Norro Posted October 7, 2005 Posted October 7, 2005 Norro,(which reminds me of Zorro, which would be a VERY cool Lego Line) Your MOC is freekin' awesome. I love the use of all the different Western Baseplates. And the waterfall work you did was amazing. I havent seen too many Western MOC's. My screen name derives from Zorro and my own name (Nathan). It was applied to me late at night while watching....Zorro. Thanks for complimenting my MOC. I am a little water/waterfall obsessed when it comes to lego scenery... God Bless, Nathan Quote
Sting Posted October 7, 2005 Author Posted October 7, 2005 The problem with the Western theme was that it wasn't universally appealing. Certainly, North Americans could identify with this theme, however I'm uncertain if Europeans or Asians really care for the 'fronteer' motif. It doesn't seem to have the same broad appeal as the pirate theme, which in turn wasn't as universal as the castle theme. Simply put, I'm not sure if this theme really had an audience. I think that westerns in general were more appealing during the 60s-80s when westerns were more predominant in film. Popularity, even in the U.S., has dwindled down over the years creating a very low demand for wild west themes (traditionally cowboys and indians). But I think that the Wild West was very appealing outside of the United States as well based upon popularity of movies, western heroes, and outlaws. They just aren't popular anymore (esp. among the younger generations). I would love to see Lego re-create the theme. You are very right... I can't think of a generic 'Western' movie that has done very well financially in the past 10 or 20 years ... (i am not a huge film buff so I could be 100% wrong here). With the success of Pirates of the Carribean, the constant modest success of Medieval movies(King Arthur, Kingdom of Heaven, (huge success) Lord of the Rings(fantasy, yes. but still has a castle theme), and the modest success of movies like Gladiator and Troy(and Alexander... oh wait...), you would think that Lego would reinstate both these themes(I guess Castle is still around, but... Knights Kingdom sucks) and add a Classical Civ theme. Oh well... maybe one day... Quote
Athos Posted October 8, 2005 Posted October 8, 2005 I really liked the wild west series. I'm still looking to pick up the Gold City Junction and Bandit's Hideout set though (anyone have one they want to give up cheap? anyone?). My only complaints about it are: (1) Too many of the same people/not enough variety of people; and (2) Why would they make the log wall panels of a different size from the castle wall panels? It makes them hard to integrate. The western theme can still be MOCed... As you can see here, as well: (since we're doing shameless plugs :D) Wild West Town Brick Tower Vignettes It is too bad they quit. A little hacienda would have been wonderful, with a bunch of Mexican's running around with bandoliers and sombreros, maybe some burros too. And cactusesess (or is it cacti?). Steve Quote
Sting Posted October 8, 2005 Author Posted October 8, 2005 Cacti. Maybe one day they would have even made a Joshua Tree... and then I could make the cover of the U2 Album of the same name. And make Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry figures... Only hopin... (P.S. - those are some cool MOC's, I especially like the church and alot of the small scenery in the Gunslinger one) Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted October 8, 2005 Governor Posted October 8, 2005 The Joshua Tree fell over a few years back... HA... HA... HA... HAAAAAA.... WAHAAAAAAAA HAAAAAA HAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA!!! Quote
Sting Posted October 8, 2005 Author Posted October 8, 2005 To think that a fellow Pirate fan would laugh at that horrible castrophe! I wish I could have seen the Joshua Tree before it fell... Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted October 9, 2005 Governor Posted October 9, 2005 What's being interested in pirate LEGO got to do with the Joshua Tree? In this lighting it looks so pwiddy! Quote
WesternOutlaw Posted October 9, 2005 Posted October 9, 2005 I really liked the wild west series. I'm still looking to pick up the Gold City Junction and Bandit's Hideout set though (anyone have one they want to give up cheap? anyone?). Gold City Junction is an awesome set as well as the old mine. GSJ has the one fig that is not found in any of the other sets (the bank coach driver). The bank and the coach have the exploding mechanism. The bank is ok, but I love blowing out the back of the wagon. I agree with you in regard to the figs. I have something like five of each outlaw. Lego definately needed more variety here. Lego Wild West came out years after I quit buying sets, then one day I found the Weapon Wagon in a TRU. I bought it and thought it had been the best little set I had seen in years. I started doing some searching around town and to make a long story short, I was able to find all of the non-indian sets (mostly at high-ticket toy stores that only carried a few Lego sets). It was so fun going from store to store and making phone calls all over to find these sets! Adequate.Com had a few reviews of the Wild West sets that really made me want them before buying (esp. the Bandit's Secret Hideout which I'll provide a link for => Mine - must be a "mystery thing". These sets are all pretty simple but I loved building them and I think they're very unique compared to other Lego themes. If I didn't have some of these sets Steve, I'd buy at a high price just to have - esp the two that you're missing which I think are the best in the line. Good luck and I enjoy looking at your Western vignettes and MOCs. Quote
