Unpopular Opinions about LEGO

[NickLafreniere]

I agree that the past decade has been very un-creative when it comes to kids builds. Kids just want to play with the toy in the picture on the box. Some kids even want their set glued so it doesn't fall apart when playing. If you ask me, that's just crazy.

Kids/teens mainly want Star Wars, Harry Potter, Ninjago, Marvel/DC, and stuff like that that are based on specific characters and locations and vehicles from the movie. 

Most people know that they aren't good at drawing/art, or coming up with LEGO MOCs. They just don't think creatively.

Back in the older days of LEGO, we had original, non-IP LEGO themes that were limitless and not being compared to some TV show or movie. We could decide for ourselves what we liked to build, instead of just following the trend.

[Peppermint_M]

2 minutes ago, Toastie said:

I'm a bucket person though - the sets I got from my parents were mostly small - 4 wide trucks and cars

Same here! The Impulse sized sets of the 90s were what made up most of my New LEGO, a hand-me-down bucket of bricks off a family friend (their son is about ten years older than me) was my supply of parts. I was lucky, there were leftovers from late 70s and 80s sets. Though nothing was complete (he had already sold on the completed sets etc) it was a dream come true to have so many loose bricks.

Of course, now as an adult with hobby money, I have increased my collection to a much much larger amount!

[1974]

Gluing LEGO! I've only seen that twice. Once I got a 8860 with a lot. It had am ugly attempt of a brickbuild body. No sweat, I'll just break that down in parts .. but it was glued

Secondly, I answered an ad locally for a big CS collection. When I got there I was told by the original owner that it was glued as that was the way he prefered to play with LEGO when he was a kid. Yeah, buddy, you might have mentioned that in the ad

[Toastie]

44 minutes ago, 1974 said:

Gluing LEGO!

I "saw" that only once - and recently: For group member birthdays, the group I am apparently heading is collecting some money and then the office of that member is - well - decorated. On my birthday there is usually tons of Haribos (I love that stuff) and - a SW set. This year though there were LEGOs all over the place ... one of my co-workers decided to either trash the LEGOs his son had gotten back then - or simply dump them in my office. Literally, as he did not know how to put them back together. Wow. It was a blast. LEGO all over my place. Mars Mission sets (7690, 7691, 7693, 7695) and the 2006 Tie Interceptor (6206) and the 2006 Xwing (6212) - as I found out later, when re-assembling things I recognized.

Now the point is, parts of 6206 and 6212 were glued. The ones that made him mad, because his son wanted to >play< with them - and they kept falling apart at these critical "joints".

Best
Thorsten

 

[dr_spock]

Milling/cutting/engraving LEGO is fun too. 

[Tube Map Central]

Cut antennae: good for bars and pipe work

Cut base plates: essential when working with tram wheels, give a bogie strength/stability without creating clearance issues

Needed 1x1 bricks with open stud: 1x1 with clip - a useful donor part

4873 bar with open studs perfect for train gate ends, but needed to be eight wide. Two cut parts solves the problem.

Once you kill your first Lego Brick, the rest are easy! How many murdered parts in this view?

http://www.tubemapcentral.com/legodesign/Gate_Stock/Gate_Stock_gateman.JPG

Edited April 27, 2021 by Tube Map Central
Correction

[1974]

Way more than actual LEGO logos

[Peppermint_M]

10 hours ago, dr_spock said:

Milling/cutting/engraving LEGO is fun too. 

Need this for the ol' brick badge 

[1974]

More fun can be had if it was four 1x2 bricks

[Toastie]

11 hours ago, dr_spock said:



Oh nice - I do see a business case here ...

[1974]

Several people can do it. I had some done at a local LUG meeting by one of the modelbuilders in Billund. Steindrucker.com can also do custom engraving and printing

You definitely need a 1x6 brick with "Toastmaster"

[Lego David]

On 4/26/2021 at 1:58 PM, NickLafreniere said:

So many LEGO sets are replicating specific objects, using some specialized pieces, that it may be difficult to make other things. So only some LEGO themes would be suitable to have alternate builds.

Have you ever heard about the term "nice part usage"? That's right, there is no limit to what you can do with LEGO pieces, all it takes is just a little bit of creative thinking outside the box.

Just to give you an example, look at what the builder Jonas Kramm managed to build using a bunch of super specialized pieces, such as a lioness mold, a fantasy castle troll, and those big Star Wars creature legs.

There is no such thing a "useless" LEGO piece, all it takes is just a little bit of creativity. 

[1974]

That's adult MOCing though. Still haven't seen any MOCs with those weird sports handles!

[dr_spock]

LEGO® is more fun with minifigures.

 

3 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

Need this for the ol' brick badge 

I made it for my brick badge.  If you're ever in Toronto, Canada...

2 hours ago, Toastie said:

Oh nice - I do see a business case here ...

Thanks. I do worry turning a hobby into a business could take all the fun out of it. 

 

[Lego David]

1 hour ago, 1974 said:

That's adult MOCing though. Still haven't seen any MOCs with those weird sports handles!

What piece are you specifically referring to? Maybe I can have a look around to see if I can find some MOCs that use it (I do that all the time, lol). 

 

[Toastie]

44 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

I do worry turning a hobby into a business could take all the fun out of it.

Very true!

