LEGO is an art and technique says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

At the beginning of February I told you about my visit of Spielwarenmesse toy fair - about a trip that surpassed my expectations. One of the reasons why I have enjoyed it so much was a complete coincidence ! As it usually is. :-)
We were staying in a local Bavarian guesthouse in Pommelsbrunn near Nurnberg and while we were sitting in a pub we have met Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO. Even thought we didn't know each other at all, we quickly found that we have a lot in common. I don't speak German and Klaus doesn't speak Czech, but we found a common language - LEGO.
He told me about his enthusiasm for LEGO bricks. He is a passionate builder and shares his love for LEGO with his kids and wife. There is LEGO everywhere in his house. I had a chance to look closer at his impressive collection, mostly very old and rare sets, but also his own builds. LEGO is an art and technique for him.
I was lucky enough that Klaus agreed to speak about his hobby to my blog. I hope you will find an interview below as interesting as I did.

Klaus, how old are you ?
I was born in June 1960, so 56 years old. 

Where are you from? 
I was born in Muhlacker/Enz, Germany, as baby to Calmbach/Black Forrest. 

Do you live here in Pommelsbrunn for a long time?
Not at all. I lived 6 years in Stuttgart, 2 years in Dortmund and since 1986 I live here, near Nurnberg. 

Beautiful cities. Do you have a family / kids? 
Difficult. :-) I have my second family now. I lived 8 years alone with two kids, them I brought in the second family. My wife brought two kids in this family, then we got another kid, adopted one more and got again a kid - so seven kids mixed up (from 7 years to 33 years old).

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

It must be wonderful to have such a big family. What do you do for living?
I work in the management of an independent group of electrical wholesalers, responsible for all that has something to do with IT. 

So nothing to do with LEGO I guess...
No, but even though my job is a non-LEGO related I have at least some of my favourite builds there with me in my office.

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

When your passion for LEGO started ?
As a child - we have got a LEGO at home, and the first big thing I built for myself that I can remember was an aeroplane with 4 turning propellers on the basis of the motor of a LEGO train. 

That must have been very nice build that you remember it for such a long time. What's the story behind you getting back into LEGO as an adult?
LEGO stopped as I grew older, but in the time I lived alone with the kids I had boring evenings - and I started again with LEGO, then also together with kids. 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

When did you buy your first set for you? Can you remember what was that?
For myself I bought the first set in the time I lived alone with my kids, so it must have been around 1986. I only remember that it was a LEGO Technic set - maybe you have it now. :-) In this time I was a big fan of LEGO Technic.

Yes, I am very glad that you offered me to buy some of your very old and rare LEGO Technic sets, there was no way to say no. :-) LEGO Technic keeps amaze me. (LEGO that I bought from Klaus, the cute yellow piggy "Elyse" was a gift.)

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

Tell me, being an adult, why do you find playing with LEGO so interesting?
You can build real buildings, you can learn how technique works and you can have much fun with your kids - they all love LEGO too. 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

How many sets approximately you have ?
I don't know. I only know that too many. :-)

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

I am not surprised that you don't know the number. Your house is full of LEGO, that's a paradise. Does your wife share your passion for LEGO?
Yes, a little bit. She built a house, a VW Rabbit, a robot from a Disney film, a Winter Special set and a few more ... 

Do you have your favourite LEGO theme ?
LEGO Architecture, in particular the sets that are in Bauhaus style.

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

Have you ever built something on your own (not an official LEGO set)?
Quite a few ... for instance a piano, a Cobra car, a house, a tiger, a LEGO figurine in different versions, ... 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

I love the shape of your Cobra car. It looks fantastic. I really appreciate you being so kind to give it to me as a gift. 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

You have a great imagination, Klaus ! If you were a LEGO designer for one day, what set would you create?
Wow - that's a question. Maybe something like this: link 

I am sure, that you would definitely keep attention with this idea. What is your most favourite LEGO set?
That's the one I don't have - the big Star Wars Falcon (10179). At the time it came out, I didn't have the money as I bought the house for my family at that time. Now it is so expensive. 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

Is there a set in your collection that you would never sell?
No official set - I am too old to hang on things. If I want to keep one build till the end, I think it would be one of the self made piggy banks - because I have made them for my kids as they were born. And if it should be an official set - Falling Water from LEGO Architecture - one of my dreams as my own house. 