Norro Posted October 9, 2005 Posted October 9, 2005 These sets are all pretty simple but I loved building them and I think they're very unique compared to other Lego themes. That is it in a nutshell... aquaxone (the good lines=first two) and western are the two truly unique legolines that I enjoy (as opposed to ufo etc.. which are just strange). Western somehow preserves all the stability of the great lego years with a whole new look/feel... Brilliant! God Bless, Nathan Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 2, 2006 Posted June 2, 2006 i missed this thread, as it was in its height just before i started involving myself in EB... however, im glad to see so much talk existed regarding the western line. I agree with you in regard to the figs. I have something like five of each outlaw. Lego definately needed more variety here.i do think that the western line is the most extensive one for minifig MOCing. mainly because of the adventurers, but also a couple pirate and castle torsos, and a ton of heads from all genres, especially town.i tried MOCing pirates and adventures and have had little sucess compared to the western theme. i have created like 15-20 unique western figs. unique meaning i haven't re-used any painted piece once, and that includes the pieces LEGO offically used in creating their figs. that said, i think the western line has the potential for the most minifigs of any theme !!! - brickminer Quote
snefroe Posted June 2, 2006 Posted June 2, 2006 now you're exagerating a bit... Western theme may have great minifig potentiel, but surely "City" has a lot more "workable" torsos; Even the classic space torso showed up in city at one point... Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 2, 2006 Posted June 2, 2006 ya, your right... i got excited by all the western talk !!! obviously town, space, and castle has the most minifigs... however, i have had the most sucess MOCing western minifigs. i admit to no MOCing of town, space... i would imagine the possiblities are pretty extensive (even if you never use any painted piece twice). regardless of that, my point was, LEGO gave us a lot of options for expansion in the western theme with minifig MOCing. where as other themes are not as easily expandable. Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 8, 2006 Posted June 8, 2006 i just found two more torsos that will work PERFECTLY with the WW theme... don't be discouraged by the lack of minifigs in the WW because the MOCing possiblities are big !!! and LEGO has proven (with harry potter, and NOW batman) that the possibilites are still growing !!! im excited !!! -------------------------------------------------- now, i have a question, i went to look up these minifigs on bricklink for purchase... alfred is around 8 USD, and penguin is around 15 USD. im not familar with new legos and how the price/demand/availability works... if i wait to buy them, will the price go down eventually ??? or will these figs become harder to find ??? i know im looking for a lando calrissian head (from cloud city, not jabbas barge) and he is really expensive, like 20 USD... i don't want to wait and have the same thing happen to alfred or the penguin !!! Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 8, 2006 Posted June 8, 2006 surprisingly they both come from the same set... THE BATCAVE 7783 see bricksters review here (which is where i grabbed the photos from, thanks B. hope that was ok)... http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=5034 they are so fitting, in fact... that i want to include both the torsos in my GUNSLIGNERS SALOON 6758 (replacing the other two gambler torsos) !!! Quote
snefroe Posted June 8, 2006 Posted June 8, 2006 surprisingly they both come from the same set... THE BATCAVE 7783see bricksters review here (which is where i grabbed the photos from, thanks B. hope that was ok)... http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=5034 they are so fitting, in fact... that i want to include both the torsos in my GUNSLIGNERS SALOON 6758 (replacing the other two gambler torsos) !!! ok... then i guess it won't really decrease in price. the batcave only has a limited production, and obviously the torsos will be quite rare... Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 thanks for the info snefroe1 !!! much appriciated !!! the batcave only has a limited productionwhat does this mean... "limited production" ???anyone else have any comments on bricklink and the prices of these torsos ??? Quote
snefroe Posted June 12, 2006 Posted June 12, 2006 thanks for the info snefroe1 !!! much appriciated !!!the batcave only has a limited productionwhat does this mean... "limited production" ???anyone else have any comments on bricklink and the prices of these torsos ??? it means it won't be available in most regular shops, so even though it may be selling pretty well through SAH, it will still be produced in smaller numbers, making the production run fairly limited... Quote
WesternOutlaw Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 surprisingly they both come from the same set... THE BATCAVE 7783see bricksters review here (which is where i grabbed the photos from, thanks B. hope that was ok)... No problem. Definately a great use for the torsos (esp. Alfred). His face also has a nice Wild West gambler's look. Quote
