Photos from Nuernberg!

[mahjqa]

Lets face it legos attitude towards building a city just plain sucks, theyve had plenty of time to give us extra buildings but they just dont seem to be interested in producing them.

There have been some pretty sweet fanmade matrix creations if you know where to look. Also, check out this wonderful hoverpod idea someone made using some tires and a whole lot of minifig visors.

And anyone who bitches that Lego doesn't produce enough civvie buildings should stock up on 4886's. I believe they released that set to test the water, to see if the consumers would go back to the old city idea again. If this one sells well, we'll be going back to miniland again. ( No, not 'city'. 'Miniland'. Anyone heard of it? Anyone?

[Vader]

Yeah i think most of us have seen alot of matrix customs over the last few years, set 4886 was indeed made to test the waters but what lego failded to do until very recently was to release it in the USA.

How they can test the waters with a new set without releasing it in all countrys is beyond me.

[ApophisV]

Ahhh, the APU with the orange background is mine.... :D (Third picture)

And the visor hovercraft engines are made by lights from FBTB...

[Orlego]

Yeah i think most of us have seen alot of matrix customs over the last few years, set 4886 was indeed made to test the waters but what lego failded to do until very recently was to release it in the USA.

How they can test the waters with a new set without releasing it in all countrys is beyond me.

Very, very true Vader. And yes, I think we have all heard of Miniland but I call it all city even before the new "City" or "World City" theme came to be. I have known about 4886 for a very long time but was powerless against the forces of the Lego Marketing team. We just need more sets like 4886 just to spark life back into the city/train themes. When you go into a hobby shop you will find all sorts of cool things for model railroad builders. Lego needs to build more sets based the model train set ideas. I can build anything if I have enough bricks but others, especially kids need sets to show them how cool the themes can really be. Right now I use model railroad magazines to get ideas on what to build. But if Lego started producing more cool city/train sets that appeal to a wide audience and see people are interested then maybe, just maybe, new molded track pieces would be made. Right now it would be really nice to have wider curve rails, new electronic switch rails, a roundhouse *wub* , DCC controls, new town lighting, etc... Just think about the possibilities.

[Vader]

The possibilities are endless and how cool would it be to have lots of sets to choose from when making our own citys.

As much as i like the house it does look out of place stuck next to all the fire/police houses, but hey im sure the figs in the house feel safe :-D

[MattZitron]

And there in is the reason Lego is the best toy in the world.

We design the rest of the city.

[Orlego]

And there in is the reason Lego is the best toy in the world.

We design the rest of the city.

True but sadly creativity has been lost in today

[mahjqa]

*salutes the dude who came up with the creator sets idea*

[Vader]

With all the different toys that kids have today i feel that imagination in kids has gone down hill over the last 10 yrs which is a real shame.

[Orlego]

*salutes the dude who came up with the creator sets idea*

These are known as the survival sets. They are great but they where designed with the hopes to keep the company alive.

[Orlego]

With all the different toys that kids have today i feel that imagination in kids has gone down hill over the last 10 yrs which is a real shame.

You can thank MP3 players, computers, the Internet and video games for that.

[Vader]

Yeah and i do, still im sure lego will survive and there will always be kids out there that will put there games down and play with lego from time to time.

[mahjqa]

*salutes the dude who came up with the creator sets idea*

These are known as the survival sets. They are great but they where designed with the hopes to keep the company alive.

Is that succeeding; to your opinion? It also seems to me that Lego has created a great offensive; a truckload of Duplo sets to market to the young'uns to 'breed' new Lego fans. Is that true? Or have I just overlooked the Duplo line the last couple of years?

[Orlego]

*salutes the dude who came up with the creator sets idea*

These are known as the survival sets. They are great but they where designed with the hopes to keep the company alive.

Is that succeeding; to your opinion? It also seems to me that Lego has created a great offensive; a truckload of Duplo sets to market to the young'uns to 'breed' new Lego fans. Is that true? Or have I just overlooked the Duplo line the last couple of years?

*salutes the dude who came up with the creator sets idea*

These are known as the survival sets. They are great but they where designed with the hopes to keep the company alive.

Is that succeeding; to your opinion?

No I'm not. Most of the kids that are into playing Lego need instructions and do not know what to do with buckets. This is why the Creator sets were created. Lego has lost a bunch of kids to video games, computers, MP3 players, etc. Most of these kids no longer play with Lego.

It also seems to me that Lego has created a great offensive; a truckload of Duplo sets to market to the young'uns to 'breed' new Lego fans. Is that true? Or have I just overlooked the Duplo line the last couple of years?

