What a bunch of bricks: Crooks knock hole in toyshop wall, flee with €35k Lego haul
- Reference: 1638450005
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/12/02/lippstadt_lego_theft/
- Source link:
Despite the "picture of devastation" and metre-wide opening left in the wall, investigators are struggling to piece everything together.
"The hole was right at the end of the Lego section. They must have jumped in here and then proceeded very specifically," Jana Schumacher, manager of the Toys World store, [1]told Der Spiegel (auf Deutsch).
[2]
Even more baffling is the fact that the perps emptied about a hundred Lego boxes and took only the blocks inside, leaving the shop floor scattered with packaging. Cops reckon they did this to save space.
[3]
[4]
"They must have spied on this before," Schumacher lamented. "If they had continued to move around the store, a signalling system would have gone on."
A police statement to The Register confirmed that no arrests have been made, but they would not be drawn on whether the instruction manuals were taken too.
[5]
It seems like a lot of very calculated trouble to go through for some toys and yet this is far from the only instance of stores being looted for Lego.
In neighbouring France, the gendarmerie believe they are on the trail of an international Lego crime ring where crooks "set up in a hotel in the Paris region, then set about raiding toy stores before returning to Poland to sell off their haul," according to an investigator [6]speaking to La Parisien newspaper .
[7]Playmobil crosses the final frontier with enormous, metre-long Enterprise playset
[8]A Raspberry Pi HAT for the Lego Technic fan
[9]The Register speaks to one of the designers behind the latest Lego Ideas marvel: A clockwork solar system
[10]The Register recreates Apollo 15 through the medium of plastic bricks, 50 years on
[11]What to do with our leftover Saturn V Lego? Why, build another rocket, of course
"The Lego community isn't just made up of children," they said. "There are numerous adults who play with it; there are swaps and sales on the internet. We've also had people complaining their homes have been broken into and Lego stolen."
This gang is believed to be behind thefts in France in 2019, 2020, and this year too. Numerous thefts have also happened in the US, Canada, and Australia over the past five years. [12]One career criminal from Florida was said to have made $1m by "selling Legos and other stolen goods online."
For people who see Lego as little more than a bit of fun with the kids, it is striking to learn about the enthusiast scene – where full-grown adults must spend hundreds of hours designing their own [13]custom sets to sell or share the instructions online.
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This can spark demand for very specific bricks, which can be found through websites like Bricklink – including those no longer in production.
The pandemic has also caused a surge of interest in the hobby. When you put two and two together, it becomes clearer why miscreants might bother to smash down the wall of a toyshop.
Back in Lippstadt, it was noted that products from similar ranges, like Playmobil, were untouched. Because Playmobil is crap.
Oh dear, Rich. We have a flame-proof shed you could borrow – ed] ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/lego-loch-in-der-wand-diebe-stehlen-massenhaft-lego-aus-spielwarengeschaeft-a-eec80d8f-0bf2-4403-900a-0051ce8bbc60
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yaj7vGOaCMEeAfknhPRysAAAAEs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yaj7vGOaCMEeAfknhPRysAAAAEs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yaj7vGOaCMEeAfknhPRysAAAAEs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yaj7vGOaCMEeAfknhPRysAAAAEs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/ile-de-france-le-gang-des-voleurs-de-lego-ecumait-les-magasins-de-jouets-28-03-2021-8430057.php
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/18/playmobil_star_trek/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/19/pi_build_hat/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/15/lego_solar_system/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/27/lego_csm/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/30/lego_saturn_1b/
[12] https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-lego-bandit-dupage-met-0714-20150713-story.html
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/15/lego_solar_system/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yaj7vGOaCMEeAfknhPRysAAAAEs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Ah, Lego
Same here (both with the Lego and Minecraft)
I still feel that I can build more with Lego. Old favourites include a working grandfather clock and a fully-motorised construction crane that was three foot long when packed and mobile, and would fill a room when the outriggers and boom were extended.
Re: Ah, Lego
There are still multiple crates here too...
Re: Ah, Lego
>>>Now I have a computer. And for my computer, I have Minecraft.
Do you have a computer running inside Minecraft on your computer, hmmm ... ?
https://youtu.be/SbO0tqH8f5I
Re: Ah, Lego
But can you run Minecraft on that computer inside Minecraft on your computer?
Recurring minds want to know
Probably stolen to order
There are a number of unofficial Lego brick stores online, mostly used by people making "MOCs" (My Own Creation).
Keep an eye on stores like Bricklinkcom & Brickshop.eu for a sudden influx of stock.
Re: Probably stolen to order
If they're half-way intelligent they won't sell it on BrickLink, that's owned by Lego now.
piecing together!
Nice one! Love Bootnotes!
Not again!!! The name is LEGO!!
" One career criminal from Florida was said to have made $1m by "selling Legos and other stolen goods online." "
Will our US cousins stop calling it "Legos"! The brand name is LEGO, it is a "LEGO set" or "I have made something with LEGO.".
Re: Not again!!! The name is LEGO!!
I call it Lego, but I draw the line at writing it completely in capitals.
Re: Not again!!! The name is LEGO!!
Yes, but I refuse to write it in caps too. If Lego had its way, it'd be LEGO® the whole way through.
Re: Not again!!! The name is LEGO!!
I bet you'd be fine with Yahoo! though!
Or should I say...
I! bet! you'd! be! fine! with! Yahoo! though!
The subtitle
"The police are still trying to piece it together"
That made my day, as it puts the picture into your mind where at the local Cop Shop a bunch of officers with a large box of Lego have an attempt at reconstructing the crime scene....
Re: The subtitle
When the police finally have enough evidence, everything will click into place!
Re: The subtitle
Agreed - the criminals must surely be bricking it.
