Most hated LEGO sets?

[xboxtravis7992]

To find "the most hated set" I think it has to be a set with obviously general hatred. For example, while themes such as Bionicle, Nexo Knights, and what not have got criticism from a lot of AFOL's; there are also a lot of AFOL's who would defend them with a passion (I'd do it for Bionicle since the theme was a HUGE part of my Lego experience as a kid, not saying that all the sets were perfect; but it had plenty of its moments).

However some themes/sets are criticized universally, such as Galidor, Clickits, Znaps, and Iron Man vs. the Flaming Golf Cart. Were the criticism is universal, I think we have a good contender for the "most hated." Just because a few FOL's dislike a theme doesn't qualify it for being "the worst" but if the hatred is universal it is a pretty clear indicator.

I think reading the reviews on Eurobricks and Brickset should give an idea about the worst sets too. FBTB would be another good place to read because its reviewers are a lot more critical than the rest of the Lego community. Brickset's ability to search for ratings would be useful to find "one star sets. "

[davee123]

I think reading the reviews on Eurobricks and Brickset should give an idea about the worst sets too. FBTB would be another good place to read because its reviewers are a lot more critical than the rest of the Lego community. Brickset's ability to search for ratings would be useful to find "one star sets. "

Ye Olde LUGNETe database actually had some of the best information for ranking-- or, rather, the most amount of user input. Only problem is that it's really only most relevant for sets between 1998-2005, when LUGNET was king. People provide feedback for sets that they buy when they buy them. They rarely go back and rate stuff that they got a long time ago (particularly if it's forgettable). In that respect, whatever source you go after will probably put a lot heavier weight on the timeframe during which that site was popular.

Here's LUGNET's list of "lowest ranked sets":

http://guide.lugnet....ay&sort=Rating+

#1   4.23   110 / 26  19  17  0  0  0  0  8324 Euripides
#2   5	  100    / 20  18  16  0  0  0  0  8310 Nick
#3   7.33   110    / 15  21  14  0  0  1  1  4621 Jack Stone Red Flash Station
#4   9.09   100    / 11  17  16  0  0  3  3  4610 Res-Q Super Station
#5   9.41   160    / 17  21  14  0  0  0  0  8314 Gorm Deluxe
#6   11.33  170    / 15  36  29  0  0  1  1  4603 Res-Q Wrecker
#7   11.82  130    / 11  14  11  0     0  1  1  8315 TDN Module
#8   12	 240    / 20  32  27  0  0  2  2  4608 Bank Breakout
#9   12.38  260    / 21  15  13  0  0  0  0  8313 Nick Deluxe
#10  12.4   310 / 25  28  23  0  0  1  1  4567 Surfer

That's 5/10 Galidor sets, 4/10 Jack Stone, and 1/10 Racers.

DaveE

Edited February 25, 2016 by davee123

[Artanis I]

We ought to keep in mind that AFOLs can view a theme in very poor light, but kids love it. I would say that this should be mostly about sets/themes that don't fit that.

Ok, so, a lot of more modern things here. I'll add some from back in the early days of the LEGO community (RTL):

- People didn't like Time Cruisers at all. They hated Timmy with a passion. Seriously, HATED. They thought the theme was a ludicrous mashup of leftover parts, and really disliked the googly-eyed Timmy and Professor Cyber.

- I don't recall a lot of discussion on Paradisa, but people generally didn't like the pink-tones of the theme (or Belville for that matter)

- Fright Knights were viewed as pretty silly, and got a lot of negative reviews. The Bat Lord got a lot of flak for his "Bat-on-a-Stick" wand.

- Both UFO and later Insectoids were seen as over-the-top junk. They probably weren't panned quite as badly as other things, but everyone more-or-less simply agreed that they didn't like the subthemes.

- Juniorization starting in 1997 with "Town Jr" was also LOATHED. Train/Town collectors couldn't stand the "one-piece" cars and such.

- Scala was widely disliked, although I don't recall it generating a ton of discussion.

- Oddly enough, the 1998 Ninja line was widely viewed as being <insert that tiresome argument>, although I never thought so personally. Rather mixed reaction by many-- and lots of people didn't like that Ninja seemed to be replacing European-style castle themed sets.

- Remember Znap? Yeah, there's a reason. People didn't like it (even though it was partially compatible with System bricks), but ended up getting some great deals on the LEGO motors which were included in some of the heavily discounted sets.

- Rock Raiders was initially regarded as a bizarre color theme, and disliked (though liked by some). I would put it on par with Nexo Knights initially. ... But when the sets started coming out, the high juniorization factor also was reviled by many, and it was more generally disliked once people built the sets.

- Alpha Team got a bit of negative reaction, but mostly simply disliked without much comment, as I recall.

DaveE

I absolutely agree on all of those I ever saw, especially Time Cruisers and any other slapped together mocbarf themes. But I didn't mind the Paradisa pink, just that it was girly and not for me.

