The shift from creativity to consumer fan base?

[danth]

20 hours ago, MAB said:

It could also apply to unlicensed ideas. We've had a pirates set, a medieval set, a classic space set, we've had a non-Modular Modular in the Fishing Store

I think those are better examples of what IDEAS should be, because someone had to come up with the original concept for those sets. You don't have to do that for a sitcom set. The TV show already did that.

Also I don't think the Exo-Suit and Pirate Bay sets were similar in any way at all so there was no creative repetition there. They're both "Classic Themed" sure but the actual sets are totally different.

The original Fishing Store was great, but I think it kicked off a copy cat frenzy on "ramshackle buildings". Everything was just another ramshackle building in a different context...including the Pirate Bay and the Medieval Blacksmith designs! I think that's why the Lego designers removed most of the "ramshackle" quality on the final designs for both of those sets; they were tired of that look. 

20 hours ago, MAB said:

Would LEGO have really done Curiosity Rover, Saturn V or the ISS by themselves if they had been banned after the first space exploration set, Hayabusa?

I thought the Curiosity and Saturn V were both IDEAS? Regardless, LEGO should just do the NASA style stuff on their own now. IDEAS has been over saturated with it.

20 hours ago, MAB said:

LEGO seems not able to choose what franchises will be popular as sets, as they keep on resorting to IDEAS to know which one to go after next. Although they did get the idea to do Queer Eye by themselves.

Yeah that's the part I don't get. They know people love TV show sets, so can't they just go do the more specific market research on their own now? Like the Queer Eye set.

Edited July 19, 2022 by danth

[Lyichir]

16 minutes ago, danth said:

I think those are better examples of what IDEAS should be, because someone had to come up with the original concept for those sets. You don't have to do that for a sitcom set. The TV show already did that.

I feel like this is a disservice to what it takes to put together a good Ideas proposal. Even for something pre-existing, deciding what is worth including/leaving out, and what level of detail is appropriate, can still be a creative challenge. A TV set doesn't always translate one to one to what would make a good playset or display piece, and even something like figuring out the dimensions and geometry can require a fair bit of research. Then there's factors like changes to a scene in a long-running series—which iteration of the set is most compelling, and how can details from various episodes be combined into the best possible single product? Altogether even if the IP or subject matter isn't something designed by the project creator, their creative input is essential to making a coherent proposal in the first place, let alone one that can garner the level of support necessary to make it to review.

And really, I think the idea of what Ideas "should" be is such a vastly subjective notion that it's meaningless. Ideas isn't meant to be for any one person's tastes, and sometimes the tastes of a longtime Lego fan are the LEAST relevant to the theme's overarching goal of appealing to new audiences with crowdsourced concepts.

[MAB]

55 minutes ago, danth said:

I think those are better examples of what IDEAS should be, because someone had to come up with the original concept for those sets. You don't have to do that for a sitcom set. The TV show already did that.

 

LEGO already came up with the idea of Classic Space / Castle / Pirates and Modulars, etc, and people that submit those ideas aren't coming up with original content any more than someone that builds a MOC based on their favourite TV show and submits that.

59 minutes ago, danth said:

I thought the Curiosity and Saturn V were both IDEAS? Regardless, LEGO should just do the NASA style stuff on their own now. IDEAS has been over saturated with it.

They were through IDEAS.  If they had been banned due to there already being a space set (the satellite) done in IDEAS then I somehow doubt LEGO would have ever made them by themselves. And they both went on to be very popular.

The same with sitcoms, TV, etc. Just because one has been done, it doesn't mean others won't be popular or that LEGO would be able to decide which one to make next by themselves. They apparently need fan input.

[Toastie]

3 hours ago, MAB said:

LEGO already came up with the idea of Classic Space / Castle / Pirates and Modulars, etc, and people that submit those ideas aren't coming up with original content any more than someone that builds a MOC based on their favourite TV show and submits that.

Hmmm. I find this is a bit of a stretch. Because this means black is white, and then we all just disappear in a puff of logic. There is certainly (maybe a subtle) but clearly discernible difference between a modular building and any favorite TV show having a substantial fan base. Not that many (in reality non-existing) LEGO buildings have that.

