Magnet sets might be getting glued

[Daz Hoo]

banthafodder: Considering what the Ugly Duckling wrote on his blog about his Pharaoh's Quest's magnets, the legs are glued to the magnet base, and the torso is glued to the legs. The only parts that will come off are the head, hair/hat, and accessories (and probably the arms).

Robzula: I'm just speculating here, but if LEGO uses the same type of glue that they use for gluing those sets they put in display cases, I think it will be nearly impossible to unglue the figs without damaging them.

[Jargon]

Also, if they're glued to the base rather than being a part of the base, wouldn't it be possible to pry them off, much like how people have turned keychains into regular minfigs, just with hard-to-remove legs and holes in their heads?

I know this is a tangent here, but have people had success removing the legs from keychains? I've been able to separate all the other pieces, but never the legs.

[Robzula]

I kinda meant "the legs are hard\impossible to remove", not "the legs took some effort to be able to be removed." I don't know if anyone has or hasn't, not exactly something I've spent hours of research looking in to.

[mavriel]

I read on Bricklink that starting Jan 1 all LEGO magnet sets will be glued. The figures pieces will be glued, and they will be glued to the brick. This is great news for me, a re-seller. Not so great for the rest of you.

Has anyone else heard the same thing?

[Mister Ed]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there is a thread on this. Personally I think, if they are going to go this route, they should either just stop making them altogether (I imagine sales will plummet anyway) or actually embed the magnets in the figs themselves (the whole standing-on-a-random-grey-brick look isn't very attractive, and I assumed the only reason they did it that way at all is because they COULD be removed. If it can't be anything but a magnet, then dispense with the stupid tacked on brick and make the FIG the magnet, I say.)

[Jargon]

I was under the impression that the base was added in response to swallowing concerns.

[Solo]

*Merged mavriel's new topic with the existing one.

[Mister Ed]

I was under the impression that the base was added in response to swallowing concerns.

That seems a rather token gesture, if that was the intent, given how easily they could be separated from the base.

[Jargon]

Yes, but a figure base would be much harder to swallow than a torso, especially without arms.

[Mister Ed]

Huh? I'm not getting your meaning. The base (at present, anyway) is easily separated from the minifig, so if the concern was that a minifig alone would be a choking (or swallowing) hazard, adding the base does little to prevent that, since it comes off so easily, leaving you in exactly the same position riskwise as if it wasn't there at all...

[Joedward]

Pic is link.

[meeotch]

Huh? I'm not getting your meaning. The base (at present, anyway) is easily separated from the minifig, so if the concern was that a minifig alone would be a choking (or swallowing) hazard, adding the base does little to prevent that, since it comes off so easily, leaving you in exactly the same position riskwise as if it wasn't there at all...

The problem lies in the difference between swallowable magnets vs other swallowable items without magnets. If two or more magnets are swallowed, when they move to the small intestine, they can attract each other while being around different corners from each other, pinching the intestine (and blood supply) off. I believe there have been a few high profile cases in the last few years that, if they haven't inspired actual legislation governing the use of magnets in small toys, certainly would at least be on LEGO's radar so as to not have their product associated with the death of a child.

[Mister Ed]

I get it now. The concern wasn't swallowing risk in general, but only for the magnet. In that case it makes sense, but again, if they are going to be gluing stuff together anyway, an entire minifig doesn't seem to be any more of a swallowing risk than one of those bases, so if a base alone was safe, a minifig without a base should be, too, if it is is glued. I guess the real issue is that it is cheaper for them to make ugly magnets by attaching a standard fig to a big, random block than it is to make more attractive ones (IMHO, at least) by producing custom versions of the minifigs with a magnet embedded in them.

P.S. (This is a real deja vu moment here. I'd SWEAR I made this post, or a similar one, already, but when I came to this thread, there was no sign of it.)

[starwarsmema]

So fill me in here please. The magnet set mini-figures are NOT the same as the minifigs that come in building sets?

This is confirmed fact? And there is a noticeable difference in the quality? (I only ask because I only have a couple of the magnet sets, which have not even been opened yet. I don't have 1st-hand experience handling these figs).

Thanks.

My son has a darth vader from WAY back. I bought a magnet set with him in it. There was not one thing different.
My grandson has many star war lego sets but he likes me to buy the magnets so he can build up an army of snowtroopers ect. I think alot of people will stop buying them as you wont be able to play with them. I know I will as they will be good for nothing, I can get a magnet to hold up a piece of paper for .50.

[lostone]

so much for being able to avoid the ebay scammers now curse you health and saftey

[Puddleglum]

What I find objectionable is that the magnet figs are not labeled on the packaging or online as being glued together. After at least a few years of selling these figs un-glued, I think LEGO is going to have a real customer relations problem on their hand with this. It's LEGO. Why would anyone assume the parts are glued together? Looking at the webpage for the pharaoh's quest set, there are a whole lot of upset customers posting "1s" in the review section:

http://shop.lego.com/ByCategory/Product ... =282&d=228

If I had bought one of these sets I would be demanding a return. I don't think many people are going to be willing to spend $15 on fancy magnets.

[bigospedros]

This might be a controversial post, but why can't people use these for what they are? Magnets. I have all my magnet figures attached to a magnetic noteboard and mounted on the wall. It makes for a neat display. If I want the figures for other uses, I'll buy the set they come in. It's that simple.

[Puddleglum]

This might be a controversial post, but why can't people use these for what they are? Magnets. I have all my magnet figures attached to a magnetic noteboard and mounted on the wall. It makes for a neat display. If I want the figures for other uses, I'll buy the set they come in. It's that simple.

It's LEGO. You know, build, take it apart, use your imagination, mix and match, that whole deal? Believe it or not, some of us have used the magnets to put other figs or even tiny for-fun MOCs on a refrigerator. If LEGO wants to sell them glued, that's their prerogative, but at least WARN people!

I know LEGO isn't ever going to sell sets glued together, but if they did, your argument wouldn't have to change! i.e.

"This might be a controversial post, but why can't people use these for what they are? Plastic toy models. I have all my models sitting on a shelf. It makes for a neat display. If I want the parts for other uses, I'll buy them from pick-a-brick. It's that simple."

I only ever bought a few magnet packs, and those were on clearance anyways, so this whole deal really won't affect me one way or another. But that doesn't mean the idea of TLG selling glued LEGO with no disclaimer doesn't stick in my craw.

[bigospedros]

Puddlegum, you'll note that I didn't quote you, so my reply wasn't aimed at you or your post ... I agree that they should state that they're glued. My reply was more aimed at the complainers who see this as a foul injustice, when it really isn't.

[Puddleglum]

Puddlegum, you'll note that I didn't quote you, so my reply wasn't aimed at you or your post ... I agree that they should state that they're glued. My reply was more aimed at the complainers who see this as a foul injustice, when it really isn't.

Fair enough, I'll agree on the point about complainers . . . I still think the glued figs are a bad idea but ultimately LEGO doesn't owe us anything. Which reminds me, I'll bring up the usual point for when LEGO does something people don't like:

Vote with your dollars! When LEGO makes a set you like, at a price you think is good, buy it. If they are making a sub-par product, or asking for too much money, pass it up. If they sell you something that is not properly described (e.g. glued parts), return it! Letters and phone calls are all fine and well, but ultimately the dollars do the most talking.