Re: The subtitle
@Chris G "When the police finally have enough evidence, everything will click into place!"
When the police finally have enough evidence too build a case.
Re: The subtitle
"an attempt at reconstructing the crime scene...."
Using Playmobil, no doubt.
Re: The subtitle
I only read the tag line, and came straight here to the comments. Did I miss anything? I doubt it.
About the shed
Does it keep flames out or in?
Enquiring minds need to know...
Playmobil reconstruction
There was a time on El Reg when a Playmobil reconstruction would have been provided for certain stories, and this seems a rather obvious candidate!
Lester is still sadly missed - Cheers, mate.
I was never into Lego
As a kid, Meccano was 'the' thing. I never bothered with the directions for building specific items. As soon I understood how it all went together I was awy doing my own stuff - mostly variations on bridges and towers.
Re: I was never into Lego
My dad (who was a builder) bought me a kit one Christmas that had real bricks and a starch type glue, window and door frames and roof tiles. The starch glue meant that you could take the building apart to use everything for a new project, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the kit but it was in the late fifties UK. I never liked Lego but I don't think I saw it before I was about ten years old.
I preferred the real brick kit.
Re: I was never into Lego
I remember seeing something like this at school. I've done a search and think it's Brickplayer (which is a nice word-play). Here's some links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickplayer
https://web.archive.org/web/20150411143536/http://www.brickplayer.co.uk/history
https://www.meccanoindex.co.uk/Other/Brickplayer/index.php
https://www.google.com/search?q=Brickplayer&tbm=isch
In my own family we didn't have such toys. I think there were a bit special for most children.
Re: I was never into Lego
I remember seeing something like this at school. I've done a search and think it's Brickplayer (which is a nice word-play). Here's some links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickplayer
https://web.archive.org/web/20150411143536/http://www.brickplayer.co.uk/history
https://www.meccanoindex.co.uk/Other/Brickplayer/index.php
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/how-many-old-toys-display-1154397
https://www.google.com/search?q=Brickplayer&tbm=isch
In my own family we didn't have such toys. I think there were a bit special for most children.
Re: I was never into Lego
this was early sixties, pretty sure the trowel is knocking about somewhere!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193899485@N06/albums/72157720250866900
Re: I was never into Lego
I had Lego and Meccano. And Bayko. And Arkitex. And the first Lego ripoff, whose bricks weren't compatible. And a real-clay-brick thing where you mixed up flour paste for mortar, and once bored with it you broke it down by soaking it in the sink and started again; how Mum loved that one!
But Playmobil was after my time.
Re: I was never into Lego
I remember those too - my cousin had them.
Re: I was never into Lego
The building kit I got as a kid was philips philiform.
Bricks to get rid of?
There's an organisation in Bradford that helps autistic people that is always grateful for Lego. https://autismbricksuk.org/donate-your-lego/
One of the best things I did for my kids was to buy about 20kg of random secondhand Lego bits on ebay. They play with that more than any of the complete sets that people have given them over the years.
Hands up anyone who managed to keep a 'complete set' beyond the first build!
Lego is surprisingly valuable
I had a friend who made a comfortable living from buying lego "model" sets and breaking them up to sell as individual parts. I've never dug into it to find out quite how this worked - presumably a small percentage of the parts were valuable as individual items, and everything else got bagged up and sold in bundles.
As to who's buying them? I'd guess it's mainly people building custom kits. Case in point; someone I know has just finally finished an ED-209 model after 8 years ; it's ten inches tall, he used 2,400 lego pieces to build it, and apparently, some of the pieces needed were only released in the last two years!
To be fair, it does look pretty impressive, too :)
Re: Lego is surprisingly valuable
Yep, take a look at bricklink.com
Now owned by Lego, but still quite independent. Hundreds of Lego repackers all over the world. Some specialize, others have huge stocks, etc.
A friend of mine is one such seller. There was a recent Walmart sale of "sets" which are just lots of bricks of various sizes, shapes and colour. He got 50, and they are now here for me to sort the 75,000 parts, for his Bricklink store. It's going to take a fair while - my guess is one of the 11 different bags of pieces per week, roughly. He would do it *much* faster, but I've got computer work to do, and he's got lots of regular sets to sort.
Crooks follow the money.
Light weight, easily transported, untraceable, potentially last for centuries and have a near global second hand market.
Smash & grab robberies just prove that the purchase cost per brick is now so high it's worth risking jail time for a sackful.
I bet with the gendarmerie on the case they are bricking it.
I'll show myself out...
You beat me to it...
That downvote should be mine!
With the bigger, aimed at adults Lego sets costing north of 200 euros, it's not hard to rack up a good score. And with certain highly useful but rare bricks, the individual brick on trading sites can be quite valuable. I've never understood why Lego doesn't just sell individual bricks as a service. There's still relatively high demand for tiny little bricks (that are easily lost) that Lego no longer sell in any of their official sets. If the tooling is still there, doing an official run of 10k bricks will likely satiate the demand at a few dollars/euros per brick while diminishing the scalper market.
They sort-of do
Go to the Lego website and click on "Pick a Brick".
Prices there are high, it doesn't include all in-stock parts, and it doesn't include out-of-stock parts, but it satisifies many needs if you don't want to use Bricklink or BrickOwl.
And of course, if you are missing a part or two from a recent set, just ask nicely and they will send you replacements.
Ah, Lego
I still have two crates full of those little barefoot menaces.
These days I let the nephews and nieces have their fun. I'm guessing in a decade, it'll be the grandchildren.
Personally ? I spent years playing with my Legos. Fond memories.
Now I have a computer. And for my computer, I have Minecraft.
Infinite bricks for the win.