So far, every conceivable theme with any popularity has been "covered" by TLG - but there is a difference in fidelity, and creativity for sure. I am not the one to judge that, but phrasing it so boldly (has been done, so no creativity - or original content left) was a bit too much for me.

Oh well, what do I know.

Best,
Thorsten

[Toastie]

4 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Ideas isn't meant to be for any one person's tastes, and sometimes the tastes of a longtime Lego fan are the LEAST relevant to the theme's overarching goal of appealing to new audiences with crowdsourced concepts.

However, crowdsourced becomes a bit less of the original meaning, doesn't it? It is only sort-of crowdsourced, when the IDEA goes to BL. But when TLG has their hands on it, it is purely company sourced, with the "hope" (as in carefully exercised SWOT analysis) that money from the new audience, is simply cashing in as revenue.

Don't get me wrong: There is nothing wrong with that! TLG is a corporation. They do this to maximize profit. All is good. Calling it IDEAS is brilliant! I have absolutely no problem with that. It is just the phrasing on their website advertising the IDEAS idea. That's all. All that weird talk. Why is it not: "Hey, want to be part of the community? We'll not only compensate you for your expenses (for getting to the IDEAS submission stage), no, we'll pay you back! The more we sell, the more you get out of it! Your IDEA simply pays off! For us - and for you!"

I'd like this as well. It goes against all LEGO myths and apparent moral guidelines, but it would be honest. And that is what I trust in: Honesty. Won't be my cup of tea, (the approach) but that is really up to each individual out there!

Best,
Thorsten

   

[MaximillianRebo]

7 hours ago, Lyichir said:

I feel like this is a disservice to what it takes to put together a good Ideas proposal. Even for something pre-existing, deciding what is worth including/leaving out, and what level of detail is appropriate, can still be a creative challenge. A TV set doesn't always translate one to one to what would make a good playset or display piece, and even something like figuring out the dimensions and geometry can require a fair bit of research.

I find many MOCs in general tend to focus more on fancy building techniques (e.g. SNOT is superior to stacked plates) and a trend towards bigger=better and less on does the finished product achieve what it set out to do. In The Office set for example there is nothing ground breaking in terms of building technique, but they've managed to fit an impressive amount of detail into the set, especially at that scale, and it's an excellent representation of the source material. As you said, deciding what to leave out, or how to create the impression of detail when scale is a limiting factor, is a challenge in itself, and it's easy to overlook these parts of the creative process as opposed to a multi thousand piece build where space and scale aren't an issue and everything is on display to see.

[MAB]

11 hours ago, Toastie said:

Hmmm. I find this is a bit of a stretch. Because this means black is white, and then we all just disappear in a puff of logic. There is certainly (maybe a subtle) but clearly discernible difference between a modular building and any favorite TV show having a substantial fan base. Not that many (in reality non-existing) LEGO buildings have that.

So far, every conceivable theme with any popularity has been "covered" by TLG - but there is a difference in fidelity, and creativity for sure. I am not the one to judge that, but phrasing it so boldly (has been done, so no creativity - or original content left) was a bit too much for me.

Why is it a stretch? The accusation I was responding to is that there is no creativity in suggesting a model based on a concept that was designed by someone else, with the concept being the characters/location of a sitcom. LEGO came up with the idea of Classic Space/Castle/Pirates, and came up with the standard for Modular buildings. If someone suggests a model that they have designed based on those existing concepts, why is it different to a model that another person designs based on the existing concept of the characters / location of a sitcom that LEGO has not thought of?

If LEGO wants to say that they have done enough sitcoms, TV shows, movies, etc through IDEAS then that is fine, they can ban them from IDEAS (like they already ban repeats of specific themes they have already covered to stop copy-cat designs and add-ons). The fact that they haven't blanket banned the wider "all TV shows" or "all movies" suggests that they still think there are good ideas out that that they have not thought of doing that will continue to appeal to people that already enjoy LEGO and also appeal to people that don't regularly buy LEGO.

