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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)

#271

Post by aksss »

als0 wrote: post #262
secabeen wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sets you are looking for still exist today. For example: 428-piece, 1-foot cube, $55, 4 minifigs, 1994: https://brickset.com/sets/6571-1/Flame-Fighters 540-piece, 1-foot cube, $69, 5 minifigs, 2022: https://brickset.com/sets/60320-1/Fire-Station LEGO just has a much much larger catalog now than they did back then (200 sets vs 800 sets.) But the classic style sets are still there for you, if that's what you want.

Am I the only one who thinks the 1994 one looks nicer?

The modern one reflects some... changes - the more contemporary window style, and the number of minifigs wearing ties in the firehouse has increased. I expect it reflects an assumption of a higher tax base in legoville. In all seriousness, the custom piece count is on full display, where the 90's set is dominated by reusable generic pieces.

Those outward-sloping windows in the 90's set were the bomb though, useful in so many cool applications - (star)ship bridges, towers, and the like. :D

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

#272

Post by [deleted] »

watwut wrote: post #246
josephg wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is no end to the “replay value” in taking whatever miscellaneous collection of legos you have and making whatever you want out of them. This is what most kids do. It’s interesting watching my sister’s kids interact with lego. Her daughter (the oldest) loves rules, and loves following the instructions on the set. Her (younger) son loves destroying her sets and mixing things up. He loves all the “boy” lego sets…

I feel like people completely unnecessary put moral value on not following manual. There is nothing wrong with following it. There is nothing wrong if that girl wants to keep some building and play with them. She may or may not build own later, most kids move between the two kinds of play. If younger brother dostroyed her own creation, in my experience, the anger is even higher. And loss harder to fix - you can help…

[deleted]

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

#273

Post by dudul »

samwillis wrote: post #6

I would love to know what percentage of Legos revenue is now from adults buying the incredible large, complex and expensive sets to build themselves. Lego is so associated as a toy for children just as computer games are, but gaming is a larger industry for adults than children. My wife and I now regularly buy these large lego sets for each other (birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries) and do them together in the ev…

I don't have a number for you, but I recently read an interview of their head of the "adult division". He basically said that it was their fastest growing segment. All the IDEAS sets are targeted at adults and they seem to be doing very well.

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

#274

Post by dudul »

One thing that has changed is the quality of some of the bricks. I used to play with Legos in the 80's. I had dozens and dozens of sets that my parents kept, and now my kids are playing with them. Very very few pieces are broken.

Compare that with the current sets. My kids have a few of these and parts seem to break very easily. Especially minifigures. Hands, arms and "hips" deteriorate quickly. They crack slightly, become loose, etc.

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

#275

Post by deltaonefour »

destitude wrote: post #266
deltaonefour wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The gender equality was portrayed by the company and therefore picked up by the parents. Nothing to do with what little boys thought of girls. I know. Legos has two modes of advertising. One targeting parents, the other targeting kids. Both were accurate in their objectives. However the article itself fails to understand the psychology of kids. > This is big part of why we have lack of females in STEM since for exam…

It's still interesting to note that boys wore pink and played with dolls in the USA 100-150 years ago.

You can build dolls with legos. It is the act of building that is really the core that draws this line of demarcation IMO. Other stuff like whether pink is associated with masculinity is harder to judge.

Additionally don't forget practically all of our technology and science from the dawn of human kind (with many exceptions) was built from the ground up by males. That is the key, despite the exceptions, men are basically responsible for all of it. It seems illogical to dismiss the difference with a simple answer like sexism.

It may be that males in the past didn't permit women to enter STEM and that is WRONG. But there's also the fact that males built all of STEM and no parallel structure was built on the female side; that difference is worth exploring as is your remark about boys wearing pink and playing with dolls.

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

#276

Post by ChrisArchitect »

2014? What's new since then?