Djole Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 Hm...They arrived in the begining of me as lego maniac...I way very young then.... And I really liked this theme...and I still like it... They've find their place between strongones Pirates and Castle themes.... And I loved when indians came... They had remind me on Indigo Islanders in Pirate theme... I just wish LEGO makes sets like those were...really... Greetings from Serbia Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 And I loved when indians came... They had remind me on Indigo Islanders in Pirate theme...I just wish LEGO makes sets like those were...really... yes, the islanders !!! i agree, though (as much as i hate to admit it) the islanders were a much better sub-theme to the pirates, than the indians were to the WW.still, the painted horses of the indians are very VERY cool!!! im glad you enjoy the WW theme dJOLe_sk8. thanks for sharing, and feel welcome to participate in its discussion here !!! and by the way, welcome to EuroBricks !!! - BrickMiner Quote
snefroe Posted June 14, 2006 Posted June 14, 2006 And I loved when indians came... They had remind me on Indigo Islanders in Pirate theme...I just wish LEGO makes sets like those were...really... yes, the islanders !!! i agree, though (as much as i hate to admit it) the islanders were a much better sub-theme to the pirates, than the indians were to the WW.still, the painted horses of the indians are very VERY cool!!! im glad you enjoy the WW theme dJOLe_sk8. thanks for sharing, and feel welcome to participate in its discussion here !!! and by the way, welcome to EuroBricks !!! - BrickMiner The indians were a great asset for the Wild West theme, but, as we mentioned in another topic a while back, I think Lego decided not to take that path in order to avoid political trouble. But that also makes Wild West in general problematic. After all, how can you create a decent theme if you can't base it on "cowboys and indians"? I guess they couldn't find an answer to that and dropped the line all together... Quote
Brick Miner Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 surprisingly they both come from the same set... THE BATCAVE 7783 see bricksters review here (which is where i grabbed the photos from, thanks B. hope that was ok)... No problem. Definately a great use for the torsos (esp. Alfred). His face also has a nice Wild West gambler's look. yes, alfred's face is a prefect match for a card shark of the ole west... but i'd have a problem mixing that flesh colored head with the classic yellow minifig heads !!! just wouldn't blend well.thats just too bad. |-/ I guess they couldn't find an answer to that and dropped the line all together...thats just too bad. >:-( Quote
WesternOutlaw Posted June 16, 2006 Posted June 16, 2006 And I loved when indians came... They had remind me on Indigo Islanders in Pirate theme...I just wish LEGO makes sets like those were...really... yes, the islanders !!! i agree, though (as much as i hate to admit it) the islanders were a much better sub-theme to the pirates, than the indians were to the WW.still, the painted horses of the indians are very VERY cool!!! - BrickMiner The indians were a great asset for the Wild West theme, but, as we mentioned in another topic a while back, I think Lego decided not to take that path in order to avoid political trouble. But that also makes Wild West in general problematic. After all, how can you create a decent theme if you can't base it on "cowboys and indians"? I guess they couldn't find an answer to that and dropped the line all together... I wasn't really fond of Indians after purchasing my first few sets (mainly because of the set designs). But over the years. I grew an appreciation for them. I think the figs were some of the most detailed and best figs Lego ever made. Take a look: And in terms of the sets themselves, they're really not that bad. They are very unique and sets like Boulder Cliff and Rapid River are pretty nice with their mountains and stream baseplates. I esp. like the teepees and the canoes. In terms of why the sub-theme wasn't very popular;I think it wasn't the "politically correct" issue at all, but rather the lack of populartity with westerns. Kids just aren't in to Wild West any more. Quote
snefroe Posted June 16, 2006 Posted June 16, 2006 And I loved when indians came... They had remind me on Indigo Islanders in Pirate theme...I just wish LEGO makes sets like those were...really... yes, the islanders !!! i agree, though (as much as i hate to admit it) the islanders were a much better sub-theme to the pirates, than the indians were to the WW.still, the painted horses of the indians are very VERY cool!!! - BrickMiner The indians were a great asset for the Wild West theme, but, as we mentioned in another topic a while back, I think Lego decided not to take that path in order to avoid political trouble. But that also makes Wild West in general problematic. After all, how can you create a decent theme if you can't base it on "cowboys and indians"? I guess they couldn't find an answer to that and dropped the line all together... I wasn't really fond of Indians after purchasing my first few sets (mainly because of the set designs). But over the years. I grew an appreciation for them. I think the figs were some of the most detailed and best figs Lego ever made. Take a look: And in terms of the sets themselves, they're really not that bad. They are very unique and sets like Boulder Cliff and Rapid River are pretty nice with their mountains and stream baseplates. I esp. like the teepees and the canoes. In terms of why the sub-theme wasn't very popular;I think it wasn't the "politically correct" issue at all, but rather the lack of populartity with westerns. Kids just aren't in to Wild West any more. i think they are! Remember the success of Pocahontas? I think it's the context surounding the Indians that makes them very sensitive. Quote
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