There is this idea that sitcoms sell themselves and there is no work necessary to promote them. Yet there are quite a lot of submissions on IDEAS that look like very little effort was made to design the set, and little effort was put into advertising it and they get very few votes.

The important thing is that LEGO maintains a balance between the types of sets. It would be terrible if all they did in IDEAS was sitcoms. But then it would also be terrible if all they did was life sized replicas of objects, or modular style buildings.

[danth]

8 hours ago, MAB said:

Why is it a stretch?

I think we've reach the point where continuing the conversation is pointless.

If you've decided you can't tell the difference between something that came out of the designer's own imagination (the Exo Suit, the Barracuda Bay shipwreck, etc) and something that already exists (the set of the Office, the set of Seinfeld, etc), then there's no meaningful conversation to be had.

[Johnny1360]

I'll start by saying, I don't buy any of those sitcom sets, so obviously not the target audience but isn't saying once a couple get done there isn't any point making any others the same as saying once you build a couple of cars there is no point building other car sets. Since they are all basically the same, 4 wheels, a couple of doors and if your really lucky a motor.

Anyway I am glad sets like the Office get produced, even if only a small minority like the set, even better, as I will pick such sets up at a huge discount at EOL, to feed my ever expanding parts bin, lol.

[TeriXeri]

LEGO City missions sets do show LEGO can still make creative products, I don't 100% agree with an app (instructions) being required to see the base builds , but the app itself is still quite fun for what it offers.

Each bag is also packed in order of the mission so you assemble a couple figures, build the main vehicle and then do some animal rescue or chasing a criminal type of stuff , with some basic suggestions if needed (hidden behind questionmark you need to click )

Things like "boat needs to go faster" , you can add flames, bigger engines, wings etc provided by the set.

Or ways to find the criminal, you can build radars, sonars, or build some mini camera drone from the parts other then the boat.

For AFOL, those sets are likely just parts packs, but I enjoyed trying out the experience.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by TeriXeri

[jodawill]

1 minute ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO City missions sets do show LEGO can still make creative products, I don't 100% agree with an app (instructions) being required to see the base builds , but the app itself is still quite fun for what it offers.

Each bag is also packed in order of the mission so you assemble a couple figures, build the main vehicle and then do some animal rescue or chasing a criminal type of stuff , with some basic suggestions if needed (hidden behind questionmark you need to click )

Things like "boat needs to go faster" , you can add flames, bigger engines, wings etc provided by the set.

Or ways to find the criminal, you can build radars, sonars, or build some mini camera drone from the parts other then the boat.

For AFOL, those sets are likely just parts packs, but I enjoyed trying out the experience.

 

Yes. To me, Lego City is still very much classic Lego. Unfortunately, it's not a theme I'm personally interested in. I wish they still did historical and space themes in that style.

Do they really not include paper instructions with City sets anymore?

[TeriXeri]

12 minutes ago, jodawill said:

Do they really not include paper instructions with City sets anymore?

There are still paper instructions in the other City sets.

It's just 3 sets called "missions" where you build a boat, a truck or a spaceship and have a lot of extra parts to customize with.

Instructions are via the instructions app, the main vehicle basicly gets built right away at mission 2, the rest is pretty optional or easy to build (like the side builds)

There's a whole pile of pieces leftover after the basic builds are done, and the app does suggest using them for different story objectives.

 

 

I still do hope a basic PDF instruction gets uploaded for the basic vehicle builds.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by TeriXeri

[jodawill]

10 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

There are still paper instructions in the normal sets.

It's just 3 sets called "missions" where you build a boat, a truck or a spaceship and have a lot of extra parts to customize with.

Yeah, that's not super great for something geared toward kids. It's similar to how you have to have an iPhone to change the color of the lights on the Duplo train. I've never been happy with that because I don't want playtime to involve screens. But in this case, you could just view this like a Freestyle bucket. It's just some parts to build stuff. You don't have to have the app to use the parts, and you could even build those models just by looking at the pictures.

