To paraphrase the late Carl Sagan, To make a minifigure from scratch, you must first create the Universe.
Let’s move a few steps down that path. Recently we took a look at some of the prototypes that were passed over on the path to minifigure development. Once you have a design, you need a way to put it together. Today, let’s take a look at the moulds that are in use.
Mold or Mould?
Over the last few years, I have been struggling with the word used to describe the thing that molten plastic is injected into, where it gains its special shape. Is it a mould or a mold? And which is the spelling that has spores, and was the bane of my bathroom back in my bachelor days?
A quick call out to to the Wikipedia suggested that both spellings would apply to those fungi, depending on where in the world you are standing. (Molds in USA, moulds in the rest of the English speaking world).
But what about the verb meaning to shape/form or the noun referring to the thing used to do the same? It turns out that that is also spelt mold in the USA and mould everywhere else! I am not about to revise every spelling of the world ‘mold’ over the last two and a half years. going forward, however, I will endeavour to use the form of spelling that my computer attempts to direct me towards every time. This dialogue from the Australian Writer’s Centre might shed a little light on the subject.
Last week’s announcement of 
Clarification of the term was sought from the LEGO® Star Wars team, and they responded via the LEGO Ambassador’s Network this morning:
This year, we have been celebrating forty years since the arrival of the minifigure. Here at the Rambling Brick, we have dedicated a number of articles, including a look at the 
When the original Ant-Man film was released a few years ago, I missed seeing it at the cinema, and I missed getting hold of the single LEGO® Set related to the movie. And as such, I missed out getting hold of an Ant-Man Minifigure. A favourite figure amongst toy photographers, there are so many images of this figure exploring the world. A month or so ago I went to see Ant-Man and the Wasp. It was an enjoyable film, full of humour, action and special effects. I have finally got around to building the set, Quantum Realm Explorers. You might have seen posts over the last few weeks, providing an opportunity to win this set in a building competition: I will come back to that later.
They are all pretty close to their movie counterparts. They all have detailed torso printing, front and back, to match their characters, as well as double sided faces. 
The Official LEGO Shop has had exciting news this year, as its expanding into 5 new countries, including Slovakia, Greece, Latvia, Estonia and Slovenia. 
The LEGO Foundation recently commissioned a cross cultural survey looking at attitudes and behaviours related to play. Families in China, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States were surveyed during February and March 2018. The resulting Play Well report was released today.
.: Would you like the chance to win a copy of 76109: Quantum Realm Explorers, based on material from AntMan and the Wasp? Then check out the 
A transparent plastic box, with LEGOLAND Japan’s logo on the side. In this box was a cardboard dragon, emblazoned with Knight’s Kingdom, Dragon’s Apprentice. This is one of the roller coasters at LEGOLAND parks, which I had not had a chance to ride on due to time constraints. I picked it up and was intrigued. It rattled as if it contained several poly bags. Any indication as to what was inside was written in Japanese on the bottom. I could not read the shelf label, and the battery in my phone was failing – so I was reluctant to use an online translation service. I picked it up, took it to the register and purchased it. After getting it home, it sat on a bench for a few months.
I popped open the seal on the plastic box, and the dragon car shaped box glided out, like the way a roller coaster car glides towards the pickup chain. After a cursory inspection, I opened the mouth. Inside was a white confectionary, in its own transparent packet, about 2.5 cm in diameter, printed with the Knights Kingdom logo on the side. I prodded it: it was soft. Not mint in box, so much as marshmallow.
I tore open the packet, and bit into it. The coating was slightly powdery. As I bit into the marshmallow, it became apparent that there was a chocolate filled centre, adding a interesting texture and flavour to the experience.
In which I finally get my hands onto some of the new Powered Up components and find myself dealing with a system full of immense potential. I compare the Powered Up system with the old Power Functions system for driving the train, draining the batteries in the process. And I start to wish for a little bit of magic…
The Rambling Brick 
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