Vorkosigan Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 So while rebuilding LEGO train 4559 I found a mini catalog in the bottom of the box. I'm guessing I got this set around christmas of 96 or 97. Looking through the catalog I was amazed at some of the great themes back then. While 96-97 is probably not considered the golden age by most, it had Divers, Aquazone, Western, Forestmen and generally some awesome sets. Lets take a trip down memory lane... Ok now Robo Force is probably not one of the most revered themes, actually none of the 97 space sets are BUT they did have 3 non-licensed themes, something to be envied. I do like the colors on these sets and the figs. Exploriens is another so-so theme IMHO. UFO I actually rather like, especially 6915. The alien figures quite look like the Predator which I enjoyed then and now. Fright Knights, an interesting spin on Castle. Again some nice figs, I was really into the dragons at the time. Forestmen, now we're talking. Also a nice 90s style castle although I think this heraldry is even more "<insert that tiresome argument>" than the decried 2013 version of the lions. Now we're getting to the really good stuff as in my opinion. Wild West was a truly great theme that was far too short lived. Although the old west is not really a top time period for me these sets were just so good: amazing new pieces, great figures, a nice civilian town, and all around great builds. Fort Legoredo is one of very few sets I kept stored its original box since I was a kid. The Native Americans theme was also quite good with some great figures. I love the stump piece that was used in some of these and almost nowhere else, and the great printed horses. Here is another big one for me, Aquazone. I love undersea sets and Aquanauts and Aquasharks were both great. Those octagonal pieces are so cool, as well as the chrome crystals and weapons and the minifig armor. Aquaraiders was not as good with odd looking builds except 2160. I do quite enjoy the trans green hook hands though. Ok here is one theme that really does nothing for me, Time Twisters and Cruisers both look so slapped together and ugly. Some decent pirate sets from this time as well. Ok, possibly my favorite of this year. Divers is another really stupendous theme. I love both the concept and the execution. The subs, the undersea environments, the great snorkel face mask piece (even though it doesn't really match with having a scuba tank). Manta rays and dolphins! Those panels with the porthole windows! Can't wait to see what the new Explore under sea theme looks like, hopefully it lives up to Divers. Outback is another great little short lived sub-theme. I still have the plane from 6444 put together. Some nice city sets although the construction stuff looks too simplistic. I like 6553 news crew. Boats that really float! I don't know why this was very exciting as a kid but it was. I wasn't big into technic at this time but the submarine is pretty awesome, and it has pneumatics. I have a few of these technic figures and I think its a shame they didn't catch on. Obviously it does limit the scale which can be bad, but they are very posable good looking figures. That's all folks, interested to see what others thought about this year. Quote
Orange Leader Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I loved the Aquazone, Western and Divers theme back then. Exploriens was 'okay', I only got the mini station; 6899. About 8 years ago, I bought some Aquaraiders set since they never came out in Europe. I was really dissapointed what they did with Fright Knights dispite the darker castle theme; too bulky <insert that tiresome argument>. Pirates was dissapointing as well, but I loved the volcano: 6248. Such a nice and chaotic play feature. Quote
Peppermint_M Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Oh, the 96/97 period was a good year for me and LEGO, there are three little sets I had in that catalogue. Plus a few not in there. I remember the single sheet types that came in the boxes I had. Also the few places that sold LEGO year 'round would have catalogues I took home to look at. Some aspects of life were so lovely before the wide spread internet use. (But I do love the internet!) Quote
lightningtiger Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Sadly 96/97 saw the town theme head in a direction of juniorisation and took another ten years to recover. Of that era I would of loved building the wild west theme.....who knows one day Lego might again ride off into the sunset. Quote
mpfirnhaber Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I just bought a bunch of Classic Space sets on eBay and the seller threw in a pile of catalogs from 1981-1983 period. I had a great time flipping through them :) Quote
ReplicaOfLife Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 The 6195 Neptunbe Discovery Lab was the last set that I really would have loved to have as a kid, back in 1995. I spent hours looking at the pictures. Always fels it looked like a space station put under water, which I loved as the space stations of the years before did nothing for me (some themes didn't even have any). I propably would've liked the big Explorien station, but by then I had fallen into my dark ages, so I never saw that as a kid. Quote
Ogre Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 I have that train box in my basement right now, with the train built inside of it! LOL I spent WAY too much money on LEGO around that time and have a pile of the sets from that catalogue...but not that awesome underwater lab set from 'Divers'. Many regrets about not snagging that one. So many great pieces and it just looked soooo cool. I really miss the catalogues and I wish LEGO would bring those back, along with PROPER 'Idea books' like they used to have. Quote
Vorkosigan Posted January 25, 2015 Author Posted January 25, 2015 I spent WAY too much money on LEGO around that time and have a pile of the sets from that catalogue...but not that awesome underwater lab set from 'Divers'. Many regrets about not snagging that one. So many great pieces and it just looked soooo cool. I have thought about picking that one up recently, and sealed copies have sold for under $100 on ebay in the US. Quote
Robert8 Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 Oh my God.... I love U.F.O., the best Space theme IMO. The sets were so well made and the aliens were pretty menacing, especially Alpha Draconis, one of my favorite minifigures ever. I loved Fright Knights and Divers and Pirates and Castle... and almost everything in that catalog LEGO golden years, for sure! Thanks for posting this! Quote
incomplet Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Wow i had one of these catalogs but it must've been thrown away; i remember my little brother got a divers set. lucky guy Quote
Lankygit Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I recently found a few copies on the 2000/2001 catalogue, which I still consider to be fairly recent ;) But wow do the sets look 'vintage' already. Thanks for sharing. I did even know about the Wild West sets. Quote
alanyuppie Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) In my youth, LEGO catalogues (1989-1996) and Archie's double digest were my favorite toilet reads. Due to their fragility + harsh treatment , many ended up mildly mangled and when my nephews were born... these catalogues were passed on to them and most probably are now torn beyond repair. I still keep my Archie's double digests in case I need to take a dump in my parents house again . Edited January 30, 2015 by alanyuppie Quote
Hive Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks for sharing the catalogue, it's a nice find. There are, of course, a few nice sets here and there - but generally, I consider this a terrible time to be a LEGO collector. The sets and themes are generally (with a few exceptions, of course) of rather poor quality compared to the times that came before and after this period. And I'll claim that those of you who calls this a great period of LEGO only due so due to nostalgia, because you grew up with it. Quote
Sven F Posted January 31, 2015 Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) I agree, though the next 2 years were even worse. I have about 10 sets from that catalogue, including that train and its just at that time they started with the painted on headlights on cars, and just oversimplifacing designs, it was especially bad for the city theme. I stopped buying lego completely after that year, and it took me 16 years to get back to lego. Edited January 31, 2015 by Sven F Quote
Artifex Posted January 31, 2015 Posted January 31, 2015 Thanks fr sharing! I love old catalogs. They are such a sweet trip down the memory lane! Quote
Captain Fortune Posted October 29, 2016 Posted October 29, 2016 1997 was a bad year for Lego, but in Europe was considerably worse. In America you got new sets and themes that made that year not bad at all: - Roboforce - Black Forestmen (from 1996) - New pirate sets, not very good but necessary (figs, parts, etc) - Outback To me, these adds made your year much better than ours, wich was a empty and a letdown. Quote
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