Ye Olde LUGNETe database actually had some of the best information for ranking-- or, rather, the most amount of user input. Only problem is that it's really only most relevant for sets between 1998-2005, when LUGNET was king. People provide feedback for sets that they buy when they buy them. They rarely go back and rate stuff that they got a long time ago (particularly if it's forgettable). In that respect, whatever source you go after will probably put a lot heavier weight on the timeframe during which that site was popular.

Here's LUGNET's list of "lowest ranked sets":

http://guide.lugnet....ay&sort=Rating

#1 4.23 110 / 26 19 17 0 0 0 0 8324 Euripides
#2 5	 100 / 20 18 16 0 0 0 0 8310 Nick
#3 7.33 110 / 15 21 14 0 0 1 1 4621 Jack Stone Red Flash Station
#4 9.09 100 / 11 17 16 0 0 3 3 4610 Res-Q Super Station
#5 9.41 160 / 17 21 14 0 0 0 0 8314 Gorm Deluxe
#6 11.33 170 / 15 36 29 0 0 1 1 4603 Res-Q Wrecker
#7 11.82 130 / 11 14 11 0 0 1 1 8315 TDN Module
#8 12	 240 / 20 32 27 0 0 2 2 4608 Bank Breakout
#9 12.38 260 / 21 15 13 0 0 0 0 8313 Nick Deluxe
#10 12.4 310 / 25 28 23 0 0 1 1 4567 Surfer

That's 5/10 Galidor sets, 4/10 Jack Stone, and 1/10 Racers.

DaveE

All of which was while I was not buying or paying attention to new sets (purchasing dark-age), so I have no idea on what any of that stuff looks like! Thank God, because I've browsed releases from that period and not been very keen on what I saw.

[xboxtravis7992]

All of which was while I was not buying or paying attention to new sets (purchasing dark-age), so I have no idea on what any of that stuff looks like! Thank God, because I've browsed releases from that period and not been very keen on what I saw.

That was the era I was still a KFOL; so I own several of the Galidor sets from that time frame (three of which are mentioned on the LUGnet list as the worst!). I've reviewed a few Galidor sets on Brickset here: http://brickset.com/...2/theme-Galidor I am kind of forgiving on them, because I am bemused that as a kid I had my parents get me what are considered the worst Lego sets of all time! :P

Edited February 26, 2016 by xboxtravis7992

[davee123]

what are considered the worst Lego sets of all time! :P

I honestly never really think of them as "LEGO sets", as much as "LEGO products"-- kinda like ZNAP, or Scala. But LEGO also put out things like children's clothes, which, while it's made by LEGO, wasn't supposed to have anything to do with the plastic bricks.

In that regard, what we typically think of as "LEGO sets" are LEGO System sets. Not Clikits, not Modulex, not the wooden toys from the 40s, not ZNAP or Galidor. We sort of tend to put those things off to the side without considering them.

So, Galidor? I mean, as far as a product goes, yeah, it was kinda junk. But if you're compiling a list of poor LEGO sets, I sorta feel like it's ineligible.

DaveE

[Actor Builder]

How about those watches that come with a sized-down one piece minifigure?

Those are super lame.

[gundamz]

Hey y'all, I'm doing research for a video on the most hated LEGO sets. I've been thinking about it, and only really recent examples came to mind, like the Hoth Attack/Assualt on Hoth sets, and last year's Winter Village set.

I'm not talking about the sets that you personally dislike the most, but rather the sets that the LEGO community as a whole dislikes the most. Ones that have garnered controversy across multiple LEGO fan sites. Any other examples?

Why didn't people like Winter Village? IIRC, people didn't like Hoth because it was too small and too disjointed, but I thought that Winter Village was considered a decent set, no?

[davee123]

Why didn't people like Winter Village?

Well, they DID like it when it came out in 2009. And for the next 5 years in a row, we kept getting new Winter Village sets, which was awesome! But then rather than give us a new set in 2015, they just recycled the one from 2009, so people were annoyed that they didn't get a new set. But the set itself is still pretty good!

DaveE

[Legocity2713]

How about those watches that come with a sized-down one piece minifigure?

Those are super lame.

I. CAN'T. STAND. THOSE. !!!

But yeah, those are pretty awful. The ones with the actual figures are kind of cool though.

[Jared]

Anything from Galidor.

Yo why you gotta dis galidor man? ;)

Comic Con Exclusives.

DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!

I quadra-infinitieth that.

This is actually a really interesting discussion as it's really difficult to come up with sets pre-2008ish and beyond, because lego was only starting to gain popularity. Before the internet, a lot of communication it seems was just what you and your friends thought. Plus as a kid (at least for me) you NEVER complained if you got lego, you were just happy to get it!

