Swedish customs compensates disappointed Star Wars collector

Oddball Star Wars news from Sweden:

A Lego collector in southern Sweden has been compensated by Swedish Customs after his Star Wars spaceship package was opened by customs officials, drastically devaluing the collectors item.

The Lego enthusiast, who lives in Halmstad on the west coast of southern Sweden, was upset to find the seal was broken on his Star Wars Lego package when it came in the post in September.

The package, which had been sent from Hungary, had been opened and inspected by Swedish Customs.

The Lego item was a Star Wars Tantive IV spaceship, which the collector valued at 1,838 kronor ($285), according to the Hallands-Posten newspaper (HP).

Too funny. Follow the link for more.

The Local: Star Wars fan strikes back over Lego letdown

Dads driving up the cost of Lego Star Wars kits

While UK tabloid The Sun may not be the most reliable source for this, or anything, it does seem to have a ring of truth to it: 

KIDS’ Star Wars Lego sets are selling online for 25 times the normal price — because dads buy them for THEMSELVES.

They are the first toys to be bought more for adults than children.

And that has forced the prices to record levels.

Plastic brick versions of the films’ Millennium Falcon spaceship are selling for an incredible £2,995 on the net — 25 times the original £119, say Lego.

The Falcon and the range’s £274.99 Death Star, £349.99 Super Star Destroyer and £149.99 R2D2 are mainly bought by dads, according to research. Sales leap more than a third at Christmas as they treat themselves as well as the kids.

Lego’s Justin Clasby said: “We’re seeing a huge surge in adult fans queuing up to get their own hands on the sets.”

Toy expert Peter Jenkinson said: “Almost 20 per cent of grown-ups in a toy shop are there to satisfy their inner kidult.”

The Sun: Lego cost soares as dads play

X-Wing made from 30 year old Lego

These days anyone can go buy a Lego Star Wars X-Wing fighter. When I was a kid, we could only dream that Lego would make Star-Wars-themed blocks. We had to do what we could with our generic Lego.

I pulled my 30-year-old Lego out of the garage a few weeks back and gave it to my kids. Of course someone has to teach them how to play with it...

So I built this X-Wing. The colours are wrong, the dimensions are wrong, it's all a bit wrong. But I did it from memory and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Star Wars Lego version of famous M.C. Escher print

Paul Vermeesch, Lego master, explains:

Six months in the making, I present my largest creation to date: a 1x1x1 foot model of M.C. Escher's print "Relativity" reenacted in the Lego Star Wars theme. A far larger, cleaner, and more detailed rehashing of my 2010 version, this diorama is fully lit from the inside, presents the original Star Wars trilogy in a roughly counterclockwise format, and even features a minifig-scale theatre in the back which plays Lego's CG version of the Star Wars saga. Enjoy!

Boing Boing: MC Escher's "Relativity" recreated in Star Wars Lego, with many in-jokes and grace notes

MOCpages: Star Wars Relativity V2