Lego discovery in the digital age

[David Thomsen]

It seems to me that the more I keep track of Lego news online, the less the actual experience of finding newly released Lego sets in the store excites me. One of the latest ones I'd been waiting for, the Helicopter & Limo set, I was so familiar with the image at the front of the box that I almost overlooked it when I first saw it in the shops.

I remember when I was just emerging from my 'dark age' but before I'd found places like Eurobricks and Brickset, how exciting it was to see new Lego sets for the first time on the shelves. It was the same way things had been when I was a kid. You know, you walk along the Lego aisle expecting to see all the same stuff from the last six months, and Bam! There's this wacky new range called Exo-Force, just out of nowhere! And you can look at the high resolution, final, official pictures on the box that don't have any watermarks, and pick it up and turn it around and hear all the bits rattling on the inside!

These days I have a thirst for knowledge and the means to acquire it, but it means I find myself squinting at low-resolution thumbnails of new sets with confidentiality watermarks on them long before the sets are actually released. There's no longer the experience of seeing something new on the shelves, picking it up and buying it then and there.

Does anyone else miss the old-style Lego experience, but at the same time can't resist squinting at leaked images that probably don't accurately represent the final product?

[not-in-use-anymore]

This probably explains why going to Lego stores seems a little more boring to me after finding Brickshelf/Eurobricks. Don't know what I can do about it though... I think the first theme that was spoiled for me were the Bionicle Inika.

[ILikePi]

I do agree with what you've said. A couple of years ago (2006-2008, when I didn't know about the online community), I would just stumble into the LEGO aisle and see some extremely cool sets, like the MTT and Slave I. I had never seen them before, and really wanted to buy them (I thought that the Slave I was too expensive at the time, though, and passed ), but that was before I became a true LEGO fan. Now, when all of the sets come out, the new sets at the stores seem as if they were out for quite some time since I had already seen them tens or hundreds of times online (I can't resist looking at the Toy Fair and preliminary pictures of the sets - I keep trying to stay in the present and check out all of the current sets, but it's just so tempting). I really miss the surprise and excitement when new sets appear unexpectedly.

However, there are still some surprise sets these days. Remember the Republic Dropship with AT-OT? That was revealed less than a month before it came out!

Edited April 11, 2010 by ILikePi

[CP5670]

These days I have a thirst for knowledge and the means to acquire it, but it means I find myself squinting at low-resolution thumbnails of new sets with confidentiality watermarks on them long before the sets are actually released. There's no longer the experience of seeing something new on the shelves, picking it up and buying it then and there.

I never had much of that experience myself. I made impulse buys when I was too young to tell that a set was new, but for the most part, when my parents took me to stores to get Lego sets, I had usually seen them in the catalogs for some time in advance and had scrutinized the pictures for countless hours before choosing what I wanted to buy.

Today, I also like to know about future releases as much in advance as possible, which lets me plan out my purchases better. Although in a way, I get the impulse buying experience on ebay when I search for vintage sets, and suddely notice a good deal.

[just2good]

I agree..

It was so fun just seeing LEGO Agents come out of no-where, and buying the cheapist set of it...

But recently my brother keeps on trying to convince me to "stop spoiling everything" but I can't...

[RileyC]

There definitely loses that edge of finding a set that you know absolutely nothing about which was always surprising. Although I feel that instead of the edge of finding a set is regained when the first really good quality pictures are found and posted and you get to see the sets up close. Although theres nothing like waiting for Lego in the mail too!

[Rick]

I never had much of that experience myself. I made impulse buys when I was too young to tell that a set was new, but for the most part, when my parents took me to stores to get Lego sets, I had usually seen them in the catalogs for some time in advance and had scrutinized the pictures for countless hours before choosing what I wanted to buy.

I was always so excited when a new catalog came out. Going to the toy store to get it, trying to grasp as many of all the news in the short drive home, and then spending countless hours going through it over and over again, seeing what I absolutely needed to get with my birthday money.

Difference with today is that the most sets were actually on the shelves at the moment the catalog came out (or you had to wait a few months at most). Nowadays you have to sometimes wait more than half a year after seeing the first prelims until something is actually released. Having said that, I think the main difference was the enthusiasm of a child back then...

