Latest impact of other themes on historic themes

[MAB]

They might restirct the number of Castle style sets too. The impression I got when reading the rules is that they nake the ultimate choice what gets to the crowd funding stage. No doubt they try to pick a range of set styles in each round.  

[KristinnK]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:51 AM, MAB said:

It is because producing boxes and picking and packing sets on demand is very expensive. I believe most of the parts were available through PAB online. You can order the set that way, without the box. But doing it on demand like that will cost much more.

That's not a good explanation. It's not like TLG first produced 10,000 Castle in the Forest sets and then had people compete in a mad first-to-click-the-order-button competition. No. They first had people do the online madness, and then produced the sets. So the number of orders was completely arbitrary.

All that is to say that TLG could just as well have collected order for lets say a week or two, and then set the production run for a number of sets equal to the number orders, regardless of if that would have been 10 thousand, 20 thousand or 100 thousand.

[Lyichir]

19 minutes ago, KristinnK said:

That's not a good explanation. It's not like TLG first produced 10,000 Castle in the Forest sets and then had people compete in a mad first-to-click-the-order-button competition. No. They first had people do the online madness, and then produced the sets. So the number of orders was completely arbitrary.

All that is to say that TLG could just as well have collected order for lets say a week or two, and then set the production run for a number of sets equal to the number orders, regardless of if that would have been 10 thousand, 20 thousand or 100 thousand.

I feel like this misunderstands how Lego operates a bit—they don't just have infinite production capacity available for something new and experimental like this. Lego's factories are run at pretty much maximum capacity and the amount of production any given theme is allocated is highly regulated based on expected demand. Lego couldn't just shove other, more widely produced and distributed themes and sets that had been scheduled for production for months aside if the demand for this ran well in excess of expectations. Having to slot excess production into an already packed schedule would require massive, unacceptable delays in the fulfillment of orders.

Because of how popular the previous iterations of the Bricklink Designer program have been, there's a good chance that the next "phase" of it will have the order limit increased to help compensate for it. But that will have to have been a decision made well in advance of the opening of orders, not a decision made on the fly if it turns out to sell out too quickly again.

[MAB]

On 12/20/2022 at 11:37 PM, KristinnK said:

That's not a good explanation. It's not like TLG first produced 10,000 Castle in the Forest sets and then had people compete in a mad first-to-click-the-order-button competition. No. They first had people do the online madness, and then produced the sets. So the number of orders was completely arbitrary.

All that is to say that TLG could just as well have collected order for lets say a week or two, and then set the production run for a number of sets equal to the number orders, regardless of if that would have been 10 thousand, 20 thousand or 100 thousand.

That is not how it worked. They set a limit of how many sets they would produce. The plan was to stick to that limit. They screwed up and took too many orders so had to increase the planned number to produce. Producing more BDP sets than planned bumps something else further down the list. Not knowing how many to produce when taking orders means less control over future production planning.

They are doing a new iteration, but again restricting the number of sets that can be funded. Doing this "leaves money on the table" in the sense that why restrict to five sets, when 55 could get large enough numbers of orders to produce. But of course, if they produce 55 sets through this program, that is production capacity - and probably sales - taken away from their other products. It is also necessary to pay designers outside of the company rather than already hired employees.

And if you actually read what I was replying to, you will see that the BDP was being compared to PAB orders. That is, people could buy at any time, and LEGO couldindividually hand pick the set. That would lead to much higher prices. They did try something similar about 20 odd years ago. It failed even when demand was low, now popularity of LEGO has grown, they wouldn't be able to cope with personalised orders for the same selection of parts. Automation will be more efficient than PAB style hand picking. But even automation has to be planned. 

[MKJoshA]

9 hours ago, MAB said:

That is not how it worked. They set a limit of how many sets they would produce. The plan was to stick to that limit. They screwed up and took too many orders so had to increase the planned number to produce. Producing more BDP sets than planned bumps something else further down the list. Not knowing how many to produce when taking orders means less control over future production planning.