Edited July 20, 2022 by jodawill

[Peppermint_M]

I would agree with paper instructions are good and required, but using an app is not the worst thing. Children today are Digital Natives, this is second nature to them. I understand wanting to limit screen time, but treating the tablet/phone with the app like it is the "instruction book" means there is still more focus on the bricks and the building play and not screen playing. 

Lots of us grew up with games consoles and portables and had the same admonishments from parents but we still play LEGO  I'm going to give kids the benefit of the doubt. 

[MAB]

My kids often watch YouTube tutorials at the same time as building. It can help with creativity, as they get to see methods and designs not used by LEGO. 

[timemail]

14 hours ago, jodawill said:

Yeah, that's not super great for something geared toward kids.

That really depends on the kids. The Animal Rescue mission set is the first time my 6 year old has been able to complete a whole Lego build without being bored and walking off. That was due to the tablet interaction. Kids having too much screen time is generally the fault of the parent or schools, not Lego, the builds for these sets are not long and so the tablet interaction can easily be limited - especially since it is broken into separate missions giving a structured break where they can stop using the tablet and just interact with the Lego or go and do another activity. For my little one it was a real treat getting a little bit of time on the tablet at home (which is normally quite limited), plus it got her spending a lot more time with Lego which I want so she can build her fine motor skills. She currently doesn't have the patience or creativity to spend with Lego so anything like this that would increase her time on Lego I see as a benefit. She is looking forward to doing two more missions this weekend - there are 8 in total so doing two per weekend will give her a full month of fun from the app (before I steal the animals for my collection).

This next comment is not specifically in response to Jodawill, but a lot of the arguments/discussions I see on this forum really amount to people not understanding "this product is not for you" (I am sure I am also guilty of this at times). Probably there are many kids with too much screen time who shouldn't be given sets like this, but there would also be a large number for whom the screen time will actually be beneficial in increasing their understanding and enjoyment in a product which otherwise they may otherwise miss out on. In my case it certainly was much more beneficial having an app based set rather than an instruction book. I am hoping that the next time she gets a Lego set she will be able to use the positive memories from this one to push her through the whole build. Plus I might actually look into using other app based instructions if they are set up in a similar way to enhance her building experience.

Edited July 21, 2022 by timemail

[jodawill]

2 hours ago, timemail said:

That really depends on the kids. The Animal Rescue mission set is the first time my 6 year old has been able to complete a whole Lego build without being bored and walking off. That was due to the tablet interaction. Kids having too much screen time is generally the fault of the parent or schools, not Lego, the builds for these sets are not long and so the tablet interaction can easily be limited - especially since it is broken into separate missions giving a structured break where they can stop using the tablet and just interact with the Lego or go and do another activity. For my little one it was a real treat getting a little bit of time on the tablet at home (which is normally quite limited), plus it got her spending a lot more time with Lego which I want so she can build her fine motor skills. She currently doesn't have the patience or creativity to spend with Lego so anything like this that would increase her time on Lego I see as a benefit. She is looking forward to doing two more missions this weekend - there are 8 in total so doing two per weekend will give her a full month of fun from the app (before I steal the animals for my collection).

I can see digital instructions being a way to ween kids off devices if they're already using them, like a nicotine patch. I don't mean to assume anything, and all kids are different. But reading your comment, I wonder if screen time is the reason your daughter doesn't have the patience or creativity for Lego. (I could very well be wrong, or it could just be that Lego isn't her thing.) I think even a little bit of screen time can have a negative effect on a kid's attention span. It's like giving your kids sugar then asking them to eat their vegetables. It's really hard. That doesn't they can't have it occasionally, but it has a very significant impact on how difficult it is to eat healthy food.

I've seen it with my son. We don't let our kids use phones or tablets at all, but occasionally, we let them watch a show. My son's growing out of this stage a bit now, but there was a time when he wouldn't want to do anything else after watching a show. We've also discovered that the content of the show has a big impact on this. Crazy shows like VeggieTales had a negative effect on his attention span when he was a little younger, but we've never had issues with Mister Rogers. Also, we did try out the Duplo train app when he first got his train just so we could control the train, but he was so distracted by all the colorful animations, it totally distracted him from the actual train. So we stopped doing that very quickly.