[Zorbas]

I can definitely understand what you want to say David. To be honest though, I think that it works totally the other way around when it comes to myself.

I remember that when I was a kid I had a german catalogue in my hands with the 12v trains sets in it. 12v sets were never released here in Greece and when I had my parents conviced of ordering one from Germany I was hyped to the max. Looking at the pictures over and over again for nearly 2 months made me so excited and even the idea of having the sets on my hands seemed like a dream. When the parcel arrived (thanks aunt Christina! better late than never ) and took the box in my hands it felt really like a dream coming true. It was like having a small voice in your head saying: " We have it! It's real!" (My precious!!!!! )

Same thing happens even now -- not in a same scale of course. The last set that made me feel that way was the 7641 City Corner and the 3181 Passenger Plane. I had already seen pictures, details etc but when I spotted those in a toy shop I was really excited.

[MrP]

I was always so excited when a new catalog came out. Going to the toy store to get it, trying to grasp as many of all the news in the short drive home, and then spending countless hours going through it over and over again, seeing what I absolutely needed to get with my birthday money.

I did the same when I was a child. But to be honest I like to see the preview pics and the reviews that are done. There are so many problems with kits

today that only buying the ones that are really what I want is the only way to go. other wise the sets are just a big disapointment.

Then you've got the problem of exclusive sets, not just to shop@home but to retailers as well. What this means to me in Australia if I can't get to a store,

than the preview pics and any reviews are all I've got to go on if I disicide to take a chance and order it online.

In short no if anything preview pictures, instruction, parts lists and reviews add to the experience.

Edited April 11, 2010 by MrP

[brickzone]

I don't remember the shops here in Ireland being too speedy with new releases, so I do remember examining new sets in the paper Lego catalog over and over until they arrived in store!

[lightningtiger]

I don't feel that knowing what's comming is bad, two reasons - one I walked into a Toyworld last year - Battle of Endor on the shelf and just release but still got 20% in their sale at the time. Two - walked in Myers - one Emerald Night at the S@H price on the shelf, got lucky twice and both were shocks to me - so even if you know what's comming you may not know when.

I'm a conformist! !

[prateek]

I know what you mean, but I like having teaser shots. They give us something to look forward to. Just my two cents

[Aanchir]

The experience you're describing is exactly why LEGO hates leaks and spoilers about new themes. People will judge from watermarked and non-finalized pics, and then even if the finalized pics prove some of their expectations wrong the "wow" factor will be lost.

Regardless, I get the same experience from LEGO sets as I used to, probably in part because I know better than to judge sets as soon as I see pictures. Even back in the days where all I had was catalogs and magazines to give me "sneak peeks", I learned that a set can't be judged by pictures alone (and the ones that can usually aren't that good), and sets I buy today still give me many pleasurable surprises when I actually build them for the first time.

[Brick & Mortimer]

It's true that the online community "spoils" the surprise, but that doesn't bother me.

Like some already said, as a kid I watched the Lego catalogues over and over, deciding which sets I wanted for my birthday, Saint Nicolas and Christmas.

To me today, a forum like Eurobricks is like a catalogue including reviews, which helps me to decide what I want.

OK, anxiously awaiting the release of a new exclusive set like Grand Emporium (since October 2009) can be a bit frustrating. On the other hand, the exclusives are not available in shops in Belgium, so I still have to wait until it arrives in the mail

But even then, unpacking it, holding the box, admiring the pictures, opening it... Nothing can take away that exciting feeling

[Oky]

Yes, I remember that feeling. It was a good feeling. I'm not really missing it, though. I think hunting for prelim images on the web is a whole new type of excitement. Sure there's some frustration involved, but the thirst for knowledge, as you call it, is strong enough for me to ignore it. Plus, all this knowledge has helped me expand my collection by informing me about all sales beforehand.

Besides, there are still some sets that TLC is able to hide from us until the last minute, so the feeling of surprise isn't completely gone.

[chibi_joker]

It doesn't really spoil the fun for me, I actually need to know what's coming up so I can better plan where to do my shopping!

For me, it's actually fun to log on after work everyday and see all the sneak peek pics and reviews on-line, it builds up my anticipation.