They are doing a new iteration, but again restricting the number of sets that can be funded. Doing this "leaves money on the table" in the sense that why restrict to five sets, when 55 could get large enough numbers of orders to produce. But of course, if they produce 55 sets through this program, that is production capacity - and probably sales - taken away from their other products. It is also necessary to pay designers outside of the company rather than already hired employees.

And if you actually read what I was replying to, you will see that the BDP was being compared to PAB orders. That is, people could buy at any time, and LEGO couldindividually hand pick the set. That would lead to much higher prices. They did try something similar about 20 odd years ago. It failed even when demand was low, now popularity of LEGO has grown, they wouldn't be able to cope with personalised orders for the same selection of parts. Automation will be more efficient than PAB style hand picking. But even automation has to be planned. 

Do you know this for sure? Seems like Lego waited to produce anything for the BDP until after orders were placed. If that's true then KristinnK's point holds.

[Lyichir]

26 minutes ago, MKJoshA said:

Do you know this for sure? Seems like Lego waited to produce anything for the BDP until after orders were placed. If that's true then KristinnK's point holds.

Whether or not production itself preceded the orders doesn't invalidate the point that a limited production window would still have to be scheduled in advance, so as not to disrupt the already packed and micro-managed production schedule for other sets and themes. When I went on a factory tour several years ago they discussed this, and I believe I've seen it discussed by designers of other limited edition or exclusive items (since those teams have much less sway when it comes to jockeying for limited time on a packed production line).

Again, though, even if there are limits that's not to say the limits themselves can't change in the future. The Lego Ideas program itself was once much smaller and more niche than it is now, with more limited initial production numbers. If this program proves that it can consistently hit its allocated limits faster than expected, those limits have a decent chance of being raised in the future.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Lyichir

[jodawill]

The Bricklink designer program doesn't appeal to me for two reasons. First, they're really just selling people's MOCs. A lot of MOCs look great but don't stand up to Lego's design standards in terms of things like stability and ease of building. The other thing is that I mainly buy sets for the parts, and a set based 100% on parts that are already in production doesn't appeal to me unless it's just simply a good deal. For instance, if I saw a set on clearance that's a good parts pack, I'd buy it even if I'm not very interested in the set.

It's kind of strange that they have two programs that are kind of competing with each other -- Bricklink designer program and Lego Ideas. I love the idea of fan submitted ideas, and I think Lego Ideas gets it right because they do have professionals redesign the models and they even produce brand new parts for them. I wish we could get more historical sets through Ideas, but I think the general format of the program is a good one. It's not clear to me what advantage the Bricklink program has over Ideas. I only see downsides: limited part availability, substandard designs, limited production runs, higher prices, etc.

Is there something I'm missing? Why do they still have two separate programs?

[MKJoshA]

22 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Whether or not production itself preceded the orders doesn't invalidate the point that a limited production window would still have to be scheduled in advance, so as not to disrupt the already packed and micro-managed production schedule for other sets and themes. When I went on a factory tour several years ago they discussed this, and I believe I've seen it discussed by designers of other limited edition or exclusive items (since those teams have much less sway when it comes to jockeying for limited time on a packed production line).

Again, though, even if there are limits that's not to say the limits themselves can't change in the future. The Lego Ideas program itself was once much smaller and more niche than it is now, with more limited initial production numbers. If this program proves that it can consistently hit its allocated limits faster than expected, those limits have a decent chance of being raised in the future.

That makes sense. I stand corrected!

[Canticleer blues]

On 12/22/2022 at 3:08 PM, jodawill said:

The Bricklink designer program doesn't appeal to me for two reasons. First, they're really just selling people's MOCs. A lot of MOCs look great but don't stand up to Lego's design standards in terms of things like stability and ease of building. The other thing is that I mainly buy sets for the parts, and a set based 100% on parts that are already in production doesn't appeal to me unless it's just simply a good deal. For instance, if I saw a set on clearance that's a good parts pack, I'd buy it even if I'm not very interested in the set.

