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Lego Secret Vault Contains All Sets In History

An anonymous reader writes "Gizmodo has an exclusive video and feature of one of the most heavily guarded secrets in Lego: the security vault where they store all the Lego sets ever created, new in their boxes. 4,720 sets from 1953 to 2008. Really amazing stuff and a trip down memory lane to every person who has played with the magic bricks. All combined, the collection must be worth millions, not only because of the collector value, but also because Lego uses it as a safeguard in copyright and patent cases."

31 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. Bonus points if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They would have totally gotten bonus points in my book if the vault and locking mechanism were actually made of Legos. It's totally doable (people have made far bigger things out of Legos), but probably insecure if you can just cut through the Legos with a Sawz-All. Still, it would have been nice if they'd made it LOOK like it were made of Legos. The Lego signs are a nice touch along those lines.

    1. Re:Bonus points if... by Gewalt · · Score: 3, Funny

      Even a Faux wall would have been sweet. Or a decorative mount for the passkey device... something... anything. ugh, why'd you have to mention that!?!?!?

      --
      Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
    2. Re:Bonus points if... by steelfood · · Score: 4, Funny

      It'd be even more awesome if they had to assemble/disassemble the pieces in just the right way to gain access. And probably even more secure.

      --
      "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
    3. Re:Bonus points if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      But they couldn't store the Lego set that was used to build the vault inside of it.

    4. Re:Bonus points if... by pragma_x · · Score: 2, Funny

      Its a nice idea, but I think the only reason why LEGO works as well as it does is the scale of the materials involved; think friction and density.

      You'd probably wind up with something like a full-scale erector set after you fool around with scaled-up (and incredibly heavy) metal LEGO bricks. To wit, there are already things like this out there, like "speed rail" and "aluminum extrusion" systems that are highly modular and require minimal tools to apply your every creative whim. They're also expensive as hell.

      Anyway, once you have a arc-welder in the garage, just about everything made of metal feels like LEGO anyway, since you're only a few *zaps* away from sticking two pieces together however you want. And the best part: not having to separate those pesky 2x1 pieces with your teeth.

  2. Additional Photo Of Vault and Facility... by TheLazySci-FiAuthor · · Score: 4, Funny

    It looks Impenetrable!

    1. Re:Additional Photo Of Vault and Facility... by eastlight_jim · · Score: 5, Funny

      Not to mention highly confusing once inside and ringed by a darstadly innescapable staircase that's been baffling would-be thieves for many a year.

  3. And the asshole handled it without gloves??? by johnny+cashed · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's a 928 Galaxy Space Explorer, too bad it isn't in the original shrink wrap....

  4. God damnit by sunami88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I have to go change my pants. Thanks Slashdot.

    --
    Sex. Drugs, and Unix.
    1. Re:God damnit by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Funny

      Now I have to go change my pants. Thanks Slashdot.

      Now I can never play with Legos again without throwing up a little in my mouth. Thanks, sunami88.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    2. Re:God damnit by rodney+dill · · Score: 4, Funny

      Jees guys, I'm never gonna be able to eat Legos again.

      --

      Use your head, can't you, use your head,
      You're on earth, there's no cure for that
      - S. Beckett
  5. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by __aamnbm3774 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I heard Microsoft burned every copy of Windows-ME. Along with all their source-code. That way, they are committed to using the same binaries forever.

  6. Re:Legos by pomegranatesix · · Score: 5, Funny

    Funny. My flying lego boats deployed pirates. I think we may have to have a throwdown.

  7. That Big Yellow Castle by cattlemaster · · Score: 2, Funny

    Man, that big yellow castle really makes the old memories rush back. That one was my first and favorite Lego set. Nice to see it again. I remember modernizing my castle with some computer unit pieces borrowed from a space set.

  8. My favorite part by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Funny

    My favorite part was where they showed the bodies of the eBay Power Sellers that had been caught trying to tunnel in. They hand them upside down on big plastic stakes outside (the original Lego Vlad The Impaler kits are very scarce, but they work great).

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  9. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by MrNaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Given Microsoft's history on security, if they *did* have a vault, I'd guess it would be made from Lego.

    --
    I hate printers.
  10. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I heard Microsoft burned every copy of Windows-ME. Just like all their customers.
  11. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Actually, it was the customers who got burned.

  12. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by Keebler71 · · Score: 4, Funny

    very nearly... I thought you were going to go for the "if they put their versions in a vault it would be the first secure version..." route.

    --
    "It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
  13. almost! by hldn · · Score: 2, Funny

    20 years ago i threw a quarter into a wishing fountain and wished i had every lego set ever made.

    it looks like they've finally finished collecting them all together for me and are readying to hand them over.

    wishes do come true.

    --
    http://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
  14. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by Pollardito · · Score: 1, Funny

    they keep it a secret in order to prevent the sort of nerd stampede that is sure to follow this article. surely i wasn't the only one that was watching the movie with more of an eye toward break-in possibilities (i think halfway through the movie i saw a spot in the ceiling where i could attach a zip-line to rappel into there Mission Impossible-style), that place is nerd heaven.

  15. Re:The space sets were the best by steveo777 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Generally I'd construct the space sets upstairs and the castle sets downstairs. The space guys would come down and attack the castle sets. Somehow the knights always won by hurling large boulders in the way of the cruisers and attack ships. But most of the time it was due to the fact that I was never able to construct a Lego spaceship that was airworthy. IE, they never survived the flight down the stairs.

    My mother and father had some significantly less than good nature curses when they found the shrapnel with bare feet. They would also ask me exactly why space people needed to attack the castle people. I never had a very good answer...

    --
    This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
  16. Re:The space sets were the best by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Funny

    Substandard nerd?

    Let's put it that way, if I'll ever have kids, it's to stop people from looking funny at me when I play with my Legos...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  17. Re:The space sets were the best by Splab · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well from playing Civilization I learned that in fact its very possible for a phalanx to fight off a aircraft carrier and several tanks. I fail to see the problem with a knight killing an astronaut.

  18. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by spun · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, he means that mod points are fattening.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  19. Re:In Korea... by kramulous · · Score: 4, Funny

    I recently went home to visit my Dad and found that he was cleaning out the house, ridding it of junk because his partner wanted it cleaned (quite justified). I was having a good riffle through the stuff they were going to throw out when I came across my two, 50 litre buckets of Lego. I very quickly put these in my car to take back to my house for 'archival purposes'.

    I'll have kids fairly soon that will be of an age to start playing with these things. I'll be encouraging the play of Lego more than watching TV or playing computer/console games. Sure, computer games can teach you problem solving techniques, but so does Lego, as well as having tactile response.

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    .
  20. It WAS the Logo Secret Vault. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Now it's just the Lego vault

  21. I wonder if they have by Scratch-O-Matic · · Score: 4, Funny

    one of those flat, gray, 1-by-2's from the little red ambulance. I'm missing one.

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    Evil is the money of root.
  22. Somewhere out there in galaxy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...a young Ferengi boy's head just exploded.

  23. Re:Lego-brand building blocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    > As if it's a continuum, like water, or cheese,

    Cheese is a continuum? I guess I missed that episode of ST:TNG

  24. Re:cool tour, but no real surprise by Mikkeles · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yes, but I've patented and Trade Marked it :)

    --
    Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.