Also, like MrP's post before, in Australia we don't have the Lego stores so I need to rely on online reviews

and info about which retailers may get a Lego exclusive (so I can go camp out their store )

If I can't really get something from a retailer, I'm going to have to go to shop@home and this is where

it gets rather expensive for me, especially with the postage.

[Big Cam]

To the TS I can see your point. I was into LEGO back before the internet and I share tyour memories, but as an adult now, I can't look back. I feel I have to know as soon as I can so I can start planning on what to get when it comes out many months later.

[Peppermint_M]

I think I said something on this subject a while back (I have no idea where...). I am not so bothered, sure the sense of wonder has gone, but a lot of the wonder the world held when you were a child has gone now. Explained or learned away. Not that I have lost all of my sense of wonder...

In regards to Lego however, I do sometimes miss the wonder I once had, the race to Argos on new catalogue day just to see upcoming sets, poring over the little theme map on the instructions or as a separate page. However, these days I realise how many themes and sets I must have missed, which makes me glad that online resources let me find out about things I will want in advance so I can make plans to purchase them.

My brother is a classic example of "modern", while I had to wait for the first set of the year, or a catalogue from a reatailer, he goes to brickset almost daily (he is 9) and looks on excitedly at what is coming soon (sometimes he sees it before me, as he gets home a few hours before me!) and tells me what he would like, what he wants to save for, things like that. The catalogue I get from S@H is something he wants to look at too, but there is never anything new inside.

[desultor]

Ah yes. I completely relate.

As a child, receiving a NISB set from someone out of the blue with no fore-knowledge... wasn't this the best? The cover image always promised adventure (nowadays more than ever before - nice work LEGO box designers!), and the feeling of cracking the box to release mint, never-touched bricks that were all for me... delicious.

Then we see the in-box catalog. "No way, that exists too?!" Belly-down on the carpet, poring over those tiny folded flyers with postage stamp sized photos and collages of bustling city scenes with a marina and forests and mountains and adventure. A flourishing marriage of greed and imagination began.

Enter the information age. Nowadays we know of every set made - it's just a matter of how soon we learn it's coming, and how much info we choose to learn about it. Prelim retail catalogs, toy fair photos, and online set reviews all move that deluge of excitement from the moment of being handed the box. The happiness is dispersed, and I'd say diluted. This is the main reason I've decided to ignore new set reviews (and movie reviews, by the way) - to preserve some of that joy. I want to discover this clever building technique, that new-to-me part, this glimpse of the half built set... all on my own.

Now, I'm very glad for the increased info provided by the age we live in. Because of it I know about sets I would most definitely regret missing later (imagine missing Indy or Star Wars due to a dark age). Thanks to this site and others, I don't even pay full MSRP on average, thanks to sale updates and printable coupons. And I've been able to nab used missed sets for under retail - something impossible to rare, pre-internet. But I think it's worth counting the cost of all the info we have available, or perhaps deciding for ourselves how much of it we consume.

One thing we can intentionally recapture is the joy of opening that box. Next set you build, pause a few minutes and check out that MIB set before you rip it open. Look closely at the pictures. Read all the text. Think about the age range. The set number. The name. Notice the photoshopping that adds life to the scenes. Shake the box, listen to the pieces. Imagine the pieces inside, who've been waiting for this moment their whole lives.

Then, savor opening that box. Think about what you've just done. In 20 years someone will pay ten times what you did (plus inflation) to have the same experience. Heck, in 6 months it'll likely cost double the MSRP. But that doesn't matter now. Enjoy the newness. Dwell on every part of the building experience. Pouring out the box, unbagging, reading the instructions (or for a fun challenge, try building the model with just the cover image as a guide, like an advanced 3D jigsaw puzzle), and building the set. Then play with it! Rebuilt an alternate, or at least swoosh it for a while before setting it just so on a shelf somewhere. Enjoy the heck out of it.

The internet can take our innocence in many ways, but we can choose to use the tool how we see fit. And much of the richness of that innocence can still be retained, if not reclaimed. Thanks for the reminder, David!

[CP5670]

As a child, receiving a NISB set from someone out of the blue with no fore-knowledge... wasn't this the best?

It was always great to get unexpected gifts like that, but I usually knew about the set itself already, having pored over every available picture of it in the catalogs I had.

