LEGO shouldn't make new parts for a year?

[obsidianheart]

I like new parts!

[ShaydDeGrai]

If you'd asked me this a decade ago ( when TLG was putting themselves out of business by not tracking the cost of motors or fiber optic cable, ruining the building experience which excessive "macro" parts to get the build over with as quickly as possible and move on the "play" experience, and running down blind alleys with lines like Znap, Scala and Galidor ), I would have said sure, put on the brakes and think about what you've got before pouring millions of dollars into new molds. Today, as a general rule of thumb, I think TLG learned its lesson from those years and puts a lot more thought into new parts and I'm generally happy when I come across such items in new kits.

Now I, for one, strongly favor small generic parts, so when I see something so wildly useful like the 1x2 bow (I first noticed it on the Friends yacht ) or a 2x2 inverted tile or (years earlier) the 1x1 cheese slope, my first reaction is usually along the lines of "Finally! Where were you when I needed a couple hundred of you two years ago?"

I'm not much of a minifigure-centric collector so when I look at something like the new Simpson's line of CMFs and think about all the new molds that went into that (or Chima heads or the hairpieces for the dwarves in the Hobbit line and before that Star Wars helmets for that matter) I do wonder what "practical" part didn't get made because the TLG's (considerable but still) limited resources went into producing "accessories" rather than new "building" parts. Still, just because _I_ am not into that aspect of the business doesn't mean it can't be immensely profitable for them and profitability for TLG is good for me because it means that maybe next year they'll be in a position to come out with new parts that are more to my tastes.

Sometimes you get Bart Simpson's head, sometimes you get those cool new ball joints they introduced in the Mixels line - at least they're not making Galidor action figures anymore.

[Faefrost]

I'm not much of a minifigure-centric collector so when I look at something like the new Simpson's line of CMFs and think about all the new molds that went into that (or Chima heads or the hairpieces for the dwarves in the Hobbit line and before that Star Wars helmets for that matter) I do wonder what "practical" part didn't get made because the TLG's (considerable but still) limited resources went into producing "accessories" rather than new "building" parts. Still, just because _I_ am not into that aspect of the business doesn't mean it can't be immensely profitable for them and profitability for TLG is good for me because it means that maybe next year they'll be in a position to come out with new parts that are more to my tastes.

Sometimes you get Bart Simpson's head, sometimes you get those cool new ball joints they introduced in the Mixels line - at least they're not making Galidor action figures anymore.

If it makes you feel any better, Given how business and manufacturing works, it isn't a direct "one or the other" relationship between tooling for something like the Simpsons OR new construction parts. Tooling is a capital expense, and I would bet with almost 100% certainty happens on the back of business financing. Essentially they take out a mortgage for each new mold or theme to support the tooling. And each theme is a separate business case and evaluation. The licenses for things like Star Wars or the Simpsons are offered to the banks as part of the business case for the loans, etc. When it comes to tooling and parts think of Lego as a construction company that builds houses. The construction for each house is financed individually from the bank based on its expected value and returns. And one has little to no impact on the other up until the point where the company is exceeding its viable ratios of loans to income. Given Lego's current growth curve they are nowhere near that.

What I am trying to say is new tooling isn't a zero sum game.

[rob-cubed]

I'm going to put in my "no" vote. If LEGO produces a new part, it's either because:

- It serves a very specific need

- It's generic enough to be used in other builds

I'm always thrilled to see new generic parts like the new "ice cream cone" but frankly the existing system is already pretty robust. There is a much bigger demand for custom-molded parts, and it's the licensed sets which rely on these that seem to drive the biggest profits.

[gifinim]

Another no from me. Moderate the production of new parts maybe, but I'm sure LEGO do this as a matter of course anyway. Having a strict 'no new parts' time might get the designers to do things a little differently but I'm sure we'd not see a drop in price or anything radical in set design.

[DuckBricks]

i could see a few possibilities for that piece in a different color maybe. i'm thinking wall detailing, but i'm sure some "master builders" will work this into mocs.

It actually comes in gray in the SPACESHIP set...