Fairly common knowledge that Lego basically saved the company and earned a ton of new money by focusing on branded sets and marketing-tie-ins etc, which was a change from the generic box of colored pieces and more independent-creativity-encouraging approach many of us grew up with. But that ship sailed so long ago and they made so much money, it isn't gonna stop any time soon.

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

#277

Post by tills13 »

rnernento wrote: post #267
tills13 wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> yes it's annoying that a lot of them are built just once how is this a point people are hung up on. nobody is telling anyone they can only build a set once. hell, Lego has even started offering "alternative instructions" for certain sets to encourage you to take it apart and rebuild it. You can do whatever you want with LEGO after you buy it and it has never been a better time to be an enthusiast. People just like…

I can speak to this a little, the issue is that the sets are designed to not be as friendly to rebuilding. The walls and floors to buildings are made out of very specific pieces that aren't easily reconfigured into new structures. Honestly some of it is so weird that I think they do it on purpose specifically to discourage re-use.

I don't think this is true at all. I recently built the Saturn V and the Mario Question Mark Block and neither had _any_ notably unique pieces in them and certainly not in any excess quantity.

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

#278

Post by gowld »

secabeen wrote: post #204
brimble wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A ~550-piece set from my childhood (90s): 10 minifigs and accessories, end result will fill about a 1-foot cube. Plenty of room for small hands to get in and actually play with it. Construction simple enough you can easily put it back together if it's messed up during play, without resorting to the directions. Exposed studs everywhere for easy adding-on. A modern ~550-piece set, also from a line aimed at kids, not on…

The sets you are looking for still exist today. For example: 428-piece, 1-foot cube, $55, 4 minifigs, 1994: https://brickset.com/sets/6571-1/Flame-Fighters 540-piece, 1-foot cube, $69, 5 minifigs, 2022: https://brickset.com/sets/60320-1/Fire-Station LEGO just has a much much larger catalog now than they did back then (200 sets vs 800 sets.) But the classic style sets are still there for you, if that's what you want.

Parent was exaggerating, but the 2022 set has 25% more pieces (and 50% more distinct pieces), but isn't any larger.

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

#279

Post by makeitdouble »

The-Bus wrote: post #162
makeitdouble wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TBF the best advice for people who only want a bunch of "classic" bricks for their small child is to buy them used or of some generic conpatible brand. I totally understand Lego not putting any marketing power in that direction and pushing so hard for more branding and licensed sets. The other end of the spectrum is their educational sets, but then we're really into the multi hundreds of dollars sets.

Every major retailer that sells Lego sets will likely carry or stock some version of a "classic" set which is 1000+ bricks that are the same as the ones from 40 or even 50 years ago (just available in more colors & perhaps some bricks introduced in the 80s or 90s). There's no license, stickers, software, etc. Most of these sets are sub-$50, so relatively affordable.

> Most of these sets are sub-$50, so relatively affordable.

Second hand buckets are around $10 if you buy from a store, and way less if you get them at a flee market or from families who don't use them anymore.

Sounds hippy and extreme, but I anecdotely know around ~20 people who went that route to start or grow their collection, and that's the advice I'd give people if asked. Lego seems to be the only toy people don't mind just getting second hand, machine wash in a net and start playing.

Bucket will stay in store as the anchoring price, and also to avoid having non Lego brand take that shell space, but I don't remember seing any marketing effort from Lego to push them in the last 10 or 20 years.

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

#280

Post by makeitdouble »

watwut wrote: post #181
makeitdouble wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was an average price by piece comparison a few years ago but I can't find it back. The gist of it was that price by piece didn't change that much, while sets are getting bigger and more complex. I'd also wagger that we now have a lot more smaller pieces that make these kind of calculations more flawed.

It is not even that sets would be universally bigger. You can buy middle sized, small and super small sets still. Lego sets literally start from small bag for 5e that builds something super small.

Yes, and I think they will always be covering every price ranges with something, be it just the mini-figures you'd set on your keyholder for instance.
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