"LEGO is an art and technique" says Klaus Schnaible, a big fan of LEGO from Germany

Are you active in LEGO community ?
No, but I read forums, look at videos and sometimes go to visit conventions. There are too much other interest. 

What are your other interests? 
Karl May, reading books, learning playing the guitar, driving motorcycle, religious history and critics, the museum in my town, science, ... and one more hobby that I have mostly forgotten, because I have stopped it - comics. 

So many different interests, that's extraordinary. One more question, Klaus, if you had only one word to say what LEGO means to you, what was that ?
Let me say two - art and technique. 

Thank you, Klaus, for your story. I wish all the best to you and your family and hope you will enjoy together with your kids a lot of fun with LEGO. 

I hope you found Klaus story as interesting as I did. :-)

Please do not hesitate to ask any question in comments bellow.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink ?

Have you ever wondered what is the best selling LEGO on secondary marketplaces such as Bricklink ? I prepared for you an analysis of sold sets/polybags within 10 different LEGO themes based on statistics provided by Bricklink for last 6 months sales.
It is important to explain what I mean behind "best selling" LEGO. First, I looked at the absolute quantity of units sold and made a ranking of sets/polybags with highest number of units sold in last 6 months. However, demand for sets measured by units sold is only one part of the game. It is important to assess also the amount of sets/polybags available for sale, the market offer. When you compare the supply with demand you can identify how fast would the market absorb all the units currently available for sale which is a very useful information.
You can for instance have a set which ranks very badly in terms of quantity sold (only a few pieces sold in last 6m) but when you list it on Bricklink for sale it disappears immediately. Such a set benefits from the low turnover which I calculated in years for you in graphs bellow such as Total market offer / (last 6m sales * 2).

LEGO Architecture, LEGO Lord of the Rings and LEGO Ideas wins by number of sold sets in last 6m.
LEGO Harry Potter is the fastest selling theme, followed by LEGO Architecture and LEGO Jurassic Park theme.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Considering all 10 LEGO Themes chosen for this analysis and all their champions - What are the top 12 sets/polybags in terms of units sold in last 6m across these themes ? ... It is The White House Architecture set which leads the statistics with 535 units sold in last 6m, followed by The Lord of the Rings polybag Frodo with cooking corner and another LOTR polybag on the third place The Dol Guldur.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

When we consider also the market offer, Harry Potter sets are utmost champions in terms of fastest turnover.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Let's look closer at chosen 10 LEGO themes one by one. 

1. LEGO Modular Buildings
12 sets released so far (if we count also the Market Street) in Modular Buildings theme, which is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, LEGO theme among collectors. It isn't easy to point at the best set out of those 12 amazing buildings as each of them is somehow interesting or unique.
Pet Shop (2011) was the best selling set in terms of number of units sold in last 6m, followed by Grand Emporium (2010) and Parisian Restaurant (2014).

What is the best selling LEGO on secondary market?

However, these top 3 in terms of number of sold units are the ones with the slowest turnovers in years within Modular Buildings theme because the number of such sets available for sale is also high. Considering also the market offer we can see that the fastest selling sets are the rarest ones - such as the Cafe Corner (2007), Market Street (2007) or Green Grocer (2008). Those sets usually disappear very fast from the listings for sale because their market offer is limited and the demand for them high. Assembly Square is a brand new Modulars addition that's why it ranks so high in terms of turnover.  

What is the best selling LEGO on secondary market?

2. LEGO Ideas
Six years have already passed since introduction of the LEGO Ideas theme originally known as CUUSOO. 15 sets have been introduced so far and each of them has something what makes it wanted. As the name of the theme suggests, these sets are not about the number of pieces or complexity, but about the IDEA behind the set. 
WALLE (2015) was the best selling set in terms of number of units sold in last 6m, followed by Grand Ghostbusters Ecto (2014) and Yellow Submarine (2016).

What is the best selling LEGO on secondary market?

Considering 142 units sold in last 6m, the Maze ranks as the fastest selling set within LEGO Ideas theme. It would take only approx. 5 months (0.42 years) to absorb the current market offer of these sets given the last 6m sales. I have the Maze in my collection and overall I think that it is an above average set with very high level of playability.  

What is the best selling LEGO on secondary market?

