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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)

#61

Post by tokai »

bluetomcat wrote: post #52
tokai wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you look at Lego Space during the 90s it is a long list of new versions (almost yearly) each with their own specialized parts. Personally I don't feel like this narrative about a substantial shift in Lego sets fits with reality. To me it feel like people conflates it with the rise of licensed sets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Space

Let's take a look at this particular small set from the old Pirates theme: 6259: Broadside's Brig [ https://brickset.com/sets/6259-1/Broadside-s-Brig ] For what was a very small and cheap set at the time, you are getting 3 minifigs and a small building on a baseplate. The bulk of the parts are yellow- and white-coloured bricks for walls and architectural elements. There is a specialised yellow-coloured edge panel wit…

Then lets look at this one, from the same period: https://brickset.com/sets/6834-1/Celestial-Sled

Weird ski bricks, seethrou chain saw, antenna, big arrowshaped structural piece, etc.

I'm not surprised the one you linked is from 91. Noone is disputing that the complexity rose from the 80s. But the complexity we are seeing now is not a new thing. It started in the 90s.

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

#62

Post by ezconnect »

When I was a kid I always wanted to build a doll house because of the intricate details you can see inside the house. It was so hard I gave up and just bought scale model planes then use firecrackers to blow them up during new year. You will never experience the freedom of a kid once you're an adult.

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

#63

Post by Xylakant »

thot_experiment wrote: post #49
nix23 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>That being said when you look out at the competition the bar is low. Bluebrixx, Cobi and Xingbao are probably much better.

I would be absolutely floored if any of those other toy brick manufacturer had the quality of LEGO, they are injection molding wizards.

I haven’t tried a kit of those three mentioned, only other competitors, but brick quality hasn’t been any different from Lego.

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

#64

Post by amelius »

thot_experiment wrote: post #49
nix23 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>That being said when you look out at the competition the bar is low. Bluebrixx, Cobi and Xingbao are probably much better.

I would be absolutely floored if any of those other toy brick manufacturer had the quality of LEGO, they are injection molding wizards.

Doesn't the actual injection molding happen in China anyway? Wouldn't it be more surprising if the Chinese didn't learn the tricks of the trade by now?

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

#65

Post by iqanq »

bregma wrote: post #58
iqanq wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Perhaps the reinforcement of arbitrary culture-specific gender stereotypes is not the point of all toys? There are plenty of other ways parents impose programming.

No post body was provided.

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

#66

Post by Xylakant »

tokai wrote: post #61
bluetomcat wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's take a look at this particular small set from the old Pirates theme: 6259: Broadside's Brig [ https://brickset.com/sets/6259-1/Broadside-s-Brig ] For what was a very small and cheap set at the time, you are getting 3 minifigs and a small building on a baseplate. The bulk of the parts are yellow- and white-coloured bricks for walls and architectural elements. There is a specialised yellow-coloured edge panel wit…

Then lets look at this one, from the same period: https://brickset.com/sets/6834-1/Celestial-Sled Weird ski bricks, seethrou chain saw, antenna, big arrowshaped structural piece, etc. I'm not surprised the one you linked is from 91. Noone is disputing that the complexity rose from the 80s. But the complexity we are seeing now is not a new thing. It started in the 90s.

The ski bricks are standard technic skis. The chain saw and is found in the entire series of kits. The arrow shape plate is a very common piece in all space kits back to the 1980, though the usually were grey or black. Often used for wings with hinged plates. I have literally dozens of those in my childhood lego collection. Antennas were on each an every space piece, though the thin and slender ones only started showing in the early 90ies. They’re still around.

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

#67

Post by mmustapic »

ilikerashers wrote: post #43

Trying to buy lego for kids these days is a nightmare. I went looking for a spaceship lego set. Just a simple rocket or something. Instead it's heaps of adult themed/Star Wars/NASA licensed stuff. The alternative seems to be a bucket of standard bricks. The adult orientation of LEGO these days makes me hesitant to buy it. I don't mind Adults having LEGO sets, I do mind if that becomes so lucrative it stops kids being…

A simple spaceship

https://www.lego.com/en-be/product/space-shuttle-adventure-3...

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

#68

Post by mcphage »

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 would love to know what percentage of Legos revenue is now from adults buying the incredible large, complex and expensive sets to build themselves.

If you have a Lego store nearby, stop in, and it's mindboggling how many $100+ sets they carry. Not great for shopping for a Lego Friends set for my daughter, but if I wanted to drop $300 on a Ninjago set they'd be able to help.

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

#69

Post by acdha »

bluetomcat wrote: post #7
k__ wrote: post #4

I was a kid in the 90s and most of the things written in that article were already true. I still broke down all the elaborate sets, put them all together in a big box, and built my own things later.

A more interesting comparison would be to put the core themes of the 1990s (Castle, Pirates, Space, Town) against the modern popular themes (Ninjago, Creator, Star Wars, City). The old sets had less specialised parts and less colour variety, which allowed kids to combine sets from the same theme easily. The buildings (castles, fortresses, harbours) almost always had a big baseplate (flat or 3D). Minifigs were themed…

> Nowadays, most of the sets are some imaginary vehicles with Creator-style builds. You can probably build a new vehicle out of the same set, but combining different sets from the same theme is much less enjoyable. The few sets with buildings rarely have baseplates and feel very airy and unharmonic.

“Most” doesn’t feel right to me - my son’s mostly had City sets and they’re all repurposable, buildings use large flat pieces with configurable roads so it’s not quite as big but also allows more combinations than “large square”, etc. There are definitely specialty pieces but I’m skeptical that they’re that much more common given all of the pieces I had as a kid which were pretty specialized, too.

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

#70

Post by mcphage »

ilikerashers wrote: post #43

Trying to buy lego for kids these days is a nightmare. I went looking for a spaceship lego set. Just a simple rocket or something. Instead it's heaps of adult themed/Star Wars/NASA licensed stuff. The alternative seems to be a bucket of standard bricks. The adult orientation of LEGO these days makes me hesitant to buy it. I don't mind Adults having LEGO sets, I do mind if that becomes so lucrative it stops kids being…

> I do mind if that becomes so lucrative it stops kids being able to enjoy it.

I've got 3 young kids, and trust me, that's nowhere near happening. Kids love lego.

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