That being said, anything from the 2010 first wave of hero factory. Interestingly enough, this is also around the time I had a job and was starting to by my own lego rather than begging my parents and hoping my birthday would come soon. I think it's safe to say many people disliked it. Though to be fair many of them were pro-bioniclists, that probably left the hobby by the end of the year, while everyone else mellowed out and bought a few.

Great discussion, hope you get a good video out of this!

[davee123]

it's really difficult to come up with sets pre-2008ish and beyond, because lego was only starting to gain popularity. Before the internet, a lot of communication it seems was just what you and your friends thought.

Well... I guess if you're young, that's true. But AFOLs have been discussing LEGO online since 1993! I started in 1998, although I've read through a bunch of the history on RTL and ATL from earlier. And you can still view a lot of the history on Google Groups (where the messages are stored), or LUGNET (where the majority of the community was from 1998-2005ish).

DaveE

Edited February 27, 2016 by davee123

[Jared]

Well... I guess if you're young, that's true. But AFOLs have been discussing LEGO online since 1993! I started in 1998, although I've read through a bunch of the history on RTL and ATL from earlier. And you can still view a lot of the history on Google Groups (where the messages are stored), or LUGNET (where the majority of the community was from 1998-2005ish).

DaveE

Haha, don't worry, I've had my fair share of experienced people sit me down and set the record straight lol! I just mean the hobby wasn't as big then as it was now, and conventions were just a few guys renting out some space for a good time... like the first comic cons! ;D

[davee123]

I just mean the hobby wasn't as big then as it was now, and conventions were just a few guys renting out some space for a good time...

Yeah, it definitely wasn't as large at the time-- In 1993-1994, there were only a few hundred AFOLs online at all! By 2000, I'd guess it was more like 10,000 or so (not much good data to say for sure), and it's been getting consistently bigger.

The first convention was essentially BrickFest in 2000, which had 60 people, then 150 in 2001, and 180 in 2002. So, more than 'a few guys', but small by any sort of convention standards!

DaveE

[xboxtravis7992]

Yeah, it definitely wasn't as large at the time-- In 1993-1994, there were only a few hundred AFOLs online at all! By 2000, I'd guess it was more like 10,000 or so (not much good data to say for sure), and it's been getting consistently bigger.

The first convention was essentially BrickFest in 2000, which had 60 people, then 150 in 2001, and 180 in 2002. So, more than 'a few guys', but small by any sort of convention standards!

DaveE

Now AFOL's sneak their way into a lot of places. Next week I am going to the Hostlers Railroad show were the ULUG traditionally has a huge Lego train layout. I'm excited to see it!

[Willsy]

Weren't the Ben 10 sets poorly received as well? I think I can remember that line getting quite a bit of negative reception, and I'm not sure the sets sold well.

[catwrangler]

I had the impression that the last round of Pirates sets got a lot of flak; people seemed to consider them a sort of <insert that tiresome argument> retread of previous glories...

[geezerman402]

Yeah they were retreads, and most of them much smaller than previous pirate sets. But they were all very good sets in their own right.

[BrickJagger]

Forgot one:

[Pedguin]

Anything chima.

[HawkLord]

Forgot one:

Oh, yea - that was the Smaug set from the Hobbit, right? :P

[Artanis I]

Oh, yea - that was the Smaug set from the Hobbit, right? :P

90s version of it, certainly

[catwrangler]

I had the impression that the last round of Pirates sets got a lot of flak; people seemed to consider them a sort of <insert that tiresome argument> retread of previous glories...

Hey, I didn't write the "<insert that tiresome argument>" bit - do moderators edit posts here? What exactly did I say that was wrong? I looked in the Eurobricks FAQ but I can't find anything about mods editing posts to make sarcastic comments... and if you're going to edit a comment, why not sign your edit to make it clear that it's not what the poster originally said?

[Robert8]

Hey, I didn't write the "<insert that tiresome argument>" bit - do moderators edit posts here? What exactly did I say that was wrong? I looked in the Eurobricks FAQ but I can't find anything about mods editing posts to make sarcastic comments... and if you're going to edit a comment, why not sign your edit to make it clear that it's not what the poster originally said?

I recommend you to use the report buttom to bring their attention to it

[catwrangler]

Thanks - I've reported it. :)

[Peppermint_M]

It is a word filter. Sometimes it gets very very very tiresome to hear the same old claptrap trotted out, so to discourage it, the phrase/word is added to the Swear Filter and is automagically swapped for something else.

Yes, it is mostly for naughty words that would offend the innocent. But we staff are human volunteers (So, Dragonator might be a dragon, not entirely 100% on that) and sometimes when we have to keep an eye on threads like this to prevent issues, something grates on the nerves. It is cathartic to remove the word if only for a while.

I'm a conformist!

^{(If anyone recalls that one...)}

Also, my opinion on this one, after years of observation: AFOLs hate anything new and different until something newer and more different arrives and then the other and different thing is awesome. Rose coloured lenses and a nostalgia filter play a big part too.