 

[1974]

7 minutes ago, Lego David said:

What piece are you specifically referring to? Maybe I can have a look around to see if I can find some MOCs that use it (I do that all the time, lol). 

 

bb0128

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=bb0128#T=C

And 30493

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30493#T=C

There are other wierdo parts in that sports category. Not all is useless though as we can see in that nice Castle MOC with the skateboard ramps

Cheers,

Ole

[Lego David]

4 minutes ago, 1974 said:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=bb0128#T=C

And 30493

That is indeed a very strange piece, but by looking at it, I can easily picture it being incorporated in a larger space ship MOC of sorts. 

6 minutes ago, 1974 said:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30493#T=C

This is another one of those gimmicky parts, but I can still see it maybe used as a weapon in a larger Bionicle/Constraction MOC.

Funny enough, now I feel an odd desire to go to Bricklink and purchase those parts and play around with them, and see what I can come up with. 

[MAB]

17 hours ago, NickLafreniere said:

We could decide for ourselves what we liked to build, instead of just following the trend.

You know you still can do this, right?

When I buy LEGO for my kids, I sometimes but them sets, and they tend to stay as sets. But I also buy them parts from BL, typically adding cheap bits whenever I am placing an order anyway. The sets remain and sets and they get played with as sets. The parts get chucked into a box and they get played with as building stock. There is way more creative building with the parts, but there is more role playing play with the sets.

[1974]

16 hours ago, Lego David said:

That is indeed a very strange piece, but by looking at it, I can easily picture it being incorporated in a larger space ship MOC of sorts. 

This is another one of those gimmicky parts, but I can still see it maybe used as a weapon in a larger Bionicle/Constraction MOC.

Funny enough, now I feel an odd desire to go to Bricklink and purchase those parts and play around with them, and see what I can come up with. 

Anything can be a spaceship. I'd love to see some MOCs with these parts, that is MOCs where these aren't just shoved in, but an essential part of the MOC. Like the skate ramp from the the same sports category in that cool Medieval MOC

I'm all for NPU but soem parts are just crap! (not to beconfused with CRAP)

[MAB]

On 1/12/2021 at 8:15 PM, amorti said:

Lego as a company are a-holes. There... I said it.

Lego has entered a European design protection on the 1x5 plate.

https://justbricks.de/news/2021/01/hat-lego-die-1-x-5-plate-als-geschmacksmuster-schuetzen-lassen-5264

While Lego doesn't even use a 1x5 plate, cobi has that and it also makes up part of the logo of alternative brick seller http://www.steingemachtes.de

This just makes the various hostile lawsuits in Germany over minifigures look silly.

1x5 plates are coming in the Vidiyo sets.

 

[1974]

A variation of the 1x5 plate was made by TLG more than two decades ago as a prototype. You can be sure that any combination of brick, plate, slope etc have been done or modelled by TLG years ago

 

[1974]

Also, and this is surely going to be unpopular, TOO DANG MUCH non-LEGO stuff on this site!

I sorta understand the wide circle train tracks and the Buwizz stuff, but the CADA shit - which is a total LEGO ripoff - does not belong here. And i'm quite sure if EB wants to keep their special relationship with TLG they should not allow that stuff

I may be in the minority though. EB could change from "Eurobricks" to "Worldwide Whatever Knock-off Bricks" and I'm sure many would be happy

Cheers,

Ole

[Kit Figsto]

On 4/27/2021 at 6:58 AM, 1974 said:

That's adult MOCing though. Still haven't seen any MOCs with those weird sports handles!

Not as much of a MOC, but when I was a kid, I used to turn the basketball/soccer springy-handle thingies over and use them as STAPs from Star Wars.  The Technic pin would be at the front to be the gun turret.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Kit Figsto

[Toastie]

5 hours ago, 1974 said:

I sorta understand the wide circle train tracks and the Buwizz stuff, but the CADA shit - which is a total LEGO ripoff - does not belong here. And i'm quite sure if EB wants to keep their special relationship with TLG they should not allow that stuff

I may be in the minority though. EB could change from "Eurobricks" to "Worldwide Whatever Knock-off Bricks" and I'm sure many would be happy

Well, Ole, in principle you are entirely right, and I am totally with you. 

However, (how else could it be ...) I like to take a different approach - and very, very carefully doing so, please don't get me wrong.

OK. Just pretend that I am in love with TLG/LEGO's since my brain can differentiate a 2x4 brick from a ... plate: I am.
Then, just pretend that I would like to see TLG as the one and only manufacturer of plastic bricks attaching to each other: I really do.

And then there is reality - hitting hard. With all reality has at its hands.

The thing in such a reality - that is very dangerous - solely in my perception(!) - is to close your eyes - and pretend that this reality is not "happening", or not real. In other words: Don't talk about it here, on EB.

There are two principal routes: Live within the world of TLG. Or: Accept that there are other worlds in reality as well. Not to simply go there and dissolve, but to go there and discuss. Understand. And the main impetus is: Hopefully TLG is reading/recognizing these - feelings and observations - to hopefully >gain< something. To become even better, as they are now.

Too many times in history, promoted by >not< looking at things that are evolving, regardless of being (in many regards) right or wrong (patents do run out, and simply turn into prey), companies drowned into oblivion. Yes, TLG is strong. So were many others.

I for myself just hope that these discussions on "crap" do strengthen TLG.

All the best
Thorsten

Edited April 28, 2021 by Toastie