I am a little more liberal in what I classify as color-vomit. I have yet to see an official set where I would scream. -- color-vomit --

Since my primary interest in LEGO is the building process, not displaying models or MOCs I have decided to try to build with only the parts I have on hand, trying to reduce expenses on Bricklink and because it will not be together long anyway, so color matching does not really matter.

Just MHO, YMMV

Andy D

just to address some of the points raised thus far...i 100% agree about the real issue of dumbing down and not giving children credit for having some inteligence.

in fact, the primary purpose of Lego is an educational toy, Lego is supposed to improve hand/eye co-orrdination and improve mental sharpness and speed....also to stimulate the creative part of the brain.

it does seem in recent years that the building process is being simplified more and more.....however MY point was aimed at AFOL's and the complaint of colour vomit in Technic models, not the wider implications of the coloured axles introduction. as adult fans we have a large slection of spares in many colours....ergo there is no real issue of having colour vomit in a Tehnic model.

I, for one, prefer the simpler construction and like the color vomit. I guess I'm the only one in the world who does.

If I want challenge, I design my own models. For making a stock model, I just want to have causal fun, maybe watch a movie while building and have some beer too. And having 20 same colored parts really doesn't help with that especially that we now have axles in odd lengths so axles would be impossible to tell apart by eye. And I don't want to measure every single axles, that's sure.

The color vomit makes the chassis more exciting to me. I could name a few MOCs that have "proper" gray colors all around the chassis. They are so utterly boring to look at that I honestly don't care what functions it has at all. Color vomit adds another dimension in designing both from the look/feel and challenge point of view (boy, it's hard to come up with nicely color-vomited models...)

I actually like the color vomit too, so we are two . Not because it makes the model easier to build, I think it's fun to challenge myself even when building official sets. I like how it looks and that it makes the chassis more exiting as you said. When I design my own models, I actually try to add a bit of color vomit so the chassis aren't plain grey or black.

Edited July 27, 20168 yr by HallBricks

I would love to see a community-driven color-coding that makes it more easy to 'read' the functional part of a design or a model. A single preferred color for functional modules, such as gearbox or engine, a single preferred color for rigid base structure elements, such as chassis etc.

I have rather limited parts so all my recent cars are light grey, possibly with black areas. With my current build (Rebrick Porsche, very nearly done), I deliberately built as much of the internal stuff in colours that I wouldn't use in the body or I have a lot of (mostly black), and save the light grey beams for the body.

@Richard Dower

The long waited 11l axle now is only available in yellow thanks for the colour coding.

:(

Edited July 26, 20168 yr by LXF

I think that colour within a vehicle chassis makes it more pleasing to look at IMO. The grey Gaz 66 i'm currently building has a mainly black chassis but i have used yellow half bushes wherever i can on the axles. Makes it look a hell of a lot better from underneath

I agree that in general kids shouldn't have problems with assembling a set without lots of colour-coding. But then we have to keep in mind, what lego is competing with: console-games and action figures for a big part, and these things are not really known for being too challenging to get started with. Plug this in, press a button here and you are in the action. Nobody today has to worry anymore about the correct setup for their soundcard, or to get enough memory free.

This doesn't necessarily means kids are dumber today, but convenience has simply taken over. Things have to be more easily accessible in order to be interesting for the majority.

So of course TLG aims to simplify the building process and if you look at how the construction of sets is organzied now, with clear steps, numbered bags, colour coding - it indeed makes building easier and smoother than it was, lets say, in the 80s, but then again, complexity of sets and diversity of parts has increased too. One thing did feedback on the other really.

I find the current system pretty neat, even when the manuals are a just too simple. On some pages there is hardly anything going on and they could really make more complex steps, if it was just for me. But it isn't Its about what the majority wants.

But the colour coding is quite helpful. Pre-assembled elements however are just a no-go.

One argument that I see quite a number have brought up, which goes along the line "but we are AFOLs, and we don't need color coding / axle confusion is not a problem for us".

The following parts can be disturbing to some people.

I really find that argument amusing and to a certain degree, unreasonable.

+ Lego sets have age ranges, but as far as I understand they recommended ranges, not allowed ranges. In other words, there is no strict prohibition or regulation that a set has to be assembled by a person within that age range. Therefore the sets intended for older kids, who you guys may argue that will have little problem distinguishing axles, can still be bought and given to younger kids, who may have trouble distinguishing axles.

+ One of the intended effect of the axle color coding is to reduce burden on customer service. Just because adults can tolerate the challenge, and is willing to disassemble the sets to replace some misplaced axles, some young kids, or older kids, or even adults, don't.

+ Another factor to put into consideration is that, the sets have become more complex and more compact, which leads to more reinforcements and strengthening, which leads to more inconvenience when an axle is misplaced.

I like the color variation (color "vomit" is a loaded/pejorative word, so I avoid that). It makes models easier to discern by picture. See a blue axle-end? Must be axle-pin. See a dark-gray pinend? Must be the new 3L axle pin.Super easy. Much easier than when everything was black or grey. When I make instructions now, I also use yellow and red axles (red 6 and 10, yellow 7 and 11). This helps make it easier to understand what happens in a model, and same-colored axles always differ steps of 4 in length.

As I consider LEGO an art medium, I have accepted certain things as "abstracted away" anyway. Most shapes in Technic are "suggested" anyway, rather than actually there (think windscreens), so a certain level of abstraction has always been in Lego and that's one of the things I like about it. The color coding is of the same level.

And I agree with those who say a everything-fully-black construction is boring to look at and, more importantly, harder to "read" (understand).

I would have loved to see the 5x7 frames in black though. Such a large element in only one color is still a pity, really.

I would have loved to see the 5x7 frames in black though. Such a large element in only one color is still a pity, really.

I agree with that like