No, you are very correct. Lego has been developing a ton of new Duplo sets to get kids into Lego at a earlier age. The other thing that Lego has learned in the past few years is kids want to grow up faster and play with adult toys such as computers. This is the reason why most new sets are marked as starting out a year or two younger than before.

[David85]

I wish I was a kid now with all the great Dulpo lets coming out, it's amazing.

[The Middleman]

With all the different toys that kids have today i feel that imagination in kids has gone down hill over the last 10 yrs which is a real shame.

You can thank MP3 players, computers, the Internet and video games for that.

I have a 20GB iPod with portable speakers, a homemade rig with top specs, broadband internet, and I'm friends with the developers/publishers of several top-of-the-notch games. I still have over 300 LEGO sets, growing fast. Don't blame technology. ;)

[WesternOutlaw]

On the contrary, I believe it is a combination of technology and toy availability that has reduced the attention span and helped create an "instant pleasure principle". Children do not play with toys as long (esp. the same toy). Video games have taken children away from tradional toys as well as battery powered, voice activated, remote control, microchip toys that quickly find their way to the toy box.

What has made Lego successful over the years is a bucket of standard/traditional bricks that can be used to make thousands of different and new toys keeping children building for hours. We did not have Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Spider Man, but rather an imagination to build models with what we had eliminating the need for the specialized piece in the exact color.

I read somewhere that Lego plans on getting away from future movie themes and getting back to traditional sets. Look at the popular sets (esp. for collectors such as us). I thought that one of the best 2003 or 2004 sets was the train engine shed, and I'm sure others would agree that more city building sets would be excellent. I didn't buy Doc Ock's hideout or the Final Showdown because of Spider Man nor did I buy Hogwart's Express because it was Harry Potter - I bought them for a bridge, a building for the doc, a new red train, and a station in unique colors.

I think the Duplo sets are great and I'm sure young children will love them - esp. that Jumbo Jet and the new castles - most excellent.

But hours of video games and internet definately takes time away from sitting down and building a great model.

[Jipay]

I have to agree. I bought final showdown on real discount (half price) on s@h for imperial bridge purpose. i still think that star wars is a special case ;) But for the rest... I've only bought two small potter sets for other purposes than playing with them as potter sets :) But Im still happy if those sets brings new people to lego *satis*

[Jipay]

With all the different toys that kids have today i feel that imagination in kids has gone down hill over the last 10 yrs which is a real shame.

You can thank MP3 players, computers, the Internet and video games for that.

I have a 20GB iPod with portable speakers, a homemade rig with top specs, broadband internet, and I'm friends with the developers/publishers of several top-of-the-notch games. I still have over 300 LEGO sets, growing fast. Don't blame technology. ;)

Can we be friend ? :-D I have to disagree with you. I am also a geek in some way. i know how to programm some web languages by hand, I have 4 computers, a 20mbits internet connection, I do video editing, 3d modeling, Image editing, music editing.

This only means I am creative, as you are. People aren't creative anymore. They just consume the shit and throw it away, kids included. This is a shame because I have always been told that kids were the most creative people. Picasso once said : "At the age of 5 I was able to paint like Raphaelo, but it tooks me one life to be able to draw as a kid". I doubt it's applying to the newer generations :|

[KimT]

I belive that LEGO has hit the spot with their "back to basics" idea (creator, designer and bulk boxes). Also not using a huge amount of money on licenses for SW, Harry the fudger and so on would allow LEGO to do what they do best - invent great themes for endless playing and constructing. I've heard rumors that LEGO will focus future sets on City, Castle and Space as in the good ol' days and support this with external self-invented themes as for example Vikings and the Indiana Jones lookalike fellow travelling the world.

KimT

"Onwards men!"

"Victory is at hand"

-Famous Last Words

[Must have Vikings - love dragons!]

[ApophisV]

I think in this case we don't talk about kids or adults that has computers (or technology in general) as some kind of a hobby but as an obsession....

Some people meant by the word "geeks" (I call them freaks) are those absolutely obsessed people that isolate themselves from every offline life, that spend all the freetime at there pc, gaming, surfing, whatever.... The only people they talk with are from IRC chats (what the heck is IRC???????) or from forums like www.i-am-the-best-and-coolest-hacker-because-i-can-programm-assembler-and-i-can-make-100-headshots-in-one-minute-whuahaha.com...