Like I said though, I could be wrong about your daughter. Especially since she's a girl, it might be that she's more interested in the play than the building aspect of it, which I assume the digital instructions provide more of. And every kid is different. It's just something to think about.

2 hours ago, timemail said:

This next comment is not specifically in response to Jodawill, but a lot of the arguments/discussions I see on this forum really amount to people not understanding "this product is not for you" (I am sure I am also guilty of this at times). Probably there are many kids with too much screen time who shouldn't be given sets like this, but there would also be a large number for whom the screen time will actually be beneficial in increasing their understanding and enjoyment in a product which otherwise they may otherwise miss out on. In my case it certainly was much more beneficial having an app based set rather than an instruction book. I am hoping that the next time she gets a Lego set she will be able to use the positive memories from this one to push her through the whole build. Plus I might actually look into using other app based instructions if they are set up in a similar way to enhance her building experience.

The problem I have is that I know all too well that "this product is not for me." That's nearly every single product Lego makes now. When I was a kid, I felt like nearly everything Lego made was targeted at people like me. Now I feel like people like me are treated like second class citizens almost all of the time. I think that's what makes me upset - not the fact this licensed stuff exists, but because they've ignored the more traditional Lego fans for so many years now. (Yes, I see the irony of saying that with the 90th anniversary sets coming out, but these are by far the exception, and they're so expensive, they'll be out of reach for many people. And despite me being able to afford the castle for myself, it's not something I can buy for my kids.)

I feel like the last Lego theme that was made for "people like me" was the 2015 pirates wave. Keeping that in mind, it's really hard to watch hundreds (if not thousands) of licensed sets come down the pipeline, often recreations of things that have already been released since the last pirates wave in 2015.

[MAB]

1 hour ago, jodawill said:

I feel like the last Lego theme that was made for "people like me" was the 2015 pirates wave. Keeping that in mind, it's really hard to watch hundreds (if not thousands) of licensed sets come down the pipeline, often recreations of things that have already been released since the last pirates wave in 2015.

A lot of that is probably due to the growth in numbers of sets in the other unlicensed themes. While there are a lot of licensed sets spread out over many licensed themes, there is also a large number of unlicensed sets but they are spread over only a small number of themes. Look at the numbers of sets within the big three in-house kid focussed. minifigure based themes just for 2022 (excluding magazine foil sets): it is approx 30 Friends, 25 Ninjago and 50 City. If those 100 or so unlicensed sets were spread over 8 or 9 unlicensed themes with 10-12 sets in each theme per year (so roughly the size of Harry Potter or Minecraft). LEGO likes to spread licensed sets over many different themes, presumably to attract fans of the many franchises, but tends to have a a very narrow number of unlicensed themes but with a wide variety of sets within each theme.

10-15 years ago, City used to run at about 25ish sets per year, excluding all the "superpacks" of individual sets sold together. The dates in the growth of the numbers of sets in City and Friends corresponds to the loss of themes like Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, etc.

Last year was similar (and data complete): City 59, Friends 47, Ninjago 45, Monkie Kid 12, Vidiyo 43, Creator 37, Technic 15. compared to: DC 13, Disney 32, Potter 17, Jurassic 9, Marvel 41, Minecraft 11, Minions 5,  Star Wars 39, Mario 45.

City plus Friends plus Ninjago plus Monkie Kid (163 in four themes) is just about the same as DC plus Disney plus Potter  plus Jurassic plus Marvel plus Minecraft plus Minions plus Star Wars (167 in eight themes).

It seems like there is a lot of licensed, with 8 themes, but in reality the overall numbers are similar as they are half the size on average.

Those numbers from Brickset will be boosted by magazine gifts. Vidiyo and Mario will both be heavily skewed due to the small figure packs that were catalogued individually. And I have left out Art, Brickheadz, etc as they are a bit of a mixture, as well as CMF and DOTS.