Although there were a few prominent sets in the early 90s, especially Technic ones, that for some reason were never shown in the standard US catalogs, even though the catalogs in other countries did have them. 8094, 8868 and 8082 are some examples. They were sold around here and probably did appear in the larger S@H catalogs (which I only started getting from 1995 onward), but I didn't know about them at all until I saw people talking about them on Lugnet several years later.

One thing we can intentionally recapture is the joy of opening that box. Next set you build, pause a few minutes and check out that MIB set before you rip it open. Look closely at the pictures. Read all the text. Think about the age range. The set number. The name. Notice the photoshopping that adds life to the scenes. Shake the box, listen to the pieces. Imagine the pieces inside, who've been waiting for this moment their whole lives.

This was arguably more fun back in the 80s and 90s, since larger boxes had the flaps and featured parts trays. As a kid, those parts trays always held my attention more than anything else when I got a new set.

[ZO6]

Some of my thoughts...

-Years ago, a great many of the boxes featured opening flaps. Opening these flaps revealed parts in plastic display trays, alternate views of the set, and often little stories related to the set or theme. The only way these elaborate boxes could be experienced was with them in your hands. Seeing a picture of a current box online is not the same at all.

-It is not uncommon for us to find leaked images of sets 6 or so months in advance of their actual release date. For me, by the time I've pored over these images for months on end as they become larger and of higher quality, I've lost much of the excitement towards these products. When the set becomes available, it's already old news and I'm already looking at whatever else might be on the horizon.

Before all these resources became available for us online, the only way we could find out about new sets was to walk into a store to see what was stocked, or by buying one of the latest sets and browsing the mini catalogs that were included. I admit I used to buy many sets that weren't particularly high on my priority list just because they were new and I desperately wanted the newest catalog.

-Another one of my biggest regrets (and guiltiest pleasures) is seeing all the functions, details, and contents of a set in advanced.. Over the course of time in which pictures are leaked, for each batch it becomes easier and easier to spot and learn everything there is to know about a set. By the time you can buy the set, you know everything about it and there are not longer any surprises.

I'm a sucker for play features, and there was nothing I enjoyed more than building a set and discovering all of it's functions as I progressed. Sure the boxes often showed off some of these features, but many were still left to be discovered by the builder. Same goes for finding a new piece that you had never seen before in the set that you just opened, and knowing what new parts were going to be in sets months prior to their availability.

I love the internet, Eurobricks, and other sites that allow me to catch up on the latest and greatest in the LEGO world, but this hobby will never be the same for me with these resources.

Edited April 19, 2010 by ZO6

[BearHeart]

I both agree and disagree with the OP.

I was actually thinking the same thing a while ago about how through the online LEGO community the suprise of seeing new sets in stores is totally removed. I usually see a bunch of preliminary pictures as well as a review before a set arrives in a store near me.

When I think about it, its both a good and bad thing. The bad thing is obvioulsy the fact that there is no more "suprise" sets. But then again, leaked pictures, toy fair pics etc. kind of replace the experience of a seeing a new set in a store.

The good thing is that now I get to see every set in detail before I decide whether to purchase it or not. When I came out of my dark age I ended up buying a lot of sets that I now have no use for now simply because of the "wow" factor of seeing them in a store for the first time. With reviews and the tonnes of pics I look at now before actually seeing a set in a store, I can decide which sets I really like and which are usefull to me.

Thanks to reviews, I was able to avoid buying the Atlantis sets which I originally planned on buying but then decided against it after seeing upclose reviews.

Edited April 19, 2010 by BearHeart

[Peppermint_M]

The thrill of the hunt is still there though. Searching through the shop for a new set or theme. Going back time after time, to be rewarded by those glossy boxes. I encountered it this saturday when I went to the city, there in the lego section sat a large pile of boxes, all last years sets, but behind them was PoP! And new Farm sets and countless other boxes of new things. I had come just in time for stock swapping! Another good time was a chance trip to Argos, I was in town for Boxing Day sales and noticed that the shop was open, taking a look for reduced lego I spied the new catalogue and listed in its pages was Toy Story and Atlantis. I was very much "squee".

The thrill of the hunt is only more thrilling when it involves Zoids (not in shops in the UK anymore, apart from those rare moments..).

Now it will be a case of tracking down those PoP "battlepacks" and seeking World Racers come summer.