It's kind of strange that they have two programs that are kind of competing with each other -- Bricklink designer program and Lego Ideas. I love the idea of fan submitted ideas, and I think Lego Ideas gets it right because they do have professionals redesign the models and they even produce brand new parts for them. I wish we could get more historical sets through Ideas, but I think the general format of the program is a good one. It's not clear to me what advantage the Bricklink program has over Ideas. I only see downsides: limited part availability, substandard designs, limited production runs, higher prices, etc.

Is there something I'm missing? Why do they still have two separate programs?

My understanding is that, at present, the Bricklink designer program acts as a sort of catch-all to produce projects that could have gotten through on ideas but didn't, and also as a sort of low-end alternative for fans to get models officially distributed that can't be done on the ideas site. They sort of act in tandem, serving two related areas.

Otherwise, it's likely just that Lego wants to drive fan engagement as much as possible, and the designer program can reach a group that ideas doesn't.

To try and stay on topic- I agree that the new Monkie Kid multipack bag seems like it has a lot of elements that would be great for decorations. Would be great to see 'em adorning a fancy throne room or treasury for sure.

[MAB]

On 12/22/2022 at 5:21 PM, MKJoshA said:

Do you know this for sure? Seems like Lego waited to produce anything for the BDP until after orders were placed. If that's true then KristinnK's point holds.

They didn't produce them before the orders were taken and nowhere did i say they did. It was crowd funding - they didnt know which ones were going to be funded. They originally decided five sets would be produced, limited to 5000 units per set. Presumably they plan a period of production when the five chosen sets would be produced, and they'd know how long the packaging / production process would take as they limited the numbers.

[Roebuck]

Is reddish brown crossbow new? Comes in a Avatar set and are listed as new on Brickset, do not mean much if it just got a new number

[ShoelaceAglet]

I wondered that as well, saw that bow as well as new Avatar/ballista version

[Classic_Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Roebuck said:

Is reddish brown crossbow new? Comes in a Avatar set and are listed as new on Brickset, do not mean much if it just got a new number

48 minutes ago, ShoelaceAglet said:

I wondered that as well, saw that bow as well as new Avatar/ballista version

It probably just got renumbered, or there was some very slight design change (I cannot see any difference between it and the old crossbow). 
 

[TeriXeri]

Look, LEGO suggests a truly Classic Castle here (with some modern colors but still) :

Classic theme 11030: Lots of Bricks

I quite like how it mimics the 3-in-1 Creator Castle silhouette, even a water wheel.

Of course this is a bit of a non-serious post, but I still like this "Castle" (and the 2d yellow castle on the left page)

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by TeriXeri

[Triceron]

I recently got the Wolf guy.  Tried to fit his parts into my current displays.  I think the tail really adds some personality to my Fright Knight Werewolf trooper.  I'm trying to use the headpiece as a Wolfpelt helm for my Wolfpack leader.  I'm not entirely sold on the cartoony look and the lighter blue shade of the gray, but it might grow on me.

[unclejeffie]

Looks like the a frame cabin would ve a very good set for parts.

[SirBlake]

12 hours ago, unclejeffie said:

Looks like the a frame cabin would ve a very good set for parts.

Indeed it does. Tree bits, lots of brown tiles. Good call. 
 

Wait, is that foundation made of Thor’s hammers?

[unclejeffie]

8 hours ago, SirBlake said:

Indeed it does. Tree bits, lots of brown tiles. Good call. 
 

Wait, is that foundation made of Thor’s hammers?

Yup

[Aanchir]

13 hours ago, SirBlake said:

Indeed it does. Tree bits, lots of brown tiles. Good call. 

Lots of great nature/landscaping elements for forest settings as well!