I am pretty sure there are really more than enough of them around, e.g. one of my best friends at school became one of them... And I must say that in the age of 15 to 18 I was very close to become a geek, too... I hadn't had many friends (besides this one guy I mentioned), I sat on my PC 7 hours the day (the rest was school or dinner) and the worst aspect of it was: I hadn't used the computer because I wanted to to some particular thing with it (like I nowadays mostly use it for Lego related things like chatting, boards,...), no I just used it for the purpose of itself... I used the PC to do something PC related... Even it was playing Microsoft's FreeCell.... I had this need to sit on the computer and to do whatever I was able to do with it, just to sit there and use it....

Okay, I think most kids aren't as close to geekieness like I had been, but the point is: Technology offers especially to the shy and introverted people a new way to avoid any troubles in the real world, let it be getting in contact with others, finding friends, finding hobbies or maybe just avoiding being teased by others...

And the earlier kids come in contact with this new media world (what has also some great aspects, kids SHOULD be able to use the pc, but as a tool, not as a friend) the less they are inhibited to let themselves being "assimiltated" by this new world...

Technology offers them pleasures that are "easy", they can change their activities every few minutes, they can do whatever they want to do, e.g. they can pick games from an nowadays endless list, they can browse the net, etc etc etc..

This offer of different activities leads to lazyness and lazyness leads to not playing with real toys anymore.....

Huh, my 2 cents... :P

[selder]

Haven't read the whole topic, but does anyone knows when those new Technic sets will be released? Sometime in March, or even later?

[sam89]

According to the new catalogue they come out in August, but August release sets usually end up coming out in the Summer.

[Orlego]

On the contrary, I believe it is a combination of technology and toy availability that has reduced the attention span and helped create an "instant pleasure principle". Children do not play with toys as long (esp. the same toy). Video games have taken children away from tradional toys as well as battery powered, voice activated, remote control, microchip toys that quickly find their way to the toy box.

What has made Lego successful over the years is a bucket of standard/traditional bricks that can be used to make thousands of different and new toys keeping children building for hours. We did not have Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Spider Man, but rather an imagination to build models with what we had eliminating the need for the specialized piece in the exact color.

I read somewhere that Lego plans on getting away from future movie themes and getting back to traditional sets. Look at the popular sets (esp. for collectors such as us). I thought that one of the best 2003 or 2004 sets was the train engine shed, and I'm sure others would agree that more city building sets would be excellent. I didn't buy Doc Ock's hideout or the Final Showdown because of Spider Man nor did I buy Hogwart's Express because it was Harry Potter - I bought them for a bridge, a building for the doc, a new red train, and a station in unique colors.

I think the Duplo sets are great and I'm sure young children will love them - esp. that Jumbo Jet and the new castles - most excellent.

But hours of video games and internet definately takes time away from sitting down and building a great model.

Very well said Brickster. I agree 100% :-D

[Orlego]

With all the different toys that kids have today i feel that imagination in kids has gone down hill over the last 10 yrs which is a real shame.

You can thank MP3 players, computers, the Internet and video games for that.

I have a 20GB iPod with portable speakers, a homemade rig with top specs, broadband internet, and I'm friends with the developers/publishers of several top-of-the-notch games. I still have over 300 LEGO sets, growing fast. Don't blame technology. ;)

How old are you Jay? I also have everything you do and like Jipay I am a computer programmer. But I'm also 27 years old. I have always had computers in my life but during my childhood the best game I had to play was Oregon Trail (loaded from a floppy of coarse ;) ) using my hella sweet monochrome monitor.

Universities and the government were still developing the Internet and my first computer had a 512mb hard drive. The point is, even if you are 16 years old now, you are pretty much out of your childhood days. The problem is not with yours or my generation, it is with the current generation of kids that are growing up with some really cool technology and parents that just want kids but don't know how (or want to know how) to be parents. Parents today give kids all the items that I only received when I got into my late teens because it is real easy for them to let technology raise their kids. My cousin is one of these parents. Her child is only 6 but had 0 interest in toys because he has everything that I have now as an adult. By his 6th birthday (in December) the kid had cable TV, a laptop with broadband Internet, DVD player and an Ipod. He also has an active cell phone.

I love Lego and Technology but when technology mixes with bad parenting Lego (and the entire toy industry) losses. Parents no longer teach kids to be creative and use their imagination. What is really sad, and I have said this here before, but do you know how many parents honestly ask me what do I mean by "kids can use creativity and imagination to create anything they want to with Lego"? Parents do not know the definition of creativity and imagination! I wish I were joking or making this up but this really happens on a daily bases.

It is true that Lego has not had many great basic sets over the past few years but Lego is not the only company to suffer lost sales. The entire toy industry has lost huge amounts of money because kids are losing interest in toys at a much younger age.