3. LEGO Harry Potter
64 sets (excl. polybags) released between 2001-2011. Harry Potter has thousands of fans all around the world so also the LEGO Harry Potter is very popular and desired theme among LEGO fans. We saw many Harry Potters, Dumbledores or Voldemorts minifigures so far. This is one of my utmost favourite LEGO theme as I am a big fan of Harry Potter, even though I do not own any of the sets/polybags in graphs bellow.
Here the polybags win in terms of quantity sold. Trolley polybag (2011) is first, followed by The Lab polybag (2011) and The Hogwart's Express polybab (2011). 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Overall, LEGO Harry Potter is the fastest selling theme out of those 10 mentioned in this post. Top 3 in terms of fastest turnover are almost the same as in terms of units sold.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

4. LEGO Lord of the Rings
If we talk about Harry Potter, we shouldn't forget LEGO Lord of the Rings. :-) 11 sets (excl. polybags) released between 2012-2013. Again polybags win the top 3 with highest quantity of units sold in last 6m. Frodo with cooking corner polybag (2012) is first, followed by Gandalf at Dol Guldur polybag (2012) and Uruk Hai Ballista polybab (2012). 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Considering also the market offer, the best selling sets are Uruk Hai Army (2012), Mirk Wood Elf Army (2013) and Gandalf at Dol Gundur polybag (2012). The first set in row of the LOTR sets ranks fourth, the Gandalf Arrives (2012) - the only LOTR set I own. :-)

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

5. LEGO Architecture
LEGO Architecture sets bring alive iconic buildings from around the world. This theme is a great example of how various and sophisticated the offer of LEGO sets is. I was wondering in my post Where does LEGO find inspiration for their architecture sets in my recent post. And the answer is ... mainly in the United States, but also on other continents. 
Not surprising that top 2 with highest quantity sold are American architectural jewels - The White House (2010) and the Lincoln Memorial (2015). Followed by British Big Ben (2012). 

What is the best selling LEGO o Bricklink?

The White House is not only the most selling but also the fastest selling LEGO Architecture set. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

6. LEGO Jurassic Park
Indominus Rex, Raptore, Pteranodor and others ... It can't be anything else than LEGO Jurassic Park theme. Only 8 sets released during 2015.
Indominus Rex Breakout (2015) with 154 units sold in last 6m wins the first place in terms of quantity sold.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Raptore Escape (2015) is the fastest selling set with turnover of only 3.82 months (0.32 years).

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

7. LEGO Toy Story
A big icon of animation movies, the Toy Story with 15 sets released during 2010. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Construct a Buzz (2010) is the fastest selling set in this theme. I think it deserves it. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

8. LEGO Monster Fighters
13 sets released in 2013. Another very successful LEGO theme. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Ghost polybag ranks first in terms of the fastest turnover. I've got this polybag as a gift and I like it a lot, especially the Ghost minifigure which glows in the dark. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

9. LEGO Pirates of Caribbean
14 sets released during 2014. Legendary Johnny Depp as a Captain Sparrow in his boat polybag wins in terms of units sold in last 6m.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

When we talk about Pirates of Caribbean it is a Black Pearl which comes to my mind immediately. Mini Black Pearl polybag has the fastest turnover and also the big set The Black Pearl is doing pretty well in terms of pace of sale. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink ?

10. LEGO Indiana Jones
This is a legend ! 18 sets within LEGO Indiana Jones theme released during 2008-2009. Motorcycle Chase as the first set in row wins in terms of units sold in last 6m.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

And also in terms of the turnover. I guess that I am pretty lucky to have it in my display. :-) It's a perfect set with minifigures that look like a real movie characters. 

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Not talk only about high flyers. :-) There is a graph of 10 sets/polybags with slowest turnover. Such sets have very slow sales compared to amount of units available for sale.

What is the best selling LEGO on Bricklink?

Do you buy/sell sets or polybags on Bricklink ? Have you found some of the results of this analysis surprising or interesting ?

I will be very happy if you let me know in comments bellow.

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

A few weeks ago I spent very inspiring weekend with David Kokai, founder of WLWYB (www.wlwyb.com) brand, who runs a large LEGO parts store, MinifigShop, MinifigBox and he's about to create his own WLWYB Media company.
LEGO is his passion, his life. There's one thing that I am pretty sure about him: he's very smart guy and knows what he talks about. In our interview, he opened up about his journey with WLWYB brand, about LEGO part business, internet social life, his LEGO media project and many more.
He's one of the lucky ones who turned his hobby into his own business.

