Lego Going Realistic

[Lt. Col. Thok]

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?...cn=543&d=70

Have a gander at Gold tooths gun

I made a topic on that in the T&T forum!

Yes, I do believe that the realisim is great for TLG, but what about the kiddies?

[Joebot]

Of course the designers would love guns in the agents line, but the rule is and will be for a long time - NO GUNS!

I've already explained this in my former post on this matter.

Where did you read that the designers wanted to put guns in the Agents line? Can you send a link? I'd be curious to read about that.

Also, I think stating that "the rule is and will be for a long time" is just wishful thinking. Neither your nor anyone else on this board has ANY idea when or why TLC will change their "rules." We saw with the dreaded grey/bley fiasco that TLC will "change the rules" with no advance warning, and no thought to the impact of their decision. TLC could decide tomorrow that they're not going to make yellow bricks because yellow plastic is too expensive, so therefore all mini-fig heads will be purple from now on. I think that's where a lot of frustration comes from in the fan community -- we have no visibility into how or why these decisions are made.

To me, the fleshies are not more realistic. I personally don't know anyone with skin color that has that sickly, jaundiced look to it that the so-called "fleshies" have. It's simply not a realistic flesh tone for any human ethnicity. Why not just use the caucasian skin tones that they used for the NBA mini-figs? That would have been more realistic, if "realism" was in fact the intended goal.

[KimT]

Where did you read that the designers wanted to put guns in the Agents line? Can you send a link? I'd be curious to read about that.

Also, I think stating that "the rule is and will be for a long time" is just wishful thinking. Neither your nor anyone else on this board has ANY idea when or why TLC will change their "rules." We saw with the dreaded grey/bley fiasco that TLC will "change the rules" with no advance warning, and no thought to the impact of their decision. TLC could decide tomorrow that they're not going to make yellow bricks because yellow plastic is too expensive, so therefore all mini-fig heads will be purple from now on. I think that's where a lot of frustration comes from in the fan community -- we have no visibility into how or why these decisions are made.

I learned the gun fact from one of the designers of the Agents line. So no link, you have to trust me on that.

The grey/bley is not a fiasco. LEGO made a survey in which they asked several kids which grey they liked and new grey won. - I guess the AFOLs weren't that active back then. A loss for some a win for others.

I'm pretty sure they don't change anything (rules/colours and so forth) without prior market surveys. They're not suicidal in a business way. LEGO works from several rules and ethical concerns, please don't make the easy mistake assuming they're either insane or have no clue as to what making money is.

It's a toy and it's meant for fun, let's not get too serious. This is merely a hobby and not our life and blood people

[CP5670]

I learned the gun fact from one of the designers of the Agents line. So no link, you have to trust me on that.

The grey/bley is not a fiasco. LEGO made a survey in which they asked several kids which grey they liked and new grey won. - I guess the AFOLs weren't that active back then. A loss for some a win for others.

I'm pretty sure they don't change anything (rules/colours and so forth) without prior market surveys. They're not suicidal in a business way. LEGO works from several rules and ethical concerns, please don't make the easy mistake assuming they're either insane or have no clue as to what making money is.

It's a toy and it's meant for fun, let's not get too serious. This is merely a hobby and not our life and blood people

Well, this particular issue is a bad example. If they actually believed that kids would notice the color difference outside of a side-by-side comparison and thought that the increased sales from it would offset the retooling costs and decreased sales from AFOLs writing off the new grays, "suicidal" is not a bad description at all. AFOLs were equally active back then; it's just that TLG didn't pay much attention to their opinions. That has changed somewhat in the last two or three years.

[Zzz]

The grey/bley is not a fiasco. LEGO made a survey in which they asked several kids which grey they liked and new grey won. - I guess the AFOLs weren't that active back then.

Someone from TLC told me that it was due to changing the production method and/ or place of production. Also they needed to improve quality of fading-out colours (like light grey). It's been a while but I remember I was told something like this. It was really an economical decision. Whatever, we both might be right in one or another way. I for my part can say that after having some troubles adapting to the change I simply love the newer colours and newer minifigs. Also I love the detail in the SW, Batman and Indy themes since some years.

[CP5670]

Someone from TLC told me that it was due to changing the production method and/ or place of production. Also they needed to improve quality of fading-out colours (like light grey). It's been a while but I remember I was told something like this. It was really an economical decision.

This actually makes much more sense. I have always suspected that their official reason for it was just a cover up and it had more to do with a supply-side change such as what you're describing. There was an article profiling TLG in some finance magazine that was posted on Lugnet a few years ago, which hinted at the same thing. I can't find the link now though.

I haven't bought much new gray at all yet, since I still have large quantities of Technic parts in the old colors. It will probably take me several years to use them all up in MOCs, but I'll buy up a lot of new gray at that point.

[5150 Lego]

Yes I know and they didn't change the guns in last minute.

The preliminary design had guns, but the final didn't.

All LEGO sets are done preliminary, then they're evaluated cost-benefit and ethically. Then we get the final set.

Nothing odd or unnatural about that.

Of course the designers would love guns in the agents line, but the rule is and will be for a long time - NO GUNS!

I've already explained this in my former post on this matter.

Ya, and lego also has a "no violence rule" to huh?

I'm not sure who your sorces are, but there are in fact guns in the agents line. Two hand guns in the mobile command center. And please don't use the "well there revolvers, and not modern day guns so thats diffenrt" argument, cause it most certainly isn't.

Honestly, maybe there was a no weapons/guns rule at some time, but many lines licend and no licenced have guns in them. Batman has guns, so does starwars and as i and someone else have already pointed out, the agents line does have guns, so were in fact is there this so called "no guns rule"?

I understand that Batman and Starwars are licenced lines and the idea is to keep as true to the story line as possible, but even so i just don't see this socalled rule being in effect anymore.