Edited July 21, 2022 by MAB

[timemail]

1 hour ago, jodawill said:

But reading your comment, I wonder if screen time is the reason your daughter doesn't have the patience or creativity for Lego. (I could very well be wrong, or it could just be that Lego isn't her thing.)

Could be the first but more likely the second. She doesn't have tablet/phone screentime at home - normally only on long car rides every couple of months (she does get to watch a tv show every night on a tv), but unfortunately they do have tablets at schools and no schools around here don't.

The fact is she wants to use a tablet, and this gave her an opportunity to do it at home so she has jumped at the chance. At the same time she can improve fine motor skills, instead of just playing outside and improving gross motor skills.  Kids want to do what the other kids get to do and other kids do have tablets - peer pressure starts young. I do agree that it seems like a good way to wean them off (or in my case it allows some usage where it is providing alternate benefits she wouldn't get otherwise).

Thing is though all people are different. The lack of creativity is as much a trait of people as creativity is. Lego may be marketing more to the non-creative people (maybe there are a lot more of us). I do not in the least enjoy making MOCs (and ordering bricks to make them is something I dread) so she could take after me in that respect. The things I enjoy about Lego are building and displaying sets. Once built I see them as no different to any other non-functional piece in a home like artwork, or flowers, or tens of pillows on a bed (none of which I understand but they are for other people to enjoy).

With the new Castle I will be trying my hand at MOCing though. I would rather just have a castle scene made of Lego produced sets, but in the absence of that I am forced to make my own. Apart from a couple of small sets in the 80's I didn't have Lego until the Ideas Ecto-1. When I bought that (based on the IP) I looked for Castle sets as that was the only theme I knew of that Lego made that really interested me. Unfortunately until the creator castle/ideas blacksmith there has been nothing released that fits that description. I am really hoping that now there are available castle minifigures and associated pieces I will be able to find a creative side in myself to make something good for them.

So yeah - fingers crossed I am moving from consumerism to creativity over the next year. 

Apologies for any typos/grammar/nonsensicle sentences. It is almost 0100 here and I should be sleeping.

[jodawill]

5 minutes ago, timemail said:

Could be the first but more likely the second. She doesn't have tablet/phone screentime at home - normally only on long car rides every couple of months (she does get to watch a tv show every night on a tv), but unfortunately they do have tablets at schools and no schools around here don't.

Screen time is one of the major reasons we chose to homeschool our kids. I think schools are doing a great disservice to families by forcing kids to use screens for school. I think there's a lot of reasons this isn't healthy for kids, which I don't need to get into here. It sounds like you're doing things right at home. But it's kind of like having a kid in a divorced family. One parent is responsible, but the other lets the kids do whatever they want. I'm really concerned about the impact all of this screen time is having on kids and what that means for the future of our society.

5 minutes ago, timemail said:

The fact is she wants to use a tablet, and this gave her an opportunity to do it at home so she has jumped at the chance. At the same time she can improve fine motor skills, instead of just playing outside and improving gross motor skills.  Kids want to do what the other kids get to do and other kids do have tablets - peer pressure starts young. I do agree that it seems like a good way to wean them off (or in my case it allows some usage where it is providing alternate benefits she wouldn't get otherwise).

Thing is though all people are different. The lack of creativity is as much a trait of people as creativity is. Lego may be marketing more to the non-creative people (maybe there are a lot more of us). I do not in the least enjoy making MOCs (and ordering bricks to make them is something I dread) so she could take after me in that respect. The things I enjoy about Lego are building and displaying sets. Once built I see them as no different to any other non-functional piece in a home like artwork, or flowers, or tens of pillows on a bed (none of which I understand but they are for other people to enjoy).

If you don't like the building aspect, I've got to say, there are much cheaper things you could display. (I just, of course.)

I don't think creativity is an inherent trait though. Creativity is a muscle you develop by doing things. People do have gifts in different areas though. Some people are creative with music, some with math, and some with building. It's fine if building isn't what you're good at. I'm not particularly gifted at it myself. I just do it for fun.