David, what did you do before you created WLWYB brand ?
I used to work in an IT company in Austria for 11 years. I've also worked 1,5 years in the Budapest airport. I was the one who wrote the emergency handbook. That's funny, isn't it ? :-)

It's nice, it's something unusual. What was the main intention to start your own LEGO business ?
There are not too many things on Earth that are so positive as LEGO. And I wanted something where I am measured by my own output. If I'm doing well then we're going to be successful, if I'm doing bad then we're going to head into the death. It gives me so much motivation and force to get up in the morning. With WLWYB, I'm building my own success. I do not have anyone to finger point to but I don't need anyone to align myself to ... And that's so cool.

Exactly. LEGO is such a positive segment of life. 
Yes, that's absolutely true. You know, if you're selling the winter tires for the cars that's a pain in the a** for everyone. :-) Who likes to go to the tire shop ? It's expensive, it takes time, there is always so many people. We're not selling winter tires to your car. The one who orders from us is waiting for it like hell. I remember when I started and everything (almost nothing :-)) was back at home on the desk. And I've just got an email from a guy from Budapest asking what could be the quickest way I could get him one quite complicated LEGO technic part. Certainly one of the crucial ones in his system. Without that it's not just a brick missing. And I've just said OK, no problem, in 20 minutes I am at your place. I've jumped into my Porsche and burned a lot of fuel to get to his place. :-) Because at the other end there is someone who is waiting for his hobby, for his joy. This is what he likes to do and that's cool. 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

What's so cool about this segment is that there is such a big community of people worldwide interested in LEGO.
LEGO communities are everywhere, each and every is positive. So you upload two bricks, put on that "This is my project" and you don't get the usual bullying stop but rather "Oh, yes ! Welcome to the club. That's a great start. You have a long route ahead of you but it's cool, just go and whatever. " which is so cool and positive. 

Yes, when I started to be into LEGO I was so surprised by the amount of LEGO forums and ways in which you can interact with AFOL's and share the enthusiasm for bricks together. 
Who are your customers, David ? 
We have more than 6,000 new customers every year who are coming from all around the world. They are builders and AFOL's who are in need of different LEGO parts. There are many segments of them. Some are building their childhood classics, some are just replacing the missing parts from their childhood classics, some doesn't have a longterm plan just have an idea how to extend their modular building. Another ones are those who do not buy by a given intention, they just fill up their inventory. There are also many small scale professional users which sell usual stuff like key chains or small gadgets made of bricks and these are also our customers. 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

Do you have some special customer who orders from you ? 
We have many of them.  We have LEGO builders from Asia or New Zealand who orders from us. We have LEGO builders from all around the world. For example, we have a customer, he's got a flower shop, and before Valentine's Day we produce a lot of hearts for him, from small to big ones, and he sells them to his customers. 

Do you sell him just the parts and he builds it himself or you build it for him ?
In this given situation, we sell him the parts and he builds it by himself. Actually, he has 4 children to help him out to put the hearts together. :-)

So kind of child work, right ? :-)
You know, classmates of my daughter are fighting during the summer, who's gonna come to help out in my store. It's a paradise for kids ! 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

Do you have many corporate clients ?
We have some, but we could have, of course, many more. For example we supplied the energy broker company with already made sets. We are absolutely flexible. This B2B leg could be at least as powerful as the B2C leg. And what's cool is that these two legs can fit into each other. For example if we would be able to sell a big quantity of MinifigBoxes that means that all the minifigs are sold from the sets and only the parts remain. Meaning we can serve our corporate customers with much better prices because we do not have to calculate the risk for the minifigs sitting in our inventory for months. 

Tell us about the brand WLWYB, that's interesting. In all respect, WLWYB is very unusual name for a brand. :-)
The brand is an anti brand. It goes against everything which is written on first pages of every marketing book. First, this word is not pronounceable. Second, it doesn't have a secondary meaning. WLWYB is meant for an umbrella brand. And under this umbrella there are all our traditional brands like the MinifigShop, the MinifigBox and then the third part of this company are the raw bricks (our own BrickLink and BrickOwl independent part shop). So those are intended to behave like normal brands but on the top of that I just created something which is absolutely unusual. People often come confused and ask: "What ? W-L-W-Y-B ? What does these 5 letters stands for ?" But what I've just realised is that once they find it out somehow they love it and remember it for a long time and perceive us as a strong brand. 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

And how did you come up with the slogan We Love What You Build ? 
You know, brand and marketing communication works well if it triggers emotions, surely positive ones. On the other hand, on the rational level, there is the winter tire. :-) Hey guys, I need to change my car tire, I have to check it out where is it the cheapest, where can I order it online, whatever ... That's the rational level. That's not the marketing, that's the necessity. Marketing is where you can pump up the emotions. And that's the love. And what can we love ? I cannot love you as my customer because customer doesn't want that retailer loves him, he wants something else. Therefore, it cannot be authentic. I might love your money, your briefcase, your VISA card, but why would I love you ? I can love what you build. It's an absolute authentic and legitimate slogan and that slogan is used as a branding even if it is unpronounceable.