• Lots of 1x1 leaf plates newly recolored in Bright Red! Also plenty in relatively recent/uncommon colors like Earth Green and Olive Green, as well as more common colors like Bright Orange, Bright Yellow, and Warm Gold.
• 3x4 limb elements in Sand Green (only in one other set so far) and Dark Orange (only in six previous sets, mostly Friends and Ninjago).
• 5x7 limb elements in Sand Green (only in one other set so far), as well as the more common Flame Yellowish Orange and Dark Red.
• Sand Green droid heads/mushroom caps (only in one previous set).
• Olive Green plant stems with three leaves (still relatively uncommon, though it looks like this set only has two or three of them, so these are more of a bonus than a purchase incentive on their own).
• Several Reddish Brown 1x1 and 2x2 round tiles with printed log/stump patterns.
• Flame Yellowish Orange butterfly/moth pieces with a brand-new emperor moth print, as well as Cool Yellow ones with the new butterfly print from 80110.
• A few other printed forest animals such as an otter, a squirrel, and two colors of songbird.

It's definitely gonna be a great parts pack for all sorts of builders, historic builders included. I'm eager to see reviews when they show up to find out about any other fun details that aren't as obvious in the official pics and videos so far!

[danth]

Hearing rumors of a Viking Village set in October.

[Lyichir]

6 minutes ago, danth said:

Hearing rumors of a Viking Village set in October.

Presumably the one based on the Target fan vote? Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

[unclejeffie]

Indeed, also rumors the ship is being discontinued at the end of this year

[Aanchir]

21 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Presumably the one based on the Target fan vote? Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Just took a look at the fan design out of curiosity for an idea of what we might expect. It's a really nice build, with lots of detail and playable spaces, but all on one reasonably compact foundation, so it should fit on a shelf without too much hassle. The colors are great — mottled, but still organized well enough that you can tell what's what — a big improvement over the more haphazard use of browns and tans in BrickHammer's earlier proposal.

The old dragon-inspired chanfrons will probably have to change since they are a retired mold, and even if LEGO had the budget to bring them back, I think their incompatibility with the current horse mold would discourage them from doing so. But LEGO has demonstrated time and time again that they are capable of making nice brick-built dragon head ornamentation. And the rest of the build seems largely up to "official set" standards.

That's not to say there's no room for improvement — for instance, some of the more cramped areas like the market stall or blacksmith shop could maybe do with some updates to make it easier to reach in and insert/remove minifigures and accessories. But there certainly aren't a whole lot of details like long-retired molds/colors or extremely flimsy building techniques that would blatantly need to be replaced in the final set.

After the great job designers have done on other recent Ideas sets like the Blacksmith and A-Frame House, I'm definitely eager to see how this one turns out in the end!

Edited January 15, 2023 by Aanchir

[TeriXeri]

Another themed Classic set appeared 

11033: Creative Fantasy Universe

Most interesting parts perhaps for AFOL are the regular bricks in Transparent Opal.

Edited February 1, 2023 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, TeriXeri said:

Another themed Classic set appeared 

11033: Creative Fantasy Universe

Most interesting parts perhaps for AFOL are the regular bricks in Transparent Opal.

Good spotting! In the official images I can see 2x2 bricks, 2x4 bricks, 1x1 round bricks, and 1x1 round plates in that color. The first two are brand-new while the round plates and bricks are relatively uncommon.

It's also the first set I've seen with the 2x4x3 half-cone (38317) in Bright Blue, or the old elephant trunk/tail (28959) in Reddish Brown.

The set also seems to have a LOT more useful minifig accessories like swords, spears, (unprinted) shields, fish, gems, gold ingots, goblets, forks, cleavers, mallets, old-school magic wands, bones, etc. than a typical Classic set (even a cauldron, which has been a relatively rare part in recent years).

For that matter, I see a lot of Reddish Brown parts like arches, window frames, 1x2 scroll bricks, and 1x2 palisade bricks that could be useful for trees and buildings alike, plus white 1x2 palisade bricks and 1x2 masonry bricks. Also several colors of frog!

Of course, at such a high price ($90/£80/90€), it's probably not a great value as a parts pack unless you're also interested in the multicolored basic bricks and cartoon eye/mouth pieces that make up a far greater share of the set's inventory. But I'm sure some people might make good use of it, and in the very least it might help drive the aftermarket price of some of these parts down.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Aanchir