5 minutes ago, timemail said:

With the new Castle I will be trying my hand at MOCing though. I would rather just have a castle scene made of Lego produced sets, but in the absence of that I am forced to make my own. Apart from a couple of small sets in the 80's I didn't have Lego until the Ideas Ecto-1. When I bought that (based on the IP) I looked for Castle sets as that was the only theme I knew of that Lego made that really interested me. Unfortunately until the creator castle/ideas blacksmith there has been nothing released that fits that description. I am really hoping that now there are available castle minifigures and associated pieces I will be able to find a creative side in myself to make something good for them.

So yeah - fingers crossed I am moving from consumerism to creativity over the next year. 

You should post your creations as you build them. I'd love to see what you do. The incredibly elaborate MOCs by master builders get most of the attention, but personally, I get a lot of enjoyment in seeing normal people develop their creative skills. Hopefully you'll enjoy it more after you get a bit of practice.

5 minutes ago, timemail said:

Apologies for any typos/grammar/nonsensicle sentences. It is almost 0100 here and I should be sleeping.

I hope you're getting some rest now.

[TeriXeri]

Just found instructions for a Rocket build from the 2022 Fire Station on LEGO.com :

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blt5ea596207d8cd247/Rocket-Building-Instructions.pdf

Quite creative 

Edited July 22, 2022 by TeriXeri

[danth]

2 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Just found instructions for a Rocket build from the 2022 Fire Station on LEGO.com :

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blt5ea596207d8cd247/Rocket-Building-Instructions.pdf

Quite creative 

Wow. I love that so much. I'm almost tearing up over it which is a weird reaction. It just looks so much like the kind of thing you used to see on the back of the box, or in the old Ideas books. Totally whimsical builds that radiate charm.

Edited July 22, 2022 by danth

[TeriXeri]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Wow. I love that so much. I'm almost tearing up over it which is a weird reaction. It just looks so much like the kind of thing you used to see on the back of the box, or in the old Ideas books. Totally whimsical builds that radiate charm.

Yeah, it was shown in an animation on the main page and wanted to share a picture at first, then there was a "more info" button , now I found more of them.

This is the US version of the Alternate Building Instructions page :

https://www.lego.com/en-us/90-years-of-play/rewards-activities?icmp=LP-SHCC-Standard-90th_Anniversary_CC_Alternative_BI-OC-NO-5EMXQGTMHD

Fish Tank from 60320 Fire Station

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blte53bc89cd938e243/FishTank-Building-Instructions.pdf

 

Robot from 41703 Friends Tree House 

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blt96e7fc374c111a1b/Robot-Building-Instructions.pdf

Tree Mouse from 41703 Friends Tree House 

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltba665d7a9a840234/Mouse-Building-Instructions.pdf

 

Boat from 71766 Lloyds Legendary Dragon 

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blt5fe885f0a98a1983/Boat-Building-Instructions.pdf

Frog from 71766 Lloyds Legendary Dragon 

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/blt897fce3ef5ed3a62/Frog-Building-Instructions.pdf

 

[jodawill]

That fish tank is really impressive. I never would have guessed it came from the fire station. These are really fun builds. It definitely feels more like classic Lego to me, like the old Freestyle tubs I loved as a kid.

[CP5670]

On 7/21/2022 at 4:30 AM, Peppermint_M said:

I would agree with paper instructions are good and required, but using an app is not the worst thing. Children today are Digital Natives, this is second nature to them. I understand wanting to limit screen time, but treating the tablet/phone with the app like it is the "instruction book" means there is still more focus on the bricks and the building play and not screen playing. 

Lots of us grew up with games consoles and portables and had the same admonishments from parents but we still play LEGO  I'm going to give kids the benefit of the doubt. 

I'm a digital native too and don't mind electronic instructions. I think at some point they will stop making printed instructions altogether, except for UCS/architecture/etc. sets where the instructions are part of the experience. However, they should be accessible without apps (which often don't work forever) and be good quality scans. The pdf instructions on the Lego site have always been low quality, maybe to prevent copying.