When we talk about love, I have to admit that I love your brand picture with different Minifig heads that you're using in your marketing materials. It looks perfect ... 
And you know why it's so perfect ? These are used Minifig heads and you can see all the imperfections of the heads. Mostly marketing pictures like this one are computer renders, absolutely flawless. Between the heads on the picture there are 20 years of difference. But that's why I love the picture, because these are real heads with real imperfections ... And this is the reality. 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

What is the LEGO part business like ? 
The LEGO part business is typically organised by toy stores who sell their excess stuff or by builders who turned their hobby into their full time job. This whole segment is done by not professionals, typically individuals. And everyone who knows something or has an idea for something rather keeps it for himself. 

What kind of secret for instance ? 
Typically, pricing is an issue. LEGO part should cost in average €0.1 in general. It's a rule of thumb. Normally a good, whatever it might be, you buy more of it you get it cheaper. That's true for 85% of LEGO parts. But then there are 15% which are not behaving like normal goods. 

What do you mean by not behaving like a normal good ?
Imagine a white 1x2 brick, which is nothing special. If you need between 1 to 10 pieces it shouldn't cost you more than €0.02 per piece plus shipping, of course. If you need 10,000 of these I can get it to you for €0.8 per piece. 

That's interesting. Why there's such a big difference ? 
Just because there are more than hundred thousands of households in the world that can sell you 10 white 1x2 bricks but if you need 10,000 then you have only ca. 15 guys in the world you can turn to. Of course you will not have to face this issue if you know the uncle of the LEGO owner or if you have someone who is going to steal it for you from a LEGO factory. :-) So on the mainstream or orthodox way you have 15 guys to turn to.

Well, 80 cents for a piece if you need 10,000 of them ... it's getting expensive !
You know if you can wait 4 to 6 months maybe it's doable for 40 cents. But if you cannot wait, you have to pay. Corporate customers are the ones who are usually OK with it. So first, there are 15% of the parts which are not behaving like normal goods. They are inverted goods. And that makes the story really funny.  Second, there can be hundred times differences between very similar parts or very similar colours. That's why they like to keep it in secret. 

David Kokai: Inspiring Story of the Man Who Runs Large LEGO Parts Store

You're working on several projects simultaneously. It must be very demanding and difficult to coordinate everything. 
What's so hard for me is always to prioritise, especially between our two lines of our business, the B2C and B2B leg, because both has a huge potential to grow. And then I didn't even mention the media company stuff which should be the engine of this growth. I wanna tell you about the media company, that's interesting.

THINK BEHIND BRICKS Competition: February 2017 round

Try to guess how many pieces were needed to build this cute yellow pig and WIN My LEGO Talk box full of surprise this month !

The pig is a girl and her name is Elyse. :-) What she likes the most is to laze around the backyard of her house for an entire day. After hours of persuasion, Elyse finally allowed us to take also one picture of her back for purpose of this competition so I hope that you will find it helpful. :-)
Please enjoy the Elyse's photo gallery.
Elyse from the front.

Think Behind Bricks Competition: February 2017 round

Elyse from the side.

Think Behind Bricks Competition: February 2017 round

And Elyse from the back.

Think Behind Bricks: February 2017 round

What is your task in February Think Behind Bricks Competition ?
Your task is to guess from how many pieces does Elyse consist of. The answer which will be closest to the real number wins My LEGO Talk Box full of surprise. 

Deadline for submission of answers is February 28th, 2017 ! 
Send us your answer on our email mylegotalk@gmail.com. 
If we receive more than one correct answer, the winner will be drawn from the correct answers received.

Prize for the winner
My LEGO Talk secret box full of surprise which, we hope, make every LEGO fan happy !

Think Behind Bricks: February 2017 round

If you are curious what was hidden in the secret box in the last month round, you can find it out on the following link: Think Behind Bricks January 2017 - solution, winner and prize .

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask in comments bellow !

Hope you will have fun solving this month task !

Looking forward to your answers ! :-)