Brickipedia:Reviews/Requirements and Guidelines

This article is still under construction. More content may be added in the near future.

This is a list of requirements and guidelines for Brickipedia review pages.

Requirements

Review authors are required to meet all of these points.

• Reviews should be written in readable English.
  • Grammar and spelling mistakes are allowed, but please try to minimize them. Better English means better readability, and readers will take you much more seriously if you put effort into using the language properly.
  • Unlike the article space, there is no restriction on the variant of English used (e.g. US or UK), and this is left to the author. Consistency is important, though.
• Don't write reviews about customs or other unofficial sets.
  • If you're reviewing a Brickipedia custom, try leaving a message on the custom's talk page.
• Don't write reviews about upcoming or otherwise unreleased sets.

Guidelines

These are some generally accepted guidelines for Brickipedia reviews. If you follow these, your review will fit in better with other Brickipedia reviews, and you'll also appear more professional.

• To make ratings, use the {{StarTable}} template. It was created especially for reviews.
  • Put all your ratings at the end of the review. Don't scatter them along the review contents.
• There's no need to put images of the set in the review, unless those images assist the reader in understanding the review. (The review header already contains an image of the set.)
  • For example, if you're discussing a particular part of a set, it's acceptable to add a close-up of it.

Manual of Style

General

• All reviews should contain correct spelling, punctuation, capital letters and language structure.
  • Articles should use British English for their spelling. Differences between UK and US spelling can be seen here.
  • LEGO, DUPLO, BIONICLE and QUATRO should all be spelled with capitals.
  • Generally, minifigure should not be abbreviated to "minifig" or "fig".

Review Format

All user reviews should typically follow the following structure, with occasional exceptions.

• Your reviewer profile template. This template gives general info so that the user/visitor reading your review can get a quick understanding of the demographic and experience you have in the areas of LEGO and reviewing.
• An introductory paragraph. This is typically just a welcome, but also is a good place to include where/how you obtained the set, and some small trivia about the set or its significance. Examples of significant trivia to include:
  • If the set is the largest of the particular wave/theme
  • If the set is the smallest of the particular wave/theme
  • If the set has any significance as a product, i.e. is it a CUUSOO set, or was it a limited release, and what for.
• In a list, give the general information for the set. This should include:
  • Set number and name
  • Theme
  • Piece count
  • Minifigures
  • Price
  • Link to Brickipedia article
  • Link to Brickset article
• An overview of the set's box or packaging
• An overview of the set's inner contents directly after opening, such as stray pieces, bags, tires, instructions, pamphlets, etc.
• An overview of the instruction booklet
• An overview of the minifigures. This should include front and back photographs with gear (armour, hats, etc), and front and back photographs with no accessories whatsoever.
• A walkthrough of the build, generally after any significant milestones in the building of the set, such as "After finishing bag 1". In some very small sets, this is often unnecessary.
• An overview of the finished model, showing any significant details, anything you noticed during building, etc.
• A demonstration of any play features, such as boulders, flick-fire missiles, etc.
• A conclusion. This is a very important part that tells the outcome of the set, and your final opinion of it. This section should include the following:
  • A description of your final thoughts of the set, what you think about it, and what you would/would not recommend about it.
  • Rate the build and design of the set. Was it a fun, complex or simple build, and how was the final product?
  • Minifigures. (Are the minifigures that come in the set good?
  • Parts. Does the set contain good pieces? Is the variety good?
  • Price. Is this set good for the price it's sold for? This should be based on retail price, not whatever price you got it for.
  • Overall score. Add all of the other scores together.

Photographs

• All photographs should be high resolution
• Be sure to crop photos to a reasonable margin
• Photographs should have a simple background. A white piece of melamine wood, or even a white bed sheet is good to do this.
• All photographs should be taken in a well-lit area
  • If you don't have a photo setup, going outside to take the photos provides good, natural light
  • If you can't get a bright area, you can use a program like Photoshop or GIMP to increase the brightness of the photograph.
• When photographing a model, try to take photos of every important angle, a photograph of the set in its entirety, and photographs of any important features.
• When photographing minifigures, take photos from a direct angle for front and back photos.
  • Remember that if the minifigure has headgear or armour, also take pictures with that gear removed.
• Photographs should not be taken from another site, except LEGO.com