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Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

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Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#221

Post by onemoresoop »

ballenf wrote: post #120
gilbetron wrote: post #101

I really dislike all the bizarre "lego ain't what they used to be!" comments - they honestly come from people who haven't spent time with modern legos. For reference I was born in 1970 and played with legos probably from 1975-1985, and then seriously picked it up again in 2012 or so when my son was old enough to play with them. People paint this picture of these new legos that are made up of like 5 parts that you jus…

What I've seen is that kids get that dopamine rush from putting together everything exactly according to instructions. From opening the numbered bags and methodically working through thick instruction booklets. The problem now is that they have this expectation of gratification from making something kind of perfect and their own creations are less interesting and fulfilling. I don't know what the name is for the idea…

My 4- yo kid likes to build from instructions but once that's done he'll take them apart and mix the pieces with all the other dismantled kits making it a nearly impossible task to redo the original kits. But he'd rebuild simpler variants, the play factor is still there. I on the other hand am bit stumped by the amount of small varied pieces. I'm thinking of getting a bucket with classic pieces, perhaps non branded/generic legos.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#222

Post by _nalply »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #219
somethoughts wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One key mindshift is to realize that many of the newer sets are more in line with a 3D puzzle than a creative 1000's of blocks to invent your own thing. Its a lot less frustrating when you realize the replay value is in taking down the set and doing it again next year or passing it on to a friend - in a manner more analogous to how puzzles are engaged with.

I see my kids use modern sets just the way I did as a kid. I would follow the directions to build the thing. Over time I would break it down and add it to my lego pile from which I made random things. Sure, some pieces are very specific. But you can still take those specific pieces and add it to some other random very specific piece. As far as I can tell, legos haven't changed that much in 30 years. There were a lot…

But the colors! Back then you had black, white, blue, yellow, green and red. And today? You even have two different shades of light blue.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#224

Post by dawnerd »

mikkergp wrote: post #220
criddell wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish I could rent a set. I’d love to put a huge set together, but after that I don’t really want it anymore and don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling it.

This seems like a great business idea, so great I checked to see if anyone was already doing it: https://netbricks.biz/

Wow thats actually a really cool idea. At first I was worried about what would happen if you lose a little piece and they thought of that and seem to have a very generous policy. I'd give it a go but I have a huge backlog of sets to build.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#225

Post by oaiey »

MarkusWandel wrote: post #153

Genuinely curious: Has anyone here personally experienced a The old "build from the bottom" Lego Technic was just so inviting for technical tinkering. We built all kinds of machinery out of them. Not kids any more on this occasion; we dug out the Legos from the late 1970s to play with them just for fun once we were grown up. But representative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw3dUbRfMSw The "What it is, is beautiful…

LEGO Technic is different. I was a vivid user as child and now as adult I rediscovered it. It is indeed more challenging to build inside out (what you need with the new beams/pins) than bottom up (old stackable & studded beams).

I however, would not agree with your statement that this block kids. I think nowadays tinkering is possible with so many more things than when I have been small. I had LEGO and alternatively real tools with wood. Nowadays, you have that and also things like Minecraft, Gravitrax, City Skylines, ..

Also LEGO Technic is too expensive. I luckily bought the 42082 giving me 4000pc for 160€ ... but usually that many pieces would go for 400€. And what I have is a bare minimum to build something meaningful like a robot arm, plotting thingy, some cars, etc. The modern Technic motors/battery hubs are also extremely expensive (ignoring the other flaws).

I think the kids have so many choices that they do not pick up LEGO Technic for the price.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#226

Post by deltarholamda »

onemoresoop wrote: post #221
ballenf wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I've seen is that kids get that dopamine rush from putting together everything exactly according to instructions. From opening the numbered bags and methodically working through thick instruction booklets. The problem now is that they have this expectation of gratification from making something kind of perfect and their own creations are less interesting and fulfilling. I don't know what the name is for the idea…

My 4- yo kid likes to build from instructions but once that's done he'll take them apart and mix the pieces with all the other dismantled kits making it a nearly impossible task to redo the original kits. But he'd rebuild simpler variants, the play factor is still there. I on the other hand am bit stumped by the amount of small varied pieces. I'm thinking of getting a bucket with classic pieces, perhaps non branded/g…

My kids do the same. They get a set, build it, play with it for a while, and then it gets deconstructed and mixed in with the Big Bin O' Lego. Oddball pieces become wings, or arms, or showerheads, or whatever their imagination sees.

To me, that's the spirit of Lego. Even as a kid, I had friends who had, e.g., the Space Shuttle set, and once that shuttle got built, it was sacrosanct. If I tried to pilfer something from it, a blood feud would ensue.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#227

Post by em-bee »

cardanome wrote: post #145
em-bee wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

interesting, the reviews that i saw about the star trek models pointed out some issues but were not as bad. and besides that i have not seen any other star trek set that was better, with the exception of the mega bloks one, but their way to connect the warp nacelles i would consider cheating.

Yeah, some things are really difficult to do any better with standard pieces but honestly that can't be excuse. The quality of pieces that xingbao can deliver is simply not up to the task and they should have expected that. Plus the pressure that is put in the pieces by the weight of the models might cause them not age well. So the benefit of using standard pieces might not be that great in this case. As for the revi…

i have read through the comments. most complain about the price and the hanging nacells. none of the commenters have built this model yet. most sound self righteous and they were never going to get this thing anyways. i'll wait until i see more reviews from people who actually built the thing.

maybe i am biased towards lego alternatives, but i don't think that the same model with original lego bricks is going to be any better. i highly doubt that the quality of xingbao bricks is the problem here.

rather this model is at the limit of what plastic can hold, and unless you cheat, like mega bloks, i don't think it is possible to do better.

in my personal opinion, if the model doesn't fall apart, then the quality of the bricks is good enough. yes, there are issues with inconsistent quality, and i have seen models that actually do fall apart. if that happens, then criticism is justified. but for the model as presented in the video, i didn't see such quality issues, and hence i don't agree that the review was biased.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#228

Post by oaiey »

mcv wrote: post #11
bil7 wrote: post #2

title correction: 9 ways lego has researched and expanded it's product line to increase profits while continuing to sell less popular traditional products

Largest toy manufacturer in the world. Can't really argue with that. I do miss the old, simpler lego from the early 1980s, but those things still exist in the Classic and Creator lines. Buy them. I love Lego Star Wars, but Classic and Creator are the soul of Lego.

And leaders in plastic piece production ... and interestingly also long-time IT experts.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#229

Post by bondolo »

One thing that seems to have changed is the understanding of impermanence. I loved the things I built with Lego but quickly had to accept that none of them was permanent. Kill your darlings to build the next thing. Being too enamoured with what you built before reduced your options for building new creations and you found that you loved nothing so much that you weren't willing to destroy it to accomplish your new goals.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#230

Post by slices »

_nalply wrote: post #222
bcrosby95 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see my kids use modern sets just the way I did as a kid. I would follow the directions to build the thing. Over time I would break it down and add it to my lego pile from which I made random things. Sure, some pieces are very specific. But you can still take those specific pieces and add it to some other random very specific piece. As far as I can tell, legos haven't changed that much in 30 years. There were a lot…

But the colors! Back then you had black, white, blue, yellow, green and red. And today? You even have two different shades of light blue.

from what I've seen, kids are likely to just ignore all the colors and just grab the shape they're looking for
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