday polybags. Huge. Think outside the box. As I said, you don't have to own a set to review it.

I am currently writing a review with the new format, and I'm wondering where the character count shows up. I'm just assuming it's a composite count of all of the discriptions under the different headings. Help?

Are you able to see where you fall with review numbers. Like the brick point competition shows a list of top 20 or so?

There is already a leader board on the review home page.

I am currently writing a review with the new format, and I'm wondering where the character count shows up. I'm just assuming it's a composite count of all of the discriptions under the different headings. Help?

Once you save the review (button on the bottom) it will aggregate all the text areas for you so you know how many you have. Remember though, its not all about quantity, quality is the most important part.

I am currently writing a review with the new format, and I'm wondering where the character count shows up. I'm just assuming it's a composite count of all of the discriptions under the different headings. Help?

Bottom of page. Yes, it's a total of all categories.

Are you able to see where you fall with review numbers. Like the brick point competition shows a list of top 20 or so?

Like BlackJacks says, there is a section there about who has the most reviews. But those may be with the old format. For the contest, we will only be including the newly formatted reviews (the old ones can be updated and resubmitted). I will make some adjustments to that page.

Are you able to see where you fall with review numbers. Like the brick point competition shows a list of top 20 or so?

We will come up with something shortly. Whether it will be a permanent thing or a weekly query sort of thing. Jeff is working on getting new data up.

Just resubmitted my Imperial Shuttle 10212 review. I can say that the new format makes things a lot easier and allowed me to get a little more info into the review than before. The only thing that I could not figure out is how to insert some Brickpicker price guide graphs, so I presented the data to the best of my abilities. Thank you for the new format! Will be submitting more reviews for sure!. Got the chance to read some of the new ones and do agree that the quality has gone a lot higher than before, we will all benefit from this.

I just submitted my first review according to the new standard, and I'm completey drained. It was pretty fun though!

I can say that the new format makes things a lot easier and allowed me to get a little more info into the review than before.

+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, the new set reviews coming in are excellent. One has stood out so far. It touches all the bases and is better than mine... http://www.brickpicker.com/reviews/review.cfm?id=579

Overall, the new set reviews coming in are excellent. One has stood out so far. It touches all the bases and is better than mine...

http://www.brickpicker.com/reviews/review.cfm?id=579

I just skimmed over that one and it was amazing! Should be an Evaluation Corner article!

Overall, the new set reviews coming in are excellent. One has stood out so far. It touches all the bases and is better than mine...

http://www.brickpicker.com/reviews/review.cfm?id=579

I agree. I had read both of his/her reviews and thought both were really good.

Just resubmitted my Imperial Shuttle 10212 review. I can say that the new format makes things a lot easier and allowed me to get a little more info into the review than before. The only thing that I could not figure out is how to insert some Brickpicker price guide graphs, so I presented the data to the best of my abilities.

Thank you for the new format! Will be submitting more reviews for sure!. Got the chance to read some of the new ones and do agree that the quality has gone a lot higher than before, we will all benefit from this.

There is no way to add charts yet. Maybe a future addition. If it's a more in depth review with charts and data and is a possible Evaluation Corner article, you can submit it to Jeff or I directly.

There is no way to add charts yet. Maybe a future addition. If it's a more in depth review with charts and data and is a possible Evaluation Corner article, you can submit it to Jeff or I directly.

Well, it would depend if you think it's a possible evaluation corner candidate or not. You are the one who sets the standars . I can probably send it to you directly but since I already submitted it to the review section I'm not sure if that's necessary. I didn't need that many charts or anything, it was mostly to make the point visually as well as with words.

Not even sure if it's long enough. Felt longer writing it than it actually looks posted lol.

I can't say enough about how much I love the new format! It was so much easier to organize my thoughts, and my Minifigure analysis was longer than any of my previous reviews!

There is no way to add charts yet. Maybe a future addition. If it's a more in depth review with charts and data and is a possible Evaluation Corner article, you can submit it to Jeff or I directly.

Well, it would depend if you think it's a possible evaluation corner candidate or not. You are the one who sets the standars . I can probably send it to you directly but since I already submitted it to the review section I'm not sure if that's necessary. I didn't need that many charts or anything, it was mostly to make the point visually as well as with words.

Your review was excellent...

http://www.brickpicker.com/reviews/set.cfm?set=10212-1

Evaluation corner articles would have to be more than two pages minimum using size 12 font(Arial/Times Roman). Probably a minimum of 10,000 characters to be considered. It's not that hard to BS about LEGO sets...I do it all the time. LOL. Great job though on your review.

I can't say enough about how much I love the new format! It was so much easier to organize my thoughts, and my Minifigure analysis was longer than any of my previous reviews!

I designed it with you in mind Blackjack...LOL

There is no way to add charts yet. Maybe a future addition. If it's a more in depth review with charts and data and is a possible Evaluation Corner article, you can submit it to Jeff or I directly.

Well, it would depend if you think it's a possible evaluation corner candidate or not. You are the one who sets the standars . I can probably send it to you directly but since I already submitted it to the review section I'm not sure if that's necessary. I didn't need that many charts or anything, it was mostly to make the point visually as well as with words.

Your review was excellent...

http://www.brickpicker.com/reviews/set.cfm?set=10212-1

Evaluation corner articles would have to be more than two pages minimum using size 12 font(Arial/Times Roman). Probably a minimum of 10,000 characters to be considered. It's not that hard to BS about LEGO sets...I do it all the time. LOL. Great job though on your review.

Good to know, this one was around 7000 and I kind of focused more on the growth potential and after reading the other reviews wished I had talked more about the set itself and so on. Will do that for sure in the future! Thanks!

This contest is really motivating people and I'm starting to see some journalistic quality reviews written that include thesis statements and well-fleshed out explanations. The prizes given by the administrators will be money well spent in exchange for the quality of literature that is rapidly appearing.

Speaking of charts, people can be creative with regular keyboard inputs...

SET NUMBER // CAGR(%)

_____________________________

10179 // 31.19

10030 // 12.40

10212 // 7.88

I'm handing out Brickpoints like crazy. Heck, some people might get a STAR WARS polybag before the competition ends...

I designed it with you in mind Blackjack...LOL

Is that a jab about my longwindedness in describing minifigures! ;)